Paris...what a town!!!!

here are the pictures from paris....enjoy....this first shot is of my favorite gargoyle at the top of notre dame...what a cute little guy and i love that the city is below his wide eyes....the second shot is of the base of the eiffel tower...i loved the structure of this piece of architecture...all the points of contact as well...and they put an ice skating rink on the first floor for the holidays, how about that!!!! this third shot is of the sacre coeur church on montmarte at night...i love the way this shot turned out....such a beautiful church both inside and outside, plus this is where all the starving artists work during the day and night....the next shot is of the moulin rouge at night...love the colors and its in the area of town where all of the peep shows are...its just a classier kind of show since the movie was made....and the final shot is of me in front of the glass pyramid of the louvre...such a HUGE museum...i was there six hours and still didn't make it to every floor...let alone every room...wowowowowow....now on with the write-up of paris....

hey there all...happy holidays from....the USA...that's right...i am back in town...PA that is...hanging with my folks for the holiday season..can't really believe i am back...but what that really amounts to is that i am behind in my blog...sorry about that...so on with the stories from paris....

for those of you who have never been there and have heard the people in paris are rude and obnoxious...i DISAGREE....i did find it funny that when i would try out my high school french, i would get the chuckle and was usually answered in english in return from most people...but this was never in a rude and hateful sort of way...maybe because i tried so hard and laughed at my poor ability with their language, maybe because the x-mas spirit was in the air, maybe everyone was always having a good day...who knows...but i found people helpful and funny and rather nice....i LOVED paris....this time i did something a bit different as well...i went onto craigslist.com and rented an apartment for the ten days i was going to be there...what a wonderful idea this was (thanks rick)...and i found a great place and rented from some great people...daniel and alice rose...daniel is an expat from chicago and alice is a frenchwoman and they are married...i hung with them twice and we had a great time...they are in the process of opening a restaurant in paris...and i am keeping in touch with them...so if you are headed their way, let me know and i'll let you know how to find them :)

anyway...it was great having my own place...it meant i could make my own breakfast and save some money and i could "act" like i was really living in paris...it was a lot of fun...i have to say i am quite impressed with the public transport of paris...its sooooooooo easy to get around...and there is way too much to do and see while there....but that just means i need to go back....i recommend that you try out craigslist if you get the chance...it was perfect and i had a great time because of the opportunity it gave me to stay in a cheaper place of my own instead of a hotel or hostel.....hahahahahaha....

here are some of the things i did when i was there....spent time at the louvre, i have now seen the mona lisa and venus de milo up close and personal...i went to the musee d'orsay, and this had to be one of my favorite stops...the building itself is incredible, as are the works of art inside....i went to the rodin museum, saw the original thinker...wowowowowow....went to the monet museum, who is one of my favorite artists of all time....this museum was amazing...it was in an old house and the entire bottom floor was works of monet...just breath-taking....i went to notre dame...and yes, i climbed all 422 stairs to the top to see the huge bell tower, where the huckback hung out...as well as the really interesting gargoyles...i visited the pere lachaise, which is the cemetary where famous french folks are buried as well as anyone who is famous that died in france...for example jim morrison....its a beautiful, but a very crowded place (with space being a premium)....it was a fun morning to wander around and see the monuments and gravesites of the famous and not-so-famous...some of the spaces were incredible....i went to versailles...and although i loved the grounds, i have to say this was not a highlight of mine...i was however impressed with the few rooms that were made completely out of marble...the walls, the floor and the ceiling...talk about a heavy room...holy cow!!! i love the montmarte area with all of the artists and the stunning sacre coeur church on top of the hill...and it was neat to see the moulin rouge all lit up at night...but i didn't go to a show there as it was REALLY expensive....i went to two open air markets and i really think the states needs to get back to using these for selling goods instead of walmarts...they are more fun and have a chance to bring the entire neighborhood together...i know, its a pipe dream, but i'm allowed :)

then of course there were all the cafes and the bread and cheese and wine shops...you have to love a place where wine is cheaper than bottled water in a store and restaurant....and its good wine at that....plus, one of the highlights in paris was seeing a show at the opera house...it was the "temptation of st. anthony" and was performed by gospel singers from the states...including bernice reagon johnson and her daughter toshi reagon....bernice was one of the founders of sweet honey in the rock...and this performance was incredible...at the end there was a standing "o" and they got what i thought was a reserved french audience to dance and clap in the aisles...in was tons of fun and reminded how much i missed live performances :) the opera house, by the way is an incredible piece of architecture and is incredibly beautiful on the inside...i also went to the top of the eiffel tower...did you know that mr. eiffel had an apartment at the top after it was built??? what a cool place to live or just "get away from it all"....i also saw where marie curie and her husband are buried in the patheon...an amazing building that has a focault's pendulum hanging in the center of its rotunda....soooooo cool.....there were a few more places i went...but i think this gives you a good taste of how busy i was and how much fun i had....i usually was gone from "my" place from 10am to 10pm....and walked all over the city...which is very easy to do....

the weather while i was there was chilly....yes, the girl from the pole said chilly....and people were out shopping for the upcoming holiday with gusto...but i was told that people don't generally start getting ready for x-mas until the beginning of dec...which is such a nice change from the states, who is already put up stuff in stores after halloween....so the air in and around paris was charged with the holiday spirit...it was great to be there....so again i will say...i loved paris and can't wait to go back....i recommend it to you wholehartedly...i will return with my last entry for the travel aspect of the blog soon....AMSTERDAM!!!! and i finally have my pictures from NZ and Taiwan...so i will be adding an entry with just shots from those places...keep your eyes peeled....more soon...and i hope all is well....happy holidays everyone!!!!

Tunisia and Milo

so i am back...i forgot one very important member of the family i was visiting....that's right...its milo...their dog...milo and i hung out a bit on this trip and figured its only fair that he gets on the blog as well...so here are some shots of milo on our trip to dougga...such a cutie doncha think :) so if you go and visit rick and thalia...the added bonus is milo, the wonder dog :)

Tunisia....who knew????

the first photo here in tunisia is of the coliseum in el jem...it is very similar to the one in roma so i am told...and here i am with my good friend thalia on our trip to the desert....this place was incredible...the second shot is of the city hall still standing in the ruins of dougga...you can still read the latin on the top and the columns are HUGE!!! the next shot is one of the cool doors in the medina of tunis...jennifer kemper, rick park and i were all wandering there one morning...the left door is for men, the right door is for women and the little door is for children...so beautiful and ornate...the next shot is the sahara desert...it stretches on forever...imagine getting lost in that....the final shot is me on a camel in the sahara desert....he has an arabic name that was something like nigel...what a cool animal...and check out those teeth...whoa!!!!

hey there all...hope everyone is feeling like they have digested their big turkey feasts....i am currently in tunisia...and some have been wondering where that is....well, its this mellow country located between libya and algeria in north africa, on a penisula that juts into the mediterrean sea.....and you should come here....wowowowowow....what a place....it is muslim, but it has also been proclaimed as the "amsterdam" of the muslim world....so i haven't been treated as a second hand citizen as muc,h and people are quite laid back....i came here to visit my friends thalia and rick from seattle, as they are teaching here at the american school...i also got the chance to go to school and watch classes, as well as talk with some classes about antarctica...it was a great day and renewed in me that i need to be in a classroom somewhere in the world come the next teaching year :)

but enough about generalizations...here's what fun i had here....did you know that part of star wars...the first one and phantom menace was filmed in tunisia...as was part of raiders of the lost ark...know why???? the sahara is here...yep....that's right...i have now been to the sahara desert...as a matter of fact, i have ridden a camel in the desert and run up and down some of its dunes...whew is that tiring....the sand is incredible...its so soft...it feels like talc or flour...and it sure gets cold in the night time....we rode camels at sunset and then went out after dinner to the dunes to look at the night sky...it was just beautiful...although the moon was a bit too bright to see many things...oh well...we did this out of a small desert town called el faouar....we were some of the only folks in town :) it was wild....

