Mountains and Red Rock Canyons

Posted on May 12, 2013 by Annette Terkaly

I made it to Moab, Utah! What a great trip it has been so far…despite hitting some rain and hail early on, it’s been a blast.

Here is my baby, loaded for bear…

I left last Tuesday morning, May 7th…my plan was to head to Gardnerville, NV to stay a night with my cousin who lives there. I was taking Highway 50 as it was quickest way. I had considered postponing the trip by a day because the forecast for the Sierra Nevada was thunderstorms. I checked the Caltrans website and looked at the live webcam for Echo Summit and was not thrilled with what I saw…

But the forecast was the same for the next day and I figured that maybe by the time I reached the mountains it would be mid-day and maybe the weather would warm up and clear. I decided to go for it. Things were going fine until just past Placerville when I began hitting fog and a heavy mist. I stopped and put on my blue and white rainsuit, which is a little big on me and makes me resemble the Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man. Not a good look.

As I climbed higher it got wetter and the fog was so thick in some places I couldn’t see more than 20 feet ahead of me, which was pretty scary. But I just took it easy and luckily the tires I had (love my Michelin PR3s) had good traction on the wet roads. There was still quite a bit of snow up there but none on the road, thank goodness. Once I got on the other side of Echo Summit, it actually stopped raining and roads were fairly dry, although it was cold!

I made it safely to my cousins and to celebrate we hit a local happy hour. We were all tired and hit the hay early…my next day was a pretty easy 3 hour cruise down Highway 395, which is one of my favorite drives. On one side you have high desert smelling of sage, and the other side of you are the gorgeous snow-capped Sierra Nevada.

I did hit some rain and hail but it’s a pretty straight road with little traffic so it was no big deal.

Spent the night in Bishop at Brown’s Town campground, and then to Las Vegas…originally I had planned to go to Valley of Fire State Park, which is about 30 minutes past LV. But since it was going to be a long driving day I decided to stay in a hotel, and actually found one in North Las Vegas called Santa Fe Station for $25 a night and it got good reviews. It did end up being a long day, over 300 miles, going through Death Valley over two 4000+ foot passes and then to Furnace Creek, where it was 91 degrees, which is not too bad for Death Valley.

Made it to North Las Vegas and the hotel, and it was actually a surprisingly nice casino/hotel. Especially for 25 bucks! My room was big with 2 queen beds, and there were several restaurants a movie theater and a Starbucks. I’d definitely stay there again.

Fortified with a venti triple shot latte, I hit the road the next morning by about 8…I had booked a site in Bryce Canyon NP but the weather was calling for snow showers so I decided to stay in Zion NP, which is always warmer being at a lower elevation. Unfortunately the campground in the park was full but luckily I found a spot in an RV campground just outside the park entrance.

No sooner did I set up my tent when I big thunderstorm blew through. It rained hard but only lasted about 20 minutes or so.

Zion is such a gorgeous place, I never get tired of it…I didn’t hike as I am planning on coming back to Zion for a couple of nights after my birthday in Las Vegas, so I just walked around the town of Springdale, which is right at the entrance to the park.

27 years ago when I was in college (yes, I am old) I spent an entire school quarter backpacking through southern Utah with a UC Extension program called the Sierra Institute. We took trips ranging from one to two weeks through Canyonlands, Capitol Reef, the Escalante River canyons and our last trip was in Zion. Utah has changed a lot since then, some good changes, some not so good. When we hiked through the canyons of the Escalante River, the area was all BLM land then and they were running cattle through the canyons, and was subject to mining and other uses. In 1996 President Bill Clinton established that area (1.8 million acres) as the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, which is great as that designation nixed the Andalex Coal Mine that was propsed for that area. In a future post I will show some pictures that I took from when I was there-it’s a spectacular area.

But boy has Springdale changed! It used to be a sleepy little town with a couple of motels and restaurants, rocks shops and houses. I remember walking by this old man’s house where he had set up a table by the sidewalk with old peanut butter and jam jars now filled with clover honey from his bee hives. Each one had a price scrawled on masking tape and there was a coffee can with a handwritten sign directing you to leave the money in the can. I bought a small jar for a dollar and it was delicious.

Now Springdale is full of chain hotels, lots of pricey restaurants and pricier galleries. It’s still beautiful but very touristy now. And expensive. And I didn’t see anyone selling honey in their front yard.

