Living the dream, my dream.

I've been doing some research on where I want to head next and found the region of Clare on the west coast of Ireland. Looks amazing, and I contacted a farm in that region and got this response.

"Andrew, hi. thank you for your interest in my farm, and your kind comments, I was not planning in taking any more helpers this year, your letter I found to be so very interesting, so yes I would love to meet you and have you stay here, maybe the end of june or whenever suits you, like your attitude, stay in touch, bye for now Aidan."

Sweetness! In other emails I sealed the deal so I'll be heading to Clare June 28th, staying a few weeks, and then going to the east coast south of Dublin to stay in the town of Wicklow! Oh, and surfing is money in both of these areas! So stoked! 

Yesterday I went on another bike ride to find the local waterfall, and as I was riding on the road that it was on I stopped to talk with a lady walking her dog. She said it was about another 4 miles, and also some people have died swimming their because it's infested with rats! (from some kind of disease that rats carry) That was good to find out, to say the least. Seeing as some rain clouds were coming in I decided not to go, and I ended up talking with Patricia for a solid 20 minutes! It was fun to just listen, and ask questions. If I'm in a situation like this, I try and use my sense of discernment and if the person is willing and open to talk, well lets talk baby. People like to talk about themselves, and if you're engaged in what they are saying then there's no limit to how much you can learn by simply being present and asking questions. Thanks for teaching me that through example Mom. She said everyone around here is ignorant and cold! If your car was to break down people would just drive right past. We get talking more and I find out she's lived in Spain, France & Italy among other places. To her southern Italy was her favorite, she said the people are so warm and friendly. And apparently the people in France are very cold!

A little side note, I was going to book a ticket to Paris a couple nights ago (I bet you'll be surprised at this Dad!!!) and then farm hop around France for 3 months after Ireland. Well, on the ride back I get thinking, and I'm aware that everyone has a different perspective and there will always be cold people anywhere you go, but I opened up to the idea of going to Italy. As I was looking online at different cities, the weather, etc and also checking out the page on wwoofing.com for Italy, it was an almost immediate feeling. Italy is the place. Now I'm looking over the different cities and also at the same time the Ryanair flights (extremely cheap flights!) that land in Italy from Dublin. I come to the conclusion that I want to go to Sardinia!! Warm weather, sandy beaches, lush scenery, sounds like bliss to me. So last night I booked the ticket!! 77 euros plus a little more to check in my bag, not bad at all!!

Here's the twist, tonight I get online and load up google maps to look at the area around the Palermo airport. AND I REALIZE THAT PALERMO ISN'T EVEN IN SARDINIA, IT'S IN SICILY. I don't know how I mixed that up but I was laughing so hard it's unreal. I still am! Sicily looks equally dreamy so Sicily it is! Even if I could change the flight I'm not going to. So there it is, Mountrath until June 28th, then Clare for two weeks, then the town of Wicklow for two weeks, then I leave for Sicily on July 31 for three months!!

Thus far I've only written a few pages in my journal, and those pages are on here. I've come to the realization that I don't see a reason to have a journal unless I don't have access to the internet or cafe of some sort, because joy is potentiated when shared. 

Adventures of the Weekend

Saturday I woke up feeling like I was in Antarctica compared to what I'm used to in St. George, my goodness! Had to change my plans. I was gonna bike up to the Slieve Bloom mountains, setup a hammock and a-frame above it with a piece of plastic to protect me from the rain and stay the night. I'll save that for another day :) So I ended up indulging in the Bourne series and then Roy drove me up to the Slieve Bloom mountains so I could check it out. It was awesome!! Unfortunately the weather wasn't the best but the view was still great. Oh and some of the streets here are seriously like as big as one lane in America, but they someone manage to split it into two.

Sunday the plan was to bike to a local waterfall but it consisted of many detours which is always how it works with me. First I strolled by the Church of Ireland and the gates were open so I walked my bike up there, and what do you know the service was just getting out. I was expecting to see some weird looks, seeing as I was wearing a purple shirt & green pants and I'm a stranger from a distant land, but instead I was met with welcoming faces. The people here are so cheerful and down to earth. Before I knew it I was getting a tour of the church by a local that grew up 4 miles from here and has lived here his whole life, all 79 years of it. Despite the thickest accent I've ever heard, I managed to understand some words of this alien language he was speaking. Like the church is 215 years old, and they have a service every week at noon, so I figure I'll check it out next week. It's incredible how different everyone's life is. 

