An Adventurer's World

Toady's the day I finally land in Australia. If you know me then it's been one hell of a journey to get here. I planned it early in 2017 with a former close friend of mine however after developing a tropical disease in Costa Rica I wasn't able to fly out so had to delay. I decided whilst I was back in the UK I might as well work the season again and head out at the end of the year. I'm honestly so glad I made that decision. I am more prepared this time around and I have met some incredible people that are also heading out at the same time (some have become really true friends) So because of this I have made some promises.

A lot of people have asked me the common questions for this trip, "how long you going out for" "where you going" which will also be included in this post. 

1. Enjoy it

The most important promise I have made about this trip is to enjoy it.  If that means I come home after a few months then that's the way life has planned Australia for me, all I care about is having an amazing time and making the most of this opportunity. Earlier this year I was so stuck on the idea that I was going to move out there for a year, maybe longer. The first thing I would do was get a job then explore to make sure this trip lasted; I saw anytime under a year as a failure. I was so stressed and I knew that this would follow me to Australia so something had to change. My whole outlook on this trip did. Now I'm going out to enjoy myself and just see where I go.

2. Memory's Over Time

 As I mentioned above earlier this year I was so set on the idea of staying out there for a year etc, finding a job for this to happen. This is not the way to look at it (don't get me wrong if you want to move out there for life then do it, I believe in you!) For me its all about the memories. I want to go skydiving and learn to surf, meet incredible people and make life long friends. If that means I end up coming home after a few months then so be it. I would rather have an epic few months then a boring year. Then again if it all works out and I manage to stay out there for a year then so be it!

3. Be myself

I'm still young and still trying to figure myself out and honestly nothing beats travelling to help me find myself but I need to promise myself that I will be me and love myself for who I am. I can see it now, there are going to be times where I compare myself to others but they will need to stop. People will like me for me and that's all that matters. Plus, I'm sure I will loose the weight from stress eating the last few weeks with all the walking and the weight of my bag whilst I'm here.

4. Go with the Vibe

Another common question I get asked is who I'm going with, in which I simply reply "me". Australia is another one of my solo adventures but its not going to be a lonely one. As I have mentioned before in my  what I learnt in London post, I am a true believer of going with the vibe and by going solo I am able to do so. A group wants an extra person for a road trip? Sure! I will go. There is a lot of farm work in cairns, you say? Off I go! And I can do all this without having to worry about another person. Don't get me wrong there might be a time when I meet someone and we travel for a bit but there is always that's freedom to stay or go. I also promise to take any opportunity that comes my way and just go with it. 

I hope you enjoyed this post. If you want to know more about my trip feel free to comment below.
This post was inspired by Peachpaige's Promises for 2018.

On Wednesday I travelled up to London to meet up with the beautiful and inspirational Paige from PeachPaige (if you haven't already make sure you check out her blog, for all things lifestyle related, link connected). I have never been to London before (Yes I know what you are thinking, I am a un-travelled travel blogger but I will get there) so this was a whole new experience for me and it wasn't like anything I thought it would be but a learnt a lot from it. This post is a little different than my normal posts but I hope you enjoy it.

Being a Devon girl with little travel experience I had some expectations for London, honestly not good ones at that. I expected loud streets full of busy/rude people all in their own bubbles, mountains of traffic, expensive shops with bottled water costing £3. If anything it was the complete opposite. It wasn't as busy as I thought it would be, if anything my local beach in the high of summer saw more people. This is probably due to the day of the week and that there is a lot more space compared to the people. People are there to help you, my oyster day card stopped working after a few stops and the people at the tickets gates were more than happy to help me out, even with a laugh and a joke. The traffic in my view was the same as any other city, with just a few more red buses, coaches and Ubers. 

I live for the vibes. When it comes to new situations I always go with the vibes. If something, somewhere or even someone gives off a good vibe then I know it that something good will come from it and that is what I got from London. As soon as I met Paige and we got the tube, the vibes were there. I felt relaxed and at home in a way. By the end of the afternoon, I was walking around, chatting to Paige like I had been there for months rather than hours, it was crazy! I also feel in love with the London vibe. As a creator, I just saw the endless possibility London holds for us and the space to grow and truly be yourself, nothing like we have here down in Devon. Paige is an example of this.  

London has such an ethnical diversity which is something I really loved. In my opinion, there isn't a lot of different cultures in Devon so people fear trying new things or talking to people slightly different (And honestly before travelling this was something that I feared too, I hated this about myself) but in London, there isn't that fear. There are a lot less judgement and a lot more acceptance for people to just be themselves and live their life however that may be because after all to them its normal life. We went to Chinatown and had such an amazing lunch at this little Chinese restaurant down one of the streets. I was so happy to try something a bit different and the food was beautiful. Over lunch we had a conversation about this topic and thanks to Paige I now have a better understanding and stepped outside of my comfort zone once again.