I’m in Moab now, and will be for a couple of days. Then I head to Mesa Verde National Park. Stay tuned for my next installment!

Alis Volat Propiis

Posted on May 6, 2013 by Annette Terkaly

The latin phrase alis volat propiis means “she flies with her own wings”, and is also the Oregon State motto. And one of mine as well, as I plan a road trip!

“She flies with her own wings” A bracelet I made and will be wearing on my trip.

Tomorrow morning I am loading up my beautiful motorcycle…a 2009 Kawasaki Versys 650…

In Bridgeport, CA
April, 2011

And heading on a solo motorcycle trip to the gorgeous deserts of southern Utah…

itinerary

I have been wanting to do this trip on my motorcycle for quite a while now…I have been to Utah a bunch of times these past 4 years but always when I’m working as a tour leader, and was too busy to hike and explore as much as I would like to. And there are so many amazing places there to visit! This trip I will be going to Zion, Bryce Canyon, Arches, Canyonlands, and Capitol Reef National Parks, plus Mesa Verde NP in Colorado. After that I haven’t decided which route I will be taking as I work my way back to Las Vegas on May 17th for my birthday weekend! My friend Katherine will be flying out to meet me…where I am sure there will be some imbibing of adult beverages…

After Vegas I head to Zion to camp for 2 or 3 days, then back again to Vegas to fly to Oklahoma to see my sweetie, where we plan on renting a Harley and cruising through the Ozarks over Memorial Day weekend. I will be a passenger this time and sure I will welcome the break! After 10 days I fly back to Vegas, jump on my bike and head back home. If time permits, I am planning to go up through Great Basin National Park, which I have always wanted to see, and then back over Hwy 50-The Loneliest Road in America.

I will be gone about a month, camping the whole way except for Las Vegas and Oklahoma.

Grand Canyon, June 2009

I was hesitant to put my Etsy Shop Silverly Jewelry on Vacation Mode for that long but I realized now was actually the best time. If I don’t go now I’ll have to wait until fall (the summer will be way too hot and crowded) and that is too close to Christmas, as I will be trying to get my shop ready then for the holiday shopping. Spring is my favorite time in the desert as well…

So my bike has been fully serviced and she’s ready to go with some awesome Michelin Pilot Road 3 tires I bought last year. I am so excited! Today is my day to pack everything up and finish up everything here and figure out how I’m going to get all my crap onto the bike…

I will be posting photo and updates on Facebook and blogging about it as much as I can. I am also hoping to get some inspiration too from the beauty of the deserts for my jewelry. Here is a work in progress inspired by previous trips to the desert…

Handmade fine silver petroglyph pendant with Arizona Castle Dome turquoise, sunstone, labradorite, ruby and deerskin suede

Newspaper Rock

The petroglyph design on this handcrafted pendant was from a stamp I made taken directly off a sandstone wall called Newspaper Rock, located in San Juan County, Utah. It has one of the largest known concentrations of petroplyphs in the U.S.. The carvings were made around 2,000 years ago, left by the Archaic, Anasazi, Fremont, Navajo, Anglo, and Pueblo cultures.

In Navajo, the rock is called “Tse’ Hone’” which translates to “a rock that tells a story.” But what are the stories? No one really knows why this large concentration of petroglyphs is here…except the ancient people who put them there.

Inspiration from the South Seas…

Posted on April 24, 2013 by Annette Terkaly

One thing I love about making jewelry is creating something tangible that is inspired by my experiences and my memories. I might get a spark of an idea from something I see in nature, like a leaf or the colors in a flower. Or from a memory of something I saw or experienced during my travels around the world.

Here is a story about a necklace inspired by my visit to the South Pacific…

About to embark on the adventure of a lifetime!

This is the day it all began, my travels around the world. Here is my mom and dad dropping me off at Oakland airport for my flight to LAX, where I would catch an Air New Zealand flight to the Cook Islands! Here is what I wrote in my journal as the plane took off from Los Angeles…

As the plane’s wheels lifted from American soil and turned west toward the Pacific, I felt such a rush of joy and excitement. A big smile came across my face-what an adventure! I don’t think I have ever felt so happy and excited-my journey has begun and I already feel like a new person. Someone I like very much.

