Healing

To be honest, as you all know me ofcourse, there was supposed to be another blog here, but since it has been on my computer for 5 days now, a lot has changed. The first difficult time in my travell has passed. In Chiang Mai (Thailand), I met my Belgian friend, and the impact was bigger as I ever expected it would be. We shared a week together in Chiang Mai, learning to drive a motorcycle, trekking to the highest point of Thailand, visiting hotsprings, and just walking and talking, which we can do for hours. Being together with her, made me realise how alone I am sometimes on this trip, and it got to me. I don't think there was any better option to be there for me than Sara. She made me think, reflect and have some great times again. Travelling alone was partially chosen because of the confrontation with myself, but some parts I'd rather have seen in Nepal, where I still feel at home and more comfortable. On the other hand, those parts will propably never show there, because I feel at home there. Many good things come to an end, so Sara had to leave, and I decided to take my trip different from now on. Try to be more social. It's not always easy, but it works. I took a coocking class, which was really amazing and tasty, and after that I tried to spend my time in a place more useful as just hanging around becoming depressed. I wanted things to change, and so far they seem to do. Sukhothai gave me a wonderful bycicle drive of almost 50 km's, chased by dogs twice, and some amazing views on ruins and landscapes, as well as seeing some dutch friends again whome I met in Chiang Mai, because of Sara who already knew them. They were becoming a big part of my next days as I saw them again in Kanchanaburi. Kanchanaburi on the other hand gave me a room on the water, yep one of those floating rooms which are diferent from the flooding rooms in Hoi An, a tour to a seven stage waterfall, a ride on the dead railway and a walk over the bridge on the river Kwai. The day before the tour I visited the death railway museum, on my own (I know), which gave me much more useful information and much more feeling riding that dead railway, which would otherwise just have been a railway, sitting on a hard bench. I decided not to spend that day to much in Kanchanaburi, and left after three days, which had a visit on the tiger temple the last day (is that a tourist trap!!!!!??!!!), and left for Surin. Surin fits in my plan to cross the Thai-Lao border in Chong Mek, within a few days, to see Sara again for newyear. Propably I'm the most lucky man on earth getting the chance to see her twice in such a short time, because she's also ravelling Asia for seven months. Surin can be very tricky again, as there is not that much to do here, unless you're willing to spend at least 50 euro and taking the risk just being there with the guide. The risk is on a social level, because Mr. Pirom, who does some excellent tours here, seems to be a very nice and trustworthy man, whome I heared a lot of good about. Sara took a trip here, but she works in advertising and they make loads of money, as we all know! This is also the place where she met the Dutch people, so maybe it's kind of holy ground here for me and that's why I had to stop over here. I stay in Mr. Pirom's guesthouse, for only 3 euro, but as I'm the only guest there, I decided I'm leaving further to the Lao border tomorrow, more specific to Ubon Ratchathani. Travelling alone on 2nd class busses is special, on the other hand. Being the only one that speeks English, and being the only one that doesn't speak Thai can be hard sometimes. Specially at the lunch stops and when you're a vegetarian. It all fits in the process of appreciating people that I do communicate with. At such a moment a smile of sympathy can do miracles, when you start thinking you're isolated from the rest of this world. The most beautiful smiles at those moments are even the ones that only show two or three teeth left over in a womans mounth. That smile is the most warm smile I can get at that moment. PS: As pathetic as it sounds to myself, I's like to dedicate this post to Sara, who stood by me in that difficult time. Thank you sweetheart!!!!

Tuol Sleng

If there’s one place about Cambodia that will propably always remain in my memory, it won’t be Ankor Wat, it won’t be taking a boat over the Mekong, it won’t be the people being friendly, it will be Toul Sleng, aka S21, aka museum of genocide. There’s really no other place in Cambodia that left that big an impression on me. To be honest, I really had a hard evening after visiting this place. The formal school is now a museum about the cruelty that took place in there years ago. Cruelty commited under the regime of Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge. What originally used to be a school for children, changed into a prison where extreme rules were explained to be the security of regulations. The first part of the trip true what became this horrible place took me in some rooms where just one bed is placed, and on the bed, there is either an extremely thin matras covered in restants of blood, torture machines, or a combination of both. On the walls hangs one single picture of the old days, showing craving people on the beds, or people bading in blood after the horrible torture. As if people would start laughing looking at this, sometimes around the buildings you get to see a traffic sign that forbids everybody to laugh at this museum. Adding this detail to the walls made the whole atmosphere in there even more grabbing my troat. The second building took me to some prison cells. The first and second floor of the building were reserved for the isolation. Almost as expected, the people were locked up in inhumanly small cells, with their legs attached to the floor by chains. The difference between the ground- and the first floor was the fabric of the cells. On the ground floor cement was used, and at the first floor the cells were made out of wood. I didn’t go any further into why this was, because to me the experience of just seeing those cells was cruel enough, and I didn’t even think about why those differences in fabric. The top floor of this second building was reserved for the imprisonment in group. This room is used as a room filled with anecdotes, these days. Anecdotes from relatives of former prisoners of Tuol Sleng. Anecdotes that tell stories about how people chose to join the Khmer Rouge, seeing it as their only way out of the miserable life they had, but in the end they ended up tortured and murdered in this “what once used to be a school for innocent children”. At 10am and 3pm, a documentary is shown in the tv-room. A documentary that tells the story of two lovers living, and suffering apart under the Khmer Rouge regime, told by letters they wrote eachother that were found later. The most chocking part in the documentary, to me, was actually the part where they take a former guard back to the prison, together with an ex-prisoner. Both of them show a lot of respect for eachother, I think, but when I saw the guard telling a story how he didn’t kill any people on the Killing Fields (which is a different story, but with the same bases), but just hit them on the head, so someone else could kill them, with a smile on his face…I was astonished. The former prisoner is a painter who made paintings showing the cruelty that took place in S21. Cruelty that he himself didn’t suffer under all of it, but some of them he heared about. The guard admitted that the actual scenes took place the way the man painted them. The paintings are there to see at the third building of the school/museum/prison. Under each painting stands the torture machine shown in it. It really makes everything coming even closer. Other rooms in the building are reserved for foto exhibitions. Photo exhibitions that don’t only show the people that were imprisoned, but also some of the leading characters in the prison. Pictures that are ruined by people carving in it, writing on it, one obscene text over another. It’s a hard decision to make if this is to justify. Not being a person that visits museums often, and most of the time I get out faster as I get in, this place really made me walk around for over three hours, but its impression sticked with me until this day on. The regulation that you couldn’t scream during electrification or lashes even made the biggest impression on me. I don’t know why, but the cruelty of the whole place is in that one sentence, to me.

