tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31189468443193349762024-03-13T05:44:35.492-07:00debandbartravelsdebandbartravelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14802758148927664633noreply@blogger.comBlogger45125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3118946844319334976.post-60311012209501897832014-02-21T14:29:00.003-08:002014-02-21T14:40:31.622-08:00On Coming Home<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">On Coming Home – 48 hours in Walkerton<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Of course, when one sets out to travel all the talk is of
leaving and being on the road. Who wants to give thought to coming home – all
is forward thrust. But landing does happen, home in this case, and it has had
its ups and downs. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Our friend Joel, is the only one who brought up “returning”
one night before we left (he’d dropped in some jammin’). He had travelled
decades ago as a much younger man, to some of the same places we visited. He
told us that it would take only a day or two to get comfortable enough in a new
place (true, we discovered), but that when we came home we’d be revisiting all
we’d seen… and it could throw us “off”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>This, so far, has not been the case for me. Possibly because I did go
through an experience similar to Joel’s when I returned from my West Indies, Carriacou
Marine School year at the tender age of 18. It was my first introduction to
poverty, and coming home seemed to magnify our western consumptive, wasteful,
society. I recall feeling shattered – maybe it was my beliefs, and sense of
surety and security that were ultimately being shattered. So maybe this is a
case of “been there, done that”. As adults, we knew what we were getting into,
and had pretty accurate ideas about what we would see. We were not shocked by
what we saw, nor were we then “stunned” upon our return.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, don’t get me wrong, the experience
of coming home has been a little bumpy.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">“Going home”. The process really started when we flew out of
the Bangkok airport for San Francisco on Jan 21<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">st</span></sup>. Setting foot on
American soil felt so familiar, so comforting. We looked at each other and said
“welcome home” – even though we still had miles, and days to go. We were close
enough culturally to feel our country’s embrace.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">We took our time coming home. We took 2 blessed, peaceful
days with Russ and Heather – luxuriating in a soft bed and hot water (bath and
hot tub). We backed our car out of their garage, poked around in all our
camping gear, and joyfully put on jeans and shirts we had not seen for months
(we REALLY missed our jeans overseas). There was thrill in a fresh wardrobe and
a dab of Chris’s perfume oil, to say nothing of strong, hot, dark-roast coffee.
Russ took us to his property (27 acres) near Monterey where he and Heather are
planning to build. Russ has a great sense of style and exquisite taste – with
the help of architect and designers he will create a space I predict will
become one with the hilly landscape, be beautifully welcoming, and simply
stunning (and I mean simply). We can’t wait to return! </span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Heather with Giovanni and Mia</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><o:p></o:p></span> </div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">We visited my first cousin, Dianne, and her partner Ari in
LA. It has been a number of years since we’ve seen her and their 2 adopted
cuties, Gillian and Johnathon, 4 and 5 respectively. Anyone with kids can
intuit what this means – we were swept up into family life. Ice cream cones, pasta
for dinner, ballet lessons, bedtime negotiations, “go to the bathroom before we
leave”, the Krispy Kreme donut shop, chasing kids down the street (Bar was
particularly adept at this), and helping to get shoes on. It was busy, but
because it was during the work week we had a full day to ourselves – to
somewhat nostalgically drink Vietnamese coffees at the Grand Casino café, and
bike along Venice Beach. As kids, my sister and I spent a lot of fun time with
Dianne and her sister Mary Jean, and it was special to be in her home, to
connect with her family, and get a sense of her community (near Culver City).
We drove away in sunshine, so happy we had made the effort to stop by. So glad
for a very cozy bed (it might be some time before we stop noticing how comfy
people’s beds are) and the gift of family.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Venice beach from the pier</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">For 40$ you too can get a medical marijuana assessment<br />
from these guys, "The Green Doctors". Venice Beach</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My beautiful cousin - Dianne. Dinner - Culver City</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gillian - the cutest climber!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Johnathon staring down the statue in front of the famous<br />
Culver Hotel.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><o:p></o:p></span> <span style="font-family: Calibri;">Highway 10 out of LA took us to the desert; near Joshua Tree
National Park, and I have to thank Facebook for this. About 4 years ago, Trish
Drynan let me know that there was a FB page for Carriacou Marine School where I
spent my Grade 13 year. I joined, and for some time journeyed down memory lane
looking at the hundreds of photos old students had posted (nice to revisit
yourself as a cute, tanned, wrinkle-free teenager). I became “friends” with a
number of my mid-70s classmates, including a then-boy I spent many late nights
with – up all hours chatting the passionate energy of youth. We tried dating
once we returned to Toronto, and I have clear memories of dinners at his cute
apartment on College close to Maple Leaf Gardens, and a Muddy Waters concert,
crashed by Johnny Winters. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our dating
did not last long, and we have not been in touch since, but now, thanks to
modern technology I was getting a wee window into Geoff’s new life living in
the desert. It was clear we had some things in common – his simple, off-grid
home reminding us of our cabin in Big Bay. He is an artist, and I found his
work attractive; I could imagine buying his gorgeous handmade feather earrings
for Ruby (which I did; she LOVED them in addition to looking fantastic in
them). He invited us to visit – which is always interesting, and a little
unnerving – even though we had not seen each other for close to 40 years, and
we heeded the “call”. Our reunion was truly sweet.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Geoff, and the desert land, were a gift. We were ministered
to, body and soul. He offered us a narrow sleeping space in a trailer on his
small acreage, tucked in amongst golden boulders, an expanse of sky, cacti and
Joshua trees. I cooked us dinners on his small gas stove in the trailer, so
reminiscent of our much-missed Bunkie, and we slept like babes. I think he
worried that what he had to share might be too rustic; we felt so at home.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He left us for an entire day, went to his work,
and directed us to let the land “work” on us. He could tell we were travel
weary, and could imagine that we might be carrying some negative energies or
emotions given the nature and histories of the places we’d visited. He offered
us his home, his native teachings and ceremony, and the support to “let go” in
the very real sense of that phrase. Bar and I let ourselves sink into the land,
spending time apart, and loosening what had to tighten to travel. We were given
the space, physical and temporal, to tend to ourselves as we needed, to relax,
rest, and ponder. We could feel that we were becoming “lighter”; essential,
exquisite preparation for re-union with family, especially Char & Ruby. We
ultimately arrived in TO less “needy”; in a lovely, light, at-peace kinda’
space so that we were much more able to respond to any needs the kids might
have and simply have some fun. Ask them – we had a blast. We loved each other
up, hanging, talking and laughing. We have Geoff, and the desert to thank.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Plus, we sealed the pact of lifelong
friendship, all 3 of us, possibly the greatest blessing of all. AHO. Namaste.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Desert sunrise </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">With my good old/new friend Geoff in front of his sweat lodge</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">With Char - truly happy reunion time</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Brunch with the peeps (from L to R) at Mitzie's: Ruby, Emma Martin-Carver, Emily <br />
Stewart-Wilson (Ruby's housemate), me and Charlie</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirJ00bqKQtXUFuAW7iRFtB7MaJ0r_al31Cb9B15Og2GqKNG50JosqOfdJhH-o05l7kiUaSIw5YRnd_DCCn-xnUJrID6l-jnpgxxjCK6_wgeOEK8wI-C-FwzIrQ8ZvfBNHB4hBdvz_PTq2G/s1600/IMG_7739.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirJ00bqKQtXUFuAW7iRFtB7MaJ0r_al31Cb9B15Og2GqKNG50JosqOfdJhH-o05l7kiUaSIw5YRnd_DCCn-xnUJrID6l-jnpgxxjCK6_wgeOEK8wI-C-FwzIrQ8ZvfBNHB4hBdvz_PTq2G/s1600/IMG_7739.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fresh juice at "The Beet" - Ruby's workplace -<br />
never tasted so good.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5r8DsaTh0CeO4aBVaBs7s6AOWSgWo2eXBpik6Vx-dhvuLcvP7-ArBlvYtOcMA_OavxIuyIweJOzC4YcGVz96CojgkzxOMd3A7q15r73FnIvBUaPoiCjdAKSr0aKUKVyxur3hFxV0pciwi/s1600/IMG_7741.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5r8DsaTh0CeO4aBVaBs7s6AOWSgWo2eXBpik6Vx-dhvuLcvP7-ArBlvYtOcMA_OavxIuyIweJOzC4YcGVz96CojgkzxOMd3A7q15r73FnIvBUaPoiCjdAKSr0aKUKVyxur3hFxV0pciwi/s1600/IMG_7741.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Happy times at "The Beet". Note the earrings -<br />
absolutely stunning. Made by our friend Geoff.</td></tr>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">And then we came home, physically home, to the white
landscape of Canadian winter. My composure and “chill” vanishing within
minutes. As Joel predicted, the going got tough (although I think for different
reasons), and I somewhat embarrassingly succumbed to frustration, moodiness,
and fatigue. I thank my friend Ruth for offering counsel a few days ago: be
gentle with self, go slow and take time. This has become my current mantra, ask
Bar, my still full backpack on the living room rug has garnered comment and
unpacking it is 1 of the few things on today’s to-do list. We have both been
reactive and even argumentative, although at and about different things. No one
warned us that there would be about 100 pieces of mail needing attention, or
that re-stocking the fridge would be so costly.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Now that we are here, I get it – it will take many days to undue all
that was done to make space in our home for our house-sitter Brooke (who, by
the way, did an excellent job), and to unpack. Last night I cooked in my
kitchen which proved to be extremely grounding; Barry did dishes and washed the
floor and the place started to feel “familiar”. This is re-integration, and in
spite of all the longing for this moment, I’ve been a little blind-sided. I
hope others get this!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">There is still so much “echo” from our adventure. It is
ringing in our ears. I think our feet are, metaphorically, still moving even
though our bodies have stopped. Our lessons are still sinking in. Leslie talked
of the freedom of travel, something that now makes perfect sense. Now we get
what that means as the car gets booked in for tire change, the small debt gets
assessed, and the driveway gets shoveled. We’ll get there – the place of
stillness where we are fully present in this land and with these
responsibilities, maybe even a little changed by all we have experienced. I am
very aware, and appreciative, of the freedom from employment I currently still
have. Ideas for small projects are popping up all the time. We have some time
to make sense of “life anew”, and make some plans for the future and, budget
willing, a bit more travel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Wish for us
patience, grace, and maybe some humour. It has been an AMAZING, wild,
beautiful, exciting, shared, roller coaster ride. We have given and we have
received. The Partner Ship (our car, in case you missed that) and our
partnership still going strong – both maybe needing a wee rest and a bit of TLC
after all the miles. Blessings abound and we are deeply grateful. XOXO </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjugArXkNnst75s_t8a81Ia0j5w5cXr578go8locYNZ6QJS-wTJnE6y1eTGBZKexr0ZrbeGpnnLRu0MrzciSIFvbRdnyIkbsLL2__EjVmYF82G6rItoZy0V6DQ5qSyZlLmwqiH-5doaUtt/s1600/IMG_7747.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjugArXkNnst75s_t8a81Ia0j5w5cXr578go8locYNZ6QJS-wTJnE6y1eTGBZKexr0ZrbeGpnnLRu0MrzciSIFvbRdnyIkbsLL2__EjVmYF82G6rItoZy0V6DQ5qSyZlLmwqiH-5doaUtt/s1600/IMG_7747.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Home - a full-on Canadian winter was waiting.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><o:p></o:p></span> </div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
debandbartravelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14802758148927664633noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3118946844319334976.post-25624271208129477042014-01-20T20:07:00.002-08:002014-01-20T20:07:36.050-08:00Angkor Wat<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
This UNESCO World Heritage site features Khmer architecture and most of what we say was built 12-13th century. The scope of Angkor Wat, the biggest temple complex, is mind boggling - our photos will not do it justice. We spent 3 days touring temples, one day on peddle bikes, and 2 days with the Cambodian version of a tuk-tuk (sorry, can't remember the name) to take us to some more remote sites. Driving through the countryside was as delightful as visiting the temples, although much chillier! The challenge, however, much like in India, is dodging the persistent, relentless, requests to buy souvenirs or eat in someone's shop. This aspect of travel in Cambodia wore us down, in time. Maybe with the end in site, our defenses start to come down. <br />
<br />
Day 1 -Angkor Wat early in the morning (we left our hotel, on bikes, at 5:30am):<br />
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Heading to Angkor Thom, a complex of numerous temples and terraces, through the South gate (best restored gate. All of these temples have 4 gates - one in each of the cardinal directions. They also have very similar layouts and many have moats).<br />
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Bayon Temple - famous for its "big head" statues. It was hot, but stunningly beautiful. A great place to just sit and watch.<br />
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Phimeanakas Temple<br />
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Baphuon Temple<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9HvwfJCZQwErWmNT7_w8_ug0x8SEsfVFrr-ors5ATzFkj8VSpnTTmpRz0YGGY-qObOr2qdXptGGNEd9wi23us2Fmba2GOgBcqsm5spdjUrWDMaHlcbK00VH35wsBBQWRHnkN-oA2723u4/s1600/IMG_7352.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9HvwfJCZQwErWmNT7_w8_ug0x8SEsfVFrr-ors5ATzFkj8VSpnTTmpRz0YGGY-qObOr2qdXptGGNEd9wi23us2Fmba2GOgBcqsm5spdjUrWDMaHlcbK00VH35wsBBQWRHnkN-oA2723u4/s1600/IMG_7352.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Notice how small Barry is - just to the left of the corner.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hot, tired, and managing a cold. </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Terrace of Elephants </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Day 2 -Pre Rup: I can no longer set this up on the left! Drive me crazy. And what's with the bold?</h3>
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<h3 align="left">
Banteay Srey - this is the oldest of all the temples. It was built in the 9th century. It is also the smallest, but has some of the most amazing carvings. Stone is sandstone and laterite, for you geology buffs.</h3>
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On this 2nd day we also hiked 1.5km up to the river of 1000 lingas. A linga is a rather phallic structure, usually associated with Shiva (we saw LOTS of them in India). I have not posted photos, as ours are not all that great. We also toured an NGO - the Angkor Biodiversity Conservation Centre - a rescue facility for Cambodian animals that have been kept as pets, injured, or confiscated from poachers.<br />
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<h4 align="left">
Day 3: Ta Prohm </h4>
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Angkor Wat revisited. The place is so big and impressive, it is recommended you visit it twice. We are so glad we went back... there are over 600m of stone carved bas reliefs. We walked around the first wall (just after the moat) to enter through the south gate. Nice to get this perspective, plus you see no one. </div>
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debandbartravelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14802758148927664633noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3118946844319334976.post-65113128048383232632014-01-19T16:46:00.000-08:002014-01-19T16:47:45.419-08:00Vietnam Photos<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Last day in Laos.....</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz20VH0vMo2KCUHBo3vKvbLgnIn7f-0XbAFonFkYRPZsiEBrRyNvaBXzTnfWWKlp5NY-_PyYj9k153R2cOTGjGMVT2wDKzKeKpEiwbAjEsI-spQRcZOlasEMUsDjreHzQWH9LmDFjz06kL/s1600/IMG_6170.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz20VH0vMo2KCUHBo3vKvbLgnIn7f-0XbAFonFkYRPZsiEBrRyNvaBXzTnfWWKlp5NY-_PyYj9k153R2cOTGjGMVT2wDKzKeKpEiwbAjEsI-spQRcZOlasEMUsDjreHzQWH9LmDFjz06kL/s320/IMG_6170.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Night market setting up just outside the Palace gates</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp6uvw2toNu04RmbkqgJMgPriW78_YQUBYOwCFIUmeGhNxIwudIqhxYZnn2QreeD4uix7pG2vY5h8zjQ8P92tATeIZ-gOSIX1A7U__0y4qc-L26SkUbOfer24lKCY9M5rerI7xwY80_z2R/s1600/IMG_6174.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp6uvw2toNu04RmbkqgJMgPriW78_YQUBYOwCFIUmeGhNxIwudIqhxYZnn2QreeD4uix7pG2vY5h8zjQ8P92tATeIZ-gOSIX1A7U__0y4qc-L26SkUbOfer24lKCY9M5rerI7xwY80_z2R/s320/IMG_6174.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of my all-time favourite pictures. This woman is getting<br />
ready to set up her shelter for the night market.</td></tr>
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Welcome to Hanoi, Vietnam...<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcwe91LXR8SCbZIdMx5cqqfjpf2Z_YnC5M5WcdAWP3P0Eq0CHpovzW_RFF5AmPlRpeHcwnMCVpy0TF-m6xoPT_8hNwJKDmwUdArn02NCUyh8-ggUfcSG7NYAYQ4Gja87FhKXGHjepH3VI9/s1600/IMG_6199.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcwe91LXR8SCbZIdMx5cqqfjpf2Z_YnC5M5WcdAWP3P0Eq0CHpovzW_RFF5AmPlRpeHcwnMCVpy0TF-m6xoPT_8hNwJKDmwUdArn02NCUyh8-ggUfcSG7NYAYQ4Gja87FhKXGHjepH3VI9/s320/IMG_6199.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">meat vendors on the street</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGieg_R27pdxo1wYiKDBcoSPMc9UtJHMZIKivwShhay5kAoTMGO7ACaR7zrQMqDrUtFiKcQhCqZigMupV4jm-vTOCDXrOLcdzgrSEetFNd9dSGxi4AZTYuicPNtlvuiRgTLQchudPcVSNU/s1600/IMG_6213.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGieg_R27pdxo1wYiKDBcoSPMc9UtJHMZIKivwShhay5kAoTMGO7ACaR7zrQMqDrUtFiKcQhCqZigMupV4jm-vTOCDXrOLcdzgrSEetFNd9dSGxi4AZTYuicPNtlvuiRgTLQchudPcVSNU/s320/IMG_6213.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bicycle loaded with ceramic housewares</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRY4WTNb9EudpltPJqR5aucUboguV7O9DDMmgzaKyrEQ9sv-Qo77JLUbsooFPsRRNcCQqiGYb4hEo6OyHAoPZ5cqxw5_XpsXIt026QHm1ucboVcBiHlGhnrPz-xQHEhqkXbcBtnc1fU4Ep/s1600/IMG_6229.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRY4WTNb9EudpltPJqR5aucUboguV7O9DDMmgzaKyrEQ9sv-Qo77JLUbsooFPsRRNcCQqiGYb4hEo6OyHAoPZ5cqxw5_XpsXIt026QHm1ucboVcBiHlGhnrPz-xQHEhqkXbcBtnc1fU4Ep/s320/IMG_6229.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dong Xuan Market</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSmucPiWyOeLXCJIXg9IRSH-i7-KshRuq6OVWNTMS6jDIstXfO7APJuSoQ1S-_w23-VFsmpXh5JxCxUbPR4FGaXccmfq9_9uJ87oOXK0k0mdR6ZTgEL3TvafhiAmwRDSkCudkKpCdLjyQ2/s1600/IMG_6233.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSmucPiWyOeLXCJIXg9IRSH-i7-KshRuq6OVWNTMS6jDIstXfO7APJuSoQ1S-_w23-VFsmpXh5JxCxUbPR4FGaXccmfq9_9uJ87oOXK0k0mdR6ZTgEL3TvafhiAmwRDSkCudkKpCdLjyQ2/s320/IMG_6233.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The rope store - 1 of many along this street</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbLVaSnQ_to0iHyPKvjQaTXrX0MCImikNJadA38XgqGKS6rHal5wn0VUyDkNUZGF-Wp9tSWUpGnnQtgaA8izb_vrbquqy9lim-sX6fgKXnzJDDaUG03MV7q9A6VuHYzmwNEHovymxQLJAs/s1600/IMG_6263.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbLVaSnQ_to0iHyPKvjQaTXrX0MCImikNJadA38XgqGKS6rHal5wn0VUyDkNUZGF-Wp9tSWUpGnnQtgaA8izb_vrbquqy9lim-sX6fgKXnzJDDaUG03MV7q9A6VuHYzmwNEHovymxQLJAs/s320/IMG_6263.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Don't move or I'll slit your throat.......and you pay me<br />
200k dong!!!!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYoFyKk8sjbw61h-N7eb6O3oJ072EkGfJLFEadc4RjR9dJzz-L5KyAsAjGz8HdFryQMmYyTxQ7siCZWEXE_a32TEqA6FiU00RSrOQfWkjJ8x02wYX7k0s-Ml8Ez8-5WNVmdAA76ZArVsiK/s1600/IMG_6266.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYoFyKk8sjbw61h-N7eb6O3oJ072EkGfJLFEadc4RjR9dJzz-L5KyAsAjGz8HdFryQMmYyTxQ7siCZWEXE_a32TEqA6FiU00RSrOQfWkjJ8x02wYX7k0s-Ml8Ez8-5WNVmdAA76ZArVsiK/s320/IMG_6266.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8HL9w_nTBIG2dfyvhGD67TqytAYE_iaSt_QN6nweOD3E1TPMYgMR-4RzVdHwT8TZWpnvVXk9B7aDBoNOoMOlMK2RHR9snuZPgvxIUUKBn7YERl3e4kXp4QpfR68ldcv-y49sm96BiY7yE/s1600/IMG_6288.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8HL9w_nTBIG2dfyvhGD67TqytAYE_iaSt_QN6nweOD3E1TPMYgMR-4RzVdHwT8TZWpnvVXk9B7aDBoNOoMOlMK2RHR9snuZPgvxIUUKBn7YERl3e4kXp4QpfR68ldcv-y49sm96BiY7yE/s320/IMG_6288.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Eating Pho Ga (chicken noodle soup) - notice the size<br />
of the stool!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMkFDEZKrzug5obcN46D0VQohWZXxp3ASH40hEn6at3OTAzTJtkSDt3GADNVH7ViSr1aW96xrYUZV5ZLVaVRuNVBvAliWujkV1JSyq3tQjdeUYLMrtqIxMyLv0Jx28zrSg232Rtboq-diK/s1600/IMG_6298.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMkFDEZKrzug5obcN46D0VQohWZXxp3ASH40hEn6at3OTAzTJtkSDt3GADNVH7ViSr1aW96xrYUZV5ZLVaVRuNVBvAliWujkV1JSyq3tQjdeUYLMrtqIxMyLv0Jx28zrSg232Rtboq-diK/s320/IMG_6298.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fine Arts Museum</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Barry may have found a new calling!</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8BNWFIoLL2mJWYzQRuEMIyKtl2nPBGWFl2Axlrb4VyknAzgu1UC8rm1zYfT7hV7JU8BIAfTtPN14SD14BbENbEsfNBYjHE1OgIVfoES5jeRvDJaI0Ha_geDk5gdvtJ5X_pU5LyuAAJ_C3/s1600/IMG_6319.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8BNWFIoLL2mJWYzQRuEMIyKtl2nPBGWFl2Axlrb4VyknAzgu1UC8rm1zYfT7hV7JU8BIAfTtPN14SD14BbENbEsfNBYjHE1OgIVfoES5jeRvDJaI0Ha_geDk5gdvtJ5X_pU5LyuAAJ_C3/s320/IMG_6319.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">In Hanoi - Ho Chi Minh's mausoleum. If you come in the<br />
morning, you can go inside and view his body.<br />
We were too late for this.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOmTfUUNCFyhZWsUjfm05jarNQsH0XmES7xqhoziOtVHZrc8mBx2pWWyGczDAbv1CrNeEtGXnYQQkheiMNCpAgRSk1-pT0biTus6qjLviMeCkn6nN6l3XPDwGFL7kQkdWLxSdAPCzvVCld/s1600/IMG_6341.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOmTfUUNCFyhZWsUjfm05jarNQsH0XmES7xqhoziOtVHZrc8mBx2pWWyGczDAbv1CrNeEtGXnYQQkheiMNCpAgRSk1-pT0biTus6qjLviMeCkn6nN6l3XPDwGFL7kQkdWLxSdAPCzvVCld/s320/IMG_6341.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie2sZLv1jIprrrDnJQTX6hn2uZ6J4AVXjuiDIHC3A7gfIW5cMEZT65Ui9z-5x3XFOHuxkzRiDT_AbwZG6RjLaxrOvziWW4C0PF9P89qW7qd-cF2Hc5ML6J7sCLL0Iv4qgd_yiWBovOpizK/s1600/IMG_6346.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie2sZLv1jIprrrDnJQTX6hn2uZ6J4AVXjuiDIHC3A7gfIW5cMEZT65Ui9z-5x3XFOHuxkzRiDT_AbwZG6RjLaxrOvziWW4C0PF9P89qW7qd-cF2Hc5ML6J7sCLL0Iv4qgd_yiWBovOpizK/s320/IMG_6346.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Pagoda</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidv8IeKEN5S5BAUDWb_rcaaot08q3I9KLUMRv6BAy2B_ZjTwtT0IAPFyIjMPNfAktTHOgFpa-scczsys9k0UvaKvb7BlDnOEAJ945t_VKuTsb0kpYfTj5TJipUopYepYvyd5joWbUJEQcd/s1600/IMG_6377.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidv8IeKEN5S5BAUDWb_rcaaot08q3I9KLUMRv6BAy2B_ZjTwtT0IAPFyIjMPNfAktTHOgFpa-scczsys9k0UvaKvb7BlDnOEAJ945t_VKuTsb0kpYfTj5TJipUopYepYvyd5joWbUJEQcd/s320/IMG_6377.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Thap Rua - The Turtle Tower in the Hoan Kiem Lake. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hoa La Prison Museum display</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hoan Kiem Lake at night</td></tr>
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Halong Bay<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our guide Chuc explaining why the limestone in this cave is so white.<br />
There are numerous cave systems in the area of Halong bay. With so many tour boats in the are<br />
different operators visit different caves.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hiking on cat Ba Island - look familiar? Limestone.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFHD58YLKvAq9nkqTOKk_3JvCCTAbcD9165Z8DHvMEIurna2XRpxWXudRXgI-lNg2B6UVgW3CN5BQW_3UCoYZPuxkKt8X5kP_xqXMjO6g8n1d_Bsw2qDc9lHy07ZqJVWDGzQp-SlRdwU6t/s1600/IMG_6579.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFHD58YLKvAq9nkqTOKk_3JvCCTAbcD9165Z8DHvMEIurna2XRpxWXudRXgI-lNg2B6UVgW3CN5BQW_3UCoYZPuxkKt8X5kP_xqXMjO6g8n1d_Bsw2qDc9lHy07ZqJVWDGzQp-SlRdwU6t/s320/IMG_6579.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This man is fishing with a piece of line siply wrapped around his finger. He consistently caught a fish within<br />
1 minute of putting down his line. All were small, and then thrown into the square enclosure<br />
which is actually lined with mesh. This is the basic model of fish farming in Asia. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz6AmptkClpEZj6KkHj-tFjceY0QP6_44Zloeqm7zYVIaapSIdyBjI-bKJJSetMh0CdoysGOdTwsOUROTYHExnCPsWFzMWFQ7Wtp9uZs4z837_dlkb8UebR97LPz5ehsG8N-fyyDm5KWAy/s1600/IMG_6587.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz6AmptkClpEZj6KkHj-tFjceY0QP6_44Zloeqm7zYVIaapSIdyBjI-bKJJSetMh0CdoysGOdTwsOUROTYHExnCPsWFzMWFQ7Wtp9uZs4z837_dlkb8UebR97LPz5ehsG8N-fyyDm5KWAy/s320/IMG_6587.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hard to tell - but this stretch of water is jammed with floating houses,<br />
each with its own array of enclosures for rearing fish. In some cases,<br />
plastic buckets with sand hang into the water from cross beams - these are used to rear<br />
clams and mussels. This is close to Cat Ba Island, where there is a National Park.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A single house and its fish pens</td></tr>
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View en-route to Phong Nha caves from the river.<br />
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Phong Nha Cave - only accessible by boat.<br />
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Bike ride to the"Pub with Cold Beer". yes - you have to cross the river with your bike to get there. If you want,the owner of the pub will kill a chicken for you and prepare a great looking chicken dinner with excellent peanut sauce. peanuts are a local crop here, and there was fantastic locally made peanut brittle for sale in town. We did not have time for the full chicken meal - just cold drinks.<br />
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Deb en route to "Cold Beer and Chicken café"</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our Son Trach Hotel - Thanh Dat. 15$ per night - but musty<br />
smelling. Makes sense given the misty, foggy, weather.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nightly hostel scene around a usually smoky fire.<br />
Angie in the plaid shirt. We are all watching the show<br />
unfold on the front steps.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Erin's debut on stage.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Deb gearing up for a ride to the Phong Nha Farmstay for our "gig', with Ben, the truly delightful. Aussie who, with his wife Bich have created a fabulous facility. Thanks to Ben for taking us via the scenic route - even though it was a fair bit bumpier! </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Phing Nha Farmstay - overlooking the rice fields. All families<br />
