The Missionaries of Charity in Delhi

During the course of one of our many days of wandering through Delhi, we stumbled upon the Missionaries of Charity in Delhi. They were founded in Kolkata in 1950 by Mother Teresa to “give wholehearted and free service to the poorest of the poor” children of Delhi. Now they have homes to help children all over the world. In Delhi, when we visited, there were almost 75 children being cared for by the nuns. Many abandoned children are dropped off at the neighboring Delhi Council for Child Welfare, and then turned over to the Sisters. The children are aged up to six years old. Families adopt them, mostly from within India. The sisters provide love, healthcare, early education, and the countless other elements that allow children to feel safe, respected, and cherished.

We met with the head sister, who generously shared some stories about the current work of the project and of the life of their Mother. “She asked for nothing her whole life,” the head sister told us. “She had faith that God would hear her prayers and give her what she needed to care for the children.”

Now, more than 50 years later, the venerable Convent is known all over the world. Before she died, Mother Teresa was given a Nobel Peace Prize. Not only does the Nobel come with a one time significant monetary award, but brings much notoriety, attention, and needed privileges that make Sisters of Mercy a stable, sustainable organization. The Head Sister told us there were many similar organizations in Delhi and all over the world which did not have the good fortune which they had had. “There are a good many groups helping poor children in India which need assistance so much more than we do,” she told us.

After making a donation to the Mission, we asked the sister for a business card, or some information that we could pass on to blog readers. She thought for a moment, and then returned with a small, rectangular yellow card. It read:

“The fruit of SILENCE is Prayer

The fruit of PRAYER is Faith

The fruit of FAITH is Love

The fruit of LOVE is Service

The fruit of SERVICE is Peace."

- Mother Teresa

Best business card we’ve ever seen.

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Super Chai Me

 ***written by nathan

Chai tea is the national drink of the subcontinent and surrounding regions of India. From Kerala and Tamil Nadu in South India, to mountains of Kashmir and Nepal in North India, Chai is served on street corners, in cafes, in homes, offices, and in parks. But unlike the coffeehouses of the United States, where a price of a coffee at Starbucks is half (or more) the hourly rate of a minimum wage worker, chai is affordable and accessible to all. Chai is black tea and spices with hot milk and sugar added. In the south, the presentation is vastly different than in our current location - tea and milk are both poured from great height, mixing together into a frothy projuct a meter away. In many parts of India special spices and flavorings give it extra zest, including a spicy cardamom. 

In the Kolkata area, chai is served in tiny terracotta cups shaped like small vases. As a region where brick factories abound, and the materials for terracotta products are commonplace, these chai cups are a one-time-use item. We lamented this fact each time we finished our chai treat, tossing these sweet vessels into a pile of other chipped, cracked, and fragmented cups. Although it seemed horrible to toss the used chai cups, it was wonderful to know that they would break down over time and become earth once again.

Our first true chai experience on this trip to India took place in the loving and comfortable home of the Roy family in Hindmotor, outside of Kolkata. Our host, Rajib, and his parents Mr. Ray and Mrs. Roy offered us chai all day, every day. Mr Ray joked that the mugs of chai that Mr. Roy ade for us were beer-sized, not for chai. And they were certainly super-sized…much larger than the small terracotta chai mugs on the street. Mr. Ray’s chai was rich and creamy and always served with biscuits (thin sweet crackers) or ‘sweetmeats’ (dairy deserts thick as cake or bread pudding). The Roy family are our true first India family, and Brittany took to referring to Mrs. Roy as “India Mom“ by day two of our stay with them. They whole family made us feel incredibly welcome and at home, and we felt so honored to be accepted so readily into their home. The friendly, familiar banter, casualness and openness of thought, challenges in view point, and exchanges of new ideas made everything come into focus for its familiarity and normality.

All over the planet, we are amazed by the generosity and kindness of the human spirit. We are encouraged by the universal simplicity of human dignity and community goals. What we love in the cafés, music halls, and jukejoints of our own western society we love in the tea and food rituals (and by the general public sidewalk persona) of Asian culture. To connect this with Tea, we left some green tea from Hunan Province where my grandmother was born in China with the Roy family before we left.

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"Do You Need A Shoe?"

It seems that every beach on the planet is a graveyard for solitary shoes. Where do they come from? Garbage dumped into the ocean? Tsunami’s and natural disasters that wash the contents of  villages, towns, and cities into the sea? Strong winds and unexpected sneaker waves?

What happens to all of those lonely shoes, the ones that clutter the beaches of the world?

While on the island of Ko Mak in Thailand, we met a Swedish couple who came up with an idea of what to do with all those lonely shoes. They created an art project, titled “Step-by-Step.“ They collected over two hundred shoes and tied them onto and from a coconut tree that leaned precariously over the warm waters off Ko Kood.  Ewa and her husband were in in Ko Mak for 10 days, on vacation from the chilly Sweden winter, and began their project in the final three days of their stay. Their project was inspired by a similar concept that they saw on Bamboo Island in Cambodia several years before. Decorative elements (in addition to shoes) were scavenged from the beach, including plastic flowers, burly sea-rope, and the title of the project (“Step-by-Step“) written on a wooden plank and hung with frayed rope.  The first shoe that began the project was sassy. It was gold. It was called “Zha-Zha.” She was the beginning of their fantastic project.

As we learned from the ‘Step-by-Step’ Giving Tree, there are many ways to affect change some of them direct, some indirect. This is our Top Ten List of Service Projects for Beach Cleaning:

#1. Start with Something

Instead of complaining try fixing something.; the world is waiting for your help. We can all make a contribution to making our world better and cleaner. If you need a reason to clean a beach, just watch children playing in the surf. Look at how much they enjoy the water, the waves, the sand. Do you want your children, your niece, your cousins, your friends children and their grandchildren to visit beaches where trash washes up on beaches and floats inside the waves? Try picking up a few pieces of trash. People will look at you funny; they are jealous. People wonder, ‘Why is this person so confident that they can make a difference in the world?’

#2. The tools for your project are in the trash

Every time we clean trash we find some useful things in the surf. When we were once stranded on a small island with little water and not enough food (it turns out we hired the town drunk to shuttle us out to this island) we found fishing line, net, hooks and lures and broken buckets which we used to catch bait, then fish, then keep the fish alive until soup time. But, there are also tools for cleaning trash, plastic bags are one of the most common forms of ocean trash. Don’t worry if they have holes in them, you can tie knots in the bags and they can carry trash. If you run out of bags, there is fishing line and rope which can be used to lash the trash into moveable piles of rubbish.

#3. Involve the immediate community

When you are cleaning, people will spontaneously smile and thank you for what you are doing. It may not have occurred to people that this effort is something you would take on. Rather than only focusing on your work, engage people, offer explanations for what you are doing, ask people if they want to help you. The Step-by-Step project not only made a statement about how we can each contribute to the care of our planet, but it also served to clean up the beach. Some of the mobile-style strands of shoes were removed, as they blocked the beach path during high tide. However, these shoes removed from the project were taken off the beach and thrown away. Sometimes our project can evolve into a sustained effort.

