Dream-like state of mind

Life on Maui is grand. It really is. It's like living in a dream. So why would I ever want to leave? Well, in my quest to see the world, there's one important thing I need in order to make my dreams come true: MONEY!!! I'm really not a greedy person and I can get by with a minimal amount of green backs, but frankly, there is no money to be made here in the idyllic paradise of Maui. I could live here forever and ever and never be scrapped for cash, but when I'm trying to save for another lengthy trip overseas, it's just not logical to stay somewhere that I'm making pennies. I look at my time here on Maui as a vacation. I only work 3 days a week, since overtime is not allowed at the hospital. It's an easy life, I tell ya.
So now I'm left with a dilemma. Where to next? It's a question I find myself asking frequently. This vagabond life seems very normal to me. It's all I know. Stay somewhere for a few months, then pack up and move on to the next destination. My mom tells me this is not normal, so I'll have to believe her. But I don't want to live my life a certain way because it's what everyone else does. I forge my own path and let my heart make the important decisions in life.
Some people ask me "what are you running from?" It's not what I'm running FROM, it's what I'm running TO! I'm a curious kind of gal, and I'd like to see how the rest of the people out there in foreign lands live their lives. I want to experience all that this world has to offer. We only have one life and there's no way I'm going to leave this world feeling like I cheated myself for not getting out and exploring. Get my drift? It's some inexplicable, innate force inside me. It drives me to do the things I do.
I have no idea where I'll be come January. Alaska? Hawaii? New York? California? Colorado? Virgin Islands? These are all real possibilities. I'm leaving it up to fate. Hopefully the suspense won't kill you.
I leave you with some of my snorkeling with sea turtle pics.....

coming up for air

....and a pic of me and Erin stand up paddle boarding, I'm on the left, taking a break : )

Island visitor

This week, I had a visitor. Yay! An old friend from college who lives in South Dakota. She's never traveled outside of the midwest, so I knew her adventure across the pond was going to be an unforgettable experience for her. We stayed plenty busy exploring this idyllic island. Here are some of the photos from the week:

 

 
 
 
 
 

Blog neglect

Lately, I've neglected my blog. I'm sorry :( Here's an update for everyone: I now live on Maui!! I said sayonara to the Big Island for 2 reasons. #1. It was boring. #2. My heart was in Maui and, as we all know, we should always follow our hearts.

1 month of living on the Big Island was enough for me. I was stir crazy.
Everything was going as planned. I was offered a position at Hilo Medical Center and also had a posh place to live. But, something just didn't feel right. I wasn't happy there. What I really wanted was to live on Maui. There was just one problem. There is only one hospital on Maui. Getting into this hospital as a travel nurse can be difficult. My recruiter had submitted my profile to the hospital and I hadn't heard a peep from them for 3 weeks. I put my tail between my legs and faced the reality that it just wasn't the right time for my Hawaiian dream. I accepted a travel nursing job in San Francisco and booked my flight back home. Less than a week before I was scheduled to fly home, the hospital in Maui called and offered me a job. I couldn't believe it. It was a dream come true for me and I was ecstatic! So I canceled my flight and contract with San Fran and said aloha to Maui.

This is where I was meant to be. Maui has such a nice vibe. I'm spoiled to live here, it feels like a dream. I've dreamt of living on this magical island ever since I first visited nearly 5 years ago. I feel so grateful to live here. It feels very surreal to me. You would think that the other lucky inhabitants on this dreamy isle would feel the same.
You're wrong.
I frequently hear my co-workers griping about the cost of living in this paradise. It is true, it's not cheap living here. Nurses are paid excruciatingly low wages, rent is sky high and food and gas cost an arm and a leg. But you're living on Maui, people! How can you complain?! Perhaps they need some tips on how to be more money savvy. Many locals have more than one job to compensate for the pricey cost of living. I'm fortunate to have a career as a nurse, where I don't usually have to worry about my finances. But I will say that living here is making it difficult to save for my next big trip. Sigh. I guess I'll go to the beach and sulk :)

One thing I've learned from traveling overseas is that what we think is essential is really not that important. I can live with very little belongings. I don't really need new clothes, when the ones I'm wearing are just fine. I don't need a fancy car to get from point A to B, when this little island beater does the job just fine. And I surely don't need the luxury of a TV to survive. I do, however, need things like food, water, and a toothbrush ;)
I'm a little perplexed when I hear people that live here complaining about their life on Maui. Perhaps they would rather live in the slums of Mumbai, where you share your nonexistent living quarters with rats and cockroaches. Or perhaps they would prefer to live in a wooden shack in Cambodia, where they can barely afford to eat. Let's look at this with some perspective, my American counterparts. You live in America, on top of that, you live in Hawaii, and last I checked you weren't living on the street, and you sure as heck don't look like you're starving to death. I think you're doing pretty darn good.
Ok, that's enough of my rant. On to lighter topics.