London is full of beauty from open gardens to shop windows. I went crazy at all the sights. After getting off the tube we headed to Trafalgar Square. There was art all around us, from people drawing in chalk on the floors, to an ever-changing sculpture as well as a super cheesy guy playing with fire. It was all so beautiful. From there we headed to the gallery and looked at all the wonderful paintings. Just seeing all the colours, brush strokes and details that went into the artwork was overwhelming, it just shows how over time art has changed. All the shades of colours have changed. The blue in some of the painting was like nothing I've ever seen before and you just couldn't take your eyes from it. I was also about to see the sunflower painting by Van Gogh. 

London is also full of surprise, hid behind an alleyway in the busy streets of London stands the St Dustane in the East Church Gardens. It was breathtaking, I never thought such beauty could be found in such a bit city. The church was built around 1100, with new aisles and repairs done in 1391 and 1631 with damaged caused by the Great Fire of London in 1666 and again by the Blitz of 1941. What remained was open as a public garden in 1967. We sat for a good hour or so on one of the benches just taking in the beauty that surrounded and talked about future plans. You wouldn't have thought you were in London.

If it wasn't for Paige I wouldn't have even gone on the spontaneous trip and had such an amazing experience. I would have clearly got lost at the station without your help (even if that's just as much fun of exploring somewhere new)  and you have really inspired me to follow my dreams and showed me that anything is possible if you just work hard. You showed me the true judgement free side of London and pushed me out of my comfort zone in ChinaTown. So thank you girl and I can't wait for many more days like this one. 

I had a lot of different experiences in Costa Rica. Most were a once in a lifetime experiences that even looking back at now I can't believe happened. It's like I was dreaming for a whole 2 months. Here is a post all about the good stuff, so grab a coffee and relax. It's going to be a long one..

Finally arriving at camp and realising I have done it - I remember clear as day laying on the damp mattress after fighting with the mosquito net to try and get into the bed. As I lay on my back I looked up at the metal frame above me and just smiled. I had finally done it. The girl who had never travelled before, never even been on a plane travelled all this way and made it in one piece. Don't get me wrong, it had been emotional but I had done it! It was one of the proudest moments in my life.

The wildlife - After all, this was the main reason I went out to Costa Rica to see the beautiful diversity of the wildlife out there. It was truly breathtaking. The locals called the scarlet macaws pigeons due to the population of them in the town! Yes, that's right the beautiful intelligent birds have such a big population in Puerto Jimenez that they refer to them as pests. Another amazing memory is being woken up at 4am most mornings from the call of the howler monkey's in the trees around the camps. I was also the first person in 7 years to see an armadillo in Costa Rica. At first, the leader of the survey didn't believe me and we had a conversation for a good 20 minutes about whether or not it could have really been an opposum until he saw it himself. This experience led to the tattoo on my leg.

Left - Feeding a sloth at a sanctuary. Right - Capuchin monkey

Pancakes - At Camp Osita you will find the best pancakes being made - it might take the whole length of your trip to master them but they are something truly incredible - which if you made back home would taste completely different, maybe it's just the jungle..A simple mix of flour and water (More flour for a thicker pancake) fried in a bit of vegetable oil and topped however you like. Combos included - simply sugar and lime/lemon, peanut butter and banana. Cinnamon or whatever you felt like doing - will never forget Neil's cereal pancakes. After all its about the small things in life.

Cinnamon pancakes with banana and maple syrup.

Acts of kindness - When you start off travelling it's a whole new experience, its the same when you start anything new in life. It's also a very emotional time, fear, loneliness, homesickness as well as sickness in my case. Small things make a massive difference in these times due to the emotions. I almost cried when one of the girls brought me a bunch of green bananas back from town. I was vegan back then and all I wanted was bananas for my porridge and pancakes as we were all limited to 3 a week. Someone also let me have a pair of their trousers as I only bought 1 pair for the evenings so I didn't get eaten alive in shorts. The whole of the jungle family was so helpful getting me home and making sure I was okay. It doesn't take a lot to be kind.

The people - I met so many incredible people in Costa Rica. Don't get me wrong you never got on with everyone but most of the people at the camp were amazing and honestly people I would love to be in contact more with. They helped me so much and were there to listen to me and have a laugh with. This was the same for the locals. Every time we went into town and I saw the guy who did the dolphin tour, he would always stop and wave. The locals were so welcoming, and honestly not out to steal my stuff like I first thought. Even if language got in the way sometimes we were still able to communicate and honestly, it just added to the fun! They tried to teach me - even if it didn't work.

Jungle Family.

Spider Monkey research - Whilst I was at the camp, there was an opportunity to work on a research project which led to a Frontier certificate - great for your CV. One of the staff members was working on a Geoffroy's spider monkey project, looking for groups and their behaviours in different forests so I helped out. I have a passion for primates and after finding out spider monkeys are on the endangered list (due to deforestation of their habitats), I wanted to do it for them.

I tried to go out as much as I could, to record as the more info because the more I got the more it would help Ellen out with her paper. Which if it got published would have my name in it - How amazing is that! knowing that what I was doing would really help towards something bigger. However, due to going home early, I wasn't able to finish the project.

