Colour and sights delight in India!

I find it easier to post photos on facebook and then send the site to everyone, but here are a few to fancy up the blog! Some sights from the past couple weeks, since we landed in Kolkata on Dec.6th. They are somewhat out of order, but I think the descriptions handle it.
Tomorrow we head south to Puri to find a beach for New Years! More stories to come...
Enjoy!
From Kolkata we went way north to the state of Sikkim...capital is Gangtok. Walking distance from Gangtok we found a Zoological park where this Snow Leopard was living. Its basically a zoo with large enclosures instead of small cages. I still have qualms about it, but it was quite exciting to be nose to nose with a snow leopard!

In Gangtok we stayed with a Nepalese woman who spoiled us endlessly! Here she served us a traditional Sikkimese drink called 'tongba'. it's made with fermented millet that you pour hot water over and keep refilling until the flavour is gone. It's a drink that keeps on giving! Tastes quite a bit like Sake. Fun to have it served in a large wooden 'mug' with bamboo straws!


From Gangtok we took a day trip to Tsongu Lake. It's 2 hours of wise roads, weaving up and down the Himalayas. Wise roads? Roadside signs in the area spout such wisdom as, "If you drive like hell you will get there" ..."Life is short, don't make it shorter"..."If married, divorce speed"..."BRO can build highways anywhere but the sky (BRO=Border Route Organization)".."Ever wonder who defies death to build your roads. BRO, roads for the nation". TO go with the signs, taxis and 'goods carriers' have mudflaps with such as, "Horn Please"..."Just Wait"..."Good Luck", and on the windshield of one my favorite, "So far so good".


Dylan, conqueror of all he surveys...those are his dreaming words...
This is beside Tsongu Lake...unfortunately I have neglected to post a photo of the lake itself, and now I'm out of time ...so imagine a glacier lake in the rockies with yaks, momos (veggie dumplings), and stalls selling everything with tea all along one side of the lake. Chowk Market in Kolkata





The view from our 'home' in Kolkata

Out of order! Now we're back up north in 'the hills'. We were in Darjeeling before Gangtok (above) where this photo was taken. As of March 2007 there are no more plastic bags used in the city. The state just north, Sikkim, was the first state in India to ban plastic...as of the late 90s. Catch up Canada!

From Tiger Hill in Darjeeling, we watched the sunrise, slowly illuminating the Himalayan valleys, coloured with Tibetan prayer flags....

...and then highlighting the peaks of Kanchendzonga, the third highest peak in the world. from this view point we could see the tiny tip of Mt. Everest out of the picture to the left. In the foreground is Darjeeling, clinging to the hillside.

Prayer Flags
So colourful! Catching the windiest spots, they constantly send off prayers.

There's a little photo journey as an appetizer. The meal is coming sooooon

Happy new year everyone! I hope friends, silence, laughter, and reflection find you in the next few days and start a new year just like it needs to start.

Much much love
lauren

Christmas in the Himalayas!

