Snakes in Thailand

I remember years ago, when I was still very much green behind the ears - I had seen little and yet felt I'd seen alot.
the local bus on the way to Pi Village was stopped by a snake.
A snake that was so large we couldn't tell which was head or tail because it reached over both sides of the road, ends disappearing into the jungle beyond.
Our driver refused to try to drive over it for fear the bus would get stuck: wheels on either side and stampeding passengers climbing out windows to escape.

...so we sat back, took photos, and scared one German tourist into believing that the the bus would tip as the entire passanger load followed the snakes path across the road from one side of the bus to another.
I was traveling with an Aussie at the time, and he told me that this was by far the largest snake that he'd ever seen - THAT impressed me.

The image I've posted here made me double take, I almost thought it was from that exact occasion. Its not however - too small (gasp) but close enough ;-)
sssssssssssssss

Visa Pics

the bad the ugly and the just plain weird
C

Scary Climate Actions

This caught my attention this morning, some pretty drastic stuff being bandied about. Worth a read - and maybe investing in higher ground


PERMAFROST MELT SCARIER THAN FINANCIAL MELTDOWN

This is how Dr Oerjan Gustafsson, of Stockholm University, announced the approach of a climate apocalypse in an email sent last week from the Russian research ship Jakob Smirnitskyi in the Arctic Ocean.
"We had a hectic finishing of the sampling programme yesterday and this past night. An extensive area of intense methane release was found.
"At earlier sites we had found elevated levels of dissolved methane. Yesterday, for the first time, we documented a field where the release was so intense that the methane did not have time to dissolve into the seawater but was rising as methane bubbles to the sea surface."
Dr Gustafsson's preliminary report, published in The Independent of September 23, is a development far more frightening than the current financial crisis, although it will get only one-thousandth of the coverage.
The worst that the financial crisis can bring is some years of recession.
The worst that massive methane releases in the Arctic can bring us is runaway, irreversible global warming.
Molecule for molecule, methane gas is 20 times more potent than carbon dioxide as a warming agent.
However, since methane doesn't stay in the atmosphere as long - about 12 years, on average, compared to 100 years for CO2 - and human activities do not produce all that much of it, concerns about climate change have mostly been focused on carbon dioxide.
The one big worry was that warmer temperatures might cause massive releases of methane from natural sources.
There are thousands of megatonnes of methane stored underground in the Arctic region, trapped there by the permafrost (permanently frozen ground) that covers much of northern Russia, Alaska and Canada and extends far out under the seabed of the Arctic Ocean.
If the permafrost melts and methane escapes into the atmosphere on a large scale, it would cause a rapid rise in temperature - which would melt more permafrost, releasing more methane, which would cause more warming, and so on.
Climate scientists call this a feedback mechanism.
So long as it is our emissions that are causing the warming, we can stop it if we reduce the emissions fast enough.
Once feedbacks like methane release start to drive the warming, it's out of our hands: we might even cut our emissions to zero, only to find that the temperature is still rising.
Fear of this runaway feedback is why most climate scientists (and the European Union) have set a rise of 2degC in the average global temperature as the limit we must never exceed.
Somewhere between 2degC and 3degC, they fear, massive feedbacks like methane release would take the situation out of our hands.
Unfortunately, the heating is much more intense in the Arctic region.
The average global temperate has only risen 0.6degC so far, but the average temperature in the Arctic is up by 4degC.
So the permafrost is starting to melt, and the trapped methane is escaping.
Thatis what the research ship Jakob Smirnitskyi has just found: areas of the Arctic Ocean off the Russian coast where "chimneys" of methane gas are bubbling to the surface.
What this may mean is that we have no time left if we hope to avoid runaway global warming - and yet it will obviously take many years to get our own greenhouse gas emissions down.
So what can we do? There is a way to cheat, for a while.
Several techniques have been proposed for holding the global temperature down temporarily in order to avoid running into the feedbacks.
They do not release us from the duty of getting our emissions down, but they could win us some time to work on that task without running into disaster.
The leading candidate, suggested by Nobel Prize-winning atmospheric chemist Paul Crutzen in 2006, is to inject sulphur dioxide into the stratosphere in order to reflect some incoming sunlight.
This mimics the action of large volcanic eruptions, which also lower the global temperature temporarily by putting huge amounts of sulphur dioxide into the upper atmosphere.
Another, less intrusive approach, proposed by John Latham of the National Centre for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, Colorado and Prof Stephen Salter, of Edinburgh University, is to launch fleets of unmanned, wind-powered vessels, controlled by satellite, that would spray seawater up into low-lying marine clouds in order to increase the amount of sunlight they reflect.
These techniques are known as "geo-engineering", and discussing them has been taboo in most scientific circles because of the "moral hazard": the fear that if the public knows you can hold the global temperature down by direct intervention, people will not do the harder job of cutting their emissions.
But if large-scale methane releases are getting under way, the time for such subtle calculations is past.
Starting now, we need a crash programme to investigate the feasibility of these and other techniques for geo-engineering the climate.
Once the thawing starts, it is hard to stop, and we may need them very soon.

Gwynne Dyer is an independent London journalist.

The Tan

I used to be sure that it were dogs the one true bane of a woman traveller, I have now however, found this devil a new friend: The Tan.
The Tan involves a great deal more effort to get right than is led to believe - the perfect all round, no straps marks, golden hue that conveys to all that the bearer “has been abroad” or at the very least has had sufficient relaxation time to gather the necessary sun hours to gain an admirable tan.
HOURS must be spent pool side or beach lounging to gather enough vitamin D, turning and basting like a Christmas goose (we did things a little different in Central Otago) to produce the perfect all communicating Tan…. yet almost the moment ones foot so much as touches the good soil of home, skin turns peachy pink from toe nail to brow top…one month and not a glimmer of tan to show for the dayssss in Phnom Penh’s beer-before-midday-friendly resorts, and long bus rides in search of beaches not yet destroyed by flashing lights or thoughtless garbage dumping.

What about the movement not to home from the tropics but to colder climes such as my much mentioned Himalayans? I hear you ask… well I will readily admit that quite possibly The Tan disappears at a similar rate at such elevations, however the difference lies in the fact that there aren’t quite the opportunities to see ones skin in the mostly Hindu (no longer Kingdom of) Nepal. In other countries along the range there is a lack of clean or warm water. Mountain showers that I am familiar with, are had in a small stone rooms with slimy wooden floors, a tiny rectangular hole near the ceiling for light and a bucket of barely defrosted glacier water, thus The Tan is not an issue as skin beyond hands and face, simply do-not-exist.

This is a pic from Shimshal, I've mentioned it before, but you can imagine that once the borrowed blue jacket was removed, shoes changed and my head properly covered I easily traveled as a local woman... who could question the skin color? the nail grime the purplenss of cheek?