#4. Make your statement heard

The ‘Step-by-Step tree had a nameplate or title hung from it on driftwood. Just the name ‘Step-by-Step’ had such a powerful force. There was the idea that we have to take many steps to make an impact on cleaning the oceans and the beaches. Publish/Advertise your work to make your project continue to grow. This about who might want to see your project. Take photographs. Contact environmental organizations, the government, and the local press of TV, newspapers, or internet and tell them what you did, why and how you did it, when and where.

#5.  Have fun

Remember that you are at the beach. Have Fun!! If you get hot wade into the water, swim, or go snorkeling. Pulling trash  out of the sea is very rewarding. Not only do you stay cool and enjoy the water, but you help the living creatures have better lives. And oftentimes cleaning the beach can help you to make new friends!

#6. Combine work and learning

Cleaning beaches and oceans can be quiet and meditative work. Even if you do this work with friends or children you are likely to find your group spread out and individuals working alone. This will be a very good time to think about better ways to do a project, how to involve more people, and, most importantly, how to find alternative ways to stop pollution and trash from getting to the beach at all. We have seen many clever ways to get people involved. Trash cans that were shaped like empty logs, pandas and other animals with open mouths, 100 liter recycled barrels that were painted in art contests were but some of many ways we have seen improvisational and artistically attractive ways to get people involved. As a child in the USA, there were campaigns to change the ways people behaved toward our planet, Smokey the Bear told people how to prevent forest fires while Woodsy the Owl had a song the he sung that said ‘Give a hoot don’t pollute, we can make a better day.’ We have also largely stopped boats from letting go waste into oceans and rivers.

#7. Take some breaks

Breathe, get shade, bring water, watch the sunset and sunrise. Taking breaks remind us why we want the beaches to be clean.

#8. Review your project

Ask yourself what you are doing, can you be more effective, can you involve more people? How?

What would have happened if you  started with no plan? How do you learn just from inspiration?

#9. ‘Ready, Fire, Aim’

I have taught classes for a long time in the USA that ask the important question, ‘Why are we planning and not taking action?’ Then I learned that many projects take a different approach. They learn from their mistakes, but do not wait to have a complete plan before they try it. Instead of using the old practice, ‘ready aim fire’ they say ‘ready fire aim.’ ‘Ready Fire Aim’ means, if you want to take an action, go ahead and do it, then learn from what did not go as you planned, learn from your mistakes, and the next time make your aim better. Cleaning beaches may seem simple. However, when you have begin your project you probably do not know everything. For example, you may not find that when you pick up trash you have followed the best route, perhaps a zig-zag cleans a beach better than a straight line. Waves do not bring trash to beaches in straight lines, so why would a straight line clean a beach?

#10. Remove your trash

Your job cannot be finished until you  can get the trash off of the beach. However, if you re lucky you will pick up so much trash you cannot carry it all away. When the ‘Step-by-Step’ artists first brought back their shoes to the ’Giving Tree’ they left it above the tree. In the night the tide was high, so when they returned they found much of their work had washed back into the sea. If you can’t carry all the trash off the beach, always move it very high above where you think the ocean cannot possibly reach.

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'Step-by-Step' the story of a giving tree

This is the story of a Giving Tree. It lives on a beach and everyday at high tide the tides come up and give it a bath. When the tide is high, its low trunk is a step to keep you dry. When the tides are low but the high sun burns the skin and the hot sand burn feet on the sand the tree provides shade and keeps you cool. Birds sit in the tree in the cool evening breezes and sing to lovers who watch sunsets beneath the branches. The tree has held many swings. Tire swings. Swings made of drift wood and washed up rope.

One day the tree was surrounded by trash that swept up onto the beach in a storm. There were many nets which had stuck together in the terrible surf. There were also toothbrushes, empty bags, and plenty of empty cans of soda (lots of straws too which lost their bottles in the surf). Most of all there were shoes. Lots of shoes. Mostly flip-flops and sandals people may have lost on the beach in the waves. There were also fishing lures, Styrofoam, and fishing floats which must have come a long, long way because they said 'Made in Japan' on their sides.

One day a nice couple arrived from the other side of the world. They had been best friends in high school. When they grew older they they married and separated. Sadly, they had recently lost the husband and wife. Luckily they met again, fell in love, and decided to get married. They were very happy people and treated each other like each day was their honeymoon. They had come to the island before the trash came back and spent every evening watching sunsets beneath this giving tree.

They picked up shoes for two days and other trash. They kept the shoes in one pile and the interesting trash they thought people could reuse in another. With empty bags collected off the beach they separated all the bottles and cans to be recycled. They put the other trash in all the left over bags.

That night, as the sunset, they counted the number of shoes they had found between Monkee and Big Easy beach. They had collected over 250 and not one matched. What would they possibly do with all these shoes without their pairs?

The next day they made jokes with the people who passed as they separated the best shoes from the most broken and torn up shoes. "Are you missing a shoe?" they asked.

But they remembered an old man they had met on an Island near Iryan Jaya, too far from anywhere in between Australia and Indonesia in the far, far Pacific. The old man collected trash and hung it on the beach as art. They had been very moved to see such amazing uses of washed up trash. The old man had told them he hung bottles and shoes in tree to keep away bad spirits and carry his message of the need to clean the oceans all over the world. He told the happy couple that the shoes had found them and brought them to his island to learn what they could do to save the oceans. They could not be here, he said, if they were not wanting to work on his special mission, because the bottles in the trees would keep any bad spirits away.

When this couple remembered the old man, they knew what they could do with their collections of trash. Over the next two days they spent half their time collecting more shoes and the rest of their time using the piles of fishing lines and pieces of of net to tie their shoes to the trunk of their giving tree.

The next day they returned and found that the waves of high tide had undone much of their work and a string of maybe 80 shoes was drifting off from the tree back into the sea. Quickly they regathered the the shoes and tied them more firmly to the tree. The tied up floats to test how high the tides came up. When the water came up the next morning the floats got seaweed on them and they were able to test where the needed to tie the shoes with more knots.

People stopped by as the couple worked on their tree. In the evening, the trunk and the main branches were completely covered in sandals and flip-flops. There were floats attached that bobbed like mobiles in the wind. They looked up and down the beach, Not a piece of trash could be seen in either direction.

"Step-by-Step", the woman said to her loving partner who held her as they watched the sunset under their giving tree, "Step-by step, together we can clean all the oceans in the world and make the beaches all beautiful again!"

"That's it." Her husband responded. They had a name for their giving tree.

The next day they found a piece of driftwood that must have washed up years before in the mangroves behind the giving tree. The wrote "Step-by-Step" on it and tied it with some rope and hung it on the giving tree.

