Wandering Teacher

Rendezvous in the Rondavels

2011-11-05T17:34:00.000-07:00

Rondavel

Imagine what it is like when you live by the sunlight....

It was Winter in Africa when I went back.

Although it was,

Gorgeous and bright

In the sunlight

The sun went down early, to make it

Chilly at night

Without any light.

Nobesutu / Veronica

2011-10-23T18:18:00.000-07:00

I think it's necessary for y'all to meet the characters (or FAMILY) in my African Adventure.

Nobesutu is my team teacher, and best ishomi (or friend). She feels like a complete soul sister. She is genuinely one of the most beautiful, gentle people I have ever encountered. She has a great sense of humor, and she reads and speaks both ENGLISH & XHOSA fluently. Huge bonus for me, since I am in love with the language.

Like I said, both beautiful & funny

Although I am not sure who named her, her given name is Nobesutu. Her father calls her Sutu. Nobesutu literally translates to "blessed the child." Lastly, her English name that she gave herself is: Veronica.

She lives about 10 minutes away from school and still would manage to show up late... (I am of course able to laugh at & with her because Lord knows I run on African time too!) A couple of her nieces & nephews came to preschool with us and the other family she had were involved in the community garden or other regular projects.

Next post we will get to meet her family & maybe a tale or two of some crazy adventures with her at the local markets...

Introducing Peta

2011-10-14T17:09:00.000-07:00

So those of you who don't know, now you know: I have captured my shadow all over the world & I am hoping to bind the shots together in some sort of story book. Until then, here's an appetizer...

Peter's Peace

Neta, RAIN, Neta, RAIN (enCiCni)

2011-10-07T17:41:00.000-07:00

NetA

candle dripping

time ticking

wind blowing

imanze kakhulu

rAiN

Worth the Wait

2011-08-10T20:10:00.000-07:00

I arrived back into the Transkei (or the wildcoast) after three days of travel, and sweet Christine was there in the red buckey (a.k.a. pick up truck) to whisk me away for another 60k's (or 37 miles) along the most beautiful mountains & coastline I still have ever encountered.
HOME sweet HOME!

For too long, and two many accidents to recount I was hopeless, and broken. But, the natural heartbeat of Africa, God's perfect timing, and the beautiful children who sing and smile through everything melted away all my excessive baggage I carried with me from home.

At first I did not know what I wanted to accomplish with this next round of blogging... Then it hit me - I hope that this next round of blogging will fill you, whoever that may be, with some of the peace that I still encounter. Maybe even enough to give to the cause. Regardless, I do know that KHAYA LHETU fills me with more joy than I have ever received anywhere, and it is a pleasure to share a piece of that with you.

It is pure. It is real. It is deep.

Now, all I can think about, is feeding the hungry children & returning back to our motherland.

Peter's Peace

2009-07-10T14:43:00.000-07:00

"A journey of a thousand footsteps begins with one single footstep."

- Lao Tzu -

Thanks for riding along with me, and taking a piece with you! I hope this adventure gives you some of the peace that I am still receiving today.

Nam in a Nutshell

2009-06-16T08:58:00.001-07:00

Nam In a Nutshell

I spent about 10 days in Vietnam with Helen. Then we went to be with the Eles in Thailand. After that I went to Malaysia to meet more of her family. I loved Vietnam so much that I decided I would end my trip there. Of course I had to buy another Visa, but it was worth every rush ordered 2 week only dollars.

So I bought another Visa and spent my last 2 weeks of my trip there. (Thanks to all the Lims' help!)

Basically Helen & I started in the South and did a little southern loop. We rode on motos, went scuba diving, and had some dresses made.

Right before I took this picture I was super frustrated with this travel agent giving us the run around. Seriously, I was about to get angry. I turned around to take a deep breath and saw the banana man right outside our office. If there is one thing Helen & I learned together is how much food or a little humor can solve just about any situation.

So we walked right outside of the office, ate a couple of naners, and bought our own cheaper flights!

We were packed in these cubbies like sardines. The measurements of these "beds" were definitely only considered for Asian people. These were probably the most unenjoyable overnight transportation if only for the lack of space... Other than that they took plenty of stops, and always told you what city you were in. (Which made it easy to know if you were supposed to get off the bus or not.) Plus they would even pick you up from your hotel!

I could always see just about anything on the streets in Vietnam. There was always someone trying to sell you something (though you hardly ever felt hassled.) The Vietnamese were always sleeping too. Although I never got a picture, my favorite was the way the Vietnamese could use a moto as a minivan, truck, and A LAZY BOY. There would be some hard core reclining and napping all day long all over every street.

I am not kidding they can look this comfortable on a moto.

these next few pictures occurred during 4 day motorcycle trip. I took this photo off of the reflection from my guides helmet.

Helen & I traveled for 4 full days on the back of motorcycles all through all different areas of Vietnam to see the Mekong River Valley. Now I have so much more respect for motorcyclers. It was seriously taxing on our bodies.

Vietnamese coffee is beyond delicious! It's super strong, filtered through the container on top, and usually mixed with condensed milk. (I had some pretty intense headaches when I first returned back to the States because I was not drinking it any more!)

After seeing these people's working conditions, I doubt I will ever complain about the expensive prices of cashews. It was so hot and humid at this point it felt like I was wading through later.

Every job is paid extremely low in Vietnam. Manual labor jobs are excessively low & most of these people work everyday of every week all day long.

These trees produce a sticky, gummy like substance that is the main ingredient in rubber & latex. We saw them all over Vietnam & Malaysia. I had never really wondered where or how those products are produced but it was pretty cool to see all the trees in rows with bags & coconuts lined up collecting every drip of stickiness.

Our whole "goal" of the journey was to go to the Mekong Delta River Valley. I learned so much more on the journey than the actual destination we were excited to see. In every situation I can think in my life, the journey was way more fun and exciting than any ending point point we may have been eager to see or have. When I was a little girl, I was always more excited about the road trip and the mixed tapes than wherever we actually went. The open road was always the adventure where most of us Griswolds had our most exciting tales. The open road....

We went through this tour called Easy Riders. It was a bit pricey. Actually REALLY pricey for Vietnam. In the end it was worth every penny because it is where I felt like I understood & fell in love with Vietnam. We were as close to being locals as possible. We ate at all the local & cheap restaurants, and stayed off the beaten path. Plus I learned more from them with complete freedom. I think my favorite reoccurring activity was our siesta in the mid afternoon.

Most locals that had transportation would do the same as well. The trucker stops in Vietnam were far different than the ones back home. First of all there were hammocks. They were right off the highway, plenty of delicious fresh juices, food, toilets, and did I mention hammocks - for resting your sore buttie?

My favorite pedicure place in Ho Chi Minh city. Yeah that is right we had pedicures for $5.00. Two of these women also gave me an hour massage for $9.00

I am going to miss my Asian massages. There was stretching, popping, crunching, pulling, bending, pushing, and rubbing involved. I definitely did get used to it!

Here is Fuki- our favorite seamstress who we could hardly say no to. (In Vietnam they can make just about anything you could possibly want. Anything. In hours. With your exact measurements. Anything like: Dresses, shoes, suits, jackets, or boots.)

In the past, I would have gone crazy. I lived for the dress. (I still do, but given my nomadic tendencies I am really not buying like I used to.)

Helen & I could be food connoisseurs. This was one of our favorites that we found on the street. Bananas wrapped in sticky rice, drizzled with coconut milk, and peanuts sprinkled on top. (I ended up going back to this spot at the very end of my trip and this dessert might have been one of the main reasons why! Yep It is that good.)

After we left Vietnam we went to be with the Eles. Then we went to Malaysia to be with Helen's family. After that, I flew into northern Vietnam, checked out some cool bay Islands and quickly headed South. I am not sure where & how long ago I came to my senses about Southern Superiority, but Vietnam definitely reconfirmed that everything was, is, and always will be a little bit better down south.

Basically in the North people were ruder & prices were higher.

