Or, as my dad would say, more videos than you can shake a stick at.
But don’t worry; they’re all short!
First comes Istanbul where I spent a fascinating week last September.
Bon Voyage!
Next will be videos from either Paris, Scotland, Poland, or Austria.
Have a preference?
*** Sj ***
p.s. The shot at the top of the post is of Pedrata at the cool library called Mevmekan. There are both an art exhibit and a cafe at the library — one of my fave places I found in Istanbul. Thanks Tony for idea !
We were literally jumping with joy to see each other again. : )
FLO, Future Light Orphanage is located outside of Phnom Penh, Cambodia. In the early 1990s, after having lived in a refugee camp in Thailand for over ten years, Madame Phaly founded FLO. When telling her story, she wrote, “By the time I left Site 11, I was responsible for 91 children. Some were orphans, but others were children of parents who could not take care of them. They were the nucleus of what would become the Future Light Orphanage, and some are still with me today.”
Unfortunately, Madame Phaly died in November 2012. She is greatly missed, but her legacy lives on.
Two years ago I happily stumbled upon this wonderful organization and taught English language classes during the children’s summer break. The following year I felt the pull to return. And now, on my third visit to FLO, I realize that our lives are forever connected.
You can visit past posts from when I was teaching at FLO to learn more about that experience.
You can visit eGlobal Family and sign-up to be a e-foster parent.
You can form a connection with a place like none other.
FLO is a global family. A community born from one woman’s generous and courageous spirit. There’s room in her and everyone’s heart for YOU too.
Hi Everyone,
You take a step back and then two forward . . .
I dug through my backup hard drive to find some shots from the three day/two night trek I took in July north of Chiang Mai, Thailand.
We were a group of twelve from all over the world: Spain, Denmark, Taiwan, France, and the U.S.
Enjoy!
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| Taken in the hangout area at the first of the two “homestays.” |
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| The john. |
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| Flushing system. |
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| We 12 shared this large room. |
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| It turned rainy. |
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| ! ! ! |
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| Stopped for a chat. |
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| With this wonderful weaver. |
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| And her friend. |
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| Stopped by a school. |
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| And a village. |
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| Walked through rice paddies. |
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| Swam in mountain pools. |
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| Drank Chang and listened to the local musician (singular). |
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| Breakfast. |
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| I bought a few things from her. |
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| Part of what we saw along the way. |
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| The gang. |
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| The 3 fun Spaniards. |
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| Rode on an elephant; it wasn’t nearly as nice as in Laos. This guy was hungry! And they wouldn’t let him eat. |
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| The last part of the trip was floating downstream on a bamboo raft; this group had WAY more fun than my group! We were much too calm and tranquil. : ) |
Off to a yoga retreat for my last 2-nights in Thailand and SE Asia.
Hi Everyone,
This lovely town on the coast of Vietnam (and about a 45-minute drive south of Da Nang) is a shopper’s paradise. Yes, a shopper’s paradise. “Isn’t practically all of SE Asia a shopper’s paradise?” you ask.
Well, yes it is! For most travelers. Though there is so much more to do than just shop.
But this particular town is known for its vast collection of tailors. Yes, tailors. People from all over the world were having custom clothing made: suits, dresses, skirts, shoes, etc. (Yes, even shoes!)
But for moi, I just didn’t feel like having anything custom-made. I’m nearly at the end of my 5-month journey in SE Asia, and I have plenty of souvenirs already. And I have plenty of clothing.
Also, I think that’s an activity that would be more fun to do with a friend (yes, Mom, I agree with you on this one : ).
So what did I do?
I walked around the quaint town in the evening. (It became much more interesting when the sun began to set.)
It was pouring and pouring on my first full-day there; so I hung out in my comfy room and got caught up on things. AND I swam in that fabulous pool. Fortunately, it wasn’t thundering and lightning (like it is now in Bangkok where I’m currently sitting and typing).
When I got hungry, I walked a short distance and found a cozy restaurant with a nice mix of decor (honestly, it felt more European than Asian) where I broke my no-chicken eating and had Pho with da kine (noodle soup). It was the perfect dish for a cool, wet day.
And the second day? The sun was shinning, so I rented a bike and found the beach (and even got a little sun burned on my shoulders : ).
For enjoying Hoi An as much as I did, I took very few pictures (another sign that this leg of my journey is winding down).
So, without further ado . . .
Enjoy!