We have ventured north from Kolkata to a cold but beautiful land. Nestled between Bhutan, Nepal, Tibet (formerly), China and North Bengal (Darjeeling area), the state of Sikkim is culturally diverse and astoundingly beautiful with it's Himalayan scenery.
the original people here were the Lepchas, who refer to themselves as the Rongpas (ravine dwellers). Now they are the minority and have the middle of this state reserved for them and only them.
The next to come were the Bhutia's, from Tibet, and finally the Nepalese, following the British much late on. Now about 80% of the population are Nepali (typically Hindu), while the Bhutias and Rongpas are Buddhist, though the Rongpas incorporate animism into their belief system (their original religion).
On top of these 3, there are many combinations and sub sects that pose a religious mix like nowhere else! and yet it remains a peaceful, agreeable place.
Incredibly peaceful.
We are staying with a woman named Primula and she has taught us much about the ways of Nepali people here...religiously-both Hindu (her birth religion) and Buddhism (she married into it), and delectably-cooking many foods found only in Sikkim, or only for festivals [Sikkimese New Years just ended, called Losoong]).
All of this is perfectly satisfying to moi, who not only loves food, but devoted 4 years to the study of cultural anthropology!
The capital of Sikkim is Gangtok, where we're staying, and from here we have visited the Rumtek Monastery (of the Mahayana branch of Buddhism, seat of the 17th Karmapa, important place), Ganesh Tok (beautiful view), a zoological park (Himalayan snow leopard, common leopard, civet, red panda [in the raccoon family], Himalayan black bear and Himalayan wolves), and the Nagyal Institute of Tibetology (houses some of the most sacred texts and ceremonial objects of Buddhism).
At the Rumtek Monastery we walked up just in time to witness a ceremony...perhaps following the death of someone according to Primula. It was quite something. knowing nothing about what was going on, we could only watch and listen in delighted silence.
We went right into the main building after this and felt quite out of place as monks draped in red proceeded to put everything away. It was fun to see little monks running around the legs of taller ones, chasing each other with the drum 'sticks', giggling and laughing and smiling at us as we timidly walked by.
Even when we're doing 'nothing' over here, I'm still learning tons everyday.
I long for that when I'm at home.
I learned today (for instance) that Bodhi day, the day f Buddha's enlightenment, is celebrated on December 8th, my birthday!
Seems I celebrated my 24th year in the right country.
About the birthday, an all around satisfying day in Kolkata: Went to a planetarium and had a wonderful nap beneath the starry night sky! (it was just so dark and quiet and comfortable with a soothing voice lulling us for half an hour!), walked through the Maidan - one of my favorite places in the city... a huge HUGE open field where everything is happening, from horse rides, to father and son flying kites, to food sales, to reading, to walking, to goats grazing. Wonderful! Then we met our host Biplob at a cafe, waited for Katie, another traveller staying with him, and his friend Aloo. then mosied over to the nicest restaurant I'd yet been to in India. Delicious veggie sizzler was the meal, with a Tom Collins to drink! Our local guys then took us to a fancy bar to see a live rock band (have toured Europe and NA I believe) and by 2am we were ready for bed!
In words it sounds quite regular, but in real life, everything was somewhat surreal, as we 'discovered' what was around each corner.
Oh and Dylan and I got our new glasses that day! Glasses, with lenses for 5 dollars. A reasonable birthday gift to myself I'd say!
On the way to Sikkim we stopped in Darjeeling for tea and warm clothes. as a note.

Now we're preparing for Christmas in Gangtok most likely, or perhaps Pelling where there is apparently a festival of music, crafts, food, art etc. Wherever we are, we'll be bathing in sunlight, wrapped in wool shawls, gazing at the third highest peak in the world, and thoroughly missing family and friends.

here are my latest thoughts... I just started a book called 'Sadhana, the spiritual way" by Swami Krishnananda. Sadhana means 'spiritual practice' the word in sanskrit means 'an effort exercised towards the achievment of a purpose'. Thus basically every effort is sadhana, because it leads to the achievment of some goal. Krishnananda asks this "here in the context of what is known as spiritual sadhana, what is it that we are aiming at? What do you want finally? If the goal is not clear, any means adopted to the goal will fall flat, like a huge structure raised ona weak fonudation. Let each one of you put a question to your own self, "what am I seeking in the end?"
The book continues to guide thought through questions. BUt what a starting point! those words are from the first 2 paragraphs.
What it spurred in me was this (from my journal):
"In life I seek connection. WIth people. WIth the cycle. I want to learn of coenctions between plants and bugs. between humans and fungi. between spirit and physical. between cultures and countries. between friends and strangers."
it's vague, but I suppose it's the blessing on the the ground where the foundation will be built. A starting point.

So that's me lately. Take these words and ponder. Find time to ponder. As Primula told us over breakfast today, the Sikkimese know how to enjoy life. Even in government jobs, when the work day is 10-4, people show up at 11, take a 2 hour lunch break from 1-3 and usually no one is there from 3-4! But everything still gets done. and they've enjoyed connection of conversation with friends throughout the day. They've enjoyed family and practiced devotion. They've soaked in the sun and cultivated a relaxed, peaceful, shining self. That's how it seems, and that's how I've experienced people.

