Feel Good Manager: Ocak 2016

30 Ocak 2016 Cumartesi

Being on the Road... (33) The End of the Journey

People ask me if I am ready to be back.

I am.

I am ready to be back with a dash of excitement in my heart, with new self-sustainable living plans and with a restful soul.

I don't tend to miss simit, Turkish tea and feta cheese while I am away. I miss the people who are waiting for me to come back.

And when I am there, I miss the ones who are waiting for me to go back on the other side of the world... And yet, I will go again. With the longing gypsy in my heart, in search of the experience of the greater...

To me, setting roots is to set roots in this earth. The more I get closer to Her, the more settled I become inside.

From distance, you can look at your life from far away and realize how fabulous it is with all its ups and downs. You can appreciate more of what you already have and start wishing for less.

This has been an unforgettable adventure. My soul filled with nature and inspiration, I breathed the air I deserved, I filled my lungs with the ocean and forests and remembered a lot of the things that I had forgotten. I found the island I wanted to settle in if I ever wanted to settle down...

There is a traveler living within me. And that side of me almost never feels like she is leaving.

And yet I will leave again.
And my next destination will be the land that calls me the most.

We shall see...

20 Ocak 2016 Çarşamba

Being on the Road... (31) Kauai Island, Hawai'i

Kalalau Trail

Kauai, the island of likeminded, lighthearted, down to earth people. Here, being organic is not an option, it's a life style. This was what I have long been looking for. And for the first time maybe, I felt like I found a safe place where I could raise my kids just the way I want to... While it's still not for sure that we will ever bear children, my will to return to the island will remain.

Our story of coming to Kauai has been very mystical. As if the land called and welcomed us. And now, all I can think of is to be back... It wouldn't happen if it wasn't my friend Petra. She heard my souls' calling. And she led our way towards this island. I am grateful. And even "grateful" is not enough to throughly translate my feelings. Mahalo!

And A hui hu'o Kauai

Being on the Road... (30) Kauai Island, Hawai'i

Day 6

Today could be one of the most amazing days of my life. We took the breathtaking Kalalau trail with Petra and her beautiful friend Teresa in the morning. We couldn't make it all the way up to the waterfall (11 miles) but we have to have remaining things to do for our next visit!

Kalalau Trail

And after our walk Petra took us to the Botanical Gardens. We explored the native plants, flowers and life style of ancient Hawai'i.

Hawaiian Hibiscus

We made it to Ke'e beach just at the right time for an incredible sunset.

Ke'e Beach

And then we had a big dinner at Kalypso, Hanalei.

Being on the Road... (29) Kauai Island, Hawai'i

Day 5

This island is not so populated. There seems to be not much to do on the worldly level. There are not too many distractions, restaurants, shopping, consumption. The pace of the daily life is slow and there isn't much to do if you love night life. There are a couple of nice restaurants and a lot of health food stores and healthy food options. Most people grow their own food in their garden.

If you are not looking for city life and if you love to be immersed in nature and spirituality in its true sense, this is the place. This island is a place to grow and set roots. The energy here helps you to connect with yourself in any possible way. Nature is amazing. There are a lot of energy fields in nature you can find and just sit for hours. So if you are nature junkee, you would love it here just like me. But if you need a lot of "things" then, this place is not for you. :))

So today was another sacred day in the island. We spend the morning chilling and meditation in the amazing garden where we stay.

Petra wanted us to go and sit for puja at the hindu temple in the morning but we were waking up in the temple, so wanted to sink in the beauty of the nature-temple. :)) We left home around 11.30 and visited the hindu monastery. When we come back, I am planning to go to their ceremonies 3-4 times a week.

And then we went on a walk around the area. It was amazing...

Another incredible nature picture...

