2012

I made it through another year a few hours ago and most of you back on the east coast have probably just set down your empty champagne glass, if you even bothered to stay awake until 12. It doesn't seem as important to be at a party after 60 + years as it once was. I got home well before midnight last night.
I was in the big park last night for a while. The crowds, the enthusiasm, the music, etc. far surpassed any public new year gathering even in South Beach. The variety of music ranged from traditional Vietnamese performed on a raft floating in the lake to popular western rock performed by 2 sexy Filipinas and a great back up band. The food vendors sold Thai, Indonesian, Malay, Indian, Mexican, German, Russian, of course Vietnamese and plenty of 333 (ba ba ba) beer.I have not seen black eye peas anywhere, so I hope my luck will be good anyway.
Best wishes to you for 2012. You are in my thoughts and prayers and I ask the same of you.

That Was Christmas

Christmas morning mass at Notre Dame Cathedral which was built but the occupying French in 1863 and is a famous landmark in central Ho Chi Minh City

It is now 10 PM on Christmas here in Viet Nam, and my day is winding down. I expect back in the good ole Eastern time zone you folks are getting ready for Christmas church service to be followed by a festive holiday lunch. Well, I am thinking of you and sending my love from half way around the world.

You might be wondering how I spent my Christmas holiday. For starters, let me say it beat the pants off last year when I spent about 20 hours on various forms of transportation from Koh Phanghan in Thailand to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Last night, Christmas Eve, I went for coffee, which is what people do here in lieu of cocktails, with another resident of my apartment complex, a girl named Quy who is from Hanoi working and living here in HCMC until next week when she returns to Hanoi. We went to my favorite neighborhood restaurant for a hot pot, the Vietnamese version of fondue, and then said good bye to each other for the night as we both had made plans to meet friends later in the evening. I continued Christmas Eve evening with another friend Phu and we set out on foot to the center to view the festivities there, but turned back after deciding it was way too crowded. Instead we sat in an outdoor cafe near my place to drink beer and people watch.
This morning I went to Notre Dame (Catholic) catheral in the Center for the 930 English mass. Well, most of the mass was in Vietnamese, but a little was in English. I thought it interesting that the nativity scripture was from John, "In the beginning there was the Word, and the Word was with God and the Word was God.", and not, "for unto you is born this day in the city of David.... The message of the brief English homily was that Jesus was born an infant dependent on his parents and from that we should learn dependency on each other. The choir sang "Joy to the World" in Vietnamese, and hearing it brought sentimental tears to my eyes.

Walking back home from mass, I was surprised to get calls from William and Pam Mackey in Sea Island for Christmas and also from Alberto Costilla who is visiting his family in Argentina for Christmas. Hearing from my friends was indeed the highlight of the day.
This evening I attended a potluck Christmas party at the home of a new friend, Teresa, a Vietnamese lady who lived many years in Toronto but now lives back here. Since I have no cooking facilities I took Australian and South American wines for potluck. There were so many delicious dishes-egg rolls, spring rolls, grilled fish, chicken (complete with feet), salads, pork ribs and a lot of things I could not identify but ate anyway. There was no potato salad and no deviled eggs which inspired me to find some way to boil eggs and take that ole time favorite if I am invited to another potluck. I did not expect to have much conversation at the party and was so pleasantly surprised to meet quite a few friendly fluent English speakers. I really had a very nice time there. The only downside to the evening was that the new batteries I loaded in my camera especially for the party quit on me after just one photo.
As Christmas 2011 wanes I just want to say how thankful I am for my family and friends and the good life I enjoy. I try to remain always mindful of all God's blessings, because I am truly grateful for what I have. On some special days such as Christmas it just seems appropriate to share my gratitude and love. Warmest Christmas wishes to you from HCMC.

The usual frenetic traffic in HCMC was at about a 10X level on Christmas Eve as it seems the whole population descended on District 1 to celebrate the holiday.