we also went to the desert town of douz...and stayed in this nice hotel with a hot spring pool...that was quite impressive and comfortable....we went to the market at douz and had a great time...most of the folks i was with bought berber rugs...berbers are the tribes who survive in the desert as nomads...although many no longer travel as much as they are not making enough money to support their families...both berber men and women tattoo their faces...and it reminded me a lot of the maori in new zealand...the market was bustling with activity and it was fun to be there...not so much pressure, like in egypt...there were spices and rugs and ceramics and animals, etc....very cool....

from douz we headed back north...but went through a big salt flat and desert section of tunisia...i was told that part of the original star wars was filmed in that area....i have to say the desert looks very different places than what i imagined...it looks like the mountains of arizona or new mexico in places...not all the smooth and wavy dunes...those don't really happen until you get farther south...although we did ride camels in that section....it was awesome...but the area we were headed was kairouan...this is the fourth holiest city in the muslim world and the great mosque is found there...it is quite beautiful and the pillars are just stunning that hold the mosque up....its interesting though that some of these pillars were taken from many of the historical roman ruins around tunisia....there are so many of them, its incredible....kairouan had a great medina (older part of town where the open markets are located)....again more rugs were bought...but here the other striking thing are the doors of most of the houses....they are just incredible...and then the tile work is mind blowing and beautiful...i really liked this aspect of tunisia and have many pictures of doors and tile work....

then from kairouan we headed back to tunis...the capital and where i was staying....on the ride back though you should have seen how many houses had drying chili peppers on them...long red strings, on white cement houses with blue windows and doors....just stunning....the other major crop you see almost everywhere in tunisia is olive groves...they are everywhere and are one of tunisia main exports...as italy is just across the sea and that is where they press the olives for oil....it was cool to see these groves and how the trees changed due to the amount of rain the region they were located in got...for instance...if it was a place that got low amounts or rain the trees were smaller and farther spaced apart...with just the opposite for areas that get more rain...it was quite interesting to see...

i have visited three roman ruins here in tunisia...one in a town called el jem, one in a place named dougga and one right here in tunis called carthage...these are just breath-taking...its amazing to think of the civilzations that lived here in previous times...the romans, the carthagins, the macedonians, the greeks....so many who came and went before us...you realize just how small a contribution one person makes when you are confronted with this history everywhere you turn...it was cool to see that the latin could still be read in places and that buildings were still standing the test of time....el jem was a coliseum, very similar to the one in rome i am told, as i have not been there yet....but here in tunisia we were allowed to walk through the entire complex...even the dungeons...they had waterways and lifts for the gladiators, just like the one in rome...it was amazing...carthage was a huge site where pieces of it are located all over the place in tunis....people have even found pieces went planting gardens in their backyards...cool huh....and dougga was a massive city...the baths and brothel are still standing, as is city hall....the other striking aspect of these ruins is the mosaics you find everywhere on the floors...some are still there...some have been removed and restored in museums...but all of them are beautiful....and have excellent craftsmanship....

so i have been pleasantly suprised by tunisia...i did no reading or planning for this part of my trip as my focus was to hang with rick and thalia...but it has been one of my favorite stops...and we didn't even make it to the beach...which i have been told is incredible...its the mediterrean sea...how can it not be :) the food is okay...a bit bland at times...they sure love garbonzo beans...which has been great in my opinion...but beer and alcohol is hard to come by...it is muslim here after all...but they do grow grapes and make their own wine...there is a huge french influence and population here and most folks speak arabic and french and a lot know some basic english....so all in all, tunisia has been a wonderful experience...a terrific, laid back place for me to decompress....now i head to paris tomorrow and then amsterdam next week...and then finally will be back in the states....which i am getting excited about...so for some of you...i'll see ya real soon...for others, i'll be in touch....if you have any questions, remember you can always e-mail me....talk soon and i hope everyone is having a good start to their dec....

egypt...part two...our travels

hey there all...i am still here in tunisia and getting organized with this blog....finally...i have added some pictures from cambodia and some to the first write-up about egypt...as for the ones above...they include the first shot which is of a felucca...a sail powered boat...this is the same size and style as the one chad and i rode up the nile....the second shot is of the luxor temple at night...you can see the combination of old and new in that there is a modern day mosque in the center of this temple...the third shot is of the ramses the second temple at abu simble on the shores of lake nasser...what a sight...the fourth shot is of me in hurgada with the red sea...such colors...and the last is of me and the statue of nefertiti on the front of the temple dedicated to her located at abu simble along with the temple for ramses the second....it was georgeous day...enough of pictures...onto the writing....

my egyptian trip...part deux....after being in cairo for about five days, chad and i decided to head out and experience the rest of the historical aspects of the country and the beach of course....our trip started with an overnight train trip....it was chad's first time on a sleeper train....and it was okay...one of the problems we experienced was people smoking in the hallways...i guess our air conditioning grabbed its fresh air from there....so we had smoke in our bunks the whole time....bummer...but it was exciting and it was a great way to travel the 14 hour trip to aswan....one interesting thing about egypt is that the north is called lower egypt and the south is called upper egypt...so we were headed south, but to lower egypt....we traveled along the nile the entire way and it is amazing how little space people can use and that is is right on the riverbank...you get about half a mile out in some places and you have reached desert....just insane....awasan is this quaint little town on the nile where most people pick up feluccas to go north or a cruise ship....also known to me as a floating box....there are over 700 cruise ships on the nile and i have to say i am happy we did NOT take one...we opted for the felucca....the day we got to aswan it was the start of eid...and the kids were insane...and there were tons of folks out and about...this is the day after ramadan has finished...so you can imagine how happy people are they can eat and smoke....its pretty crazy....we wandered around the town for a while and worked on trying to find a felucca captain for later in the week....and we set up a trip to abu simbel....

the next morning at 3 AM we set out for abu simbel...this historical site is set on lake nasser...a man-made lake, that was formed from a dam...there are two spectacular temples located at this site...and the only way to get there is by convoy....so every morning at 4 AM mini buses and tour buses start lining up to make the three hour trek south....there were about 200 buses in our convoy...so bizarre....but you rode through the desert and i have to say the sunrise was incredible....even if the mini bus was crowded....the two temples...one to ramses the second (the pharoh who had the most stautes created of himself) and the temple to nefertiti...were actually moved from where they orginally sat...as many temples and numbian cultural aspects were covered by the forming of the lake by the dam...the pictures from this moving are incredible...how does one move a temple and make sure it gets put back together correctly??? i have no idea...but they succeeded...and i have to say that the two temples located at the abu simbel site blew my mind....still very much intact...still had color on them...carvings everywhere...just amazing :) but i didn't like that there were so many tourists there at the same time...we felt a bit like cattle....because after an hour and half everyone climbs back on their bus and convoys back to aswan...its wild....back in aswan we chilled by the pool and hung out with some folks after dinner smoking sheesha....it was quite relaxing....

