Sea Kara Explore the World

Saturday, 25 May 2019 I embarked on my journey to Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port, France today. I had a hard time sleeping last night in anticipation of the first day of the Camino de Santiago , which wasn't even today. I had packed two bags, one for the Camino and another for everything else I would need afterwards to travel around Europe for a few months (including camera gear). The sun was just barely starting to rise when I walked to the train station with my Camino backpack on and my duffel slung across my body; that was quite a weight. The Bayonne station was a small depot with only a couple of platforms. I sat down on one of the open benches across from some men that were of retirement age and a couple of younger guys who all appeared to be Camino pilgrims ( peregrinos ). Some pigeons were walking about in the open area between all of us and the old men were speaking in French and chuckling while playing around with the pigeons; it made me smile.  A train had arrived, but I di...

Ever had that feeling like being stuck, whether it was a job, a location, people? Well, I did. For a really long time. It wasn't until recently that I decided that I needed to take control of my life and follow my heart more. I'm most alive when I'm traveling, meeting people, being out on or under the water and in nature. It felt silly that only a small portion of my free time was actually dedicated to that. I keep hearing more stories of cancer affecting people or freak accidents - tomorrow is not guaranteed. I've been so scared about preparing for the future that I felt like I was slowly giving up on my dream to travel the world, really meet and get to know the people in it and try to make a truly meaningful impact on the world before my time comes to an end. So, I quit my long-time job, sold and donated most of my possessions and left Hawaii after over 10 years to chase those dreams. I want to really focus on the things that make me happy in this life and share th...

After a night of mostly trying to get to sleep, the morning seemed good. It was nice to listen to the waves crashing last night and the temperature is just how I like it. However, it's a little on the humid side - okay, a lot a bit. I had a good breakfast; a mushroom omelet and three slices of toast made from homemade bread. I ended up visiting the tour desk to figure out what to do for the day and to try to book the rafting trip that I had found online before I left. I probably should have booked before I got there because I ran into some problems. My credit card kept getting declined, so I had to call my credit card company. They said that there was nothing wrong with my card, nothing had been denied and that it must have something to do with a third party. Turns our that the electricity was down in Nadi so they were going through another hotel and that wasn't working. Looks like I will be meeting up with them later this afternoon to try again or drive to a resort to stop ...