Crystals - a how to guide

I love crystals. And honestly, who doesn’t? Who can deny the absolute awesomeness of an insanely colorful, completely natural, divinely manifested and moleculed, stunning shimmery organic compound that houses a crystalline consciousness?

Crystals, along with rainbows, shooting stars and love, show us every day that the world is a magical place.

Since I was a child I was mesmerized by the crystals in my family home. My dad had crystals on all of our shelves and countertops, crystals hanging from the ceiling in the corners of rooms, crystals in the window that would playfully cast rainbows on the opposite walls when they caught the sun. His best friend’s gift to me when I was born was a beautiful quartz crystal. I have been surrounded by crystals my entire life. Literally. 

On family vacations after I was done running or swimming off all of my energy I could be found strolling the beaches of the Great Lakes, neck bent and head down looking for the ~ perfect stones ~  to take home with me to adorn my dresser to remind me of summer, or vacation, or a just a time away from normal life. 

To this day one of my favorite gifts to give is rocks or stones from my wanderings around the world. Several best friends boast rocks from Ireland, shells from Bali and the isolated beaches of Vietnam, and even rocks from my trip to Mount Everest Base Camp :)

Rocks, stones, shells; things from the mineral kingdom have always held a special place in my heart and they continue to do so. But now the mineral kingdom and I work together for a larger purpose and vision.

I have studied the metaphysical and healing properties of crystals since childhood. I have always intuitively understood them and later in life I studied with a Crystal Gridding mentor and was Certified in Crystal Healing in 2015. I use Crystal Grids in all of my sessions. Honoring the Mineral Kingdom and welcoming them into a session is an amazing way to help unstick you, unsabotage you, expand you and ground you.

Crystals have been used for many different purposes for thousands (if not millions) of years. Crystals amplify energy, which is why today they’re used in clocks and computers. However, I’m not here to convince you of this truth. If you’re here reading this, you’re here to learn how to select and clean your crystals and what crystals to use and why :)

First things first, how do you select a crystal?

I find the most important thing when it comes to finding a crystal is finding it in-person. I know this can be kind of annoying with the convenience of the internet. Of course, this can be done at a distance, like all things, but in this case it is my personal preference to find a crystal in-person. This is a sacred ritual, because you are not so much choosing the stone, as the stone is choosing you. 

In-person is also important in the way you feel the crystal.

I’ll share with you my process: after finding the local crystal shop, I find a shelf or area of crystals that I feel drawn to. This can be through my eyes (sight) or by how they feel inside my body/ heart (intention). I stand near this area, close my eyes, rub my hands together and ask “which one of you wants to come home with me,” (you can totally say something else, but this is what I say!)

After rubbing my hands together I scan over the shelf with my left hand, palm facing down. This is because the left hand is the receiving hand. As I slowly scan, I wait for what feels like a *ping!* on the palm of my left hand, open my eyes and I’m looking at my new crystalline friend.

If you’re only looking for one and you find there are several crystals under your palm at this point you can take them aside, separate them and do this process again.

Awesome, now I have my crystal, now what?

Great question! Now you need to clean it!

Once bringing my new friend home I smudge them using Palo Santo or sage (depending on how you’ve locally and ethically sourced that item) clean them off with the smoke. 

You can also clean your crystal with soap and water OR salt water - important exceptions for water cleanses are: selenite, labradorite, tourmaline, kyanite, lapis and opal.

If you are an energy or sound healer you can use your modality - sound, vibration, tuning forks, crystal bowls, 528 frequency, your voice etc.

You can use your intention, meditation and the breath.

You can bury your crystals and allow the earth’s negative ions and the mineral kingdom to wash them clean.

If you have a large stone that has a geode formation and large opening you can clean your new crystals using your other crystals! I have a beautiful hollowed amethyst that cleanses my rings and other gemstone jewelry. Kyanite (listed below) is also the crystal-cleanser-of-crystals!

You can leave them in your windowsill and allow them to be cleansed by sunlight and moonlight. 

Great, and then….?

Now, we ENERGIZE them!

So your new friends are almost ready to go! Oftentimes, the method you used to clean the crystal can also charge them - with the exception of cleansing them with soap/salt water. I like to energize my crystals with the light of the next full moon, now if I’m being fair, this may be my Sun in Cancer talking, but I feel like the moon has a special relationship with crystals and that is my initial energy boost! 

I also energize my stones with the power of sound. Sound is Sacred.

Crystal bowls, Tibetan bowls, digeridoos, Koshi Chimes, the music of thunder and rain, or the sound of monks chanting Om. Sound is incredibly powerful and gives rise to form. In the last few years we’ve been able to see the shape of sound visualized via the images of cymatics which is awe-inspiring.

Which ones are the best* and/or your favorite?

If you're just beginning your journey into crystals I recommend getting "The Crystal Bible" or a similar reference-style book. This will have a comprehensive list of all crystals. Here I will share my favorite ones.

I use crystals in my work to amplify the frequency of the intention I am sending or what specific tone I happen to be using. Metaphysically, all crystals have specific properties that can help accentuate a quality, help a problem and/or bring about a solution.

Most of these stones I take with me wherever I go, and have them in several different sizes or jewelry to make them easily portable.

It’s impossible for me to have one “favorite” stone: so listed below are [most] of my favorite stones.

*contains opinions :)

Amethyst - connects you to the outer realms of magic and mystery. It opens up your higher chakras and allows your psychic abilities to strengthen. It helps balance mind, body and soul and activates your spiritual awareness. Can promote serenity and calmness. Can assist in enlightenment. It can also help dissolve surrounding negative energies. I love using Amethyst, Citrine and Rose Quartz together.

Angel Phantom or Amphibole Quartz - is called this because the crystal can contain phantoms or tiny rainbows that are considered conscious / angels / spirit guides. Angel Phantom helps to connect you to the angelic realm and helps in meditation and channeling, and like amethyst, it helps with receiving divine guidance from above. Helps connect you with spirit guides, with lucid dreaming and astral travel. It helps amplify the power of other stones.

Citrine - just embodies the feeling of happiness. Citrine is generally used for the solar plexus although I use it on other chakras. It helps with creativity, strength, success, increasing energy, optimism and joy. It can increase confidence and help you reclaim your your personal power. Citrine reminds of the quote from Lord of the Rings: “I give you the light of Eärendil, our most beloved star. May it be a light for you in dark places, when all other lights go out.”

Labradorite - like amethyst, I often wear this stone, as well as using it in my healing spaces. Labradorite looks how the Aurora Borealis feels. Labradorite is a shaman’s stone in the way that it protects you, activates you and allows you to transform by unlocking your true power. It is said that it was born of cosmic energy and helps you transcend your blockages by letting things rest and becoming who we were meant to be. I love wearing Labradorite and Moonstone together.

Lemurian crystals - are different from normal quartz crystals. The Lemurian crystal will have striations on one or more sides - this is said to be similar technology to a barcode - if you hold it right and tap into it correctly - you can download the information that it holds. The reason I like to use them is because it holds all the information of all crystals in the world - so if you're traveling and want to use citrine, but all you have is your Lemurian crystal, you can tap in and summon the energy of citrine through your Lemurian crystal. For more fun, google the ancient land of Lemuria.

Kyanite - the stone that cleans all other stones because it does not absorb negative energies. I have tiny pieces of kyanite that act as my cleansers in between moon phases. Kyanite balances us, removes blockages in our body and from our path. Kyanite protects, shields, and unfucks your life.

Moldavite - is an extraterrestrial stone, that many believe have come to us at this time to help us transcend into the next vibration or phase or dimension. I touched Moldavite at a music festival once and my body wouldn’t stop vibrating for hours. It is extremely powerful and very grounding, yet expanding and because of its cosmic otherworldy nature can assist in connection to higher dimensions. It helps with spiritual awakening and transformation. I like using Moldavite in my clients’ Merkaba. Moldavite and Nuummite work well together.

Moonstone - is another stone I wear daily. I love using Moonstone with Labradorite as they are sister stones. As a Cancerian woman I am ruled by the moon, and I find Moonstone (and Labradorite) are the stones I am most consistently attracted too. Moonstone holds and stewards moonlight, it helps with clarity, connection to the moon and thus your phases and feminine, wild creative side. It helps soften and assist spiritual awakening and increases sensitivity to psychic abilities. Moonstone helps with dreaming and also is a stone of protection.

Nuummite - is very grounding and cleansing but also connects to higher realms. It is very ancient and carries with it deep earth wisdom. It helps with past lives, dreams, Akashic Records, and psychic abilities. It can connect you with your spirit guides. Nuummite is a powerful amulet that can shield from dark energies and also cleanse the field from dark energies, negative energies and thought forms.

Obsidian - is a classic cleansing stone! I use Obsidian and Selenite together - one white, one black resulting in total harmony. Obsidian cleanses the field from dark energies, and protects you by absorbing negative energies and it is very grounding. It can dissolve old ways of being, old thought forms and attachments. Obsidian keeps your (third) eye open and you aware of your surroundings. It can help you see truth.

Preseli bluestone - is the only stone I’ve ever owned that came with an actual warning. I got my Preseli bluestone from it’s native land - in the stone circles in Ashbury, England. It has a strong connection to the heart and it is advised to use it sparingly at first while you become acquainted with it’s strength. It is known as the Merlin Stone. It helps with past life regression and clearing the old versions of you in this life so that you may move on unencumbered.

Rose Quartz - the gentle and compassionate healer stone. Rose Quartz is very powerful healing stone but because it’s wisdom teaches gentleness it can be used with any very powerful stone to allow the receiver to receive without becoming overwhelmed. It heals emotional wounding and promotes love, and connecting to oneself and one’s heart. Enhances inner peace. Helps you align with yourself and your soul purpose.

Rutilated Quartz - helps enhance your intuition, it promotes self trust. It connects to higher angelic realms and dimensions. It is a conductor of energy, helps in channeling and amplifies energy. It resonates and balances all 7 chakras. It helps you see truth and increases spiritual healing and guidance. It can be used to magnify the power of other stones. Rutiliated Quartz is a Sorcerer’s stone.

Selenite -  the classic cleansing stone. I always have one in my healing space. It absorbs, cleanses and dissolves negative energy. I like using Selenite with Obsidian. I have several sticks of Selenite including a Selenite dagger to remove attachments and thought forms. Selenite is a purifier, helps with rejuvenation and, like moonstone, contains divine feminine energy. It helps to connect to angelic realms and teaches us that there is power in softness.

Shunguite - literally has antioxidants in it. I keep my Shunguite Pyramid in my shower to access its water purification abilities. Because it has antioxidants in it, it is thought to have antinflammatory properties. It can activate all 7 chakras. It cleanses and guards against all negatives energies including EMF’s. It’s a stone of protection.

if you have any questions regarding crystals please just let me know! I’d love to help you find your new friend :)

Returning Your Sparkle, Your Childlike Essence

begin at the beginning… and go on ~ Lewis Carroll

It is never too late to start over and to try something new. The bravest people I know do this all the time. These sentiments remind me of the process I use in sound healing to return your sparkle and your childlike essence to you.

Remember, anything that is electrical produces a magnetic field perpendicular to itself. We are electrical and our Biofield is an electromagnetic field that surrounds us. As I work through your Biofield, I am able to hear and locate Paradigm Shifts, which are neither good nor bad, they just are. These can be times when a sibling was born, you moved houses, or a parent got a new job. These situations can create stress in which the body leaks light outside itself and into our field. As we age these pockets of light (biophotons) are trapped in standing waves in the field around our body that expand and move farther away as we get older, much like the rings of a tree.

As I gently move through the field discovering these pockets of light and guiding them back to the body the comments I receive are consistently “I feel so much lighter.” This is due to two reasons. One; we are returning light that has mass back to your body, so your body no longer has to hold up density outside itself. You feel lighter as in weightless. The second reason is because what we are returning is light particles, your literal sparkle! When those are integrated back into the body you feel lighter as in brightness!

If you want to think about this in mathematical terms, say you experienced a paradigm shift in which 10 Biophotons leaked into your field. For simplicity lets say these 10 Biophotons weigh 10 lbs each. 10 Biophotons x 10lbs each = 100 lbs of Biophotons are hanging out in your field. This means that 1. your body has lost 100lbs of Biophotons that it should have and is also having to 2. hold up 100lbs of Biophotons outside itself. So you could say the body is not only at a weakened state (losing weight) but also having to do more work (holding up weight where it shouldn’t be). These Biophotons are not bad, they are just lost pieces of you that desperately want to be reunited with you.

My perception of what I am shepherding back to you is: your light, your sparkle, your essence, your childlike wonder and awe for the world; essentially pieces of yourself that you have lost along the way due to unfortunate circumstance. It is truly a chance to begin again because these fragments of your self have been returned to your Self.

When we guide your sparkle back to you this also removes the ‘tracks that were laid down’ in early life. What I mean by this is someone who came into the world not feeling safe can create a life that feels unsafe, and can surround themselves with people who don’t feel safe (subconsciously) to gather evidence and confirm that life isn’t safe. When we return your sparkle we remove the ‘tracks’ that were laid down because those tracks are made of your light. The light or sparkle isn’t bad, because it’s you! However, the way the light glitters in your field and holds an electric charge it could also be referred to as a trigger.