This is a picture of the happy couple who traveled around the world to sit under a tree they loved and watch beautiful sunsets. But they found a storm had thrown trash on there beach including lots of shoes, especially sandals and flip-flops.

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Thailand for Travelers

THAILAND FOR TRAVELERS

Seventeen days in Thailand was just long enough for us. Mega-tourism throughout the country left us a bit battered; we were happy to land on the more peaceful island of Koh Kood with good friends. But keep in mind that our experience was limited to a short stay, our Thailand journey took us from Bangkok, to Trat, to Koh Mak, to Koh Kood, and back to Bangkok for our flight. Please note that this is not intended to be a comprehensive travel guide, but is limited to our experiences and some tips that we think might be helpful for travelers.

Although this tip seems to be limited to Bangkok, it’s a good one. All over the city are public purified water dispensaries: 1 baht for 1 liter. A MUCH better deal than buying bottles of water at the store, and think of all of the plastic you save! If you aren’t already traveling with a reusable bottle, by ONE bottle of water at the store for 7 baht, then refill it at the dispensary.

Tuk-tuks: read this blog posting about the tuk tuk scam in Bangkok. Tuk Tuks can be a fun way to see the city, but it’s better to know what you are getting yourself into…..

Motorbikes: We had a terrible, though extremely lucky, accident on a motorbike while in Thailand. Lessons learned include: when the shop renting you the bike says that it is only designed for one person, believe them and don’t just think that they are trying to rent you two to make a better profit. The horsepower on many motorbikes in Thailand is sub-par and leads to dangerous situations.

Basar Guesthouse: 87 Thana Gharoen Rd. Wang Krachae, Aumphur Muang. Trat. reservations and information: contact@basar.com, +66(0)39 523 247 / +66(0)89 905 5127. Lovely guesthouse with wifi, comfortable and friendly atmosphere; truly the best place in the town. 250-350 baht/night. Very few rooms, so count your blessings if you can get one. Pepsi the dog and a regular crowd of Noi’s friends make this place very special.

Bandin Eco Resort: Koh Kood. Tel 086-0522929, 086-5751889, bandinkokood@gmail.com. Under new management, and by far the cheapest place to stay on the island. Five bungalows are tucked among beautiful, lush gardens and an island-style planked dock leads over the water. The location is a bit tricky, best to email the owner and he will meet your boat upon your arrival. Staff is happy to help with motorbike rentals and transportation into the center of town (spread out). Close to a beautiful beach that is usually empty, one of the only such beaches on the island.

Shanti Lodge. Medium to high prices. Provides that easy-tourism complete package all at one site: tours, restaurant, massage (the masseuses could use a bit more training). Fantastic vibe, building has a great rustic theme with local character, nice bar/restaurant if you are chatty and want to meet other travelers. Expat owner has been around a long time. Staff is mildly helpful but lacks enthusiasm and English. Good Location.

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The Best Kept Travel Secret in Thailand

As a tourist destination, Thailand has changed much since it passed its first travel development legislation in 1979. We know from first hand expats here how much change they have seen. Most of it, has meant tat an area once pristine, gentle, safe, and preserved has changed to benefit and grow in the ways Thais and investors believe western tourists want. This has only begun in the last 5-10 years on the eastern frontier border of Cambodia, near Trat, the capital of Pran province.

We have spent a little more than two weeks exploring the town of Trat, its temples, markets, festivals (Chinese New Year), and surrounds. Most of this time was spent in an archipelago of almost 70 tropical, mountainous, and coral reef ringed islands. While we gawked and wondered as we passed so many of these, our time was spent on Ko Mak and Ko Koot. These islands are the two largest after already fully developed Ko Chang and lie on Thailands furthest southeast border.

We were encouraged by our host to visit Ko Mak and see how development was changing these islands. We stayed at Island Hut on the furthest eastern side of the island. While nearby resorts had beach huts which started at 3,000 baht ($100 U.S) per night. Our lovely waterfront cabin cost 450 baht and there were huts just behind us for 200-300. Nearby, up the hill, was a town center, schools, and a cooking school where we had some of our best meals in Thailand (Pad Mee w/ seafood 40 baht!).

After four days, we caught a speed boat to Ko Koot and arrived in Au Bang Nau (Au means bay in Thai). While this lovely white sand beach also sports even more expensive resorts, our host is developing in collaboration with a Thai partner (whose family owns the last islander property with water access left on this island roughly the same size as my own home island back in the USA Martha's Vineyard). Eco Bandin is run by Mr. Moo and his family. It is also under a planned ecoresort development that aims to provide high quality green homes that are built from sustainable locally produced natural materials, that preserve most of the nature 'park' atmosphere so dutifully maintained and nurtured by Mr. Moo.

Building on islands is not an easy or inexpensive task. Materials are brought by boat. Soils are rough and sandy or silty in the tropics. Energy is produced by generators. Water is scarce and untreated. Part of the reason I wanted to see the eco development was it is a friend I have known and admired a long time as the western 'lead.' But we are very interested in service opportunities and sought to be effective proponents of not only sustainable, zero emission construction techniques, but also we are interested in community engagement and participation, local control, positive cultural exchange. We are blogging, and have recently linked to Lonely Planet blogsherpa which connects travel encounters, ideas, and community dialog. [Any proceeds received from the blog will be reinvested into our service efforts.] As we have noted, our aspiration is not to shape and change the lives of people we are visiting, this is a nice happenstance, but more to shape the lives of other travelers and those from our communities and peer groups at home.

Moo's place Eco Bandin is already one of the best kept secrets in Thailand. [Bandin Eco, Moo, Bangbao, Koh Kood, Tel. (066) 086-0522929, Bandinkokood@gmail.com ]. He is the kindest host, chef, gardener, and thinker. He can wax eloquently, though a soft-spoken guy, on the history of the islands, the impacts of development, stewardship of the oceans and island nature, trees, birds, and island animals, flowers, children, family, international travel, photography, Thai food, and so much more. Every day Moo spends his time baby sitting (he has three beautiful children 5, 2, and 8 months) and maintaining the properties gardens, forest, rubber plantation, and building and repairing the structures that make up Eco Bandin. The place is rustic. Some of his bridges are a little disorientating and thus awkward to cross the first time. But between Moo's kindness, the amazing Thai cooking of his wife, his sister-in-law, and himself, his knowledge and connections on the island, and his beautiful location and lush tropical gardens - it was a fantastic find for us to have so many interests interwoven by the best kept secret in Thailand. Of course, in writing this blog, I am actively trying to encourage more people to find out about this best kept secret and to keep it going. When we chose to not support places like Moo's Eco Bandin we support an opposite course of events and poor environmental planning. Everywhere else we visited, forests were bulldozed, burned, heaped up in piles, lands entirely cleared, houses built unsoundly and without proper environmental, structural, or green engineering. Ancient trees were replaced with new species imported at great cost from the mainland.

