Paxian – peace play passion

in an airplane, reflecting on my play leg. one of my biggest takeaways of my travels so far: resilience.

when you travel third world countries your standards change. the morning i woke up back in southeast asia after being in australia i was already covered in bug bites. i think i counted 18 between my ankle and my toes at one point. in Komodo i think i had some sort of heat rash on my shoulders, in El Nido i think i had been swarmed by sand flies. each time i assumed it was bed bugs (a bullet i have dodged so far, knock on wood). ever since i woke up to that cockroach crawling across my mouth in Thailand, bugs don’t faze me.

i have rode perched on a rickety seat of tuktuks/tricycles, squished on a lopsided seat on a 5 hour ride. in Rwanda i was crammed in a local bus with the worst BO i have ever smelled, just craving for the woman in front of me to crack the window. not fazed. (also, we pulled over at a police checkpoint and some sketchy stuff happened with the driver and a woman being pulled away in tears. slightly fazed. but moving on)

spent 6 hours in Bali’s domestic airport only to end up missing my flight, shed a tear, then turned on my fave songs in the uber and went back to get drunk with my hostel and mexicola friends back in Seminyak.

went to the weirdest kung fu acrobatics show in Beijing where i was the only tourist and everyone was horking and spitting on the ground the entire show. i was shivering freezing and had no idea what anyone was saying but the performers were crazy talented. and so nonchalant about it. in my head i am laughing to myself thinking, what a random thing this is that i am doing.

it’s all part of it.

before this trip i had never backpacked. i suitcased around europe and rio. now my backpack is my Wilson. i feel complete when i put it on, like it’s a part of me. there’s somethin about carrying all your current belongings on your back.

this girl in Manila was all in a tizzy that i had walked on this sketchy street and that i was traveling asia by myself. she was like DO YOU KNOW SELF DEFENSE? AREN’T YOU SCARED? at Motel Mexicola in Bali this girl wouldn’t let me leave her side when she found out i was traveling alone. she was like BE CAREFUL, NO ONE IS HERE TO TAKE CARE OF YOU.

lol hunnies i traveled in Africa by myself. Asia has been a walk in the park.

i can guarantee 2-3 years ago Kellie would not have embraced the “experience” aspect like i have learned to. traveling to me now is a challenge of getting out of my comfort zone and taking it all in stride. resilience. i am really hoping that transfers over to my real life. i guess we’ll find out.

back in vancouver i am getting kicked out of my beloved apartment due to a renovation. it’s been stressful feeling like my hands are tied from across the world, but luckily i have the world’s best family and friends who have volunteered to help me out. it’s the sign for a new adventure, i guess! i LOVE my perfect life in Kits but if this trip has taught me anything it’s that there’s more to life than being comfortable.

another takeaway from my play leg: i love being the fun one. i totally get that from my mom. people want to be around you when you are positive, no drama, just enjoying yourself. it’s been a blast 🙂 i know myself better and have more self esteem than ever. if you don’t love yourself, you need to check yourself.

i’m not dwelling on the things i used to dwell on being a single 28-year-old. there is so much more to life than waiting to meet someone, settling down into married life and kids. not saying i don’t want that one day but i am certainly not sitting around hoping it comes anymore. not that i really was sitting around but you know what i mean.

so many feels towards all of the people that have been on this journey with me, whether i met them on my travels, we reunited on purpose, or they have sent me inspiring/supportive messages from home. i really feel lucky to have these people in my life.

when i got unpleasant news from home i decided i want to be the person who makes lemons out of lemonade. my mom sent me this:

maybe that’s what my play leg was about. positive vibes. making lemonade out of lemons. dancing. partying. self love. smiling.

🙂

before i left home, my family had planned a vacation to Hawaii and when my mom told me they wanted to go in March, which is when i had planned on being in Paris, i pouted.

the next day i realized.. if i extended my stay in Australia by 2 weeks (till mid March) i could just pop on across the Pacific ocean to join them. i told my brother and Janice but kept it a secret from my mom, dad and Keira. i have been SO EXCITED to surprise them this entire trip!!!

i ended up killing time in se Asia instead of Aus which meant i got to go back to my beloved Bali and meet Tom in the Philippines, so it all worked out!! easier on the budget as well, and also it’s been snowing in Paris in March.

they were SHOCKED when i came in the door of their house in Kailua-Kona (on the big island). my parents were just like WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE HOW DID YOU GET HERE, in a daze, and Keira said it was the best day of her life lol.

i had a 31 hr travel journey to get there including a 14 hr layover in Beijing (won’t be going back there) but told my mom i was doing the rice field trek and out of service, since in China you can’t access Whatsapp, Insta, fb etc.

Hawaii was exactly what i needed to decompress, transition out of my se asia “play” mode and get properly excited for Paris. also i am so lucky to have the best family ever who has helped me with apartment drama, etc. while i have been away. they have my back big time.

we spent 6 days in Kona and then flew to Kauai for 5.

the big island is basically all volcanic ash and we saw a black sand beach, a volcano glowing at sunset and into the night, went snorkelling with barrel rolling manta rays at night (so close they touched us!! apparently this is the only place in the world they do this), checked out a few beaches.

in Kauai we stayed in the Poipu Kai Regency resorts (highly recommend!! the grounds were so nice and location is prime) and saw beached turtles and seals at Poipu, checked out Waimea Canyon and some waterfalls, surfed at Hanalei Bay (including my mom and Keira, SO PROUD OF THEM!!) and had lots of good meals (coconut shrimp ftw) and lava flows.

had the best time with Keira, i was so happy she hadn’t grown too big and is still the cutest human ever. i noticed she can finally hold a conversation without getting too distracted which is nice!! sometimes i look at her and she is so cute it physically hurts.

i’m now in a plane en route to LA for a 20 hour layover (might as well throw another one of my fave cities in this trip) and then off to Paree. i am so so so excited. 🙂