It's Looking Like Christmas

Sai Gon is brightly lit for the Christmas, New Year and Lunar New Year. Stalls are being set up on the streets and in the parks and I expect these will be full of things to buy or admire in a few more days. There is a festive air about as the holidays come closer.

Blue Christmas

Sai Gon is getting really decked out for Christmas, especially here in District 1 which is the shopping and tourist center. To my color blind eyes it seems the color of choice for the ubiquitous Christmas lights is blue. I commented to someone that red is out traditional Christmas color, and he told me red is the color associated with new years here. Since I am feeling less of a tourist these days I usually do not take my camera out with me but I will make an effort to get a few pics of some of the decorations that I see here.
This is the Sunday before Christmas and I am feeling nostaligic, so I am off in a few minutes to find an English church in hopes of some Christmas music. Last year on the Sunday before Christmas I was in Bangkok and I ran into an Anglican candle light service much like the ones we have back at FPC in Valdosta. I hope to be as lucky this year.
On the culinary front, I expanded my menu selection last night to include ostrich. For a long time I have heard the accolades of this low cholesterol healthy option, so instead of choosing the beefsteak for which the last night's restaurant was known, I went for the ostrich steak. It was a dark reddish color with a texture and taste more like beef than chicken. I will surely return to the same restaurant which had about the best french fries I have eaten and I will likely repeat my order of this new discovery.
Now I am off in search Christmas carols. More later.

Call Me

I thought I would pass along my local phone in case anyone has a hankering to phone one day. I think of the Blondie lyrics, "call me, call me anytime". Actually, the time in VietNam is exactly 12 hours ahead of eastern US time, so noon there is midnight here.
Well, if you have Skype and a few free minutes, I would love to hear from you. Just scroll down the list of countries in the Skype menu, select Viet Nam and then dial my number 127 477 6237. It is that easy thanks to amazing technology.

Staying Fit

The former French Country Club of Sai Gon, now know as the Labor Club

Since I have plenty of time on my hands here in Sai Gon I have made it a priority to try to improve my level of fitness, so I located a gym and swimming pool not far from my apartment. I think it is quite interesting that this facility was once the French country club during the days of colonialism. Often in my travels in this part of the world have I been outraged at the audacity of the European powers who overpowered the local authorities and established a European society. In the case of the country club it is built immediately in the center of Sai Gon on prime real estate next to the former presidential palace. It is easy to understand why the Vietnamese hated the French so vehemently when seeing something like this abuse of power.

Now however the former country club is far more egalitarian, open to the public and is called "The Labor Club". I love the irony of the name and also love that it sounds so very communist. The once surrounding golf course is gone, replaced by polular badminton, tennis and basketball courts.

I have a month membership in the gym for $6 and also can pay less than half a dollar to swim in the huge pool whenever I want. The gym is pretty basic, most of the machines probably having been welded together based on some rough idea of what an equivalent Nautilus machine would be, the free weights are scattered all over the floor instead of neatly racked, and the cooling fans hardly work at all. The Y in Valdosta looks pretty % star in comparison, but this is a friendly place and convenient so I am determined to get into better shape while here.

I took a picture of one page of the snack bar menu at the Labor Club. Whenever I go into the snack bar I always nostalgically think of Esther and Robert from the snack bar at the VCC when I was growing up. No hotdogs and hamburgers are on this menu, but you certainly have a wide variety of rice dishes. There is a pidgin English phrase used all over southeast Asia, "Same, same but different." That is how I feel about the snack bar here in Sai Gon.

The whole facility would be much improved with a coat of paint and I suggested posting notices for a volunteer work party to spruce up one Saturday. The very practical response I got was, "Who would supply the paint?" I still have this idea in my mind, however.

Settling In

On December 1 I moved in to an apartment in Ho Chi Minh City and for the first time since early October I have a place to call my own. Where I am living is pretty simple and basic, just a room with a bed, a desk, a wardrobe, a television, a fridge and a bathroom. This is a petty common set up for foreigners living here and there are 6 other similar rooms in this building. I am in an excellent location near the center of HCMC, so there are plenty of cafes around and I will not go hungry here.