Crossing an intersection in Vietnam

is to

Diving with the fish down in the ocean.

Yeah there is a man with 4 children on this moto. (Vietnam has a 2 child only policy in cities. It is a little more loosely regulated than China's 1 child only policy.)

Running out of gas is no problem in Vietnam. I actually did! There are gas stations everywhere. You can seriously buy it at every street corner from mom & pop shops or a proper gas station like this one. When we ran out of gas we just pushed our moto a couple steps and were at someone's house who sold gas.

I went to Ha Long Bay for 3 days in Northern Vietnam.

When I was there I ran into some of the cutest girls from Coffee Bay which of course made me freak out. (Yeah they remembered me as the curly haired dancer girl from Coffee Bay!)

While I was there I got to sleep on a boat, karaoke in a great bar with my friend Chi who out did Whitney Houston, checked out the coolest disco lit cave, kayaked, hiked, swam, and of course there was a lot of great food.

The disco-lit cave

These were all the people that were constantly outside eating. Most "cafes" consist of tiny kindergarten-like chairs, a table, crunchy paper that were supposed to be napkins and utensils. This particular meal was chicken, a fried egg, noodles, and some greens. I had soy milk to drink and all together it cost me $1.75.

I am definitely going to miss the street food flavor & the prices.

All the locals use these circular mini sphere baskets to take them out to their boats.

Did I mention Vietnamese were always sleeping somewhere?

There was no such thing as a soccer driving carpool mom in Vietnam. But here were all the parents picking up their children after school in motos or bicycles.

Here were the oldest sibling who took care of the younger ones. I will really miss Vietnameses efficiency. When you travel, there was no such thing as not enough space.

Schools out for the summer!!! (Or in my case kinda all year long...)

Ele Bele

2009-06-12T08:57:00.001-07:00

About 2 years ago I reconnected with a good highschool friend of mine, Lauren. She had just come back from an incredible experience of helping out with the elephants in Thailand. There have been many important times in my life where people talk about their travels or experiences with such strong convictions & then recommend that I do the same. Needless to say this was one of them. And I am so grateful to have had this experience also. So basically Helen and I paid to volunteer for a week & do a lot of manual labor. But in our free time we got to roam, feed, bath, & play with the elephants.

The lady who created this elephant reserve grew up in Thailand as the granddaughter of a Shaman. She always had this strong connection with elephants and wanted to do something to protect them from all the abuse. Elephants were used heavily during the logging days of Thailand. Now due to deforestation logging is illegal & there is no need for the elephants. So their owners have resorted to street begging & tourist rides to make money.

Even though elephants are considered sacred animals with Thai's Buddhist beliefs they are not treated as such. The main problem is the way the elephants are "broken into" their lives of tourism. They are tortured for days in tiny chambers. (We got to see plenty of footage.) Lek, the owner of this reserve has opened up this space for the Mahouts, or elephant owners to come & live with their families & bring their elephants so long as they do not abuse the elephants anymore.

They are also in the process of opening another reserve, working with the Thai government, providing free medical aide to local villages, and educating the new mahout generations on trying to change hundreds of years of abuse. It is beyond inspiring: http://www.elephantnaturefoundation.org/

I think my single most favorite thing about elephants is their soulful eyes. This ele is crazy for some bananas. But after spending just a week with them you really pick up on their language & expressions. They really are some of the most gentle, special, loving creatures.

I also loved the way they were constantly scratching. Elephants have surprisingly sensitive skin.

The reserve has 33 elephants, 3 pigs, tons of dogs, water buffalo, and plenty of mice & rats too.

Here is Michele in all her food preparation glory. She is an Aussie who came to help out for a couple weeks 6 years ago & has not left! It was fun helping her out, plus she always had great tunes playing.

I like this photo because you can really see the indentions right behind May Kum Geaws eyes. It is easy to tell a general age of elephants by looking at their forehead. The deeper the indentions the older the elephant.

About half way into our week we got to take an overnight excursion with the ele's to Elephant Heaven. We hiked about 2 hours with the elephants up into jungle paradise. We lucked out because they had just built a bridge back that had collapsed and we just missed the rain that cancelled the next groups trip.

The elephants were pretty wiped out after our hike. When we arrived to our camp they spent at least 45 minutes enjoying their mud bath.

These garments were blessed by monks. Every group that goes to Elephant Heaven wraps them around trees to protect them from the loggers that are trying to destroy the surrounding areas.

Here is a perfect example of what should not be happening. Many of these elephants had blood marks from beatings. If you ever go to Thailand please do not ride the elephants or give money to street elephants.

Another day we got to go to the local school & play with all the kiddos. Obviously I was in paradise. There always is a group of children outside of school that cook treats to raise money. They were totally delish.

Oh yeah- for all those Eanes & Mystic people we taught the kindergarteners how to "GO BANANAS!"

Dr. Rob & nurse Jeannette pretty much adopted all the "youngsters" in the group. They were a lovely Australian couple who were going to go to Europe but after hearing about the reserve decided to cancel & come work with the ELE'S in Thailand.

Heres, Number 1, our guard dog.

Nat our "volunteer coordinator"

Dam is the mahout for May Kum Geaw (my favorite elephant!) Everyone made fun of him because he used to be the mahout for Hope (a naughtier elephant) & since he has switched he had put on some pounds since he does not have to run around chasing Hope anymore.

Meadow (on the right) broke her back in a poorly run breeding camp. When we humans break our back we are totally incapacitated. Seeing Meadow and her friend & they way they care for & protect each other makes me melt.

Yep- I caught Jungle Boy in action!

Helen & I with the British card playing boys Ben & Greg.

It's all Chinese to ME.

2009-05-13T21:33:00.001-07:00

Ok since I only have a couple of days left the last few entries are going to be more of "highlights" of countries if that makes sense.

Matching couples is easily one of the favorite memories of China.

Another highlight is all the children have holes in their pants to make it easy for to potty training. Kinda genius if you think about it... (Another major difference though is that it is acceptable for children to go to the bathroom just about anywhere. You see them on the sides of streets or parents holding them over trash cans all the time.)

Matt, Austin, & I with our spicy, hotpot adventure

Here is the bridge to Tiananmen Square. I of course know that China is a communist Country. I was oblivious/ had forgotten that the Government controls everything. Children growing up in schools have no idea of what happened: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tiananmen_Square_protests_of_1989 There are no markers or plaques acknowledging anything.

China has also found a way to block or at least censor google. While I was in China I was never able to access google on the internet.

Helen & I in the Forbidden palace

China has a 1 child only policy. Just as an outsiders' perspective it was very noticeable. Instead of a lot of little children running around with one parent. There would be tons of caregivers hovering over one child.

Driving in America is going to be so boring when I return. You never know what you may see on the roads in foreign countries. Oxen, horses, motos, cows, roosters, pigs, ducks, buses. The thing that impresses me the most is just the hardcore manual labor that you see in normal day to day life. Everyday there are men & women carrying who knows what all over the streets. I feel like you never see it back home the way you do over here when you travel.

People doing their ritual bows, prayers, & offerings of incense.

The Olympic Stadium

This is my first bite out of one of the scariest desserts I had ever tried. As Helen phrases it the Chinese eat EVERYTHING! So naturally it makes sense that they would combine all their desserts into on Megasert. & serve it over ice. Gushy, mushy, crunchy, & chewey. Not my favorites, but surprisingly tasty.

Traveling reminds me of running a marathon. When you are in a serious race people are always out there to cheer you on & pass out water and other supplies. When you are traveling before you even stop there are always people rushing to sell you their goods.

Back home many people are consumed with their tans. In Asia most people want to be whiter. They were long pants, sleeves, hats, and carry umbrellas. Most of the products sold have whitening enhancers instead of tanning. Everything is the same same, but different. They always will point out our tans. We think it is a compliment, they think its bad.