Waterfall Trail - One of my best memories is the waterfall trail. Although it was a bit of a challenge to get too, it was worth it at the end. Walking the easy trails in wellies can be hard at times but imagine walking through a stream, climbing over trees and fragile walkways in poorly made plastic wellies that made you walk like you had two left feet, but when we got to the end, the incredible waterfall crashing into a beautiful pool of water, I completely forgot all about it. Well, that was until I remembered we had to walk back. We all took it in turns going under the waterfall and just had a laugh and talked. It's in moments like this when you realize sometimes its not the destination, it's the people you share these moments with that matters. 

Sunrises - I am a sucker for sunrises, the beauty that comes from the darkness, the start of a new day full of amazing adventures and new beginnings. Its just one of the planets amazing events that we are so lucky to have and even take for granted. I was able to see so many of these whilst in Costa Rica, each sharing its own beauty.  Sometimes it would be there to guide me along the first survey of the morning, as I walked along the sand looking for turtle nests, or as I looked out from the hammock as I took a sip from my morning coffee and turned the page in my book. 

I have never really been a fan of houses. It's not the houses themselves, (I am truly grateful to be able to have a roof over my head) but they just cause so much stress and worry. Making sure rent is paid every month, then you have the bills on top. Spending all your life working just so you can own it.  I also feel trapped by houses, you are just stuck in one place with the same view. If you wanted to move around a lot its just more money and hassle.

This is why I love vanlife so much, not being rooted in one place. Having that freedom to just wake up anywhere you want. Meeting so many incredible people because you can visit different places, there is also a massive community out there just for vanlifers. You get to explore the place you live in in a completely different way, which makes you truly grateful.

Anyway, where I'm going with this is that I have finally joined the vanlife community, caravan style. Yes, that's right. I have moved out of the summer house and into a caravan. My new home until I get my actual van on the road. I am fully independent, I no longer have to go into the house to use the toilet and cook like I did in the summerhouse.

It took me only a week to revamp, I gave the walls and cupboards a good paint, added some decor and it was like a completely different van!. I started off with a multisurface primer and covered everything that I was going to paint, I only did a very thin layer as I had limited paint. I used white vinyl silk paint on the walls and satin paint on the cupboards. The vinyl silk was what we had left in the house and I managed to get a 5L pot of satin in the sale for £17. Both of which needed 3 layers, just to get rid of the brush makes.

By covering the cushions on both the bed and chairs it made it less dated. I don't have the time to properly upholster them but I got 2 throws and covered the chairs in the seating area and because my bed is permanently out, I'm able to cover the cushions with the duvet.

Then with some old decor from the summer house and a few new bits, I was able to make it feel like home.

All you need is a bit of creativity and anything is possible in life. By living in this caravan will also prepare me for true vanlife as I will be living in the van until then. 

It's been a long time since I wrote about Costa Rica so it's definitely time for another post.

The last day solo was finally here, I was about to head off for 2 months into the jungle. Living with a group of strangers and honestly, I didn't know what to think, I was happy because I was finally meeting more people like me and to learn all their travels. I had been talking to one of the girls who was also heading to the camp at the same time as me so I was excited to meet her. She had even gone out in the pouring rain the night before to try and find me at the hostel, but due to poor wifi we never met.

I still remember walking up the main street to the staff house where I would be meeting everyone. I had my massive 90L backpack on as well as my walking boots. Honestly, I was so scared and I've never walked so quickly in my life. I was so worried that someone was going to try and take my bag or I wasn't going to make it in time. Fast record to 2 weeks later and I walked that some street like I had been there my whole life.

We meet at the staff house then headed back into town to get some lunch before getting the collectevo to the campsite. We stopped off at the bakery and got a slice of Pizza each as well as an iced coffee from the cafe opposite. 2 things I honestly didn't think I would have come across.

There was only 4 of us, Me, Emma; the girl who came to the hostel to try and find me. Neil and Loris, or Roger, which was given to him by one of the other staff members as he insisted we couldn't say his name properly. We were joined on the collectevo (the collectevo is a truck with benches in the back which worked similar to a bus. To be honest with you I'm really not sure if I'm spelling that correctly) by Laura and Wilbur her rescue dog.

The journey to the camp was about 1 1/2 to 2 hours, depending if the drivers wanted a break, I didn't take my eyes off the views on the way to camp, I had never seen views like it. Busy urban areas to open farmland with little to see to the dense jungle where you should see little in such a short time frame. This was what I fell in love with, the biodiversity on not only just the wildlife but the landscape. Don't even get me started on the beaches and sunsets.

When we got to the camp we were greeted by everyone at the camp, including the pets. Everyone was so welcoming and smiley, offering to carry my bags and just wanted to know all about the newbies. Staff member Emma or Emma #1 due to having 2 Emma's at the camp offered to carry my bag to the camp which I thought was really nice of her. We got shown to our beds. Nina showed all the newbies around the site and made me feel right at home, everyone did. I felt so much better finally being in the company of people. I finally was able to relax.

Even if it was short lived...

I am back! Sorry for the long wait, There has been a lot going on with work and trying to get everything ready for Australia but with everything sorted and more time off work, I can finally blog again! Don't forget to follow as there will be a lot more posts coming very soon!