the next day we worked out a trip on a felucca...which is a small sail driven boat...which can accomodate 6 to 12 people...we only wanted the felucca for 24 hours...so chad and i ended up with our own felucca...can you say we were living the high life....we left on the felucca...with captain washington, captain ahmmed and cook amuri...and us....after two hours and passing by the police, captain washington got off the felucca...we was a good guy and we were sad to see him go...but the other two guys were nice....they even let me be captain and control the boat...very cool....and talk about a peaceful way to travel....a sailboat up the nile...i highly recommend it...it was soo relaxing....we watched the sunset and they made us lunch and dinner...yummy....and at times you just have to stop and look around and realize you are on the nile...you reach out and touch it and the amazing feeling of history floats over you...its hard to explain...but this was one of my favorite things about my trip to egypt...the felucca trip...the guys who were our crew were nubian and after dinner captain ahmmed played drums and we sang a bit and then he gave us mind teasers...needless to say, chad and i did not do so well :) but it was a fantabulous day...possibly one of the best of my trip :)

we arrived in kom ombo the next day...looked at the temple that was there and jumped on a convoy to luxor....a bit about the convoys...the reason they are in place is to "protect" the tourists that come to egypt...there was a mass murder of tourists in the 90's in egypt and that's when security got even tighter....BUT, i have to say that egypt was the most organized country in the way of safety in my opinion...what i mean is that i never felt threatened or that my life was in danger or that i would be mugged....even in cairo...and that was impressive to me...i felt the safest of anywhere i have been on my trip...the convoys are annoying and you really never have contact with the common egyptian, except in the touristy places...but it feels safe....take it or leave it...although seeing men with ak-47s everywhere can be a bit disconcerting....

luxor...we had been told this was the hassle capital of egypt...and after being there chad and i disagree with everyone else...this was one of our favorite places...the flys were a bit annoying when you stopped moving...but the people here were just fine....after getting in and getting a hotel we went to the luxor temple, located in the center of town....this temple is really neat in that many pharohs kept adding to it...and of course ramses the 2nd has a ton of statues of himself there...there is also a road lined by sphinxes...which i thought was really beautiful....also inside this temple there is a modern mosque...so it is a beautiful blending of old and new....we were there as the sun went down and the temple lit up...simply breathtaking....from the luxor temple we went to the karnak temple...one of the largest in all of egypt...for the light and sound show...which was quite cool...a bit overly dramatic...but it was great to walk around the site at night and hear the history of the place being told at the same time....and then we walked next to the nile to get home....the next day we took a half day tour of the valley of the kings, valley of the queens and the one temple built for a woman who was pharoh...that is until her son-in-law over-threw her...such a brat :) her temple was amazingly beautiful and still had much of the original tile...the interesting aspect about the three sites we saw was that they were built into the mountains...the tombs of the kings and queens were built into the rock and were like caves you walked into...this was to protect them from tomb raiders...but for the most part this did not have success...except in the case of king tut...we did not see his tomb as it cost extra money and we had already seen all the riches in cairo at the stunning exhibit of everything that had been found in his tomb....the one thing they left in his tomb was his mummy...but we decided to pass....we did see three king's tombs...one queen's and her sons tombs and the temple....it was a great tour and we felt like we learned a bit and saw some beautiful parts of the valleys...there are so many kings and queens buried here it would take a long time to see them all...so we were glad for the abbreviated version :) then it was back to town for lunch at one of our favorie places of the whole trip....its called the oasis cafe and is run by an american who has lived in egypt for over 15 years...such a nice guy...it was excellent food and a non-smoking place and just an "oasis" for us :)

the next day it was off to hurgada...the beach on the red sea....we traveled by bus and it took all day...of course the bus was not on schedule...it was on "egypt time"....but we got there and saw the red sea and got checked in....we hit a greek restaurant and smoked some sheesha at a sidewalk cafe...most of the tourists there came from russia...so it was interesting as most signs were in arabic and russian....the morning we hit the beach...yahoo....it was stunning...the blues and greens of the water were incredible....you could see to thebottom no matter where you swam...no matter how deep....it was great....lunch was had at this cool cafe called the funky monkey and dinner was the egyptian version of italian....so relaxing...then we went to this cafe that was set up like a bedouin tent...we sat on the ground on pillows and had a few beers and smoked sheesha, listening to great dance music...it was a wonderful way to end a perfect day :)

the next day we headed back to cairo...on a bus that showed egyptian movies WAY TOO LOUD...but at least it was was comfortable ride....although there are so many abandoned resort construction sites all up and own the red sea...its very bizarre...bt tyson was saying that tourists stopped coming to egypt after 9-11 and much of the construction has been at a standstill since then....interesting...chad, tyson and i had a great dinner at a restaurant on the nile and had a choice of about 40 flavors of sheesha to choose from...it was a slice of heaven...chad left the next night and i spent three more days in cairo...i wandered around zamalek, the area of cairo where tyson lives and went to a class of his as well...overall it was mellow and a good way to end my time in egypt...one other strange thing that happened while i was there....i saw one of my past students on TV...it was the fashion tv channel and one of my first students, jack mccullough, in new jersey was featured with his creative partner for their newest line...imagine my shock at seeing the face of an adult who i taught when they were in 8th grade....so cool...and how impressive....if anyone knows jack...please pass along my congrats...such a great accomplishment for that young man...

okay...i think i have babbled quite enough about egypt...overall, i am much better about my part of that trip now that i have had time to decompress in tunisia...and i would recommend people go there...just be warned that you will be hassled wherever you go and whatever you do...but the historical aspects of the country really make it worth your time....also be sure to stop by the national museum in cairo...the king tut exhibit there is simply fantastic and it will take your breath away....be careful when crossing the street though :) any questions??? pass them along...thanks for reading my long-winded writing...hope you all have a great thanksgiving if you are celebrating....have a good one...more about tunisia soon....

Cambodia pictures part 2....so awesome :)

happy birthday dad!!!!

well...here are my second set of shots from cambodia...they are all of different temple sites in the angkor complex, in siem reap...all of the temples were incredible in their own rights...but these are some of my favorite shots...be sure to look at the shots below these as well....

the first shot is from my favorite temple of the entire complex...called banteay srei...it was a bit far away from the rest, but well worth the trip out...this temple is made from pink limestone, and was dedicated to women only...it is incredible and every part of this temple is covered in carvings....just blew my mind....the second shot is of a cambodian man...around 69...who has been carving exact miniature replicas of four of the angkor temples...he was a great guy and his work is amazing :) it was funny talking with him as he knew cambodian and french, but no english....what a trip....the third shot is from the famed temple ta prohm...it is the one you see in tomb raider and others....i love the trees growing on the walls and through the temple...so peaceful and serene...the last shot is another one from this temple...it was one of my favorite spots....and the fourth shot is of an aspara....a female spirit dancer....these women were some of the only people on the same "level" as the gods...they kept them entertained...and were beautiful and graceful....you find them carved on many of the temples in cambodia and thailand....they are incredible...and this was one of the best preserved ones...from one of the oldest temples...lolei....

the next set of pictures is below...hope you enjoy them....more will come...check back soon....

Pictures from Cambodia....finally...part one

hey there all from tunisia...i promise i will finish my write up on egypt, now that i am in a much better space...but first i thought you might want to see some pictures...finally...i will try and add some to the egypt section as well....these are the first five from cambodia....enjoy....

the first three are from phomn penh and the last two are from the angkor temples in siem reap....the first shot is from the outside of the silver pagoda....yes, the floor in this place is made of silver, but you are not allowed to take pictures....the second picture from cambodia's capital is of the stupha or national momument out at the killing fields site...inside of this are skulls, clothes and bones of those killed in the pol pot regime who were found in the killing fields...not all of them of course...but what a stunning momument to a horrible atrocity...the final picture is of the national museum...it was a beautiful place for all of the sculpture and for the beauty of the building itself....the buddha in the courtyard was soooo peaceful...i loved it :)

the first shot is of the second largest temple of the angkor complex in siem reap...and the one with much of the sculptured faces still in tact...this is the temple bayon...it was stunning....the second from siem reap is of the famed temple angkor wat...this temple was incredible...huge and beautiful...it took my breath away....i was there for both sunset and sunrise (on my birthday)...what a place....

hope you like the pictures...and the prior ones as well...it was an amazing place to be with incredible energy...if you can get there....by all means GO!!!!!