Hmmm Photo added when I journey out of this national park to faster net connections x

Wild Wild West

G’day from Melbourne, Australia.
You know, I've been in western countries occasionally over the past years...almost 9 living in Asia now, but this is the first time that I've come with the view of possibly not returning to what I now refer to as "the real world" and so perhaps not so oddly I was struck by culture shock upon arrival.
Like I said its not like I haven't seen it all before, but this time I had to look at it all through the lens of someone who is looking at staying
- can I belong here?
- can I find a place in this world?
- are there like minds that can be found?
But allllll that I saw were people that walked very fast and were so well dressed they looked like they had got up in the morning with the thought that they might be on television at any point during the day...even the hippies where wearing labels and clothing with holes positioned just so.
Almost three days in, and I'm feeing comfortable enough to sit and coffee in a busy street, which was so much harder than I expected! If this had been any other county, hell maybe simply a country where English wasn't the first language, then it would have take all of 3 minutes to get out there in amongst the madness.... but as it was, I did spend much of yesterday walking around at a pace that was so slow people smiled at me (and possibly wanted whatever I was on) I felt like an alien with 3 heads, or totally naked.

prices are frightening, but that’s not a surprise.
people are so pleasant to each other, very very well mannered, and friendly and well it just blows my mind, I feel like everyone I talk to I will become friends with....ahhhhh but have to remind myself that this is just how people act here and unlike in PP no ones on the search for as many friends as they can collect
I need a 75c beer
I need to text random thoughts to random people I love but often don't know their last name!!
I am gagging for soft taco's from Free Bird
and some love from Fatty Cat,
oh boy, but most of all, I really really miss not having 20 willing and interesting beautiful folk to decide from to have lunch with.
yup, its all an adventure of course, but it would be a shame if I did not feel this way alittle.
To the WEST, and the madness barely hidden...ok ok stylishly hidden ;-)

Cambodian love madness

Man Injects Love Interest With Blood

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP) — A Cambodian man was arrested after injecting a woman with his own blood in a bizarre scheme to win her affections, police said Wednesday.
The 22-year-old man is being held by police for allegedly causing injury to a 21-year-old woman, said Tan Sophal, a police officer in Battambang province where the attack occurred. It is about 155 miles northwest of the capital, Phnom Penh.
The man allegedly injected a syringe of his blood into the woman's rib cage and waist as she walked home from school, Tan Sophal said.
The assailant fell in love with the woman when the two were classmates in 2004, Tan Sophal said. After the woman refused his advances, he came up with the scheme to inject her with his blood, he said.
"He thought that if he could not marry her, at least his blood can stay inside her body," Tan Sophal said. "That's why he injected her with his blood."
After the woman reported the assault to police, she was sent to a hospital for an examination to determine among other things whether the blood was tainted, Tan Sophal said.
The man is being held at a police detention center and is expected to be formally charged in the coming days.

Tough Employers in Cambodia

Sometimes in Cambodian News papers, a 1/4 page article will appear warning readers that a particular ex-staff member (usually pictured) is no longer employed by a certain angry company, and that none of their actions are at all related to said company... often 1/4 page ads for months, with sometimes quite dramatic descriptions and WARNING! warning! Always leaving us curious of just what this "monster" could have done!!

Anyway heres Sam a friend of mine who simply pissed off his boss. He was editor of a reasonably successful monthly magazine....somehow they managed to find a photo where the man looks like an axe murderer...
funny

Happy Birthday Si

hanging with Bob

Khmer Food

Some say Cambodian food is the worst in the world..... I'm a bit of a foody, and I'd have to agree insofar as to say that its not often great....and I'd have to admit that after an initial period of 3 months eating almost 100% Khmer local foods, I don't often have any at all these days.
Sure the fish soup with pineapple and tomato is grand, there are some herbs here that are a joy to consume in the bulk in which they are available. But unless you are going to spend that little extra and go to a finer Khmer restaurant or to a beer/karaoke BBQ place that isn't really 100% local, you're liable to come out a little confused, possibly in search of an sorbet, and usually without a need to repeat the experience quickly.
This is so disappointing, just LOOK at Cambodia's global position !! Thailand with its spicy and rich array of salad, curry's and never tiring national dishes. Vietnam has Pho at any price range is delicious, fruit juices the best I have ever experienced, and a true understanding of catering well for the vegetarian palate. China, how to forget the noodles, duck, pig, soups and steamed yumyums so satisfying........ but Cambodia? No spice in their local food, nothing at all is eaten raw, every meal is an array of dishes each with a base of at least one meat, more often than not meat AND shrimp (the predried when recooked strong smelling/tasting kind). and the meat cut in cubes so every bite has a goblet of fat, a shard of bone, and a chewy piece of whadevaidis.
I am not saying that there is no Khmer dishes that is tasty and delicious, but if simply heading out for a cheaper meal then the best choices are at the Thai/Chinese/French/Italian/Mexican/German/Vietnamese/Lebanese/Turkish/Vietnamese
gasp!
North Korean/South Korean/Russian/English/Japanese restaurants available in Phnom Penh in such abundance.
My usual would be Le Duo, where the Gnocchi in walnut and white sauce melts in the mouth and doesn't leave one in a food comma, easily washed down with a house red for a dollar eighty, or Indian home Delivery that arrives 20mins later with full array of condiments for as little as $3. To eat at home is almost more expensive...perhaps even IS.
hmmm I think its Java express for lunch. Tomato soup served inside a large crusty bread round.
At work the graphics department tried to feed me some sweet meats

Missing the Mountains

I miss the mountains (this is Shimshal in Pakistan...I think, I know it anyways)... the views, the looking up from a flat and seeing peaks, hell looking up from a flat and seeing ANYTHING! I miss the able to go, just go, and knowing, seeing where the going will take me. I miss the wind that is always colder than you remember even when remembering was only yesterday, or climbing out from goat herders hut from a lunch of cheese and glacierwater. I miss the feeling of using every muscel of the body, mind and soul, to accomplish what it is I had set out to do that day and only having myself to contend with....myself and Allah as there is always wind, rain, snow and canyons unforeseen.
I miss the people, being so strange and beautiful and yet exactly the same as me
I miss the way of living. How every moment is a picture, how learning to live again such a simple life brings universal and "all" contentment.

Interview Rant

hold on to your hats, a rant is nai, neigh, er you know what I mean.
Language level is low I warn you mum, but I'm just going to say it like it is...
......and I see that spell check isn't working, sorry.

SO on Friday I had a 10 hour job interview for an Advertising Agency, TEN HOURS, this did of course involve at least 3 hours meeting the Norwegian company I could be Account Manager for...thus many drinks.... I left before they were done which bent a few noses
Last night I get a message from the **as yet unnameable** boss (mad as a snake talking lots full power same age as me leopardskin high heel) and she invites me to this clients celebration party.
I rock on up, the place is full of all the boys (50+ age and number) being very very drunk. the welcome is strange but I bounce around and talk to those that will talk to me. the main boss guy will not. but i reckon hes a wanker. So this other fellow Shanty is his name and a pennant for trying to touch my boobs he has... takes me into his confidence and says quite bluntly/drunkenly that the reason that I haven't this job is because most of the guys reckon I'm
" stuck up".
his words
or rather their words he's repeating.
whooooa
I didn't sign up for that kinda language.
however, interesting to know of ones self... of course I reckon I'm not, I'm a bit shy and take myself a bit seriously sometimes and my defence mechanism is for sure is to be standbackish. but to hear that this all comes across as being "stuck up"?
Shiva Vishnu
anyways this Shanty fellow (Shanty in name alone) is on my side, wants me on the team, is trying to persuade the others, but hes one of about 10. So I wineded and beered, whiskyed and champaigned, and dodged the occasional wandering hand, drank the alcohol put in front of me, smoked the cigars, talked the absolute gobshite and pretended to know loads about Norway
they have oil
I hear back on Friday.
So today I'm going to try desperately to get a job with an NGO in the Agricultural field. I am after all a farm girl (something even Shanty didn't believe) and have an ingrain knowledge about such things...no matter how hard I've tried to ignore it...."you can take the girl outta the farm but blah blah
there's me rant.
not bad eh?

Royal Ploughing Festival

Recently Cambodia celebrated another national holiday, I intended this time to join in the festivities....alas the event began before 8am and the PP social life simply does not lend itself to such adventures on "sleep-in dayz".... Now come, this is totally forgivable when you consider that most people work 6 or even 7 days a week.
That I am an unemployed bum has nothing to do with it!! I must show support for my working buddies
(buy it? no neither do I)

In an effort to get into the flow of things I have below the gist of "National Royal Ploughing Day" from a blogspot of some interest: http://www.ki-media.blogspot.com/ a site self described as "dedicated to publishing sensitive information about Cambodia", written by Cambodians.

