This small blog is a short list of bullet points of the thoughts, impressions and observations that i made during my one month stay in Nepal.

• Nepali's are smiley happy people, specifically in Lang Tang region.
• During the off season some Nepali's have trouble making money, due to lack of tourists, some will become desperate at time.
• Horn/ Honking on the roads is used in a completely different way in Nepal that it is in Europe. They use it to warn that they are overtaking, which i might add is especially useful for lorries and buses with big 'blind spots'. they also use their horn when they are going fast around blind corners in order to warn on-coming traffic of their presents, so that everyone sticks to thier side of the road.
• Nepali's are big on card games, especially in the mountains in the evenings as there is so little to do. we learned a very simple card game called 'Dumal'.
• Beware of NOT AT ALL tasty mangos. friuts which are good are Pineapple, Leechee, Banana and water-melon.
• Communist signs are very common, especially in rural areas. they will just be graffitied in random places.
• Swastika signs are also common but are ALL Buddhist of course.
• There are LOADS of buses everywhere, some tourist but mainly local.
• There is water in abundance, even in summer, but mostly not drinkable unless purified.
• There doesn't seem to be any 'Nepali' look per say. Just combinations of Tibetan, Chines, Indian etc depending on where you are geographically there will be more people of a certain look.
• Corn is grown in huge quantities in many parts but we couldn't see where it all goes! the only place where we saw corn was in street stalls where it was grilled on a fire.
• 'Stop and Stare' at anything! this seems to be the Nepali's pass time. they will stop where ever they are doing and just stare at absolutely anything of the vaguest interest, be it card games, unusual occurrences, incidents etc etc etc
• Within the tourists business world in Nepal it seems that every business is linked with several others in one way or another. Hotels and travel agencies are a specifically good example of this. So often you find yourself being moved around between friends, not always to your advantage.
• Thamel (Kathmandu) and Lake Side (Pokarah) areas are 100% custom made for tourists and should not at all be taken as a representation of the towns themselves.
  
• There seems to be a lot of political unrest and some confusion even amongst Nepali's themselves. Strikes occur quite often as do protests. This mess might also be connected to the odd situation with the Royal family.
• Dal-Bhat! the Nepali's dish of the masses. Tasty and cheap. Price range from 80 Rupee up to 300. the dish comprises of vegetables, curry, Bhat (Boiled rice), Dal (lentil soup), sometimes yoghurt, meat is optional and one can sometimes choose between mutton, chicken and pork. expect a meat Dal- Bhat to cost about 50 Rupee more than a vegetarian one. It is the only dish where you would be offered a refill of pretty much everything other than the meat. Dal-Bhat is a spicy dish and of course the level varies depending on the person who makes it but my average spicy rating is a 6.5/10, so most people should handle it without any trouble.
• As an Israeli it became VERY clear that anyone who deals with tourists (shop keepers, Taxi drivers etc) KNOWS that you are Israeli! and will happily approach you saying  'Shalom' etc but it gets worse when at night people offer you drugs in Hebrew, 'Rotse Samim?'. simply showing the sheer volume of Israelis who come to Nepal!

heres the deal.. jegs blog has already been featured and he has most if not all of the same pics i have.. but im writting my blog cause my stories are a bit different.. heheh and i have more pics of thailand etc.. so read on if you like.. some laughs promised i hope

I arrived in HK around lunch time from toronto canada.. the flight had arrived a bit early and after 2 days of travel on a plane without taking a shower i was glad that i arrived safe and sound. all i was thinking was that i hope grzechu is at the airport to pickup me so i could head straight to the hostel and take a nice long shower. i gave him a text and he said to meet me at the main arrival hall.. i didnt have to wait long which was also good.  then we boarded a bus to our hostel.. the airport was at lantau island and we headed to kowloon where our hostel would be. we got off the bus and had to get on the metro. it was clean and nice and when we got out of the metro it was raining but luckily again our hostel was right across the metro. it wasnt a very nice location. hahah and i was surprised to see that there were many indians (hindu) and africans in hongkong. we checked in to our room which was barely big enough to fit 2 small beds and a toilet which is in the same space as the shower and sink. hahah no windows either and the airconditioning was barely functional. but i guess we get what we paid for since it was relatively cheap.. i also got a call from amy saying the she was in macau with her friends and i told her we will meet after we get rested a bit. so after i took a shower and rested a bit.. me and grzechu headed out to the famous clocktower where we have a great view of hongkong island. the weather was a bit rainy but that was okay.. there was a breeze also which was great cause it was really hot and sticky weather..  we headed off to hongkong island to walk around and we saw alot of OFW (overseas filipino workers) and i mean alot of them! hongkong is very impressive with its skyscrapers and modern architecture but other than that there is really nothing else to see.. we met up with amy around 8pm at the clock tower again where we saw the city show of lights! its was pretty cool with laser beams shooting out of the building and all.. by this point we were all hungry... i was still a bit sick (sore throat) so i wanted some hot noodles or soup.. i had congee which is like rice soup.. good for the throat.. we really do much else after eating... we dropped amy off at her hotel and said that we would meet up the next day to see the big budha in lantau island.

