Travel Tips

This week I’m back in Sacramento catching up on some business.  I may have a buyer for the condo, keep your fingers crossed that this one goes through!  In the meantime, I have been able to test out my packing strategy and I have to say, living out of a backpack is easier than I thought!  My clothes don’t take up nearly as much room as I thought they would and I have picked up some good tips along the way.  I made a video of what I am keeping in my main suitcase.  There have been some changes; each time I go somewhere I repack and make little tweaks.  The idea is that my purse and day pack always stay with me and the suitcase can get checked if it needs to although it is the smallest standard carryon size for all the airlines (I checked).  There are a couple of great ideas I have picked up along the way.  Instead of a towel, pack a sarong.  They take up way less space and can double as a sheet or a skirt or wrap.. the possibilities are endless.  Also I was watching a video on tiny living and the lady in the video doesn’t have pillows; she stores fabric in her pillowcases because she likes to sew.  But you could store just about anything soft in a pillowcase; extra blankets, winter clothes, linens.  What a great idea!  I may never buy pillows again!  The food thing is still tricky.  I am learning how to pack things that will keep and that I can eat as is and that are healthy.  Fruit is working out really well, as well as granola bars.  

San Francisco: An Experiment in Tiny Living

This week I was in the neighborhood so I decided to give myself a break and book four days (instead of two) in a hostel in San Francisco.  I have been doing two days because that gives me one day to rest and check out my new surroundings and by that time I’m usually ready to move on.  But I’m here in this hostel and I’m not going anywhere for three more days so that means I have to adapt to living here a little more.  

Even though this isn’t a farm or even close to green living, it is a fascinating experiment in tiny living.  I have been living out of my car more or less which is actually a huge space if you think about it.  I can keep all sorts of unnecessary stuff in there.  Now my car is parked two blocks away in a sketchy parking garage so I don’t really want to go there very often to retrieve things.  So it’s just me and my backpack.  All I have now is a bunk bed and a locker.  So everything valuable goes in the locker and my main bag with clothes etc gets stowed under the bed.  That’s it.  There is a communal kitchen where we can store food but that’s only open certain hours of the day.  And the showers are communal so you have to carry any shower stuff with you and back to your room.  No leaving anything out - it will get thrown away.  

This whole experience has been really interesting.  Every place I go has different rules and logistics so I am constantly adapting my lifestyle to fit my environment.  I am really finding out what I use and what I don’t and how to be creative with my storage.  One new thing I have been doing is carrying my own tupperware in my purse so that when I eat out I can take the leftovers with me in a spill proof container.  I started doing this after I had a salad that leaked dressing all over the inside of my bag!  

I have no clue where I am headed next.  I have put some feelers out but no responses yet.  So until next time, here's a video tour of the hostel and have a great week! 

Two Days In A Yurt

I’m sitting here in this yurt, marveling at the fact that I am sleeping in a yurt!  Definitely a bucket list thing. And even better, when I booked this place on airbnb, I had no idea it was connected to a whole retreat center called the Isis Oasis, which is a beautiful piece of property dedicated to the Goddess Isis.  There are lots of little meditation spots moulded into the landscaping and a wide variety of exotic birds as well as a bobcat and an alpaca.  Very cool.  I would definitely recommend it if you want a different experience and are hippie friendly.  Here's a link to a video I made of my first moments in the yurt.  It's really dark and fuzzy because the yurt was really dark and I didn't have much lighting.  So it's pretty realistic.  Enjoy!  

As I go from place to place, I am learning about myself and learning how to travel light, what I thought I would need vs. what I am actually using.  Here’s what I have learned so far.  

I like to be connected.  That means a cell phone signal at the least and wifi if possible.  Not only is it important for my online business but I feel safer being able to connect with my friends and family and letting them know where I am and how I am doing.  Also, having a computer in this day and age makes travel so easy!  I can find an airbnb in my area and send a request in minutes.  And when I put the laptop away, I can still continue to make arrangements on my phone, as long as I can get a cell signal.  Amazing!  So that means wherever I go I don’t want to to be too remote.  I want to be close by some sort of civilization where I can plug into the community and give and receive support.  Also, I don’t want to be too rustic.  I like a structure to stay in with some sort of bathroom facilities.  I don’t need a lot of space, but I don’t like having to go to the bathroom outside in the rain like I did last night.  It wasn’t terrible, but an inside bathroom facility of some sort is going on my wish list. 