"If the Sacred Cows eat paddy or maize, the prophecy is that the harvests and food produce will be abundant. If they eat green bean or sesame, food produce will be abundant and the food that we eat every day will also be available throughout the country. If they drink water or eat grass, water will be abundant, while harvests, food produce and the food that we eat every day will be rich in supply. If they drink the liquor, transportation will be convenient and commerce with foreign countries will be prosperous"
However if the cow fails to eat one.......disaster! so much relying on this sacred beast


ps, a sneaky trip to Vietnam tomorrow for 3 days of shopping and cinema, tis a good life eh?

Ronan Keating

I wanted to put up a pic of RK, but thought these might have more to offer.

1. The Phnom Penh Riverfront...because contrary to popular belief PP it is not near the sea

2. The current King of Cambodia, he is a gay ballet dancer who lives in France

3. The Dump. My friend Katy works getting the kids off this massive site

Back all of two weeks, and the time has been full of contradictions, bad spelling, and weird shoes. as always.
PP today is bearable, there is a breeze, and moments when it ceases of complete madness. Motodops now just yell "Hay" no more are they jumping and clapping hands to catch attention, though still an occasional finger click from those lucky enough to find a non sweaty patch on their shirts to wipe opposing fingers dry enough to create friction....tis a sad state of affairs.
and yet I do love it here
Ronan Keating (thanks for the spelling hint Swift) is coming to town, the newspapers have no less than 3 full page color ads for the man...my first glimpse of who he is...a close up of half his face....its plenty. My total distrust of this .. cough cough "musician" did not however, stop me from entering a text competition for a free ticket...one must encourage international acts and us expats will go to ANYTHING for the share hell of it. So I entered the RK and texted to 1212. BINGO! Now when anyone calls my phone they do not get a ringing tone but badly dubbed crooning of some new age Cliff Richard ....I should not be forcing this upon anyone...but cannay get it off!
however the storey continues. I WON A TICKET!!
how did I know of this golden egg?
copious calls and texts from random unknown Cambodian males. Apparently my name and number appeared on TV.
nice one Cellcard you bastards...
back to the job hunt

Kiwiana

Aotearoa - Land of the Long White Cloud

Wahooo! I made it to NZ dispite rediculas length stoppovers and inedible in-flight food.
gah

The things that have really struck me so far, is that the streets are clean, green and STRAIGHT! NZ is really rual looking....the people too. NZers are casual dressers, women wearing the height of fashion but their hair is just a little untidy, make up a bit 'rough', shoes too often jandels....I dig it, means I can wear the hodge podge of fashion bought with me from Cambodia without looking too out of place.

Ha! the telly just mentioned that Winston Peters, NZ's Foreign Minister, and absolute wanker, as looking like "Dog Tucker" nice kiwiism for NZ national 6pm news heeee :-D

I miss my cell phone like a serious drug attiction

Managed to arrive in time for a lass's 30th birthday, the theme? Kiwiana. That means all things Kiwi. We had it at a Bowling Club, there was Lion Red on Tap...served in jugs, sausage rolls, Pavlova, Lamingtons, jandels willy nilly, hooo boy erm, rollies, um, Kiwiw fruit, sausage in white bread with Watties tom sause, frozen glass handles, an old couple serving...did she have purple rinse? perhaps....its almost raining, and everyone else is dressed like its summer! I'm staying with Simon, check out his site, perhaps you'll understand the damb fine music to whihc has been the constant and wonderful lulliby...The Greenskeepers x

www.daktari123.blogspot.com

I Quit!

Almost 6 months I lasted with a company kind enough to see my potential and employ me as their Marketing Manager....problems started when they introduced me to my assistant Vicheth....and that's how they told him he didn't get the job, by introducing him to his new boss and position stealer....yeah....That's about how things are done....so I faced the wrath of an evil and arrogant little man, who used all his energy to spite me in his bitterness...I should've got out then!
Alas, I stayed on, facing 4 months of Khmer sneakery and blatant name calling thinly veiled behind a language I can bearly speak 4 words without mistakes like saying that ones child is "delicious", I just canny grasp it.
So ok, back to the story, my Khmer fellow manager Channy, we used to go out for beers, he was alright. The company merged with another and there was a need for another layer of management, so Channy go promoted YAHOO I supported him...till I noticed that while I was working so hard I never put buttocks to seat HE suddenly took up reading the newspaper 3 hours a day, demanding RIDICULOUS time wasting meetings, and blah blah.
so I resigned.
And as of tomorrow are back to the state I'm quite familiar with - unemployment...not too familiar mind, I DO like a wage and something constructive to do.
I'll be home in a week, Scott's having a baby, I've a hankering for my Mums baking and my Nana's company....will return to PP where there's a cat, a wooden house and a grand group of friends
WHOOP WHOOP

Banksy Thoughts

Whilst sniffing around some Banksy images (yay to Google Images, really is great) I found this tidbit on why you shouldn't mess with graffiti writers:
The longest recorded piece of graffiti was painted by a student in the toilets of his college at Changsha, Chain, in 1915. It consisted of over 4000 characters criticizing his teachers and the state of Chinese society. After completing his materpiece the student handed himself in and was paraded in front of the school and threatened with expulsion. The sutdent was a 22 year old Chairman Mao. A grafitting artist who later founded the People's Republic of China and was responsible for the deaths of over 300 million.
....and for a totally unrelated Banksy image, the right side I liked cos of the Nihon-jin feel to it

Random Photos

On the way to Rabbit Island, just off the Cambodia Coast near the old French colony of Kep. Spectacular! Dispite a sprained foot, 3rd degree sun burns, and a far far lighter back pocket, it was Divine. ..ahhhhh a moment as I wiggle my toes in cool reflection...so near Vietnam you can smell and see it. Too many jellyfish, far too much food, and a nice mix of media folks. Michele's birthday! one night at Veranda Guest Gouse (beaut-i-ful) a lone German in a pink shirt travelling with his 75 year old mum, slowly walked through the dark tree lined path at 2am playing Happy Birthday on his bagpipes...very very bizarre, it made my entire year thus far! Bless that man and his knee high socks, amazing.

The King of Cambodia at the time of the Khmer Rouge, had many palaces all over Cambodia, in Kep he had no less than 2, one in the hills - which he never completed nor used,and the one in these photos, near the sea - not that you should picture white sands and clear waters because to get wet you would fist need to cross a road, climb over mangroves and survive quick sand...but pretty views. The state of it now reflects what has happened in Cambodia the 50 years since. Bullet holes in the walls so disrespected by those that took it over, and looters - looters so desperate that they pulled the metal pipes from the walls to sell for scrap. It's still beautiful, somewhat tainted by the families squatting there and demanding money to enter and endlessly mentioning their poverty. They are happy enough really, Kep is a generous place to live...some very nice graffiti about the visibility of the Cambodian government ;-D

Mohwaks and Khmers

Sa-art Nah!
What we have here is a very unusual sight. Koda, a 22 year old female waitress at the Lazy Gecko (infamous for many reasons not the least for letting me run the place a month last year...there were fires, some stealing (not me!) and more than a little madness....hoooo boy and cooked breakfasts with bacon for Africa) . Whats unusual is that she's 22 and I see no attempt to get herself a husband, she loves HipHop and not that MTV kind, she smokes, and drinks a little, she has a Mohawk! Koda can be as sweet as the chocolate fudge cakes she serves up, but whooo boy, you come in and ask for small change for a $20!??!! its certain death!
Most Khmer girls are married before 20, anything after 23, wow, no no, anything after 19, is an old maid. So 22?!?!?? I wonder just what Cambodia has to offer Koda in the years to come. She holds the heavy task of being a trend setter, an early adaptor, on her short shoulders well. Her chest out, eyes straight. The new breed of Cambodians ....pushing the boundaries set solid in Angkor stone, chips of tradition falling like mango's in July.
Well done Koda, you rock!

