The sun sparkles through the windows of my parents' house in Arizona. It's morning time, and while it rises over the valley and makes its way into the homes of people and the desert crevices surrounding, we stir awake. It happens around 8am every morning.
We've been seeing people. The same people again and again as we journey across lands and jungles, through the air and on the sea. Months apart, we've been seeing the same people.
My own story as a surfer has been short and sweet so far, having been out there with a board, most recently in Bali, only a handful of times. Still, however young a story, it’s been enough of a journey to understand the incredible wisdom at the core of the sport. And like many other sports, the physical realization of this wisdom is life-changing.
Did you know that Aviv and I shared a certain look in our eyes exactly a year ago today? It was a look of telepathy. A magic realization where we both knew at the very same moment that New York was a dream that had already been fulfilled, and that it was time to move on.
And we're back! From surfing in Lanzarote and Tenerife. 2/7 of the Canary Islands that rose from the sea...
Cacti and prickly pears; organic greek farming. Finally, sacred yoga. Buddha (and enlightenment) in blue + white Cathedrals.
שמיים ומים שקופים. יוונים שנראים כמו לטינים. כוכבים שגלויים לעין ומערכות סולאריות שפשוט לא היו שם לפני…נראה לי. מסעדות עם גינות, כל אחת מהן. טלאים קטנים ושפנים שעומדים בדרך
What a different life we're living on our own time... And man, have we been living! I know that it's been a few weeks since I've made an update—so I'm adding even more from Tel Aviv here first—before moving onto Greece, which we returned from last night.
After 9 years, 156 metro cards, 102 tacos, 1,034 umbrellas, 7 apartments, and 4 hurricanes, and 1,000,000 brunches, we are starting a new chapter. Here's to a new adventure, and our flight outta here in 5 hours. See you in Israel, everyone! :)
In the spirit of 11 more days left in NYC, I thought it would be fun to share the top 11 places that I've dined/worked/been present in for the past month. Here's a handful of places to (ful)fill yourself in this crazy city! :)
One thing is for sure: there's nothing like being an observer in this city.
It's like putting on special lenses as you step out to walk the streets, careless and free. Suddenly, everything you witness in this place radiates magic. Despite the sirens and angry cab honks, despite the millions of pairs of legs stressfully stomping bodies back and forth—uptown and downtown, East River to Hudson—despite the hustle of people bumping shoulder to shoulder, there is peace of mind as an observer here. Can you believe it? This is what it's like to be a tourist...and I waited 9 years to finally feel it.
Another thing I waited 9 years to do here?
Compost.
We fall asleep accidentally—exhausted, accidentally—after weaving our way in and out of the streets surrounding Aguacate and Lamparilla. We’re sprawled on the bed in the descending darkness of the afternoon of our first day in Havana, and something wakes me after 20 minutes.