egypt....the place to love and hate at the same time

(pictures added 11/23 - the first is is me in comparison to the blocks that make up the pyramids...i am the same height as some and shorter than others....the second picture is one of the three pyramids...these were utterly amazing in size and construction...mind blowing and something to see with your own eyes...the third shot is of the sphinx and the largest of the three pyramids at giza...we saw a light and sound show with these as backdrops one night and that was just incredible...the fourth shot is chad and i in the chief justice's tomb...he has his hands in the manner of a pharoh and i have mine in the manner of a queen...or so the guard told us...just before he took us for money for giving us a tour of the tomb and for letting us take photos...you gotta love it...ahhhh egyptians...the last shot is of the royal barge found intact next to the great pyramids...this was used to carry the pharoh's mummy and sarcophagus up the nile to its final resting spot....hope you enjoy the shots and the write-up.....)

so here i am now in tunisia at my friends rick and thalia's....and they have high speed internet at home...so hopefully i will be catching up with those of you who have sent me e-mails and i am really far behind in answering...but i'll tell you more about tunisia after i have been here awhile.....

egypt...some people have asked if it is worth going there....and the answer is YES....just to see the pyramids and the sphinx and the ancient temples and heiroglyphs in person is amazing....BUT, you should be ready to realize that you are equivalent to dollars signs only and women are second class citizens...if you come with that attitude...you will do just fine...but the big thing to keep in mind in egypt is...everyone before you was hassled and everyone after you will be hassled...you are not the only one....as my friend chad and i traveled around egypt, the main topic of conversation by tourists was about the hassle they got from egyptians...men, that is...women...well that's a different story.....but i figure you'll understand more after i have finished with my entry....

my intro to egypt...as it is for most people...was cairo...and my first impression from the airplane was that the place is BROWN...from the buildings to the trees to the streets to the cars....everything is dirty and brown....it has a lot to do with being on the edge of a desert of course....but everything is brown....including the sky....i have never seen such a gross inversion layer due to the pollution....just incredible....cairo is HUGE...someone told me 18 million...and i am not shocked at that number...it seems to be more polluted and more crazy than bangkok...which kind of suprised me....but if you spend only a few days in cairo you start to have sinus problems and breathing problems due to the pollutioin...plus, everywhere you go people smoke....in restaurants, in cafes, in taxis, in the metro stations, on trains....everywhere....that really blew my mind...
but cairo is very vibrant and once you see the nile, you know why it is you came here....the nile is LARGE....and is the lifeblood of egypt...and it runs right through the city.....the pyramids also make cairo worth seeing...although aspects of them made me quite sad....

first of all you have to deal with the hassle the moment your taxi comes in view of pyramids...everyone is jumping on the car and slowing it down to talk to you and tell you about camel rides and horse rides and that the pyramids are closed, but they can get you a deal...its crazy....then you get up to the ticket booth and have to fight to get your tickets...in egypt, lines are a crazy concept....you can see this anywhere you need a ticket and when driving...more on the driving in a moment....but the pyramids are larger than life and incredible and mind blowing...but if you want to go inside that is more money and if you want to see the barge they took the pharohs up the nile on that's more money...and of course there are the men hassling you wherever you go...they want to show you a particularly beautiful spot to take a picture at...or they want to give you a ceraic scarab for free...well...for free for about two minutes...then they ask you for money...and there are guys hawking camel rides and horse rides....it enough to drive you crazy!!!!! but this is all dealable...the aspect about the pyramids that depressed me the most was how much garbage is there....sooooooooooo much....every hole that is being excavated or vacated...every side of the pyramids and the tombs...in the small cracks everywhere...there is garbage...so depressing in my opinion....BUT. its still the pyramids and the sphinx you are seeing....and if you keep that in mind...you can deal....the one other bummer about here personally was that i lost my camera...it either fell out of my pocket or was stolen...so i lost a bunch of thailand photos i hadn't had time to download...total bummer

as for other aspects of cairo...well..i would consider the time of year you go...and don't go during the month of ramadan...people get cranky due to fasting everyday in the afternoon...plus, its hard to find food and forget even trying to find a beer or liquor...luckily we caught the end of this holiday...but then we had to deal with eid...the festival at the end of ramadan that folks celebrate with their families....crazy time that was....cairo is insane in the way of driving....red lights, stop signs, lanes in the road, cross walks, using lights while driving at night...they all do NOT exist....if you need to cross the street, it is a death race....and if you remember that atari game frogger...you are the frog.....its evil...i was shocked when the taxis did not use lights to drive at night...and that the horn is used to tell other drivers you are there...all the time...i don't miss the horns....BUT...cairo also has sheesha..as does the rest of egypt...this is flavored tobacco you smoke through a water pipe....yummy...we tried many flavors throughout the two weeks and i have to say i really liked apple, cantaloupe, coconut and lemon...we did see an "ass" flavored tobacco...but no one in the group would touch it :) the mosques in cairo are beautiful...although call to prayer happens five times a day and that gets tiresome...especailly since the first of the day is at sunrise around 4:30 AM....there are some amazing buildings in cairo...architecture wise...and the khan al khalili..in islamic cairo is a bunch of fun for a crazy market...but remember...if you are a tourist, you equal money and they will hassle you to stop and buy at every store...but they have a sense of humor about it there...the vendors are not so desparate as many people go there...its a bunch of fun :) so cairo does have some great aspects...you just have to be ready for the ones that aren't so great...

i met some great people through my friend tyson who lives in cairo and am extremely grateful he was there with his arabic and my friend chad came and joined me...as traveling around egypt by myself would have been horrible....doable, but horrible....as i mentioned above, women are second class citizens...and foreign women are all considered "easy"...especially american women....if you are american, you must be a whore...thank you hollywood....i got very tired of men never asking for my opinion or even listening when i was talking...egyptian men that is...but yet, as soon as they figured out i was single they would ask for my hand in marriage...whatever....one man even had the nerve to ask if i was a virgin...as this is important to egyptian men...yeah right buddy...go away....i was groped a few times and hated that i was stared at no matter where i went...i was respectful...i did not wear shorts, except at the beach...so this was really frustrating to me...i respected their culture...they did not respect me...i also found it interesting that the first two cars of the subway are for women only....i did use these a few times during rush hour...as the men's cars would have been a bad idea...but when i got into the women's cars, all conversation would cease...and i would get the stare...lovin that...again, thanks hollywood....it seemed as if being a foreign woman there was never acceptable to egyptians as a whole...oh well...you win some, you lose some....

i have to run now....as it is late and we are headed south to the desert tomorrow to go camping at an ungodly hour....i will write more when i get back into town and will figure out the picture thing as i have time to do so :) so check back in a week or so and hopefully more will be here....i haven't even covered half of what we did in egypt....hope all is well and happy early thanksgiving to those that celebrate :) talk soon....

The Last Full Day in Thailand

hey there all...here i am in koh phi phi and i am realizing its my last full day in this country...tomorrow my long travels start for egypt....and i am soooooo far behind....sorry about that...plus, i am still working on pictures...check back at the blog in the next day or so, and hopefully some will be here...finally....

anyway....this has been a terrific last day....oct 26th is important for a few reasons for me....its my brother tony's birthday...happy birthday bro....its the day i got my braces off my senior year in high school and as of this oct 26th....i am now a fully certified open water padi scuba diver....pretty awesome...doncha think...

but i am waaaaaaaaay ahead of myself....last time you checked in here i was still in bangkok....my last day there i wasn't in the city...i was in the old capitol... the really old capitol...ayutthya (although my spelling is wrong)....this place reminded me of angkor wat in cambodia...but the temples here were on a smaller scale and most of them were refurbished or in good condition...they were beautiful :) and it was a pleasure getting to see them with one of my past students....salila....after spending the day at the temples and the stunning summer palace of king rama V...we went and saw madagascar....love those penguins....

