Peregrination: Pam's World Adventure

Being Thankful for New Experiences

2010-11-26T04:34:00.000-08:00

Oh my...it's been soooo long since I've blogged and there have been soooo many experiences in that time that it's hard to know where to begin. First of all, suffice it to say that I still love India. It is colorful, exotic, alive and exciting all while being infuriatingly un-Western on so many levels. Either you embrace India, bring your sense of humor and have a life-altering experience, or you measure it on familiar standards and go postively insane. I choose the former, and after now spending a total of four months in this country of 1.2 billion people, I can't wait to come back again and again.

This trip has been both familiar and entirely new for me. My amazing friend Gerdien (who I traveled with for nearly five months on my previous journey) came to meet me and we traveled together for nearly three weeks through Rajasthan, with a brief detour up to Amritsar in Punjab. We had a predictably hilarious and adventurous experience, and I can vow that I know what it must be like to travel with Brittany Spears! Gerdiens blonde hair and big blue eyes stop Indians in their tracks, leading to many hilarious encounters.

But India's new experiences will be the focus of this post.

Rajasthan and the Golden Triangle -- On my previous journey, I only spent time in three cities - Varanasi, Bodhgaya and Calcutta. My focus of this trip was to further explore the north part of the country. This was for two reasons - to have fun and experience new places and to create new itineraries for Grand Asian Journeys.

And I did both (New itineraries to be posted soon). Rajasthan means the "land of rajas (or kings) and therefore a big part of touring the northwestern part of the country is visiting the forts and palaces of the historic rajas. Also in Rajasthan, the culture and food are distinct from other parts of India. They still make it easy to be a vegetarian, but parathas replace chapati and naan as the roti (bread) of choice. My favorite places were Udaipur, Jaisalmer and Mandawa. The Amber Fort in Jaipur is also a pretty exceptional destination. Which leads me to my least favorite place in Rajasthan...

Tourist attack at the Taj Mahal - On my previous journey to India, I intentionally skipped the Taj Mahal. This time I knew I needed to visit it as it is one of the top tourist destinations in the world and certainly will be on the wishlist of many people visiting India. My vote: over-rated. Beautiful, yes. But the most beautiful or worthy place in India? No way. Too crowded, too much security, too many lines. The Golden Temple gets my vote for best place to visit.

Finding peace amid chaos: The Golden Temple -- The "vatican for Sikhs", the Golden Temple in Amritsar is one of the most magical, holy places I have ever visited. In order to arrive at this beautiful temple however you have to make your way through one of the busiest, most polluted small cities in India. Amritsar is total chaos! And, the Golden Temple is Absolute Peace. Unlike the Taj Mahal, which is essentially a very exquisite mausoleum built for a rich guy's dead wife, the Golden Temple is an active place of worship. Hundreds of thousands of Sikhs from all over the world come every single day to bathe in the "amrit" (sacred water) around the temple. And the Sikhs are so unlike the stereotype that haunts them. They are kind, generous, non-judgmental, service-oriented ("sehwah" or service to others is the central tenet of their faith) and peace-loving. Unlike all other temples in India that charge up to $20US to visit, the Golden Temple is free to enter (donations are of course accepted) and they will serve a free meal to anyone who walks in. Every day it's estimated that they serve 50,000 free meals to people of all faiths, castes (they do not believe in the caste system), color or need. This is near the top of my list of worthwhile places to visit in India!

Having a business card - For nearly three of my five weeks in India, I traveled with our India travel agent as a part of a FAM (travel industry lingo for familiarization) tour. This was a very new experience for me as it operates very much like a custom tour with all hotels, experiences, transportation, transfers and meals arranged in advance. I felt like a princess! At each hotel, the manager would come out to personally greet me, give me a tour, offer dinner or other special things. My Grand Asian Journeys business card was the key to really royal treatment! Definitely much different than haggling over prices at backpackers hotels with Gerdien!

Sexy temples - Another of my "must visit" destinations in India are the temples of Khajuraho. Created over 1,000 years ago of sandstone, somehow they survived neglect for hundreds of years and have remained absolutely stunning. Set in a peaceful town (there are not many of these in India) and a bit off the beaten path, the temples are worth making a special trip for - especially if you think that the Indians are sexually repressed people! The temples origin is unknown, but some say that it was the "sex education" temple. Certainly that could be true with probably millions of detailed risque sculptures around the complex.

Traveling with a man! -- Some of you know that my boyfriend Keith met me to travel for five weeks through India and Vietnam. That is certainly a new experience worth mentioning! The only awkward part was that people in India assumed that we were married as it is not a normal custom to even see each other before you are married there! The experience has been (and continues to be) a lot of fun for both of us, and yes it is a great way to get to know each other very well!

Indian wedding -- No, it wasn't mine though apparently I did unknowingly undertake a wedding ritual in Varanasi. A simple photo opportunity of some women painting their feet red, turned into my feet being painted, a tikka on my forehead part near my hairline, and voila! I was congratulated for the rest of the day on my marriage, and the hotel staff even asked me to bring sweets (a wedding custom). No, it was not official!

But enough about my supposed wedding. One of my intentions for this trip (but that I was unable to plan for) was to attend an Indian wedding. A major event in Indian life, weddings are planned for auspicious dates based on matching astrological charts by families. Often the couples do not ever see each other before they are tying the knot. A strange custom on Western standards, but as the divorce rates are about 80% less than in Western cultures, perhaps they are onto something?

So, back to my story... we show up at a hotel to outrageous fanfare - drumming, dancing, flowers, food and drinks just for us. After getting over the somewhat awkward welcoming (it was only for the two of us) we were told that there was to be a wedding that night in the village of a girl who worked at their resort. She (16) and her sister (13) were having a double wedding. As they were lower caste people of modest economic status, it was not the huge to-do that I had heard about. Instead, it was maybe even more authentic!

Chaos abounded when we arrived. Drunk men played loud music and danced. And after about 12 seconds, our presence was noticed and the entire focus of the wedding turned to Keith and me. The brides were dragged out of their safe house and "introduced" to us. There were lots of namastes and smiles from us, and utter fear from the brides while dozens of people surrounded us and watched the introduction. The grooms sat on a county fair style electric float with loud Hindi music blaring out of the ill-equipped speaker. Drunk men mobbed us and pulled us on the muddy dance floor. We took turns being in the middle of a circle and acting out some Bollywood dance that we'd seen on TV, and then pointing to someone not inside the circle to come in and outdo us (not a difficult task!). The scenario went back and forth for about 45 minutes until we were dragged by our guest house hosts to the point of the wedding. A strange tradition that involved the groom using a long stick to knock down a tall sign on a stick being held by someone else (don't ask me) apparently indicated that the marriage was official. It became clear to us that our presence was taking attention away from the brides and grooms, so we left shortly after the "ceremony".

Oh, certainly the turbans that had been tied on our heads at the guest house right before the wedding helped us blend in a little too. Yes?

Festival of lights in Varanasi - You might remember that my favorite city in India is Varanasi. It's so deeply spiritual, magnificently poor and undeniably electric. It can move me to tears and goosebumps on a normal day, but we arrived on a ab-normal day: Dev Dipawali. "The festival of lights for God" we were told upon arrival at the airport was the "best night of the year" here, and the local agent had arranged for a nighttime boat ride for Keith and me. As dusk approached and we headed towards the ghats (the steps along the river) we saw thousands (perhaps millions) of small butter lamps being laid out artfully along the sacred Ganges River as an offering to God. As we got on our small private row boat with our guide, the banks of the river came alive with light. Rowing past the burning ghats, the cremation sites for 1,000 people a day, the pyres alive with death, the butter lamps burned on the banks of the river, illuminating the night sky. Music played from the evening "aarti" as thousands of boats crowded around the stage. It was an indescribably religious experience!

The "accidental Brazilian" -Lets just say that getting a bikini wax with your underwear on is one of the riskiest adventures I faced in India. 'Nuf said.

So, I sign off from Vietnam after three full days here. That update will be in the next blog post, hopefully before I get home on Dec. 17!

Happy holidays to you and your families...

With love,
Pam

My love-hate-love relationship with India

2010-11-03T23:54:00.000-07:00

Everyday, every minute, India rocks your beliefs about the way the world is supposed to operate. The words of my shaman teacher float though my mind constantly. "Be open to outcome, not attached to outcome" seems to be the only way through preconceived notions, opinions and attachments. Yesterday I had two distinct experiences that dragged me through the spectrum of tears, frustration and Indian culture.

Situation #1: Tiger, an Indian shop owner, invited Gerdien and me in for chai. He was a young guy and had lived in Europe for a few months so his English was quite good for he was able to engage in a complex conversation. As a sociologist, Gerdien is really observant of the people in the places we visit and I really appreciate this about her. We'd both noticed a relative "shortage" of disabled people in Rajasthan (as opposed to some other regions we'd visited) and she'd also noticed very few mentally ill people on the streets. So she asked him and thus began the conversation that was to make me cry.

"Indians don't need to have mental institutions because our families take care of us. If someone in our family or village is sick or has problems, we all take care of the problem and support each other." He talked about the loneliness that he witnessed in Belgium and he sees in American culture too. He commented that westerners are seemingly more concerned with having the latest things than in supporting our own families through difficult times like aging and sickness. Gerdien asked about medication for depression and if it's a normal prescribed remedy for a common ailment. "No! We take the person into our house and take care of them until they are well. We have no need for medications. We have family." He talked about how so many young Indians idolize western life, and he's concerned that the western way of treating our families will follow suit.

The conversation just rocked me...it's a way of living, being and caring that they have for each other. And it's their culture. How different would our world be if we all lived like this?

Situation #2: We made a reservation to tour the prestigious Lake Palace in Udaipur. We were to arrive around 5pm, have a tour and then watch the sunset. (If you have ever seen James Bond's Octopussy, then you're familiar with Udaipur and the Lake Palace. It's stunning!) So at 4:15 we begin making our way to the boat jetty to catch the small ferry to the island retreat. The conversations we have go something like this:

"It's that way. But if you go this way it will cost you 80% less." (That boat doesn't go to the Lake Palace.)
"You have to go to the Palace Museum to get the boat. You have to buy a ticket to get into the museum to get the boat." (My contact at the hotel did not mention a ticket or a fee so I'm skeptical.)
"The Palace Museum closes at 4:30 so you can not get the boat." (The website says that boat runs 24 hours.)
"You have to phone the Lake Palace and tell them that you are coming so you can get on their security list." (I've done that.) "You have to call them." (I've already done that.) "You need to call them before you buy the ticket." (The ticket that they are unwilling to sell me because it's after 4:30).

I get frustrated, fueled by my first cup of coffee in months, and call my contact at the Lake Palace again to tell them that I'm having a difficult time getting through security. He says, "You only need to go to Bari..." and then silence. My phone battery dies. I try to start it so that I can get the number at least before calling back from the office where I'm sitting, but the phone won't boot.

Next, we're told we don't need to buy tickets but we have to stop at the security office. Like so many Indian offices, this one has eight men sitting in a small room and only one is at a computer. He's busily looking at some Hindi writing on a logbook that looks at least 20 years old trying to answer my question. He gets an email so he's reading it, then the phone rings - at least 10 times - and he finally answers it while all the other seemingly not busy men don't even wince. Then his cell phone rings so he now has two phone conversations going simultaneously (all in Hindi so unfortunately I can't understand them) and I assume he's trying to get my passage through the gate. He hangs up the phones and pulls out the "Security Ticket" book that I assume we're waiting for. He writes the pass, though it takes him another five minutes to sign the ticket as the phones start ringing again and, again, he is the only one in the room interested in touching a phone.

With our pass finally in hand, he tells us with a typical Indian hand gesture using the back of his hand, "Go there". "Where?" I ask. He does it again. "Will you show us?" (at this point it's been an hour of frustration and the thought of getting lost makes me want to scream). He does it again. Finally I grab the arm of the nearest security guard and say, "Please show me where" quite adamantly. And he does. And I turn and offer him a "Namaste" with hands in prayer pose.

Peace. Indian style.

After all of that, we did make it to the Lake Palace and WOW! It is a remarkable old maharaja's palace that was converted to become a hotel in 1962. It's got 17th century splendor and 22nd century prices.

We have three cocktails each. For India.

Thar She Blows: An Indian Desert Experience

2010-11-01T06:39:00.000-07:00

Taking a three day camel safari through the Thar Desert of Rajasthan we knew was a risky undertaking. We'd been warned...snakes, scorpions, moody camels, sunburns, bad guides, stomach ailments, boredom were all listed. But Gerdien and I wanted three full days, off the tourist track and not with other tourists so we went looking. The first person we met when looking was Sobhu, with Shera Travels (dial his India mobile 96727-63833). He runs the Temple View Guest House in Jaisalmer and just happened to be returning from the market with an armful of vegetables when we paused outside near his sign which was advertising "Honest fair pricing."

Sobhu charmed us with his gentle kindness and sweet smile. He was not pushy like so many other wallahs we'd been meeting, and showed up pictures of camping under the stars on the sand and small desert villages. He talked about the chapatis he'd make us for lunch and dinner and the ample supply of fresh fruit and bottled water he'd bring. And his prices were indeed beyond fair (about $75 each for the experience including tips.) So we signed up, risks and all, and put our trust in this man who promised to keep us safe above all else.

We began at what can only be called a desert house. It was isolated for miles and miles each direction and there were two goats and one cow outside. The mama was churning goat butter and making ghee while the three adorable children found delight in my camera, despite their shyness. It was built with dung, was open to the elements except for a small covered area and included everything they needed to survive. The youngest boy, maybe 4, walked right up to our camels and seemed to know how to touch them. It was crazy to see such a small child not be afraid of such a large animal!

The day began with clouds and a nice breeze. I even had to wear a long sleeve shirt to keep warm (maybe 60 degrees with wind?) A good omen for our travels they said. (They is Sobhu, our guide, and Puna, our camel driver). We lunched (vegetable curry and chapati) at a simple sandy spot with some shade as the sun had made an appearance with a vengeance! It'd gotten downright hot. And it was here that I stumbled upon an amazing fossil as well, worth $100 to the locals at least. It's got at least 10 three dimensional plant impressions in one 4" x 5" piece. It's stunning! Needless to say, it's coming home with me.

We camped that night with sunshine and more stars than I've ever seen. Sobhu took us on a night camel ride. The camels were very obedient and massively enormous, so the simple and frequent task of getting on and off was cause for frequent fits of laughter. And riding was a bit like riding a horse, but more awkward. Because of the hump the saddle is always slightly leaning forward creating an experience where holding on is very important. After the first hour, we had to get off and walk for two hours, to stretch our aching legs! Subsequent days got easier on the legs and harder on the back, but no major episodes of pain to report, thankfully.

On day two, the day started with sunshine but around lunch time when we were desperately hot and dying to find a shade tree to dine under, Sobhu - himself a man of the desert - announced that rain was coming. It seemed impossible to believe since there had been a three year drought until the past summer. And it's not the rainy season.

First the wind came. It felt like a welcome relief and we happily ate our lunch feeling a bit cooler than the 100+ degree temperature we'd been experiencing that morning. Then the sand storm came. Interesting for me, but dreadful on Gerdien's eyes and contacts. So we faced away from the sand and waited for what was next.

Then the rain came and the guides darted up and called after us to come quickly. They'd built a quick makeshift shelter with a plastic tarp that covered our things with room for us to hide too. It provided an awesome experience for us to experience the desert! The boys sang desert songs to us, and we sang whatever we could muster and both knew the words of. They loved hearing our songs and voices and kept asking for more.

Then we ran out of songs. What to do? Play Truth or Dare, of course! The dares included running out in the rain, from the safety of our tarped abode, and doing kartwheels, dancing, and even farting. Everyone laughed so hard and soon enough the rains were gone. Sunshine appeared from behind the clouds and we watched the weather move across the desert sky quickly. Sobhu emphatically said that we were a blessing to the desert and brought good luck to all the people of the desert. It was a nice vision and I didn't question it. :-)

Right after the storm passed we finally left our lunch spot, albeit about 2 hours late to make our camp for that night. The guides rode together on one camel in front and tied our camels behind theirs. After about five minutes of walking my camel, Papu, got spooked and tried to buck me off. Completely caught off guard I had a hard time holding on and my grip kept coming loose. Of course I screamed and Sobhu, who'd promised to keep me safe at all costs watched in horror for what was probably two seconds, before shouting a command for the camel to stop. I'd been bucked at least three or four times, and was one buck away from falling nine feet to the hard packed rocky desert floor and landing on my head and getting danced on by an obviously angry camel. I don't want to think about what could have happened. But I was safe, thank God, Buddha, Shiva and all else involved in the miraculous recovery. I rode the rest of the day on the back of Sobhu's camel Rocket, who thankfully didn't show his speed to me for which he is named.

We slept so soundly, long and surprisingly peacefully underneath that stars and with the cool night air surrounding us. Despite my fears all I could feel when the sun went down was peace and happiness. Nothing was going to keep me from the deep dreams induced by the desert.

We had an amazing time, toured several desert family homes, visited a village abandoned 400 years ago because of a marriage dispute, and didn't see another single tourist during our entire journey. It was exactly what we'd hoped for, and more than we expected!

I'm left feeling grateful for the experience and for Sobhu keeping his promise to keep us safe. The desert is vast, powerful and awe-some and it left me wanting more sandy adventures!

Warm and wonderful India

2010-10-28T03:46:00.000-07:00

Packing for a trip that takes you trekking to 16,000 feet and then to five-star resorts in 100 degree India is a difficult proposition. That's why I just had to spend $150 to ship 25 pounds of gear home. But the good news is that it opened up a lot of space in my now way-too-empty backpack for the amazing shopping and beauty in Rajasthan. Wow, I'm going to need an intervention soon!!

Warm and wonderful refers to so many things in India...the weather, the people, and the culture to name a few. I was met in Delhi by our local agent for Grand Asian Journeys and I have been treated like a princess ever since. That's both a good thing and a bad thing. It's good because I get to see a side of India that I really didn't get to see on my previous travels. The hotels that I've been visiting are a part of the scouting adventure that I am on to select properties for the tours that I will guide next year in India. And, it's been nice to have a dedicated car and driver to take me from place to place so I don't have to wait for trains and buses etc. The accommodations have been lovely and I've enjoyed every second of it.

Then Gerdien comes. And somehow having a driver/guide just felt like it was removing us from the "real" India or at least the India that we had come to know on our adventure last year. So, after six days getting into the outback of India with our faithful and wonderful driver Anil, we've decided to send him back to Delhi and continue our journey with trains and buses. He brought us back today from our luxury tent experience (sordid details below) and dropped us outside of the Jaisalmer fort. It was the first time in India that I'd put my backpack on my back and walked. And it felt soooo good!! I didn't realize how much I'd missed it.

So more about Rajasthan. It is the state that is due west of Delhi in North India and includes many forts, temples and palaces. It's remarkable in it's beauty and culture. The women look totally different than other Indian women, and I see much less of them here than in other parts of the country. I haven't quite figured out why yet, but all the shop keepers, restaurant workers and people walking through town seem to be of the male persuasion. Curious... I'll let you know if/when I figure out the mystery of the Rajasthani women.

We spent our first night staying in Mandawa, where no trains and only a few tourists stop. It was a blessing to have the driver or we never would've seen this remarkable painted town. We spent just one night here on our quest to get to the desert. The next day we went to Bikaner and spent the day walking through the local markets and didn't see another white face all day. I took lots of photos of beautiful, curious children. It was also a nice town, with an impressive fort - the biggest in Rajasthan, I believe.

The following morning we headed to Jaisalmer, only 30 miles from the border of Pakistan. It is a remarkable city to approach from the desert. It appears like a mirage, a yellow city rising out of the sandstone hill situated in the middle of the Thar desert. It looks like the typical desert city that is usually represented in cartoons. I keep finding myself humming bits from Aladdin, one of my favorite Disney flicks, but I digress...

It's a small town, in India terms. And I like it very much. The bulk of the tourist activity happens inside of the fort (which is about a mile across and covers the entire desert hill). The fort is like a maze with shops and temples on the inside of the walls. It's all built of sandstone and there is so much detail in the architecture. We've made many friends, and continue to be amazed by the warmth of the people.

Last night, for my birthday, we stayed at a luxury tent camp. When we arrived there was a camel waiting for us to take us for a ride out into the desert to watch the sunset. A wonderful gift from our India agent! The camel, named Michael Jackson (to make the tourists laugh, I am sure) was well-behaved and seemingly well loved. As we approached the dunes, the mobs of tourists and tour buses scared me. It felt like Desert Disneyland, which wasn't exactly the experience I'd been looking for. So, our driver walked us past the dunes where everyone stood, to a private hill where we witnessed one of the most beautiful sunsets of all time. It is true what they say about desert sunsets! The tent camp was really nice, with a good music and dance program before dinner. At the end of the program, the crowd sang Happy Birthday and a cake was presented to me. My second birthday cake of the trip!

So, today we came back to the town of Jaisalmer where we were offered approximately 24 cups of chai from various vendors (I only indulged in four) while wandering through the fort. The details of our three-day, two-night camel safari have now been arranged and we'll be leaving first thing in the morning for the adventure. We paid a "little more" to ensure that it will be a private experience and not a part of the tourist caravan. I'm really looking forward to the experience, and hoping that there is enough bottled water on the trip to keep us properly hydrated! (I've been assured there will be plenty). After our 90 minutes on the camel last night today I was feeling a little bit sore. Hmmm...hopefully three days will not be two too many and we'll be able to walk when we get to Udaipur on Monday!

Uploading photos continues to be a challenge, so for now my words will have to do. I will attach them when bandwidth permits!

Love,
Pam

Beautiful Bhutan & Early Birthday Cake

2010-10-16T19:44:00.000-07:00

With a blog post title like that, you would hope that I would have pictures to share. Unfortunately, the internet speed is too slow to upload now so for now your imagination will have to do... (but they will be posted soon!)

Bhutan is a wonderful, peaceful, beautiful country! It's hard to know where to begin to describe everything that I've seen over the past 12 days. It is a peaceful hamlet sandwiched between India and China. While it is definitely a hilly, mountainous terrain it feels completely different than Nepal. Mostly because there are not 6,000+ meter Himalayan peaks staring at you around every corner! (But I did get to see several on my trek.)

What makes Bhutan unique? The people here are very warm and friendly, and welcoming to tourists. That said, there are only about 700,000 of them TOTAL in the country. They learn English starting early but the mastery of the language varies widely. I'm re-learning how to talk in short, simple sentences, BUT they are so kind and generous and almost everyone has beautiful, happy smile lines. They definitely reflect the essence of Gross National Happiness.

So now you're surely asking, just what IS Gross National Happines?? Gross National Happiness (GNH) reflects Bhutan's belief that economic prosperity is only a means to achieving the "end", which is happiness. It's a deeply Buddhist culture, and GNH reflects those spiritual values. The four main pillars are 1) Equitable and sustainable socioeconomic development; 2) Preservation and promotion of the culture; 3) Conservation of the environment; and 4) Promotion of good governance. Basically, it's a Triple Bottom Line country, or at least they are trying to move in that direction. It's very apparent in everything I've seen. Love this motto and culture!!

One thing you will surely notice if and when you come here: the architecture. Every office, hospital, school, museum, post office, airport, out-building (barn or shed), store and home is built with attention to preservation of their culture through design. I was surprised to see that old and new buildings alike all mirror the Swiss tudor, colorful and detailed design style.

Creative Buddhist solution! As a largely Buddhist society Bhutan promotes equality for all sentient beings. So when the stray dogs started multiplying in the big cities (Paro and Thimphu), the government started collecting the animals, spaying or neutering them and then re-releasing them out into the streets. So unlike many other third-world countries, you don't see really mangy, permanently pregnant dogs here though there are still a large number of stray dogs. But, if the program is successful in a few years the population of them should decrease significantly. Brilliant! Take note rest-of-the-world!

While I'm still a bit confused by the economy of Bhutan (and working hard to understand it), I think that it is a really wonderful destination for anyone who wants to experience a pure, mostly un-Westernized culture. The number of tourists here is significantly lower than most other Asian countries (their goal is 100,000 per year but currently they are closer to 30,000) due certainly to the high cost of being here. Currently that cost is $200 per day, but in 2012 it will increase to $250 per day. According to the Tourism Minister for Bhutan, that price includes: all internal taxes and royalties (about $95/day goes to the government), three-star hotel accommodations, meals, all travel with a licensed tour guide, internal transportation, and camping equipment and haulage (read: horses) for trekking tours. So, when you do the math, it's not as bad as it first appears. That said, if you desire nicer accommodations or more services, it will cost more.

Trekking in Bhutan. I did the Jhomolhari Trek, which there are several versions of. I took the route that went up and over three passes (!), sleeping five nights at over 13,000 feet. We hiked an average of six hours per day over terrain that varied from quite rocky and flat to wildly steep and treacherous. Those were the not-so-good times. The good days (which were most of them!) included walking through yak pastures at high elevation, being stunned at every turn by a breath-taking new vista of a 6,000+ meter mountain, hanging prayer flags at 16,400 feet and chanting Om Mani Padme Hum with our Buddhist trekking crew. I'll be blogging more about the trekking experience on the Grand Asian Journeys' website within the next few days. Be sure to check there (and register for our newsletter!) for more details. I will be leading two trips next fall to Bhutan - including one cultural tour and a separate trekking tour - and also a trip to South India that will include ayurveda, yoga, cooking and markets. (Be sure to email me at pam@grandasianjourneys.com if you want to receive more information on any of those 2011 trips!)

