While on a "bucketlist" style adventure from South East Asia to Melbourne, Australia, I decided to document my experiences and exercise my writer's brain. What began as content for a new website, turned into an unexpected creative outlet that has me contemplating short stories, novels, tales from my life & the ambition to organize some of the thoughts in my head (good luck with that one kid).
Welcome to my new blog page! I'll begin with my travel blogs, then take you on other, yet to be discovered journey's. Thank you for reading. Please comment, follow along if you like, and absolutely share this news with your friends & family! Happy travels!
-Cynthia
Leap of Faith
The idea about traveling to Australia to play some shows, popped up in an unexpected way. Driving home from a retreat weekend, my girlfriend and I were discussing the kind of lives we really want to lead. That dream in the back of my mind about visiting S.E. Asia, and traveling to exotic places I've dreamt about seemed less like a dream, and more of a possibility. For both of us. The touring part was a natural progression, as music is the lifeblood of my existence. Funny how I forget that from time to time. What's also interesting when taking leaps, is remembering all the people you know, who can help connect the dots and make those ideas a reality. I reached out to a few friends across the world and voilà, the AU shows are in motion. Just like that.
This morning I woke up unexpectedly early, and in my mailbox was a tweet notification from a writer down under named Maggie. Maggie, a music journalist in Victoria, sent me a note that she completed her write up about me and my music career for the Australian Musician Network. (See the article here). Very amazing as this chapter of my career kicks off after a strange & beautiful year of love, loss & life's unexpected twists & turns. We fly out to Bangkok late September and begin the S.E. Asian adventure. At some point, we'll fly over to Australia for that string of shows in motion. Stay tuned as the details fall into place, and the new experiences unfold. :)
My Dad
I'm at Khao San Road - the backpacker's paradise, in Thailand. At first witness, it's a little like an Asian "Las Vegas". Bangkok in general reminds me of New Orleans, chock full of over-indulgence, partying, and pleasures galore. Be it that my drinking days are over, I'm personally indulging in the $5 - $8 massages on a daily basis (not the "happy ending" type, but of course, they're also available).
What's hitting me the hardest today, is missing my Dad. Last year at this time I was in Catania, Sicily. Sweet as it was, I called my parents everyday. I spent a lot of time catching up with my Dad, reminiscing with him about Italy & his trips abroad. We had a pretty amazing connection in his twilight years. Something we didn't experience in my youth, but certainly the last decade of his life. For that, I'm very grateful. He was the person who seemed to care the most about my whereabouts. Aside from my bestie, there really isn't anyone asking for my flight itinerary. Funny how those little things are what you miss once you've lost a parent.
My Dad was an avid traveler as a service member of the Merchant Marines. I recently found a photo of him in Antarctica, holding up a penguin. Pretty neat stuff. Pretty neat guy. This blog is for my Dad. Thinking of you & missing you, as I follow in your footsteps traveling the world. With love, from SE Asia.
Elephant Pants
I did it. I bought a pair of those Aladdin-style pajama pants with the elephants on them. The paper thin, rayon kind. It's quite similar to being home in LA and sneaking out to Trader Joe's in "shouldn't be seen in" sweat pants.
Today we're on a $5 minibus ride to Cambodia (now that's a sentence I wouldn't have put together before this trip). My highlight four days into my Thailand experience was last night. We happened, quite spontaneously, into a buddhist temple finally leaving the confines of Khaosan Road and venturing out into the city. How I prefer the local flavor to the "Vegas" style strip.
It's remarkable how similar this city is to say, parts of Sicily or even NYC. Bangkok is dirty. I love the feminine nature of this place. Must be all the moonlighting or retired lady boys. They're sweet and pretty. Our travel agent was a kind, natural beauty.
As we explored the smoggy outskirts, we heard Monks chanting from the street. After asking permission, we headed into the temple grounds. Everyone's flip flops were outside the temple staircases. Inside there were many lavish gold Gods and Buddhas, a money tree, a comfy red carpet and a few kindergarten style, plastic chairs. The ceremony started with prayers, then shifted into sing-chanting. It was beautiful. It was peaceful. The worshippers joined in like a well-rehearsed choir. It felt like an ocean's wave of ohms resonating through my body. I was cross-legged on the floor and happy.
The original posting of this series can be found at www.cynthiacatania.com/blogone/
Cynthia on Facebook
Cynthia on Twitter