Where are we?... Tacloban, Philippines

(nice pic Seira!)

Christian & I currently reside in BLISS neighborhood, Tacloban City, the Philippines! We are volunteering with an NGO called Volunteer for the Visayans (VFV).

The BLISS baranguay (neighborhood), where VFV is located, was founded under the Marcos regime around 30 years ago as a housing project. People could rent their land for cheap, and build their houses as they chose.

The intent of VFV is to promote "intercultural exchange" between foreign volunteers and regular Filipinos in a somewhat poor neighborhood. The volunteers give back to the community by volunteering in different organizations around the city. Also the paid Filipino staff at VFV run programs of their own.

The program fees that the volunteers pay are enough to pay the (Filipino sized) salaries of the staff, and to keep some of the programs running. The other money comes from donations, and fundraising.

The three main programs at VFV are the foreign volunteer placements, the sponsored kids, and the community center.

For the first, the volunteers can get placed at different organizations in Tacloban, including orphanages, medical clinics, and government social welfare offices. The volunteers offer any skills, extra hands and initiative they can to these organizations. Volunteers can also be placed in either of VFV's other 2 programs, the community center or the sponsored kids.

Christian and I have been volunteering with these 2 VFV run programs, the community center and the sponsored kids.

The community center is just what its name implies. Smack in the middle of BLISS, it is a good location to run programs for the enrichment of the neighborhood constituents. For the kids there is educational "playtime" for nursery school kids, weekly feedings for malnutritioned toddlers, and a boys, girls, and juniors club - weekly activities for neighborhood adolescents and pre teens. There are even guitar lessons using some guitars that the center owns.

Also there is a mothers club, doing enrichment activities that focus on economic gains. I have been especially impressed with the mothers' group savings program. The cash strapped mothers did not save anything before they started in the mothers club. 2 years later, almost 25 of them deposit as little as 20 pesos (40 cents) every two weeks, and when an emergency arises (usually on the order of 400 or 500 pesos - $8-10) they have a way of taking out their savings plus a low interest loan using the other mother's money that they pay back. Before, they would be stuck with a medicine bill for example, and no way to gather the extra cash so quickly.

The last program is the sponsored kids. This is similar to the ads you see on TV - "pay x a month and sponsor a child in x", but it is a lot smaller with only about 100 kids served. Since I, Laura have been pretty involved with this program I will post a description of it on the sponsor kid excursion post.

Some of the activities that I, Laura, have assisted with are: tutoring the sponsored kids, helping the new sponsorship staff member to learn the donor-child database, leading girls club activities, organizing fund raising events. I am also the drummer in the boys club band - me and 4 teenage boys!

I, Christian, have also been volunteering in the Community Center helping out with anything and everything that needs me. It seems like everyday is a different day and there is always something to do. Primarily I have been the official photographer for most of the VFV placements, activities and excursions and also help facilitate the Boys Club. Other things I am involved with is the architectural work and some construction and demolition for renovations being done in the center, introductory guitar lessons, designing a logo and t-shirt and stage backdrop for the dance show. Also, every Tuesday, I assist in a feeding at a school that is in one of the poorest baranguays.

Currently Laura and I are coordinating an event called, "Rock the Community", which will be a concert with 10 local bands, a rock climbing wall, vendors and food to raise money for various VFV programs. I'm working to get a "Rock the Community" t-shirt designed by a boys club member made so we can raise some more funds for programs.

All in all, I (Laura again) think VFV does an excellent job on its limited Filipino sized budget. I think the financial structure of the organization is a great idea: Provide volunteers with a rich abroad experience and give them a chance to contribute. Use their program fees to run other programs that make a real difference in the city. Also the local staff is hard working, effective, and committed to helping out their neighbors.

GoGo takes a nap in a Tacloban - Bliss jeepney (bus)

Tacloban City is not what you would call a tourist spot.
Dirty and smelly, it is however the most developed place in Leyte.

"Cluster 2"
(the name of the street our house is on)

Our Second Family

Part of the VFV program is the "homestay". There are about 15 families within BLISS that have opened up their home to hosting the visiting volunteers. In return they get a stipend per month to provide us with 2 meals a day and a bed with a fan.

We really lucked out with the Gapate family. The room we have and the house itself is more simple than what we have been used to in the West, but very comfortable. But the real gem is the head of the family, Nanay Sole. Women who are older and have children command the "Nanay" title here, and her name is Soledad, but people call her Sole for short.

Nanay is 58 years old, and has had a pretty hard working life. She has bore 11 children, the majority of them in her house with only her husband as a midwife. 8 of them survived infancy.

She started her married life at 18, following her husband around to his different jobs - carpentry, farming. At this point in their life, they were poor tenants, and some of her children could not go to school at times.

She heard about the BLISS housing project, set up by the Marcos government to provide cheap land for people (like the projects in America). She decided to stop shifting around with her husband, and built a "nipa hut" on the land. Nipa huts are the cheaper, native form of Filipino housing whose roof thatch is made from the nipa palm tree, and whose sides are woven bamboo or sawed lumber.

About 20 years ago her husband became sick and could not work as much as he did before. She would get up very early, prepare her family food, and go work as a laundrywoman in other people's houses for many hours of the day. At night she would come back, prepare the family dinner and go to sleep. Cooking food here takes a long time, because at that time she only had a fire to cook over, and everything is raw and needs to be processed.

Then a step up in lifestyle came in the form of her daughter Nelia working overseas in Japan for 6 years. This is a very common practice in the Philippines. Many families have had at least one family member go abroad to anywhere from Japan, America to Saudi Arabia. There are agencies that connect Filipinos to foreign companies who need cheap labor. These companies process the paperwork that allows the Filipinos to go abroad for work. American hospitals are huge employers of Filipino nurses for example. Nelia worked in a Japanese noodle factory.

After 6 years, Nelia returned and replaced the nipa hut with a concrete tiled house on Nanay's plot. Concrete walls and tile flooring are both the signs of a richer house in the Philippines. Nelia subsequently got married and moved to Luzon, leaving Nanay with the house. In accordance with many cultures' practice of children providing for their parents when they get old, Nelia has told Nanay to retire, and sends her money from the business she runs in Luzon.

Nanay is still by no means a rich woman, and cannot afford many luxuries. She is completely dependent on Nelia's generosity to send her money for things like her remaining son's schooling. Last year, one of her sons was stuck in a typhoon with wounds in his leg from a rebar. She had no money to travel to where he was and try and get him. The little money she earns from the homestay helps supplement what she has.

She is one of the nicest women we know here, and is always so excited to see us. She makes sure we get the best of everything, yelling at her sons if they try to take it first. She always makes sure to sit with us and tells us all the neighborhood "chisme" (gossip). What makes it cute is that she giggles and covers her face when she says it. "Chisme!" hee hee hee. She calls us her daughter and son. Oh, and I love her food! "Marasa" as they say here.

In this picture, Nanay is teaching us how to cook Christian's favorite: Lumpia (fried springrolls)

Christian looks like he swallowed a marble or that he is really excited to eat lumpia!

Nanay's husband's real name is Ambrosio, or Busio for short, but the respectful thing to call him is Tatay. He is 65, but he looks a lot older due to the arthritis he has had for 20 years. Because he cannot move much, or see too well, he stays in the house, and takes many naps.

When there is a guitar around, Tatay will pick on it for hours. He plays old-time Filipino music, which sounds like lullaby Spanish classical songs. He is entirely self taught which is amazing to me! He used to be in a band when he was younger.

Tatay is shown here with his favorite cup. It is even more his favorite when there is "tuba" inside. Tuba is Leyte province's native coconut wine. Tatay loves his tuba so much that if Nanay or Nelia gives him money for something, he might sneak off and buy tuba instead.

This is Jener, Nanay's oldest son, 21 years old. With an easy going personality, Jener is a neighborhood favorite.

When the center opened its doors a few years ago, one of the staff members noticed Jener would go in when no one was looking and try to read the books in the library. If anyone noticed he was there, he would run out. It turns out he had problems with reading and school and never finished. He was too embarassed that he had problems reading and that is why he never told anyone and tried to hide it. The staff member set him up with a weekly tutor, and slowly he is working his way towards an equivalency exam that will allow him to take night classes.

On the left is Jaylito, Nanay's other son, 16. If you can't tell by his finger poses, he is a "Rocker". Last year he was a "Dancer" along with some of the other teenage boys, but he decided this year that this was uncool. Now he practices his guitar and loves punky pop rock songs.

I have been serving as drummer for the "boys club band", made up of some neighborhood teenagers who are in VFV's Boys Club. This includes Jaylito on rhythm guitar. The boys get provided with a practice space, instruments, and a teacher one time a week. He loves the electric and practices rock star poses in front of the mirror.


Kenneth! This is Nanay's grandchild, 7 years old. Her daughter, Kenneth's mother Lin Lin, has basically abandoned him at Nanay's house while she and her new husband live in Manila. Nanay is upset because Lin Lin never sends money for Kenneth, but buys things like cell phones for herself.

Kenneth is certainly a wild child. He told Nanay he doesn't like his mother and wants Nanay to be his mom, but still gets angry and petulant a lot and gives her a hard time.

But when Kenneth smiles, as you can see in this picture, it is completely the opposite. People call him "simud" which means "big mouth", and he uses it all with his big toothless smile. It is so great to see him happy, and Christian and I play with him when we can. He is also learning to read at school, so I try to get him to read with me. He likes reading, LOUDLY. "MO-THER WENT TO THE STORE."

This is more typical of Kenneth - getting himself into trouble. Shown here trying to pull down the volleyball net.

Kenneth on his 7th birthday, June 21.

Nanay said she did not have enough money for a birthday party for Kenneth, so Christian and I got him a cake and a basketball. Kenneth was so excited to see the cake, he blew out the candle before the birthday song was finished. This hands up pose with the basketball is typical Kenneth.

Jayvia, Nanay's grandaughter, also 7, does not live with us. We got to know her because her family (Nanay's daughter Eva is her mom) did not have electricity for a while. Eva has a baby boy, so they would come over to cool him off in front of the fan. Now they have electricity and we never see them!

This is her cute typical toothless gum grin.

What a cute little girl

Our neighbors are a young family still building their house, slowly. They also do not have electricity, so their children Ariana, 4 and Aldridge, 8, will pop in and out the back door as they please and plop themselves in front of the TV to watch cartoons. Ariana always calls our name when we walk by.

The Gapates oot and aboot

Ariana and Jayvia playing in the Plaza.

Jener and John (neighbor) with some "Plaza kids".

The Center and Plaza

The Center.

The office and community center for VFV is adjacent to a basketball court or "Plaza" (as the locals call it) in the BLISS neighborhood. It's the place where the volunteers go to see what's happening. It's also where the locals, (mostly kids) go to participate in activities that the VFV facilitates or to simply hang out with each other and/or the volunteers.

It's truly a joy to have such an active community center and outdoor space within a 20 second walking distance of our home.

Here are some pictures from all the different activities that go on in just these two places.

The crowd watching a tense badminton game.

"I got some good games!" says Jeff
Jeff has made a decision that makes him happy, but maybe not the kids

Gwapo Micheal... always around!

Interestingly, Michael and his almost identical mini-me brother Louie, plus their sister Louise, are really the only "matambok" (fat) kids in the neighborhood! It is acceptable in the culture for people to talk about people's weight so it is a generally noted phenomenon that these kids are much bigger than the others. Their house is a homestay, and volunteers report that the kids are fed sugar all the time!

Sheila really does like badminton.

Francis chowing down.

At the Center there are daily feedings for the Sponsored Kids Program. Proof that international sponsors money is being put to good use!!! They usually get a good healthy meal... but sometimes they get rice with milo chocolate powder on top!...

Darwin!

Many things can happen in and around the plaza at any time of day...

...including cooking some "lechon baboy"

Lechon, or roasted pig, is very popular and is generally reserved for special occasions like birthdays and weddings. It is a fairly profitable business to raise "mga baboy" or pigs and then sell them as "lechon", so some of the people in BLISS have personal piggeries.

"Watchin' some b-ball (outside of the school)..."

"...when a couple of guys, who were up to no good...."

The Center at Night.

The kids here love getting their picture taken and love looking at their picture after even more. This shot shows lots of our friends... Shahine from Montreal, and guys from the boys club Le-an, Jaylito, Gener, Joval, Edward and many more... oh and Jerry our "kaharani" or neighbor is in the picture as well.

Mother's Day Surprise!

On Mother's day, VFV organized a surprise party for all of the homestay Nanays!!!... I kinda think some of the Nanays had an idea something was up, cause a few got a bit more dressed up than normal!

Despididas

Typically, on a volunteer's last night, a despidida, or goodbye party is held at the center. Laura and I have been here longer than most and have seen our fair share of despididas and for some reason they always end up with some enthusiastic videoke!

"cause i want it that way... tell me whyeee"

Edward and Marvin wishing the lyrics weren't in English.

Laura getting down with Venessa, Hazel, and Bonsai!

(as you can probably guess.. we are videoke addicts now!)

Hazel singing on Mother's Day.

Ethel, the staff volunteer coordinator, and her son Guione.

Bungaw!

Our friends ThuAn and Shahine... Missin you guys...

Music Class

For our first placement we spent a month at an orphanage called "The Children's Joy Foundation" teaching music to a class of anywhere from five to fifteen children whose ages ranged from four to sixteen years old.

Oh such angels...ROWEL!

Marabut, Samar Family Excursion

We went on a VFV sponsored family excursion to a beach called Marabut on the neighboring island of Samar. To get there we had to cross over the famed San Juanico Bridge, the longest (2km) bridge in the Philippines. This photo was taken just after crossing the center of the bridge on the way to Samar. They consciously made the bridge twist like an "L" for "Leyte" then "S" for "Samar".



Once we arrived on the tropical beach we jumped onto a "floating cottage", and we were pulled out about 50 yards out to the middle of the calm clear teal blue sea.

We spent the day like good Filipinos, eating and eating and eating some more... oh yeah and drinking tuba and...

...snorkeling and swimming

here is Kenneth getting used to this whole swimming thing...

Laura helping out.

Nanay Pipai brought her guitar and songbook

....and of course jumping!

Sponsor Kid Program and Excursion

The main focus of the VFV Sponsor a Kid program is to break the cycle of poverty by ensuring sponsored kids get an education. Without sponsorship, many of their families could not afford to send the child to school. It is also to ensure the children get proper nutrition so they stay healthy.

A foreign donor sends $15/month to sponsor a child. This is enough to provide him or her a nutritious meal every day (cooked at the Center), vitamins, school supplies, uniforms and registration fees, and medical checkups. They also get special programs like tutoring and excursions (As you will see below).

I like this program a lot because most of the money goes directly to the children and you can really see the difference it makes for some of them. The satisfied look they get after a good meal, for example.

Some of you have asked how you could sponsor a kid. Basically, go to this website, read about the kids up for sponsorship, and download the sponsor form to send in your check. http://www.visayans.org/sponsor-a-child.cfm You can of course email me for more info.

Francis!

Part of the VFV program is to pair an international volunteer with one of the sponsored kids. The volunteer is not just the child's sponsor, they are supposed to be their friend. This can include making time to hang out with the child, taking them out to a meal, just paying special attention to them.

There is also a group excursion in which the staff organizes a sightseeing trip for the volunteers and their sponsored kids. Ours took us to the tourist spots in Tacloban City, including Hill 120 (WW II monument), Calverly Hill (18 foot Jesus statue), Santo Nino Shrine, and the MacArthur Landing Memorial.

