Renew and Restore

This article was written for the blog Assortment run by the wonderful Sarah Lou.

As a means of introductions, I'll skip the formalities and just go straight for photos, as the saying goes - they're worth a thousand words...

Just hanging around

Just saying hello

I feel that these two pictures summarise me fairly well. The first picture is me abseiling down a 40m rock face upside down. The second is me hungering for brains in the new John Butler Trio music video "Only One". 

Now, what do these have to do with renew and restore you ask? Well, everyone has a different idea of what renews and restores their well-being. For me, these are two prime examples of what makes me feel awesome: being outdoors, climbing rocks and being up high, and putting on a costume and make-up and generally making a bit of a fool out of myself in front of thousands of people (this is not the first time). Some of you may think I'm crazy that these kind of things relax me, but at the same time I kind of think the same thing about people who sit in front of the TV for hours, or facebook or just go for a drink to relax. The more I sit still, the less I do and generally the more I end up sleeping regularly, the more worn out I feel and the more antsy I get to get up and go run around in a circle.

And so, I have recently quit my job as a geologist in Western Australia, so I can satisfy my itchy feet and go and explore the world. I wasn't feeling particularly happy or satisfied with my job and was travelling for short times fairly often. I got the opportunity to travel to Puerto Rico for 3 weeks where I was able to spend my time being restored to my former self by doing so many things I love doing: photography, cinematography, SCUBA diving, climbing, hiking, exploring, eating and caving. The last of which, I don't get to do very often, but always love when I do. Below is a video I put together of my caving adventure so you can also enjoy it (from the safety of your own home for some or as inspiration for others).

I can wholeheartedly recommend taking the chance to go to Puerto Rico if it ever comes up. Ticket prices are not outrageous, it's cheap once you're over there and it's an easy mix of westernised and Caribbean culture. And if you do make it there and fancy a bit of adventure, the Aventuras Tierra Adentro who took me caving were absolutely amazing.

During my time over there I travelled all over the country by car: Fajardo - San Juan - Ponce - Arroyo - Humacao - Arecibo - Isabela - Rincon, and many other smaller stops along the way. But I will leave those stories for another time. For now, I will leave you with a hello, an introduction and a good luck to renew and restore in this new year!

Until the next time.

Tom