It is refreshing to be so minimalist in my needs. TodayI went shopping for my new place and my list was short---coat hangers and a large coffee cup. (Coffee here is served in cups only slightly larger than a demi tasse.) I want to buy a reading light for my bed and that should about complete the furnishings I require.

My next project is to find some work. I really do not expect much pay but I think a raison d'etre ici is important. I have a few leads to follow however this country will have Christmas, New Years and Tet within the next few weeks, so hiring may be slow at the moment. I did just buy a white shirt and necktie preparatory for job hunting.

Dining in Viet Nam

Certainly one of the things I like best about travel is getting to eat foods that are new or at least prepared differently from ways I have tried before. Often the menus in restaurants are 8 or 10 pages which can be daunting. It is a relief to be able to omit some items automatically such as eel and crocodile. ( I am working on the courage to try eel one of these days, however.) At the restaurant which I picked tonight, I saw another easily omitted entree selection---fried ox penis with chili sauce. Good grief! Talk about not wasting anything!
On the other hand I confidently ordered eggplant with anchovy sauce, even though the waiter questioned my choice. I think it is gonna be a while before I want to taste anchovy again! On the way out I mentioned to the waiter that I should have listened to him. He told me that anchovy sauce is too strong even for many Vietnamese.
Since I am on a food line, I will just give a little rundown on lunch. I was wandering in an area I had not been before and smelled meat cooking on a fire and a large crowd eating in the little mom and pop cafe. I stopped on my way inside and pointed to what I wanted to eat and had a delicious meal of pork chop, chicken stew, rice, veggies and ice tea for under $1.25. My Vietnamese vocabulary is expanding gradually and the word for rice is one I think I will not forget.

Living in Sai Gon

On Saturday my friend, Phu, brought his 4 1/2 year old daughter, Chick, to the city to play in the park near my hotel where there is an very extensive kiddie playground with all kinds of amusements. We met for lunch at her favorite place, KFC. She was predictably shy at first but later in the day was riding me piggyback. She can count to 10 in English. Wow!
I had a little setback on my apartment search yesterday, as the place I had selected now might not be available on December 1 as I had anticipated. I will start searching again. I have found a gym with a pool so that is progress. Also I have a few leads on teaching positions. All in all it is going quite well for me here in HCMC.

Thanksgiving in HCMC

Yesterday was Thanksgiving back home but there was no sign of a turkey or a pilgrim to be found where I am. (However there are smatterings of Christmas decorations about, as merchants here are cashing in on the selling opportunity in this country where western practices are often emulated.) My sister Eve sent me an email detailing the extravagant menu I was missing and I told my friend here that I had gotten a very cruel message from my sister. I called Eve on Skype Thanksgiving morning and told her what I had said. She told me she just wanted me to miss the family and I replied that I missed them without being reminded of what I was missing.
Well, I hope all of you enjoyed turkey day. Since my time in Sai Gon is 12 houirs ahead of EST, you are probably finishing off your turkey sandwiches now and the tryptophane should kick in shortly so I wish you all a good night of sleep. Don't go crazy with Black Friday shopping.

fyeo

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A Few More Pics of Mui Ne

I just returned to Saigon after a few days in the beach/coastal town of Mui Ne. The beach was delightful and theraputic, helping me get rid a a recurrent upper respiratory problem. I took a few hours away from the beach to explore the area a little. The most famed site of Mui Ne is the Saharan like sand dune which is best viewed at sunset. I tried sand sledding but ended up with clothes and skin covered with fine sand. Next time I will skip the sand sled and just enjoy the spectacular views.

A local fishing village, perhaps source of some of the fine seafood I enjoyed in the "bo ke",

which means waterside, food stands.

These are not baskets for collecting fish. They are woven boats which are everywhere along the coast.

