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Remember mid way through my trip when I had posted this? My journey was plotted through family ties and after Finland I had completed photographing my mother's side. I left the trip, then headed back out to Indonesia and Australia to finish out my initial project to capture my entire family. I'm super late on editing the second part of my journey in regards to my family faces project but here are a few teasers.
My oh my, what beautiful people I share bloodlines with.
Now that I have wrapped up Australia, I have officially closed a chapter. I started this blog with the intention of charting a 1.5 year trip around the world. I left New York City in May of 2013 with a backpack and a dream. I left on the trip with someone and finished it on my own. If you have followed my course, you will know that I made it through almost a year when I left out of Vietnam to head to LA to care for a sick mother and sever a relationship that had runs its’ course.
Within that year I had touched the Berlin Wall, saw the midnight sun in the Arctic Circle, ate reindeer, marveled at Red Square, hopped the Trans-Siberian Railway, dipped in the oldest and deepest lake in the world, slept among nomads in Mongolia, rode camels, rode horses, milked goats, drank fermented mare’s milk, climbed the sand dunes in the Gobi Desert, saw the Taj Mahal, got Delhi Belly, got grabbed, got amazing photos, got eaten alive by mosquitoes, ached for a comfortable bed, wailed for a hot shower, laughed, cried, hunted for Buddha’s tooth, saw blue whales, went for my first scuba dive, island hopped, rode bikes, rode tuk tuk’s, lost clothes, lost my mind, lost faith, broke bread, broke my heart, cut clothes, cut ties, made connections, acknowledged disconnections, wrote words, spat words, held words, felt strong, felt weak, felt big, felt small, carried gear, carried thoughts, carried baggage, threw clothes, threw fits, almost threw up, almost quit the trip several times over, wanted to escape the escape, loved moments, hated moments, was blown away, enamored, shattered, in awe, in pieces, complete, completely unsure, 100% sure, surely wrecked, surely aware, acutely aware, and there at the Ho Chi Minh airport in April of this year, I said goodbye to that part of the journey.
When I got to LA, I vowed to finish the end of the trip on my own once my mom was well enough. At least finish seeing the last of my family, which I hadn’t made it to, whom reside in Indonesia and Australia.
The summer was full of reinvention and transformation during a time of tough circumstances.
As summer closed, I boarded another plane as a different woman. Off to finish what I had started. I traveled through Indonesia and Australia for six weeks. Zigzagging among family and beautiful landscape. I was open and brave in ways I wasn’t before. My heart was full. It was glorious. I had originally planned on New Zealand after Australia, but my heart had other ideas. I changed my ticket with chance in mind and found myself in San Francisco shortly thereafter.
As the trip came to a close, it was bittersweet. This specific journey was over, yet I was thrilled for the next chapter! It has been amazing to share this specific journey with you and I can't wait to share what's to come. Thanks for all the support. During the next month, Nomadic Habit will be taking on new shape and I can't wait to reveal Nomadic Habit version 2.0.
Of the 10,963 photos I currently have from 17 countries, I wanted to share one image from each country that I haven't yet shared in honor of this journey. I hope you enjoy.
THAT'S A WRAP! I DID IT!
What an amazing adventure. I will never be the same. Just wait until you see what I have up my sleeve.
After Sydney, I hopped a flight over to Melbourne and stayed with my aunt who lives just outside of the city. It had been a few years since I had seen her and in true family fashion, she fed me to death. Beyond her amazing cooking, she also fed me family stories and I was hungry for them. She showed me old photos (See my grandfather below who passed before I was born) and showed me family heirlooms, one of which was a tiger's tooth that I packed with me. It was some serious family bonding time. 
Before getting to Melbourne, another photographer who had seen my feature on Need Supply had reached out to me. He offered to give me a tour of the city, which I happily accepted. Thanks Zaldy! We museum hopped, graffiti gazed, nibbled on waffles, and window shopped. It was amazing. I've heard a few times that Melbourne has hints of Brooklyn and having lived in Brooklyn for six years, I have to say there were moments of feeling like home.
Thanks again to Zaldy who was the ultimate tour guide.
The cousins and I packed up for a little getaway to the Blue Mountains. Where does the term Blue Mountains come from?
It is derived from the blue tinge the range takes on when viewed from a distance. The tinge is believed to be caused by mie scattering which occurs when incoming ultraviolet radiation is scattered by particles within the atmosphere creating a blue-greyish colour to any distant objects, including mountains and clouds. Volatile terpenoids emitted in large quantities by the abundant eucalyptus trees in the Blue Mountains may cause mie scattering and thus the blue haze for which the mountains were named. ~ Wikipedia
It is pretty incredible. We posted up in a nearby cabin after taking in the views and the following day we checked out the Jenolan Caves nearby which also blew my mind. Only 50 km outside Sydney, the Blue Mountains is a must see if you are passing through the capital.
In other news, the selfie rod is successful for family photos.
So let's just say I'm running a little behind. It is nearly Thanksgiving and I was in Australia in September. Oops. Life has thankfully been really full the last few months but now it's time to play catch up!
I spent some time in Sydney to hang with my Aussie fam, but of course found some time to take some shots. I hadn't been to Australia since I was around 5 years old, so it felt very much like I was seeing the city for the first time.
While in Sydney, it was a real treat to be a guest on the Wanderlust segment of Bondi Beach Radio. The host Katie Mayors (@katiemayors) and I first collided over instagram and then invited me to the show when she heard I was heading her way. You can listen to the podcast here. (I come in around the 1:18 mark) Thanks Katie!
Next post?
Camping with the cousins.