...and to the sea I shall return

As I approach my 40th birthday I've already had dreams, well, more like nightmares, about dying and not having accomplished everything I want to accomplish.  There are so many places on my "to do" list that I feel I may simply run out of time.  I am not sure if this is part of the "mid-life crisis" thing or not.  I remember seeing a bumper sticker a long time ago that said "He who dies with the most toys wins."  Of course it was attached to a big-ass luxury SUV, towing a mini-yacht, in my oh so plastic city of Miami.  For me it is more like " he who visits the most places wins".   I've seen a lot of crazy things in a lot of far flung places but there is so much more I want to experience.  There are those who are afflicted by "the senseless need to acquire", or SNA as my partner calls it,  but I feel fortunate to suffer from wanderlust.   

Today I was reviewing my iPhoto pics to update  Facebook when I came across these that were shot in Bali last year.  They were the inspiration for this posting.  I have seen them hundreds of times but today they took on a different meaning.   I was walking the beach with my partner after having spent an amazing afternoon lounging at KuDeTa (see previous post) and suddenly had to take a piss.  My partner snapped the pics of me in the water, as well as my footprints upon leaving.  I guess it's a modern interpretation of the immortal poem, "Footprints in the Sand", made famous by Mary Stevenson.  

 Being a Cancer,  I've always been drawn to the water and in fact, I cannot imagine not living by the sea.   I know that one day this wonderful life I have will come to end and a new one will begin.  When this day comes my wish is to be be cremated and have my ashes spread across the Mediterranean....and to the sea I shall return.  

Zensual feeling

In my never ending search for new places to visit I came across a hotel in Ibiza that has ME written all over it...www.atzaro.com   I think I need to schedule a time out here soon!  Anyone care to join me?  Last year I was in Indonesia and spent a few days on the island of Bali...it was totally zen-sual.   Even the most basic of hotels was designed in a way that took advantage of the natural beauty of the island.  I stayed at a placed in Seminyak (a very trendy area) called Casa Indigo and I would highly recommend it.  It was dirt cheap (like $30/night cheap) and was an awesome value.  See www.casaindigobali.com for more info.  They only had 20 rooms, 10 on each side of a beautiful, very long pool.  You could walk out your door and jump right in the pool.  It was located very close to all the happening places like the ubercool, always happening KuDeTa.  I'd go back to Bali tomorrow just to hang out on their daybeds, watch the surfers, enjoy the amazing sunsets and exhaust their drink menu.   For a little armchair traveling check out their website at www.kudeta.net  

I also spent a few days in the northern part of Bali and stayed at a fantastic place called Bali au Naturel, located just east of Singaraja, and as the name implies it was a clothing-optional resort.  It is located in a small fishing village right on the beach and is far from any night life.  This is a place to completely chill out and detox both body and mind.  There are only a few bungalows but they are set on a large, lush property containing among other things two awesome swimming pools, a huge hot tub,  several outdoor living areas to read, sleep, or simply do nothing, and it's only steps from a natural, rugged black sand beach.  Both of these Bali properties I found by using these two highly recommended websites...   www.unseenbali.org  and  www.balifriendlyhotels.com   

suki suki

My new favorite product is the lemongrass/sugar face scrub from suki.  It's like taking crushed up lemon drops and rubbing them all over your face.  I found it while perusing the products at skin organix, my new favorite website for lotions and potions.  A few years ago while in Melbourne, I picked up some stuff at Perfect Potion, an Australian skin care company specializing in natural, organic products.  The brand was unavailable in the US, until now.   I  found it on the skin organix website which recently launched.   Check it out!  Michelle, the owner, has put together a unique collection of organic skin care companies and for a limited time she is offering free shipping to celebrate the launch of her website and retail store (located in New Jersey).  Another one of my new favorite lines is Pangea Organics, a US-based company out of Boulder, CO.  I ordered a bunch of their stuff from skin organix and love it.   The smells are incredible and I love their philosophy, plus they have a really cool website.  For years I was an Aveda/ Origins/Clarins/LUSH  kinda guy but will definitely be trying out some of these new organic lines.

Speaking of  suki suki I think it's time for a trip back to Thailand!

Where to begin?

Well...it's the second day of my blog's existence and I have so many things I want to write about but have no idea where to begin.  My intentions are to share my travel experiences with all of you, as well as to hopefully connect with like-minded people around the world.  One never knows when our paths may cross.  I am always scouring the internet in search of the latest greatest travel deal, the new fab website, that yet undiscovered gem (yeah...like they exist anymore), or perhaps that must-have product that somehow enhances our lives.   With this blog I am now able to pass along all this great stuff, and hopefully meet some real cool fellow travelers along the way who call the world their home.  

My travel style is rather eclectic.  I am equally happy in 10* designer digs or a shack on the beach in some funky exotic locale.  Some of the websites I use regularly to search out design/boutique hotels are...

i-escape,  tablet hotels, hotique, design hotels, splendia, trendy hotels, avant garde hotels,epoque hotels,kiwi collection. 

Lately I have been wanting to head to Tulum, Mexico and get naked at Cabanas Copal.  I am a HUGE nude beach lover and am always looking for new places to go au naturel.  Their website is ECOTULUM. I welcome any suggestions on cool places around the world to get naked.  

Speaking of getting nude...I am a regular at Haulover, our local naturist beach....it's a blast!  You see everything...hotties and hooters, tattoos and trannies, pussies and piercings.  I call it a free freak show.  It is really a great beach...let me know if you need any info.  

Well...gotta go...time to refill the glass of wine.  Thanks for reading!

under construction...

Today I finally sat down at my Mac and created a blog.  I had always wanted to create one but figured I'd never really have the time to keep it updated.  I finally decided this would be the best way to let my family and friends keep up with my crazy life so here we go...