Moo told me stories of the property that surrounded Eco Bandin. It is especially sad because it speaks about what an even better best kept secret in Thailand these islands could have been and used to be (very recently). The small monkeys which are indigenous to the island have been nearly completely wiped out. Also, the tiny indigenous island pig, numerous rare birds and snakes, giant brackish river fish, hugely diverse and prolific lobster, crab, and shrimp populations, and many indigenous trees and plants are disappeared, going extinct, and being eaten up. And this has happened to Ko Koot for the most part in the last five years!

Here are Ko Koot's nearly extinct wild pigs being fattened up for holiday feast

What can we do as tourists, naturalists, and volunteers, to assure that properties we visit are environmentally 'greener', locals are treated fairly and respectfully, and governments enforce laws of stewardship?

Staying at Eco Bandin was such a pleasure. Visiting and learning about the production of rubber from the rubber plantation and micro-factory, studying the birds, plants, trees, and natural environs, swimming and exploring the adjacent white sand beaches (totally empty of people), hiking the forest, eating and visiting and pondering our human fate, star gazing into skies not ruined by electric lights, fishing, snorklling, squidding, rowing the boat out for sunset/moonrise on Chinese New Year. And endless volunteer and educational opportunities to help maintain the forest, rivers, waterfalls,, beaches, and ecosystems on the precious natural outpost, guarding and stewarding and investing in its unique and critical future.

It was for us the best kept secret in Thailand, but, it is a secret worth sharing. If we support good stewardship and sustainable, respectful forms of tourism in Thailand we can all put out money where out mouths are and heal the planet as we heal ourselves.

Moo's place is not expensive - about $15 U.S. per day for a private beautiful rustic cabin with private bath and all meals included. Moo also saves you money by getting you the best prices for scuba, bike or moped rental, boats and ferries etc without a commission.

Bandin Eco, Moo, Bangbao, Koh Kood, Thailand
Tel. (066) 086-0522929, Bandinkokood@gmail.com

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Thailand is Booming with Tourism

I can say with certainty that I already love Thailand. Calm, friendly, honest people. A land of Buddhism that entices you quickly with its sweet flavors, fragrance of flowers, polite and gentle landscapes. It is entirely nonabrasive (we have stuck mostly away from the tourist path - 'walking streets,' the seedy brothel lore, the tired 'Cancun' and Disneyesque resort beaches to the south). Anyone with imagination or a taste for its rich history can easily see a charmed past and feel in its recent history, echoes. This is not a blog about that Thailand. This is what I wrote spontaneously on a slow diesel trawler as we crawled along the coast back to the furthest edge we could find away from Thai 'civilization.' After nearly two weeks on islands and in serene mangrove estuarine enclaves along the Thai Cambodian border here it is what I wrote. If it is for anyone, it is for the thoughtful and compassioned traveler. And, it is for the governments of Thailand, her neighbors, and the world community that flocks here. It is not meant as unfriendly. It is meant as a reminder to all of us who can ignore what role we play in the way the world develops.

It goes like this...


What would fix our world: By example from Thailand

Life has only ever taken me to moments.
In clarity in Evolutions.
I would see in a place all I loved and all at once.
Nothing like this ever came to me in Thailand.
Here, a debate with self, of new purpose, new pursuits.
China, India, Louisiana, ancestry vastly more polluted
These all ring with Life for me. Poor Thailand.
I am understanding very little here.
It sticks to my soul like a skin's lesion.

Thus, I reflect on other places, other times.
A first epiphany in Omaha, Nebraska. I am 17.
A urchin's port in Panama's Casco Viejo. I am 29.
Acrid sulfurs of country roads back home.
Distances of time. Memories held still.
Photographic emotional stillness.
Friends and acquaintances long gone.
Distances grown to revolutions.

Thailand, as ill as the planet we are healing.
Now, but now, but NOW, must remain sick, bedridden.
Venezuela, USA, The Indian Res
And all the old Colonies hovering below remark for it.
Darkness, falsely lit, in phantom shallows. A putritude.
Holding good which was evil disguised as good without evil.

A lost time. Dead monks littering roads between Buddhist countries.
Greeds, Pollutions, Degraded, Degrading.
Falsity, lacklusterness, undefined ruination with no common purpose.
Results of organized religion - Capital wealth.
King's of Ancient Nations trading arms and lands and death.
Kunckledusters who let ruin the golden gates.
What would fix our world? By example from Thailand...
"Kill the Buddha!"

....

To our lovely friends and all her kind people, forgive a wit in wrath.

This blog is going to be followed by a short series of positive inspirations about eco tourism, public environmental art, service projects that are self-starters (and work), green development lessons, new friendships and the like. But, I have to get this out there to get started on the rest.

We have two days until Calcutta, India. What can await us there?

Wrapping up Thailand, we have been enjoying the long New Year's celebrations, visiting craft, music, and food bazaars and festivals and wishing we had many of our good friends and family along to enjoy this place and make sense of what is happening here so that we should all become better stewards of the world our children's children and their children's children might one day inherit.

Thailand is Booming with Tourism. What can we learn from their losses and their fate? (A sad and deadly sickness of selfishness and mad advantages)

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Adventures in Thailand

Surging up a steep trail on our rented motorbike, the motor stalled. The momentum was lost. The bike began to tip. Instead of leaning left toward the steeply rising mountainside, we went right, feet reaching for rocky path, and finding only empty space instead. Tumbling and twisting down the mountainside, the only point in our vision that stayed still was the motorbike, which came to a halt atop the trail, rather than following us down.

Six meters down, we managed to cease our roll, while chunks of loose concrete, branches, rocks, and debris continue a decent onto the rocky ocean edge below.

Good friends hauled us up, and helped to find the flip-flops scattered along the hillside. Scrapes and bruises, and a bit of road rash, all which will heal with a bit of eucalyptus oil and salt water swimming.

Oh, and  reasonable reluctance to ever ride a motorcycle again, especially one with a 100cc engine. 

Everything else about the island of Koh Kood was fabulous, and we were delighted to spend time with good friends. Highly recommended as a vacation destination, but rather overdeveloped for some of us.

xoxo

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China Keeps Time with Trains

China keeps time with trains. What would I give to live near the tracks that cross China? On sonic whistle lines that prompt cities before dawn? China wakes to the train like waking an anxious rooster. The alarms rippling and resonating against pavements and the ticking street light transponders. Or, trembles midday without noticing the rumbling vibrations adjust her squat position in a countryman’s bent contemplation. Echoes distant murmurs fly repel on her mountainsides with the distance of a shepherd’s call.

Boxed, stained work yards grind forward at all hours like the clockworks of an organism telling nothing but speaking to nothing, to nobody, to nowhere like a universe within, the heartbeat of a city, hidden tucked, cloistered in brick, residues of soot and burnt oils.

There is now dim view for her humanity; those who view the humanity by her bustle. The windows are watching glassy-steel frames run by like an old movie reel, tested, forgotten, aged, recent but forgotten. Cells of time built to produce nothingness. Earnestness of simple purpose bears a fading whistle.