I had spent months planning and waiting for my retirement to be finalized, and there were times that I felt it would never happen. I had my itinerary all planned-a week in the Cook Islands, a week in Fiji, a month or two in New Zealand, a month or two in Australia, then Thailand. After a few weeks in Thailand I planned to fly to Beijing and catch the TransSiberian Railroad across Russia, with a stop in Ulan Bator, Mongolia to catch the Naadam Festival. After the train reached Moscow I would travel to St. Petersburg, then through Europe. I didn’t know how long I would be traveling but I figured maybe about a year. Ha! Little did I know that it would become almost 3 1/2 years of traveling, and spending a 4th year working as a tour leader in China…

I had bought my tickets from a company called AirTreks, based out of San Francisco, and they were an awesome to work with. The guy I worked with there was the one who had suggested a stop in the Cook Islands, to my everlasting gratitude. All my tickets were changeable, but I didn’t think I would need to change anything as I thought I had it all planned out. I showed my itinerary and tickets to an Aussie friend of mine and he said, “Oh, that itinerary will be out the window in the first week.” I indignantly disagreed with him. He turned out to be right of course…

Right after we de-planed…look at the giant grin on my face!

After landing in Rarotonga, the biggest island in the Cook Island chain, I immediately went to the Air New Zealand ticket office and extended my stay for another week. I would do this 2 more times.

Rarotonga was simply awesome…like Hawaii probably was 50 years ago. They don’t allow anyone to build anything higher than a coconut tree so there are no high-rises, no giant hotels. Unless things have changed in the last 10 years, there is no McDonalds, no Starbucks, no chain stores. There is one road that circles the island…I rented a scooter and rode around in about 45 minutes, wearing only a bikini and a sarong. The beaches are nothing short of amazing…

Gorgeous beach on Rarotonga…

And the water! After a few days in Rarotonga I flew to another Cook Island called Aitutaki…the lagoon there has to be one of the most beautiful places I have ever been. The water is this surreal clear turquoise color…I felt like I was in a postcard. These photos are not enhanced in any way…

Aitutaki

Aitutaki, Cook Islands

Fairy Tern

White-tailed Tropicbird

I ended up staying in the Cook Islands for a month and every day I would walk on the beach collecting seashells, and swim in the clear warm water, while Fairy Terns and White-tailed Tropicbirds flew overhead.

The stone seen below in this necklace is called apatite, and it occurs in many colors-from clear to pink, yellow, green, violet, brown, purple-but is most often seen in jewelry in shades of blue to blue-green to turquoise. Deposits are found in Burma (Myanmar), Brazil, India, Kenya, Madagascar, Mexico, Norway, Sri Lanka, East and South Africa, Spain, Russia (Kola Peninsula), Canada, and the United States.

Apatite necklace with fine silver seashell handcrafted

I had bought this beautiful strand of clear turquoise apatite stones and they reminded me so much of the waters of this lagoon. I strung them with sterling silver beads and a seashell that I handcrafted from fine silver. A strand of tiny Thai silver beads adds more sparkle, and a pretty apatite briolette dangles playfully from the shell. The toggle clasp is another handcrafted fine silver seashell.

I call it ‘Aitutaki‘ and it is for sale in my Etsy shop. I love this necklace because it reminds me of my time in the South Pacific, a place I dreamed of traveling to for many years. I am so lucky that I got a chance to go there!

Finally…a natural deodorant that works!

Posted on April 5, 2013 by Annette Terkaly

Some years ago I read about all the ingredients they put in commercial antiperspirants and deodorants, which have all a bunch of unhealthy ingredients like aluminum and parabens, both of which are linked to Alzheimers and breast cancer. So in trying to avoid putting stuff daily on my body that has potentially harmful ingredients, I decided to try the natural ones I’d seen in stores. And I tried many of them…Tom’s of Maine, the crystal one, Trader Joe’s natural one, Arm & Hammer natural one. None of them worked very well…they were all deodorants, which unlike antiperspirants don’t stop you from sweating but they are supposed to prevent odor. And they didn’t. The Arm & Hammer one was probably the best of them but still wasn’t great…

So I stumbled across this recipe a few weeks ago for a homemade natural deodorant that uses simple, inexpensive and easily obtainable ingredients and decided to give it a try. It was really easy to make…and it works great. I usually shower in the afternoon or evening and I have found if I apply it after I bathe, even if I workout the next day without reapplying it there was no odor!! It’s a deodorant, not an antiperspirant so you will sweat but you won’t smell. I made some for my sister and she had the same results-she loves it. So I am happy to share it with you…

HOMEMADE NATURAL DEODORANT

1/3 cup solid state coconut oil (you can buy this at Trader Joe’s, Costco and many grocery stores)
1/4 cup baking soda (aluminum free-also can buy at Trader Joe’s)
1/4 cup arrowroot powder (got mine at Whole Foods but check the natural foods section of your grocery store)
essential oils (optional but nice)

Mix the baking soda and arrowroot powder in a glass bowl.