As you know, triggers can attract familiar situations that will in turn validate our fears and cause us to react intensely. Due to the fact most triggers are unconscious they also can create an automatic reaction - like yelling, lashing out, or freezing. When we return your sparkle back to you we create a pause or a breath in between the situation, emotion, and the reaction. This rewiring is similar to neuroplasticity because we are creating a new reaction (pathway); through sound healing we are also strengthening and reinforcing your centeredness and alignment.

By returning your sparkle and having your life force returned to you, you are literally ‘leveling up’ in life because you are more aligned with your truth and authenticity.

Everest Base Camp: The Beginning

‘If you don’t go out into the woods, nothing will ever happen and your life will never begin.’ ~ Clarissa Pinkola Estes

Hiking to Mt Everest base camp was one of the most transformational, exhilarating, and humbling experiences of my life. I honestly can’t wait to do it again. Here is my story…

However, like most stories, the beginning begins some time before that :)

I was living and studying in India while working the International Yoga Festival (IYF) in Rishikesh. Rishikesh is Northern India located at the foothills of the Himalyas and overlooking Ma Ganga. There, I made some really close friends (shout out to Rainbow Tribe Unit) and we decided once the yoga festival had finished we would travel throughout India together. Our joke became #hashtagindia because there are so many things that happen in India that could only happen in India.

It was around that time when I realized I had the wrong visa. I only had a 3 month visa - which is not enough time to explore India because it’s incredibly large. So I thought ‘oh whatever, I’ll hop over the country next door, re-up my visa and come back and travel with my friends.’

Until I realized the country next door happened to be Nepal and

Mt. Everest happened to be located in Nepal and

I love mountains more than anything & many moons ago I had promised myself that one day I would hike Mt Everest; and the day I had this realization started to blossom into the one day I would.

In a few weeks span (three I think), I read every blog I could on solo hikers hiking Mt Everest, I reached out to every person I knew that lived or worked in Nepal or Mount Everest (massive thank you to Lindsey & Chris!!!)

In my research, I discovered the hike was 12 days total; 8 days up and 4 days down. It’s 80 miles or 130 km - which honestly didn’t sound like too much to me but I didn’t consider the constant elevation gain and loss and gain and gain and gain makes it feel like double that.

The rules were simple - warm clothes, hike at least 6 hours a day, drink a lot of water, hike high & sleep low on your acclimatization days, and lastly, if you feel sick, descend and eat as much Himalyan garlic soup as you can (as it helps with altitude sickness.)

‘Sounds reasonable.’ I thought.

& like the crazy person I am, with absolutely no training, no partner, no prior knowledge of Nepal or Mount Everest besides my super-late-cram-session, and cigarette habit, I was “prepared” to hike to Mt Everest Base Camp. Thanks to my insane determination, stubborness and perhaps mental illness, I hugged Leah goodbye in the Dehli airport and I boarded the plane to Kathmandu BEYOND excited for the adventure I had in store!

All was well when the plane began its flight from Dehli, India to Kathmandu, Nepal; it was a short morning flight and I had hours of daylight and packing to do before I left at 6:00am the next morning. As the flight began it’s descent into Kathmandu, it stopped descending, started circling around Kathmandu and then the pilot decided the smog was too bad and visibility was low and we turned back to Varanasi, India to refuel. My anxiety went from a peaceful easy feeling to literally hearing the blood pump in my ears. I had made the mistake of not planning for this type of fuckery. But here we were. #hashtagindia

Sitting behind me on the plane was an Irish girl excitedly explaining to an English boy how dangerous the hike to Mt Everest was and to not do it solo, ESPECIALLY if you were a girl. She was going on and on about needing a guide to lead you up the trail and a porter to carry your stuff, friends so you don’t go missing etc etc. As the anxiety reached an all time high, to distract myself, I turned around in my chair, apologized for eavesdropping, and mentioned to the Irish girl Gillian (who, spoiler alert, turns into one of my best friends) that I, in fact, was actually hiking it solo, without a porter or a guide or friends, and all my

(three weeks of)

research left me feeling confident I wouldn’t die. There was only one trail up the mountain - so I couldn’t get lost. It was a very popular hike - so even if I got injured someone would eventually walk by me. I was stubborn as hell and could probably carry my own weight and I didn’t bother with feeding fears of getting raped, murdered or dying alone in the mountains.

We ended up chatting and connecting for the rest of the flight and the plane was able to successfully and efficiently (not common in India) refuel and we headed back to Kathmandu - where we actually landed. There was much rejoicing.

Now, I had only 4 hours to get to my hostel, unpack, get back to town, acquire all my gear for Everest (I had come from warmer lands and had no cold gear) and re-pack. All of this would have been somewhat manageable but a girl named “Yessica” ended up grabbing the taxi I had waiting for me. Le sigh.

Gillian, the English boy and I shared a taxi to Thamel (downtown / backpacker’s district of Kathmandu) and parted ways. Intuition said to get Gillian’s number but alas, I did not. I did however make a mental note as intuition promised I’d be seeing her again.

I wished her well, got out of the taxi, promptly got lost, took two bike tuktuks to my hostel. Two because one was highly unsuccessful and required a second. Realized I had to change hostels, made some friends, met Yessica, got driven back into town with my backpack rolling dangerously on top of the car we were in where I finally landed back in Thamel where I sweat out my body weight in stress and started frantically running around gathering all my gear from the Nepali family my American friend Chris knew.

Thamel is one of my favorite corners in the world, it reeks of the most delicious incense that coats the inside of your nose and sinks deeply into your clothes. The stores are colorful, the people are wonderful, the prayer flags are abundant. It’s busy and bustling but not overwhelming. The buildings are tall but the storefronts are welcoming. Some people are here for Mt Everest Base Camp, some for Chitwan National Park. Some are here to stay in Thamel or leave for Pokhara, some just passing through. Because of this, the atmosphere is curious, excited and kind. Even though I was rushing around like a tiny crazy person I was excited to return back to Thamel and properly explore the city once I had accomplished my task of hiking to Base Camp.

It was dark when I finally finished unpacking and repacking but I fell asleep as soon as my body hit the bed. Contented that I had accomplished everything I needed to despite all odds and excited afffffff for the next day.

I arrived at the airport in Kathmandu bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, alarming levels of excitement pouring out of my chest, born ready for my flight to Lukla - the most dangerous airport in the world.

But my middle name is Danger so… * shrugs *

I went up to the counter and was told my flight was pushed back and I would have to wait an hour. ‘Okay,’ I thought, ‘ I can do this.’

After waiting an hour I checked again and the flight was delayed another hour. I pondered several very colorful swear words but reassured myself it’s worth the wait.

Several more experiences of this later, my long arduous waits punctuated only by the deep stinging pain of disappointment that my flight was delayed again, I decided to start talking to everyone in the airport. I had questions and I needed answers.

Very soon I learned that a few people had been waiting for several hours before me; and some had been waiting for

FOUR DAYS

Literally.

Living in the airport Tom Hanks style. I was shocked, angry, disappointed and quickly losing hope that I would put my feet on the trail today.

Now, the reason why Lukla is the most dangerous airport in the world is because it has

1. the tiniest landing strip and

2. a steep mountain wall just beyond the landing strip and then

3. the weather at that elevation - 9,383 feet - can change quickly so flights often get turned around to reduce deaths

Ugh. logic and reason.

After what ended up being a 4 hour wait, many intense discussions and serious plotting with all my new hiker friends (Tamara and Rob - solo hikers from Australia, Whitney - solo hiker from the US and several French friends) we decided we would rent a helicopter and get our Everest party started! Six of us hopped in a helicopter and flew through the most gorgeous green winding valley with overlooking ‘hills’ (aka small mountains), waterfalls, tiny isolated villages at the top of and carved into the sides of these hill-mountains.

The view was so spectacular and I cried just taking in mother nature’s beauty.

After a (thankfully) easy landing in our helicopter, a few of the friends grabbed a bite to eat in Lukla where we ran into people just finishing their hike. We congratulated them on their amazing feat to which

1. some didn’t even both making eye contact (foreshadowing)

2. some were walking funny and

3. some looked at us with an evil glint in their eye.

We pushed all of this out of our minds and started our ascent. Nothing was going to get in my way of accomplishing my goal of making it to EBC. The 12 day adventure to the top of the world had begun.

to be continued…

“I hope you will go out and let stories, that is life, happen to you, and that you will work with these stories... water them with your blood and tears and your laughter till they bloom, till you yourself burst into bloom.” ~ CPE

TUNERS WITHOUT BORDERS

One of my roles in the Biofield Tuning organization is on the Lead Team for Tuners without Borders.

Tuners without Borders is our nonprofit side of Biofield Tuning, where we help those in need by donating tuning forks and our time to help those less fortunate. We do this by teaching a simplified version of Biofield Tuning so that they can help themselves, their loved ones and their community around them. Biofield Tuning, at its core, helps people get unstuck and provides coherence in an incoherent world. When people become coherent, they radiate coherence around them, essentially becoming a tuning fork themselves; they help to bring about balance and harmony in their surroundings.

Tuners without Borders (TWB) has led several missions in Jamaica, in 2018 and 2019 at the YMCA in Kingston, the Boys Town in Trench Town and the Church of the Ascension. We have returned to the YMCA and the Church of the Ascension and plan on returning to the Boys Town in Trench Town after Covid restrictions are lifted.

While we were in Jamaica in 2019 we were invited to MICO University where Eileen McKusick gave a talk to the university students and then we did demonstration. This lead to us being invited to create a Biofield Tuning Program under the Sports Medicine Division at MICO. This program is set to debut in 2021; once again waiting on Covid Restrictions to be lifted.

Eileen has continued humanitarian efforts in Jamaica all throughout 2020, as the island’s main source of income is tourism. She has joined forces with a natural & vegan restaurant in Negril, where she resides, to do food drives to help out local families.

2020 has affected everyone; not only tourism-based countries, but it also deeply and disproportionately affected the Native American Reservations, here at home. These circumstances weigh heavy on our heart and we have led two missions; one in person and one virtual to help support the Native Americans. During Covid, we did a virtual livestream to focus on helping the Navajo Nation and Hopi Reservation during, as those two locations were heavily affected, not only by Covid, but the effects of quarantine and curfew.

People on the Navajo Nation & Hopi Reservation not only don’t have access to clean water, but they also don’t have access to cold food storage or wifi. This creates a cyclical issue of sickness and lack of education. The clean water is located miles away in cities, which forces Native Americans to travel long distances for water, usually not allowing them to be home by curfew. The lack of cold food storage creates healthy food deficiencies because there is no way to keep the food fresh. Lack of wifi doesn’t allow Native American children and teenagers to access their Zoom classes.

The Puchetca Livestream that aired December 12th, 2020 is a fundraising opportunity to bring clean water, cold food storage, and wifi hubs to the Navajo Nation & Hopi Reservation. I donated a session on behalf of Tuners without Borders to be a part of this amazing movement to help our Native brothers and sisters. You can learn more about Puchteca and donate by clicking here.

Our humanitarian efforts will continue in 2021 in Jamaica as well as Native American Reservations across the US. Our belief is that we can only rise when we help one another rise too.

Sources:

https://www.puchteca.org/

https://www.biofieldtuning.com/outreach-programs

the magic of malvern, england

Eileen was invited to be the keynote speaker at the Sound Healing Conference in Malvern, England in November of 2018. Eileen asked me to come with her and I excitedly agreed. Neither of us had been to Malvern before and the idea of exploring it together delighted both of us.

The Sound Healing Conference is put on by the College of Sound Healing run by Simon Heather. It boasts sound healers of all backgrounds from gongs, sacred voice, drums, and bowls both crystal and Tibetan. Eileen’s keynote speech at the end of the conference was a huge hit & we were so grateful to connect with and expand our Sound Healing family!

One day out for lunch we found a local crystal shop called Aquarius.

Synchronistically for us, Eileen, the owner of Aquarius & I bonded instantly and she informed us that there was a ley line or "dragon line" that ran straight through the Malvern Hills of Outstanding Beauty, through her shop and into the city. A ley line, or dragon line, or song line, is a concentrated line of earth’s geomagnetic and electromagnetic forces.

The Malvern Hills of Outstanding beauty have two major hills that make a heart shape; so the ley line runs through the middle of where the two hills meet. The owner of Aquarius informed us that she takes care of the ley line by playing crystal bowls every day before she leaves the shop. Eileen and I decided that we would help her tend to the ley line while we were there with our tuning forks.

We found a spot next to the river that runs through Malvern and sat and tuned the ley line with our different forks and a strong intention to be of benefit. We knew we were done when all of the birds in the river abruptly all flew away about 30 minutes into our tune!

Malvern, although mildly unknown globally, is famous for some fascinating things! The Malvern Hills of Outstanding Beauty (MHOB) sits right behind Malvern and it is truly stunning.

There is a pub in town called “The Unicorn” and it is where CS Lewis and JRR Tolkien would meet TOGETHER & it is suspected in some circles that both Middle Earth and Narnia’s landscapes were inspired by MHOB. If you know me personally and know how much I love both unicorns and the novels by JRR Tolkien you can imagine my extreme excitement & happiness to discover all of this thanks to the locals!