have a plot out on the expanse of flat land in front<br />
of the farmstay.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRdYqsZUhvIheJKM4aiNyEn5kXyxzdFyYqCk44jLJ1L4hJT-hupvDMRxQqYIXQ6qURqrTyKKE4k7iAb2kYNm1ODmVgxF3RZngnAPbg_1dtCx9FEo4qWSaPoV3aPyCsAfib4SiZR1cgRs2P/s1600/IMG_6746.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRdYqsZUhvIheJKM4aiNyEn5kXyxzdFyYqCk44jLJ1L4hJT-hupvDMRxQqYIXQ6qURqrTyKKE4k7iAb2kYNm1ODmVgxF3RZngnAPbg_1dtCx9FEo4qWSaPoV3aPyCsAfib4SiZR1cgRs2P/s320/IMG_6746.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">With Angie and Erin - our "adopted" children. We really had a<br />
lot of fun with these great young people.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibBnFt6-myfie2fVTcAi4OsWqAt0ThlhcKfy5AOLj8D9tiNnIOheO83wg19vcDBp3R43JtSwuJ9GAuT7fQao3hRZy8KJqE2jwHHe1adOA5VVR7a8SUjacR2IprI3npUzcqK78xYFXdFRwE/s1600/IMG_6760.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibBnFt6-myfie2fVTcAi4OsWqAt0ThlhcKfy5AOLj8D9tiNnIOheO83wg19vcDBp3R43JtSwuJ9GAuT7fQao3hRZy8KJqE2jwHHe1adOA5VVR7a8SUjacR2IprI3npUzcqK78xYFXdFRwE/s320/IMG_6760.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Small temple at the cave of 8 Women on the Ho Chi Minh Trail in Phong<br />
Nha National Park. 8 women lived in this cave - offering food , supplies, and<br />
support to soldiers, fighters, and those moving good along the trail. A fighter plane shot<br />
dislodged a rock in the cliff face above the cave - it blocked the entrance. All the 8 people inside (not all the original 8 women) died.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJanYd_p0sbsDxH7BBcJ6cMA0ou0Ua8yFtZ_5MdpgzcFj0KNHS3aeQgU2aq_Oc0Hjx44vdOlzrPa353oWVzG06WnrmzJFJaSuaIwd7c2Nw9R4_hZn5JgV8_dfsA8Lc4j_MYP_ohyzE-PNM/s1600/IMG_6764.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJanYd_p0sbsDxH7BBcJ6cMA0ou0Ua8yFtZ_5MdpgzcFj0KNHS3aeQgU2aq_Oc0Hjx44vdOlzrPa353oWVzG06WnrmzJFJaSuaIwd7c2Nw9R4_hZn5JgV8_dfsA8Lc4j_MYP_ohyzE-PNM/s320/IMG_6764.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This bomb casing (hope I got that right) hung just outside the cave -<br />
it could be rung as a way to communicate to other villagers up and down<br />
the Ho Chi Minh trail.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Paradise Cave... we walked 1 kilometer into the cave system<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjITlaUGm0PQ383Tq4PwV7P7X9HCNWM1KhPlAWj5NC7zK8jm_pM7wzvRHBcnLsWhynIf42k1fW3zYQ_cpQLXfP6k0KbQDRIPVFeVfXeJSXgpkynWWqgJ2QkPkkqxOYrjEIBngGNyi_ItAGI/s1600/IMG_6803.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjITlaUGm0PQ383Tq4PwV7P7X9HCNWM1KhPlAWj5NC7zK8jm_pM7wzvRHBcnLsWhynIf42k1fW3zYQ_cpQLXfP6k0KbQDRIPVFeVfXeJSXgpkynWWqgJ2QkPkkqxOYrjEIBngGNyi_ItAGI/s320/IMG_6803.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Deb...the shining light!!! about to go<br />
underground</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZI_t384bqxlG6dUzNn6211xY5LfiN6ec9Y3sakKAcTJGmAmKQtShwGdiXSYiq6DJz_ebii1_OW5ufNXd8svWdPmNUYL0D1jLBxfvIcnsWfpS7kKaE5CD6m9LJ1GYULXbGznqMwxNX5PeA/s1600/IMG_6806.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZI_t384bqxlG6dUzNn6211xY5LfiN6ec9Y3sakKAcTJGmAmKQtShwGdiXSYiq6DJz_ebii1_OW5ufNXd8svWdPmNUYL0D1jLBxfvIcnsWfpS7kKaE5CD6m9LJ1GYULXbGznqMwxNX5PeA/s320/IMG_6806.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Heading into the Dark Cave, which included a crazy<br />
mud walk (its own story) and a cave swim.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI0rwnpGpEmDDmYlkOuTCLUIbFH4d78r8NrJk5VYxANaVQiLmeO7ChhM9V4LuAQfV592u-ItUi4rLaZLMZUIIX-V8iM1G6C_Heb_AqEvx9Y2lOfSYU-ddyv3r_E6rUsweBaAKgThLnLT6y/s1600/IMG_6807.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI0rwnpGpEmDDmYlkOuTCLUIbFH4d78r8NrJk5VYxANaVQiLmeO7ChhM9V4LuAQfV592u-ItUi4rLaZLMZUIIX-V8iM1G6C_Heb_AqEvx9Y2lOfSYU-ddyv3r_E6rUsweBaAKgThLnLT6y/s320/IMG_6807.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEJNXbchgxmsRKraGsB5CIg2nv_-Hj3w0RIwcMkXILHNxlZbRhxJ-794dDF9eIFq0uNEV2kbT3S8zSlxbaGg2IfZpbE8Yv-S2XgBUAqLBWiPfkUIADFSuGV-xC9metIXjqBlsrPFuZ6a0a/s1600/IMG_6830.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEJNXbchgxmsRKraGsB5CIg2nv_-Hj3w0RIwcMkXILHNxlZbRhxJ-794dDF9eIFq0uNEV2kbT3S8zSlxbaGg2IfZpbE8Yv-S2XgBUAqLBWiPfkUIADFSuGV-xC9metIXjqBlsrPFuZ6a0a/s320/IMG_6830.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Vietnamese children are as cute as they come.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_WhNstvPX5BZN1xX4OiBTZk6LxkJLX6gceet8A_SQuaX0q-GH5I-nNCjpeuya9_-2Xi360TzXTOdXiViulqlxCf-47NC8tY6f1gd330UTo_bpHv0JRV7FJt-C5cFYuKvq2NPe-V0-A8pr/s1600/IMG_6861.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_WhNstvPX5BZN1xX4OiBTZk6LxkJLX6gceet8A_SQuaX0q-GH5I-nNCjpeuya9_-2Xi360TzXTOdXiViulqlxCf-47NC8tY6f1gd330UTo_bpHv0JRV7FJt-C5cFYuKvq2NPe-V0-A8pr/s320/IMG_6861.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Easy Tiger interior....Barry actually won a game of pool !!!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_qjTxGKVStW_ruVh6uc188zQn3hD2NZ47eJ3zhgOqB3STIeCJPl0wyQCdHZeyIU46SrDdjGWOMXRiQpe8whq0ea5LfaiuIf4LwIy6KW7AOtOeVdFquTBrOXTvfY7SwcyKOPPTwDb8rBbo/s1600/IMG_6864.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_qjTxGKVStW_ruVh6uc188zQn3hD2NZ47eJ3zhgOqB3STIeCJPl0wyQCdHZeyIU46SrDdjGWOMXRiQpe8whq0ea5LfaiuIf4LwIy6KW7AOtOeVdFquTBrOXTvfY7SwcyKOPPTwDb8rBbo/s320/IMG_6864.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Front view of Easy Tiger Hostel and Cafe</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRqotFQsvzUB-X1DjtEZIBZ5H3XSU2Fk6JIqd2BoE4MsMZieFgttck2NxxrfXaIvzabWw9kQhjjxRPMU0BNxwfEGKT_LnL2LDD4zQQRL3H0gVQM6rBa1-nZmPPDwzIKow9MIxv43QJPMTp/s1600/IMG_6870.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRqotFQsvzUB-X1DjtEZIBZ5H3XSU2Fk6JIqd2BoE4MsMZieFgttck2NxxrfXaIvzabWw9kQhjjxRPMU0BNxwfEGKT_LnL2LDD4zQQRL3H0gVQM6rBa1-nZmPPDwzIKow9MIxv43QJPMTp/s320/IMG_6870.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our host "Hi" was a great singer guitar player and song-<br />
writer...soon to be married and truly a sweet guy.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQZ6PA3uC5LtirqJV3nMMynCE6wQW06DKdrhMJpfvlGp_bNH-sxsDBkxUagXHida_a0Wr20KDvWF07jtfIBG7g2Siv1sVfQIoU7PfnKWkDkPe6eR4DQIh7KZuW5N_VGCk1gsR6-Wv3gMXY/s1600/IMG_6872.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQZ6PA3uC5LtirqJV3nMMynCE6wQW06DKdrhMJpfvlGp_bNH-sxsDBkxUagXHida_a0Wr20KDvWF07jtfIBG7g2Siv1sVfQIoU7PfnKWkDkPe6eR4DQIh7KZuW5N_VGCk1gsR6-Wv3gMXY/s320/IMG_6872.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Deb's "daughters" at the Easy Tiger hostel bid her a fond farwell. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
<h4 style="text-align: left;">
Vinh Moc Tunnels </h4>
<div style="text-align: left;">
The remains of a North Vietnamese village that was literally dug underground to avoid the carpet bombing of the US during the Vietnam war. It took over 20 months to prepare the tunnels - people stayed in them during the day, 17 babies were born ni them, and then came out at night for fishing and farming. This was also a weapons and supplies storage base for the Viet Cong. These tunnels are just inside the Demiliarized Zone that straddles the 17th parallel.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6_zU7___e8JhKhEtlnBszl0tqPm4ZrgOHt7-MvGzPsQZfCALI9e8OxYiaeTph3OPCa9txSCjXFxvov6fDAsmVn7dqegzNNbqf4G1jhcGAUqwqJjRGQZ16louvyBPgxtTHhhEbhyXRd-6V/s1600/IMG_6880.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6_zU7___e8JhKhEtlnBszl0tqPm4ZrgOHt7-MvGzPsQZfCALI9e8OxYiaeTph3OPCa9txSCjXFxvov6fDAsmVn7dqegzNNbqf4G1jhcGAUqwqJjRGQZ16louvyBPgxtTHhhEbhyXRd-6V/s320/IMG_6880.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">These surface tunnels (once much deeper) allowed for movement between<br />
different entrances and exits to the tunnels.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_2YC1YKyOzaHjm1wGF7_kvzQI0FDwWmqwEyaoIMFxfVGLz_TXaKqEChGR7oaKgilOQVhoNLmrhaHWNEB2a5EkxQqo3dThFxAdJNgtaSJM1z_9RKR6iKXnlx4UNUBoxGTxajbjxoPNpMl_/s1600/IMG_6882.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_2YC1YKyOzaHjm1wGF7_kvzQI0FDwWmqwEyaoIMFxfVGLz_TXaKqEChGR7oaKgilOQVhoNLmrhaHWNEB2a5EkxQqo3dThFxAdJNgtaSJM1z_9RKR6iKXnlx4UNUBoxGTxajbjxoPNpMl_/s320/IMG_6882.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One entrance to the tunnels - has been updated for tourism</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_Sm7zE_BY-_FExq_76HuZ8sch189n69F1kCcciNoEGlGNW_6rCVz3NsK0abaPIpjNw6DmIKQ9BZm7fgkBnAK3qXoRkqf-jTs0H4pbswO3wLAjWeWJEYXfgxUaUNJkVLrr7luUs32aDxi4/s1600/IMG_6910.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_Sm7zE_BY-_FExq_76HuZ8sch189n69F1kCcciNoEGlGNW_6rCVz3NsK0abaPIpjNw6DmIKQ9BZm7fgkBnAK3qXoRkqf-jTs0H4pbswO3wLAjWeWJEYXfgxUaUNJkVLrr7luUs32aDxi4/s320/IMG_6910.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We are intrigued by the ad for Contact Juggling as the<br />
waitress confirms location and time.....the pub!!!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQLo7FCmnc8KDqx5OF436YOPuA3fns4Pt7ZEPIeC5g0JbfjYINe8vRIml3-QeEyup2j7fpHy7ESy5P-hCm_P0x9cfMkVDM6e7nSFH0etcdsazFxTAWlNdKSgl32RdMfuJsBnHOZkE1uR76/s1600/IMG_6927.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQLo7FCmnc8KDqx5OF436YOPuA3fns4Pt7ZEPIeC5g0JbfjYINe8vRIml3-QeEyup2j7fpHy7ESy5P-hCm_P0x9cfMkVDM6e7nSFH0etcdsazFxTAWlNdKSgl32RdMfuJsBnHOZkE1uR76/s320/IMG_6927.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Heading into the old city in Hue.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_8sl8HSWhF-BPvPbxVNPb14Hf-JG7hqNBjlt-cZD3kL10h57EdAk6M-ofs98AnWyqaaJssDfHf0-3rUM_696YMebp6vP-uvwj41EBzv49rZ3Nyd0nMotCaP9mFBudNBj4kpbUrPoGYxjT/s1600/IMG_6928.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_8sl8HSWhF-BPvPbxVNPb14Hf-JG7hqNBjlt-cZD3kL10h57EdAk6M-ofs98AnWyqaaJssDfHf0-3rUM_696YMebp6vP-uvwj41EBzv49rZ3Nyd0nMotCaP9mFBudNBj4kpbUrPoGYxjT/s320/IMG_6928.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lots of Chinese influence - makes sense as the coutnry<br />
was under Chinese occupation for 1000 years! Hue old city. Much<br />
was destroyed in the war.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja7WtGjx1vIsi31-CMwLGO9jyoviCXpzgKPiOAfDer5AhuHFGJW4SxKgv6LKtGgi8P19nZ7BQ9G02jCp82Ndk8PcZAkp8xkqFq7hwIuLWPktHfif_sOTC3pve1KerUmqtNNEBp1DB5ieu_/s1600/IMG_6967.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja7WtGjx1vIsi31-CMwLGO9jyoviCXpzgKPiOAfDer5AhuHFGJW4SxKgv6LKtGgi8P19nZ7BQ9G02jCp82Ndk8PcZAkp8xkqFq7hwIuLWPktHfif_sOTC3pve1KerUmqtNNEBp1DB5ieu_/s320/IMG_6967.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Contact Juggling in a bar in Hue...who would have<br />
thought...this Vietnamese guy was good. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinPVjqDNKh4sdq9DfSXdKcfcW2aw3D011tIpueX7BkuvJjXXIPb4AiIzEm3Uc1ba4131Oq24TSRH-asVOuQepl_XBsfPILx28QKxqbyMhX6NOL9-wZ7seeEB9mQde3oeu1G7x8zCByZHXl/s1600/IMG_6980.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinPVjqDNKh4sdq9DfSXdKcfcW2aw3D011tIpueX7BkuvJjXXIPb4AiIzEm3Uc1ba4131Oq24TSRH-asVOuQepl_XBsfPILx28QKxqbyMhX6NOL9-wZ7seeEB9mQde3oeu1G7x8zCByZHXl/s320/IMG_6980.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hue train station with all our gear on board...our backs!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhENtzsKFthL9vrXWFGRwg4Pl9HxDVRCD5lMQRx70KXwQ8BhzEQIULyTKOCseVtyyGQJ5XFcG_AZOWHy7KWC6wfbZ3p-iqxrERsHL4RH84nFy14l1s4BEexxhDHQYIigqYAvJVIKNAGe2kB/s1600/IMG_6982.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhENtzsKFthL9vrXWFGRwg4Pl9HxDVRCD5lMQRx70KXwQ8BhzEQIULyTKOCseVtyyGQJ5XFcG_AZOWHy7KWC6wfbZ3p-iqxrERsHL4RH84nFy14l1s4BEexxhDHQYIigqYAvJVIKNAGe2kB/s320/IMG_6982.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bar takes up the chess challenge from a local shop keeper<br />
while waiting for the train in Hue....no contest.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir0m4rQIcGKqljMox3TjLSje40obC5wLq9qWAVYwu13LHXmsubKl0K2_hvwA8vahnKggYknv06axuTJDVbUVeeSn7rMyyREIOa_2n29RBvVNheqDjnrnTV0_kPP1E3hNw79H2t3-dfBf-F/s1600/IMG_6987.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir0m4rQIcGKqljMox3TjLSje40obC5wLq9qWAVYwu13LHXmsubKl0K2_hvwA8vahnKggYknv06axuTJDVbUVeeSn7rMyyREIOa_2n29RBvVNheqDjnrnTV0_kPP1E3hNw79H2t3-dfBf-F/s320/IMG_6987.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Train between Hue and Da Nang - one of the most scenic<br />
stretches (and the train goes from hanoi to Ho CHi Minh city).<br />
Entire ride - about 3.5 hours.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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After a great train ride we landed in Danang and part of our walking tour discovered that hard working motorcycle taxi drivers do need to sleep sometime.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxKjuXu2XZYVlAOMTXSl2vaH0Bk4t5su2TQjpxKEeFJKb0a1OEvV1wGKGEq8-RS_b_ZfBF64GVI_fr4msLWcOkRKjJ7mxzxmeCwYcdfOg8PyA2InAD2UC3CqmUA-W66Vh9xiU_8awjkTYu/s1600/IMG_7029.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxKjuXu2XZYVlAOMTXSl2vaH0Bk4t5su2TQjpxKEeFJKb0a1OEvV1wGKGEq8-RS_b_ZfBF64GVI_fr4msLWcOkRKjJ7mxzxmeCwYcdfOg8PyA2InAD2UC3CqmUA-W66Vh9xiU_8awjkTYu/s320/IMG_7029.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fellow Canadians Michelle and Ben. Michelle ís a professional jazz singer, and Ben a writer.<br />
They were headed to Saigon where Michelle had a 3 month gig playing a 5 star hotel.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPx_XsOkosxcePkvBXRBqkY4XoPwWodazecWNMfhWw8z0H142Wvx_Cjf-wxE3SO3Oj5LKguAzPiBG9xGW2GMw_ulIgkfw_m7Ql9uoPP7SADvN5MM4aw0-gINpTCS8dimcDlEGIlIj4oa9f/s1600/IMG_7014.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPx_XsOkosxcePkvBXRBqkY4XoPwWodazecWNMfhWw8z0H142Wvx_Cjf-wxE3SO3Oj5LKguAzPiBG9xGW2GMw_ulIgkfw_m7Ql9uoPP7SADvN5MM4aw0-gINpTCS8dimcDlEGIlIj4oa9f/s320/IMG_7014.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This soon to open government building is<br />
possibly the most beautiful design ever </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZqVSGVTeGIOhR11DVrzZ6Abd_p3zj65oRapNC_5HLcXVfcgzeVzsxGsLrLdhZEhosQ1mSGNkXvw566nAMcr3weqk_3ctCbu2KN-jc73203Pwir-cR_hZrqqACEkhRoEfmIURTHunxTN6L/s1600/IMG_7017.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZqVSGVTeGIOhR11DVrzZ6Abd_p3zj65oRapNC_5HLcXVfcgzeVzsxGsLrLdhZEhosQ1mSGNkXvw566nAMcr3weqk_3ctCbu2KN-jc73203Pwir-cR_hZrqqACEkhRoEfmIURTHunxTN6L/s320/IMG_7017.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">More music - at the Cu (means owl) Cafeteria. Owner Tien<br />
(2nd from left) was a fantastic singer and raconteur. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi66EeEZJfSfG4W8gHqG5-PqK7zN6DSm8OZTvniF_IEUHXBwf2kQMqJSrcDEf4h0LhKPhOljtbR6kyPHFaO8MBERMozqJ6xcnnvQqXMQWdPQvsiV62AgL80OgksyC4qd7cBeEV9lYx8_VGo/s1600/IMG_7044.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi66EeEZJfSfG4W8gHqG5-PqK7zN6DSm8OZTvniF_IEUHXBwf2kQMqJSrcDEf4h0LhKPhOljtbR6kyPHFaO8MBERMozqJ6xcnnvQqXMQWdPQvsiV62AgL80OgksyC4qd7cBeEV9lYx8_VGo/s320/IMG_7044.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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Folk Club in Danang where we played!!!!</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcIJd55umdWBKeaBAUXhgEpbEn7uW2GSwh6NLCptYmL0zNTx1xz7kkl3Q-FlHHalBQlz1XkF9GILzFPtrES0NjeZQRIrL4juanuGaaRBOllPHutav02r7twY9b0Q9fwRjdwaEjNG47xTzQ/s1600/IMG_7065.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcIJd55umdWBKeaBAUXhgEpbEn7uW2GSwh6NLCptYmL0zNTx1xz7kkl3Q-FlHHalBQlz1XkF9GILzFPtrES0NjeZQRIrL4juanuGaaRBOllPHutav02r7twY9b0Q9fwRjdwaEjNG47xTzQ/s320/IMG_7065.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Dragon Bridge in Da Nang that actually breaths fire<br />
weekend nights - sadly we mised this.<br />
. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3RtJLkgmHzXMVkbatX6Sh6aKdbM-OY0afGFvK_VuCrnHgCTbIET47gXOo2C6FDClxaV4yHHklDhxslWcUbiunzZiody1dW6OeQgYeL4SnTgn5ZXRwV5UwVKEOD2_v27vXcMkRlZOntm7-/s1600/IMG_7082.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3RtJLkgmHzXMVkbatX6Sh6aKdbM-OY0afGFvK_VuCrnHgCTbIET47gXOo2C6FDClxaV4yHHklDhxslWcUbiunzZiody1dW6OeQgYeL4SnTgn5ZXRwV5UwVKEOD2_v27vXcMkRlZOntm7-/s320/IMG_7082.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">VN Chess....the most popular game on the streets, in the cafes,<br />
at least for men!!!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRF4mDffSXlR3JGljJEGWRMVYAPLQNhCvfnFkkSHqDboZVOqpyYB10teqKtlX1rb8AIiB2iv9VRTmTfebPlLZfa6QuDGSYWXw0g3srh0hOOfv3XeaNWcyZyqEWjO6tvaQddOcfiv6LhkNm/s1600/IMG_7093.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRF4mDffSXlR3JGljJEGWRMVYAPLQNhCvfnFkkSHqDboZVOqpyYB10teqKtlX1rb8AIiB2iv9VRTmTfebPlLZfa6QuDGSYWXw0g3srh0hOOfv3XeaNWcyZyqEWjO6tvaQddOcfiv6LhkNm/s320/IMG_7093.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Han River - Da Nang</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-nRy3U0xNKY9rQUhzzmUBLpZYLXqG3k_EN1OcwIAew2h7x2578IPjW_3oE_Lk7sbpWvu_NREx56REGEMcDazL8j01y4qw0yGvRvDjY6X-YYBqNE-9moVFVCzgBUVdq1XJ-RTgvIxkspNj/s1600/IMG_7105.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-nRy3U0xNKY9rQUhzzmUBLpZYLXqG3k_EN1OcwIAew2h7x2578IPjW_3oE_Lk7sbpWvu_NREx56REGEMcDazL8j01y4qw0yGvRvDjY6X-YYBqNE-9moVFVCzgBUVdq1XJ-RTgvIxkspNj/s320/IMG_7105.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This building in downtown Danang is surrounded by new<br />
hotels...not sure of its historic value.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTmJnK1cgr1ZSG7DBv-gB9uw9ESrtRA_9lq-k0_O_r54ljib0vQOC98cKL3mQKnEDpZlhsfiinuwj5IDId1sw6rWav5g0CKtSb2_PMD8DBFkWqWEsh2jUO1GeafNu3oJL-DtFf10A3nhPj/s1600/IMG_7117.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTmJnK1cgr1ZSG7DBv-gB9uw9ESrtRA_9lq-k0_O_r54ljib0vQOC98cKL3mQKnEDpZlhsfiinuwj5IDId1sw6rWav5g0CKtSb2_PMD8DBFkWqWEsh2jUO1GeafNu3oJL-DtFf10A3nhPj/s1600/IMG_7117.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
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Woman Buddah at Monkey Mountain</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg1Hzccf3E3dkpeSO4GJ8GG0KWRpJVSQ_CjK2Y1d1HwIq58j-ba2SuOi7-ZWubiqf2_f69H40kS9WuEKUJMruUwYjAQUaIAZU3OXNmN02Yd23FrgJDuMJ3s1ROiqSxYCaRUlnPcWh61VcV/s1600/IMG_7127.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg1Hzccf3E3dkpeSO4GJ8GG0KWRpJVSQ_CjK2Y1d1HwIq58j-ba2SuOi7-ZWubiqf2_f69H40kS9WuEKUJMruUwYjAQUaIAZU3OXNmN02Yd23FrgJDuMJ3s1ROiqSxYCaRUlnPcWh61VcV/s1600/IMG_7127.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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Easy Rider Deb at Monkey Mountain</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDN3sq8p4cSV_rTvbwqL_-p7hS0sejEWareJuPF8kZ6MFOFkF9pHplefy3dgWiI-LBTFk5OX7Ng1FFxUfYE9j2koAKgQo8okvEQn8-FdB3jvAjrWFeMVOtXOB5pA4WG3Y9CV-gDMBjiMCQ/s1600/IMG_7133.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDN3sq8p4cSV_rTvbwqL_-p7hS0sejEWareJuPF8kZ6MFOFkF9pHplefy3dgWiI-LBTFk5OX7Ng1FFxUfYE9j2koAKgQo8okvEQn8-FdB3jvAjrWFeMVOtXOB5pA4WG3Y9CV-gDMBjiMCQ/s1600/IMG_7133.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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Marble Mountain souvenir shop</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhewS1mriASuSYG8FxCV4ZMHxOUoYLLhfCTbAbgOZXtJ1z4f0TZzDG7-SQau4i5QGnRIyEPKUHAQpxOcniHhjxtCD2T8o1zmcnVA6nlKbelqR42qENcHbBYE0fkjPjaxqOSF6Eq83C6PwV_/s1600/IMG_7142.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhewS1mriASuSYG8FxCV4ZMHxOUoYLLhfCTbAbgOZXtJ1z4f0TZzDG7-SQau4i5QGnRIyEPKUHAQpxOcniHhjxtCD2T8o1zmcnVA6nlKbelqR42qENcHbBYE0fkjPjaxqOSF6Eq83C6PwV_/s1600/IMG_7142.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdK42s_c_coRq4B1BsGMPPlTxbK-e0mC8lDXBSp8uqpCll8SzRyD3QHvOLmkST5mta4aEOev1diC_3mOoAUhTsbUCGFxRrPJB-yjkWsBV9wwq5DXczfKYqwDnjjaD704SOxdNf8WGZp-Zm/s1600/IMG_7147.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdK42s_c_coRq4B1BsGMPPlTxbK-e0mC8lDXBSp8uqpCll8SzRyD3QHvOLmkST5mta4aEOev1diC_3mOoAUhTsbUCGFxRrPJB-yjkWsBV9wwq5DXczfKYqwDnjjaD704SOxdNf8WGZp-Zm/s1600/IMG_7147.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg14OUidJCocQZhcr-G2oUp7yLHwNuAoRK_hHtwUEsLMLnD2j-veKtfIqz6nGZsB1wSRXLM_BM_YFG9i6qvMYCxkvLt-BfI6Cgo8NYrFHTE5BJAF1Yr8R8u7tBTf_9mPvbmdxKXpk-ssaWY/s1600/IMG_7154.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg14OUidJCocQZhcr-G2oUp7yLHwNuAoRK_hHtwUEsLMLnD2j-veKtfIqz6nGZsB1wSRXLM_BM_YFG9i6qvMYCxkvLt-BfI6Cgo8NYrFHTE5BJAF1Yr8R8u7tBTf_9mPvbmdxKXpk-ssaWY/s1600/IMG_7154.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
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Marble Mountain</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQDksTcTsGv2qeuffIWoCJGjs3untMjU10pPd_DONT3vfwFztjWBfEpH8z3XY041oZnjLmkigGehHUuqoPtPUShH0R2EO957lo0ZTM9mvX8KDGrla0PPIhs8qpVlooFxTGQCpHHKJNbVt-/s1600/IMG_7176.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQDksTcTsGv2qeuffIWoCJGjs3untMjU10pPd_DONT3vfwFztjWBfEpH8z3XY041oZnjLmkigGehHUuqoPtPUShH0R2EO957lo0ZTM9mvX8KDGrla0PPIhs8qpVlooFxTGQCpHHKJNbVt-/s1600/IMG_7176.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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Hoi An dock wedding photos</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWqvlWRuv-6UnNvAfT_PECSDbHuIcYOMNAnUfIOCB7libBzmUxCL7E_4xDvSys2ZVzGKBAchPTDkh23F53RgURqlRTlt_SlwcVPIxdiOWxTtZbnCdQDOOLWopZsWKHIMY-MOLDMXVpUqjA/s1600/IMG_7178.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWqvlWRuv-6UnNvAfT_PECSDbHuIcYOMNAnUfIOCB7libBzmUxCL7E_4xDvSys2ZVzGKBAchPTDkh23F53RgURqlRTlt_SlwcVPIxdiOWxTtZbnCdQDOOLWopZsWKHIMY-MOLDMXVpUqjA/s1600/IMG_7178.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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View from in front of our hotel in Danang</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzcBzmmA8TIRlpmnRkpKeq0vVpRY0l9pCX5ghalhMyDzP7Z0bc12z6Nat0mUaNhXVIXeoRRhfy8xMRWLnl_lihP2xugi8Gx2zW8xs3q8owSQQuK0AYweyy4NGExzERhma49aDOuvjeWHWV/s1600/IMG_7183.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzcBzmmA8TIRlpmnRkpKeq0vVpRY0l9pCX5ghalhMyDzP7Z0bc12z6Nat0mUaNhXVIXeoRRhfy8xMRWLnl_lihP2xugi8Gx2zW8xs3q8owSQQuK0AYweyy4NGExzERhma49aDOuvjeWHWV/s1600/IMG_7183.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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A final toast with our gracious hotel family</div>
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beginning Tet New Year celebrations, mid day. So much food. Our host</div>
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kept filling our bowls and Barry's beer glass!</div>
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</div>
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Bringing in the chicken feet.</div>
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The beer is done...can goes on the floor,</div>
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with gusto!</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyE2fBWIZHH3lHR-y63P69bFKGWmvhk-XHLeHHXL3jxj1x4LxT1efL8cscjhfADXm0NlK0ztosZzRwDYV7ITOWbOTpQkhcV2efSnp16M0_bBOUwqqlY_1DkBGUzN1Masp95Yh4gvKEnjx5/s1600/IMG_7174.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyE2fBWIZHH3lHR-y63P69bFKGWmvhk-XHLeHHXL3jxj1x4LxT1efL8cscjhfADXm0NlK0ztosZzRwDYV7ITOWbOTpQkhcV2efSnp16M0_bBOUwqqlY_1DkBGUzN1Masp95Yh4gvKEnjx5/s1600/IMG_7174.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hoi An - A UNESCO site. Most old city buildings <br />
survived the war</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXYPqxxM41VUCieEwzrTAkySC3ZfnumUg-KLfqJIRQflePEFEC3HvswAjhASXwZ5DDSgdlnAAty5tni4d-pmEw8YaA4GJThhmruZDvaI8Mo-jnBhtK2HipKGzibVjs1H6GuL8RP4z0CxNS/s1600/IMG_7166.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXYPqxxM41VUCieEwzrTAkySC3ZfnumUg-KLfqJIRQflePEFEC3HvswAjhASXwZ5DDSgdlnAAty5tni4d-pmEw8YaA4GJThhmruZDvaI8Mo-jnBhtK2HipKGzibVjs1H6GuL8RP4z0CxNS/s1600/IMG_7166.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View from atop Marble Mountain - looking out over the Pacific!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiKiCOzvIjWliugtfZwugTFlkWdYbTZ2-HvlPcroxBeAj2R1nUYSWzJpzAGZM7yaquwoQ2oMB18KDj9scjp1FZ1iYZmwzFy7BCPBZOgKzW7n8BcLsLMZJeog4VYbpGj6o2kfq-IAsP8Mjg/s1600/IMG_7180.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiKiCOzvIjWliugtfZwugTFlkWdYbTZ2-HvlPcroxBeAj2R1nUYSWzJpzAGZM7yaquwoQ2oMB18KDj9scjp1FZ1iYZmwzFy7BCPBZOgKzW7n8BcLsLMZJeog4VYbpGj6o2kfq-IAsP8Mjg/s1600/IMG_7180.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Da Nang - Dragon Bridge at night</td></tr>
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Same feast as above - the father spent a fair bit of time</div>
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looking at the feet. If I understood correctly, he is "reading"</div>
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the feet for a prediction about the coming year.</div>
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debandbartravelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14802758148927664633noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3118946844319334976.post-5864407020445488542014-01-11T21:41:00.001-08:002014-01-12T03:17:07.995-08:00Vietnam Story...Part One<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Vietnam. Hectic Hanoi and the tarnished, congested, beauty
of Halong Bay prompted me to mention to Barry, after about a week, that I was
not attached to staying in Vietnam. Don’t get me wrong, we’ve had good times,
taken in some great museums and feel like we were learning about the fascinating
country and its history of both occupation and war, but I was not happy. Barry
and I were bickering quite a bit, finding it hard to land together on common
ground. I now think that traveler’s (or possibly big city) fatigue, combined
with the “heaviness” of what we were seeing made it tempting (for me, at least)
to fantasize about leaving for other, maybe easier, places, even as we boarded our
sleeper train south to Dong Hoi. And then, that is when Vietnam started to win
our hearts. <br />
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Hanoi – a 1000 year old city that has lost many of its
ancient treasures to occupation and war. The guidebook describes it as a
“captivating city steeped in history”, a history which we’ve just skimmed the
surface of. Chinese influence is everywhere and we saw many Confucian statues,
lots of red and gold. We walked the Old Quarter of tall, narrow buildings
(taxation based on width) clogged with motorbikes and street vendors,each
street specifically selling a certain type of ware. For example, the shoe
street, tin box street, herb-seller street, and my personal favourite – the
street with the shops selling mannequins. Cone hats, baskets of goods hanging 2
on shoulder-hefted poles, cute well-dressed petite women zipping by on their
motor bikes are images that stick in my mind. Motorbikes piled high with
everything imaginable – I specifically recall one with 2 large porcelain urns
(at least 4 feet tall) strapped on either side of the seat behind the
driver. We ate roasted corn, and fried rice
pancakes, stuffed with sugar and peanuts (a local crop), at the night market
crammed with stalls selling cheap goods, and poked our noses into large bowls
of snails for sale in the Dong Xuan Market. Our guesthouse was just west of
Hoan Kiem Lake; very picturesque in the evening when all lit up, and maybe 3 km
to circumambulate (okay is that really a word or did I make it up?). Here we
watched a couple in wedding garb being photographed – how cute. Then, in front
of everyone passing by, they promptly started to change into another set of
clothes; he put a white suit on over the black one and she managed to completed
change her dress, with minimal skin exposure, for another shoot – models, not
bride and groom! I can’t say I found the people overly friendly, although those
involved in the service industry where very helpful and kind. The Hoa La Prison
Museum, built in 1896, was 1 of our favourite, although sobering, sites. It
housed many Vietnamese political prisonersbefore the Vietnam warand had
engaging displays, including a French guillotine. It also housed American
fighter pilots shot down during the late 60s and early 70s, when Hanoi was
being bombed – levelled in many cases. The display related to this part of the
museum’s history was well done, and made it look as if the American inmates
were very well taken care of (Christmas parties, movies, decent supplies and
volleyball games). My guidebook, however, alludes to that being only part of
the story – nowhere are there photos of torture. The Vietnamese Women’s Museum had a great
display on heroic women of the revolution, the role of women in society,
worship of the mother goddess, and a good display on ethnic tribes and their
different costumes. We visited the Fine Arts Museum which at times looked more
like a history museum with its stone and wood carvings from the 9<sup>th</sup>
and 10<sup>th</sup> centuries. The numerous, contemporary works of war-time
images (oil, laquer and silk paintings) a quiet record of how much this city,
and proud country have suffered. We visited the Temple of Literature (a good
example of well-preserved traditional Vietnamese architecture), although my
favourite image is that of Barry getting his hair and beard trimmed just
outside the temple walls on the sidewalk. Ask him about his close encounters
with the razor (no worries – no blood loss).