This was my first camping trek, and I have to say it's a much better experience than I expected, and a much nicer (assuming your sleeping bag is warm enough - mine was!) experience than lodge trekking. The food was outrageously good and included a great deal of fresh vegetables, eggs, porridge, rice and even fish. Every morning we were woken up at our tents with a cup of hot steaming tea and every night we had dessert of some kind. The best was on the last night when I was presented with a homemade (!) birthday cake which was an amazing feat consideringthe single propane stove and limited pots, ingredients and utensils! The cake was delicous, and was made quite creatively with crushed corn flakes, white bread, eggs, milk powder, hot chocolate mix and coffee. TASTY! and certainly much more so because I knew what a task it was to create. Probably the nicest birthday cake ever!!

Tomorow I depart Bhutan and spend a half-day in India before departing to South India to scout for the above-mentioned tour. I will fly back to Delhi on Friday for a certainly celebratory reunion with Gerdien! We're planning to travel for about 2.5 weeks together through Rajasthan. I'll keep you posted on all of my adventures...

With love,

Pam

Holy Mother of Close Calls

2010-10-06T05:10:00.000-07:00

Or, the Day I Almost Didn't Go to Bhutan.

Getting to Bhutan today ranks up there with the most stressful days of my life. Some of you may have heard last Tuesday that my passport hadn't been returned from the India visa office. Not only hadn't it been returned but they were reporting that they had never received it despite my tracking number that told me it'd been delivered 12 days earlier. Anyway, that situation was resolved as my passport with India visa were delivered to me last Thursday, just in time for my Sunday departure.

But that was nothing.

Here's the approximate timeline of my day today:

6:00 Wake up in Delhi / pack for Bhutan
7:15 Breakfast
7:30 Pickup by my amazing India tour provider and driver
8:00 Arrive at Delhi airport - 3.25 hours early for my 11:15am flight and the first in line
8:15 Still waiting for the ticket line to move
8:20 Druk Air ticket agent tells me that my Bhutan visa and passport don't match (Visa was issued in June, got a new passport in August) and that I will not be allowed entry into Bhutan without a copy of my old passport (reflecting the old number)
8:21 Looking for a computer with internet access in the Delhi airport
8:25 Find small security office with eight men sitting in a small crowded room. Explain my situation and he gives me the famous India head bob (which indicates that it's OK for me to use his computer)
8:30 Still waiting for Gmail to load. He reboots it. It works. I thought I might have emailed myself or my mother a copy of my passport in 2008 before my last big trip.
8:40 Find out I didn't
8:42 Call friend and neighbor Michele. Despite it being bedtime and homework time for her kids, she runs down to my cabin to rouse my subletter Howard and begin the search for my actual old passport. (I honestly did not know where it was.)
8:55 I call her back and she's knocking at Howard's door, explains the situation and begins to dig through drawers, files and miscellaneous things.
9:00 She LOCATES MY PASSPORT! I tell her to urgently go find a neighbor with a scanner and email me the passport.
9:20 After watching the India security officers do something (solitaire?) on the computer and giggling to themselves he sees me staring at him and offers me to use the computer again.
9:21 Gmail issues again. Won't load. He reboots twice. Finally switches all cables to laptop computer that he had on a table behind his desk.
9:28 After much hassle, and a slow print job, I have a copy of my passport in my hands! I ask him to make another copy so that I'll have two (just in case).
9:30 I arrive at the Druk Air desk, see my agent, rush to the front of the line so that she sees me. She nods to indicate my arrival, but that's it. I wait.
9:40 Her supervisor arrives and tells me that I need two copies of the visa (I had two copies of the passport now). She sends a lackey to make the copies. He saunters away from the desk.
9:52 He arrives back at the Druk Air counter, still holding a single copy of my visa. He tells the person there that the printer is out of paper. Can he please get a sheet of paper. He leaves.
9:10 He returns, this time holding the visa and a blank sheet of paper.
9:11 My amazing agent grabbed the visa out of his hands to make the copy himself.
9:12 He returns, and we have to wait in line (again).
9:25 The very quiet agent wants her supervisor to see the copies and she's now disappeared. We wait.
9:45 The agent comes back and tells me that I need to sign a disclaimer that if the Bhutanese government doesn't let me into their country that I will not hold Druk Air liable for any costs incurred. I sign.
9:58 I get to the front of the security line, and on my form I'd written "tour operator". He decided to take the opportunity to tell me why India is the best place in all of Asia and why was I bothering with Bhutan anyway. Had I been to Rajasthan? What about Sikkim? No I said, can I please go now?
10:35 I arrive at my gate, actually 10 minutes early for the 10:45 departure.
11:35 Plane departs for Bhutan (gorgeous flight, by the way!)
12:15 I'm filling out my customs paperwork and realize that my visa only goes through Oct. 17, but my departing air ticket is not until Oct. 18. ARGH!!!\
12:16 I silently panic through the absolutely stunning landing and all the way through the customs line.
1:59 The customs officer asks me why the numbers don't match, I tell him (calmly, of course, "new passport"). Unphased, he stamps my passport and hands it to me.
2:01 My second "Pam Perry" sign in three days made me smile. I then told our Bhutan tour operator about my visa expiring before my departure, and he told me that he'd noticed and already taken care of it. Thank you BUDDHA!

So, I'm in Thimphu, Bhutan now and it's a beautiful place. I'm traveling with an exceptionally interesting group of folks from the New England area and we just shared a beer over dinner. I explained the story of my angels that have apparently taken care of me for the last 8 days, and everyone agreed that they were buying beer tonight.

Phew. I'm chalking this all up to good experience to share with other travelers so they don't have to go through what I've gone through the last eight days.

Good night~
Pam

A new adventure begins

2010-10-05T00:12:00.001-07:00

Last night I arrived in Delhi after nearly 21 hours of being in transit from Seattle. The long flights gave me a lot of time to ponder this new life that is before me right now. Surprisingly emotional at my airport drop off (thank you Chrystal!) I realized that nearly two years before I had embarked on a similar yet very different journey. In September 2008, my journey was towards self-discovery and exploration, with the outcome completely unknown. This time I am traveling because it is my JOB. It feels different.. a bit like going to graduate school after taking classes at the university. The landscape is familiar, my knowledge base exists, but it's a whole new - and higher - level of learning and understanding.

What will I do with this new knowledge? Want to visit Bhutan with me in October 2011? How about India in November 2011? Drop me a line (pam@grandasianjourneys.com) and I'll be sure to keep you on my list when details are announced in the next few months. I'll be happy to teach you what I've learned - and continue to learn - along the way!

Arriving in Delhi, a very kind gentleman held a sign with my name. He carried my bags, deposited my tired body into a nice, air-conditioned car and drove me to a comfortable hotel. I take this all to be a good omen of my forthcoming NEW big adventure. Title of this one? Not sure but I'm pretty sure Liz Gilbert would be jealous.

(FYI, off to Bhutan tomorrow and will be offline until 10/18. )

With love,

Pam

Packing for an Extended Journey

2010-04-25T10:24:00.001-07:00

Traveling around the globe for 10 months, I learned a lot about what is important to have with you, and what is "optional" and will inevitably get left behind, traded or sent home. The main rule that a friend shared with me before I left - and I wish I'd heeded - is pack what you think you need, and then take out half. When preparing we often feel like we won't be able to get what we need on the road. The bottom line is: you can. It's all available, even in the third world.

Here are the things that I will always pack in any future journey:

1) First, it starts with a good backpack. I started my trip with a great bag that I spent about $300 on at REI (Osprey wheeled 25" convertible backpack which I dubbed my "princess bag"). I thought I would need wheels because of a recurring back problem that I've had over the years, and wondered what would happen if my back acted up and I couldn't put my pack on. Good idea on paper, and bad idea in practice. The bag weighed seven pounds before I put a single item in it. Not a good plan. It got sent home from India, where I bought bag #2 - a traditional backpacker's backpack that you enter from the top. The problem was that to get at anything I had to pull everything out, and then put everything back in. Inconvenient.

I ended my trip with bag #3 that I bought in Vietnam. A "North Farce" backpack with a zipper around the perimeter and a separate detachable daypack. This ended up being a great bag for traveling and I'll definitely be using it again.

And, my back behaved and only once did I pause my trip for treatment. (Read about the awkward ayurvedic massage in this post.)

2) First aid kit: I can not tell you how important this was. I found myself in one situation (post here) in Nepal where the first aid kit proved VERY important. But there were countless other times when an ankle brace, band aid, moleskin, antibiotics, alcohol swab, tweezers, etc. were critical. Here's a few of the must pack items:

-Band aids, all sizes. These are not hard to find in other countries, but I found all the ones I found to not stick properly or to stick like duct tape.

-Ankle brace and/or ace bandage. There are a million opportunities a day to twist an ankle or a knee.

-Antibiotics. Go to a travel medicine doctor before your trip, and in addition to making recommendations for immunizations he can prescribe antibiotics that can be used in cases of gastrointestinal issues or colds. If you tend to get yeast infections from antibiotics, pack meds for that, too.

-Supplements. I packed multi vitamins for the first few months. I was able to purchase more along the road. Especially in countries where the diets are much different than your own with not a great deal of fruits and vegetables, multivitamins are important.

-I also packed a magic drop called TriGuard Plus that you mix with water and take anytime you eat something questionable or start to feel a little queasy.

-I also packed Acidophilous Pearls that I took almost every morning to keep my healthy flora happy.

-Gauze pads and tape

-Oral rehydration salts (for post-diarrhea hydration)

-Moleskin

-Alcohol swabs (I used these a lot!)

-Tylenol PM. Sleeping was difficult in many locations for many reasons (noise, high altitude, uncomfortable bed) and this helped me many nights.

3) Steri Pen. This was a fantastic tool that allowed me to purify my own water instead of always relying on plastic. It uses UV light to purify water. I was also able to reuse bottles that I did have to buy. Plastic is a huge problem around the globe that you will inevitably encounter on your journey. (Side note: Here's a great short video on plastic water bottles that just came out showing why I didn't want to buy water!)

4) Good shoes. You will be walking a lot. Walking in heat. Walking on uneven surfaces. Walking in the rain. Walking for long distances. You will want to make sure that your shoes are comfortable and versatile. I packed a pair of Merrill trail runners and Chaco sandals. My hiking boots were sent home after Nepal because they were just too heavy and bulky to carry. My Merrill's were used for future hiking adventures. You will be able to buy cute sandals or other shoes on the road, but you really don't want to carry more than three pairs of shoes, but I'd recommend two.

5) Technology. I packed rechargeable batteries and a battery recharger, camera cord, memory card, thumb drive, memory card reader. Also, in Nepal I bought a cell phone for $25 and in each country I was able to buy a SIM card for $5 or less. Having a phone gave me great peace of mind and allowed me to communicate with other friends I met traveling quite easily.

I did not pack a computer and do not recommend it. It would become a target of theft, and it's heavy, subject to rough conditions,etc. Besides, there are internet cafes EVERYWHERE and access is really inexpensive.

6) Light jacket. I brought a Marmot jacket that isn't rain proof, but it's wind resistant, light weight and water resistant. It was warm, light and packed small. It was worn, loved and appreciated in every country.

7) Sarong. Ladies, pack a sarong. It can be used as a bed sheet, beach towel, skirt, dress, scarf, etc. And best it's light and packs small. You will not regret it. Guys, you wouldn't regret it either!

8) Comfort essentials. If your journey is anything like mine, you'll spend a great deal of time in transit on planes, trains and automobiles. An inflatable neck pillow, eye cover and ear plugs will get plenty of use!

9) Travel sheet and towel. I had no idea how much I would use a travel sheet! I packed the silk variety and it was light and comfortable. The places I stayed were usually inexpensive and often wouldn't have sheets or I wasn't sure how clean the sheets were. The travel towel is small and dries quickly. Invaluable!

10) Something cute to wear. A simple black dress or skirt can be dressed up and worn out to dinner with a shirt or scarf you buy on the road.

Hope this was helpful! Don't hesitate to drop me a line or leave a comment if you have any specific questions. I'd be happy to help!

Happy traveling!

India: Chapter Two & more exciting updates

2010-03-01T11:51:00.000-08:00

I've been home for 7.5 months now, and I'm really settling into a happy groove. Many of you have asked about what I'm doing for work and the good news is that I am employed!

Since October, I've been working as a part-time marketing consultant. It's been a lot of fun, as I work on special projects for several local travel companies (surprise!) including EcoTeach and Earthbound Expeditions. In addition, I have just started life coach training and will begin coaching - in addition to the marketing - soon. (Email me if you're interested in special introductory rates!)

I have also had the good fortune of connecting with Jwalant at Crystal Mountain Treks. He's hired me to open the US offices of his company (locally it will be called Grand Asian Journeys - website coming soon). It is very exciting (albeit often nerve-wracking!) to be on the ground level of a travel company, and it is for him that I get to begin my new pseudo-career as a tour guide this fall. (Can being a tour guide count as a career? Hope so!)

Do you remember how much I loved India? Did you see all the posts on my blog (here are one, two, three of my favorites)? This fall, I am so excited to get to be the Tour Director for two trips to India - one in the North and one in the South - and you are invited to join me! I was able to design the itineraries with the best of each half of the country in mind. In fact, they are really often viewed within India as two separate countries, and it's apparent when you travel why that is so. Individually, they will be fantastic tours, but together they would be unforgettable!

Here's some information about each tour. Click on the links to see the itineraries:

"South India, still relatively overlooked by the masses, is steeped in rich and ancient history. From spicy culture to laid back nature, it has something for everyone. Authentic experiences await in markets, temples, kitchens, canals and jungles. Tamil Nadu is the heart of ancient India's Dravidian culture, whose legacy will be felt in the temples of Tanjore and Mammalapuram. And no South India journey is complete without Kerala, where we will float down the lush backwaters in a traditional houseboat, explore emerald green tea plantations and immerse ourselves in one of the friendliest cultures in India."

"Arriving in North India, you step into the history and mystery of a land culture goes back thousands of years. With a potent blend of the stunning and the sacred, the experience will stimulate your senses and touch your soul. Visit Jaipur, the Pink City, and witness the town's amazing transformation at sunset. Experience the grandeur and perfection of the Taj Mahal, and honor sacred life on the Ganges River at Varanasi as it has been for millennia. Trace Buddhism back to its roots at Sarnath where Gautama Buddha learned and shared his teachings. Travel through time as you witness time-honored silk production techniques. This is a journey not to be missed! "

If you are interested in getting more information on these trips, please let me know. I will be the tour director, and we will also have a local guide to talk about religions and culture, and be an interpreter! I promise these are two trips that you will not forget! I hope you can join me this fall!

With love,

Pam

PS - Please forward this newsletter to anyone you know who might be interested in traveling to India. There is an early booking special before April 30, and a bonus for you if you refer someone who joins us. Refer away!

Post-Trip Q & A

2009-07-21T08:14:00.000-07:00

"One’s destination is never a place, but a new way of seeing things." –- Henry Miller

So I've been back in the USA for 6 days and so far, so good. I'm slowly easing into "Western" life and culture again. I've spent some time with family and friends and am getting a lot of questions from them, so I thought I'd answer a few of them for all of you, too.

Favorite country?

Sorry folks, but that one is impossible to answer. Too many favorites, each country was completely different. I loved the mountains of Nepal, the food and sensory excitement of India, the people and learning in Guatemala, meeting family in Poland, seeing friends in Holland and Vietnam, the children of Laos and so much more. Perhaps an easier questions would be "what was your LEAST favorite country." Thailand gets that honor. Too shiny and Western for my liking.

How was my health?

I fared remarkably well! I was told before I left that 70% of our immune system lies in the health of the flora of our intestines. So, I took Acidophilous Pearls every day (Great for travelers. They are compact and don't need refrigeration.) I had a few bouts of travelers diarrhea but for the most part they lasted 12 hours or less. I had a bit of chest congestion in Thailand, but that was directly related to the crummy air quality as it was the season of slashing and burning. A constant smoky haze hung in the air there. I twisted my ankle on the Annapurna Sanctuary trek and it re-twisted a couple of times during the trip, most notably at Angkor Wat. And I had the worst asthma attack of my life in Guatemala, the result of an encounter with a moldy, mildewy bed. Nearly had to find a doctor at midnight in a small town, but cured myself by breathing eucalyptus steam for a couple of hours. Otherwise, not even a cold!

What did I miss?

Besides people, I missed mostly things that involved food. Great big fresh, wild greens salads. Good chocolate. Cheese, like the kind you find at the Whole Foods cheese counter...I'm drooling just thinking about it. And, cooking. I did get to do a bit while traveling, but really only a handful of times. The best was a full day with Lidia in her kitchen in Guatemala. We made mole (chilies, tomatoes, pure chocolate and lots of spices and secrets), a delicious Caribbean fish soup, a few traditional vegetarian Mayan dishes and traditional Mayan hot cocoa with REAL, freshly ground cocoa beans!! I missed having more than 3 changes of clothes, 4 pairs of underwear, soft sheets and comfy beds and pillows, hot showers (usually they were cold or lukewarm, and with weak pressure), and having more than 32 songs. My dear friend Scott had given me his old MP3 player loaded with 32 great songs. So while they were all songs that I loved, after a while I got a little tired of them, as you can imagine. I'm considering the proper funeral ceremony for an antiquated electronics device. Ideas?

Traveling alone?
To be honest, traveling alone is a fallacy. In my experience, I was virtually never alone. I can think of maybe 10 times in 10 months that I was really, truly alone. But virtually never lonely. When you travel, wherever you go, you meet people who are doing the same thing that you are doing. Interesting, fun, adventurous people - exactly the kind that I wanted to hang out with. I met hundreds of people that I hope to stay in touch with, and a few, cherished friends that I know will be in my life forever! The hardest part about "traveling alone" is getting on that first airplane, and then getting off at a new place without someone by your side. After that, you instantly start making friends, connecting, and creating plans. And it's fun because you are making plans for you and you alone, and not by committee decision.

How much did it cost?

Not including my international flights, I spent an average of about $40 per day, which included all domestic travel, food, lodging, sightseeing, adventures, gifts, shipping, missed flights and haircuts. Also, the places I traveled were fairly inexpensive to live, but it would certainly be possible to spend a lot more, or a lot less. I stayed mostly guest houses or with families for the most part, and ate at local places that tended to be cheaper. Also, I flew on several segments of the trip that would have been much less expensive to go overland, but because of time considerations I spent the money to fly. Cheapest countries were Nepal and Vietnam. Most expensive certainly was Europe, but after that probably Cambodia.

Did you feel safe?
By and by, I followed a few simple rules that served me well:

1) Always look like you know where you're going, even if you don't
2) Don't make eye contact with strangers (hard one to do, but an effective technique)
3) Don't get drunk, do drugs, or do anything to dull your mental acuity.

Other than that, I was just aware of my security and well-being at all times and exercised an awful lot of common sense. It worked well for me.

Country with the best food?
That's a tough question, really tough. Certainly Nepal, Laos and Cambodia had the worst, but the best... probably India. That is, after all, where I gained at least 5 pounds! Dosas, curries, steamed bananas, chapati's and coconut chutney on everything! Despite how tasty the food is, it can be a bit heavy and oily at times. So a very close runner up is Vietnam. Though I spent less than a week there, I was staying with the Food Queen of Saigon. Marjie made sure that I ate the best that her neighborhood had to offer for every meal. Even between meals we found excuses to try something new. And most surprising to me there was the abundance of fresh squid in the cooking. In the states, squid is generally called calamari and deep fried. But there, they made soups and stir frys and sautes and so much more with it, and it was DELICIOUS! I'm looking forward to finding the best Vietnamese restaurant in Seattle to see how ours compares. Any suggestions?

Most Memorable Person(s)?
Gerdien, hands down. We spent over 4 months together and had immeasurable amounts of fun. But I also can't fail to mention Kuba and Kasia, my new Polish family.

Biggest Disappointment?
Hands down, not being able to be with Sadie in her final moments. That was terrible, and I'm grieving again now that I'm home.

Worst Accommodations? Best?
Probably in Madurai, India where I was for the Presidential Inauguration and I insisted (ask Gerdien) on finding a hotel with cable television. We settled on the first place we saw, because we were both weary from long bus rides and hot temperatures. The place had filth on the walls, dirty sheets, leftover garbage from a previous tenant...and CNN. We stayed, but it was only my skepticism at finding somewhere else in our price range with cable television! The best accommodations were everywhere that I stayed with my mom in Germany and Poland...I was beyond grateful for the respite from lukewarm, dirty showers and rock hard beds. Thanks Mom!

What's Next?

I'm still technically on my peregrination. I only traveled out of the country for 10 months but wanted to spend some time re-integrating in Seattle when I got home. So that is what I am doing right now...enjoying the Indianola beach, catching up with friends, doing a 10-day silent meditation retreat, camping, hiking and just chilling out. Starting September 1, I will get serious about planning my next career move as I have decided to follow my heart into a new profession. Not sure yet what that will be, but I'm definitely feeling drawn into the travel and tourism industry. Stay tuned for details on a tour that I will lead to India next Fall 2010, and let me know if you want to be on the list for details and pricing!

In hindsight, I can't believe my good fortune on this journey. I left a couple of weeks before the economy went down the toilet so I didn't have to hear all the depressing news, I missed all the political ads and campaigning (though still got to vote), met so many amazing friends, learned so much about so many things (not to mention myself), and came home richer despite my tanking 401(k). Life is definitely good. To me, the impermanence of money was a major lesson on this trip. Everything is fleeting, except for this very moment.

"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover." -- Mark Twain

I plan to continue my blog as my life unfolds, and also will do a few final wraps on the trip - including a post on essential items to pack on trip like mine.

With gratitude,
Pam

Time going. Fast.

2009-07-09T12:56:00.000-07:00

I´ve just completed 30 of the most intense, spiritually fulfilling days of my life. When was the last time you had a whole month to focus on yourself, learning, meditation, yoga and personal growth? The Moon Course at Las Piramides offered just that for me. And, for me it was the perfect way to close out my ten-month adventure.

I spent a week studying medicinal plants and learning how to make tinctures and teas, got my Reiki I attunement, had my chakras aligned and balanced, was ¨reconnected¨ to the universal energy, had a crystal healing (very cool!), got a few acupuncture treatments, read at least 6 books, learned about astrology, numerology, alchemy and Atlantis, did yoga every single day, swam at least a dozen times in the sacred Lake Atitlan, and settled into a rewarding meditation routine! It know that it sounds a bit fluffy, but it was delightful to be able to spend so much time just LEARNING and BEING and LISTENING. Total bliss...

We spent the last five days of the course in silence. I withheld solid food for 9 days and completely fasted for 5 of those. In that time, we had a project to do that involved about 20 pages of my journal. The course ended with a very special, positively magical Full Moon Ceremony that I will never forget.

In my class, there was a really fantastic group of people from all over the world. There was Gil from Israel, who is working on an ambitious world peace project; Mat, the adorable musician from LA who travels with his guitar; Mo, the retired nurse now living in Nicaragua; Andrea, the awesome free spirit from Argentina; Ifat, the former accountant creating a new life for herself; and many others. When you have so much time, and share such intense experiences, you tend to grow rather attached to one another! I know I have made many lifetime friends here.

I had been feeling a bit apprehensive about coming home. Not dreading it, but just not really feeling ready. I realized in the last month it was largely because I have had so many experiences during the past year, and had not taken the time to process everything that I have learned. But in my journal, my head, my heart, and with time...everything has become clear and easy. My apprehension is gone, and I´m finally really looking forward to my return to Seattle next week, and I hope to see many of you this summer!

With love and gratitude,
Pam

The Sun, the Moon and the Rain

2009-06-24T10:32:00.000-07:00

San Marcos, Guatemala could very well be the one place that I have traveled to this year that I feel like I could live indefinitely. It is a peaceful place, with a very magical energy about it. It attracts travelers, but not so many tourists. Mostly people who are moving at a very relaxed pace and they tend to stay for 2-4 or even 50 weeks!

I´m stationed here for my final weeks of my journey. Every day in the Moon Course, I spend about two hours each in meditation, yoga, and equally about that much in class, learning about things like the tarot, numerology, reiki and medicinal plants. It´s about as healthy as healthy living comes here. I´m eating a totally vegetarian diet (nearly vegan), learning a ton, sleeping about 9 hours a night, and surrounded by amazing people. You see how people get stuck here? Oh, and this is my own private pyramid that I call home!

I didn´t realize when I sent all of my warm weather clothes home that I would be living here in the middle of the very rainy season at around 5,000 feet! Needless to say, it´s been a bit damp and dreary for the last few weeks, which actually has been good for my studies and personal time. I am nearly constantly chilled and spending a lot of time in the sauna, preparing for a balmy Seattle summer to warm me up!

That said, I did have a mystical experience the other day. The weather, being quite moody, brings with it a lot of thunder and lightning storms. This one was special... there was not a cloud in the night sky, the air was warm, the stars were shining, and lightning was flashing. A magical silence hung.