Just a couple of notes here:

1-When I try to run spell check here in Viet Nam the program must think I am writing in Vietnamese because the only words not highlighted for correction are "the," "a," and "in" which must be Vietnamese words.

2-For anyone going to Mui Ne be sure to eat at Lam Tong Popular Restaurant, a bo ke right on the beach in the center of town. Order batter fried shrimp and grilled squid.

Back in Viet Nam

Mui Ne, Viet Nam is known as the kite surfing capital due to usual favorable winds and weather. The sky is filled with flying surf boards and I really wanted to try it but:
1-There is a 12 hour instruction course before you are allowed to kite surf on your own.
2-The classes are fully booked for the next 4 days.
3-The course of instruction and supply rentals cost $540.
Well, if I were only 25 or 30 I think I would overcome these challenges but for now it looks like it ain't gonna happen

When I left off I was in Hong Kong and enjoying that fine city, so I was happy that my explorations prior to flying to Viet Nam had a happy ending. I flew from Hong Kong to Saigon on 14 November on Cathay Pacific, an airline which regularly is rated among the world's best. It was a good but non exceptional flight. I did enjoy the meal service on the short flight--- probably the best meal I had since arriving in Asia.

I arrived Ho Chi Minh City 6 PM on Monday afternoon. I obtained my visa upon arrival in a procedure now familiar to me. (Rush to the service window with passport photo in hand, take a barely readable xeroxed form to fill out, complete the form and return it to the service window and wait, but hopefully less time than the other arriving passengers who have been less aggressive in getting to the agent accepting passports and dispensing visas.) I recovered my luggage after finishing the above formalities and bargained with a taxi from $25 to $9 to take me to Pham Nu Lau Street where I knew I could find a hotel without problem. Traffic into the city, always congested, was worse than usual being rush hour on Monday afternoon, so I generously tipped the driver an extra dollar (actually 20,000 Dong).

Ho Chi Minh was predictably energetic and I always like the feeling of the bustle of District 1. I met my friend Phu whom I know from previous trips and he sat in Allez Boo bar with my luggage while I went to find a room. I checked in to a place I had stayed another time but decided that I would upgrade the next day and I was very satisfied with my new lodgings. The internet was a little dodgy there, but everything else was peachy.

Among my first orders of business were to get a haircut and shave ($5), massage ($10) and maincure/pedicure ($5). For $20 I underwent a revitalization, and I expect I will enjoy the same procedures over and over, especially at those prices. If nothing else I hope to look well groomed.

Yesterday (Saturday, 12 November) I traveled to the beach town of Mui Ne. My friend Phu told me he was going there to make some sales calls and asked if I would like to go along. I agreed and that is where I am now, sitting outisde my beachfront room writing this report. Mui Ne is a resort town for Vietnamese, but mostly whom I see here are Russians and most of the signage here is in Vietnamese language as well as in Cyrillic alphabet.)

It is great to be back in Viet Nam. I hope that I will find an apartment next week and I will change from visitor to resident, at least temporarily. I have some leads on apartments which I found on Craig's List, which is also the same machine which helped me sell some of the things left from my moving sales a few weeks (It seems like ages) ago.

Hong Kong

This is the track of the Peak Tram Railway in Hong Kong. I took this tram to the highest peak in the city and had some spectacular, though fog and cloud obscured, views.

Symphony of Light show from Kowloon looking at Hong Kong

In my explorations I came across "Bird Walk Road" which is where locals bring thier caged birds for a walk. What a funny custom!

I am glad to find some place which I like finally. If it was not clear, I really did not like China for many reasons, so it is a pleasure to be in Hong Kong which is an exciting city with a great energy. I can move HK into my favorite cities list, along with Miami, Kuala Lumpur and Buenos Aires.