My sponsored kid friend is Jhonalin, 13 years old, and Christian's is Francis, 11 years old.

The Marcoses on their wedding day. It looks just like them but smaller!

Santo Nino Shrine is a heritage museum built by the infamous Imelda Marcos, who grew up in Tacloban City. It houses the Marcos' international collections of homeware (Czech chandeliers, Chinese jars etc.) and is built in honor of Tacloban's patron saint, Santo Nino.

The weird thing is that it is built not like a regular museum but as a big mansion with many never used guestrooms and master suites paying homage to a First Family that never slept there.

And the weirdest things are the dioramas depicting scenes from Imelda's life in EVERY ROOM! (see above)

Queens for a moment: Jhonalin and Laura

I have known Jhonalin for 2 and a half months now. She is one of the smartest sponsored kids, and always is in the "first section" of her class. Her house is dark and small, and there are always so many people there - 5 out of 14 of her adult brothers and sisters still live there, as well as all their kids. She likes to go over to her neighbors less crowded house to watch TV.

MacArthur continues to land forever

The Philippines was occupied during WWII by the Japanese for three years. According to one man, the Japanese occupation was a low period - no schools, no jobs, and many Filipinos hiding in the hills.

US Forces helped liberate the country, starting with a famous landing from the water by General Douglas MacArthur in Palo, right down the road from Tacloban. People from Leyte are proud MacArthur chose their province to liberate first.

Filipinos are still proud of the way they fought side by side with Americans.

There is a nice monument and park surrounding it on the beach, and we spent the afternoon swimming and eating picnics with our sponsored kids. I felt like my dad teaching me when I taught some of the kids how to jump waves.

Dance Show!

Two visiting dance major volunteers, Chelsea and Stephanie, created the Bliss Dance school over the summer break from classes. They taught four classes of kids every day hip-hop, modern, and ballet.

The result? A dancing neighborhood! We were inspired by the enthusiasm the kids would put into practicing their dances on their off time (especially the hip-hop). With a long summer vacation and nothing to do, it was the perfect thing to do. The kids would haul out the center's karaoke speakers and practice right on the basketball court.

These pictures were taken on the night of the culminating event of dance classes - the final dance show.

Pre-show, the kids were electricity excited. Boys posing cool despite the fact they are wearing bright red lipstick.

Marvin, Baby Boy, and Ivan are the three hip hop prodigies, always dancing no matter what. Even while waiting for the show to begin.

Our host niece Jayvia, bottom left, flashes us her toothless smile through the backstage curtain.

It was a full night for the BLISS gymnasium!

The visiting dance troupe Kalipayan Performing Arts Group (KPAG). These kids could dance! Some of them have even toured America.

Christian created the backdrop for the show, the orange dancing people (back). Mea (center) and her classmates illustrate his inspiration.

The little boy class were personally my favorite dancers - so much energy! Here they are performing N.L.T.'s "It's On".

Marvin, one of the older dancers, choreographed this and the other hip hop songs. These dances, including Fya's "Must be Love", not only the little boys know but most of the kids in the neighborhood do too. Months after the dance show, the kids still practice these dances and dance them even when they are just standing around.

Medical Missions

Another service that Volunteer for the Visayans provides is periodic Medical Missions to severely impoverished communities. The free services included general checkup and consulation, dental (teeth extractions), eye exams, blood donation, circumcision, medicine distribution, and feedings.

"getting your teeth pulled?... please come up to the stage!"

Nice specs.

Our second day in Tolosa was the circumcision day. There were many eager boys ready and waiting for us while we prepped the gymnasium. Getting "turi" is a very important aspect of a Filipino boys life. Generally, the whole family... and I mean the whole family and friends will be present to witness every step of this glamorous event. If one is not turigged it is considered shameful.


Two of our medical missions were with the Filipino army. Captain "Chico" described to me the "old school" turi method. At a beach, the boy is told to chew on a handful of guava leaves. Next, his foreskin is pulled forward on a table and then quickly chopped (hopefully getting it all in one "clean" blow). Then the boy spits the guava leaves' juice (apparently guava leaves have some sort of medicinal property) on the fresh wound and then takes a nice refreshing dip in the ocean... yeah I too took a long deep breath after hearing this.


In Tolosa 255 boys got turi (circumsized). I was truly amazed at the bravery and mental commitment of these boys. The "operating room" was seven tables (two boys on each table) placed on one end of a gymnasium with four of the tables up on the stage. So the experience with one's most private part was made very very public. The three tables on the gym floor received the most attention as people of all ages surrounded the tables as if they were watching the final table at the world series of poker.

Bravery.


Demonstration.

There are many medical students who volunteer with VFV because they allow them unique opportunities to be exposed to medical procedures and practices that they generally would not see until deep into their schooling. Circumcision is considered one of the most minor surgeries and the medical students and even any competent and confident volunteer was given a chance to perform this minor yet very important surgery. We were told that,"The future of the Philippines is literally in your hands."

Initially my plan was to be photographer for the day. After watching the procedure all morning long, I decided to help out and give some of the med-students a break and assist on a few. Next thing I know I was performing the surgery myself. (Thanks for the assistance nurse, Shahine!). I've been told that I have surgeons hands and they sure seemed to work pretty well! I got to the point that I felt very confident and comfortable with the procedure, so much so that I continued to do them in the medical missions that followed.

I was fortunate enough to assist while Dr. ThuAn performed a turi on Francis (top right), my sponsor child! Here we are with a few other kids from Bliss a few minutes before.

Tools of the trade.

Front row seat.

Clean water.

Sustenance.

At two of the Medical Missions, VFV provided food for the malnourished people in the area. Many of these people can only afford to eat rice and maybe small amounts of fish or vegetables, and for growing children a diet like this can be harmful. Fresh clean water is also very well received because many barangauys (neighborhoods), particularly ones that are the furthest from downtown Tacloban do not have a decent water source. The food we provided was a porridgey type mix loaded with vitamins. The food was ok, but the entertainment, a magician from the army, kept people smiling for hours.

Laura enjoying her meal with staff and kids from BLISS.

The VFV staff joined the Filipino Army for in their traditional way of eating. Banana leaves are spread down a very long table (this example about half of the gymnasium). And then a layer of rice is covered with a layer of pansit (traditional pinoy noodle dish) ad then topped with pieces of chicken or fish. The most interesting thing about it is how you eat it. People stand shoulder to shoulder, surrounding the table and when given the command from their Captain everyone digs in, literally!!! No cutlery, just grab it with your hands and stuff it in your mouth! For those concerned about sharing more than their food a few plates were available!

exhausted, sweaty, exhilarated.

Hmmmm.... maybe I should go to medical school?

About a block away in Tolosa... a rewarding dip after a long day.

Street Kids

The existence of street children seems to be a worldwide problem, especially in the developing world. I re-read an email from my friend talking about her work with street children in Tanzania a few years ago and it seemed to be an almost identical situation there as it is here.

Basically, these kids mostly still have families and parents, but the parents are either abusive, don't want the kids and kick them out, or are otherwise dysfunctional enough so the kids have to go out on the streets to find food and/or a place to sleep for themselves.

There on the street, they encounter many "street" problems, like sexual abusers, and they also don't get to go to school etc. Often times they fall into taking a drug called "Rugby", a liquidish glue, which distracts them from their hunger pains and abuse memories.

One of VFV's volunteer placements is with the Department of Social Welfare's (DSW) street children program.

Volunteers with DSW can work in downtown Tacloban doing "street education", which is running educational activities for the kids, looking out for them on the street, and sometimes doing feedings.

Volunteers can also volunteer at a newly commissioned street children home in a place called Tagpuro, a forty five minute ride from downtown. The location is strategically far away from the bad influences of the city in a lush rural setting. The boys (boys only at this point) who choose to go there get registered in school, have 3 meals a day, and a place to sleep.

Unfortunately, the DSW is subject to the same corruption that many government departments in the Philippines foster. For example, there is supposed to be a social worker at Tagpuro every day, but the volunteers that work there say they rarely see one there. When there is a social worker there, they don't do any interacting with the boys. Some kids leave the center and go back to the streets, mostly from boredom.

These pictures were from a special day in which many of the VFV volunteers including Christian went downtown to run a feeding and a special games day for the street kids.

Sniffing "Rugby", or glue.
The kids that were high were not allowed to participate.

A Canadian volunteer serves as a horse.

One sign of status in the Philippines is your shoes. The most well off financially wear sneakers or high heels. The next level down is what the majority wear - "chenelas" or flip flops. Slightly lower is if you have chenelas, but they are a strange color like bright pink for a boy or a cheap looking plastic. And finally, if you don't have shoes at all, that is a sure sign of poverty.

According to Katrina, a volunteer who worked with the kids, most of their day on the street is actually quite boring. A lot of them are really good at finding what they need - for example, which vendor will leave out his extra food. When a foreign volunteer comes along, this brightens up their world immensely and provides them entertainment.

Katrina brought the kids along with her to an outdoor concert us other volunteers were at. The kids consider most of us young foreigner volunteers their friends so they were really happy to have a bunch of us to sit with.

But by no means did they feel confined to sit with us. They would get up, play fight with each other, and then take off running after each other and back, winding through the crowd and street with so little effort it looked like there could have been nobody there. You could tell they had practice finding their way around the crowded streets. The streets are their turf and they feel comfortable running and playing through them.

And their smiles and laughter took me away from the music. It was such unabandoned joy, a feeling of being a child wild and free with no one to tell you what to do.

I got a glimpse of this another time where one little kid, George, 9 years old, was so happy when he recognized me at an outdoor barbecue. He yelled "Ate!" (respect word for older women), grabbed my hand and took me running with him. He started pointing to all sorts of things that interested him - a guard in a red uniform, a spotlight, a car. He smiled, and laughed, and I felt for a second the joy of running through the streets like a street kid. Be happy this moment, because terrible things might happen the next.

They definitely have their own special world which they live in. Because they have no one else to look out for them, some of them band together and look out for each other. The groups are very strong. For example, if a new boy comes to the home at Tagpuro he will be tormented until the group feels they can trust him. Once he gets accepted, the bonds are tight. Volunteers report that at night at Tagpuro, although it is hot, the boys sleep together in a big pile, almost like dogs, with arms and legs wrapped around each other.

Free from societal influences, they form their own society with their own rules. For example, sex for them starts really young, and happens between many of the older and younger boys. They were having issues with this part of their societal norms in Tagpuro, the home which at this point only accepts boys. One of the kids, 8 years old, even propositioned one of the male volunteers, because for this little boy, sex is almost just a form of affection. This does not help when they encounter child molesters however.

Dumpsite Project

The Philippines has the world's 12th largest population, 88 million people. 47% of its people live on less than $2 per day, and 15% live on less than $1 per day. 40% live below the nationally set poverty line. Although you can get by on this type of salary here, you don't have much left over for things like medicine, school, even electricity and water.

While I am looking at Wikipedia, I see that 1.1 billion people in the world live on less than $1 per day, and 2.7 billion live on less than $2 per day! I am guessing that these poverty statistics have contributed to the job type known as "scavenging".

Scavengers can be found all over the world, again mostly in developing countries. They go to garbage dumps and pick through the garbage, mostly finding recyclable materials to sell as scrap. A quick internet search shows that there are estimated hundreds of thousands of scavengers in Latin America, and in Manila the 10,000 scavengers have been organized into unions!

VFV's "Dumpsite Project" is located at the Tacloban City Dump in a far flung baranguay (neighborhood) called New Kawayan.

There are 29 kids at the dumpsite who help their families scavenge for recylable materials. At the most they earn 30 pesos a day, which is equivalent to about 70 cents. Some of them scavenge to help buy food for their families, and some just to keep themselves in school! Imagine an American child running around the garbage mountains just to save the $15 per year necessary to register and get school supplies!!

The dumpsite project was started last year by Wim Wim, the Center Coordinator at VFV. She has raised money for school supplies, donated used clothing, done periodic feedings, and set up activity sessions for the kids, to add some enrichment away from the harsh environment of the dump.

She has already managed to get school supplies to all of the kids. This has kept 7 of them out of the dump.

Next week we are holding a fundraiser concert, Rock the Community. Most of the money earned will go towards this project.

Wim Wim's mom, Nanay Lillibelle, who works at the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), is partnering with her daughter on this project. Her department is working to set up the adult scavengers with a composting business, just outside the dump. Little environmentalist me has been interested in this project and I have been accompanying her to these meetings.

These are some pictures Christian took while we were there one day.









This is Lucio Vivero, the nearby school that many of the dumpsite children attend. It has been "adopted" in a different program that VFV runs called "Adopt a School". The school is paired with a foreign donor. For $75, the children at the school receive basic school supplies for the year, like paper and pens, which you can imagine they would have a lot more trouble learning to write without.

We visited on the week before classes started. You can see the children are already there with the teacher, helping to clean the classroom!! Again, I just can't imagine something like that happening in the US, children volunteering to come to school the week before school begins to help their teacher clean up!

Philippines and Family

Welcome to the Philippines!

Jiggy, Christian's cousin Candy's son (first cousin once removed to be exact!)

We were welcomed to Manila at the airport by Christian's Aunt Linda and Uncle Eddie. We had a wonderful few days at their house in the Quezon City section of Manila, enjoying lots of food, malls, and especially being with all of Christian's long lost cousins. As is the Filipino tradition with guests, we were treated like absolute royalty and were fed 5 times a day.

More Columbreses! Aunt Chit and Uncle Ernie's Family

The Royal Treatment Continues: PJ and Athena, Christian's cousins, drove four hours each way to pick us up in Manila and drive us to their house in San Jacinto, Pangasinan. Aunt Chit and Uncle Ernie's family lives in the same house where Christian's dad grew up.

Athena and PJ were our official tour guides for our whirlwind 3 days at Pangasinan Province's tourist sites.

Pilot seat

First stop on the tour: Hundred Islands National Park. We relaxed on the beach, and had a nice boat ride around the tropical islands.

Our steed, parked at Marcos Island

Columbreses on "Christian" Island

We instructed our boat captain to land on this unnamed island, and we christened it "Christian Island" since he was the one to spot it.

Baguio

A note about the Philippines: It is hot! 3 months later we are now accustomed to the 95 degree plus temperatures. For example, at 85 degrees I might not even point the fan at me because I am cold. Four days into our trip however, we were sweating all over the place, so going to Baguio, "the summer capital of the Philippines", was an excellent idea. Its mountainside 65 degree temperatures felt positively chilly.

The Ifugao were the traditional culture that inhabited the Cordillera region where Baguio is located. Now they get their pictures taken by the tourists for money.

The four Beetles

Outside Tam-Awan Village, a tourist site, we saw these Beetles. People with enough money collect these cars here, just like in America.

US culture is strong in the Philippines, I am guessing due to our 50 year colonization and a shared language (half the population speaks English). For example, the police's motto is "To Serve and Protect", just like in America.

My favorite influence is the half English, half Filipino language that many people speak. Someone will be speaking in a Filipino language, then throw in "Go for Gold" or some other English expression to emphasize a point, or completely switch back and forth between the two mid sentence.

That's a massive wave you are catching, Christian

We were about to go back to Aunt Chit and Uncle Eddie's house but the cousins decided, hey let's go surfing! We stopped and got lessons at San Juan La Union Surf Resort.

Politics in the Philippines

"I do!" "I do!" "I do!" "I do!" "I do!" "I do!"...