After that I continued biking and stopped to ask a woman walking with her dog if I was headed in the right direction, and I wasn't of course. So I turned around and went down the street I thought she told me, and kept going and going and going for about an hour. And then I'm like there's no way it's all the way out here I'm in the boonies of Ireland! But it was fun, and I ended up wandering around that area for a while. I found a street that had a bunch of cut down trees placed over it, and lifted my bike over it and journeyed down some mysterious road in the middle of nowhere. It came to an abrupt end and I was surrounded with a forest of sorts on all sides, and I looked in and the trees were so condensed that it looked pitch black! I'm a curious fellow, so I wandered some more into this forest on foot. At this point I don't hear the sound of a car, people, anything. Just me and nature. I love it. No distractions means you have to go inward. I could almost hear SamWise telling me about the Shire behind me, it was like going through Mordor!

Also, I saw some golf ball sized bees I had to run away from! 

During the ride back I stopped by a big pasture where some cows were chillin'. There's a first time for everything, so I hopped the fence, jumped over the other electric fence, and ran around with the cows. I was getting such a power trip out of it, being able to control the movement of these giant creatures at my will! I continued on my way and asked another person where the waterfall was and found the street, but turned around after a while because I couldn't here the sound of any water. Well, I asked yet another person and she said that it was that street! So at least now I know where it is for sure and can go another time. In total the bike ride was close to four hours, and it was sprinkling the whole time, so when I got back I was drenched but felt like a million bucks. 

The great thing about any adventure is that it doesn't have to cost anything. And you don't have to be half way across the globe! All it takes is a willingness and openness to the moment. This moment right now. The only moment that is real.

Thoughts from my Mind

Had a great time looking out into the lush Ireland landscape tonight and wrote some thoughts down. Enjoy!

How much can you learn living in one place your whole life?

How can you truly know yourself if you've never been lost?

If you can't apply it, how is that knowledge? 

We use words to describe things, but can a bunch of sounds really describe what a rock, or tree, or sunset is?

You are what you eat is kind of misleading, it's more like you are what your body can absorb.

Knowledge is not power, but applied knowledge is.

Everyone has eyes, but not everyone can see.

How can you know anything unless you first apply & experience it yourself?

Columbus dreamt of discovering new land, and he did.

Copernicus longed to discover a multiplicity of galaxies, and he did.

Buddha imagined an inner world of stainless beauty and perfect peace, and he entered into it.

What then do you desire? Anything is possible. 

Argue for your limitations, and surely they are yours.

I like the idea of re-wilding. Walking barefoot. Living close to nature. Eating local food & herbs which communicate to your DNA on how to effectively adapt to your environment.

If you're not careful you can enter zombie mode with all the tv, movies, electronics, advertising, etc. Think for yourself.

Dancing lets the body & mind know everything is great.

How can you rely on anyone else for your happiness?

The human ego thinks it's all this, but it's not. I'd rather live in my heart than in my head. Who needs a map or a plan when you're in-tune with your heart? 

Nature is the greatest teacher of all, and its words are spoken to the heart. You saying, "oh look what a beautiful sunset" is not seeing it. To truly see is to feel in the heart.

If you're hungry and driving down a street all you see are the food joints. If you're car is broken and needs to be repaired all you see are car shops. The key is still seeing everything even when you're hungry or car is broken.

One-pointedness of mind is very useful to develop. Like when you're reading a book and you're so focused that everything else ceases to exist.

There's a fine line between relaxation and idleness. I believe in conscious relaxation, like yoga, or meditation, or writing, or walking, or reading, or breath work, etc. 

I don't know about you, but I'm gonna laugh on my way to my execution. Whether it's tomorrow or 80 years it doesn't matter. 