Arriving in HK and getting to the hotel was so easy. I followed the directions which had been emailed to me and went to the ground transport area of the airport and took the airport shuttle to the front of my hotel. The hotel where I am staying is not like any I have ever seen before. It is about 10 or 12 rooms on the 14th floor of a high rise and the whole building seems to be made up of lots of hotels (guesthouses), visa services and other small businesses. My room is about the size of a medium walk in closet and that includes the bathroom. Fortunately my bag is small enough to fit under the bed . But the hotel is clean, quiet, secure and ideally located with many attractions within walking distance. I am paying more for a room here than I usually pay, but HK is famously expensive.

Speaking of expensive, I have never seen a city so densely packed with high end designer shopes. On Canton Road today which is one of the major shopping streets, I noticed Channel is next to Ferragamo which is next to Fendi which is next to Prada. Hong Kong reeks of prosperity, although the world economy has taken its toll here too.

I have undertaken to see as much of this interesting city as I can. Hong Kong can be thought of as two areas separated by about a 1/2 mile wide bay. I am staying on the mainland side which is known as Kowloon. The actual city of Hong Kong is acroos the bay and is located on an island. Hong Kong is the financial center and Kowloon is more commercial, but both are developed with amazingly beautiful buildings many vintage but more fantastically modern. Last night i went to the Symphony of Lights which is a laser show on the waterfront with music and lights playing on the buildings on both the Hong Kong and Kowloon sides. There was narration in Cantonese so I undertstood absolutely nothing. Tiday I covered a wide distance by subway, light rail train and bus, going from an early settlement of the area on the mainland near to the China border to Stanley which is on the tip of Hong Kong island. The bus ride from central Hong Kong to Stanley along a cliff hanging road was unforgetably beautiful with views from high up the mountains to the Pacific below. I am glad to be reminded of the serendepity of some unplanned bus trips.

Still Catching Up

Terra Cotta Army near Xian

Shanghai Skyline

When I decided to leave China without doing an extensive tour as I had anticipated, I chose to limit my destinations to a couple of choices, Xian and Shanghai. I wanted to give China a fair shot but I just was not "feeling it."

I took the overnight sleeper train from Beijing to Xian. My rest on the train was quite comfy and I slept very soundly. The slight swaying and white noise of the wheels on the tracks relaxed me and I decided that another overnight train in China would be a fine idea. Upon arriving in Xian I was met by a representative from my hostel who was holding up a sign with my name. I always enjoy the luxury of being escorted to my destination when in a new place.

The weather in Xian was no better than what I experienced in Beijing---cold and a little rainy. I spent my first day exploring the area near the hotel which was centrally located near the ancient bell tower. Xian still retains its ancient wall from the time when it was the capital city of China. Hardly any remains from that time are known inside the city which is now a skyscraper filled metropolis. Xian's present claim to fame is the terra cotta warriors which were discovered by a farmer digging a well in the 1970's, nearly 2000 years after internment.

The terra cotta warrior army consists of over 2000 clay statues of all types of military men from foot soldiers to generals which were buried along with an emperor to serve with him in the afterlife. The statues do not contain bodies as I had originally thought, however each artisan was killed after completing his sculpture so that the location of the grave site would be kept secret. One would not want to rush to finish the job under those circumstances. On the guided tour I took I kept wondering why the heavily accented guide kept mentioning Harry Potter until I realized she was saying "terra cotta."

From Xian I took another overnight train to Shanghai. Again I was pleased with train travel and I recommend the overnight trips which both get you to where you are going and also save paying for a hotel. I did not have an escort to meet me in Shanghai so I took the metro to my hotel following the instructions included with my confirmation letter. I was pleased that it was quite easy getting there.

Shanghai is one of the worlds major cities but still the dearth of English speakers was obvious. It is contrary to all that I believe about travel to expect people to speak English to accommodate me, but I guess I have become more accustomed to it than I realized. Even the beggar children on the beaches in Cambodia speak basic to excellent English, and that is such a poor country. Maybe it is the Chinese confidence in their upcoming place in the world that they do not bother to learn another language, just like Americans did not learn other languages when I was in school.

