"Toto, we're not in Asia anymore!"

After 5 months in Asia even New Zealand feels like a different world. I left Thailand for a one day stopover back in Bali before catching my original flight to NZ. I stayed in Seminak which is near the beach(and closer to the airport) and is a busy place especially at night. What was nice was being able to get up the morning of my departure and go for my last run on the long stretch of beach along the Bali shore. The beaches in Bali are no where as scenic or nice as southern Thailand beaches but still great. As I was sweating and enjoying my morning on the beach I was thinking to myself “you’re going to miss the Asian lifestyle”.

After about a 24 hours travel day from start to finish I arrived to Wellington, NZ which is in the very south of the north island. I was exhausted and it truly hit me that I was no longer in Asia……I was cold! Imagine having to wear a jacket! The other thing that hit me is that I could ask someone a question in English and mostly could understand the answer-the English language is not created equal as I’ve mentioned in earlier blogs. Some of the things I had to remind myself was that I didn’t have to take off my shoes upon entering a building/house and I could actually flush TP down the toilet and didn’t have to squat to pee. I know it’s the little things but it’s a bit hard to get used to. I laughed at myself that out of all the places I could choose to eat, I went to an Asian restaurant/take away run by a Malaysian woman and the price was about 5 times what I would have paid in Asia-still very good but expensive. You would think I’d be tired of Thai and Balinese food but obviously not.

My time in Asia was amazing, I would never have imagined that I would have resonated with the Asian lifestyle so easily but I did. If NZ feels so different, imagine what I’m going to feel like once I get back to the US!

I’m on the ferry heading to the south island now. I’m heading to and area called the Golden Bay to Takaka and staying at a yoga ashram for a week. I’m trying to maintain a sense of calm and inner peace that I felt in Asia through yoga and meditation.

I posted some additional photos from Blooming Lotus from the last post so check them out when you get a chance. I'll get some New Zealand photos posted soon.