I like to soften/melt the coconut oil to make it easier to measure and mix…coconut oil melts above 76 degrees so you can easily melt it by placing the jar in a pan of hot water for a few minutes. Just mix together the coconut oil and the baking soda/arrowroot powder and that’s it! In my first couple of batches I used a few drops of tea tree oil, as it is a natural antiseptic, but I am not crazy about the smell. Next time I plan to use lavender oil but there are lots others you can try-clove, orange, cinnamon. The coconut oil has it’s own scent as well, so try and use one that works with coconut.

If you have an empty or nearly empty deodorant container, you can wash it and rinse it and pour this mixture into it. I stick it in the refrigerator to speed up the hardening.

Do note though that if it gets over 76 degrees in your bathroom, this may melt, so you might want to refrigerate it if you live in a hot climate. Or you can just put it in a jar and use your fingers to scoop out a pea-sized amount and rub it in gently (the baking soda makes this slightly abrasive so take care if you’ve just shaved your armpits-ask me how I know this:).

Let me know how it works for you and any essential oils that you try and like!

A new adventure…

Posted on March 11, 2013 by Annette Terkaly

I know it has been awhile since I posted…it’s been a busy past few months! Right after the holidays I moved to a new place, an adorable little cottage (with a yard!) on the west side of Petaluma, and I love it. Moving is such a hassle though and I feel like I am just now catching my breath. Every time I move (and I’ve moved many times in my life) I always wonder how I’ve managed to accumulate so much crap.

Enamels

I am also taking my jewelry in some new directions, and am learning how to enamel. What is enamel? It’s basically colored glass that’s ground to a powder that is a bit finer than sugar but coarser than flour. No one knows when or where enameling originated, but the earliest known enameled articles are six enameled gold rings discovered in a Mycenaean tomb in Cyprus…they date back to the 13th century BC!

The glass, which comes in a ton of different colors and can be transparent or opaque, is applied to your jewelry (by either sifting it dry or wet packing) and then fired to about 1400-1500 degres Fahrenheit where it melts onto the surface. The basic process is not that difficult but there definitely is a learning curve.

I’ve had a few successes…

This ring is set with a 6mm peridot cabochon…

One of my first tries…came out pretty good!

The colors in this ring are even more vibrant than in this photo…

These are all made using transparent enamels, and the colors layer beautifully.

I’ve also had a few failures…

Seriously, how ugly are these?

The green and blue one did not turn out like I had envisioned at all! I kept just adding more layers hoping the colors would get better, but the colors just got all muddy. I also discovered that orange does not stay true to color when enameled directly on silver, and turns brownish. I think one chipped because I didn’t clean the metal enough and/or I applied it too thickly. Unfortunately, it’s quite difficult to remove enamel once it’s fired on, so off the scrap heap they go!

In upcoming posts I will explain more about enamels and include some photos of the process. It’s really fun and I am excited by all the possibilities.

I will leave you with this thought…the picture behind the caption was taken by me on Hwy 395 in California and is a picture of the Sierra Nevada mountains. One of my favorite drives in the world…

Go confidently in the direction of your dreams…

Posted on June 20, 2012 by Annette Terkaly

…live the life you’ve imagined. Thoreau said that…pretty smart guy.

When I got back from the aforementioned trip to Thailand (see previous post), I tried to do just that. I was fired up and excited about my future. My back was feeling better after my trip, so I told my doctor this and said I wanted to be cleared to go back to full duty. He was a little skeptical-I did, after all have 2 herniated discs in my lower back. But really, I felt fine and he acquiesced, and back to work I went.

Then I began formulating a plan…but you know what Woody Allen said…if you want to make God laugh, tell him about your plans.

Wildland Fire Training…that’s me on the left.