The reason there are so many people getting married here is because it is being paid for by a local politician in San Jacinto, Christian's family's town, 2 weeks before election day. This should give you an idea as to the flavor of politics here.

Mayor Christian I mean Rudy Columbres

Coming back to San Jacinto, we explored the political scene because Christian's family is intricately connected! His Grandpa was Mayor for while, another Columbres was Mayor for awhile, and now his Grandpa's nephew Rudy Columbres presides.

When you are Mayor, you get lots of perks including congratulating your relatives on a banner outside Town Hall!

"Spoiled Ballots"

Elections here are never entirely clean from what we gathered. The most egregious and widespread type of fraud is "vote buying", occuring in every election from local to national. On the local level, each voter collects what is for them a lot of money (equivalent from $2-$15). Whichever candidate pays them the most, they vote for.

We witnessed this political ritual up close as we were lucky enough to be here for elections within our first month of being here. Our host mom was like a kid in a candy shop the weekend before elections, staying out much later than she normally stays up waiting in lines to collect her 100 pesos ($2).

Almost everyone I talked to about it, from our host mom to Christian's cousins to the staff at our volunteer program had the same interesting reaction to vote buying. They know it is illegal and detrimental to their political process, but they have the same laugh about it and shrug it off. "Isn't that funny?" They even laugh about their own participation in vote buying - taking the money. Underneath this laugh, however, I sense a shade of resignation about the overpowering political fraud that goes on.

Except one woman. She said her brother tried to get elected without the vote buying, even campaigned to his local constituents that this was what he was trying to do - get a clean election. Because he did not give out money, he did not get elected.

In San Jacinto Town Hall

Karaoke in the Philippines

Singing to the videoke machine.

You hear about it in many Asian cultures, but here it is decidedly so. Karaoke is King! In Dagupan, a beach town near San Jacinto, we spent our last night with Athena and PJ singing at our first karaoke night.

Now a staple of our social diet, sometimes I think I am addicted to videoke.

Athena the Diva

"Total Eclipse of the Heart", first introduced to us by the Israeli trapeze artists, turns out to be an excellent Karaoke song!

Duck Fetus, anyone?

It is a well known fact in the Philippines that "Balot", a half incubated duck fetus egg, was featured in the US show "Fear Factor", as a "scary" thing to eat. But they pride themselves that they eat it all the time.

When you are out at a bar etc. you usually hear vendors come by offering, "Baloooot!"

PJ slurps it up

Jordan

Our flight to the Philippines from Israel had a layover in Amman. We did the good "Round the World trip" thing and got off the plane to see Jordan!

We planned our 3 day visit so we would spend Christian's *30th* birthday in Petra!!

Us on top of ZuZu the camel.


This is the obligatory "us on a camel" shot in the Middle East! Getting up and down off a camel feels like a roller coaster ride. They are quite tall, and when they go to sit on the ground, they bend their front legs first, so you feel like you are about to fall off over the head of the camel. Then they put their back legs down and you are level with the ground.

Petra was built by the Nabataeans about 2000 years ago. They were well off because they controlled some caravan trading routes that were not the famous silk route but equally international.

Most of the carvings that look like houses or temples in the rocks are actually tombs. The more ornate, larger tombs were for the Kings and rich people. The tomb style was influenced by the Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans. Some of the temples are an exact copy of a Roman Temple.

I (Laura) actually had visited Petra 11 years ago when Jordan first opened the border from Israel. It was interesting to see the changes in Jordan and at Petra since then. I remember a very dusty underdeveloped country with men in traditional dress hanging out on the sidewalks with not much to do. It felt remarkably more developed this time - lots more cars and pavement, people looking busy, dressed more in the Western style.

Petra itself was also a lot busier - a ton of tourists this time! There were a lot more tourist facilities in Wadi Mousa, the town next door that services the park. Adnan, our driver and tour guide, confirmed this saying there were 4 hotels 12 years ago. Now there are over 70! Everything looks a lot more modern - air conditioned taxis, etc. Amazing what 11 years will do! I can't say the hordes of people contributed to my enjoyment this time.

Petra remained undiscovered for a long time because it is hidden, fortress like, behind "al-Siq". Al-Siq is a long valley, or "wadi" in Arabic.

The Nabataeans were pagan idol-worshipers, and apparently their neighbors were too. In the walls of the wadi you could see depressions carved out, where visitors could place their "portable" idols.

At the end of the Wadi you catch your first view of the "Treasury" (not really a treasury).

The Treasury. This carving has been made famous by "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade".

Although the outsides look so impressive, the insides of all the ornate tombs in Petra are little more than rectangular caves.

The rock colors of Petra are just as spectacular as the carvings.

Laura, posing as a good Brown Alumni.

The "Monastery" or "Al-Deir".

This carving looks just like the Treasury, but I thought it was more impressive because it is HUGE.

Overlooking Petra and the Monastery, near sunset.

One thing that hasn't changed in the 11 years since I have been to Petra is the friendliness of the local Bedouins.

The Bedouins were living in the park as recently as 20 years ago, when they were kicked out to a nearby re-settlement town. One of them pointed out to us which ruin he used to live in when he was a kid.

Abed and his cousin were playing beautiful music on the hill at the far edge of Petra, near the Monastery. They camp out in the park illegally many nights and invited us to join them (we declined). We did stay to catch some enchanting Bedouin songs.

Abed had a heart melting voice.

Abed's cousin.

BMW bling on top of a donkey (AKA the new 7 series).

The young face of Bedouin Petra

laura on view over petra - do we need this?

Who's an Ass?

Christian riding CoCo the Donkey.

Israel and Family

We visited Israel for a busy 2 weeks. Our visit was chock full of family, special occasions, and showing Christian his first taste of my second home country.

The Wedding

Natalie and Hillal under their Chupah. All of their friends signed and decorated it.

My cousin Natalie got married to her circus partner Hillal in a spectacular circus filled wedding on March 30, 2007. The ceremony was beautiful.

Although you are restricted to have only an Orthodox Jewish wedding if you will be officially recognized as married by the state of Israel, Natalie and Hillal found an excellent orthodox rabbi who let them add things to make the ceremony more palatable to their gender-modern beliefs. The Rabbi sang with his guitar and led the outdoor ceremony with such a fervor that you felt like this was the first wedding he had led and he actually meant it.

The chupah was encircled on all sides by friends and family to witness the occasion on this beautiful Spring day.

Natalie's dress was nothing short of fairy tale princess. Shown here being twirled by Grandpa.

But wait, there's more!....

...The bottom of Natalie's dress is designed to slip off and become a performance tu-tu!

Natalie and Hillal performed the first of 7 excellent circus acts, the rest performed by their circus friend community.

Just Married and jumped on top of your shoulders!

Uli and Noa doing their amazing lip synch/trapeze to Bonnie Tyler's "Total Eclipse of the Heart".

Grandpa and his two daughters - my mom, Ellen, and Natalie's mom, Susie

All the Belsons showed up! Bob, Joe, and Ellen

Jerusalem

Our family friend and tour guide Shraga Hecht took Christian, Joe and me on an informative (and argumentative) tour of Jerusalem.

I am always impressed with how many ancient religions and cultures have passed through here and still mark Jerusalem as their holy place today.

View of the Old City of Jerusalem and the Dome of the Rock.

Jerusalem sprawls its way over the hills.

The Church of the Rooster. Christ was imprisoned here, and they still have his cell in the basement. This is a statue commemorating the site where Peter betrayed Jesus!

This is Zion Gate, built by the Turks, and pockmarked with Jordan's bullets from the 1948 Israeli War of Independence.

The Church of the Holy Sepulchre. Most Christians believe that this Church is built on the hill where Jesus Christ was crucified, and it is also where he was buried. As you can probably guess, as this is where he "died for our sins", this is a pretty significant place to them.

The church has been the destination of pilgrimages ever since the 4th century, and we indeed saw many church groups passing through. The most colorful were the groups from Africa, who all wore bright matching African style clothing and head wraps.

The interesting part was that different branches of Christianity disagree as to the exact physical location of Christ's burial within the Church itself. There were many people buried there, so different tombs have been selected by different Churches as to "the" place. The Catholics have one tomb, the Eastern Orthodox have another, etc. Each of these tombs has been marked and decorated separately as "Christ's tomb" by each Church.

This rock is where Christ was supposedly laid after he died.

The Church is pretty dark and medieval feeling inside, so Christian took a lot of cool "Da Vinci Code" photos.

Doesn't she look like a Renaissance painting?

The Wailing Wall is a remnant of an outer courtyard wall from the Second Temple, destroyed by the Romans in 70 A.D.

The Second Temple housed the "Holy of Holies", which was an inner sanctuary considered the most sacred place in Judaism. Since the wall is the closest structure of the temple remaining to that inner sacred place, it is considered Holy even today.

Also referred to as the Western Wall, the wall is nicknamed Wailing because Jews still mourn the loss of the rest of the Second Temple.

People come to pray at the wall, as the Orthodox man in the picture is doing. They stuff papers with prayers and wishes into the cracks in the wall. The site is partitioned into girl/boy, according to Judaism's gender traditions.

On the day we visited, Chabad, one of Judaism's internationally orthodox groups, was having a big loud celebration in the center of the Wailing Wall Plaza. We lost Grandpa temporarily, and then we found him, listening to the celebration and saying what a great sound system they had.

Oasis of Peace, officially named Neve Shalom and Wāĥat as-Salām is a cooperative village jointly founded by Israeli Arabs and Jews in an attempt to show that the two peoples can live side by side peacefully, as well as to conduct educational work for peace, equality and understanding between the two peoples (copied from Wikipedia).

My Grandpa has been a big supporter of the village from its beginnings in the early 1970's, and we visit to see how the village is doing every time we visit Israel.

Passover Seder, 2007

Natalie and Hillal invited the family over to their "dome" for the annual family seder.

The dome is a canvas covered geodesic structure. It is a tent like area with a wooden floor where they sometimes practice circus and sometimes use as their living room. Their home is right next door in a trailer at the back of a trailer park.

Mirrel and Jasper setting the table in the dome. They studied in Natalie and Hillal's circus school and came from Amsterdam to be with them on their wedding.

Laura reading the poem she wrote for their wedding to Natalie and Hillal.

Eve and Ira take a nature walk at the back of Natalie's trailer park.

This proves that Dutch people are taller than Jewish people

(back): Bob, Mirrel, and Jasper.
(center): Eve, Ellen, Susie with Manu, Laura, Hillal, Natalie, Grandpa, Ira
(front): Christian, Noah, Alon

The Dome by Night

The Arava, Moshav Edan

Continuing with Israel tour, 2007, my mom, dad and I took Christian to show him where I spent the first four years of my life. On a small Moshav farming community in the middle of the Arava desert.

The Negev desert

The Arava in its brown glory. The black thing is me (Laura)!

These signs point to two major changes that have taken place on the Moshav since we lived there 20 years ago. First, instead of English speaking settlers and volunteers, Thai laborers work the fields, as can be seen by the Thai script at the bottom. And second, the village is going organic! There was even a small organic store that would have been unheard of in the spartan times when we lived there.

Laura returns to her childhood bomb shelter

Hanging out in Nes Ziona

We had some nice down time with Susie and her family in Nes Ziona. Thank you for being such a wonderful hostess, Susie!

My cousin Alon and his son, my newest cousin, Noah!

Hanging out with Noah at the local park

Udi!

No visit to Israel would be complete without catching up with my old buddy Udi. He lived with us in Providence for a bit, so he was eager to show off Israeli cooking. We agreed the falafel was better at East Side Pockets!

Hanging out in Tel Aviv

The Tel Aviv boardwalk

The Israeli Juggling Convention

In honor of Natalie's wedding, we all paid a visit to the 2007 Israeli Juggling Convention. It was held in the Sachne, one of Israel's nicest parks.

Please don't fall, please don't fall, please don't fall!

Matzah Karate and Omer with his fan

I always knew Dad was a top hat kind of guy

GQ David, my step cousin

The best picture of Joe, ever!

Manu, Natalie's dog, trying hard to look dignified next to my brother Joe

Thailand

We stopped in Thailand for what seemed like a short time.

We managed to see the famous Bangkok, experiencing the infamous Khao San Road (Backpacker Ghetto of South East Asia), spent a little time in Ao Nang near Krabi, and got out to little Lao Liang Island for some snorkeling and rock climbing.

We parked our bikes in Bangkok in the upstairs of our favorite Israeli restaurant and took a 12 hour overnight luxury bus (it had reclining seats and pink crushed velvet trim) south. One boat ride later we were on teeny tiny Lao Liang Island.

Every day I would snorkel off the beach near our "luxury tent" on Lao Liang. There was also a cool low tide period each day where you could walk out and see tide pool type stuff.

The movie "Finding Nemo" has greatly influenced the snorkeling/tide pool watching community. Everytime this one middle-aged Thai woman saw a clownfish, she would squeal with delight, "Nemo! Nemo!" I indulged too in renaming them "Nemofish".

This was the last Buddha we saw on our trip (now we see mostly Catholic saints), but at least it was a big one. The reclining Buddha of Wat Pho in Bangkok is 18 meters high by 50 meters long (150 feet!). The soles of the feet also were inlaid with gorgeous mother of pearl.

Thailand is famous for its "lady boys", which can be either transvestites or transsexuals. So we did the good tourist thing and checked out one of their famous shows in Bangkok on our last night there. It was highly entertaining. Not only were they beautiful, but they were very talented performers!

Not fair that she has bigger boobs than me?

Happy Easter and Happy Passover from Israel!

Happy Holidays!

We have been spending the last couple of weeks in Israel with Laura's family. We attended the wedding of her cousin and celebrated Passover.

The following is an update of the end of our bike trip - Laos. We are off to the Philippines in a couple of days, and will update the rest from there.

We hope everyone is doing well, all the best from this end of the world!

-Laura and Christian

On The Road

After a few months and a mere 2300 kilometers (our shortest day a 25 km blink, and our longest a grueling 150km day), Laura and I have completed our bicycle tour of Southeast Asia. On our last ride into Luang Prabang, Laura and I discussed how we really felt like we just started the trip and that we could have easily kept going, and we're pretty sure that one day we will!

Laura relishing our last few km's into Luang Prabang

One thing that happens when you are cycling all day long is you stop for food... alot! This became one of our favorite things to do, not just to taste real local foods (as we stopped mostly in small villages), but also to meet the locals. In Laos, it is very important for an infant to be held, so important that mothers carry their children with them at all times, even while cooking us lunch!

One of two pictures of Christian.
("He who holdeth the camera shalt not see himself on bloggeth")

"I just wanted some water!"

Finding food along the way was never a problem. Sometimes it was even too easy! Local buses would stop in small villages, and women and children armed with generous supplies of bbq chicken, fish, rice, eggs and drinks, would surround the bus (a few fortunate ones would actually board the bus) to sell their goods to passengers.

During one of our longest stretches of road, Laura asked to pull over and take a break and said, "Man, would I love some watermelon right now!" One minute later this guy comes by!!! Ask and you shall recieve!

The famed Lao sticky rice ball. As opposed to their neighbors in Vietnam and Cambodia, Lao people prefer sticky rice that you eat with your hands.

Usually when we road though villages, the kids would scream (and I do mean SCREAM!) "Sah-bah-dee!!!"... which is the Lao greeting. When we stopped they sometimes wouldn't know what to do now that we weren't moving, and would simply line up on the side of the road and stare.