Going south in Vietnam

Well, it has been a while since I wrote. After we left Hoi An, we got to Nha Trang, and I must say, it was, again, wonderful. The city is devided into different sections actually, there is the local commercial one, and the touristic commercial one. In Nha Trang I also got to pick up with walking again. Visiting peaceful temples, a photographer that's pretty famous over here and in photographers world, visit a monastry, and meeting a man from Breda, of all places. I'm still full of respect for those people, offering their own free time, and money, to go out and volunteer for the less fortunate. To become a volunteer, you often have to pay! That's what Marco, the man from Breda did, and now he was on a well deserved weekend off, with two colleagues. I don't know if I would ever be possible to offer myself so much for those others, although I've been talking about it a lot of times before I left. Travelling a lot starts making me tired. The busses are actually really nice, but still...spending 6 to 12 hours in a bus every two or three days, it starts getting to me. The result is that my mind isn't really clear at all times, and the moments were there that I started thinking; What am I doing here? I'm just hanging around, don't even go to visit so many places outside the towns or cities I am. On the other hand, that's what I'm here for. To live my life the way it feels best for me at this moment. I started to think sometimes of risking to miss a lot while I'm here, just by hanging around, but if it feels like the right thing to do, I just do it. The most places I visit, I try to do by walking, and that's what suets me best. All the doubts are propably "fatigue" stimulated. After Nha Trang it was time to take a ride a little more away from the coast, as we had seen enough, not to say toooooo much, water the last week. The next stop was Dalat. Another magical town, and magical really gets another meaning here, because there is even a place that reminds me of the "Efteling" in Holland. It's a guesthouse where every room is build in the team of a story, an animal,... Walking around there really gives me the impression of being 10 again. Man was that fun, running around the house. Dalat was the place where the higher ranking of soldiers, the emperors, the more wealthy of society went to spend their free time, or escape from the heath during hot season. Well, Dalat was even cold to me. It wasn't freezing over there, but you really feel the difference with the seaside. It was a nice change for a few days. A lot of time to cool down we didn't give ourselves, because two days later Mui Ne was already our next destination. Mui Ne, I can describe best as one beach resort next to another. Those who read my blog thouroughly might remember that I'm more into rios, and therefor am I not so much a beach boy. Well travelling with an Ozzie you have to make some sacrefices. This was one of them, but I did it in full glory. I think I spend two days around the place making less steps a s a jew on a saturday. As I said, I'm starting to feel tired, and I decided, I could use the days of. It turned out that I spend more time at the beach as my personal Kangaroo. (sorry dear ;)) Dalat is also known for its easy riders, motorcyclist who try to convince you to let them take you all over the country. It must be said, I hear a lot of good from the people who tried it. They really show you the places you want to see, and you get to places normal tours or busses don't come. For me it was a little to expencive though. In Mui Ne, you have the Mui Ne version of the easy riders, and Tenzin took a half day tour with one of them. She was really happy with the decision, as she had a great trip. So if you're thinking about doing it when you're here...I can recomend it. For me that was one of those moments that I really had to convince myself that I was doing the right thing by not going on the trip, as I was doubting my activity level on this travell. Well, I sorted it out pretty fast. I decided not to go, beacause first of all that's what I felt like, and second there's no way I get to see everything in this trip, so I just enjoy the things I see and do, and don't look back, certainly not in sadness of something that I didn't do. I love to be lazy, so somethings about me are still the same. Most of it is, in fact. Two days of beach was the perfect preparation to go to Ho Chi Minh City AKA Saigon. I love the cities. The chaos that's bigger than the one in my head sometimes. Crossing the streets in that special way of just walking and everyone will avoid you (if everything works out), being on the back of a motorbike surviving in trafic, and they seem to find it so easy as they are even on the phone. The crouded places, but still some of those parks right in the centre of the city. Oases of rest and people walking, jogging, playing badminton. The only thing that gets to my nerves sometimes is; Want to buy a book...hasheeeeshhh. They really say this in a funny way, so as a matter of fact it is more funny annoying, what makes it more bareble again. You see how you can take everything with a positive sight? I'm happy I do! Also Saigon will only be for a few days, as we'll be leaving soon for Cambodia. Going to the border by bus, and there we take a 9 hour bout to Phnom Penn. Propably some more adventures will be waiting there for me, but to be honest, I'm looking forward to go to Thailand, as that will be the place I'll really take a rest. Try to stay at one place for a little longer, and recover from these first three months. Three months that were awsome, and that I'm very happy about. As I see it: I had the trip in the mountains, had to run away from the gem stone traiders, had a job in Kathmandu, had an earthquake in Kathmandu, saw one of my best friends back after one year, had a typhoon and floodings in Hoi An and still have a sour ass from the busrides. Well for the first three months that counts I think.

Typhoon aftermath

Three days after the toughest part of the tyhoon, most of the streets of Hoi An seem like nothing has happened to the untrained eye. The markets are back in full force, the tailors are measuring again, the shoeshops try to fit a shoe on everyone that passes by and the restaurants all ask if you want to see their menu again. Only in some parts of town you can still see the damage, as they are either still suffering under a lot of water, or the water just left the area last night and they are still cleaning the houses and the streets. Every street also has a little to a lot more garbage in it, which gives a sign that something might have happened, because normally the streets here in Vietnam are clean. That's what I mean with the untrained eye. One might expect dirt in the streets here if he didn't know better. Othere signs of the damage that has been done are shoes in the shops, showing signs of waterdamage. Still the owners try to sell these shoes, either for a cheap price, or with the message that the water doesn't effect the shoe. Therefor, you don't need to have a trained eye; the water does effect the quality of a leather shoe. Can you blame the people still trying to make as much money as possible after what happened here, and lots of them having lost a fortune? I don't, it's just a matter of surviving now I think. Still I'm surprised every day to see the people's smile, cleaning up the damage, talking about how much they lost, showing how high the water was in the houses, the shops... Nobody looses his or her smile in all of this. That makes them more wonderful to me, because I think I would be full of complains. It's good for me to see this, it really makes me see there is a way of surviving hard and difficult situations with a smile. Besides all the smiles there are also the first amounts of casualties. 24 counted so far, and still hundreds of people missing. If you know the water here was over 1,5 meters in the street...this street is not even next to the river. Some of the houses near the river were almost completely under the waterlevel, I was told. Hearing different stories here and there, I also realise more and more how lucky we've been staying in this hotel, in a higher part of town. People had snakes coming into the hotel together with the water. Knowing my fear for snakes, I think it could have been the most horrible days of my life. But they were not. They turned out to be inspiring and interesting days. Seeying strong people, smiling faces, hard working people trying to make the best out of every situation, supporting eachother. After five days, we're ready to leave Hoi An behind us, for now, and head further south to Nha Trang. But the end of this story is propably not written yet, only my being in it ends here. I widh the lovely people in Hoi An all the best, and ask anyone visiting this place, to see the smile on the people's faces as being there everyday, in good as well as bad days! To be honest, I think there are only good days, after I've experienced this kind of positivism and happyness!!

The typhoon hit us

November 12, 2007 was propably the most crazy day I had on this trip so far. They woke us up at 5am, with the only message; "evacuate". What happened... Due to a typhoon passing the south of Vietnam, the rain went on so hard the night before, our rooms were close to being flooded. The hallway was already filled with water, and the waterlevel was rising fast. Take our stuff and move upstairs asap was the only option. We were trapped in the hotel, as the streets were already filled with water up to 1 meter. The only thing we could do was take a look outside and watch the water rise 5 to 10 meters more every hour. Havy rains making the picture of the typhoon complete. The shops, as Hoi An is famous for its tailors started to get filled with water more every second. A human drama happening in every house here, but still they didn't loose the smile on their face. The only ones that got upset were the tourists that wanted to know; Can we leave tomorrow? What will the weather be like tomorrow? We booked a tour, can we get a refund? Is lunch ready? It's amazing to see where the values of people are different in the spoiled countries. It seems to me that when your used tu your luxuries lifestyle, although many people don't seem to realise they have this, there's a lot more to loose when nature calls. (Excuse the expression, I just wanted to use it.) After lunch the level of the water seemed to stabilise at the point right before it would enter the hotel lobby. The lobby being 1,6 meter higher than the street...the water had rose up 1,5 meters in the street. A hallucinant sight for me, seeing the streets really filled with water. A strong streaming of the water. Rescue boats in what had been the streets only 12 hours ago. Rescue boats being rown by human beings. Strong human beings, but still sometimes they couldn't win the struggle with the tough streaming of the water. While rowing forward, sometimes the boats just floated backwarts. In the afternoon the raining stopped for a while, and even the sun came out for a moment. At once the reception was stormed again with people asking the same intelligent questions as before, propably thinking the water would be gone in a few hours. Scary to see, how some people really don't seem to have any knowledge about forces of nature anymore. Nature showing once again that it is much more powerful than humans. That was the beauty about the whole occasion, for me. Around noon the power in the hotel got shut off, because of safety. When at 5 pm they lighted some of the lobby lights again, my thoughts were; when will the rush to the internetroom start. It took like 10 seconds, before the first people went to try the internet, coming back heads down because that part of the power wasn't switched on again. I wonder why people are so eager to check their e-mails at that time, although most of the people would propably try to find a reliable weather report on the web. A job that turned out to nothing in the morning. But you never know...maybe these few hours the content of the web had changed drastic. It turns out that it's hard to make a good weather report one typhoons, tunderstorms, or any other force of nature, because I think it all sticks to speculation. You can read the forecast, but when it turns out different, which happens more than once, where does that leave you. Propably in the US you can sue someone for it, but in most countries... Another remarcable thing to see was how the people struggling to get families out of their houses, people trying to save their belongings from the water, became like monkeys in the zoo for the tourists safe in their hotel. Every camera made more pictures as it was used to make in a week when people passed by in a boat, walking arms up in the water, carrying their valuables above their head. I do admit...my camera made a lot of shots too. The level of the water never exceeded the hight of the lobby, and when we woke up the next day, after going to sleep in heavy rains, the street level of the water had gone down to 25 cm. People were trying to go away from Hoi An asap, walking their first 30 minutes through the water, not knowing what the situation would be further on the road. People really seem to panick when nature shows its power. But does it make them realise the power of nature? Propably most of them forget as soon as they return to the safe neighbourhoods, or when they're at home, back in their luxurious flats, houses, leading a good lifestyle, still complaning how hard it is for them. For me this past day was a wonderful experience, seeing the beauty of the forces of nature, as well as feeling helpless seeing so much damege being done to so many people. It makes me think even more about how lucky and fortunate I am. I'm propably not going to be happy every day, and I will complain every now and again, but still...I won't forget and that will help me see things in perspective whenever I need it.