Stories of the Farm

A little bit about the fam. Bokka is originally from Prague and Roy is from London, but they've lived here in Ireland the past 20 years. Their house is split up into chunks, but the main cottage where the kitchen, storage room, and living room are is over 200 years old! It was built from rocks and earth right around this area. That's it. And then they have a separate area where they all sleep that's like a non moveable trailer. Roy is deaf in one ear (from antibiotics), can't use the bones in his left hand due to an accident during childhood, and his left eye is almost completely red from a side effect of the warfarin (anticoagulant) he's on. Not only that but he has to go into Dublin three times a week for three and a half hours of dialysis. Man, the guy doesn't have it easy but he's still killin it on the farm working hard! Hearing about the side effects of the prescription meds just reinforces my passion for always taking the holistic approach. Bokka has more energy than me it's unreal! She is full of energy and passionate about gardening and tending to the many different jobs everyday. Nicolas is a funny guy! He hates the cold so sometimes I'll wake up in the morning and hear a running sound and it's him running to the cottage.

The dogs are Mandie, Glennie, Whinnie, Molly, & Annie. And the cat is named Henry. Apparently they found a baby kitten in a split open tree right on the side of their driveway. Such a cute little fella. And a story about Glennie. He was owned by a local farmer in the area and he was keeping him locked away in his shed with no windows and was not feeding him much food. The neighbor became aware of this and would secretly feed Glennie bread and milk and finally one day when the owner left out of town he went in and took him to the vet. At that same time Roy was taking one of his dogs to the same vet and offered to take him in because they were going to put him down. I feel bad for Glennie seeing him struggle around the place! He can barely walk and just kind of mopes around. Also he will literally eat anything they give to him, even onions.

The place where I sleep is an old camper, and it's more than enough although it is somethin else ha. The roof is wavy because the rain has been wearing it down for years. There are big cracks at certain spots, like near my bed, where critters of all sorts can get in. And who knows there is probably a spider nest under the couch. The other day I woke up from a nap and there was a big fat juicy spider a few feet above me. I tried to kill it but it was an epic fail and so left it until later. When I came back in that night it was waiting for me right by my pillow on the wall. And then another day I went on a killing spree and killed more than five big spiders in one go, and then talking to myself I was like watch there is gonna be another one under my covers. There was! Like hahah! There are also slugs on some of the walls and a snail has posted up above me. I really don't care about any of the critters but I'm not gonna cuddle with some spiders at night!

After a week and a half of walking around 24/7 I was finally able to wash my clothes. I've never been so happy to have clean socks. I was resorting to wearing them inside out to reduce foot odor, and I already lost a pair so I'm down to three. Oh, and a shower sure feels good after a few days without one. Things like this deepen appreciation.

The food tastes good for the most part, but my body is still adjusting to all this cooked food, wheat and pasteurized dairy products. I'm used to eating 50-60% raw so it's a big change (I miss all those enzymes!) but is well worth the sacrifice to be able to experience this. Everyday during lunch the geese come up to the cottage door because they feed them bread. Goofy animals ha, slopping around with their feet and they hiss when you get close. I just hiss back that works out for me good.

The first day I arrived, when Roy was taking me around on the golf cart he told me about his two sons, and one of them passed away a while back, but before he did Roy asked him what his favorite tree was and he said Oak, so they have an Oak tree on their land in remembrance of him. Experiences like that, and just getting out into the world gives one a better understanding of the collective human experience. I could be out here and focus on how we're so different but I choose to see how we are all the same.

The Farm in Mountrath Ireland

After almost boarding on the wrong bus (good thing I asked questions!) I made it to Mountrath ok. It's about an hour and a half south west of Dublin in a little town with about 1500 people. Roy was there to pick me up and we drove to the farm which was only a few miles from the bus stop. Right as we pulled in I learned they have a handicapped son (down syndrome) which is awesome! I find it interesting because I worked with handicapped people for over ten months in St. George. Hmmm. I then met Roy's wife Bokka and all the animals! I had no idea, but they have 5 dogs, 2 cats including a baby kitten, 2 geese (that was somethin else ha), chickens, hens, and 2 horses! I love it! And one of the dogs is like a mix between a corgi and rat terrier, looks like MaxAMillion (ha my parents dog). After I met everyone Roy took me on a tour of where I'd be staying (basically an old trailer) and around the farm on a golf cart. They have a little over 7 acres of land on which they have hazelnut trees, fig trees, walnut trees, apple trees, plum trees, fruit garden, vegetable garden, poly tunnel (nifty contraption for growing food and herbs that need warmer temperatures), some huge pastures for their horses, and of course all the hens and chickens.





