here's an updated, but still very tentative, itinerary:
july & august- south korea
september- china & tibet
october- nepal (& maybe bhutan?)
november & december & january- india
february- malaysia & singapore
march- indonesia & new zealand
then returning to the u.s.? seems so far away, but the last 3+ months have flown by. perhaps we won't spend 3 months in india, but it's such a big country, and someplace i've wanted to visit for a while now. and spending 2 months in korea isn't quite traveling, so maybe our trip will take longer than anticipated? i can hear my mom freaking out from across the world... so much can change that it has seemed completely useless to speculate about "returning." for example, i don't know where i'll return to. much less what i'll do when i get there. this is a crazy place to be. fun and terrifying. and probably good for me to experience.
Saturday, June 21, 2008
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
full circle
after vietnam, we had 2 weeks to spare before the next scheduled part of this adventure. on june 25, we fly out of bangkok to seoul, korea, to run a summer program at the school where morgan taught for the last 1.5 years. more on that in a minute...
with 2 weeks to do anything, jasmine opted for the beach where we started for some sun (only partly successful since it's rainy season here), and morgan and i decided to return to tacomepai, the organic farm in northern thailand. so much fun! we didn't tell sandot we were coming, so it was a good surprise. it felt like a homecoming. i knew it would to some extent, but i was unprepared for the calm that immediately washed over me. it's just one of those places; once you've stayed there you're family. so to that extent it's the same, and in other ways it's completely different. the farm work that we did before is done or out of season, so we've learned different planting techniques on the new piece of land that was purchased right after we left last time. and different people are there to help out, so that changes the atmosphere a lot. but this group is just as great as the last one. and--here's a big one--morgan and i are running the farm for the next few days as sandot teaches a permaculture course at a conference in southern thailand. no pressure, right? we're not responsible for *everything* because other people work there, but we'll be the point people for new arrivals and for the daily work. crazy!
after the farm we head to seoul via bangkok. this will be quite a change from the adventure we've been living so far. the principal of morgan's school invited the three of us (having only met me briefly when i visited korea last april) to run a summer program for the students at her school. it's called a summer camp, but it's really more academic than what i think of when i hear camp. so we've been brainstorming ideas for most of the trip, and have come up with some good plans.
i'm really feeling conflicted about this new phase of our trip. for morgan and jasmine korea is another home. they'll likely view our time there as a break from traveling because they know the place, know people, have lives established there. for me, it's all new. it won't be traveling like we have been doing, because i'll be able to unpack rather than the familiar living out of my backpack and moving along every few days. but it will still be an experience of the unknown. i think it will be a challenge for me. i'm not a fan of big cities (which i think i've mentioned ;), and seoul is definitely a huge city. i'm also really ambivalent about returning to work. on one hand it will be good, as i've been feeling somewhat guilty about this extended vacation. it will be nice to contribute once again and earn money, rather than just travel and spend all the time. on the other hand, work is work. it's been really great to be able to spend so much time taking some very rewarding opportunities. if it weren't for living expenses, i think i could find enough intellectual stimulation without a "real" job. i definitely see the advantages of retirement!
i'll probably only post a few times from korea as i continue to process this new situation. but if i don't update as regularly, that doesn't mean i don't want to be in contact with you! please be in touch, my friends.
with 2 weeks to do anything, jasmine opted for the beach where we started for some sun (only partly successful since it's rainy season here), and morgan and i decided to return to tacomepai, the organic farm in northern thailand. so much fun! we didn't tell sandot we were coming, so it was a good surprise. it felt like a homecoming. i knew it would to some extent, but i was unprepared for the calm that immediately washed over me. it's just one of those places; once you've stayed there you're family. so to that extent it's the same, and in other ways it's completely different. the farm work that we did before is done or out of season, so we've learned different planting techniques on the new piece of land that was purchased right after we left last time. and different people are there to help out, so that changes the atmosphere a lot. but this group is just as great as the last one. and--here's a big one--morgan and i are running the farm for the next few days as sandot teaches a permaculture course at a conference in southern thailand. no pressure, right? we're not responsible for *everything* because other people work there, but we'll be the point people for new arrivals and for the daily work. crazy!
after the farm we head to seoul via bangkok. this will be quite a change from the adventure we've been living so far. the principal of morgan's school invited the three of us (having only met me briefly when i visited korea last april) to run a summer program for the students at her school. it's called a summer camp, but it's really more academic than what i think of when i hear camp. so we've been brainstorming ideas for most of the trip, and have come up with some good plans.
i'm really feeling conflicted about this new phase of our trip. for morgan and jasmine korea is another home. they'll likely view our time there as a break from traveling because they know the place, know people, have lives established there. for me, it's all new. it won't be traveling like we have been doing, because i'll be able to unpack rather than the familiar living out of my backpack and moving along every few days. but it will still be an experience of the unknown. i think it will be a challenge for me. i'm not a fan of big cities (which i think i've mentioned ;), and seoul is definitely a huge city. i'm also really ambivalent about returning to work. on one hand it will be good, as i've been feeling somewhat guilty about this extended vacation. it will be nice to contribute once again and earn money, rather than just travel and spend all the time. on the other hand, work is work. it's been really great to be able to spend so much time taking some very rewarding opportunities. if it weren't for living expenses, i think i could find enough intellectual stimulation without a "real" job. i definitely see the advantages of retirement!