On the start of our last day we met these guys. They were some of the most curious kids we met along the way... so we had to take a picture!

We rode from a city called Savannakhet in central Laos to the South and instead of doubling back, be hopped on a local bus back to Savan. I'm not sure if the bus would have passed the New Zealand warrant of Fitness, but it got us and our bikes there!

It may be hard for many of you to believe, but Laura and I were actually getting up around 4:30am everyday! Because Laura was having problems with heat rash on her arms (a unfortunate side effect of our anti-malarials) and with the temperatures easily near 100 almost everday, we tried to stay out of the midday sun as much as possible. Fortunately for us, we were rewarded with beautiful sunrises and cool tempertures (for a few hours at least!).

At night we would partake at the local restaurants. In the village of Kasi, these friendly teenagers joined us to practice their English!

Laura's ride.

Luang Prabang

Our final route into Luang Prabang was Vang Vieng - Kasi - Kiou Ka Cham - Luang Prabang.

We spent four days in Luang Prabang. It is a World Heritage City because of its incredible collection of Buddhist Wats (temples), and its setting in the mountains of Northern Laos. We spent plenty of time visiting the temples... and there are a lot!

We visited Phu Si, Wat Mai Suwannaphumaham, Wat That Luang, Wat Manolom, and Wat Xieng Thong, among others.

I was in love with all the carvings and statues in both the new and old wats. The wats still in use usually coated their carvings with gold paint.

A closeup at Wat Xieng Thong (Golden City Monastery).

Luang Prabang has become quite touristy in the last couple of years. The special tourist night market is quite a spectacle. It seemed to be endless (till we found the end) and was full of interesting souvenirs and local crafts. It was also a fun place to work on your bargaining skills. We also found that the street food vendors at the night market had the best food in town... and damn cheap to boot!

Across the street from our guesthouse, at Wat Chum Khong, this loud ritual took place at 4 oclock (pm and AM!).

With a lot of Buddhist Wats comes lots of monks. Luang Prabang actually has hundreds of "novices". Novices are young men and boys that come from the surrounding villages to get an education and learn to become a monk. When they complete high school, they usually go back to village life, and some return in older years.

Boo!

We spent a lot of time talking to these "novices" as they were very excited to practice their english, or lack of, with us.

Unfortunately, knowledge of many of the beautiful crafts that go into making and preserving these Wats is disappearing. This novice was part of a program in which the crafts are deliberately taught by lay people or monks in order to reinstill the knowledge on how to upkeep the temples in the younger generations.

Every morning at close to 6:00am, the locals "give alms" to the monks. Some three hundred monks walk down the roads while local buddhists kneel down and provide them with their food.

Northern Laos

We cycled two days north of Vientiane, stopping in Na Nom, to Vang Vieng, where we spent three days.

The view from our balcony.

"Ohmygaw! Rachel dumped Ross!

Vang Vieng is either a backpackers dream, or nightmare. It is covered with tour companies, internet cafes, massage parlors, souvenir shops and restaurants. Many eateries are like the one above with beds and TV's running western movies and TV shows... why somebody would come all the way to Laos to sit around, eat pizza and watch reruns of "Friends" is beyond me. We met a Lao tourist that said she felt like she was in a different country because there were more westerners than Lao people.

Vang Vieng is located next to a river and surrounded by dramatic karst limestone cliffs. There are tons of outdoor activities to enjoy. Most people take tubes down the river picking beers up at bars along the water. I spent a day rock climbing were I climbed the hardest grade I have ever climbed, did my first lead climb, and later had my first fall off a lead climb... but I'm okay! Thanks to Adam and Sy.

After Vang Vieng we headed north into the mountains of Laos for three days towards Luang Prabang. The last few days were the most challenging days as they were mostly uphill and we averaged close to 100 kms a day. But the challenge was well worth it as we experienced some spectacular scenery and came into contact for the first time with the colorful H'mong people.

Hello!

Mondo's cousins

We think we found which specific H'mnog village Mondo (our dog) came from. The entire village was populated almost exclusively with Mondo clones! Other villages had versions of him too in this region.

It just keeps going up.

Weaving

Laos has a strong tradition of weaving. Some of the fabrics we saw there were gorgeous. In particular, I was knocked out by the traditional skirts that women wear, called "Sinh". Many women wear them for going to work or to the temple.




We saw this woman at our homestay in Phonsim Village. She is doing a type of weaving called Ikat in which you tie the thread in specific places, then dye it. When you weave the tie-dyed thread it creates a white and color pattern that is almost unbelievably complex.

Hands blue from dying.

This is another style of weaving, called Khit, wear there are sticks put in the loom to keep the pattern. We saw a woman weaving it in Ban Phanom, a tourist exhibition outside Luang Prabang.

No sale.

Vientiane

From Savannakhet, we biked 4 days North to Vientiane. Our route was Savannakhet -Thakek - Namthone - Thabok - Vientiane. These days were long, but beautiful - 455 km, including our longest day of 150 kms.

Buddha Park, outside Vientiane

Buddha Park is a modern (1960's) sculptural garden making an update to all the Buddhist carvings I was enjoying at the more historical SE Asian sites.

Vientiane is the Capital of Laos. When we arrived there we had not been to a large city for awhile, so it was a bit bittersweet. It had everything - tons of cultural places to visit, like the Buddha Park, and luxuries like book stores, western foods and hot water (we stuck to cold showers and Indian food). But along with all these amenities were lots of people, lots of tourists, lots of everything, and after coming from small intimate towns and villages, it was a bit of a shock to our senses.

Pha That Luang

Cycling up North from Vientiene, we stopped for a mid morning break at the Vientiene Zoological Gardens (Thulakom Zoo). The conditions there left something to be desired, but at the same time there were many of the "exotic" animals that this region is famous for.

Watchoooo loookin at?

Don't fall in.

We really wanted to get this monkey out of the cage.

Phonsim Village Homestay

We took a bus retracing our route, from Si Phan Don to Savannakhet.

From Savannakhet, we booked ourselves on a 2 day "eco-tour", where we would trek through Dong Natat Regional Forest Park, and stay overnight in Phonsim Village with a Lao family.

Our hosts were Mr. Keeon (sp), his wife, mother-in-law, 4 daughters, and 1 son. Our guide and translator, from Savannakhet, was Tip.

Each of us were took (bucket) showers after our sweaty day of hot trekking. Once separated, the grandma, next door neighbor aunt, and wife, with daughters looking on, took their opportunity to make comments about us, and ask questions. I say make comments, because (I think) it is normal in the culture to "appraise" new people out loud. For example, after inspection, it was pronounced that I was as pretty as a doll, but Christian looked like a boxer.

One of our favorite parts of the homestay experience was the Basi Ceremony. Whenever a special guest comes from another place, a family gets a "san maabeng" centerpiece, woven out of banana leaves and decorated with flowers. They get strings of cotton to tie on like the daughters and grandma are doing in the picture above.

Later on, older men of the village were invited over for dinner. Before we ate, the ceremony commenced with eggs and bananas being placed in our hands. Everyone in the room then swirled around stopping to tie the cotton strings around our wrists, and wish us good health, good journeys and welcome.

Laos kitchens are remarkable for their lack of "infrastructure". Everything is on - and is done while squatting on - the floor. This includes dishes, water buckets for dishwashing and cooking, and the fire (not stove) for cooking. It is incredible what tasty and huge meals this woman was able to prepare for us, her family, and all the visitors.

One of our favorite parts of the homestay was "Making Merit". We woke up at 6. We were given sashes, a proper skirt to wear for me, and some shiny containers to hold the rice and food to be given to the village monks. We then walked through the village to the temple. We sat with our feet in a proper direction (tucked away from the monks and other people) and listened to the monks chant. We then added our food offerings to the collection pots that each monk had. This is what they would eat that day. Making Merit is supposed to bring you good luck in your life.

Another part of the homestay was visiting an English class at the village school and giving a quick lesson. I taught "the Hokey Pokey" to the kids (It has good vocab! Arm, leg, shake it all about!) .

Our host Mr. Keeon, taking a nap in a viewing platform on Nong Tau (Turtle) Lake.

I found it interesting the village made charcoal. They buried the burning logs in this mound. We saw bundles of charcoal being sold on the side of the road all over Laos.

Central to Southern Laos

Our first stop in Laos, Savannakhet, is a fading French colonial city along the Mekong featuring wide streets and crumbling architecture. Without the cars they were designed for, the wide boulevards were very pleasant to walk along.

Look at what she is WEARING

From Savannakhet, we headed south on our bikes. We took Highway 13 all the way down to Si Phan Don ("4000 Islands"), the southern tip of Laos. We broke the route at Pakse to do a loop around (and up up down) the Bolavan Plateau, stopping each night at a different waterfall.

We started out by going Savannakhet - Paksong - Muang Khongsedon - Pakse. The Bolovan was then Pakse - Tad Fan - Tad Lo - Tad Pasuame. We finished off Highway 13 by going Champasak - Don Khong - Don Khon.

Waterfall #1: Tad Fan

We saw these "candle rail" Nagas on our way to Tad Lo. The road was dirt, and everything around was an undecorated shack. The temple and the rails that led up to it were gold painted and shone from the landscape, showing their importance to the village.

Nagas were some of my favorite Buddhist sculptures. The Naga was a snake with many heads that protected the Buddha while he sat and meditated.

At Tad Lo we decided to trade our bikes for an elephant... then we realized that we probably wouldn't be able to find any guesthouses for the three of us (sorry Mun!).

Mun closeup.

Tad Phasoume by night (waterfall #3).

The day we biked from Champasak to Don Khong was 107 km in the intense heat of Southern Laos. There were also very few villages along the way, but there were these helpful "rest huts" where the shade was most welcome.

We relaxed for a few days on one of the 4000 islands in the middle of the Mekong called Don Khon. We did a lot of sleeping, swimming, reading books, eating great Lao food and meeting and spending time with other cycle tourists (and their families!)... hello Livi (Livi's Family), Jut, Tom and Trev!

Laos has dogs for everyone!

The kids taking the boat for a spin.

Vietnam

The famed Ho Chi Minh City! Used to be called Saigon.

We spent 3 days in crowded HCMC. This gives you a picture of the moto traffic one experiences there. I do prefer moto traffic to car traffic however.

While in HCMC, we searched fruitlessly for extra tubes for our bikes, and visited the War Remnants Museum. I found it interesting that the government of Vietnam showcases the Vietnam war (known there as the "American War") very patriotically. It is depicted as their war of Independance. There are monuments depicting Vietnamese heroism during that war everywhere. The museum has many sobering pictures of war atrocities, reminding you how horrible war is.

Vietnamese girls in their uniforms on their way to school.

Hoi An Shopping.

After the crowded roads in the South, we speeded up our Vietnam cycling experience by taking a bus from HCMC to Hoi An, and then another bus to Laos. We wanted to spend extra time in Laos because the roads are a lot less crowded for bicycles.

We did get to stay in Hoi An for 3 days. Hoi An is a World Heritage City because of its architecture and setting.

It also has built itself an industry of 200+ tailors who make cheap (by Western standards) custom made clothing for the many tourists that visit. Christian and I partook and then sent our new duds home.

With so many shops to choose from, many tried to stand out by showcasing their tailoring skills on their dogs.

While in Hoi An also took a trip to My Son, another World Heritage Site. It is an example, like Angor Wat, of ancient SE Asian architecture and carvings.

Laos Ride Log

Day Three:
Feb.10 2007
Muang Khongsedone to Pakse
Time : 3:22'26
Distance: 66.8 Kms
Average Speed: 19.8 km/hr
Temp: 104F /
Rolling Hills
Trip Total: 931.3kms

Hot and dusty ride through rice paddies. To escape the heat for a bit we stopped in a thatch bar for some cold water. There were goats hanging out inside... interesting. Physically we are holding up ok barring a few small things. Laura is getting some heat rash on her arms. She is burning much more easily as a result of taking our anti-malarial called Doxicycline. I have a sore butt. Other than that we are skipping our scheduled day off tomorrow to head uphill for approximately 40-50k to Tad Lo.



Day Two:
Feb.10 2007
Paksong to Muang Khongsedone
Time : 5:16'36
Distance: 102.21 Kms
Average Speed: 19.3 km/hr
Temp: 100F /
Rolling Hills
Trip Total: 864.5kms

Today was more of the same as yesterday, just longer. I have really began to appreciate all of the screaming, "Hellos and Sah-bah-dees!" from the locals. It had been mostly children screaming and yelling, but here in Laos everyone of every age seem to want to greet us.


Day One:
Feb. 9 2007
Savannakhet to Paksong
Time : 4:21'03
Distance: 79.74 Kms
Average Speed: 18.3 km/hr
Temp: 105F /
Rolling Hills
Trip Total: 762.2kms

Its was our first day back in the saddle after about six days off, so we were really well rested. But for some reason we still didn't get going till almost 2:00. It was probably the two breakfasts, Lao and western, and a few errands that we had to run. The ride was very nice especially compared to the traffic of Vietnam. It was mostly rolling hills in the arid heat passing through small villages, farms and rice paddies. We got into Paksong just before dark.

Rollin in Vietnam

This is our update up until a week ago. We are about to go into Laos and will probably update in Thailand in about a month, as we hear Laos has slow connection speeds.

Some roadside shots from our "Mekong Meander" from Chau Doc to Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.

Many people wear face masks to protect from the dust and fumes.

I think it's fish?

Along the way, Laura and I get many different expressions from the locals. Here is Laura trying to get directions in Cai Dau.

In Vietnam... Cantho Floating Markets

After taking a bus and boat through the Cambodia-Vietnam border, we started the next leg of our bicycle tour from Chau Doc to Ho Chi Minh City. Our route was Chau Doc - Long Xuyen - Cantho - Mytho - Ho Chi Minh City, totalling 290 kms.

On our third day, we took a day off to tour the famous Mekong Delta floating markets. We woke up at 4:30 and spent the next 8 hours on a romantic cruise along the Mekong. We took in Cai Rang and Phong Dien floating markets, plus some small tributaries where much of the produce sold at the marets is grown. Our vehicle was a rickety little wooden boat, guided by the smiling Lap who spoke little English, but was able to point things out along the way.

We spent an extra day in Cantho, as Christian got sick again, but he recovered like a champ and biked 100 kms the next day without eating much!

Perched.

Phong Dien floating market.

"Can I get a Slurpee?"

Breakfast on the Mekong.

A Vietnamese "Lady Boy" at Cai Rang floating market. He may look like he just has bright clothing on, but this is the typical dress for a Veitnamese woman.

Many houses along the Mekong. The river is the driveway.

Unique style.

Buying from the shore.

Our awesome wooden boat for the day.

Lap, our enthusiastic guide. "Hello! Hello! Hello!"

Phnom Penh to Sihanoukville... and Kep... Cambodia

Presence and Pace in Phnom Penh

After exploring Siem Reap and the Angkor Temples, Laura and I took a bus south to the capital of Cambodia, Phnom Penh. We spent a little extra time there because I got sick, not a fun situation but it gave us a few more days to explore the city. We stayed in a great little guesthouse called "Top Banana", making friends with the employees and fellow travelers. Phnom Penh is by far the most "modern" city in Cambodia, and even had a supermarket for Christian's peanut butter cravings and a mall. Like other places in "Indochine" the built public spaces were French influenced, most noticably in the parks and monuments.

Phnom Penh's National Museum

"Okun" (thank you) Vannah.

