SHANTI FAVORITES #5

I'm so happy I came across this blog! Amy is a free spirit who writes pretty words and takes the most inspiring pictures. If you are a mom (or not) I highly recommend to read this interview by Amy about her lovely child Naia.

Q&A ABOUT ASIA

Last month I received an email from Shanti Free Bird reader with few questions about Asia. Since I didn't post much about my Asia travels (I started this blog 2 years after this trip) I decided to share with you this information, in case you are going to travel in Asia soon or merely curiosity.

- Where have you been in Asia? What places were most beautiful and/or would you recommend?

I've been in India twice, Nepal, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, Malaysia. I have a big passion for India, I guess because of the spirituality, also the food, rich culture, the 4 days wedding, ladies in colorful saris. The islands of Thailand are to die for, I've been in Koh Phanghan. Pretty cheap food and accomodation, completly Paradise with crystal water and white sand, great for scuba diving. Laos has the cutest old and young people, also stunning views. I only been in the North and Luang Prabang, although touristy is very worth it! Also the surroundings. You can get a slow boat and relax (it can take 7 hours). Vietnam was a very good surprise, the best food in Asia so far, a lot of historical facts. Some people still have the war scars so I felt that South vietnamese were more friendly. You can book a bus for about $35 to visit the whole country but if you can buy (and sell in the end) a motorbike is a better choice to visit hidden corners. Malaysia is the most expensive asian country I've been so far but very worth going, beautiful nature and beaches. Nepal is very special for me, Annapurna Circuit trekking is very very worth it but you need some gear for 10-20 days. The only cities are Phokara (chilled place) and Kathmandu (perfect for shopping, busy, polluted but many interesting spots to visit including Kathmandu valley). Nepalese people are friendly and helpful. They eat Dal Bhat for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

As you may see I cannot choose one country, one place :)

FIESA :: SAND SCULPTURES

I'm so glad I found these pictures while organizing my photos folder. Fiesa is a Sand Sculpture exhibition that takes place in Armação de Pera (South of Portugal) every year from May to October. Every year is a different theme and I can't imagine how much work done behind these spectacular huge sand statues.

These pictures are from 2012 but you can see more Fiesa pictures at their website in english and portuguese version here.

CANALS BOAT TRIP IN AMSTERDAM

What comes to your mind when the word Amsterdam comes out? Very good guys!!! Bikes. Coffeeshops (attention not Coffee Shops). Canals.

My lovely Ana is living there for one year now and I was mega curious to know how she was living, meeting her friends, her house, her work place, her boyfriend feel how is to live in such beautiful touristic spot. Oh well, honestly? Anywhere in the world I could be with Ana again would be awesome, we have a strong connection, cannot live without eachother basically ;D

SHANTI FAVORITES #4

The movie The Drifter reminds me of my travel story but this one is related to surf and Bali. In the end of the movie Rob Machado says: "Everything moves in cicles. I thought being completly isolated would bring peace of mind. But now I realized that is the people around us who bring our experiences to life. We dream of the perfect wave, the perfect job, the perfect house, the perfect love. And when we get there... we dream of something else."

You can watch on youtube here, in english with portuguese subtitles. It lasts less then one hour!

CORNERS OF ANTWERP

Greetings from Amsterdam, the land of bikes and channels :)

Our arrival in Antwerp was tough, from sunny Portugal we moved to a big storm, including rain, cold and windy Antwerp! We were not motivated at all but as soon as locals said this is normal we had no choice but being happy with what we got and just hoping the rain wouldn't show up for the next days.

Antwerp is pretty nice, the second most international city in the world (total of 174 nationalities, Amsterdam is the first with 177 and New York has 150 nationalities.) Imagine the different cultural quarters in the city, you can travel the world inside the city! And the best way exploring is definitely with the bike. You can go anywhere and the city is well prepared with bike lanes, great to waste less time in traffic jams, less pollution, it's free (no gas or paying for parking) and you live like a real local. If they live 30 minutes away from work they will cycle instead of using the car.