Rain and a Typhoon

It was a hard decision, but we felt like we had to make it: Leave Hanoi and start the trip to the south of Vietnam. Hanoi really is a city that gained a special place in my heart. Were it the nice people at the hotel, was it the great weather, was it the chaos in the street, was it the wonderful times at the lake? I don't know, and frankly I don't care. The love is just there. The last days in Hanoi I spend just wondering around a little more, sitting by the lake, reading my book, drinking coffee... I started to feel settled there, so maybe that was the sign to leave, as I still had to make the tip south. The trip south turns out to be a trip to the rain, and even a typhoon, so far. From Hanoi we took a night-sleeping bus to Hue, knowing that it was raining in the centre and the south of the country. When I entered the bus, when because we had to take two other busses before we got into "our" bus, I was really surprised. I expected to sit in a pretty normal bus, the only thing special being that the seats could be putted more flat as in a normal tourist bus. Well, this bus seemed to have real beds in it. Not the beds I know from the hotels, or at home, but still there was not one seat in the bus. Except for the driver, ofcourse. The bus must have had like 30 or 40 beds. Three rows of two high. It was special, and the only problem for me was that the blanket was too short. But that's just a minor difficulty ofcourse. Maybe there was another problem to get to sleep. The constant horning of the bus. It's crazy how many times they horn around these areas. Sometimes it looks like a kid having a new toy. AND the horns never brake down, unfortunately. Propably they would take a car out of traffic if its horn wouldn't be working. No lights is ok, but no horn is not done. In Hue, we got the expected rain, but still we visited the Imperial City, which I must say is slippery when wet. At some parts you really have to be very careful, and I don't understand how it's possible not more accidents happen there. Tenzin went down once, but further we had no problem of that kind. The city itself really was enjoyable to me, but since I'm not really a museum kind of guy, they never really touch me in a way I could write a whole epistel about it. I think these 6 lines are quite good, considering this. The late afternoon and evening we spend watching movies at the hotel. Who said a TV is not necessary when you're travelling? Oop, it was me! I even got this feeling like ordering a pizza and beers, but instead we went to have dinner at the hotel restaurant, because that way we could leave the room and still watch the movie. Isn't it great when things work out so well? The next day we left Hue already to go and have a look in Hoi An. Hoi An is famous for its tailors. They make you silk suites for around 80 USD, and it's supposed to be ready in only 24 hours. Don't worry, I won't return with a suit. Maybe a purse. Hoi An suffers from a typhoon at the moment, and that gives some amazing views. Pooring rain, the street flooded, waving threes, but still everyone driving and walking on the road, like there's nothing going on. Well, maybe for them there is nothing going on. For all I know they might be used to this kind of weather. Propably it means that there's nothing to worry about. Not that I'm worried, but still...you never know. As always things will work out perfect, and there's always TV ofcourse. I wonder which movies are on tonight?

Halong Bay and Cat Ba island (part 2 of 2)

After being dropped of at the hotel on Cat Ba island, and having a peanut lunch, we were going for another boat float between the Cat Ba islands. To be honest, it's much more quiet and peaceful overthere as in Halong Bay. The simple reason for this is less boats. We decided to skip kayaking and head straight for the beach. Well, beach... To reach the beach, which had the size of a table tennis table, we had to jump of the boat, and swim to it. It might sound as if I was dissapointed, but in fact I wasn't. I'm not that much of a real beach boy, I'm just more into Gabriel Rios. The sun and fun were excellent over there. At least for me, loving the peace and quiet areas. Jumping into the water was done from the roof again, and I must say, still my heart was pumping harder when I was up there. Meanwhile on a bigger beach, not so far away, on an island called monkey island, Jamie was enjoying some special time with the monkeys. What happened? Some monkeys got into a fight, and the head monkey came out to show them of. As one of the monkeys didn't really listen to him, he came up to Jamie. Jamie, being an adventure travell guide, knows not to show his teeth to the monkey, as they see this as a sign of agression. With his camera bag he tried to get the monkey away from him, avoiding to look into his eyes. The head monkey came back again and send the little one away. Nice ending for Jamie, you might think, but then the monkey leader thought time was right also to teach Jamie a lesson. He took his leg, and bit him right above his ancle. Nice story, don't you think? Although most of you might have expected something more, to me it stays laughter after hearing the story over and over again. Not to forget, all the allusions that were made after Jamie bought bananas next day. Where we were supposed to leave the next day, we decided to stay an extra day. The extra day was spend walking around the beautiful harbour, and relaxing at a wonderful beach, where it was really quiet. Over the total day, I think 20 people have been there. Excellent! The rest I needed, bacause after almost two months, I'm starting to get tired inside my mind. All the new experiences, the new people, the new situations, like traffic for instance,... it's getting lots of my energy. It's good to have some easy days. Easy days well spend resting, as I still have a lot of time ahead of me.

Halong Bay and Cat Ba island

Although I'm not into organised trips, I decided to take one to Halong Bay and Cat Ba island. It was a three day trip, which consisted of two day boat trip, spending one night at the boat, a little trekking and kayaking. Leaving from Hanoi to Halong City, I immediately saw the kind of mass-tourism that goes around here. Busses crossing the city, picking up tourists to go to one attraction or another. It's a good oiled machine, because while keeping to schedule, nobody got stressed. Arriving in the harbour at Halong City, the amount of boats waiting for passangers was uncountable. Waiting for passengers, but they were comming. Every boat would leave the harbour within a little while. When the boats leave the harbour, it feels like being in a procession, all the boats peacefully in a row. The only part that showed it were tourists on the move were the beer drinking people on top of the boats. Lunch at the boat, which I was a little affraid of, turned out to be enough, and...delicious. Seafood, rice, vegetables, peanuts, fruit...it were the ingredients that would be fed to us the next days. But damn it was good. It felt like an all you can eat buffet, and every time the peanuts won. DAMN PEANUTS!!!! After lunch there was the standard cave-visit. You walk in, walk out, and on the way you get some nice views. It's this part of those trips that terrifies me. But still here, there was no feeling of marching one behind the other, all like, I'm sorry I must say it, Chinese. The cave even gave some wonderful views inside and walking back from the cave I really got a few beautiful views at the bay. The bay contains over 2000 islands, that were created long-long time ago, when ice melted and flooded the place. What once were mountains, rising up from the ground, now are just peaks rising up from the water. It really gives some amazing views. After the cave thing, time was there to do some Kayaking, just paddling around, and after that swimming in the hot water. Since we Tenzin and me) had been talking about jumping from the roof of the boat, into the water don't worry, we felt like we had to do it. Brave I walked up to the roof, but once there...6/7 meters seems higher looking down than up. I think we stood there for 5 minutes just looking down, shivvering legs. We jumped after all, and again...amazing. Just flying in the air for like 2 seconds, hit the water. Writing it, it seems pretty pfffff, but I know at that time, my heart was beating so fast, it was one of those moments you would like to do again, because you only remember the nice parts of the rush in your blood. Dinner in the evening was another struggle with the peanuts, and after that it was relaxing at the roof of the boat, admiring the beatiful starry sky. Unfortunately the boats around us had karaoke parties (ours was broken, yiehaaaaa), and therefor there was a lot of noice, but still I had my fun as you here the people getting more and more drunk, wondering when I'd hear the first one fall in the water. It didn't happen. The next morning it was of tho Cat Ba island, bus time for 15 minutes, and arrive at a national park to do a little trekking. A trekking that wasn't reaaly tough, but it was nice to do a little excercise again. The trek brought us to the top af a mountain (250m), on which a watching tower was build. trekking up the mountain was easy, but I passed for the wtching tower. Too high for me, as I'm still a little affraid of hights. The view from the top of the mountain was good enough for me, hahahahahaha. Resting and waiting for the others when we got down again, I got to see my first snake here. A small long bastard of which I heared afterwarts it was poisoning. If I knew it at the moment...I don't think I would have gone so close to take a picture of it.Snakes are still like hights to me...don't feel good around them. Jamie, a man from New Zeeland, whome we met around here, is an adventures trekking guide and was really hoping to see some snakes around here. Well, I got to see it, but he got something reserved specially for himself. You'll read about it later in this blog.