For dinner we had pasta with bolognese. As they pulled out the white pasta the nutrition part of my mind is like oh great I'm gonna eat that and it's gonna convert to sugar in my body. And then they microwaved the sauce and I'm like noooooo please nooo! Don't nuke the nutrients out of that nice local meat! Hah. But it was great, and I've been learning to let go of that part of me, and just appreciate what is given to me.

And for anyone reading this interested in doing anything like this I've been using the resource wwoofinternational.org to setup the farm arrangement. Pretty sweet deal! Every farm differs a little but on this one I'm required to work 30 hours a week and then in return I get free accommodation and free food. Free life experience.  

The next day I woke up around 8:00am and I can't remember what it's called but I had oatmeal with a bunch of nuts and dried fruit. Tasty stuff. And honestly I was feeling a little so-so. I suppose it was the change of environment and getting used to a completely different lifestyle, but as I started to work it got more and more satisfying. I broke up some dead trees into smaller pieces for firewood, used a machine to break down wheat straw to put in the fruit garden (prevents slugs because they like smooth surfaces and helps with weeds), filled in about 4 feet of dirt around a fig tree (they are locking in the roots to prevent it from getting too big), and other miscellaneous jobs. By lunch time I was riding off a natural high from just being out in nature and good old fashioned hard work. The key for me while I was working was to still be aware of the birds, the sky, the clouds, the sun, the grass, the trees, the wild rabbits hopping around (oh, yes), and really just everything in my environment. It was a beautiful day, lots of clouds, great temperature, and some sun. By the end of the day as we were all in the living room with most of the dogs and cats (ha love the animals) watching some telee (television) with the fire lit up, I was feeling so good. It's such a simple lifestyle and I'm starting to understand the joy of being a farmer. I feel at home here.

Today I did some of the same jobs but also some different ones. They have huge pastures for the horses and I began mowing one today with their sit down lawn mower. So much fun! And I also used a gnarly trimmer with a backpack thingy that clipped on to it for extra support. It's so easy to be farming and enter into a state of trance. It's easy to be connected with nature here.

Few more things before I head to bed. Last night we had a local beef kidney stew, and maybe it's just because anything tastes good when I'm working my butt off, but it was good. And tonight we had rice with a slow cooked chicken that they butchered themselves. A-mazing. I had two huge plates dang that was so good. Everything is great here in Ireland! Oh and one thing that I wasn't expecting is that it doesn't get dark here until 10:00pm! More time to journey around via their bikes :)

Feels good to be a free man, free in the sense that I am the co-creator of my life.

A Night in Dublin

The journey to get to Dublin from London was about six hours via train, another train, and a ferry. It was such beautiful countryside, and part of it went right by the water and then through a castle! Oh and one of our trains had to go through a different route and so we were a little late getting to the next station, and literally as I was walking over this bridge to get to my next train it pulled up! Timing was perfection. No wait at all just hopped on and was on my way to Holyhead, and then from Holyhead to Dublin. The landscape was so lush, a lot of cows, horses, sheep, and birds. I spotted a golf course and there were sheep walking across it while some golfers were playing. Ha! So chill.

When I arrived in Dublin and was going through the passport checkpoint they didn't ask me a single question, but they asked the people in front of me! He was like "what's your reason for coming?" and I said "just visiting" and that was it. Shweet. Here's where it got interesting. When I walk out I notice there is a bus and I was aware the actual city was a ways away, but I had to use the bathroom first. So when I get back out and ask the people if it costs money to take it they said that that was the last one into town for the day! And I said "looks like I'm staying the night then" ha. Just joking around. And then I didn't even hesitate, grabbed my water bottle and filled it up, whipped out an apple and was on my way. I wasn't gonna waste money on a taxi. No way. The walk took a little over an hour and consisted of me almost going down a "dangerous part of town" according to a local that helped guide me in the right direction.