This temple is very famous by flower which means there are many flowers each seasons so we called  "temple of flower".
Now, here is a season of Hydrangea. I like the Hydrangea because it's flower of my birth(June).

I went there by the train with my daughter.Nara is near Osaka but this temple was far away. If you'd like to go to there then you have to take Kintetsu line from namba to Yamatoyagi and take local train to Hase temple. I arrived there 2 hours after I leave my house. It became a short trip. We walked about 15min. from Hase station to hase temple. Seems Hydrangea seasons was finish already. There was quiet. Few people were there. I & My daughter entered Hase temple and climb up stairs. It was not real stairs. It's wide. Can you imagine? How was hard step to next one.lol My daughter already sweat. It's 4PM. Widy became cool. Hope it would be make us cool down!

We could see nice view from this stairs. Especially the end of year day we would see most beautiful viewing with light-up.It's written on the guide map of Hase temple. The main temple is top of stairs. We saw the landscape from the balcony of main temple. You will see all cherry blossoms if you come here in spring, You will see all autumn tint if you come here in autumn, You will see all snow if you come here in winter. I saw all green which is my favorite color in summer:)  Air is fresh!! 

We go back along path. There are some Hydrangera. They are not so gorgeousness. They are just standing there as usual. I thought that  this in most important to come here seeing Hygrangera even took a lot of time.

I would come back here other season next time!!

one of the oldest forts built on the land of kerala. check this out

After another very good breakfast we went to mamy lola to say good bye. RJ won't probably see the oldest members of familly any more so we couldnt leave just like that. We stayed there for some time, talking, taking pics and so on. Then after noon, after lunch the uncle drove us to the bus station and we left for Manila - OMG again? Why the heck do we need to go to Manila? Couldnt they build the airport somewhere further out of the city? ;) sorry guys;) but Manila isnt really my fave place. That's whay we chose the hostel as close to the airport as possible to avoid the city. We came aerlier to the capital than we thought, but had no mood to get to the centre or wherever, so we stayed in the hostel trying to get some sleep coz the next morning flight to Singapore was really very soon.

The final road out of China was a bit disappointing.  Our final day in Hong Kong was pretty much rained out.  We took a trolley to the top of the mountain where we were disappointed by the fog which allowed us to see only about 20ft and blocked the view of the city that was just below us.  We took a 90 minute train ride to cross back into the China and the city of Guangzhou.  After getting off the train we took a taxi in which the driver didn’t speak a word of English and I sat in the front seat using both of my arms to form an airplane so the driver could understand that we needed the airport.   He continued to talk to me in Chinese, but we eventually made it to the airport.  At the airport about 3hours and 30 minutes early we soon found out that our flight would be taking off 2 hours late making another long boring wait.

After our 1am arrival in Hanoi we slept in a little before seeing the city and after a short walk around Ana said ‘Well, Hanoi is interesting”. Motor bikes are EVERYWHERE and are not best at following the signs.  Here is probably the worst obedience of traffic signals that I have ever seen.  Crossing the street for pedestrians becomes a work of art that requires care and precision.  On the other hand things are really cheap here.  After arriving at the airport I withdrew 4 Million Vietnamese Dong which at an exchange rate of 17,500:1 comes to about $228.  On our first day somebody asked 10,000 VND for small Vietnamese flag patch to which Ana felt was the beginning of a negotiation.  After realizing that this was 60 cents, she decided that negotiating may not be worth the effort.  Dinner and lunch are normally under 200,000 VND ($12) for both of us and every hotel we stay in should be less than $25 a night.  Our $70 a day budget/person should be sufficient to live a wealthy lifestyle and take some local flights. The hotel that we are staying at in Hanoi only cost $22.  When we arrived the first night at 1am the two 'managers' were sleeping on the floor in the lobby underneath sheets.  One of them woke up to check us in and as Ana started walking up the stairs a mouse quickly ran across the floor.  Luckily she didn't see it (and didn't find out about it until reading this blog entry) or else we would have probably needed to leave the hotel immediately.