China’s train howls of its Awareness, Abstraction, Abdication, Amelioration.

The train howls and passes these four points of pride over her Class Consciousness.

China keeps time from trains…were that eternity might listen.

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Bent Reeds and Rusted Grasses

Bent and Rusted

Yards not
As filthy
Now
As when people
Lived
On them.

Now, steeled,
Less curious,
Slates,
Ties and granites,
Tendered
More silenced
Provided with
Full security,
Stern walls,
Weighted wire.
Bent reeds and rusted
Grasses

Winter
Stained in diesel
Roughed dusts
And fog
There are houses
For conductors
Engineer
Tenements
Railway men
Live amongst
Us here.

Behind
Guarded
Plots of vacancy

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Images of Trat

 

coconuts and pigeons on the river

 

color coordinated monks + tents

honorary guests at the Trat festival

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A Post for My Grandmother

So many of us take for granted the connectedness that technology affords us. We so quickly forget the other means of communication, and no, I'm not talking about myspace. Or twitter. Or Google's latest social networking: Buzz.

Remember how we used to send letters...by snail mail? Remember when long distance calls were expensive, and not including in your cell-phone plan?

This post is for my grandmother, Lydia, who lives in Belmont, Massachusetts. I know that she has worked very hard to follow our adventures, but it's hard to keep up with our quickly changing terms and addresses and language. My father is visiting her right now, and has promised to show her our blog and photos.

Hello from Thailand! I know that you always wanted to visit China, and we thought of you often while we were there. You would have been fascinated by the culture, by the way that people interact with each other, and how each person has an important place in society. The underlying theme is always "respect the old and cherish the young." And it is evident in each interaction we saw.

We thought of you also in Beihai, China (on the southern coast) as we watched clam diggers working in teams to unearth dinner.

I hope that you have a wonderful visit with Dad, we love and miss you!!

xoxo

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How 'Bout dem SAINTS!!?

Yesterday we abstained from email, facebook, and the internet in general (except for a blog facelift that you might notice) until 8:30PM when a re-run of the SUPERBOWL was aired at the local sports bar. What a game; what a team; I am so happy for the city of New Orleans - I know how much the big win meant to the people and culture of our dear home (we know that you all are still partying....). GEAUX SAINTS!!!

The superbowl victory followed right on the heels of the recent mayoral election: congratulations Lieutenant Governor Mitch Landrieu, we look forward to the positive changes that you will bring to New Orleans. As New Orleans Carnival season season Mardi Gras moves into full tilt, we wonder...

Could it get any better?

Believe it or not...YES! Tomorrow morning we leave for the beaches of Ko Chang, Ko Mak, and Koh Kood.

Leaving the laptop and packing light for a ten day trip, but our bag still seems overly full (cooking supplies, seasoning, tent, sunscreen, repellent, swimsuits, sleeping bags in lieu of sleeping pads, first aid kit, etc.). Lightweight packing remains a fantasy. This also means another medium length separation from our blog and sharing our stories with you (but we may get crafty a few minutes prior to our departure and attempt to "pre-date" blogs that may publish in our absence? stay tuned...).

Volunteer update: our volunteering concept has always been informal, and continues to evolve organically as our journey unfolds. We knew that by not signing up with a "service organization" and instead, carving our own path of exchange, service, and volunteer-ship, our opportunities would be unique, varied, and probably outside the bounds of the expected or known. So, instead of immersing ourselves in the structure of a (usually) foreign-sponsored organization or group, experiencing "service" within a bubble of comfort and familiar and homogeneity, our service has other forms.

We talk, we listen, we garden, we share, we discuss, we recycle, we plan, we learn, we share ideas of green, we experience, and we always strive to remain rooted in the culture we are visiting, while still sharing pieces of the culture we are from.

Last night, Nathan was up late, discussing business development, green and sustainable construction practices, East  and West relations, and the stewardship of new forms of tourism and development, such as eco-tourism and volunteerism. He and a friend reviewed architectural, engineering, and land use plans for a 500+ acres eco-resort under preliminary development for Koh Kood Island. The concept of service is one which applies daily  in our lives while traveling. Writing and maintaining blogs is one continuity of service which we rely on; so, being away for more than one week will mean returning to pre-blog forms of note keeping, journals, scribbles on napkins, memory.

With just eleven days left in Thailand, we thinking ahead to our next destination: India. Now would be a wonderful time for YOU to give us your ideas, suggestions, contacts, etc. Three days in Calcutta will be followed by nearly one months traveling from Delhi to Mumbai over land. You can check out our itinerary map for specific dates. Thanks for your ideas and tips and thoughts.

Back in a few with sunburned photos and sandy stories.

xo

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The Fire

I.

A Chinese, an Australian, and a Spaniard walk into a Ball Room.

Each are the front-line managers for emergency and disaster response in a very populated, rather poor province of China. Every year, these managers are responsible for the organization of medical, disaster, and emergency response planners for an annual conference. It is always a joyful and convivial time filled with card swapping, networking, name dropping.

The Australian says to the Spaniard, “Did you know that in in our office of Regional and Provincial Emergency Response they have never had a fire drill? So, I asked them to look into having one; but, when we checked on the emergency exits they were all chained shut.”

The Spaniard stated, “We teach all about disaster preparation and response. We ask the community to participate and be involved in ways they have never been asked to do before in all of China. But, we can’t apply the same teaching in our own office.”

“Why is that?” the Australian asked. “The boss doesn’t like it for us to look bad.” the Spaniard replied.

The Chinese, who was listening closely, suggested they test participants and teach values of applied learning to bosses during their meeting. “Why don’t we have a fire drill here, at this very conference?“ he said.

The three NGO disaster experts made their plan.

II.

After lunch, when the many conference attendees reconvened, they passed their Spanish colleague, with his leg propped up on a chair. A Chinese friend was tending to his ankle, while the Spaniard grimaced in obvious pain. The Australian explained to the ogling crowds, “During lunch he was in an accident while crossing the street outside of the restaurant.” The Spaniard moaned; tears rolled down his face. Many people stopped by to sympathize and give advice.

After the conference-goers settled down in their big groups, a lazy, spacey wave of sleepiness blanketed the conference; people were tired. This was the third day of meetings and in good Chinese fashion, they had all feasted at a lunch hosted by the provincial governor. To address the predicted lethargy on day three, a local troupe of performers were scheduled to liven up the crowd with songs of legends and stories of the great resilience of the Chinese people in modern history. In contrast to the standard procedure of returning to their individual groups, the attendees were instructed to all meet in the same room for the performance, leaving their valises, purses, and other belongings at a coat check, so as to accommodate the large number of people.

Halfway through the second ballad a loud bell erupted with a sudden, screeching resonance. The hotel manager rushed into the room and yelled instructions through a megaphone: “There is a fire in the kitchen. Please remain calm, but exit the building immediately.”