Our route followed a Southerly course: Phnom Penh -- Takeo -- Kampot -- Kep -- Kampot -- Sihanoukville, totaling 310 kms. We took a break in Kep to go to Rabbit Island and another in Sihanoukville for the beach.

Epic Arts Cafe

Kampot, Camboia

As tourists interested in giving back, we were fortunate enough to be recommended some socially concious organizations and businesses in Cambodia by PEPY rides (http://www.pepyride.org/) Epic Arts provides a center for the disabled community in Kampot. This community is unusually large in Cambodia, due to the ongoing problem of unexploded mines. One focus is dance and art as new outlet for expression for disabled people. The Cafe brings in money from tourists for the organziation, and raises awareness.

We were lucky to be there during a sign language study group, where we witnessed a roomful of people carrying on beautifully animated and silent conversations. Christian explained the fancy bike parts with his hands too!

Our Transport to Rabbit Island

Statue of Modesty

Kep is a crumbling French seaside resort, with abandoned mansions overlooking the coastline. This is a (naked) mermaid statue, presumably from that time, now covered over to suit the modest Cambodian tastes.

Laura's hourly water break.

"Now Remember... Look both ways before crossing."

After our first 100+ km day, we were happy to reach our final destination in Cambodia, Sihanoukville. This is Cambodia's most popular beach resort, for Westerners and Cambodians alike.

Rambutan Fruits on the beaches of Sihanoukville.

BigBlueBugs in Cambodia!!!

So after two long days of travel, Laura and I have made it to Siem Reap, Cambodia. Its a little bit different than New Zealand, but we think we are adjusting pretty well! We have toured most of the famous Ankor temples, rode our bikes through villages and farms. We have been asked about 1000 times if we need a "tuk tuk" (the cambodian version of a taxi... a carriage attatched to a scooter). We have met some beautiful people... and have had some great food!!! Here are a few pics from our first few days here.

"from the tuk tuk"

Ankor Wat Tourist

Apsara Dancer.

Ta Prohm.
(Tomb Raider)

Laura's helmet drew alot of attention.

Laura Learning from the Locals.

A Much Needed Update

hellooo everyone!

i hope you are having a marvelous week between xmas and new years... christian and i are now HOME, spending a lovely holiday with family and visiting friends in all sorts of places.

and.... our blog has been updated!! http://www.bigbluebugblog.blogspot.com. just in case you were wondering where we have been for 4 months, there is now more there than you ever wanted to know! and lots of those amazing christian pictures to dazzle and awe you.

and for our next year... ASIA!! yes, we are continuing our travels for another year. somewhere along the line the travel bug bit us good and we are just having too much fun to stop. we will be doing a bike tour through southeast asia (cambodia, vietnam, laos and thailand), stopping in israel for the wedding of my beautiful cousin natalie, and then a volunteer program in the philippines for 6 months! we will be doing the best we can to keep the blog updated...so see you then!

my love and best wishes,
laura

Home for the Holidays!

Laura and I have returned home for the Holidays!!! We hope everyone is having a happy and healthy holiday season. We are only back for a few weeks, having a whirlwind tour visiting family and friends and preparing for our next adventure.... in ASIA!!!! Its been awhile since the last update, so there is plenty here to catch up on!!!

Goodbye New Zealand

Our last morning in the Pounamu Palace.

Laura and I were very sad to leave New Zealand, but excited to see what lies ahead. We have shared many breathtaking experiences, spent time with many beautiful people, and have been immersed in dreamlike environments that have all had a profound impact on our lives. We would like to thank everyone (especially Lynette!!!) that we met along the way for being a part of this unforgettable experience. Best of luck to all of you, we hope our paths can cross again.

Mt. Taranaki

New Life.

Purple.

the flight home.

Last Few Weeks

The last few weeks in New Zealand we took a vacation from our vacation and gave the Pounamu Palace a proper sendoff. We then sold her in Auckland to a nice couple set to embark on a kayak tour.

We toured around Northland, the big peninsula that sticks out north of Auckland. And by "tour" I mean "visit beaches".

We also took inspiring tours of a couple of permaculture farms.

We had to take a picture of this winery's sign, for obvious reasons.

Of all the beaches and parks we visited, the one that stuck out was Tawharanui, which is actually an Auckland regional park! This would be the equivalent of a state park over a national park. Quiet, beautiful beaches, surfing, and pleasant walks, it had it all! We were super happy there, cooking our vegeterian meals over our camp stove, and reading books the rest of the time.

This is me giving the park a thumbs up.

Sunset at Tawharanui

Rise and Shine at Tawharanui and the Pounamu Palace

Rainbow Valley Farm, started 18 years ago by Joe Polaischer and Trish Allen, is an inspiring example of permaculture design at work. Joe toured us around his property, including his mushroom logs, orchard, rice paddy, veggies, and above all his beautiful rammed earth eco-house.

Joe's truck

Joe's powerpoint.

This tile mural is not only gorgeous, but radiates heat to the room and to those who sit with their back against it. The other side is attached to a central thermal mass fireplace. The mural was designed and crafted by Joe's artist neighbor, who would normally charge $60,000 for 400 hours of labor. Instead they used a LETS bargaining system and Joe returned 400 hours of labor to the neighbor.

Tomatoes at Matakana Village Farmer's Market.

At this point in the height of cheap avocado season we were eating 2 avocados a day!

Buying our greens for dinner in Matakana.

This is the Kauri forest in Northland. These trees are second only to the California redwoods in size. Check out me as a scale figure on the left.

The trunks grow very straight and uniformly, so you can accurately estimate the tree's age.

A real tree-hugger!

This is the Te Matua Ngahere, which means 'Father of the Forest'. It is believed to be the oldest existing Kauri at an estimated 2,000 years old. Others that have been cut down were probably older!

The view over Russell in the Bay of Islands.

Our favorite tree to sit on, at the Whangaruru North camp site.

While I went for a run, Christian took pictures at Whangaruru.

Our last morning in the Pounamu Palace. Sad!!

The "Valley"

When we returned from Australia, Laura and I traveled to the Coromandel Peninsula and volunteered at the Tararu Valley Sanctuary for three months. "The Valley's" primary goals were to restore and conserve its native ecology and educate about sustainable living practices. We contributed and learned a fair amount, but also had "heaps" of fun.

Morning meeting...

Young Rata?

"Koru"

While we were at the Valley, we attempted to raise goslings who had been abandoned by their momma. Here is Laura with "Jumpy."

"Its a RAINforest!"

Everything gets wet here.

The Valley's own Kauri.

Thanks to our Valley friends.

Hi everyone!!!

Early tomorrow morning Laura and I will be on a plane returning to the States. As the sadness of leaving New Zealand and the excitement of seeing family and friends rumble in my heart, I become even more grateful for the people and experiences I have had this past year. When I left the Valley I started writing individual emails to people, thanking them and Blah Blah Blah... I realised that this was gonna take longer than I thought, so over the course of the past few weeks I decided to write this letter to all of you:

So it's the early morning after thanksgiving... I feel like I should be having breakfast with Kat and Mollie right about now, but I'm getting used to the idea that it probably won't be like that unless it is planned. But yeah, it's been a few days since we left the valley, and as I become a little more comfortable with the withdrawal from all of you, I decided to write a few words.

By the time this gets posted or sent, we will probably be in separate worlds. Laura and I will probably be in the process of getting ourselves ready to leave NZ, Allissa's south island tour is probably coming to a close, Sara is probably deciding if she should stay in NZ, Kat should be up wwoofing near Auckland, Colin and Nati should be doing the same, Mollie is probably getting in some sort of crazy situation travelling with her sister, Blume, Frank and Claudia are probably hanging off of a rock somewhere, Steve and Ceris might be near Taupo, Shawn and Stace are probably laughing it up travelling around, Rob is wondering if it is worth sticking around the valley, while Tim is probably writing in is journal hoping for the day that Jo shows up so he could get the hell outta the valley.

It's crazy to think that only a short time before we were probably all sitting around a table together. I was probably wondering if the helmet I was wearing was believable, while Laura was dreaming of chook domes. Allisa was probably knitting a hat that was way too small while thinking of baby geese. Sara was thinking what bit of lollie she will have for pudding. Kat was probably wondering why the hell they let a narcoleptic Mexican belay her. Colin was thinking what funny face he should make the next time somebody tries to take a picture of him. Nati was thinking if salt could actually save the world. Mollie, over her eighth cup of tea, was probably wondering if the decision to not have cheese would actually lead to "good" dreams. Blume was probably wondering if he could climb around the table without touching the floor. While Frank was thinking if he could actually learn English in thirty days, Claudia was teaching Shawn, "du ashloe, dude!" Steve was probably wondering, "If I shave my eyebrows, would they grow back before Ceris gets here?" Shawn may have been running around the table with Colin, arms outstretched making airplane noises. Stacey was probably thinking, what the hell are Shawn and Colin doing?! Rob was wondering how he got stuck in such a crazy house. And Tim may have been wondering if he should help the narcoleptic kid asleep in his bowl of food, or just continue his conversation.

The morning Laura and I left was a bit hurried and I didn't get to thank all of you, as a group or individually for the contribution you have made to my life, to each other's, and to the valley, so I am gonna do that here.

Colin and Nati, you guys kick ass. Plain and simple, with all the administrative madness and just plain "valley chaos" you guys were able to keep level heads with smiles.





Colin, I want to acknowledge you for your commitment to all of your sustainable building projects and to the valley in general. Despite any roadblocks, and there were many, you kept focus with humour and always did the best you could with whatever you had. It's nice to see that your work ethic and dedication haven't changed much since school! Thanks for the opportunity to volunteer in such a wonderful place, and for everything you did for all of us. Hope to see you in a few weeks!!!








Nati... Nati.. Nat.. What can I say? Every time you walked in a room I always wanted to crack a joke, or hope that Shawn would, just cause I loved to hear you laugh and see you smile. Your commitment to the valley was so obvious it was inspiring. In the last month, your commitment to making the valley what it was supposed to be showed how strong of a person you are. You could have easily just left, but you wanted to make sure that everyone there experienced the valley the way it was meant to be. Thank you both for everything.





Alyssa, I have to admit that the first few days you were around, I was a bit hesitant to get to know you. You reminded me too much of people I knew back home... chatty. I had a conversation with Kat that ended in her saying, "You might miss out on the chance to get to know somebody that you might not have before." Thanks Kat. Since that conversation I dropped the internal dialogue and really began getting to know you better. I think we got to the point were we were bickering like brother and sister, too much fun! But yeah, thanks for everything, especially for helping me, and everyone else near race day. The hour-plus long stretch session the night before, and the breathing exercises the morning of were sooooooooo helpful. You were a huge reason that we all did so well, so pat yourself on the back!!!








Sarah and I got off on the wrong foot. I'm sure most of you know that I picked up the wrong Sarah at the bus station while our Sarah waited for.... oh... two hours! Oops. Sarah I think you were one of the people I saw grow the most at the valley. When you first showed up you were the quiet proper English girl that loved her lollies. I liked being on a cooking team with you because I liked to try and get you outta your shell, and by the end of our tenure together we would chat it up and laugh. I think one memory I will never forget is you sitting on the bar being serenaded by two men dressed in Octoberfest costumes and then being tricked into kissing one of them while the whole place watched.







It must have been difficult for you, Rob, to jump into the valley, after we all had been there longer, and I acknowledge you for it!!! And by the time we left, it was like you were there from the start. You were always willing to lend a helping hand and never once did you complain. The day of the race, when I had about 1-2k to go, my body was getting real tired, but when I saw you and Steve running out to give me support, I had a huge shot of adrenaline. Thank you so much for that, it was an incredible gesture from a friend that I hope I can someday return.





Stevo!!! What can I say? You were a wealth of knowledge and experience. I think if I could accomplish what you have accomplished and I could go to the places you have been, then I might be as cool as you! You were also a person that I felt like I could go to talk to about anything, your generosity; your commitment to the kids from ConCorps was truly admirable. The last few weeks, your leadership in having all of us do what we can to make a difference, not for ourselves, but for the Valley and for future volunteers was inspiring. Thank you, and if you need a bicycle tour operator in Kenya, let me know, I think I might have somebody that might be interested!!!




Stacey!!! I don't think I ever laughed as hard as when I laugh with you. Maybe because when we laugh together it's usually because of Shawn, or maybe it's because I tell secrets that I am not supposed to say and think that the best way to cover up my mistake is simply by covering my mouth and looking away!!! If it wasn't for you I think I would have gone crazy when I had to do work inside!!! Your commitment to the Valley and all your generosity, hard work and sacrifices were admirable. Thank you.









Claudia, honorary red team member. Dude!!!.. I didn't think that telling you to use the word "dude" would be as successful as it was. The German language is now complete. You always made me laugh and as a result I did whatever I could to make you laugh! We would always have interesting conversations, mostly about weird translations of German to English phrases. Thank you for your constant humour and for putting up with my poor attempts at learning German.




Frank, Red Team! Working with you, on either the winter bubble, or on our cooking team was always and adventure. I now know why German cars are the best in the world. Your commitment to detail and accuracy, even though we were off sometimes, was impressive. I think our meals were by far the best the valley has ever seen. Thanks for being so patient with all my questions about construction, cooking, climbing... basically anything and everything. Despite the fact you spoke little English, and I spoke little German, somehow we made a good team!






Blume.. Red Team!, I think if I lived in Germany I would probably call you to go climbing, or just to hang out all the time. When I found out that you were a serious climber I was a little intimidated for the Wharepapa trip. I figured you would not want to climb with all of us because you would want to climb harder routes. But the opposite occurred, and as a result I learned more from you about climbing than I did on the previous trips. As a result, I ended up increasing my ability dramatically, and also increasing my desire to climb... as much as possible. You are the type of person that makes those around you better or stronger. Hopefully we can climb together again my friend. Thanks for everything.







Kat, if I could kick ass... like you kick ass... I would kick some serious ass! If I lived in West Virginia, I think you find me annoying because I would probably call you to see if you wanted to hang out all the time. I'm gonna miss our early morning breakfast club and being on a meal team together... cleaning dishes and talking about anything and everything. Your amicability, your personality, your values, your presence, your kindness, I find infectious. I enjoyed every conversation I shared with you, be it ridiculous or serious. I especially enjoyed the two climbing trips we went on. I will make you a cup of hot chocolate anytime you like, just bring your own straw! Thank you for always being so open, honest and just downright fun.








Mollie, where to start... RED TEAM!!! You are by far the coolest Canadian from New Hampshire living in New Zealand I know. I loved being around you because you would make me tea almost whenever you had a cup... which was a lot. And because of your excellent music taste, your vibrant spirit, generosity, bright eyed curiosity and wonderfully contagious smile. So many good times from daily breakfast sniffings to those three days climbing. I especially enjoyed the car rides to and from Wharepapa getting to know each other, making playlists, and just laughing it up. A good navigator is not only measured by their route, but more importantly on how good the music in the car is. Thanks for... being you! And for all those cups of tea.. and oh yeah thanks for the pillow real estate.. very grateful!










Timmy the Pretty Britty!!!.. Just for the record I don't think I ever called you that... I probably would have called you a Jackass! Green Team, sorry! Even though I tell Shawn that he is the coolest guy I ever met, I think he might have some competition. I think after the whole "narcoleptic" joke ended our friendship started! We had some serious fun together... from that night that you, Mollie, and I will never speak of, to climbing, to morning meetings, to running, and so much more. So many of my best memories of the Valley include you. Blimey... it's been really weird not having you around... dare I say it I miss you man! I would really like to thank you for your friendship, and can't wait to chill in Thailand this March!!! Cheers Dude!