I had heard that there was a company that was hiring police officers to go work in Bosnia for a year doing security and training (this was back when the country was still recovering from the Balkan War). It paid quite well and living arrangements were provided, so I figured I could do it for a year, save a bunch of money, then travel the world as planned. I didn’t have any strategy beyond that-I just assumed I’d figure it out as I went along. That was the plan, anyway…

So I got an application for the job and began filling it out…and then my back went out again. This time it was much worse-I ended up pinching a nerve and got sciatica down my leg. It was excruciating….I’d never had such pain. One morning was so bad I was crying as I called my father to come get me and drive me to the doctor because I could barely walk and couldn’t drive my stick-shift car. I had always thought that people with back injuries were exaggerating the pain and suffering…until it happened to me. Just reaching into the refrigerator to grab something made me whimper like a baby. I also found out that pain pills and muscle relaxers don’t do much for nerve pain like that-they just made me groggy. I was popping Motrin like candy, and icing my back night and day to get the inflammation down. Sleep was impossible…trying to roll over in bed was awful. I drank a lot. Fun times.

After weeks of agony things were better enough that I could start physical therapy so I did, and over about 8 months my back slowly improved. During this time I avoided thinking about the future, as I couldn’t see beyond just not being in pain anymore. I tried to keep moving, so I went to the gym almost every day and would ride the stationary bike with no resistance, then sit in the sauna. And I swam laps in the pool even though I am a crappy swimmer (I used a kick board). This was a far cry from my previous exercise regimen of running, yoga and mountain biking but I tried keeping my spirits up.

By early 2002 I was feeling better and decided to treat myself to a trip to Hawaii-after months of being pretty much housebound, I needed to get out. Plus, I had a free plane ticket that I needed to use. So I decided to go to Oahu and booked a week at the youth hostel in Waikiki. I figured since I was traveling by myself the youth hostel would be a great place to meet some people…and boy, did I. I’ll tell you about that next time…some names will need to be changed to protect the not-so-innocent…

Me in Hawaii, 2002

Once you make a decision, the universe conspires to make it happen…Part 3

Posted on June 6, 2012 by Annette Terkaly

I know this is a long post but I’ve been leading up to this and wanted to tell you about my decision and how it came about. So many amazing things have happened because of that decision. It really did change everything.

Ko Phi Phi, Thailand

I took my first night dive when I was in Thailand, on Ko Phi Phi. It was close to midnight and there were about 5 of us, including my new friend Joachim, and the dive master, Charlie. I consider myself a fairly adventurous person and have tried lots of things-I’ve been skydiving, rock climbing, river rafting. But as I looked into the dark water that suddenly seemed a bit ominous I felt pretty damn nervous…who knows what was down there? I tried to keep the opening scene of Jaws out of my mind as I went into the water and adjusted my mask and snorkel.

We all dropped down into the depths together and then followed Charlie as he took us along the edge of the limestone cliff that dropped into the water. We felt our way through some narrow crevices in the rock and we slowly made our way through and then out from the rocks. It was a bit eerie, seeing the fish come out of the darkness and swim by us like we weren’t even there.

Charlie had told us before we dove what he wanted us to do at the end of the dive and now it was time. We gathered in a circle on the sand at the bottom and turned off all our lights. It was pitch black-I couldn’t see a thing. Per his instructions I began to wave my arms around in the water in front of my face. This activated all the tiny bioluminescent organisms that are in the water down there, making them sparkle all around us in the inky blackness. It was like stars were coming out of my fingertips. I’d never seen anything like it and was completely enchanted. That is still one of my favorite memories.

The next day I was relaxing in a hammock on the beach thinking that I had to go home in a few days. I didn’t want to. I really didn’t want to. I just wanted to keep on traveling, keep on having more of these amazing experiences. Even though this was 11 years ago now, I clearly remember thinking about all the things waiting for me back home in my apartment-my clothes, shoes, books, CDs, DVDs, cooking utensils….all this stuff. I had this realization that I didn’t miss anything out of all that stuff that I had carefully accumulated through the years. None of it seemed very important. I wondered why it ever had.

Later, I spoke about this with Joachim. I told him about my realization, about how much I wanted to just keep on traveling. I said to him, “I just wish I could do what you did, just quit my job and travel.” I remember him looking at me and simply saying, “Why can’t you?”

The next day I had to get on the ferry to go back to Bangkok and fly home. My sister had already left, as she was continuing her trip onto Malaysia with her friend.

Me on the ferry...

As the ferry made its way across the Andaman Sea, I stood on the bow looking out over the water, listening to my music. I could not get Joachim’s words out of my head. Why can’t you?Why can’t you?