We watched delightful, masterful water puppetry. Overall, busy. Lots of
walking and dodging motorbikes, good food, and a quiet New Year’s Eve.</div>
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Halong Bay along the coast of the Gulf of Tonkin is one of
northern Vietnam’s supposed jewels. It is a destination that I’d predict 90% of
people travelling to Hanoi also take in. To get out on the water among the
karst (limestone) peaks that elbow their way out of the sea, one must get on a
boat which necessitates booking a tour. We booked a tour that had us sleeping 1
night on a 10 cabin boat, and 1 night in Cat Ba Town on the more remote Cat Ba
Island. Google these places, you’ll see why we went, but oh what a sight. Tour
boats everywhere were a definite distraction, at times I counted up to 40! However,
it was the garbage floating by and the dirty, blue-green water that really shocked
me. We’ve been in India and Nepal – we’ve seen garbage, but it was so unexpected
here in the ocean, it completely distracted me from the beauty on display. So
much plastic afloat out there, it brought fresh depth and meaning to the
display on the Pacific garbage patch we’d seen at the Monterey Bay Aquarium, and
all our time of looking out over the Pacific. There is small scale, but
extensive, fish farming (plus mussels, prawns, and pearly oysters) done in the
floating villages. Interesting – entire communities, even dogs, living afloat
in almost every protected bay amongst the karst peaks, at times in great
concentration. Made me think of what I’d read in Jane Goodall’s Book “Harvest
for Hope” about fish farming and its impact on the environment. Do these
peoples feed the fish or treat them with antibiotics? We saw scads of what appeared
to be abandoned plastic baskets along so many shorelines, used to farm mussels
in sand. Do they ever get cleaned up? In fairness, there was a lot that was
good about our tour. We had a delightful, candid, knowledgeable guide Chuc and
connected with a lovely, like-minded couple from Portland, Jackie and Tom. We
got active: hiking over limestone, biking to a small remote town on Cat Ba
Island, and got ourselves into kayaks twice (although the water left our hands
feeling so sticky). Sadly though, the experience left me depressed, although it
may be one of those things that is good to see even though it generates
discomfort. There is a good story here I can bring to my classroom.<br />
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Not knowing what to expect, we next headed to Dong Hoi (train stop closest to Phong Nha)via
the overnight train in a ‘soft-sleeper”. Four berths, with air-con in a small
compartment. We spent the night with 2 delightful chaps from London – traveling
sans wife and girlfriend. They’d been living it up in Saigon over New Year’s
and regaled us with tales and videos of their escapades (while taking some
sleeping “medication” – read beer), which most notably included a snake meal.
They chose a snake from a cage, watched its fangs being removed with pliers and
its heart cut out while still living. They were served snake blood mixed with
alcohol, bile, the heart – raw, and various dishes cooked with the meat. Sorry
if this offends you – it is amazing what people will both buy and sell. I
wonder if any locals do this sort of thing, or other Asian tourists.
Regardless, these two (Gary and Lee) were a lot of fun and we enjoyed their
stories. We also ran into a young couple we had met numerous times since
arriving in Hanoi – Angie and Erin from north of Victoria, headed to the same
destination as us – Phong Nha National Park. For a bit they joined us and the
boys in our sleeper compartment.</div>
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Someone I once knew used to say “expect the unexpected” and
all we knew about where we were headed was that there were caves. We actually
weren’t overly interested in caves, we see ourselves more as hikers, but the
guidebook reassured us the hype about this park was valid. What we could not
anticipate was that we would stay for 5 days and nights, or that Phong Nha would
become one of our highlights. In this small, rural, less-visited village we found
caves of truly epic proportions (this is the home of Son Doong – claimed to be
the largest cave system in the world, and just recently discovered by a local),
in a landscape of lush, green, limestone mountains that spans the Ho Chi Minh
Trail; history and natural beauty both. We rode bikes through beautiful
villages and well-tended farmland – past rice fields, water buffalo, and neat,
tidy, houses. Everywhere we went people would call out “hello” as we passed. We
also, “magically”, got to live Barry’s dream. At the Easy Tiger Hostel, just
down the road from our hotel, and a real gathering spot for travelers, we found
2 good guitars, a simple sound system, and a staff almost desperate for
musicians. We played 3 nights at the Easy Tiger, and 2 nights at the “sister”
Phong Nha Farmstay 10 km out of town, with other players taking their turn. We
were rewarded with free dinners, beer, bike rentals, a day long tour to the
Paradise and Dark Caves (this cave featured a walk through knee-deep mud and swimming in the cave), and more importantly the opportunity to spend time
with these wonderful folks and their families. We spent many happy hours with
Erin and Angie, and with Barry’s encouragement Erin got up and sang on stage
for the first time in his life! (Note – Bar and I met in Canmore and erin and
Angie also met in Canmore – it was fate). We were older than most of the
travelers in the area, at least at the Easy Tiger, and had the distinct honour
of becoming “parents” to a few. Someone asked if Angie and Erin were our
children, and from that point on we became there “adopted” parents. The young, 23 year old Vietnamese woman behind the bar asked me my age the very first night we
were there, playing at the hostel. She guessed my age pretty close, and
mentioned that I reminded her of her Mom living about 160 km away. From then on
she started to call me Mom… Barry became Daddy. Even part-owner Hi (Vietnamese,
and I am most likely spelling his name wrong, 28 and soon to be married) joined
in the fun. A highlight was doing a set with Hi, an accomplished musician and
songwriter himself who had a great book of English cover tunes. Nothing could
beat singing John Denver’s “Country Roads” or Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah” with
Hi, while Bar delivered some great lead breaks. We stayed up later and more
often, played pool, talked sustainable tourism, learned more about Vietnamese
life, and possibly both drank more than we have all trip. We will bring
precious memories of this place home with us – it is the “wind beneath our
wings” and will help carry us home. I know, a little hokey.</div>
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This has been a great, thought-provoking country to be in,
one we can see coming back to. There is still <a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=3118946844319334976" name="_GoBack"></a>so much to
see, and such rich history. The people in my humble opinion, have a quiet,
industrious, beauty. I remember my Uncle Russ telling me, when we moved to
Walkerton, that local people can be friendly and welcoming, but you have to
meet them half-way. I think the same thing may be true here. As older
travelers, we are often greeted with a great deal of respect from young hotel
owners and servers. Thankfully, we have a few more days here to enjoy. <br />
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This is an amazing position to be in – so close to leaving
Asia we can count the days now on 2 hands. We are tired, proud, memories of
places and people popping up just like those karst mountains in Halong Bay.
Seems like we are gonna’ make it after all. We knew we would, of course, but to
be so close … it is its own rich experience. I know this feeling from work. You
can see the end, you know you’ll “make it”, and then you’ll get a chance to
relax (in a hot bath for one, and a soft bed for two). A number of days ago, we
received an email from our dear friend Anne encouraging us to cherish our last
days of travel (maybe this was an indirect reference to the Ontario weather we
are hearing about). At the time, “cherish” seemed impossible – “persevere”
might have been closer to what we were thinking. Now, however, end in sight,
still high on our Phong Nha connections, we’ve begun to cherish. Once again, we
are full of gratitude for our remarkable good fortune. There have been ups and
downs, and we are confident we’ll leave on a high.</div>
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I’m not sure when we will post again, although we will have
photos to add (Da Nang, Hoi An, and AnkorWat in Cambodia still to come, plus
stops in LA and Joshua Tree). Is it possible that we are somehow busier now
than we were before? Regardless, thanks to all who take the time to read. I’ve
loved writing – it has helped me feel connected to home on this “trip of a
lifetime”, and been a useful tool for processing the experience.It feels good
to have spent time going through our vast collection of photos; what a huge
task if left until we are home. Keep us in your prayers as we drive cross
continent, we still have some ground to cover, and start making plans for a
party! XOXOXO D</div>
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debandbartravelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14802758148927664633noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3118946844319334976.post-34659610423356593972013-12-31T03:31:00.001-08:002013-12-31T03:31:14.644-08:00Luxury in Laos<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Sometimes the voyeuristic aspects of travel leave me
uncomfortable. We just witnessed a profound and interesting early morning event,
in Luang Prabang, the morning procession of monks. They walk the street, single
file, while people deposit alms into their bowls. Their large metal containers,
almost soccer ball size with woven shoulder straps, are slowly filled with
bananas, handfuls of hot sticky rice, packages of biscuits, money, and morsels
of food wrapped in banana leaves. They are a ribbon of colour, snaking along in
their bright orange robes, some mere boys, a yellow sash depicting the novice
from the more practiced. It is cold enough outside for me to have on a jacket
and hat, but they walk barefoot on the road, shoulders, arms and shaved head
all exposed. I read at one of the temples that they have very few possessions:
robes, bowl, an umbrella, bag, some sleeping basics. It reminds us of the display
we saw in Delhi at the Gandhi museum – the small glass case that housed his few
possessions before he was assassinated. This austerity and devotion is humbling
and thought provoking. It is easy to romanticize!<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Of course, this is a bit of a tourist attraction. There is a
picture of a line of monks in the Lonely Planet guidebook. People appear on the
still-dark streets as early as 6am. The monks first appear shortly thereafter.
As soon as I stepped out our entryway, I was approached by 3 or 4 local women,
each with a small basket of food that I could then give to the monks. Their
almost desperate pleas to buy (a small basket costs about 1.20$) I could not
refuse. These are poor people, and most tourists simply say no. So I too joined
in the giving, kneeling on a mat (men stand and women kneel) feeling a bit
awkward. Once my offerings ran out, I joined the throng of photographers all
striving for a good photo of this daily ritual. I’m a bit embarrassed that I
too would get caught up in this somewhat shallow quest feeling all too much
like a cheap voyeur. We have to be up early tomorrow morning, in time to
witness the event again, and I have vowed to keep camera in bag!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Likewise when we visited a village on the Mekong. We signed
up for a 2 day trip to Kamu Lodge – a 3+ hour slow boat ride up river. We
purchased this short “tour” mostly on the positive impression of a guesthouse
operator we met while searching out a room (even though we did not stay at his
house). Most guesthouses will book and organize tours for patrons (to say
nothing of the many tour operator offices, or tuk-tuk drivers willing to sell
packages or take people to attractions), many have promo brochures, or signs,
one of which caught our attention. After finding a lovely, clean, bright
comfortable room (sometimes an extra bit of money goes a long way in the
enjoyment factor) we returned to “our man” to discuss trips. He was adamant
that we should come to Kamu Lodge to learn about life in a Laos village. Our
trip up the muddy, sediment laden, Mekong was memorable (if not chilly): hills
rising all around (I’m thinking 1500 feet), jungle, an occasional village, the
slow-boat pleasure of water just slipping by, delightful conversation with a
young German couple (travel, photography, and microscope optics!), even the hot
Nescafe package coffee (creamer and sugar all in – what I’ve come to call
“candy coffee”) enhanced the ride. We’d see people (not many though) planting
crops along the flood plain, out in boats most likely tending nets, and women
washing clothing. We also watched tourists, at one spot, descend the river
banks to return to their boats after a village tour. This is a big river and
major form of transportation – boats rim the shore, big and small and all sizes
in-between, and Barry is intrigued by its potential cultural and economic
significance. And then we arrived at our “Kamu Lodge Experience”. Large
safari-style tents (20 in total), soft beds laden with comforters, an open-air
dining room perched among rice paddies. Quite luxurious and picturesque, in a
jungle sort-of-way. I’m not too sure what we expected; our receipt said “farm
homestay”. Hmmm – well there are rice fields, and water buffalo, but it is hard
to imagine where the word “farm” came from. Everyone else staying here (we’ve
all arrived by boat) is on their Christmas vacation and most on some sort of
pre-arranged tour. Regardless, the jungle is quiet, deeply quiet. Quiet in a
way that is different from all our previous camping adventures, possibly
because there is only water access. As my mind evaluates and judges, my body
responds on its own and the calmness settles into my bones. Being in this
physical place soothes at a visceral level. Plus the lush green of vegetation
is beauty to my eye. This makes the trip “worth” the money.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Across the small area of rice terracing at the lodge, we see
the local village – a visit part of our tour package (these glimpses into
village life are marketed all over SE Asia). We visited, I felt like an
intruder. We walked to the shop (there where smiles when I bought some
handicrafts), and school under the somewhat wary eyes of the villagers.
Tourists come here regularly, I assume, and are possibly paraded through this
village quite often, if not daily. What must this cultural equivalent of a
“zoo” feel like?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our guide (who came
with us from Luang Prabang) explained that the Kamu people who live here (a
sub-set of 1 of the 4 major ethnic groups that live in Laos – according to the
Traditional Arts and Ethnology Centre display in LPB) are actually traditionally
hilltop peoples. A different Laos tribe lived here before and moved to the city
– possibly in search of better jobs and money. The government then resettled
the hill tribe peoples into this village where there is a primary school. No
move – no school. Still, villagers must pay to send the children, buy uniforms
and supplies. Apparently only 20% of children attend, and then must go to the
nearby town to continue with secondary school, which further decreases
attendance. I loved seeing the school (and can’t wait to show photos to my WDCS
students); it really was interesting – but also a bit weird, and certainly a
little uncomfortable. The school teacher brought the children across the small
bridge to the lodge in the evening to sing and dance for us, a highlight for
Barry (he is a sucker for kids – which is also why he overpaid a bunch of
youngster selling bracelets for their school, so they said). They sang with
obvious enthusiasm, especially the boys, accompanied by their teacher’s
drumming and dancing by the girls. I believe the intent is 2 fold: keep
traditional culture alive while earning tips from the travelers, which
translates into money for a school. And so, here in the hills of rural Laos,
our cultures intersect. </span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiryfHw3WuQW_GSy3Hn5wpJamrcolIWoK9grJ9wOUaFQ6QUFKXbgJ8P4NkO4QXHCEzyEJp4lqTNuD8goHVMB35znDaTQ1MKamrUJ5umko3QP-gJUy-9nZms9wljfOgr2blXgX5pELMmcyLn/s1600/IMG_6056.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiryfHw3WuQW_GSy3Hn5wpJamrcolIWoK9grJ9wOUaFQ6QUFKXbgJ8P4NkO4QXHCEzyEJp4lqTNuD8goHVMB35znDaTQ1MKamrUJ5umko3QP-gJUy-9nZms9wljfOgr2blXgX5pELMmcyLn/s320/IMG_6056.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">kamu Lodge - our "bungalow"</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">We did a few, interesting, fun, activities to gain a deeper
understanding into their life. Barry planted some rice, calf deep in squishy
mud. We tried our hand at some ‘archery” with these very cool, handmade small,
wooden cross bows. These are still used to hunt small birds and “mice” (I’m
thinking rat based on the size our guide showed me with his hands). We took 2
fishing nets down to the water; round, maybe 10’ in diameter, the edge threaded
with a relatively heavy chain for weight. Some of us had lessons in how to
throw it into the water (first practicing on the sand), which involved quite a
bit of precise hand positioning, where it would quickly sink and trap fish. Ask
Barry how hard this was – but he did kinda’ get the hang of it. Fishing is a
big part of food acquisition here, and we also watched 2 young-looking boys
string a drop net from shore to sand bar. Surprisingly, we also watched one of
the staff pan for gold using a conical-shaped wooden bowl. Fill with gravel and
sand and just keep swishing water around. This is a regular activity in March
and April when the river is at its lowest, and apparently some families can
earn 20-30$ per day doing this. Our demonstration actually yielded a few specks
of gold, although none of us “falangs” would ever have spotted them on our own.
Some village boys sat somewhat expressionlessly in the sand watching our
antics. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Luang Prabang, a French colony until the ‘50s, UNESCO World
Heritage and Cultural site as of 1995, feels luxurious. It is in northern Democratic People's Republic of Laos. This is an easy city to
be in. We stay in the old city, among remnants of French influence
(architecture, croissants and baguette sandwiches, locals sometimes address us
in French). We can walk everywhere, and easily, or rent a peddle bike for 2.50$
a day. We have visited the 2 key temples, Wat Xieng Thong (built 1560,
incredible Tree of Life mosaic on its back wall), Wat Wisunarat with its
impressive collection of “Calling for Rain Buddhas” (which is all about
posture) and other artifacts, the Tam Ting, or Pak Ou, caves on the Mekong full
of Buddha statues placed on dim ledges and rock (a place of pre-Buddhist
worship for over 3000 years, I am told, the 1<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">st</span></sup> king of Laos brought
the first Buddha statue here in the 13<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">th</span></sup> century), plus the Royal
Palace. We visit shops (yes, we can pick up cheap good here in Asia, but
fair-trade shopping is readily available and preferred. Still cheap by Western
standards…. but a little costly given our daily budget!). The textiles and
carvings are beautiful. There are great restaurants along the river, and a
tasty noodle soup can be had for less than 2 dollars. A real cheap dinner treat
has been the vegetarian buffet at the night market: load up a plate with
vegetables, pumpkin, green beans, tofu, rice or various noodles. Maybe add some
battered and deep fried potato, aubergine, and banana. Hand to the man who then
dumps the whole thing into his sizzling wok and heats it all up for you! Add
some fresh papaya and a cold spring roll and head to the outdoor tables that
line the street running off the market. One plate costs 1.25$ as does a “big”
Beerlao (640ml). The 2<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">nd</span></sup> night we feasted this cheaply, we also met
a great couple from Wales, he a youth worker and she manager of a shop that
sells wooden carvings. We meet many people, all good, but every once in a while
are truly treated to what feels like real connection. Fruit salad with yogurt
and muesli never tasted so good: papaya, mango, banana, watermelon, apple,
Asian pear, dragon fruit. It is cool morning and evenings but we have what we
need to stay warm. The ultralight down jacket I purchased in San Fran is
getting regular use along with my fleece toque and gloves (by noon it will be
warm enough for possibly shorts and a T-shirt), which allows us to comfortably
continue this al-fresco dining. I would recommend this city to anyone.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Four shots above - Wat Xieng Thong</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wat Wisunarat</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Barry took this photos so that he could add the caption "cat on a hot tin roof".<br />
Made me laugh!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6LNCI-S8_Fkw8_H7hhov6x5UIhJCzqVO6SUKzXNhZieNdlMi52wGSSDj1FOF3TsHVa6KeNZVgCa8zDFc9ztdg5IvbBupoEPRQpDWJFC3pyhs4yBVfTSIDa9nKV5BrXePbptX1BsR2-c9e/s1600/IMG_5891.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6LNCI-S8_Fkw8_H7hhov6x5UIhJCzqVO6SUKzXNhZieNdlMi52wGSSDj1FOF3TsHVa6KeNZVgCa8zDFc9ztdg5IvbBupoEPRQpDWJFC3pyhs4yBVfTSIDa9nKV5BrXePbptX1BsR2-c9e/s320/IMG_5891.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">For Marilyn. When we tell people we are from Canada, most ask if we are<br />
from Quebec.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2ibaBzifLRiJ8d8Yt5vb_uPn0ke-tdT6zLWow7IBIOxxeKeqyEFZGpMgsqZui5dyCe9FSEIBXS7EfTiIR8t3OKSE2ZfudeWTxndie5KSPS_VTKChPnS0Lp2qHl0HfimiA_v-VnBaa3OCD/s1600/IMG_5920.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2ibaBzifLRiJ8d8Yt5vb_uPn0ke-tdT6zLWow7IBIOxxeKeqyEFZGpMgsqZui5dyCe9FSEIBXS7EfTiIR8t3OKSE2ZfudeWTxndie5KSPS_VTKChPnS0Lp2qHl0HfimiA_v-VnBaa3OCD/s320/IMG_5920.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Morning breakfast and coffee spot.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fellow teachers from Canada - both working in Hong Kong. Great "shop talk" -<br />
lovely couple.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Our Christmas dinner might be worth a mention. On a slight
high after Skyping our kids in the morning, I was keen to celebrate just a
little. We went to a restaurant written up in the Lonely Planet that was
advertising a Christmas BBQ dinner (traditional Laos style), Lao Lao Gardens.
The place was a cross between funky and tacky: Christmas lights strung among tropical
trees, loud familiar Christmas music, Christmas hats on staff, and a big
conical tree of lights in the back. This restaurant goes back, and then back.
We walked up steps taking us to both higher and deeper levels. We did not eat
the special meal but had a delicious chicken with ginger and basil, rice, and
mixed vegetables. Beer, a strawberry mojito, and some salted redskins (roasted
with kaffir lime leaves and garlic), sitting around the ‘campfire” in the
middle of the floor, chatting with local travelers left us feeling the
Christmas spirit so far from home. A very good Christmas day.</span> </div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">We’ve been here about 6 days total, and tonight fly to
Hanoi. While I think infrastructure for travel is less well developed here in
Laos, this is a country I, for one, would come back to. The people seem gentle,
if reserved. It has been a mirror to face my “traveler’s guilt”, once again,
but also somehow spawned a respect, or gratitude, for our common humanity. Our Kamu
Lodge guide, Lod, carries a mesh, bamboo case onto the boat. It houses a live
chicken he carries home to his almost 2 year old daughter. I carry home my
version of gifts.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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debandbartravelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14802758148927664633noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3118946844319334976.post-78907135643538026512013-12-28T23:56:00.000-08:002013-12-28T23:56:47.541-08:00Last days in Thailand<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">First – one of the most interesting things I have seen in
Thailand, the “healthy ground” at the hot springs in Ranong. We walked here to
occupy ourselves as we waited for the overnight bus to return us to Bangkok.