The Hills are also the location of the famous 1800s Water Cure. The Well is still in operation in the hills and the plaque reads:

“Drink of this Crystal Fountain and praise the loving lord who from the rocky mountain this living stream out-poured; fit emblem of the holy fount that flows from god’s eternal mount.”

The water cure drew famous doctors and celebrities alike to the area including Florence Nightingale, Charles Dickens & Charles Darwin.

Eileen and I hiked into the Malvern Hills of Outstanding Beauty several times. We discovered the lampposts made famous by “The Lion, The Witch & The Wardrobe.” While we were hiking up the steep hill we could see how Middle Earth & Narnia had been birthed from the scenery; it was otherwordly and magickal.

We also made sure to hike all the way to the top of the MHOB to take in the views of the English countryside.

Eileen and I loved Malvern so much and since 2018 I have returned to Malvern several times as the International Class Coordinator and Teacher and established Malvern as one of our permanent places for our International Biofield Tuning classes.

Sources:

www.biofieldtuning.com

https://www.collegeofsoundhealing.co.uk/index.php

https://allthatsinteresting.com/ley-lines

Biofield Tuning visits the Integratron

I have loved the Integratron since my first visit to Landers, California in 2014. Over the years, I have returned bringing friends, family and even doing some independent subtle energy research with them in June of 2017. I had mentioned Eileen Mckusick, creatrix and founder of Biofield Tuning, to Joanne at the Integratron and vice versa for several years.

Finally in December of 2018, Eileen, myself and a group of other Certified Biofield Tuning Practitioners & Teachers flew in from different states and drove out to meet up and visit our friends at the Integratron in order to experience a unique and extraordinary sound bath with crystal bowls in a perfect parabola-shaped room. As researchers, sound healers and rather energy-sensitive humans we were also there to experience and feel for the vortex near Giant Rock.

The Integratron, and its architect are surrounded by an air of mystery, controversy & magic. In a curious and concise nutshell, George Van Tassel had a laboratory in a small room (cave) underneath Giant Rock, the largest free standing boulder in the US. There he meditated, studied Electromagnetism, UFO technology, Nikola Tesla and of course, hosted the annual “Giant Rock Spacecraft Convention.”

During this time (Van Tassel says) he was contacted by aliens claiming they were from Venus. These Venusian aliens shared with him how and why to build the Integratron. The HOW was to create a building in a perfect parabola shape using only wood with a specialized core (machinery in the center of the building) to power it; the WHY was for cell rejuvenation, anti-gravity & time travel.

The location of the Integratron was also paramount in it’s build - being perfectly placed at the intersection of several ley lines or “dragon lines” makes it a vortex - a very powerful geomagnetic site that amplifies Earth’s magnetic field - this intersection of ley lines is located right in the center of the Integratron, where the core used to be.

The ceiling of the Integratron

If you’re super excited or at the very least, super curious and can’t wait to read on; Van Tassel’s story ends like most exceptional and phenomenal scientists and inventors who threatened the status quo. WEEKS before the Integratron’s official opening, a very healthy George Van Tassel mysteriously and suddenly died. Some time later the core of the Integratron vanished adding more fuel to conspiracy suspicions.

As disappointing as that is… there is a redemption story!

In the 2000’s three sisters - Joanne, Patty & Nancy saw the historical importance and scientific, as well as spiritual, significance of the Integratron and purchased it in order to save it. Because of them, the Integratron is still standing and open to the public. It is still used as a place of deep meditation and healing due to it’s unique construction and shape; as well as mystical location on the intersection of ley lines and proximity to Giant Rock.

Me in front of Giant Rock

Because the Integratron is a “perfectly acoustic sound chamber," people still visit from all around the world to experience the sound baths with crystal bowls and other sound healing instrumentation. In my own personal experiences, I’d like to share that during the sound baths I have felt the sound waves not only bounce back and forth off the walls but move through my body, similarly to the feeling of how ocean waves move along the outside of your physical body.

When our Biofield Tuning team visited the Integratron in December of 2018 the staff there was immersed in reading Eileen’s book and gave a brief synopsis of Tuning the Human Biofield, as well as a personal shout-out before our sound bath session.

The sound baths performed at the Integratron are an out-of-this-world experience (pun intended) and the best way to fully comprehend them is to go there and experience it for yourself!

Sources:

• www.eileenmckusick.com

• www.integratron.com

• https://sites.rootsweb.com/~vantasselfamilyhistoryhomepage/GeorgeVT.html

Faraday Cage Experiments at the California Institute for Human Science

Eileen McKusick teamed up with me when I was working at a Subtle Energy Laboratory in San Diego, California around June of 2015. We had met a year prior at the Annual Subtle Energy Conference located on the campus of the California Institute for Human Science (CIHS) in May of 2014.

During this conference I was performing Electrophotonic Imaging of the finger tips based on the Korean Su Jok hand acupuncture system with one of my Subtle Energy (SE) measuring devices. While I was running my device, I heard Eileen speak on plasma and Biofield Tuning; I was immediately drawn to her charisma, knowledge and down-to-earth nature. We spoke after the conference and became instant friends.

I gave Eileen a tour of the Subtle Energy Laboratory and all of the different devices between the Lab and CIHS's lab. Eileen wanted to do some research regarding her Biofield Tuning sessions; specifically her group distance sessions.

She noticed when she did group distance sessions there would be noticeable temperature variations within the room. Also, people gave her feedback about how it felt that she was in the actual room with them, even if they were miles away! So we put our research hats on and decided to run an experiment in the Faraday cage we had on campus; CIHS's Faraday cage is a special copper-shielded enclosure created to block Electromagnetic waves from entering.

We had Eileen enter the Faraday cage and use a glass of water as the hologram of the people she was going to tune. We were measuring and quantifying any emittance of biophotons (light particles emitted by a biological organism) from the glass of water with the BioPhoton Counter. While we were waiting, Eileen also began to tune herself in preparation and also as a test run to make sure she could tune in a completely dark, microwave free, completely isolated chamber all the while being grounded.

Observations:

• From Eileen McKusick: “As a control, I decided to first do a session on my own hologram to try out the Faraday cage before I did a session for 300 people. I was working on myself and I hit an obstacle around self-love on the right side of my heart, in an area corresponding to a trauma I experienced between the ages of three and four. In that moment of encountering a painful aspect of this wound that I had never encountered before, I realized that I was being witnessed. I felt that I was being witnessed by the universe, nature, the whole, God -- whatever you want to call it.”

• Eileen also noticed significant temperature shifts in the room. When she first entered the room the temperature went up 1/2 a degree (which can be expected due to body heat). During the control the temperature went DOWN and then the temperature increased 2.5 degrees during the group tuning which the thermometer noted as well and is considered significant.

• The BioPhoton Counter came out variable and we wondered if using a crystal instead of a glass of water would have been a better idea

Next Steps Moving Forward:

• We would like to do more testing & we find it beneficial to conduct experiments in a Faraday Cage where all microwaves and other outside influences are removed

• Next time we would like to use a crystal instead of a glass of water as we think the structured organization of the atoms of a crystal would hold the hologram better

Overall, it was a fun experiment to perform and resulted in more questions and ideas for better study design in the future! At its root, science is a method of inquiry and we look forward to continue applying it to Biofield Tuning and other energy healing modalities in order to discover and understand more!

Sources:

www.cihs.edu

www.eileenmckusick.com

www.biofieldtuning.com

Anechoic Chamber Experiments at Hathaway Research Laboratory

Eileen McKusick, myself & another colleague traveled to Hathaway Labs located in Toronto, Canada in May of 2019 in order to conduct some research in an anechoic chamber. An Anechoic chamber, simply put, means "anti-echo" or a room designed to completely absorb reflections of sound or electromagnetic waves. This room designed by George Hathaway was designed to also not allow EM (electromagnetic) waves from entering the chamber from the outside. The chamber is also grounded; meaning any excess electricity is safely directed to the ground outside.

We had planned to meet up with a Toronto-based recording studio but they no-called no-showed, so we made due with a zoom recorder, oscilliscope, spectral analyzer and good old-fashioned note taking. Despite the recording studio not showing up we were still able to make some incredible observations with the help of George Hathaway and his quick inventions he was able to create to support us in our research & observations (i.e. the boom).

We were observing what we noticed as the 1. Tuning Practitioner 2. the session Receiver and 3. the Witness. We had a copper grounding wire that we took turns grounding ourselves to see what we noticed. We also tried putting the tuning fork in a boom and moving the boom around (like an arm) to see the effect of human vs machine as Tuning fork operator.

The following observations were noticed:

- We loved the opportunity to freely create experiments in an anechoic chamber that was able to completely isolate the sounds from the tuning forks

- Grounding (at least) one of us during the session was necessary: the tone brightened immediatley with one of us being grounded. With no one being grounded we all felt clausterphobic and had difficulty breathing.

- The session went without issue when the Tuning Practitioner (TP) or Receiver (R) was grounded. This makes obvious sense to us and is why breathing and grounding is paramount in the beginning of one's session. Having only the Witness grounded still created feelings of unease in the TP & R.

- None of us felt well when the fork was in the boom; we experienced difficulty breathing, and felt dissassociated. However, the moment one of us touched the boom to complete the circuit we all noticed a huge improvement in our feelings sense.

- We noticed that when the fork was in the boom we were able to hear the fundamental tone but not many high/low tones. When it was in our hand we were able to differentiate the variation between the high/mid/ and low tones. This variation is important as the difference in tones allows us to discover patterns and "hear" emotions.

Next steps:

- We'd like to conduct further research in an Anechoic Chamber

- We want to do a Spectrograph analysis in real time

- We want our recording studio people to show up in order professionally record the sound :p

Sources:

www.eileenmckusick.com

www.biofieldtuning.com

www.hathawayresearch.com/

Contact in the Desert feat. in TLC Magazine

With joshua trees as the backdrop and the Milky Way visible at night, Contact in the Desert1 isn't anything less than spectacular. CITD is a conference on all things mysterious nestled just outside Joshua Tree National Park at the JT Retreat Center, (formerly known as the Institute for Mental Physics.) The conference is set up to make you wonder, dig a little deeper and question things that don't make sense to you; and it does not disappoint.

CITD boasts varying degrees of pioneers and professionals in their field; from ancient civilizations to ufologists, contact to disclosure; there is something for everyone. You don't have to believe in aliens (although 'extraterrestrials' is what I'm told they preferred to be called) to attend, all you have to come with is an open mind and a lot of water. 

Scientists, researchers, conspiracy theorists, believers, and critical thinkers all attend and gather together to soak in the information from the presentations. Many speakers have risked, and sometimes lost, their reputations standing up for what they believe in. They come armed with years of research from behind a desk and out in the field - made manifest into irrefutable evidence that makes us search the cobwebbed corners of our mind for the questions we used to ask in school before getting our curiosity 'learned' out of us.

CITD was its most highly attended in its 5 year history proving that people are riddled with questions and thirsty for answers. We are not satisfied with the lies on TV and the glazing over of life's incredible mysteries. All we really know is that there's a lot that we don't know. Where is the birthplace of humanity? (It's not what you think!) How old are homosapiens? (A San Diego discovery last month made national news 2!) Who was the first tribe to settle in Central America? North America? Are there civilizations lying at the ocean floor waiting to be discovered? (The ocean is really big after all, and haven't we explored more outer space then the ocean floor?) Why do the various pyramids all over the world all match? (When they allegedly have no similar ancestors or way of communication?) If you think your schooling has taught you the 'answer' to these questions, you are surely mistaken. If CITD doesn't change your mind it will surely open it. 

We - TLC Creative Director, Amelia Hall and I - were able to connect with (and hug!) Graham Hancock.3 He is (my hero) and what I consider (and most probably agree) the modern day Indiana jones. He has uncovered so much about ancient civilizations we owe a lot of our newfound knowledge to people like him, and other pioneers such as Robert Bauval, author of the Orion Mystery, John Anthony West, among others.

 If Hancock’s name sounds familiar, it is - you may have heard of him as a few years ago the infamous Ted censored his talk - alongside famous Cambridge trained biologist and bestselling author Rupert Sheldrake.4 The realization that Ted censors talks became an uproar on the internet and around the world - they both blew up in popularity and became household names. If you haven't seen Hancock5 or Sheldrake’s6 banned talks, I suggest you watch them. They propose life altering, paradigm shifting theories (which, of course, is why they were banned). If you'd like to see Rupert Sheldrake this year - he'll be speaking at IONS in July in Oakland, CA.7

Questions that they propose threaten the status quo. The questions I listed above threatens the status quo. CITD threatens the status quo. If you've ever looked at life and thought 'there must be more to this' then you are a future attendee of CITD.

We can’t wait to see you next year. 

Sources:

1.      http://contactinthedesert.com/

2.      http://www.kpbs.org/news/2017/apr/26/mastodon-bones-found-near-san-diego-freeway-rewrit/

3.      https://grahamhancock.com/

4.      http://www.sheldrake.org/

5.      https://youtu.be/Y0c5nIvJH7w

6.      https://youtu.be/JKHUaNAxsTg

7.      http://noetic.org/community/conference

Seattle: The Emerald City

This trip has re-inspired my love of writing and reignited my passion for travel blogging. Also having a few layovers provides me the proper time needed to collect my thoughts and craft something special. Please enjoy the following blog on my adventure to Seattle: 

Seattle is referred to as the Emerald City due to the amount of greenery, pines and foliage surrounding the city which is nestled in a cute little nook of Puget Sound. If you're heading north and a big fan of L Frank Baum you'll also notice the actual layout of Seattle is similar to the fabled Oz. (Maybe just me and my outrageously high excitement level.)

