Vipassana: Ten Days Of Silence

Posted on January 18, 2014 by The Wandering Nomads

“I believe in morality, which is doing right no matter what I am told… Not in religion, which is doing what I am told regardless about what is right.”

Meditation is not for me. At least that is what I found myself thinking at the end of day four as I fell asleep on my knees, exhausted and in physical pain, during the last hour of meditation. I had just spent the day sitting on a cushion supposedly concentrating on my breathing, but in reality, all I could think about was how much my hips, knees, and lower back hurt. And I still had six more days to go. Quitting wasn’t an option, I am too stubborn for that, but I certainly couldn’t figure out why everyone has always had something positive to say about vipassana, a ten-day silent Buddhist meditation course. Granted, the food was delicious, but still not quite worth getting up at four a.m. every morning to start a full day of fidgetless sitting (well, as fidgetless as I could manage at least).

Daydreams Of A Cyclist

Posted on January 14, 2014 by The Wandering Nomads

“To live is the rarest thing in the world. Most people exist. That is all.”

Daydreams. We all have them, especially when you are bored or stressed after a long week at the office, and all you can think about is a day of fresh powder or a plane ticket to a far off land. Us cyclists daydream too, and though they may seem a little mundane to most, for us, they are equally important.

An Overnight Career Change

Posted on January 12, 2014 by The Wandering Nomads

“A hundred years from now it won’t matter what my bank account was, the sort of house I lived in, or the kind of car I drove… but the world may be different because I was important in the life of a child.”

I have wanted to be a nurse ever since I began a ski patrol junior program at the age of fourteen. I wanted to do MSF (doctors without borders), expedition medicine, and someday, life flight. It seemed like the perfect career for me since it combined my love of adrenaline and travel with a way to make money. I have finished all the prerequisites for the program, and got 93rd percentile on the entrance exam I took last summer. My plan was to take three years off (my exams are only good for three years), then go back and finish the program in order to start my career as a nurse.

Why the Blog

Posted on January 11, 2014 by The Wandering Nomads

“But ever since he had been a child, he had wanted to know the world, and this was much more important to him than knowing god and learning about man’s sins.”

I recently had someone ask me why I blog, and after some deliberation, I came up with my top three goals for what I want to accomplish by writing about my experiences.

The Children: In Photos

Posted on January 9, 2014 by The Wandering Nomads

“There are no seven wonders of the world in the eyes of a child. There are seven million.”

Children. They are loving, curious, and just want to be happy. They certainly have life figured out better than the rest of us. While going through some of my old photos I realized that almost all of my favorites involved children, not just because the photos turned out well, but because of the emotions these little human beings invoke. Children are the most amazing people in every country, and have easily become one of my favorite parts of travel.

Common Misconceptions About Touring

Posted on January 8, 2014 by The Wandering Nomads

“Whenever I see an adult on a bicycle, I have hope for the human race.”

“Wow, you must know everything about bikes!”
Nope, I know absolutely nothing. I changed my first (and only) flat on the road once my trip had already begun, and I still don’t know how to do anything else.

An Ever Changing Route

Posted on January 6, 2014 by The Wandering Nomads

“Ultimate freedom. An extremist. An aesthetic voyager whose home is the road.”

People always ask me where I am going. Not just that day or week, I mean, overall. How long will I be on the road, what countries will I be passing through… It is understandable, I mean, you see a gal on a bike and you figure she has a destination, right? And I do always have a plan, my plan just tends to change dramatically on a monthly (sometimes even daily) basis.

Cut And Run

Posted on January 4, 2014 by The Wandering Nomads

“They can because they think they can.”

Why are Kenyan runners faster than the rest of us?

There have been seventeen American men in history who have run a sub 2h10min marathon, yet in October 2011, there were thirty-two men in a small area within Kenya who did it. This tribe, the Kalenjin, are the running people, the fastest men on Earth… But why? Sure, they have bodies made for the sport (long thin limbs), and a social pressure to be the best (for the honor as well as the attractive runners salary), but Radiolab has suggested another compelling argument as to why these men can outrun the rest.

When You Give A Girl A Camera

Posted on January 3, 2014 by The Wandering Nomads

“To me, photography is an art of observation. It’s about finding something interesting in an ordinary place… I’ve found it has little to do with the things you see and everything to do with the way you see them.”

Photography is not really about the photos I take, but rather the way I look at the world when I see it through my lens. I am forced to slow down and notice the mundane things around me, things that become beautiful when presented as a photo. I spent a few hours wandering around town on a perfectly cloudy day, and here is what I came up with.

Holidays On the Road

Posted on January 1, 2014 by The Wandering Nomads

“Home is the here and now.”

For some travelers the holiday season is tough, it is hard to see your whole family together while you are halfway across the world unable to partake in the card games or eat excessive amounts of sweets made by your gramma. Others enjoy spending Christmas in exotic locations, for instance, on the beach hanging out in the waves instead of in the snow, and don’t seem to mind being away from home too much. Though I would have loved to fly back to Canada just for the week, at least I got to Skype with my grandparents and cousins which definitely helps to bridge the gap that distance brings.