The Bus chart

This was yet another moment where I was staring off into la la land as Helen was forced to be the "tour guide." One time Helen just started laughing at dinner, wondering what I would have done without her in Asia? The truth is I have no idea. I would have never gotten to see a deeper side to any of the countries because it is pretty intimidating as a newcomer.

We had so many dialogues & inside jokes created about everyone else around us because they were so confused to see her with me. Plus they could never pinpoint where she was from. It was one of my favorite games: Where is Helen from today? It always depended on the situation, bargaining, who was asking & many other external factors.... In reality:

Its all Chinese to me!

FAMILY

2009-05-13T21:10:00.000-07:00

It all started way back in Beijing when we thought we had bought tickets to Vietnam. Unfortunately when we arrived to the airport, they had no record of our tickets. Awesome. We had all these signals leading us into dead ends before we "purchased" our tickets. Needless to say we were in the airport, bags packed, barely any chinese currency, ready to leave Beijing. A couple nights before, I had told Helen a story of a friend who went to the airport & had the airport saleswoman buy him a random flight when he realized he had extra time off. We both agreed that it would be so fun & spontaneous to do the same. If we only knew what was in store....

So we booked the cheapest most random flight out of Beijing to the island of Hainan, China. Of course, Helen happened to have long lost family living in a small village on this Island.

Helen when she realized we were going to the the Island where she had family!

We were on the flight with no more Chinese currency & absolutely no plan. We met the cutest girl who helped us get a shady hotel for the night. When we woke up the next day we relocated & Helen put a call to her parents checking to see about her family. We had pretty much canned the idea of going to see her family because we really wanted to get to Vietnam and it was going to be more complicated then we thought. We ended up heading east to a popular beach spot for a few days and bought our flights to Vietnam.

So on one of our last days on the Island I am in my bathing suit & sun dress ready to go to the beach, I make a quick run to the ATM and when I return Helen is on the phone talking to her family. The next thing I know we are on a "3 hour" bus headed to the small town where Helen's great uncle lives.

When we arrive (2 hours later than anticipated,) Helen's second cousin whose name I still am yet to be able to pronounce scoops us off the bus & we are flying in a taxi to there family chateaux-like compound.

Right when we arrived they showered us with coconuts & other delicious fruits. We only stayed one night but we had 2 of the best meals I had when I was in China.

Helen's great uncle is her grandmother's youngest brother. His whole family lived in this village. Every family had their own building but It appeared like they all shared 1 bathroom. All the elders spoke Cantonese. The parents, and children spoke Cantonese & Mandarin. Helen spoke Mandarin and English. Try to imagine what it was like to give me 1 message or ask me a question. Remember I was the first American they had ever met. Although I love the movie Lost in Translation, I find it hardly did this scenario justice.

Here is Helen's 2nd cousin that took us around the whole time with his 3 month hold baby boy & his grandparents.

After we ate dinner, Helen's cousins took us out for a night on the town. We drove about 20 minutes into town by taxi & saw the main city square. Even though it was only a tuesday it was buzzing with people. They had this one area that was filled with all these people doing traditional dancing. It reminded me a bit of Criders for all those Kerrville people (except with a Chinese spin!) They said that during the summer it is always packed because it is so hot in their houses that everyone comes to the square to cool off.

After we saw the town square they really spiced it up by taking us to the main discoteca/ karaoke hall. There was this moment where I was dancing on the dance floor to some cheesy eighties ballads in my same sun dress & bathing suit where I could hardly believe my life - we were supposed to be going to the beach & instead we are having one of the coolest most surreal family encounters.

This of course was a super special occasion for the cousins to go out & they showed us a fantastic time. On this trip I really have not gone out much. Its exhausting always being on the road, plus the same cheesy touristy bars are boring. This night along with a few others with LOCALS are by far the most memorable!

Unfortunately this picture does not do the whole meal justice because the food kept coming but I was too busy eating to take any more photos. At this meal I unknowingly tried the most unusual food... I had already eaten it the night before in the soup. Later at this brunch Helen was "sweet "enough to inform me I was eating PIGS BLOOD. Which slowed me down a bit. Sometimes ignorance is bliss.

After brunch, we took photos, and then we were on our way to catch our flight to Vietnam. Here were my favorite family shots:

La Gran muralla de China

2009-05-13T20:36:00.000-07:00

We took a ferry which I would compare to a cheap "cruise" from Japan to China. We met a great group of travelers that were all heading to Beijing as well. So we kinda continued our cruise through Beijing. One of our friends, Fernando, had done his homework & found this exclusive great wall tour!

For Cinco De Mayo we celebrated by hiking The Great Wall of China! Surprisingly enough I picked up a couple new Spanish phrases since there is no hope in me taking on Chinese.

We drove about 3 hours outside of the city & met our 65 year pistol tour guide & got to hike the great wall with no one else & no cheesy vendors!

Helen's tour guide responsibilities will not end till we leave Asia... (Again because our guide was not English speaking so she got to help translate. Remember even though they say English speaking it does not mean they actual speak English.)

Kojie, our Japanese friend, who always spices it up with the greatest faces in all photos!

Although I would never want to down play any hiking experience, after my near death ice picking Bolivian adventure I do not think any trek will ever surmount to that experience.

Been there - hiked that.

KEEN: The shoe that goes everywhere!

After we hiked the Great Wall we had a great lunch in the local village.

Then we met some other friends and all went out for Peking Duck (which is one of Beijing's specialties and what Helen was most looking forward to.) We wrapped it up like a fajita with veggies inside. It was totally delish!

After our duck, we walked around some of the night markets and we took one more photo before we said goodbye to some of our group.

Yeah- these scorpions were still wriggling. Although I have gotten so good about trying new things & getting over my texture issues, this was not going to happen.

PEACE

2009-05-11T18:38:00.000-07:00

The peace museum was easily one of the most well done museums I have ever been to. It did an excellent job of stating the facts in a clean and neutral way. It never put blame on any party. It clearly stated many times that both sides made mistakes. And now Japan's main objective for the future is:

PEACE

When we first walked up to the park this is what we found with a plaque that read: "The A Bomb dome is the ruins of the former Industrial promotion hall which was destroyed by the first atomic bomb ever to be used in the history of humankind on August 6, 1945.

"The Atomic Bomb detonated in the air at an altitude of approximately 600 meters almost right above the hall. The explosion of a single bomb claimed the lives of over 200,000 people and the city area of about 2-km radius was turned to ashes. In order to have this tragic fact known to succeeding generations and to make it a lesson for humankind, the reinforcement work of the ruins has been done by contributions of many people who desire peace within and out of the country. The ruins shall be preserved forever." August 6, 1967 Hirsohima City

This flame will burn until there are no more weapons of mass destruction.

Ultimately the reason why Hiroshima was chosen was because it was believed that it was one of the smallest cities that did not have a prisoner of war site with any of the U.S.'s Allies.

(Here is my little disclaimer: I know from this point on if you are reading it will be difficult. I am hoping you can enlarge your viewing window so you can read because there are a lot of powerful words.)

The museum also had plenty of stories of how the U.S. supported Hiroshima in different ways after the bombing. One story was flying women to the United States to help them with cancer treatments.

The smaller children that should have been killed at the nearby schools in Hiroshima had been evacuated. Many of the children that were evacuated were orphaned in seconds because the rest of their family was annihilated.

Many of the teenagers that should have been in school had been put to work instead. I read many stories of these children barely managing to walk home & then die in their parents arms.

As a teacher this was one of the most powerful things I have read. The truth is not always easy but it is the only thing that will set us free.

After this point in the museum there was a major break. Then you enter another hall & this is when it gets gut-wrenching. They have testimonials, pictures, leftover artifacts and everything else that instantly forces tears in your eyes.

It was said that no plants would grow, because of the radioactivity, for 75 years after the bomb was dropped.

This tricycle was of a little 3 year old boy who was killed. His father buried him in their backyard with his tricycle because he did not want him buried alone in a graveyard. Then 50 years later the father dug him up donated the tricycle to the museum and buried him with the rest of his family.