We were talking about guns the other day, I mentioned that there were a few AK-47 toting policemen walking up and down the beach at New Year, and one of the guys I was sitting with came back with a story about how once when leaving a bar had dropped his car keys and they had fallen under the car, so he went up to the guard table asking for a flashlight to look for them...the guard opened his draw and pulled out a heavy big black gun, put it on the table and said "this one ok?" this guy must have given him a funny look cos the guard then started pulling out another one that might be more acceptable.
funny funny
This photos from Shanghai bar, fairly classy for a girlie bar....in fact I'll put up a picture of their Magazine ad...Fairly typical for the majority of bars in cambodia.

Rock On 2007!

Rabbit Island off the coast of KeP in Cambodia. Its as beautiful as it looks. first New Year party on the island, so the perfect sized crowd. Good company, plenty of beer, and lots of swimming, bit of dancing, nice.
I already look forward to returning next year ;-)
HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE. I know that 2007 will be grand x

Jax Wedding

Jax is Canadian, and her new husband, Sopaul whom she met whilst he was a monk teaching her Khmer.... are in the process of traditional Khmer wedding ceremony, which started at 3am, and will continue till well after midnight.
I stopped by on my way to work. and in that half an hour say two fabulous dress changes, hair piece changes, and somehow (though she already boarded on transvestite levels of make up) eyeshadow changes.
classic.
she was a tad uncomfortable though.
I left just before the hair cutting ceremony, the last image being of a look of pure agony from her mum who was having to sit on the floor upright in unforgiving Khmer silk....beside a fill-in father that she'd never met and who didn't speak English.

Life Threat

I've been making a TV ad with the help of a local production company....they were useless, LESS than useless, shadows, bad angels etc. Horrible. Unsurprisingly we fell out of favor, and decided that I would pay the cost of their services and product up to that point....long story short. It got nasty as they refused to deliver a tape in useful format....so I say "this is rediculous, it has cost me more time and money...its useless, I don't know why I should pay you for this....".... the room froze....the muscles on his jaw started to work...his eyes turned cold as ice, head bent backwards...and he says "you don't pay, you watch your (pointing to me) personal security, PERSONAL security"
I'll have none of this I think, and bolt out to grab my boss (and other big boys).. the conclusion? Other than that this man is nothing less than a donkey, apparently this is just something that happens sometimes. they don't really mean it.....despite what the newspapers yell at us every day from every page....and I'm not supposed to get picky on that "don't really" part.
Sheesh, where are my mountians and Pakistainis with AK47's.... at least I could see them comming ;-)

Fatty and I have moved...end are the days of The Club, The House, my home of the past 6 months filled to the brim with madness and music and 3 unique lunitics I'm proud to call friends... x

Dirty Pirate Hookers

The latest Phnom Penh Music Clubs fancy dress party. WAHOOOO! we arrived at Snows on a big wooden boat with priate flag (he's wearing earphones...geddit?) and damn fine music playing... Here's a write up about us: "The town was buzzing for a week in advance of the Dirty Pirate Hooker party at Snows as everyone got their constums ready for the second fancy dress party over the river. The turn out was huge as expected, in fact at one point there was rumors going around that there would be too many people for the place. In the end everyone managed to cram in and tehre was much jocose baner of "Aha me hearties" and the like and plenty of pounding techno music for the beat head to get off their head to" funny

Not for the recently fed

Thursday, November 23, 2006

Yeah, I realize there are no photos on this blog, and really if I'm honest the ones that I look at the most have... well, more to look at. So I'll make the effort soon.
Life in Cambodia has settled down a little bit...we're managing to sleep on occations, and Fatty the cat recognizes who actually LIVES in the house now. bless him and his fat furry red gut.
The things that stuck me this week were:
Borrowing a bike from work that had no breaks (at all) which nearly fell apart when a passenger jumped on...apparently its not a problem, you know, no raised eyebrows at my stories of near death...ahh its still a bike, and I still made it to work.
the three deaths that occurred on Wednesday.
1. the first a woman fell off her balcony the sound of her head hitting the concrete woke my friend.
2. The second was a headless body that didn't even stop the traffic,
3. and the third a motodop that was run over by a lorry to the same effect as a road cruncher...they didn't even attempt to pick up parts of man or bike.
In Cambodia we don't flush toilet paper, you use either a bum gun (squirty hose) or you put the paper in a bin. So one of my flatmates not so recently left town leaving us with her poo bucket. eventually we could ignore it no longer and I took the offending article out to the road where we leave all garbage to be gone through before picked up dumped and gone through again...never mind .... so in the 3 seconds between putting the bucket down and driving off, a street lady wanders up, takes the lid off, empties contents to the ground (difficult as it had been sitting a good month) takes her shoes off, puts them inside the bucket returns the lid and continues on her way. Happy with her prize...stinky stinky prize.
Whist considering the above craiziness of Cambodia I also had my mind on a Ball that I must attend on Saturday for work. Its $100 a ticket, I must wear a gown, get my hair done, lather on make-up, and other such. The wage for a school teacher is $25 per month
Just a little contridiction happening huh?
ahh but again its the weekend...and I am sure Monday will be here in a moment, the weekend will seem like a life time.
Last weekend naked in the rain on our roof.....the last storm of the year.
Delicious.

Wednesday, May 24th, 2006

Lucy in the sky.
Beautiful beyond words, good to be with the tribe again, if only for a moment ;-)

Magic Powers

The Phnom Penh Post comes out twice a month. Compulsary reading for all who have discovered the police report pages in the middle.
Yesturday one report in partiular reads:
Thon Than, was arrested after injuring Chan Sreang, druing a funeral cermony at a neighbors house in Prasoeu village... police siad Than chopped Sreang twice in the thigh with an ax when they were drunk with alcohol given cy the ceremonys host. A witness told police Sreang believed he had magic that would prevent him being hurt and invited than to chop him.

Gun Fight on a weeknight

Its another sunny in Phnom Penh, the cool season is here. It just means we continue to roast during the days but nights are cool….the river is almost overflowing and people are lounging about it fishing, watching, begging and playing Cambodian Hacky Sack (Pah! hear the scorn)...
Last week I saw real old fashioned gun fight. Not at all like in the movies, these were poor guys with scrappy shirts and glue bags hanging from back pockets. There was nothing glamorous about it, no artistic angle could have been viewed, it was sad confused desperation and a sense that they really didn’t understand wounding ..and death. The History of Cambodia so forgotten by those not there….some high school students believe that the whole Khmer Rouge wasn’t brutal and the history books must be wrong. However, back to the gun fight, with bullets flying everywhere my moto driver tried to get closer…we were of the first 10 people to stop, so there was I faaaaaairly high risk of being a small head line reading “One Khmer motodop and his Barang passenger shot whilst passing a small argument just off Monivong Boulevard…(with the gunfights origins being over who got served first at a street side stall).
The rest of that ride home I saw Cambodia how I guess it really is, a wild country, PP pushed to moderness that doesn’t extend to the thought patterns of the folk here.

I’m Marketing Manger of Online.
Fancy huh?
Bit of a step up from Dreadlock Doctor
It’s going well, I'm working hard, and can't NOT have at least 3 drinks with the boss after work. If it works out here I'll be set.
cool
on page 8 of the local paper today (dodging all N Korea) I find this small article a big four-wheel drive Toyota (rich folk) that, at high speed, mowed down 8 people ..it finished by saying the people will not be caught as they jumped out and ran away...which is another way of saying they were too important/rich for any charges to be laid (owner of the truck, many eyewitnesses etc). that’s SO how it works here, if your rich enough your above everyone else.
This countries slogan for 2006. "where only rich people count"

courage

define courage... difficult and unique to each person every day.
this is courage for me today in Bangkok

last night I didn't sleep, I went out at five found some spicy fish curry, then wandered about watching this city awake. About 8 I fell into bed and woke an hour later with alam clock in hand. In those strange stolen minutes between sleep and a world outside, I dreamed of my Nana, she was an old ginger cat, fur not silky... there was an old german shepard, I had the feeling was an old man (perhaps my grandfather).

