Golden's Empire

I’m up at 7am, packed, showered and ready to go. TODAY WE TRAVEL TO PHUKET! The airport is about an hour away from the airbnb but the way these Thai taxi drivers are I’ll make it in 40. Morning traffic is heavy but as long as I’m to the airport an hour before my 11am flight I should be good.   I make it to the airport just in time. Check-in for a domestic flight is fairly quick with no complications. The flight wait is short and honestly the less time spent inside a crowded airport is always a plus for me.  One crowded shuttle bus ride that takes you straight to the airplane and everyone gets situated. Flight time is only an hour (thank goodness) and the best part is I’m off to paradise. Moving from the island to America means you know the true definition of a beach and usually avoid going to any within the US. However with a little research and the admirable instagram, craving beach time is this new country is inevitable. I’m ready for the sun sand and sea. Off...

Today will be a simple yet elegant day. First on the agenda is to grab a semi American breakfast with a Thai twist, buy some appropriate clothing for the temples, and then off to the temple. I take my time getting out of bed because today there’s no need to be rushed. Within an hour I’m fully clothed and out the door. Its cooler today than usual, which it quite refreshing. I hop on the subway heading toward the center of the city. Breakfast is being served at a tiny Internet cafe on the quiet side of town. The Onion is located behind an alley way and surrounded by very modern style homes, if you blink you’ll miss it. I had french toast served with a side of pomegranate and Greek yogurt, topped with caramel syrup and cinnamon powder. Tangy with a tip of salty and sweet. One ice latte to not only compliment my meal further but to keep me going through the day.  After food, it’s time to head back to the shopping ares. I’ve seen thousands of elephant pants the past fe...

6:30 my alarm goes off forcing me out of my slumber. I slept like a baby. The sounds of nature putting me to sleep and knocking me out cold from the hours of 9pm to now. I’m excited for the day! I get to finally see an elephant. I shower, change into my bathing suit and head out for breakfast. But first, quick photo shoot of the morning outside my villa.  I walk down the hallway to the dining area. Fog is still kissing the now shallow waters of the river. Honestly I can stay here a few days longer. The lack of technology, drama, and hectic noise of life is leaving me relieved and rejuvenated. There’s freshly squeezed orange juice and warm croissants being served at the entry...hmm I wonder what’s for breakfast. I take a seat. After a few moments I’m served tea and then brought my main plate. To my disappointment it’s fried egg, ham, and potatoe. Nothing appetizing to me at all, but I’ll stock up on croissants and eat this pineapple (before you say it no, no haven’t learned ...

I’ve been up since 3 am. It’s time to leave the house and start todays adventure. A short taxi to the train station where I can then buy some breakfast and watch the sunrise.   To my surprise many street vendors are already out and setting up for the morning rush. It’s not even 5am. I arrive at Thonburi train station and walk around for a bit, there are stalls stacked right against each other selling fruits, vegetables, and meats. This seems more of a food store than anything. I find a vendor selling small portioned meals and banana muffins. This is probably the only breakfast option I have. I take the longer route back to the train station just so I can observe a bit more. The ticket booth is finally open, “Nam tok please”, one hundred baht is my total. Not too bad for a 5 hour train ride. I continue to wait out the next 2 and a half hours by the train tracks, watching as backpackers, locals, school kids and more tourist exit on and off the platform. The officers are v...

I woke up 6 am with an upset stomach and nausea. My body is flashing between hot & cold and I swear my veins are pulsing throughout my entire body with thoughts of exploding. I have food poisoning. All the shit I ate yesterday how am I suppose to know which turned me into a hot ass mess? I’m in for the day. No adventure besides to toilet.

I’m up early but I continue to lay in bed. I still cant believe I’m doing this, I’m traveling the world! Let’s keep today simple, between the constant travel and crowds of yesterday I was a little overwhelmed. I know what I’ll do, sit by the pool for a little, eat some fruit and head to a night market later in the afternoon. I walked to a local market not too far from my Airbnb. I skim the islands for mangoes, pineapples, watermelons, honestly whatever fruit I can find. I also stop at a stall and purchase a strawberry and blueberry smoothie, which was absolutely refreshing. I head back change into my bathing suit and its time to hit the pool. The pool is located directly in the middle of the building, great size but odd location. I cant help but think that someone’s staring down from their bedroom window looking at the only black chick in the building eat watermelon and pineapple sitting poolside. I don’t spend much time outside, the water is freezing, the height of the sun has dec...