Enjoy the holiday season, full of family, friends, and a break from the rush!
So much love and bushels of hugs!
lauren

So many people, such loud horns! Hello India!

Kolcata, India
We arrived today. WOW! It has been such an adventure just getting off the plane to this internet cafe, i'm overwhelmed by it all...i think!
i'm not sure what i am, i just can't stop giggling and laughing! Seems to be the response to all this. Not a bad response eh?
Right now i'm sitting in this internet cafe, paying under 50cents an hour, full of delicious vegetarian food from a punjab restaurant - garlic naan, dal with vegetable, rice, salty lassi (yogurt drink), black tea, and large bottle water = ~2CAD, face sticky with pollution grime, key in my pocket to a guesthouse that is currently lit by candles, a piercing horn blasting literally every 6 seconds (sometimes it actually seems like a cartoon world of horn competitions, "meep" "Bleep" "oh ya? meep meep" "BLEEEEEP" "meep meep meeeeeep"), and a delightful guy next to me that laughs as much as i do right now...i told him it was -20C at home today and he wide eyed responded, "whoa minus 20, you will all look like..oh how is it?..that (arms held out wide during this)...{hindi hindi hindi}...snowman! you will all look like snowmen walking around! no good for here!" (apply delightful indian accent).

and this giggle in my chest just keeps on buzzing within!

There are so many people here! everything is happening out on the street...cooking, selling, construction, sleeping, living, washing, brushing, feeding, watching, sitting, cleaning, peeing...i'd never seen an outdoor public area urinal before, just a 3 wall cubicle with 2 foot pads and the ground between to pee on. everything is out in the open here.
people don't seem to smile unless necessary either, but it doesn't seem at all rude..it's just how it is. no false fronts. smile when you want. Kind of refreshing really!

Our entry into the country, while adventurous and perhaps overwhelming (in a good way..i was in fact looking forward to the shock!), has been absolutely splendid overall, as several people have gone well out of their way to help us. Much like my trip to Turkey 3 years ago, I feel carried around by people and cared for. As though everyone is looking out for me until I figure out this foreign system.
One man helped us figure out the public bus, fresh from the airport. He got on with us and told us many helpful hints...i started to wonder if he would asked to be paid, but he soon said, "okay good luck and enjoy my beautiful India! this is my stop, goodbye".
Right after he left, our bench sitting neighbour piped up and, speaking excellent english, answered all kinds of questions, taught us 'thank you, yes, and no', told us good food to eat etc. then gave us his phone number and invited us for dinner on sunday, his one day off, and offered to take us to a temple earlier in the day. 'Just call! and call if you have ANY troubles in Kolcata, Any at all.' and then he jumped off at his stop.
A wonderful first impression!

the horns however, could drive anyone crazy.

and there are ALOT of people here!

so those are my first thoughts here, after a mere 5 hours in the country. Many more stories to follow!

so much love.
lauren

You Be You!

Hello from Bangkok, round 3!
I have so many things to catch you up on...oh how to capture it all in words!
Cambodia was amazing.
Since I last wrote I haven't moved around very much, but I revelled in the company of an incredble friend, attended the World Volleyball Championships for Disabled Peoples, found the Cambodian Circus!, basked in the glorious sun atop a boat roof while gliding through floating villages and finally saw some monkeys!
So, to capture it all....
Anna. We have such fun together! and we move mountains of personal perception with our conversations and dreaming. So satisfying! GIggling, sleepovers under our mosquito net tent, beautiful family that graciously adopeted me into their clan, pancake breakfasts with fresh banana and pineapple and many friends and sunshine! Mmmm delicious in so many ways!
Here's an Anna quote to inspire and smile:
"I just can't justify Not learning cool stuff from cool people ALL the time!"
here here!