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| These are some of the most unusual boats I’ve ever seen! They reminded me of big rice cups. And yes, I helped carry the second one up the beach. |
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| What’s that for ??? |
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| Right in town was a rice paddy. |
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| A sample of the clothing that one can have made in Hoi An. |
And oh, I forgot to mention, I just happened to be in Hoi An on the one day of the month when they hang lanterns everywhere (and coincidentally, the last night of my solo journey before joining my friend in Bangkok) in honor of the full moon which appears the following night. I left my room a little before sunset to walk around town. Along the way, I saw vendor after vendor setting up a personal altar in front of their shop. Soon, women were selling small lanterns to the tourists, as well as cooking potato, banana, coconut things. (I tried part of one; it was okay, a bit bland.)
When the activity seemed to be at its peak, I parked myself at a table for one, ordered fried noodles and veggies and a glass of the local merlotish red wine, and enjoyed the show! “Perfect!” I thought as I sat and sipped . . . “Perfect. Thank you Hoi An. Thank you . . .”
-sj
From Ha Noi I flew to Hue. It’s a small town a bit north of Danang (which was an important in the Vietnam, or American, war).
Stayed there 2-nights, and this is what I saw/did . . .
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| Taken from a boat. |
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| This boat. The lady came running beside me, “Come on boat; come on boat. Only . . .”(about $5) But I’m hungry and am going to eat. “I can cook for you.” For the same price? “Yes.” Talk about feeling like a cheap American! But you (I) never know what’s a fair price for them and what’s a rip-off for a tourist (me). I hopped on the boat; they immediately drove the boat to the other shore (so that she could go to the market for food.) |
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| Their son. |
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| The grinds. Noodles with morning glory (greens). And an omelette with onion. Not too bad. I was hungry. |
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| The next morning I rented a bike and took off to find a place for breakfast. But first, I was led down an alleyway to where I found a “locals only” café. On the river. With HBO on the muted television and jazz on the sound system. “Nice,” I thought. I had a deep rich coffee with thick condensed milk (for a fraction of what it was in the restaurants for westerners). And, I had conversation. Lots of it. With these two girls. When I could tell that they were dying to speak English with me, I invited them to join me at the table. Occasionally they had to hop up to work, but soon they’d plop back down for a bit more of this and that. Who are they? They’re both 21-year old university students studying agriculture. We exchanged emails . . . |
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| And after breakfast it was time to head off and find the pagoda which was about 3 km away from the town’s main attraction: a citadel. |
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| But first, a stop at the local grocery store. |
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| Talk about a large selection of rice cookers! |
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| You can read about this car . . . |
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| “Why in the heck did you take a picture of this toilet, SJ? And why include it in your glob?” Notice the shoe prints? Yes, someone stood on it and then used it . . . There are stand-on types of toilets in SE Asia that are raised to about the same height as our sit-on® type . . . reckon the last user preferred to stand. Much more sanitary, don’t you think? |
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| The monks don’t appear to wear saffron robes in Vietnam. They were moving stacks of wood from the back of the truck onto the other side of the fence. |
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| This looks a lot like the boat I took a ride on the afternoon before. |
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| School kids’ bikes. |
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| Having a PE class of some type. “HI!!!” they were waving. |
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| And now to the main attraction in the town of Hue. |
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| It felt a bit like an Angkorwatwannabe. |
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| The costume storage room. |
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| Hey, what’s he doing here? |
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| Back to the lovely hotel room to find the next place to rest my head (was looking for a place in Hoi An with a pool . . . my budget? $30 and below, found one for exactly $30). How much did the room in Hue cost? $15. That’s with air con, a TV, and a private balcony. The one I’d originally booked was $12; I figured it was worth 6 bucks extra to have a lanai for 2-nights. : ) |
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| Oh, what a wonderful dinner it was! I’d read about this restaurant in my Lonely Planet guide book, and then I just happened to pass it . . . and when I was hungry and looking for a restaurant! |
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| The restaurant staff was watching Vietnam Idol. |
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| Time to leave some more things behind. First, my skirt (the one I was wearing when I was riding the elephant, I just couldn’t stand to wear it one moment longer). It’s somewhere in Laos. Second, my purple purse. It’s somewhere in Northern Vietnam. Remember? I gave it to the little girl I bought my new purse from. Next, these two shirts. May they continue to have exciting journeys as they venture forth into their brave new world. (Yes, I agree, rather dramatic for a couple of well worn shirts!) |
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| We were the first picked up for the four hour and four dollar bus ride to Hoi An. We chose the front seat, plenty of room to keep all my bags with me. “Brave to ride up there!” an Irish woman who’s lived in Australia for 10-years said to me. “Why?” I asked. “You’ve seen how they drive here!” “But it’s not as bad as in Cambodia,” her husband added. And I agreed, the bus driving was a bit (a bit) more mellow that what I’d experienced in Cambodia. |
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| Leftovers. Made a perfect breakfast! |
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| Stopping for road work. |
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| We had a 30-minute break mid-way. |
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| Happy Feet. Happy Bat Angel. Its first time on the beach! |
It was a lovely 2-nights in Hue. Next came another of my favorite SE Asia towns . . .