the next day i hopped a plane to the northern section of thailand....chaing mai...this part of the country had flooded two weeks before i was there...and rumor had it another storm was on the way and it was going to be a mess....but luckily, that storm never came...i stayed in a swanky guest house with a pool...and met this great couple and their 2 year old son from alaska...we hung out the whole time i was
in chaing mai...which ended up being longer than my four alotted days....while i was there i took two cooking classes...one on a farm and one in town....i went to the night bazaar...and the amazing sunday market...i rode on a elephant for an hour through the rainforest, i dislocated my elbow, i went on a bamboo raft, i visited a thai hospital, and i saw a hill tribe community....ummmm....yep, you read that correctly...i dislocated my elbow...luckily it popped back in....but i had to go to the hospital for it....all for a picture at a slippery waterfall....ugh....but i have to say my experience at the hospital was quick, painless and cheap...it only cost me $25 for 2 xrays, three forms of medication and a trip to the emergency room...amazing....and the doctor was a great guy....it blew my mind that hospital care could be so painless and cheap....but i have come to find that most folks when they travel to thailand, get their teeth cleaned...as it usually only costs around $10...i am going to try and have this done tomorrow while i am waiting for my planes in two different thai cities....wish me luck....

i really liked chaing mai and hanging with crista, rusty and tyler....but it was time for me to hit the beach again after a week....where i was hoping i wouldn't hit rain....so much for that though....as i think it has rained everyday i have been here...as a matter of fact...it has just started another downpour as i have been typing....hahahahaha....but as everyone says...its the rainy season....so its expected...ugh...from ten months with no rain....to a trip filled with storms....its been amazing....and so to phuket i came....that's pronounced poo-ket....i stayed at the greatest guesthouse yet....the shanti lodge...their phuket location put the bangkok one to shame...it was amazing...it had a beautiful pool...with a huge waterfall....and was not located on the beach....which i was a bit bummed about until i got there...it was secluded and beautiful....a wonderful place to just chill and relax....but it was a bit far from things....so i rented a motorbike....and got to tool around the island on the wrong side of the road for three days.....this was a greatest thing i did in phuket...i met some cool folks from the shanti lodge and one of them went riding with me...jolynn from colorado...nice woman...who's brother is living here in thailand and she is visiting....we went to a waterfall...no slippage this time...we ate overlooking the water...which was stunning....we visited all the different beaches...and i realized that most of them with places to stay were GROSS!!!! they were crowded and full of tourist traps and toursits....which i am happy about on one hand...this is the area of thailand that was pummeled by the tsunami...so its a great thing that people are coming back here....its also very interesting to see how much has been replaced in the past year...there are still remenants from the big wave everywhere you go....but tourism is their number one down here and people are working very hard to get things back in order....and always working and having fun....that is the motto of thai people...whatever you are doing...work, play, sleep, whatever...be sure to be having fun while you are doing it....and i believe they truly live by this....its wonderful to watch....

from phuket i caught a ferry with some cool ozzies...and we headed to koh phi phi, where i am writing this from....this island was ripped apart by the tsunami....but they have been working really hard to get things back up and running....its wild...there are no school aged kids here...because the school isn't back in working order...although folks are working on it....all the kids who are school age are on the mainland for school...most folks who are here, who are thai, were here the day the wave hit...and most do not want to talk about it....but there are some who did...i have been told that most thai people here lost a member or more of their families...and that after the wave came ashore...they were running to help save foreigners and anyone that was left behind from the water....my dive instructor was on the water that day....so him and his boat had no idea what had happened...other than they felt a weird current...but when they came ashore....they were blown away from the destruction that had occurred...and rushed to help people...i guess it took two days for helicopters to start getting here to help people...and this is why some folks died after the wave had come and gone....just crazy....but overall, it is a peaceful place and they are rebuilding and eager for tourists....i have had a great five days and nights here, except for the rain...but you can't win them all....i did get certified and as of today i can do open water dives...what fun i have had diving the past three days...and it does not matter if it is raining or not for that sport :)

so now i leave thailand...after just under a month...crazy to think so much time has flown....i have enjoyed my time here...and have many more stories to tell....but you'll have to ask me for them in person :) this trip so far has been full of rain, but also of dragonflies...they have been everywhere i have been....and i mean everywhere...also...due to the rain...today i saw a stupendous rainbow....i would recommend thailand to anyone....i really liked the north...and i am sure the south would have been better with less rain....but bangkok...i don't know how much time i would stay there....its a metropolis...with lots of traffic and people and pollution and noise...i am sure you get the picture....but of course there are beautiful aspects to it...

so there you have it...thailand in a nutshell....feel free to ask any questions about here and what i did while i was here....i'll try and get back to you soon...
as for pictures...again...i'll try tomorrow....hope all of you are well and here we head into november...more from egypt....peace out....

Thailand....more, but no pictures

hey there all...well, now i am falling behind on my blog....or maybe i am just doing too much stuff in two weeks...who knows :) hope you all liked the pictures...i got some on there finally...yahoo....but it is proving to be a hard thing as my camera can't take e-mail size pictures...ugh....oh well...hopefully i'll get more on there soon...enjoy the four :)

as for thailand....what a nice and cheap place....it has been quite a trip so far...i spent about seven days in and around bangkok....then was on an island...ko samet...for three days...a bungalow on the beach....and then up to chaing mai...which is where i am at now...but i head south to the islands for my last ten days here in thailand...then its on to egypt....

as for bangkok...what crazy city...i have never seen so many crazy drivers...and the traffic is ALWAYS present and insane...doesn't matter what time of day or where..plus...so many tuk-tuk drivers try to rip you off...its quite funny in the end when you think about it...i made it to khao san road...how gross...its a backpacker infested place...just disgusting in my opinion....but cheap e-mail and lots of different kinds of food...i went to about 10 temples...my favorite being wat pho...one of the oldest...it has a beautiful reclining buddha...that takes up an enire building....and has a great massage school on the grounds...can you say...thai massage rocks!!!! if you are coming here, you must have one....i also loved the boats on the canals...an easy way to travel...plus at all the docks you can buy eels and frogs and turtles...and yes, they are still alive and swimming....the canals don't smell so great...but once the boats get moving, its much better...then there was the jim thompson house....a beautiful house created from six teak thai style houses...incredible...i also went to the calypso cabraret...staring transvestites...talk about stunning...it was great....i have seen the summer palace of the king and his royal palace in bangkok...but no siting of him or his queen...although her picture is everywhere as her birthday was in september....you gotta love it....and when you attend any event...they always play the thai national anthem and everyone stands....bangkok...a fun place....with lots of stuff to do...but i don't know if i could handle for a long time....definitely need to experience it though....worth the short time :)

ko samet was a beautiful island...except for all of the stray dogs and HUGE mosiquitos....but i spent my days chillin on the beach...swimming in the warm, clear water and reading bookws...at night all the restaurants play movies for free and have drink specials...and it wasn't crowded...perfect getaway from bangkok....a quick bus trip followed by a nice boat ride....

okay...my time is running out in the e-mail place...more from the beach...i hope...i'll talk about auytthaya, the old thailand capital and chaing mai....if not, more from somewhere....hope all of you are well...miss your smiling faces :)

Thailand - picture testing

hey there all...just trying this and will write more later in the day from a cheaper place...but i wanted to see if i could get pictures to post...the first three are from places around bangkok...the first is of the bungalow i stayed at on the beach on ko samet island...the second is of the view of the beach i was on...only two bungalow places...its rocked...the third shot is from the old city of Ayutthaya...it was the original capital of thailand...this is from wat mahathat...which of course is a temple dedicated to buddha...there is something striking about the buddha head in the roots of a banyon tree...don't you think...and the last shot is me feeding an elephant in chaing mai...on a very eventful trip...but more about that later....doesn't it look like the elephant is smiling....hopefully this will work... and o hope everyone is well...more on thailand sooner rather than later...and if the picture thing works...i'll addd them to my past entries as well...talk soon...

