Benalmadena - Buddhist Temples + Fresh Starts
Hey guys and welcome to my new travel blog!
For my birthday last year, I was gifted with a surprise trip to Benalmadena, Spain. I have never heard of this picturesque and quiet seaside town before, but it is situated an hour away from Malaga on the Costa del Sol. The climate was super divine for May, it wasn't so hot that you felt suffocated by it, but it was bright enough and warm enough that you could sunbathe and take full advantage of the sunshine.
It was a surreal morning to wake up to see the beautiful park we expected to have a view of, be eclipsed by a huge mountain that was hidden by the evening clouds. It was a little town with a quaint vibe but is close enough to drive to the busier cities whilst still having the relaxed feel of being away from that. There are a lot of tourist attractions in the area from a Zoo to a Buddhist Temple which really caught my eye. There were a few restaurants and a beautiful Marina, the beach is divine and in the heart of where we were staying was a huge park.
Now I was totally convinced that I heard a peacock in the middle of the night and there was a cacophony of what sounded like birds all the time, but it wasn't as invasive as it sounds. When we started to explore the first morning and entered the adjacent park, that is exactly what was happening. An army of chickens across the roads, the park. Peacocks roaming around. It was like some insane open menagerie. It had a beautiful lake with turtles and wild guinea pigs. Donkeys, it was just nice to be in the sun and around the beautiful plant life and animals.
So as I mentioned, the visit to a temple was very important to me as I had decided previously that when I reached 25, I wanted to be in a situation where I could shed off the first quarter of my life to enter a new. I had been in Japan nine years prior and had a similar situation there. I hold Buddhism with the utmost respect and have visited many sacred sites, inclusive of the giant Buddha in Kamakura. I also spent NYE in Tokyo, committing to the Lotus Sutra and receiving gifts of celebration from the monks. This temple was attached to a sanctuary that was full of beautiful butterflies. It was very symbolic to me and I took the opportunity to give thanks and make my new intentions.
At the koi pond, when I was in meditation the fish swam to me and I managed to have a chance to capture that moment as I'd like to remember it with a painting. It was very tranquil and I enjoyed the butterflies landing on your arms or head haha. The view from the top of the mountain which the temple was located was beautiful, and showed the southern portion of the area which had less of a beach but a bluer sea. There were also several amphitheatres that held amateur productions around the festival times which I loved to see.
We decided to head to the local zoo and we were excited to have the chance to see some animals up close, including this very friendly monkey. I had never seen a dolphin before and I have to be honest, I have a total misconception about visualising the size of things. I have just a difficulty picturing things I dream up in 3D and I have a real struggle creating patterns. I much prefer draping than creating a block in 2D to then make the garment, so with the dolphins I was quite stunned that they were bigger than me.
I'm extremely sensitive to people and I have never had such a strong feeling of confusion from these dolphins and it felt like I was looking at someone with dementia, that was totally confused and it really had a profound impact on me. I was quite stunned by the behaviour and how such intelligent creatures that were that big were even in a pool. I really had to stop myself getting quite upset about it because although I'm not the vegan animal activist, you cannot ignore intelligence when it's staring you in the face and it looked cruel to me. So it really began my research into marine life and the way certain countries are still using whales as entertainment. So anyway it was great to see conservation but with animals like that, I think we have a way to go.
So Benalmadena was definitely a fun trip. I actually turned down going to the Glaad awards in NYC as the Baron also invited me to attend with him for my Birthday, but I had already agreed to going to Spain instead. So we shall see where my adventures take me next!
I would love to touch base on tips, fashion, SPF for sunny climates and what I wear in future blogs. I have some extremely exciting things coming so I will be focusing on creating more of a presentation! So take care and I hope you continue to follow my journey.
