Amsterdam

Amsterdam has been amazing, fantastic, and surreal with crazy old leaning buildings.
History everywhere up-down-left-right-infront-behind. There was a snow storm when I arrived which made evrything look like a Disney movie. Everyone was out walking about. People were throwing snowballs. The lights were beautiful. New Year's Eve in Dam Square was crazy with people letting off rockets and fireworks, music blaring from the stage, champagne, singing, and even the occasional scuffle.
I learned a little more about its rich history cruising the canals. Architecturally very little has changed in the inner city in the last 300 years. It's so cool to walk amongst the living history. Tomorrow I leave. I'd love to come back when the trees are green and the city opens up to music festivals.
My six weeks of travel to the Far East, the Middle East, and Northern Europe have been such a great learning experience.

Israel

It felt good stepping off the plane at Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv. I hadn't been in Israel for many, many years. I had seen my sister Barbara and her family over the years in Cape Town and the USA, but I had never been to their house in Kefar Sava.



Her half-sister Jackie and husband Mark and adorable daughter Isabella where in from London and staying at her apartment in Kefar Sava. Barbara's eldest, Natali, has been in the army for 18 months and is almost done with her training. She is a sargeant at a border listening post. Danit, the younger, was on school holiday for Hannukah. Her husband Johanan was not taking much time off from his shipping business. But he did join us for dinner. Barbara took us all out to a variety of restaurants for lunch and dinner.



I loved the all the food!! She said in the last five years an Israeli nuevo-cuisine has emerged. And it's good. They all seem to be masters at sauce making. Barbara took us on an art adventure to Jerusalem.

Once she stayed there in a monastery for two weeks painting the views. We visited places many tourists don't know about. The area was lush and green with many trees and hills.



Unlike most of Israel this felt truly Mediterranean. I never really felt scared in Israel, but we did avoid hanging out too long in certain areas. On the last night my dear cousin Wayne and his wife Darryl and beautiful daughter Lee joined us for dinner. We had a heart-warming meeting. I hadn't seen him or his family in ages. Barabara had chosen a resaurant in the Persian part of town. It was a building that had once been a shop with a big storage area behind. There were trees growing inside.



The food was great, the service was attentive, and, of course, the company was excellent. By the end of my stay I felt like a food critic, being chauferred from restaurant to restaurant! I had a strong bonding with my family and promised not to take so long between visits from now on. From dinner they drove me to the airport for my 3:30am flight to Amsterdam. Bon Voyage - see you soon!!

The Islands - Ko Raya and Ko Lanta

To see pictures from my trip to the islands click on the links to the right of the page.

Check out the Movies link too.....

Here we go...

Traveling by the seat of your pants.......

The next part of my journey was a visit Ko Lanta where Mona Haymaker, from Santa Monica, was teaching yoga. So when Diane Hudock invited me to come to Phuket where she also would be teaching yoga at a hotel nearby, I thought, fantastic: they're both in the same vicinity and should be pretty easy to get to. Little did I know how my journey would unfold. After a little research I found Diane's hotel, The Racha Resort, on the island of Raya Yai, about 15 km due south from Rawaii at the tip of Phuket island. My journey to the island of Ko Raya began at 6:30a in Chiang Mai as the monks were making their rounds collecting alms in the crisp morning air. The tuk-tuk driver took me to the airport as the city began to wake.