Volleyball. So moving! I was literally brought to tears by the energy and pride in that room. The game we watched was Cambodia vs. Poland..Cambodia won and took 3rd place in the world! It actually changed my idea of competitive sports a little bit. Here are the thoughts in progress from my journal that day- there's a permission and acceptance of the nature of the game on the court, competition. There's equality out there. Cultural differences and stripped away.
Such pride in their country. So neat in any setting to see people come together in unity for a cause.
Boys with pails flipped over drumming for hours with their Whole Being. sweating and laughing, keeping the crowd clapping and cheering.
So amazing to see people overcome obstacles too (one arm, one leg, no hand..). Same injuries in Poland as in Cambodia.
Equal.
Inclusion. Community Building. making spaces for All People.
i get realy teary with sports sometimes..when everyone jumps from their seats cheering and waving flags. Hearts racing. Matchpoint. Awesome.

Cambodian Circus.
HOOOOAHHH!! These youths are INCREDIBLE! I was Totally enthralled and excited to watch them! This circus is part of a project that aims to give orphaned youth a space and tools to express themselves. There several branches to the project: education, library, skills trainig, art, circus..to name a few.
They had art from the youth on display around the place and they were astounding. Youth offered us rice based liqueurs and crunchy rice styrofoamy tasty things as aperitifs. Many spoke french because this project is associated with a french NGO..so I could speak with them and learn!
The circus aspect of the project was cerated because they recognized that some of the children and youth had 'extra baggage and energy" (as sophie the NGO gal put it). A medium for expression that used that energy.
it's an awesome project from what i can tell. offering tools to help define who they are when there hasn't been an opportunity for that anywhere else in their hard knock lives.

and the show was incredible! so creative, using only materials that they would find on the streets anyway. set designed and created by the youth. back full twists landing on someones shoulders, aerials over a waving flag, music on plastic pipes, drumming on tin food covers..it might not make sense like this, but it's all the things i've seen everyday on the streets brought together in a creative, beautiful way!
awesome.

now we're back in bangkok getting ready to fly to India tomorrow. Tomorrow! wow.
I'll put some photos up on here a little later.
i love it when you post comments, even just to say hi i'm here!it's so nice to hear.
lots of love

so much love!
feel it all the time!
lauren

Cambodia - afterthoughts

I've been completely unsettled ever since i posted the last entry and must explain why!
I've been having many discussions about development and western tourists in non western places. Discussing and expanding perceptions based on learnings of everyone's varied experiences in various countries.
The difference between discussions and 'blog posts'', is that when written, the idea feels so much more permanent and decided. And that's just not the case at all! Everything in the last entry is swirling in my head, sailing in and out of my thoughts, picking up new experiences and ideas with every voyage.
There are no answers it seems.
What I have decided is that it is important to be responsible with my experiences and with the learnings I bring back.
What that means in a concrete way is yet to be defined!
I also feel unsettled because an apparent attack on my life in Canada seemed to dominate the mood of the entry. and I don't mean that either!
i do often feel critical of life in North America when I see others ways to exist, because we really do overconsume at home and it's simply not good for anything. I do say that with an pound of decidedness! There are ways to be happy that don't require 'stuff' , and in less 'developed' places there are many ways to be friendlier to the environment that we could easily adopt at home.
So often travel and 'development' means one way domination and learning. The western ways are brought to new areas and begin to be adopted, yet the travellers hardly ever bring back new ways to live to their own country.
I think we have ALOT to learn from Cambodia.

One environmental suggestion for the day: When brushing your teeth, fill a cup half full of water and use only that for the whole process! dip, brush, swish and rinse! no need to have the tap running the whole time, or even long enough to wet the brush. there isn't always running water everywhere. quick learning.