Before I came to San Marcos, I took a tour of a fantastic organization in Guatemala City called Safe Pasages. A couple of my friends here were volunteering there for an extended period of time, and I wanted to see what it was all about. WOW. It was started by an American woman around 12 years ago because she (then 25 years old!) was visiting Guatemala and wanted to see the ¨real¨ Guatemala. She went to the local garbage dump and watched in amazement as thousands of very poor Guatemalans work there, salvaging through the rubbish to find anything of value. An average salary for them in this filthy life is around $2-3 US per day. So she started Safe Passage in order to support the children of these families so that they would have a safe place to go during the day. It started with 40 kids, and now has over 800. It is a professionally-run, wonderful organization and I would love to come back some day and volunteer myself! Next trip...

I can honestly say that before I came to Guatemala I was wondering why I had chosen this place, so far from everywhere else that I would be traveling, to close my trip. I was questioning my ïnstincts¨ that had led me here in the first place. Now that I am here, I know without a doubt that this is exactly where I am supposed to be right now! Guatemala´s magical pull that got me back here (I first visited for 3 weeks in 1993) was just the magic I needed.

With love,
Pam

Roosters, Turtles & Other Blessings

2009-06-01T08:59:00.000-07:00

At 1:00 in the morning the roosters had started crowing already. Don´t they know what time it is or do time zones affect these things? I lie awake, and somehow find happiness listening to the song of the day yet to come.

I´m living in San Antonio Aguas Calientes about 15 minutes outside of Antigua, Guatemala with a wonderful woman and her extended family in their guest house. (Above is the view of my deck, with the volcanoes hiding behind the clouds.) As I´ve discovered and experienced, in most of the world families support each other, live together, work together, cook together, eat together, and often sleep in the same room as each other. This family, though poor by American standards, has one of the richest collective lives that I´ve ever witnessed. Four generations of the family live in one house, with four bedrooms. They care for each other in a way that I envy, with genuine love and concern for each others well being. Great grandma is cooing and cuddling her 9 month old grandson while the in-between generations prepare the meal, feed the animals, do the morning´s dishes, sweep the floors and wash the laundry. I´ve been invited to stay with this family indefinitely, though my schedule will only permit one week at this time, unfortunately.

It´s such a striking contrast to life in the States. Which way would I prefer? What is better? It´s just too difficult, and frankly impossible, to compare cultures in that way, but it does make me think that they have figured out a way of living that the Western world needs to embrace

Yesterday I spent the day participating in the family life, and then receiving a tour through the lovely old town by my family´s two nieces, Eugenia and Mariela. We had a lovely afternoon enjoying ice cream, and teaching each other our native languages. In the evening I helped prepare a delicious dinner of fish, beans, tortillas, rice and salad. We all ate together at one table, as we do for each meal. The conversation is lively (all in Spanish) and the laughter is hearty. Above is Lidia, my Guatemalan mama, and below are my tour guides.

I spent a week in Costa Rica, with Joanie and a few other friends from the states. We had a great time, and it was so good to catch up with mi mejor amiga! Of all the fun things, we did the best will be no surprise to anyne who knows me...we got to go on a Leatherback turtle patrol at Estacion Las Tortugas (the project that Parsons PR has been involved with for more than 6 years) and help to midwife the births of more than 200 baby turtle eggs. We were also lucky enough to be there to see the hatchlings (tortuguitas) before they began their courageous journey to the sea. Our timing was perfect! The weather held out, and the turtles came out to play...magical!

We also had a few other pretty fantastic wildlife sightings including a mamma sloth with her baby eating about 20 feet or less directly above our heads, and a wild boar (think of Pumba!) with a slight disability who was disowned from his clan and had taken up friendship with tourists. Oh, and I got to hold a toucan and the largest (thankfully dead) beetle known to mankind. Eeeewwwww..........

This is my Spanish teacher Aura, who's been teaching me the beautiful language for four weeks in a row now, eight hours per day. Me gusta mucho este idioma!

Every single day, as I have been doing for several years, when I crawl into bed at night I allow my final thoughts before passing into sleep to count the day´s blessings in addition to those of my life. I am grateful that my life is so rich, and that this nightly tradition seems to take me longer each day. Life in Guatemala is keeping me up for more than one reason!

With love,

Pam

Rediscovering the Joy of Reading

2009-05-26T14:54:00.000-07:00

A short diversion from the life of a Spanish student in Guatemala...

While I've been away, one of the hidden pleasures has been the opportunity to read books. That's not to say that I don't read at home, I just don't really give myself the opportunity to read very much or very quickly. That's because my books all sit in wait (usually 8 at a time) on my bedside table. The only time I would usually get around to reading was after I'd crawled into bed for the night. Not a very good plan, if you want to read, or remember, or enjoy.

So, I have learned to love to read again. To pick up a book when it doesn't

involve 10:30 pm and a cozy bed. To read in the middle of the day, because I have the time and gobs of books yet to disover. To devour books. Fiction. Non-fiction. Poetry. Biographies. Read them. Devour them! Dream about them. Go to bed late and then wake up early in the throes of someone's life or imagination.

Here are a few of my favorites from this journey...

The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down, by Anne Fadiman

This is one of my favorite books I've ever picked up, and hardly was able to set it down before it was complete. It's a poignant tale of cultural misunderstanding, all revolving around a sick, young Hmong girl living in California. I can not recommend this one highly enough. Should be required reading for all medical professionals everywhere, and for those traveling to non-Western countries.

May You be the Mother of a Hundred Sons, by Elizabeth Bumiller

The author is a former New York Times columnist who moved to India with her husband, and ended up becoming entranced by the lives of women in India. Bumiller is an amazing storyteller, and her portrayal of Indian women is spot-on, and gripping.

Sophie's World, by Jostein Gaarder
Am I the last person in the world to read this book? It's the history of philosophy as told to a 14-year-old Norwegian girl. Her "teacher" starts by teasing her with questions about who she is and what is the meaning of life. Then he begins with the Sophists and moves through the history of philosophy to modern times with ease and clarity. Reading this felt like I had taken a 10-week Philosophy 101 course as given to a high-school student. I was exhausted, enlightened and delighted that someone had put all this wonderful information in such an easy to swallow package!

The God of Small Things, by Arundhati Roy

A tale of childhood lost by one of India's most popular authors, this story took a while to reel me in, but once it did I was lost in her imagination and story. Though it is a bit dark and depressing, it's certainly compelling nonetheless. (It is, afterall, still making my

favorites list!)

Daughter of the Killing Fields, by Theary Seng
This is the first hand account of a Cambodian woman who had lost both of her parents to the Khmer Rouge by the time she was seven years old. She survives, but not without a novel to write about the atrocities of the Pol Pot era. A really truly inspiring tale about survival, and a good dose of recent Cambodian history to boot.

The Glass Castle, by Jeanette Walls
What was the last non-fiction book you read that gripped you like a Dan Brown novel? The Glass Castle was it for me. It's the story of a slightly dysfuctional, poor, nomadic family as told by one of the children. It's the story of a girl who wants to believe that her alcoholic father can perform miracles, and that her mother can do no wrong. She dumpster dives, flees from angry landlords and ultimately winds up living on Park Avenue in NYC. It would even be a great novel, but indeed it's a true story.

Annapurna Circuit, by Andrew Stephenson
This one scores brownie points for me, since I read it during my own personal trek through the same paths and through the same small villages that he recounts here. Stephenson has the luxury of taking his time doing the trek, and meandering into some life-changing situations. If you have ever dreamed of trekking in Nepal, this book will inspire you to make it happen!

Currently on my nightstand is A Yellow Raft in Blue Water by Michael Dorris, alongside my Second Year Spanish Study Guide and 600 flash cards. Whee! I'm going back to read some more now....

Loving Life

2009-05-14T13:09:00.000-07:00

Welcome to Guatemala! I just need to start by saying how happy I am to be in a country where I speak the language! I didn´t realize until now how liberating it is to be able to communicate with local people in their native tongue. I´ve been studying Spanish for about 40 hours per week for the past two weeks (4 hours in class, 4 hours studying) and I´m starting to get the hang of it. All that college knowledge is apparently stored somewhere in my cob-webby brain. I still have a long way to go, but two more months of practice should help!

Since I finally have access to my photos (thank you CD burner man!) I wanted to share images of the last month of my life... Above, those are Lidia´s hands. Lidia is an amazing Mayan woman that I met in the local market here. I visited her house, met her family, and have spent many hours sitting in the market just talking to her. When I´m done officially studying Spanish I will live with her for a week or so and she´s promised to teach me vegetarian Mayan cooking and weaving, like she´s demonstrating for me there. She is amazing, and I´m looking forward to the experience very much!

This is San Jose El Viejo, my Spanish school. You can´t see my classroom, but it´s a sweet little two-person open air room with a table, two chairs and a white board. Oh, and a big, adorable golden lab named Tonka. My teacher is fantastic, and her name is Aura but you say it something like oudda.

These are the adorable faces of enthuastic Guatemala kids. They live in the hills above Antigua, and I have a dozen other equally cute photos like this of them smiling, laughing and clamoring towards my camera. I fell in love a thousand times that day...

This was my house for four days while I stayed at Earth Lodge. It was SO fantastic to sleep in a tent overlooking THAT. I mean, check that out. Oh, and it didn´t hurt that they put a futon matress inside and about 6 nice warm blankets. And when I woke up one of the volcanoes was spewing ash into the air. It was delightful and I´m sure I will go back to stay in ¨my room¨ again soon!

This is what a typical Guatemalan family looks like. The mother was probably around 20 years old and she had three kids with her. This is how they dress every day. It is so beautiful, and I´m constantly in awe at all of the color and the tight family bonds in this country.

One of the really fantastic things about traveling is that you get to meet amazing people from all over the world. People who have also chosen to spend their time, energy and money exploring another country. At left are two of my favorites, Christine and Renee from the good ol´ USA.

I mentioned in my last blog post that I made a quick stop in the States before heading to Central America. Pictured above is my ¨New England¨ family: (l to r) Fran, Heather, Chris, me, Steve, Beth, and Lorrie. I didn´t want them to feel left out by not making my blog!

Then I stopped in Los Angeles for a very full 36 hours. I stayed with Meredith & Lou, two of the nicest people that you could ever know. I met Meredith, an LA-based garden writer, during a media tour about five years ago. We´ve stayed in contact, and it´s fair to say that we´ve changed each other´s lives for the better.

About six months ago when I was thinking of going to Cambodia, Meredith introduced me electronically to her friend Jennifer who was volunteering with a non-profit there. As fate would have it, I got involved and spent time in Cambodia helping to execute all of her efforts remotely. In LA, she prepared a proper ¨high tea¨for us, and here it is, well spent. I should´ve taken the photo before we devoured it all! Jennifer also invited a friend of hers to visit, Julie, who is a survivor of the Cambodia genocide. At the age of 19 she ws thrown into a pile of dead bodies because she was too weak to walk. She survived, and thrived. And now lives in LA and is getting her PhD, while working as a motivational speaker. It was an amazing afternoon, to say the least.

And finally, here´s Debra. Debra is a good friend from Seattle who´s now living in the LA area. We met for a lovely sushi dinner (the one food that I was really missing!) and talked about life and love and work and everything else. Thank you Debra!

And now, I am getting ready to go to Costa Rica to do some scouting for a turtle trip next year, and when I return to Guatemala who knows! It´s hard to believe that Guatemala will be my last country before I return to the states. But I´m not ready to say goodbye quite yet. My heart is still dancing...and the avocadoes are still ripe!

With love,

Pam

Volcanos, Eathquakes & Avocados - Welcome to Guatemala!

2009-05-06T14:30:00.000-07:00

The other morning, I woke up to a loud boom. It wasn't quite a crashing boom, but more of a deep rumbling boom. Perhaps like a bomb might sound. As I was staying in the remote hills of Guatemala, I was pretty sure it wasn't that, so I peeked out of my tent and before my eyes was the source - a huge cloud of black ash from Volcan Fuego spiraling into the bright blue sky. I have to admit, it was beautiful and a smile transformed my face. Me in my lonely tent, on this beautiful slice of heaven in the hills above Antigua, watching nature show Her power. About an hour later during breakfast, I noticed that I had grit all over my body. Then, I saw it...the white and black dust falling from the clear sky. Volcanic ash in my fruit salad. Again, a smile!

About an hour after that, while talking to some new friends around a picnic table we all stopped and looked at each other. "Are you shaking your foot?" "No, are you?" "What is that?" It was an earthquake! A 6.1 magnitude quake (or so my mom tells me) centered not too far from where I was. Amazingly from our mountain perch it was not so dramatic, but again a sign from Mother Nature that she is The Boss. And again, a smile. It's not surprising the the ancient Maya worshipped nature as their God.

Guatemala is beautiful. It's simple and slow like Nepal and Laos, but with a strong Mayan culture backdrop. It's exactly like I remember it, which is exactly why I am back. After a visit over 15 years ago, I swore that I would return in my life and study Spanish. I knew that my time then was too short, and this country deserved a deeper exploration. And, what better excuse is there to do something you've always wanted to do (learn Spanish) in one of your favorite countries?

Back to the volcano: One of my first outings here was to hike the local active volcano. I'm pretty sure this kind of activity would not be encouraged in the states, but I took the bait. I hiked with a group of ten other tourists to the top of Volcán Pacaya (there are about 10 active volcanoes in Guatemala). It was a slow haul up a steep slope, through a dense tropical forest. Close to the top, and now embarking up an even steeper slope through loose volcanic ash (imagine running uphill in loose sand) we arrived at rough, sharp volcanic rocks. In the distance I could see red hot lava slowly making it's way down the mountain. And surrounding the lava? What else but marshmallow roasting tourists! While I thought it was an interesting lunch, I wasn't tempted enough to try it for myself. After a quick visit to within five feet of the flowing cauldron, I decided that my luck had served me and it was time to remove myself from the precarious situation. Climbing back over the same really sharp (and loose!) rocks, I broke out my camera just in time to hear the marshmallow-roasting tourists screaming and trying to run over the very dangerous terrain. I managed to snap one photo before beginning the quick exit myself. The earth had "burped", and sent a huge volume of lava over the top of the cauldron. While I did find humor in it, it was a reminder that sometimes laws are a good thing, since the laws of nature don´t read laws. By the way, the only injuries to the masses were simple flesh wounds.

Back in Antigua, my Spanish school, a recommendation of Marjie is fantastic. I have of class each day with a teacher who speaks exclusively Spanish, and study about four more hours. Since I haven't had any formal instruction in 17 years, my learning curve is about as steep as that volcano. It's one-on-one instruction and we've covered as much in three days as I learned in a year of high school instruction. My teacher Aura is good! And I am working hard to keep up with the lessons, but enjoying every second of it. I will continue to study here for at least another week, but up to four weeks total if I'm still having fun.

Fun for me includes exploring the food, which right now in Guatemala means eating lots of delicous, fresh, juicy mangoes (my favorite!) and perfectly ripe avocados just falling from the trees. I usually am able to incorporate at least one during every meal. Today for lunch it was a spinach salad with mangoes, strawberries, avocado and thin strips of toasted tortillas. Yum!

I am excited to learn more about the Mayan customs, culture and calendar while here in the heart of Mayan country. This is from the Lonely Planet:

"The ancient Maya's astronomical observations and calculations were uncannily accurate. They could pinpoint eclipses, and their Venus cycle erred by only two hours for periods covering 500 years. Time was in fact the basis of the Mayan religion. They believed the current world to be just one of a succession of worlds, each destined to end in cataclysm and be succeeded by another."

Interestingly, their current calendar ends in 2012. I hope to find out more in June when I spend the solstice at a month-long course in Mayan shamanistic studies on the beautiful shores of Lake Atitlan. The sun, the moon and the stars were all critical to their beliefs, so I will look to them for divine guidance!

Is it coincidence that my brand new memory card is not being read by my memory card reader?Yes, I know who´s the boss. Unfortunately, no photos for this post so your imagination will have to do.

Next week I will go to Costa Rica to spend a quick week with Joanie researching and planning for Parsons GoodWorks upcoming fundraising for the turtles. (Send me an email if you would like to be kept on the list to receive more information.)

Besos,

Pam

Visiting the Motherland...with My Mom

2009-04-26T22:35:00.000-07:00

Some of you may not know that I am Polish. OK, my maternal grandmother is one-half Polish, which makes me merely one-eighth. But I have been raised feeling that Poland was my European home. While on my "world adventure" I decided that it was important to see where I am "from", where my ancestors lived and died, and meet the relatives with whom my mom has held the torch for more than 30 years. So I did it. With my mom. To the motherland. Amazing!

We flew into Berlin a few days apart from each other (for which I was forgiven - thank you Mom!) and left the next day for Torun, which would be our home base in Poland. Greeted at the train station by Kuba, my cousin, I was immediately comfortable and relishing in the feeling of "home." Kuba and his wife Kasia, are wonderful. In their early 30's, they both work as English teachers and embarrassingly have better grammar than me. (Does anyone remember "future perfect" tense?) But their language skills certainly enhanced our experience. As did their two adorable children who I have promised to be able to communicate with the next time I visit.

Upon arrival, Kuba said to me, "Pam are you REALLY a vegetarian or was your mom just playing a cruel joke on us?" I confirmed that indeed I was and I got the most hilarious, confounded head shake because Polish people really don't know how to cook without meat. I sent his mother, who was planning a feast, into a fit of craziness until she learned that I ate fish. Phew! Crisis averted... Oh, and all those desserts? I ate plenty of those vegetarian delights in addition to all the other delicious foods that they learned how to cook on my behalf. Thank you Kasia & Maria!

Here are two of my favorite things in Poland - above is Franek, who's a year and a half, and Bella the beautiful golden lab. At left, that's Anastasia, Kasia and a very cold and ill-prepared me!

Coincidentally, while we were in Torun, Kasia's Saturday English class was on "cross cultural communication," so she invited me to speak to her class about the cultural differences and communication styles in the different countries that I have visited. It was a great experience to speak in my best "simple English" to these students, which included doctors and teenagers alike. It was a joy!

Above are my Polish cousins...Lucy, Kuba, Mariusz and Gabi.

We spent the weekend, a gloriously sunny one, meeting our "live" relatives and visiting the graves of some deceased ones too. Not to be krass, but I've never spent so much time at cemeteries in my life. And it turned out to be a really powerful part of my Poland experience. We visited great-great-grandfathers and grandmothers, aunts and uncles and cousins. Standing next to Kuba at the gravesite of our common ancestors, I felt connected to a world much larger than me. This was the world of my ancestors, and I left feeling the love for their homeland.

Mom and I also went up to the north part of the country on the Baltic Sea, to the cities of Gdansk and Sopot. Talk about beautiful places! The weather was fantastic, the rich seafaring history of the area was evident, and the town - which was 80% destroyed by bombs during World War II - is alive and thriving. We shopped, ate, drank and laughed. I also got to visit my first ever castle in Malbork near Gdansk, that was built beginning in the twelfth century. It is the largest brick castle in the world. Spectacular!

Unfortunately, I only got to spend about two days in Berlin but I really loved it! The cosmopolitan vibe, beautiful architecture, rich history, beautiful museums, lovely walking path along the Spree River and the great food contributed to our nice time in the city. That said, we were there during the Easter weekend, which here means Saturday, Sunday AND Monday which meant that most of the shops were closed. Oh well, I will just have to go back!

After I made my plane to Amsterdam (whee!), I got to spend eight days with Gerdien in her home country, and Jaya who also was a part of the Annapurna Circuit trek. We biked everywhere, ate constantly and abundantly (lots of cheese!) and laughed constantly. It was a fantastic week, and cemented a lifetime of friendship with these two amazing women.

I'm in New England now hanging out with my paternal relatives. Coincidentally, there is a family party while I'm here so I will get to see all the cousins! Last night was karaoke at the American Legion Hall in Medford (say "Meffa" and sound like a local), and Beth and I did the worst rendition of "I Will Survive" ever. But of course, because it's Beth we had a great time entertaining the "blue heads and nearly deads" (her words!) and never stopped laughing the entire evening.

I leave tomorrow for a quick day in LA before heading to Guatemala. Chapter Two of my World Adventure is coming to a close, and Chapter Three will begin on Tuesday.

I got a fantastic email today from "The Universe" and I love it. It says,

"Pam, isn't it nice to know that you haven't yet laughed, all that you'll
laugh? That you haven't yet met some of your very best friends? And that you
haven't yet dreamed all that you'll manifest?

That all bridges will be mended? That all sadness will be healed? And that life never ends? That all your challenges will be won? That all of your triumphs will be shared? And that the difference you'll make has already begun?"

I am grateful for all that I have learned, and looking forward to growing into it all.

With love,
Pam

Ho Chi Minh - Universe - Berlin

2009-04-02T04:04:00.001-07:00

So, perhaps you've read to the very end of my last blog post to hear about my idiotic military time mistake. That little two-hour mistake cost me $800. But when life gives you lemons, make lemonade! After I finally got over my absolute frustration with myself for missing that flight, and leaving my mom alone for two days while I languished in transit, I decided that there was a reason that I was not supposed to be on that flight. The Universe had something else in store for me, I was sure.

First at the Ho Chi Minh airport, I said to myself, I hope I sit next to someone interesting on this flight! Thereby, giving the Universe permission to put someone next to me (a Liz Gilbert-esque teacher) with a lesson to share. Alas, I was given Delbert, a late-20's guy's guy from Louisiana who called me Ma'am. Delbert works for an oil company in "offshore," lingo for something I really didn't want to know anything about. I revoiced my intention, aiming a little lower this time. "Universe, please let me meet someone and have a meaningful conversation."

Enter Javier and Andrew. Arriving in Hong Kong, I almost immediately bump into these two civil engineers who work in Madrid. One of them, Javier, was from Barcelona and Andrew was from Torun, Poland - the very place where I will spend the weekend with my mom! We all shared a beer and a very serendipitous moment. Andrew will be in Torun next week and there's a chance that we will get to meet again there. Javier promised to be my Spanish penpal when I return from Guatemala, and help me hone my Spanish language skills. Thank you Universe!

Andrew and Javier had just missed a flight for no good reason at all, so we had plenty of laughs to share over our common fate. So, when I told them I had to leave to go catch my plane because "Missing one plane is a bad mistake, missing two is just plain stupid," they agreed. So I went to (what I thought) was my gate, looked at the enormous line and decided to send them both an email so we could stay connected. After a brief stint online near the gate, I got to the end of the enormous line before the stewardess checked my boarding pass. You are not at this gate! This is Cathay Pacific! You are on British Airways!" (Note: my flight to Hong Kong actually was a combined British Airways/Cathay Pacific flight, so I wasn't being completely stupid.) She said it with such urgency, and I knew that my flight - wherever it was - was certainly in it's final stages of boarding. And if you've ever been to the Hong Kong airport, you will appreciate my panic because of the sheer size. I ran in my flipflops, with my carry on bouncing away, as fast as my feet would carry me towards Gate 17. I was really out of breath when I saw a representative of British Airways holding a sign, I showed her my boarding pass and she said, as panicked as she could, "RUN!" So I ran behind this 89-pound woman wearing proper shoes for running through an airport like OJ Simpson, and ran and ran. When I got to the gate, they were just shutting the doors. I was the Last Person on That Plane to Heathrow. It was a really close call!

So then I sit down, huffing and puffing, next to this amazing woman from Brazil, Denise. Denise is a university professor in Macau, and we connected almost immediately. Which was a good thing, because it was a 13-hour flight and we had LOTS of time to talk! We talked about life, love, and learning and we each felt like we'd received the angel that we needed. Score 2 for Universe!

Right behind us during the flight was a family traveling with two children, 4 and 1. And during the entire flight (I am not kidding) at least one of them was crying, sometimes both, and often with the kind of shrill that makes you wince in pain. And, while they wailed they kicked the seats in front of them wildly, which were our seats. The whole time I was thinking about what lessons I needed to take away from that.The parents were relatively unconcerned about their kids breakdowns (which is understandable on a long flight, but come on folks! Get a grip on those young screamers!) Needless to say, neither one of us got very much sleep at all, and But that was OK too, because we both had long layovers at Heathrow and we continued our amazing conversations. She's invited me to Brazil, and I'm holding out hope that she winds up calling the USA her home. Oddly enough, Denise almost missed HER flight because we were having so much fun!

So I am now sitting in Heathrow airport, the biggest shrine of Western Culture that I could possibly meet upon my re-entry to Western Culture. Needless to say, it's shocking. But I'm sure there is a lesson here for me too, I'm just trying to figure out what it is.

Berlin, I will be there shortly. I'm looking forward to meeting you!

Closing the Book on Asia; Loving Marjie's 'Hood

2009-03-31T18:16:00.000-07:00

I spent the past four days experiencing the magic of Vietnam that Marjie has been writing about in her blog for the past eight months. I've been living vicariously, reading about the castle, her neighborhood, her school, the amazing food, her new friends, the Bum Bum and Nam. Marjie is a friend from Seattle who decided to come live and teach in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) starting last August. Our journeys embarked at about the same time, and we've been voyeurs into each other's worlds through our blogs. So it is appropriate that you have to be a voyeur into her amazing world (http://marjiebowker.blogspot.com/2009/03/pams-top-ten-list.html) read about my thoughts on and experiences in Saigon in the previous three blog posts, the last one authored by me!

For now, I am going to use this space to reflect on Asia, and my parting impressions of six and a half months traveling in Nepal, India, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam. (You can click on the country's name to go back to read my more thorough blog posts on each country. Unfortunately, I'm not able to access my photo library right now so see the individual blog posts for images.)