Water exits the ground at these hot springs at a steamy 65⁰C. Some Thias have
fun hanging little sleeves of tiny, spotted eggs into the water to cook. There are
3 successive small pools were people dip their legs and feet, each a little
cooler than the last. Some Thias, adult and children sit directly in the water
and always with their clothes on. My feet loved the last 2 pools. Just off to
the side was the “healthy ground”. Picture a sizeable open-air concrete pad,
covered by a roof and ringed with elephant statues. The floor is painted with
yellow lines as if it were a parking lot. People lay on the concrete. The day
is HOT, all my clothes are damp, and we figure the concrete is meant as a cool,
respite from the heat. Much to our surprise, this municipal facility is heated
using the hot water from the springs. The concrete floor is warm, no HOT! This
is a quiet place where people come to lie down, in their own little “parking”
space. The rules for using the “healthy ground” include – no shoes, food or
drink, be quiet and sleep for only 30 minutes! Too hot for me – but the concept
was intriguing. Maybe we need one of these at Edale! </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cooking eggs in the hottest water!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">We are one the road again. In fact, I’m experimenting with
typing on the bus, it might leave me nauseous. It is a bit harder to hit the
keys accurately, but a great way to use some of this 5 hour bus ride to Chiang
Khong were we will cross the Mekong River into Laos. This is our first day-time
trip in a while and the scenery, through hilly, forested national parkland is
beautiful.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Chiang Mai – darling. We’ve had fun. This university town,
second largest city in Thailand, is throbbing with tourists right now. We are
in peak season. We have been staying just outside the moated old city, an area
small enough to walk, yet boasting over 30 temples. We’ve visited a couple of
temples, notably Wat Phra Singh and Wat Chiang Man, but have also opted to do
some different and new activities. Possibly, we are suffering some temple
fatigue as we did in Nepal. The old city appears to be the tourist hub; endless
door-to-door bars, restaurants (many with western-style offerings amidst
traditional Thai fare), coffee shops (afternoon espresso is part of our city
routine), thai massage parlours, cooking schools, fish-nibbling foot spas, tour
operators, guest houses and hotels, shops, crowded, dazzling markets, and food
carts. We’ve been happy to find some Indian food restaurants!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">We’ve been able to track down some live music a reasonable
walk from our hostel. On the other side of the river the Good View and
Riverside bars host 2 acts per night. Well-heeled, young Thais flock to these
places even on weeknights. Most tables, and even bar stools, are reserved well
in advance. It is very common to see a partially empty whiskey bottle on a
table, and ice bucket with tongs. A waiter/waitress will come along
sporadically and mix the drinks. Did patrons bring their own bottles, or buy
them there? <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Most of the bands we have
seen have been 7 piece numbers, members are young. Often a male lead singer,
female backup, drums, keyboard, 2 guitar and bass. They regularly play American
cover tunes – old ones! We can often sing along. Some even tended a bit towards
Motown! Fun, energetic, “making the scene” – a little window into what young,
hip-looking Thias like. We watched two older guys (our age) finger picking
guitars playing songs like “House of the Rising Sun”. One night we stopped for
beer and light eats in a well-reviewed and popular spot with tourists, the
vegetarian Dada Kafe. Fresh-squeezed fruit/vegetable juices, home-made breads,
soups and even a club-sandwich (we only had soup)! What had us giggling, in
mild astonishment, however, was the recorded music (we assume Thia bands),
covers of tunes like “Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Old Oak Tree”, “Country
Roads”, and “Cotton Fields Back Home”. This corroborated what I’d read, that
Thias like western, countryish music. Very interesting and lots of fun.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">We’ve taken in a couple of tourist attractions, in addition to the somewhat standard temple tours. We did a
1-day cooking class at the Thai Farm Cooking School. Fun, LOTS of food (I made
Tom Yam soup, red chicken curry, pad thia, stir-fry with tofu and mango with
sticky rice). We left quite stuffed and a little bit wiser about ingredients
and more skilled with the wok. We had Thia massages at a lovely spa run by
women from the Chiang Mia Women’s Prison – part of an inmate job training
program. The atmosphere was very tranquil, and while the masseurs quietly
chatted amongst themselves while massaging (bending and stretching would also
applying – a Thia massage is quite an experience, the masseurs use hands, feet,
and elbows), the entire experience was truly relaxing. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Key for me, however, was our 2 day stay at the Elephant
Nature Park – a centre for both rescued and retired domestic Asian elephants.
This is a large facility, housing 36 elephants including 3 babies, that has
developed a booming eco-tourism piece to help feed and shelter these
magnificent creatures. A full grown elephant eats about 300 lbs of food in one
day! Tourists come for single day visits, overnights, and some pay about
400$/week to work as volunteers shoveling shit, washing and cutting fruits,
wheel-barrowing compost around and doing other odd jobs, all for the privilege
of being close to these elephants. We spent time feeding elephants, throwing
water on them in the river, and for a chunk of time walking around the
facility, watching and hanging with the elephants. We chatted with the vet,
watched great documentaries about elephants and traditional training in
Thailand (maybe you can guess why the cage they are “broken” in with is called
the crusher), watched mother and 3 month old baby. It was a profound experience
to be in the presence of these incredible mammals with nothing between us and
them. To look directly into an elephant’s eye, to scratch the skin at the
bridge of their trunk, to feel the baby wrap it’s trunk around my arm… how can
I really describe? To watch the mahouts, one for each elephant, care for their
charges and direct them without use of whip or hook, was just as compelling. On
the other side of the experience, how tragic the elephant with mangled back
foot from stepping on a landmine, or the elephant blinded by its owners for
refusing to work. Overall, I was entranced and figure that my new fantasy job
is elephant mahout. I was lulled by the whole experience into a deep peaceful
calm, and did not want to leave.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Plus
the food, all vegetarian, was fantastic!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I could write some about the phenomenon, that we see ample
evidence of, of white males with Thai women (an here in Laos I've noticed them with young Asian males too), but will control myself. Sex
tourism, or as I read somewhere – love that can be bought? Both Bar and I read
a good novel before we came – Bangkok 8 (it was in the “take one, leave one” book
collection at the redwoods state park in N California). A good read that deals
with corruption, prostitution, and sex tourism in Thailand, and one that helped
us think about this reality in broader terms. Suffice to say that the one time
in all our travels Barry and I split up to do different things (in Chiang Mai)
Barry was soon propositioned as he walked by a bar!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Sometimes I type these posts over a day or two, depending on
our schedule and battery power, and such is the case now. We have arrived in
Luang Prabang, Laos, for Christmas. Somewhat impulsively we took the VIP
overnight bus here from Huay Xia, Laos – just across the border from Chiang
Khong, Thailand. Possibly we assumed we knew what to expect – we’d taken the
overnight, VIP bus twice in Thailand. In Thailand this means a comfortable seat
that reclines to 135 degrees, AC, and a bus hostess (in a cute turquoise and
blue outfit like an airline stewardess) who brings you a blanket, water and
even snacks (although Thai snacks do not quite appeal to my Western palate –
like seaweed buiscuits with honey, not bad but also not great). There is,
thankfully, a toilet on board and the seats are impeccably clean. In Laos,
however, we ended up in the very back seats, which do not recline. No hostess, blanket,
snacks or toilet. The AC is turned on for 1 minute out of every 20, and a
toilet break means squatting on the side of the road. The road itself was in
such poor shape we were bounced around like someone sitting on a trampoline,
while someone else jumps! Did we sleep much – no! This could be why Barry
agreed to a slightly more expensive room here in LPB; it has the softest and
most inviting bed we’ve seen in some time!! (By the way, expensive means
25$/night for 2 people instead of 10$, and we do have a balcony and a great
patio restaurant downstairs). No doubt we will have more to say about this city
later. First impressions are favourable.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Our travels continue to have good days and bad days. We
learn about places and people, but also about ourselves. We both have episodes
of frustration with each other, or circumstance, and must practice patience
(makes me think of my mom’s saying “fake it until you make it”) and humour! We
ride a remarkable roller coaster of emotion, highs followed by lows. I love being
here, opening ever deeper to the joys of travel, and simultaneously long for my
home and family. I think that we are so present with the experience (and
sometimes there is nothing to do but ride out discomfort), that we are not
fully aware of what is happening on a deeper level. Some days I question the
point of doing this – to continue on this long road as outsiders, makes us actually
miss <u>our</u> work (okay, not all the time) and the gift of connection. A
number of people have shared with us their experience of travel; a lot of the
impact and learning is felt upon returning home. Here’s to the lessons that
will reveal themselves over time.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Season’s greetings to all. Much love. XOXOXO D<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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debandbartravelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14802758148927664633noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3118946844319334976.post-46403284600220345592013-12-25T06:43:00.000-08:002013-12-25T06:43:38.592-08:00Ko Phayam - our Thai Island Paradise<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The small island of Ko Phayam (150 sq km) is located on the
Andaman Coast – the western side of the Thai peninsula. There are no roads, as
such, or cars, only a few concrete “paths” for the many motor bikes that are
the main form of transport. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is just
south of the Myanmar border, a 2 hour “nor mal boat” ferry ride from Ranong.
Our 8 day stop here is our rest from all our travels. We are in the land of
“vacation”, which will help keep this post short – not much to write about
relaxing.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">This is the “classic” island getaway. Our beach, Aow Yai, or
Long Beach is 3km long and we have walked its smooth expanse of sand many
times. Palm trees, jungle, fresh fruit, and great food in open air restaurants
right on the beach that is moderately lined with little “bungalows”. Sometimes
there is a bit of surf, and Bar has tried these cool little sit-upon kayaks
that people use to surf the waves. All manner of beach “chairs” invite
reclining, as do numerous platforms with mats, and the ubiquitous triangular Thai
cushions. Just down the way, one of these platforms hangs from the trees. Looks
like a comfy, lounging, raft swing. We have a small bungalow: large bed with
mosquito net (no screens on windows), porch with hammock, open air bathroom
(which might explain the cute tree frog that turns up at night in odd places
like underneath the toilet seat or on the towel rack), and a cold water shower.
Not much really, but at 20$ (peak season price too) we are happy. I’ve totally
claimed the hammock, but other than that who spends time in a bungalow when
there is a beach at their doorstep? Plus our host, Yod, is lovely. We have
great chats about health and running his business. He just prepared a special
final meal for Bar and I based on how we had ordered during our time here –
fresh, vegetarian spring rolls (different from Vietnamese ones) and a dry curry
with egg and good spice.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">We do as others do. Walk, swim, read, yoga, and eat. We
really have taken it easy. We’ve had two fabulous 3 hour yoga classes on the
other side of the island for 10$ per person, with an excellent teacher trained
in India. I’m not sure where she is from, but she also runs a very successful
restaurant with her husband (Thai I assume). Our morning routine of late has
been to walk a few kilometres after breakfast, stop for espresso or coffee and
fresh pineapple or mango shakes, then keep walking until we find a place for
lunch. Our loop is about 10km and no matter how early we set out, quickly has
my body and clothing reduced to a damp and soggy mess. I guess that is why the
ocean is here. On a few occasions we have rented a cute, hot-pink motor bike (helps
us get to early yoga) which also lets us explore the far reaches of the island
and other beaches. This has the added benefit of making us very happy with our
choice to stay here (thanks to coaching from Les and Jer). Bar has become quite
adept maneuvering our little bike over even the roughest sections of
“road”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We’ve been honoring the concept
of afternoon siesta, and Bar has been tossing the disc with the 5pm Frisbee
crowd. Snorkeling, in contrast to most of the other Thai islands, is relatively
poor here and what coral does exist must be accessed by boat I think, so we
have not had this experience.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">There is, however, an interesting crab population here. Lots
of industrious crabs live in the intertidal sand. As the tide recedes the crabs
start to dig up and out (in search of food I guess). As they excavate, they
deposit tiny balls of sand (maybe with crab spit? – who knows?) in interesting
and intricate patterns – small starburst fireworks, or geometric labyrinths
radiating out from their exit holes (3-4mm in diameter). There are so many, the
beach is covered in their work. The entire surface of sand carpeted by their
ephemeral depositing, until the tide starts to roll in again, smoothing,
erasing, and covering their holes. These redundant processes are occurring
twice daily…..<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>it is a HUGE event,
happening on a very grand scale – the actual volume of sand moved, I’d bet, is
quite staggering. Sorry to report that we did not get a photo of this natural
phenomenon. I put this activity off until morning, only to discover that my
timing was off – tide on its way out. The little crustaceans will just be
getting to work.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">To our surprise, and thanks to some info Jeremy Shute sent
us, we have discovered a little music spot. We walk down the beach about 15
minutes, and depending on the tides, forge the river or wade a small stream and
head inland a little to the Irie Bar run by Tomo, from Japan. He rents guitars
and hosts jam nights. He is a great guitar player and plays a French/Belgium (I
think) music called manoosh (spelling?). We’ve been over for a couple of nights
and had some good times playing. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">But there is a sad reality here too. The tourist industry is growing, quickly.
On our walks, we pass numerous new ventures: people (both Thai and foreigner) starting
up small eateries or shops (for cheap clothing or some basic groceries). Some
locals we’ve asked say, “more people, more problems”. I am plagued by the
amount of plastic garbage that washes up on the beach, and in some spots thickly
lines the zone where sand meets trees (even more relevant after our time at the
Monterey Bay Aquarium and its art/education display on plastic pollution in the
ocean). Garbage is burned in a deep whole dug in the sand (including plastics
to the best of my knowledge), which will later be covered with the excavated
sand. Our host is able to collect aluminum and plastic water bottles (and there
are a lot of these, which totally motivates me to keep using our UV sterilizing
device) and sell to a man in the village who then takes to sell on the
mainland. Glass – no one will buy (which explains why Yod does not sell the
cheaper, bigger, glass bottles of beer!). Grey water from our sink and shower,
drain out directly into the sand, but I do not think our soap is biodegradable.
This makes me think of the very interesting German mechanical engineering
consultant that we met in the Lantang Valley, Nepal (Sylvia I think – mostly consulting
about plumbing) talking about findings that show that the control of waste flow
has a greater impact on community health than dealing with water or food. Local
products here include rubber (we walk through rubber tree plantations and did
watch some workers rolling out fair sized blocks of latex yesterday) and
cashews (if not directly on the island still from Thailand. Shops sell
delicious roasted, salted, fresh cashews) but otherwise all vegetables, fruits,
meat, fuel, toilets, bedding, even ice makes its way here on the same boat we
take. There is a growing party scene; many young travelers and full-moon
parties are making their presence known and possibly changing the reputation
for quiet, and family friendly, this island has earned over the years (actually
there is a party on this island almost every night if one wants that kind of
thing). We luxuriate in the respite, the tropical beauty, and enjoy our fellow
travelers, but we also wonder about the eco-pressure this tourist enclave
creates. We question, yet we join the party happily. Such is a travelers’
dilemma.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">WE leave tomorrow to begin our journey north to Chiang Mai,
which will require a bus to Bangkok and then 15 hour train ride north. At this
point we have loose plans and predict we will be in Luang Prabang, Laos for
Christmas, but time will tell. Other than thinking of family, and the actual
date, Christmas is far from our minds.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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debandbartravelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14802758148927664633noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3118946844319334976.post-10910645132897945082013-12-13T20:54:00.003-08:002013-12-13T20:54:34.421-08:00Bangkok Photos - a Taste.<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8xXQePaYbsnICHHD9p_jmOzfYuKxMb75GKLYy-ksC9slGvmBmizNAg4BuzqljCvrImoabkHA8E_KGZ6mTugKVC8JijaKtRVIq1ijQ3Lg0FIvIBk_s84JWaW5qjjRYhhKI9CwiVFnNeBgd/s1600/IMG_5012.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8xXQePaYbsnICHHD9p_jmOzfYuKxMb75GKLYy-ksC9slGvmBmizNAg4BuzqljCvrImoabkHA8E_KGZ6mTugKVC8JijaKtRVIq1ijQ3Lg0FIvIBk_s84JWaW5qjjRYhhKI9CwiVFnNeBgd/s320/IMG_5012.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4yItqE0u-nRRlTV02_J6KvYSkFGORAkInGBUdImqYaSrB-LPF3ovhEN4VDxYqCuG0USUdno7LJuA97lYkodaRDCARKjuY8xeFywzxspB-Ep6pCxilfDUZsV03U7NVGlgnj1pz6B4ZiQ3_/s1600/IMG_5002.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4yItqE0u-nRRlTV02_J6KvYSkFGORAkInGBUdImqYaSrB-LPF3ovhEN4VDxYqCuG0USUdno7LJuA97lYkodaRDCARKjuY8xeFywzxspB-Ep6pCxilfDUZsV03U7NVGlgnj1pz6B4ZiQ3_/s320/IMG_5002.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Not sure what these images represent - but there were a lot. Or many golden buddhas. I think these are at Wat Pho.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg46vyd9VCM_y4pCL_U0qrBII17WQuBChn9AoT4XfGdalSsVhhnAlFMCQmvPHgOc13jMFDNAoo10Aii2tI-1l-By4FR8OUlyOI2OIeCPwQ089R3HVPxueUBq1AmkKdLFcZEMpxEv-Gcc1La/s1600/IMG_4969.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg46vyd9VCM_y4pCL_U0qrBII17WQuBChn9AoT4XfGdalSsVhhnAlFMCQmvPHgOc13jMFDNAoo10Aii2tI-1l-By4FR8OUlyOI2OIeCPwQ089R3HVPxueUBq1AmkKdLFcZEMpxEv-Gcc1La/s320/IMG_4969.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Part of the Wat Phra Kaew "compound" - on the grounds of the Grand Palace. Many of the photos<br />
that follow are form the same place and like most photographs of grand places,<br />
are not able to truly capture their magnificence.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyedRvppBmQcOO7Bjw9hAOlQPq7oQvp5rbYsec7dTJryedUNg408uD51GpkjgE9xH9sEACTfwgOsAcu_O34ardnmlFV0scs-GO6HDo4beHunBhrxCPffMpZZ-pRcR_AVNc3ZM_hNmVsC-t/s1600/IMG_4973.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyedRvppBmQcOO7Bjw9hAOlQPq7oQvp5rbYsec7dTJryedUNg408uD51GpkjgE9xH9sEACTfwgOsAcu_O34ardnmlFV0scs-GO6HDo4beHunBhrxCPffMpZZ-pRcR_AVNc3ZM_hNmVsC-t/s320/IMG_4973.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGZ7oduzMeOBqIcQGSiz7KPFGU5caOh0pnUZxakGy75fKO-9vb2HrkV6dYTXB_Y4XEyqaoWi78fTcQP2SY253B-13QFo-tIh55DLy5Wfmhv9n_kD49DR18T-RbRAcCZk6uYn6I5uDqzLxt/s1600/IMG_4980.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGZ7oduzMeOBqIcQGSiz7KPFGU5caOh0pnUZxakGy75fKO-9vb2HrkV6dYTXB_Y4XEyqaoWi78fTcQP2SY253B-13QFo-tIh55DLy5Wfmhv9n_kD49DR18T-RbRAcCZk6uYn6I5uDqzLxt/s320/IMG_4980.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Grand Palace. few of these building allow photos inside - so no photos of the <br />
mother-of-pearl inlaid throne seat, or the Emerald Buddha (in a separate temple).</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHBbQuRtKwchfIfua2PADZ85LXA1p4yqPrpTnJPatj5J4yxn0JZ6Bpo5YNez2pZHf2QzbyRojwwhnMPEWDfAnBPWNLPMZCNaG6G3WNWYODnWhSPeCWlfTXBVPY9Phb4Z7lvqyRPd2k3xMc/s1600/IMG_4990.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHBbQuRtKwchfIfua2PADZ85LXA1p4yqPrpTnJPatj5J4yxn0JZ6Bpo5YNez2pZHf2QzbyRojwwhnMPEWDfAnBPWNLPMZCNaG6G3WNWYODnWhSPeCWlfTXBVPY9Phb4Z7lvqyRPd2k3xMc/s320/IMG_4990.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wat Phro - the Reclining Buddha. Huge - really.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Victory Monument and bus pickup</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chinese Gates - entrance to Chinatown</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9vxR5p0ll9uzrEfZ6NheiCI5RbZU0jksc_SSqH0KD41v7jkUpsAu_FfhIx7J9_qNDxH19aX028QLrk5zb4M3i4BzsqLaSUY6AlBlkeat27j0sNZJzzQO3XolyFdqrIxcmsxZRG7IYL_F3/s1600/IMG_5052.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9vxR5p0ll9uzrEfZ6NheiCI5RbZU0jksc_SSqH0KD41v7jkUpsAu_FfhIx7J9_qNDxH19aX028QLrk5zb4M3i4BzsqLaSUY6AlBlkeat27j0sNZJzzQO3XolyFdqrIxcmsxZRG7IYL_F3/s320/IMG_5052.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wat Arun - nicely lit up as we take the ferry back across the river</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The King - one of MANY inages.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View into downtown Bangkok from Wat Arun. The next 4 photos all from the same temple.</td></tr>
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debandbartravelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14802758148927664633noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3118946844319334976.post-48972327998708875632013-12-09T22:12:00.001-08:002013-12-09T22:12:48.166-08:00Bangkok - Our Intro to Thailand<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Bangkok – bustling, gleaming, hot and steamy, this city mix
of old and new is a welcome relief after India and Nepal. It is big, but
relatively clean (in a big city sorta’ way) and easy to navigate. Getting to
the Victory Monument from the airport, with a good set of directions emailed
from our hostel, proved to be the proverbial “piece of cake”, and as our first
introduction to the city set a very good impression. We are ready for a bit of
ease. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">We are happy at our hostel, HI Mid-Bangkok (a member of Hostelling
International as are we). It is set back a bit off a main street (thank
goodness as traffic never seems to stop), and our basic room has all the
essentials: clean, white linens, A/C (which we gratefully use), en-suite
bathroom with shower, toast and cereal in the morning. The place exudes calm; I
sit at a small wooden (teak?) table right beside a pool with fountain and
goldfish. Soothing and pleasant. We are right beside a Skytrain station, and
bus station; city travel could not be more accessible. As seems common in Asia,
we are surrounded by street commerce – stalls that set up right on the street,
or sidewalk, selling all manner of stuff. Lots of women’s clothing right
outside my door – short little synthetic skirts, sheer lacy tops, short-shorts (the
younger generation definitely embracing Western styles). Special thanks to the
woman who staffs the hostel desk here every morning. She asks us where we want
to go, consults the map with us, and then sends us off with a slip of paper
containing the place we want to go in English, Thai and a list of the bus
numbers that will take us there. She advices us on which water taxis to take
and areas to avoid because of construction. She has taught us how to say
“thank-you” in Thai. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">We’ve been busy. We have been good tourists. We set out
every morning, maps in hand, and basically hit the streets. Public transport
gets us into an area (Skytrain, public bus, and/or boat) and home at night, but
once there we walk. It is the best way to get a feel for geography and people
watch. We spent our first day taking in what must be this city’s most famous
sights, located close to the river in Ratanakosin. By now, we have seen many
palaces and temples, but these were absolutely breath-taking. Located within
one large, walled “compound” the Grand Palace and Wat Phra Kaew (housing the
Emerald Buddha) was one of those places (and there have been about 4) where I
have been moved to tears. This is another one of those sites that must be seen
to be appreciated, and one that makes all the hassles of a large city worth
putting up with. Equally impressive was Wat Pho (Wat means temple), home of the
famous, large reclining Buddha. We’ve come from the lands of carved wood,
sandstone and marble to feast upon spectacular, inlay and painting; gold and
Buddhas everywhere. While smaller in the sense of area covered, these landmarks
still loom large; they literally sparkle and are visions of vibrant colour, in
addition to being architecturally significant. Wat<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Arun at sunset, easily accessed by river
ferry, another must see. (I wish I knew some of the more appropriate names to
better describe these temples. For example – Wat Arun had 1 large very tall
“thing” that sticks up in the middle. It might be called a prang. Its very
steep stairs can be climbed for a fantastic view over the river and city. This
is surrounded by 4 similar sticky-uppy things, but smaller). All the
architectural features that make up this temple are covered with porcelain
inlay. A delightful surprise for me was the Queen Sikirit Museum of Textiles at
the Grand Palace. I love looking at fabrics, and expected to see lots of
hanging cloth as I had at the National Museum in Delhi. Instead we were treated
to a display of the Queen’s royal gowns! Wow, talk about “dress-up” envy. The
story was much more interesting however. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">By the mid 1940s Thais had been ordered by their government
to assume Western-style dress. In the 1960s the King and Queen were to
undertake a 7 month state tour of Europe and the US. Determined to represent
Thailand and Thai women abroad the Queen started to research traditional Thai
dress and design, and with the help of some designers (and 2 years of time)
designed 8 specific dress styles. In addition, she travelled to remote villages
and set up programs for poor women to produce and weave the silks she would
need (program called SUPPORT). This woman was beautiful, her gowns were
spectacular, the exhibit informative and so unexpected. By now you may be
tiring of me using the word breath-taking.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">As has been the case in Nepal, we’ve travelled into areas
with some political unrest. Thanks to family, who the day before we flew to
Bangkok, alerted us to the civil protests that were taking place in the city.
The media was reporting a general strike for the day we were to arrive (which
did not affect any of our travel, thankfully). As always, the politics of a
city or country, are both interesting and complex. Something a <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">farang </i>(tourist) does not sort out
during their short stay. But Bar and I make an effort to read some local
newspapers, and often check the internet for local news. What we have gathered
so far is that the demonstrations, and they did get violent, were a response to
an amnesty bill proposed by the current Prime Minister (sorry – I forget her
name). This bill would allow her exiled brother, former Prime Minister Thaksin
Shinawatra, who was accused of corruption (which I think also translates into a
lot of money), ousted from power in a “soft” coup, and I believe sentenced to
jail, back into the country. The leader of the protests is calling for the
current Prime Minister to resign or step down, and to have the current rulers
replaced by some sort of “people’s” government. The closest we got to these
protests was the TV. The area we travelled to on the first day was in a
different part of the city, and by 10 am that same day the protests had been
called off – at least temporarily. Dec 5<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">th</span></sup> was the King’s 86<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">th</span></sup>
birthday and it seems that all parties concerned worked together to stop the
protests, in honour of this auspicious day. If you are on FB – read the article
Barry shared about how this “truce” was reached. Very interesting and says a
lot about this culture.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">What a treat to be here at this time. This is a country,
these are a people, who LOVE their king. His birthday is also Father’s Day
(likewise the Queen’s birthday is Mother’s Day, and is the same day as Barry’s
birthday). His picture, often framed in gold, is everywhere in the city and
often looms large. Ratchadamnoen Klang (Street) which travels past the
Government House, Democracy Monument, and the current chief administrative building
was the site of the main protests. We walked through this area the day after
the protests were stopped (en route from the Vimanmek Palace, all built from
golden teak without a single nail, to the Jim Thompson House, another fabulous
teak house and art collection). We could see concrete barriers pushed to the
side, graffiti on some bridges. We passed large areas on the street, laid with
tarps and a sheltering awning. The sides still rimmed by small tents. As we got
closer to the monument itself, it was also clear that preparations for the
birthday celebration were well under way. Flowers, stages with musicians,
street-side stalls selling T-shirts proclaiming “We Love our King”, and ribbons
the colours of the Thai flag. Yesterday, his actual birthday and government
holiday, he gave a speech from the south (he was not in Bangkok because of the
protests) in the morning and by 4ish, the downtown streets were filling with
people in yellow shirts. There would be prayers, a candle lighting, music and
fireworks. The TV showed tearful women holding pictures of their monarch. The
passion in the air was palpable. Even big skyscrapers sported banners, or
electronic signboards, declaring “Long Live the King”. We did not stay downtown
to join the celebrating throngs, but loved watching the stream of Thais flow
into the area, from all directions. We were content to watch on TV in our
hostel lobby. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Yesterday we braved Chinatown and its market. Imagine narrow
streets (people can walk 2 abreast) lined with narrow shops that run deep.
Shops filled with all manner of plastics, fabrics, clothing, jewellery and
other sundry items. The Lonely Planet guide we borrowed form the hostel
described the scene so well I can’t improve on the comparison. To walk these
market is to be in a human river – people pressed so close together, one must
be prepared to truly “go with the flow”. And the flow is slow. It was quite an
act of patience, especially when a motorbike would appear or the tide would
slow even further by the shuffling gate of a blind woman (at least she had a
white cane) tin cup in one hand, amplifier blaring music strapped to her torso.
We started out following the Lonely Planet walking tour, but did abandon ship
before we’d wormed our way through the entire street-market scene. Smells, food
stuffs so foreign looking, but also a great noodle shop (again thanks to our LP
guidebook). We’ve had a couple of noodle, BBQ pork meals. Hot and oppressive
are adequate adjectives, but so are interesting and eye-opening. All good.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">It is hot here. Really hot and by mid-afternoon we can both
be feeling the need to sit somewhere, hopefully cool. At these times we look
for AC, espresso or coke (actually if late enough Bar looks for beer).