Taking a shuttle bus from my plane to customs. I can’t believe I’m actually here! As i stand in line i watch people getting pulled to the side for not filling out there forms properly...wait forms? I don’t have one of those! I step aside the line quickly as I scram to put my information in on this tiny sheet and rejoin the line. As I get closer 3 officers rush over to a young girl who was taking a video of her surroundings, they snatch her phone and delete said video with the quickness. Clearly no photos allowed. I’m in front of the officer, sweating, hopping I filled everything out correctly because the last thing I want is to get arrested in a foreign country. He take my photo hands me my passport and tells me to leave. I get pass this checkpoint and head straight to baggage claim, I have no idea which carousel is mine so I ask someone. She instructs me to carousel 12 and I speed walk to grab my bags and get out of this airport as quickly as possible. You can exchange money and buy ...

Oh the sigh of relief as I’m finally able to get up and fully stretch my legs. Getting back into the habit of yoga seems like a great idea right about now.  As I exit the plane my excitement cant help but peek through my cramping body and heavy eyelids. Ive made it all the way to HONG KONG. Quickly i should take a photo in front of this thing that i have no idea what it is, its just the first piece of cultural something I saw as I walked through the airport. I’m heading through a TSA checkpoint yet again this one causing my nerves to spike even more due to the congested and slow moving lines.  My layover is an hour, short and sweet, I just have to make it through this wait and one more flight then I can rest.  My biggest fear traveling to foreign countries for the first time was the language barrier. I was afraid that I wouldn’t be able to get around without asking or even if I had asked I wouldn’t be able to understand. But oh how I was wrong, every sign, and inter...

My flight has left from Los Angeles to Hong Kong. As I travel I’m learning/thinking of more convenient ways for me to adjust to such long flights, switching time zones and just making the overall travel experience a bit easier. In my backpack i pack light, i have my essential electronics (iPad, cellphone, camera) with their chargers, a book and pen, and of course my shades and glasses. I also bring along a small roller suitcase which i take a change of clothes for layovers, some underwear and my toiletries and snacks. I must admit I forgot to buy water after clearing through TSA this time so I’m running back and forth with tiny plastic cups on the plane trying not to die from dehydration lol.  This would be flight number 2 which is a total of 16hrs. I figured i would use the earlier portion of my flight to eat (the food onboard was disgusting btw i imagine it would remind me of prison if i had ever been) and catch some Z’s. If you’re anything like me you probably experience extr...

As the new year is getting started and everyone is focusing on establishing a foundation for their goals I cant help but pat myself on the back at the fruition of mine.  Last year I set my goals on stability. I needed to get a new car, build credit, and get a new apartment. I got my first credit card in March, was in a new apartment in April, and invested in the exact vehicle I wanted in July. I felt very accomplished realizing that because I had channeled my efforts into achieving these 3 things they certainly happened and happened faster than I expected.  Now that we have officially entered 2019 the mentality still remains, set goals, focus on them and achieve. Keep your goals consistently on your mind always thinking of ways to improve your vision and execute with precision.  This year, I want to travel more, invest in property, build the foundation for my business, and work on my physical and spiritual health. Everything is a process. I’m eliminating the aspect...

This weeks topic was about separating the artist from the art. Is it possible? Is it necessary? Often times I’ve held conversations with family members and peers about how personally in order for me to call myself a fan of a particular artist I have to have some insight to how they are on a personal level.  This years major goal of mine is to create a more prevalent filter in my life. That means filtering what I read, the conversations I partake in, what I eat and many other things that ultimately affect your well being and train of thought.  Music was established to convey a message. Every song serves a purpose in relaying an image or mood. Artist find themselves relating to their lyrics and there for feel a need to present it to the word. Sometimes these messages are over looked. With the release of Surviving R.Kelly the above fact has become a strong realization for many. After hearing these women recalling their experiences and looking at the sexual history of R....