Flashlights have become my new best friend.  Most places don’t think to put a nightlight or any kind of lighting near the bed where you can reach it.  So my options are either to sleep with the lights on, which I have no problem doing but I feel bad wasting the power, or stumble around in the dark.  So I carry two flashlights with extra batteries.  Why two flashlights?  If/when one goes out and I’m in pitch black, how am I going to change the batteries?  That thought occurred to me last night as I was walking back to the yurt.  So I put an extra flashlight in my purse.  

Ziplock bags are also my new best friend.  There are so many uses for them I can’t even begin to list them here.  Especially out in the boonies where there are lots of critters, I keep all my food sealed in ziplock bags.  And when my soap and shampoo are wet from the shower but I have to pack and leave, ziplock bags keep the rest of my stuff dry as well as contain any liquid explosions in transit.  

Speaking of food, that has been an eye opener for me.  A little background: I’ve always had issues with food.  My mom told me that even as an infant I didn’t like to eat.  The same mom that I was taken from because, according to what I was told, authorities reported no food in the house.  This led to extreme pickiness as a child, hormone issues that caused me to be really scrawny until the doctors decided to give me hormone shots which shot me to the unfortunate position of now being overweight.  I still don’t like eating but unlike alcohol and drugs, which I can avoid all together, I have to eat.  When I was in my condo, I was exploring farmer’s markets, learning to appreciate veggies and how to cook healthier.  A huge part of my goals for this journey of exploring new lifestyles and getting back to nature is getting healthier.  Some of that I have been able to do.  I am happy to report that I have been eating more greens on this trip than I usually do.  I haven’t been drinking soda at all and a lot less coffee, mostly because it’s not always available.  So that’s a good thing. But I have discovered an insecurity about food that I didn’t know I had.  Even though I have plenty of food packed and easy access to food, I worry about not having food when I am hungry.  This has led me to (a couple of times) overeat because I didn’t have access to a refrigerator for the leftovers, and be less clear about whether I am actually hungry or just worried that I won’t be able to eat later.  Very strange and new for me.  So I am learning how to pack food that I can eat as is, wherever I am, that is healthy and keeps well.  It’s all a journey and I am learning new things about myself and challenging myself to observe, change and grow.  And I wouldn’t have it any other way!

The yurt

My view from inside the yurt

One of the many gorgeous meditation spots at the Isis Oasis

The alpaca looking out on a beautiful morning

Sometimes in the middle of a disaster, you find just what you’re looking for.

So, after my first goat farm fail, I resolved to vet potential hosts more carefully.  I tried again and connected with a goat farmer in the Coloma area.  I told him upfront that I am not fit enough for construction or heavy outdoor labor but that I still believe I can bring value to a potential host.  He seemed really laid back and said he wasn’t that picky and would be happy to have me.  So Thursday I drove off to goat farm #2. 

The drive there was spectacular!  The weather was perfect and the views were amazing!  The road was a little treacherous with almost no shoulder, no guardrails and a straight drop off a cliff.  Yikes!  But I took it slow and enjoyed the view and before I knew it, I was there.  

I met my host and he was polite and personable.  I started helping out in the cheese making facility and it was really fun!  However, it quickly went downhill.  I don’t want to write too many details because a lot of the issues I ran into were of a personal nature and I don’t want to put anything out on the internet that could hurt someone, but suffice it to say, it went from bad to worse quickly.  It was really bad, so much so that I was in shock, shaking, and exhausted from everything that happened.  Just like the last farm, I did have one cool experience, I got to help milk 50 goats!  That was quite a learning experience and one I really wanted to have.  But in the end, it was too much so once again I bugged out the next morning.  