At 8a I flew to Bangkok where I left my winter luggage in storage. Traveling with just a backpack I took another plane to Phuket, arriving at around noon. From the airport north of town I took a minibus to the bus station hoping to get up-to-date information on ferries or boats to get me to Ko Raya since this info seemed hard to come by in Chiang Mai. The information I got was that no more boats were scheduled to make the trip till the next morning. If I wanted to get to my destination that day I would have to charter a speedboat or a longtail fishing boat for the journey. One more taxi ride and I was on the beach at Rawaii where I opted for the longtail mode of transport. I explained to the taxi driver which resort I'd be staying at and he assured me the the boat would drop me off at the right beach. The longtail gets its name from the long exposed driveshaft which reaches from the motor to the propellor. The motor can pivot almost 180º allowing the driver to reverse the boat. After an hour and a half of smooth sailing and a bit of sun-tanning, I was walking along the beach at Raya island. I had made it! But I was at the wrong beach. Raya island is tiny - just a few dirt roads and three or four bungalow resorts and a bungalow village for the locals. Using my cell phone (with Thai sim card) I called Ban Raya Resort where I would be staying and soon a rickety motorcycle taxi which had seen far better days came to pick me up and took me over the hill and around the corner to the other beach. I rented a rusty bicycle with squeaky brakes to get from Raya back to Racha Resort where Diane was staying. I had come to visit for two nights. Racha Resort is a magnificent place. Five star all the way and very tastefully designed and appointed. I paid as much for my dinner that night as I did for five nights accommodation in Chiang Mai! But it was very good and well worth it. Next morning Diane led us through a strong vinyasa practice. After breakfast it was time to go snorkeling around the coral reefs. It's such a treat to be a guest of honor in the underwater world of tropical fish. There were so many different kinds and colors, it was beautiful. Later that night Diane and her friend, Amy took to the stage at the bar and belted out song after song with the resident band backing them.




My next mission was to get from Ko Raya to Ko Lanta the next day. There's a morning ferry from Phuket to Lanta but to take it would mean one less night on Raya island. So I decided that the next morning I would take a longtail back to Phuket and then perhaps find another boat to Ko Lanta. The next morning the sea was rough and the waves were too high for the longtails, so my only other option was to take the 3:15p speedboat in the rough seas. My fellow riders have no idea how close they came to finding out the messy way what I had had for breakfast. (I purposely skipped lunch). But without incident we arrived at Ao Chalong pier near Phuket at 4p, much too late for any scheduled boat to take me to the island. I would have to make the journey by land - going the long way around. (By sea it's 60 km, by land 160 km). A motorcycle taxi took me to the bus station where I caught the 5p bus to Krabi. I called Mona from the bus and she arranged to send a friend to pick me up. At 8p I arrived in Krabi where Oeb was there to meet me in his truck. Two hours and two ferry-boat crossings later we were in Ko Lanta arriving at 10p. In just under seven hours I had made it from one island to the next. Traveling without plans is quite an adventure. Things are bound to go wrong. And I'd rather have them go wrong if I had not made definite plans. So as the trip unfolds it turns into an adventure and you find yourself in unexpected places. But this trip from Ko Raya to Ko Lanta went like clockwork - I could not have planned it any better!

Mona has set up a yoga studio at The Sanctuary Resort on Phrae-Ae (Long Beach). Nothing but sand, sea, and sky all around. Her yoga classes are well attended with people from England, Scandinavia, Germany, and the USA. We rented a motorbike and drove around the island which is about 30 km long and only a few wide. In the south is the original town of Ko Lanta. It is still a busy village of fisherman and boatbuilders. All around the island are resorts of various flavors - some are extravagant and some are pretty funky. One imaginative owner has built treehouse bungalows and boathouses at one of the beaches. The Reggae House looks is made from old weathered timber and looks like it's about to fall over any moment. But the music rocks and the place is still standing! I had a great time in the islands enjoying the food, the weather and the people.
The trip back was easy. I took the ferry from Lanta to Krabi and a taxi to the airport. I flew out of Krabi to Bangkok for my flight to Tel Aviv.

Chiang Mai Life

My time is coming to an end here in Chiang Mai. Soon I'll be heading down south to Phuket and the islands of Koh Raya and Koh Lanta for a few days. I have almost finished my studies at the Loi Kroh Massage School. My teachers here have shared their knowledge and passion for the art of Thai massage so freely and lovingly. I have learned a lot from them and will be forever grateful. Chiang Mai has been at the crossroads of the great trading routes from China to the ports in Burma for centuries. Now it is at the crossroads of old and new, ancient and modern. There are temples everywhere - over one hundred in Chiang Mai. The people here seem pretty relaxed most of the time. I haven't heard anyone raise their voice in anger - even though the traffic is gnarly. They seldom even honk their horns!



