Head Full Of Dreams

Here and there

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Yeeesh, it’s been some time since I’ve last written. So much has happened, we went through a global pandemic and since then travel has been pretty limited. At this moment I’m in Costa Rica in the province of Guanacaste at a yoga retreat. It has been a transformative experience full of moments of genuine awe. I came here with no expectations of and it just filled my heart with love and healing.

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Humantay Lake

One of the most difficult hikes on this trip which is saying a lot was Humantay Lake. It was my first test of steep incline hiking at such a high altitude of 4,200 meters above sea level. It was pouring rain with a now very muddy and rocky terrain. At that altitude your chest tightens, breathing becomes very difficult and as such your heart, lungs, brain and muscles aren’t getting enough oxygen. My muscles felt so tight and heavy as though on the verge of atrophy, my chest as though it would burst from tension, all the while feeling light headed and dizzy.

A little over half-way, almost completely defeated, one of the locals starts chuckling at me, and I laughed at myself. It’s a wonder how much laughter can rehabilitate a defeated spirit. I look at him longingly and asked, how much further? He says you’re about half-way. I laughed even harder to mask the knowledge of prolonging the impending suffering. Mentally defeated, I collapsed on a rock and sat there. The man walks over to me softly with the smile still stuck on his face, pauses, and in the most reassuring voice points to his temple and says to me, “it’s all in the mind my friend, you will be ok but you must keep pushing.” I smiled gently, exhaled while I look ahead to the rest of the hike; and with this new found strength, and kept on going.

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Captain’s vlog

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Dinner at the end of the day before heading to bed.

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Day 1 I was not prepared for this. I knew it would be difficult to hike at suck high altitudes, but never thought it could be this difficult. On the first day we hiked up to 4,200m above sea level to get to Humantay Lake. My breathing was heavy, my muscles aching from fatigue and lack of oxygen all we could do at this point was keep going. It was way too late to turn around now...

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The Nomadic Muralist

During my travels I always meet some amazing and interesting people but every once in awhile you come across someone that kind of makes you sit back in awe. Someone that somehow manages to connect to a very deep and hidden part of yourself without even really knowing too much about you. In my journey to becoming more vulnerable I shared a lot with the Nomadic Muralist. We exchanged a lot of our happiness and a lot of our sorrows, and in the end I’ve met a kindred spirit whom I will never forget. Thanks for sharing your journey, passions, motivations and fears with me. I will carry them wherever I go next. May our paths cross again soon.

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When you’re unsure, be a no drama Lama

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We also made a quick pit stop in a little textile district called Chinchero just outside of Cusco. This place was amazing, the last textile factory to hand make textiles. Feroz bought a poncho and I bought a shawl. 

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The city of Cusco was breathtaking. Unlike other places we’ve seen in Peru there was just a unique quaint energy about the place. In order to get acclimated to the high altitude we were drinking a ton of coca leaf tea to help with breathing as well. 

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This is where things started to get just a little bit intense. We arrived in Cusco, Peru and already we were about 3000m above sea level. This can cause most people to have altitude sickness, dizziness and nausea. Luckily Feroz and I were ok, I definitely felt light headed about 10 minutes after landing but in Cusco we were alright. It’s when we started our hike that things got just a bit scarier... 

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That’s the wonderful thing about traveling, everyone has an energy for spontaneity, and that leads to the most wonderful experiences with amazing strangers from across the world. 

Also this drink is called a Pisco Sour, there is a ruthless amount of alcohol in it, but tastes like a godamn gumdrop. A very dangerous combination. Needless to say we had an epic night. 

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Our day trip to Paracas was such an adventure, one minute we were having breakfast at some random café with barely any cash, and then within the next 10 minutes or so Feroz and I were on a boat headed to see some wildlife with our two German friends. 

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Paracas

We met met these 2 lovely German girls in Huacachina. The four of us just hit it off that we decided to all head to Paracas for a day trip the next day. It was a city about an hour and half away from Ica. We had an absolute blast doing something so spontaneous. 

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Here are some of the photos we edited and shared on instagram. 

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HUACACHINA, PERU

Huacachina was a little oasis in the middle of a massive desert. It’s just outside the neighbouring city of Ica, in Peru. Being there was so surreal that in hindsight feels like it was only a vivid dream. The first sunset we experienced here was special to me because it was the first time in my life that I experienced a sunset without my glasses on since I was 8 years old. We rode the dunes, went sand boarding and caught some pretty remarkable views. To get some extra height we launched Feroz’s drone and got some even more amazing pictures

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During my travels I often love having conversations with people about beauty and happiness in an attempt to understand my cultural biases and perceptions of choice. This time, we were able to actually record one of those conversation and I’m so happy we did. Mariella’s insights were both profound and genuine.  She says that there is so much noise in her culture in Lima, Peru and everyone thinks that money can save them in some way. She mentions that everything in happiness is often a choice. We have to make active decisions to manufacture happiness in our lives.  For me, it’s important to try and differentiate a person and a spirit or soul. These questions allow me to speak to a persons heart and soul rather than the ego, which often attempts to defend our true nature from the outside world. I felt like I could really see her through her answers.  

Thanks for the wonderful insights Mariella, until next time <3

Dona Nobis Pacem 2 - Max Richter

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aPa6c109rvo

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Feroz putting his hiking shoes to the test in what can only be described as some form of primitive mating ritual.