The unfortunate part is that it is even hotter here than in China and we have been told that it will only get hotter as we go further South.  We have gone through 2 or 3 shirts some days, but we are starting to just put up with the sweat and make it through the day with the same shirt.  Luckily we had a 3 day break to Halong Bay (about 70 miles East of Hanoi) which was a lot more relaxing than touring around Hanoi and avoiding scooters.  The next week could be strenuous as we travel to a new city every day until we reach Cambodia.  Hopefully we will find some time to rest along the way.

We met some travelers in Vietnam who had just come from Phnom Penh, and they advised us that Okay Guesthouse was the place to be for Phnom Penh. They were right. This hostel felt more like a 4 star hotel, with a warm shower, clean sheets, and friendly staff. The entrance was also a restaurant with a beer fridge, which was a great place to meet and talk to fellow travelers. Even though the entrance was always full of people drinking and having fun, the layout of the place meant that you had no problems falling asleep. From my bedroom I couldn't hear a thing. The hostel was within walking distance from a lot of the major sights, or you could use a cheap tuk tuk to get to where you need to go. Avoid any offers from the hostel staff for bus tickets and tours (etc), as you can usually find them cheaper elsewhere.

Would you like to visit Japan? Would you like to visit in a cost-efficient manner? How would you enjoy a native friend who will not only show help you navigate your way through a foreign country, but will also guide you to the must-see sights, sounds and tastes of Japan? If this sounds appealing to you, if this excites you, then you are getting a tiny glimpse of the blessed experience I had in Osaka, Kyoto, and Nara, Japan.

My friend Miki was born and raised in Osaka, Japan. She moved to the States for undergrad and now is pursuing her PhD. in biochem. Coincidentally her favorite band toured Japan last weekend, which brought her all the way home after about 3 years. In her short visit home, she traveled to Korea where we had a lovely visit. (See previous blog). More exciting than that, she invited me to follow her home the following weekend. I couldn't resist. Although choosing to visit Japan also brought into question my ethical code, the pros of this situation out weighed the cons, especially considering now I can say with full confidence that the cons ensued from this experience were minimal at best.

Before I move on to explaining the wonders and beauties of Japan, let me first reflect on what traveling has done for me. Although I considered myself semi-open minded before I truly began traveling independently, I have since realized that there is something the traveler experiences that the non-traveler cannot grasp. Even though one might read books and ponder cultural norms and differences, just the fact of traveling (even if it's more for fun and less for cultural awareness, as is the case so many times) somehow places questions in your mind you would otherwise never ask. For example, last week while enjoying drinks with my British friend, he said that the Americans he has encountered abroad do not represent America well at all. At first, I wanted to immediately defend myself and say that the typical American expat I've experienced in Korea is very different from the typically American expat in Belgium. Before I could say that, however, he said he thought the typical American was less eager to try to new things, more set in their ways, and was difficult to define considering how vast America territory expands. He said even the most narrow minded American abroad is considerably more quirky cool than any of the non travelers back home. In this way, he indirectly posed the question to me: How has traveling changed me? How do I represent my country, family, etc.? Do I seem like the 'typical' American and what does that mean anyhow?

I could, of course, spend the majority of this entry attempting to answer just those questions. Except I think there is a greater thing going on here: the part where I want to ask the questions in the first place; the part where I already question all of the above simply because being a minority for a change has changed my perspective on many things. I carry myself in a more humble manner in hopes of not being so obvious. I care not so much to 'blend' but rather to co-exist peacefully. I try to understand how although I technically believe in an 'us-vs.-them' mentality, I feel subjected to such a mentality every day. Is that my own insecurities manifesting or is one of the most homogenous groups on earth subliminally sending that message my way? Again, I could elaborate but must press forward.

Upon arriving at Kansai International Airport the first thing I noticed was that the Japanese drive on the opposite side of the road, similar to England, Australia, Thailand, etc. this confused me, for most countries that drive on the opposite side of the road were somehow influenced by colonial Britain and pardon my ignorance, but I am unaware of the connection between Japan and England. The second thing I noticed was that there were considerably fewer taxis, which were Toyotas and looked like black Butler cars for the wealthy. The third thing I noticed was Osaka and Kyoto are bike-friendly cities, unlike most of Seoul.

I managed to find the bus quite easily, although by this point I had been up for over 24 hours. I attempted to stay awake on the bus, trying to catch cultural differences and first impressions but sleeps heavy wonder beckoned me to close my tired eyes. When I awoke I had a moment of panic unsure where I was and if I was at the right bus stop.