Job Hunting

I'm going through the process of finding any employment, other than English Teaching. Its hard work, not only due to the numerious distractions; drinking late into the night, carnival rides, lounging about in the sun/infront of tv/watching the rain, market wandering, boat cruises etc... but also due to unforseen factors such as blatent sexism or harassment.

A couple of days ago I had a very enjoyable invterview with the foreign managers of a large business here in Phnom Penh, however yesturday I recieved a phone call from the Khmer manager of this business....the conversation went like this...
..please again, how old are you? - As is stated on my CV, I am 30 years of age
...oh very young - and not so young
...and you are single? - yes I am not married
...ahh but you will be wanting children soon! - no, not at all
...then you will want to get married quickly! - no, I will not be getting married in the forseeable future
....ahhh....but you are 30 and you don't have children yet? - that is correct
...so you will want to leave to get married and have children soon. - ha ha, no no, as discussed during the interview (etc)
...hmmm I think you need children soon, maybe we will not call you - (speechless)

And that is why I did not get that particular position.
Another unsuccessful application was to an international company of much respect, the decision was down to myself and one other, and in true Cambodian style of business the unsuccessful candidate (myself) was simply never contacted again...this was after no less than 5 interviews, a lunch and numerious daily quick phone calls.

Good greif! I'm begining to think teaching english is the better option...still I have enough energy and self respect to find this all very interesting....

i wannna beeeeeeee..... ANARCHY

70's party at Snows. damn fine night out. went as a punk. Classic the tarten, riped tightes, safty pins, and plenty of attitude, we stomped our way well into the next day...I see a pattern.... Am staying at "The House" somthing that looks like it was 2nd choice for big brother...there's hot water after all...a spiraling staircase, fatty the Cat lazing on every surface... brillent.
Still unemployed, had no less than 5 interviews for one position, still waiting to hear.
Have 2 weeks off and can't leave the city because of floods everywhere. Rainy season is upon us, but Phnom Penh is still mostly clear, warm, sunshine. last week I was hit by a moto and perhaps broke a bone or two in my foot. Tis difficult getting around, managed to dance but am still paying the price.
Too much to say, for a town with such a bad reputation I feel as though the clocks have turned back to somthing clase to 7 years ago and living with good and crazy friends in Auckland.
Does anyone pay attention to the politics in Cambodia?
I'm still a bit carefull of what i can say on the internet after living in pakistan, but perhaps that gives an indication of the situation here. Sometimes quite intense. Mostly very very frustrating. I would love to go into it a bit more but will check the risks involved first....am I just being paranoid?
can't get spell check to work and am late now....sure have a giggle at my expense

Trollied

The only word to descirbe the weekend? no not the only, but a pretty damn good one nonetheless. Started on a Tuesday with one of those never ending fearwell parties we all hate, but must attened if not just to see those we love one last time. dinner at friends...there was a thunder storm that had lightening the struck the building next to us while we were all standing out in it watching!!! reason enough to stay to the little hours working on enlarging our bellys and destroying our brains with cheap red. DJ Arno at a little french Bar who's name I always forget because it sounds like a Japanese man I know (Mr. Takahashi) AND Dj Yoshi BOTH ON THE SAME NIGHT. we were up till well after sunrise, straight back into it as Dj Yoshi (you can tell he's a friend of ours) pushed Pontoon to its limits, so much so that people wondered if we would infact come loose from the morings. SundayBBQ at Chakra Garden and Omry's typical style of too much tooooooo much.
Its Monday. My eyes really want to roll back...in fact I'd probably see alot better if I just let them and faced the PC backwards.
knees and ankles swollen and sore and all those signs that tell you you danced more than sat for at lest 48 hours.
Theres much to be said for the social life in Phnom Penh...it can't last. So we're making the very most of it while we can.
2 more weeks at Yellow Pages. Then I'm officialy unemployed, sleeping in, and running the Lazy Geko till something better comes along.
come vist, tis a good time for it
x

Whites on Bikes

FUN-TASTIC....the best way to see Cambodia is by motor bike, the big wheeled roaring kind, the roads here are so bad that anything less is a mistake.
After a large night with 40th birthday beer, I made a Powerpoint Presentation to the staff here then honestly RAN out the door. Yes, yes it's been close to 15 years since I last used a clutch, so I DID crash the monster almost immediately...however the guy from the bike shop let me take one away for the weekend anyway! bless ím...though I did let him sit a little tooo close during those lessons..
Binny, wounds still healing from her last accident, and Nile my new business partner and the most well prepared man on earth. It took us nearly an hour to get out of this city, but once we were in the provinces it was all alll allllll goood. Some very cool reactions from the locals as we zoomed by, especially at Binny and I.
We stayed at Bodhi Tree - where the vaperizer was back working, we spent the evening standing about in the garden and staring at the sky.... full moon only means one thing in my wolrd.
Rusty Keyhole for their world famous ribs....and I kid you NOT when I say it would have to be the bestest meat I've tasted since the first lamb roast back in NZ (after so many years a vegi & prepared by my Mum).
Day trip to Kep, managed to have a little accident where the bike pinned me halfway down a thistle covered bank..leaking gas... they're heavy machines. little shin damage
Kep is so far my fav place in Cambodia. A lovely little area that used to be a french beach resort, but since deserted and now lands getting snapped up by anyone with any sence/cents...whish I had... relatively untouched by tourism, the french made rock walls along the beach and planted wisely. well at least they got that much right ;-)
Crabs at sunset
ahhhhh Now all fresh for Phnom Penh and Yellow Pages
alittle bit tanned, a little sore and a little stupid
SO MUCH FUN
Here is Lydia and I, we lived together for a few months...total opposites, I like to think we influenced eachother nicely

Hi

For crying out loud! I nearly turned grey waiting for the internet to download...so I'll make it short...nothing to say really. Cambodia still is.
Just is.
I'm moving out of the house of four female dogs, mad male cats and Motorbike touring company...not to mention an Aussie lass who's more like a Kiwi bloke than ANY I've ever flatted with...its been a tv watching playstation playing mango scoffing zero house cleaning nest of laziness...I've loved everymoment.
However having S21/Toul Sleung/Khmer Rouge genocide museum as the view from the balcony, is something I'll not miss...though I do wonder if the reminder is a necessary thing in the life of an expat in Cambodia...very easy to forget the horrors this country has lived through...reading the papers help. Thailand encroaching on one side, Vietnam pushing boundaries on the other, China's bizarre massive donations to unwatchable busnisses in the north, boy cuts both his fathers arms off with a sword, man shots dead the groom at his wedding cos the condiments took too long in coming etc etc
yup perhaps I don't need Pol Pots legacy on my doorstep as a reminder.
Came out of the bank couple of days ago to find a decently dressed man pushing my bike away...er Sir...thats my bike!
children playing in the street with a AK47 parts...excellent toys for toddlers
ah and other madness that escapes my listing today
My belly's full of fantastic green bean curry that cost less than 25c and compares to Varanassi for full flavor.
enjoy

Lets Dance

Festival Time!
everyone's throwing water about in Thailand (if you see an English lass in CM with short red hair, drench her) Passover and I canny escape my Israeli connections even here (its nice) Khmer New Year and my 30th birthday!! will be going through another non drinking phase....horrible though that thought might be considering the necessity for a booze induced state of relax when hitting 30. OH YEE GODS THIRTY!!!

see I need a drink already.

moved into this mad flat with a couple of couples, and 4 horrible dogs that aren't realllly helping my fear of the furry beasts...when they bark/growl at night I wake up mid fight thinking I AM being attacked...just as bad as BEING attacked...or close enough...and 2 tiny kittens whose names I've constantly got wrong, they poo everywhere and sound like gekos