And now a super brief update:
Here's the travels after Banteay Chmar....back to Siem Reap - this is where Angkor Wat is, but I haven't been tot the temples after 3 nights in the city! it was mostly a place to sleep and leave from.
To Phnom Penh for a day. This is where Anna lives. We got there and I didn't leave the apartment for 24 hours! It's really REALLY nice to be in a Home.
Next down south near the Vietnam border to Svay Rieng, staying with other volunteer friends of Anna's (Rachel and Fiona). They volunteer at a place that does many projects in the rural areas including HIV awareness, a small orphanage, and raising frogs and fish for selling at the market. We went down there to escape the city and to help plant a garden!
What a deliciously wonderful 2 days! Playing in the dirt with children and adults! What I love most about experiences like that, is that the instant rich-barang (foreigner) to poor-local relationship is stripped away and we're left being Human with each other.
We get to laugh, teach each other new words, make mud pies, share a banana, break up dirt clumps, play games, learn about different banana species (only 6 months before the plant is old enough to produce! hot climate).
Refreshing.
Back to PP after that for another 2 days before heading way north to Rattanak Kiri in the far north east corner. More interviews here with an indigenous ecotourism project that's on the go. These are no Cambodian people, but rather Tampoen. There are about 5 different indig peoples involved in the project, centered around Yeak Loam Lake. it's a beautiful area and we've had a delightful time getting to know some of the indigenous guys that are happy to invite us over to show us photos or drawings one has done, happy to be our tour guides, tell us stories, teach us more words.
it's so nice to be here with Anna ...being able to speak k'mai gets us into all kinds of situations that aren't always possible. (indig peoples here also speak k'mai). An instant change in the relationship or perception of us occurs when she switches languages. perhaps more respect?
so that's where we are right now, Bang Lung in the Rattanak Kiri province.
We'll head back to PP on Sunday, hopefully. There is a huge water festival there right now, we're told an extra 4 million people have streamed into the capital city to watch and race boats on the river! so it will be Slow Going to get back to the apartment.

it's so wonderful to be out in the world, stimulated to learn and have so many amazing conversations every day! conversations that teach new perspectives, that challenge my ideas, that make me laugh, that create memories.
high concentration of memory making going on here.
it's good.
life is good!

loving you all every day with my Whole Heart
Lauren

Cambodia: This ones all over the map!

I’m not even sure where to start today. It’s been a whirlwind adventure of learning, travelling, figuring, reunioning, laughing, meeting new people, enjoying, frustrating, eating, growing, and travelling.
I got myself to Siem Reap, Cambodia, after a long day of travel from Bangkok on many different modes of transport. Train, tuk tuk, walk, wait, walk, wait, open walled van, wait, walk, open van, moto, share taxi, tuk tuk, moto….now I’m at the guesthouse I’ve been instructed to meet my dear friend Anna at. She’s left a note and a key to our room. Off I go, walking, to Le Tigre Papier to find this long since seen friend. The anticipation is invigorating as I find the proper street and draw ever nearer the restaurant…way at the back, working away on her computer I find her!

It’s been three years since we last saw each other. A Kiwi and a Canadian in Sweden find a lasting friendship that carries them through worldly adventures and eagerly awaits global meetings to catch up and share stories! This time we hardly have time to catch up before we’re whisked into a series of fabulous travels together in this country of patchwork memories.

Anna has been here for 9 months, living in Phnom Penh (the capital), and working for an NGO organization called CLEC (Community Legal Education Centre). Looking at land claim issues has taken up much of her year. The trend lately has been for rich Cambodians, or worse, rich foreigners, to stroll out into rural Cambodia and buy up large plots of land from farmers, offering maybe 500USD for the lot. For someone making $350US/year, 500 seems like a fortune! Without any land now, they move to the city, where 500 dollars doesn’t go very far. Soon they live in the slums, as ex-farmers, looking for any skill to sell and continue scraping by.

In the last month, Anna has taken on another project related to this focus. She’s been visiting community based ecotourism sites, with the intent of putting together a document of successes and challenges for each site. This will be shared between current and future sites. A network will begin, the sharing of knowledge will promote country wide community and connection, and villages will hopefully be continually successful in finding many uses for their land and human skills that will make some extra money, while serving to ‘cohesify’ (scuse the laurenism) the village, as they make decisions and work together.

SO….I get to tag on to this project and visit many rural areas of Kampuchea!