I was gonna couchsurf this night but I didn't feel like finding an internet cafe so instead I looked for a hostel. I eventually found one but they were full, so they told me about another one. When I arrived at that one (Abigail's) they literally had ONE spot left in the entire place. Worked out like a charm. As I was waiting for them to make the arrangements I met Johanna from Switzerland. She is so great! She grew up in the Swiss Alps. Like geez what a dream! And I was laughing every time she talked because of the accent. I told her, "We should get a dictionary so I can hear you say a bunch of different words hahaha." That night was a blast, we got a little crew together and wandered around Dublin. Seth from Oklahoma, Cameron from Toronto, and Johanna from Switzerland! Dublin has the most poppin' night life I've ever seen. Live music from great musicians on every single corner. It's crazy! Not only that but people are dancing, singing, and just jammin' everywhere. The Irish that I've met have been some of the most down to earth people ever. They know how to enjoy life for sure!

Today we got another crew together and saw some castles, St. Patrick's church, and a museum. It was unspeakable. The architecture and uniqueness of the city is something else. We were walking and I saw a sign that said homemade dutch apple pie and I was reeled in like a fish going to his death. Ha. I had that and then a pesto pasta salad with beets marinated in a balsamic, garlic, and yogurt sauce. It was so delish. We ate in front of the St. Patrick's church and what a day it was. The locals were saying it's not this nice very often. I love how this culture is and I've only been here a day. Everyone outside in the parks, talking, playing with dogs, kids running around, and just enjoying life. The accents are sometimes very thick but the people are wonderful. We all ended up taking a nap in the park because it was so nice!

Guess the duck ride in Seattle got their idea from Viking Splash Tours!!

I also was able to contact Roy and his wife, and will be taking a bus tomorrow into Mountrath to work on his farm!! So excited for that. London was amazing, and so was Dublin, but I'm really looking forward to getting out into nature with few people around. Although I appreciate getting to know different people and enjoy the entertainment the city can provide, there is so much mental noise. And I'm not saying it's bad or good, but it's noise nonetheless. So many things aiming for your attention and energy. Anyways, one more thing before my internet time is about to run out. I walked to the train station to get my ticket today and fell more in love with the culture. Ok, so imagine this. The train station is inside, and there are birds flying and walking around! I don't know why but that is so cool to me.

See ya!

A day at the London Zoo

I woke up and it was a beautiful sunny day which is not usually the case in London and was looking through the different brochures in the lobby and found one of the London Zoo. Thought it would be brilliant on a day like this so I hopped on the bus and headed over to Regents Park (google maps it) which is where the Zoo is located. So I'm on this double decker bus and find an open spot by this woman probably in her 20s. And I'm given a unique window of time. I have no idea who she is, but I have a couple choices, I can sit here and not say anything (lamesauce) or I can get to know her and potentially start a friendship. Of course I introduce myself and we start talking and I learn she's from Poland but moved to London and has been working as a resataraunt manager for about six years. We ended up having a great chat for about 15 minutes, swapped contact info, and she also helped me figure out what stop to get off at. See, there's so many moments like this in everyone's life, and it's really all about seizing the moment.

I had to get off and hop on another bus and met some people that were from Tasmania, Austrailia! Say whaaat! I've never even heard of this place. It's an island just south of the south eastern tip of Austrailia, and looks unbelivable from the pictures. I'll definitely be going there eventually. Anyways, I found the stop that was right by the Zoo and they had a map of the entire Regents Park area. I talked to some more locals and they said if I walk up to the top of this park it provides a great view of London. WOW.

After that I made my way over to the Zoo for some time to get lost with my camera and my mind.

From the Zoo I made my way over to the nearby town of Camden, and ordered some pizza from a classy restaurant. A four cheese with carmelized onions, and a classic tomato, basil, and mozzarella. It blew any american pizza completely out of the water. I mean it's like comparing the New York Yankees to grade school tee ball (whoever knows what that's from is a boss).

The rest of the day was spent meeting more people, randomly stumbling into a Whole Foods, and eating more good food.

I wish I could post more pictures and videos!! But the computer they have at the farm where I'm at right now takes takes about 20 min to upload one picture, so it probably won't be until July sometime that I can post more goodies (that's if the next farm even has internet or a working computer). O well. 