Yesterday, we’d worked our way free of the clutches of the Chinese markets and
found ourselves down by the river. However, no sign of any refreshment. Maybe
this will sound familiar to some, but there seems to be a point almost daily,
where someone is on edge. For me yesterday, it was at this point in time. Both
of us have to make an extra effort to be patient, and not get too overheated,
literally and figuratively. Almost against my will, as we stood in the heat,
discussing our options, I agreed to follow Barry just a little bit more. He
thought that if we went down the road a bit towards the stall-umbrellas across
the square we would find some kind of shop where we could sit. Looking for a
“needle in a haystack” I said. And where did we end up – in the midst of the
beautiful flower market. All the crush and cheap glitter of the Chinese Market
replaced by cool greenery, natural, colourful, beauty, and spectacular flower
arrangements. Much to my humble surprise, Barry even found the needle – a small
espresso shop with single shots for about 80 cents. Sometimes a pause in the
action (combined with a drug of some sort) is all one needs to set out again,
even laughing. We walked quite a bit after that, down the famous Khoa Shan
Road. We stopped for a beer (well at least Bar did – me Coke, who’d have thunk
it?) in what was the closest thing to a “café” we’ve seen since we arrived. We
listened to American pop tunes, and had moments of homesickness for family and
friends. While this famous backpacker’s denizen, and all its trappings, held
little appeal we had another great little “rest” there (plus a toilet break).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Another travelling truth. We are a bit weary. We go through
periods of really working at travelling. We leave our room in the morning, and
often do not return until after dinner. We feel tired, much like we do when we
return home after a long day at work. We are doubly challenged by making food
choices and our fear around food, although each day we are here we become both
more knowledgeable and more confident. Our Lonely planet guide says that
Thailand is one of the best, cleanest, and safest places to enjoy street food
(don’t worry Marilyn!). Yesterday, for the first time, we bought tasty fresh
pineapple from a vendor. So far so good – today I will look for watermelon.
We’ve been eating in mostly, small, hole-in-the-wall spots that have not much
to offer décor wise (apparently a good sign here) and<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>pictures on the menu. WE choose pretty basic
meals because honestly, some stuff just looks too weird. We are only somewhat
adventurous, although maybe this will change. Meat features hugely here, a
significant change from our 99% vegetarian eating in India. We go with the
flow.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I have loved watching the Thai people. I am impressed by a
few things. They are neat, clean and almost exclusively well-dressed. Men are
frequently in pressed dress shirts (same in India actually). <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They
are polite and orderly; watching everyone queue up in a single line to get on
the Skytrain is so different from getting on the subway in Toronto. The
Skytrain itself is exceedingly clean; announcements remind people not to eat on
the train and they comply. They give coins to beggars on the street. Monks are
everywhere in orange and red robes (which one is the saffron colour?). Yesterday
Barry asked a woman if we were in the right spot to catch our bus. She was very
reassuring, and I believe waited a fair bit to get on the same bus as us so
that she could help us. She directed us to sit right behind the driver, told us
the fare in English, told the ticket-seller where we needed to get off, gave us
strict advice about pick-pockets and who to trust. In my limited, and soon to
grow, experience these people seem calm and helpful. When I say thank you in
Thai (krob-khan-kaa) they invariably break out into smiles. We are not hassled
in the street, although we are offered tuk-tuk rides that might be scams.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Tonight we catch the overnight bus to Ranong, south and down
to the Andaman Coast. We go to stay on a beach on the island of Ko Phayam, at
the spot Leslie, Jeremy and family stayed. We are ready for a break, some R
& R, some exercise and swimming. Today is a day to get organized, do some
computer work and sort out which bus we need to take, to take the bus. We are
booked for a week, but who knows…..<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">As always, thanks a lot to everyone who patiently reads these posts (especially
the long ones!) and then sends us little messages of encouragement. It is a
real pleasure to hear from you. Some days we are seeing such incredible sights
we are fuelled with enthusiasm and anticipation of what might come next.
However, as Leslie said to me one time “it won’t all be good”. Hmm, no escaping
life, where ever you are, although we are escaping the snow, and have yet to
miss it. Love to all – stay warm. XOXO<br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
<!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--><br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
<!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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debandbartravelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14802758148927664633noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3118946844319334976.post-10100880199109517722013-12-02T17:51:00.002-08:002013-12-06T17:03:50.030-08:00Indian Stories - Part 2<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Patience, Yoga, and Yellow Food<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I’m thinking a lot about patience these days. We’ve never
traveled on a package tour before with a set itinerary. Probably, for us, the
greatest benefit has been having a leader who arranges all transportation (so
we avoid scams) and as mentioned before, coaches us on how to “behave”. We are
covering a fair bit of ground: Jaipur, Madawa, Bikaner, Jaisalmer, Osian, and in
an hour or two we leave for Jodhpur. By now we’ve utilized a wide range of
transportation vehicles (including camels) and had some interesting
experiences, but the key word here is “vehicle”. It’s a catch 22 for us: we are
seeing a lot, but to travel in this way also means quite a bit of sitting!
Travel times have commonly been 3-4 hours, and the train ride to Jaisalmer closer
to 7. To sit has become a practice of patience, and while we are desperately
missing walking, I’d say we’ve embraced it. We sit, we watch desert scenery
roll by, we may close our eyes for a time, and then we keep sitting. I am
reminded of Gerda’s words as a fairly new yoga student in the early 1980s. She
would tells us that when we wash dishes, for example, we should be very present
and simply wash the dishes – no need to be doing or thinking about anything
else, just wash dishes. Sitting in a seat that moves us from A to B, I practice
just sitting in the seat. Travel yoga.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Our train ride was memorable. It was our 2<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">nd</span></sup> one
here in India, and both have been early morning trains. An early morning
tuk-tuk took us to the station in Bikaner as the sun was rising. This means streets
are quiet, and we only have to dodge wandering or sleeping cows. There is a
calmness that is hard to find at any other time. Just like we saw in New Delhi,
the entrance to the ticket counter, at that hour, is a shelter – it is open
air, but there is a roof. The tile floor has become a sleeping surface for many
people and we walk our way around bodies covered head to toe in dirty blankets.
As always, mangy dogs or puppies wander in and out nosing around for crumbs. At
a certain point a guard will rouse them and shoo them away. These homeless
people are a fact of life here, and no-one seems to begrudge them the space.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Vivek purchased tickets for a sleeper car. However, when the
train pulled up there were only 2<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">nd</span></sup> class cars so that is what we
took. These trains have lightly padded bench seating for 4 along one side:
double benches that face each other, although if crowded I can now imagine 6 or
more people crammed on a single bench (Indians are very good at packing many
people in a small space. A jeep driver told us that he has carried 35 people in
his vehicle – he hangs out his side to do this). No doubt perfect for families.
Across the aisle, pairs of individual seats face each other and we were quick
to snatch a pair when the chance arose. Windows are 3-part. First there is a
glass pane, dirty and grimy, that can be opened upwards. Behind the glass is a
slatted metal shutter that provides shade while letting air into the coach.
This too can be opened upwards to reveal a set of bars that would prevent one
from sticking their head out the window, unless of course, the bars from your
window were gone. The doors for entering and exiting the train were always open
which meant one could stand in the doorway, hanging on of course, and watch the
scenery roll by. Thank goodness we were not expecting western safety standards!
The upshot of all this was that the train ride was airy and breezy, the layer
between inside and whizzing scenery relatively thin. The other repercussion was
dust and dirt. There was grit in our teeth and literally, a layer of sand on
our pants. No wonder the entire train is so dirty. The toilet (always thankful
when I find one) was a “squatter” and I could see the ground whizzing by
beneath the hole. Sometimes we stopped at a station, waiting for another train
to pass. Stopped, in the apparent middle-of-nowhere, challenged our patience. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEmsI8uWrfyrhKkSzzFDxW_XTF2UvDcwfA884N84Ms_URz_vT56bGM9TgvWfW3M_AGGB4ivenp9BsBuyW3W2V4CyeuaL_K8IRlF-2tNHrgDDrMliWKzLJ0zDzEtS2S_2tdg6BteEWoPfPB/s1600/IMG_4587.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEmsI8uWrfyrhKkSzzFDxW_XTF2UvDcwfA884N84Ms_URz_vT56bGM9TgvWfW3M_AGGB4ivenp9BsBuyW3W2V4CyeuaL_K8IRlF-2tNHrgDDrMliWKzLJ0zDzEtS2S_2tdg6BteEWoPfPB/s320/IMG_4587.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtcZsI-8IM409fN_r9gTAlkrbIbn15ckGlZ-mGKbrhxoPIMWOZ6kSP9L5p-VmABTGjyqPh0ZXppwtmRMNyHIYg9nbVeoF0ZDOQaWWl5dOfVHwQvXYj6YulIUUWjagMVxOeOK-6ErdbF9vh/s1600/IMG_4591.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtcZsI-8IM409fN_r9gTAlkrbIbn15ckGlZ-mGKbrhxoPIMWOZ6kSP9L5p-VmABTGjyqPh0ZXppwtmRMNyHIYg9nbVeoF0ZDOQaWWl5dOfVHwQvXYj6YulIUUWjagMVxOeOK-6ErdbF9vh/s320/IMG_4591.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGe9orHLtBnnUJwtdq_OoEUvDGY-WAlUslpJXKe-FAg7n22JUrhCliVbTEXDwJ9iEL8eiGLehgDHdcAh9LGaafNyvz_3HvrTzB3AtG-6NY6uLtjzTuyUJNzkMO9qZgrGz_JyIVVvQci41o/s1600/IMG_4599.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGe9orHLtBnnUJwtdq_OoEUvDGY-WAlUslpJXKe-FAg7n22JUrhCliVbTEXDwJ9iEL8eiGLehgDHdcAh9LGaafNyvz_3HvrTzB3AtG-6NY6uLtjzTuyUJNzkMO9qZgrGz_JyIVVvQci41o/s320/IMG_4599.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our leader Vivek hard at work</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiitlOqZSR5ps7YFY2aMSJxSx0es5AR4rnHChV7oU6KG2r29oDPoY6lvfbBVtWbCPkumQ6UupvlV6MqVK7NUPjvEWWwEuL_ntb0ndIB9C-kkDDJxADXQoZ5sPlMKFeW_LaRoYYmdLvRa2uM/s1600/IMG_4600.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiitlOqZSR5ps7YFY2aMSJxSx0es5AR4rnHChV7oU6KG2r29oDPoY6lvfbBVtWbCPkumQ6UupvlV6MqVK7NUPjvEWWwEuL_ntb0ndIB9C-kkDDJxADXQoZ5sPlMKFeW_LaRoYYmdLvRa2uM/s320/IMG_4600.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1bzLD73-urne57nAJ-uXy1vM94wAOih_9CVKxJpazz1BosbJJmFPS__7HBtrdLvIS4fU0N4GJTL9uz6tt1pxi4TbN-dGWmVV6lsnZzJmqAxSp5AfI7H1-uJdpuV_S56XFygJpotSE0sdF/s1600/IMG_4604.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1bzLD73-urne57nAJ-uXy1vM94wAOih_9CVKxJpazz1BosbJJmFPS__7HBtrdLvIS4fU0N4GJTL9uz6tt1pxi4TbN-dGWmVV6lsnZzJmqAxSp5AfI7H1-uJdpuV_S56XFygJpotSE0sdF/s320/IMG_4604.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The remarkable thing was, about ½ way through the trip the
train almost completely emptied out. There were only 4 people in our entire
coach. When we stopped for almost 30 minutes, waiting, hot, dry breeze blowing
in through windows and doors, I could see Vivek getting restless. For me the
stop, and emptiness of the train, created a perfect yoga opportunity. A bit of
toilet paper and drinking water let me wipe the grit off a bench which turned
out to be perfect for downward dog, bridge, child’s pose and sphinx (which says
something about the amount of padding). Being open to the moment.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The food here has been fantastic, although often less spicy
than we would like. Vivek tells me that in his experience, most tourists do not
like spice. This means that hotel buffets, omit chilis. No chili, means lots of
turmeric, which means mostly yellow food. It is good, but we have really
enjoyed some of the special, spicy treats Vivek has bought us on the street
(names have escaped me), the small whole in the wall restaurants he has sent us
to, or the special order of onion, garlic, and chilis he asks the staff for and
then shares with us. We are eating very little meat, but have had some great
potato, vegetable and lentil dishes. We have fallen in love with roasted paneer
in various sauces. We are, however, finding the food rich – beware of too many
tasty, deep fired pakoras. Everything is in a sauce, often thick with oil or
ghee. Vivek almost always invites us to try interesting food he has ordered
(like chick-pea flour dumplings in sauce) and Barry has developed a fondness
for parathas (flat breads stuffed with potato, or spice; I had one stuffed with
banana). I have been a bit sick which was a minor setback (and caused me to
miss the trip to the movies – action flick though, so not really my thing). So
we are also learning to practice patience around food. We have to be modest in
ordering and work at not overeating. On days when someone has a less-settled
stomach, we must patiently eat soup, rice, or boiled vegetables. Our best bet
is consistently dal, vegetable curry, rice or chapati. We must patiently
endure, and not indulge, our cravings for salads. I have started to eat
cornflakes with milk (and sugar) in the mornings because it is cold and I crave
cold food. Lassis have become a favourite for this reason. Thanks to Vivek for
turning us onto the BEST saffron special lassis with cream, along with the most
amazing samosas in Jodhpur. Calorie count – pretty high I figure! We also
practice patience with the few extra pounds or “handles” I think we are
gaining. If I eat another gulab jamun, I may start to look like a little gulab
myself. These are delicious, little balls of sweetened condensed milk, mixed
with flour, deep-fried and served in a thin syrup. Hard not to like, even
harder not to eat. The good news is, that even when we think we have tired of
curry, every time we sit down to a meal we delight in the tastes. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Here are a collection of photos from the last number of days;</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtjcw8OmdUkCC5zkQR4MP8Ac-3GXahssx0rMGmK9BTRITJ6uZpljTOjWbbjZhxlmV0wJqBKlzT9mzLKeyWTvidE3MRt0NRGc13nnBbB0x6nQvI2nxr7zU7v7tQ848FyKqkz5lRdN6a14FE/s1600/IMG_4443.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtjcw8OmdUkCC5zkQR4MP8Ac-3GXahssx0rMGmK9BTRITJ6uZpljTOjWbbjZhxlmV0wJqBKlzT9mzLKeyWTvidE3MRt0NRGc13nnBbB0x6nQvI2nxr7zU7v7tQ848FyKqkz5lRdN6a14FE/s320/IMG_4443.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhby54OzLLkC-LQQ6QxsNU4R7yNAHuWashnrG5nReTEYNtptC2OIyxlamcQV0_t9J-z70oo3GTb6hh9lAafY1XKzl9qf7JU7UOEFHh2kqlyc1MwiT6TZ0AQMHALdNy1NZrP2OkzoMMiA1bF/s1600/IMG_4446.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhby54OzLLkC-LQQ6QxsNU4R7yNAHuWashnrG5nReTEYNtptC2OIyxlamcQV0_t9J-z70oo3GTb6hh9lAafY1XKzl9qf7JU7UOEFHh2kqlyc1MwiT6TZ0AQMHALdNy1NZrP2OkzoMMiA1bF/s320/IMG_4446.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwmCL59WWwQDuLuE2kT20DXifkPfgPc9jJOsCUfyBhn8LhtL24oeHPyFKQn6ez3X6iSh1Qjcsu0zK57J1nmSZBZ3d2JolK9aKIEYiw1tSw40sPoinyoctqmLzXIB-kojl4uiXOhvljzWa_/s1600/IMG_4454.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwmCL59WWwQDuLuE2kT20DXifkPfgPc9jJOsCUfyBhn8LhtL24oeHPyFKQn6ez3X6iSh1Qjcsu0zK57J1nmSZBZ3d2JolK9aKIEYiw1tSw40sPoinyoctqmLzXIB-kojl4uiXOhvljzWa_/s320/IMG_4454.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mandawa haveli - 2nd floor, just outside our room. The following<br />
5 photos are from the same place.</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6xHPuVIRRDeYVJhA6qGVnHTzrA_roMod5pcYa7Jit-5-8_4rKMrfEfTGFZaKVZDocuEx-EayDO71SzQl_QWrNrlej-A3J-KFS6YBTixKUFnMULUd3bPqZiUBbbye6SDs_O-WU30lM2oyv/s1600/IMG_4455.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6xHPuVIRRDeYVJhA6qGVnHTzrA_roMod5pcYa7Jit-5-8_4rKMrfEfTGFZaKVZDocuEx-EayDO71SzQl_QWrNrlej-A3J-KFS6YBTixKUFnMULUd3bPqZiUBbbye6SDs_O-WU30lM2oyv/s320/IMG_4455.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil9l42fozwEmqHgF6fRlIRX7wYThzzDGWDMXoIQo3jRQIZwcj1qJ2uV9NuEcUdcNKxVbi_bHkZNWMZWWDAUwGp4k9-1Qe1m0eES_J3juZ5dcUh4tCNCMDY_EoOP-OuBG3OwhxVOqKlV14p/s1600/IMG_4456.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil9l42fozwEmqHgF6fRlIRX7wYThzzDGWDMXoIQo3jRQIZwcj1qJ2uV9NuEcUdcNKxVbi_bHkZNWMZWWDAUwGp4k9-1Qe1m0eES_J3juZ5dcUh4tCNCMDY_EoOP-OuBG3OwhxVOqKlV14p/s320/IMG_4456.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fun bus riding - sitting right up front, crammed in with<br />
8 others right beside the driver.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bikaner</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View from roof top - the fort in Jaisalmer</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">In our swan paddle boat. Jaisalmer.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This and the next few photos are from the Jain temple in Jaisalmer. Amazing carved sandstone.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Queen of the desert</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cheap food and reasonable coffee. Jaisalmer.<br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Soon we ride the overnight sleeper to Delhi, which means
that soon we leave India. A complex country that where we have had a truly
wonderful time. A very good leader, excellent accommodation and great food have
made this feel like quite a holiday. So once again, time to “change ‘er up”.
XOXO D <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Post Script: The overnight sleeper train was a good ride.
Mild AC and 6 sleeping berths to a small compartment, stacked 3 high. Everyone
gets a sheet, pillow, and blanket. There was quite a feeling of camaraderie; a small
boy walking up and down the aisle poking his fingers into peoples laptops and
checking everyone out. In India, apparently, this is quite acceptable and some
might even offer him food. Beds were not exactly comfortable (so far our entire
experience in Asia has been of hard beds) , but we both slept fairly well. Good
practice for future overnight travel.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">We had a free day in Delhi, thankfully. We visited the
fantastic National Museum and the Gandhi Smitri (museum and the small room he
spent the last 144 days of his life in, before his assassination in 1948 (or
was that 1947?)). Both were fantastic and took us into a much nicer part of
Delhi; wide tree-lined streets, parks and big homes. It was easy to walk around
and we even ate ice-cream from the ice-cream truck (mostly because we could not
find a restaurant for lunch). Both museums had excellent multi-media, interactive
displays. The whole experience was a good counter-balance to a lot of what we
had seen in the city to that point. I think India will take some time to “digest”.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></div>
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debandbartravelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14802758148927664633noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3118946844319334976.post-34149557046503862692013-11-25T19:44:00.001-08:002013-11-25T19:44:12.227-08:00India Tour Part 1 Nov 22<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYL1nwd0z47I59NAyuroZTAOFlv4dXgiIM_PM7rd62Ty7qA1-mHD9gaK-A9JFP2mst6nJw-hhCOhQl2VcUrDcpkpdO0TMHSmXbxXM-M7lp8EqJHcHu1WAbEe_3n5FnCKFr8rt8aQAb4t2n/s1600/Picture+123.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYL1nwd0z47I59NAyuroZTAOFlv4dXgiIM_PM7rd62Ty7qA1-mHD9gaK-A9JFP2mst6nJw-hhCOhQl2VcUrDcpkpdO0TMHSmXbxXM-M7lp8EqJHcHu1WAbEe_3n5FnCKFr8rt8aQAb4t2n/s320/Picture+123.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Checking out the street life in New Delhi upon our arrival...<br />
Holy Pigs!!!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDw6O279t__pzI1MB58HdHMQneMxomximL3NAtxBNpPfjAgYwK2UW-EyfMsYvo_DTEJJz3lIIOcMCRL26VSplDnW8jdS5thpLcVlGQCT0buHCH8ai2RY5LSUK26ysOG5a5pNE1VNU41snj/s1600/Picture+130.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDw6O279t__pzI1MB58HdHMQneMxomximL3NAtxBNpPfjAgYwK2UW-EyfMsYvo_DTEJJz3lIIOcMCRL26VSplDnW8jdS5thpLcVlGQCT0buHCH8ai2RY5LSUK26ysOG5a5pNE1VNU41snj/s320/Picture+130.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Other New Delhi street life...shops, shops and more shops</td></tr>
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Sikh Temple - see below. we had to cover our heads,</div>
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and wash our feet before entering. All religions</div>
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are welcome here.</div>
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Kitchen in the Sheeshgang Gurudwara (Sikh Temple)</div>
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offering food and medical care to any and all who are</div>
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in need regardless of religious stripe.</div>
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Street chef where we had great "parawthe" - stuffed </div>
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almond bread with curry....amazing.</div>
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Red Fort Tour - Agra</div>
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Truly a world wonder...the Taj Mahal</div>
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Required footware at the Taj....keep the marble </div>
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clean!!!</div>
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Notice the young man just entering the slime green</div>
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pool having got the attention of wide eyed tourists</div>
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and jumped off the wall !!! He surface and climbed the </div>
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opposite wall in search of $ rewards.</div>
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Keoladeo Bird Park Tour - Nesting Storks</div>
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Birding Tour including our rickshaw drivers, guide and</div>
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Vivek our tour leader (red T-shirt). </div>
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Authentic Thali Set in downtown Jaipur</div>
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...lunchtime, hmmm, what's for supper?</div>
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Jaipur transport systems...slow but sure.</div>
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Observatory tour in Jaipur</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglaSuWciMnQx5ABiCRAy2ztWOkwDdwuIPG5kTETJdesVZWd7FqEG-_CGVShzNmtMYYX88PUblZ3kN7klial9ycO0xvxvcYBM2OFP9E8WlS6RVV9chw0OXJSTIGoVBHDgIq1XpFRDQOAdVF/s1600/Picture+416.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglaSuWciMnQx5ABiCRAy2ztWOkwDdwuIPG5kTETJdesVZWd7FqEG-_CGVShzNmtMYYX88PUblZ3kN7klial9ycO0xvxvcYBM2OFP9E8WlS6RVV9chw0OXJSTIGoVBHDgIq1XpFRDQOAdVF/s320/Picture+416.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This large area, observatory, was built in the 1700s and is full <br />
of various stone structures all related to astronomy. It was hard to capture their full size<br />
in some cases and even harder to understand how some were used. <br />
Kepple Croft Stone Henge in a really big way.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">India 1 – She’s working her magic<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Day 7 for us. Sitting on our small balcony of the Mandawa
Haveli, looking out across the roof tops, it sounds like the Muslim prayers
have started. Mandawa is a “small” town of 25-30,000 (depending on which guide
I listen to), which also means quiet and not a lot to see, our haveli really is
the site. Haveli means highly painted house and the heritage ones are in the
order of 250-120 years old. Ours is 18<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">th</span></sup> century. These incredible,
highly frescoed homes with inner and outer courtyards used to belong to wealthy
businessmen and merchants and were placed along the famed Silk Road. Of the 40,
or so, in this town, I think ours is the only one to now be functioning as a
hotel. Many have fallen into various states of disrepair due to, apparently,
absent owners. Our Mandawa Haveli has had some repairs, and paintings are being
restored. Our room is smaller but so interesting in style and design. We dined
by candlelight on the roof looking over the city. The entire building is quite
remarkable and beautiful.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">India – where to start. This is a country that seems almost
to defy description. Any words I come up with all seem trite. It is a country
that presses in on you, and anyone with serious claustrophobia might be advised
to stay away. It is a country of contrasts, colour, crowds, and in its own way,
charm. Our guide, Vivek, just said to me that Indians like to do things slow,
and this may be good advice for us. I spoke to him yesterday, about feeling so
tired, and he reassured me that this is totally natural; we are seeing so much
that is new and the mind is working hard to integrate and analyze; the
experience can be a little exhausting. He often advices us to rest, ĥwhen the
opportunity presents itself, and I (for one) am more and more inclined to take
his advice, and am thinking this might be part of the charm of this great
sub-continent. Sometimes being more still presents its own gifts: for example
it is a little later in the day, and from my balcony vantage point I can see
small paper kites all across the sky. Clearly, this is what school children do
when then they get home from school! Right beside me, on the adjacent rooftop,
is a young boy working with decided concentration to coax his green kite
higher, and higher. I can’t see his kite anymore, but watching him is amazing –
I don’t think he has even noticed me. Feels like a gift, one I might have
missed if we’d been out “seeking”.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">We are lucky, very lucky. We are on an Intrepid tour;
Rajasthan Adventure. A tour that would normally have up to 12 people on it. For
some reason Barry and I were the only two who signed up for this particular
departure date. As a result, we are having a private tour. Our guide is an
experienced, knowledgeable, fun and light-hearted young man of 33 years, who
has been guiding groups through India and Nepal for 10 years. Like us, he is
pleased as well; two people to watch over, coach, and plan for gives him more
freedom and even a bit of flexibility. With only the 3 of us, we also get to
know each other a bit better. Barry has started to call him brother – although
because of the age difference, technically, Barry would be considered an
“uncle”. These 2 men joke, and already Vivek has put me in my place for
interrupting him. He is direct, possibly in the same way that my friends tell
me I am direct. He slowly, but surely, is providing us with a window into
Indian culture and Hindu philosophy. Ahhh – a White-throated Kingfisher has
perched on the ledge across from me. Google an image, you won’t be
disappointed. Can you tell we’ve been to a bird sanctuary?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">We have seen some great sites/sights so far. Going to the
Taj Mahal (a mausoleum, just in case you did not know – I didn’t) took our
breath away just like the Himalayas did. It must be seen to be appreciated and
Vivek, after so much experience, knew to send us there late in the afternoon so
that we could stay until sunset. You’ll notice the colour of the marble in our
photos changes, as a result of the light changing over the course of our visit.
This wonder of the world was so beautiful we did exactly what we did in the
mountains; sit down for some time (in this case on the large, smooth, wrap-around
marble “deck”) where we could just breath the entire scene in, which included
the large number of people streaming by. Magical.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Forts are big on our tour agenda as well. In fact yesterday
Barry said “another fort? I might be a little “forted” by now”. However, they
consistently are incredible marvels of 16<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">th</span></sup>-17<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">th</span></sup> century
architecture (mostly Mughal I think). All surround, and protect, the royal
palace of some ruler and we are starting to see patterns in their design.
Separate buildings, and courtyards, for men and women; screened areas where
women could watch events without being seen, areas where commoners had access
and could bring concerns to their ruler. We’ve learned how, in the absence of
electricity, water was stored, buildings kept cool or warm, and lighting maximized.
The Royal Palace at the Amer Fort, just outside Jaipur, is the 2<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">nd</span></sup>
largest mirrored palace in the world – absolutely fantastic. All of these
structures are grand in size, and grandly show off carved sandstone or marble,
beautiful inlay in some cases, or frescoes painted with natural pigment. What
appears to be simply more carved sandstone soon reveals itself to hide lavish,
gilded, incredible rooms of real opulence. In many cases, stone has come from
many kilometres away, and most have taken years (the Agra Fort took 95 years)
to complete. We’ve seen amazing Muslim mosques and a Sikh temple. These are
India’s jewels.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">We’ve enjoyed some simple pleasures. I indulged in a full
body ayurvedic massage, and Barry a much needed head massage (definitely different
in India but both skillfully delivered). Yesterday we had a wonderful yoga
class with Rabindra, I’d peg at 65-70 years old. Rabindra spent more time
telling us what to do, than showing us, but he delighted us. He led us in some
simple prayers, and when we were done told us we would show our happiness. Show
it too each other, and let it out into the world. And then, he simply started
to laugh, and made us laugh too. We left feeling good in our bodies and shiny
in spirit. He reminded me of my very first yoga teacher, Gerda, another most
welcome experience.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">But as we all know, India shows any traveler both sides of
her coin. Nepal was good preparation, to say the least. Garbage, rubble, and
debris is everywhere. In New Delhi the crowds were oppressive. Our very first
morning with Vivek, in preparation for riding the Metro into Old Delhi Vivek
told me: “the train (think subway) will be crowded; push and elbow your way in.
You must get on the train”. And we did. It was “can of sardines” crowded. So
crowded I did not need to hold onto anything as we were held up simply by all
the other people. We’ve walked small, darker, side streets with shops that
literally burst their commerce out onto the street. Colour abounds in fabrics,
and flowers, both worn and hanging. Between jewellery, fabrics, ribbons,
offerings, and decorations, glitter and sparkle possibly soften the impact of
all the grime. Road ways move buses, motor bikes, cars, tuk-tuks, rickshaws,
camel, elephants, and cattle carts, tractors and “goods carrier” trucks.
