Showing posts with label happiness. Show all posts

Special Joint Post: Happy New Year!!!

Happy New Year from Di & Will

 From Di:
The last day of this amazing year was spent relaxing, talking, swimming, making some decisions and dealing with a migraine that haunted me last couple days.

 I can't forget how thankful I have to be for 2015. I'm exploding gratitude. This is a year I don't want to forget. A year where I faced a freedom I've never experienced before. A year full of challenges that I want to tell my grandchildren. A year that I ticked many boxes in my bucket list. I know how privileged I am. Thank you.

 The first day of 2016 started with a little party, wishes, phone calls, raspberry jam in crackers and it will be packed with changes, some unknown, loads of love, peace, happiness and gratitude. Wishes.

 I wish you all an extraordinary 2016, full of adventures, health, happiness, love and peace. And if you can, loads of traveling. Because there is something about traveling that can range from the trivial to the transcendental or from the unpleasant to the wonderful. Whatever it is, traveling will qualify for lifetime memories that get in your skin and in your body, forever.  May 2016 begin!

From Will:
As proper explorers, we set our selves in multiple journeys throughout the year. Some in search of love, of life, of fun, of adventure, of peace of mind, of body relaxation or even in search of nothing. Just to be on the move. Here's one of my favorites.

 The Saint James Path /Caminho de São Tiago. Our first journey of the year and what an adventure it was! We walked 120km from Valença do Minho, Portugal to Santiago de Compostela, Spain. It was the hardest physical thing I ever done in my life and I'm extremely thankful to have done it with my girlfriend. We were always there for each other to carry the weight, to share our most intimate stories, to talk about the future and our expectations. To care for each other when health was an issue. It was a very symbolic journey because it represented the year ahead but also our life ahead as husband and wife. One week after we finished the journey, we got married. And for all that I'm grateful.

 2015 was such an amazing year that I have no words to describe it. Actually, I would have too many words to do so, enough to write a small book. I'll continue writing my memories on this blog and maybe one day I'll print all posts and paste them together and call it a book. How could I ask for more than this year? I fell a bit ashamed to ask for such thing considering what we just lived. Am I worth the privilege and the blessing? I have done my part of the deal but the biggest was given to me by chance. But on this trip I learned to never be afraid to dream big and follow your heart. Old clichés, I know, but like so many others of the same kind, I can finally grasp the power of the true meaning that they carry. So, without any shame or fear,  I wish that 2016 will be an even better year for us and for you than 2015 was! And for all that I'm grateful.

Hiking with friends in Bariloche!
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Salve Salve El Salvador

Many times in our travels we faced indecisions. Some big but mostly small. Who has never blocked with a menu in your hands facing fifty different choices for lunch while the waiter waits pen and paper in hand ready to take your order just to be sent away and come back in two more minutes? It's a trivial thing but too many choices and options can overwhelm us. Too many choices can even be a paradox! And this is actually one of most tiresome things about traveling long term. Well, we were facing another of those decision blockages and the topic was going to El Salvador. We wanted to go but were not sure. There were many options for us to get there, a long bus ride from Guatemala City, an expensive flight from Cancun. Where to stay so that the transport connections were easy. What to do once we were there. It usually takes us a couple of hours of research, looking for the details and trying out several scenarios to come up with a satisfying decision. Some times we have to set it aside and sleep over it, to let our subconscious think over it while we rest our conscious minds. We were in Cancun's Airport after coming back from Cuba and did a big price research for tickets to our possible destinations. In the end it was more economic to fly from Cancun to Guatemala City, spend a night there and take an early bus to San Salvador, the capital of El Salvador.

 El Salvador is the home country of a couple very good friends of ours so they gave us great tips on what to do and some contacts of friends to meet there. The country has famous beaches for surfing and Di and I wanted really badly to try some surf lessons. But the central american country is also famous for its violence and insecurity. If you do a quick Google search online on the country a torrent of nasty news and statistics can flood and wash off anyone's enthusiasm. Things get real while traveling around Central America and in El Salvador it was going to get as real as it could get. Can you feel the adrenaline rising?