I've been in the office (Cambodia Yellow Pages) since 9 its now almost 3 and it be Saturday . dedication for such a low paying job amazes me...so I'm off to replace my lost cell phone & see if I can't find a shirt that doesn't look like it cost $3 (but costs $3) and get ready for the JCA orphanage I always go hang early on Saturday nights

Elsewhere last night, anyone who's been to Phnom Penh will know how odd it was to arrive to the beats of ACDC. The Mango rains have started so the longtermers were so wet even they got into the pool...and we danced

Bang, Bang

Last Sunday was nice and warm, the sky blue, sun yellow, I was smiling. At about 10:30 in the morning, just outside a respectable market place I passed a group of men joking about; shirts pulled chest high in typical asian style of relax. There were a few cat calls and other such that never elicit any kind of response from me normally except this time about 3 meters past them, the hair on the back of my neck stood up. I turned. Low and behold a shiny hand pistol was pointed at me on outstretched arm and wobbly legs. Sadly, this is not an altogether new experiance, however this was completely out of context, unrelated, random, wrong...I thought long an hard about this decision to stay on in Cambodia and am glad to be still here, buying conditioner and other such items of longstay action.
Working with The Cambodian Yellow Pages is far more fulfilling than expected, my morning private english lesson is now in one of the swankiest hotels in town with pre lesson Yum Cha breakfasts in the VIP room with politicians, businessmen and black clad body guards.
nice one

men in Brown

.....And it's a holiday in Cambodia
Where you'll do what you're told
A holiday in Cambodia
Where the slums got so much soul....
...I Fought the Law (and I Won)
Drinkin' beer in the hot sun
I fought the law and I won...
...I needed sex and I got mine
I fought the law and I won
The law don't mean shit if you've got the right friends
That's how the country's run.... (dead kenedys)


Yesturday riding to work on the back of a rusting duk-tapped up moto taxi, when a man in Brown spotted me , his eyes lit up, swung his bike around, hooned after us and despite my moto drivers attempt to out manouver him (and lower my age expectancy), managed to drive up side. Pulled a sour face, got us to stop, and then requesting $2 for my not wearing a helmet. We just stared at him in utter amazment, the mans lack of imagination ment we put our unhelmeted heads (and bodies) back onto the bike, ignoring his unhelmeted head, and drove back into the crowd of unhelmeted moto riders without so much as a backward glance... which, considering the freedom of head movement, would have been easy enough....

Land mines on the side of the road

Land mines on the side of the road greeted us as the bus crossed the Thai/Cambodian boarder, you'd think it'd be way up in the hills, rather than directly on the side of the road, the verge, that little piece of grass between the road and the fields....little red skull signs indicating those unexploded found, and some very weary and serious looking locals with -what appeared to be - 50 year old metal detectors....

This is a country of leggless, armless, limbless and perantless beggars. There ARE a great number of NGO's on the scene. I met a young beggar who was honest enough to say simply that all he really wanted was a Pepsi....I later saw him in his fancy clothes riding a brand new red bicycle, that he'd purchased himself with begging money!! bless him, you cannay deny the cheek of it, but why the hell not eh? other kids get bicycles for their birthday, this kid "worked" for his at least.

The Hart Of Darkness has lost all of its appeal...this horrid pit is the best Phnom Penh has in the way of a night club, the music is nothing less than embarrassing, and the sheer number of prostitutes mind boggling, not that this means we don't know the place well ;-)

Enjoy the change of season all

The day I left Thailand I met one of those stereotypes; an overweight American man in his 50's with a purple nose, phlemmy cough and intelligence disposition, who spends all his time/money on Thai girls in Pattaya a beach famous for child prostitution, but as I'd only heard the reputation of, and given sour faces to, but had never met, gave the man my ear and let him buy me drinks for 2 hours.

I didn't judge, just listened: the way he sees it is that to have sex with a girl over 16 means she has already been with 1000 men, and thus he is "just another number", where as if the girl is 14 (as is his preference) then there is some tenderness, a newness a "connection". This well educated man, truly believes that a girl/woman could possibly fall in love with him (see above description) within a half hour conversation, and that money is just a factor bought about by poverty.......result? more than one sleepless night, and I no longer think of them as horrible beasts preying on the weak and poor, but as unhumanly confused human beings in need of some love, preying on the weak and poor.

Cambodia is bursting at the seams with such men, often a bit younger but just as unconserned with our witnessing their madness. but enough of that.
I arrived on a mad rush to get to the beach for Full Moon, so what I have seen so far is a very flat land covered in red dust. It is the dry season, but I doubt everything becomes lush even with rain...which with the soil being mostly clay, must become mud and pools of stagnant water. I'm not painting a pretty picture....how about if I say the Cambodian people are BEAUTIFUL inside and out....MORE so than the Nepali
The beaches are picturesque white sand that squeaks, and touches waters, but incredible amounts of trash, those who have been attacked by a plastic bag at depths can understand the horror of it

I'm in the capital now Phnom Penh, looking for a job that pays (even a little) and putting my Otago University beer drinking skills to good use ;-D

Happy New Year 2006

How was New Year everyone? We're all getting older so I guess there is less expectation, but still its a good excuse to get out there no?
Unable to afford a week on the islands I stayed in Chang Mai and looked after a huge house with 4 cats, hardly knew a sole, but still managed to find a noisy party see some fireworks (out of one eye...couldn't focus out of two) and the New Year in. Thai's love to party, any festival and the entire country joins in, this means New Years eve could have been any of 3 or 4 nights of equal excessiveness and music. Had a quiet meditative moment while 100's of fire lanterns were set off into the sky - first white with dazzling tails of sparks turning orange fire color high in the sky. beautiful and shanty beyond words.
In an effort to get back to the "real world" and find a job I've had a hair cut and bought a pair of shoes....but as yet can't make myself buy black trousers and shirt. It'll happen, but slowly slowly.
Christmas at Monthanthan Falls, was wonderful, not so sunny weather but quiet forest, bird calls, waterfall and cooking over a fire....what more could you ask for?? ah yes there was enormous amounts of alcohol, food and games ;-)
going to have spicy glass noodle and mushroom salad with sticky rice and mango for afters heh heh hehh

Bangkok

sheesh, when did Thailand cease to be the land of smiles and became "Tourist-land". Mind you tis peak season, and I've never experianced this time of year here before - due to extream measurers NOT to be.....ahh, ahhhhhhh now I understand why.
There is not a single piece of land NOT overtaken by tourists or no-longer-smiling-thai's.
My old guest house is now owned by Israil and offers Sakshuka for breaky not the traditional white noodle and fish sauce the locals and I like so much.
The shopping however!! hooo boy. my chapples/jandles/flipflops/thongs were stolen at a Kali Temple in Varanassi so I'm here in 10c rubber numbers, unlike 5 years before when you could be traveling India or Thailand there was so little difference, now I feel and likely look, like a hippy, not the cool kind either.
Kate, someone I met on the road a few years back and who is now living in Thailand, will sort me out, I'm off to her's for Christmas, there's a bangalow in a national park in the north booked and some friends to see the season in with. nice one.
Enjoy the festive season. love Cathy

Mother India

Nepal was great, I say this with a lopsided grin, as it was and wasn't. could've been great if I was in for making the stereotype of "tourist" friends that bored me silly and drinking my money away...rather I ate myself penniless and hung out in Freak street, where there was sadly a lack of freaks! (though I did meet a few wondrous souls) Finally back in Mother India. Varanassi city, I love love love it here, I really do. sheesh what can I say? I've eaten Idly 4 times already (this morning) in four establishments of rickety wooden benches and mud floors, watched bulls gouge each other over a female bones showing and missing an ear, dolphins in the filthy Ganges, drunk Chai surrounded by naked ash covered sadus, made new colorful friends. I have an entire roof top to myself, that overlooks the Ganges River, with its floating bodies man and beast, dolphins (swimming) and garbage (preferably not swimming) ahhhhh ah ahhhhhh
stretch in the sun, wiggling toes likely covered in 1,000,000 men's urine
such views, such food, and live Sitar concert tonight
grin ;-)

..so I punched him in the face...