Cambodia - Land of the Smile

hey there all...and happy october...can't believe september has come and gone and with it my 36th birthday!!!! i was in cambodia...siem reap to be specific....and it was great...more on that later...my overalll impression of cambodia is a positive one, but i am not sure i will go back...i will not go back to phomn penh for a vacation though, but i would return to siem reap and the ancient temples of angkor....BUT the people of cambodia are what makes the place....they are soooooooooo very friendly....and always ready with a smile....the kids killed me....they would run up to the road from where they were living and wave and shout out hello at the tuk-tuk i was in :) they were great...plus, the cambodians are always ready for a conversation...so many of them want to practice their english...i spoke more to cambodians than to other tourists....although in that aspect of my trip, i haven't really clicked with other tourists...plus, i have noticed there are very few, if any, north americans traveling from the states over here...its been weird....

cambodia is very 3rd world...you can tell this by looking at the houses people live in throughout the countryside...the higher up from the ground your house....the wealthier you are...not many high houses...also...it was interesting home many "nice" houses were just a facade....inside, no funiture...and people living on the floor on mats, with no electricity...although the wealthy houses i guess have their own generators in the countryside...that was what i was told...i was amazed at how many TVs were in the country...another sign of wealth...but it was explained to me that the government is very corrupt and the officials are the only ones with money....it is a monarchy, but i guess the king doesn't have much of a say in things....i glimpsed him in his motorcade twice while i was in phomn penh...i waved from the sidewalk with the girls from the hotel i was staying at...he waved back :)

but phomn penh is not the place for me...its very dirty and very crowded and very depressing...everywhere you look you see homeless families....there are people begging for money everywhere...lots of kids are selling books and newpapers...and then they run and give any money they make to the person they are working for...their commission is peanuts...BUT phomn penh was important for me to see....if only for the killing fields and tuol sleng - the school where the prisoners were kept...it felt similar to the concentration camp i witnessed in germany...and it was very moving to see it with my own eyes...it frightens me that this happened in my life time...and that people you see in cambodia who are my age are survivors...either they were prisoners or khmer rouge members...very scary....i think this why they are so quick to smile...they have survived hell and back....the royal palace and the silver pagoda (yes, it has an entire silver floor) were stunning and the national museum was definitely worth it...but i feel i have seen all i need to see in phomn penh as a tourist and will not need to go back....

as for sim reap...if you don't know...its where the ancient angkor temples are located...the most famous one known by people is angkor wat....and you have seen one of the other famous temples if you have watched tomb raider....seim reap was strange as well due to the fact that there are five star hotels and lots of tourist dollars in the area, but the people who live there see very little of it...the temples themselves are extraordinary....you walk up to some of them and they just tower above you and are huge and incredible looking....it took so long for these temples to be built and the carvings on the walls and the murals and the overall architecture just blows my mind....on my birthday i watched the sunrise at the famous angkor wat....and then went to my favorite temple of them all...banteay srei...this temple is carved from pink sandstone and is sooooooooo detailed...the entire temple is carved...no empty, ungilded spaces....just stunning....i then went to about five more temples and watched the sunset at the last :) and my day was topped off with a tasty indian meal in town....it was GREAT!!!! i have to say that i climbed all of the temple mountains and was quite pleased with that aspect of my trip....as once again it was really hot and humid....but it didn't stop me....and the steps are not really frindly to short people...it was wil :) but i guess you have to work to get to pray to the gods :)

there were two other really awesome parts of siem reap i would like to share....the mini angkor wat....this is an amazing replica carved by a man of angor wat, banteay srei and bayon temples....they are to scale and simply amazing in their own right.....most people don't even know this exists...plus the man wo did the carving is great...he speaks very little english (but can speak french) and is 69 years old....he is currently working on two more built to scale temples and is a great guy....it only costs a dollar so if you go, be sure to stop by and see his work....wowowowowowow....the other really good exhibit i liked was the butterfly garden...this is run by an english man who has been working on this project for about 15 years (ian)....he has only cambodian butterflies and actually has street kids go out and collect them...and then he pays them for them....the coconut ice cream there is to die for....it makes for a mellow hour or two and is really peaceful....i ended up staying and reading my book for about an hour....just heavenly :) also...one place i would recommend, not because it is heavenly, but because it is eye-opening, is the land mine museuem...it is run by a landmine victim...and houses about 25 children who have lost limbs due to landmines....i learned a lot about landmines...scary stuff...the usual victims these days are children...and the country is covered in them...not where tourists go...those areas have been cleaned...but it was just a very educational stop i made...very sad as well....

so overall, i would have to recommend cambodia as a place to spend a brief period of time in...definitely see the temples, a three day pass is enough, in sim reap and the killing fields and tuol sleng in phomn penh...but if you are freaked out about dirt and not being able to drink the water and not have been in a third world country, this might not be the place for you....although...it is the friendliest place i have been so far and the people really make it worth your time....at the moment i am bangkok, thailand nd have been here for three days :) i am enjoying my time so far and have gotten to see two of my past students here from the northwest school...more on thailand in another update....hope all is well with everyone....i am still working on the picture dilemna...and getting closer t a solution...so hopefully they will coming sooner rather than later :) and thanks to everyone who has been sending comments and e-mails :) you all rock my world :)

Meditation thoughts from Cambodia.....

finally i am getting around to posting on my meditation retreat in taiwan...i am currently in phonm penh, cambodia and realized today that it has only been a week since i left the meditation retreat....and this week i am in the killing fields and tuol sleng (s-21)...one week....amazing where you can be in a week....such opposite ends of the spectrum....more on cambodia later :)

vipassana meditation....well, i have to say it has been a processing kind of week from my ten day experience as being a buddhist nun....vipassana is a meditation method, one of many....but the gentleman in charge of teaching this style is named a.s.r. goenka....he is not the original teacher....as this meditation method has been described as the style used and practiced by buddha....does this mean i am becoming a buddhist nun...i don't think so...although i really understood this meditation method well....as it stresses a link between science and meditation....he was talking about atoms and particles and vibrations....it just seemed so correct for me.....but it is a strenuous methodology....which is why you are secluded from the outside world for ten days....twelve hours of meditation practice a day...let me tell you that is a lot for the legs....my back and butt and legs were all quite sore for the first few days...but over time you learn to control your pain and realize it is not a forever thing...it comes and goes....this is the basis of the meditation...that nothing is permanent and everything changes moment to moment....like as you watch a river flow by...you won't see the same portion of the river moment to moment to moment.....

this meditation retreat asks you to become a monk or a nun for ten days to fully understand what you can accomplish....notice i keep using the word you....and that is because this is a path that only a person can take for themselves...someone can show you the path...but you have to experience it to truly understand your path....and this part i truly believe....each person will react differently and has to deal with their own hopes and dreams and pain....

anyway...about where i was....i was in a small village outside of taichung, taiwan...and man was it hot...the humidity was oppressive and there was no AC...fans, but i was sharing with three taiwanese women...and they got cold at night so they didn't want me to leave the fan on or the windows open too wide....i was dying...and remember you can't talk....i was the only foreigner at the retreat center...out of the participants and the teachers and the volunteers....it was crazy....but this made it easier not to speak with anyone...i have realized that most taiwanese understand english...but do not speak it and will act as if they don't understand except they laugh at some of the corniness and such....my teacher is a buddhist nun and has been one for 25 years...she practiced and was taught by goenka himself...and she lived in the states for around 16 years...so her english was excellent...and she was very helpful....the retreat bases many of its aspects on volunteers...and in order to volunteer you have to have taken at least one ten day course....it is a form of giving back to the meditation method...and so that first time students do not have to pay anything to learn this method and take a ten day course....which is very appealing...try and see if you like it....