Here’s a week in hopefully less than a page:
* Banteay Chmar (NE Cambodia), NGO Agir pour le Cambodge has helped set up an ecotourism project. It incorporates 4 villages and so far has been quite successful! It’s a quick visit, but jam-packed with learning and excitement for me!
In the course of 24 hours I learned (and remembered no less!) about 15 Kh’mai words (man: “moto?” me: ”Oht Day, Au kGun..jong dahl!” [no thanks, I want to walk!]), hitched rides on the back of pick-ups like we saw many kh’mai doing, spoke with SO MANY GRACIOUS PEOPLE (including two of the sweetest old men on the side of the street. They were the dj’s for the town? Choosing which tape to blast over the loudspeaker!), saw the greenest rice fields, and met 4 amazing people who have helped pull together the diverse skills of a community, with hopes of attracting ‘us’. Development some might call it.

The development topic irks me endlessly. The village of Banteay Chmar is everything I could ever imagine idyllic to be. A beautiful clean moat for water. A sweet little red dirt street that runs along the moat, with homes and restaurants placed along it graced with the most luscious view of that tasty colour combo – pure water blue against vibrant plant green. Fresh hot food wafting past your nose with every step. A gorgeous temple for the spiritual seekers. A delightful bunch of youth and old people and children that bring character to this memory laden, weathered village. Children tirelessly practicing a school performance each night with devoted parents offering instruction. Bicycles, motorcycles, cows pulling carts of organic materials. Fresh, delicious, sunny air and zillions of twinkling stars. Breezy wooden homes, toilets that don’t use copious amounts of water to flush (and no toilet paper clogging the system), showers that don’t use 40% of a homes energy to heat the water (it’s a hot part of the world!), and fresh fresh food!
I realize I’m looking at the positives only. There are hardships, there have been immeasurable hardships endured by these brave and resilient people in their recent history. People are poor and often sick. Health care is not so caring by our standards. Land mines still dot the country side and continue to cause crippling injury.

So I guess these are my questions:
where do we fit into this scene? Do we bring in our western demands to this community while travelling in search of that ‘authentic’ experience? Do we (as NGO’s perhaps) introduce an administrative office that runs in a ‘developed world’ way, on western timelines with western values? In catering to another culture, one immediately objectifies their own as they become conscious of the Differences. Inevitably the ‘developed’ way seems initially appealing and infiltrates the desires of a community. What the hell is development anyway? Where is it developing too? There is certainly direction assumed in the term development. A linear progression to some better place. Who determines better? The west? Is our way really that much better? Is the smell of fresh herbs and cultivated flavours just around the corner? Are there 17 locally owned shops just down the street? Or perhaps just one monster walmart…Does your house contribute absolutely zero emissions and use absolutely NO energy from 10pm to 7am? And in the waking hours how many gallons of water go down the drain? Can you see zillions of stars from your front step? Go check.

My experience in the world so far is this:
- People with the ‘least’ appreciate everything they have with refreshing passion.
- People with the ‘least’ give the most without hesitation.
- People with the ‘least’ love their children with tenderness and encouragement.
- People with the ‘least’ have strong community
- People with the ‘least’ have more direction and apparent contentment than I may ever have

And thus it seems to me, the ‘People with the ‘Least’’ have a lot ‘More’ figured out than I’ve experienced people with ‘More’ to have. We in the west keep on searching. Or I in the west do anyway. I assume some others might be with me.
This rant has many holes in it I’m sure. I’m not sure it even makes sense! I tend to rant in circles.

Ranting like a happy dog who loves its tail.

It does keep me going in life for whatever reason! Maybe not forward...but that’s a western idea that forward is good…okay I’m not cutting into that durian fruit tonight (they have a rancid smell...in fact, they aren’t permitted on the skytrain system in Bangkok! If I cut into it, I certainly won’t be able to deal with the smelly repercussions tonight!).

As Anna put it, people spend their lives as PhD students writing papers on development. I guess my blog isn’t going to fix it tonight!

Food for thought.