When you exit the Museum you can see the special statue that was created for Sadako.

I have been to concentration camps in Europe. I have seen plenty of other museums all over the world. This museum easily was one of the most powerful museums I have ever been to. It is incredible the way they transformed such a tragedy into a powerful positive message of peace.

The last monument I read as we left the whole park said: "Mourning the lives lost in the atomic bombing we pledge to convey the truth of this tragedy throughout Japan and the world pass it on to the future, learn the lessons of history, and build a peaceful world free from nuclear weapons."

No blame, just the facts, and a lot of hope.

Beppu

2009-05-11T18:37:00.001-07:00

Beppu is to Japan as Coffee Bay is to South Africa.

Beppu is a place I will be returning. In fact, Helen and I made a pact that by the time she gets her PHD we will return back to Beppu.

Although Helen has most of the bright travel ideas, I saw one little blurb about these hidden springs in Beppu and I was hooked. Luckily, Helen shares my love for hot springs. In fact- when we were in San Miguel last spring break with the family we babysit for we decided we would travel Asia together. (We were at the esconditos, or the hidden springs, right outside of San Miguel.)

Beppu is in the South of Japan. It had a lot of volcanic activity thousands of years ago which created a bubble of heated springs in the earth's crust. There are 88 different mostly fresh water onsens (or heated baths) in Beppu. Other than the onsens, It is a charming, park-filled, mountainous town.

We stayed in this really nice, clean, quiet hostel which had an onsen and free bikes we could use. Typically our days consisted of yoga, our daily visit to the bakery, biking around to all the onsens, and lots of eating!

Basically it is paradise!!!!!!!!

Everyone in Japan if so gentle & friendly. Generally they do not speak English but they are more than willing to try to help you out. In this instance (just like many others in the past) a lady we stopped when we were trying to find the hidden springs stopped everything she was doing, marched us back to her house, where she got her brother to personally drive us to the springs.

Doesn't it look like I am superimposed on this picture?

On another one of our onsen adventures we went to a mudbath!

We stayed in for like 15 minutes. When we came out of our mummy like sand covering we were completely drenched in sweat. Then we showered off and relaxed in the indoor onsen.

On our journey to another onsen we stopped had a yoga session, and a peanut butter picnic. (It is safe to say that I will be avoiding peanut butter for a long period of time when I do come back home!)

We decided to play around with our custom timers....

Temples

2009-05-11T07:15:00.000-07:00

The first temple that Helen & I went to was in Tokyo. Now we have been to many others throughout Japan & China. Many of the temples have altars dedicated to different Gods or buddas that you can pay homage to in many different ways. The most common way is by buying & burning incense.

Traditionally, before you enter a temple you wash your left hand.

Then you wash your right hand.

Next you rinse out your mouth.

Finally there is a lot of incense.

The incense reminded me of the EHS chapel days.

After our first temple we were on our way back and got to see live Japanese performance! In Japan and in China we have seen some performers though it is way more seldom. Most of them also lack a hat or a tip bucket which took me off guard.

First Day in Tokyo

2009-05-11T07:07:00.001-07:00

In one day we had 2 great meals, went to the park, saw some traditional dancing & fighting, scoped out the cherry blossom trees, and went to a baseball game. It is nice to have friends in cool cities!

The view from Megs Apartment!

I got to Tokyo late at night and we just had a good girl session with Megumi & Helen. I went to bed riled up & I will not ever be able to put into words what it was like waking up to this skyline. It was the longest 60 shock filled seconds of me trying to rationalize from a dead sleep where I was.

Megumi was an incredible tour guide!!!!!

Here come the CHERRY BLOSSOM TREES:

We even saw a Geisha!!

Here comes a home run & a major dance party!

When your team scores everyone opens up their mini umbrellas & pops them up and down. There are flags, horns, streamers you name it. It kinda felt like I was at a UT football game. The whole crowd had hints of energy similar to the UT Hell raisers. Honestly, I was still in shock & a little down about leaving Coffee Bay. After the first run was scored, Helen & I jumped up with such excitement that erupted in a fabulous dance party. At that moment I fell in love with Japan, and I knew how much fun Helen & I were going to stir up.

This picture does not do the beer cart ladies justice... But they would wear their hats perpendicular to their head. They do not even wear it, they actually bobby pin it in their hair. It was hilarious!

We made our own seafood pancakes after the game.

The worlds busiest intersection.

This dog has become a bit of a legend in Tokyo. He marks a famous meeting spot. His owner was a well known professor in Tokyo & everyday he would walk him to school & wait for him in this spot. It was said that even after the professor died the dog would still go to this spot & wait for him. Tokyo grew especially fond of the dog, and after he died they made a statue to remember him. The area is right by the worlds busiest intersection so many people still use this spot to meet up.

SMILE

2009-04-26T09:53:00.000-07:00

THE CHILDREN IN AFRICA SMILE!

One guy I met while in Coffee Bay said it best when he said: Even though there are awful wars in Africa, the people in Africa still dance. And they are so happy even though they do not have the basic necessities of life like food and running water.

When I was walking back from school, the children or anyone in the community would take their shirt off of their back to help a neighbor or a complete stranger like myself. Seriously there were many occasions where the community tried to give me hats, umbrellas, or shirts for assistance. I never asked, they would just give.

THE CHILDREN IN AFRICA SMILE!

MY HEARTBEAT

2009-04-17T23:25:00.000-07:00

If there is anything I have learned in the last few years of teaching & relationships in life is that sometimes relationships just do not work. Period. We all make mistakes, but there is no reason to stew on them. Move on, and most of the time the friendships that were ever important come back stronger than ever in the long run. If they do not then those people have fully served their purpose in your world. This has happened many times in my past & it did with my drum too.

I became very infatuated with Native Americans after my first year of teaching kindergarten. We do a huge Native American unit. We even had Tonkawa Native Americans that lived on our actual school grounds! The Native Americans believe that there is a spirit in every living thing. They also believe that The drum is your heart. Traditionally it was a very big deal to receive your drum. The Xhosa culture had some similarities. In Asia they say same same, but different.

When I went to Coffee Bay the first time with Sarah, we were tourists. A backpacker. Whatever you want to call it. Kevin was very quick to point that out. I tried to rush a process that is not meant to be rushed. Lets face it my nickname is tortuga (aka Turtle) and I hate being rushed. I was rushing because I was hoping to finish my drum & send it home with Sarah. Big mistake. Huge. The story is long. WAY TO LONG FOR THIS BLOG.

Kevin & I both made mistakes. We were not able to finish making the drum. Then after really settling back in Coffee Bay I made some ishomis (or friends) in the village that recommended Willie. (I probably would have used him the first time but he was out of town on holiday.)

I am not kidding when I tell you there were many prayers, blood, sweat, tears, and plenty of other forces in this drum of mine. I had wanted a drum for the past 5 years. Now, I could not imagine having done it any other way. I can hardly wait to be banging on this drum with all my gypsy friends back in Austin!

Kevin was my first teacher. Incredibly strong & probably equally as stubborn as me.

Had to throw Sarah back in the mix since she was a big part of the beginning stages of my drum.

Sanding down the drum.

Tanning the hide. (I got to do this one 3 times.)

Wrapping the rings that hold the strings to tighten he hide.

Sarah re-teaching me how to tie the knots because I had taken a surf break.

Before I left Coffee Bay the first time I stayed up all night by the fire to watch the drum & hope for it to dry in time for us to finish tightening it so we could leave for Durban. Needless to say mine was not ready. Thankfully Sarah's was! I was having so much fun I really did not want to leave anyway. So the drum was the last straw that forced me to return to Coffee Bay.

SWITCH:

WILLIE!!!!!!

Willie is known throughout the whole village as the drum master. Whenever he is around he leads all the drum circles. He is an excellent teacher, patient, and has a great sense of humor. The bottom line is he made the whole process easy and fun.

It is said that the drum is your heartbeat. I went to Coffee Bay to finish my drum and maybe "volunteer" in a classroom. But I found my heart and way more than I bargained for. So watch out Austin- I can actually keep the beat at least as a beginner.

