From an early age, travel and adventure have been a part of Tai's life. With her family, most vacations seemed to involve activities beyond the routine - from visiting the rain forests of Costa Rica to exploring caves in Arches National Park. Having been certified as a scuba diver at age 13, her adventures continued underwater in the waters of the Caribbean, the coast of California and the Fiji Islands.

Tai's active life continued throughout high school on New York's Long Island, running on cross country teams and even traveling to Europe to compete. At Stanford, not only was she a member of a National Championship Cross Country Team but was also on the university's cycling and water skiing teams. Graduating in 2000, Tai spent her third year abroad in Australia, getting her first taste of exploring far away countries solo. Travel and adventure by now had become part of her passion.

Planning to take a year off to travel, Tai started her journey in Tibet and Nepal, trekking through the Himalayas for 3 months. Staying in local villages, she was fascinated by the language and culture, and finally got to see the amazing peaks that she had dreamt about for so long. Watching the sunrise from behind Mount Everest is a sight one doesn't easily forget.

Southeast Asia was next on her agenda and after getting used to the abrupt change in climate, Tai was soon exploring the remote hill tribe villages, caves and secluded monasteries of Laos and Thailand. In Borneo, she got to see some incredible wildlife and after some spectacular scuba diving off Sipidan Island, it was on to the jungles of Sumatra and more exotic creatures and stinging plants.

With the courage to venture into more remote areas now, she soon found herself deep in the towering Andes of Peru and Bolivia where people live simply, herding their llamas and alpacas. It was in Bolivia that she finally climbed to a height of 20,000 feet, definitely one of the most exhilarating experiences of her life. And just a few days later, deep in the Amazon jungle, she encountered knee-deep mud, tent-devouring ants, brown (literally) drinking water, and swarms of millions of bees.

But the culture shock upon her return to the states was one of her biggest challenges. Having experienced so many adventures in such a short time, there was no way she was going to seek a routine desk job. That's where Absolute Adventures came in. Although Tai has been around the globe, she now realizes that the Bay Area offers outdoor enthusiasts some of the world's best skiing, climbing, surfing, kayaking, cycling, backpacking, and all around adventures.

Tai has lots of stories for you…just ask her on the next Absolute Adventure.
Come join her in your own backyard!