About Me

Those who know me well know that I love to travel. Some would call it an obsession. I would travel almost anywhere. In my experience, every country offers interesting people to meet, cultures to learn about, and things to see and do. Sometimes, when I am lucky, travel takes me outside of my comfort zone. It delivers some surprises and challenges me to observe more keenly, understand at a deeper level, and grow in unexpected ways. Yes, I know that I could find these learning opportunities closer to home…but I do so love to be on the road.

So far, I have visited 39 countries. My adventures have included living with a nomad family on the steppes of Mongolia (yes, I cracked my pelvis – but it was a wonderful experience), diving with whale sharks and trekking in the rice paddies of the Philippines, camping on the banks of the Kinabatangan River in Borneo, swimming with piranhas in the Amazon, and watching baby turtles hatch in Nicaragua. This is not to mention that time I ate the soap at a Turkish Hammam in Paris. But, did I mention my elephant?

I recently retired from a career in legal education and am about to spend 6 months or so traveling around India, Sri Lanka, and Nepal. Some aspects of my trip are settled: panchakarma (a centuries-old ayurvedic cleansing/rebalancing process), travel with family through southern India and Rajasthan, trekking in Nepal, and advanced yoga teacher training. I am glad there are gaps in my schedule; I’ll have plenty of time to improvise as I go along.

I have always felt that vicarious travel is the next best thing to being there. If you feel the same way, I hope you will check in on this blog from time to time. I will do my best to give you a sense of the sights, sounds, and flavors of the wonderful places that I plan to visit! I am an avid amateur photographer, so will be posting lots of photos too. To connect with me, feel free to comment on my postings or email me at saffronandsilkblog@gmail.com.

Thanks, Paula

Trekking in the rice paddies of northern Philippines, where the kids rarely see “white people” and tend to scream when they see you. This little sweetie pie, on the other hand, was fascinated with me for some reason.

Quite a charmer, on the steppes in Mongolia.

Jimmy Hendrix, my favorite camel (which isn’t saying much) – in Morocco. We’re heading off into the desert, to camp under the full moon.

Back on shore after a morning of dives. Ready for slices of mango and a massage under the palm trees. At Love’s Resort, Moalbal, Cebu, Philippines.

Waking my elephant up in the morning with a snack of sugar cane. Heading to a bath in the river. At the Thai Elephant Conservation Center near Lampang, Thailand.