Coffee Bay

2009-04-17T23:03:00.001-07:00

I joke that when you grow up going to Galveston's beaches it only gets better. Seriously though, Coffee Bay has some of the most beautiful beaches I have ever encountered. In fact it is the place that made me fall in love with the ocean. Where else can you see cows chillaxing on the beach too?

This hill you see divides the 2 main beaches in coffee bay.

Here is a shot from Simon's rendesvous.

These 2 photos overlook my favorite cliffs in Coffee Bay. I would go there to do yoga a lot and often there would be a pick up game of soccer too.

Josh is going to be a bong playing, Xhosa speaking, surf champion. His parents are the owners of the Coffee Shack. We joke that he will have nothing ot rebel against because every night he goes to bed to the beat of the drums.

This was snapped from a low water bridge. For all those Mystic ladies it really reminded me of Cypress Creek.

I saw this lamb on my way to school one morning. Although you cannot see in this photo you could see its umbilical cord hanging down. If I had to guess, it probably was born the day before.

FULL MOON RISING OVER THE OCEAN!!!

(Yes I got to surf on the full moon.)

The Coffee Shack had drumming several times a week, and there was always a special full moon fiesta which brought out more intense drumming.

The coolest toy cars ever! The village boys said that it did not take long to make. Everything was made from wires excpet the wheels which were old coke cans. They had it attached to a steering wheel that they were all holding onto which was so much fun to drive.

Mark & Burnie playing acoustic style.

Nomandla who was one of the managers at the coffee shack & one of my best Xhosa teachers invited me to her house on one of her days off. She kinda had the local hang out. Many of the houses did not have electricity, her house definitely did. We watched TV, listened to some tunes, had a dance party, made a picnic, played checkers, and of course there was a fun Xhosa lesson involved too.

Baby Ella & Pumeze.

The Sacred Beach

2009-04-17T22:58:00.001-07:00

One of the most Special days I had in Coffee bay was taking all the kiddos to the beach. After that I managed to go for a surf, and then 2 of my closest ishomis, or friends, took me to the sacred pools.

Beach Day with the Kiddos

Typically I went to Khaya Lethu Monday-Friday for school. Then on Sundays I would go for singing, dancing, or whatever fun the children may have been up to. This particular Sunday Christine & I took all the children to the beach. Can you imagine swimming with 17 children and only 3 official caregivers? It was an adventure that rivaled my first year teaching at times. But this experience definitely solidified a lot of my relationships with the children.

If the children did not trust me before the beach they definitely did after the beach. There were times where I was scooping them out of the river because the waves had overpowered them. (Omhle, my danam, actually was so terrified of the water that she clung to me the whole time.)

Right before we had taken this excursion we had just taken in more children. I had barely been there a week, and I was watching everyone's roles shift. I believe the beach was the mold that helped glue the children and me together.

Unfortunately I did not bring my camera to the beach. (Not that I am positive I would have had seconds to snap any shots because there were always small children in my arms.)

We all rode in the truck which was easily one of the highlights of my whole trip. It was like a parade of sorts. The girls (plus 4 boys) rarely get to ride in the truck (only to go to the “local” clinic.) As the car swooshed past any creature that moved the children would scream out all kinds of greetings.

After we got back to Khaya Lethu, Christine had all the kids rinse off in the basins. Khaya Lethu had no electricity or showers. I do not know if I will ever be able to express how captivating it has been to see the way all the children really do care for each other. 17 children showered off in seriously like 10 minutes. the 6 year olds were helping the 2,3, & 4 year olds. Then the teenage children helped hose off the middle age children. The family dynamics of this place is mesmerizing. Each one plays such an important roll in making the house run. Their skills and adaptability simple blow my mind.

The Sacred Pool

Later that day Ilanka & Simon took me to the sacred pools. It was about a 2-3 hour hike in total. It a cross between the green belt & the tubs from camp but honestly WAY more secluded.

I captured Ilanka here at one of our final resting spots. The traditional Xhosa people are actually baptized here. You are not supposed to swim here unless you have special permission.

SIMON!!! Who can say they met their Indian Guru around the fire in Africa? And better yet - HE IS BRITISH! (For those of you who do not know guru literally means "remover of ignorance.")

After we emerged from the sacred pools, we had a beautiful sunset and some local children dancing in their lollies. Pretty much the perfect ending to a beautiful day!

Khaya Lethu

2009-04-17T22:57:00.000-07:00

Life is all about timing. And for some reason I was in the right place at the right time & everything fell into place perfectly when I was in Coffee Bay. Honestly I was tired of doing the same old backpacker song & dance and kinda freaking out about missing one of my best friends weddings (I LOVE YOU HAYLEY!!!) but something special was calling me back to Coffee Bay.

Belinda one of the (the owners of the Coffee Shack) arranged for me to meet the owners of a Christian orphanage. Honestly my initial reaction was hesitation because I am a teacher, and I wanted to teach. But I thought about it for a while, and I figured God was going to take care of me here because I was ready to do something different.

When I met Christine & Guerie we decided I would go for a week and then decide if I was a fit or not. Even though Christine had spoken about their project, nothing prepares you for extreme culture shock. NOTHING. When we arrived in one of their buckeys (aka pickup trucks,) the children ran to welcome us at the doors. Although they were shining and glowing with enthusiasm, they also had open wounds all over their bodies including their heads which were oozing. It did not seem to bother them, but I was hesitant to touch them. That quickly changed. By the end of the first day I knew I was hooked, and luckily with time Christine & Guerie felt the same way too!

This experience has changed my life in ways that I will never be able to articulate in this blog. I was tired & broken for so many different reasons. Christine & Guerie not only welcomed me into their home but also into their newly developing project. And I quickly became apart of the whole Khaya Lhetu family.

I had hard expectations to live up to with teaching back home. None of that mattered anymore. These children craved love, affection, and food. I had all these ideas in the beginning about what the children were going to learn. I thought I was going to waltz in there & change everything. Not only did I have to change all my expectations, but I had no idea how much this experience would change me.

As soon as I arrived the Xhosa woman who was teaching there, Veronica, opened her classroom and made me feel incredibly welcome. She had been working for a couple of months but had no other teaching experience. We all thought that I could give her some guidance especially with organizing the supplies in the classroom. When I was with her, the children were great. But in the beginning there was about a week where she was off doing other training and I had the children to myself. They acted like they could not understand me, they tested me, and pushed all the limits. Basically they walked all over me. (Remember the children primarily speak XHOSA & they begin to learn English in school.) From that moment on, I realized that I needed to throw whatever old teaching expectations I had out the window. These children needed love, attention, and a bit of guidance more than anything in the world (and so did I!) I also knew that I was going to have to start learning some Xhosa & fast.

The mammas: (Nandi, Lullulama, & Squash)

Nandi was actually supposed to be a Child. They lied on her birth certificte and when Christine found out she decided the only thing she could do was have her help out, (instead of kicking her on the streets.) Without these women there would be no orphanage. They did the cooking, cleaning, & everything else that fell under the umbrella of a momma. You did not want to mess with these ladies.

Nobisutu/ Veronica

(I called her Veronica in the beginning. But everyday I learned more & more about the Xhosa culture. A lot of the people that have interactions with White people take on second names because we have such difficulty saying there names.)

I took this picture on one of the first days I was there. The kids were already glowing.

The village where Khaya Lethu is located is called Ematokazine. (Which means village of the unmarried girls.)

Khaya Lethu

The long home was where the kitchen & two small bedrooms were. There were 3 rundavous (which I have no idea how to spell.) 1 was for the guard, 1 was a bedroom for the older sissies, and the closest one you see in the picture by the playscape was the kindergartens classroom. There was also 2 huge organic gardens that all the village women maintained. The profits for whatever crops they sold would go directly to Khaya Lethu.