i'll probably only post a few times from korea as i continue to process this new situation. but if i don't update as regularly, that doesn't mean i don't want to be in contact with you! please be in touch, my friends.
chickens in the kitchen, part 2
10. stopsign-less intersections, or if they are there, they're completely ignored
11. cambodian karaoke on long bus rides
12. monks in brilliant orange robes, talking on cell phones
13. not tipping
14. not knowing the date, or even the day of the week
15. sitting on wet toilet seats (from flushing with a bucket of water, not pee)
16. using kleenex as napkins
17. no microwaves
18. understanding the language of honking motos
19. walking into oncoming traffic, slowly, to cross the street (this is especially exciting in big cities, but it's the way to do it... you have to go slow and steady so motos can predict where you'll be when they get there)
20. writing the date "backwards"
21. watching badminton in the park
22. people wandering around with scales (i've lost 17 lbs.)
23. dogs sleeping in the middle of the road
24. stopping for cow crossing
25. the biggest shock: waking up pre-dawn for various activities (can you believe it?!)
11. cambodian karaoke on long bus rides
12. monks in brilliant orange robes, talking on cell phones
13. not tipping
14. not knowing the date, or even the day of the week
15. sitting on wet toilet seats (from flushing with a bucket of water, not pee)
16. using kleenex as napkins
17. no microwaves
18. understanding the language of honking motos
19. walking into oncoming traffic, slowly, to cross the street (this is especially exciting in big cities, but it's the way to do it... you have to go slow and steady so motos can predict where you'll be when they get there)
20. writing the date "backwards"
21. watching badminton in the park
22. people wandering around with scales (i've lost 17 lbs.)
23. dogs sleeping in the middle of the road
24. stopping for cow crossing
25. the biggest shock: waking up pre-dawn for various activities (can you believe it?!)
Sunday, June 8, 2008
it's been one of those weekends...
where everything goes right. most of the time i don't like booking tours; i'd rather explore on my own than with a big group. right now jasmine, morgan and i are traveling with three other single travelers. it's been great to get some "fresh blood" into the mix. even though there are a few other people in the tour group, we've really had the chance to go off on our own.
yesterday we left hanoi (i hate big cities) for halong bay. it is a magical place where limestone pillars jut out of the ocean. the story goes that a giant dragon returned to the ocean, knocking over mountains with his tail on the way in, leaving these amazing formations. the first thing we did was kayak through and around them. i've been kayaking a few times before, but nothing like this. it was an experience straight out of dreams. after returning to our little ship, called a junk boat, we went for a swim in the ocean. the boat has 3 levels, and we dove off of all of them. very exciting. the evening was so nice that we decided to sleep out on the deck of the top level. while we were lying there, no fewer than 10 shooting stars went past. 2 of them were the kind that you see for several seconds and just can't believe it. they had long purple tails, complete with a split and two tracks. i can't think of words to describe it. it looked like computer animation but more real. at 3:30 it started to sprinkle, so we all returned to our cabins for a few hours of sleep. then this morning we took a great trek overlooking all of the formations in the bay. it was unreal. i don't think uploading photos could ever do it justice, so you'll just have to use your imagination.
yesterday we left hanoi (i hate big cities) for halong bay. it is a magical place where limestone pillars jut out of the ocean. the story goes that a giant dragon returned to the ocean, knocking over mountains with his tail on the way in, leaving these amazing formations. the first thing we did was kayak through and around them. i've been kayaking a few times before, but nothing like this. it was an experience straight out of dreams. after returning to our little ship, called a junk boat, we went for a swim in the ocean. the boat has 3 levels, and we dove off of all of them. very exciting. the evening was so nice that we decided to sleep out on the deck of the top level. while we were lying there, no fewer than 10 shooting stars went past. 2 of them were the kind that you see for several seconds and just can't believe it. they had long purple tails, complete with a split and two tracks. i can't think of words to describe it. it looked like computer animation but more real. at 3:30 it started to sprinkle, so we all returned to our cabins for a few hours of sleep. then this morning we took a great trek overlooking all of the formations in the bay. it was unreal. i don't think uploading photos could ever do it justice, so you'll just have to use your imagination.
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
fated to text only?
saigon - riding a cyclo
in the last week, i've tried three times to get photos uploaded, and the most recent attempt resulted in a virus deleting one of morgan's memory cards. many photos were recovered, but it was a pretty stressful day for me. these are a couple that were already online...
easy riders
in the last week, we traveled from dalat to hoi an via motorcycle. it was great to take a route through the mountains rather than along the coast like many people do. along the way we saw some great things:-rice paddies, which are as beautiful and ubiquitous as you might imaging
-an annual rice planting ceremony-- i randomly got to take part in this... photo to come)
-so many memorials from north vietnam commemorating their successful battles, very interesting
-a very happy buddha (another photo to come, as i suddenly can't get anymore to post...)
-hill tribe villages
-pepper plants, rubber trees, silk worm factories, pineapple plantations, and so much more
then we arrived in hoi an, where tailored clothes are the specialty. i blew my budget, but i must say i clean up pretty well in a suit! ;)
now we're in hue, which used to be the capital and is a great little city. we happened upon a festival, so that's fun!
next we'll head up to hanoi and halong bay-- and i'll try to be better about updating more regularly. photos drive me nuts! grrr!
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