Click on the link "Chiang Mai Life" on the right side of the page to see an album of pictures

Pai

Took a 3 hour minibus ride through some of the windiest mountain roads imaginable to Pai, a small village in northern Thailand. It's a sort of Venice beach, Abbott Kinney, artist, backpacker, hippy kind of hangout with a pretty good live music scene. A friend lives in a house out in the paddy fields. There are simple bungalows for rent in the rice paddies for a few dollars a night, or more upscale havens for ten, fifteen, or more a night. I'm at The Sun Hut - a short distance out of town near a buddhist temple, a river, and overlooking a field. I have a few wondering cows as neighbors. The Sun Hut is a little group of small but well-equipped bungalows run by an english speaking lifelong Pai resident, Lan. Good food, great atmosphere and a great place to hang out.

Thailand has a very peaceful vibe, even the animals are chilled most of the time. The dogs don't have attitudes - there's never much barking. Everything coexists rather well. In the cities the traffic is insane but everyone takes it in stride - no road-rage at all.

To see more pictures from Pai click the link near the top of the page on the right.....

4 Day Trek

For more pictures of our adventure click the link near the top of the page on the right.....

Our 4 day adventure into the North began in Chiang Mai. Eight of us boarded a truck at Eagle House and we drove for hours and hours way up into the mountains. The road was full of sharp bends. I almost threw up, but just in time we came to a cave - a spooky cave - home to a colony of bats. A higher cave was used as a quiet sanctuary for monks to meditate. Then we drove and drove some more to the drop off location. We wouldn't see the truck for three days. Our trek through rice paddies and hilltribe villages was about to begin. After walking for two hours through the beautiful countryside, up hills and over rivers, we came to the village where we would spend the first night. It was high in the hills overlooking a small valley. We were to live like the local Karen with no modern conveniences. But they do have spring-fed water fed which is used for drinking, cooking, and bathing. We were supplied with bottled water though. Showers were taken outdoors, which consisted of pouring cold water over yourself. Very invigorating. There were toilets which were of the squatting variety, but made of porcelain with a water trap valve to prevent odor from coming up. To flush water is poured down. Our guide, Montri, was a 26 year old living in Chiang Mai, but originally from a Karen village. He cooked delicious rice and vegetable dinners for us. The local rice produced by the Karen was far better than the city variety. As was the sweet and sour vegetables and green curry. We slept in a bamboo-floored cabin. Roosters woke us early the next morning. A mist covered the valley. Local Karen women came over to sell us necklaces and bracelets. Tri made us a breakfast of fresh pineapple, watermelon, eggs, tea, coffee, and toast. Then we set off for a long walk past paddies, over rivers, and up mountains. We stopped for a lunch of fried rice wrapped in banana leaves which we had carried with us. Our next mode of transport lumbered into view. For the next hour and a half we rode elephants along the mountain path. They took their time and loved to stop only to move after a command by their handlers. Then we walked and walked until we came to a river, got in and refreshed ourselves at a small waterfall. Late in the day we came to the next village where we would stay for the night. This one was teeming with children. It was a big village of about 45 buildings and 350 people. The Karen have many animals of all shapes and sizes which coexist peacefully: Dogs, chickens, pigs, buffalo, and out in the pastures - cows. The next day we hiked about five hours. The river winded around and we had to walk through it about ten times. Exhausted we finally arrived at the rafting camp - two structures in a beautiful and tranquil setting at the river's edge. We bathed in the river before dinner and sat around the fire afterward. Next morning we rode bamboo rafts downstream for an hour and a half. It was great end to our trip. We walked the next hour to the waiting truck. A very welcome sight after a 30 kilometer hike! And then we drove and drove, had lunch in Mae Chem, drove some more up to the highest peak in Thailand, Doi Inthanon, Holy shrines to the Buddha. We made a last stop at an impressive waterfall and drove into Chiang Mai. Later that night we had reunion dinner at a riverside restaurant. It was a great adventure - we met new friends in our fellow travelers.

* For more pictures of our adventure click the link near the top of the page on the right.....