I got off the bus thinking I was one bus stop too far. My first inquiry to the bus driver was quite in vain, for he spoke no English. I then wandered the streets for a few minutes going up to random school girls and strangers in hopes of getting some direction of where I was. Just think, here I was in a new country with no cell phone, no knowledge of the language, no phone number or address of my friend, and no way of contacting her if, in fact, I had gotten off at the wrong stop. I decided that worrying was pointless and the best thing I could do was stay put. Some 60 minutes later my sweet friend ran towards me. Torrents of stress evaporated as I saw her smiling face.

Considering we had only the weekend, it was important to prioritize. She was super awesome and we managed to do/see everything I wanted and even more. Our first stop, Japanese noodles. Although different from the delectable real ramen my bro and I experienced in a Japanese restaurant in Copenhagen, nonetheless, these were pretty good. I especially enjoyed that they served tea with lunch. Our next stop was the famous Golden Palace in Kyoto. We boarded a bus and with the swaying and rocking of traffic, I lolled off to sleep again. When I awoke we were there.

More things I noticed: traffic/pedestrians are managed in a much more orderly manner. Within the Golden Palace there was a specific path tourists followed unlike the wide expanses of free-strolling found in Beijing and S. Korea. Things are more expensive: water in Korea = $.50; water in Japan = $1.50.

The Golden Palace is tucked away lagoon style in the middle of bustling Kyoto. It appears to floating in a quaint and surreal lake surrounded by nature's glory. It is tiny but impressive. Although there are many tourists, the place still reverberates a calmness and peace, I have found only within such holy places as Buddhist palaces and Christian cathedrals. While following the path and crowd (perhaps to enlightenment?) Miki told me about "protection" You purchase this protection for a whole plethora of things: good fortune, long life, happy marriage, safe traveling, etc. I was so intrigued by them that I bought a few. I love this idea. She said it is similar to Catholic saints people wear around their necks. Again, love it.

After the Golden Palace we paroosed (sp?) down the happenin' street in Kyoto. I love the architecture. Japanese seem to be more eclectic in taste than the Koreans. They seem to be more free- spirited in some senses. They also seem to have pride associated both with their past and their booming present (future). Koreans, although proud of being Korean, do not seem to have the same outward pride about their history. Perhaps that is because the Japanese and Chinese have had a much bigger (and negative) impact on them than say the reverse? Regardless, I enjoyed this pride of history. It was not arrogant nor in your face, rather just a calm confidence with who they were and where they came from.

Meandering the streets of Kyoto seemed tiring enough, and then we came upon the great upward slope to the Kyoto Temple and Palace (the second most famous tourist attraction in Kyoto). Although the trek up was tiring, it was well worth the sweat. This palace was significantly bigger and had more detailed architecture. I love that people take their shoes off to enter the temple area. I also loved that they had many small stones shaped like people with what looked like red aprons on them. Miki informed that they were there for protection against evil spirits. Some of them were loved ones who had recently died or child deaths, all looking out for the living. This is yet another example of how important it seems to be for people to believe that the living and dead are somehow connected. I could elaborate and hope to do so soon. For now, just know that regardless of where I have traveled I have seen this spirituality for the living and dead again and again. It makes me question if there is some fundamental need for humans to believe in something greater than themselves? It also makes me long for just this belief...

The location of this temple was very symbolic. It was nestled on the side of the mountain. We had to trek up a hill/mountain to find the peaceful temple and then slowly stroll down. How frequent we find our most peaceful moments after realizing or experiencing some stressful mountain. It seems, for me anyway, that the only way I can enjoy and appreciate peace is through the pain experienced previously.

On our way down we enjoyed most delicious green tea soft serve ice cream. My bro introduced this brilliant stuff to me at O'Sulluc tea plantation in jeju-do. I count my blessings this stuff was created: green tea = awesome; ice cream = delicious; green tea soft serve ice cream = brilliant!

That night I was in for the time of my life. Miki took me to the hippest concert around. I could not understand the words mind you, but you would be surprised with how much one can understand through body language and tone. Being abroad has further demonstrated how much body language and tone matter. It is also pretty awesome to see that the Japanese can rock out! It was so much fun. I ended up buying a hip t shirt and post cards. rockin times.

After a most busy day and rockin' night, we finally headed back to her place. Apparently, most Japanese people have their own free standing homes. Unlike Seoul where the skyline is dotted in high rise apartment buildings, Japan is has a much lower skyline with fewer high rise buildings and only a few apartment buildings. The neighborhood was very quite although it was a Friday night. The houses looked like Cali stucco houses but tall and lean. Miki's house was nestled against the bottom of the mountain.