The Bund in Shanghai is the famous waterfront. This is where international trade prospered and it was interesting to see since I just finished reading "Around the World in Eighty Days" and I could picture Phileas Fogg and Passepartout scrambling to get the boat to Hong Kong in time to catch another ship for their trans Pacific crossing. The Bund is a dazzling display of impressive modern buildings.

From Shanghai I flew to Hong Kong which brings me up to date. I will give more info on Hong Kong soon. I plan to fly to Saigon in the next few days so I expect to enjoy my time in Hong Kong for now. Details will follow.

I'm Back On Line

Incredibly crowded Forbidden City. Most Chinese were in groups and the group would all wear identical hats or tee shirts. Notice the haze in the air and you might recall all the concern over air quality during the 2008 Olympics. I went running a couple of times in Beijing but decided that it was very unhealthy to exercise in that environment.
Standing in front of Forbidden City with the Chairman Mao. I will tell you a story about the later.

When I left Valdosta a few weeks ago I had planned to keep everyone back home updated with my blog, so it was shocking when I got to Beijing back on 28 October to learn that "google" which is the host site for blogspot is restricted in China, as are Facebook and You Tube. I arrived today in Hong Kong which was reunited with China a few years back, but still has different laws (and different currency as well.) and now I am able to get back to blogspot. So here I go trying to update what I have been seeing with my one good eye since I last wrote. If you plan to read all this in one sitting, might I suggest a cup of coffee or a strong drink?

I had an enjoyable trans Pacific flight from Chicago to Beijing, and I was lucky to have a seat in first class, which gave me a flat bed for sleeping on the 19 hour crossing. Something new that American Airlines has started in first class is giving out pajamas, but I never put mine on. I would rather have the caviar which disappeared from first class in the cost cutting days of early 21st century than pjs, however I have made good use since getting here. My flight arrived in Beijing about midnight on 28 October and I took a taxi to my hostel which I had booked before leaving home. I was glad to get a shower and hoped for a restful sleep, and at least I get the hot shower. Oh yeah, when I opened my bag which I had checked it took me a few seconds to realize that I had made a terrible error and taken another Land's End bag instead of my own. I remember when I used to work baggage service in Dallas Fort Worth airport that I thought people who did a bag switch were so stupid and careless. Oops! So instead of lazing around like a slug my first morning in Beijing, I went to the airport and swapped one bag for mine. I feel so badly for the people whose bag I took, and I enclosed a note and cash to apologize.

Beijing is a monstrous city of many millions and I found nothing there to make me want to return. I visited Beijing about 10 years ago with a group of coworkers and did a rush tour of the Great Wall, the Forbidden City, the Summer Palace, etc. so I chose to explore at my leisure a more local scene. The weather was rainy; prices, high; air, polluted; people, pushy; smells, foul; food, greasy---just not much to love there. The most enjoyable activity I did was to visit the mausoleum where Chairman Mao Zse Dong lies in state, lo these many years after his death. Many Chinese I saw going in there treated it as if it were a Buddhist temple, laying yellow chrysanthemums in front of a huge statue of Chairman Mao sitting in an almost Buddha posture and smiling benevolently down on his adorers. My final day in Beijing I revisited the Forbidden City since it was very close to my hotel and seemed like a good idea. The crowds of Chinese and other tourists were daunting and I was glad that someone had suggested listening to classical music to cocoon myself from the mobs. I toured the hundreds years old home of the Chinese royalty to a soundtrack of Handel, Beethoven, Ravel and Gershwin.

I was starting to feel like I did not want to spend too much time in China so instead of traveling slowly like I had enjoyed so much in Viet Nam, I began to plan a more streamlined trip with stays in only two more cities, Xian and Shanghai. Since it is getting to be supper time here n Hong Kong, I will stop here for now. I still another two weeks to report to bring you up to date.

Finland

The Jarimo's summer house on the island about 2 hours from their home in Helsinki.

Leena and Seppo in the dinghy going from the car to the island.

