MY "LALA" LANDS

My "Lala" land is a state of being out-of-touch with reality, this is why I travel. All the places I have visited are my "lala" lands. The opposite of "lala" land is living in hell. The word "lala" sounds so great, repeat it couple of times and you will agree.

As soon as I arrive at the airport, my emotions automatically enter a state of hysteria and all I want to do is jump up and down and run down the corridors yelling and screaming. Yes I am gonzo! My ideal date would be lying on top of a parked car along an airport runway watching planes take off and land during a sunset. I can feel the butterflies in my stomach, can you?

Traveling is an expansion of my space, it is my firmament. It is also my Arcadia. My life isn't complicated but I prefer to live in a continuous conscious state of peace, simplicity and contentment. We can all agree this is impossible to acquire unless you are in "lala" land. Some say " Saida, how can you achieve this if you are always out the door?"

SO WHERE HAVE I TRAVELED TO? Let me tell you a little about each of them. Maybe I will dedicate a post to each destination.

Summer 2006- SOUTHERN MEXICO including meeting all 25 million inhabitants of Mexico City; the worst bus ride of my life through the Sierra Madre Mountains- I almost killed the driver; the Oaxaca demonstrations and killings; and swimming in the Pacific Ocean near Puerto Escondido. I ventured into Chiapas searching for the Zapatista soldiers but instead I found Pablo and Santiago, Waterfalls and Mayan Ruins.

X-mas 2005- INDIA. The most rich, vivid and colorful culture on this planet.WOW! The most difficult country I physically traveled through. Memories of violent street dogs chasing me at 4AM, being sexually harassed every day and almost getting beat up in Jaislamer after I told a man in Hindi that he is a dog and sleeps with his mother. All this makes me want to return but this time with a boyfriend or husband. I truly LOVED INDIA! After India I traveled for a week through Switzerland, a sterile culture but hey they are more thinkers than feelers.

Summer 2005- GUATEMALA & HONDURAS. It was very entertaining crossing into Honduras especially after I refused to pay the $5 bribe and machetes and machine guns went up all around me. Maybe I will tell you what I did! In Guatemala sneak into the Tikal Ruins at midnight and climb the tallest temple, especially during a full moon. Enjoy the feel of the warm breeze, the bright and radiant full moon, and the midnight calmness as you are perched well above the canopy. But look out for the jaguars and alligators! Repeat it again at 5 am and watch the sunrise but this time listen to the jungle waking up.

X-mas 2004- COSTA RICA & NICARAGUA. I particularly enjoyed screaming PURA VIDA hanging off a cattle truck in the heavy post tsunami rains in Puerto Viejo. Dada remember the adrenaline pumping as the truck swayed back in forth in 6-10 feet of water? Remember the driver trying to avoid the pot holes he couldn't see, other females travelers crying (I wanted to smack them), and the policemen and paramedics in the fishing boat? It was a state of emergency but I was experiencing a PURA VIDA.
Pascal, remember chasing "something" in the restricted red zone district of Puerto Viejo at 4am? and Ken saying "Girl doun't maeke tat faece, and anyway nopoty don't ripp nopoty in Puerto Viego". Should I tell you what Pascal and I were up to? I was the trouble maker, Pascal was my body guard and Ken......well, he kept his promise.

2003-2004- Gutted and renovated a house and experience a near fatal nervous break down. Maybe I will dedicate a post to this experience but I can advice you to NEVER DO IT!

2002- Four glorious months in THAILAND(a real Shangri La), LAOS, VIETNAM & CAMBODIA

2000- Neophyte to backpacking and it all began in EUROPE. My first cluster of star or also travel sister Beth MacMillan who was not a morning person, suffered from a deadly nut allergy, a slow walker and great at procrastinating. Remember Beth "Procrastinating is like masturbation, you are only fucking yourself".

So what should be my next post? What do you want me to share?

You too should create a "lala" land, a place of dreams and imagination and of course with swinging hammocks. Don't forget your digital camera! Sorry you can't come with me (I am too much of a trouble maker), I travel solo except for my return trip to India.