Shawn, RED TEAM!!! At first I didn't know what to make of you. Is it possible for one human being to be so cool? Apparently.. Yes! I don't think I have met anyone quite like you. I knew that you were gonna be fun when within less than a weeks time you made me laugh so hard that my eyes teared and I had to spit out my drink. "When you get to my age", you start to think that you have probably already met all the people that you consider to be your good friends... Shawn, you have definitely proved that theory wrong. Your personality, energy, perpetual humour, charisma, consideration, loyalty, and knowledge of the Big Lebowski are second to none. You made digging road gutters, shovelling gravel, digging sand, lugging rocks, cleaning dishes, and any other "labour camp" activity oddly... enjoyable. After hanging out almost everyday for the better part of three months it's gonna be tough to adjust to a daily life without Shawn. Thank you Donny, Thank You Shawn, "I can't quit you!"





When I came to the Valley the intention was to learn as much as I could about sustainable living as possible by participating and by being a powerful contribution. I'm leaving with a tiny bit more knowledge of sustainable living and countless captivating memories with my fourteen new friends from the Valley.



Wireless Love.

Christian

Valley Life

Valley life was pretty entertaining, kind of like the Real World Crunchy.

The Waterhole

Lest you get the wrong impression, this was actually the only day we went swimming in the waterhole. As earlier observed, Kiwis call it "summer" but it's not very "warm".

"Awww, isn't he so cuuute. Look at him, he has hair!"

We've got leeeeegs, and we know how to use them.

The Deck

The Germans introduce circus to the valley.

Can you spot the PWG (pasty white guy)? AKA the ENGLISHMAN. Man that is bright.

Birthdays at the Valley

Laura turns 27 and celebrates with pizza!

Steve turns 48 and has a wild dance party with 2 hot young (drunk) babes.

Shawn turns 24 and all he gets is a t-shirt. A free car to anyone who emails with what movie the saying on this special custom made shirt is from.

The boyeezz.

Halloween at the valley

Unfortunately for Colin, Mollie missed out on Smokey the Bear as a child.

Blume was one of those guys that knows how to do everything that's useful. Here he shows how one German dinosaur can make the world a better place.

Rec trips and days off

The RAINforest. We explore the 300 acre sanctuary.

Read all three signs.

The gang.

Christian demonstrates he is actually part squirrel.




Stacey and Kat get dangerous.




Colin in his element.

Labor Camp

Valley Life was not all fun and games. It also definitely felt like a "labor camp" from time to time. We worked on eco-building projects, permaculture gardening, forest regeneration, orcharding and even road maintenance!

The "winter bubble". Will it ever get its plastic? If it ever did, it would supply a much needed insulation layer to the drafty house, plus a protected outdoor space and kitchen garden for the winter months.

This fence had 2 years worth of weeds growing through it. Here is its shining moment of being rescued.

My favorite part of labor camp: the chickens!! Here is a "chicken dome", a moveable chicken tractor in which the chickens fertilize, till, weed, and provide pest management for the soil. And in return they give you eggs!



This is not actually cement, it's horse manure! That's why Nat and I are smiling. Just kidding about the manure.


Kat was so surprised that it was sunny and warm in New Zealand that she fell over!


Cob oven cob mixing party.


The head gasket in the Valley pickup truck blew, but was effortlessly replaced by Shawn and Christian.


Wing clipping time for the rooster!

And now for the most thrilling valley activity of all ....

ROAD GUTTERS!!!

RAAAR!!!

Even road gutters need to be loved sometimes.

We had to clear these out with tea spoons.

Climbing

Even though we were all obviously working hard all the time, we definitely found lots of time to indulge in some of New Zealand's fine recreation activities. We hiked, backpacked, kayaked, ran, swam and yes... we climbed.

Was I still Narcoleptic at this point?

Yamunta!

Colin's pharoh pose on "Virgin on Easy."

Blume... that guy sure can climb.

Frank... all smiles.

Tim checking to see if I have fallen asleep.

Laura flashing some flexibility.





Anyone wanna belay?

Main cliff... Choice.

My attempt at "Terror Incognito."

Blume, who climbs... well almost as much as some people walk, said that this climb was one of the best he has ever done... I can agree that the first three quarters was spectacular, but it kicked my ass in the end. Thanks to Mollie for being my personal photographer and Tim for the belay.

Mount Manganui

Kat, Blume and I, still hungry for more climbing, took on a few climbs on Mt. Manganui on the outskirts of Tauranga. It was windy and rainy when we left, but decided to check out the conditions and were blessed with a few great hours. Kat got rained on a bit, but at least the birds didn't attack her.

Kat stretching... meow.

The view was... NICE!
Thanks for the photo Kat!

"Whatever you do... don't fall in the gorse."

Mt Taranaki / Egmont

Our longest multi-day recreation trip was to to Mount Taranaki... Thirteen people... Not alot of money... Broken Speedometer... No dashboard lights... One tire on the verge of exploding... Lots of gear... Six hour ride there... Lots of RAIN... One volcano... Lots of RAIN... Three days of hiking... Lots of RAIN... Pizza from Hell... And some seriously Good times... did I mention the RAIN?

The gears packed... where the people gonna go?

Anyone wanna hike around a volcano for the next three days in the pouring rain?

Waterfalls are supposed to FALL!

Wet shoes.

Colin counts the amount of gum stuck to the bottom of the table.

Sun... Views of the volcano... chicks... Sweet.

We hike around THAT... did anyone see Tom Cruise?
(this was the stand in for Mt. Fuji in the Last Samurai)

Save the Children Race

Five kilometers up an unsealed road and another one kilometer up a driveway that was so steep it was 4wheel drive only, was where we lived. Some of us thought that it would be fun to try and run on this road... everyday. After a few months of this masochism we returned to civilization to test out our legs on paved roads... and raise money for "Save the Children."

We covered a number of different races. Sarah and Alyssa competed in the 5k walk. Rob, Tim, and Kat ran the 5k. Laura, Shawn, and Steve took part in the 10k... and I ran the half marathon.

Laura waves to her adoring fans in Thames.

Rob came out to give me some support in my final few kms.
Greatly Appreciated!!!

Laura ended up winning the womens 10k in a time of 49:55... just breaking the 50 minute mark. And I shaved 8 minutes off my last half marathon with a time of 1:40:00, finishing second in my categorey and 5th overall. We were both moderately pleased... ok it was Awesome!

Coromandel Northern Walkway

Our first multiday trip was a hike at the northern tip of the Coromandel Peninsula. It was a beautiful walk and amazingly it didn't rain. The track meandered through musty manuka forests, over green rolling hills and along some beautiful beaches. One of the best things of this tramp was the lack of traffic. There was hardly anyone else on the track other than us and the sheep and cows.

Another Group Shot.

Low tide.

One of Colin's more serious faces.

Hills.

"you're obviously not a golfer."

Fierce creatures

Swingin.

"Its just over THIS hill."

M000000000000000ve .

done.

Tongariro Northern Circuit

We took a weekend off in October to hike the Tongariro Northern Circuit, another one of New Zealand's Great Walks. An awesome time!

Tongariro National Park is home to 3 massive volcanoes rising out of the plains. One was used as "Mt. Doom" in the Lord of the Rings.

Mike, one of Lynette's good friends, organized the trip for them and their co-workers. We were lucky enough to be included!

The little figures are Christian and me on our way to go behind the waterfall.

Lower Tama lake.

We could not hike on the third day because of the weather. We were rewarded with spectacular snow covered vistas on the fourth and final day.

Mike was worried about snow blindness, so those without sunglasses used thin clothing instead.

Mike, Team Leader.

The top of the pass.

Balloons on the snowy crater.

The hike up from Red Crater.

The Emerald Lakes.

We were all alone up in the craters, and as soon as we started descending we were joined by 300 day hikers coming the opposite way. A strange wake up back to reality! Here they are walking across the snowy plains as if on pilgrimage.

We hiked back along the river, I mean the track.

Thanks Lynette!!!

Australia and Back.

So in case you didn't know... Laura and I went to Australia... but we are back now! We visited many different parts of the country and met some interesting people and animals along the way. We are leaving Wellington in the coming days and are heading about nine hours north to the Coromandel Peninsula for a few months. Hope to hear from all of you soon!

Sandy Creek Falls

Guess what...

We are now ENGAGED!

Laura's email announcing the engagement to her family:

As my mom has probably already told you, Christian and I have decided to get engaged! I know this is hot on the heels of Natalie and Hillal's good news, but don't worry, our wedding probably won't be for a while (2 years? It's very TBA).

Ever since we started this trip, we have been spending almost 24 hours in each other's company (except when I got the job with Greenpeace). It's been amazing - to see the world with a man I love and who loves me, who sees beauty in places I wouldn't look, and who knows how to lift my spirits with a smile or a laugh. We celebrated our fifth anniversary in May.

The engagement happened at Tjaynera (Sandy Creek) Falls in Litchfield National Park, Australia. We had been "pre-engaged" before this (it happened over eggs and Christian jokingly insisted it was not a good time to get engaged because his hair didn't look good that morning). It was day one of our Northern Territory Tour with Mom and Dad, and we had a couple of hours sitting out on the rocks near the falls. The scenery was beautiful and serene, and Christian's hair looked good as he had just been swimming. So we decided this was a good spot to get fully engaged. No ring, just a promise. It was nice to tell Mom and Dad when we swum back to shore. The funny thing is, we kept being in more beautiful spots over the course of our Australia trip and kept saying, "This would have been a good spot to get engaged too!".

While it makes me nervous to promise the rest of my life to someone, I look at Christian and remember the beautiful person I am entrusting it to and feel in love.

I love you, my family, and happy to share this good news with you all.
Love,

Laura

Christian's email announcing the engagement to his friends:

a little update to say hi.

miss you guys. just got back from Australia.

I just told seth online...

I would like to call you all to tell you all the good news....

but I cant...

so...



Laura and I are....


officially...

ENGAGED!!!

Crazy yes... but we are both pretty excited about the decision...

The wedding isn't going to happen anytime in the near future, but we decided to promise to ourselves and to all our famiy and friends that we will... eventually!... Probably in a couple years... But yeah its a pretty funny story how we decided... It all started a cold morning about a month ago. Laura and I were discussing "things" over runny eggs, when she pops the question. A bit of role revesal, but it is 2006!... I pondered the question briefly while scratching my unkept hair. I replied, "I'm sorry, I cannot say yes... my hair looks terrible today... we shouldn't get engaged over runny eggs and messy hair!!! where is the romance in this!" But after a brief discussion we decided to get pre-engaged, meaning that eventually... one day we will get engaged. We told some of our friends in Wellington, and they would pass jokes like, "Gee Christian, your hair is looking quite good today. Wink. Wink."

Soooo... Early on in our travels in Australia, we visited the first waterfall of the trip (there were alot), Sandy Creek Falls... and we swam out to the base of the waterfall and sat on the rocks just beside the falls. She said, "your hair is looking particually good today."... so i asked her! after a brief discussion, watery eyes and hearts pounding like a bees trapped in window... we are engaged.

love you guys.
christian

Thanks Bob & Ellen for an unforgettable trip.

Tjaynera (Sandy Creek) Falls

The Outback

Simon next to some termite mounds. The mounds are termite homes and only one third of the mounds height is above ground.

Check it out Yoko, a snake! We came across this snake along the road. Some Aboriginals would pull the heads off these snakes with their teeth. Apparently, this snake is poisoness and its current position is an aggressive one. I didn't learn this until after I got about a meter away and snapped a few pictures.

"Freshie" (freshwater crocodile) enjoying the sun.

Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary

On our first day in Brisbane, we traveled to The Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary. We had seen heaps of wildlife on the trip, but had yet to see koalas and clearly were intriuged by an ad in the local paper that said, “Come cuddle koalas and feed kangaroos.” I wasn't sure exactly how the whole cuddling thing would work... I mean cuddling isn't something you just do with a stranger much less a koala! But we had to go and see what it was all about.

The place had tons of animals. Not sure if you can call them “wildlife” because most of them were born in captivity. Fortunately, that means that they live longer and get treated like kings. People pay them to give them hugs and feed them. Not a bad life. We saw many breeds of kangaroos, dingoes, wombats, lizards, frogs, turtles, tons of birds, the Tasmanian devil was on vacation, and of course koalas. The place is FULL of koalas!!! Not just five or ten, but lots.. I'm not even sure how many.. but they were all over the place. They kinda look like little bears with big fuzzy ears and inquisitive eyes... but kinda act like monkeys... walking around, climbing, swinging. After, munching away on eucalyptus leaves, they place themselves in these ball positions and balance themselves between branches as they sleep. The funniest thing is when the baby koalas are on there mothers backs running around and climbing. Looked like fun. Laura and I tried it for a bit. I had fun, but I think Laura's back might have been a little sore from lugging me around.

We decided to pay fifteen dollars to cuddle a koala and get a photo. Kinda pricey, but it went to building more shelters for koalas. I was introduced to a koala named Conrad. He was a pleasant fellow with a very bad body odor problem. Conrad noticed that I was a bit uncomfortable with his smell and looked over at his handler. She explained that it was a very normal smell and that male koalas tend to smell more than the females. I got accustomed to his odor and gave an affirming look telling him that we have the same problem with our species as well. He gave me a grin and put his head on my shoulder.

AWWW!

Naptime.

Most Kangaroos ate right out of our hands. This one I had to turn the charm on.

good feed.

Here are some other Animals we encountered.

"I'm an Emu... i think... wait what... who are you?"

Wombats rule.

"Watchooo lookin at?"

Laura and Lorikeets.

"yummmy tourists."
This croc must have been having a good dream.

it's a hard life.

Brisbane

We spent a few days touring around Brisbane hanging out with my friend Jewels. He showed us the “City Cat” that he takes to commute to uni everyday. On time, frequent, and consistent public transport is great. When its on a catamaran, its even better! This was our favorite Australian city. Great climate, nice architecture, awesome public transport, and numerous other elements really impressed us. Thanks Jewels, for putting us up for a few days, for showing us around, and for lending me your zoom lens! It was great to see you! Thanks Again.

Laura and Jewels.

Public Transport Rocks!

Construction of Brisbane's Arts Center

Eungella National Park

After spending time in the arid Northern Territory and in the tropical climate of the Whitsundays, Laura and I decided to head inland to visit the rain forest. The primary goal of the trip was to catch a glimpse of the ever elusive and extremely dangerous... platypus. On our second night we spotted one, just off of the very public viewing platform. It is truly a frightening beast.

Big leaves.

Cockatoos are a pest, but look cool.

The elusive, man-eating Platypus

Vic Hislop Shark Expo

Back on the mainland we visited the Vic Hislop Shark Expo in Airlie Beach. The shark pictured below is a white pointer shark, otherwise known as the great white shark. It was captured and frozen to be displayed.

Supposedly, the great white cannot be held in captivity, as they go crazy and end up bashing their heads against the tank until they die. They also have a very small brain and lack a central nervous system, meaning they feel no pain. All they are programed to do is hunt, attack, eat, purge, and then hunt again.

We watched videos of Vic Hislop catching both great whites and tiger sharks. It's is as crazy as it sounds! He then explored their stomachs and found remains of various life, like turtle shells, seagulls, and even human bones!!!