The trail was so full of tourists I felt like the middle section of a human train. Nepali people are the kindest most gentle and good people I've ever had the pleasure of meeting, but they see over 200 tourists a day, its no wonder those I met had a cloud over their eyes and a lack of desire to remember my name. I felt this, so kept my head down and basically ran the 4000+ meters to Ananpurna Base Camp....the view at the top, 360 degrees snow capped mountain tops and the biggest glacier I've seen made it all worth while.....I celebrated in true tourist form with a pizza.
Cost SO MUCH more than expected (250 rupees for Dhal Bhat) so slept in dining halls for free and ate tinned tuna. NO PAYING THE MAOISTS. clever me. with the help of some friends...guest house ladies hiding me in dark rooms, waking me up at 5:30 or running down the track with advice to hide in the jungle, all so I wouldn't have to pay, bless them...er can it be that I actually do kinda want one of those receipts??
How many countries can 100's of tourists wander through the middle of a civil war? can pose for photos holding masked rebels guns? where else on earth is it possible to bargain for the payment of armed rebels demands as a solo woman traveler?

My distaste for Nepal evaporated on the last day of the trek, where I stopped in a small town no one stops at, stayed in a 4 star hotel (for $3) where no one sleeps. For 3 days I wandered nontouristy tracks, helped porters carry their massive loads, made friends with a woman my age and 5 children, ate black bread, just missed a snake...and and, so OK. I've spent some time in muslim countries, I've heard just about every insult, been yelled at by young and old, spoken dirty to in whispering tones etc etc and usually react by walking away or an ocational kick to a departing backside....but I was in such a beautiful place that when a teen with Bob Marley head band made a (sadly) typical nasty call, I calmly turned around and punched him in the nose!!! it bled and my hand hurt.
think its time I stopped someplace for a while??? the zen of growing tomatoes sounds like the best medicine.
and in search of that I'll leave for Katmandu tomorrow. x

Beer at the Boarder

Hardly taken my pack off in a cheap street resturant on the other side of immigration (no customs thanks) and there was a cool beer in my hand. hee hee
Pokora is full of tourists, not like I've seen in ages, these guys have money, and only about a month off from work . You know, the trousers that zip off in 5 different places, shoes worth more than the countries average wage, and I think the typical age group would be over 40's.
I like it, surpising but true. Found a bar long way from Lake Side tourisim madness, where the locals hang out having jam sessions, drinking cola in shot glasses or Mohitos that make the world spin.
MY ROOM, dear god, theres a pillow I WANT to put my face on, HOT water 24 hours....A BATHHHHHHH such pleasures I'm making the very most of, it takes a very determined carpet salesman to wipe this smile off my satisfied face. I'm wearing jeans and sneakers even. nice
Hired a bike yesturday and went to the end of the road, so bumpy I ruined the bike (no problem) and have bruises in weird places. Too much snow for any trekking, and as yet haven't even seen the mightly mountains we come here for, might try the Anapurna circut in a few days...just don't want to give any buckshesh to the maoists, apparently they give you a recipt!
Saw The Simpsons the other day, yeah that explains everything
:-) (err... can't get spell check to work)

awright

I was nowhere near Kashmir or Pakistan when the earthquakes happened, to my friends that are there now, build a roof, hug a child, and send my love to the people there.
Gangottori was freezing, lets not go into it, except to say I DID make it to the source of The Ganges River, with a group of guys who's company made the snow and rain sink in only so far :-)
Gangnani town is where I've been lost the past few weeks. A town of pilgrimage and hot water springs, I wasn't there for the grubby water or the steady flow of interesting night-stop tourists, but for the valleys around. Purple Ganga, women that would produce tolas from dripping breasts and children in the art of selling drugs...ok so I've told you the bad (but still interesting stuff) There where villages only hours walk from the town that lived like they had never known western culture..indeed any culture other than what the bought with them. Poor beyond even considering the purchase of shoes (where to get shoes?) for the coming snows, or washing swollen infected feet.
I found an albino child of about 4, with colorless eyes and a misunderstanding village who considered her also deaf.

Most affected on this 3 hour climb to Banggiri village by a small leathery black woodcutter, who begged for something I'd never comprehend as it was obvious he was intellectually handicapped, I handed him some biscuits....he looked at me as though I were gifting him gold whilst fluttering on wings, such gratefulness on his face, humbled me to tears. Later in the village square, he crept in apologetically and handed a biscuit to a little girl with marigolds in her pigtails. This 8 year old had had her fill and minutes before declined the offer of another, but she took the biscuit this man had produced from a broken pocket and dirty black hands; with a courtesy I'm sure no one else present would have.

So Gangnani, I will return in the flowering season, to swim naked at fullmoon in the empty womans bath, to wander from village to village giving what I can and receiving life's lessons in abundance.

phew, too much. Have fun everyone! xx

An Indian, a Pole and me, sitting on the roof of a bus....

Tsu Morirri Lake was 12 not 8 hours bus ride..eventually I realised roof sitting was possible, where the view of Himalayian mountians was undistured by vomiting passangers and dirty windows....I climbed out into the bright sunshine to find an array of dusty rag wearing locals and equally happy/hippy foreigners smoking a joint. We missed the only bus out of the area for 10 days, spent 12 days walking (sometimes a lot, often a little) back to Leh. Managed a couple of rides with truck drivers, even on an army bus at the very end. Found some locals when trying to cross a hot pass in the middle of the day, and organized horses for the following day.

Amith's (Indian) horse was an ex polo so his pranced around like a show pony whilst Tomic (Poland)and I, yelled ourselves horse (geddit?) trying to get our pack animals to act like Prancer and Lancer. We stayed with Nomads of various nationalities; Tibetan, Ladakhy of varying degrees of friendliness, actually quite nice as one host totally ignored us and went about their daily tasks eg, scraping pashmina off screaming goats, etc etc we were able to get a more REAL idea of how their lives are without all the "one photo" stuff, still it would have been nice if they had shared SOME of their food...got very tired of Maggi noodles... Refreshing to say the least, dirty, cold and uncomfortable would be other words...

We were fed some fantastic foods, steamed breads, greasy vegetables, local beer Chang, beans, fresh cheese, and for some odd reason a week didn't go by that I didn't manage a mango or 2 kg. Sometimes a family in a small village would take us in and provide as if for kings. We took much advantage of the hospitality (sometimes giving money) and continuously gained weight....ok so there was one night where the village was deserted and we had to sleep in a broken room and eat cold dal by candle light....ahhh but the view was worth ever moment.
My last day with these 2 fine fellows ended with a couple of lunch time drunk Manali Police (donkeys) who took from us handsomely and ruined an otherwise beautiful day.
Ah well, Amith and I top-of-bus-in-the-sun made our way to Kasol and tripped 3 hours up to Keerganga...land of hot water springs and close mountain views...I stayed 2 weeks some spent camping in the forest nearby...nice
Wandered off to Bombully 4 hours up hill into semi domesticated wildness and muslim farming family..with a couple of Isralie brothers, slept in a goat shed but with fire and fantastic butter themed dinner, so beautiful I slept little.
This is Omri, a friend I'd spent time on an Andaman Island with years ago surprised me for 5 days. Took my hand and escorted me out of "Little Israel" (Kasol town, Pavarty Valley) to Jibhi, don't bother looking on a map I have NO IDEA where it is. Waterfalls and butterflies...