We walked in and immediately took our shoes off. The floors were hard wood. The dog barked. ^^ She showed me around and we went to the third floor to her room. Only recently did her parents place a western style bed in her room. All of her life she has slept on the floor. Sounds uncomfortable the spoiled westerner, but alas it is quite comfy. The mats are thick and the floor is clean.

The bathrooms in Japan are different than in Korea. Most Japanese homes have a bathtub (with a cover), a shower faucet, a toilet separated by either a curtain or door. Half of the bathroom still gets wet when one showers, but here baths are normal. More importantly, they share bath water so as not to be wasteful. Although Miki explained this to me, I'm still uncertain that I understand. Anyway, I ended up taking a quick and much needed warm shower and then went to bed. I fell asleep with the windows open, a cool breeze blowing in and feeling quite grateful for my friend.

On Saturday after a less-than-restful sleep, I awoke to sounds of breakfast being made downstairs. The sun gleamed in through the windows and the house was bustling with activity. After getting dressed I enjoyed eggs & tomatoes, peeled apples, yogurt (with jelly bits), and tea. We then took the subway to Osaka castle. Out of the three areas I visited the Osaka castle is the newest. I was amazed at the gigantic stones placed around the castle as a barrier from intruders. How did they move those huge rocks? Osaka castle is on a huge expanse of beautiful land. Beautiful trees, grass and flowers accompanied our trek towards the castle. The castle has since been transformed into a modern day friendly tourist attraction. Is this a good thing or bad thing? I don't know. Surprising, that's for sure. Regardless, at the top it is a gorgeous view of a city with a rich culture, a historic, complicated past and an encouraging modern-day present/future. I could have chilled up there for many hours. Alas, the clock the ticking.

After descending the castle, we had green tea ice cream again and strolled through the parks. Then we went via metro to the shopping district of Kyoto where we went into a Kimono (sp?) shop. There I bought a few souvenirs. Now for the real pleasure: sushi, but on a conveyor belt. You read it correctly. Considerably cheaper and oh-so-abundant, it was an all-you-can-eat sushi buffet. After paying $11, we sat down at a wooden bar with a conveyor belt in front of us. On this belt there were numerous forms of sushi: salmon, tuna, crab, eel, carp, etc. they had various other dishes, all of which I attempted to try. Oh yea, in Japan, they have ginger ale. Rock on! and in between eating various forms of sushi, I ate real ginger -= delicious. I had two cups of wonderful green tea and more soy sauce in this one setting than in the rest of my life. I loved it.

We continued our day strolling the shopping district and stumbled upon a tiny independent store that sold used goods. I was attracted to this store because of the pottery in the window. (I have a thing for glassware/pottery). Come to find out, most of the pottery there was made in Osaka and had special meaning. It cost quite a bit but I ended up buying almost every piece they had. I hope I can get it back to the States safely. How delightful.

Afterwards, I cleaned up and they dropped me off at this older woman's house. She hosts foreign exchange students. She was a dear! While waiting on home cooked Japanese dinner, Yoona, an Estonian material physicist, came down stairs and we spoke for an hour or so comparing cultures and traveling experiences. It was nice to have a conversation in English with an Estonian. I had never met an Estonian before and found him to be quite intriguing.

And there was dinner! wow! We had tempura (yum) dipped in soy sauce, cucumbers, onions, and boiled eggs dipped in another thousand island like sauce, pork loins dipped in a bbq type sauce, water, miso soup and rice. Conversation was lacking either because there was the tiniest of language barriers or more probably because the food was too delicious. Following dinner we had green tea and coffee cake. This is when the older lady pulled out a scrap book dating back to 1949. Intriguing. Her husband went to U of MI- Ann Arbor for medical school starting at the end of WWII.  She visited him once and they explored mid west America. She said she loved America. We talked about Japanese and American relations during this time (through simple questions and broken English). I was fascinated. So full of history. I was honored. I carefully turned the 60+ year old book hoping to not leave a fingerprint on anything. I looked at the pictures and bus stubs and wondered what she thought about America then? How she felt about life? etc. We spoke about her scrap book and life for a couple of hours. When I thought awkward peaceful quietness was inevitable she then bent down and pulled a colorful assortment of paper: origami. She taught me origami. We were interrupted when my friend and my friend's family returned with Japanese treats and drinks. I tried dried squid, ham, Saki, plum wine, etc. Unlike Soju, you sip Saki (fyi). We then walked home. Wonderful. Upon arriving home we showered(/) and then gathered around the kitchen table for a glass of wine, conversation, and finally sparklers outside (which they call flower fire instead of fire works).