Changing places

As I wrote before, Kathmandu had some new surprises for me. Arriving at 1 pm, I was offered a completely legitimate job at 2 pm. A job correcting Dutch texts for a website-developement company from Holland. Making back half the amount of money I left in the fraud, just by working 5 days. Because it was offered to me by some Belgian people I met in Kathmandu before, I trusted it and took the offer. Working with Nepali people was one of the objectives I set before I came here, and now the opportunity was there. It's true there are some differences, as if i didn't tell him to do something, he wouldn't, but it's not like they are lazy bastards as they are described sometimes. The job in itself was pretty boring for me, but it was nice to spend days in a constructive way, contributing to the knowledge of the youth from Holland. A few days after I arrived in Kathmandu, I got the same gem stone offer I had in Pokhara. I just listened to the man, knowing almost exactly what he was going to say, and thank him after that with the words; You shouldn't ask me this because even I can read the Lonely Planet. Some things were really remarkable. Where the man (at least he called himself a man) in Pokhara claimed to be from Finland, this one told me he had the Danish nationality. Both of them used the same name; Raj. I know there is the Raj cast around here, but this name was pronounced different from that one. Both of the contacts started with my watch. As I wrote in the gem stone story, it's quite big for a watch and people tend to look at it, ask to see it, and even to buy it. In Kathmandu I also met some people from the trek again. One of them took a special place in my heart, because she saved me from a big stupidity in Pokhara. Over there I didn't get the chance to thank her, but as it always happens...if you have to, you'll meet again. Thank you pretty and beautiful blond Finish woman. (not to say Ritva) We had a nice time together on the trek, and now also in Pokhara, and we seemed to have a lot of the same ideas, as we always ended up in the same places at the same time. Those are the moments I really enjoy, specially if they are with someone I carry in a special place in my heart. To make the story complete; my last night in Kathmandu, Lhundup, my Tibetan friend from Pokhara, showed up at my hotel. Having breakfast the next morning with Lhundup and Ritva, felt like a perfect closure for this time in Nepal. I took the plane to Hanoi, Vietnam, in the afternoon. The first flight took me to Bangkok, Thailand, where I spend the night at the airport, before taking my flight to Hanoi. Actually I had no hotel room in Bangkok, but the nice woman from Thai Air fixed things so that I could spend my night in a hotel bed at the airport, payed by Thai Air. Sometimes things work out just perfect, and those moments I enjoy so much. Arriving in Vietnam however, I was facing a new problem. My luggage was left behind in Thailand. No big deal, as there are two flights a day, and I was on the first flight. Still it seemed that I was out of luck for a few moments, because when my luggage arrived in the evening, they took it to the wrong hotel. The lost & found office already closed, the other hotel, which name was pretty similar to the one was staying at, called "my" hotel, I called the lost & found office next morning, and now we're now. So still waiting, but havng faith I'll meet my bag soon. Arriving at the hotel was still great because after one year, I got to see my close friend, Tenzin, again. I kind of forgot how pretty she is, and she still has this same smile and wonderful personality. After only being in the hotel 2 or 3 days, it seems she's all the staff's favourite. It's just something about her that makes you love her. About Hanoi...it's crazy. I thought I saw it all in Kathmandu or Mexico City, but here... traffic is even more crazy. To be honest, I LOVE IT! (not being the craziest person in town)

The gem stone fraude (second and final episode)

To be honest, I didn't really know what to do. Who could I trust? Who was involved in the fraude? The people from the guesthouse: were they supposed to keep an eye on me, or were they just normal spectators? The first thing I did was making my creditcard useless, with a phonecall to Belgium. After that, is was already 11.45 pm, so I decided to go back to the hotel, make sure my backs were packed, so I could leave asap. My mind was still trying to think of the best plan and all the options. Being back at my hotel, I didn't get any further than my original thought; I have to get out of here! That night I slept for one hour, my heart beating to fast, to much on my mind to really get some sleep. I put my alarm clock at 6.30 am, but it didn't turn out to be usefull, because my hour of sleep must have been somewhere between 3 and 4. I got up at 5 and kept on looking at my options. The people from the guesthouse shouldn't be outside, there shouldn't be to many people on the street yet, but the streets also shouldn't be abandoned. At 5.30 am I heared a door open. Was I too late for my silent escape? Did the owners already wake up? I looked outside the window, and saw one of the other guests leave her room and heading for the front gate. The front gate was still closed, and that was the sign for me to take my bags and leave. The gate still being closed was my sign the owners were still inside their house, because otherwise they open the gate. My thoughts turned out to be right, and once I was on the street, it was a matter of minutes, before I would reach my safe haven, a guesthouse I used to stay before I went to the trekking. Somewhere between five and ten minutes later I arrived in the guesthouse, but everyone was still sleeping. I hid on the rooftop, which gave me a clear view on the entrance as well as the rooms of the owners of the guesthouse. At 6 am the youngest brother got out of his room, and he didn't even seem to be surprised when he saw me there. It was like I was there every morning. A few minutes later his father woke up, and I told him the whole story. He was listening very quite to me, and after I did my story, he assured me I was safe and I could stay there until my Tibetan friend was going to pick me up. Last night I had already send a text message to my Tibetan friends, the people I really trusted around there. Telling the whole story again to the manager of the guesthouse, and one of my Tibetan friends, it turned out the man from the guesthouse knew the owner of the travell-company, where they swapped my creditcard. He assured me he was completely trustworthy, and he was not involved in the whole fraude, him being a very respected businessman in Pokhara. One phonecall to him, and he assured me the money wasen't withdrawn from my account at that time, and it wouldn't be, after he heared my story. He said he knew one of the men I was in the office with, the day before, but never had any problems with him. He told me to come by the office the next day and we would solve the problem. My Tibetan friend took me to his village, as we both agreed I would be safer there. Still we didn't know who we were dealing with, and what they were capable of. In the village, I was threated like a king. I think I never had so much to eat in one day. (well, I propably had, but not this kind of delicous food) The families were all together in one house, and we moved from one meal to another, from one house to another, figure of speech! I got to experience the real life in a Tibetan village, as part of a Tibetan family. Protected and taken care of by them. The whole village feeling sorry for me, and praying. I got to sleep in a room with my two new brothers, after spending the evening in that same room with all the family. It really was a unique, and wonderful experience for me, specially after the tension that had been going through my vains the past 24 hours. I felt safe, and home. A welcome feeling at that time, but I had to go back to Pokhara, Lakeside the next day. I had to try and recover the 2000 USD. Next morning, one of my Tibetan brothers drove me back to Pokhara, on the motorbike. I was instructed to go to the travell agency, return to their shop, they would call me a taxi that would return me to the village. When I entered the Travell agency at 9.30 am, the owner was not there yet. I was told to come back around 11 am. Walking back on the street, I went to send some e-mails, contact the credit card company again, to recieve a new credit card. When I came out of the internet spot, I saw two of the "bandits" passing by on the motorcycle. I turned away my head, so they didn't see me, but all the tension was back inside my body. Were they informed by the clerk at the travell agency? I decided to take a place at the rooftop across the agency, so I could keep my eye on when the owner arrived, as well as who else was entering or leaving the travell agency. After the relatively quiet hours since the afternoon of last day, I was feeling unsure, and therefor insecure again. At 11.15 am, I saw the clerk of the agency leave, which he told me ment his boss was there, so he could go to lunch. I had seen a man going in the agency, which must have been the owner, because I had never seen him before. Even in my logic, one and one is two! After telling the owner my story again, he gave me back the two receipts from the VISA transaction, so I recovered the money. He also confirmed they booked a ticket to Londen with part of the money, which was canceled immediately. The rest of the money, the company was supposed to pay to them. A business they seemed to find pretty normal, so I assume it happens more. The company owner advised me to let go of the 40 000 NPR, after having a telephone conversation with one of the men, asking for some explenation. Their story was they already send the stones, and also had their expenses. I decided to leave it that way, and go back to the shop of my friends, to go back to the Tibetan village, where I could feel calm and safe again. After arriving in the village again, it was an easy day, like the last one. Talking with the family, exchanging stories about what happened to me, and similar cases that had happened in the past. Cases that they only heared about that day, but that made them a worried about my safety. One of the brothers contacted someone he knew that drove a microbus between Pokhara and Kathmandu. They agreed on taking me out of Pokhara the next day, back to Kathmandu. The bus would pick me up, somewhere on the road, not on the normal bus parks. So it happened, that after spending the evening with my new family, I returned to Kathmandu in the morning, in what I would call a little bit western style. Crossing the bus on the road, stopping, changing from the car to the bus and I was on my way to Kathmandu. What happened in Kathmandu is a whole different story. Nothing compared to this one, if you compare it to the tension. Kathmandu had some nice surprises ready for me. A story I might write on later, or maybe even not, We'll see, but this one I really wanted to share with you. Bottom line; I'm ok, and I had a special experience that made me wiser, and more attentive.