Even though I was invited to Washington state for work purposes my excellent wandering tendencies created the opportunity to explore Seattle's many splendors, these are a few in no particular order:

1. Join a protest:

I literally stumbled upon a Climate Change march and was super grateful that even on a work trip I could lend an hour or two to be a part of the awareness building. Little did I know when I first stumbled upon it that it would last 3 days! Seattle has had more rainfall this winter than before they even started recording how much rain they got. It's broken literally every record. They feel the effects of Climate Change and thus are very dedicated to the cause. Kudos.

2. Go to Pike Place Market

Pike Place Market Center is such an epic marketplace! They have everything from beautiful fresh flowers to hand crafted goods to fresh caught seafood. Due to my impatience with how slow people walk I have no picture to show you I was there. But I was. Promise. Pro tip: if it's a weekend go early. (The following picture is not Pike Place Market.)

3. Find the gum wall

The gum wall is an ridiculously eccentric attraction ~ my favorite! There is a weird allure to the multicolored wall, like a moth to a flame. The coolest thing however, is that apparently it does get cleaned from time to time, yet the art prevails! Double awesome, there's an amazing coffee shop at the end of the alley called Ghost Alley & they have the best mochas in the land. (They claimed that, I tested and approved the message.)

4. Go to the Olympic sculpture Park

It's just a mile ish away from Pike Place and it's a great route to run, jog or walk (or walk your big fluffy dog) and enjoy the view of Puget Sound and/or the Cascade Mountains ~ if it's not too foggy.

Side note: For the most part, people have large dogs here rather than small dogs but I'm an equal opportunity dog petter so I don't care either way,

Double side note: I love Owl City and his songs are about Seattle and made me have this idea in my head of what Seattle was like. Being there & hearing his music in my head made everything a tad more sparkly.

5. Wander around aimlessly and get lost, maybe make a new friend

If you've read any of my blogs this is literally always on the list of things to do. It's completely necessary to lose yourself in a new city and embark on a unknown quest. Some of the people I met were amazing and gave me great recommendations on where to wander next but overall I can't say Seattle people are crazy friendly ... but perhaps you'll get lucky! 

Side note: perhaps they're not crazy friendly due to the ridiculous amount of rain / gloom they've had? Although when I was there it was sunny! Ha! (Maybe they're lying to keep San Diegans in San Diego?????)

6. Go to the Seattle Public Library 

The Seattle Public Library is a really nifty building. There are interesting art installations that you can meander through up the escalators & you can catch a view of the city from the top floor! Just don't wear clicky shoes. It's very disruptive and if you already look like you're not from there you get stared at. Alottttttt. 

7. Get coffee

The very first Starbucks got its start right in Pike Place Market. The line is ever present but you can go there to get the ~ original ~ Starbucks. The reason why #7 is just called 'get coffee' is due to my impatience for long lines I just went next door to a different coffee shop and it was still delicious. Seattle peeps know their coffee. 

8. Get weed

Need I remind you weed is legal in Washington state? There's weed places everywhere! Go nuts!* 

*safely of course  

9. Coal Creek / Snowqualmie Falls

Snowqualmie was great and majestic and wonderful and uuuuuuuber touristy. Coal Creek Falls was far less busy and more personal. For those who like their nature time super special I would recommend the hike to Coal Creek Falls:

10. Mount Rainier National Park...

... Will sincerely take your breath away. You start in a moss drenched rainforest blanketed by the softest littlest greenest leaves, ferns and foliage. The higher you climb the mountain you ascend into the coziest winter wonderland you've ever seen.

 ^^^ due to my camera being my phone it's hard to appreciate how loooooong this waterfall was. It seriously just kept. Going. This picture was also taken at great risk of death. 

The waterfalls of Mount Rainier tumble down from icy glaciers and you can find them peaking through in gulches. It's literally Narnia, Rivendale & Ferngully all rolled in to one epic fantastical landscape. 

 ^^^ This photo is not edited. This is how freaking green the rainforest in Mt Rainier is. 

11. Take a ferry somewhere cool 

There's so many ferries to chose from! You can go anywhere! Including Canada!! 

^^^ actually none of these photos are edited because that would take too long. 

12. In gratitude 

Suuuuper special thanks to everyone who helped me get here and opened their home and hearts to me:

Invisible Illness Documentary Creator - Tasra Dawson: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/ronandtasra/invisible-illness-documentary-film/community

Adam & Josh Bigelsen - sons of Harvey Bigelsen, creator of the Holographic Blood Model: http://thebigelsenmethod.com/

& Anya Gallich, Pranic Healer!

You guys are amazing and I can't wait to see you again! 

^^^ Seattle tribe 💕 

Sharla Snow & Jess discuss Thermography & Breast Health

The following tale is shared with Sharla's permission, of course.

Sharla & Jess talk Thermography!

Sharla Snow is a client of mine for Medical Thermal Imaging (Thermography). Medical Thermal Imaging is a way to scan the physiology/ blood flow of the body (as opposed to structure). This differs from mammography in the sense that Thermography is looking for PRE-disease patterns, or in other terms, Thermography is a preventive scan. By the time you realize you have a tumor (structure) the disease has gone from it's infancy stage (inflammation) all the way to it's end stage: a tumor.

Sharla came to see me in the fall of 2016 after she found a lump in her breast but didn't feel comfortable getting a mammogram due to the radiation, compression and pain. We performed her Thermogram and a week later her Medical Thermal Imaging Report came back abnormal due to a large asymmetry in the heat, distribution, and intensity of the thermal patterns in her left breast. The doctor who wrote Sharla's report recommended proactive and holistic protocols: that she do lymphatic drainage, dry brushing, perhaps introduce Vitamin D3, selenium and other healthy supplements into her diet with various other lifestyle changes.

Sharla responded quickly and rose to the occasion to help her situation. She is a distributor of essential oils and extremely holistically minded, so by the time she came back for her follow-up in February of 2017 she had enacted many natural protocols into her life and her report came back noting the improvements; specifically, the thermal patterns in her left breast had decreased!

Sharla posted her story & images on facebook and it went viral. Everyone asked Sharla what she did, what the pictures meant, what Thermography was, etc etc.

Sharla asked if her and I could give a talk to help educate and empower women - so we did! 

The following is our talk; if you have any questions please feel free to contact me :) <3

What is thermography? Is it safe? Why have you never heard of it before? How is it helpful? What are the benefits? 

Alternative Health Tools Podcast Interviews Jess

John Biethan is the host of Alternative Health Tools, a Southern California based podcast that shares alternative health tools, tips and resources from complementary, alternative and holistic healthcare practitioners. 

John & Jess met at INNER TEMPLE one fateful Tuesday in 2016, bonding over Tuning Forks and the magical healing properties of sound.

The rest is history...

Dry Brushing

This article was featured in The Life Connection in November 2016.

What is dry brushing?

Dry brushing, or garshana, is the ancient Ayurvedic practice of brushing your skin in the morning in order to loosen impurities on the skin.

Dry brushing removes dead skin cells from the surface of the skin, and in doing so allows for better detoxification at the skins surface. Dry brushing also improves lymphatic flow and thus increasing vitamin absorption throughout the body by increasing circulation. Constant dry brushing helps to break up areas of stagnation and “stuckness,” getting rid of toxic buildup in the body.

Dry brushing is best done in the morning before you shower because it has a mild ‘caffeine’ effect where your body feels buzzed and invigorated! Due to it’s massage-like effects, dry brushing is also stress relieving and has meditative effects.

Also, the side effects aren’t that bad and may include the reduction of cellulite & glowing skin 

How to select a dry brush:

The brush must be made of natural resources – such as a wood or bamboo brush with natural bristles. This is very important, brushing the skin with a plastic brush contains impurities that will then collect on the skin. The skin is the largest organ of your body, so it’s imperative to use a natural brush to gain all of the benefits of Dry Brushing.

Dry brushes are the brushes you see in any “shower” aisle of Target, Home Goods, Bed, Bath & Beyond and they range from $3-$10. The longer handle extends your arm & makes it easier to get to hard to reach areas like your mid-back.

How to dry brush:

·         Dry brush for about 5-10 minutes in the morning before you shower.

·         Use firm pressure over the main areas, but lighter pressure over areas where the skin is thinner & more sensitive. Your skin should be pink after you brush, not red & irritated.

·         Always brush UP towards your heart, brushing away from your heart will add stress on the heart.

·         Brush UP your arms and UP your legs.

·         Avoid painful areas

·         Use circular motions over the joints

·         Finish your Garshana with a shower to wash away all the impurities you have removed from your skin.

The difference Dry Brushing makes!!!

Client A: Medical Thermal Image of someone who dry brushes daily & makes their own homemade non-toxic deodorant (green = normal)

Client B: Medical Thermal Image of someone who has never heard of dry brushing & uses store-bought toxic deodorant (red/white = hottest areas indicating extreme inflammation)

Other Lymphatic Tips:

·         Self-massage your neck & shoulders with coconut oil

·         Jump on a trampoline for 5 minutes a day to improve lymph flow

·         Exercise by running, walking or jogging, any UP and DOWN movement to stimulate lymph circulation

·         Massage your lymph nodes in your neck near the bend in your mandible (jaw bone), massage your armpits, lower abdomen & inguinal area – these areas contain the largest lymph nodes

o   Tip: you’ve probably felt your lymph nodes in your neck if you’ve ever gotten sick, they will swell to about the size of a dime!

·         Make your own deodorant!! Normal store-bought deodorant contains aluminum, (which has been found in the brain of people with Alzheimer’s) parabens & phthalates interfere with hormones in the body- notably estrogen & testosterone which can lead to chronic disease.

o   Tip: my favorite [read: easy] deodorant to make is Wellness Mama’s Natural DIY Deodorant, Deodorant #2 which contains 4 ingredients!! Find it here: http://wellnessmama.com/1523/natural-deodorant/

·         Get a lymphatic drainage massage from a professional

·         Reduce your risk of cumulative radiation by choosing Thermography as your health assessment! www.psy-tek.com

Sources:

1.       http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2014/02/24/dry-skin-brushing.aspx

2.       http://www.chopra.com/articles/garshana-detoxify-at-home-with-ayurvedic-skin-brushing

3.       http://wellnessmama.com/1523/natural-deodorant/

4.       www.psy-tek.com

Thermography: A Safe Breast Health Assessment

The following article, written by me, was published in the Gerson Institute's Spring 2016 magazine.

For years, new research has been calling into question the effectiveness of mammography. As a result, the American Cancer Society (ACS) changed their stance on mammograms in October 2015. ACS previously recommended that annual mammograms begin at 40 years of age. But now with increased knowledge of the limitations and potential harms of mammography, the ACS recommends that annual screening shouldn’t start until age 45 and should change to every two years starting at 55(1)!

Thermography is a non-invasive way to study the physiology of the human body (as differentiated from ultrasound and mammograms, which study the structure of the body). Thermography simply detects subtle variations in skin temperature using an infrared camera in a temperature-controlled room, which can provide clues to what is going on beneath the surface of the skin. Humans are infrared beings that give off energy in the form of heat.  An infrared camera (think night-vision) is heat-sensitive. Whereas a mammogram emits ionizing radiation through your compressed breast tissue, on a thermogram you radiate your energy toward the camera. Thus, nothing is passed through your body.  Another very common example of using heat to detect illness is getting your temperature checked at a doctor’s visit, because fever (excess heat) implies infection or dis-ease.

Hippocrates is considered the “father of modern medicine” as we know it. You may have heard of the Hippocratic Oath that present-day doctors still take, promising to “do no harm.” Something less well-known is that Hippocrates is also the “father of thermography.” In 400 AD, Hippocrates smeared wet clay over his patients’ bodies looking for patterns in the clay as it dried. He noticed that some areas dried more quickly than others, because of excess internal heat. He is quoted as saying “in whatever part of the body excess heat or cold is felt, there is disease to be discovered.” (2)

Left photo – A slurry of wet clay on a patient the way that Hippocrates would have used it, quickly dried around the umbilicus (belly button) indicating excess heat.

Right photo – Thermogram showing excess heat in the exact same area around the umbilicus.

Cancer is fed by the body’s own blood supply. Thermography can detect the increased heat that results from the early development of vascularity (angiogenesis) to feed the cancer. Cancer occurs in our body when the normal cell-death mechanism (called apoptosis or regulated cell death) turns off. The cell “forgets” to die and continues growing, untamed and unchecked. (3) Because this process begins on a cellular level, no solid mass forms right away, only a small gathering of cells. Only after growing for a certain number of years does a cancerous tumor become large enough to finally be seen on a mammogram.