Crossing the road is a challenge, as streets have no street lights and cars
drive without lines – fitting themselves together like puzzle pieces, but also
in constant motion (mostly!). Often we sidle up to Indians, and cross as they
do, although Barry has become quite adept at stepping out and leading us across
4 lanes of traffic. We’ve seen what appear to be endless rows of narrow shops
piled to the ceilings with goods. While some have glass fronts, and doors, many
roll up garage-like metal doors such that their entire front is open. In front
of these shops there may be an entire other row of street vendors plying
everything from bangles, to vegetables, to track pants, to street food. There
is constant noise and motion. A barber sits directly on the road shaving the
face of his customer, tools of his trade laid out on a cloth beside him, and
not too far down may be a cobbler. So much happens in the streets.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Yes, we’ve seen beggars and persistent hawkers. An Intrepid
rep who met us on our first evening in New Delhi counselled us simply to walk
away and say nothing (which we are getting better at). The general philosophy
among the tour providers we’ve met is to donate to a cause if you really want
to have an impact (a longer discussion for sure). We’ve seen cripples (sorry if
politically incorrect) and disfigured people, mangy dogs and wild pigs rolling
in the mud ½ a block from our very nice New Delhi hotel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We watched a man hand-crank a small, rusted
ferris wheel maybe 8 feet tall on the side of the road for a cluster of dirty,
grubby children, and we’ve seen people and animals defecate in the street.
Thanks to Vivek, (and Giri from the Himalayas) even though our skin has had to
toughen a bit to be here, we’re also learning to soften and be a little humble.
Vivek has reminded us that soon we will leave and return to comfort, while
everyone we see will remain here, so in his words – it is in our hands to be
happy. He reminds us to tip everyone who serves us, and is very clear that what
is considered an acceptable tip really amounts to very little in our terms and
a great deal to those employed to serve us. The other day, on our way to the
bird sanctuary (awesome painted story nesting colonies by the way) both Barry
and I suggested maybe we could walk, instead of going on a rickshaw. Vivek
flatly refused to even consider this request. Why? Because the rickshaw drivers
are poor, and we can hire them for 2 hours and they make some money. Our driver
had been sitting outside our hotel, The Birder’s Inn, for 6 days with no work
before our fare came along. When we mistakenly agreed to a guide at the bird
sanctuary, who turned out to be not so good, Vivek also had something to say.
He asked us if we had noticed the guide’s shoes (which I had). “He is a poor
man, and you gave him some money. That is good kharma”. When we toured the Amer
Fort outside Jaipur, Vivek asked me if I would like to get some mendhi – henna
tattoo. My first response – no. However, when he explained that very few women
work selling or serving tourists, and the mendi was done by a woman that he
always tries to support, my answer changed to “yes” and now my left hand looks
beautiful thanks to a small bit of money and the fast, steady hand of the
mendhi artist. Or the young girl, maybe 11, who stood inside the door of the
toilet at a small bus rest stop. When I entered – “please, please” and she gave
me some tissue. “Please’ please” and she checked the toilet to make sure it was
flushed. “Please, please” and she turned on the water tap for me to wash my
hands when done. A young girl doing a job I don’t really need done for me, but
working and in need of money (plus, she convinced me to take my hair out of my
bun and show her, which delighted me greatly). We are learning to share our
wealth, in what may be a meagre fashion. It is easy to feel guilty traveling in
a country like this and maybe the best alternative is simply to be gracious.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Next day:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">We have driven further into the tawny coloured desert, into
the town of Bikaner. We will walk through town shortly and visit another fort.
We drove 4 hours on a bus, luckily finding a seat in the very front, right up
with the driver and 8 other people. We were the only tourists on the bus.
Barry, ever social and keen to talk, is not at all daunted by the language
differences and eagerly engages others in conversation. His attempts at
communication are so well received, and even though it appears that there are
gaps in understanding smiles erupt all around. Before too long on the bus, we
had a photograph of us with Charlie and Ruby being passed around amongst our fellow
travelers. I am far shyer, in these situations, and quite happy to let Barry
take the lead. His desire to connect, in whatever way he can, is so strong and
genuine it is a delight to watch him in action. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Our accommodations, have far surpassed our expectations.
After camping, budget US motels, and Nepal we really feel like we are living
the high-life. Our current room has a king-sized bed, large bathroom, 2 lovely
bay, window seats, a lovely painted floor and ceiling. There are numerous
patios, terraces and open air dining. We travel on local transport for the most
part which is exciting, interesting, and yes bumpy, dusty, and sometimes hot,
but we are loving this experience and this journey deeper into the desert. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I think I’ll close with something Vivek said to us early on.
Expect nothing, and be open to surprises. Smart words for a relatively <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>young guy. XOXO D<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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debandbartravelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14802758148927664633noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3118946844319334976.post-90975580772993564812013-11-17T04:21:00.000-08:002013-11-17T04:21:10.224-08:00The Photography Challenge<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
After reading Deb's posts that so articulately tell interesting stories about our travels it is a bit of a challenge to add my 2-cents worth without sounding a bit like a pauper playing second fiddle to a queen. So, in an effort to actually add something I thought I would say a bit about the picture taking process I've been experiencing over the past months. As the guy who wears the camera on his hip and gives up the reigns every once and a while to Deb, I've come to understand the challenge of taking good pictures while you're trying to keep on trekking, avoid being run over by a car, or just look too much like a tourist. <br />
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The "point and click" Canon Powershot 1115 15 that we have has an 8x zoom and lots of settings to help counter some of the bright or dull scenes that we're shooting it, although we consistently say that the photos do not do justice to the scenes and images we are seeing in person. As we see others carrying around lots of camera gear, especially up the mountains, I can appreciate why but also am glad to have a little pouch on my hip that I can "draw" at a seconds notice and have it back in the holster before anyone has even noticed. <br />
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As we walk, the challenge I have recognized, with help from Deb, is to actually NOT take a lot of pictures but really choose the scenes or subjects that may get used for the blog and do represent the most memorable things we have seen. The problem is that some days there are so many incredible, different, new, hard to imagine images that the camera could be running all the time; I've actually taken a couple of videos lately of the trip into Kathmandu and the political gatherings, that may get published at some point...internet speed willing. <br />
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So, to all the photographers out there...and everyone is these days, my new approach is to think of my camera as having film in it and every shot has to be a keeper or it will simply be a waste of film. Wish me luck. <br />
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On another note, some of my most memorable moments in Nepal relate to, as deb said, the experience of the Singing or Healing Bowl and creating a sound that penetrates one's being and fills your soul from within. My experience in shopping for the bowl, which included several demonstrations, proved to me that the bowl really does have the power to heal. I know....sounds a bit crazy but I could feel it. <br />
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The other experience playing the DHAMNGEN with Dhechen, the son of the instrument maker, was again magical in that it felt like I was sitting around the table at Jim Martin's place in Big Bay playing tunes with the boys (and girls!) . Dhechen's jamming abilities and humour made my time with him very special. Unfortunately, I could not see buying one of his instruments and shipping or carrying it home....the memory, and photos is all I have. There's something about the musical experience that sticks in my mind like no other. <br />
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Next to music, the art of the THANGKAS, specifically the Kalachakra Mandala also has had a profound impact on me. Those that know the image, it is a detailed view of a "stupa" from above that is so full of detail that you need a magnifying glass to see all that is going on. The students and masters/monks who paint these pcs spend all day everyday sitting and painting. We visited several studios on our search for the right Thangka and once again began to appreciate the role that art, particularly painting the Thangkas places in the lives of the artists and the people who display the pieces. We now have one. <br />
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Finally, on our flight from Kath to Delhi today I was reading in a flight mag about "Expressive Art Therapy" or Arts Based Therapy (ABT) described as "using art (music, theatre, art ) in an integrated way is far more effective than using them in isolation...the use of artistic media is the centre of the healing process". The story went on to describe the impact that using a combination of art forms to assist the learning and healing process is getting more and more recognition from the scientific community as a legitimate part of the therapeutic process. This is all noted in the context of a great Skype chat we had with Ruby the other morning as she talked about her interest in what is clearly.....Arts Based Therapy....ABT...Feel the Music....and the love. xoxoxoxbar<br />
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PS...I will publish this post and attempt a video upload in a new post...wish me luck, might get messy...90MB.<br />
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debandbartravelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14802758148927664633noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3118946844319334976.post-56472761227174898062013-11-17T02:38:00.002-08:002013-11-17T03:15:31.477-08:00Our last days in Nepal<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Our last day in Nepal. We are feeling a bit reflective. We
plan to have a quiet day – make the short walk from Krishna Guest House just
outside the Bhaktapur city gates to the National Art Gallery, pick up a few
things, print some travel vouchers, post a few more photos, check emails and do
some yoga. We need to pack our bags and head to the airport tomorrow morning at
5:30am to catch our flight to India. I am happy to be moving on, but we will
miss Nepal.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Our last bit of time here has been influenced somewhat by
the political climate of the day. Constituent Assembly elections take place on
Tuesday and there has been conflict and violence as a result (stories of cars
being torched, window smashed in a taxi, demonstrations). We read the Himalayan
papers that are published in English, talk to people, and glean what we can.
Last Monday there was a general strike – banda. It was a day we’d intended to
travel, but everything was shut down, shops and transport. Tourist busses were
running, but there was also some uncertainty and rumours that vehicles breaking
the curfew would be attacked. We talked to many different people; hotel
managers, restaurant workers, police, tourist police, bus operators…. But it
was very hard to get any consistent story. Mostly, I think, we were getting
opinions. The banda had been organized by one of 2 factions of the Maoist
Party, and that name alone is enough to generate a bit of discomfort for us!
The situation is complex at best. In the end we chose to stay in Kathmandu a
bit longer than planned and just wait to see how things shaped up. The day of
the strike proved to be a great day for walking – no cars or buses belching out
fumes and kicking up dust. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Walking, we’ve discovered, suits us. It is a great way to
experience the hustle and bustle of a city, or get a bit out of a city, all the
while getting a glimpse into how people live. Our Lonely Planet guide book has
great walking tours that we often follow (although keeping on track here in
Bhaktapur has been quite a challenge). We’ve walked on city roads that are dirt
and dust, strewn with chunks of rock. We’ve walked on roads so old they are
made of bricks in beautiful patterns, worn so smooth by the passing of so many
years. Some roads have been made of what almost look like slate tiles, and many
have little iconic pieces fit in (like lotus flowers) or alternating patterns.
Yesterday, mostly because we were off track, we walked a narrow path through
what I think were terraced rice fields, farm workers on either side of us.
Sometimes we are walking through tiny, narrow corridors between old brick
buildings, ducking through low entryways only to find ourselves in a courtyard
or square with some significant shrine, prayer wheel, or statue of the Buddha. We
walk in the spirit of our trekking. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">In both Kathmandu and Bhaktapur (about 20 km east) there are
outlying small towns with major temples well within walking distance. So our
final days here have been temples, shrines, a few museums, and durbar squares (durbar
means palace – thus the Durbar Square is the royal palace square). We’ve seen
artifacts from the 5<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">th</span></sup> century (464 AD – the oldest inscribed stone
tablet in the Kathmandu Valley – Sanskrit). The beautiful Patan Royal Museum
(oddly enough developed with funding/partnerships with Austria) was a
highlight. Set in the Royal Palace itself, with its impressive 17<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">th</span></sup>
century Newari architecture we toured small galleries of mostly religious icons
(generally stone and wood carvings, or metal) some from the 9<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">th</span></sup> and
10<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">th</span></sup> century. We learned about Hinduism, Buddhism, stupas, how
reposse metal work and “lost wax” casting are done. There were displays of
tantric texts, primary deities, and we even learned how to better interpret the
meanings of different symbols, hand and feet positions assumed by different
gods. We are finally starting to recognize some of the major deities (Shiva,
Baihran, Ganesh, Vishnu). We went to the Pashipatinuth Temple (most important
Hindu temple in Nepal) with its cremation ghats (Nepal’s “Varanasi”) and were
quite mesmerized watching funeral rites along the Bagmati River, the building
and burning of funeral pyres, all while we sat among the 11 shrines to Shiva.
This is so unlike anything we know in the west and the entire proceedings are
done very publicly. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is an experience
that is hard to put words to – all we could really come up with was “wow, that
was quite something”. It is deeply profound and thought provoking. We walked to
the Bodhnath Stupa – largest in Asia, where Barry had an almost magical
experience choosing a very special singing bowl (we since found out that only 2
stores in the Kathmandu Valley sell the “good” hand-made 7 alloy ones, and we
ended up in one of the two!). We also were amazed to learn that they can be
used for all sorts of healing. The bowl has been sent home, and Bar can’t wait
to get his hands back on it. We’ve learned to walk around stupas in a clockwise
direction to bring good luck, which is easy to do, because if you go the other
way you are so clearly going against the flow of traffic! These have all been
imposing structures of great beauty, and in a way we barely grasp their
religious significance. It is mostly through watching local Nepalis that one
gets a sense of their importance – historically and to this very day.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Temples and shrines, and more temples and shrines. They are
everywhere and range in size from a small rock, to a grand, large structure.
I’ve been fascinated by the ritual the Hindu women go through in the early
morning – carrying small platters of offerings (rice, flowers, + ?) to the
shrines. Religion is simply a large part of life here. In truth, however, we
are a bit on temple overload. We spent hours walking up to Changu Narayan
Temple yesterday (a wrong turn took us about 3 km out of our way – always
interesting however) and by the time we’d got there, had some lunch, and made
our way into the site (most of these famous sites are Unesco World Heritage
sites) we mostly sat and watched. We read our brochure a bit, took some
pictures, but felt a bit worn out by all we’ve been seeing. There is just so
much history, architecture, <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>and
iconography to take in. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Bhaktapur is a most welcome change from Kathmandu. It was
recommended to us by a German man who had been to Nepal 4 times. We met him in
Olympic National Park in Washington. He told us to get out of Kathmandu and go
to Bhaktapur. Now we know why. There is a large, beautiful Durbar Square here
and two other toles (squares). There is a totally fascinating potter’s square –
we watched people kneading dark clay, and working wheels sitting on the ground
in the square (which in November, after the harvest, is also being used to dry
grains). There is a communal firing “shed” where pots are fired in straw and
other materials; there are no kilns as such, and I think it takes a few days
(eavesdropping on European tour groups). The streets are quite beautiful and so
much calmer. Our guest house is fantastic. The people are helpful and kind and
seem very intent on providing good service. From what I can gather, they are
most interested in providing us with a good experience and providing
exceptional service so that we will recommend them, or come back to them
ourselves. I read somewhere, maybe in the Lonely Planet, that Nepal has 3 religions,
Hinduism, Buddhism, and tourism. We can go into a restaurant, pay 8$ for a meal
and are treated like we are in the most expensive restaurant in TO. Servers are
exceptionally polite and meals, generally are great (again, lots of carbs – my
traditional Newari meal winning the prize for “most interesting” meal).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Our days have a distinct rhythm, to some extent determined
by temperature. Rooms have no heat, it is cold in the morning and starts to
cool down again by 4pm. Recently I’ve unpacked my lightweight down jacket and
its getting good use (especially at dinner – many restaurants have outdoor
patios, or themselves have no heat).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>When we return to our hotel room after dinner (not much night life here)
the best way to keep warm is usually to get into bed. Some nights we might
bundle up, sit in a lobby, and use wifi. But even still, come 9pm at the latest
we are usually turning out our light. As a result we wake up early – hmmm, now
we are awake, it is dark out and again, still cold. That is when a lot of these
posts get written. This morning, I typed with my down jacket on over my T-shirt
nestled in my comforter waiting until 7:30 at which time we can venture out
onto the sunny patio where our hostess brings us hot (instant) coffee. We are
both probably getting more sleep than we have in a long time. Meals have become
highlights – sitting in rooftop cafes, sipping hot, sweet tea in the sun,
eating momos, some version of rice, curry or noodle. Life has a somewhat
relaxed pace and we are free to choose what to do every day. My biggest
challenge right now might be boredom with my travel wardrobe! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I enjoy typing these posts, and trust that I’ll enjoy
reading them again sometime in the future. I’ve noticed that when I’m walking
I’m often imagining how I would describe the experience in writing, so it
always feels good to tell these stories. Also better for me to get some of the
details down while we are here. Loading photos, on the other hand is time
consuming – our tablet is more restrictive than a full laptop. For example, we
have yet to figure out how to resize our photos (useful advice from both Geoff
and Mary). As I said before, with limited night life (or in the case of
Kathmandu – none that really appeals to us) photo work has become a good
evening activity. We’ve been here long enough now to actually have established
some routines!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">So on to India – time to shake up those routines. We figure
we are in for another round of culture shock and lots more adventure. Today is
day 1 of malarial meds – all of you out there who take the time to read these,
please pray for our continued good health. XOXOXO D </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Post script; As it turned out, the strike did impact us. Saturday about 4:30 pm our guest house host approached us and told us that it was most likely safe for us to take a taxi to the airport at 5:30am the next morning, but it would also cost us about 15$ US - higher than normal. The newspapers these days do have stories of buses and cars being torched and petrol-bombed. Police presence during the day, in more populated cities tends to keep a lid on things, but early in the morning there is less surveillance. Tourists, and tourist buses are generally considered safe, and both the taxi driver and our host were fairly sure we would not be stopped or have any issue, although there was potential risk to the taxi driver coming back from the airport on his own. In the end, we opted to play it safe and an hour later took the cab to the Airport Hotel (for 3 times the cost of our guest room), and walked across the street this morning to catch our flight. All happened without incident! </span></div>
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debandbartravelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14802758148927664633noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3118946844319334976.post-59569362645847634322013-11-17T02:32:00.000-08:002013-11-17T02:38:47.601-08:00Photos - temples and such of the Kathmandu Valley<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrI8hiD8Z4w8ySSI-2zNtMRY91fntAqAvnmk7icNd4Vn1SABou_Qeg9exsvNS76Z0urM6KnsvW8G5CceGTKFpsTt1235C9-vXgOSm1XVw8CNRcisimbDfU1tqtuhBNr1Fmmflc6EnqoCxr/s1600/IMG_3767.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrI8hiD8Z4w8ySSI-2zNtMRY91fntAqAvnmk7icNd4Vn1SABou_Qeg9exsvNS76Z0urM6KnsvW8G5CceGTKFpsTt1235C9-vXgOSm1XVw8CNRcisimbDfU1tqtuhBNr1Fmmflc6EnqoCxr/s320/IMG_3767.JPG" width="320" zsa="true" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Shrines to Shiva - the protector. One of the 3 major gods.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_xzqE4ZK99wvrwxJs1aX6EmQR7zQFb_iNDl7JT5e_7qEtSr7LZBsPbCY5NgnT5y1mmC0sxVUjg8zRASMLmLDf5d_6r26HlvmzSjow6YjVObHGgEC7U1unKZixdqrUcuGkMTXE4rkrixDX/s1600/IMG_3774.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_xzqE4ZK99wvrwxJs1aX6EmQR7zQFb_iNDl7JT5e_7qEtSr7LZBsPbCY5NgnT5y1mmC0sxVUjg8zRASMLmLDf5d_6r26HlvmzSjow6YjVObHGgEC7U1unKZixdqrUcuGkMTXE4rkrixDX/s320/IMG_3774.JPG" width="320" zsa="true" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The cremation ghats. The body will be placed on the bed of marigolds,<br />
and after some ritual, be covered in logs and straw for cremation.<br />
Across the river are many people watching. Amazing.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Funeral rites on the Bagmati River - just like Varanasi in India.<br />
Under the yellow cloths - dead bodies.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Boudhanath Stupa (sp? - we left our Lonely Planet Guide book behind sadly). <br />
Largest stupa in Asia</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bagmati River - filthy and full of garbage. Considered sacred and<br />
just a bit further on one comes to the ghats (steps). En route to<br />
Pashupatinath Temple. We barely got lost walking the 6 km or so each way.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Durbar Square - Kathmandu</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1J-DGKjRnJGpfVcf6QovzcNsJTn1en8WTsoGPmenyY-07nJ8sg79IQSudY_i-2_gH2lfDyZDfIU2MGHkbG5d7DJZhyphenhyphendZtAWb94ZUBQ_STsc5NPx5ZUYjxiGRfKCjfJApm7ygNufdDkxom/s1600/IMG_3853.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1J-DGKjRnJGpfVcf6QovzcNsJTn1en8WTsoGPmenyY-07nJ8sg79IQSudY_i-2_gH2lfDyZDfIU2MGHkbG5d7DJZhyphenhyphendZtAWb94ZUBQ_STsc5NPx5ZUYjxiGRfKCjfJApm7ygNufdDkxom/s320/IMG_3853.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Next few photos - Patan Museum. Fantastic. We visited 3 museums in total<br />
and the other two paled in comparison wrt layout, lighting, and descriptions of artifacts. </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hmm. Any wonder Barry took this photo? </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI-nappMO-vXJ9tjE3HpzvcOx_tsR0_oieHl_HRAz8JfAs77Bpr4M2V-7hIrwHxZ6ElhWFWE64pzE0nkLR9auwQoQ774bNNAqmIkSVnJCjaIFCqicFcXZfhsGtSqwpk10sQXJ6lBjd0XMU/s1600/IMG_3890.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI-nappMO-vXJ9tjE3HpzvcOx_tsR0_oieHl_HRAz8JfAs77Bpr4M2V-7hIrwHxZ6ElhWFWE64pzE0nkLR9auwQoQ774bNNAqmIkSVnJCjaIFCqicFcXZfhsGtSqwpk10sQXJ6lBjd0XMU/s320/IMG_3890.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Looking out over Patan Durbar Square from museum bell tower.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXT5fbAo-FSUI4GHjBlNnC1hqCtCXCKXPatDbeL3yzjVxZ99uwuOitElkZXcJ6C5ZFqZQNJJnSfxgKpMekt4b8JWqQ2gAwTpEHn5qD_IwoxLKhZHxaAmfY2bbeEUKhnuJtqmTj28pnLd1w/s1600/IMG_3936.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXT5fbAo-FSUI4GHjBlNnC1hqCtCXCKXPatDbeL3yzjVxZ99uwuOitElkZXcJ6C5ZFqZQNJJnSfxgKpMekt4b8JWqQ2gAwTpEHn5qD_IwoxLKhZHxaAmfY2bbeEUKhnuJtqmTj28pnLd1w/s320/IMG_3936.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Now we are in Bhaktapur - following our LP guide book walking tour.<br />
Two kids helped us through a crazy maze we might never have found,<br />
mostly motivated by the possibility that we might give them money.<br />
Did we - no.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">These large "pools" - pokhari are scattered all over Bahktapur.<br />
What you can't see is how green the water is with a sludge-like algae, or the <br />
garbage. Fish live in here - what kind?<br />
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Walking to Changu Narayan Temple - this might have been the</div>
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point where we started to suspect we may have made a wrong turn</div>
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Square in Bhaktapur - I'd have to look up the temple name</div>
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After a long day of walking some rooftop bliss. Barry has a beer,</div>
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me a pot of tea and my book. You just might pick out the small</div>
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white dot centre-sky - a kite skillfully flown. It slowly climbed</div>
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The restaurant above, Sunny's Café, had a great view of one of the squares (toles). We loved this place because of the view. We went there, tired after so much walking one day, just for some liquid refreshment. However, the Maoist Party was holding a rally in the square below (2 factions of the Maoists - this party, according to the staff, was not the one which called for the general strike, was threatening to block voting in some parts of the country, and torched/bombed some cars and buses). The energy and enthusiasm of the speakers, even though we could not understand a word was still so evident. There was music, dancing, speeches and the square was packed. It was so interesting we ended up staying for dinner (dahl baht) and did not leave until the entire event was over - maybe 7 o'clock. many of the young people are enamoured with this party and its talk of change....although our much older guest house owner aid it would be the young people who would pay, in time, if this party was elected into power.</div>
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One thing about the elections we have not figured out: the papers have many times referred to some parties being in a first-past-the post "contest, while others, or maybe other regions are running according to proportional representation. Confusing!</div>
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debandbartravelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14802758148927664633noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3118946844319334976.post-76677374271649695712013-11-16T02:40:00.000-08:002013-11-16T02:40:16.756-08:00Himalayan Photos - Part 2<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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debandbartravelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14802758148927664633noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3118946844319334976.post-30413609797627475332013-11-13T06:48:00.001-08:002013-11-13T06:48:13.558-08:00Himalayan Photos - Langtang Valley Trek 1<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Red Panda guesthouse - Langtang</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Prayer wheel - water keeps it turning 24/7. Inscribed with "om mane padme hum" - a prayer to the Buddha for a long life.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjscqj7gR3pq6TlkRRoK7k96nCNWZjFrUGMRU8M226o6k2kO-wHc9MGBroU7_Vci0Py-yiX4hW3o8bV6QBFi4QsyPtsCcjZzMWbAymL9FRQRHPz9QTmZZLNnQRewXVa2988Ox6p3p07oi_6/s1600/IMG_3484.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjscqj7gR3pq6TlkRRoK7k96nCNWZjFrUGMRU8M226o6k2kO-wHc9MGBroU7_Vci0Py-yiX4hW3o8bV6QBFi4QsyPtsCcjZzMWbAymL9FRQRHPz9QTmZZLNnQRewXVa2988Ox6p3p07oi_6/s320/IMG_3484.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Best breakfast: yak cheese (bought from this man) on warm Tibetan flat<br />
bread with honey or jam.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOTnHh_zRtLTRrDNTiQcPACapoSKucslvxyNslZ7zIyxfZSa2reUmlVylYaAQeVf6UJ6hzzl4mbAvbs7KVnLhJnYDz2M_QMhTVYkqADOPYFxHNa4ZGYHgZT3yffeULKhGDYVDADoVJBZB0/s1600/IMG_3492.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOTnHh_zRtLTRrDNTiQcPACapoSKucslvxyNslZ7zIyxfZSa2reUmlVylYaAQeVf6UJ6hzzl4mbAvbs7KVnLhJnYDz2M_QMhTVYkqADOPYFxHNa4ZGYHgZT3yffeULKhGDYVDADoVJBZB0/s320/IMG_3492.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yes - a real yak. Found up higher than the cows</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kyunjian Gumpa - 3870m</td></tr>
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<br />debandbartravelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14802758148927664633noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3118946844319334976.post-48490952576844578772013-11-12T18:24:00.000-08:002013-11-12T18:24:35.137-08:00Yoga, trekking and carbs<br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">HIYA – Himalayan International Yoga Retreat</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">This small retreat facility was truly an oasis on the
outskirts of Kathmandu. Once through its gates we were met with greenery,
flowers, many butterflies and a chorus of insects sounding much like crickets
and cicadas. The man who runs the place, Dr. “indian name I do not remember”
was away in India, but we were very well taken care of by the rest of the
staff. Our daily schedule included 7am nasal wash and fresh mint tea followed
by 90 minutes of yoga and then breakfast. We had therapies in the morning and
in our two days had one of the BEST massages and a steam bath (not really my
thing – I only lasted about 7 of the prescribed 20 minutes). After lunch we did
pranayama and yoga nidra, and before dinner 1 hour meditation which took
different forms on the 2 nights we were there. Yoga was classical Indian style
and our teacher was fairly new to teaching. It was quite different from what we
are used to in Ontario: no attention to alignment, little accommodation for beginners,
and no breath co-ordination with movement (plus our teacher’s English was poor
and he used only Sanskrit names for asanas – definitely a challenge!). <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, to practice again in a structured way
was a real pleasure, and both Bar and I could draw on our previous teachings.
One of the best things about this place was the vegetarian food prepared by our
cook Narayen – only 19 years old and quite a character. Narayen also took Bar
and I out at 5:45 1 morning for a brisk walk to Swayambhunath – the “monkey
temple”. Along with Verena from Germany, we had “cooking class”, instruction on
how to shape small wheels of dough around special filling (cheese, vegetables
and spices) into small momos, the little steamed dumplings Nepal is famous for.