The gem stone fraude

Walking down the streets in Pokhara, my watch, which is quite big, attrackts the attention of people often. Nothing special when a local, working in a gem stone shop, asked if he could see it. He invited me in the shop, where we had a cup of tea. After a while, some other men came in, and somewhere in the conversation, they started talking about there stones that had to be delivered in different countries around the world and because of the high taxes they were charged with, they were looking for people to deliver those stones for them. The “head”-man was a very easy speaker and always talking, actually making sure you didn’t have the time to think. If you did come up with an answer, he/they always had an answer, even a reasonable one. The profit I could make with it, was told to be 23 000 euro. Obviously this was one big fraude, but still, my interest was touched. My interest in how these things actually work. After thinking about it for a few hours, I decided to say yes to the plan, also thinking; What if this is real? There are so many places around here I'd like to help out financially, and with that amount you can really help a lot of places here. They asked (wanted) me to move out of my hotel, and I could check in in their hotel, where they would carry all my expenses, and they would pay for my meals until the day I got back from London. They would also pay my airticket, two ways. After leaving my hotel, and being brought to their hotel, the chief invited me for dinner in one of Pokhara's nice restaurants. We had a talk about what had to be done before I left, and I had a good time, maybe this was extra activated by the beer they were ordering. I have to admit, they gave me a good and safe feeling, so maybe that was the point were they caught me. Changing from wondering why, how and what, to believing and trusting. The money I could make with it was already reduced to 20 000 USD, but still, that's a big amount for me, and many people. The only thing I had to pay for was the insurance of the package I was sending to London. The packadge which would contain the stones. Next morning, I was picked up by the hotel by one of the survants. He escorted me to one of the shops, which was right behind the corner, and there the boss was waiting. After the blabla, we started packing the stones, putting them on cotton and folding paper around it like an envelope. When he was packing the stones, I wrote down which stones and how many were going to be in the package. So, they really gave me that safe feeling, as if I had control over everything. After the envelope was closed and sealed with both our signatures, el jefe send me to a courier service to send the package to the GPO in London. In the mean time, we were also going to cash money from the ATM machine for the insurance. An insurance that was going to be more than 4000 USD, because the estimated value of the package was 20 000 USD, and 21% of that amount was the insurance price. What had happened at that time, I don't know, because I didn't hesitate to follow the plan. To my luck my card could only withdraw 40 000 NPR at one day, which is equal to about 650 USD, or 470 euro. When I would arrive in London, the envelope would already be there, so I just had to collect it at the GPO, get in contact with the contact person, hand him the merchandise and he would pay me my money, plus the insurance money minus 6%, because if they would cancel the insurance there would only be a 6% charge of the total amount. Because I could only give them 40 000 NPR at that time, we decided they would swap my creditcard for 2000 USD. They were always talking about their shops, and their people, as if they owned Pokhara and around. At least that was what they wanted me to believe. The afternoon, I was off duty, which means I had no meeting with them, and we met again at 5 o'clock in the evening. At that time I was told my flight to London would be two days later, at 8.30 am. We swapped the credit card in a travell agency, which was not completely strange, because that is done by more (even legit) shop owners, if they don't have their own possibility to accept credit cards. Than time was come for me to meet some friends, have dinner (with my friends) and go to bed early. That was the plan, so we said goodbey for that day and agreed on meeting eachother again the next day at 1.30 pm. I never saw the friends I planned to see that night, because I didn't feel like it. Instead I had dinner on my own, and on my way to the hotel, I ran into a Belgian friend, whom I talked to for more than an hour. When I finally went to the hotel, I ran into a woman I met on the trekking. Two days before I told her about the whole plan, and because she was so suspicious, she started looking in travell books, because she knew somewhere she had seen something about it. She took me to her hotel, and there she showed me what was really bringing me back to reality again. In the Lonely Planet of India there was this warning about gem stone treaders, who rip of tourists by sending them to other countries to deliver stones. They make friends with you, take you to their houses, insist on paying you dinner ... the whole story I just wrote down. Than when you would arrive in the other country the stones wouldn't even be there, even if you saw them delivered at the so called courrier service, and with even more bad luck, you would find out that your bank account gets ripped by your credit card. After thanking her heartly for her very interesting information, I went back to my hotel, which had become a place I had to leave as soon as possible. A big problem was that I had two big bags I had to take out with me, without anybody seeing me. And on top of that I had to find a place to hide, because I didn't know what kind of people I was dealing with. This told me I couldn't leave at night, when everyone was sleeping, also the good people. The area where the hotel was located was dark, so I had to make sure I wouldn't bump into one of them in a dark alley. My credit card had to be blocked, to preveal any further financial damage, and recover the 2000 USD. A lot to do in only a few hours. My mind was working fast, but at that time it couldn't seem to work fast enough. My heart was beating maybe harder as it did during the toughest effort I did trekking around the mountains.

Back from the trek

Well, I'm back from the trekking. Where it was estimated to take 20 days, we finished the trip in 16. I'm not going to give a detailled treking summary here, but I can tell you it has been special. Propably it was the last time I do a trekking with a compagnion. I'm not judging over others, I'm just saying that when I'm up there, I really love the freedom to go my own speed, my own planning, and only thinking about my own physical abilities, because I must start believing that they are quite a lot when I'm surounded by my favourite mountains. Like last year, even when tireness strikes, every day I feel stronger and stronger. Where others seem to loose power every day, it was like I was absorbing it. Doing this trip together with someone I just met also made me realise a lot of things about myself. Re-realise sometimes, like the part where it's still difficult to think about others limitations, and specially respecting them. I really have this problem with physical weakness, I just can't stand it. To me it always looks like people saying they went all the way, just were making an effort, nothing more. It feels to me like many people don't really know what pain actually is. Ofcourse it's my opinion, but I think of myself more as a fighting character after this trip. I'm happy with that, but its not new to me that I can handle a lot of physical pain, on the contrary to emotional pain, which I'm much more affraid of. One person I met on the trip, left a deep impression on me. Dave, a 40 year old professor in fylossophy from the US of A. When we were together, it was like we were two 10 year ols kids, but man...did we have fun. His whole being left quite an impression on me, also the mature one. It feels like one of those people you meet and at once there is a connection. I think loosing him on the track, because we had to take an extra resting day, due to Orly's physical condition, was what made me a little more grumpy. As I realise that, it sounds stupid to myself, but that's the truth about what happened inside of me. You can't imagine my happiness when I bumped in to him on the streets of Pokhara after the trek. Ofcourse there wasn't only Dave we met on the trek. First of all there was Orly, my companion, ofcourse. What she taught me, propably without realising it, is that I really have to do this kind of trekking on my own, or maybe with an even mind. I think she being 21 and me 33 also made a difference. If I sound like bigheaded and being a smart ass right now, than I think you're reading this in the wrong atmosphere, because I'm not judging, I'm just discovering things about myself. Other people we met on the trail varied from old people, to newly weds, and ofcourse a lot of Israelies. A lot of Israelies take one year of after serving in the army, and before going to study. In my opinion, a lot of them are to young to experience the true values of such a trip, the true values of this side of the world. That's how I experienced a lot of them. Ofcourse there are not only the people, but even more some parts of the trek, or feelings on the trek I'll propably never forget. Getting stuck between the water and find my way out on the back of a donkey after I lost some weight during the trek was a nice but at some parts painful experience, Orly getting hit and run over by a running donkey was scary, crossing the pass at a hight over 5000 meter was cold, climbing at 4.30 am in the dark while it was snowing, looking down at all the headlights coming up the road. You'd almost forget there were people wearing the headlights. It was a nice game of the light playing with the snow. But ofcourse there were the magnificent views over the mountains as you could really see them getting closer and bigger every day. Actually we were getting closer, but that doesn't matter now. The trek was another unique experience, which I experienced at most considering my abilities. I've no regrets about any moment or desicion, so that makes me a happy man. Happy that it was part of my life, and happy to be back in Pokhara, which still feels like home to me. Now I'll propably spend another 11 days here, wondering around, relaxing and seeing people I love around here. Life is great and I'm part of it!!!