Instincts were strong; people leapt over each other as they rushed from the room. Some groups stopped at the elevator. A hotel staff standing near the stairway yelled to them, “Don’t take the elevators, they are unsafe, you must use the stairs!”

Outside the group milled around in the street. Everyone seemed to be accounted for. A small older gentleman exclaimed with panic and shame in his voice, “Ricardo, our Spanish friend, where is he?” Several people tried to backtrack into the building. “You cannot go back,” the staff warned them. The crowd of brave souls rushed anyway.

At the bottom of the stairs was Ricardo, standing strong on his own two legs. “I am sorry to have fooled you,” he said.

III.

The fire was a drill, designed to test the responses of the conference attendees, all who were trained in disaster protocol, and who were responsible for passing their knowledge and education on to others.

At the end of the conference people were asked to review what they had learned, and fill out a survey. Overwhelmingly, most participants were compelled to write about the fire drill lesson. Most participants wrote about the lessons learned. They planned to change their teaching strategy in the future, and felt that real world practice would be a benefit not only to the community but to their team as well. Others were angry, and left feedback that stated that “It was wrong of you to trick us. Somebody could have been hurt. How could you trust the hotel staffs with our valises our laptops and all of our work could have been stolen!”

Some were shaken, some were embarrassed, some were grateful, and all (except the Chinese, the Australian, the Spaniard, and the hotel staff) were surprised.

IV.

China is a world of both lessons and contradictions. It can respond to disaster with massive force and mobility from across the country to provide aid. It can rebuild whole regions in almost the blink of an eye. But due to a hierarchical pyramid structures of decision making and policy development, China is unable to challenge assumptions of management. When the Chinese colleagues in the Provincial office wanted to apply the same standards to their office as they have begun to teach in small impoverished villages they were told that the systems they have work fine. Can we find similar qualities in our organizations?

Today, I visited a very different Disaster and Emergency Response Unit in Trat, Thailand. It is located in the most revered and trusted public meeting place in the town - a ‘Chinese Temple.’ They meet on the 20th of every month. The place is filled with all the necessary tools: historical photos and community archives of past emergencies, ambulances and rescue equipment, chairs and tables for everyday life and gatherings, and a stage for speakers and performance. Some of the meetings go on for hours, allowing time for food or refreshment, play-space for children, and time for elders to gossip, in addition to discussion of disaster planning and response.

Although sometimes just a drill, oftentimes the fire is real. How can we imagine ways in which community participation, especially in disaster planning, is encouraged in decision making, cultural resilience is nourished, and systems are scientific and responsive?

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Deep Sighs of Contentment

Oh, what joy we have found in Trat, Thailand. Though certainly a town with a strong element of foreign tourism, Trat is peaceful. Trat is slower. Trat is warm. In Trat, our hand-washed clothing dries in a matter of hours, thanks to the strong sunshine. The heat that seeps through the cracks in the horizontal wooden siding of our lovely guesthouse brings with it scents of incense and laughter and green.

Yesterday afternoon I heard an approaching sound, melodious and rumbling:

"Oh! Here comes the ice cream truck. Wait, it's a dried squid-on-a-stick truck."

Hello Thailand. Yes, I think I like you. Quite a lot.

The smog-filled and dense urban-scapes of China seem so far away. Even the harried tuk-tuk's of Bangkok seem a distant memory. But not so far away that I can't tell you about our experience.......

Have you been to Bangkok? If so, you have most likely been part of the "tuk tuk scam." We didn't understand until we saw an article posted in our hotel, explaining the complexity of this scam. All of a sudden, I was reading a synopsis of a huge chunk of our time in Bangkok, but luckily without the unhappy ending that so many tourists seem to find.

The basic concept is that a foreigner is approached by an extremely friendly person on the street, usually fairly well dressed, and who speaks English. "Where are you from" and "How long have you been here," are the first questions. This 'helpful person' takes the time to show you on your map the best temples and tourist sites and tells you that the tuk-tuk (auto-rickshaw) is a great bargain for tourists on that particular day, for various reasons. In our case, it was "Buddha's birthday." Can you believe our luck? Arriving in Bangkok on Buddha's birthday? We were delighted to hear the big news. The 'new friend' secures you a tuk-tuk, haggling the price on your behalf. You feel grateful and hop into the tuk-tuk, excited to see the beautiful sites of Bangkok.

Next thing you know, you are ushered into a custom suit shop, or a jewelry store, or a handicraft bazaar, or a fine restaurant. Usually these shops are "government endorsed and controlled." Lies!! Many foreign visitors are pressured into purchasing low-quality, high-priced items, and don't figure out their error until arriving home with their low-grade Thai ruby ring.

Not necessarily dangerous (though the scam perpetuates negative experiences for travelers), but so incredibly annoying, especially as we ended up spending our first afternoon in a darn tuk-tuk, being shuttled from one store to another. We didn't want to seem rude, we wanted the driver to get his 'gas coupons,' and we tried again and again to explain our backpacking situation to the shop owners who were offering 'big sales.'

On the positive side, we did get to buzz around Bangkok in a tuk-tuk, enjoying the sights and smells, though our time visiting places of cultural or historical interest were highly abbreviated. But it never feels good to be scammed.

Check shutterfly soon for updated photos.

xoxo

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Still We Pray

Today, setting out on a one speed bike - no hand brake, formerly foldable (rust) - toward Patrick's garden to weed plants, to the barber, and to follow old friend Marvini's advice and make an appointment for a dental check-up while in Thailand, I was to take my a left at the first stoplight intersection.

Thais drive on the 'wrong side' of the road; or if you are from a British Territory they drive on the right side (left); but they obey all the rules of turning like where I am from. Confused?

When you set out for your first bicycle ride in a totally new country (where street signs, languages, driving etiquette and the like are turned round or indecipherable), you may turn to prayer. I prayed the whole way down main street. This is not to say I was not elated. We love bikes. Passing two stoplights with no visible left turns, only very significant right turning lanes, at the third stop light I turned right and headed in the direction of signs which pointed to a mosque.

When I was passed simultaneously by a very large diesel bulldozer and two motorcycles on a turn with two trucks moving into my lane, I prayed. Then, I pulled into the mosque.

I parked my bike and took in the scene. A man in heavy head-covering was sweeping the yard with a broom made of fronds. [This custom is neither religious nor pious, all over hot climates the heaviest-dressed people - gloves, head scarves, long sleeve shirts and pants - are often those who work outside and need covering from the sun.] Several boys eating and horsing around. Conversation among mosque-faithful involving contents in a truck bed.

I approached the mosque, left my flip flops and tea container on the steps and went in. Inside, the cool airs were delicious. The place was spotless. There was a lone Thai gentleman sitting at a long table. He greeted me in English. "Hello, may I help you?" he asked. "I am here to visit the mosque." I replied. "Are you Muslim?" he asked. "No, I always visit Mosques when I am traveling." Then I added, "I come to pray for peace between all peoples."