Harley (my pooch) is soaking up the warm weather and daily walks on the beach. She's pretty fit for a 10.5 year old. She has no problem keeping up with me on our tropical hikes, which has really impressed me. Although the process of getting her here was stressful (Hawaii has very strict quarantine laws), I'm glad I decided to bring her along for the adventure. She is a well-traveled pup, which makes her mommy proud :)

Hawaii is my playground with some of the most beautiful views I've ever seen. The sea turtles, the flowers, the sunsets, the tropical fruits. I love it all. Maui definitely holds a special place in my heart. I'm so happy I decided to make the move to this stunning paradise. Alooooooha!

Harley loves the beach as much as I do!

Ooh baby baby it's a wild world

Tonight I packed my big red backpack for the very last time on my trip. As I do this, I'm flooded unexpectedly with intense mixed emotions. Nostalgia, accomplishment, satisfaction, excitement......
Tomorrow I will fly back to my hometown in Minnesota to spend time with my family and friends for the next 18 days.
Over the last 250 days, I've been exposed to a phenomenal spread of cultures. I've observed and fully participated in these cultures with an open mind and an open heart. The amount of kindness in this world is immeasurable. I'm blown away by the amount of strangers that have offered to help me and invited me into their homes during my travels. I found myself reciprocating this favor to fellow travelers once I returned to the US. I've learned that most people are truly good people. However, I'm all too aware that there are malicious people existing on earth, but most of them are good natured deep down inside.
When I look back at the pictures of all the places I've been, I really can't believe it. 18 countries. All these jam-packed extraordinary experiences has me feeling like I've been away for years. Then again, I feel like it was just yesterday when I watched my mom fade away after she drove me to the airport.
This trip meant more to me than I'm sure any of you can understand. I truly wish each and every one of you could have taken this journey with me to understand the magnitude of it all. I feel so unbelievably blessed for having the opportunity to follow my dreams of traveling. It was better than my wildest imagination could have ever dreamt it to be.
A trip around the world will change anyone. I will never be that same Rachel. I learned SO MUCH about myself. This trip has definitely transformed me and forced me to be a better person. It's instilled beliefs in my mind that will shape my future. It's difficult to fully recognize the extent of growth that has occurred, because it's happened so gradually. With time, I will be able to see them more clearly as I'm faced with different situations.
I urge you all to travel. You have no idea what you're missing out on.
As the countries fall off my list of places to go, the notion of "it's a small world after all" becomes more concrete.
The world is a beautiful place. The world is a harsh place. The world is a divine place.
In case you were wondering.......
My favorite countries of this trip were Mongolia, Cambodia, Jordan, Lebanon and the Philippines. In that order. They were all special in their own way. I just had a string of unbelievably magical vacations, back to back. I know that a lot of people would have loved to have done even one portion of my trip. I feel very grateful, but I also realize that you get out of life what you put in. After all the long hours I worked to save up for this trip, the sacrifices I made and the amount of effort spent researching all the amazing countries I planned to visit, it feels good to reap the benefits of my hard work.

I want to thank-you all for following my blog and for the support you've shown me on this epic adventure. I felt like I had my own little cheering section rooting me on. This was my connection to home when I was so, so far away from anyone and everything I knew. I greatly appreciate all the kind words from everyone.
I tried my hardest to keep up this blog and feel like sometimes my posts were of lesser quality due to lack of time. Thanks for hanging on. I'm far from being a professional writer.
These stories are only the tip of the iceberg. My journey has produced hundreds of travel tales but I carefully chose these few to share with you. Some of the best stories will remain alive in my mind only. Memories that will stick with me forever and play over in my head like a familiar movie. Some I will never share, and some I will only share with those that are close to me.
Although this may be the end of my blog for now, I still plan to update it periodically with stories from my past travels and some from my present life in Hawaii.
I lead a precarious life and choose not to follow conformity as is expected of me. This is the life I function well in. So don't expect me to be grounded anywhere for a significant amount of time. Soon you will all be living vicariously through me once again as I trek through the unknown. I'm a dreamer, and I'm already dreaming up my next big adventure: South America, Central America, the Caribbean and Antarctica!
But now it's time to surround myself with familiar faces after more than 8 months of new faces. Time to hang my clothes in a closet, sleep in my own bed, eat my mom's unbeatable home cooked food, snuggle with my dog, hang out with my awesome sister and play with my sweet niece and nephew.
Momma, I'm comin' home......

I leave you with a pic of me from each country, in order....

China

Tibet

Nepal

Dubai

Jordan

Israel

Lebanon

Turkey

Morocco

Italy

Thailand

Laos

Cambodia

Vietnam

Mongolia

Korea

Japan

the Philippines

Hawaii