as for the retreat itself...well...the bathroom was the first hurdle...after the lack of speaking chinese on my part....that's what folks in taiwan speak...the bathroom was a "squatter"...meaning the toilet is on the floor....chinese/taiwanese women are very quiet with what they do...including use the bathroom...so you could always tell when it was me....i was the loudest "pee-er"....plus, you have to hold your pants up and take the squat position and miss your shoes and the floor...let me tell you..it was eyeopening...and then include the humidity....what a trial...but i survived and it prepared me for the squatters i have now encountered in taiwan and cambodia...so it was helpful afterall...i also had to adjust to sleeping on a totami mat...not so comfortable and eating food i had no idea what it was...it was all veggie...but i couldn't ask for help in any way shape or form....most of it was awesome...some of it was scary...i have found i am not a huge fan of pink dragon fruit, or of rice and seaweed for breakfast....i was definitely immersed in the culture...one of the funniest moments was when i got to ask questions after 9.5 of silence..the first i asked was about a truck that drove past the retreat center every night playing mozart's fur elise....i was wondering what they were selling....the women started laughing and laughing...and needless to say i didn't get the joke....but they explained...this song is known all over taiwan and is used to tell people to bring out their garbage...its the garbage truck song...hahahaha, gotta love learning about a new culture :)

our day began with a gong waking us up (the guy that rang this was given the nickname the "mallet man" by me...he took his job very seriously! as everything was announced by the gong) at 4am...yes, you read that right...4am...me...you just gotta believe.....we were meditating then from 4:30 - 6:30am...breakfast was 6:30am...and then my time in the shower was on...each woman got twenty minutes to get it together...shower and such....it was like a dorm...so the time slot was the only way to make it work....as there were forty women and 10 nuns sharing the same space...then meditation again from 8-9am ...after the fourth day we were to hold our same position during this hour for the entire time...no uncrossing legs or hands or opening eyes...the first few days killed me...but you get used to it and are able to focus your mind quite well after you do this a few times....then more meditation from 9-11:30am....11:30 was lunch...and then rest til 1pm....from 1-2:30pm we meditated again...and then from 2:30 - 3:30pm we had to hold the position we chose....from 3:30 - 5pm we meditated more...and then it was "tea time" the chinese and taiwanese are really big on tea time....we had this powdery stuff that we added hot water to for tea....it was very interesting and i found out later it was rice powder...not much taste to that...but definitely something new....then we rested til 6pm...had a meditation hour of no movement from 6-7pm...7pm was a discourse...where i was in my own room with a video of goenka...who was explaining the learning and path and such...this was probably my favorite time of the day...as i was by myself..and goenka is a funny guy...so i kept laughing out loud...it was funny also that he kept saying things that were in my head and answering questions i had....he said the second and sixth days you would want to quit...and for me this was true...he said in the beginning that it would be hard to calm the mind to start paying attention to the sensations that happen continuously throughout your body...it was wild...and this is where it made the days worth it...he's a great teacher of this sytle of meditation and reached this level by crossing many hurdles...it was just really cool to listen to his teachings and learn more about this style....we would meditate again for about 40 minutes and then call it a night....

it was a long and hard ten days...no talking...no partying...no smoking...no alcohol...no contact with outside world folks...all veggie....and lots of meditation...at times i didn't think i would make it...but then the discourse would bring me back....again...this is a path someone can direct you to...but you have decide to walk it yourself....i am glad i have....and i am hoping to concentrate a bit more on continuing the practice...although with traveling it is hard....the main thing i am taking away from this retreat is that there is a lot of unhappiness in the world and my life and the lives of others...hopefully i can make it less so for me and for others...although each person is their own and needs to work on their own
path....if you want more specifics, just ask...i don't want to bore people with the steps and can point those who are interested to some more info on line....and if you have a specific question...please feel free to ask...i will answer anything....

if i had to do it again...i am not sure i would pick taiwan...or a country where i didn't speak at least some of the language....it gave me such insight to that part of the world on one level, that i am sure i would have never experienced...yet at the same time...the meditation itself is a challenge and being there for it made it even more challenging...but i would do it again...and may take another ten day course or donate my time...we'll see....

okay...i have babbled enough....if you want to know more...just ask...i think this meditation will help me along my path...to wherever it leads....and i hope your paths are happy....by the way...i am having trouble posting pictures...but i will keep trying throughout the trip...as i have some pretty spectacular ones...wish me luck :) hope all is well, peace out and be happy :)

Taiwan in general

so all in all i will spend 17 days in taiwan....although eleven of those was at a vipassana meditation retreat....its an interesting place...but not really set up for tourists...i think they have things to offer, but they just don't see it as an option to make money....which it seems is all taiwan is about...i am staying in taichung, which is the third largest city in the country and flew into taipei...the first thing you notice is the heat and humidity...ugh...its oppressive....and for the first time in my life i am experiencing a place that is MORE humid at night, than during the day....at times it is really unbearable....the population here is mostly composes of taiwanese and chinese and they speak chinese as their main language...most of the younger generations have had english in school...but many are not willing to speak it...but you notice when you look around from smirks and such on faces that they generally know what you are saying....

it is a very throw away sort of mentality here, combined with superstition and hard work...but it makes for a VERY wasteful society...for example...everywhere you look new apartment buildings are going up....BUT the current ones standing are generally 30-50% unfilled...the reason being that if a previous person or family has lived in an apartment...no one wants it after they move out....as it could be filled with their bad luck and bad spirits...everyone wants a NEW place where only their luck and spirits are....its a bit strange to my way of thinking....also...taiwan is not very unique...all of the stores are the same and each city block generally looks the same...a mcdonalds and 7-11 on every corner, with a shoe store and clothing store along the block and TONS of places to eat...my friends karen and landon have explained to me that it is cheaper for everyone in this country to eat out instead of cook...its a wild concept...plus, most women don't know how to cook as they live with their families until they get married and when they get married they move in with their husband's family and his mom does it all...until she gets too sick and then the younger women have to step up to the plate...without having ever practiced...another very different concept for me to grasp....the taiwanese women i have met don't always seem to follow this pattern...but it is not shocking to them to talk about it, as it seems to be the norm...plus, all of the people here are really small and thin...but the men are taller than i thought they would be...and they all have a swagger that is chinese (david ing...you walk like many who are here...it made me smile to realize that!) i realize that they are better equipped for the weather than i...but it amazes me at how cold they get...they are driving around the city in jackets and jeans and gloves and i am sweating to death in shorts, t-shirts and sandals....blows me away....

the easiest way around the city is by scooter and everyone has one...i have to say that has been some of the most fun i have had here..being in the back while karen or landon is driving and just watching the sites go by....soooooooo many people too...its insane...but even more insane is their driving style..its along the lines of i need to get somewhere and i will do that in any way imagined and forget about traffic rules...i have seen some funny driving situations...and have been scared by some as well...also, it is not uncommon to see entire families and a dog on one scooter...the kids usually are not in helmets either...usually only the dad is...because he is the most important....and everyone has a cell phone...and they are always on it...the scariest drivers for me have been the propane tank scooter dudes...they generally have between 3-5 tanks on their bikes and are traveling at top notch speeds...always fun to see when someone is carrying a compressed gas in a tank...landon said he has seen tanks flying down the streets that have been knocked off a bike...crazy taiwanese :)

as for touristy or different things i have seen here...we have been to three different open air markets...mostly to get things to eat...although there is plenty of crap to buy...its just that everything they make in taiwan they ship out of taiwan...so everything for sale is from china or thailand...its weird...you can't even get postcards anywhere but the airport...i have now had about 15 different types of tofu...and that includes stinky tofu...which was stinky, but didn't taste too bad...although i was told it wasn't stinky enough....so we are still on the look out for stinkier stuff....i played a game at one of the night markets where i won a remote controlled mini cooper...that was fun :) and i have had all sorts of tea...
that is the main drink around here...hot or cold...many different flavors and styles...also there are stands with all sorts of different kinds of food...want chicken heads...they're here...want duck hearts...they're here...want chicken feet...just around the corner...want pig's blood...no problem....its interesting to see all the different options i will not be having :) also...all the foods are related to how they will help your health at the moment...are you sniffling??? have some beef tips in soy sauce and go get the skin rubbed off your neck....totally foreign to me :) there is not much variety though from rice or noodles and soup with every meal...and it can or can not be spicy...its a personal preference...