"Welcome," he said, "this way please."

This is a point when many of us get nervous. 'What am I doing here?' we ask ourselves, 'Am I invading a sacred space?' or 'Am I being too presumptuous?'

The gentleman took me up the stairs. He opened the doors to the mosque. '"On Fridays," he told me, "this room is full of our people praying."

The room was stark. Entirely open. There were no images, statues, or noteworthy architectural details. I stood outside and said a silent prayer for peace between our peoples.

We turned to leave. Out of a moment of uncertainty, my host suddenly turned back as we began towards the stairs. He reached toward a lock and opened the glass doors to a balcony overlooking the courtyard and beckoned me to join him. As we walked out, he brushed his feet in front of him, scurrying leaves and lizards, (making certain, I imparted, to move any unseen scorpions or venomous centipedes out of our path). "From here," he told me "you can see all of Trat." A carpet of tropical green stretched out in every direction in front of us.

When we got to the bottom of the stairs my host asked me if I would like tea. I told him I had brought my own. He asked me how I had gotten here. I said I had ridden my bike. He asked me where I lived. I said Louisiana.

I pray for the forgiveness of all those who offer their sincere courtesy and graciousness to me and to whom I do not have the courage and manners to accept.

As I crossed the courtyard I received smiles, hello's, and thank you's from all those I passed on my way in. A toothless older man approached me and asked me several questions in Thai to which I smiled. He smiled. We waved. As I got on my bike and rode out of the gates I saw in adjacent shops women in burkas preparing all sorts of inviting snacks. As I made a turn in the bend and saw the main road beyond fields of elephant ears in front of me, I heard the call to prayer rise up distantly behind me. Still, I prayed.

Across the tiny piece of Asia which we have traversed, we have constantly aimed to be good ambassadors, and to encounter our host cultures where they were, and to reciprocate the openness of these holy places with respect, enthusiasm, and deference. We have consistently been met with kindness and appreciation for what it is we do.

This whole trip we have encountered many different religions. At last count, we had been to places of worship for Shintoism, Confucianism, Taoism, Buddhism, Christianity, Islam, Brahmanism, and Falun Gong. I left out Communism and King Worship (Veneration) off the list, because many would argue these are not formal religions. I know I am leaving other places of worship out - please accept our apologies - there is much we miss and do not fully understand.

For understanding respect and deference still we pray.

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Flavors and sounds and rhythms and chopsticks

A muggy, sticky, perfect morning in Thailand.....we are here and enthusiastically discarding our bulky winter layers.

Leaving China had a few snafus, a few hiccups, but we persevered.

Did you know that a tourist visa in China mandates that you leave every 30 days, even if you get a 90 visa? Nobody in Tokyo bothered to tell us. China wasn't pleased. 

Do you always confirm your reservation before your flight to ensure that not complications exist? We didn't and ended up having to pay for our own ticket from HK to Bangkok (which our awesome travel agency is going to reimburse us for), and we were totally stressed out (no reimbursement, but a learning experience).

Our last few days in China were tinged with anticipatory nostalgia for a country that we really grew to love and appreciate and (vaguely) understand. Wandering through Guangzhou one afternoon, we talked about how dramatically our comfort level had altered while we were in China. I being incredibly disoriented during our first few days in Shanghai: nearly everything was uncomfortable and foreign, especially when flooding my senses all at once. I remember feeling panicked the moment that someone opened their mouth and Chinese came forth; I was so anxious about not knowing the language that I froze, I was solely focused on the un-understandable. Gradually I stopped being so caught up in the unknown, and focused on the things that I could understand: smiles, body movement, intonation, context, and a few simple words. It was as though I had a sensory loss like deafness or muteness: with the deficit of one sense, my other senses strengthened.

It takes some time even just to start to understand the flow of people on the sidewalk, how to pay at the convenience store,what the toilet etiquette is. Flavors and sounds and rhythms and chopsticks are sensory gifts for western travelers, you just have to taste them, listen for them, feel them, and practice!!

I wouldn't say that I miss the hole-in-the-ground, trough-style toilets of China (the western-style in HK were such a lovely surprise), but I certainly managed. I assimilated. Several times, I was even appreciative and grateful.

Throughout our journey down China, we encountered many markets (see photos on our site). We love markets, especially the open-air, fresh food, local produce variety. Obviously, these come with a wide variety of goods, some more unusual than others. But the meat section gets weird, especially as animals are cured, preserved, sliced, diced, and usually displayed in very recognizable forms, usually completely intact, and oftentimes with heads attached. The cows and pigs and chickens were normal, comfortable, expected. The ducks and geese were fairly basic. Then we get to frogs, turtles, eels, hammerhead shark, goat, and yes, the horror of all horrors...dogs.* It was difficult. There were some markets where my stomach started heaving, my palms got sweaty, I was terrified of barfing right there in the midst of it. But I worked actively on my western aversion: I systematically desensitized my brain. I studied the market from a scientific point of view until my emotions moved back to second place. Please don't get me wrong - I'm not made of steel, but I found a way to come to terms with the scene, which allowed me to enjoy and appreciate China on a new level.

All in all, we miss China. We feel so lucky and blessed to have experienced such a land, and are ever so grateful to the many, many people who welcomed us with open arms. 

Now....on to Thailand...........

xoxoox

*I'm happy to tell you more about the markets and the contents within; however, I won't expound on these here for those readers who are faint of heart.

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Guide to China

CHINA FOR TRAVELERS

We spent six weeks (mid-December 2009 through February 2010) traveling through China: we entered in Shanghai and departed from Hong Kong. The following blog posting is a list of our experiences and takeaways. Please note that this is not intended to be a comprehensive travel guide, but is limited to our experiences and some tips that we think might be helpful for travelers.

China is very commercialized and brand-focused and westernized. The food found in normal, ordinary restaurants is INCREDIBLE, but we shied away from the higher priced menus: exotic foods are more expensive and not necessarily on our wish list, and the quality doesn’t usually increase with the price. Learn just a few characters, like those of noodle or soup, and you will be in good stead. We ordered blindly off of menus for the first several weeks and were so delighted by our results that we kept up the practice.

Currently China has a 30/60/90 day tourist visa available for Americans. However, when we obtained our visas in Tokyo, the office neglected to mention that we had to leave the country every thirty days, even if just to a border for a stamp. We didn’t know. So, we stayed for 45 days…China was not happy. Although the penalties were predicted to be very extreme (information from the local police station led us to expect 500y penalty each day over the 30-day limit plus a baseline fine plus paying for two new visas), we were lucky to get off lightly: no additional fines or penalties, just paying for two new visas, even though we were departing for Hong Kong the following day. How did we get off so lightly? It was a combination of luck, rambling in fast English that officials couldn’t keep up with, and maintaining an apologetic, humble, and grateful demeanor. It also helped that Nathan kept mentioning that his family was from Changsha.