The next morning, true to form, I awoke to gleaming sun, a cool breeze and smells of breakfast waning up the stairs. Breakfast on Sunday consisted of kimbap, granola and yogurt, bread and butter, and apples. Miki's father kindly agreed to take me around Nara, the oldest capital of Japan (1300th anniversary currently). Nara is well worth a visit. It is expansive, gorgeous, and wonderful. Unlike other Buddhist architecture which consists of maroon, teal, blue, etc, Nara is white with brown. Simple and beautiful. I wanted to reflect and ponder the meaning of life here. I know, cliché, but true. We spent a good amount of time enjoying the architecture, soaking up the ancient meaning and spirituality of the place. I purchased more protection, just in case ^^

we then stumbled upon another store where I spent too much money on more souvenirs. And then we wandered the narrow streets of Nara. I tried samples of random fish food, etc. and we even found the tiniest building with an independent artist actually painting. I had the support this independent artist and his noble trade. Then we had another delicious most traditional Japanese meal. We sat on the floor. I noticed the clean lined shutters, the comfy “wooden” floor, the dark panels, etc. we had cooked eel with rice and soy sauce. I added seasoning from the table, which I loved. Alongside it was a traditional soup (which had a fish liver in it). Tea. Radishes and other pickled vegetables (yummy) and egg with mushrooms inside of it. I loved this meal, this experience. I tried to soak it all in, for my time in Japan was coming to a close. A most wonderful way to end my beautiful trip to Japan. Heading to the airport I couldn’t help but smile knowing I had the best experience ever. I heart Japan.

Will explain later:)

but after the spider fiasco, Im secretly terrified of coming across another hairy monster in the jungle.

Pray for me!

M

Fall off a 48 year old very very tall elephant, OR stay on said elephant and have her fling a large hairy spider in your ear. (Like, so big, it wouldnt FIT in your ear)?

Not ususally a choice you have to make but I had the pleasure yesterday on my elephant trek.

There we were, walking through the jungle and lady elephant gets hungry. Now, When a multi -ton animal gets hungry she does not pick daintily at some grass. She rips half a young tree out of the ground (literally) and eats it. OR she grabs huge clumbs of bamboo and uses it as a fly swatter. Which means you are getting swatted with bamboo as she trys to get rid of these really nasty biting bugs. Not a big deal until it happens.

Elephant grabs a bunch of tree branches and gets ready to pull them off. You notice the largest, scariest, hairest, most colorful spider youve ever seen OUTSIDE a petting zoo. Time slows down. The outside world disapears. Its just u and this horrid Shelob creature eyeball to eyeballssss.

What do I do? if the elephant has her way, she will break off the very same branch Evil on Eight Legs is standing on. She will hit the side of her head with the branches and there is a VERY real chance i will have a big Hairy spider on me.

did i mention i have a REAL fear of spiders? I mean it. I cant look at large mounted ones in the Museam Of Natural History back home.

I know ECXACTLY when to close my eyes in Indiana Jones Temple of Doom.

I mean it. This is not a girly "ew-a-spider" fear. This is a HOLY S**T im going to F**KING DIE! Fear.

so what do you do?

If I move away from said elephant, I will fall off and likely be trampled.

if I stay on, i will be so traumatized I will need years of therapy and thats not so cool either.

Meanwhile, the mahouts dont speak a WORD of english.

so whats a girl to do?

I dont know what other girls would do but Yelled NO NO NO NO!!!! and pointed at the leaf (which they couldnt see from thier vantage point on the ground)> then I made a spider with my hands to show them. (which looks just like moose antlers you set up behind peples heads in pictures except here the "antlers" wiggled).

They got the point and pulled the infested branch away from the elephant.

That was a VERY close call.

PS the mahouts where laughing and laughing for the rest of the trek. I cant really blame them.They eat what Im terrified of. Imagine someone looking at a chicken and screaming bloody murder.

Ah well. Glad someone laughed. I have a great story and am so eternally greatful that the damn thing didnt get me that I dont care:)

xox

Miriam

Hello all.

Its late and I dont have a lot of time on the internet meter so I'll keep it to boring 'ol notes for today.

Lets see...the last time I wrote I was in Cambodia. Now Im in Laos. Been here for a few days. Its amazing here! love. it.

Day one: Leave cambodia (prettiest little airport ever). Had a wee bit of a mix up as Eva tried to bring silver serving forks onto the plane (she forgot they were there). No worries. Went back to front dest (everything is right next to each other becuase the airport is so small).

Fly on cute little airplane to laos. Terrain entirely different here. Hills and mountains abound...much cloudier up here...sorta looks like a Trex is going to jump out of the forest at any moment and eat you.