at the moment it is the harvest moon bbq holiday weekend and everyone is bbqing with their families along the sidewalk, which is where you NEVER can walk because it is where all the scooters park....but anyway...the city is very pollution filled this weekend due to the bbq's and the burning of ghost money...again something to help with the spirits for the year...its an interesting experience and yes, i did attend a bbq....i have also been the the temple of confucious...which was spetacularly beautiful in appearance....i hung with a 100ft buddha....and walked around a very cool sculpture park....but there are not many other touristy things to do here..so you get immersed in the culture...which is a strange one...we also went to a movie in the "gold class" way...this means you order drinks and food before you go in and they are brought to you....and the seats are HUGE, red lazy-boy recliners...its a wild way to see a movie...let me tell you :) i felt famous :) or maybe just "gold class" hahahahahaha....but things here are like that...its all about who has a bugger car and better clothes....with things written on them in english....even if the english doesn't make sense...and trying to look pale, because that menas you obviously don't work (???)....not really a place that appeals to me....matter of fact, to me it is a bit depressing....people don't really seem all that happy here...they just seem to be on a quest for material wealth...a very sad state of affairs i think....but as my dad says...it is what the makes the world go round....
i can see why folks from other countries come here though...you can make a boat-load of cash...i could get an english teaching job in a day, and probably have a life set up in no time...but i don't think that will be happening....just not enough spirit here for me to want to live here....BUT this was very different when i was at the meditation retreat....i am still processing my experience with that, but i will write about it soon...i promise....

plus...i am trying to upload pictures to go along with my entries, but am not having success...so stay tuned...i hope to have them up soon...hope you enjoyed this update....more on meditation next and i am off to cambodia tomorrow...woo-hoo..hope all is well and be happy :) dani

Left the Ice!!!!

(pictures include my first view of the sun as leaving antarctica...me having one of my first beers with my friend atlas in NZ....the cool pinwheels at the arts center in nz...and me and my friend lynn at sumner in NZ)
okay, here's the real story...instead of just an introduction....i was scheduled to leave the ice on august 24th....but unfortunately or fortunately for me, weather rolled in an we were stuck on ice for an extra two days....this rocked my world as i got to be a "useless eater" (thanks annie b) and hang with my friends who had just arrived in town...it was a relaxation period i was not supposed to have and i was all for it :) my bags were packed, my room was cleaned and i got to sleep in and eat and watch movies....i loved it :) when we were leaving for real...it actually hit me that i was leaving...it is an amazing thing that working in antarctica becomes routine, as does the landscape and the temperature, etc....just blew my mind :) but i have to say i was ready to go and was happy to be headed on my way....it was great to catch up with some folks who had just arrived and i am hoping winfly for them and those winterovers who are still on ice has been a lot of fun :) its better i am not there :) in the transport to the runway i FINALLY got to see the sun for the first time since march....yahoo!!!! that was a huge sign that i needed to go.....

when we got to the cheech airport i was greated with smells and dampness and colors and lights and different people and choices :) it rocked...i stayed in christchurch for five days and enjoyed that very much...i spent quality time with some ice folks and some quality time readjusting...like sitting in the botanical gardens reading a book, watching a stream roll by and kids laughing as they paddled in a kayak....it was incredible....and at one point i watched a little girl who was just learning to ride a bike...ride right into the avon river....it wasn't deep, but man did it freak her and her mom out...i just giggled to be a witness :) NZ is a beautiful place and i can only hope i get to go back there at some point and expaore more...but this time around it was good it was for a short while....i did have some amazing food...little india, as always was a highlight...and this time i made it to strawberry fare....a delicious, but pricey dessert restaurant....and we tried this mediterrean/singaporean restaurant that was yummy!!!! and i did make it out of town to sumner, which is a beach town...the weather was a bit cooler, but i dipped my toes in the water anyway....all in all it was a great few days and i really enjoyed myself....plus, i didn't need so much adjustment time...so the length was just what i needed....

leaving NZ was a trial in patience...as fog became my worst nightmare...okay, it wasn't that bad, but trying to leave NZ was a bit of a pain in the butt...i started my journey to taiwan at 4am on sept 1st...but fog was so thick you could cut it with a knife and no planes had landed from auckland, which is where i needed to go to get my flight to taiwan...the airline worked out a flight plan and we finally boarded and headed to the north island.....but as we got closer you could see how foggy it was in auckland...after circling for thirty minutes the pilot said he was going to try and land...and we headed downward....we had the wheels down and were in the middle of the fog and still you couldn't see the ground....then all of a sudden we pulled out of the landing.....UGH!!!! i had never experienced this before...you could tell we were close to the ground and it was a last minute decision...which i am happy about because i am still alive :) but we had to go to wellington to get more gas and wait out the fog....normally what was an hour trip was quickly turning into a mess...oh well....we finally got to auckland, but of course had missed the flight to taipei, taiwan...there were seven other folks in the same boat as me...but they were all chinese/taiwanese who didn't really speak english and didn't treat me as i was one of the group...unfortuantely i decided to associate....which didn't help me at all...these folks were rude to the travel dude in auckland and he decided to get us stuck in auckland for the night....dumb move on my part...so i was stuck in auckland for a night....but i had some good food, stayed in the city, caught a movie and tried to make the best of it...the next morning my travel started again at 6am...as the city is about an hour from the airport....and when i got to the airport no international flights were flying....more of the dreadded fog....this time i was on my way to hong kong and then taiwan....time did not work out again....oh well...but i did get to hang in the hong kong airport unexpectantly...the trip to hong kong was LONG...11 and 1/2 hours....phew...and the movies were not top notch...oh well....i did have a seats to myself and kept kind of falling asleep so that was a plus....one of the flight attendants and i got into a long conversation about NZ and the states and all that was going on in new orleans...and that was a great thing...really nice guy :) and he said it was probably better i arrived in taiwan one day later than anticipated as it was hit by a typhoon the day before that was one of the strongest it has had in the past ten years....loving the weather :) for your information, a typhoon is a hurricane or cyclone that happens on the pacific side which is why it is not referred to as a hurricane...anyway...one had come and i had thankfully missed it....

anyway...after two days of trying to get to a hot, humid taiwan...who knew...i made it to the airport at midnight on sept 2nd (which was 4am my time) where my friend karen was waiting for me :) it was a welcomed relief to see her smiling face :) and my next entry will be about my time here in taiwan...i am still here at the moment, but am headed to cambodia on monday....the next entry with be about my time in meditation and hanging in a country that doesn't really have a focus and no sense of tourism whatsoever....not that this is a bad thing....
until next time...hope all is well and be happy :)

And so it begins....

hey there all...well this is my first entry on my new blog....i think this will be a much better way to keep folks up to date with me as i now have over 400 people i am e-mailing and that's just too hard from computers i am paying for....so i hope this is good for you and that you check it every so often....the first entry should be posted from taiwan in the next few days, as that is where i am....i am not loving the hot and humid weather here, but i am getting used to it...i made it through my meditation retreat and had an amazing time....i will include more on that with the first real post....i just wanted to get this up and running as soon as i could....i wanted to let you know that i am safe and off ice and it that it has been eventful and fun thus far.....the one picture i have included i have stolen from my friend tom....it is of the sun...which i saw for my first time in 5 months on my way to my plane off ice...you just gotta love it.....i'll be in touch soon and i hope that all is well with everyone....peace out....and be happy :)