We’re Back!

It’s good to be home in Australia after 6 weeks in Japan – we are so grateful for the place we live. At the same time being in Japan was so good, I learned so much about life and culture and who I want to be and how I would like to do it.

Traveling has been such a huge part in my life since day one, moving from the high mountains of Ecuador to the Eastern coast of Australia. And with the joys of traveling in the back of vans, the three of us squeezing into double beds in small hotel rooms or good friend’s homes, comes indelible family bonds. We started this journey in Tokyo, and travelled all the way to the southern tip of the south island of Kyushu, mostly in a trusty pop top van. We visited friends, had concerts and events, ate the most amazing healthy Japanese food and searched our hardest to find some waves! I spent lots of time with gorgeous little children and my Japanese speaking level has now reached that of a two year old child (thanks Yamato!). We travelled along the windy mountain roads and rice patties, we find old friends and new and magical hidden gems that were far off the beaten track. We learned so much, on so many levels; from different cultural rules and customs to a deeper spiritual connection with the world. We learnt how when different things happen in your life you can’t judge the experience as good or bad, even if it seems bad (or good) at the time – like winning or losing in a competition… Whatever happened has just happened and there’s nothing you can do to change it. The real test is how you respond to the experience – it may lead to a whole new way of life. Feel your emotions but don’t seem anything as negative or positive – it’s all just learning! I remembered that everything has a spirit, a life. Its outstretched roots or wild curly tail reminds us of how small we really are, just some animals trying to live in a world where our perspective means everything. We teach the young to draw in the lines, forgetting that life is a wild scribble of vines and trees. We don’t need a number to define us. Just our love and happiness. I tried to keep a video diary of every day along our journey and you can find most of these on my youtube channel: Pacha Light or in the last blog post.