As I sat over breakfast and reflected, I felt like such a failure.  Three bookings in a row turned out to be disasters.  What was wrong with me?  I have traveled before, booked lots of trips and I thought I was pretty good at making decisions.  I doubted myself.  Should I have stuck it out?  Am I just weak?  But I look back at my life and I don’t think so.  I can handle tough stuff, I just don’t stick around when I don’t need to and in these cases, I think it was the right decision to leave.  

Not having anywhere to stay for the night, I found a really cheap airbnb listing nearby in Pollock Pines at a yoga studio.  Bohemian Chamber, they called it.  I was intrigued, so I booked it.  I told the host of my goat disaster and she said “come on over!”  When I got there, I nearly cried at the room.  It was so cute!  It was very simple but beautifully decorated with yoga-esque decor and sweet little touches like a basket of fresh towels, soap, and candles.  I fell on the bed and just laid there for awhile.  As I settled in, this host was kind enough to let me have dinner with her family.  They were very nice and it was a lovely evening.  I felt my body begin to relax and let my guard down.  So this is my second day here at the yoga studio.  It’s called The Medicine House and it’s a yoga studio/cafe/massage/lodge.  They are still under construction but it is coming along nicely and I can really see that it is going to be cool once it’s finished!  The owner, Lisa, has a great vision and sense of style.  We got along great!  Here’s their Facebook page if you want to check them out:

https://www.facebook.com/TheMedicineHouseYogaStudioAndLodge/timeline

So, what I learned from all this is that sometimes you find what you’re looking for in a different place than you expect to.  I went to the goat farm looking for a great experience and in my desperation to get out of there booked this place and found some really amazing people that I connected with and am having a wonderful time!  It’s good to plan but also be aware, keep your intuition up, and be able to change your plans if you need to.  Always have backups, resources, and a Plan B.  

I’m going to take a break from WWOOFing, I’m not sure if it’s the right program for me.  I have booked another little airbnb cottage for the next couple of days so I’m just going to go there and do some more relaxing and catching up on business.  

My beautiful room at the yoga lounge!

#goatfail

As you read in my last post on Sunday I triumphantly rode off to the goat farm full of excitement and possibility. 

Sunday was really fun!  I got to meet the goats (and the cows and the dog), tour the farm, take a hair raising ride on the back of an ATV, and have a delicious dinner with my hosts with ham from a pig they raised themselves. 

Monday morning was a different story.  Without going into too many details, I began to see more and more signs that the host and I were not a good fit.  I think we had different expectations of each other and from my perspective, I didn’t feel comfortable there.  He told stories about how awful all the previous guests were, and said a lot of things that made me feel like I was not safe there, like if something bad happened I should just “handle it,” which I can do, but I would expect my host to have my safety in mind and give me some general guidelines. Apparently not. There were other issues too that I won’t spell out here. 

At the end of the first day I resolved to try again but waking up that second morning I was dreading going out there.  A couple of hours into the day I realized that it was not my imagination and my intuition was telling me to get out before something happened.  My host had said several times it’s not for everyone and told me I could leave at any time.  So I shook his hand and said “I’m going to take you up on your offer” and came back to Sacramento.  Here are some of my takeaways from this short adventure.

It was an adventure and I don’t feel like a failure because I went out of my comfort zone and tried something new.  And I had the wisdom to leave when I wasn’t being treated well when in the past I would have stayed past the point of stupidity and maybe gotten myself hurt.

There were some good moments.  I found out that goats can be extremely affectionate so I will definitely consider raising some in the future.  I did get to assist with a minor surgical procedure which was really cool.   

This experience has really made me do a lot of thinking and given me a new perspective on many aspects of my life.  When something isn’t going the way I want it to, it makes me reflect a lot and reevaluate my decisions, how I got there, and how I can do better next time.  I have sent out a couple more email inquiries into WWOOF programs, but this time I am being much more upfront about my expectations and limitations and I will vet them more carefully.  Also, I am looking into other options that are more in line with my preferences.  I will keep you posted!