The chart below was developed from Dr. Michael Retsky’s cancer-growth research showing that the possible observation times for a mammogram to find a tumor are near the end of the tumor’s growth, which is not early detection.  His research found that breast cancer typically doubles in volume in about 100 days. Since mammography is usually able to find breast tumors at approximately 1 cm, he estimates the usual time to detect breast cancer is at 30 doublings (of 100 days each) -- a total of 8 years.  He concludes that “the possible observation times in breast cancer is limited to between the 30th and 40th doublings or at most the last 25% of the growth history of a tumor.” (4)

90 days                        2 cells

1 year                          16 cells

2 years                         256 cells

3 years                         4,896 cells

5 years                         1,048,576 cells

6 years                         16,772,216 cells

7 years                         268,435,456 cells

8 years                         4,294,967,296 cells

Mammography

Mammograms were called into question because of their large number of false positives, as well as the issue of overdiagnosis and overtreatment: if mammograms were truly helping diagnose cancer early they should improve overall breast cancer mortality rates - but there are some studies showing that they don’t. (5)  Most often breast cancers are found in the upper outer area of the breasts, in between the breast tissue and the armpit (6) which cannot be visualized on a mammogram.

Mammograms have an average sensitivity of 80% in women over 50, which drops to 60% in women under 50. (7) Hormone usage decreases the sensitivity of mammograms. In addition, women who have scar tissue or dense or fibrocystic breasts have a tendency to get recalled for a repeat mammogram (resulting in more radiation exposure) because of difficulties reading the scans, since mammograms are not able to differentiate between a solid tumor and fluid-filled cyst or calcification. In spite of all of this, there is a strong commitment by the National Cancer Institute to reassure women that the benefits of mammography outweigh the risks, but repeated X-ray exposure can cause cancer. (8)

Thermography

Thermography is a reasonable alternative for women who want to avoid the radiation of a mammogram, for those who have implants (since it does not damage them) or for women who have had other breast surgeries resulting in scar tissue. It is also a great option for women who are considered high risk, are taking hormones, are younger or have dense breasts.  Additionally, thermography has no harmful side effects so it can be used as often as desired.

According to the American College of Clinical Thermography, thermography can detect abnormalities of the female breast and can also examine breast tissue in men.  Another advantage is that the entire chest is observed, neck to abdomen and armpit to armpit, and there is no compression of tissue, which can sometimes spread cancer cells. (9) Thermography can monitor treatment effectiveness and can distinguish between benign and malignant tissue in women with fibrocystic breasts. 

There are over 800 peer-reviewed articles supporting the effectiveness of thermography (10) and there are many well-known supporters of thermography including Dr. Christiane Northrup, Dr. Joseph Mercola and Dr. Veronique Desaulniers. Thermography was also most recently featured in Episode 2 of The Truth About Cancer! (an online documentary series).  Thermography was even approved by the FDA as an adjunctive test to mammography in 1982.

Thermographic image of breast cancer in the right breast diagnosed via biopsy.  Hyperthermia/inflammation follows the lymphatic system to branch from the axillary lymph node into the breast tissue. 

A 2003 study indicated “Thermography offers a safe, noninvasive procedure that would be valuable as an adjunct to mammography in determining whether a lesion is benign or malignant with a 99% predictive value.” (11)

A study published in 2008 by The American Society of Breast Surgeons concluded that DITI (digital infrared thermal imaging, or thermography) was a valuable adjunct to mammography and ultrasound especially in women with dense breast parenchyma [tissue] because of its 97% sensitivity. (12)

The American College of Clinical Thermography also describes the benefit of doing thermography along with mammography, citing the results of Canadian research:  The 84% sensitivity rate of mammography alone was increased to 95% when infrared imaging was added.13

In 2013, researchers Kolaric et.al. found thermography to have the probability of a correct finding in 92% of cases . They concluded that “breast cancer remains the most prevalent cancer in women and thermography exhibited superior sensitivity. We believe that thermography should immediately find its place in the screening programs for early detection of breast carcinoma, in order to reduce the sufferings from this devastating disease.” (14)

Thermographic image of a patient with implants

According to women’s health specialist, Dr. Christine Horner, thermography can “detect breast cancers much earlier than any other available technology. Because blood vessels ordinarily start to grow before any other significant changes and tumor growth, a thermogram can ‘see’ these abnormal physiological processes as early as 5-10 years before a cancer can be seen by a mammogram, MRI, or ultrasound or felt by a physical exam. What is most exciting is that when these abnormal processes are caught this early they are reversible.” (15) This gives time for natural interventions such as diet, supplementation and lifestyle changes like stress management to heal the body.

_________________________________________________________________________

Jessica Luibrand attended Grand Valley State University where she received her Bachelor’s degree in Health Sciences with a double minor in Biology and Sociology. She is currently employed as Chief Clinical Thermographer and Subtle Energy Researcher at Psy-Tek Subtle Energy Laboratory. Her mission is to combine her love of health and wellness with her love of people. 

_________________________________________________________________

Editor’s note: According to the American College of Clinical Thermography (ACCT), “One day there may be a single method for the early detection of breast cancer.  Until then, using a combination of methods will increase your chances of detecting cancer in an early state.”16 The ACCT suggests an annual thermography screening, mammography when appropriate, and regular breast exams.

The ACCT explains that most women use thermography in addition to mammography and/or ultrasound.  They believe thermal imaging should be “viewed as a complementary, not competitive, tool to mammography and ultrasound” that can increase the effectiveness of those two structural tests by identifying patients having the highest risk level.17

The International Academy of Clinical Thermography says that thermography is not a replacement for mammography because “there is no one test that can detect 99-100% of all cancers.”  In addition, thermography and mammography “are ‘looking’ for completely different pathological processes” because one tests physiology and the other tests anatomy.  Lastly, they explain that “thermography is far more sensitive than mammography; however, some slow growing non-aggressive cancers will only be detected by mammography.”18

Breast cancer detection is a multifaceted issue that requires an individualized approach. Each person must make their own decision and stay aware of the most current research. Because cancer screening is a billion dollar industry, it can be difficult to obtain unbiased information.19

Screening measures such as mammography and thermography can be beneficial tools for detection, depending on the circumstances. Use of one or the other, or both, depends on a variety of factors, such as age, history of disease, disease status, type of cancer, density of breast tissue and more. Remember that thermography or mammograms or breast exams cannot diagnose cancer. In the end, if something suspicious is found on a mammogram, or by ultrasound, breast exam or thermography, the definitive diagnosis can only be done by biopsy.

Sources:

1.      “American Cancer Society Releases New Breast Cancer Guideline,” American Cancer Society, accessed February 20, 2016, http://www.cancer.org/cancer/news/news/american-cancer-society-releases-new-breast-cancer-guidelines.

2.      “Aphorisms by Hippocrates,” The Internet Classics Archives, accessed February 21, 2016, http://classics.mit.edu/Hippocrates/aphorisms.4.iv.html.

3.      Rebecca SY Wong, “Apoptosis in cancer: from pathogenesis to treatment,” Journal ofExperimental and Clinical Cancer Research, 30(1) (2011): 87.

4.      “M. Retsky, PhD. Cancer Growth Implication for Medicine and Malpractice White Paper,” Technical Assistance Bureau, accessed February 21, 2016, http://www.lectlaw.com/filesh/tabtumo.htm.

5.      “Screening for Breast Cancer with Mammography,” Cochrane, accessed February 21, 2016, http://www.cochrane.org/CD001877/BREASTCA_screening-for-breast-cancer-with-mammography.

6.      AH Lee, “Why is carcinoma of the breast more frequent in the upper outer quadrant? A case series based on needle core biopsy diagnoses,” Breast, 14(2) (2005): 151-2.

7.      “Accuracy of Mammograms,” Susan G. Koman, accessed February 21, 2016, http://ww5.komen.org/BreastCancer/AccuracyofMammograms.html.

8.      “Mammograms Fact Sheet,” National Cancer Institute, accessed February 21, 2016, http://www.cancer.gov/types/breast/mammograms-fact-sheet.

9.      Johannes P. van Netten, Stephen A. Cann and James G. Hall,“Mammography Controversies: Time for Informed Consent?”Oxford Journals Medicine & Health: Journal of National Cancer Institute, 89 (15) (1997): 1164-1165.

10.  “Breast Screening Questions and Answers,” American College of Clinical Thermography, accessed February 21, 2016, http://www.thermologyonline.org/Breast/breast_q_a/bqa_clinicaltests.htm. 

11.  Y.R. Parisky, A. Sardi, R. Hamm, K. Hughes, L. Esserman, S. Rust and K.Callahan, “Efficacy of Computerized Infrared Imaging Analysis to Evaluate Mammographically Suspicious Lesions.” American Journal of Roentgenolgy 180 (January 2003).

12.  N. Arora, "Effectiveness of a Noninvasive Digital Infrared Thermal Imaging System in the Detection of Breast Cancer," The American Journal of Surgery (October 1, 2008): 523-26.

13.  “Breast Screening Questions and Answers,” American College of Clinical Thermography, accessed February 21, 2016, http://www.thermologyonline.org/Breast/breast_q_a/bqa_accurate.htm.

14.  D. Kolaric et al. “Thermography- A Feasible Method for Breast Cancer Screening?” Collegium Anthropologicum 37 (2013): 583-588.

15.  Christine Horner, Waking the Warrior Goddess: Dr. Christine Horner's Program to Protect Against and Fight Breast Cancer, (New Jersey: Basic Health Publications, 2005), 21.

16.  “Early Detection Guidelines,” American College of Clinical Thermography, accessed February 21, 2016, http://www.thermologyonline.org/Breast/breast_thermography_detection.htm.

17.  “Mammography vs. Thermography,” International Academy of Clinical Thermography, accessed February 21, 2016, http://www.iact-rg.org/patients/breastthermography/mammography-vs-therm.html.

18.  “Breast Screening Questions and Answers,” American College of Clinical Thermography, accessed February 21, 2016, http://www.thermologyonline.org/Breast/breast_q_a/bqa_replacement.htm. 

19.  ”Largest, Longest Study on Mammograms Finds No Benefit, “Mercola.com, accessed February 21, 2016, http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2014/02/26/mammograms.aspx.

Nassim Haramein Interview Feat. in TLC Magazine

My friends Amelia Hall & Josh Kreithen & I were lucky enough to interview Quantum Physicst, Nassim Haramein, last year at the Conscious Life Expo in LA. The following article was published on in5d's website as well as in The Life Connection Magazine for February 2017. 

Physicist Nassim Haramein is a pioneer in quantum mechanics, unified field theory and energy research. He has dedicated his life to the investigation and the deep study of physics, sacred geometry, chemistry, biology, archeology and mathematics. Nassim leads the Resonance Project and directs and leads a team of physicists, electrical engineers, mathematicians and scientists with the purpose of exploring and advancing developments in quantum energy, life science and consciousness. Nassim currently resides in Encinitas California. This interview was conducted at the Los Angeles Hilton at the Conscious Life Expo in February 2016.

homies :)

Question: You explain the brain as a receiver of different vibrational frequencies. Where do you think the signal originates?

Nassim: From a field of information that is present at the quantum level. This is on a very fine scale. Way below the atomic structure there is a field called the Planck Field, or the Planck oscillators. They are very small. Protons are already really small. So you are made out of a hundred trillion cells. There are a hundred trillion atoms approximately per cell. Atoms are really small. Imagine that protons are like a head of a pin on the dome of the Vatican. Then the dome is like the electron cloud of an atom. So a proton is really small. And realize that the Planck grains are making up the structure of space. So if the Planck would be the size of a grain of sand, then the proton would be a diameter from here to Alpha-Centari… which is about 40 trillion kilometers away. So the Planck is way teeny. It is the smallest proton of light, the smallest electromagnetic field that can exist. It is the portal of the fabric of space. And think the portal as a portal of information of all things being present in this field. Just like the electromagnetic waves carry information, that you can put up a radio set, tune the crystals to the right frequency and all of a sudden you can hear the music come out. It’s the same thing. The band that is making the music is not in the radio. The brain and nervous system is tapping into this field of information, which is a result of all other things radiating into it. So there is an exchange of information between everything and you that is occurring.

Question: Would you call this field the Collective Consciousness or the Akashic Record?

Nassim: Yes, you could call it that. Like if you wanted to use ancient civilization description. Many of them describe this field. They call is Prana or Chi. All sorts of different names.

Question: How do you think all the enlightened pre-technology ancient cultures discovered the same exact system of sacred geometry and Universal design? Do you think they were given this information by external sources such as extra-terrestrials? Or is the coded in our DNA? Or perhaps they learned how to tune into that knowledge through altered states of consciousness.

Nassim: I think it is all three of those. You find this across all the different cultures. If you put them together, they describe something very significant. The structure of space, the spin of space, and all this stuff like yin-yang. Basically it is describing this unified field. And if you look at their cultures describing these things, none of them say we came up with this. They all say we got this from the Sun God, or something that came from a star system in floating boats. Light beings. But at the same time, since we are made out of this stuff, it would naturally arise within us as well. So they recognized as something very fundamental. Very important… that is why they propagated it throughout the ages. So it will reach us. Right? And at the same time. Most likely, people had altered states of consciousness at time. And there are so many reports of those altered states of consciousness, by taking certain plants, medicinal compounds, and so forth. Seeing the geometry, seeing the dynamics, you know and so on. I think it is all about consciousness.

Question: So what do you think is happening at a neurobiological level?