I told myself that there were a million reasons I couldn’t-I had a good job, I had security, retirement, responsibilities, rent, car payment, bills. How the hell could you just pull yourself out of all that? I didn’t know anyone back home (certainly not any other cops) that had done anything like that. I couldn’t even imagine how you would. But his question was like a drumbeat in my head…why can’t you? Why can’t you?

Then, one my favorite songs came on, Drops of Jupiter by Train. It’s such an awesome song…and great lyrics…

As I listened to the words of that song, I realized that at that moment there was nothing else in the world that I wanted more than to travel, and I made a decision. I was going to travel the world. I was going to make it happen. As I thought this, something inside me shifted and fell into place. I was suddenly filled with joy because I knew it was going to happen. I didn’t have a clue how, I didn’t know when, but I was so elated because knew with utter certainty that it would happen. I knew.

I still can’t explain where that certainty came from. But I’ll never forget that moment, or that song because I was right. I did get to travel the world-the universe conspired with me to make it happen. I’ll get to that, don’t worry…

Ray Bradbury died yesterday, so I wanted to end with this quote from him that I think is so fitting and so beautiful…

Stuff your eyes with wonder, live as if you’d drop dead in ten seconds. See the world. It’s more fantastic than any dream made or paid for in factories.

3 important things that birdwatching has taught me…

Posted on June 1, 2012 by Annette Terkaly

I have been birdwatching since I was 8 years old (i.e. a loong time), thanks to my 3rd grade teacher Mrs. Randolph who encouraged my interest. I have heard that it is the 2nd fastest growing hobby (http://www.cbsnews.com/2100-18563_162-6870200.html) which I find hard to believe only because when I tell people I’m a birder they always seem to think that’s hilarious and a bit odd. But I will tell you, birding has brought me so much pleasure in my life and taught me many things, a few of which I want to share with my dear readers. So here are 3 of them…

1) How to be completely in the moment

Someone once asked me what I liked so much about birding and this was my answer…when I am lucky enough to see a bird like this in the wild…

Blackburnian Warbler

I am so entirely in the moment gazing at it, feeling nothing but a rush of joy that such an amazingly beautiful creature exists and that I get to see it right in front of me. I am not thinking of anything else, not my taxes, not that I’m freezing my ass off standing here in this forest, and not wondering what to have for dinner. Just this gorgeous bird in my binoculars.

I’ve been birding for most of my life and it still always feels like a miracle to me.

2) Beauty is everywhere you look

A couple of months ago I was out walking in my extremely ordinary suburban neighborhood here in Fresno (where it is 102 degrees right now) when a flock of these landed in a nearby tree…

Cedar Waxwing

and I smiled all the way back home. I felt like I’d been given a gift.

Sometimes all you have to do is just stop for a moment and really look. You might be amazed.

3) Everything is connected to everything else

From a very young age I was always very aware of the interconnectedness of life on this planet because of birds. You might wonder how deforestation in South America can cause an insect population explosion in North America. One reason is because many of our native warblers (like the gorgeous Blackburnian Warbler pictured above) only breed here and spend their winters in the rain forests of South America. Destruction of their wintering grounds causes their population to diminish, and because their primary food source is insects…well, you can guess what happens. Of course, this is pretty well known nowadays, but when I first started birdwatching only hippies and crackpots were environmentalists. I can’t tell you how glad I am that environmentalism has become mainstream and we actually celebrate Earth Day! Being ‘green’ is cool now.

And so is birdwatching. Really.

Once you make a decision, the universe conspires to make it happen…Part 2

Posted on May 30, 2012 by Annette Terkaly

Our trip to Thailand was, in a word, amazing.

Nothing in my life before had prepared me for the complete sensory overload that is Bangkok. When you walk outside from the air-conditioning the heat and humidity slap you in the face like a wet washcloth. The noise from the streets clogged with traffic from cars, tuk-tuks, taxis and scooters, to the hubbub of the people around you chattering in a completely foreign tongue, and the indecipherable street signs everywhere were disorienting.

Dried fish

Then there are the smells…as you walk through the streets of Bangkok you’ll catch the mouthwatering aroma of cooking food from the numerous stands, then pass a bin of dried fish that smells as nasty as you’d expect. Further along you catch the sweet scent of tropical flowers, then moments later you’ll nearly gag when you catch a whiff from the sewer. I had never experienced anything like it.