While we were on the road, Cagri offered that we drive all the way to Waimea Canyon, so we did! We didn't have the proper shoes to take the hikes (because it was muddy) but it is definitely on our bucket list for next time! :))

Waimea Canyon

Polihale Beach

From Waimea Canyon, we drove down to Polihale Beach at the end of Napali Coast through a bumpy road. It was absolutely worth the drive. Polihale was a mystical beach. According to the Hawaiian mythology, this is the place where the spirits reach the source.

"Polihale has been incorrectly translated in many instances as the "House of the Po", where Po is the Hawaiian afterworld. By this account, spirits are said to travel to the coastal plain adjacent to the beach, and stay in the temple, known as the heiau. From there, they would climb the cliffs to the north, jump off into the sea to get to the mythical Po. The story further indicates that this belief was so strong that all the homes built in the vicinity of Polihale would have had no east facing doors, so that no traveling spirit could become trapped within." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polihale_State_Park

19 Ocak 2016 Salı

Being on the Road... (28) Kauai Island, Hawai'i

Day 4

Today was one of the most sacred days... From the moment we arrived to Hawai'i, I could feel the sacred energy surrounding me... It's such a deep experience and very special. I only feel similar to this in Bodrum: Covered, taken care of and loved by the land. Kauai island is the only place after Bodrum I felt the vibes so strong. Costa Rica has been amazing and motherly, too. But here I feel like a magnet is pulling me towards the land. Really strong vibes...

We started our day with this tropical crazy fruit platter!! Yumz!! Rambutan (the red ones) from my friend Petra's orchard, papayas and bananas from the farmers market, star fruit is picked by our friend Kurt from his garden. Kurt is taking care of the garden here where we stay. He is an angel. He picked the fruits from his garden and brought us for breakfast in the morning... We are so lucky to have had him around...

Neighborhood

Flora and fauna of the island of Kauai

My beautiful angelic friend & sister Petra. She is the architect of us coming here

The sacred space where we meditated

The cave where we meditated

Cave Man and Cave Woman :))

Ke'e Beach -my #1 beach on the island

14 Ocak 2016 Perşembe

Being on the Road... (27) Kauai Island, Hawai'i

We arrived to Lihue on Monday. Our coming here has been kind of magical. Call it force, universe, God, whatever you want to call it, but that force pulled us over to this magical side of the world.

Some of you may remember, I had mentioned in one of my previous blog posts that we decided to go to Costa Rica for our honeymoon because we couldn't afford Hawaii. (http://www.arzuozev.blogspot.com.tr/2015/12/review-on-costa-rica.html) We loved it there too; but Kauai is something else..

When we were thinking about going to Hawaii back then, I contacted my friend Petra, who lives in Kauai island. She is a cheerful, beautiful, angelic spirit. She was very excited when she heard that we were coming, so was I!.. And after my little research about the prices in Hawai'i, I told her that we weren't going to be able to make it over there this year. Right after that, she took charge and she literally arranged everything for us to go. She found us a discount ticket and asked one of her friends' if he could host us at his place. Petra's friend Star hasn't only offered us his guest house, he also landed us one of his cars and he offered us to pick vegetables from his organic garden and citrus from his trees... (And the weather has been so amazing all week long, which we will discover later on!) :)) Doesn't this all seem kind of celestial to you?.. Beautiful people on this island...

And indeed it's been a magical week... For the first time in my life, I felt that I found a place I could totally feel comfortable living... Kindest people, organic food, amazing nature, incredible weather, sacred vibes... Even though we will have to leave in a few days, I feel like this is just the beginning...

* * *

I haven't seen other islands but Kauai definitely has a sacred side to it. The energy here is so strong, feminine and high. With its breathtaking nature, kind people, tropical fruits, access to local, organically grown food, aloha spirit this island stole our heart from the day one...

Petra took us to mesmerizing Wailua Region right after she picked us up from the airport.

Kamokila Hawaiian Village

Day 2

I woke up to one of the most sacred mornings in my life... We arrived to Princeville after dawn and we couldn't see much of the surroundings. I couldn't believe my eyes when I woke up. I was in heaven... I meditated in the garden, what else could I do?..