At least a couple days a week I would take the long road home in that I would have a one & 1/2 hour walk. Those of you who know me well know how I love my long rambling walks. But these walks were some of the best walks of my life because I would get to sing & dance with all the local village children. By the end most of the families recognized & spoke to me.

Lonitha is a LOUD FIRECRACKER.

Here are All of the children inside the classroom. Typically we would have anywhere from 8-16 children depending on the weather. 8 of the children that attended preschool lived at Khaya Lethu the rest of the children would come from the lollies that just walked to school sometimes. This particular day was a special day because the older sissies did not have school & they were able to help me in the preschool a lot because their english was a tad better. I gave them their assigned special seats & to celebrate we had chocolate.

OMHLE (WHICH MEANS BEAUTIFUL IN XHOSA IS MY DANAM.) With Teaching there are no favorites. But every year I have found that there is one child that steals your heart. This session it was Omhle. I have never felt such attachment to anything before in my life, and I cannot wait to go back & see how she has grown. Can you imagine not speaking the same language, and always having a little 3 year old helper running around to do what you need without you even asking or even being able to communicate?

Danam literally means "my child." That was one of the first words I learned in Xhosa. When you hear the mamas burst out with words that have such powerful emotion it is mesmerizing. In fact I think I was forced to learn at a faster rate than I have ever learned anything before. There was such a necessity at times that I had to pick things up quickly or the children would have continued to walk all over me. Bathroom Was another one I learned quicly (funa a gcama.)

Here is Yiva (THE DIVA) in all her glory. Seriosuly this 2 year old was more than a Diva. She is bright, knows how to get her way, & she even poses for the camera.

Ongi shining because we gave them snacks after their doctors visit. Going to one of the local clinics was definitely an eye opening experience.

Veronica & I on our coffee break.

Nandi giving Ongi cream for all the sores on his head.

Latita wanting another ride. ZAB, ZAB, ZAB is what they would chant when they were ready for their turn.

Before I left, I put together a movie of all the photos & video clips I had taken. All the kids from the lollies wanted to see too, so we let them into the classroom. I love this photo because you can see all their energy sucked into the movie.

Minimnandi Kuwea!!

Christine & Guerie single handidly have put this whole project together. It has touched me in so many ways that I look forward to really being able to share with you once I get home. This is one of my favorite photos I took while I was there. It is Batabille's birthday with Squash pumping up the song. Before Khaya Lethu these children's lives were beyond grim. Now they have a positive place to see what God's love can do. Most of these children did not understand what their birthday even was. Now, it seems like everyday is their birthday!

A Bright Light & a Guardian Angel

2009-04-15T08:21:00.000-07:00

I stayed up all night by the fire the night before I left Coffee Bay the first time. I was trying to finish this drum that I had rushed into. It is beyond a long story, do not fret it will come in time.

Naturally, I had a great sleep on the greyhound cruising up to Durban. This bright light woke me up at sunset. I am pretty sure it was a message from our guardian angel because the next 24 hours were some of the wildest in my life....

When I went back to capture the sunset, & ended up meeting Elsa (the colored lady) & this other boy. Both were South African, and they were some of the first people that really educated me on South Africa's history.

I had just settled in with my atlas and a great history lesson. Then, we stopped for a routine dinner break. This dinner break was anything but routine...

As we are about to order our bus attendant comes to us freaking out. He did not write us proper tickets because he wanted to pocket our money & now the cops were wanting to get on board and check our tickets. If he got busted, he would be fired. So the bus needed to leave us & it would come back to pick us up. (At this point I had been on so many dodgy bus rides this honestly did not worry me too much. It was a viable company & I did have my luggage ticket. Plus He promised he would come back for us. Sarah was in great spirits about the whole adventure too! One of the other girls with us, not so much....)

About an hour later the cops have come for us and want to give us a ride to the bus. HA, no thank you. Not in the United States. The cops do not offer free rides in the back of their cars. Not only were they nice cops, but we even

had a major dance party in the back of the cop car to "Whats love gotta do with it?" by Tina Turner. Seriously one of the highlights of my life.

And from there the saga only continues. I am still not positive what really went down. Because when we do get back to the bus the attendant tells everyone else that we just missed the bus. So you can imagine how frustrated everyone on the bus is at us. He approaches us later & tells us it is our little secret blah blah blah...

Then when we arrive to the bus station our new best friend Elsa who says this kinda stuff happens has a friend that can give us a lift to the hostel (where we do not have a reservation.) The bus was supposed to be there much earlier. Not having a reservation has never really been an issue for me. Sarah knew this was going to be a problem, but did I listen? Thankfully Elsa cuses out the non existant help at the fully booked hostel, that was not fully booked.

So its midnight, we have already been left by our shady bus, we couldnt get a cab, and we have no place to stay. I love an adventure! Of course Elsa (who has 5 children to go home to) graciously opens her doors to us. I have never been so excited to see a bed considering I have not properly slept in 48ish hours.

We woke up in the morning, had coffee, walked around the neighborhood, and met her whole family. Then we found a hostel and raced all around Durban because Sarah & I only had 24ish hours left.

Here is Elsa & her youngest daughter.

After this adventure I sent Sarah packing....

But hopefully she is fishing for another excuse to come meet me back in Coffee Bay, or wherever I may be....

Lions, & Tigers, & Bears... OH MY!

2009-04-15T04:55:00.000-07:00

While Sarah & I were stopped over in Port Elizabeth we went to an elephant park & a separate game reserve. Originally we were a little disappointed about the weather because it was a bit chilly & rainy. Later, we discovered it was advantageous for us because the animals were way more sedated & we got more appearances by animals that generally stay hidden the whole day. The reason why they were so sedated is because they would find good shelter from the colder wetter weather & generally stay in one place.

The reserves are fenced in & lightly monitored. The employees do not interact or feed the animals ever. So the animals are definitely still wild, but they are accustomed to the car flow & what not.

The other very valuable lesson that I learned is I have absolutely no interest in going on a safari. We rode around alllllll day long in their open air buckeyes. I am so thankful for the experience that Sarah & I had. Even though it was a bit expensive, I did learn a valuable lesson. It is booooooooooring riding around in those buckeyes. And I have absolutely no desire doing an even longer safari where all you do is ride around looking at animals just laying around chillen. We were so lucky to see all the animals we did, but I consider myself far more lucky to not have settled in for a long intense safari filled with a lot of riding around.

PUMBA

was easily was one of the biggest highlights of our safari. The mamas run with such a distinctive hopping strut with their tale up so the kiddos can follow. It is beyond captivating.

The male ostrich have the darker feathers.

A dung beetle doing what it does best.

Beef- Its what for dinner.

There were very few areas where we could get out of the truck, but this was obviously one of them. It was a neat wooded area with two stories for viewing the elephants.

The only down side of the cooler weather is we did not get to see the elephants play and splash in the water like they normally do. It was still a joy to see them interact in their herd.

We got to see an elephant that was so newly born they did not even know it existed. We only got a few glimpses of it because the herd was so protective of it. We could even see its umbilical cord dragging!

Another baby nursing

EVEN MONKEEEEYSSS!!!

I like this picture because it shows the path that the trucks drive on so clearly.

Hippos are the most dangerous animals in Africa merely because they are so protective of their offspring. They actually are vegetarians. I love this picture because it captured the hippos jaw springing open.

No pictures will ever do justice to the giraffes galloping at full speed.

Pure graceful bobbing back & forth

And Back & forth.

Whatchu looking at?

I love the lioness facial expressions.

The lion on the other hand could hardly be bothered to look our direction. His lady friend was in heat so he had other priorities.

Over all the game reserve experience was wonderful. I just do not know if I will ever seek one out again. But, seeing the giraffes gallop at full speed was easily one of the most surreal moments of my life.

Ain't No Birder

2009-04-15T04:19:00.000-07:00

In one day Sarah and I got to crawl through one of the best caves I have ever been to and visit an ostrich farm. The Cave system was extremely well lit & it was a bit like a jungle play land the way we got to crawl around.