Pokhara turns out to be more dangerous as I first expected

My time in Pokhara will soon be over. At least for this visit. I'll be here again in about 21 days, 21 days I will spend walking around Annapurna. The Annapurna Circuit is a trekking that is mostly known because of the Thorung La Pass, a pass at more than 5000m. The past few days I have seen a few people that had to come back early because of hight sickness. Others did it as if it was nothing, so I don't think about it to much. I'll see what it brings for me. My partner in this operation will be Orly, an Israelian woman which I admit is really pretty, but that's not the reason I asked her to join me. She just seems like a nice and calm person. Someone with maturity and very passionated to see the mountains. In my plan to come and live here in this wonderful town, there's a new dimension. One of the restaurants on the main road at Lakeside is...To Let. Actually it's just a rooftop which they made into an outdoor restaurant, but you have a nice view from up there. You can see the lake, and the hills behind the lake. It's not like I'm going to buy it immediately, but I must admit it's tempting. Yesterday I went to have a first look, and normally today I was going back to see the kitchen and talk about the price. Inform about the price is more correct. Namk went together over there with me, not only because it's easier having a Tibetan with you to buy a Tibetan restaurant from Tibetans, but also because he and his family are kind of my contacts here. They are such anice family, and invited me for lunch the other day. For the first time I ate meat again. Meat from a Buffalo, and I think it will happen more often around here. Not that I'm so crazy about it, but I think that when a family invites me for lunch or dinner, I think it's just a matter of being polite that I eat whatever they cook. BUT, the taste was good, she made it spicy, which makes everything here even better. That day I also got to meet Sange, the 2,5 year ols don of Lhundup and Tsewang. This little Buddha is so smart, it's unbelievable. He keeps repeating every word you say, until he made it part of his brain, and after that I really belive he knows the word, and even what it means. He's also very interested in Buddhistic rituals. The fun really starts when he takes a big towel and winds it around him as if he were a monk. The serenity that shows of this little man together with the child he is, it's like a promise for an interesting future. Honest, I've never seen a child like this before. It would really be amazing if one day, maybe the family and I could be in business together. Business which will propably not be turning only around money, but business with the main purpose to help the Tibetan people to improve their situation. I'm still crazy about Tibetan refugees and their villages here around Pokhara. If you want to know why, I think you just have to visit them with an open heart yourself, and propably you will be surprised about the things that happen, or don't happen.

Pokhara, it's like coming home

Wednesday, september 19, I left Kathmandu for Pokhara. Pokhara, my favourite place in the world. Coming here didn't seem to be that easy on that day. During the trip that normally takes about 6 or 7 hours, we got held at a road block. It was a local demonstration from truckdrivers, and kept us there standing by the road for 6 hours. By the time we arrived in Pokhara, it was already dark, but the nice part was that at the roadblock I met a lot of people. One of them was Klaus, from Austria, and after we met again later that night, looking for something to eat, we got stuck on eachother and now we're walking, trekking, sitting around together for about 5 days. We're still discussing which one of us gets the other in these difficult, strange, shameful situations. Knowing me, you know he has to be the bad Karma. Together, we ended up lost in a forrest, without knowing we ended up in what has earned the name titibar already (which we left pretty quick), we ended up flying 700 meters above the ground in a paraglide, every day had something special and even amazing. As it may look like in the title of this page...Pokhara stole my heart. This isn't just now, Pokhara was one of the big reasonsm I wanted to come back to Nepal. The second day I surprised this beautiful Tibetan family with my appearence. I met them last year, because they were like family, no they are family, of one of my best friends. When they saw me again this year, it was like I haden't been away. They were so open, nice, friendly, caring, generous, they are really amazing. Every now and than I get by at their shop, and than we just talk, laugh, and enjoy a nice fresh juice. Walking around in Pokhara is also like walking in a heaven full of women. Really, the Nepali and the Tibetan women even more, are gorgeous. There is this one Tibetan girl that tricked me totally with her smile. I must admit that she tricked me, because after a while she opened up her backpack, and showed me her moving shop. After all, I'm proud to say that I didn't buy her whole shop, I didn't even buy anything (yet)! When I spend my money here in Pokhara, I mostly try to spend it on the Tibetans, because they are really people I feel close to my heart. Being self reluctant in this country, I really have a lot of respect for them, and they are also very friendly, hospital, and even generous. Anyone would open his or her house for you if they can help you with it. They try to sell you their handicrafts, but what makes it different from the millions of others that try to sell you their goods here is that they never become really pushy. Buying from them is partly like a game as much as selling to you is also like a game to them, I was told from someone who used to do it herself. They are really the nicest people I've ever met in this world. Later I will write aboput my experiences of the paragliding, and I will add some very nice pictures, but for now, I just wanted to make a brief update, because so many thing happen in one week. Hope everyone is feeling as well and happy as I do, Bodhi

Teaching at Rosegarden High School

Sunday was teaching day. Unlike in Belgium, where I live officially, children go to school on Sunday in Nepal. They have a free day on Saturday and on Friday they have only a half day of school. I got into contact with Rosegarden Hig School (RHS) true Bhim, one of my Nepali friends. Both his children go to school there. RHS is a private school, and those school give a better education to children normally, because the teachers are more interested, there is more money and therefore more possibilities. As school is getting more expensive every higher year children often have to change from a private school in the early years to government schools at a later age. Me coming there on Sunday, september 16, was quiet a good timing, it seemed. Because of the second day of Teej (see my former blog), of which the first day was two days before, some of the female teachers were not present, due to a temple visit. I must admit that I was a little afraid, when they took me to the class. To be honest, I didn’t prepare anything, thinking I wasn’t really going to teach. No way out, they took me to my first class, where the principal introduced me as a guest from Belgium, and than it was up to me. Starting with my name seemed a good possibility, because, I thought, before they could pronounce my name we would have been 20 minutes further. WRONG, at the first moment they pronounced my name correctly. Even a class of students under 8, and some even 5, I think, they were already ahead of me. When I started talking about my country, the location, the amount of inhabitants, our system of education, they seemed really interested. Asking questions, didn’t seem that difficult as I suspected it would be. It was nice to see how they were listening to me, being amazed thet the highest point of my country (694 m above sea level) was lower as the city they were living in, Kathmandu being a city located at 1350m above that same sea level). When we started talking about sports they really got a grip of the talking and before I knew, we were all around a desk in front of the class, them explaning to me one of Nepalies most popular sports, of which I must say, with a lot of shame, I forgot the name. I do remember that you could play it with two people, or more, as long as you had an even figure. Propably I was more under influence of the impact of the moment as they were, because they remembered my name pretty well. Little rascals! My second class were older people, and actually the “lesson” went pretty much the same, only they got me into singing a Belgian song for them. I think my face was red like hell, but after I finished I received a big applaus, which I must say, really touched me. The questions they were asking me, were really about if I had a war in my country, or problems with discrimination. They were really interested, and had a lot of those questions I really didn’t expect. The range between the oldest and the youngest in the class was something like 7 or 8 years I think. That’s already one of the big differences with the educational program in my country, where everyone is supposed to be the same age in one class, with exceptions for people like me who are so fond of some years that they really want to do it twice. ;) If I wouldn’t have been talking to them, they would have been free to play outside, doing sports, or just talk to eachother, but even when I asked them several times they really chose to stay inside and talk. It was touching again. They stole my heart, they really did, specially that one girl saying to me; you have such a big heart. She must have been something like 12 years old, and that were her exact words. Try to keep your tears inside at that time. They must have seen the water coming up in my eyes, but I don’t mind, although I didn’t feel like crying in there. When I decided on my own to stop the class, because I wanted to visit another school at an orphanage also, standing right outside the door I took out my camera to take a picture of these wonderful people. At once, like there was a magnet in the camera, 250 children came running to me screaming; PHOTO PHOTO PHOTO!!! I got locked in and they came with this speed running up from all sides that when they reached me it was like they couldn’t stop anymore. The result was me laying down on the ground. I think I have never heared 250 people laughing that loud, while “my class” helped me standing up and picking up some things that fell out of my pockets, to give them back to me. After a photo shoot that must have taken like 20 minutes, I finally managed to get out of the fun-war zone and I was so happy. Happy that I could take this extraordinary experience with me inside my heart. Inside my BIG heart!

The start of the trip, and arriving in Kathmandu

It must be hard, travelling with a baby in Kathmandu, because although the Thamel area is filled with shops and people selling on the street, the only thing you can not find here is propably babyfood. I don't remember Kathmandu being this much madness. Last year when I was here, I was with an organised group travell, so maybe that's also different, but how often you get adressed to for trekkings (everyone seems to have a trekking agency, or at least a brother with a trekking agency.

