For those of you who (really) know me, this will surely come as quite the surprise. Me, not talking for 5 days?? And I can’t even work on my computer (nothing to charge it with)…. I reckon that someone will start up a betting war to see how long it takes until I hire a driver to secretly take me to a nearby town where I can access internet, or talk to someone! Seriously though, …. I really want this. I want to unplug. This is something I have never, ever done in my life – I never manage to give myself the time to slow down, to unwind, to read a book, to pause and reflect. And having been traveling for over a month so far (with 9 more to go), hopping from place to place, 140 gigabytes of photos (unprocessed), and so behind in blogging…. I need and want this so badly.
I just wanted to give you a heads up that you won’t be hearing from me for awhile. I’ll be going to a very foreign place…..(inside). I don’t know what peace and quiet is, I don’t know how to relax, I don’t know how to slow down… but I am very intrigued and excited about what I will soon discover. I will write all about the retreat in a future post, so be sure to come back.
My flight to Bali is late, at 11:30pm (3.5 hours from now) and stops in Singapore for a few hours! This is going to be a long haul… I’ll be in Bali until May 27, and then off to India. As soon as I can, I’ll touch base at a very minimum on my Tawna Brown Photography Facebook page, and I will have more time to catch up while in Italy (June-August). (The next few countries sounds a bit familiar to the book/movie “Eat, Pray, Love”…. but in a different order! And it wasn’t even planned to turn out this way!).
As mentioned before, I have many photos and stories to tell about the amazing adventures and people I’ve met thus far…. Stay tuned….
So who will start the bet??…..How long can Tawna Brown last at a silent retreat? Would you be able to do this? (no talking, no phone, no internet, no alcohol, no meat, no caffeine, maybe no warm water…?)
Feel free to leave a comment below.
Travelin’ Tawna
I think about 48 hours. Can’t imagine you being silent and unplugged for 5 days. I will cheer for you to go the whole 5 days. I don’t think I could do 5 days. At my age I don’t want to unplug. My computer is my relaxation but I do know that I can live without it for a couple of days. I’ve done it. We’ve also lived with no electricity. (Actually just recently we only had electricity in half our house when one outlet blew out). I’m not good in the dark and I’m not fond of candles. I consider you brave for doing this and for people your age it would be eye-opener to relax and unplug. I may have to start reading books again. I do miss that. So good luck and I hope you learn what you went there to learn. Shhhhh!!
Perhaps the most exotic, and adventurous place you could travel to:) and yet this place, with all its peace and bliss and beauty, only you and your spirit can share. Beautiful travels ! Susan
You can do it, Tawna! I’m very surprised you’ve chosen to do a challenge like this, but I think it’ll be awesome for you! Read, write & relax. It’s been quite the year for you in getting ready for this one year adventure and I think you will love being unplugged.
Tawna, you can do anything you set your mind too. With the determination you have you can do it. Look forward to hearing your stories and seeing the world through your eyes.
Good luck Tawna! Have no doubt you can do this, I just hope you learn to truly enjoy it. I couldn’t do without meat, get dyslexic without it for more than a couple of days. Everything else I could do. Enjoy the silence. Maybe you will do some soul searching, that’s always fun.
Diane, there were all kinds of comments left by guests on the comment board to the “kitchen angels”…. many of which were from meat lovers, and they said the food was amazing, some of the best they had, and they didn’t miss meat at all! The food is incredibly satisfying, beautiful, and so much energy goes into it (local produce, sustainable farming practices, etc), that you are much more aware and appreciative of what goes into your mouth…. You could do it for sure!
Wow Tawna….that will be hard & amazing…i think I was okay with the challenges but then when u said maybe no warm water. what do you stay in? Enjoy
There was warm/hot water… it was all “green” (energy efficient showers, solar-powered, etc)…. Lots to write about, and I will give a short review in a future post, hopefully in a few weeks! It was so enjoyable. I think you’d love this experience, so different than the kinds of holidays you go on… this is truly for yourself… mind, body and spirit. You leave feeling clean (on the inside/outside), fresh, and more grounded/centred than when you arrived.
If you really want something and you put your mind to it, you can do it! It will be a challenge, I am sure of it…BUT find your inner self and connect with it. You will enjoy the silence. Have the greatest time.
I could go 5 days without a word, Good luck to you! Hugs from La Cruz de Haunacaxtle, Nay. Mexico Myndi
You’ll love it and you defInitely can make it. Sounds wonderful and can’t wait to hear about your experience.
Tawna,what an awesome journey you have ahead of you ✈️,thank you for making our home in Brisbane part of your world tour, an absolute joy to have you with us, we missed you even before we dropped you off at the airport .
The Bali silent retreat sounds amazing, & if anyone can… You Can .
We look forward to reading your blog of your great adventure .
Ciao for now, & Che Sera/Sera ,Jim & Manuela
CHEERS ☕️
This sounds so incredible Tawna, I would love to do this, I actually think I could do this- not talk for 6 days, no phones, no television. When I first retired, David was still working, I never turned on the tv or radio, no music and unless the phone rang or David came home for lunch and supper, I really loved it, it seemed like I really needed this after working in a busy school office for so long. Enjoy Tawna! Will be interested to hear your comments on this peaceful place you are going, if you even want to share! Hugs Bonnie
I know you would love, love, love this place! Maybe you and Raena could go on a special Mother-Daughter retreat to Bali, do the retreat for 5 days or so, and then a few days in Ubud- Raena would love it so much too!! Stay tuned for a post… it will be a few weeks until I get a chance to catch up. In India right now, short time here, so I’m trying to take in what I can:)
That sounds like a pretty incredible experience. Good luck Tawna! I’m actually going to be in Bali in a few days. I have a friend visiting from the US and I’m so excited to explore more of the island! Though I think our time will be spent much differently than yours. We’ll probably be gabbing late into the night 😉
It was fabulous, not long enough (6 nights), and I will definitely go back. I enjoyed my 2 days in Ubud, and wish i had more time there as well (to find new places to stay for next time!) There are so many guest houses, and likely hidden gems everywhere! I ended up coming to Ubud without any reservation anywhere, first time in my life I’ve done that! I ended up staying at a nice hotel, Lumbung Sari Ubud Hotel. I’ll write about this also in a future post!
Tawna what a life changing experience. Just from knowing you the short time I realize this is a huge undertaking for you. I can’t wait to hear how this will affect you. You will Probably learn to focus from within and have a new spiritual life. I am all ears when we talk, and all eyes when I read about it! Enjoy your time and trust your intuition and your inner self. You will learn about a whole new Tawna that is hiding away.
Dede