The Ostrich Farm:

I think the Ostrich farm is what really made me miss teaching. We did a huge egg unit back at Eanes kinderland & this was like teacher heaven. There was so much good information. Did you know that Ostrich meat is the leanest meet in the World? Sarah & I had Ostrich steak the night before. It was delish!!! An ostrich egg also can feed up to 16 people for scrambled eggs.

Most Ostrich are not friendly. Betsy was lame and maybe that caused her to be friendly? The farm only had one other that has ever been people safe.

Sarah riding an Ostrich. The jockeys can ride them much more gracefully than us. They pull on the necks to direct it. An Ostrich can go up to about 25 miles per hour.

At the end of our tour we got to see actual Ostriches being born. It was beyond exciting. They had them in an incubator & were able to take them out to show us. Typically it takes an ostrich 4-10 hours to be born. Unfortunately the camera died during these moments. So you guys will just have to go to South Africa to experience it. I'm going back who is coming with me this time?

Penguin Picnic

2009-04-08T08:32:00.001-07:00

Sarah & I packed a picnic and hopped onto a train to Simons Town to go check out the African penguins. This day was easily one of my favorite days in Cape Town, if not my whole trip. The train ride was gorgeous, and Simons Town reminded me a lot of Wimbledon in England. It was just this lovely quaint town.

I wish more than anything My footage could be uploaded to this site. But no dice.... I do have video of the penguins hopping up & down the stairs & running around with all the children like they were playing hide & go seek. (Not to mention all the footage I have of my kiddos singing & dancing in the lollies of Coffee Bay! But we will just have to save that for another day....)

Look out Ace Ventura here comes Sarah Siegel.

Watch out glamour shots, here I come.

Sarah & I decided we are going to have our HOLIDAY HOMES here at the penguin park. (Don't worry we have all our friends houses picked out here too!)

Everybody loves basking in the sun.

Are you to good for your hole?

Everybody also loves a cuddle buddy!

WINOS

2009-04-08T08:29:00.000-07:00

Sarah & I started our all day wino fest by going to a cheetah reserve. Random right? Nothing like cheese, chocolate, A LOT OF WINE & wild cats.

The more wineries I go to the more I see what a process it really is. It is incredible how much they have learned to tinker with the process to speed it a long. They have machines for everything these days. It used to require a person turning bottles for months to get the alcohol & wine to settle right. Now they have machines to do everything which has drastically sped up the process.

Sarah & the others educated me on the PROPER way to smell wine. Gotta get that nose down in there!

Now that is more like it...

We went to a total of 5 wineries where we had PLENTY of tastings at each. Sarah could not even finish the last tasting, I of course powered through. This was definitely the most in depth wine tasting I had ever been too. We got the most information, tons of wine, a delicious lunch, plus the countryside was gorgeous.

See what I mean?

P.S.- Watch out guys because I have unfortunately left Coffee Bay, and I am back in the blogging game!

Dahab

2009-04-08T08:01:00.001-07:00

Even though it is outdated, I wanted to share the last bit of Sarah & my journey. I have plenty of Coffee Bay photos coming your way so stay tuned. It is bittersweet that I only have 1 more week here in paradise, but I am pretty confident this is where I will move after Christmas! And I do look forward to the upcoming adventure that Helen and I will share.

Dahab is a gorgeous city situated on the red sea. It is cheap, has some of the best diving in the world, and a lot of other fun activities to offer. While I was there we had a great game of volleyball, got to go scuba diving, and another highlight was 4-wheeling all over town.

Sarah Looking Ice-Cold

We had some traditional tea in a village. I also love this picture because you can see how much dirt we really did stirr up.

We got to play cards and watch a cool show with traditional dancing at our hotel.

HOME

2009-03-01T03:39:00.000-08:00

I originally arrived to Coffee Bay with Sarah a month ago. One of the first things we did is hike up this cliff overlooking the beach to watch the sunset. The next thing I know we were doing cartwheels. It was at that moment that I was hooked. We spent 4 days there, & then we left to go to Durban to send Sarah back home to the states :( I knew I had to get back & I was hoping to volunteer at one of the local schools.)

Now I have been back in Coffee Bay for 3 weeks and I have about 2 months to go. I have been so blessed in so many ways. I feel like everything in my life is coming together in front of my eyes and I am really hoping that I may move here... (But first I will come back home- don't worry mom!)

I am living at a B&B. I am helping out with the preschool at an amazing Christian orphanage called Khaya Lhetu. The people who have started the program have totally taken me in. They are guardian angels of sorts... And now, the whole village is beginning to welcome me & it is more than exciting. The native language is called XHOSA. (pronounced with a click at the beginning of the word.) The language is exciting & I am picking it up more & more with the children.

I am working on getting some pictures up, but until then you can check out my friend, Jeff's, website that will give you a better feel for the WILDCOAST or TRANSKEI. www.wildcoast.com

This place is magical to say the least. I have never been a part of a community where the animals (dogs, cows, cats, horses, goats, sheep, chickens, roosters, snakes, frogs, you name it) and people all live together so peacefully. In my spare time, I am also learning to surf, make a drum, and doing a ton of hiking.

I have so much more I want to say, but sometimes less is more. Life just makes sense here. I hope all is well back home. Check it out: http://www.wildcoast.com/

Mt. Sinai

2009-01-20T14:01:00.000-08:00

Mt. Sinai was a pretty incredible experience for me. We first went to the church and saw the burning bush that influenced Moses to do what he did. After that we had some lunch, and then returned back to the Mountain where Moses discovered the 10 commandments. The hike took about 3 hours to get up & was about 3,000 meters or 9,900 feet. It was so peaceful up there, and we got to see an amazing sunset.

The burning bush is encapsulated in this well like brick case.

I love this picture with everyone touching the bush.

The cave where Moses lived for 4 weeks at the top of Mt. Sinai

Templed Out

2009-01-18T13:43:00.001-08:00

Our second dosage of other temples started with a morning donkey ride. HUBBA HUBBA HUBBA- YELLA YELLA YELLA. (Which means kiddy up in arabic our another one of our major catch phrases.)

After our donkey ride we ended up in the "Valley of the Kings" which are basically glorified burial grounds for other pharohs & wealthy Egyptians.

There were all these different chambers of sorts. Some of the coolest paintings & artwork were in their chambers where there sarcaphoguses were.

This was the entrance of a separate temple we went to right outside of Luxor. It was very impressive. Unfortunately after everything we had seen in the last 2 weeks my brain was pretty fried.

Some more people constantly working on any of the sites we went to.

4 Sheesha...

2009-01-18T13:39:00.001-08:00

"When in Rome do as the Romans do..."

When I was in a market an Egyptian man called the "huka" their "computer." I of course busted out in laughter. Our whole group enjoyed smoking their flavored sheesha from the huka. On one occasion Sarah & I even got to play dominos, drink their delishes mint tea, & smoke sheesha with some locals which was loads of fun.

Typically the muslims do not drink, so I guess this is considered their only real "vice." Some muslims do drink, but it is a pretty underground operation. You have to go to these "duty free" shops. They will write down your passport information & everything. They say shops are only for the tourists, but you do see a lot of other Egyptians in there buying liquor as well. Be prepared: because it is super expensive, since it is so hard to come by.

Now instead of "for sure," Sarah & I say "for Sheesha," so get ready for the new catch phraze Austin.

My 2 Favorite Temples

2009-01-18T13:23:00.000-08:00

We woke up at 3:00AM and had a 3 hour bus ride to the ABU SIMBEL temple. Sarah & I were wondering what we were doing there because there wasn't much to see in the beginning other than a great sunrise.

After I walked around the corner of these mounds then we could see massive sand mounds with sculptures on the outside. This seriously was my favorite temple that I saw!!! It was created for one of the kings mainly for his wife queen Nephertite. She was the only queen that had a temple built for her & she was 1 of his 53 wives. (Imagine what the other wives thought???)

This picture gives you an iota of how big the temple really is...