Get to town which is small and has a great french colonial vibe. Eva watched our backpacks as I ran around to no less than 6 guesthouses looking for a place for us to spend shabbos. Found a lovely place that is the poshest stay so far on our visit. FIgured we would spend the big bucks for shabbos ( a whopping 35$ a night). great call though. The owners are really nice. Its like living in an asian style Cali home. Open, airy, very well appointed rooms and a bathroom so modern it makes you want to cry (they had a RAIN shower head!!)

Drop our stuff off and go for a walk in town. Landed up at The mekong riverside and a boatsmen offers us a ride on his long boat for $10 = hour. took up the offer and away we went...up and down the mekong right at sunset. SO pretty!

Next day: ELEPHANT riding! we spent the day riding elephants bareback (or more like bare shouldered becuase you are up on thier necks)..We learned (sorta) how to direct the elephat...left, right...stop. WHich translated into hold on tight and let the Mahouts (handlers) do the work. I DID climb on and off my elephant with out the help of a platform...and I got to bathe my elephant... this is how its done:

kick off your flipflops, sit on the elephants neck and guide her into the water. She can swim and put her head under as she breaths with her trunk. You bend over the side and scoop water to pour on her ears and head. The mahouts get her sides and ears.

Back to town - it was right before shabbos so we ducked into a bar to get a nice fruit drink (fresh pinapple, coconut milk, mint, ice, crush = AWESOME!) and shop at the market for shabbos food.

We ate like kings partially because our hosts allowed us to cook in thier kitchen (thank you!!!)

Pasta salad, rice, tuna, tomatos and mint...YUM! first "meal" since I left NY.

Shabbos day: IT RAINED ALL DAY TODAY!! its STILL raining.

so we did what everyone else does; ignore it and move on. we went for a walk, almost slid down a muddy hill in an attempt to find this silk factory (no go, you need to hop on a boat to get to the other side of the river) walked around town...and then, serendipity hit.

I noticed a school and said lets go take a peek at classes in action. It was a lanugage school and we watched as teens and kids of various ages broke thier teeth over english (its hard for a people with 44 vowles to go squish it all into 5). One of the teachers noticed us and asked us to come in so the class could practice hearing the language from native speakers. We ended up teaching a CLASSROOM FULL OF MONKS

"what is this" an d"what is that" and drilled them on pronunciation and vocab for half an hour. I loved it...maybe I should consider doing this when I get back....hmmm

After our Trek, back to lovely lovely dry hotel. Lunch. Nap. Read.

Evas stomach started rebelling against the food, and mine followed suite a few hours later.

We are signed up for a two day trek and Kayak trip though some of the more remote hill sides/ tribes/ streaches of Mekong starting tomorrow. Big gamble that the rain will stop and we wont be dying of dysentary. JK (about the dying...not clear yet on the dysentary:)

signed up with an expat Canadian tour group - all into eco tourisim and green travel - called white elephant adventures. Will report back after.

that is...if I dont get eaten by a VLB (very large bug).

Peace out.

Miriam

Going to Apo Reef takes a lot of adventure.. well, a lot of transporting actually.. heee.. about 2.5 hours of bus ride from Manila to Batangas port. Then 3-hour ferry ride from Batangas to Abra de Ilog.. 3-hour van drive from Abra de Ilog to Sablayan and 3-hour motor boat ride going to Apo Reef Island..  less than 9 hours.... not bad.. i enjoy a long and butt aching journeys anyway :0)

So, 8 of us (campers) plus a tour guide and 2 boatmen sailed on the seas of Occidental Mindoro last May 22nd. I admit that i was a bit nervous during the 3-hour cruise as our boat fought for some big waves to reach the island. We departed from Sablayan at around 11am so it is expected that it's going to be a rough ride going to the island. Nonethelss, we made it safe & very sound but ourselves & our bags gone wet. But the strenous travel was all forgotten at the sight of the beautiful Apo Reef.. fine white sand, crystal clear water, green forest, clean seashore, no cellphone signal, no tv, no hotel, no electricity and best of all.. just us on this island. a perfect getaway.. (well, as part of Apo Reef preservation there are rangers that patrol the area as it is frequently visited by scuba divers).

As soon as we set our tents near the beach, Chef Janjie busily set his mini outdoor kitchen.. imagine? in this secluded island we have our own kitchen and chef? Really, our tour organizer (Biboy) brought a chef who prepared our sumptuous dishes during the beach camping holiday. it's so much fun having a free culinary experience while on a vacation. Cool! Something different...