Nassim: This field of information is a result of all things interacting in this space. Meaning all things radiating the information in the field. And how things absorb information. It’s a continuous feedback of information. It doesn’t have an origin. There is no beginning and end.

Question: You mention the black hole. Is it the electron that is going in and out?

Nassim: It is the photons. The electron is the charge that the black hole is producing. The proton is the black hole and the charge it produces is the electron. We actually just found last week a solution for the electron that is extremely exact. Like 99.9999997% exact and it is remarkable. And it is based on the exact same solution of the proton. And it predicts the …electron cloud. So now I have got the whole thing. I am really excited about this. So the information is the Planck field, the Planck photons, are the smallest units. Each bit of information is going through that cycle.

Question: Is it that it is the same exact structure that goes in that is also coming out? Or is the photon going somewhere else in the Universe?

Nassim: The bit that crosses the event horizon can be anywhere in the universe. All the volumes are shared through the wormhole structures. Just like a neural network. All of a sudden, the information becomes available for everyone else. It might come out at the same place, or somewhere else in the Universe. It doesn’t matter, because when it comes back out, it is changed like the rest of them. It experienced the outside. And it is changed by the outside. Then it goes back in and it’s changed by the entire Universe. It is a constant evolution.

Question: So in the atomic model, the center is a black hole. My first question has to do with the proton. In essence… is the proton the center of the black hole?

Nassim: The proton is the black hole.

Question: So, what if there is more than one proton? Such as oxygen with 16 protons.

Nassim: So then there are 16 black holes, orbiting each other. This is why if you get too many of them in there, they become unstable. They start radiating and now you have nuclei decay. The protons themselves don’t decay, at all. We have never seen a proton decay, ever in 13.7 billion years. There has been no proton decay, so that is pretty good!

Question: What do you think prevents one proton’s black hole sucking in the other proton‘s black hole? The energy is so strong. What is the force that stabilizes the protons from swallowing one another?

Nassim: Try centripetal force. Geo-scopic effects. Remember, they are spinning. And they are spinning fast. So those centripetal forces, and the Coriolis effect, such a strong angular momentum, will keep everything in orbit. Unless it’s got the wrong number and it doesn’t want it. Then radiation will happen until it finds the right relationship. So that is why heavy nucleons start to radiate radioactive energy. And emit electromagnetic wavelengths. The same thing in the solar system and Universe.

Question: If you look at the atomic model, and the galaxy, with a black hole in the center of each system… is there another scale up?

Nassim: Right. There are hundreds of galaxies with black holes in the middle. And there are super clusters that have black holes in the middle of them.

Question: So that also exists on another whole level and scale?

Nassim: Exactly. That is correct. There are black holes all the way up and all the way down. Absolutely. That is what I have found. The Planck obeys the condition of a black hole too. The little Planck is a teeny black hole. If you take the mass of our Universe and you put it in the radius of the Universe we see today, it obeys the exact condition of a black hole. It is not a coincidence. They call it a coincidence in standard physics, but it’s not.

Question: So is there an ultimate coincidence that all of this stuff happened on accident? Was it just random? Or was it designed? It’s so intricate that it seems it was designed by something.

Nassim: Well, you are going back to wanting a beginning and an end. And I don’t think that actually exists. All we have seen in the Universe at any time is just change of state. I have not seen anything end, or begin. We just have a change of state. Actually today there are articles that came out from studies that are being done in quantum physics where they describe the space as a fluid of Planck’s. They solved some of the equations now showing there was no Big Bang… there was no beginning! It has always been there. You know, it is an infinite continuous feedback of information. It is hard for us, because we think, “we were born and then we die”, and that’s why we have this idea of there being a beginning and an end. That might not be a universal concept. That is just a human concept. The beginning of your life, and the end of our life, doesn’t show anything new happening… just a change of state. Meaning, like when you die, all the atoms you are made of are just recycled. Just goes to another state.

Question: And so do you believe in reincarnation?

Nassim: Absolutely. Yes, I see no reason why information would be lost. Physics says no information can be lost. So, I don’t see why the information of who you are, that is in Plank field, would go anywhere. It would probably seek another residence. A condition it can regain a body to continue to explore. So, yes, I have no problem with reincarnation and concept of Akashic Record. And so on. Basically it is the physics of the Universe….

Necessary experiences in Luang Prabang*

Luang Prabang is an adorable little French-influenced city in northern Laos. The ancient capital sits surrounded by lush green mountains and the mighty Mekong river. There is something for everyone from cute downtown shopping and amazing food to epic waterfalls, sailing on the Mekong and cave exploration! 

1. Kuang Si Waterfall

Enchanting pools  

The name Kuang Si comes from 'kuang' meaning deer and 'si' meaning dig, legend has it that an old man dug into the earth and found water which sprung the waterfall. A magic golden deer made its home under a giant rock protruding from the middle of the waterfall. Thus the name! The giant rock is no longer there as it fell during a mini earthquake a couple years ago, but the waterfall itself is still absolutely breathtaking.

The waterfall continues spilling down forever

And! If you like bears (who doesn't?!) there is a Moon Bear sanctuary in the beginning of the waterfall. This isn't a zoo situation, thankfully; the bears have been rescued for various reasons from abandonment to injuries. The bears are super playful and have a huge area full of swings and climbing gyms. They're called Moon Bears because they have what looks like a crescent Moon on their chest. (Unrelated note: Moon bears are my new favorite type of bear!) 

2. Mekong Sunset Tour Boat Ride

The mighty Mekong river is the worlds 12th largest river and the 7th largest in Asia (thanks google!) It runs through every country I visited in Southeastern Asia including Laos, Cambodia, Thailand and Vietnam.  

Takin a sunset tour of the Mekong River is a must. Surrounded by mountains, when the sun sets it creates an 180 degree sunset of the most beautiful purples, pinks, yellows and oranges. Hands down sunsets in Laos are the most gorgeous I've ever seen.  

 3. Eat Mok Pa: grilled fish in banana leaf (Laotian speciality)

I live in Southern California where the fish tacos are the best in the land, however, the grilled fish in banana leaf is hands down the best fish I've ever eaten in my life. I ate all of mine & Johns.

4. Go to the Park Ou caves

To get to the Pak Ou caves you must buy a ticket in the town for a boat to cross the Mekong River. The caves themselves are not crazy spectacular, it's more the idea that people all over the world deposit hundreds of Buddha statues here for the town to steward.

The caves are limestone and they overlook the Mekong River; The lower cave is home to hundreds of Buddha statues and the upper cave requires a lot of stamina to reach due to the epic amount of stairs. Again, there's cooler caves it's more the idea of how sacred these people find their statues and the care they put into watching them.

5. Cross Bamboo Bridge

The Bamboo Bridge does not exist in the wet season because the river is too high, so visiting during dry season, like we did, means you get to cross it. There is a small fee to cross it for the family that allegedly rebuilds it every year after the wet season... we weren't so sure if this was actually true.

It's fun to cross mostly just because it is a long bridge made out of Bamboo and you feel like Indiana Jones!

6. Go to Utopia and make some new friends

If you're going to Luang Prabang you will hear about Utopia and you must go, it's a part of the backpacking culture there. You'll find obscure signs for it pointing down a long windy alley, and when the alley ends, you've made it! 

Its a super fun, high energy bar that everyone goes to. And if you get there early enough (which we did not) you can have your beer (or whatever your drink of choose is) while watching the sun set behind the town.  

You will make new friends here as tables are limited but seats are not, find an open one and meet your new neighbor. John and I met some pretty awesome people from all over the world that he continued to wander with after I had to leave for Thailand.  

7. Go bowling with your new friends you made at Utopia

I'm the worst bowler ever

After Utopia closes (crazy early - like 11 or 12p - I can't remember) the night is still young, so in order to continue drinking and partying, go to the bowling alley - this is because of some legal loophole that causes the bars to close early but the bowling alleys to stay open late. 

...and just a mini note, if you thought about buying weed at the bowing alley, don't! Cops wait outside with their K9 sniff-test unit!

8. Visit the Night Market  

The Night Market in Luang Prabang is the best one I've been to in all the different countries John and I visited. ​They have everything and it stretches on forever - they close the entire downtown to make room for all the street vendors. You're guaranteed to find awesome presents for people back home - including snake whiskey, missile pendants (made from real missile!) to beautiful art & woven goods. 

9. Food! 

The food in Luang Prabang is absolutely delicious! Between native Laotian food and the outside influences from other countries (France, Thailand, China, Vietnam!) you are sure to find some magical new favorite dish.

Luang Prabang was one of my last stops before I had to go to Chiang Mai, Thailand for some much needed medical care. Out of the list provided, the one thing that you will NOT want to do in Laos is go to the hospital like I did. It was dirty, no one spoke English and the minor surgery performed had to be performed again once I got to Thailand because they were unsuccessful in finding a large foreign body nestled in the pad of my foot. Getting your foot cut open once sucks, but twice is just ridiculous: If you need medical care go to Thailand! 

Literally all the views of the Mekong are as perfect as this picture. If Luang Prabang isn't on your bucket list it should be... (just avoid injury at all cost!!!)

* all pictures were taken by John Perez and borrowed by myself due to a not-so-necessary experience of getting my phone along with my credit card stolen on an overnight bus to Thailand. Who steals a phone and a credit card from a girl with her foot wrapped up in bandages you may ask? Assholes. Getting your stuff stolen is not a recommended experience, although it can happen. 

My phone and credit card were stolen the ONLY time I had it out of place (literally the only time it was ever in the front of my backpack) during the two months we were adventuring through Southeast Asia. Mistakes and accidents are part of the adventure. My advice: bring backups 😝

The Rise & the Return

I never wrote about the end of my trip to Asia mostly just because literally everything that could have gone wrong, did, in fact, go wrong.

Here is my story:

The last month I spent overseas was really challenging. It started in Vietnam (which still remains my favorite country); John and I went kayaking in Ha Long Bay and I ended up stepping on some sort of Devil Sea Urchin that stabbed so far up into my foot - but not quite all the way through where I could pull the spine out. He was crafty and decided the bottom of my right foot would be his home with no eviction date.

We finished kayaking because I’m obviously not going to let some mortal wound ruin my Ha Long Adventure. We drank rice wine with the locals and talked with our new ferry friends. When the sea kayak experience was over and it was time to go back to land John drove me to a hospital, and I immediately, like a small child, threw a tantrum. In my defense, hospitals are terrifying. I refused to go in. (John was not impressed with my decision) and I decided it would be an amazing idea to take a night bus the next day (well, night) to Laos and maybe on the bus ride, work up the courage to go to the hospital there.

So I did.

The drive was fun and absolutely gorgeous through the hills and mountains and our drivers were all smoking opium so that added some extra excitement to the drive. They offered me the pipe and honestly, had there not been the Spinal Cord of a Sea Urchin harpooning the tiny bones in my foot, I would have joined them. Alas, the Razor Sharp Spike was ever present. In between crying and feeling sorry for myself I made friends on the bus and we talked about adventuring together once we landed in Luang Prabang.

Once landed in Luang Prabang I went to the hospital - which to my joy was under construction. What I mean by that was there was sawdust and dirty plastic sheets everywhere. The cup they gave me for water had lipstick on it.

This is going great, I thought.

They shot my foot up with some numbing agent which was incredible painful, cut my foot open, spoke amongst themselves, bandaged me up and happily told me there was nothing in my foot. I believed them - because I desperately wanted to think I was overreacting - and happily continued my adventure with my new friends in the night market, I walked about half as fast as all of them but luckily the Laotian Night Market was so incredible with it’s smells, it’s colors, all of the clothing, tapestries and carved wooden creations, we were all walking Sea Urchin Speed.

John finally caught up with me on motorcycle a few days later and together we made new friends from Scandinavia and went bowling; my foot zinging with pain the entire time. We had a lot of other fun adventures that I wrote about in a separate blog that you can read here.

On one of these particularly fun drunk nights with all of our new friends, John and I decided it would be best if we broke up and went our separate ways. We didn’t travel the same way and even though we did have a great time together it kept feeling like petting a cat the wrong way. My foot was still hurting and at this point super infected. I knew I needed to go to the hospital again, but I didn’t trust the hospital in Laos so I figured the hospital in Chang Mai, Thailand was probably better. Because science.

John took me to the bus station, we said our tearful goodbyes and I hopped on an overnight bus to Thailand to receive better medical care. I was physically exhausted from my foot being in so much pain and emotionally exhausted from trying to make things work with John. The girls next to me were Thai and very friendly and we spoke together in the few words we knew in each other’s languages. Eventually I put my backpack behind me (we were in the very back of the bus) and was able to fall asleep despite the pothole-road’s best attempts to keep me alert and awake.

I wish I would have listened to the songs of the potholes.

I woke up groggy having finally made it to the border crossing in Thailand. We all sleepily and slowly got off the bus to wait for the next bus to take us to Chang Mai. While waiting for the next bus I had a my favorite breakfast - a cigarette and coffee- happily perched on a log like a gargoyle taking in the early morning glow of my surroundings.

Once I had woken up a little bit more I went into my backpack to look for my phone.

…

And it wasn’t there.

Weird, I thought.

I looked through all my pockets.

…

It still wasn’t there.

I looked for my credit card.