Before this trip, my only impressions of Asia were formed in high school during a two week trip to Japan and Hong Kong. But I know now that you can not stereotype Asia, or any other continent I am sure. Each country is so unique - culture, clothes, food, music, landscape - and the people so different!

Nepal is absolutely beautiful, and somewhere that you have to go if you have any interest in hiking and the outdoors. It allows you to peek into the lives of the rural villagers as you trek through the mountains, experiencing the majesty of the Himalayas. Perhaps because Nepal was my first destination I hold a special place in my heart for it, like a first born. But what I think actually happened is that Nepal woke my Spirit. I can almost cry thinking about the loving, warm, generous people of Nepal. Though they are poor, unlike India they really don't have any concept of wealth so you don't feel like they are desperate when they see you for the Western lifestyle of abundance. And, it is a great country for women traveling alone.

India calls me back in a way that none of the other countries I've visited do. As much as I loved Nepal, I feel like I got to see it and know it, from the peaks of the Annapurna to the flatlands of the terai. But in India, I feel like I need at least another three months to see what I want to see and learn what I want to learn. India gets under your skin, and infects you with an appreciation of beautiful chaos. There my open Spirit was like a sponge drinking it all in. I could not get enough! And honestly, would have stayed the rest of my time there if my visa hadn't been expiring. Just the other night I finally got to see Slumdog Millionaire and it gave me goosebumps. Though it was filmed in Mumbai, I could feel the energy, the joy, the poverty, the paradox of all of India. I am glad that I wasn't traveling alone here. Not that it would be impossible for sure, but certainly I didn't feel as safe as I did in Nepal, though luckily I escaped any scary situations. But mostly, I am so glad that I had Gerdien to share so many of my experiences because otherwise no one would ever understand or frankly believe the things I saw!

Then it was off to shiny, clean, organized Thailand. Perhaps being in Nepal and India for five and a half months tainted my perceptions, but I really didn't love Thailand like everyone told me I would. It was too Western for it's own good, and the true essence hard to find. At one time, maybe 20 or 30 years ago I think Thailand was a beautiful country with the culture and beauty that I was expecting to walk into. But now it exists too much for the tourists, and that gives it a positively sanitary, safe feeling. Needless to say, I wasn't sad to leave nor would I choose to return to Thailand again.

Laos was raw, unplugged and unfiltered. While there is a tourist culture for sure, there is also a beauty and magic that is so pure and joyful. You needn't go far past the tourists to see what Laos really is. It's a relatively small country (6 million versus India's 1.2 billion) so most of the people live in very small towns and villages. The beauty of the mountainous northern region was staggering, and I will never forget to happiness of the people! Laos is definitely a country that I would recommend to anyone with an adventurous spirit, and I can't wait to get back myself.

Because I only spent seven days in Siem Reap, I hardly feel like I can comment authoritatively on Cambodia. What I do know is that Cambodia has a sadness that permeates the culture. Perhaps it is the poverty, but most likely it is the legacy of the Khmer Rouge era in which an entire generation, nearly 1/5 of the population, was killed in the mid-1970's. The people are soft and gentle, the culture is survivalistic (new word?) and the landscape is rather flat. This is a country in need of some serious NGO work, and luckily there are groups like Cambodia We Care who are really taking an interest in rebuilding this war-ravaged country.

I can't say that I have impressions of Vietnam. Rather, I got a peek into a microcosm of Saigon, and more specifically into Marjie's world. I loved my experience here, and indulged my way through her neighborhood - especially at the Bum Bum! It was wonderful to connect with home, cry with someone who knew Sadie, and experience small town life in a great big city. While Saigon is probably not a place I would necessarily want to come back to, Marjie's little neighborhood is a place that I could call home. It is a divine slice of heaven!

Next on the agenda: after a military time mistake (20:30 is 8:30 pm Pam, not 10:30! Doh!) and missing my flight to Berlin to meet my mom (Sorry Mom! It was a completely idiotic but honest screw up) I am off to try to book a new flight to meet up with Mom. We will have nearly two weeks to reconnect, laugh and experience the Western world together.

With love,
Pam

Cambodia, Clint Eastwood-style

2009-03-30T18:50:00.000-07:00

While I didn't get into any gun-slinging battles while visiting Cambodia, I did have to use my mean voice. And, I did discover the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly about this country. Thankfully, I also got to experience the beautiful in the children of a very small, very poor village.

Good: The Temples of Angkor

When I was in India, I (intentionally) missed the Taj Mahal. Not that I didn't want to see it, but the rumors of tour buses outnumbering the beautiful moments made me think twice. To tell you the truth, I kind of regret that decision. After all, I know it's something that I should see in my lifetime! So, when I got to Cambodia I knew that I wouldn't forgive myself for missing Angkor Wat, what some people call the "Eighth Wonder of the World." And it was really amazing. The photo above is of sunrise over Angkor Wat, which is magical. There is such a rich history in Siem Reap and Cambodia, that those of us in the US can just never comprehend. Many of the temples were constructed more than 1,100 years ago, and they still retain the character and grandeur of their original intention, with a few natural additions (see the tree!). There is an interesting combination of Buddhist and Hindu temples, all reflecting the religious beliefs of the king who built them. And, what's more, there are probably hundreds more yet to be discovered. I spent two solid days from sun-up to sun-down enjoying the highlights of the huge Angkor kingdom which at one time stretched from Myanmar to Vietnam.

While it was beautiful and amazing and I'm glad I did it, when you travel in this part of the world it's kind of easy to get "templed-out" because of the vast number that you visit. I fear that I didn't absorb all that I should've because of my overloaded brain. Sadly, more than once I wished for a memory stick to hold all of this new information!

Bad: The Vendors

Part of the reason that I didn't LOVE the Temples of Angkor as much as I should've is that the vendors around the temples were the most aggressive that I've encountered to date - anywhere! Apparently they do not hear you when you say no, or at least they refuse to acknowledge that they hear you. So, they ask you (I am not kidding) maybe 20 or 30 times if you want to buy their goods. After answering one girl's questions 20 times and showing her the postcards I had purchased from another vendor, I started to lose my patience. After all, they were following me asking repeatedly the same question again and again and again and ARGH! I finally lost it and (regretfully) got a little rude. At one point a child followed me for 1/4 mile asking if I would buy her postcards. "Lady. Cheap price. Only 10 for one dollar. Lady. Lady. Good price. You want to buy. Lady, please. Lady, good price only for you. Lady...". I finally turned around and looked the girl in the eyes, after politely declining at least 20 times, and shouted, "NO! I DO NOT WANT TO BUY YOUR POSTCARDS!" So she did what every good Angkor child vendor does in response to this situation - she cried. God, I felt terrible but also I was glad she finally stopped asking me. Similar situations happened at least once an hour and it really burned me out. I was exhausted, not from the walking or the scorching heat, but from the vendor battles! And, in case you're wondering, I still didn't buy her postcards. Gulp.

Ugly: Khmer Rouge genocide

Though the country has done a good job of "polishing up" the horrors of the past (that is, they are not so evident to passing tourists) reading a bit about the country's history you learn why there is a heaviness in the air here. The legacy of the Khmer Rouge era in Cambodia is still fresh. The genocide of the 1970's in which 2 MILLION people perished under Pol Pot is an unforgettable part of their world. Every Cambodian person that I met lost at least one family member in this atrocity, and they talked about it with such resignation. I found myself wondering why I had never learned about the Khmer Rouge in school - neither high school nor college. I had to watch the movie The Killing Fields to get a sense of the horrors, though while here I read a book about one girl's account of her life growing up. Both of her parents were dead (murdered) by the time she was 7 years old. She was one of the lucky ones and survived the executions, tortures, starvation and labor camps imposed on many of Cambodia's people.

This sweet woman's grandfather lived in a labor camp during the war, and while he did live he lost a leg due to a land mine during that period. And that is the legacy that the U.S. has left in Cambodia - there are still somewhere between 3 million and 6 million UXOs (live land mines) in the country, and nearly every day someone (often playful children) is killed or maimed by one. There are several NGOs working to remove the mines, but it is a very time consuming process just to get one. I spent a few hours at the Landmine Museum and found myself in tears the whole way through. Very upsetting to say the least. The good news about all this ugliness is that the perpetrators are finally being brought to trial to take responsibility for their action here. Interestingly though, while I expected the Cambodian people to be elated to finally see some justice, most of them just didn't care. Their wounds have healed and though the trial seeks justice for the people of Cambodia, I got the feeling that they would rather just leave the past in the past, and continue on in their now-regular lives. Here's a story from yesterday's New York Times if you want to learn more...

The Beautiful: The Children

I had the fantastic opportunity to spend some time in Cambodia working with an organization called Cambodia We Care. They work in partnership with a wonderful Siem Reap hotel called the Shinta Mani, and together they are funding projects to improve life for the neediest local residents. We spent a day traveling to the Pouk School in a very small, desparately poor village called Sambour to deliver lunch, school uniforms, school supplies and clothes. My goal was to assist in this mission and to gather information to help the organization get some publicity. But back to the school...imagine trying to get an education here:

In this tiny one room school house (if you can even call it that), there were over 100 students. Because there weren't proper walls, seats or desks, kids of all ages from all over the village came to peek in to see what was happening at school, since it was the only thing going on in town. There was one small chalkboard, and that was it. Most of the kids didn't even have a pencil or paper until we delivered them. To raise the $30,000 needed to build a new school (think about that number), sometime later this summer or in early fall there will be a fundraiser in Seattle. Please let me know if you'd like to donate or attend! Date and details TBD...

I write this post from Vietnam where I am having an amazing culinary tour, complements of my friend Marjie who is teaching here. Check out her blog (http://marjiebowker.blogspot.com/) to see what I've been up to this weekend! I will do my own post soon, but hers summarizes my permanently smiling face and endlessly full belly!

With love,
Pam

Sucking. Tickling. Fish?

2009-03-23T08:44:00.000-07:00

Have you ever had an experience that was almost kinky, but not quite? Today, I tried what is apparently Southeast Asia's fastest growing sex experience. Sucking fish. OK, it wasn't quite sexual, but it was - umm - a little erotic?!

First the madame wipes your bottom parts (your feet) clean of all the grime that your sandalled feet have surely acquired. Then, you place your bare feet into a tank filled with about 3,000 mini-piranhas. I was assured that they weren't piranhas and they wouldn't draw blood, but instead they would literally "suck" all the dead skin off of my feet. I know, it's really not a sexy post now...

Anyway, it tickles like CRAZY! I shrieked and pulled my feet out so fast. I was laughing and all the Cambodian women were cracking up. I knew I must try, and that my feet needed the love. So I continued. And then it felt really good. Oh, yeah. I was in a groove.

And then the pool filled up with other customers, obviously intrigued by my shrieks of joy. They also had the same kind of wild experience.

I let those fish nibble and nibble until they were done nibbling and found someone else's dead skin sexier than mine. And it lasted about 30 minutes! Wow.

I'm going to sleep now...

Laos: Laid Back Nature

2009-03-21T04:40:00.000-07:00

I've found my favorite country in Southeast Asia. OK, well, it is only my second so far, but it's definitely at the top of the list! Laos is like the geographical love child of Costa Rica and Nepal. It's got a positively beautiful landscape in the mountainous northern region, the world's happiest people (I have never seen so much spontaneous laughter!) and the laid-back nature of a California surfer dude. I mean to say, it is positively lovable and I really don't think I stopped smiling during my much-too-short ten days here.

When I crossed the border from Thailand into Laos, I took a two-day "slow boat" ride down the Mekong River. Though it was filled with half tourists and half locals, this was defintely a segregated event. That said, it was a really nice way to connect with some really great people from all over the world, seeing as we had about 16 hours to pass together. This photo is of one of the local stops that we made along the way where goods were loaded onto the plywood roof by a woman in her canoe. It was a positively beautiful ride through the jungles, gardens and mountains of northern Laos.

Though I was here for only 10 days, I feel like I had enough experiences to write a book! One day, Gerdien and I walked through our small town (Nong Kieu) to a smaller village of maybe 40 homes. We were, of course, greeted enthuasiastically by a group of children - probably ages 3 to 10. For the next 2-3 hours, we proceeded to entertain them without any shared words. We invented games, had relay races (yes, I slept hard that night!) and went to the river to go swimming. They were so poor and their toys were things like plastic water bottles (undoubtedly left by tourists) cut open and with a string tied to it like a car, and old bicycle tires. I so wanted to go back and bring them some books, clothes, notebooks or anything, but unfortunately Nong Kieu didn't have anything for us to deposit. You can bet that I will be dreaming for a long time of going back and leaving a meaningful gift.

This video above is a little over a minute long, and might take a while for you to download, but it shows the sheer joy of the kids while they played by the riverside and the simplicity of rural Asian life. Remember that these kids don't have Guitar Hero or even running water!

The next night, we received an invitation to come to a "village celebration". We gratefully accepted, and then entered into one of the most memorable days of my trip. The party was absolutely like nothing I have ever experienced! First of all, the Southeast Asian people - Laos not excluded - really love to eat any kind of meat that they can find. We arrived after not having eaten since breakfast, feeling rather famished, only to find that the ONLY food available was sticky rice with three different kinds of buffalo mixture - one that included dried buffalo skin. Ummm...quite a difficult situation for a hungry vegetarian. So, I practiced the "when in Laos" philosophy and ate buffalo meat. OK, I only had a few bites and about a pound of sticky rice but I did it. And it was really disgusting. I'm pretty sure I'm not going to become a buffalo-tarian any time soon. Doesn't that look good? (Yes, that is lard floating on top.)

About that time, the whiskey started to flow. And this isn't just any whiskey, it's Lao Lao - the very potent homemade beverage they pride themselves on. And it's not a matter of you asking for whiskey. It is just given to you and then the whole table stares at you (smiling, of course) and waits for it to go down the hatch. I had a few shots before sneaking away from the table and hiding out of view of any food or liquor.

Then, the dancing started up! And, it wasn't Western style dancing. It wasn't even really dancing for that matter. More like a barely-wiggling-your-hands-while-sidestepping-in-a-line-while-facing-but-not-touching-your-partner dance. It was slow and boring, and I couldn't stop laughing. Until I realized that maybe I was being rude (they were all drunk, so maybe they didn't notice?) so I put on my best poker face and had Gerdien in stitches all night long with my overly serious face. We were the "Belles of the Ball" and danced with every man and child in that room over the course of the next six hours. It was not until the very end of the evening - the last dance - that the young kids got brave enough (or drunk enough?) to bust out a few wild moves and dance out of line. It was as if they had to wait for all the adults to go to bed before they could misbehave. We had fun with that last dance, too! (I also had a hilarious experience at a Lao disco...but that dancing story will have to wait!)

One of our last days, we walked to a cave that had served as the town for six years during the Laos Secret War from 1968 - 1974. It was a big cave, but not seemingly big enough to house nearly 1,000 people as well as host all of their civil functions as well (banking, medical, grocery). It was really eye opening to stand in this cave and look out over the beautiful fields and mountains, knowing that for six years while the bombs dropped no one left that cave without the threat of death. I don't know much about the war as I wasn't able to communicate with the locals enough to understand, but I am looking forward to learning more about the political forces at work here.

This photo was taken after hiking to the top of Laos' largest waterfall and then tryng to find our way down. It was a beautful place, and the monks also appreciated the cool respite from the hot afternoon.

Today I said goodbye to Laos, and hello to Cambodia. It is impossible for me to describe how these last six months have shaped my awareness, expanded my consciousness, and opened me so much more than ever to serendipity. I am so blessed to be here, to have created this space, and having these amazing experiences. I never stop reminding myself of this beautiful gift!

With love,

Pam

First World Thai-diness

2009-03-10T23:52:00.000-07:00

Thanks to everyone for their loving words to me about Sadie. I am, of course, still very sad but I am forcing myself to remember the good times that we shared together every time I start to feel gloomy. There were hundreds of days spent in the mountains hiking, which we both loved so much. There was the excited look in her eyes that she would get when we were anywhere near the water and she could swim. The prayers that I could see in her eyes when I started getting dressed in the morning...is it work clothes or walking clothes? She knew. There was her first meat bone ever that I gave her for her 10th birthday, and she was so confused. It took her nearly a day of sniffing and licking to start chewing. Ultimately, I know that I would choose to do it all over again even knowing the outcome. Certainly the love and joy I received from her is greater than the pain I am feeling right now, despite how overwhelming it feels.

I've been in Thailand now for two weeks and while that is kind of a "normal" vacation length, for me now it feels a bit rushed. That said, I've had a nice time but haven't quite adjusted to the normalcy of it all after having been so immersed in the Cold Hard Third World for the past six months.

Thailand is really clean and Western. I guess I imagined that it would be more like India than the USA, but indeed that is not the case. There are lines on the roads, stop lights that people obey, virtually no potholes in the entire country, a very well organized and clean transit system, road signs, no litter at all - even recycling bins on the sides of the highway, Starbucks (first one since Seattle), and virtually every convenience imaginable. Even the temples are spotless and shiny. It is a very comfortable, easy country to travel in. It is beautiful, but my perceptions are clouded by my experiences of the past six months.

That said, the tourists here are very different from those of India and Nepal. While I have met many nice people here, when you walk in the streets you see so many gross men with sweet, young Thai women. They are what the Lonely Planet calls "sex tourists" and they are disgusting. I didn't take any photos, but you can just imagine. Maybe 20% (?) of the tourists are here for that one purpose, and they are not afraid to strut through the streets with their prize on their arm. Quite a contrast from India and Nepal where you never, ever saw even hand-holding or a woman's knee for that matter!

I made the most of my time here, and had a few really great experiences including:

Learning how to make my own curry paste, Pad See Ew and Tom Yum at cooking school in Chiang Mai. Did you know that using a bit of salt with the soap when you wash your hands after cutting chilis takes out the oil so that you don't burn your eyeballs? Or that touching the metal of your tap while washing your hands after cutting garlic takes out the stink? Oh, and fish sauce and a teaspoon of sugar are the secret ingredients in basically every single Thai dish! Those tips alone were worth the cost of the course! Now you know... and I will be eager to try out my new skills when I get home so get in line!

Since I didn't get to see tigers in India despite my best attempts (and besides, I needed a little animal love to heal my grieving heart), I decided to go to a place that has tigers in captivity so I could see and touch them. They were obviously well cared for and loved. It was a little cheesy, but totally cool. I mean, how often can you lay your head on a tiger and hear it's lunch digesting while it takes an afternoon nap? This one here was five months old, 130 pounds, and his name was Simba. I got to watch them play in their pond, eat lunch, nap and walk around. Then, I got to touch and pet and even kiss them!

In Bangkok, I went to the Taling Chan Floating Market, which was fantastic! It was a very local kind of market experience, with many of the vendors in canoes on the canals cooking and selling from there. I found Mieng Kam in a bag for 30 cents (my favorite!), ate fish ball soup, barbequed scallops, grilled fish, Thai ice dessert, noodle something-or-other, tasted fresh tamarind (weird), palm sugar candy and just about everything I could put in my mouth. I discovered that the Thai people put chilies in everything! Gerdien and I met three really nice Thai people who come there every Sunday for a feast, and they were so kind to share their table and a bit of everything that they had with us too. It was beautiful, sensory and delicious!

Tomorrow I will cross the Mekong River into Laos, and take a two-day boat ride down the river to Luang Prabang. I will arrive in Siem Reap, Cambodia around March 21 (Happy Birthday Dad!) to do some volunteer work with an amazing group called Cambodia We Care. I'm looking forward to soaking in these final days of Asia. It has been a life-changing experience, for certain.

With love,

Pam

A Tribute to Sadie

2009-03-07T19:32:00.000-08:00

March 7, 2009. The day that the world lost a true companion, friend, and the most amazing dog ever. Not surprisingly, it was a tumor on her heart. A multiplying of cells of her heart. Her heart was so big...it was how she lived and touched the world, and how she ultimately died.

When I heard that she was in intensive care, I immediately booked a ticket to come home. I was to leave Thailand within 12 hours and be home within 36. But she could not hold on to her huge heart for one more day, and the universe absorbed that beautiful soul before I could even get on my plane.

So I am here, warm and alone. Sad and crying. And between the tears I smile knowing how lucky I was to have had such an amazing companion for the past ten years. Miss Sadie Loo Who. The Doggie Lama. My Girl. My heart is so much bigger having loved and been loved by you.

Sadie, may you find solace in a field of golden tennis balls. I have peace knowing that you are already cuddling with your sister Ginger...and that you will watch over me forever as my Guardian Angel.

Reflections on India; culture shock in Thailand

2009-02-26T00:16:00.000-08:00

It feels so impossible to begin to describe India in any way that people who haven't been will comprehend. It is predictably crazy and unpredictably beautiful. In each city or village that I visited I always get off of the tourist path - often it often only takes 1-2 blocks - and talk to the local people. The children are always super excited to practice the English that they know and see their photos in my camera. Which is good because children were always my favorite subjects.

In reflecting on my experience in this country, I thought I would share some of my favorite unblogged-about moments, faces and photos...

Joyful children: Who can argue with the sheer bubbling joy that Indian children find in their very simple lives?

Kedar from Varanasi & other young salespeople: His mother died during the birth of his younger brother, so he and his four brothers all work on the ghats selling postcards and other touristy trinkety things. He is six years old, speaks English well from communicating with tourists, and seriously stole my heart. It is very difficult to adopt kids who still have living parents, or Kedar would have come home with me! As soon as kids can walk and speak basic "Tourist English" they are often sent to the streets to sell goods to visitors. This young girl below was six years old, and though she told me that she went to school, I doubted it. It was 6:00 am and she was actively working the ghats selling flower pujas to visitors, including me.

The ritual of offering pujas: Pujas are given as an offering to a god or goddess, and they are given in hundreds of different ways. I offered several pujas and prayers for certain people (you know who you are!) to the Ganga river, and Shiva. They are a small cup made out of leaves, filled with flowers and a small tea-light. You make a prayer into the beautiful cup, light the flame and then release it into the mighty Ganga river.

The beautiful, colorful, sense-filled markets! How can one country have so many colors????

The bus ride that would never happen in the US: At 18-hours, my "10-hour bus ride" was still two hours from the destination and had been stopped because it had just crashed through a police checkpoint at 4:00 a.m. Sleeping passengers woke up with a start, in confusion, and then waited two hours before making other arrangements to get to our destination, Mysore. Earlier in the night, the brakes had overheated which required a one-hour rest, we'd gotten a flat tire (took over an hour to repair), got stuck on a narrow, windy mountain road because our bus was too big (don't they know these things before they take the roads?). My fellow passengers and I made a bonfire by the side of the road to keep warm, and it turned into a quintessential Indian experience!

Perfect night in Mamalapurum: Sitting on a beach in Mamalapuram with Gerdien I experienced a moment that will stay with me forever...Crescent moon and Venus in the western sky, a full slate of bold, bright constellations floating above the ocean in front of me, a warm salty breeze reminding me of my location. We sat on a log, laughed until I hurt, and watched someone offer a puja to the ocean right in front of us, complete with a candle and incense. The roar of the ocean drowned out the sound of our laughter ripe with shared wine. A difficult moment to re-create, but one of those moments that make trips like this so special.

New friends from around the world: There are too many to mention specifically, but this is a photo of the people who studied Buddhism with me in Bodhgaya. Wonderful people from Israel, France, Canada, Denmark, Sweden, Holland, Australia and more. It has been such a blessing to connect with people who are sharing a similar adventure and have similar values. Definitely many people that I will keep in touch with!

The community of women: The sense of kinship that Indian women feel for one another is palpable everywhere, everyday. It's a kinship born of shared struggles, and the women gather anywhere they can, whenever they can catch a break. I saw many of these spontaneous gatherings in the middle of very rural areas where there was no apparent homes nearby, or sometimes it was in the middle of a busy alley. Always it involved talking, laughing and listening. It gave me a real sense that even though they have terrible, difficult lives, they seek solace in the comfort of friends.

Funny street signs: Whether or not it's interpretation or their very different sense of humor, the street signs never cease to crack me up. One in Varanasi proclaimed proudly, "Yes! We are less dirty!"

Sacred cows: Since neither Buddhists or Hindus eat beef, and cows are considered sacred in India, cows are EVERYWHERE. They appear to have no real "home" and instead just wander the streets and alleys eating whatever organic material they can find. They even walk down the middle of the busiest roads, and the cars and buses swerve to miss them. Some entrepreneurial types dress up a cow and walk to the beach, charging tourists for photos of their "sacred cows". I fell for this trap, but didn't know about the cost until after I snapped my photo - about 15 cents.

Small business, India style: My favorite chai shops are invariably the ones that are little more than a crude small camp-style cookstove, with a pot of tea on top. The vendors set up shop anywhere that they can find a small space with pedestrian traffic, which is about everywhere. They sell chai for 3 rupees per glass, about 7 cents. Often they speak no English beyond what is required to sell the tea, but they always take great pride in their beverages. This one was located in what appeared to be an abandoned shed on the side of the road where there was very little traffic, but clearly it is how this woman makes a living.

Fresh Lemon Sodas, and other uniquely Indian flavors: A lemon soda is not a sweet drink out of a bottle, it is the juice of at least one, maybe two fresh lemons served with a bottle of soda water. One of my favorite refreshing drinks. Other food I will never forget: South India's coconut chutney and sambar served with dosas, fresh coconut curry, fruit curd muesli, and chocoballs! Yum!