Narayen and Soba (the housekeeper), the housekeeper, could make them so fast
compared to our clumsy hands. However, my finished products did get special
mention. In so many ways being at HIYA was like being in a little cocoon –
walled off from all the dirt, confusion and bustle of Kathmandu. I loved
sitting in the morning after breakfast listening to the bustle of life that was
clearly going on outside our walls. It was a unique experience to listen,
without seeing. For 3 days we really rested and enjoyed sleeping in our safari
tent named “tranquility”. Barry made special connections with the manager,
Lala, and our yoga teacher (whose name I forget) who was very appreciative of
Barry’s English coaching.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhff9bcXcQZpQ46tHS5jLckUSRAALxfOs6fYLVapCopDRv3uEumvpSQ_mkxLV0IjSGl6jbZG-ND5rJ60Z-YHt22zshE39-uAWT4Nu9Lm9k3dRlMamUN29qI0m7Pd3K9Jase0po741CKfEjq/s1600/IMG_3154.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhff9bcXcQZpQ46tHS5jLckUSRAALxfOs6fYLVapCopDRv3uEumvpSQ_mkxLV0IjSGl6jbZG-ND5rJ60Z-YHt22zshE39-uAWT4Nu9Lm9k3dRlMamUN29qI0m7Pd3K9Jase0po741CKfEjq/s320/IMG_3154.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">How to properly shape the new hat - with Lala</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip4aMNLiAM-dYLcEGnHd9wsorfUARLPle7_Gvbm4WYlkAcc7uOVmPk6qB_o3aq95GQ4nTVx6F5kxsV-vZN86flJwP3K7Z1cK4i19SXl9hhOa5qqw74q1s1h8USGgxPm0IdOC37fcKCgTcu/s1600/IMG_3162.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip4aMNLiAM-dYLcEGnHd9wsorfUARLPle7_Gvbm4WYlkAcc7uOVmPk6qB_o3aq95GQ4nTVx6F5kxsV-vZN86flJwP3K7Z1cK4i19SXl9hhOa5qqw74q1s1h8USGgxPm0IdOC37fcKCgTcu/s320/IMG_3162.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View over Kathmandu from retreat centre</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTajHutwclYT2M_c3B7f_3MsSLhkQ_aFdbpPwACf22f1UmIm3K03h8VYAjirnEdo1eKsk-_sSs3ETlDexdIn5Mb5bOcZmdEAX-fZmqvJ-oDvnLaHAMxqZwjw50I0_Mo516H-6S63vTz3na/s1600/IMG_3168.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTajHutwclYT2M_c3B7f_3MsSLhkQ_aFdbpPwACf22f1UmIm3K03h8VYAjirnEdo1eKsk-_sSs3ETlDexdIn5Mb5bOcZmdEAX-fZmqvJ-oDvnLaHAMxqZwjw50I0_Mo516H-6S63vTz3na/s320/IMG_3168.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Hiking the trails behing the yoga academy with 2</div>
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fellow students...beautiful, this part anyway.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUNkvsHWWXUIulbd7Amtt02mTFDHhGv9Xdoe1Rz53M8B1SElYJQXJQ9UD50SFcnO9vsAW1YDghyphenhyphenDoiVyi02So_0BWEjCSQAKxhR7WccznmNDZZNKLvVNUGm_p1yimLD-mGpLJzmxMf9f77/s1600/IMG_3147.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUNkvsHWWXUIulbd7Amtt02mTFDHhGv9Xdoe1Rz53M8B1SElYJQXJQ9UD50SFcnO9vsAW1YDghyphenhyphenDoiVyi02So_0BWEjCSQAKxhR7WccznmNDZZNKLvVNUGm_p1yimLD-mGpLJzmxMf9f77/s320/IMG_3147.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Momos in the steamer</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh82N2kcAtWDncAvrzFRCxjD5u1WlLbDJVlJxZkZlJ36KbLFcpds5hi6xEdp4j9WHjn1dW5KFLs3s77zzV6rjY46-xCMhvZm6BtlqDdUPTRB8m8HUHYrlXTVKspFpNSIUpJcdeY8J0YRjUL/s1600/IMG_3149.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh82N2kcAtWDncAvrzFRCxjD5u1WlLbDJVlJxZkZlJ36KbLFcpds5hi6xEdp4j9WHjn1dW5KFLs3s77zzV6rjY46-xCMhvZm6BtlqDdUPTRB8m8HUHYrlXTVKspFpNSIUpJcdeY8J0YRjUL/s320/IMG_3149.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Soba shaping the dough for us</td></tr>
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Our comfy tent accommodation</div>
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Centre path of the yoga centre</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKKkzPCKbNw8NcobZeV6XJMf1eyUUxoUlDKBxtkFjSuHE_Umrl0j79OnR3ZWBRdhufQZyImCKy6GOIrqtmRI792JPxePeQszhUzVNPJeAjDHV1BgHA7VVOBzUyOiGL_K-g7xQStKQPjEsl/s1600/IMG_3213.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKKkzPCKbNw8NcobZeV6XJMf1eyUUxoUlDKBxtkFjSuHE_Umrl0j79OnR3ZWBRdhufQZyImCKy6GOIrqtmRI792JPxePeQszhUzVNPJeAjDHV1BgHA7VVOBzUyOiGL_K-g7xQStKQPjEsl/s320/IMG_3213.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Steam bath therapy for Barry - with our yoga teacher. </td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Trekking in so many ways, was a logical extension of our
yoga experience. But first, a few details. KEEP – the Kathmandu Environmental
Education Program keeps a list of reputable trekking companies that are also
registered with the Trekking Agencies Association of Nepal. KEEP does
environmental education for porters (don’t litter on the trails), hosts a
clothing bank for porters, and counsels trekkers on how to be responsible when
trekking and how to best support local peoples. Through their services we found
a good company called Himalayan Glacier. I had my first real Nepali bartering
experience with Naba from Himalayan Glacier. WE discussed options and timelines
and went away with a price. I was not that comfortable with the price quoted
and after a bit more reading in the Lonely Planet was clear that I wanted a
better price. The next morning we went back and Naba and I started the process
of negotiating a price. In the end both Naba and I were happy – we both gave a
little and Bar and I walked away satisfied with what we had just purchased.
This is what our guide book says bartering should lead to – both parties being
happy. Actually I was quite elated, given that I was nervous as heck when we
started the process.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Nine day trip to the Langtang Valley with guide and porter –
all transport, accommodation, lodging in teahouses, sleeping bag rentals,
permits and taxis paid for and arranged. This is what we bought. We came back
from our yoga retreat one afternoon, and left the next morning on a 6:15am taxi
to the local bus with our guide Giri. It was great for us to just walk right
into this ‘walk”. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The entire experience was a great adventure. I barely know
where to begin. Our guide Giri has worked for 26 years as a trekking guide, and
now that he is done with our trek he takes a group to Everest Base Camp in a
couple of days. Our porter Ram carried all our stuff except the day packs on
our backs. They often worked together and both were, relatively speaking, a
little older. We learned quickly that there job was to serve us; ensure our
safety and comfort. They were always extremely attentive to our well-being and
both Barry and I realized independently that our role was to receive their
attentions and to allow ourselves to be served.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>In spite of this, however, we also had a special connection with Giri
because we had just come from the yoga retreat. He had a pranayama practice that
he did almost daily for over an hour: kapalabati breath, alternate-nostril
breathing, and bastrika breath (forgive my spelling). He queried Bar and I
about our own practices and because of this felt a special kinship with us I am
quite convinced. He often referred to our “private” tour <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>and towards the end said that we were more
like friends than simple guide-trekker associates. He and Barry often discussed
Nepal and as we walked he talked about the prayer wheels, the mane walls, and
one day told us stories of Shiva and Ganesh. He taught me “om mani padme hum” –
the mantra printed on the prayer wheels and explained the significance of the
religious rituals we were fortunate to witness as we walked and slept among the
peoples of this valley.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Giri taught us to trek like “tortoises”. I had learned this
myself hiking in the Colorado Rockies – but he still slowed us down so much. Slowness,
he taught us, was essential because it gives your body time to acclimate to the
elevation gain and decreasing oxygen, and allows you to enjoy yourself and the
surroundings. We hiked 3.5 hours in the mornings and then about 1.5 hours in
the afternoon (except for 1 day – 2.5 hours of hiking total so we could enjoy
Thulo Syabru). We seldom talked as we trekked, which opened the experience to
becoming quite meditative. As my yoga teachers have taught us – we had to let
our breath be the anchor. One has to establish a comfortable, regular breathing
pattern or one simply tired way too quickly and the activity couldn’t be
sustained. Soon breath becomes synchronized with movement – for me 1 inhale for
every 2 steps, and then 1 exhale for the next two. I would chant as I walked
and I imagine Barry would hear music as he walked. The trail often had lots of
stone steps, or was quite narrow too, so a lot of focus was required and by day
2 I had to also take my awareness to my feet and make sure each foot was
planted squarely on the ground – we were doing full-on walking meditation. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Lodging was humble at best, in “tea houses”. Giri always
made an effort to secure us the best room available, but also wanted to support
some of the poorer families. Tea houses all follow the same basic pattern, and
all have the same menu developed through a tourism organization, which reduces
competition I assume. Rooms consist of mattresses on wooden platforms, a
pillow, no heat and if lucky a light. Trekkers have sleeping bags. Some were
spacious and some quite tight. A toilet might be an attached flusher – or could
be a squatter out in a separate shack. Water, from mountain streams (think
cold) tends to come from an outdoor hose positioned over a concrete “basin”. Daily
ablutions are public; locals brush teeth, scrub faces, and shave out in the
open at the hose. In all cases there is a dining area with plank tables and
bench seating around 3 walls and a wood stove in the middle that gets lit about
5 pm when it starts to get cold outside. It is a great place to hang, eat
dinner, and meet fellow trekkers. Barry loved the communal nature of the space after
so many campfires on our own in North America. There is a kitchen building
where guides and porters tend to hang and eat, with these amazingly efficient
hand-made clay stoves. Meals were carb laden; porridge, bread or pancake for
breakfast (best breakfast – warm Tibetan bread with honey and yak cheese bought
direct from the factory in Kyanjin Gompa); lunch was often cheese omelets and
fried potatoes, noodles or rice; for dinner we tended to choose the Nepali
standard – dahl bhat (rice, veg curry, dahl, pickle – with as many refills as
one wants) or a version of rice, pasta or potato that one did not eat at lunch.
Fortunately there is local food: potatoes, cabbage, carrots, onions and garlic,
and depending on the elevation spinach. Chickens provide lots of eggs. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We’ve become addicted to weak nepali tea with
sugar at lunch, mid-afternooon, and at dinner. We ate a lot of food always
served by our guide and porter. They did not eat until we were done.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Culturally we were in the land of the Tamang peoples who
came from Tibet. Giri distinguished between Upper and Lower tamang, with the
former coming from Tibet more recently (about 600 years ago) and therefore
retaining<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>more of their Tibetan roots.
We marveled at the dry-stone building, the inscriptions/carvings on the mane
walls that led to the stupas (chortens in Tibetan), the yaks, carved wood and
simple farming techniques. Other than what they can grow themselves, everything
must be carried up from the end of the bus line – a 2 day trek for sure. It is
thought provoking to say the least to have a man carry a pack for us, and then
watch a young Tamang walk by with a 45 kg propane tank on his back plus maybe a
bag of rice. Or to watch porters carry camping supplies for a group of trekkers
heading into the mountains beyond the last tea houses. These porters are
carrying chairs, dining tents, all cooking supplies, water and fuel, and tents.
They are so laden and move so swiftly. We saw a few women porters, or simply
local women hauling huge bags of staples up the paths. Bar caught 2 kids
practicing – carrying loads of yak dung to dry for fuel.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Our last night we stayed in the small town of Thulo Syabru,
perched high on the ridge of a mountain. Wonderful connections with Dhechen,
daughter of our hotel host, a young nurse still to complete some training who
currently works teaching kindergarden at the local school. She also was a
singer songwriter, and sang us some of her music while Barry accompanied her on
a guitar she fetched. Bar got to play the traditional 4string, 3 note dhamngen
with a local musician. Our special room – perched over the kitchen, accessible
by crossing a small plank/walk had possibly the best mountains views of all
(plus space and electricity).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Looking north to Tibet from our humble room at</div>
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the Namaste Guest House</div>
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Barry playing the Dhamngen with the son of the </div>
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instrument maker...we bought their CD!!!</div>
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The terraced slopes of the hills outside Thulo Syabru</div>
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The view from our patio in Namaste Guest House</div>
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in Thulo Syabru.</div>
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Barry accompanying Dhechen, a singer, songwriter,</div>
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teacher, nurse and the daughter of our host.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dechen reading her lyrics from her laptop as she sings to us in Nepali. </td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Peaceful, stunningly beautiful, new and at times
challenging. We’d often look at each other and marvel at the fact that we were
½ way around the world from our home, in the Himalayan Mountains for goodness
sakes! We came to appreciate such simple pleasures and ate way more carbs than
I ever thought possible. We feel blessed beyond belief to be having this
experience.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></div>
debandbartravelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14802758148927664633noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3118946844319334976.post-9581975948123117422013-10-27T20:24:00.001-07:002013-10-27T20:24:24.309-07:00Our Introduction to Nepal<br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Monday – Oct 27<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I’m not really sure where to start. We’ve succeeded in
getting ourselves to the other side of the world. Apparently Nepal is about ½
way around the world from North America – <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>whether you travel from east or west it’s
about the same distance. We’ve done a complete 180⁰ “turn” - geographically and
culturally. I’ve been moved to tears both mornings: yesterday simply because I
was so overwhelmed by what I was seeing and experiencing, and this morning by
two simple, poignant events. First – the sight of a simple shopkeeper sweeping
out the crumbling stairs in front of his tiny establishment, even though the
streets around him are loaded with garbage. The second was while reading the 9
day training program brochure for the Himalayan Java Barista Training Program
at a café down the road. We were up early and had gone for breakfast at
Himalayan Java. They serve great Nepalese, fresh roasted coffee (our hotel
serves only passable instant) and we had a tasty fried egg with cheese on a
croissant. The entire staff was made up of young 20-22 year old (I asked) men
and women who had all taken this training program and were working so earnestly
to serve tourists. Himalayan Java promotes Nepalese coffee and runs a number of
coffee shops across the city offering training and good employment to these
young people. In our two days here so far we have seen SO much – everywhere we
go is a visual feast (and sometimes a respiratory assault). We are seeing
things the likes of which we have never seen before and slowly we are
unravelling. Unravelling in the best of ways – it is like removing layers that
we might cloak ourselves in for protection. This is how I (for one) will slowly
open myself to all that is new around me. Like so much of Asia (I suppose)
there is much to be uncomfortable with, dirt, filth and poverty. But this
morning I was treated to 2 humble, shiny pearls of beauty; this must be the
magic of travel.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">To get here took a very long time: about 32 hours to be
exact. We had a fairly long layover in Seoul, Korea, that got shortened a fair
bit when our flight out of San Francisco had to return to Seattle WA after
about 2 hours for a medical emergency; a man on our flight had a heart attack.
Our 12 hour flight took almost 17 hours. Our layover in Korea, at the Hyatt
regency by the airport (complements of Korean Air – great airline by the way)
afforded us 5 hours of sleep. Add to that 7 hours to fly to Nepal, wait times
in airports, and a long line for a visa upon arrival. But we got here. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I’m reading a great book that I picked up in the airport:
“The Round House” by Louise Erdrich (American). At one point in the novel one
of the characters made reference to numbness being an emotion. Coming to Nepal
brought that comment to life, for me. I went numb upon immersion into this
country. I now know that I am like a turtle in so many ways – I withdraw into
my shell, and very slowly poke my head back out to sniff the air. Thank
goodness for Barry’s confidence and enthusiasm at times like these. For the
record – my head’s “full out” now. It does not take long.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">We are staying at the Hotel Silver Home – what would be
considered a budget hotel. I’ve learned two important things in 2 days: 4 extra
dollars per day can buy one quite a lot in terms of a room, and having a room
that you find pleasant, clean, and comfortable to come back to after a long day
is worth those extra 4 dollars. After 1 night in a standard room we moved into
a deluxe room for 18$ per night. It is awesome – big windows that open wide
with lots of sun. Great bright red and green walls. This simple change had a
big impact on us emotionally. It boosted our enthusiasm and we stepped out
yesterday quite eager to tackle Kathmandu on foot. So simple.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj128H5RCSuxCg2dSkFspILUgMZbW_47rqKSA8yu2grXvbbXDVttpWMj3V100beuFBj6xGsPu6zlDHEEaRS4h9G-EZDvM2VJhW-K4O8xuc0ql-bKTgy_7oux97wgqijXmz_Nzt1yRuRpuBb/s1600/Oct+26+group+200.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj128H5RCSuxCg2dSkFspILUgMZbW_47rqKSA8yu2grXvbbXDVttpWMj3V100beuFBj6xGsPu6zlDHEEaRS4h9G-EZDvM2VJhW-K4O8xuc0ql-bKTgy_7oux97wgqijXmz_Nzt1yRuRpuBb/s320/Oct+26+group+200.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View from our window - basically above the main entrance. We walk down a winding dirt road of the main street.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">We are in the Thamel region/neighbourhood of Kathmandu. It
is the tourist district. To walk its streets is an experience that costs
nothing, and packs quite a “punch”. Last night I did not sleep well; scenes
from our day kept repeating themselves in my mind. The impact was big, to say
the least. We went to an organic farmer’s market at a local trendy vegetarian
restaurant. Who would have thought that here in Kathmandu we’d find a local
food movement. At the market we drank fantastic fresh espresso with Italian
pastries. Vendors hawked fresh, grainy looking breads, local cheese, organic
greens and cured meats. Organic, locally dried fruits, hand crafted perfume
oils and soaps; handmade pasta and local spices all were on display. There were
a few Nepali craft sellers and most interesting of all – the distilled cow urine
salesman (I kid you not – a form of Ayurvedic therapy). I bought organic dried
apples.</span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcaizEYPxPoE9-JS_1Yv7ImSfPF0l592qnRi5p9k9gGyB7R97K-W6psE7GCMGVuSPA1woHX_mW-vi3Wd4AeuP9w-3tmk1fA4YrdqBOmSBJcT8IscnuRTrMBAaJW7DlqqIuW9pTtwJxS_e4/s1600/Oct+26+group+087.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcaizEYPxPoE9-JS_1Yv7ImSfPF0l592qnRi5p9k9gGyB7R97K-W6psE7GCMGVuSPA1woHX_mW-vi3Wd4AeuP9w-3tmk1fA4YrdqBOmSBJcT8IscnuRTrMBAaJW7DlqqIuW9pTtwJxS_e4/s320/Oct+26+group+087.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nice restaurant "1905". Named after the year the building was built. Also the site of the farmer's market.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdagpD9T4KavgiK9ZYo3ETC3SqX3DfXzfE7gXnn22fKu5xPcoywG4cgufp8gcrI1DJWjTJmoj6_IHgzJ6ktrsfjW3cB1vHxgU5GtmWbGdoQeP5P5aJLNYzUfkBFjGhQUT8tjW3qVxUJxLX/s1600/Oct+26+group+079.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdagpD9T4KavgiK9ZYo3ETC3SqX3DfXzfE7gXnn22fKu5xPcoywG4cgufp8gcrI1DJWjTJmoj6_IHgzJ6ktrsfjW3cB1vHxgU5GtmWbGdoQeP5P5aJLNYzUfkBFjGhQUT8tjW3qVxUJxLX/s320/Oct+26+group+079.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">We visited the Garden of Dreams and were quickly ushered
into a space of green serenity. It costs 2 dollars to enter, and clearly is a
popular spot. The relatively small walled-gardens were artfully divided into
many different nooks, courtyards, and alleys. Everywhere was beauty and it was
easy to find private benches; in fact we saw many young couples tucked into
corners… possibly this is one of the only places in this area for a quiet,
private bit of space. The open green space had mats and bolsters to lie on.
Many people come here to lie on the grass and read, or play quietly with
children. I took advantage of the time, space and mats to do some pranayama.
While the space exudes calmness – quiet is elusive. The constant honking of
horns from outside the garden walls simply can’t be filtered out. Regardless,
we will most likely return to this oasis today. I will take my yoga pants.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Horns – cars – driving in Kathmandu. Now this is a topic
worthy of its own paragraph. No matter what the vehicle drivers constantly are
honking their horns. Apparently this is even considered a form of personal
expression. Roads are narrow and for the most part devoid of sidewalks. Many
people drive motorbikes, but small cars are also common. Walking through the
maze of side streets that so much of this city is composed of one quickly
learns to keep their head up! The streets are full of people, often quite
crowded, and the motorized vehicles simply drive their way through the crowds.
Often we were within inches of vehicles. This is one of those experiences that
one must go through to fully appreciate – words do not do it justice.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><o:p></o:p></span> </div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Thanks to our Lonely Planet guide we were able to follow a
great walking trail through the old city. Temples, stupas, and narrow streets
crowded with pedestrians. Each and every street is lined with small shops which
open directly onto the road. There is a huge volume of goods to purchase here;
our approach at this point is simply to look. In addition, services are offered
out of tiny, tiny shops: even the dentist has a small open office – pictures of
teeth out front; a small dentist chair squeezed into what one might call a
“closet” at the back. The entire amount of space I think is even less than our
10’x12’ cabin at Big Bay. There is much selling directly off the street and
lots of services: tailor, photocopying, shoe and electronics repair, food
stuffs, copper, pots and pans, masks, fabrics, incredible gold jewellery…
amazing to walk through. Add to this the somewhat crumbling nature of the
architecture, the incredible wood carving and brick work, some incredible,
beautiful old buildings, tiny alley ways that draw the eye into deeper, darker
recesses, the ever present dust and garbage, and well – it is amazing,
interesting, “eye-popping”. It is enough to walk and soak it all in. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Our goal on this walk was the Unesco World Heritage
Hanuman-dhoka Durbar Square. A large square consisting of Hindu (80% of the
population is Hindu) and Buddhist shrines and temples built between the 12<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">th</span></sup>
and 18<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">th</span></sup> centuries. How can I possibly describe such magnificence?
We purchased tickets to enter the site, and by showing our passports at the
“site office” now have special passes that we can use to return for free for
the rest of our time here. This is one of those place we could wander, sit and
watch for an entire day.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIlELjDaVSnFaMpa4E6aFjWZFXDDW9L43QM0-TnxjbWQNOHNrrO4WnC3gPNhp8mVYkcCwbNzuqeYUY5_TabinEqi-GFhhzmFrLuNdXXXI_gjpjd3c3LEj0JN-berhyphenhyphen45idK5Zvu60hIfiS/s1600/Oct+26+group+132.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIlELjDaVSnFaMpa4E6aFjWZFXDDW9L43QM0-TnxjbWQNOHNrrO4WnC3gPNhp8mVYkcCwbNzuqeYUY5_TabinEqi-GFhhzmFrLuNdXXXI_gjpjd3c3LEj0JN-berhyphenhyphen45idK5Zvu60hIfiS/s320/Oct+26+group+132.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Electrical wiring Nepali style - it is not uncommon to have power outages. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2KXfkdkkgb_-DHntsyjlFaZcgWvqp5kU9BZ6KtBYXKNe8tdsEPzWoUSnX2DuDW63cMC4NQzC_ubIR2ofpK9cx00pU1G12-k9IIIv8mXEnrirOq06uzHqZQ6tbsFnv-JWMt7Y567XTwxDg/s1600/Oct+26+group+141.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2KXfkdkkgb_-DHntsyjlFaZcgWvqp5kU9BZ6KtBYXKNe8tdsEPzWoUSnX2DuDW63cMC4NQzC_ubIR2ofpK9cx00pU1G12-k9IIIv8mXEnrirOq06uzHqZQ6tbsFnv-JWMt7Y567XTwxDg/s320/Oct+26+group+141.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Looking up from the street above the bucket and pail shop</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGCQYxz5BLWmkh4HHNfJXxva0lCVHzUGTG_3fNeo3omjB50zXUG7HPnP95PB-jM3y8dLLRvcfGoBKabCIFtauvusWcEaDru8okevirv33E69dd3I1kzaDdtnaGRYPzawM2h4F9RViUyvyf/s1600/Oct+26+group+142.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGCQYxz5BLWmkh4HHNfJXxva0lCVHzUGTG_3fNeo3omjB50zXUG7HPnP95PB-jM3y8dLLRvcfGoBKabCIFtauvusWcEaDru8okevirv33E69dd3I1kzaDdtnaGRYPzawM2h4F9RViUyvyf/s320/Oct+26+group+142.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Octagonal temple - old, but I don't remember how old</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqIvXP5Zi9OaGEPWy-rgD2DTo_8J8WJ1p3DFG2eFIuvmnszM2zB7aqeINoG6TV1mk-yYVqqvoRFIaLcbbpCORhme-5uC67bpHngBHfGYX61R_zjleiTtsWYJAKd3BHt-EE4WYnKhG9nXor/s1600/Oct+26+group+153.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqIvXP5Zi9OaGEPWy-rgD2DTo_8J8WJ1p3DFG2eFIuvmnszM2zB7aqeINoG6TV1mk-yYVqqvoRFIaLcbbpCORhme-5uC67bpHngBHfGYX61R_zjleiTtsWYJAKd3BHt-EE4WYnKhG9nXor/s320/Oct+26+group+153.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Entrance way into an old monastery courtyard. Three shrines on my right.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Today we will visit KEEP, the Kathmandu Environmental Education Program. A local organization that runs a tourist office, promotes
sustainable trekking, helps tourists plan trekking trips, and is engaged in
other community development projects. They have a clothing depot for guides and
porters and I have brought my older pair of hiking boots to donate. Tomorrow we
head to the Himalayan International Yoga Academy for a 3 day stay in a safari
tent, yoga, meditation and vegetarian meals. We will also hike to the “monkey
temple” high on the hills overlooking Kathmandu.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Amazing. Enough said. I love taking the time to do this
typing and recording both of events and personal experience, but as Fiona
recently reminded me – we don’t want to spend all our time on the computer, we
want to be OUT there!! XOXO - D <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Update: It's been a busy day. We arranged an 8 or 10 day trek into the Lantang Valley (we are still contemplating money and time) with a guide and porter. A local company will set everything in place for us which feels very luxurious right about now.</span></o:p></div>
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<o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;">When we were in Washington at Olympic National Park we met a man who had traveled to Nepal 4 times. His advice was to "get out of Kathmandu". Now we know why. Today wore Barry down - he could only be revived by a beer at the lovely 1905 restaurant (where the farmer's market was - pictures above). We are so glad we came here; and also glad to be leaving. </span></o:p></div>
debandbartravelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14802758148927664633noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3118946844319334976.post-60355273652262144402013-10-27T05:01:00.000-07:002013-10-27T05:01:00.016-07:00Family and dogsRedwood City, CA. My step-brother Russell, his partner Heather and their 3 great dogs. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJfJLPZir_XAeMnbTJ8uAGM3VVXQDdYoLSkmNwlgOOwSY1NgCocF_yzOo3VeGulg-TXE1wqGQlXAvEKHT0ZhxYDvCgYMURbf44gPRvqZadCJVsd-V9UIwDrJmp77-YWhQQdeQSNJpdSWBi/s1600/Oct+26+group+045.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJfJLPZir_XAeMnbTJ8uAGM3VVXQDdYoLSkmNwlgOOwSY1NgCocF_yzOo3VeGulg-TXE1wqGQlXAvEKHT0ZhxYDvCgYMURbf44gPRvqZadCJVsd-V9UIwDrJmp77-YWhQQdeQSNJpdSWBi/s320/Oct+26+group+045.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ever cute Ramsey</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From left to right: Ramsey, Mia, and Giovanni. All the same breed and each so unique.</td></tr>
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debandbartravelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14802758148927664633noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3118946844319334976.post-59460995217932646112013-10-20T10:43:00.001-07:002013-10-20T10:43:45.251-07:00Random Photo Post<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBKIBRa0ihk6mO0dGu5_Z546zuS6pOpBQjr26MnG9i-PnkrxjfUO5FtSHG4bZTe-loz_M-xBMGfX7c1lHPBzV94OGwx94VWWmATe9sL03BcXtoWQWp1aktL5oOSVkFvOrbo5SE3lUUNFk6/s1600/IMG_2733.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBKIBRa0ihk6mO0dGu5_Z546zuS6pOpBQjr26MnG9i-PnkrxjfUO5FtSHG4bZTe-loz_M-xBMGfX7c1lHPBzV94OGwx94VWWmATe9sL03BcXtoWQWp1aktL5oOSVkFvOrbo5SE3lUUNFk6/s320/IMG_2733.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Landmark Bixby Bridge - 1932. Built by prisoners to shorten their sentences. One of the largest single-span bridges in the world.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Eric and Ashley. We met these 2 20-somethings in Victoria and then again in Olympic National Park at one of the beach campsites. Now, weeks later we meet again at Big Sur and they have camped close to us. They are biking their way from Victoria to San Diego (or LA) and were so interesting and cute. Plus, it is always a treat o see a familiar face. They came and joined us around the campfire. Ashley is a fairly new nurse and Eric is a "scaper of the land".</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ahhh - warm enough, enough space, and dry; Bar and I did some yoga together.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Cambria Ale House - I did not drink any beer and even I was impressed with the incredible selection of microbrews on offer. Barry was happy. Take note of the signage.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">San Simeon - the Hearst Beach, just below the famous Hearst Castle.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Hearst Castle - Willaim Randolph Hearst of Citizen Cane fame. We did not tour - too nice outside and too under the "cold". Apparently 167 rooms and an incredible art collection.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kayaking in Morro Bay: we saw sea lions, sea otters and some beautiful long-billed curlews (which makes me think of Donna and Anne). Morro Rock is in the background.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Brandon and his partner (sorry - no name). Brandon is the proprietor of the Bridge Street Inn, the hostel in Cambria we stayed in (see below); circa 1890's. It was the parsonage. Totally reminded Barry of Aunt Mildred's home in Port Hope (where is dad was born and raised). Brandon was quite entertaining.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Long-billed curlew - Morro bay is a state and nationally significant bird estuary.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fall colours California style- beach walk in Cambria. The red is coming from a succulent ground cover called Ice Plant (Carpobrotus). Bit of a misty morning.</td></tr>
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debandbartravelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14802758148927664633noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3118946844319334976.post-24239352244654168612013-10-20T09:45:00.000-07:002013-10-20T09:45:38.811-07:00Point Lobos State ParkIncredible. Almost enough said. We saw sea otters for the first time, and walked through one of only 2 naturally occurring cypress groves in the world. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The orange stuff was found on the trees and rocks on the north side of the headlands. One might think it's lichen but it is green algae with a lot of carotene (orange pigment) in it. Science teachers - eat your heart out.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lunch - watching the tide come in from above (and an oyster catcher)</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">More sea lions - you can hear them barking from quite a distance.<br />
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debandbartravelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14802758148927664633noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3118946844319334976.post-73566239776404501382013-10-20T09:42:00.000-07:002013-10-20T09:42:00.986-07:00Brief Bar Reflections
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Reflections (Bar)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For those of you who
have been reading our blog consistently you will have noticed that Deb has been
the major contributor over past months. Although I carry the camera on my waist
and take most of the pictures, our singular functional laptop and Deb’s desire
to get up early and share her thoughts pretty much leaves me behind as far as
sharing my own thoughts on a regular basis. I totally appreciate Deb’s
willingness and expertise when It comes to prose…not to mention actually
remembering a lot of details about where we’ve been, what we’ve eaten and who
we’ve met.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Looking back the things that really stick in my mind as
memorable include…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">-</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Incredible geologic features of the Dinosaur
Provincial Park in Southern Alberta;<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">-</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Great camping sites in Jasper National Park with
a collection of young folks from around the world;<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">-</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Calibri;">A collection of BC Ferry rides that exposed us
to the flora and fauna of the west coast and the Inner Passage of the Pacific;<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">-</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The potlatch celebrations on Haida Gwaii where
we enjoy the community of Canada’s First Nations Haida people. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">-</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The Pacific Coast Trail on the south western
coast of Vancover Island<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">-</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Visiting our Guelph connection Ruth in Victoria
and feeling so “at home” with her recounting the great Guelph days we spent
together, our dear friend Carole and realizing that we were with
“family”…thanks Ruth.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">-</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The mountains in Olympic Nat’l Park in
Washington State…thanks to the Subaru for handling the grueling 15 mile
mountain climb and for our good health to handle the rest of the climb.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">-</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The fabulous hostel in downtown Portland,
Oregon.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">-</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Driving the Oregon and California coastline and
camping at a variety of state parks…the photos tell the story.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Exploring San Francisco and hanging at the
Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival….what a treat!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">What has really resonated with me as we have travelled down
the across Canada and down the US west coast is the outdoor living that we
have, for the most part, embraced. For me, even though we have experienced lots
of damp and cool weather, the time we have spent setting up and tearing down
our campsite, chopping wood and building a fire has provided a focus that helps
me to appreciate the other parts of our travel that are less like work. When we
decide that it’s time to get some indoor accommodation or when we stay with
friends or relatives these “luxuries” are really appreciated and help us to
endure the next phase of outdoor living. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Of course the systems and patterns of living that we have
now almost perfected….tent camping, grocery shopping, 2 burner cooking,
sleeping bag management, car packing (and unpacking) driving and navigating and
of course….fire management, will all change as we get on a flight to Katmandu,
Nepal this coming Wednesday.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Sooooo…..as we hunker down at Russ and Heather’s in Redwood
City just south of San Fran and do our finally planning and packing for the
next phase I (Barry) can only think about our family and friends back home who
we miss more than ever and who thankful I am for the opportunity to travel to
places unknown and likelihood that the experience will be life changing.