 First stop, San Salvador! Big messy capital city like many others. Nothing special about the city itself. There were only a few scratched gems to be savored: the most chaotic and messy city center that I've seen in Central America, comparable to South-East Asian countries. It was so terrible that it deserves this special mention because it set the bar a little lower so that is that. I also bought a stolen BlackBerry Z10 from the street market so I could do some app development. Hey, I didn't know it was stolen! There are tons of stands selling old used phones, I was genuinely fooled. On the positive side, still on the hell-center, Iglesia El Rosario an exquisite church, disappointingly ugly from the outset but with one the coolest interpretations of the Passion of Christ I've ever seen and colorful windows. Also great was the hostel we stayed in with a great kitchen so we took advantage of it and cooked our own dinner most nights. Seriously … this was a big highlight! Nothing like cooking your own simple meal after months of just eating in restaurants and cafés. It was a quite relaxing stay. And to top it all, we met with the sister of our good friend! She and her boyfriend took us to see the big volcano close to the city and to some awesome restaurants. We finished the night with a nice dinner in a small typical neighborhood. Having local company is great for going to the sweet special spots in a city, what to eat, the local stories and their personal thoughts on their environment. They even took us to eat Pupusas, a typical dish from Central America, which was delicious. Thanks a lot Celina, Paulina and Eugenio. Next, we headed to the beach.
Doing my thing at the El Salvador Monument

Swarms of pigeons on old City Center Square!


At the crater of the Boquerón volcano crater with our local friends

The genuine church El Rosario

The city's coat of arms

Plaza Futura, a modern complex of offices, square and entertainment
After a three hour long trip on chicken buses full of people and other miscellaneous cargo we arrived at El Tunco, a beautiful beach and surfer's village, very touristic and specially popular with Israelis. Tiny and unapologetically quiet. I could feel time passing by lazily, the breeze gently blowing and the sun slowly warming up everything. Just the waves seemed out of sync with the vibe of the place since they were vigorous and frequent. The beach in El Tunco was unique to me because it had many many loose rocks, rounded and smooth by the constant grinding. You could hear the grumbling sound of hundreds of rocks rolling around whenever a wave hit the sand. Uber relaxing sound the harmony between rock, water and sand.
The big volcanic rock formation at El Tunco beach
The rocks and waves forming sound in perfect harmony

One really early morning we started our first surfing class. Our excitement fueled our motivation but we were not really prepared for the intensity of the sport. In theory basic surfing is really simple. It takes only 5 minutes on the sand to learn all the basics of it! Now just do it on the water at the right time. I think I've never felt so out of shape in my whole life. Just paddling to the good spot was exhausting. Finding your balance on the board, and mind you it was a huge board for beginners, requires a lot of energy and some leather skin on the knees is a good bonus. After 45 minutes of intense exercise, a few glasses of salt water drunken, some rock bumping and half a wave surfed we were done. Completely done! So yeah … mission accomplished! It was hard but a lot of fun too. We headed to Playa San Blas, an even smaller surfer town close by, to continue with our training and some hardcore chilling. All my muscles were aching after surfing.
Surf class about to start. Quite easy and simple... on the sand

Exhausted smiles after the surf class :)

 Out of the few places to stay in San Blas one really struck a chord in our hearts: Surf Strong. A nonprofit full surf school and hostel. It provides with free surfing classes for local kids. A personal project of Sarah, an inspiring young woman from US, and Jerson, a local surfer and entrepreneur. We stayed there a couple of days, mingled with other travelers and helped the staff with some shores, we joined the local kids surfing class and even appeared on the local TV News as they were filming a short feature of the school. These days we learned so much with Sarah and the school. How simple things are so hard to accomplish even when you're trying to do good for free, not seeking any profit. How people with a dream and a strong will can overcome any barrier, personal one or bureaucratic. Most of all, how the most beautiful happiness are the few ones found in the middle of a battle to fulfill ones dreams. Specially when it's about giving other happiness. 

 But not everything were perfumed roses. The hostel was pretty basic, recommended for the hardened traveler. For instance, during the six months of the dry season all they have is brackish water. So taking a shower is salty also brushing your teeth. They do buy gallons of filtered water used exclusively for cooking and drinking. No private rooms yet and bathrooms were just usable. Like I said, for the hardened traveler. But I guarantee you, the experience you'll get is extremely rewarding. Make sure to make the most of it and volunteer for a few days or weeks. Sarah regularly needs an extra hand so don't be shy.
More surf practice. This time it was much easier!
Local community kids getting ready for class

Local TV crew filming the action

Sarah, the founder, loves what she does and she's awesome!

