Bale Balayan

10/05/2023

“Live your life unapologetically.”

Inspiring thoughts from an eternal nomad.”

“At the age of 16, I fantasized about my prince charming.
At the age of 20, I thought about my wedding.
At the age of 25, I still dreamt about that perfect husband.
At the age of 30, I dreamt about a white picket fence, a husband, 2 kids, a pet cat and dog.
At the age of 35, I wanted all of the above and trek the rest of my life.

By the age of 40, I left behind my romantic relationships, got rid of my house, car and all possessions, my 15 year career as a lawyer and the "American" dream. I dreamt about trekking as many mountains until I die. I married the mountains.

By the age of 45, I've trekked in Sierra Nevada, Grand Canyon, Appalachian Trail, the white mountains, Colorado Trail, Pacific Crest Trail, the Andes, Indian Himalayas, Nepal Himalayas, Patagonia, the Alps, the Caucasus, the Sinai desert, Gobi desert, Bhutan's Himalayas, Albania's Prokletije mountains, the Dolomites, South Africa's Drakensberg, Kilimanjaro, Mongolia's Altai, and the list goes on and on.

I have stopped searching for the human partner to make me happy. And nor do I need possessions in my life or a status from a job title (such as being a lawyer or a judge) to validate my existence.

And guess what? Here I am at the age of 46 fantasizing like a giddy little girl about my next wedding - the next one happens to be the ultimate marriage I have been dreaming about for 7 years now and that's trekking 140 days on Nepal's Great Himalaya Trail from February to June of 2024 with an all women team of Nepali guides and porters. Oh, yes, there goes my heart - falling in love again.

If society tells you you're too old to get married, you can always marry the mountains. You can have everything no matter what.

Live your life unapologetically. Follow your joy, no matter how weird it maybe. Actually, WEIRD is the best...”

27/10/2022

Vivo la mia vita in quatro di miglio alla volta. Non importa di nient’altro…per quei 10 secondi io sono libero . - Dominic Toretto

I live my life in quarter of miles at a time. Nothing else matters ... for those 10 seconds I am free . - Dominic Toretto

私は4分の1ずつ人生を歩んでいます。他のことはどうでもいい......その10秒間、私は自由だ......」。- ドミニク・トレット

Mountain Planet shared a post on Instagram: " : FKT - Piz Bernina - Biancograt- 2h44’ . Vivo la mia vita un quarto di miglio alla volta. Non mi importa di nient’altro… per quei 10 secondi io sono libero (Dominic Toretto) . Il mago 🎩 . 🎥 . ...

26/10/2022

“…running truly quiets this noise. It feels necessary. It is necessary….I think about nothing, and nothing is nice.”

A runner explores what it takes to find quiet in the world, and in our minds. All photos by Steven Gnam  On a forest path in the early morning, sun

24/09/2022

Eco-conscious fun-hoggery, as an ethos, a culture, a life style, and an industry, spans the world, and even rules some corners of it. Chouinard is its best-known avatar and entrepreneur, its principal originator and philosopher-king, and is as responsible as anyone for guiding it from the primitive tin-can and hobnail aesthetic of the mid-twentieth century to the slackline and dome-tent attitude of today. He has made it more comfortable, and more glamorous, to be outside, in harsh conditions. His influence is way out of proportion to his revenue footprint. He has mixed feelings about all this—some apprehension about the world he has made. He celebrates the spread of an ecological consciousness but laments the disappearance of danger and novelty, and the way that the wilderness has become a hobby, or even a vocation. He disdains ski areas (“They’re golf courses”), the idea of professional climbing (“I just don’t like the whole paid-climber thing”), and the proliferation of extreme sports as programming and marketing (“Red Bull’s in the snuff-film business”).

How Yvon Chouinard turned his eco-conscious, anti-corporate ideals into the credo of a successful clothing company.

17/11/2018

Thank you for sharing.

We supported a barangay community in Coron in 2000 to get into seaweed farming. The coastal waters around their bay is an ideal place to grow seaweeds, a promising livelihood that requires minimal capital. All in all, we shell out 25,000 Pesos of our own money to buy the lines where the seaweeds will be planted and farmed. It is amazing to realize what a small amount of money in those days could start, a livelihood for 25 families.

The locals were puzzled with our initiative, we were not even expecting that they pay us back with the initial capital we provided to start the project. However, we knew from the beginning that in order to nurture their seaweed farms they must keep the reef clean and healthy. Cyanide fishing and other destructive fishing practices can't happen if they want to have their seaweeds thrive. They became the stewards of the reef.

Fast forward 18 years later, only few of them are left tending their seaweed farms. The yields have plummeted year after year to the point that many would rather find seasonal employment somewhere. The reefs lost their stewards. That along with over fishing have now transformed what was once a vibrant reef into an ecosystem in distress.

We would like our community stewards back.

We read somewhere that some of the best seaweed farming practices currently incorporate oyster and mussel farming into their farms. Kindly get in touch with us if you have the know how of to do this. We are of course open for other ideas.

Please come to our community. We will be more than happy to return your kindness by inviting you to stay with us. The local folks and the dugongs of our reef will be glad to welcome you.

Photo credit: New Zealand Geographic

17/11/2018

We supported a barangay community in Coron in 2000 to get into seaweed farming. The coastal waters around their bay is an ideal place to grow seaweeds, a promising livelihood that requires minimal capital. All in all, we shell out 25,000 Pesos of our own money to buy the lines where the seaweeds will be planted and farmed. It is amazing to realize what a small amount of money in those days could start, a livelihood for 25 families.

The locals were puzzled with our initiative, we were not even expecting that they pay us back with the initial capital we provided to start the project. However, we knew from the beginning that in order to nurture their seaweed farms they must keep the reef clean and healthy. Cyanide fishing and other destructive fishing practices can't happen if they want to have their seaweeds thrive. They became the stewards of the reef.

Fast forward 18 years later, only few of them are left tending their seaweed farms. The yields have plummeted year after year to the point that many would rather find seasonal employment somewhere. The reefs lost their stewards. That along with over fishing have now transformed what was once a vibrant reef into an ecosystem in distress.

We would like our community stewards back.

We read somewhere that some of the best seaweed farming practices currently incorporate oyster and mussel farming into their farms. Kindly get in touch with us if you have the know how of to do this. We are of course open for other ideas.

Please come to our community. We will be more than happy to return your kindness by inviting you to stay with us. The local folks and the dugongs of our reef will be glad to welcome you.

Photo credit: New Zealand Geographic

23/05/2018

Summer 2018!! a little bit of paradise.

23/04/2018

the coconut tree are finally growing up after 15 years !!!

18/01/2018

Bird House in El Nido.. one day we will build some trails

A long honeymoon inspired one couple to build The Birdhouse, a treehouse-style retreat in El Nido, Philippines.

23/12/2017

Sea Tribe Of Philippines

Follow The Bored Mind Travel

22/10/2017

Great news for Boracay.. when you want solitude come to Busuanga ...