…

It also was no where to be found.

….

My heart was beating so loud I could hear it in my ears. My breath was short, I was in complete panic.

I didn’t know what to do.

I didn’t want to be that tourist and have a complete meltdown. (Afterall, I’m not a tourist - I’m a traveler and yes there is a difference.)

But honestly inside I was having a Chernobyl-size meltdown.

I saw the bus I had been on that had parked in a parking lot a little ways away so I shittily-walked over and asked the driver if I could look through the area I was sitting in.

…

Still not there.

The gut sinking realization hit me, that once I fell asleep, the friendly Thai girls next to me had opened the zipper to my backpack and taken my phone and credit card. Now, this is both of our faults. This was literally the FIRST and ONLY time I had not put my phone and credit card in a safe place.

I was so disappointed.

Really fucking pissed.

And also completely fucked.

As I moved around the groups of people with the grace of Quasimodo I asked the English speakers if I could borrow their phone after sharing my story and the events that had just transpired. They let me use their phone so I logged into Facebook and was able to message John asking him if I had left my phone and credit card - just to check. He assured me I had taken both with me.

Fuck!

After what felt like hours of berating myself of how could I be so careless and stupid, the next bus finally came.

I asked my new German friends if I could follow them to their hostel - as I had no phone, no mode of communication, Google or map. Luckily I had enough Thai money from the beginning of our trip to get some snacks.

Once in Chang Mai I limped slowly after my new friends to my new home, and luckily, the universe being on my side for the first time in DAYS, the hospital was in stumble-distance.

The next morning I woke up and my right eye was swollen and red.

?!Seriously!?

So, I pathetically half-weebled, half-wobbled my way to the hospital. I entered and was greeted by the best hospital-organization I’ve ever seen. In large print English language was “EYE” to the back left, my wait time was short, but I was feeling sassy after all of the aforementioned events. When they brought me into the back they told me I needed a vision test, to which I said I didn’t, that my eye was just being weird and infected. They were patient with me, stating they HAD to do a vision test so I grumpily agreed. When asked to close my left eye and read the 4th line with my right eye, I failed so miserably they actually had to stifle laughs. They gave me some drops and sent me on my way.

I then gathered all the courage I had left and went to the next area that said “SURGERY.” I spoke with the Doctor who was very nice until he asked to see my foot. Then he was the enemy. I put my foot up and he touched it, resulting in me almost kicking him directly in the face. His eyes widened, not because of the kick, but whatever came out of the wound. Loudly stating “we need to get you into surgery right now.” I asked him if I could think about it, and he said absolutely not while multitasking faster than anyone I’ve ever seen: on the phone scheduling me for emergency surgery, asking for an assistant and getting me a wheelchair, whisking me away to my destiny.

Goddamnit.

They shot up my foot again and cut it open again. The look on their faces, the hushed gasps and non-English words were completely understood. It was bad. After I was rebandaged the doctor told me (in English) that if I hadn’t come in soon I could have lost my foot. The infection was so bad they couldn’t sew it up and I had to come back every day for 3 weeks to get it cleaned out and re-bandaged. The doctor asked me if I wanted to see the spine that he had just dug out of my foot, now in hindsight, sure I would have loved to see the Sea Urchin Death Spine responsible for fucking up the last couple weeks of my trip… but at the time I knew that I would heal way faster if I didn’t have its ugly little face, well spine, in my foot and my head. So I declined.

Yikes.

and also gross?

I made a lot of friends at my hostel - mostly out of pity - because I couldn’t do anything. I couldn’t get my foot wet, so I could barely shower. Chang Mai is known as the (ethical) place in Thailand where you can hang out with elephants. Well, I know this from brochures because I couldn’t go, because I couldn’t get my foot dirty. There was an AMAZING jazz/blues bar across the street that I could go to and listen to the music; but I couldn’t drink due to the antibiotics I was on. I was not happy and cried often. Sad Days.

I did manage to board a shuttle to Pai and hire a tuktuk to take me around to all the coolest places that were drivable as I couldn’t walk on my Open Wound From Hell.

A few days later when I went to leave I discovered it was a Thai Holiday and I couldn’t get back to my hospital, I mean home, I mean hospital.

Finally, a few days later and after a lot more crying I was able to get back to Chang Mai, see my friends at the hospital, and start my trip back to Bangkok to fly back to California.

When I got home I slept for about 2 weeks. It was so difficult being back in California as everything was so starchy white, and I had gotten used to all of the colors while traveling through Asia.

Eventually I came out of my amoeba state and checked the foot reflexology chart and discovered that the exact location where the Spine Stabbed Me was the reflexology equivalent of the right eye.

Interesting.

In hindsight, this was and is still hilariously horrible.

I wrote this blog several years later, and just dated in 2017 so it' stayed next to my other Asia Blogs. But a few years ago I told my dad I was going to travel again - solo this time, and he asked “what if something goes wrong?” And then we both laughed really hard remembering the last time I had traveled overseas and how all the odds were NOT in my favor, yet I survived. Like a persistent cockroach.

This experience made me realize, if I can get through this, I can get through anything. 

I also wear shoes a bit more than I used to.

Thanks for reading :p <3

Train Rides - a poem

So this is what happens when I drink too much coffee and stay up past my bedtime.

It feels Kerouac-y and I like it. 

Life IS living on a sleeper train and jumping from bus to bus scraping just enough together to get to the next destination. There is a certain romance about eating at gas stations, peeing in the woods and not knowing where your next bed is. My heart beats a little louder for people living out of their van, making breakfast out of their trunk in the morning dew in the soft light of a sunrise. Life isn't planning. Life is living for exactly what you want. Not saving up for someday. Someday is a disease that will take your dreams to their graves, graffiti told us on the cement walls of one of our Vietnamese hostels. Bright shades of wisdom from aerosol cans.

In a dirty hostel somewhere in Vinh, we ran into Mike Wadleigh, the creator of the Woodstock documentary. He's gathering data on climate change, he told John. He seemed impressed with our story and told us to expose the lie by living the example. 'You don't need all that money,' he told us before putting on his oversized white helmet and riding off on a motorcycle (only after chatting with us about how the lead guitarist from queen is an astrophysicist and Iggy Pop is one of the smartest men he knows and lectures about life.) I thanked him for the documentary and told him how my generation of people were able to experience Woodstock because of his work. Music is not what it used to be, and a lot of people know that. Mike Wadleigh is 74 and looks not a day over 60 and is a self professed hippie and I love him. There is a serenity in his eyes and a tone in his voice I've never seen or heard before. Expose the lie. We will Mike, I hope we meet again.

'This is the lifeblood, the essence that runs through my veins' I think, as I type this swaying back and forth in my top bunk in a sleeper train headed to north Vietnam in hopes of better weather. We've been rained out of central Vietnam with only 8 more days left on our visas. I'm high on life and way to much coffee this evening. The lurching of the train shakes my already rattled bones.

I go for a late night cigarette in the bathroom but there's someone in there. The train swishes and sways back and forth and I'm nearly thrown into the doors, or out the doors, rather. I look out the windows on both sides and the world whizzes by as I just try to keep my balance. Ahhh such is life.

Finally I find a different bathroom but the door won't shut  I try and I try but the deadbolt just won't lock until I look down and realize I haven't even closed the door all the way. There's something cool about smoking a cigarette in a bathroom on a moving train somewhere in Vietnam, there's something about looking at the lights passing by in the darkness that's extremely calming amidst the chaos.

Purity is not for me, I think taking a drag off my cigarette, I still consider myself spiritual. I fell down that rabbit hole once and came out the same old Alice.

I told Sammie once when we were high sitting in the floor of my first apartment: we have a life we live, and then we have another life, our real life, dragging us by the hair, shouting and screaming our passions in our face saying 'follow me!!!! I know the antidote for the poison in your soul! That 9-5 job you call safety is actually a noose!'

The kids here love us, that being said some of the really young ones are terrified of us. Ironically for the same reasons: John is tall and I am tattooed. We're a walking American zoo. You can look but don't touch the animals, they're wild & they may bite.

I haven't taken too many selfies on this trip. Sometimes I think it's a good thing to not know what you look like. Acne eats away at your soul just like it does your skin. I wonder sometimes what's left.

But then I took a picture of myself on purpose trying to show my scars instead of hide them. So I could stare into what I perceive as negative and love it anyways. So I could work deeper into loving my light and darkness both internal and external. John says I can't take the bad with the good. He's right. 

The most moving thing I've seen on my trip was a young violinist at the train station in Bangkok. He played beautifully and had a speaker behind him playing piano to go with his violin. John and I stopped to watch for a very long time and after a while a shoeless blind man walked all the way up god knows where finding his way by holding onto the railing and stepping one foot in front of the other and he found this boy and reached for his violin and asked him something in Thai. I have no idea what. But the vibration of the music and the frequency of emotion filled the air and I was moved. The simple things we can miss if we're in a hurry in our day to day vs the things we witness when we have no plans at all.

A tumbleweeds the life for me. 

I'm a good writer when I'm properly caffeinated. The Vietnamese do coffee well.

Phong Nha-Ke Bang

Photo by John Perez of the happiest girl on earth gazing at her newest favorite place in the world  

Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park is the most magical Narnian landscape located just west of the city Dong Hoi. Phong Nha was the main reason I wanted to travel to Vietnam - in search of the largest caves in the world, formed over 400 million years ago (the longest cave systems in the world belong to Mammoth Caves in Kentucky). Son Doong is the largest cave and while the others pale in comparison, they're still incredibly huge and beautiful. There are a ton of different options available for tours and hikes to any level of adventurer; activities like kayaking, swimming or jungle trekking and/or how long you'd like to adventure for. There are different companies that will take you out on tours and treks as well; Oxalis seems to have a monopoly on Son Doong treks; but their only option for exploring it is 5 days, around $4000, your first born, and the wait list is about a year so sadly, we weren't able to do that (although we did try to do it ourselves!!!) The website phongnhacavestour.com can provide more information regarding the various expeditions to the different caves.

Sneaky places in Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park you can find when you don't go with a tour!

John and I opted for no tours because we like creating our own adventure and honestly, I don't really like tours because you're always waiting on someone for something (on a totally unrelated note, I'm mildly impatient). 

Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park is absolutely breaktaking AND its free to get in to; you just pay the fees for the cave-attractions you want to see, which is great! I would highly recommend putting aside a whole day to motorbike around the whole park just to take it all in! There are so many other caves to be found!! Phong Nha's landscape is considered karst topography, which means caves and mountains have formed from the 'dissolution of soluble rocks such as limestone.' (Thanks Wikipedia!)

Our view from Duong Homestay

We arrived in Phong Nha January 7th on a long motorbike ride from Hue; we rounded a nonchalant bend in the road and the outline of Phong Nha appeared in the distance: a foggy mountain 'range' of huge free-standing mountains covered in lush green trees and vines. We were so excited! We went about 90kph just to shorten our already short jaunt there. We stayed at the Duong Homestay just across from the more well-known Easy Tiger Hostel. Immediately once getting there we ran right up to the nearest mountain and began making our ascent; we saw mountain goats (finally!) and I discovered a new cave, sneakily hidden from the untrained eye.

Our goal in Phong Nha was to 'relax' a little (whatever that means) and tried to take this area slower, so we only did 1-2 caves per day (the weather was quite wet so that also inspired a slower pace).

Cave Details:

The epicness of Paradise Cave and a super tiny person for scale-purposes

Paradise Cave - is 250,000 VND a person translating to $11. You skate along the slipperiest path you've ever walked on and if that doesn't kill you there's a huge stair climb up to the cave entrance. If you survive the slippery path and the huge climb up the mountain you are rewarded by a downward flight of stairs into the mouth of the cave. The cave opens up to this huge area (my spatial reasoning is challenged so Google says...) it's 72 meters high and 150m wide. My cell camera didn't take any National Geographic worthy pictures so you can't comprehend the scale by any means, but the cave is absolutely stunning. 

Photo by John Perez of our mucky trek through the jungle  

Dark Cave - was also 250,000 VND per person, it's usually 400,000 V per person but we got a deal because (dun dun dun!) if you sneak in with a tour (not go with them but walk in with them) you can get a group price. Dark Cave was epic and unfortunately I don't have any pictures of it because if you bring something in with you it WILL break due to all of the activities! You start by zip lining over a river to the mouth of the cave, then you swim in the tropical blue water up to the entrance, then you adventure into the cave (its dark so you get a little helmet with a light on it) THEN you walk through this skinny little corridor (which is why you need the helmet; concussion is imminent without it) through sometimes knee-dee mud into an opening where you can sit in the mud baths AND guess what?! You float!!!! You can just lie back in the mud and the muds like 'hey friend, no worries, I got you' and you float. It's freaking awesome. Then you have a mud fight with all your new friends you made on the tour and get deliciously muddy and hilariously dirty. After happily playing in the mud for about 10-20minutes you wander through a different slim passage way and slide down a natural mud slide (which is only mildly painful) then on your exit from the cave you cannonball into the blue water again to clean yo dirty self off and take a kayak back; there you can pretend youre a pirate and commandeer other people's kayaks. On the other side of the river more zip lining and a high ropes course patiently awaits your arrival. (Google some pictures!) 