 We only stayed a week in El Salvador and we got more than what we wanted. Definitely it had many more wonderful things to offer but we couldn't enjoy them. And all that danger that the news covered? Well, we definitely saw a lot of dodgy places and people. We took a lot of precaution and thankfully nothing bad happened to us. So if you want to visit the country just be careful and keep your eyes open, specially in the old city center of San Salvador, that most probably nothing will bad happen to you. 

 We gathered our memories, pictures and feelings – all the good and the bad – and waved good bye. Digesting all these intense experience reminded us of how worthy it is to be living our dream. To that I invite to you to raise your glass and cheers!
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A surpresa chamada Miami

Quando as portas se começaram a abrir para esta viagem, faz agora mais ou menos um ano, pensámos visitar 30 países para celebrar os nossos 30 anos. Um simbolismo que rapidamente desapareceu porque ficar mais ou menos 12 dias em cada país pareceu-nos impossível.
Vamos fazer uma viagem para ver as maiores cascatas do mundo, dizia o Will, ou os maiores prédios! Vamos ver as 7 maravilhas do mundo! Vamos aos cinco continentes! As ideias continuavam a surgir. Vamos! Vamos!

A decisão não chegou até Outubro, mais ou menos, quando finalmente depois de horas e horas de conversa, depois de horas de pesquisa, depois de várias sessões de mapa e computador nas mãos, depois de mil perguntas sem resposta, Quando vão? Onde começam? A que países vão?, depois de umas outras mil decisões...chegamos a um roteiro. 

Este roteiro foi feito com base em várias, várias coisas, mas nem foi temático nem simbólico, foi o que achamos mais realista e aquele que melhor se encaixava nas nossas preferências: ser a primeira vez a visitar o país, estarmos no país na melhor estação do ano, haver facilidade em obter o visto (ou nem ser preciso um), a facilidade de viajar para esse país posteriormente, os custos de vida, etc. 

Os Estados Unidos da América não se encaixavam nos parâmetros daquele nosso Plano-Perfeito, e como tal, não faziam parte da lista. Duas conversas com o Daniel bastaram para alterarmos, outra vez, o roteiro. Um viva à flexibilidade!!! Quem é o Daniel?! Ele é o representante da AirTreks, uma agência especializada em viagens, e ajudou-nos bastante a decidir. Agora, com a distância, faz todo o sentido - estaríamos a atravessar o Pacífico, vindos da Coreia do Sul, e queríamos chegar à Guatemala - com preços super competitivos e com a geografia a ajudar os EUA só tinham vantagens. Foi com o Daniel que comprámos os voos para os primeiros 6 meses da viagem. Ele deu-nos dicas, encontrou-nos os melhores preços, contou-nos as suas histórias e sonhos. É a ele que contactamos sempre que temos uma dúvida ou precisamos de um conselho sobre voos. Provavelmente sem a AirTreks tínhamos pago muito mais pelas viagens e não teríamos optimizado tanto a viagem. 

Okay, EUA, vamos ficar uma semana. E eu nem imaginava como ia ser marcante esta semana. Entrámos por LA e depois seguimos para Miami. 

O meu historial familiar de emigração não é imenso, mas existe e é particularmente marcante para mim. Geração após geração, alguns foram saindo para o Brasil, França ou Venezuela, outros foram regressando a Portugal anos e anos depois. Alguns no entanto ainda continuam a luta fora do porto-seguro. E foi na quente, húmida e latina Miami que fui encontrar uma parte dessa família, a prima Betinha e a sua maravilhosa família - o Carlos, o Manuel e a Valentina. 

Prima em segundo grau pelo lado paterno (e como aprendi também há sangue comum pelo lado materno) a prima Betinha já é da geração que nasceu fora de Portugal, porque os pais emigraram para a Venezuela ainda jovens e aventureiros. A seguir as raízes em 2010 também eles decidiram sair, vencer o medo do desconhecido e trabalhar duro para encontrar novas oportunidades.