This food took me off track from catching you up on my adventures over the last few days…but food works that way in my travels regularly…I’m going somewhere to see som…ooo look at that fruit.. What is it? Oh excuse me, ‘tilai pon mon?’ mmmm no too much. Oh for two? Well maybe, prohile…ja ja, okay…oh! Delicious! Anna, try this! Anna? Oh! what did you find?... mmm a feast! Let’s get a smoothie and sit and enjoy!....

…I can always see that monument tomorrow…

Many more stories to come!
With so much love,
lauren


...did you make it through all that?!...

Takraw!

I've had a craving to see a game of takraw ever since Graeme Ford brought that wicked little wicker ball out for play time one day of Summer Staff 2003. we all played with it like a hacky sack, but he told tantalizing stories of the true game...over a low net (roughly badminton height i'd say) like a game of volleyball but with your feet only. and they still smash the ball, block it, serve it with unbelievable kicks and flying turns, somehow managing to land on their feet.
these were the stories...and finally, yesterday, i got to see a game! and sure enough the stories held true.
I was mesmerized by the talent, the movements, the precision of blind over the head backwards twisted kicks. the ball always seemed to go exactly where it needed to. Feet sailed head high with ease, sending the wicker ball on a direct course to the other side.
the game impressed me tremendously, but the whole occasion will forever stick in my head because of the circumstance surrounding the game itself. I left Dylan and his friends yesterday, as they went south to the islands and i'm planning to go to cambodia to meet a dear NZ friend in a couple days. so I travelled on the train solo to bangkok, Thonburi station.
The Thonburi train station is the secondary station i would say. it's surrounded by markets and the hustle bustle of everyday local life (versus Hua Lamphong train station that is fancier and has 'cheap' 650baht (~20$) accomodation all around it [i'm currently paying 150b/night (~4$)]).
so i was walking through this evening market and stumbled across a Takraw 'tournament': 2 games simultaneously being played on a concrete field, with about 30 people casually sitting and watching.
Mesmerized I was, so I stopped, stood and watched a few minutes. I was quickly invited to sit down on the curb beside the others...but me being an awkwardly polite canadian thought it best to say no, atempting to explain that i had a big backpack etc. i dont' know why i refused. I think i was in hermit mode after being alone in my head for the train ride.
so i stood happily watching, until a few mintues later, Pong showed up with a stool, set it on the sidewalk for me and motioned to sit! i sat. and everyone said "Ohhhhhhhh hahaha!"
So I laughed, but certainly felt like a spoiled white girl that couldn't bring herself to sit on the ground. (for the record, i'm quite happy to ground sit!)
To make matters more hospitable, and slightly more embarrassing for white lauren, Pong soon showed up again, glass bottle of coke with a straw in hand. I said oh! wow! and took it. To which everyone again said "Ohhhhhhhhh hahah!"
All in all it was a fun interaction. Not a word of english, barely a word of thai from my side.
And truly, takraw is a game of skill and unfathomable precision!
I"m satisfied.

apologies for no photos of the occasion. it will have to remain a mystical, fantasmical game until you yourself stumble across a concrete tournament one day...

Thailand continues

I"m travelling with one Mr. Dylan Leech (for those that don't know) and we finally dragged ourselves out of Bangkok to a much greener, more luscious, smaller area of Thailand in the Kanchanaburi province, close to the Myanmar border..sort of (no need to worry, it's safe safe safe!). In fact the name of the town where we sleep at tonight is called Kanchanaburi. The reason we styaed so long in Bangkok is that Dylan was waiting for a couple of his best buds to arrive from Calgary. So now we are a 4 person canadian caravan.