Before you arrive in China, get yourself a copy of the fantastic “Point-It” Book if you don’t speak Chinese. It was absolutely invaluable throughout our travels, especially in China. The book is priced somewhere around $10 USD, can’t go wrong. The book has at least 60 pages of images: food, transportation, hotel details, colors, etc.

We learned right off the bat that tea is a staple in China, and it’s very easy to join in the fun! Head to a store and buy yourself a plastic or glass canister, then explore some markets and get a supply of green, oolong, jasmine, or pekoe tea. We travel with a nalgene bottle and it served as a perfect BIG tea canister. All of the trains have hot water, as do many offices, restaurants, hotels, and even bus stations. The boiled water is safe to drink and we became major tea enthusiasts in China. I bet that you will too! Along with tea, the hot water is perfect for ramen and bowls of soup, especially on the trains.

7 Days Inn was a great find for us. At an average of 129 yuan a night, they are pricier than the normal Chinese hotels, but certainly cheaper than many others. The consistency of 7 Days Inns was great, they are a chain with something like 266 hotels across China, with plans to develop more. Rooms are clean with big bathrooms, hot showers, bleached-white towels, cable television (which usually include one or two English movie channels), room heating unit, window that opens, USB internet cable in room and connected computer in the lobby, fairly helpful staff, and if you join the free 7 Days Inn Club, you stay seven nights and get the eighth night free. Plus, membership also includes a free box of milk every night before bed. Sweet deal.

In Hangzhou we had the great fortune of crossing paths with Jerry Chow: The Grassroots Ambassador of Hangzhou. Mobile +8613758255323, jerryzhouhangzhou@hotmail.com. Jerry is a super friendly guy, who speaks very good self-taught excellent English. He knows all the spots in the area and is an expert on China tourism. Honest and helpful and proud of his position. We were so lucky to hail a cab and unexpectedly find Jerry behind the wheel!

Some friends in Changsha took us to Hooligans Pub (Hua Long Chi #1), located in the midst of a major and very popular bar street in Changsha. Ben from Vermont runs this fun pub and can oftentimes be found there, chatting with customers and having a few pints himself! Hooligans is a great place to meet the local “English teachers” in residence and other ex-pats. Very large beer selection. Pricey.

Although we breezed through Nanning rather quickly, we did visit Lotusland Hostel (64 Shanghai Rd, Nanning. Tel#86-771-2432592), the one hostel in Nanning. Booking: lotuslandhotel@163.com. One of the best things about Lotusland is their assistance with travel to and visas for Vietnam. They don’t charge for the visa service, but help travelers with the application and submission. How nice!! Perfect typical backpacker set up: new and spacious common room with wireless and desktop computers. Big TV with movies and cable, books, and even some video games. Pay washing machine available for guest use. Helpful and friendly staff. 120Y with shared bath seemed a bit pricey, but the shared bath is super classy. Great Location.

WADA guesthouse: No. 212,Huanchengxi 1 Road, Guilin. Email: wadahostel@yahoo.com. Typical backpacker hostel in China, but, very good at it. Free maps, tourist info, wifi. Huge common rooms with bar, pool table, outside seating, library.

Trains and Buses: When you are taking an overnight train, the bottom tier is the best. When you are taking an overnight bus, the top bunk is best. Trust me, I wouldn’t lie to you.

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Travel and Service

Leaving China by train - Guangzhou/Shenzhen/Kowloon (Old Canton) to Hong Kong - we could not be more pleased by the scenery and communities whizzing by our window; views more comfortable and expected than a month ago, but still far from commonplace. Here we are in one of the most populated places on earth, 50 million people in an area roughly the size of NYC metropolitan statistical area, with industries and residential development stretching in every direction. More striking and lovely, however, is the density of community gardens. Lots of land, allocated by the government, fish farm aquaculture, fruit tree groves, water buffalo pastures, corn, beans, herbs, flowers, medicinal plants, date palms, sugarcane, tomatoes, peppers, and cabbages of every size and color. All of this life and growth is woven between bridges, canals, high-rise, medium-rise, shopping areas, markets, sports facilities, and bicycle lanes. China’s system of agricultural land allocation has forever existed inside and close to cities. However, in the past thirty years of reforms, this allocation has shifted, and two years ago those who had or would manage agricultural land were being given it in perpetuity.

What are the ingredients that make it possible for Chinese to feel so motivated by the allocation of a few feet of land with which to sustain their family and draw small profits? Of course, poverty, historical famines, and agricultural histories have all played firmly into the capabilities of Chinese to see value in what they generate with land and sweat. But there is something more: Chinese people have spent millenniums wedded to their home place. Family and its sustenance is the primary achievement for a person’s life. While we who do not have the immediacy of these simple values (as a result of our mobility, family upbringing, educational aspiration, or career paths), there is a grounding here, purposefully joyous, unpretentious,  shared, and bountiful. We leave China stirred by the desire to buy local, to eat local, and to grow our own food, all notions that can contribute to our health, our economy, our planet, and our collective future.

Everyday in China we say to each other: “Let’s not get home and lose the inspiration we keep gaining here.” Brittany is a bit water buffalo and greens obsessed. She wants to fill our lives with fresh herbs, all kinds of lettuce, cabbages, mushrooms, sprouts, and the varieties of every conceivable vegetable family which we have learned do not only belong in simple salads but which should go into soups, stir-fry’s and on BBQ skewers. I am far more southern-minded: I want the pickles, chutneys, relishes, and smoky flavors which I could never get enough of.  However, with backpacks and unexpectedly high shipping rates for USA-bound packages, all we can really bring back from China is a mental picture, a memory, experiences, some cultural perceptions, and our love of the people, the land, and the culture(s) which make it as complex as any place we have lived or visited.

Our time in China has been a lesson in needed perspective on the “privileges” we bring from our Western world. There are many ways in which a citizen of China has a quality of life which we could not comprehend in the West. There is something also to be said for the general contentment of most people we encountered or learned about here. Along with perspective, China has also helped us to reflect on and think about our goals for service and exchange. To say that we are on our ’honey service year’ never meant that we had a hard fast plan where we would arrive in a few chosen ’underserved’ or ’underprivileged’ areas. To begin from that standpoint would have done us (and the cultures we visit) a disservice in presuming that we were going to find peoples grossly less ‘served’  than we are. What we can bring forward in ‘service’ as we continue our journey beyond China is our exchanging ideas, our confidence in our good ambassadorship, our willingness to help, work, and contribute, and the expanding understanding of what a good world can continue towards. We will continue to be in service through this blog: bridging, networking, sharing, expanding, socializing, caring for the world, its people and landscapes as we encounter them. Hopefully, we are capturing and passing our experiences virtually in ways that are meaningful.

Travel has its destination, as well as its journey. Ours is a trip between lands - on our way home again. We are indeed privileged that we can come into your lives, and that we are capable and willing to be in service to our families and our communities. We are grateful to possess inclinations toward exploration and learning.

We are happy travelers, and happy to be traveling with each other.

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