Ao chegarmos, depois de 24h de viagem, umas 4h de descanso e um jetlag mais gigante que a nossa viagem total, os sorrisos e a energia não enganavam - estávamos em boas mãos. Os dias que se seguiram foram de incomparável conforto, relaxamento e de muito, muito amor. Beijos de boa noite, abraços de olá, telefonemas de o que levamos para o jantar, bilhetes de obrigada. À mesa conversámos sobre tudo um pouco, família, trabalho, sonhos, vistos, desafios, loucuras. No carro a caminho de Key West (a nossa viagem de 6 num carro) mais conserva, gargalhadas e carinho. Foi para eles que cozinhamos pela primeira vez depois de 4 meses de viagem (que alívio que aparentemente não desaprendemos!). Aqueles dias foram como se tivéssemos em casa, a viver em família. E foi tão bom! E foi tão especial! 
Miami foi importante para pararmos e descansarmos, apesar da adaptação necessária ao clima tropical e às temperaturas elevadas. Tivemos tempo para espreitar o Parque Everglades e a praia, a cidade, e claro, a ponta mais Sul dos EUA, Key West: Tudo o que procurávamos quando definimos os nossos parâmetros para esta viagem. 

Mas o que eu nem imaginava, planeava ou sequer esperava era que Miami me tivesse permitido criar laços com uma parte da família que nunca tinha conseguido conhecer bem. Mas foi assim que aquela cidade, se tornou para mim, quase sem querer, um ponto muito querido do nosso roteiro e da nossa viagem.

Não duvides do Universo, Diana. Como podes tu duvidar? Os Estados Unidos tinham de fazer parte desta viagem - ouvi-me dizer enquanto dava mais um abraço de obrigado e me despedia daqueles fantásticos 4. Até um dia!

If you don't understand Portuguese, you can use the translate option on the right, or just check these pictures out. Enjoy!!!
Key West = US 0 mile
Downtown Miami
Miami bay
Miami bay
Everglades National Park (ugly) turtle
Will's favs 
Yes, that's an alligator
Key West = 90 miles away from Cuba
Key West fishermen :)
Find Willy
#Venezuela
Sunny Betinha
Sunny brothers
jantar luso-brasileiro em Miami <3
<3

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Santiago's Path


If you ask me, what was Santiago's Path for me?! 


I don't know very well how to speak about it now...maybe it's too early or I'm too tired or I'm still in an amazing  euphoria - that same euphoria that was part of me these 5days...

Santiago's Path is too much, it's too amazing, it's intense and grateful. It's painful but make you thankful for everything: your health, comfort, friends, family, love, clean clothes, food...I could go on and on.

I don't know anybody that has ever regret to do the Santiago's Path - and now I know why. 

Some of my favorite pictures are here...I can't write much more now...
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Santiago

In December 2013, a little over a year ago at Sé do Porto, when turisting around, I saw a little colorful painted square in a wall. These were two arrows: One blue and the other yellow, representing Fátima and Santiago paths, respectively.

I took a picture of them. I wished in that moment to walk the Santiago path, I wasn't sure though if I would be able to do it one day. 
The truth is I thought about it several times during 2014: the fact that my sister is doing the path from Lisbon in stages, that another good friend did it from Valença certaintly kept the idea around me throughout the year. Even though, I guess, the major life changing decisions that 2014 brought me (or that I brought to 2014?!?) convinced me that I had to do it too.

And so I decided. In 2015 it is. In January 2015, in the exact same spot at Sé do Porto, we bought our compostela or the pass for the hostels.  We took a picture today with both arrows again. 

Will had me as his motivation, he says. If I really think about it, I'm not sure what is my motivation, I just know and feel that I need to go. We will be following the yellow arrows for at least 100km in the Portuguese path to reach Santiago. From Valença do Minho until Santiago de Compostela.

Happy and adventurous 2015 everyone!!!
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the first last day

5 and half years after,12 notebooks after, many many many many but many emails after, some other many-many conference calls after, my first run after, experiences for life after...

Yesterday was my last day at Nike. 

One side of myself is extremely sad, i will miss it - the vibe, the relaxed work environment, the gym classes, the brown big table, the green small tables, the big windows aside my desk, the coffee machine sound coming from the kitchen, the employee store, the first sample sale craziness, the dutch jokes (oh well maybe not this one...), the Nike night bus (nope, also not going to miss this one), the smell of fresh cut grass,  the people I met.

The other side of myself is extremely happy, I will always remember it - I did my first interview without being completely sure I wanted it, but this was my first real job/second home and I enjoyed it as much as I could! I met amazing people, I exceeded my own expectations and I managed to experience soooo many cool things.

last selfie
I was sad and happy on my last day at Nike. The duality I felt, and I still feel a bit, makes me strange, weird, confused, tired. I kept thinking "How bizarre are these feelings?!"

I will have many other last days. This first last one though, will always be somewhere stored, saved, remembered as part of myself.

Au revoir. 
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