Michelle's Menagerie

Hello Vietnam!

 

"We gain strength, and courage, and confidence by each experience in which we really stop to look fear in the face...we must do that which we think we cannot."
Eleanor Roosevelt

That's me jumping off the third floor deck into 60 foot deep jelly fish infested water. Yes, I'm proud and surprised at myself ;)  I was on a two day cruise in Ha Long Bay in South Vietnam which is one of the seven natural wonders of the world.

  Just in case you needed proof ;)

Above is our tour guide who demonstrated how to make spring rolls on our cruise.

There were many beautiful cruise ships out in Ha Long Bay while we were there.  

Floating markets near a fishing village in Ha Long Bay
Me at our sunset party :)
The cute restauraunt in my hotel.  You can see the French influence that is so prevalent in this country.

I loved the food in Vietnam!  I hadn't eaten any bread in Thailand and my vegetarian baguette sandwich was so delish!

My mango crepe with vanilla ice cream dessert was even better.

I stayed in a nice (4 star hotel).  Here is a view from my window.  My wifi worked fine.

Lastly, I will leave you with  a view of a fishing village in beautiful Ha Long Bay.

I wish I'd had more time in Vietnam.  I definitely would like to return one day.  I felt very safe and was treated very nicely.  They had really cute clothes for great prices, but I had no room in my luggage :(

Thanks so much for stopping by and I hope you all have a wonderful week.

Michelle

Memories of Phuket

"I love to think of nature as an unlimited broadcasting station, through which God speaks to us every hour, if we will only tune in."
George Washington Carver

 

I will never forget the turquise blue water and flying into Phuket:

I adored my villa and my welcome "towel animals"


The pool was beautiful during the day and on fire at night!

The waves right in front of my villa were HUGE.  It's hard to see from the photos, but I never saw anyone go too far out because the waves were so strong!


Although I'm a vegetarian, I don't usually eat much fruit.  I did in Phuket though...but probably not served in the most healthy way :)

I was a little sad to leave Phuket but knew I was flying into Hanoi, Vietnam to see Ha Long Bay which I will write abbout next time.

Thank you so much for stopping by.  Have a  great week, takcare and stay safee specially if you are in Isaac's path!

Michelle

Aloha!

Last Tuesday I flew about 5,000 miles to the Big Island of Hawaii.  It took nearly 24 hours for me to reach my final destination!  I am here for a 4 week long Yoga retreat and will hopefully be a certified Yoga instructor at the end.  I am staying deep in the rain forest and the sounds are beautiful - great to sleep to!  They truly are just as good as the tapes or machines you buy to help you sleep.  It is a VERY intense and busy schedule here, but I will try to tape it.

Here is the view outside my room:

Here is our Yoga studio:

There is a great panoramic view of the rain forest :)

I miss my pets SO much, but my husband is home with them and I talk to him and even some of them daily.  I will try to post more photos as time goes on, but all of my energy is truly being directed at this endeavor.

Thanks so much for reading and I hope everyone is doing well!!!

Calling ALL Vegetarians For Advice and or Recipes

As you can see from the above photos I am taking advantage of several processed foods in my quest to become a vegan - not eating any animal products AT ALL.  I became a vegetarian almost two years ago, but still ate fish once in a while.  I gave up fish completely a few months ago.  I still eat some dairy, but am interested in eliminating that from my diet as well.

My reasons for wanting to be a vegan have to do with animal protection and the way they are treated.  However, I know that 1) It's not good to eat mostly processed foods and 2) being a healthy vegan involves knowledge and planning of the right foods and combination of them.

Any advice and or recipes will be greatly appreciated!!!  Thanks for stopping by and have a great day :)

Almost Wordless Wednesday: Mother of the Week

 

My best friend Stefanie is this week's mother of the week.  She has done everything she can for her beloved Roxy who had surgery 2 weeks ago today and was diagnosed with Fibrosarcoma last week.   Stefanie has lost her grandmother, whom she was VERY close ,and suffered some cracked ribs herself in the past 6 weeks.  

Roxy is 11 years old.  Stefanie adopted her from the SPCA when she was 3.  She went there thinking that she wanted  kitten, but then she saw Roxy looking so sad and lonely.

Stefanie is worried that Roxy's tumor is already returning and her heart is broken.  She feels guilty and wishes she could do more as most of us do in this situation.  I think that all pet owners know there is no sadness like what we feel for them when they are very ill.  A doctor I spoke to said the feelings we have are similar to that of what parents feel for a baby or small child.  The above picture is of Stef with her other baby Oliver.  Below is a photo of her beloved Roxy.Stefanie has been a wonderful mother to Roxy and Oliver!  She has always had their best interests at heart and puts them first.