We saw the obligatory sights in Bangkok…here we are at the Royal Palace, where we had to borrow long skirts and long sleeved shirts to cover up our shorts and tank tops.

Gina & I at the Royal Palace, Bangkok

We saw the Reclining Buddha, walked along Kho San Road, went to a Thai boxing match. We left Bangkok and went to the ancient city of Ayutthaya, went to Khao Sok National Park, jumped off a waterfall, got bitten by leeches, took a night train to Chiang Mai, and of course, the monthly full moon party on Ko Phangan.

We eventually made our way to the most gorgeous place I had ever seen-Ko Phi Phi. It’s a small island among several in the Andaman Sea, where lush limestone cliffs rise straight up from the turquoise water. This was before the 2004 tsunami that caused so much damage. I have not been back to Ko Phi Phi since so I don’t know what it looks like now, but back then in 2001 it was magical. On the ferry ride there from Krabi I was standing at the bow and looked down just in time to see a huge whale shark dive down into the depths.

Ko Phi Phi, 2001

We stayed in a small cheap hut on the beach and partied in the bars at night full of backpackers from all over the world. At one bar at midnight they would give out free booze, plastic pails where they dumped a rough combo of Thai whiskey, Red Bull and Coca-Cola, then throw in a handful of straws. We’d stand around in small groups drinking from the communal pails, then dance through the night. I didn’t know there were so many young people out there just traveling for months on end on a shoestring budget. It opened my eyes to a whole other world I had never known existed. Many of them were from the UK, Australia and New Zealand, where it is common for high school and college graduates to take a year off and travel the world before getting a job or continuing their education. But there were other people too that were doing more than that.

I went scuba diving in Ko Phi Phi, which was of course as awesome as I’d expected, and ended up befriending a few of the people that worked at the dive shop there. They were from the UK and somewhat older than the backpackers, late 20’s to early 30’s. I became quite good friends with one, a 30 year old named Joachim from London. He had left a pretty good job there to come to Thailand to live, work at the dive shop while getting his Dive Master certification.

At that point in my life I had been working as a deputy sheriff for nearly 13 years, straight out of college. The hiring process for a law enforcement job is lengthy, between the background check, psychological tests and polygraph tests, not to mention the police academy, which was 12 weeks when I did it way back when (now it’s about 22 weeks!). It wasn’t the kind of job you could just quit and go back to. Plus, I had a job security, benefits and retirement…even though I was single and childless, the thought of giving up the security was daunting and I had never seriously considered it. Little did I know life had other plans for me…

Once you make a decision, the universe conspires to make it happen…Part 1

Posted on May 23, 2012 by Annette Terkaly

First, I have to give credit to Ralph Waldo Emerson for saying that. It’s true. I have lived it. This is how it went down, Part 1…

It was the spring of 2001 and I was in a funk. I was nursing a badly broken heart, which is a story I will have to tell at a later date because it is, despite the less-than-happy-ending, kind of an amazing story. And on top of that, after 13 years in law enforcement my back was messed up. Here is a picture of me on patrol a few months before the injury…When the MRI came back showing I had herniated two discs in my lower back, I cried. I have always been so active-indeed, at the time I was in best shape of my life. I found that the things I usually did to lift my spirits and deal with stress-trail running, biking, yoga-I couldn’t do anymore. I didn’t know how long it would take to recover, or even if I would. So, I was bummed.

My sister Gina, who is 14 years younger than me, was about to graduate from college, and she wanted to go to Thailand with me and a friend. It’s hard for me to believe this now, but back then, I had no interest in Thailand, or anywhere in Asia really. I didn’t know anyone who’d been there (most cops, as a rule, generally don’t travel much to Asia). Back then, I had been to Europe twice (20+ years apart) and Mexico a few times and that was it. Traveling abroad seemed out of my reach financially. And as embarrassing as it is to admit this now, Asia seemed well, kinda dangerous.

But my parents pressured me to go, thinking I could keep an eye on her (I don’t what they were thinking). So I figured, what the hell. It wasn’t like I had anything else going on at the time except drinking too much and moping, and I welcomed the distraction. We bought our plane tickets…I kept looking at mine thinking, I’m going to Bangkok! It just seemed impossibly exotic and foreign to me. That 1985 song by Murray Head, “One Night in Bangkok” kept running through my head. Check out the music video on You Tube…brings back memories!