Catch you soon on SJ’s bat angel channel.
aloha,
-sj
I only stayed one night in Hanoi . . . it warrants a longer visit.
Another time!
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| I found a nice hotel room with a little balcony overlooking the street. |
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| The view. |
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| The church. Locked up for now. |
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| I just liked how that moto was rigged. |
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| Found one Larry! But I was too full to have a taste. |
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| He’s got the whole world in his hands. |
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| Leading to the Jade Island (on the northern end of the lake). |
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| A common site in SE Asia (outside temples and at private altars). |
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| Thinking of you, Teri! |
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| Not sure what those ball things were. |
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| Went to the 5 p.m. show after arriving at 4:15 ! Thanks for the tip, Jane. |
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| Didn’t buy one . . . |
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| So many Vietnamese children are eager to practice their English. |
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| A touch of Hawaii. |
And that’s all of Hanoi.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia:
“Ha Long Bay (Vietnamese: About this sound Vịnh Hạ Long (help·info), literally: “descending dragon bay”; 下龍灣) is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and a popular travel destination, located in Quang Ninh province, Vietnam. Administratively, the bay belongs to Hạ Long City, Cẩm Phả town, and part of Van Don district. The bay features thousands of limestone karsts and isles in various sizes and shapes. Hạ Long Bay is a center of a larger zone which includes Bái Tử Long bay to the northeast, and Cát Bà islands to the southwest. These larger zones share similar geological, geographical, geomorphological, climate, and cultural characters.”
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| She was working! And not just at rowing. |
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| Floating village. |
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| It often felt like they were driving these things for the first time! |
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| They passed that baby along like a sack of potatoes! lol And the kid seems just fine with it. Nice. ; ) |
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| We didn’t have a lot of sun . . . but for this instance we did! |
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| Another working gal. Only saw women drivers. |
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| Had 30-minutes at this man-made beach, made a running dash up the hill. That’s the boat I stayed on. |
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| Nice Danish family hanging out while it rained. |
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| Going on a tour of the “floating village.” |
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| Driver in training. |
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| Ma chambre. See my bat/angel? |
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| Pretty sunset one of the 2-nights that I was on the boat. |
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| The moon! |
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| The ubiquitous flag in Vietnam. |
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| These kids from New Zealand were having fun; he’s teaching her how to fold the napkin. How’d he learn? A Vietnamese worker on the ship showed him one rainy afternoon. |
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| In front: my new gal pals from London, Emma and Jane. Had dinner with them one night in Hoi An. In back: Nat and Gerry. Was supposed to have dinner with them one night in Hanoi, but I went to the wrong restaurant! But, I just happened to run into them the next day while passing the church shown above . . . yep, keep loving those “coincidences”! |
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| Ze “floating village.” |
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| Ditto. |
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| Pretty cool. |
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| Well protected. |
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| He’s taking a shot of the school. |
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| See? |
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| They seemed happy as they looked my way. |
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| Back at the industrial harbor. |
Aloha Ha Long Bay!
Hope it brought back good memories Larry!
So long from the Hanoi airport enroute to Bangkok.
Sending love to all of you wherever you may be.
-sj
* and Kay!
Ever heard of Sapa?