Arriving here, I was happy to be picked up at the airport by one of my Nepali friends, Bhim. Being my guide last year we stayed in contact and there he was. A good thing as finding the hotel wasn't that easy.

After finding the hotel, it soon seemed the Belgian population was well presented at the hotel, and I don't mean only the guests. The staff also had a few Belgians and the man behind the bar, Bruno, seemd to be from the same town as I am. He left Belgium five years ago and has been country-and job-hopping ever since. At the hotel I got in touch with some other fellow Belgian people that live and work here. Very interesting, playing with the idea myself sometimes.

Being invited at Bhim's place for lunch prepared by his wife, was a very pleasant welcome on my first real day here. Knowing that I'm a big fan of Dhal Bath, I got to eat so much that I didn't need anything else that day, at risk of exploding.

Another person I met here is Govinda, a local trekking agent, whome is not trying to sell me anything, but we are talking for hours sometimes about opinions, ideas, in which we seem to be at the same level often.

Visiting Bodhnath again was one my top list when I planned coming back to Nepal, so I immediately dis the first day after having my lunch at Bhim's place. Bodhnath being the biggest Stupa in Nepal, and therefor a very important Buddhistic place. The serenity really has its impact on me.

December 14, 2007 was Teej here in Nepal. A hindu festival, also known as ladies festival. I went to Pashupatinat to see the amazing sight of thousands of women waiting in line to enter the big Shiva temple. Thousands of women is really a true figure. Women are waiting for hours, while on other places women are dancing, all on a day they are not eating or drinking anything. All this in honour of Shiva, praying for their husbands to have a long, happy and healthy life.

Meeting the Belgian people living and working here, in combination with meeting the local people after their working hours, so not commercial related, really gives a lot of extra to my trip, to my days. Govinda is a man I can talk to for hours. Last night we ended up closing the bar at midnight, agreeing on meeting again today in the mornig. We share a lot of the same ideas and our minds are in the same directions. Very nice when you're in a country far away from what you're used to. Those are the moments you do it for!

In this past days my emotions have already been true different stages. Being happy to be here, going over worries about what I'm doing here when everything seems to be different than the last time, passing real sadness seeing a man dying on the street (and I really mean this, I don't think he's alive as I write this) My emotions going true so many different stages in such a short time, it's wonderful, it's what I planned this trip for.

Why? I don't (need to) know!

As I finished my job for a year now, time is getting there to make the final preparations for my trip to Asia. The more I think about it, the more I realise that I've got no real goals over there and that I can't exactly say why I'm going there. The reason why I'm taking this trip is because it feels right, because my heart tells me to. Follow my heart...the thing I used to forget for so many years, is easy once I found out what the heart wants. In many cases it's very difficult to really see what's my heart talking to me, and what's my mind talking to me. Many people talk about making a balance between what the heart wants and what the mind wants. Well, that just isn't good enough for me. My ideal self is making the heart and mind be in balance, not me making it in balance. And I think this is possible, just aim my energy on the right marks, focus on my true values. There's no way of forcing all of this, and therefor I won't even try to. My idea is that spending time in Nepal (at first) will bring back a lot of the inner peace I found there last year, it will bring colours back into my eyes, as well as tears and laughter. And if all of this doesn't happen, still it will be an experience of a lifetime. Enough has happened in the past, enough opportunities have been thrown away by myself, and realising that makes me believe that I want to do this. Doing this is my heart talking, as well as my mind, so I'm on the road to where I want to end. Inner peace!

Mexico Chiapas (part 3/4)

Going to Palenque was one of the best desicions I took when I was in Mexico. I have no regrets of any other desicion, but Palenque is one of those places that conquered my heart. It's one of those places where I felt home, between the ruines, in the jungle, swimming near the waterfalls in that jungle. Every bit of suffering, and mind torturing dissapears, being in that kind of natural welth. I realise that I feel rich, feeling the sun on my face, absorbing colours that surround me, being a small part of that big nature that surrounds me. No pressure, just being part of it and breathing pure nature.

Looking through little gaps, or windows in the ruines give me a different view of the world. Being in that peaceful state of mind, I really get to enjoy those little parts of life so much. It surprises me every time. Being colourblind, I'm not able to name all the colours like other people do, but I know I can absorbe them and let them fly true my body. At those times, I don't care if it's blue or purple, if it's green or brown, I know what I see and I love to be part of it.

Spending time in Palenque together with Dina also made it more easy to gain that state of inner peace. She was there, but not pushing, both in our own state of mind, but still together. Respecting eachothers limits and in loving care for eachothers needs. She's crazy and fun to be with, with a big dose of intelectual baggage and interesting points of view. The kind of person that makes me think about more than what's happening around me, that's Dina.

Walking back from the ruines to the hotel, many mini-busses passed by, but one caught my attention. At the back a young man was waving and signing. The mini-bus stopped and there were Raphael and Emmanuel, the two French people I met in Oaxaca. They left the people they hooked up with, to say hello and have dinner with us that evening. It really touched me!

Going to the waterfalls is always going to inner peace, for me. Visiting Misol-Ha, and Agua Azul was no exception. It's like the energy produced by the water, is transformed into me. With that much energy, it's easy to put away all agitation and enjoy life at its fullest. Swimming between these waterfalls was also a new stage in my search for peace of mind. As I said many times before, also this was being part of such a big thing and just floating in it. Being carried by the power of nature, that's what it feels like, to me.

Agua Azul even touched us so deeply, that we decided to go back the next day, and just spend the whole day at that powerful place.

Mexico Chiapas (part 2/4)

Chamula, is a little town near San Christobal. Here we spend some time walking on the Zocalo, and breathing the atmosphere of the town. Ofcourse there was the market at the Zocalo, there were the children beggers, the church was painted in a colourful way which really made it look wonderful in it's surrounding, but what I liked most at that time was being in the sun. Feeling the sun spreading its beams all over my face. I do believe there is some strong power in the energy of that sun, because when I really let that sun come over me, it's like I'm reborn, and deliberated of any kind of sorrow. At that moment the inner peace overcomes me, and that's what I see as the search in my life: Inner peace. No words anyone has ever said to me had more impact than the beaming of the sun.

It feels like being in the position of a foetus, and the more I let the sun shine on me, the more energy grows in me. The energy makes me open up from the position of the foetus to standing straight, smiling and letting energy flow in and out, all in balance, and with a smile touching both ears! At those moments I feel like a source of neverending positive energy. Energy that I want to use to grow in my life.

One of those moments I reached a little outside the center of Chamula. On the side of a hill, in a semy rough landscape, with a view over the hills and the Zocalo, but far enough so there was silence. Dina and me, we spend some time together there, as well as time alone. It were moments of truth, peace, wisdom. Moments were I could look deep inside myself, without revealing negative energy. At those moments it doesn't matter where I go, I just want to be. Not to be is out of the question! (I solved THE question!!)

When I'm in that state of mind, I can look at emotions in a different way, in a more truthful way. Seeing beggers don't hurt me in the same way anymore. It's not just compassion that I feel, it doesn't make me feel all sad anymore. I can look at myself as an individual, and therefor see the other for what he or she is. It makes me sad seeing that some people have to work hard to attain a little bit of humanity, and others just need to act working hard to attain more and more! My compassion is different. My compassion is really pointed to the individual, and not to my past anymore. I can be there for the other person, where before I was trying to heal my memory also. There is room for others inside my heart, because it's open. There's room for others inside my home!

Opening my home for those who need it the most is something I've always done, but at those times...I think it's more comfortable for everyone.