back to civilization

ahhh yes, Rishikesh, near the source of the mighty Ganga, went swimming today, unlike Varanassi where the Ganga is about 200x the legal toxic high, tis a mere 50x or so...Swallowed some but no need for a hospital this time...yet...perhaps the spicy dal or sticky heat helps...still I'd rather not feel like Shiva had shoved the town into his armpit.
Its nice to be with people again, though the guesthouse (called an ashram) is too shanty, breakfast chillums, guitars, sitar, dancing, chocolate icecreams and everything you need to forget the fact that noisy smelly crazy puja mad India is just out the front gates!! It's all a nice change, for a short while....shorts!! if only I could wear a pair of shorts! hmmm time for some reki lessons on the ganga beach, catch the loud puja in the next town, and meander my way through a thali before the music starts again....dance

Delhi

I'm back in paradise!
Bangkok was the usual dark sticky guest houses, mango shakes, Israeli hummus and Koh San madness. Kate lured me North to Chain Mai for a refreshing visit to her Burmese style Teak Wood guest house with lush gardens and resident artist who's work was varied and throughout the rooms. Lush time relaxing and sharing stories.
On arrival in India we managed directly a 32+ hour train ride from Kolkutta to Delhi where it was so hot I sweated pools onto the plastic bunks. A couple of newlywed Bangladesh kept our minds off the heat by sharing sweets and pickles. It was a long ride. But Delhi at last. Bright Guest House is exactly as I left it, full of absolute lunatics lounging in scented smoky rooms. My usual room on the roof is nothing less than an oven, the fan offering no release, rather, the effect of a fanbake on Mums oven :-)
Still I feel refreshed for the travel, and so it is with joy in my hart and lightness of step that I converse with the locals.
Hmmm it is about the time of evening when the sweet wallahs cook Golarb Jamu: balls of curdled milk deep fried then left in tubs of honey syrup, best eaten still hot.........

Takaka, Golden Bay.
I came to visit my perants on their new B&B/orchard, and liked it so much, enjoyed swimming in the crystal waters off golden beaches, walking the National Parks, Kayaking along the coast and feasting on my mothers fine cooking, that I'm still here. Surrounded by some of NZ's best communes, and hippy culture, theres been a continuious array of unusual.
To make money I've been pouring beers in a DB local pub, mostly to fishermen, rugby players etc a true array of REAL kiwis, who's conversation never failed to surprize me. Its been grand.
But the weathers changing, rather then buy myself a winter jumper, I might just wander off again, India by June
ahhhhh

Kia Ora!
Beautiful New Zealand. I've been back only a few days, and have been eating vegemite sandwiches and salt 'n vinegar chips until they're coming out of my ears! I'm surprised at just how simple NZ is, the people are fashionable but in an odd way, which means they're wearing designer clothes but in a relaxed manner. Rather nice. Means I can wear flip-flops and no one looks at me funny.
Its VERY nice to be listening to real music again, oh boy did I miss that. The weather is primo as summer has arrived just in time. I'm off in search of a sausage roll and a can of L'nP, or maybe a Speights (mate)

Koh Chang in tropical Thailand. This is no longer the hippys paradise I once knew, and its taking a few days, but I'm being transformed into a tourist, Mai Thais on the beach and aura smudging(!?). very nice ;-)

Back in Delhi, nice to be someplace that I kinda know, and kinda like. But its hot, noisy, there's cow poo on my flip-flops, and incense tickling my nose.....everything you'd expect from Indias biggest city.
The shopping is better than Hong Kong, some serious constraint is needed. I'm a bit sad to leave Pakistan though, its such a special and beautiful place. Now onward to NZ for Scotts wedding, first some shopping......then some more shopping......a cold beer is required....and a night or 2 dedicated to farewelling the afghan highs, sob, sob
love Cathy

Gilget again, the hub of North, and my Pakistani home away from home. Had some amazing experiances recently. In particular during a 10 day hike into Shimshal Vally. Myself and Andy (English guy), we found ourselves in an odd little village well over 4000m made up of tiny stone huts inhibited only by Shimshally woman,who live there 5 months of every year producing Yak cheese. A hard hard life. We arrived 3days after a woman had been attacked by a crazy Yak...and as we were westerners the responsibity of her care/life fell into out inexperianced and qite terrified hands. Zaeba had been gouged in the head, the back and THROUGH the buttom. Andy became counceller,and I doctor. We did the best we could with minimal drugs and...sanitry pads. When the doctor/vet/bastard finally arrived, he was so angry at our being able to help and thus taking the shine off his arrival he insisted I did most of the work....including stitching!
Zaeba was amazing, and through her courage we too accomplished amazing things.
I have grown stronger
Chitral and Kyber this week as I head slowly to India, then Bkk and NZ :-)

Jordan was wonderful, everything you'd expect from a country with such culture and history. A bit more expensive than I'd have liked but I studiously ignored the exchange rate and just did as I pleased.
Petra was beautiful. Hung out with Bedoins who sadly have turned their backs on desert life to spend their days trying to bed tourists...and I imagine do very well for their lot, but also (thankfully) happy to give up and just drink tea.
snorkeled in the Red Sea, ignored the garbage and saw a Morrey Eel big as a boy, 47 degrees and NO SHADE, stayed at a guest house on the beach run by jigaloes (sp?).
Slept in the desert of Wadi Rum, under a billion stars surrounded by red sand dunes and massive landscapes.
swam in the dead sea. UNBELIEVABLE like swimming in oil,in fact it's not swimming as you're so buoyant that the body sits too high in the water for any kicking action. Bit painful in parts, surrounded by scary men. here I am sitting back relaxing and I hear "suck my ****" from shore, various other rudeness, boys and men like lemmings making for my direction, cameras out etc.
I was fully dressed.
Lebanon for a quick visit tomorrow ahhh but its really too hot for all this running about
x

Damascus, Syria.
The most beautiful city I have ever laid my lucky little eyes upon. Of course the old (5000 years) City with its drapings of green, and smells of water pipes and not too sweet sweets is helped by such a mix of faces/races. Its the Arab men in their full desert gears, that means I'm up by 6am and sipping thick black coffees wearing a wide grin. I like very much.
I'm sleeping on the roof of an old guest house, and wandering for hours in the Souks (markets). happy.

My birthday consisted of a night out with friends in Yazd (don't get too excited, Islamic Revolution remember...we were drinking tea and sharing a Qillian) afterwards a horrible man pretending to be polıce scared me so much that ın my paranoid state I cut off my dreads with a pocket knife, ate half my journal, and sat waıtıng with embassy number on my arm until 5am. Scareyest night of my life, scarier than being chased by a pack of dogs in Masoule.
Iran was beautiful, I spent my days either quietly wandering around some of the oldest towns in the world, or having adventures well beyond my tolerance.
still, met some wonderful people. In Yazd Elham and Katy showed me that the locals DO drink, Do party, Do dress sexy, Do enjoy. and in Gazvin a Kurdish family kidnapped me...4 days I was unable to return to the Hotel! They covered me in green eyeshadow, pink lipstick, flowery clothing, cutting my eyebrows while I slept! forcing alcohol and huge quantities of food. Ahhhh but we danced. From early morning until smoke filled nights we danced.

Lahore and sweating my ass off, which I'll need for the long bus rides into and around Iran. Cannay wait! snaffling back brown bread and other western delights whilst in this glorious city.
Sufi culture is loud and strong here, getting to know the drummers and dancers quite well, they are all as mad as you'd expect. Sufi nights are like a den of dreams; men together smoking hash sometimes 5+ smokes at once, drinking bang juice, trance like drumming, tranced dancers, gossip, gay meetings, animals calls, smokey dull lights into the early hours.

Pakistan
South was everything you"d expect to face as a western woman alone in a Muslim country...unsafe. But after the madness that is India, Pakistan felt so clean, organized and friendly, I loved it imediately
The North is amazing, amazing, there are HUGE mountain peaks everywhere, tiny valleys lost in huge grey canyons. The locals are tough, their faces! some blonde, others with red hair, most look like the Taliban.

Ah but I wake everyday with the sun in my window, a 1st class spliff, some local green tea and a smile. We're waiting for the snow to recede to try for Nanga Pahbat base camp. Salaam