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| I shared the cabin with a lovely couple from Israel and a young Aussie girl; the rest of her family was next door. |
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| Water buffalo are e ve r y w h e r e in Vietnam! (even on busy highways!) |
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| She was working in a practically black chamber with only the light coming in from the open door to work by. |
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| Locals hanging out in one of the villages we trekked (i.e. hiked) through. |
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| “It looks like Tuscany,” the beauiful Israeli woman said; “Yes, it does,” I replied. | (Have I ever been to Tuscany? No, but I’ve seen movies. : ) |
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| We have a few of these flowers growing by Rocket Girl’s house. |
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| This guy had the biggest darn teeth! He seemed to love showing them to us. |
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| A cute, shy girl with a Tigger umbrella who didn’t know any English. “Okay,” she said to the request to take her picture. (At least that’s what the guide told me she said.) |
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| Lunch break. We ate upstairs in a house used for “home stays.” Our guide had brought food which was cooked there by the family. It was good: Pho (noodle soup) made with water buffalo meat. No, I hadn’t eaten any red meat in ages, but figured I’d give it a try; it was okay, a bit tough. Two bites was enough. But the noodles and broth was yummy! |
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| Their “job” is to follow tourists as they walk on their trek. These ladies had left their village early in the morning; they were returning home (as they walked beside/behind us). And why do they do this? To sell something to us, that’s why! There seems to be a “rule” that they have to wait till the end for their sales pitch. “Where are you from?” they love to ask as we walk along. “The moon!” was my standard reply. “I’ve come down to earth to see how you live; it’s nice!” The gal on the right “tagged” me; I bought two bags that are earmarked for my sister Hannah. I figure she can use the design in a quilt maybe, or not, up to her. |
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| We walked up hills and down to dales . . . and yes, over bridges. |
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| This guy looked up. I waved. “You’ll have to marry him now!” the guide said. “Oh really?” I asked. No worries Tones, I kept walking. : ) |
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| I bought the purse I’m wearing from the young gal on my left; her mom made it. AND, I gave her my purple purse which I’d been carrying for 4.5 months. I was thinking that I’d leave it in the hotel room (like I’ve been slowly doing with lots of my clothing), and then thought, “Why not just give it to her?” She seemed jazzed. (It was cold in Sapa; that’s a new jacket I’m wearing . . . ) |
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| Vietnamese scarecrows. |
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| Yes, they were literally right with us the entire trek. |
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| How long of a walk? you ask. About 5-hours. We left at 9:30 a.m. and were back around 4:00 (after having about an hour lunch break). A van picked us up for the 12 – 16 km or so return. I hiked two days in a row. |
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| These guys were assembling a building. |
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| My last day in Sapa I went to a village which only happens on Sunday. Thought of you Marcie! |
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| The mountain villagers come from all over to buy and sell at this market. |
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| That puppy was so cute; I hope he wasn’t “marked” to be sold for food . . . it’s all part of the market. : ( |
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| Locals dining. |
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| Locals shopping . . . and getting their hair cut. |
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| This person was returning from a day working in China. |
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| We stopped at the border for a look. |
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| OMG, I hope that’s not what I ate in Luang Prabang! This was at the market outside the train station; we had a few hours to “kill” in this arm pit of a town (like all areas around train stations and bus depots the world over). |
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| Oh . . . being in Vietnam is making it easier and easier to not eat meat; these guys wanted out of their cage so very badly! |
Okay den, Aloha everyone. Until we meet again.
-sj
AND
though this was posted on Monday, October 10th in Vietnam (Hoi An), I realize that it shows October 9th (the date in Hawaii).
Right now, as I type, my husband of 25-years is throwing himself a bash of a party in Kokee, Kaua‘i.
Happy Birthday Tones!
May you have many, many more healthy and happy birthdays!
Sat nam.
Hi Everyone,
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| The Elephant Village was on very pretty grounds; some people stayed several nights. |
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| Our guide demonstrated how to get onto the elephant (and the oral command). |
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| And then we each got a turn to practice! |
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| This is when our elephant ride began. |
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| It was very muddy due to monsoon rains. |
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| Yep, I jumped at the chance to ride on the elephant’s neck! |
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| C’est moi. Je suis très contente. (i.e. happy!) |
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| We went through what I believe is a teak forest. |
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| There were some water buffalo to spy along the way. |
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| We went down a very steep hill. |
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| That nice couple is from Belgium; they’re traveling for 13-months via bicycle! They plan to ride back to Belgium! First, they flew to China to begin their trip. |
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| Then we were back where we started. |
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| Almost, but not quite, an hour. |
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| We could feed the elephants if we wanted. |
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| They eat a lot! |
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| After we had lunch, it was time to bathe the elephants; the young lady on the left is from Germany. I had so much fun talking with her, her husband, and another couple who just happened to also be from Karlsruhe (where the first couple lives). |
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This nice gal is from England.