Musings from the plane - China Airlines 007 from LAX to Chiang Mai (21 hours)

It finally hit. I was instantly transported to the East on entering the Tom Bradley Terminal at LAX. Waiting in line for China Airlines to have my luggage bomb-screened, everyone around was Asian. It occurred to me that as a westerner, I would be in the minority for the next month. I felt exhilarated. Man - I was about to go halfway around the world to a foreignI had only heard about. The man ahead of me looked like a film star: striking - a Yul Brynner type. He was headed to Bangkok and Chiang Mai on business. I asked him where he was from: "Here." -Yes, but your ancestors?- "Irish, Spanish, and Hawaiian. I get mistaken for Asian all the time but I don't mind" -Oops!- I blurted out that mine came from Eastern Europe, England, but I was born in South Africa. (don't I seem interesting: a white African? -mmmmm)

For our convenience to stimulate tired feet, China Airlines has rollers attached below to the seat in front. So thoughtful. There is also a little fold out step so you can elevate a foot to increase circulation. On reading the in-flight manual I discovered a great little yoga sequence promising to "totally relax your body, heart and soul by using breathing techniques from Chinese Taichi and massage of the the five main accupressure points". As opposed to the fairly inane western suggestions for in flight exercise, which include calf raises and leg stretches (virtually impossible to pull off in economy class), the eastern was a welcome and wise alternative. Quoting from the in-flight guide:

(1) Use your middle fingers to press twice on your temples, and gently massage in a circular motion.
(2) Place both hands on either side of your neck at the base and using your middle fingers, press twice and massage the pressure points near the shoulders, which adjust the ringing in your ears.
(3) Raise both arms above your head and bend your elbows. Pull gently on the back of your right elbow with the left hand and tilt your body and head leftward. Repeat on the other side.
(4) At the point on your back directly behind the navel, press and massage the pressure points on either side of your spine with your thumbs.
(5) Using both hands, reach behind your lower thigh near your knee and lift your leg toward your body. Repeat with the other leg.

Found a more in depth version of the previous exercises on the video screen in front of me. Beautifully filmed somewhere in China in a bamboo forest and demonstrated by a student dressed in satin pants suit. I feel refreshed. Even after being up most of the night.

On closer inspection it looks like it had been shot in a studio in front of a full-size poster. The well choreographed falling leaves, and the gentle movement of a few branches in the foreground were the giveaway!

It's six thirty in the morning, pitch black outside, and we're halfway to Taipei. My Monday morning yoga class at Center For Yoga is about to begin. It's four hours till breakfast is served on flight 007 and I'm wide awake. A flight steward is offering genmaicha tea. Marvelous. Think I'll watch Willy Wonka. (Watched Wedding Crashers last night...)

It's nine thirty Los Angeles time Monday morning - still pitch black outside. which seems to me to be it's already late Monday night as we approach Japan heading for Taiwan. Five hours till touchdown in Taipei at six thirty am local time. Wow - you lose a lot of time traveling westward across the International Date Line! A day and a half I think. Strange. I won't ever get to experience Monday Nov 28 by day. Which brings me to the realization that if you travel constantly westward faster than the sun moves across the earth, then you will get older sooner. Is this what Einstein's theory of relativity is about. Next time I'll fly eastward around the world. Or maybe I should just get some sleep.

Watched a show on the 20 most desirable cities. Cape Town came in at #7. Barcelona at #1. Watched another show on Amsterdam where I'll be in just over a month at the end of Dec. I wonder if Taipei airport has wireless internet. I need to find a hotel in Amsterdam.

12:30 Monday LA time - just finished breakfast here up in the air, but it's 4:30am local time Tuesday morning.

Landed in Taipei for connecting flight to Chiang Mai, Thailand. It's 2:30 Los Angeles time, Monday afternoon- 6:30am here Tuesday morning.

Chiang Kai Shek airport is filled with westerners. It looks and feels just like any other airport I've been to in the world. I have a good wireless signal here, but for some reason can't access the internet.

Finally arrived in Chiang Mai!!! And have internet access!! My friend Mona Haymaker, yoga teacher from Santa Monica now living in Koh Lanta, Thailand, is here to go trekking with us tomorrow....