Finally, for now, thanks to Deb for her commitment to our partnership and
willingness to make our trip work in spite of the continuous, daily challenges
that we face…together.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></div>
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<o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></div>
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<o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></div>
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<o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></div>
debandbartravelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14802758148927664633noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3118946844319334976.post-38015314224606890472013-10-18T21:19:00.000-07:002013-10-18T21:19:20.924-07:00On the Cusp of Change
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Tues Oct 14 or15<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">We are close to the end of this part of our journey. What at
one point seemed like such a long time, is soon to be behind us. This is
nothing short of amazing. To say we are full would be an understatement – we
are brimming. Brimming and overflowing with memories of incredible places,
smiles for the wonderful people we’ve met, relief that we are through the wet
zones, and somewhat nostalgically counting down the last couple of nights in
our tent. Daily I find that certain experiences trigger memories of past
moments on this adventure. Even as we look forward (and preparing ourselves to
fly is big on our minds right now) we reminisce and savour all that has passed.
Possibly this is a process of integration; in its own way it may be about
closure – freeing us to move even farther afield. Regardless, we have so much
to be grateful for.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I’m often composing in my head: while hiking, driving, and
early in the morning. One of my favourite past-times of late has been coming up
with other potential blog titles or posts: “debandbartravels” certainly works
and gets the message across, but now that we have so much more experience I can
see we could be a little more creative. Here are some others we could use:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">1.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Today we Lost……<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.75in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">2.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The 120 hour T-shirt (I kid you not, and won’t
mention any names – has Jenny’s 72 hour dress beat by a mile)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.75in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">3.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Calibri;">What’s for Lunch? Same thing as Yesterday, and
the day before….<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.75in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">4.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Gourmet Cooking with 2 Pots<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.75in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">5.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The Many Faces of Wet: Mist, Rain, Down Pour,
Gale, Fog, Showers….<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.75in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">6.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The Joys of Hostelling<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.75in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">7.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Clean is a Relative Concept<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.75in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">8.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Sometimes this is Boring<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.75in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">9.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Each Beach and Forest is Totally Unique<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.75in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">10.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Help Me, Before I Strangle You<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.75in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">11.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Travelling is Different Than Being on Vacation<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.75in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">12.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Tips For Tenters in RV Land<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt 0.75in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">13.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I Guess I Didn’t Really to Bring Mascara, and
Other Useless Items<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">As for now, we are making our way slowly down the coast. We
are trying to infuse a bit of “holiday” into this work of travelling before we
go to Asia. We need time both physically (to plan, pack, and run a few errands)
and mentally. As I said above, we are integrating both what’s behind us and
what is to come.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Thankfully, we are being blessed with sun! Warmth is a bit
hit and miss, but we have lots of clothing to layer. Nights have been cold, but
we can bet money that we’ll have sun during the day. We spent 2 nights camped
at Half Moon State Beach – which gave me the idea for alternate blog-title 12.
I posted a little about this already. The Coast Line Trail was awesome for
biking and connected us to dirt bike paths along cliffs that line the beach. We
could watch surfers. It was windy, being so close to the water though, and
cold, but we also made a great connection with a man named Scooter, and even
had a wee party. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPIgphD1Ksj5kSye2j2Ux3cHZF35N5iM_WHRYBvE-D3QqCsM8TKQNIVOUTPKeyf4BTwAlscQUqCoXABcSyX1HhDfCW0KM0bbwSZsZMK8VL8CKGYA-5xGuVwyVk4BSB_1KvkxWh4c4KYaXE/s1600/IMG_2444.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPIgphD1Ksj5kSye2j2Ux3cHZF35N5iM_WHRYBvE-D3QqCsM8TKQNIVOUTPKeyf4BTwAlscQUqCoXABcSyX1HhDfCW0KM0bbwSZsZMK8VL8CKGYA-5xGuVwyVk4BSB_1KvkxWh4c4KYaXE/s320/IMG_2444.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZjhiWwk3WhSRa-gWFHnFPNlojYDM8IpSVpXI8ud4VvyaCCmY7bHTSFrznyWjWgiBY1EoiMD8zRFCMiTBwBVZKZ0YATpNnOFMJOOp98_gLZyY6mxr-KWE9T_tHBFzqWNtHLAYIopHBpoZt/s1600/IMG_2448.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZjhiWwk3WhSRa-gWFHnFPNlojYDM8IpSVpXI8ud4VvyaCCmY7bHTSFrznyWjWgiBY1EoiMD8zRFCMiTBwBVZKZ0YATpNnOFMJOOp98_gLZyY6mxr-KWE9T_tHBFzqWNtHLAYIopHBpoZt/s320/IMG_2448.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fantastic bike trails - some paved, but some hard pack dirt. Cool, but sunny and the views were spectacular. Windy and cold at night though!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcw4bs4hrZI2J3UyeUv6KnmJZL4EKl0pOlDBDELJxCa103RDDxfPUefc76BzkT5Fg6rTzSnHSeRybGEj79lSU67LeKCF1Fl9v8KOA6BmhX6vHndbgrrCnswZcvrPonvr-fSQpUuhUOPqye/s1600/IMG_2450.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcw4bs4hrZI2J3UyeUv6KnmJZL4EKl0pOlDBDELJxCa103RDDxfPUefc76BzkT5Fg6rTzSnHSeRybGEj79lSU67LeKCF1Fl9v8KOA6BmhX6vHndbgrrCnswZcvrPonvr-fSQpUuhUOPqye/s320/IMG_2450.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj98R-kH2OfiKGnr0ArFFV3-y66ZQpAfrqCGK6IldFUApojGElQK8l5yruw4w8wgUyq2do5WG9qB_FurcVzvSCquS7zeuIddxXcaHQlIgGjCv9tjVvI8aBkn7JP1rV3nJ3-kBPLAXnEqrrq/s1600/IMG_2455.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj98R-kH2OfiKGnr0ArFFV3-y66ZQpAfrqCGK6IldFUApojGElQK8l5yruw4w8wgUyq2do5WG9qB_FurcVzvSCquS7zeuIddxXcaHQlIgGjCv9tjVvI8aBkn7JP1rV3nJ3-kBPLAXnEqrrq/s320/IMG_2455.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fog bank coming in off the ocean as the sun is setting.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi91X61xAsM2WOlh644andBtEAVlXcuRZsUw03Q0A5v28DVOVzGi3r974_2PLbtFkPJtkie1cHoCleSXTHX6VNR5vKCszF6PbCKYnvTJoiDXQdHl6XU_Seq-xTJXzTPUBQ7pMPC8lsGRQa5/s1600/IMG_2456.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi91X61xAsM2WOlh644andBtEAVlXcuRZsUw03Q0A5v28DVOVzGi3r974_2PLbtFkPJtkie1cHoCleSXTHX6VNR5vKCszF6PbCKYnvTJoiDXQdHl6XU_Seq-xTJXzTPUBQ7pMPC8lsGRQa5/s320/IMG_2456.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Deb, Bar and Scooter</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><o:p></o:p></span> </div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Because the National Park system is shut-down, state parks
are BUSY. Getting a site on a weekend is tough and has inspired us to book
ahead, but the process for doing this has to be done at least 48 hours in
advance, so it has limitations. We got a site at Half Moon Beach for 1 night,
but Barry had to line up for an hour the next morning to try and get any sites
that might be available. Standing in line for an hour is a great way to meet
people and Bar does a great job at that! Barry was 2<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">nd</span></sup> in line, and
after waiting for the office to open everyone in line found out that only 2
spots were available. A site costs 35$, but y9u can put an extra vehicle on a
site for only 10$ - so sharing (if people are open to it) makes a lot of sense.
I don’t know all the details of how the agreement was reached but thanks to
Barry’s social skills, and community mindedness, we ended up sharing the last
site with Scooter and his small RV. Scooter is a Distinguished War Veteran, who
has been travelling for almost a year and a half (wounded combat soldier from
Iraq –and we did not go into the details), and vets can camp in any CA State
Park for free. Bar gave Scooter our site, we paid the extra vehicle charge to
camp there as well and Scooter bought the fire wood! What a great deal (and
camping here in CA is the most expensive we’ve encountered). <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We had great conversation, shared some food
and drinks and truly enjoyed the opportunity to get to know Scooter. By the
time the day was done we’d had Mike (retired fire-fighter) and his wife Dianne
over (Mike had lots of beer) and Dave (an amateur competitive surfer and judge
at the age of 59, plus a fabulous ukelele player). Scooter play the guitar and
we had a great jam around the fire. Heck, we even stayed up late – 11:30! It is
dark down here by 7:15 – and usually we are in bed 9ish. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">We camped 2 nights near Santa Cruz, and did get to spend
some time walking the city. As is often the case, some days we have to do some
planning: find wifi, check email and bank accounts, possibly try and arrange
some bookings. These days can be frustrating; we know there is so much to do
and see and we kinda’ resent the time required to plan and keep our lives
organized (I know some of you are really feeling for us on this one). We end up
drinking too much coffee in cafes, looking for ice for our cooler, ofr trying
to find a pay phone. We did have a great, huge breakfast at Zachary’s in Santa
Cruz and watched the sea lions at the wharf, which never cease to entertain us
with their antics and vocalizations. Santa Cruz seemed like a pretty hip town;
there is a college here. We saw lots of posters for great music, conferences on
sustainability, and community development. We went down to the famous boardwalk
– but that really is more of a midway full of rides and tourist shops; not our
thing. Thus is an agricultural area: lots of strawberry, brussel sprout,
lettuce, and I think artichoke fields around us. We are camped at Sunset Beach
State Park; a thin strip of protected shoreline wedged in between these fields.
In some places we saw fields butt right up against the sea. It is sandy here,
as we are in the land of dunes – and in some cases BIG dunes. I have loved the
dune ecology here – lots of scrubby plants adapted to dry conditions. Again, if
only we had more time.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">We chose to do an attraction: the Monterey Bay Aquarium.
Expensive, but fabulous. Made me wish I had kids with me – even my big kids
because there was so much to see and do. It was more meaningful given the
length of coast we’ve travelled, and I loved reviewing my marine biology. We also hiked 4 miles or so through the dunes to see the younger male elephant seals that have hauled themselves onto shore at Ano Nuevos State Park. They engage in mock battles, and mostly just lie around. Big action starts in about Dec when the males come to this beach/rookery and then the females. They mate, birth, and abandon their young here threw the winter. Maybe we will catch this on the way back!</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fantastic brunch at Zachary's in Santa Cruz - huge lineup outside it is so popular. Great ambience plus travel advice from our waitress.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Santa Cruz beachfront</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">More sea lions - under the warf. Their antics are hilarious - they are competing for spots and constantly challenge each other. They are rather ubiquitous, noisy, and stinky.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Deep Ocean Tank - 20,000 sardines have come to the surface during a "target" feeding (only food they will eat has been put in). They move like a vortex and almost respond as a single organism. Lovely green sea turtle top right.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fantastic art exhibit incorporating plastic and having an environmental theme; the fate of garbage in the Pacific.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This piece was probably 5'x6' in size and composed of thousands of thumbnail sized pieces of salvaged plastic. </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">3 storey high kelp-bed tank</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Viewing platform on the ocean-side of the aquarium - controlled burn of vegetation in the background! Made for a remarkably eerie sky. There was another one the following day that we could see as we drove farther south.</td></tr>
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Hiking at Ano Nuevo State Park to see the elephant seals. Great volunteers at key stations along the way:</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sunset Beach - we camped here 2 nights. Not our fav, but nice campsite in the cypress. HUGE dunes (see below) with a very interesting ecology of scrubby shrubs. The dunes just seem to but right up against the sand. And what of those people who build houses right on these dunes?</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Out of order: this is back at Ano Nuevo.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Now we are in BIG SUR! Camping at Pfeiffer State Park at
what might be the best site we’ve ever had. We are in a forested valley with
lots of redwoods. Our site is right on the Big Sur River – even now my chair is
parked up against its bank and I am serenaded by the endless trickling of water
over rock. Being away from the water means much less wind, and much to our
surprise it is even “warm” out (at least by current standards). Last night I
did not wear my hat in bed for the first time in…. I can’t remember when. It
was 20⁰C at 5pm, instead of 14. We have learned that no site is perfect: forest
means cooler shade but wind protection; the beach means great views but also
great exposure. It is always a trade-off. But here we seems to have lucked upon
a special site because it is not so cold. It is interesting to watch ourselves
live outdoors; what we value is constantly changing. After a while in forested,
damp shade all we want is openness and sun. After some time in wind, we want
some protection….. just like the weather we are in flux. Either that or we’ve
become very good at appreciating what each unique campsite has to offer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Maybe both.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><o:p></o:p></span> </div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">This shoreline is everything it is cracked up to be. Today
and tomorrow we will explore it, leisurely. Pictures will follow. Thursday and
Friday we are at a hostel in Cambria. Why Cambria? Because it is a little more south,
and it had a cheap hostel with a private room open for 2 nights. We’ve become
real fans of these hostels (makes us think of our friends Ed and Norah), and
have learned from experience that while we can do the dorms, we’d rather not.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Time for breakfast. I love this new tablet/laptop with a
battery life that lets me type beside the river sitting beside a coastal
redwood. XOXO <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
debandbartravelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14802758148927664633noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3118946844319334976.post-68133297779888525952013-10-18T08:53:00.000-07:002013-10-18T09:01:40.727-07:00Fixing my Mistakes <span style="font-family: Calibri;">Oct 11 2013<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">With one of those “magical” slights of hand, I erased about
2 hours of work and writing that I put into the blog yesterday. This computer
business is both a blessing and a curse as we all know. Regardless of the
inconvenience of this latest mishap, if ya’ want to know the truth I enjoy
posting on this blog. My journal is almost full, and this is proving to be a
satisfying replacement. Thanks to the new tablet I am sitting on the beach at
Half Moon Bay just south of San Fran. It is cloudy for the first time in almost
2 weeks, not too cold (but I do have my hat and gloves on, and even though it
is only 8am numerous “surfer” types are on the water. I say types because there
are variations on the theme: some use paddles, this morning some seem to be on
small “boogie” boards. The trucks and vans parked in our campground (right on
the beach – I see water from our tent) have what we’d think of as surf boards
strapped to their tops. They all have to wear wet suits though, and yippee!,
there go the pelicans. I better get back to where the story got lost.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Warren Hellman is the man responsible for this festival. It
is his face featured on the banner that hangs behind the Banjo stage (the one
we spent most of our time at). He was a local business man with a passion for music.
He was a banjo player himself and decided to host (and pay for) this festival
over 13 years ago. I assume it was both his gift to the community, and an
opportunity to connect with musicians and play. He passed away within the last
year, and there was much remembering and honouring of this man. The crowds
spoke volumes: clearly he had created a great event. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">One thing I have noticed since entering California – they
party much more publically than we do in Canada. Booze was consumed openly in
the park, and enterprising people would head to the grocery, pick up cheap beer
and ice, and sell 3$ cans out of their coolers to anyone who was in need of
“thirst-quenching”. Some sold jewellery, or hippie headbands from boxes, and
gangha was going for 2$ a joint, and I saw at least one box of gangha “treats”
for sale. There were no organized beer tents or craft vendors – just plain old
free-market. Someone told us it was a wonderful introduction to SF culture. Being a free festival, possibly, the place was packed and Bar and I can't agree on numbers, but think in the order of 250,000 - 300,00 people. It was uncharacteristically hot and very dusty. At times we had to leave our seats simply to find some shade. We figure this might be good practice for India.</span><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">But of course, this was not all we did. We walked from
Golden gate Park to our hostel both nights (about 8km – practice for Nepal and
beyond). A great way to see neighbourhoods, homeless people, and discover cool
restaurants. We ate cheap soft-shell tacos in a Mexican grill that were so
tasty, they’ve become one of my new favourite foods. We will sample more before
we leave the coast! We also went on a free walking tour with a company run by 2
young guys – Wild SF Tours. They are free, although the guides work for tips,
and they pride themselves on showing tourists some of SF’s lesser known history
and sights or at least they go beyond the standard bus tours. We toured the
Castro and Mission districts with our guide J-Jo, who told great stories and
employed the guitar he carried on his back to serenade us with his original,
kinda’ hokey, songs about SF. Cute. We were the only people above 30 I’d bet,
out of the 20 or so on the tour. Interesting. It was particularly meaningful to
tour the Castro; the home of Harvey Milk. We saw stuff (see photos) the likes
of which we’ve never seen publically in our small circle of life. This is good
– expanding our views. Public nudity has been banned in SF (I guess at one time
it was tolerated – as long as you used a towel on public benches) but we did
see 1 guy with only a hat and a gold-sequined “sleeve” on. Need I mention where
the sleeve was? Apparently this is somewhat common; people protesting the
nudity ban and sticking up for their rights. I did not take the photo. We saw
really just a handful of the murals in the Mission district and we toured them
on our own; we don’t really know the history or stories associated with them.
The Women’s House murals (painted in the later 1990s) were the ones that
impressed me the most. </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">GREAT cookies - but they were out of the penis-shaped macaroons. Not sure I'd have bought one anyways</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Entrance to The Castro Theatre - music and rep type movies.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyrG2Kymd9puTPf-ytLHXoe_tXkIgr86YAsTgkrkwC7n-s27WKh0qhUBKJYdhsQAAel8W93uivn-WSm1C5kKhYdRWu-yrs31TKQSONXVAeTn0a_POIOpmFjg8hVmoDBRzp1z1rS_tlidOt/s1600/IMG_2316.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyrG2Kymd9puTPf-ytLHXoe_tXkIgr86YAsTgkrkwC7n-s27WKh0qhUBKJYdhsQAAel8W93uivn-WSm1C5kKhYdRWu-yrs31TKQSONXVAeTn0a_POIOpmFjg8hVmoDBRzp1z1rS_tlidOt/s320/IMG_2316.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our Wild SF guide J-Jo - honestly, how many guides show you these kind of sights?</td></tr>
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<o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;">We walk and walk in cities. It is cheap and we cover lots of
ground. We love to stop in coffee shops off the beaten track, or small lunch
spots (our tour guide took a number of us into a tiny hole-in-the-wall spot in
the Mission for Vietnamese food that was cheap and fab. We love sampling food
in new places – that is one thing we have learned about ourselves. Barry loves
to sample beer too… but not too much. Thank goodness it is cheap down here,
even the good beer. Lots of good beer and coffee. We walked to Pier 39 and
along the Embarcadero to the historic ferry building and Tuesday Farmers
Market. As always, there was so much we did not do…..<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Beautiful, entertaining, noisy and stinky sea lions. For decades they have made this pier this home. Truly a delight to watch their antics.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dolores Park in the Mission - overlooking the city. Interesting hang-out spot. We came back later.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mushroom stand at the market at the old ferry building. Made us think of Jim, Candice and Harley!</td></tr>
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</span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">From SF we traveled to Redwood City – maybe 25 miles S to my
step-brother Russell and wife Heather’s lovely, warm, comfortable home. They
and their 3 Irish Greyhounds (Ramsey, Mia, and Giovanni – all rescues and SO
cute) entertained us, wined and dined us in style and gave us the gift of some
family time. We spent the better part of 1 day shopping or last minute items we
need for the next leg and provided us with an opportunity to relax in a way
that s hard to do when camping. I did yoga on the deck, Barry swam in the pool,
we kidded around with the neighbour’s kids in the hot tub, and slept in
Heather’s yoga studio. Plus these two have GREAT taste in wine and Russell is a
great cook. We return there in about a week and a half to leave our car. I’ll
take some photos then.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">This travel adventure has helped me in so many ways. I’ve
watched myself literally bump into physical objects; my rib is feeling pretty
good but now you should see my toe. I’m becoming aware of how impatient I am
(no grinning, okay). Over two years ago, when Ruby was working in AB, and
travelling through BC and Mexico we would sometimes talk on the phone. She
mentioned how hard it was to keep track of her stuff and that she was losing
her stuff. I thought at the time that she just a little spacy, and a bit of an
“airhead” (sorry Ruby) but now we are losing our stuff, and I can appreciate
what she was talking about (we’ve lost: a hat, shirt, undershirt, sleeping bag,
light and food). This alone is such a valuable lesson for me. The list goes on
and on. I guess this is part of why we do this kind of thing, we learn about
places and ourselves.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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debandbartravelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14802758148927664633noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3118946844319334976.post-22412858169008639772013-10-10T09:34:00.004-07:002013-10-18T08:55:13.201-07:00Six Days on the San Fran Road<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1evmUQSId-ZocUSan4td9r9Hyd-ECTJBOGV_lNqYhUpEds4aIZx_HEUir9WGj1rntehPIdCdtj_B_JspQ_W_chyJkJeEw1tlMyo5XP9boANo0Yj-Oyk5yIL9qww0d4VwcYrK1G3VYpr2F/s1600/IMG_2147.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1evmUQSId-ZocUSan4td9r9Hyd-ECTJBOGV_lNqYhUpEds4aIZx_HEUir9WGj1rntehPIdCdtj_B_JspQ_W_chyJkJeEw1tlMyo5XP9boANo0Yj-Oyk5yIL9qww0d4VwcYrK1G3VYpr2F/s320/IMG_2147.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxpBm43woKrURjbInry-jBelx8tTQRcBFwm1U-EYi3cg7kOVprNIFDcV5TycYN7d4C1u9KyCHf0KHCLMNWyDsu-aBaZTO-wxOcLiQUvsRbSRYc2DE0iccz0gIHR7ohBJBAaqIXfS0G7HwZ/s1600/IMG_2386.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxpBm43woKrURjbInry-jBelx8tTQRcBFwm1U-EYi3cg7kOVprNIFDcV5TycYN7d4C1u9KyCHf0KHCLMNWyDsu-aBaZTO-wxOcLiQUvsRbSRYc2DE0iccz0gIHR7ohBJBAaqIXfS0G7HwZ/s320/IMG_2386.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Alcatraz - Bar has a better picture on his phone, but that seems like too much work to figure out right now</td></tr>
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What better place to start - the iconic Golden Gate Bridge. We arrived in SF last Friday having been informed about the Hardly, Strictly Bluegrass festival in Golden Gate Park, by my step-brother Russell. "Maybe you'd be interested in this kind of thing" he emailed, having pegged us perfectly. However, we were both so keen to walk the GGB that it was the first thing we did which meant we missed some music. Boo-hoo. Driving in the city to find our hostel totally freaked me out: my goodness those hills - much like in the pictures, but steeper. We stayed at the HI Downtown Hostel, and as is often the case, our first night in anything "indoors" tends to see us catching up on email, and in this case phoning Char and Ruby.<br />
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But we did get to the festival Sat and Sun - 11am - 7pm. We heard top quality music, and saw some big name acts all free. We were so impressed, and had a totally great time. Below are a few great close-ups Bar got just to give you and idea of what we were treated to.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJv3lTnRiDcjGyeE6ihs4bFoSAAIkHW8H3ItFEF1AfQMHnIuz6cBY9gXlMcFda2XYQ28w_QrFXLEsAK0XnOVBencW0FUIlSlOAIUgd9WSJSLXwH8R_mMXEf3lU53tomNeyajw-HVDrBr-0/s1600/IMG_2206.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJv3lTnRiDcjGyeE6ihs4bFoSAAIkHW8H3ItFEF1AfQMHnIuz6cBY9gXlMcFda2XYQ28w_QrFXLEsAK0XnOVBencW0FUIlSlOAIUgd9WSJSLXwH8R_mMXEf3lU53tomNeyajw-HVDrBr-0/s320/IMG_2206.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jerry Douglas - Alison Kraus joined him for 3 songs</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe6xVX_GaBH_EjKiG9Qur4Xnw64LTD5S2QBE_0ZD9RTCW2tPT9JY9Tv7TD7drhTHjgQd2kYarurwlR7W31cHAwsMbkGGHQjzUrgPwFMEPp4fq_hBwK_feVxss4FFyFOumiqhhSYLjDd4_m/s1600/IMG_2233.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe6xVX_GaBH_EjKiG9Qur4Xnw64LTD5S2QBE_0ZD9RTCW2tPT9JY9Tv7TD7drhTHjgQd2kYarurwlR7W31cHAwsMbkGGHQjzUrgPwFMEPp4fq_hBwK_feVxss4FFyFOumiqhhSYLjDd4_m/s320/IMG_2233.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Steve Martin and the Steep Canyon Rangers</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Billy Bragg</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9CiMG4Bbb3N1mfbcdF5Oph9nviMyhK0KevYy59JYIE5tDMt5G5dZlVtOb5dJQmuQo7-O5OYZh6b2S-2Q6QViVXqsYPBtuW3E6iq99ybP_riv2T0ekENLcky9DrlIwcWugNOZPIoeUjAQg/s1600/IMG_2254.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9CiMG4Bbb3N1mfbcdF5Oph9nviMyhK0KevYy59JYIE5tDMt5G5dZlVtOb5dJQmuQo7-O5OYZh6b2S-2Q6QViVXqsYPBtuW3E6iq99ybP_riv2T0ekENLcky9DrlIwcWugNOZPIoeUjAQg/s320/IMG_2254.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Emmy Lou and Rodney Crowell</td></tr>
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debandbartravelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14802758148927664633noreply@blogger.com0