Not all who wander are lost

My morning started by heading to the train station but I spotted a cafe on my way so I got some breakfast. There I met Tamara who was SO helpful and kind to drop the work she was doing and give me tips and help me figure out the best spots to go to. We had a great chat and I'm so glad you're aware of the law of attraction Tamara! That made me happy.

It's easy for people to believe that you can only get what an orange is made up of from an orange, well why would it be any different in the mental and spiritual realms?? What you impress upon your mind and heart is precisely what you're drawing into your life.

Front row seat to the show.

Thanks to Tamara my journey for the day started by heading over to the one and only Abbey Road. I had a blast just messing around taking pics and met my new friend Emi and her mom from Tokyo! I was trying to take some pics of her while standing in the middle of the road and almost got hit by a car. That was fun. Ha. 

 Look familiar anyone?!

Thinking about this day and how much life experience was crammed into it makes me want to never come home. (Sorry mom!)

Next stop was taking the underground to all the museums and found this along the way. The amount of gems I found in one day was pretty unreal!

Just a 330 million year old rock. No biggie.

The first of the museums was the natural history museum. It was incredible! Definitely my favorite. I was gonna say it was the highlight of the day but every moment was a highlight really.

They had this kind of ethereal music playing the background and it kept reinforcing in my mind the mysteriousness of life and how as humans we know nothing.

sup dude

Next up was the science museum which I guess included the flight museum. It was so great to just get lost in all these new places and simply lose myself in the moment. No past or future, just the present moment. That's all there is. 

Le Pain Quotidien

I asked some locals about where to get some good food and decided on Le Pain Quotidien! What an epic cafe it was. They specialized in organic & local food and even had fresh pressed juices. My body was craving some raw enzymes so that was a bonus! It was hilarious I was telling the lady what I wanted and couldn't remember what else I decided on and was turning the page and she goes "a glass of wine?" in her sweet accent, and I just burst into laughter! Ahh it was too funny, but I ordered some rustic prosciutto and asparagus sandwiches with fresh goat cheese, sweet onion compote and arugula. And a flourless belgium chocolate brownie. And some fresh juice of course. This meal was nothing short of spectacular. Truly food fit for a king!

The last museum of the day was the V&A. Wow. They had so much ancient artwork, sculptures, jewels, glass, metalwork, paintings, rugs, etc it blew my mind. So much history in one place. At this point in the day I had been walking for about six hours straight so I found a nice comfy bench and posted up to take a nap. And I awoke to a "yo!" Ahhhaha it was a security guard telling me to get my feet off the bench. Other than that he didn't care.

Next up for the day was the Imperial College of London. Apparently it's where they train you to be an official stormtrooper. 

Was walking down a random street and found this chapel that was built in the 1600's. Ummm all I can think of is this stuff doesn't exist in the U.S. in abundance like it does here.

Really cool theatre in London. If I would have been here a week later I could have seen Gladiator in HD with a live orchestra!!

Lookey lookey what I found in Hyde's Park. An LDS church! Which they've turned into a kind of visitor center as well. And one of the sister missionary's was from Salt Lake City. That was great to learn more about the history behind it. The ground that it's built on was a world war 2 bombing site and I guess at the time they built it there wasn't a member within 7 miles. Interesting.

Was wandering around the leicester square area and found the coolest little park ever! It was the most rustic park I've ever seen. So what did I do? Posted up on a bench and took another power nap while listening to the birds.

Another funny moment of the day was boarding the train on the underground. It was literally jam packed, person to person. And before I got on there were two girls and one of them got on but one didn't, so I was like well I'm getting on ha. And I was like "hey your friend ditched you," and she was like "well I was gonna go to dinner with her, but you want to go instead?" And I said, "sure, where we going?" And so I have a cute british girl asking me out to dinner and at the next train stop Alfred from Batman somehow manages to squeeze himself into this already jam packed train. Life is beyond humorous.

As of now it hasn't even been three days and I have connections in Hong Kong, Tokyo, Norway, Mexico, Poland, Australia, Canada, and of course London. But here's the thing, I already thought this into existence, and now I'm just living it out.