Leaving India like a Princess! Gerdien and I went different directions our last week in India and decided to meet in Calcutta the day before our flight to see the city again, and perhaps Slumdog Millionaire (didn't work). I get a call from her when I'm almost in Calcutta and she tells me that she's met "some friends" and we're going to spend the day with them. Great, I think. Gerdien has a knack for picking people up... So, I get to the train station and it's Rupak and Neha, his sister, and they are prepared to be our guides for the day. They do our laundry (!), feed us lunch and dinner, pay for everything, and let us stay at their house. The most hilarious part was that we were on parade for all their friends and family to meet. It was a perfect way to leave India, and also certainly a different side of Calcutta that I'd seen before.

I arrived in Thailand yesterday to great shock! My bus from the airport was air-conditioned (!?), clean enough to eat off of the floor (I didn't try), and was driving on the equivalent of an American highway with lanes (can you imagine!). The city is very shiny, very Western and already I've seen more Americans than I had in the previous five months. This is going to be a very different kind of adventure indeed!

With love,
Pam

Holy Places and In-Your-Face Poverty

2009-02-17T01:56:00.000-08:00

India is full of Incredible Moments that are so hard to communicate. Just a few minutes ago a very typical scene unfolded before my eyes. I am walking down a narrow alley, probably five to six feet wide at the most. On both sides of me there are very small businesses, each with a vendor standing in the front of their store inviting me in to buy. I shake my head. "Mah-dam, looking is free. Come in," they all proclaim. I continue walking and step sideways to dodge an enormous pile of cow dung (perhaps he had been constipated?) and then just narrowly miss an oncoming motorcycle who lays on his eardrum-piercing horn to let me know the error of my ways. I hear music. Very loud, though I can't tell which side it's coming from. A group of maybe ten small school kids are coming straight at me. "Namaste!," they all yell at the top of their lungs. "Namaste!" I say in reply with a great big smile. They all look to my blue eyes incredulously, and I to their beautiful mocha skin and joy. The music is getting louder so I stop to see what's going on. I have to step up onto a crude milk crate step that's been placed over a two-foot deep hole in the alley to see. It's a wedding procession, which is a big deal here in India. A drum and trumpet lead the pack, and behind them scores of very well dressed people come with nearly expressionless faces all stepping around the enormous pregnant cow that fills the better part of the alley. Then the groom comes. Again, stoic and probably scared to death considering the chances are good that he's met his new wife only once. Behind him, there were some people chanting, and two people were carrying a 10-foot-long lime green cloth flat, and shaking it. It was holding something small, but I couldn't tell what. As they passed I peeked inside, and saw a collection of small items that strangers apparently toss into the collection as good luck for the bride and groom. "Hashish?, someone asks me and stirs me from the moment. "No thanks," I reply and walk away smiling as I pass a Hindu woman lighting incense and leaving a puja on a Shiva temple with three goats waiting for her.

I just emerged from ten not-quite-as-silent-as-they-were-supposed-to-be days studying Buddhism and meditation in Bodhgaya at the Root Institute. It was a very powerful, educational and - most of all - inspirational experience. Definitely something that I want to continue exploring when I get into a regular routine again.

While in Bodhgaya, I spent the better part of three days sitting at the Maha Boddhi Temple located adjacent to the sacred Boddhi tree where the Buddha attained enlightenment. It is the most sacred destination for Buddhists from all over the world, the Buddhist equivalent of St. Peters Basilica. Each day there were pilgrims from at least a dozen countries (probably more) prostrating, meditating and chanting all around the grounds. At each turn, a new song emerged, or a new color of robe. On one afternoon, I sat directly beneath the Boddhi tree waiting for leaves to fall so I could bring a few home. When one did fall, I would race to be the first to get it. It was a hilarious scene as I was in a fierce competition with monks, children, sari-wearing women and other rabid tourists. The level of devotion is positively astonishing, like nothing I have ever witnessed before. The energy is electric, and honestly I could have stayed much longer, just sitting and feeling with the masses.

It is not at all surprising that Buddha's Four Noble Truths were conspired while he was in India. Not surprising because they are all about "suffering". Granted, the Buddha was speaking more of a dissatisfaction than our Western definition of suffering as pain, but the word is so appropriate when you travel here. So many people in India are really, truly poor. So poor that they don't have food to eat, access to clean water or a proper roof over their head. The faces of the lepers, old people with skin hanging off of their frail bodies and young, starving and very dirty children pull my heart out. And as tourists, we are instructed in every guide book and by everyone we meet to not give money to beggars as it just encourages their habit. It seems suffering is just the way of life for a great majority of India's 1.2 billion people. This country is not for the faint of heart to visit, or clean freaks for that matter.

Garbage is something that has fascinated me since I arrived in India, only because there is so much of it and I've never seen a proper garbage truck or dump. Here in the narrow alley ways of Varanasi people pile up their garbage outside their businesses and a barefoot old man with osteoporosis and a wheelbarrow comes to pick it up. This is, of course, the morning after the sacred cows, stray dogs, monkeys and wild boars have eked out every bit of organic material that they can find. He makes one trip at a time, to a location I can't imagine, though I am certain it is on the side of some road or in front of someone's home.

Varanasi is an amazing city, the most sacred for Hindu people. In fact, it's the place where Hindu's come to die so that they can be cremated on the very holy river Ganga. The scene on the river is mind-blowing. Each day, approximately 200 people are put to rest on the shores of the river, and for all to view. It's similar to what I experienced (and also loved) at Pashupatinath in Nepal, but at 100 times the scale. I took a row boat ride a little ways up the river to the "burning" ghat. It was sunset, and the sky was turning from light blue to dark blue, and the moon was rising. There was very loud music coming from an ill-equipped loudspeaker at the ghat, and at least 20 simultaneous cremations taking place with orange fire and smoke rising from each. A cow was placed on a small platform above the fires from which he couldn't move, and I suspect had something squishing his privates, because from the water the screaming moos of this agitated cow echoed constantly and furiously. The fires illuminated the night, and our boat at one point was so close that I could feel the heat of a burning body. It is a tragic, beautiful, and peaceful scene, the likes of which I am not sure any movie producer could ever recreate.

In early February, I took a train from Chennai in the south to Calcutta in the north. Gerdien and I got off the nearly 30-hour train and instantly knew that something had changed. The south and the north really are like two different countries. I had heard it said, but it is true for certain. Off the train, walking on the pedestrian bridge towards the city to spend a 12 hour layover, we descend some stairs into Calcutta's famous Flower Market. It was beautiful, and we were definitely the only westerners in a very crowded and colorful scene.

Calcutta's poverty was unlike any I had seen anywhere in India. Two thirds of Calcutta's estimated 19 million men, women and children live in the city's infamous and enormous slums, with no water or proper sewage. One anonymous quote I found interesting about the city is:

"The people of Calcutta actually love their city and accept the dilapidated living conditions, the lack of space, the lack of clean water, the dirt, the daily power cuts and the extremely crowded public transport with scolding resignation. They regard Calcutta as the most Indian of all cities."

And I close with one of my favorite quotes from Mother Teresa, who has gained an enormous amount of status in my book after seeing this city that she chose to love so faithfully.

"We cannot all do great things, but we can do small things with great love."

With great love,
Pam

A Really Bad Idea

2009-02-04T06:42:00.000-08:00

Don't. Ever. Get a haircut on the street. In Calcutta. Or anywhere, for that matter. I don't know why I thought it was a good idea. My bangs needed a trim, and I was heading for two weeks of contemplation and stillness, and I knew that they would drive me crazy. This is the result...

But the experience was hilarious. Positively worth waiting for six weeks of growout. We had 10 hours in Calcutta between trains, and I had mentioned to Gerdien that I would like to get a bang trim if we saw a place. A few minutes later, out of heaven (!) appears a very kind Indian man, sitting in a 3' x 3' spot on the sidewalk where he has set up shop, with another man before him getting a haircut. And it was a really nice haircut. For a man. So I thought, perfect! Divine intervention. I am MEANT to get my haircut here. I sit down, tell him I just want a "little bit" cut, and I pinch my fingers to represent a half-inch or so. "OK" he replies with a headbob. I should have known...

It took less than two minutes. His scissors were raised with purpose and after the first CHOP I grabbed the mirror and saw it was too late to turn back. He'd cut nearly an inch and half off of my not-very-long bangs. ARGH! Random Indian men were starting to gather quickly to watch the scene.

"Thank you," I said unenthuasiastically as if to say "Thank you, I guess", as he was very proud of his work. As were the 30 or so people who had gathered in the street to watch the guillotine take place. Since then, I have three different people ask me if I was Russian! This has never happened before, so I take that to mean that Russian people are known for the dramatic bang effect. Now I know.

Oh well. It's only hair...

Authentic India & New America

2009-01-30T01:00:00.000-08:00

Blogging is becoming a bit of a chore. I think it's that the weather is really hot and the internet cafe's are even hotter. Sorry for my infrequent updates, but trust me...I'm safe and having a great time!

Today, Gerdien and I will leave Auroville. It's an interesting "intentional" community designed to be a peaceful place for people of the world to flourish, and respect each other. Currently, there are about 2,000 full time residenst with about 2/3 of them being foreigners representing 40 countries! The golden orb at left is the Matrimandir, or the "soul of Auroville" that has a very special meditation chamber inside that we got to visit. We've been here a week now, and we've had an interesting time just trying to elbow our way into the flow of the town. Since it's not really designed to be a "tourist" destination, and instead a place where people come to live and participate in the chores of life - farming, organizing, creating arts and crafts, running a restaurant or guest house, you have to really work to find all the locations of classes and concerts. BUT once you do it's really fantastic! There are probably at least a dozen (or more?) courses per day from which you can choose to enrich your mind, soul or body. I chose yoga, pilates, music and a class on "Finding my Healing Voice." That was a fun one, but I'm glad there is not a video for me to relive my singing in front of the group! If I ever get the chance, Auroville would be a very interesting - and affordable - place to spend 6-12 months. Next time...

Gerdien and I took a scooter ride through Auroville and Pondicherry and it was a really great experience of authentic Indian life. We drove slow, took lots of photos and got off the bike a few times to talk to the local people. At one stop, Gerdien slipped and scraped her foot and some local women and children came running and insisted on tending to her wound. It was a great entry into a wonderful moment in India. With this group of 12, we laughed, talked as best we could, and they even fed us some lukewarm fish that had probably been sitting on the counter for a few days... ugh. These are the moments that you hope you never encounter because it is SUCH a warm act of kindness and generosity coming from these people who have so little that you really just feel terrible to say no. So, we said yes, and about a day and a half later I had a little "Delhi belly" problem. Oh well... the small cost of a wonderful encounter. And look at these beautiful children - I can't believe I didn't tuck one in my bag. Their eyes are so happy and soulful. I fell in love a dozen times!

Then we headed to the beach. But unlike Goa and Gokarna this wasn't a "touristy" beach. This is where the LOCALS hang out. For us that meant no bikinis or swimming, but lots of gawking locals taking sneaky photos of us with their cell phones. But we just sat there for a few hours and really soaked in the culture. Lucky for us there were some locals who were fishing, and we got to watch the two-hour adventure. First they dragged the nets out in their boats, and dropped them a few hundred meters out. Then they all sat on shore hanging onto the opposite ends of the net. When they decided that enough time had passed they started slowly pulling the nets in, one heave-ho at a time, and more locals joined the game to help them pull the nets in faster. Mind you, with a HUGE net filled with fish, it was a big chore to get it out of the water and onto the beach and it took about 90 minutes. When the nets were finally on the beach, there were hundreds of people who gathered to witness the catch, and we were the only light faces in the crowd.

A few miscellaneous experiences that I have to share...

An interesting massage experience: Several times during my travels, I have gotten a massage "just because". Just because I want to, just because it feels good, and just because it's really cheap. This time however was different. My back had become really achy and stiff, and it was causing me pain to pick up my bag or even sleep. I found a woman in Kerala who is a very talented practitioner of Kalari and Sidda, a unique ayurvedic healing technique. To start with, getting massages in Asian countries is a bit different than at home. The practitioner stands in front of you and tells you to get undressed. While they stand and just watch you. "Everything?" I say. "Yes, everything". OK...

Once over the awkwardness of this situation, then the magic begins. The massage oil has been specially prepared for my "vata" body type and pain using nearly 100 special herbs, most of them collected from within miles of where we are. It begins with a head massage, utilizing special "hair oil". Though it really is complete bliss, it takes days to get it out. Then she rubs REALLY FAST everywhere in some sort of coordinated chaotic pattern...with LOTS of oil, like maybe a gallon (seriously!). As the table is just a plastic coated platform, this got a little tricky when she asked me to stand on the table and walk back and forth so she could look at my gait. (Remember that I am naked while doing this - it was simultaneously awkward AND dangerous!) Anyway, Sunitha worked her magic on my aching body, and then sent me skipping out the door. Lucky for you there are no photos of this hilarious encounter!

And, on my expanding waistline: The food in India is so delicious I can't begin to describe... well, the photo here of my belly will help you understand! I've probably gained around 5 wonderful pounds. A typical day's food is something like this... breakfast consists of a lassi, dosa (thin pancake filled with a spicy potato mixture served with two different chutneys), lunch is some kind of curry or masala served with rice or chapatis, and dinner is often a thali, an Indian rendition of dal bhat, which consists of rice, veg curry, dal, some kind of spicy vegetable, curd and a dessert. Average cost of an all-you-can-eat thali is about 80 cents. Usually in the day for a snack we'll have a fruit salad or fresh juice. Yum. Daily cost of gorging yourself: about $8.

On a new America: I did get to watch the innaguration of Barack Obama as the new leader of America on CNN. It was such an emotional moment for me, as I'm sure for you as well. Gerdien and I were in the dirtiest, grossest hotel in Madurai, and I kept her up late into the night to watch all the festivities. We drank beer and toasted with the world! Now the real work begins, but trust me the world is optimistic too!

And on my toenail: Look it's growing back! Not quite ready for a coat of toenail polish, but it's getting there!!

Today we leave Auroville and head north for one quick day to Mamalapuram, then we'll take a two-day train north to Bodh Gaya to take the Discovering Buddhism course at the Root Institute. And, once again, I'm extending my stay in India until my visa expires on February 26. This is such a big country and it would take a year to see it properly! Such a pity, but I will come back for sure...

With love,

Pam

Communication Challenges & Real-Life Situations

2009-01-17T21:52:00.000-08:00

India has 18 different recognized "official" languages, and a universally understood head bob that apparently means yes. Since I speak only English, and a few words from each state I visit (basically hello and thank you), communication can be a challenge, to say the least! Most people have studied English for at least a few years in school, but most of them speak a very programmed set of words. "What is your good name?" "You from where?" "You like Kerala?" and their very favorite word, "Yes." I always try my best to answer their questions with a smile and graciousness, but occasionally I need to ask questions too. This is where it gets complicated! Here are a few real-life situations that have happened recently, and trust me there are ten a day just like this...

Situation #1: Am I on the right bus? -- I know that our bus from Kerala is supposed to depart at 5:30, so at about 5:20, I start looking around the station but the bus destinations are not written in English. So I poke my head in a few buses and ask, "Kumily?" A few say no, and point to some invisible bus next door. One replies with a head bob. I, and most westerners, interpret this vague signal to be "perhaps" or "maybe" or "maybe not", so I ask again. "Is this bus going to Kumily?" Head bob. I say, "Yes, then?" Head bob. So I look at Gerdien, and we shrug, and board a bus that we hope is heading to Kumily... amazingly, we arrived. (But only after barfing out the window, but that's another story!)

Lesson - The head bob means yes, no matter how ambivalent it looks.

Situation #2: Big Talkers, Heavy Accents -- One of the most hilarious aspects of communicating with Indians, at least the ones that work in the more touristy places, is that they are overly confident in their English skills, even if their accent is so heavy that you can't understand a word they say. Today, while getting a massage for an achy back, the woman said to me so confidently and fast, "Today, you go home, no pick, eat no, rub like this every day" and she acts out a poorly coordinated routine I'm supposed to copy, and I try. She says, "NO! Not that." Then she says, "You ten years, today come to me, not good today, tomorrow pain, after. You understand?" I head bob in agreement, though I think mine means more of a maybe not. She doesn't understand the language I speak, nor me her, but I feel better nonetheless.

Lesson - Unless your life depends on it, just assume that you will never understand everything that is being said and know that you will be OK anyway.

Situation #3: Goa Bus Station -- Gerdien and I board the bus bound for the railway station and we sit in a bench seat built for three, our backpacks occupying the third seat. When the ticket collector comes along, and the bus is moments from leaving he loudly insists that Gerdien get off the bus and buy a third ticket for our bags. She rushes to the ticket window to ask for a third ticket (only about 10 cents) for the bags, and the ticket agent looks confused and says "No ticket needed." Hmmm. She comes back to the bus, no ticket in hand, and the ticket collector says, "Twenty rupees please." (about 50 cents.) We, and our bags, make it safely to the train in plenty of time.

Lesson - Everything is possible in India, with a small tip to whoever is in charge.

Situation #4: Ordering food -- At a local Indian restaurant (not the tourist variety) I try to order lunch. "Can you tell me what the Malai Kofta is?" Response, "Yes". "OK then, what?" "Yes." I ask, "Is it fried?" "Yes?" He says "Fresh fried." Hmmm, what's that? "OK, then how about the Chana Masala." He says, "Chapati?" "No, no chapati, no rice, just chana." "You want chapati then?" "No, no chapati." "OK, chana masala and chapati?" I'm tired of ordering, and finally just say "Yes." When the order arrives, alas, there is no chapati. These situations happen basically every time I order a meal, and I never stop finding them hilarious.

Lesson - Just order anything. Everything is good, no matter what you get!

Situation #5: Bargaining for a Rickshaw -- "How much is a rickshaw to Periyar?" "One hundred rupees." Aghast, I say, "Too much! How about twenty five?" "OK., get in." Done.

Lesson - NEVER pay what the rickshaw driver asks!

Situation #6: Asking the Price of Something -- I ask at a phone booth how much it will cost Gerdien to call Holland per minute. "Five seconds, two twenty rupees." "No, I want to know for a minute, not for five seconds." She repeats, "Five seconds, two twenty." "Two hundred and twenty rupees for FIVE SECONDS? That's like thirty dollars for one minute!," I exclaim. "No..." and she scribbles something down on a piece of paper, "2.2 rupees per 5 seconds." OH. That's a little different...

Lesson - When in doubt, have them write down what they are trying to say.

Hopefully, should YOU come to India someday, you can learn from my real-life lessons!

A New Year, A New Bag, and Gobs of New Experiences

2009-01-12T23:01:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year! It's been a while since I've written. I've been unmotivated to post since I had a tragic memory card error and I haven't been able to upload photos. The good news is that I was able to extract MOST of my photos and copy them to CD (they've been sent home!) and my memory card was repaired so I can still use it. The bad news is that I lost five really rich days worth of images...oh well. The memories will live forever, and I have learned a valuable lesson.

I started the new year with a new bag... Angie's departure back to Seattle was a good excuse to send my "Princess Bag" home with her and get a new, smaller bag. I am SO much happier being able to carry all of my worldly possessions on my back . I've made a resolution for myself: if I buy something new, I have to leave something behind. It's so liberating and I feel so free!

New experiences...they happen every single day. Every moment of every day. There is no way for me to describe how much I am learning about the world, India, other people, other cultures, and - most of all - myself. As I travel, mostly without much of a plan, I am constantly exposed to people and places that are off of the tourist path. The vibrant colors, pungent (and often delicious) smells, the beautiful landscapes, the constant (and I mean that) sound of horns and dogs and Bollywood music, the positively delicious, local food...every minute of every day I am doing and tasting and seeing things that I never would have imagined. My perspective is become so much more open, and things that would have shocked or scared me a few month ago are now beautiful and fresh and fun. And, I never stop recognizing the gift of being able to take this extended time off and relax into each place in a way that becomes more natural with every new sunrise.

I am changing, growing, evolving as a result of it all. I'm no longer the person who left Seattle but I'm likely not yet the person I will become. I'm me, but I'm someone new. With so many experiences coloring my world, I'm excited to discover how I will continue to morph into the New Pam that will return to Seattle. My friend Scott gave me an MP3 player with a song that I listen to over and over again by Cat Stevens called "On the Road to Find Out." The lyrics resonate with me...

Well I left my happy home to see what I could find out

I left my folk and friends with the aim to clear my mind out

Well I hit the rowdy road and many kinds I met there

Many stories told me of the way to get there

So on and on I go, the seconds tick the time out

There's so much left to know, and I'm on the road to find out

I really am on the road to find out though I suspect I will find it already exists inside of me.

Travel update: Last week, I spent five glorious days in Goa. It was my reunion with Gerdien, and we had a great time together. Goa is touristy , but you don't have to look hard to find the local flavor and culture. I enjoyed having a few days just to relax, and to stay in one place for an extended period of time. (Unpacking is such a joy!) The most fun that I had was renting a motorcycle and exploring northern Goa. I have a video that I so wish I could share, but unfortunately it lives on a CD bound for the US right now... imagine me, with Gerdien on the back (her filming the video), our hair flying in the wind, the afternoon sun shining on us, and both of us just with the hugest smiles possible and lots of laughter. I was like a kid on Christmas morning...I giggle just thinking about it!

This past weekend I spent at the International Conference on Sustainable Architecture in Trivandrum, Kerala. I know, you're asking what the ???? I just thought it was a little too serendipitous that it was going on, and I was there. I'm glad I went. I connected with a few people that I know I will stay in touch with - both personally and professionally - forever. And it was fascinating to see the "sustainable architecture" of India. It is such a contrast to that of the western world... such simple, low-tech designs: courtyards that open from the inside out (like you can experience the rain falling from your living room), no insulation, many multi-functional spaces (for eating, sleeping, entertaining, cooking, watching the weather change), lots of windows and a big focus on solar orientation. Unfortunately 90% of the buildings that I toured would not even be allowed to be built in the US...such a shame!

I've decided to extend my time in India by a couple of weeks (depart mid-February) to study Buddhism in Bodh Gaya (where the Dalai Lama spends his winters...maybe I'll see him!) In a few weeks, I'll join a yoga retreat where I'll get to indulge in yoga and meditation and delicious organic food at least twice a day. I might even learn how to kite surf...and I still really want to see a tiger!

I can hardly believe that the calendar has turned the page to 2009. For years, I have thought of this as the year when my niece Alanna will graduate from high school, and that has always been so far away! Suddenly, here it is...and time continues to tick! I hope you all were able to share the holidays with loved ones, build a snowman or two and hopefully make plans for adventure in 2009. I must admit, I was a little jealous to miss Seattle's first White Christmas in 20 years... I spent mine with white sand!

South India is a joyous explosion of the mind and senses! I hope someday you are able to experience it for yourself...I promise to help you build a really great itinerary!!

With love and wishes for the happiest of new years~

Pam

On Indian family life & getting back into the kitchen!

2008-12-28T23:16:00.000-08:00

Making chapatis! Milking a coconut! Fishing! Biking! Canoeing! Wearing a sari! Being adopted! Meeting Seattle friends! And, just hanging out...

**Unfortunately, I don't have access to any of my own photos right now as I'm having a "memory card problem" - ARGH! technology! - but I will post a few stock images to give you an idea of what it looks like here.**

These are just a few of the things that I did the past three days in Kerala. It all started with a wonderful family in the Allepey area, which is located at the north end of the famed Kerala backwaters. Joseph Thomas, and his wife Sally, and two children Liji (F, 16) and Lijo (M, 18), welcomed me into their house as a guest, and as a friend. There is a growing industry of "home stays" in India, and I must say that if you are given an opportunity to do it, DO! The photo at right looks very much like the view from their home.

The house is situated about 9km east of Allepey, in a rural area. It was fairly small, though it had four bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, a living room and a kitchen. Across the very narrow red dirt street (accessible only by rickshaw, or foot - not cars), they have five acres of rice fields. Though the fields were harvested just eight weeks ago, the beautiful green of the new growth was stunning. Incidentally, the family needs about one acre of rice to fulfill their own rice needs for the year, and they sell the rest.

I arrived on Friday afternoon, and I sat down on their front porch and they brought me the best cup of chai I've had yet in India (made with fresh cardamom and ginger!), and a delicious banana fritter. As I was soaking in the scenery Joseph asked me if I would like to take a canoe ride. Yes! Yes! So off I went with the other guest at the house, Hamish (a British architect who looked an awful lot like Hugh Grant - yum!). The scenery was fantastic, and the ambience very peaceful. The backwaters are a series of mostly freshwater canals that run like a maze through the Kerala lowlands and are fed by a river. There are many ways of getting around this area including public ferry, private ferry and - most expensively - the private boats. They are huge, and when you see a photo like this one, you might think, wow, that looks luxurious and fun! But in reality, the huge boats are filthy pollution machines, and the tourists on them look a little spoiled. I have to admit though, I wouldn't have minded being one of those tourists, incognito of course!