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| And then it was my turn . . . |
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| My guy loved to go underwater! |
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| He/she did this several times! |
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| And then I accepted the challenge to try and stand on the elephant’s head. |
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| One. |
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| Two. |
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| Three. |
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| I made it!!!! |
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| Yikes! What’s that guy doing?!? |
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| And then it was time to dip under again. |
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| Waz up? |
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| Takin’ a bath! That’s what! |
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| The mahout helped us all get out of the water safely. |
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| Next, we took a boat ride down (up?) the Mekong River. Monks like the river too. |
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| Whatchyoulookingat? |
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| A little fun gal pal time. |
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| Then back down the river. |
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| Someone shared. : ) |
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| It was pretty flat and calm. |
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| There was a **gaggle of these critters! |
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| We got over half an hour to hang in this pool; by golly if it wasn’t one of the nicest pools I’ve been in–ever! |
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| Aloha Elephant Village! |
Hi Everyone,
Yes, so far Luang Prabang has been my favorite town/city in SE Asia. It’s quiet; it’s cleaner; it’s interesting . . .
But I’m writing this from Hue, Vietnam and on my way next to Hoi An (that people also say they like), so I’ll keep you posted.
Here are the “selects” from my many, many photographs of the area.
Enjoy!
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| My end room #5, the two windows facing the street made it shine! (literally ; ) |
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| This is from Wat Xieng Thong. |
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| This too. |
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| The mosaic of the tree-of-life is one of its main features. |
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| While walking up the hill to Phu Si temple. |
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| These guys were playing on the gun turret. |
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| Sunset over the Mekong River from the summit of the highest hill (and where That Chomsi temple is located). |
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| Can you get a hit of the fun vibe of this town? |
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| Rented a bike and went out for a spin. |
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| Yes, I received a full dose of happiness while on this boat tour up the Mekong River. |
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| Met this nice young 22-year old Laotian gal; she was showing her parents around who were visiting from the south. |
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| You can get rice based alcohol with all kinds of critters inside! |
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| I bought a few of her cloths. |
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| There were many, many people doing the same type of work in this little village north of Luang Prabang. |
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| Moi and my new friend. : ) |
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| The boat trip was to this Pak Ou Caves. |
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| One of my favorite meals while in Luang Prabang–fried noodles with veggies; that’s a mango smoothie in back. |
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| I too gave them sticky rice and little cakes. |
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| My “neighborhood” wat where I heard the monks hitting the drums one day. |
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| Did you celebrate this holiday too? |
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| Rented a bike again and headed out of town. |
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| This is the wat with the golden dome that one sees from the top of the hill in the town center (on the peninsula in the classic “old” part of town). |
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| And this is what it looks like inside; I climbed up to the top level! There were many levels. |
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| Real life in Luang Prabang. |
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| I like how they have the place for someone to sit on the bike; this was one of my new friend’s favorite wat, Sene, I believe is the name. |
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| This caught my eye while riding down the road. |
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| The one-way road along the Mekong River side of the peninsula. |
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| Setting up for the nightly market . . . there’s lots of stuff in them there bags! |
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| This is next to the Royal Palace Museum, known to the locals as Haw Kham (Golden Hall). |
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| Dragons are one of the four sacred animals. The others? The phoenix, the unicorn, and the turtle. Some of the very important things I learned during my travels. |
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| Lots of restaurants along the river for dining, drinking, and thinking–not necessarily in that order! |
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| There are bizarre insects hidden underneath that goat cheese, salmon, and cavier! Met the wife of the chef of Blue Lagoon restaurant (a very, very nice restaurant in Luang Prabang); he offered to prepare insects for me in a way that “Europeans” can eat. I did; it was good; there was a undefinable “musty” flavor. No, I did NOT ask what the critters were! Knew I most probably wouldn’t be able to eat it then. Why did I eat them? How often is a great chef going to make such an offer to me? |
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| There’s a library on the right; I had a nice evening there reading. Before, I’d gone to the wat across the street to sit and meditate as the monks chanted. I later learned that that was exactly when dear Julie Anne Mercer Lee left this planet. |
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| I bought those paintings (the small ones : ). Recognize the one on the left, Jan? Have you received the box yet? The other two were drawn by that man’s niece (she’s about 5 or 6 years old). |
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| For when you visit Luang Prabang . . . |
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| And then it was time to leave for the airport . . . |
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| Just in case you were tempted. |
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| With my few remaining Laotian Kip and 2 US dollars, I bought my little guardian bat angel; it’s been keeping an eye on my computer for me. |
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| Aloha Luang Prabang! |
Aloha mon amis,
-sj