Unfortunately we were not allowed to take pictures inside the temple. It was amazing on the inside though. On the inside there were carvings running from the top to the bottom. The lighting was incredible. It was somehow created that on two of the most important days in the kings/ Egyptians lives the whole temple lights up on the inside at sunrise & senset.

One of the guards holding the "Key of life"

After Abu Simbel we went on the Felucca ride, then we went to another temple. At this temple we got to see mummified crocodiles & made friends with the guards so they took us to some pretty cool areas.

Perfect jean add right??

The key of life

Here are the guards that we befriended.

The way the LIGHT hit at this temple was just perfect.

FELUCCA

2009-01-18T09:23:00.001-08:00

Aswan was a sleepy city on the Nile that was close to one of the coolest temples I have ever seen Abu Simbel. While we were in Aswan we relaxed by the pool, enjoyed the markets, but the sailing on a felucca down the Nile was definitely one of the biggest highlights of my whole trip!

The view from our room at our Baller hotel

We took a felucca ride to the Nubian village

We all had a traditional dinner at the Nebian village.

Tannis, Sarah, Laura loooungen. We had 12 small mattresses spread out over the felucca. We did some yoga, had tea, beers, a dance party, and I taught everyone my favorite British card came called "shithead!"

Here is our Yoga session on the boat!

Don the dude was giving me some photography lessons.

The Pyramids

2009-01-18T09:21:00.000-08:00

We woke up early had breakfast, went to the Egyptian museum, the pyramids, and the sphinx all in one day. The Egyptian museum was one of my favorite highlights of the whole tour. It just had so many incredible artifacts. We actually went twice & still did not see everything in the museum.

After the museum we had koshery for lunch which is one of my favorite traditional meals. It is like spaghetti mixed with lentils, crunchy noodles, garlic, and other herbs that make it sooooo delish. They have koshery restaurants all over Egypt. Imagine a restaurant that can be as big as 4 floors only serving one thing on the menu, and it is always packed.

The first glance of the PYRAMIDS from the bus

Gotta have the cheesy tourist photo.

Could we be on the Bangles music video?

Sarah caught me having a moment with the pyramids.

A little yoga action at the pyramids

The main reason why the pyramids were created was for the pharaohs & wealthy to be comfortable when they came back to their afterlife. They were the first civilization to start mummifying or burying their dead. They believed that they would come back just how they were left so they wanted to preserve themselves as best as possible as well as their belongings. They even would put their servants near them so when they all came back they would have their proper help.

The Egyptians were such an incredible civilization. They invented paper, perfume, beer, and wine. We saw the three most famous pyramids & got to walk inside one of them. There are tons of temples & over 100 other pyramids scattered all through Egypt. I feel like we saw a lot on our 2 week tour, but it would take more than a lifetime to see all the ruins & artifacts. At every temple that we went to there were teams of people still doing excavations. They are constantly discovering new artifacts.

Fall into the G.A.P.

2009-01-18T09:00:00.001-08:00

So you would think traveling to Egypt I would have plenty of Egyptian trivia. Don’t worry that is coming…

This was my first guided tour which I was pretty apprehensive about. We lucked out with a great group which made the trip. I would say that the advantages far outweighed the disadvantages on the tour.

Sarah and I joined a G.A.P. tour with 10 other Canadians & I now know a plethora of information about Canada. Did you know that there are 3 Territories and 10 Provinces in Canada? Did you know that Canada is a part of the common wealth? Meaning the Queen of England is on all their money & the UK technically has some type of power over it just like it has power over parts of Ireland, all of Scotland, & Australia. (On a positive note it does make the visa process much easier if you are apart of the common wealth.)

SA- RAH from the good ole ATX. (This is her first time out of the U.S. & she sure did it with a bang by choosing to meet me in Egypt & South Africa )

Don (the dude) & Rita from Toronto (Ontario Province.) Both lawyers. Rita also proved to be a great dance party friend.

Erica a social worker from Quebec. Of course speaks French ,& spends a fair amount of her time up north where the Inuit live (formerly known as Eskimos. Indians now are called Native Americans, just like Eskimos are now called Inuit. They were given the Eskimo name by the Indians which means eater or raw meat.)

Gerald & Tannis both farmers from the red river valley, (which is the province in southern Manitoba.)

THE 4 PACK!!! All are from Winnepeg (Manitoba Province.) Most are now widowed, have grandchildren & jet set around the world together. They loved their cards, wine, & any other kind of adventure.

Mudy in all his glory. He is born & bread Egyptian. And is a very energetic informative tour guide. His name was Charlie & we were his angels the whole tour. (No he never stopped calling us his angels!)

Laura from London (a small city in Ontario) now lives in Toronto. We got to celebrate her & Gerald's birthday on the trip with some serious dance party action so you know I was in paradise!

The Death Road

2009-01-18T08:45:00.000-08:00

A Roller Coaster

rickety rocketry

dust flying

heart skinking

horn beeping

eyes bulging

people panting

hands sweating

Teeter totter

The Death Road

(We were not even officially on the death road when we passed by this bus. It had just fallen of the skinny cliffside road that we were on as we could see all the passengers taking their luggage out of the bus. No one appeared to be injured.)

The turns are so tight that it is a miracle a bus can even squeeze down this road. Not only that, cars are coming from both directions & when they meet up someone has to reverse basically teetering over the edge. It is beyond intense. It was an 18 hour bus ride total, but it felt like a 18 hour roller coaster ride you could not get off of. When you go to a theme park you can choose what rides you want to ride, and somehow there is a feeling of invincibility. Not when you are on a shady bus hovering over cliffs.

Pampas

2009-01-18T08:44:00.000-08:00

I arrived in Rurrenabaque in a tiny little jet. Literally we landed on a field. There is not even a paved runway which results in a lot of flight cancelations due to the rain.

Luckily, I met a wonderful British couple on the flight. Our tour we booked was a bit of a farce but we regrouped, and had a great time while we waited on our group to fill up. With enough tours that I have taken, I try not to compare because everything is negotiable, someone will always pay less than you, and they will say anything to make money.

There was jungle & wetlands right outside of Rurrenabaque. The Pampas tour was through the wetlands. We drove 3 hours in a crazy jeep ride & then 2 hours in a boat that we had to dig out of the swamp to ride in. We arrived to hammoksville, bungalows, the cutest family ever, & the best food.

Another river crossing.

A very handy 7 eleven (not like the one back home, but it did carry wine!)

This cool plant that shrinks up when you touch it.

A sunset a the local bar where we had great games of volleyball.

The biggest, chillest, beaver-like animal I have ever seen.

All it did was eat dirt.

We went out marching through the wetlands. We saw all kinds of snakes, but no one attempted to hold the anacondas or cobras.

HOWLER-MONKEYS!!!! (Seriously the loudest animals on the planet.)

The chefs that ran our lodging had two of the cutest girls ever.

Us swimming with the pink river dolphins. I got a couple of arms lengths away but they are a bit shy. They would come up for air breifly & you could get a good glimpse of them. There was definitely no flipper action though.

After the tour we were rained in, and all the flights were cancelled for days. I was running out of time and needed to get to Lima so I could meet Sarah in Egypt. I cancelled my flight, and booked a cheap bus ride down the world's most deadliest road...

The Salt Flats

2009-01-02T18:01:00.000-08:00

Mon & only I had 3 days left. What should we do? Spend 2 nights on an overnight bus & almost get stranded in a small city hundreds of miles away from where your flight home is. What any reasonable traveler would do, right?

We saw some cool statues made out of sand, ate some shady meals, did some yoga, elected NOT to climb the mountain since we were still pretty warn out from Huayni Potosi. Not to mention we howled at the moon with our new best Argentinian friends.

We had a dinner, an amazing sunset, bottles of wine, s sky full of stars, & a guitar.

The next day we woke up & hiked around and miraculously bought the last 2 bus tickets back to La Paz so Monica could catch her plane (for an extra price of course!)

Happy trails to you.....