The next day, I relaxed all day long. I sat on the porch, read my book, journaled, napped, and took a bike ride to explore the neighborhood. Blissful relaxation! Late in the afternoon, I walked into the kitchen where I could hear Sally preparing dinner. The kitchen included one wood stove (the wood and flame were visible), about six feet of counter space, a very small sink, and a small countertop variety gas-powered stove. I asked her if I could help with dinner, and she agreed. I was in heaven! Here's a few simple recipes to share...

Authentic Keralan Chapatis:
1 small, very ripe (soft) banana
A pinch or two of salt
--mix these two items together
Maybe 2-3 cups of wheat flour
Water (add it slowly until it can form one large heavy dough ball)

After letting the dough sit, covered, for about an hour, begin forming small balls, approximately 1.5 inches across. Then, roll the dough out into small circles, and each time you roll, add a little flour and turn it over. Only one roll per side, per time, and always more flour! Do this until the chapatis are about six inches across. On a hot skillet (medium heat, no oil) add the chapati and let it cook for about 30 seconds per side. Then, move the chapati to a separate skillet, that is slightly hotter, and turn it constantly for about 2 minutes - no more than 2-3 seconds per side. The two skillet method allows you to keep the chapati production line moving quickly! That's all there is to it.

We used the chapati's to eat our dinner. No forks. You just tear off a piece of the delicious bread and swab up the yumminess that's there. This night, it was egg curry, green beans cooked with fresh shredded coconut, mango pickle and shredded carrot salad. It was soooo good!

Did you know that coconuts do not have milk inside of them? I didn't! In order to make your own fresh coconut milk, it's quite simple. First you take fresh, unsweetened, shredded coconut meat and put it into the blender with some water. Blend, then strain (reserve the first press), then do this two more times with the same coconut. When making curry, simmer the curry with the second and third press, and then add the first press - which is the creamiest by far - at the last minute before serving. So simple, and quite delicious!

The next day I volunteered my new found skills in the kitchen for breakfast and dinner! Cooking is one of the activities that I miss most about home, so having this opportunity to cook and learn was a true joy.

One evening after dinner, Sally asked if I'd like to try on a sari and I responded with an enthusiastic yes! It was so much fun to get tended to as this beautiful 18' long piece of silk was wrapped around me in the traditional style. I just might have to get a sari and send it home before I leave India!

A wonderful surprise of this trip was the opportunity to meet up with Ciscoe & Mary Morris, two friends from Seattle who were also in South India. They ended up spending one night at the Joseph residence with me, and they agreed that it was the best lodging experience they'd had yet in India! It was fun to see them, share travel experiences and catch up on life.

When I left the house, Sally and Joseph kissed me and told me that I was now family and was asked to please send photos of my visit. Hopfully, my photos will soon be recovered from my currently malfunctioning memory card, and I will be able to do that in the very near future.

Happy 2009! May it be filled with laughter, love, peace, good health and new experiences.

Love,
Pam

Christmas in God's Own Country

2008-12-26T04:24:00.000-08:00

When you arrive in the state of Kerala in South India, one of the first things you notice is the pride of the region. Signs and busses everywhere exclaim "Kerala - God's Own Country," and I have to agree. Though I have only been to two towns in this southwestern coastal region so far, they have both been spectacular. And, we decided, what a perfect place to celebrate Christmas.

We began our Kerala time in Kochin, a quaint little port town that has a rich history. Marco Polo once remarked "If China is where you make your money, then Kochin is surely where you spend it." In it's heyday, it was one of the primary ports of call for traders from all over the world to access the bounty of India's teas and spices. There is a thriving fishing industry here, with beautiful Chinese fishing nets all along the waterfront. The nets are stationary above the water along the shore, and then they drop them down leave them until they see a catch, and then pull it up quickly. I've never seen these before and was really fascinated by the simplicity of the technique. This morning, I even had the opportunity to stand on the docks with them and help them pull up their nets. I was the lucky first morning tourist to get this coveted post. It was a joy!

Angie and I took a stroll through the local market near the synagogue and it was so colorful, I couldn't stop taking pictures! Every moment was a photo op, and a life moment! Every single sense was completely alive...the smells (which I wish I could relay) of the spice markets, the fish, and the sea; the colors of the women in beautiful saris and all the shop signs and the huge bins of different spices; the tastes (!) of delicious Indian cuisine; the all-too-infrequent cool breezes kissing our sun-baked skin; and the sounds of life happening all around us. It was a beautiful afternoon.
On the way back from the market, I walked alone through the streets of the "non-touristy" parts of Kochin to explore the corners of the city. Again, I was dazzled by the people, and the scenery, and could hardly set my camera down. Along the way, some children asked me to take their photos, and of course I happily obliged. During the photo shoot, the front door of the home opened, and the family all came out! Soon, they were all posing and asking me to take some family portraits! It was such a special moment... the family then invited me in for a nice chat (in their best English ("Barack Obama!") and tea. Upon leaving, I decided to go to a photo shop and print some of the photos that I had taken of their family. About an hour after I left, I showed back up at their house (it was not easy to find!) and gave them the photos. They were positively thrilled. They very well could be the only family photos that they have.

The next day Angie and I departed on a two-day excursion to the hill region of Munnar. Though it's famous for being a huge tea-growing area, what excited us MOST about the package was the opportunity to wash an elephant. (Yes, elephants need baths too!) Though it was with other tourists, it was an absolute delight. Not surprisingly, Angie was the first person to jump in the water with the trainers and the elephants to get to work!

Once in Munnar we stopped at a spice plantation and took a taste test. If you ever get the chance to eat cinnamon bark, do it! Yum...

Then we arrived at our guest house where the ambience and scenery were unmatched. It was overlooking a valley with about 1,000 acres of tea gardens with mist-shrowded mountains lurking behind. There was a Hindu festival of some kind, as well as it being Christmas Eve, and the valley was alive! All night there were drums and voices reaching their way up the hillside from the valley floor beneath. Around 9:00 pm, the fireworks began! That said, when it was bedtime, earplugs were required to get any sleep! The Hindus are full of devotion, and celebrate a new deity or ritual at every opportunity. It's fun to be an observer, though I'm longing to know more about Hinduism and what it is exactly that they worship - besides nearly 300,000 deities!. Hopefully before I leave India...

Next up: I will head south rather slowly and stay with a family on a plantation, then take a boat ride through the famed Kerala backwaters to reach Amma, the "hugging saint." Angie is going to take her last days and spend them relaxing on the Kerala beaches...a perfect end to a wonderful holiday. We'll meet back up in Bangalore to celebrate New Year's Eve, and hopefully not get any sleep before Angie's early morning flight!

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all!

With love,
Pam

A blissed out broken heart

2008-12-16T02:04:00.000-08:00

Oh, the terrible irony...

On Friday, December 12, one of my best dog friends in the entire world passed away suddenly. I got the news via email three days later and immediately called Joanie to grieve with her. Ginger is the sister (pictured on the right) of my dog Sadie, and she is like a second child to me, having spent much of her life with Sadie and me - at work, home and play. She was the tenderest, sweetest , most laid back pooch in the whole world (I've been looking!), and she was completely devoted to Joanie. Being halfway around the globe when something traumatic like this happens to your best friend is so difficult, and suddenly the world - which for three months has seemed so small - is in an instant very, very big. For the first time in my travels, I am homesick. My heart wants to be home with Joanie, and Sadie. Ginger Parsons, you will be missed...

But for now, I am here, in South India. And completely blissed out. I am writing from Kudle Beach in Gokarna and have been spending my time floating in the gentle Indian Ocean waves and working on tanning up all those white parts of my body. It's a hilarious mix of aging hippies, dreadlocked backpackers, hungry cows and us. (My family will be thrilled to know that I am definitely one of the least hippie-like people here!) Our hotel room is expensive in India terms -about $28/night - but it is gorgeous, and looks right out onto the beach through the palm trees that keep our room cool and shady. Anywhere else in the world, this room would probably cost a few hundred bucks per night. Of course, I am on a budget (much to Angie's chagrin!) and we do want to see more of India than just the beach, so we will leave here soon. Direction - south. Destination - TBD.

Prior to the beach, we stayed in Hampi for three nights. Though hardly a blip on the India map, it is one of the most amazing, historic places I have ever been. It is INCREDIBLE! I describe it as Ancient Rome meets the Desert Southwest. Imagine Arches National Park with nearly 1,000 temples built on the rocks, and you have an idea of what Hampi is like. When the Vijayanagar Empire was the center of South India's government (until 1565), Hampi was the largest and most developed capital city in the world... even BIGGER than Rome! We met a local rickshaw driver / mega-entrepreneur "Ragu - like the sauce," who gave us a tour of the many temples and historical sites. The pure awe I experienced upon arrival in the town will stay with me forever.

This is a photo of one spot along the riverside in the morning, with nearly every one of the town's 3,000 residents coming for their morning bath.

This was taken from the top of one of the hills to give you an idea of the landscape. From this place (though you can't see it in my photo) there were at least 20 temples that I could identify - and probably at least 100 more!

This is the largest temple, standing at about 300 feet tall, and built right in theheart of the town directly adjacent to our hotel. There were Macaques (monkeys) crawling al over it.

Though Angie didn't get to actually wash Laxmi, the resident elephant (this is as close as she came!) we did have a wonderful morning on the shore of the river watching her morning bathing ritual (same river, same time as the humans!) and then witnessing her adornment for the local festival. It was awesome to watch, and to be so close to one of nature's true majestic beauties. That said, we are still holding out for an even closer encounter...

It's also been interesting traveling with Angie. I joked before we got here that she would be so hard to find in this land of dark-haired, dark-skinned people. Indeed, she does blend in and is constantly asked where she's from - no one has ever guesses the USA. Most people think she's Indian! Meanwhile, I am like a one-person, white-skinned, blue-eyed freakshow. Everywhere we go (that's not touristy), people want to shake my hand, take a picture with me, and try in their best English to make small talk. In these moments, Angie luckily can sneak away and hardly be noticed. The top photo was of a group of school girls who were visiting one of the temples we were, though they were more interested in me (!), and the other one was taken at the river bank. I had to feign hungriness to get away from this group.

One of the highlighst for Angie on this trip so far has been her experience shopping for a sari in Bangalore. Our hotel was in the garment district, and we passed no less than 100 stores selling silks for saris. If you know Angie, you know she is a fabric geek with an awesome sense of style. Watching her in the sari store really was like watching a kid in a candy store!

It is impossible for me to name a single highlight of India. I have enjoyed every second of this country, though as Angie can attest to, I can not stop comparing it to Nepal. Though it's similar in some senses, it is definitely not the third world. I'm looking forward to heading deeper into the heart of this country and to discover all that I can absorb.

With love and gratitude for friendship,

Pam

Eating Dosas in South India

2008-12-08T21:20:00.000-08:00

I arrived safely in India late on Sunday night. So far, it has been rather peaceful compared to what I expected to see based on warning from friends who were pestered endlessly in northern India. When I got a taxi from the airport to my hotel, I was very gruff and said sternly "I DO NOT WANT TO GO ANYWHERE OTHER THAN MY HOTEL!" The guy promised me that the price was fixed (about $30) and that he wouldn't stop anywhere else. It was a nice ride, and he was a nice man, and the road was 100x nicer than anything I'd seen anywhere in Nepal. When we arrived at my hotel he said that I owed him 50% more because it was a night ride. Again, I broke out my mean voice that I had been warned to practice and said "NO! I refuse to pay that. We made a deal!" He agreed that it was his fault for not telling me and waived the extra fee. I guess in India you have to be mean like that. Nepal was much, much simpler.

Angie arrived early the following morning (about 6 hours after me) and we had a joyful reunion even though we were both exhausted. We explored our neighborhood, OTC Road which is the garment district of South India, and then headed into a very local restaurant and asked what was good. Since we didn't recognize the names of anything, and it was a vegetarian restaurant, we said, "What's good? Please give us one of each!" We ended up with two very different looking items, though both were called 'dosas'. One was masala, and was a very thin pancake folded into a triangle and filled with curried potatoes; the other was onion, and it was a bit like a large circular pancake made of shredded potatoes and onion. Both were served with delicious sauces that I can not begin to describe. Yum!

We then headed to the train station to discover our next destination. Which trains would be available? Leaving at good times? Going to places that were on our interest map? Hampi it is! We will be leaving at 10:30 tonight for an 11 hour trip. Since we originally thought it was at 10:30 am, we didn't ask about sleeping facilities... live and learn. We'll see what we get!

Last night, we went on a mission to discover another good restaurant to eat in our neighborhood, and what we discovered is that apparently the garment makers don't eat! We found silks and saris, but no soup. We were too tired to continue looking so we went to bed without dinner... saving up our appetite for another delicious breakfast!

We're off to Hampi... hopefully where Angie can live her new dream of washing an elephant!

Reflections of Nepal

2008-12-05T15:00:00.000-08:00

"In the last camp near the summit I had a very strange vision of all the human parts that I am made of. It is very difficult to keep the vision but I know that I could see a round picture with many pictures inside -- not only of my body but of my whole being. There was a lot of what my life has been, what I did these last years like seeing my life and my body and my soul and my feelings inside a mandala. I was not even sure if it was only mine or generally human, yours or anybody's, just a human being's. It was very, very strange." Reinhold Messner

Though these are not my words, when I read them I felt like YES! That is how it felt reaching the summit of Thorung La at 18,000 feet. It brought so many pictures of my life to my mind. Every person I've known and loved, every place I've been, every place I've yet to go, every word - spoken and unspoken, every dream, every feeling... they were all displayed before me like a like a poem of just images. Simultaneously tears and giggles came forward. My emotions were all celebrating the life moment that would surely be with me for the rest of time. Nepal has been like that for me. I am so carefree and happy, but daily I see images that remind me of how lucky I am to have the opportunity to be traveling, to be here in Nepal. There has not been a day when this thought doesn't cross my mind.

It's been nearly 80 days since I've arrived, though it feels like I've always been here somehow. Each day has been filled with memorable moments - some mundane, some adventurous, some hilarious, some a bit nerve-wracking, and all of them there to teach me something. I have so many photos, thoughts and reflections that it is hard to summarize, categorize and keep it interesting. For this last Nepal post, I want to share some photos that I feel really capture the essence of Nepal.

One of thousands upon thousands of temples in Kathmandu. This one devoted to Kali.

A child I met while trekking, saying "Namaste!" and undoubtedly asking for a sweet or a rupee.

One of a thousand photos I have of the beautiful Himalayas. Every moment of the day, the scenes change and each time I was completely in awe. I never, ever got tired of seeing the mountain vistas.

The daily migration of sheep both to and from their mountain feeding areas.

A public bath at Bhaktapur, one of the historic villages in Kathmandu. Most people in Nepal use public baths (though most are not as beautiful as this one) for all bathing and cleaning duties.

The lush, lush green of a rice paddy right before harvest. So much of the Annapurna region is covered with fields that families tend to religiously. During the Sanctuary trek, the fields looked like this, and during the Circuit trek, they had just been harvested and looked very different.

A typical shop selling socks, hats and other knit items.

One of the hundreds of times that Nepali students clamoured to be in front of my camera, and then to look at their photo with me. Invariably, this involved laughter and smiles.

A scene from Pashupatinath, one of my favorite temples in Kathmandu. These people are headed to the cremation of one of their family members. Notice their beautiful clothing...

Women returning from a long walk to the hills to gather food for their animals. Mind you, women do at least 80% of the heavy lifting in this country for reasons that I don't quite understand.

A few other random photos and observations...

People squatting to just rest or have a conversation, umbrellas in the sunshine, cows in the streets, terrible roads, landslides, insane traffic, the beautiful masala of Hinduism and Buddhism combined and the seamless way they are integrated into everyday life (like protecting cars), online chatting with a Buddhist lama, absolutely worthless police officers that seem to travel in groups of 20 and not do anything, public bathing rituals, affection between men and affection between women - but not affection between men and women, spontaneous celebrations including public dancing and singing, women at work, the hazards of just walking down the street (potholes, gutters that are two feet deep, random sharp objects, power lines that cross sidewalks), being offered tea in nearly every shop or office, , wandering sadhus (holy men) who will give you a tika for a few rupees, children in their school uniforms, girls with braids, signs that would never make it in the US, the enormous popularity of Brittany Spears and Avril Lavigne (that is the best America can offer?), the bright, vibrant colors of life, sheep and goats and buffalo, the enormous loads of porters in the mountains, the delicious taste of Pringles after a long day trekking, public transportation and fitting 28 people in a mini-van built for 12, shopkeepers who give you their cell phone numbers and invite you to their homes, Kathmandu's terrible air pollution, tuk-tuks and rickshaws, bridges that would never pass code in the US, sinks without pipes (so your toothpaste lands on your shoes), electrical wires that look like a birds nest that run the power system here, daily power outages ("load shedding") for 4-6 hours, "good price", the absolute natural beauty that is around every corner that you look, the obnoxious, ear-shattering horns in Kathmandu, getting out of the tourist areas toexperince life in the "real" towns, people sweeping their dirt floors, and so much more.

Of all the things that I am grateful for in Nepal, it is mostly the people that I have met (pictured here is Gerdien, Tine and Ellen) and traveled with. I am working to see every person as a teacher and every situation as a lesson...(thank you Liz Gilbert!). I have been enriched by my many experiences in this country and know that I will be back someday.

Next for me, South India on Sunday 12/7 through January if all goes as planned! (Yes, I promise to be safe.)

With love,
Pam

"The human soul does not want to sleep, desires to awaken and wants to win. When I become a traveler to the gold-shining peaks, I feel like I am going in search of heaven."
Mahakavi Laxmi Prasad Devkota

Scaring Yourself is Good Fun!

2008-12-01T02:37:00.000-08:00

WOW! I just came out of the sky from my first ever paragliding adventure. It was amazing fun, a little scary, and I nearly hurled. But besides that, I had a blast!!! The cost was a little steep in Nepali terms (around $75 USD) but I decided it was an experience I wanted to have...and I'm really glad I did!! (Sorry mom.)

The truck ride there was a hoot and holler - literally! - in itself. Here's a short video of me and Gerdien in the back of the truck ...obviously a little nervous! (I can't figure out why my videos are in sepia, but I think it adds a little character...)

The take-off was a little quick. There wasn't much introduction, except "run, and don't stop until you reach the cliff". Well, that scared the crap out of me, but he made it sound so easy. So I did what he said, and the VOILA! We were in the air floating at about 1,200 feet above Pokhara. We drifted and floated, and honestly, I wasn't scared at all. It was beautiful, and so completely free. The flight lasted about 40 minutes. Here's a short video of one of the early minutes of the flight:

And a few photos from the air...

That's Gerdien below me...
At the very end of our flight, about 200 ft. or so off the ground, my pilot said, "Do you want to have fun?" And of course, there is only one appropriate answer to that question. And, then without further warning I nearly barfed. He did an acrobatic stunt and spun our glider around in circles at about 100 miles per hour. I screamed so loud, and seriously I almost lost my lunch...we were spinning and spinning, and I couldn't even see the lake or anything. I was pretty sure my pilot knew what he was doing, but I sure felt like I was going to die.

But, then I landed safely...thank God and Spirit and all who watched over me!

And here's Serg, the adorable French pilot who kept me safe...thanks Serg!

And, then I had to lay low for a few minutes and relax my stomach which had somehow lodged itself in my throat...

Reflections? Life is short. Keep it fresh and fun. It's good to scare yourself occasionally!! And in case you were worried, I have resumed eating, post-trek fashion.

Giving thanks at 18,000 feet

2008-11-25T01:06:00.000-08:00

Just before beginning my recent 18-day trek of the Annapurna Circuit, I sat in the lobby of a musty guest house in Besisahar in anxious anticipation of the election results. I'd urged my trekking companions to postpone our departure by one day under the auspices of allowing time for my toenail to heal (which it did), when in actuality what I really wanted was to know the results of the election before we departed! It was a really spectacular moment in my life, and one that I know I will never forget. Al Jazeera was the only news channel that I could see, and the reporters were obviously elated. The people in the lobby with me were from all around the world, and they were celebrating too. I cried as I listened to Obama's acceptance speech, and then told nearly everyone who would listen along the trail about our soon-to-be new president. I can tell you first hand that the world is really celebrating this victory as much as we are, and perhaps more. This vendor in a remote village of Nepal had a photo of Obama on his wares, and was ebullient when I told him I was from the USA.

The Annapurna Circuit trek was fantastic... we crossed Thorung La, the world's highest pass at 5,417 meters (nearly 18,000 feet)! This was a huge accomplishment for me personally on so many levels, but mostly the fact that I really didn't think that I could do this. Some of you may know I have asthma, and though it's relatively mild I've always somehow been convinced that it meant that I couldn't challenge my lungs in this way. Well I did, and they worked! ANYTHING is possible...

Though the pass was certainly a big part of the feeling of pride that I'm feeling now, trekking for 18 days for approximately 140 miles, gaining (and then descending) approximately 17,000 feet of elevation is a pretty darn big accomplishment too! The photo on the left is of Thorung Peak, which stands at just over 20,000 feet, and it's taken from the pass that I crossed. Doesn't it look small? The photo puts it into perspective for me!

There were so many beautiful points along the trek. We walked counterclockwise around the Annapurna range beginning in Bhulbhule, and ending in Nayapul. The towns and villages along the way exist year round for the most part, which makes it different from the Sanctuary trek. Most of the villages are hundreds or even thousands of years old. Braga, Upper Pisang and Kagbeni were a few of my favorite villages as they have retained the character of their age, and reflect the simple way of life for the residents.

From Kagbeni, you look north into the Kali Gandaki river valley, which is the direct route into the Mustang region (where I might have been if my permit had arrived...but life works out exactly as it is supposed to) and it is one of the most beautiful places I've ever seen. It is late in the day so my photos aren't great, but they show the daily afternoon migration of the sheep from the mountains back to their home in Kagbeni. There were probably 1,000 sheep, perhaps 4-5 large flocks, each with shepherds and dogs to keep them in check. One by one, they each crossed a narrow bridge across the river, until soon after they were running right by us. It was a seriously beautiful moment that I will never forget.

The majority of the people who live along this route live an agrarian lifestyle; the others run guest houses or other services for tourists. We saw people farming potatoes, corn, millet, rice, cabbage, cauliflower and sugar cane. Mostly, the women do the harvesting work. The men handle the animals and plows. In the higher elevations, there were yaks, sheep and goats everywhere. At one of our guest houses that sat at about 4,000 meters I even had a chance encounter with a yak in bathroom! Luckily, I wasn't in there when he was cleaning the floor with his tongue, but I did get to witness it.

On the west side of the pass the villages are along the historic trade route between Tibet and India, and so a very strong Tibetan influence is still felt today. We met several Tibetan refugees who are proud to tell you about their heritage, and sad when they think of the current status of their homeland. This one, Norju, is a 71-year-old who emigrated to Nepal in 1959 at the age of 23 -- the same year as the Dalai Lama. He now sells Tibetan handicrafts at a small stall along the route. I wear a bracelet that I bought from him to remind me of my experience and this place.

The group that I was with was a huge part of the fun of this trip, too. Considering that I only knew one of the other five people (three trekkers and two porters) before we all met at the trailhead, it could have been a disaster. Indeed, it worked out perfectly. It was Erik, a hydrologist from Minneapolis, Jaya an engineer from California, Gerdien my Dutch friend that I met in Kathmandu, and then Shova and Parvat our two porters. We all got along great and really had good energy. I'm sure we'll remain in touch for a long time to come. We shared many laughs, much sweat, a few tears, a lot of gas (!), and an unforgettable life experience. The gas I'm told is a natural function of our bodies when they get to high altitude. I'm sure the diet of constant carbohydrates (dal bhat, macaroni, porridge, and Pringles) didn't help either. Trekking is a good way to get to know someone really well!

A memorable moment occurred on the second day of the trek. Ellen, a German gal that I had met in Pokhara and been traveling at the same pace with (she saw me cry during Obama's acceptance speech!), had a terrible accident. She fell through a window at a lodge where she was having lunch. Our group arrived about 20 minutes behind her and her partner Tine, and got to witness the chaos and a lot of blood. Her major bleeding had been stopped, but she had at least a dozen other lacerations that needed cleaning and glass removed. I immediately got into nurse mode, broke out my first aid kit and began to clean up her wounds. Thankfully, there was a doctor only one village away (almost two hours) so we stayed until he came and stitched her up in four places. Amazingly, Ellen and Tine continued their trek, and finished on the same day we did!

The flora and fauna are stunning...everywhere you look. I thought my plant-loving friends would appreciate seeing that poinsettias do actually grow in the wild! And, they grow to be 20-30 feet tall when given the chance!! And, did you know that there is such a thing as a rhododendron FOREST? They grow in the wild, and can reach 40-50 feet tall with trunks as much as 3 feet across. Certainly this is a reason to come back to Nepal in the springtime to get to witness it all in bloom.

Happy Thanksgiving to you all, and know that I give thanks to each of you for your support, friendship and love.

The Divinity of a Common Life

2008-10-31T20:44:00.000-07:00

My hotel room in Pokhara looks right into the backyard of a typical Nepali family. Every morning, by 6:30, the strong smell of wood smoke fills my room through my open window. Shortly after, the sounds of happy children playing and giggling dance through my still sleepy ears. I open my eyes and peek through the window to see a grandmother sitting rocking a child in a small chair, while mama is busy preparing breakfast. Three children, probably all under 7 years old, are playing a game of tag in the backyard courtyard.