There was a few rooms where the walls were covered with hundreds newspaper clippings about shark attacks in Australia. Laura and I were happy we visited the expo after we completed our snorkeling!

Sushi anyone?

Do I have Gingivitis?

South Molle Island

After our tour of the Northern Territory ended, Laura and I spent a day in Darwin and then took an overnight flight to Brisbane. This was directly followed by a 15 hour drive up to the Whitsunday Islands, which is just outside the Great Barrier Reef. We spent three days and three nights camping on South Molle Island. We had hoped for a “secluded island” feel, but instead happened to choose an island with a resort, a golf course, and a few other campers. After a brief moment of disappointment we decided to make the most of it and ended up having a really great time. Activities included, hiking, swimming, snorkeling, and good old relaxing in the sun.

Snorkeling was the highlight of our time there. Laura and I have limited snorkeling experience, so we were both a little apprehensive. Once we got in the water Laura quickly grabbed my hand and never let go. Any time she saw an interesting fish she squeezed my hand and vice versa. It was both comforting and romantic to hold her hand as we swam. The amount of vibrant marine life we saw was ridiculous. The fish seemed like they were glowing and we are pretty sure that we found Nemo.

Airlie Beach.



Day Moon.

We shared our camp with a couple of german guys, a perpetually topless russian woman, and these guys, Aussie teenagers James and Jake. They were very excited that we brought a guitar and played and sang any songs they could think of.

Low Tide.

Menorah Tree (according to Laura).

Sunset from Spion Kopp.

Yellow Waters Wetlands

Here are some shots of the Yellow Waters Wetlands. We visited twice, taking a sunset cruise, and again a few days later for sunrise. The area is full of interesting wildlife, birds galore and “salties” the nickname for the saltwater crocs. The salties are the larger more dangerous crocs. Pictured below is “Pluto,” the local 4.5 meter (14 feet!) long croc.

Sunset.

A "Jabaroo". Blue head, Red Legs, 3 feet tall!

Pluto the 14 foot croc heads silently to work.

He doesn't even make a ripple!

Sunrise.

Kakadu Waterfalls

Gunlom Falls

On the evening of the fourth day of our trip we made it to Gunlom Falls in the Southern end of Kakadu National Park. Our campsite was about a ten minute walk to the plunge pool and there was a half hour hike up to another set of pools that were at the visible top of the waterfalls. Laura and I ditched our distinctive indecisiveness and went up to watch the sunset. We hurried up and were rewarded by a majestic set of cascading pools and waterfalls. Laura took the opportunity to stand on the edge of the falls and practice her “CooooEEEEEE!” calls.

CooooooEEEEEE!

Barramunidi Gorge

The next day we headed off to Maguk or Barramundi Gorge. The weather was yet again hot and dry. After about an hour walk up, a swim in these immaculate cascading pools were a refreshing end. We did a combination of swimming and scampering and crawling and a little climbing to get to different pools and falls. Simon informed us that all of the formations in the rock and all the pools were approximately 500 million years old and were sculpted purely by rainfall. With a velociraptor about to turn the corner, we headed back.

Simon likes his job.

Twin Falls

Day six was a day of waterfall highlights! First we hiked visited Twin Falls. Bob was able to capture a good shot of the falls while still being able to lounge!... Unfortunately, we were not able to swim at here. A distressing accident that ended in a death upset the local Aboriginals. It is a very sacred place to them, and decided to prohibit visiting the upper pools. There is also restrictions on swimming in the plunge pool because of the increase of crocs. That's a very good reason not to swim.

Jim Jim Falls

That afternoon we visited Jim Jim Falls. I have no idea where the name came from. Maybe some guy named Jim found it and was so proud that he decided to put his name in twice. Regardless, these falls were incredible. Equally impressive were some of the giant boulders that lay near the pools that had fallen from above. The water was frigid, but because it was so hot out we all went for a swim in the outer pools. The inner plunge pool was the coldest. It seemed apparent that most people just jump in the plunge pool to say that they jumped in and then jump back out. Bob decided to take a dip and then actually swam all the way out to within meters of the falls. Simon called Bob a “legend.” We spent the rest of the afternoon there, relaxing and trying to absorb its massive scale and age.

Hervey Bay Whale Watch

Next on our wildlife sweepstakes, was the Humpback Whale. We cruised down the coast to Hervey Bay and jumped onto a boat to begin our search. About one hour in, we spotted two. It was actually whale week, so a mass email was sent out to all humpbacks in the region to stop in to enjoy the warm water for a few weeks before heading down south. The whale below was playing with the other whale watching company's boat (pictured), so much so that our boat was sent over to try and get the whale to come over so that the other boat could leave. I think the whale had a bit of a crush on the boat, as it was not interested in us at all.

Nice stern.

Manyallaluk - The Dreaming Place

We were treated to a day long Aboriginal "cultural tour" at the Manyallaluk community. The company is owned and operated by Peter and John. They and the other tour guides are a mix of the Aborigine tribes from the area, mostly Jawoyn and Mayali. They speak traditional languages amongst each other, and some don't speak English that well.

The Australian Aborigines existed for 60,000 YEARS before the white man invaded. Theirs is the longest living culture known. In contrast to the Maoris in New Zealand, who have integrated into modern society, the Aborigines have stayed out. They live on reservations, speaking their many various languages, not English. Many kids don't attend school, and many adults live on government welfare. They also have serious alcohol problems, as their bodies were not used to the white man's drink.

Our guides showed us the traditional ways Aborigines in their area lived - making fire by rubbing sticks, gathering and spearing bush tucker, basket weaving and painting. We also got to sample and participate!

Cutting up kangaroo tails, which we partook of at lunch time.

More bush tucker: green ants. They have a citrus flavor!

Mom and Dad relaxing at the campsite.

At night we were treated to some traditional stories by enthusiastic 15 year old Marcus, the owner John's nephew. Better were his modern day tales of hunting in the bush, armed with cars but not guns because that's "cheating". He attends boarding school in Katherine, one hour away. He is a really fast runner (we saw him playing with some Aborigine and US teenagers). He loves and excels at playing "footy", Australian rugby. Here he is showing us his didgeridoo.

Aboriginal rock shelter painting.

Anna.

Anna, Peter's wife, showed us a typical Northern Aborignal weaving technique.

Separating the Pandanis leaves is a lot harder than it looks!

Patiently showing the tourists how to do it again.

The finished product will be a basket. Now woven with a metal needle.

Darwin: The Beer Can Regatta

Our one day in Darwin luckily coincided with the annual "Beer Can Regatta". Boats must be constructed with mostly beer cans, and teams must drink the beers themselves. Just in case you are wondering, no boats were constructed with Fosters, as Australians DO NOT DRINK FOSTERS AT ALL!

Best looking boat. Constructed entirely with XXXX Gold.



Look how it shines in the sun.



The winning design: a canoe!




Many side contests. I signed up for the women's tug of war. My scrappy skinny backpacker team made it to the finals, only to be defeated by the BIG locals.

The adjoining Mindle Beach market. Nice vest!

11 hours in Sydney

We had an 11 hour layover in Sydney. So we hopped a bus to check it out:

The 2 sights every tourist must see: the Sydney Opera House, and the Sydney Harbour Bridge.

Our airport layover buddy, Eric the mechanic, demonstrates the size of the bolts anchoring the bridge to the Sydney harbor.

A French marionette shop.

The Australian version of a city bird!

Leaving Wellington

The weeks before we left Wellington brought some feverish last minute sightseeing, friend seeing and fun activities:

Lynette, Christian, Finn, Bruce (the neighbor's dog), and I, hiked Makara Peak, a nearby trail to our house. Read the yellow signs carefully.

Amber, my Greenpeace coworker, coincidentally shares my passion for Johnny Depp. So we donned pirate costumes for the Wellington premier of Pirates of the Carribean. Too bad it was a terrible movie!

Our Landmark classmate, Murray, is a jazz keyboardist. We went up to the Kapiti coast, his hometown, catching his flying fingers at the local pub.

Lynette attempted to explain the 17 monitors she uses at her work for Tranzpower. She runs the national electricity grid!

Very thoughtfully, Lynette wanted to make us feel at home for the 4th of July. So she borrowed some flags from an enthusiastic American coworker to decorate the house, and even cooked hotdogs, mac and cheese, and coleslaw! While the huge flag made me a bit nervous, it was good to have our national background acknowledged while in a foreign country.

As a goodbye party, we went to the local open mic where Christian entertained us. Goodbye Wellington!

BlueBugs and Crocodiles...

Gday mates!

Laura and I are off to Australia for three weeks!!!

Stay tuned!!!

Cheers.
Christian

More fun in Wellington

As promised, here are our costumes from Boogie Wonderland night. 70's and 80's theme if you can't tell. I had no idea my hair could get so big or that Christian would look so good in tight red pleather! Lynette was a schoolgirl in that era, hence the uni.

Libby, Lynette's five year old daughter, came to stay for her school holiday.


I took the opportunity of a five year old around to bake some cheesecake. Libby successfully cracked an egg on her first try! This photo depicts the "best part" of baking.

Half Marathon & Thanks!

This past Sunday, I completed the Harbour Capital Half Marathon in a time of 1:48:38, coming in 584th place out of 1255!

The best thing isn’t that I finished, or that I did it in a time that I am really happy with, but the difference that has been made by all of you that decided to sponsor my participation in the race! I acknowledge you for your generosity and for your dedication to making a difference. Big Thanks to all of you!

Aaron, Me, and Lynette on the winners podium!

Its not to late to sponsor! Please go to:

https://www.revlonrunwalk.com/ny/secure/teamwebpage.cfm?pID=25116

(I am requesting that you place your sponsorships under any one of my sisters' names.)

Wellington Life.

Here is Laura with one of our housemates, George.

Here is another housemate, Fin, taking a nap after a very long day being a dog.

This is Wellington's wind turbine generator. Laura has informed me and hundreds of others on the streets of Wellington that it is actually the world's most effective wind generator. A few hours north, there is a whole bunch of these, which we intend to check out when we head up that way.



Here is Laura and our friend Lilith. We met her kayaking on Doutful Sound (i think she is actually pictured earlier in the blog) and we have been fortunate to spend more time with her while she was studying at Victoria University. This was our last night hanging out with her as a few days later she jumped on a plane to Austrailia and then to return home to Canada. Bon Voyage Lilith! We miss you already!


A little over a month ago, Laura and I attended our first Rugby game. In case you didn’t know, Rugby is HUGE here. The national team, the All Blacks are heralded as the best in the world. Before each game they perform a “Haka”, to instill fear in there opponents. Check out this video. I think I could take them on!

A young rugby fan that sat next to us.

After working with the Ministry of Environment to put together a presentation about "green events" to present at the National Youth Environmental Leaders Conference, Laura decided to take a job with Greenpeace, as a street organizer!! Its been a really challenging job for her, but she is really making a difference one conversation at a time!

A Blue Bug Running a Half Marathon

A few months back my sister Candice informed me that her roommate and our friend Hilary Smith, lost her sister in-law Avery to cancer, leaving behind three young children. This situation touched very close to home. As some of you might not know, Caroline, Candice, Claudine and I lost our mother to cancer when we were very young.

In New York, on May 6th, Hilary, accompanied by her family, friends, and my sisters, participated in the 9 th Annual Revlon Run / Walk for Women to raise money for breast cancer research, prevention, education, and support service programs. They walked together wearing shirts labeled "Team Avery" raising thousands of dollars.

I would have participated in this event if I was in the area, but being a bit far for me to travel, I have decided to independently raise money for "Team Avery". I am going to run a half marathon on June 25 in Wellington and I am asking you to please sponsor this run by donating money to breast cancer research under the "Team Avery" name.

It is a 21 kilometer race and I suggest that people donate at least one dollar a kilometer, which would only be $21. You can't even get two movie tickets for that! If you would like to donate more, please feel free! I'm offering you the opportunity to help support a cause that is very important to me, to my family, to the Smith family, and to countless others that have been or are currently being affected by cancer.

Please go to:

https://www.revlonrunwalk.com/ny/secure/teamwebpage.cfm?pID=25116

I am requesting that you place your sponsorships under any one of my sisters’ names.

Thank you for your generosity.
Christian

48 hour film festival

I, Laura, participated in a 48 hour film making festival this weekend, invited to one of the teams by my friend Kristen. Basically, at the beginning you get a genre (ours was "coming of age"), a prop, a character, and a line of dialogue to use, then you have 48 hours to write, act, shoot, and edit the movie. It was tons of fun, although our movie is definitely not going to win.


These are scenes from the best part of the film shoot - our stunt!! The director had an old car to sacrifice, so we filmed it driving into the water, and then we towed it out right away!

Back in Wellington

Now we are happily settled at Lynette's house for the next few months, enjoying the comforts of home, but at the real world realization that we need to make some money. Fortunately, there is a "skills shortage" in Wellington, which we will hopefully exploit to our job getting advantage.


Lynette's neighbor's cat, while waiting to be spayed, got pregnant and gave birth to 8 ADORABLE kittens. We had kitten visit day, and had fun watching them tussle and listening to the pet-crazy family talk about the kittens and their 4 other cats.

The Journey Back

We passed through Dunedin, Oamaru and Christchurch on our way back to the Picton ferry.
Dunedin junior surf competition - just happened to be happening down the street from our campground. The best surfing I have ever seen!

Dunedin had a strong New England city feel to it, which is strange to think of since it is on such an opposite corner of the world. The anarchist book store definitely reminded us of Providence, or at least of the sign for Gun Molly Video.

University of Otago, Dunedin.

The Oamaru Gypsy Fair was full of pimped out "House Trucks" like this one.

Chatting with the cotton candy making gypsy.

Preparing for the presentation I had to give for my Landmark project the day after I stepped off the ferry. The presentation was amazing. I had 45 high school kids jumping out of their seats to sign up for the project, putting on zero-waste green events in their communities.

Patrick, Rachel Mason's cousin, who so graciously welcomed us to his home in Christchurch. He, like us, 2 years ago came to New Zealand on a working holiday visa and has not yet left!

I drove back to the ferry, so Christian got to play with his camara.

Southern Scenic Route

The Souther Scenic Route runs from Te Anau to Dunedin. We car toured it, as my knee was still too tender to walk on. We decided we were not "get out of the car and take a picture" types of tourists, but there were still nice sites on the way.

The Pounamu Palace watches the sunset at Bluff. This is one of the most southern points on the souther island, and you can see the outlines of Stewart Island, to the south.

"Nugget Point". Apparently these rocks are named after gold nuggets - but what shape does a nugget have?

Nugget Point also had a colony of yellow eyed penguins which you can see swim in from the water at sunset! The way they walk is so cute and funny, but they are great swimmers.

Doubtful Sound

After four days of backpacking and a full day of kayaking in and around Milford Sound, we returned to Te Anau for a day of rest and preparation for our trip to Doubtful Sound.

Doubtful Sound is 44 km long making it three times longer than Milford Sound. It is a popular destination, but because its access is limited and difficult, it is much more untouched and calm. It is also the deepest fiord with depths up to 421m, drawing a variety of deep sea wildlife like bottlenose dolphins.

It takes about three hours to get to Doubtful Sound. We had an early start, waking up at about 5am to catch a van to Lake Manopouri (the second deepest lake in New Zealand), to a boat across the lake, to another van over a pass down to the access point.