Phong Nha Cave - you have to take a boat to this aquatic cave but good news: you can combine this entrance fee (150,000V) to the entrance fee of above-ground Tien Son Cave and the boat ride (400,000 V) there you split with everyone on the boat (up to 12 peeps). We were the last people to get there and were able to sneak in with yet another tour! We made some awesome native Vietnamese friends who now call California and Texas their home! The boat ride to Phong Nha Cave is spectacular; riding in a valley, teal water splashes around you while you're surrounded by vibrant green fields and lush mountains, eating 'banh my' (which is the best sandwich you'll ever eat; more on that later.)

The jellyfish-like stalactites of Phong Nha

You continue your boat tour through the cave and go on the most epic watery cave adventure. Unlike Paradise Cave where it has mostly stalagmites (pointy mineral deposits coming from the cave floor) Phong Nha cave has incredible stalactites (pointy mineral deposits hanging from the cave ceiling). 

We didn't make it to Tien Son due to timing but the other available caves are Hang En, Hang Va and, of course, the coveted Son Doong which we attempted an expedition ourselves but were foiled by the knee-deep muck and the very long trail through the jungle which unfortunately, we didn't have time for. 

Where / what to eat in Phong Nha:

Pho foreva' and banh my (delicious!)

Don't eat at Tam Coc Bar, it's cute but not worth the food poisoning. Phong Nha isn't that touristy yet, which is great, but in the case of food its a bad thing. The food is held at pretty low standards so use your gut, your nose, and all your other senses to pick a place. If it smells funny, don't eat there. If you get a bad vibe, don't eat there. If it looks not-so clean, don't eat there. Food poisoning sucks. 

Tuan Ngoc is another restaurant that has adorable green lighting effects and paper lanterns, this place is so delicious and they had so many vegetable options!  

Turquoise boat on a teal river through an emerald green valley  

We had brick oven pizza at Capture which was tasty, and it was nice to have comfort food after eating a strict diet of pho and banh my's (which are delicious but I very much miss cheese!!!!) Vietnam is a cheese-less country!!!

Even though it's not super touristy TripAdvisor.com has helpfully rated some other restaurants like Gecko Bar and A Little Vietnam Restaurant!  

Banh my - pronounced 'bahn me' is a delicious sandwich made out of a baguette, 2 different slices of suspicious looking meats, meat spread, cilantro, a cucumber and mayo and some other things that I'm still not sure what they are. It's absolutely delicious and available everywhere in Vietnam. You can find them at restaurants but they're most easily found along the city streets in little carts made by wise old Vietnamese ladies. Anthony Bourdain says the banh my is one of his favorite sandwichs of all time. 

Pho - beef noodle soup that you really can't go wrong with. It's a hearty soup made with beef and yummy noodles that vary in size with bean sprouts, green onions and you can add spicy chilis to warm you up even more. This is to be found everywhere.  

So, if it's not on your bucket list, add Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park. It rivals Machi Piccu & Yosemite as my favorite place(s) on earth. We only have single entry visas which are good for a month and in order to really immerse yourself in the epic nature, culture, history, architecture and general wonder Vietnam has to offer you would need much more time than that.

Insert lyrics to I See Fire by Ed Sheeran  

Southern Vietnam

Hey hey! It's been a little while since I've written because our adventures are so wonder-FULL it's really hard to find time to sit down and flush out my thoughts on paper. Luckily, it's pouring rain outside in Hoi An so I get to settle inside for once and write. 

I suppose I'll write about Cambodia later because there's a lot to say and a lot of things that happened at Angkor Wat and writing about that now would be ineffective and inefficient. So I'll start our venture with the border crossing from Cambodia through Snoul into Vietnam. 

Christmas decorations in every alley  

We were told that our bus from Cambodia would take us to the border at Snoul and a motorbike would take us over the border into Vietnam where a bus that went from Ho Chi Minh was waiting for travelers every 15 minutes.  This turned out not to be true. We crossed the border with another backpacker that we had met that morning named Mac. Mac was a great guy and told us all about traveling through southeast Asia as he's from Singapore and gets to visit these countries quite often. We walked over the border into Vietnam with Mac and saw that the streets were quite deserted and there were absolutely no buses and hardly any other signs of life at all. Luckily after walking a little ways in the blistering sun, there up ahead was a tiny restaurant that we all sat down and chatted over some pho and much needed aloe juice. As we were sitting, swapping adventure stories and waiting patiently, (but also not so patiently because we didn't know how the fuck we were going to figure out how to get to the bus station or anything and kinda having mini heart attacks) John suddenly saw a giant tour bus that had just crossed the border from Cambodia into Vietnam; he ran at it full speed and they stopped to listen to what this crazy American had to say. As it turned out they were a Chinese bus tour and their sleeper bus wasnt full so they were able to take us with them AND they just so happened to be heading to Ho Chi Minh.

Tiny snow angels  

We gratefully accepted a ride and jumped on the bus, found our respective seats and looked at each other, laughing at our luck; the universe proving again it's magic and Synchronous nature. After a long bus ride staring out the window seeing the subtle and also obvious differences between Vietnam to Cambodia, the bus dropped us off in the middle of Ho Chi Minh and me, Mac and John hopped off and went into the mall to eat some knock off KFC chicken - which was delicious. 

We were about 5 km away from our hostel but we decided to walk as we wanted to see the secret alleys and the innards of Ho Chi Minh in all of its sneaky glory. We were using Ho Chi Minh as a transitional city and weren't staying too long, so exploration was absolutely necessary. As we zipped down alleyways nearly escaping being hit by motorbikes, motorcycles, bicyclists and other fast walkers like ourselves we stumbled upon a giant pagoda that had shrines to Buddha, Kuan Yin and also Vishnu and Shiva. We payed our respects to the beautiful statues and continued our wandering. 

New Years Giant Jengaaaaaa!  

Walking a little bit further we accidentally stumbled upon Christmas in Ho Chi Minh (as it was Christmas Eve) and all the streets had strewn lights all across the alleyways, little girls were dressed up an angel costumes, Santa was riding a motorbike, and there was even a fog machine turned snow machine that lightly fluttered down and decorated the alley with little snow bubbles. We stumbled upon a beautiful Catholic Church that was decorated and lit up in many colors complete with the baby Jesus, the star of Bethlehem, and various Christmas trees strewn about with beautiful ornaments and shiny ribbons. Everyone there was dressed to a T and ready for midnight mass. Christmas songs rang out in English as well as Vietnamese; we were in such a pure awestruck state as we had no idea this was what was waiting for us in the alleyways a Vietnam. 

We walked further making way for our hostel, it must have been at least 100° with 100% humidity as we were absolutely covered in sweat. The juxtaposition of it all, beautifully dressed Vietnamese people to disgustingly sweaty foreigners was all very funny. We ended up parting ways with Mac and decided to get an Uber the rest of the way.

Nothing says Christmas like a batman donut  

Our Uber took us to the address that our hostel claimed it was at (54/6 - whatever that meant) and we wandered around the building square for about 30 minutes until this very charming Vietnamese lady looked at us, sweaty, exhausted and carrying huge backpacks, and using her hands as a map she showed us we needed to be on the other side of the building. Once on the other side of the building we realized that there was a very tiny inlet that looked like a garage but once you walked in it opened to a whole city square and our Harry Potter-Esque address meant 54 was the square we were in and 6 was the actual building number.

Our Backpackers Paradise Crew 💕  Lenore, Lynn, Nessa, Mary, Jack, Tess, Mar, me & John

As exhausted as we were we decided to shower and head out on Christmas Eve and see what what there was to do. We stumbled upon a night market, but as it turns out the night markets in Cambodia, the night markets in Thailand, and the night markets in Vietnam are all pretty similar; they're all tourist traps with expensive drinks and loud foreigners.

We stayed at Saigon Central hostel that was very centrally located and had a super helpful staff. There, we learned about the 'hop on hop off' bus that cost $59 to go from Ho Chi Minh all the way to North Vietnam (Hanoi), stopping in whatever major city you want, adventuring around for however long you want and then contacting them to hop back on the bus when you're ready to head to a new city. 

A sneaky area of 100 Roofs Cafe

The next day we woke up and tried to enjoy our last day in Ho Chi Minh - by looking for a phone store for a SIM card. We found a great donut shop and I found a tattoo shop (!) and chatted with an artist for a little while about getting a tattoo; unfortunately we were only going to be there for a day and that was not enough time to sit down sketch out approve and also get tattooed (I haven't been tattooed here yet in southeast Asia and that is wearing on my mind. And body. As I love being tattooed especially when it's for such a beautiful reason as to symbolize an epic place I've been So lucky to experience. And it's driving me mildly crazy!) 

Side note about Ho Chi Minh: it's not a good place to rent or drive a motorized vehicle. Traffic is beyond insane and they drive anywhere they can: the road, the sidewalk, the canal, wherever. 

Big cave! Big Buddha! Little Jess!  

Exhausted (hating) the city we hopped on a bus to Da Lat, excited to leave the madness of the city for the beauty and stillness of the countryside. Our bus ride was absolutely amazing taking up up the beautiful green mountains higher and higher and higher into the mountains into the city of Da Lat nestled between mountains in this beautiful Green and foggy valley. Da Lat is easily one of my favorite places I've been so far. It was colonized by the French and so it has some seriously eclectic flares between Vietnamese culture, French architecture and almost a Dutch and Swiss tinge. 

We stayed in Backpackers Paradise hostel which was probably one of our favorite hostels. They are cheap and in a great location and had free breakfast AND dinner (which free dinner is uncommon). We became super close knit to all of our hostel mates, and one fateful night we all ventured out and went to the highly unique highly raved about 100 Roofs café which is an absolute MUST if you go to Da Lat!!!!!! I won't spoil too much of it for you (as I love surprises) but basically you walk into the bar, you decide if you want to go up or down, and the rest is a maze lit up dimly with multicolored lights and the walls are all decorated in different images, sculptures, animals, people etc, complete with little cubbyholes, random staircases and secret rooms. That being said, is a very poor description of the bar and you need to see it for yourself. It was the best bar I've ever been to.  

Tiger waterfall in Da Lat

Adventuring through Da Lat on a motorbike was the most freeing feeling, riding through rice pattys (paddies?) and different coffee orchards, only to find beautiful pristine waterfalls about three tiers high. Our favorite waterfall was Pongour Waterfall which was a bit of a drive out of Da Lat. It was absolutely ginormous and if you didn't get in trouble you were able to climb to the top! Due to our ultra sneaky nature we made it to the top but got in trouble on the way down 😂😂 Elephant Waterfall was also amazing (Sammie duhhhh) but it was about half the size of Pongour and there were way too many tourists. Tiger waterfall pictured below was challenging to get to because the road was on a 45 degree incline and the whole road WAS a giant pothole. It was very beautiful and had a legend that we tried to make out - Basically tigers used to live there in the caves before man took over and started hunting them. (Stupid man.)

Weasel (poop) coffee 😂 

In between waterfalls, coffee was necessary to life and as it happens Da Lat, Vietnam is one of the places that you can get weasel coffee(!) which is the coffee that comes from weasels eating coffee beans, something magical that happens with their stomach acid making the coffee incredibly good and pooping the beans out and humans consuming them! (The pooped out coffee beans that is - not the weasel) It is said to be the most expensive (and delicious) coffee in the world. Not pictured are the adorable weasels because they were in cages and John and I had a bad feeling about them on a coffee-bean-only diet.

Lucky, the wolf husky, reunited with his papa & going on a celebratory drive  

Back at the home front - Backpackers Paradise we were able to witness Lucky, the beautiful husky dog, be reunited with his family after being DOGNAPPED for a week! It was so heartwarming to see such a huge fluffy dog so ecstatic to be home and his dad immediately put him on a motorbike (with a pink helmet of course) and took him for a celebratory drive! (Only in Vietnam!)

Crazy House in Da Lat

We adventured to Crazy House in Da Lat which was apparently built by an autistic daughter of a general who was sent away to live in the mountains; we were told this by a Dutch restaurant owner named Thomas (who is located right across from the Crazy House.) We did our own research but sometimes google doesn't translate things as well as it thinks it does because we also heard the same person who built 100 Roofs Cafe did Crazy House as well, so there was some conflicting information. 

We were sad to leave Da Lat, it's definitely my favorite city in Vietnam so far, but we had to continue our journey North and headed to Nha Trang as yet another transitional (coastal) city on our way to Hoi An, where we wanted to celebrate New Year's. Some of our hostel mates from backpackers paradise in Da Lat met up with us and we celebrated New Year's in Hoi An at a reggae bar called One Love, where I bought a bucket of booze and me and John played jumbo Jenga! 

We bought a motorbike in Hoi An and drove to Marble Mountain, climbed the mountain (with a bunch of tourists as it was the only sunny day we've had in awhile), went through some caves and witnessed a giant Buddha in a beautiful old cave with Chinese characters scratched into the walls of the cave.

The beautiful coast of Da Nang, Vietnam  

We drove out to the mountains (Monkey Mountain) where there is a giant Kuan Yin statue you can see all the way from the city of Da Nang, there we drove along the coast - that looks very much like Highway 1 in California!

The plan today is to do the Hai Van Pass made famous by the show Top Gear!!  woooo! The saga continues!! 

The top of Marble Mountain