Their roof is made of corrugated tin, and it's held to the home by a collection of large rocks. The home is simple, one or two rooms and the toilet is in a small closet in the backyard, and is a squat toilet that doesn't flush. (You use water from a bucket to do that). If the inside of their home is like others that I've seen, there is a couple of platforms that multitask both as couch and probably bed, too. Theirs is a very typical home.

Saturday is the one day of the week that the children don't have school. Yet they still rise early to settle into the rhythm of a busy life. It is very common to see very young children helping their mothers with the laundry, housework, gardening, watching over their younger siblings, or even sometimes working at the family business for most of the day. When not working, kids play in small groups, often with simple things like an old Coca-Cola crate, or a rock. There is a game that both adults and kids play and it always attracts a big group. I've never been able to see inside the huddles that form but this game can captivate audiences for hours at a time. All they have here to play with is their imaginations, and I've never seen happier, less fussy, more content people (both adults and kids) in all my life.

From my observations and also by what I hear, Nepali women work far harder than Nepali men. For the women, it is far more than just preparing the meals. It is harvesting the rice, drying it, hauling vegetables often from afar on their backs, tending to the garden, raising the animals, leading them to pasture to eat, milking them. When they are not preparing for a meal (always Dal Bhat), they are doing other household chores. At least 80% of Nepali families do not use or have a washing machine. Instead, they gather at the river's edge, in large or small groups, to do the washing and to take baths. This photo was taken in Pokhara at the Phewa River, about a one minute walk from where tourists pay $150 for a paragliding or rafting adventure. There are people doing laundry, doing dishes, bathing and getting water. The rivers are also often used as toilets...think about that.

The average Nepali family makes less than $500 per year - just over $1 per day. Life is very simple here. They do not ever complain about eating the same meal twice a day, every day (if they are lucky, sometimes it's only one meal per day). When I was helping the students write letters to their American sponsors, many of them said their favorite food was rice. I also thought their drawings that they would create for their sponsors were also very telling. One of the most striking to me was of a forest that was all stumps, and a mom at home crying. The title was "No firewood for cooking." These are the kinds of things that kids worry about.This image is of a woman who is using the sun's heat to dry her recently harvested rice. She was doing this for at least 12 hours without a break as far as I could tell. Her children were playing in the rice, and helping her sort the grains for sticks and rocks.

I had mentioned in a previous post that probably only 5% of Nepali people have cars. This means that people walk everywhere, all the time. There is never a time when the streets are not busy. There's an energy that just radiates from the earth. Another popular way for families to get around is by motorcycle. Unfortunately, this is the best photo that I've got (and it's certainly not the most remarkable) but if you look closely you'll see four people - two adults and two kids on this one. I have seen as many as five people riding one. Probably the most interesting (alarming?) scene on a motorcycle was a woman who was breast-feeding her baby while sitting sideways on the back. There was another child sitting in front on the gas tank. Today I saw a 5 year old sitting on the rear bike rack of his dads bicycle while holding his infant brother. His dad was peddling very fast and nearly ran me over! None of them had helmets on.

In my past posts from Nepal, I have been talking more about my experiences, and less about Nepali life. I hope this helps you appreciate the many blessings that you have in your rich and abundant life! I will begin trekking the Annapurna Circuit beginning on Thursday, and will return to blog life when I return sometime around November 25.

With love,
Pam

On turning 39, homemade rafts and my big toe

2008-10-29T02:36:00.000-07:00

On Sunday morning, I packed my bags and left Kathmandu. I got on a plane bound for Bhadrapur in the far southeastern corner of Nepal with Som to do some more volunteer work with ANSWER. When I'm traveling with Som, I don't have to worry about a thing. He's my translator, tour guide and boss all in one. He's great!

We spend the 24 hours between Sunday noon and Monday noon visiting five schools in five different towns. I'm really lucky to have had this opportunity to travel Nepal from east to west. Som tells me that I've seen more of Nepal than 98% of Nepali people. And from my experience talking to the locals I think that is true. Most people only leave their villages to go to Kathmandu or Pokhara. Not further. Certainly most Nepali's have never been outside of Nepal at all.

So, after our busy day of visiting schools, this one is in Biratnagar, our cab drives east as far as it can go and then Som says, "This is where our adventure begins." And, boy did it! The main highway - which is the only road - had been washed out in September floods of the Koshi Khola which killed thousands of people, and it was terribly devastating to the entire Eastern terai region. So we started walking... and went for about 1/4 of a mile through sandy shoals with me pulling my princess suitcase. (In case you're wondering, rolling luggage does not work well in sand, but I couldn't in my haste figure out how to make the transition. Bummer!)

So we finally arrive at a place alongside the river and there are literally hundreds of people standing there, and a dozen or so entrepreneurial raft makers. I honestly thought when I looked at the rafts, with only the drivers aboard, that I was surprised any of them were floating. Gilligan could have done better! It was definitely of the home-made variety, and had bamboo poles across a very simple looking hull. Just for a moment imagine that the Department of Transportation does not exist. That's what it's like here. Essentially I-90 is closed, and everyone with a piece of plywood and a hammer becomes an entrepreneur, and they are your only hope for crossing the country.

The driver is telling everyone to get on, and then Som said, "Let's go." So I follow him, and there is barely a place for me and my Princess Bag to sit...and, I am maybe passenger number 30 on the boat. The people keep coming, and coming and coming. In all, there were 55 people AND a motorcycle aboard the 25' long boat (maybe 8' wide?) for the quarter mile journey across the fast moving river. (Yes, mom, I heard your frantic voice in my ear...)

I honestly was making my escape plan the whole way across. I was SURE it was going to sink, so I was constantly aware of which shore was closer, and what I needed to hang onto. But Som was in charge so I just trusted him. Things just go like this in Nepal. The motor sounded like a lawn mower with something like molasses in the tank.

We arrive at our "destination", meaning we have made it across safely to another sandy river bank. I was so relieved that I was practically giggly...until I saw our NEXT mode of transportation. It was a tuk-tuk -- a kind of gas-powered rickshaw typically built for 8 or maybe 10 people. So all 55 people getting off the boat run for the tuk-tuk... and 24 of us make it in and on this tiny little thing. I am just laughing at this point since I'm pretty sure I'm not going to die now, but just might be stranded for a while. My Princess Bag gets thrown on top with four guys who are also holding about eight other bags, and Som tells me to get in fast. The tuk-tuk tries to move but we are stuck. So all the guys pile out and push us over the obstacle (a three inch high sand pile) and then jump in the moving machine. I've never seen anything like it! Absolutely hysterical, if only for the point that no one else is laughing at all!

The whole ride I am watching the tiny windows for any evidence that my bag has fallen overboard, which would surely mean into the river. At one point, it was about 1/3 of the way off the roof but luckily Som was able to secure it to window and get the guys on the roof to pull it up. The entire experience - from sandy shoal to Gilligan's raft to the end of the tuk-tuk ride was almost three hours. This photo was taken from the back right corner towards the front right where Som was sitting. Imagine that there are 15 other people in this tiny space that you can not see. Crazy!! Definitely a day that I will never forget.

So when we arrive at the end of the road Som's phone rings and it is Joanie wishing me a happy birthday! Very sweet, as I seriously had almost forgotten that it was this day. But unfortunately, in all the chaos and with the time delay of the phone I hardly hear a word, but I'm feeling happy none-the-less. It was a great call to receive!

So we hire a posh cab (thank you Som!) and hit the road. Only Alyson, Joanie, Megan, Leila and Kathy will REALLY appreciate this but the first song that comes on the radio is "Careless Whisper" by George Michael. Memories of our post-trek van-ride karaoke party made me laugh out loud! I HAD to sing. (Sorry Leila, but no interpretive dance!)

We arrive at some small town in the Eastern Terai region of Nepal and Som tells me he has a small birthday present for me, and he breaks out a bottle of wine. It was about the best, most-needed, happiest glass of wine of my whole life. We toasted to life!

The next day, we head for Pokhara and spend a couple of days just hanging out together. We hiked up to the World Peace Pagoda, paddle boated around Phewa Lake and I ate lots of fresh fruits and vegetables (thank you Pokhara!).

For the last three days here, the country is celebrating Tihar. It is a wonderful festival, and thankfully does not involve dead animals. Instead it involves singing, dancing and lots of lights and candles. As if in a celebration of life, the streets are filled - for three days straight - with spontaneous happiness. Kids, women, men...everyone gets into the spirit. It is such a joyous festival that it makes me wish we celebrated Tihar in the US. While on our hike up to the Peace Pagoda, we were stopped by at least ten different groups of kids who insisted that we watch their well-practiced performances, and then of course make a small donation. I couldn't resist their smiles and joy...
Thursday morning, Som headed back to Kathmandu to prepare for his upcoming trip to the USA. I spent much of the previous two weeks helping him prepare documents for his appointment at the American Embassy. I was thrilled when he was granted his US visa! (By the way, he will be mostly in the Detroit/Grand Rapids/Chicago and Virginia/D.C. areas from mid-November until mid-January. EMAIL him at answer@wlink.com.np if you want to host him and meet a really fantastic Nepali guy on his first trans-Pacific trip.)

This morning, I decided to do my first really "touristy" thing and I went white-water rafting. The river had class 3-5 rapids and it was a BLAST! Unfortunately, no good photos from the experience since my camera is not waterproof... but suffice it to say it was awesome.

So, still wet from my river fun, I haul my very heavy princess bag to the new guest house where I will be staying. While lifting it to be a backpack (I finally figured it out!) I catch my big toenail on the bag and I rip it 90% of the way off. OUCH!!!! Luckily, like an angel, a really wonderful Canadian medical school student (score!) named Sarah just materializes out of thin air. I sit down, panting after I see my toenail standing STRAIGHT UP. (I deleted the photo...sorry to those of you that I grossed out!) She is so gracious to attend to a strangers disgusting, bleeding toenail but she does it. We decide that I should go to the clinic to see what they think. Slightly hesitant, I agree and we wrap my toenail (that will not lay down) and she accompanies me to the "hospital".

Third World hospitals really ought not to be called hospitals at all. It dark, there's no receptionist to check us in, all the patients share two rooms, there is blood splattered on the walls, mold growing by the sinks, and it's just plain dirty. Eeewww. We walk in and peek behind a curtain. The doctor sits me down, looks at it and decides that it must be removed. Sarah agrees, and so I submit. They lay me down and proceed - without warning - to jam a needle with local anesthetic into my toe FIVE TIMES! (the photo above was my last peaceful moment.) I am not kidding when I say that I screamed so loud, and for two minutes straight, that the entire hospital, and probably neighborhood, could hear my pain. Bless Sarah... she held my hand through it all. Thank heaven (Buddha, Durga, or whoever) for friends in new places!

Next week (assuming my toe allows which Sarah and I both think it will), I will join Gherdin and a few other orphans for another trek. This time, it will be the Annapurna Circuit, which is more of a cultural trek through authentic, year-round (not just for trekkers) Nepali villages. It's part of the major Tibetan trade route from hundreds (if not thousands) of years ago. From what I hear, it's a very different experience than the Sanctuary, though equally amazing in it's own right. We'll do it with porters, but no guide. Cheaper, and apparently very easy on this route. I am REALLY looking forward to it!

Now, I'm sitting in an internet cafe, happy that my toe is feeling better and preparing for my next adventure. Hopefully it will not involve Gilligan, any of his relatives, or filthy Nepali hospitals.

With love,
Pam

Two Glorious Cups of Tea

2008-10-22T06:27:00.000-07:00

I think today was perhaps the second best day of my entire trip to Nepal so far. I know, it begs the question... what was the BEST day in Nepal? I still have to go with the Annapurna Base Camp day, but today was a close second.

After a hair-raising day yesterday (which ended with a ride in the tourist police car BACK to the restaurant in question, with the lights flashing, in a Kathmandu traffic jam - a 30 minute, very slow, very embarrassing ride), Gerdien stays at my hotel with me and we decide to get out into nature today to unplug from the previous day's chaos.

We head to a national park that is just at the outskirts of the Kathmandu Valley called Shivapuri. We are really looking forward to some much needed peace and quiet, and about 10 minutes into our hike we run into the largest all girl's school in Kathmandu, who's brought their entire student body to the park. Oh well, so much for peace and quiet. We walk as fast as we can (though Gerdien is in her skirt and Birkenstocks) to get past all the giggling girls. I must add that I am still feeling fit from my trek, and keep up with my tall Dutch friend just fine...

We arrive at Nagigumba, a small Buddhist monastery in the middle of the forest which is just beautiful. It's on a hill (in Seattle, we would call it a mountain as it's at about 5,000 ft.) overlooking all of the Kathmandu Valley as you can see in the photo above. We beat the kids to the top, and spend a few minutes getting hugged by the monks and taking photos. Then the girls, and two carloads of tourists from Hong Kong arrive at once. We have to leave too quickly to really enjoy this place.

I read in our tour book that there is an "alternative" route to get down that you "follow the ridgeline about three hours south to Kopan". Sounds delightful, and off the beaten path which is exactly what we are looking for. We walk for about a mile before we stop at a gate wondering where it goes. Thankfully, a local walked by and I asked and pointed, "Kopan?" He pointed just to the side of the gate where there was a very small path. OK, we're off. The trail is really steep, and there really isn't a defined path at all. Not too mention Gerdien is in her Birkenstocks, which makes it extra tricky.

We walk for about an hour in really strange territory, definitely what you would call OFF the beaten path. We're not sure we're going where we are supposed to be going (or, you could say we were EXACTLY where we were supposed to be) but we keep walking though the path has split about 20 times. We see two local village women carrying heavy loads and heading down the mountain. I do my best Nepali, and point down the mountain, "Kopan?" They agree that they are heading in the same direction (though the communication style was HILARIOUS as she kept pointing backwards, and indicating some path we were supposed to be on behind us, but then scolded us when we turned around.) We continue to follow them down. They are both wearing thin rubber flip flops, which inspires Gerdien to forget about her footwear situation!

They sit down at one point, and then we sit. I offer them water (which Hindu's usually decline because they don't like to share germs for some reason I don't quite get) and they both gratefully accept. Gerdien has an apple that we offer to them, and they ask if we can share it (in sign language, of course). I break out the Swiss Army Knife - definitely a good reason to carry one - and we all share a wonderful moment. We determine that Mama is 66 years old, and Didi (term of respect for an older sister) is 50-something.

After our break, we get up and continue walking. Again, Mama points backwards and kind of yells something, but when we turn around she shakes her head and indicates that we should continue walking with them. They sing and laugh all the way down the mountain, certainly amused by the unusual Westerners that they've stumbled upon and saved. Eventually, we arrive at a small town and the shop owner invites us in for tea. We sit, have no real conversation, but really share another wonderful moment in time. After the first glorious cup of tea, a young girl walks us to the trail where we are to head to Kopan, and we say goodbye to Mama and Didi.

About thirty minutes later, we arrive at what we think is Kopan (hint: there are about a million prayer flags) but there is no sign, and only a small path to where we believe it should be. We decide to take it, though the day is getting late and we only have about two hours of daylight left. The first building we come upon is definitely not the stupa, but the door is cracked and we hear some drumming and chanting coming from the building. Curious, we walk to the door and listen. A very young (8 years old?) Buddhist boy dressed in his dark red robes walks up the stairs, greets us, and invites us in.

Here's where the magic began, and unfortunately it just wasn't appropriate to break out my camera. Words will have to do...

As we enter, the music is getting louder and louder. We are led into a beautiful room downstairs that is filled with young Buddhist lamas. We kneel on the floor inside (after taking off our shoes, of course) and watch the ritual that I imagine has been going on for several hours at least, maybe all day. There are 20 boys in the room all sitting around the edges of the rectangular and beautifully, ornately painted room (think of a Buddhist Sistine Chapel, if you can), with tables in front of them. They sit in lotus position and they are all chanting from traditional texts. Each boy has a special instrument and they seem to be grouped by what instrument they are playing. Two boys get up and move, and they make room for Gerdien and I to sit at one of the tables. We gratefully oblige, though in all of the fuss they make for us, the chanting and music continue. It is almost like this is the most powerful dream I've ever had. Time stood still, and we just watched. Tears began to stream down my face and I just couldn't help it. This was a life moment that I would never forget, but yet I can hardly find the words to describe it.

The instruments included (in very un-technical terms) two 8' long trumpet-ish horns (that sounded a bit like a tuba with only one note), two other shorter one-note horns with something that resembled a clamshell on the end, two heavy pewter bells with beautiful sound, a pair of cymbals, a large hanging taiko drum, some Tibetan hanging cymbals, and a few other unidentified noise makers. The lama who seemed to be in charge was about 10 years old. The devotion and faith were absolutely stunning to watch. I made eye contact with a few of them, and they would smile and act a little shy, but never skip a beat in the ongoing chanting and ritual. After what seemed to be every page of the ancient texts that they were chanting from, a different boy would go to the front of the room before the alter of Buddha and perform a ritual that I couldn't quite see though I know it involved pouring water into a heavy pewter cup. The boy would then walk backwards through the room and as he did the other boys would cease playing their instruments and chanting, and they would all simultaneously through rice into the air, as if in celebration, and simultaneously shout in celebration.

Just as I was getting into the groove of recognizing what would be coming next, a young boy came before us and presented us with two cups of hot tea and a smile, as if to say, "You are welcome here." It was magic, as I had almost forgotten that I WAS really there since it was so mysteriously dream-like. It brought me back to life, and made me realize that this was all really happening.

We stayed in the magical room, both transfixed by the devotion and beauty of the ceremony, for about an hour. Realizing that daylight was running out, and that this ritual could go on for days, we showed our respect by offering them the most heartfelt "namaste" that I have motioned on this trip, bowed to the alter of Buddha, and quietly slipped out the door.

What a perfect, spontaneous, magical day! I'm looking forward to having a world of these kinds of moments during the next nine months away.

With love,

Pam

My encounter with the Kathmandu police

2008-10-21T00:22:00.000-07:00

So, I am just hanging out in Kathmandu, awaiting a permit for my next trek. But as is the case in Nepal, you never really know what they mean when they say it. Perhaps I will get a permit. Perhaps I won't. I've been waiting for a week now so I'm starting to get impatient. Hopefully I will be able to post some news on my next adventure soon.

But for now, I have been kind of stalling in Kathmandu. Staying at the Pilgrim's Guest House in the Thamel district (the tourist neighborhood), they have welcomed me like family. They notice when I come and go and ask a lot of questions. Sometimes this is a good thing. Sometimes, it's not. That's another story.

But I digress... during my stalling in Kathmandu I have met a really wonderful Dutch woman named Gerdien (say "HAIR-deen" with a hard H like German). She's volunteering at the orphanage where I considered working, but have decided not to because the timing just doesn't work out. It's a blessing to meet her because she's easy going, funny, really friendly and adventurous. We've spent a few days hanging out in Kathmandu together, exploring neighborhoods and the sights. Last night, I met her at a restaurant near my guest house for a cheap, delicious dinner. We're dining with a guy from Australia that she's met. Everything is going along great, I'm getting travel tips from the Aussie and the lights go out. (This is a daily happening in Nepal, usually for about 3 hours at a time.) Nothing unusual. About two minutes pass and then the staff comes around and lights a candle at our table. About twenty minutes later, Gerdien goes to grab something out of her backpack, and it's gone.

Shit. We're freaked out. We're the only white people in the restaurant. The staff speaks a little English, but they don't seem very concerned about the missing bag. We call Som (I can not say enough nice things about my Nepali big brother) and he rushes to the rescue! Som calls Pilgrim's Guest House and they send two English speaking staff down to the restaurant to try to help us locate the missing bag, and to communicate the situation and what we have seen (which, unfortunately, is not much.) Her bag contained just about everything important (camera, credit card, bank card, sunglasses, money, address book, etc.) but fortunately, her passport is safe at home.

Som recommends that we NOT call the police as they are really good for nothing. But the staff from Pilgrim's says that it can't hurt, and we agree. Thirty minutes later (thank God no one is hurt) we are told that we need to walk to the Metro Police station about 10 minutes away to file our report. We arrive, and no one seems concerned. Our escort is asking questions, but they seem more concerned with who he is and why he is with two Western women. He's a member of the lower caste so they quiz him endlessly. It seems for at least the first five minutes there is no discussion of the missing bag.

A few minutes later we are just standing around. Just waiting. For what, we do not know. Then a truck arrives. It is a king cab truck with a canvas canopy over the back. We are told to get in the back of the truck. I'm not kidding, there were TEN police officers in the truck with us. And, thankfully, our escort from Pilgrims. We drive the long way through busy Thamel (as if to make a statement that the police really DO do something) and then arrive at the restaurant. Along the way, I decide that I have to break out my camera and take some photos. At first they are hesitant, and then they start posing for photos. Here's a few good ones...

The cops were hardly what you would call imposing or intimidating, as you can see. They all want to look at their image on my camera as soon as they are taken.

At McDonal's Fast Food Restaurant (really, this is what it's called), all ten police officers go inside and then emerge a few minutes later and say, "Well, your bag isn't inside." Of course it's not. Two hours have passed since the incident so it's not surprising that the bag has made a getaway. We're all certain that it was a staff person from the restaurant who took it. Total bummer. It's important to note that we are asked to come back the next day (today) to file our report. That's why we visited in the first place...

Today, we have spent the ENTIRE day dealing with the hassles of losing everything. Visiting the Dutch Embassy. Cancelling credit cards. Calling banks to get new cards issued. Calling her parents to wire the money. Getting the lock to her room at the orphanage opened (the key was in the bag.)

At the embassy, the officer there tells us to visit her friend who is a businessperson near the restaurant in question. He's buff, and well respected in the neighborhood. If he thinks they are bad and took the bag, maybe they will surrender the bag (minus the money, about $100 dollars which she's offered as a "reward"). We're going to try this Mob tactic a little later today.

A wasted day, but we both recognize that we are safe and healthy. Inconvenienced for certain, but glad to be together to walk through this stressful, crazy day. Thank heavens for friends in faraway places...

Some thoughts on Kathmandu

2008-10-13T02:55:00.000-07:00

Since arriving back in Kathmandu from the peaceful oasis of Pokhara, I find myself longing to get out of this city. Don't get me wrong - there are many beautiful things to see here. I've done the "tourist tour" and visited the largest Buddhist temples - Swayambhunath and Bodhnath - which are beautiful. Swayambhunath is also called the "monkey temple" for a good reason. It is beautiful and we visit near sunset, unfortunately mostly viewing it through the lens of my camera. I must go back.

Today, I went back to Bodhnath, the oldest Buddhist stupa in Kathmandu. Pictured above, it is also a really peaceful and spectacular stupa. Thought I'd been two times previously, today I went towards sundown to experience the swarm of monks that circle it clockwise as the sun in setting. I decided to sit down as walking just didn't feel right. I faced the stupa and closed my eyes. A few minutes later, I felt someone standing in front of me. I opened my eyes and it was a monk dressed in his robes. He was smiling at me, and asked me what I was doing. I told him that I was "listening to Buddha." He laughed and then sat down next to me and we had the most delightful conversation. He told me about his escape from Tibet, the monastery where he lives and we exchanged email addresses (!) so we can remain in contact. Dawa invited me to tour his monastery which I plan to do this weekend.

My favorite Nepal destination so far is the beautiful Pashupatinath. It's the largest and most important of the Hindu temples in all of Nepal. I learn in my guide book that it's devoted to Shiva, the destroyer, specifically to Pashupati, one of Shiva's more peaceful incarnations. Most striking about this place is that it's located along the Bagmati River and is a popular place for cremation ceremonies. It's a surprisingly beautiful event to watch. Watching from the far bank, I can see that logs are stacked on a small cement platform just above the shallow river. The deceased body goes through a series of rituals while their feet are touching the river, and the body is wrapped in beautiful cloths. The body is then carried to the cement platform and placed on top of the logs, which are then lit on fire. Once aflame, the family of the deceased surrounds the body. A family member takes water from the river, returns to the platform, circles the body in a clockwise direction, and then deposits water in the person's mouth. The family leaves the platform and the fire continues to burn. As the embers of the fire are nearly burned out, the still smoking logs and ashes are pushed into the river as an offering to Shiva. I have visited this place twice - the first time in a monsoon with Joanie, Megan, Alyson and Som; the second time this morning for about four hours. It is certainly a rich environment to ponder the realities of life and death.

The traffic in Kathmandu is CRAZY! I know it's probably crazy in most third world countries where the car is a relatively new introduction, but I've certainly never seen anything like this. The roads are narrow, at least 60-80% of the traffic is pedestrian, and there are bicycles, rickshaws, motorcycles, taxis, minivans, animals, tourists, Tiger Balm vendors (bought some!), transport trucks, and various animals. Certainly these streets were busy before the arrival of cars, but be grateful for a good ol' traffic jam in the USA.

As best as I can tell, here are the rules of the Kathmandu road:
1) There are no lanes.
2) There are no speed limits.
3) When traffic stops, honk.
4) If it doesn't move, honk again and hold it.
5) Drivers licenses and knowledge of city geography are optional for cab drivers.
6) The streets have no names, hence there are no street addresses.
7) Street names, as indicated by the "map" can change from one block to the next.
8) Whoever honks the loudest has the right of way.
9) It is fully acceptable for five people to ride on a motorcycle.

Here's a YouTube video on Kathmandu traffic, since I couldn't figure out how to upload my own.... mind-blowing!