We were in a group of seven and our guide Josh. There was Emma and Paul from London, Lilith, her sister Silver, and her mother, all from Canada. Josh, with a small smirk on his face, handed out all of our gear, including wetsuits. The smell of the neoprene made me gag and take a deep breath as the memories of my dolphin boat illness came rushing back. We all donned our matching gear, covering ourselves in neoprene, intensely yellow waterproof jerseys, bright fleece hats and vivid purple life vests and spray skirts. There really isn’t anything more emasculating than wearing a purple waterproof skirt. We marched down to the water looking like a intimidating team, ready to take on any adventure thrown at us.

After carrying our kayaks down to the launch point, we received a kayak introduction and safety demonstration from Josh. We loaded our things into the boats and set off. There was a light rain falling. Laura sat in the back and steered as I was delegated to be the brawn of our boat. We spent the first few minutes paddling in silence, amazed by the sheer scale and grandeur. The clouds blocked our views of the tops of the surrounding sea cliffs making it even more difficult to actually judge heights and distances.

After a fair amount of kayaking we “rafted up,” meaning all four boats came side by side and held each other. Josh very articulately and accurately explained how Doubtful Sound was formed out of glacial erosion, and about the wildlife. He then pointed to Laura and I, and said, “If you have more questions, we are lucky to have 2 marine biologists with us!” Thinking he was kidding we played along saying, “ummm…yeah!” Laura and I had already learned most of the information from our guides on the Milford and proceeded to ask very intelligent questions like, “how big do the fishies get?” and “will we see dolphins… like big ones?”

The rain began to get stronger and Josh just smiled and said, “It hasn’t started raining… yet.” We kayaked, with water hitting us from above, still waiting for the rain while Josh told us stories about other kayak trips and adventures.

We stopped for lunch on a nice beach. Josh showed us the proper Kiwi way to make hot chocolate. Being a hot chocolate connoisseur myself, I was eager for a taste. It wasn’t Giradelli but it was probably the best hot chocolate I have ever had while wet on a beach covered in neoprene. After Josh told us about his successful hunting season, Lilith and Silver explained their life of vegetarianism, leading to a few more laughs and we were back on our kayaks.

The water that was hitting us from above became really strong and Josh finally admitted it was raining. He explained that because of the rain it would be a good opportunity to check out some of his favourite waterfalls. He told us to follow his line and stay close as he made his way close to the side of the fiord. As we turned a corner, a wall of water cascading off of the cliffs above appeared. Because of the amount of rain, a whole long stretch of the wall was turned into a light waterfall. We all followed Josh’s boat and happily got wetter than we already were!

By the time we made it to our campsite, it was really pouring out. We made a group effort to get all the tents up as quickly and as possible. Fortunately, there was a comfortable covered bug shelter for all of us to change into our dry clothes and cook our dinners.

We really had a great time getting to know everyone else on the trip. Josh has been a kayak guide for four years and had participated in a number of youth wilderness programs. Lilith is studying in Wellington for the semester and Sliver and her mom were visiting for a week. They shared funny stories about there family and travels.

Paul and Emma, like Laura and I, packed up their lives and came to New Zealand to travel for four months. They bicycled the whole north island on a tandem bike and participated on a number of environmental projects. They opted for a camper van once they made it down to the south island, as they felt the hills would probably be better off without them flying up them. Emma is a freelance event coordinator back in London. Laura and I both took great interest in this as both of us are planning events as part of out Landmark Course. Paul is a professional travel writer and photographer and needless to say we all asked him a ton of questions!

After a long day of kayaking, a few laughs and more than a few sips of wine, we all grew weary and went to sleep by nine.

The next morning Laura and I made ourselves a wonderful breakfast of bacon and eggs. A rare treat when camping, but because we didn’t have to carry it on our backs we spoiled ourselves. We walked down to the waters edge to wash up and the scenery was stunning. The clouds and fog were peeling off the mountains and the water was remarkably silent and still. After a few minutes enjoying the peacefulness I left Laura with the remaining dishes and returned to the shelter. Laura, returned a few minutes later and said that she was enjoying the peace and quiet until a giant tour boat came through, obliterating the still water and almost washing away some of our cutlery! I wonder what affect that has on the wildlife?

We all gleefully pulled on our cozy, cold, wet, wet, wet, wetsuits and jumped back into our kayaks. The rain stopped falling and we kayaked for a few hours before stopping at another beach for lunch where they apparently held the world stone skipping competition. We kayaked until about 2, enjoying the scenery while exchanging riddles and brain teasers. As we pulled our kayaks ashore for the last time, I saw a bit of blue sky starting to fall through the clouds and felt fortunate that we had such ideal weather to experience Doubtful Sound.

Just before the tour boat came through.

Laura listens closely.

Josh telling us all about Fiordland. Lilith is obviously paying close attention.

Morning... day two

Forget the flashfloods!!!

Ready... set... SHOOT!!

Team.

Morning on Lake Manopouri.

Milford Sound Kayaking

The day after we completed the Milford Track we kayaked it. Milford Sound is by far the most visited and most renowned place in Fiordland and is the only fiord with road access. The town itself is very small. It has only one backpacker accommodation, one motel, one bar and café and the second busiest airport in New Zealand. This says a lot about a place that doesn’t have many other attractions. The fiord is 15 km long framed by enormous mountains. The highest of these mountains is Mitre Peak, rising 1692 m out of the sea. Its beauty and drama are difficult to put into words. Rudyard Kipling described it as the eighth wonder of the world.

Kias like cars...

Funny enough, the two girls in this boat were from Armonk and one goes to RISD.

The mountain in the middle is called "the Lion".

Milford Road Pics

The road between Te Anau and Milford is renowned for its beauty.

Mirror Lakes.

Milford Sound.

Our campsite at Henry Creek.

Mount Aspiring National Park Pics

We were unable to stop and tramp in this park, but we at least got to see some of the magnificent sights along the road. These lakes are examples of the great "Southern Lakes".

Milford Track

Laura and I booked the Milford Track last November the same day that we received our visa confirmation. It is has been hailed as “the finest walk in the world,” and we simply wanted to see what all the hype was about.

Unlike the Routeburn Track, we actually arrived on time. The track is 53.9 km / 33.5 miles long, can only be walked in one direction and can only be accessed by boat. Because the walk is so popular, the Department of Conservation limits the track to a maximum of 40 independent walkers on each leg of the track per day, with set huts that everyone has to stay in each night. We were scheduled for a 10:00 am boat, but the boat broke down! We were delayed a few hours until another boat became available. As we waited on the dock, I scanned the diverse crowd and realized that we would be spending the next three nights and four days with this group.

The boat arrived just before 1:00pm and we began our journey from one end of Lake Te Anau to the start of the track. We were blessed with good weather, translated as, “no rain!” The scenery, as expected, was spectacular. After about an hour’s ride the grand mountain range that was off in the distance was now surrounding us and it was time to jump on the track.

Everyone in the group was excited to start the track. A number of older English guys, one with a scarf delicately wrapped around his neck and the other with a leather hat, jumped to the front and took off down the trail. A good number of people congregated around the sign that marked the start of the track and took the predictable touristy photos around it. Laura and I took part in this ritual and had a bubbly Thai dude take our picture.

The first day of the tramp is only a short five km walk to Clinton Hut. We had about three days rest after coming off the Routeburn, but we still didn’t want to aggravate Laura’s tender knee so we decided to walk the track at a nice slow and easy pace. The track was pretty much a small highway through a rainforest. It seemed the further we walked the more lush it became.

We were the last ones to make it to the hut. The hut was very well maintained, with two large common bunk rooms and one large kitchen with a wood burning stove. We made ourselves dinner and parked ourselves at a table with the friendly Thai guy. His name was Art and he was playing cards with a Swedish couple named Michel and Helen. Also at the table were two English women named Debbie and Madge. We had a great meal of instant pasta and I gave Debbie my copy of “A Million Little Pieces,” as she had forgotten a book. We were all very entertained by Art. He is from Thailand and he received a scholarship to study political science in New Zealand. Laura and I were both very interested in his account of current Thai politics and economics. He also shared some of his dried pork that he carried with him as a form of trail mix. We had some other great conversations getting to know everyone else at our table. Helen and Michel had been travelling for a couple months and had spent a fair amount of time in South East Asia, so Laura and I interviewed them on their travels.

At about 7pm the Hut Warden came in for the “hut meeting.” She welcomed us to the Milford Track, went over the rules and collected tickets. My favourite part of the meeting was when she asked where we were all from. I knew that the crowd was diverse, but it was really impressive to hear how diverse. There were Canadians, Thai, Taiwanese, Japanese, English, German, Swedish, Israeli, Burmese, French, Swiss, Danish, Aussies and Laura and I, the lone Americans.

That evening, I also had a conversation with this Aussie guy named Glenn. He told me how he travelled here with his family and how they allowed him to walk the Milford because they knew how much it would mean to him. Glenn doesn’t look like a typical Aussie as his heritage is actually Burmese. I was able to relate to Glen. While travelling, I always get funny reactions or looks from people trying to figure out where I am from. In that moment it didn’t matter where we were from, and it didn’t matter where anyone else was from, all that mattered was that we were there to walk the Milford. Other than the great scenery, my favourite part of the trip was being part of such a diverse community that all cared about the same things for a few days.

That night, rain fell and Laura and I continued our conversations with Art, Michel and Helen. We then crept back into our bunk fell asleep to a “Symphony of Snoring”. I never have heard someone snore so loud and with such authority that they woke themselves a number of times.

The next morning we woke early to sounds of rustling plastic bags and keas. I never knew that plastic bags could be so loud! The kea is an alpine parrot. It is beautiful, and posseses the problem solving skills of a 3 ½ year old. This intelligence makes it an entertaining pest. They have been known to steal cameras and even pick the insoles out of shoes! There are signs everywhere proclaiming “Beware of Kea”.

We had our typical tramping breakfast sandwich consisting of Mackenzie grain bread (very hearty), nutella, peanut butter and muesli. And off we went.

The second day of the tramp is a gradual climb of 16.5 km to the next hut called Mintaro Hut. The weather cleared and it was sunny so a number of people left early so that they could get to the next hut and then sprint up to the Mackinnon Pass to get clear views from the top. Laura and I decided not to attempt this. We knew that if we really pushed ourselves we could probably make it. But, with Laura’s knee still ailing we decided to just take our time. I think this was a bit of serendipity. We walked slowly and gently and really appreciated each moment we were out there. We weren’t concerned about where we were going, but simply where we were.

The entire day was spent inside of these majestic glaciated valleys. Fiordland is considered one of the wettest places in the world receiving about seven meters or rain a year. That’s a lot of wet. Complementing this amount of moisture is green. The forests inside of these valleys are incredibly lush, framing magnificent views of contrasting snow capped mountains countless waterfalls through moss covered branches. We hiked from sunrise to sunset.

Throughout the day, the serene world around us was abruptly interrupted by the clamour of helicopters. Helicopter tour companies must have been booked all day long and the guided tours who get their supplies flown in must have been low on wine and cake as the amount of helicopter activity was a little out of control.

Once again we were the last ones back to the hut. It was a bit different layout than the previous hut, with two small bunk rooms on the ground floor and one very large bunk room on the upper level. We shared a table again with Art, Michel and Helen. People surrounded the wood burning stove as the temperature had dropped substantially with our elevation gain. We learned that Michel played the part of Homer Simpson at a nuclear plant in Sweden. Laura, who in her free time promotes alternative energy, was very interested in the inner working of nuclear facilities. Michel was more than willing to explain. The questions ranged from, “how do you store nuclear waste?” to “if you touch it… do you die instantly?” We were all pretty tired and everyone went to sleep as darkness fell and the symphony began again.

The third day was my 29^th birthday. Feeling excited to be at such a beautiful place I woke as early as I could. I quietly climbed down from my bunk and Laura snapped up and handed me a birthday card! It was a great way to wake up. We quickly got packed up and had our breakfast before making our journey up to the pass.

The walk up to Mackinnon Pass is a steady ascent of zigzags. It was pretty cloudy out, creating a gloomy feeling as we reached the pass. Twenty minutes before the highest point of the pass is “Mackinnon Memorial” and “12 Second Drop”. You can probably figure out what the latter means. Looking west we could see a bit of blue sky trying to fight through the clouds, but we had no such luck. It probably would have been an incredible view, but it was also quite dramatic standing in the clouds with the sensation that you were standing on the edge of the world.

As we made our way to the pass shelter, the clouds east receded and the views down through Clinton Canyon were breathtaking. Glenn told me moments like this made him wish he was a poet. I agreed and quickly tried to take some pictures, but the clouds covered up their secret faster than they had revealed them.

The walk down the other side of the pass was slow. Walking down hill was much more painful for Laura’s knee, so we took our time. The surrounding valley walls were home to an amazing display of waterfalls. We were walking in waterfall paradise. Appropriate as we were approaching the fifth highest waterfall in the world.

An hour and a half detour off of the main track, Sutherland Falls is well worth the extra time (do I sound like a tour book yet?). It is 580meters or 1904 feet tall. “The falls drop directly out of Lake Quill, which is in turn fed by several glaciers producing their own waterfalls, then drops down three steps in very quick successions, dropping 751 feet, 815 feet, and 338 feet respectively.”

The approach to the falls is magnificent. It was the greenest part of our journey as bright rich moss simply enveloped everything. The falls themselves were amazing. It is so tall and powerful that its spray made it feel like it was raining a fair distance from the actual falls. As we approached the falls, Art, and a number of other trampers told us that we definitely have to walk behind the falls. Michel said I have to simply because it was my birthday.

We covered ourselves in our waterproof gear and walked up to the falls by crossing the rocks on left. The power of the falls became even more evident. The closer we walked the more it seemed to push us back. The rocks were very slippery so we took care as we moved behind. It was hard to realize when we were actually behind the curtain of the falls. It felt like we were standing near a giant faucet. When the wind momentarily died down we were able to look up and see the curtain. It was a humbling site of power and elegance. But our clear views were brief as moments later we would be lashed by water prompting us to protect our eyes. This was another one of the Milford tracks ephemeral secrets.

It was only another couple hours to our next and final hut. We seemed to have a bit more bounce in our boots on our return. Laura surprised me that night with one of those instant “gourmet instant backpacker meals.” It was beef curry, and it sure beat the instant dried mashed potatoes we were planning on having! After the hut warden gave his schpiel, Laura rounded up everyone in the commons to sing happy birthday for me and gave me a giant bar of dark chocolate as birthday cake which I gladly shared with Michel and Helen. Later that evening, Laura, the Swedes, Art and I took a short jaunt back down the track to check out some glow worms. On the way Art explained more about Thailand culture. The glow worms reminded me of broken and flickering Christmas lights and I found the conversation much more interesting.

We were blessed with another rain-free day on our final day. It was an 18 km hike out to Sandfly Point where a boat was scheduled to pick us up at 2:00 to take us out to Milford Sound. Laura’s knee was happier knowing that the final leg was pretty much flat. It was a gorgeous walk, pretty much more of the same beauty we became accustomed to. We arrived at MacKay Falls just before 1:00. We spotted Michel and Helen sitting near the falls and decided to stop and have lunch with them and just catch the later boat.

Sandfly Point is a great finish to an incredible walk. It is appropriately named as we were immediately swarmed. I took some pictures and shared some laughs with our compatriots and then we boarded a boat that would take us to Milford Sound.

Milford Sound.

Laura resting at Sandlfy Point.

Spider webs.

to sutherland falls

Balloon Mountain

Sutherland Falls.