2 days ago we got to the thonburi train station and embarked on the 3 hour train ride...3rd class, wooden seats, meat on a stick served from the aisle, BIG wide open windows to hang out of, 100baht=3CAD. Quite delightful! the town here is famous for it's "Bridge over the River Kwai" (seen the movie?)...

we're staying right on the river, there are many floating guesthouses here..it's the attractive thing for tourists when your town is known for the Kwai River.

we rented scooters the other day and kept them for about 30 hours...SO MUCH FUN! we rode way out towards Erawan National Park..a gorgeous area..the roads dotted with stands selling all kinds of tasty treats..mountains of luscious lusciousness, beautiful blue lakes (the photo looks like the okanagan!) ...and an adventure:

4 of us on our scooters, we ride for nearly an hour to gt to our destination...only for Daryl (dylans' friend) to realize the the key has fallen out somewhere along the way. so if turn the scooter off, we won't be able to turn it on. Good ol handy man dylan goes to take a look and ..turns it off. and then proceeds to lock the ignition....oops

daryl and jessie take off on 2 working scooters to find the key. immediately after they left the 15 or so thai people (workers in the park i think) descend upon us to see what the problem is. we sherade the problem and everyone pulls out their keys to see if they can unlock the ignition. no go.

so 2 guys get a screwdriver and take the scooter apart, hot wire it, and voila! controlled by the manual choke...we have a working scooter!

The whole ordeal was a wonderful medium to meet people, to be impressed by the endless hospitality that so often is the norm. I have felt nothing but safe and taken care of in this country.

ISn't that so often the case? When preparing for this trip I visited travel nurses, read advice from people, heard stories, read news clips...Be Afraid..is basically the message I got from it all.

I"m pretty sick of that. First of all, every place I"ve been told to be the most scared of has turned out to be the most magical and generous in so many ways. So many people want to share their culture, their food, their ideas, their advice. So many travellers want to open up and connect for that five minute pad thai. people crave connection and comfort of human interaction. Anda asked me to sit in front of his internet shop with him (it was closed by the time i got there), just to have a quick conversation as it turned out.

Second of all, why else are we on this planet but to Live? We can't be afraid with every step we take and of every person we encounter.

as my dear friend Waleed expressed most passionately, there is Risk involved in everything we do. Often more Risk the more we Love something. I"m here to Live, and with this form of living there is the potential for Risk...but more often there is the occasion for Learning and Growth, and Connection with Humans who have gifts and new persepctives to share.

I"m hit with this Every Time I venture into the unknown.

So step out of your comfort zone a little today. or tomorrow. or maybe next week. But do it. Because it's when you do something new that the memories are made. And life is truly a treasure box of memories.

Make some good ones.

Bangkok, Thailand!

WE're here! Safe and sound, rested and refreshed after 30 hours or so of travel. U-Shaped pillows are my new best friend.
the trip started with a questionable beginning. our plane in calgary was 'overfuelled' and they couldn't put everyone on it! so we got moved to another flight 2 hours later. it all owrked out, but overfuelled? never heard of it.
It's nice to get back into travel mode. i feel it happening slowly. I worried that I wouldn't meet people, that there wouldn't be any other like minded travellers out there (a usual, but continuously silly worry!)...but right away we met a lovely couple on our plane, ended up on several flights together, into a taxi together, to the Green Room Guest house (the selling point is that the walls are indeed green) where we all stayed last night. Meeting people, looking out for my stuff while not being overly paranoid, talking with hands, crossing the street, opening doors..there is a language of travelling that i'm quickly remembering.

WE got to the guest house at about 2am Thai time, settle din, met on the street for a smoothies and some pad thai. I will never be able to pay 10 dollars for NA Pad Thai ever again. Delicious!

I'm here! Thailand! The adventure has begun!

A few for the family

DAD TURNED 60! HAZZAH!Dearest mumsy hosted the party of the weekend with many loving guests bringing laughter wine and good company to the prepared feast!

A warm evening, rooms full of people, music, old friends new friends, friends that are family....a bottle of amaretto, a fire of fruit, 17 matches, eager onlookers to a sooted flameless pan...tasty, delectable dessert....what fun!
A splendid way to celebrate a loving, creative, amazing father.
All my love dear popsy!

Pre-boarding

It's funny how hard it is to put things in a bag. I put them in and take them out and look at them for awhile...hum...haw...in again...out..over to the maybe pile...a constant need to simplify while making everything so utterly complicated!
Home in Penticton getting ready for a 6 month adventure on the other side of the northern hemisphere.
Hoooahh!
Soon the adventure begins!