I've had a few (um, let's just call them "interesting") experiences with Kathmandu roads and traffic. Here's one that I wish I had photos of to tell the story, but words will have to do. Returning from Pokhara to Kathmandu, Alyson, Megan and I decided to ride the "luxury" tourist bus. About 2.5 hours into our 6.5 hour trip, our bus suddenly stopped. Awakened from a nap, I looked around to see that there were cars in front of me as far as I could see. We waited for a while inside the bus, and after a few minutes our driver informed us that there had been an accident the day before, and the roads were closed because there had been a death. As the bus was heating up we decided to get out and look around. We walked around for a bit and talked to a few Europeans and heard a few more stories about what was actually going on. This much was clear: the road could be closed for five minutes or five days. No one knew. After about three hours had passed, our small group decided to walk ahead past the scene of the "accident" and see if we could get another bus heading to Kathmandu on the other side. About a mile past our bus, we came upon what had obviously very recently been a riot scene: a smoking transport truck that had just been torched in the middle of the road sideways, a public bus with all it's windows smashed and tires slashed, hundreds and hundreds of people - half looking angry and half just carrying on as if this was completely normal. I turned and said to Megan and Alyson, "Just walk fast and don't make eye contact." Well, in this situation, I will tell you that I have never felt like such a White Tourist. I was pulling my convertible backpack (surely a sign of a princess) and wearing my cute new skirt. Needless to say I didn't blend in very well. The good news is that we made it safely past the scene and shortly after we did, the traffic started to move. About an hour later, our original bus finally made it through the scene and it stopped to pick us up - certainly not something that a Greyhound bus in this situation would have done! We were grateful to arrive in Kathmandu almost 12 hours after our ride had begun.

On a happy note, I had mentioned to several of you my joy at having been invited by the Chhetri sisters to celebrate the largest Nepali festival Dasain with their family. Originally, I was thrilled at the invitation as it was just the kind of experience that I am asking for in my trip. Soon after, I looked up the festival only to discover that it included a massive public slaughter of hundreds of thousands of animals in one day. Eeeewwwww.... The festival turned out to be beautiful, and I didn't have to witness any killings, thank Buddha. Upon arriving at the celebration, the Chhetri "mama" gave everyone a tika to honor the goddess Durga's victory over all of evil.

The women of Empowering Women of Nepal (run by the Chhetri sisters) were all dressed up looking beautiful, and handing out sweets for us to enjoy. Then, the children who are also a part of the program came out to dance, giving us an enthusiastic, heartfelt performance. It was one of the sweetest moments of my trip so far. Absolutely a wonderful afternoon!
Despite the craziness of Kathmandu, I am grateful to have a wonderful hotel with a peaceful garden oasis. For now, it is my home and I've made a few friends who I've been spending some time with. It feels really great to just sit still for a few days while I evaluate my next move for the next 30 days in Nepal.

Joanie, Alyson and Megan are all now gone and I'm on my own. I hope (and think) that their trip to Nepal was as life-changing, eye-opening and awe-inspiring as mine has been so far. I will miss them, and am grateful to have had them with me.

With love,
Pam

My Own Personal Himalayan Sanctuary

2008-10-07T23:33:00.000-07:00

I don't even know where to begin the story of my trek. I will start with a resounding WOW! The essentials:

Route: Annapurna Sanctuary
Days: 11 (we cut it one day short)
Mileage: Approximately 70-80 miles
Weather: Nearly perfect (actually rather hot, except at Base Camp). 90% of the rain fell after we had arrived at our daily destinations, and ended before we awoke.
Terrain: From 3,000 ft. to 13,200 ft., with lots of ups and downs in between (we estimated that we gained 15,000 feet of elevation over the course of the trek) - forests, rivers, mountains, meadows, waterfalls.
Animals: Langur monkeys, and of course buffalo, sheep, goats, dogs and a few cats.
Views: I had no idea how amazing they would be... Every day there was a new vantage point of the remarkable Himalayas.
Group: Amazing. From left to right, Kathy, Joanie, me, Alyson, Megan and Leila. Kathy is a nurse from Boston, and Leila, a hilarious, 20-something Cannuck on her own spiritual adventure through Nepal and India. This was us all fresh and clean on Day Number One, before we discovered how much we could sweat.
Guides & Porters: As I mentioned previously, the trek was offered through 3 Sisters Adventures in Pokhara, Nepal. I would highly recommend this organization. As we were on an "all woman" trek we had a woman guide - Saru - and even women porters - most of whom weighed less than I do.
Body: I am feeling quite firm, healthy and buff, despite a ridiculous amount of calories in the form of carbohydrates, Pringles, and Snickers bars. (All readily available on the route.) Only bodily mishap - one mildly sprained ankle a day prior to our finish (it could have been much worse!) I was able to finish the trek with a borrowed brace and trekking poles no problem.
Health: Mine good, though Joanie had a pretty yukky head cold for most of the trek (though she still beat me on the trail every day!)
The Verdict: I made it!

Now, about trekking: Trekking is a rigorous adventure. Each day, we walked for between 4-7 hours and gained between 1,000 - 3,000 feet of elevation. There are about 50 million stairs (not an official count) on the Annapurna Sanctuary route, but they are not your standard "American" style of stairs. No, in fact, there is no standard height and they are made almost exclusively out of roughly carved rock, tree roots, or slippery earthen mud. I would guess that the stair height ranged anywhere from 2 inches to 3 feet. Needless to say, we worked hard for every one of the many steps, and it's nothing like the stairs you are used to at home! The elevation gain is slightly deceiving as we often gained only slightly more altitude than we lost in a single day.

A word about sweat. I had A TON of it on this journey! In fact, often we drank up to four liters of water a day which only resulted in a few trips to the bathroom. Most of the liquid excreted from my body was coming in the form of hard earned perspiration and exhalation!

The Annapurna Sanctuary is positively fantastic. The route is shaped somewhat like a wishbone were we walked out on one route (Nayapul to Chomrong), then headed towards the Annapurna Base Camp, backtracked our route to Chomrong, and then headed a different direction (Chomrong to Khare) on the way out. Each day brought a new view of at least one of the spectacular Himalayan mountains (each that we could see more than 21,000 feet high). The views are absolutely breathtaking. We hiked through Rhododendron forests (with trees up to maybe 40-50 feet tall, they are not like this at home!), over bridges of whichI know my mom wouldn't have approved, into bamboo forests, alpine meadows, under waterfalls and through dozens of small villages.

The highlight of my journey was arriving at the Annapurna Base Camp. THIS is why they call the trek the Annapurna Sanctuary. For us, it was a divine gift that was slowly unwrapped for us to experience. When we left our previous rest spot the weather was a bit cloudy and we couldn't see any of the mountains. Saru, our guide, couldn't promise us that the weather would change or that we would get to see the mountains once we arrived. As we got close and were working really hard for every breath, we began to see a tiny bit of blue sky, hinting at the glory that was to come. One cloud parted for about a minute and we were able to see one mountain - Fish Tail. That bit of beauty brought tears to my eyes... it was the moment that I realized that I had arrived at over 13,500 feet, and that my body was strong and my asthmatic lungs (fueled by pharmacy) had made it. This seriously could be one of the biggest and most amazing achievements of my life. And this was before the magic was completely born!

About an hour after we arrived in about as dramatic a fashion as I could have dreamed, the clouds parted and the angels started to sing... it was nearly that mystical!It is called the "sanctuary" because when you arrive you are literally surrounded on all sides by the fantastic Himalayas. Imagine 10 Mount Rainiers, but twice as tall and all around you. The photos can not serve justice to the beauty of this place. I am so grateful to have made it there, and to have witnessed the unveiling!

We watched the sun set over the mountains, creating an orange glow on the eastern slopes. In the morning, we woke early to watch the sunrise in nearly the same fashion except for this show I broke from our group and found a quiet place to sit alone. I closed my eyes and just listened to the mountains. Everyone had their cameras flashing and I couldn't bring myself to interrupt the experience with technology. When I opened my eyes I just started to weep. I had one of the most mystical, magical experiences of my life with those mountains, and did manage to capture a few photos before departing (though I swear the photos can't capture the scale and grandeur.) I can assure you that the universe has given me another sign that this is exactly where I am supposed to be...

Leaving the Sanctuary was a tough experience. That really was our "destination" and as we arrived on day 8, the final days were emotionally a little more taxing. The first part of our journey we were working to get to this amazing place, and coming down it felt like serious work! Still beautiful, but now the stairs seemed twice as big!

Our team of female guides and porters was awesome. 3 Sisters Adventures operates a program called "Empowering Women of Nepal", and it is through this program that they recruit young women to the trekking industry, which is Nepal's largest source of revenue. The women were from 18-25 years old, and each one had a story about a difficult life they were leading before being "discovered" by the Chhetri sisters (who own and operate 3 Sisters Adventures). The women all enjoy the mountains, nature, learning English, singing Nepali songs, and dancing! We shared many heartfelt laughs along the route. I found out after I arrived that 3 Sisters Adventures have just received a 2008 Geotourism Award from National Geographic Magazine. I can say that it is much deserved!

Another amazing discovery on the trek was the positively amazing variations in people that we met along the way. We met a family with three children under 7 years of age, met a 70 year old man who had tried and failed the Sanctuary route 17 years ago, two moms hiking with their two kids (who were married), budget travelers, sabbatical seekers, and many more. It was a wonderful surprise to meet such interesting people along the way.

Near the end of the trek, we opted to cut a day of hiking and one village (Ghandruk) off of the itinerary. The weather was questionable, the rain had fallen the previous night meaning that the leeches would be out and looking for our blood, and the route was 6 hours uphill without a rest stop. Wouldn't you cut that day too?

Alyson, Megan and I trekked at a pace slightly slower than the rest of the group, and dubbed ourselves the "caboose clan". Though we were always the last to arrive by 15 minutes or so, we all enjoyed our "relaxed" pace enormously (if you can call 5,000 steps in one day relaxing). Despite some serious calorie intake, our bodies all seem to have responded with a good deal of tone and muscle, something I hope will last for a while!

One disclaimer: if you are grossed out by the sight or smell of donkey or buffalo dung, consider yourself warned... it is everywhere!

Next for me: celebrating Dasain in Pokhara with the Chhetri sisters (Nepal's largest festival) and then back to Kathmandu with the gals for some final shopping and sightseeing before they all depart on Sunday. After that, I'm not quite sure yet... stay tuned and I'll let you know as soon as I do!

With love and gratitude,
Pam

Shepherds, Oxcarts and Sleeping Dogs

2008-09-24T06:32:00.000-07:00

These are just a few of the things that we dodged in our minivan tour of Nepal during the six days on the road. In all, we covered nearly 1,500 Nepal Miles. Imagine driving for that long on curvy, unmaintained forest service roads and you'll get an idea for the scale and experience of it. Our flat tire count for the journey ended up being five.

During that time we visited 15 schools, and met with nearly 100 students. It was absolutely life changing, and I just have to say again that ANSWER is really doing fantastic work in Nepal. Check them out. And, since I began the volunteer work with their students the morning after I arrived, and then I returned to Joanie, Megan and Alyson, I haven't been alone yet!

But I digress. The story today is about the roads. And the kids. And some other miscellaneous things I've learned about Nepal along the way. The first thing is to point out that less than 5% of the population of Nepal have cars. If you count motorcycles you probably get to 8%. So, the roads are owned by bicycles, pedestrians, cows, dogs, roosters, oxcarts, shepherds and rickshaws. 95% of the other vehicles that we saw on the road were either buses, vans for hire or transport trucks. So close your eyes and imagine a Nepalese "highway" and what it's like when you approach a town at 50 miles per hour. The street is filled with everything but cars. We don't slow down, but our driver Sumar just lays on the horn (as is the custom) to warn the people of our impending approach. The people and even animals have somehow learned to move out of the way JUST in the nick of time. It is absolutely one of the scariest things I've ever experienced! Well, at least it was the first few times, then I just came to accept it as the way it is! And somehow it works. (Kathmandu traffic is even crazier. In a future blog post I will talk a little more about that.)

Now about the animals. Virtually everone in Nepal has a "pet" - a buffalo, cow, goat or rooster. At least one, sometimes 100. And none of the animals are kept inside or in pens or cages. So all of them roam free through the towns and villages to eat and socialize and then apparently they return to their homes at night. I'm pretty sure that I saw more animals than people in the tour of Western Nepal.

The children are amazing. I have been so very touched by all of them. Many of the towns where the students live, there is no electricity or running water so their lives are very simple, to put it mildy. At all schools, no matter the location, each child is required to wear a uniform. The sponsor provides one, and the family provides one. At each school, I get to work with one or two students to help them read and reply to the letters from their sponsors. ANSWER is unique in that the sponors have a direct relationship with the particular child whose education they are paying for. Twice a year the students write the sponsors letter, and twice a year the sponsors respond. The kids always send a picture that they have drawn - sometimes a Hindu god or goddess, a drawing of the farm at their house, a drawing of one of their pets, or something like that. I can not say enough about my experience working with the kids. The student pictured at right with her mother and I insisted on buying me a mango juice. She ran home to get her mother, who could speak no English, but they just smiled and somehow we communicated. It was amazing considering that her family probably earns around $1,000 per year..

I hope to join Som and the rest of the ANSWER gang on their trip to Eastern Nepal sometime after the Dasain and Tihar festivals in late October or early November. What a great way this has been to see the countryside! I never would have gone to such remote places without them.

Nepali food customs are very simple. Breakfast is simple: always tea, maybe a boiled egg or something else small. Lunch and dinner consist of rice, lentils, cooked greens and what they call "pickles", but what I think is something like a specialty salsa. It is served on a beautiful silver tray with each portion occupying it's own place on the tray. Once you start eating and are getting close to done, the woman who's been cooking will come around to give you more of whatever you want, for as long as you can eat. It's like a Nepali "all-you-can-eat" except that when you eat all you can for as long as I've been here, youa little tired of it. It is prepared with loving care, and best of all it's all cooked so you're pretty assured to not get sick by eating it. It's quite a satisying meal, and especially conventient for a vegetarian like me. In the rural areas we weren't even given menus as Dal Bhat (as it's called) is the only thing that is served. If you'd lie you can order mutton on the side.

Friday morning - assuming that Megan's luggage arrives as scheduled from Singapore tomorrow - the four of us (Joanie, Alyson, Megan and I) - will fly from Kathmandu to Pokhara to begin our trek on Saturday morning. It will be a twelve day adventure, and I'm unsure if I'll be able to post any blog updates during that time. If not, know that I will be enjoying the remote regions of the Himalayas with some amazing people, and the 3 Sisters Adventures. We'll be returning by van to Kathmandu on the morning of October 10 after celebrating Dasain with the Chhetri sisters. More on that adventure later...

Pray for the end of the monsoon in Nepal!

With love,
Pam

Life is Beautiful

2008-09-21T07:29:00.000-07:00

These are the words that Som, my new Nepali friend, muttered yesterday morning as we were leaving our hotel at 4:00 am in a monsoon. Of course, we were leaving that early to make up for lost time as the main north-south highway had been closed unexpectedly. I am learning to accept Nepali time, and even enjoying it quite honestly. My guides (three of them: Som, Bal and Kamal) keep asking if I'm going crazy because Nepal doesn't operate on Western time. I love not having a schedule to stick too! So, on our way to our destination we got a flat tire, and then another road was closed. That was a 300 mile detour. Oh well...such is life here, and I am not bothered because I have nowhere to be at any specific time.

The work that we are doing is amazing. I am traveling with ANSWER-Nepal, a U.S. based organization that sponsors "needy, bright kids with parental support" and pays for their private school tuition. It's a brilliant program, seriously. Check out the website above for more information, and even on how you can sponsor a kid and change their life for about $250 per year. I visited about 15 schools in 10 different villages in my unbelievabe tour of Western Nepal.

We have traveled about 1,000 miles in five days. In the last two days we have had FOUR flat tires. I don't think I've had that many flat tires in my life, but it's most certainly the result of the roads (which are terrible). Again, we pull up to someone's house, drink tea, talk with the family while the driver fixes the tire. It's much different than AAA, and much more cordial, I think.

Working with the children is absolutely amazing. In every single one of the villages that we have gone to I have not seen one other white person. The kids look at me like I'm an alien, then the smile, put their hands together in prayer position and bend their heads and say "namaste." I have so many photos of children that have touched my heart forever. Hopefully I can upload some of them soon (but not tonight as my internet cafe closes in five minutes). They all want their photos taken and then I show them on my digital camera. It's the most amazing piece of technology they have ever seen.

Tonight we are in Nepalganj, a small town near Lumbini where Lord Buddha was born. (They all like to remind me of that). Tomorrow we will visit two schools and then head back to Kathmandu, of couse, that is a schedule change because another road to western Nepal has been damaged by the monsoons. I'll bet this is our 12th schedule change...

UPDATE: Last night as I had just typed the above copy and was literally JUST pressing publish, the power failed. So here I am again, on my dial up connection, in beautiful Nepal. And, it just took me 45 minutes to get to the page to hit publish again. If you're reading this, it worked!

Ah, life is beautiful. And, not living by my watch is pretty magnificent too!

Safe in Hong Kong

2008-09-15T18:03:00.000-07:00

What a journey it's already been! Had a tearful, joyful send off with Scott, Angie, Annie, Chrystal and Joanie. And Sadie. It has been very hard to say goodbye to family and friends over this past week, but today (yesterday?) was especially tough. I'm grateful to all of your support that has given me the strength and courage to take this leap. Thank you to all of you.

Safely in Hong Kong, I am suffering from a terrible headache - probably the result of dehydration, jetlag, extreme sleepiness and too many vodkas in the airport send off. I am feeling very "out of my body" and have decided to try to stay awake for these ten hours before my transfer to Kathmandu. Not much to report as yet, except the fact that I'm typing means that it was a safe flight. Good news!

OH, and for the record Cathay Pacific rocks. Good food, a digital movie, TV and music selection. Comfortable seats (relatively) and adjustable headrests. Made the 14.5 hour flight tolerable.

Off to walk. Sitting is making me sleepy. Must stay awake...

Losing Time

2008-09-11T13:04:00.000-07:00

Perhaps this is just a funny coincidence, but maybe it's a sign... This morning I was packing my bag and my watch fell off. Literally just fell off. The band didn't break, it just kind of "unsnapped" at the hinge of the watch face. At first, I thought it had broken and I was upset. Then I started to laugh. A few months ago I had an epiphany that in order for me to get all I could get out of this trip I was going to need to "let go of time." If you've talked to me in person in the last three months or so, you've undoubtedly heard me use those exact words. Isn't the universe hilarious?? In my Seattle life, I tend to be a busy body. My schedule is usually full of fun social engagements. I love to plan dinner parties. I'm always organizing something. Then there are the special weekends that are dedicated to one or two people that I plan months in advance...

This journey for me is about letting go of time in a couple of ways. First, just not relying on my Outlook calendar to direct my life will be a big accomplishment. Second, literally letting go of "Western" time, and that foreign life isn't going to work according to my watch. (I'm sure this will come in handy at the Delhi train station.) Perhaps the universe has a pretty spectacular sense of humor, and I am on the receiving end of a hilarious, karmic joke. I am going to have to relax into my new surroundings with the peace of a yogi, which sounds pretty wonderful to me.

With love,
Pam

Fenceposts

2008-09-07T09:04:00.001-07:00

Many people have asked me to post the itinerary for my trip. While nothing is really set in stone yet, what I do have are scheduled flights, or what I like to call them - "fenceposts." Here is what those look like:

September 14 - Depart Seattle for Kathmandu (via LA & Hong Kong)

September 16 - arrive Kathmandu

September 23 - Alyson & Megan arrive in Kathmandu to join me on the trek

September 27 - Begin 12 day Annapurna Sanctuary trek in Nepal with 3 Sisters Adventures

October 12 - Say goodbye to friends...

November 17 - Kathmandu to Bangalore, India

December 8 - Angie arrives in Bangalore!

February 1 - Delhi, India to Bangkok, Thailand

March 31 - Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam to Berlin, Germany (with a visit to Poland to see relatives with my mom)

April 14 - Berlin to Los Angeles, CA

April 15 - LA to Guatemala City, Guatemala

June 9 - Begin a 10 day Parsons GoodWorks tour in Costa Rica (you're invited!)

June 21 - Begin a second 10 day EcoTeach tour of Costa Rica (with my niece Alanna)

July 8 - San Jose, Costa Rica to LA

July 9 - LA to the Red Mountain Spa in St. George, Utah (via Las Vegas)

July 13 - Return HOME!

Change is hard

2008-09-06T12:28:00.000-07:00

As I sit at my desk at work clearing up all the loose ends and trying to leave things in order, I am feeling very sad. Isn't that a strange thing? I'm about to embark on the most exciting adventure of my life, and I'm sad. Am I scared? No. Am I nervous? A little. Sad? Definitely. Change is hard. I have a great life in Seattle. A wonderful, comfortable house. An amazing job with people and clients that I love. An amazing dog who I love more than anything. Good health. An active lifestyle. The love of family and the world's best friends. If you know me well at all you know that I lean towards optimism. Sadness is uncomfortable. And, it's OK. And, really, there is no other way for me to feel right now. I am leaving everything that is comfortable and oh so good. And jumping into the great unknown. The land of bugs, and leeches, and germs, and strangers, and... Yes, here I come back to my center... adventure, wonder and surprise. Everything is going to work out just as it is intended to work out. I will have good days and bad days. In the end, I know that this is exactly where I am supposed to be. And, even though change is hard... often what we need in life is to jump off the tracks of our comfortable existence and into something unfamiliar. I am the only one responsible for my own happiness, and I am jumping, with eyes wide open, into the possibilities of the unknown. I am excited to share this journey with you.

With love,

Pam

Six weeks to go!

2008-08-03T15:48:00.000-07:00

I just found this photo of a sign that a friend saw in Burma a few years ago, and I have to share it. This is a big year for America, and a critical time in our planet's history. Some of these are relatively easy to process and comprehend, and others take you a little deeper. I am hopeful that on this trip I can help to get in touch with exactly what each of these "sins" means, and how they affect our global culture. Perhaps I will be able to bring something home to help make this world a better place. I hope this is the case.

Yesterday I determined that I will be visiting Poland on this trip - after SE Asia and before Guatemala - likely in early April. It is the place of my roots, and luckily enough I still have relatives there that my mom has been in touch with for years. I'm planning to meet my mom and travel through Poland to get a taste of the country that my ancestors called home. When I told my 91-year-old Grandma last night she cried. She is so happy I will be able to see her father's home.

Today I looked at the calendar and I leave in exactly six weeks. I've got to get busy with my planning. It seems like I've had "forever" to get some things done so I've been putting them off. The time to get busy is NOW so today I find myself crossing some items off of my ever growing to-do list. Back to work...wish me luck.

With love,
Pam

Airplane tickets

2008-06-13T10:54:00.000-07:00

My itinerary is taking shape! Yesterday I purchased my airline tickets through February...here's where I'll be:

September 14 -- Depart Seattle for Kathmandu (via LA & Hong Kong)
September 16 -- Arrive Kathmandu
September 25 -- Head to Pokhara to stay at the Chhetri Guest House and prepare for the trek
September 27 - October 8 -- Trekking in the Annapurna Sanctuary (can't wait!!)
November 17 -- Depart Kathmandu for Bangalore, India
February 1 -- Depart Delhi, India for Bangkok Thailand

At this point, I anticipate that I'll be in Thailand through mid-April. I will probably take some side trips and check out Cambodia, Laos and/or Vietnam.

After Thailand, I'll head to Guatemala (6-8 weeks to study Spanish) and Costa Rica. Pura Vida!! I also want to end the trip somewhere totally decadent (but cheap), so let me know if you have any suggestions. I'm thinking that Mexico should have the perfect spa/retreat where I could invite friends to join me. Ideally, it would involve relaxing, a comfortable bed, organic fresh food that I don't have to worry about getting sick from, water that I can drink freely, a really excellent massage therapist and yoga. Too much to ask? I don't think so...

And, I should add that I am so blessed to have adventurous friends. I have two friends who have positively committed to come visit me for extended periods on the trip -- Alyson Falwell and Angie Morgan. There are several others (that will remain nameless so as to feel no pressure!) that also will likely come visit me along the way. The adventure will be a perfect balance of independence and inter-dependence. It will be wonderful to share this experience with friends.

So many questions!

2008-06-07T17:41:00.000-07:00

So many answers! Ever since I decided to take a sabattical, the energy of the universe has been completely overwhelming to me. It seems for every question I ask or hurdle I encounter, an answer presents itself in a way that surprises and excites me! Welcome to my blog. This will be a way for you, my friends and family, to follow my journey. People ask me why I am going? Won't I be lonely? Isn't it irresponsible? (Well, OK, they don't ask that one but I know some are thinking it) And to them I say that I am going on a journey of self-discovery. An adventure to uncover who the authentic me is. I am excited to discover who I am outside of the confines of my routine. That is an answer that hopefully lies hidden along the Annapurna Sanctuary or on a Thai island...in a Mayan teacher's eyes...or in any of a thousand places that I will visit or people that I will meet. Don't get me wrong. I have an amazing life here. I am not running away from it, but rather choosing to step outside of it for a while and reflect with an open heart and a clear mind. Thank you for your support of my dream. I am so honored to have the opportunity to live it, and to share it with you. With love, Pam