Mexico Chiapas (part 1/4)

From Oaxaca I returned to DF for one day. Just to see a metal band from Holland, and leave with Dina next day, for a 9 day trip to Chiapas. On the nightbus to DF, I saw Margaret, a woman I met in the Oaxaca hostel. Arriving in DF, it felt a little like coming home. I felt powerful and as if I knew the city as if I had been living there all my life. Propably Margaret saw that and I walked her to her hotel, as a local guide. It was a very special feeling, a feeling of confidence. Before we went to Margaret's hotel, we had a cup of coffee, with some locals, by the street. Just sitting around a big table, where the other people were Mexicansd on their way to work. I felt one with the city and it's atmosphere. I felt part of it, and not just a tourist. Meeting Dina again was special, but seeing Kuas and Kafka again was even better. I even started thinking about a plan to take them home with me. The concert was also something special. I was surrounded by a kind of Mexicans that didn't fit in into my view of Mexicans. I never realised that there were also metal fans in Mexico. People with long black hair, ok, but with dirty long black hair, leather jackets, chains,... I loved it! To save us some time, we flew to Chiapas, although I would have rather taken a bus. Driving in a bus is more like me than taking a plane, but no regrets. The first looks of Chiapas I got were those around the airport. We took a taxi drive from Tuxtla to San Christobal. After five minutes we were already surrounded by beautiful nature. An endless canyon, flowers, trees, hills,... really my kind of surrounding. San Christobal is a little town to me, one that breaths tourism, but not in a diturbing way. As many parts of Mexico, it kept a lot of it's authenticity and local products. Markets, where you can also find locals shopping, little streets, people selling food or drinks on the street. People from around trying to make a living. Ofcourse there were also the beautiful churches. The area also breaths "Marcos" and the Zapatistas. In a history not long ago, the people from Chiapas showed how strongly they can come up for themselves and their loved ones. They stood up against the governement and took possesion of their own streets. It's sad that you have to take possesion of what's yours. They took possesion to make a statement that they wanted a better life, a better life that they deserve. Working hard, providing the rich, but getting only a little in return. I felt the strong willpower of the town. It inspired me to think about terms of possesion, conquering, owning, giving. The earth is only from itself, and we can be happy we get to live on it. But still, we, humans, made places our own. Many people think we can own a part of the earth, but I don't believe in that. Now, I can agree we need structure, the structure that deviding the world into countries tries to provide, but where did we go wrong that it had to come this far? Sometimes I ask myself the quetsion: Why can't we all live peacefully together, respecting ourself and others? It' s a question that used to sound so pathetic in my ears before, but these days, it sound like a scream for help. A scream of becoming aware of who I used to be and to what I became after experiencing life!

Mexico Oaxaca

Oaxaca was the next step in my solo-trip. I had the unique experience of travelling in a bus that arrived early at its arrival place. At one hand I was lucky, because it's a unique experience in Mexico, I was told, but on the other hand arriving in a city at 4.30 am is not complete fun. Being fortunate, I arrived at the hostel, and I didn't have to pay for that same night. Only the next night was charged, but I could already enter the room. Arriving in a dark room at 5 am, with 7 people sleeping there. I felt a little uncomfortable. Searching which bed was mine, making up the bed,... At that moment I didn't know what kind of people were there, and back again, afterworths it seemed that I don't have to worry so much. The hostel had more guests than the one in Xalapa, and here I experienced the joy of meating people that I really felt good with. People you see in the streets again, you have a laugh together, talk a little bit, share some experiences, and then you go on your own way again. These are the people I like, because i really felt close to them but not obliged to anything. I think it had more to do with feeling free and happy. It's my inside that makes me scared of not being good enough, of loosing people, but at that moment I felt so happy with myself, that any bound with others was a wonderful extra, but most of all, there was this peaceful bound with myself. First of all there was Tino, a Mexican from Veracruz, who has a big trip to Asia planned, and we could talk about feelings, emotions, problems,... without me feeling ashamed, or unsafe. He's a very open and smart man that made me even smile more when one week later he send me an e-mail to say how much he liked that conversation. That same conversation that is still in my mind right now. To me it was a sign of appreciation and that feels great. Thanks Tino! Tino was travelling with this Japanese man, and he was the one making me feel really at ease with my tattoo. Years ago I had two Chinese signs tattood on the inside of my left leg. He was the first one I met that could really read the signs. So now I know that I don't walk around with just anything on my leg. Those small moments could make me feel so happy, that sometimes I told myself to stay calm, because I was starting to feel euphoric. When I get euphoric, I start jumping around, singing, dancing, laughing, talking, all things that are just fun, but afterworths I can fall back pretty deep, and that's something I have to try not to let it happen. Although it's part of my nature (or it became one) it feels better to me trying not to let it happen. To do something harmless with all that energy in me, I decided to walk to Monte Alban, a walk up the mountain, a walk that takes about 2 hours. Every step I took, my smile got bigger and bigger. The inner peace I felt at that moment was new to me. As I knew this inner peace before, it reached a new level. It's like I want to laugh and cry at the same time, I feel so free and every emotion can come out. There's no shield over the emotions, they can move around and live freely. At those moments my sences as well as my heart are totally open, and everytime it feels like a liberation. The walk took me a while and it was a walk in the glowing sun. Although it was a little to hot to walk around in this temperature, it was a wonderful (again) experience. Seeing the views over the city and the powers of nature (like the hills and the clouds), and also feeling the wonderings of people about the trip I was taking up to Monte Alban by foot. It's still something that I really like, being admired for something I do, did, or achieved. Maybe that's what got me going all the time, because at the end I was pretty proud of it. I know that many people do it, but I did it and that's what counts most for me. The views over the city I saw were pretty, and behind every corner I knew there was going to be another, wider view. Views that make me realise what my place is on earth as part of a bigger place. A view that makes a lot of needless luggage fall of my back. Feelings of guilt for instance. I also got caught by the image of cross in wood by the road, as a memorial to this little child that died after only living two years. It made me realise again how lucky I am, being here to experience all this beauty for over 32 years now. Kevin, I hope you may rest in peace, and I hope you know that you made me realise how fortunate I am! Even we didn't know eachother personal, you're in my heart! I feel my mother will take care of you, as if you were here own son! At the top of Monte Alban, I met Raphael and Emmanuel, again. Two French people that were also in the hostel in Oaxaca. Talking to them wasn't just to improve my French, because they are really people with an open mind and heart. They felt very open, to me, and Oaxaca wasn't the last place I would see them. Some people pass your way and they just leave an impression you don't forget. I don't know what it was, but they left such an impression on me. A feeling of being accepted, being welcome, being at the same level,...that safe feeling again, without any needs. Just being myself, and being good enough as I am. And about improving my French...mostly I switched to English very fast, because their English was very good, as well as their Spanish. (well, compared to mine) The site of Monte Alban "just" brought extra joy into my heart. The views over the monumental pyramids that were build so long ago, the views over the hills, the flora and even the fauna, it all made me feel in touch with nature and the experience of "now". It also brought me closer to the realisation how easy we have it these days when it comes to materialism. Back in the time when those pyramids were build, they had to spend a lot more effort to accomplish those peaces of art. But so many years later, so many storms, so many earthquakes later, they are still there, while houses build in this time often don't stand a "normal" storm. Did materialism make us lazy? I know it made me lazy! In Oaxaca, I believe I felt the first real freedom of mind. It was like flying around, wondering and enjoying everything that happened around me, in a free state of mind. I could really open up for so many things, and one felt even better than the other. There were not only the long walks, with the nice views, and beautiful colours. There were also the streetmusicians, that filled my heart with joy, happiness and smiles. Food even tasted better enjoying the wonderful music of those musicians. I was amazed that they just played in the street and that you didn't have to pay €50 for it. In Europe, I think those people would get a contract from one or another record label and they would only play in theaters or on festivals. I'm not the biggest music expert, but to me they sounded great. Not only this band was a pleasure for my ears, eyes and stomach, there were these two other musicians that made me smile all the way true their performance. They were not only good musicians, they also knew how to play their audiance, just acting crazy, but I doubt if it was really acting. It even brought me into a contact with the waiter of the caffee where I was enjoying a coffee, and he seemed to be the cousin of the two musicians. Hours later, he came up to me, at a different place, and at first I didn't even recognize him. He just came for a talk, some laughing...I felt adopted by the city and its inhabitants. It was another wonderful moment, another moment of true inner happiness. Another image that caught my attention was a square filled with police, some heavily armed, others weaponless. In between of them was an old woman, and she made that view so perfect. In Mexico they take "to serve and protect" very literally, I think. For hours the police were walking around at the square and the Zocalo, next to it. Sometimes, it seemed like something was going to happen, because they were organising, or running to another place, but I've been there for hours and nothing happened. It was a strange, but pleasant atmosphere. I didn't know what was going to happen, and I was even filled with a taste of sensation. It was a healthy taste, at least that was how it felt to me. I've been just sitting at the Zocalo for hours, talking to Curtis, a Canadian I met in the hostel, just sitting by myself, watching children play and be happy, talking to strangers, listening to the live music, . I'm repeating myself...it filled my heart and soul with joy, smiles and happiness! I didn't care about anything anymore, everything felt so nice and peaceful inside of me. It was like I just became energy, and my body made sure all that energy stayed together. It was like flying around, I was really feeling free. Free of thoughts and every obstacles they can bring, just wondering! Smiling every moment of that day, it was one of the most energetic days of my life, so far. Being a solo traveller, doing this trip, arranging things by myself, and feeling so wonderful...it made and still makes me proud of myself! Your Ghsostboy, Bodhi