Late afternoon on the same day, we leisurely stroll around the island.. cruising at the mangrove lagoon, fun photo shooting at the light house, play on the water and non-stop laughing and joking around. In the evening, after our delectable meal we went for a few drinks, stargazing and shared life stories among others. We were like children in our own world. Laughing heartily the whole night. I enjoyed it so much. :)

The next day, we went on raft snorkeling for about two hours. We saw school of fishes and and some colorful corals around the reef.  Then took pictures at every chance. In the afternoon we wander on the other side of island then went swimming for the last time as we will be leaving earlier the following day.

And so Sunday, we waved goodbye to Apo Reef at 5am. The sun was rising while we were gliding through the calm waters. It was an unperturbed sailing. :0) Luckily, we also saw some dolphins.

8am, we reached Pandan Island. We had a breakfast and snorkel for a few hours. Not so fortunate though as the huge Pawikan is nowhere to find. It's ok though, no big deal. maybe next time. :)

It was truly a rare chance for me to be around with cheerful people. I was just so glad that i didn't miss this trip or i would have regret it. Thanks to Biboy, Aymi, Myra, Len, Dingdong, Janjie and Minda. It was my most fun adventure. It wasn't the best place I have been but i did have the best time. :)

(Btw, thanks to willjohn. i stole his photos and post them here.. hehe.. those are really fun shots. i really enjoyed looking at it every now and then.)

Ino’s Place is located a bit outside the central part of Sapporo. But it is close to a couple of subway stations going to the centre. Around the local area are several shops and restaurants hence it is easy to organize something to eat. Even though it is in the middle of the city there are actually a couple of fields nearby. There are both western style showers and a Japanese style bath which runs for males and females according to some sort of schedule which I did not quite manage to figure out. Down below is a big living room and kitchen area with free coffee, tea and wifi. Plus a library with travel books, other books and TV with a reasonable collection of DVDs you can watch if you feel like it. The receptions is only open from 7.30 till 22.00 at night but you’ll be supplied with a key for the front door so you should have no problem getting in and out. Upstairs are laundry facilities all operated by coins and there is soap for sale in the reception if you need it.

It’s a new month and for all those who have been here long enough to get into the swing of things, the new month means payday.  It was just out of curiosity that I checked my payslip on the computer, money isn’t really an issue for me yet and I’m not even going to submit an expense report for the few days’ costs I’ve incurred until next month.

So yes, I obviously drove back to Viqueque HQ and checked my e-mails etc.  I was hoping for some word from UN Management about my Traffic Team Leader job.  My head is still in two places and it’s stopping me from relaxing into the Uatolari way of life in case I have to up sticks and head back to Dili.

Anyway, there was no word.  I will have to return tomorrow and check again.

You might think that’s a simple task but I assure you that it is not!  I’ve explained about the damage to the road making the 36km drive take 1.5hrs.  Add to that the many villages along the road creating other hazards; pedestrians, chickens, goats, dogs, and buffalo.  Still, I am reminded of a tourism catch-phrase I’ve seen on NZ television, “Getting there is half the fun!”

My personal concerns about e-mail messages were not the main reason for our journey though.  It was arranged that we were to collect one of our PNTL (Police National Timor Leste) compatriots and transport him to Vqq HQ for a meeting at 8am. 

  Bear and I were up at 5am, to meet him at the station at 6am, only to be told that he had had an accident the night before and burned his arm and was now not going to the meeting. 

  It seems that communication is lacking somewhat but we made the trip on our own.  I'm still excited enough about the country that going anywhere still interests me so I was okay with that.  It would have been nice to sleep another couple of hours all the same.

Once at Vqq I faced more obstacles.  The computer allowed me to log on without issue but the internet was a different story.  It took about 5 attempts to get the UNMIT webpage to open.  After 30mins of clearing my inbox I found nothing about any job interview, so logged off to allow the staff arriving to do their thing.

A couple of hours later I tried to check once more before we headed away.  Things were even worse.  I couldn’t get onto the machine internet at all.  There was just one thing for it �" coffee break.  We headed down to a local coffee house and had a cup of quality TL java with condensed milk and a donut.  Ha-ha, coffee and donuts, how cliché!  I laugh because we don’t eat donuts in NZ at all really.

During coffee I received much advice about what I should do to discover the truth about my application.  It was suggested I telephone my contingent commander and ask him to find something out for me. 

That was the third issue with the internet.  I’m now starting to think I have not been loaded into the system correctly as I cannot seem to open anything the others can without much gnashing of teeth and loud swearing.  In the end I settled for sending my boss an e-mail and I’ll return again tomorrow to check my inbox.  I’m over this whole job thing now, Uatolari is heavenly!