meet Karel!
"The first country I traveled to was here, America. I was born in Jamaica; moved here as a teenager. Since then, I have traveled to Brazil, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Cambodia, Indonesia and The Bahamas".
"My biggest take away is how little I know about the world and how much there is to see and learn. I appreciate a culture's history, which I can read about online. But I don't want to read about it. I want to go and learn and experience first hand".
CRAZY FOODS
I am not on to try "crazy foods." I use to be really picky, but over the years, through traveling I have developed a eclectic palate. I love delicious food. When I was in Bali, I did a 2 day cooking class on this organic farm. It was such a great experience. I stayed overnight on the farm with the staff. They were welcoming, friendly and eager to teach. I stayed on the farm until 11pm the first night; usually everyone leaves at sunset because it is dark and only one hut has electricity. Balinese people have a hard time sounding the "F" or "PF" sound. So I spent the night helping them with their pronunciation. The next morning I walked the farm and picked fresh vegetables, fruits and spices that I would later cook and then spent the entire day cooking a feast. I made chicken satay, a spicy tempeh dish with vegetables and peanut sauce, a delicious soup (I cant remember the name of it) and some more recipes. I even made a dessert from jackfruit. Who would have thought jackfruit was so versatile. I grew up in Jamaica eating jackfruit, just as a plain fruit. In Bali, they found so many ways to use it. In Northern Thailand I had their famous Khao Soi (coconut curry noodle soup with chicken) every day. I have tried making a couple times; It does not taste anything like the ones I have had in Thailand. #takemeback.
fashions
"In Bali, Indonesia is where I noticed more cultural outfits. I stumbled up on a funeral, or as i was told, a death celebration when I was up in the hills of Ubud. All the women were wearing beautiful embroidered white blouses. But all had different color sashes around their waste. If I recall correctly the different colors identifies which village they were from. But then the men all had sarongs with plain white shirts. Some wore head pieces and some did not. I also learnt that different celebrations or religious ceremony requires them to tie their sarongs or their head wraps a certain way. It was a beauty to see. The bright colors, the rituals, the offerings; everything about that moment in time was beautiful. I was worried about being disrespectful standing their and watching, but this man came over and gave me permission to take pictures and explained much of what was going on. All little kids looked adorable in their outfits and head ties. They have such rich culture and customs, their native wears is only a glimpse of it".
must see spots
"My favorite spot to date is the 3rd view point on Koh Phi Phi Island in Thailand. Everyone knows about the 1st and 2nd view point. But not many know that if you go off the beaten path and walk a bit further, there is a 3rd view point. 2015 I spent my entire Christmas day hanging in an hammock up there. I saw 4 people total that entire day. Everyone was getting ready for the full moon party that night, but I just relaxed up there. Railey Beach Cave in Krabi Thailand. I hiked for about 45 mins in this pitch dark cave. Had to climb a bamboo ladder at one point. I had a torch, but when you have to crawl on your hands and knees and climb up on a ladder, unless you have a third hand, It will fall. And that it did. So I had to use my cell phone and turned on the flashlight on it. But once I came out on the other side, my scratches and bruises were all worth it. Uluwata Temple in Bali. That place is just breathtakingly beautiful. Oh and one of my all time favorites, Rio Grande River in Portland, Jamaica. It's not just one spot. Just take the 1-2 hour bambooo raft ride down the ride and take it all in. I am round to say this is in my backyard in Jamaica. I grew p going to that river to play".
recommendations
A must have item has to be a hammock. I don't go anywhere without my hammock. I have gone places and searched for hours trying to find two trees close enough to hang my hammock.
KAYRELLI_TRAVELS.
I Want to start a blog, but am clueless about how to even start. So for now, IG is my blog of my journeys.
favorite location
They're all my favorites. Every place, I have visited is on my favorite list. They are all different. I am going to visit them for different reasons and not to compare. I can only choose a favorite If i was comparing. In my opinion, this question equates to "who is your favorite child?" You can't choose. They are all all different and all loved and appreciated for what they are and has to offer".
craziest thing
Craziest? Hmmm. Most adventurous is jumping off the side of a mountain to hang glide over Rio De Janerio. I was running on the ramp to jump, I remember thinking, "I could fall to my death." But once I jumped and the wind picked me up, I thought, " I am flying." Sometimes we just have jump. lol. Crazy as in whacky? As a kid we were always told, don't talk to strangers. Well I am a pro at picking up strangers. Not like what you think. :). I once met a guy on a hike and sparked a conversation. Turned out he didn't have anywhere to stay that night, so I offered to share my hotel room. We then went island hopping together. Traveled to Chiang Mai and spent New Years there. I told him he is officially family since we spent Christmas and New Years together. Since I am always on the road, I don't even do that with family. When I think back on that, I think how many times, well something bad could have happened. The script could have been different. I like traveling by myself because you get to meet people. Some not so good ones, but some awesome kindred souls.
I am up to 26 States. I wonder If I will hit all 50. But that is the goal.
what was your most expensive item?
So as my friends tells me, I am pretty frugal. I spend money on food and travels. But I went to Nashville and saw the perfect cowboy boots. Had to get them.
Least expensive item?
"I like anything under $9.99. Lol. I once stayed at a place that had bedbugs. I know gross. So i was paranoid that they got in my backpack. So i threw out most of my stuff. But then I wanted to go to the beach and didn't have a bathing suit. So i set out to find a bathing suit on Koh Lanta in Thailand. All the vendors kept telling me that I have to pay more for XL bathing suit. Now, you will see that there is nowhere on my body that is XL. Maybe my head had the time because I had braids in. I refused to pay the "extra" for a XL bathing suit. a small and medium was for 200 Baht which is about $6 US dollars. They wanted to charge me 350 Baht which is about $9.50. It was too close to my $9.99 cut off. I walked for hours until I finally found a vendor who agreed to take 250 Baht = $7 USD. They wouldn't let me take the bathing suit out of the bag. They don't like you trying on cloths before you buy them. I took a chance. Let's just say that the XL still fitted like a extra small for someone with a booty. So it turns out it was my booty that they were saying was XL. I felt like I was wearing a thong bikini bathing suit. But at least it was only $7. :)".
recommendations
My recommendation/advice is to get out an explore. Any exploring is traveling doesn't have to be to exotic islands, far away countries. Start by exploring towns around you if you cant afford a plane ticket and then save for a big trip. I just completed a work contract in Arkansas. I had a preconceive notion about Arkansas and those got squashed after my time there. I explored some cute towns, met some beautiful souls and overall had a great 3 months. All of which I just drove to. As long as you can afford gas to fill your tank, then you can go out and explore. America is a beautiful country with so many places to explore. Make to not overlook our own backyard. Another tip is to not compare yourself to what your friends are doing. I struggle with this everyday. But I made a list of things that are important to me and keep it close. Sometimes I look at what my friends are doing with buying the beautiful homes and having kids and I think, Should I be doing that? But then I go back to my list and refresh my memory, that at this time, today, now, that is not what I want. So no need to be jealous of things I DON'T WANT right now. We all have our own paths and as long you stay true to yourself, then jealously and envy won't destroy you, because you have and are trying to achieve only what YOU want.