Preparatory to my professionally conducted estate sale I was required to vacate my house for two weeks so the workers could come in and set up everything for sale day. Since American Airlines recently started flying to Finland, I contacted a friend from Helsinki who was a Rotary exchange student at Valdosta State University in 1970 with whom I have been in contact ever since. I asked if I might come over for a visit and so I flew from Chicago to Helsinki on September 28.

Leena and her husband Seppo met me at the airport at 0830 on September 29 and we took a sightseeing ride along several bays going to their home where we sat drinking coffee catching up with each other since the last time we were together back in the early 90' s in Orlando. Later in the afternoon Leena took Seppo and me into downtown Helsinki and dropped us off to look around while she managed a few things back at her office. Seppo and I walked around seeing some of the places which I last saw in summer of 1970, the only other time I was in Finland.

We stopped in an Irish pub, what else, for a beer and then took a bus back to their house. Leena's brother, a professional photographer, who had visited me both in Las Vegas and in Orlando, stopped in for a visit later that day.

Since my plan was to be in Finland only for a long weekend we got up early the following morning and set out for the Jarimo summer house on a small island about 2 hours from Helsinki. We transferred our overnight supplies to a dinghy which they keep at the car park and crossed a small bay to their island. What a Hansel and Gretel setting. The white bark spruce trees with golden leaves and the soaring evergreens dappled the sunlight into little pools of bright amidst the shadowy forest. Ankle deep green moss covered much of the ground and looked like a most inviting place to spread a blanket to take a nap. Tiny black mushrooms protruded through the moss and we picked some for homemade mushroom soup which Leena stirred up as a first course of our supper that night.

Like all Finnish summer homes, theirs was complete with sauna, so while the wood was burning to heat the rocks in the sauna, Seppo and I went out in the boat to set out a fish net with which we hoped to catch enough for tomorrow's lunch. By the time we finished the sauna was ready so boys went first and we sweated out our time in the sauna. After about 20 minutes it was time for the bone chilling plunge into the Baltic. This was no time for wading in and getting used to the water, but rather a headfirst plunge into the breath taking numbing sea. After a few seconds swim it was back to the sauna for thawing out. Leena got her turn in the sauna after we finished.

When I planned my trip to Finland I was confident that the flight returning to Chicago on Sunday October 2 would have plenty of seats available and therefor no need to worry about getting one of the space available places. Good for American Airlines by the time my plans were finalized to visit my friends, the return flight had become slightly overbooked but it was too late to change plans. Well, as it turned out, I was the standby passenger with the highest boarding priority for that flight back to Chicago and I got the one and only seat left on the plane. I enjoyed my flight back to Chicago in business class and made a connection to Jacksonville easily. It was a 2 hour drive from Jacksonville back home but I decided to tough it out and sleep in my own bed rather than get a hotel. In all it was about 20 hours from Helsinki to Valdosta and I have had longer trips than that.

I was so glad to pull into my driveway and get inside my house for a long anticipated sleep. Little did I expect the impact of the upcoming estate sale as I entered and saw all my kitchen equipment laid out on the counter tops neatly priced to sell. As I proceeded further into my house I was most shocked when I got to my bedroom and the bed was already GONE! I slept fitfully in a recliner.

Freedom

Homeless, no furniture, not even a pot to piss in. And that's okay!

In March I returned from my second winter in Asia just in time to celebrate Ellen Dewar's birthday and recovery from cancer. After just a few days back in Valdosta, I was suffering from allergies and asthma like I had not experienced since I was about 12 years old. I was successfully treated by Dr. Fawzi Durani, whom I completely recommend by the way, and all was fine until a few months later when summer hit full blast just like a furnace. I began to think that I did not enjoy the summers here in Valdosta as much as I disliked the winters, so I started trying to think of a solution. I a light bulb going off in my head moment, it occurred to me that I should think of a way to avoid summer's and winter's extreme temperatures and spring's and fall's pollen saturated allergy inducing climates. The solution, I decided, would be to sell my stuff and rent my house, and it has been that course of action which has occupied most of my activities for the past month. On 8 October I scheduled a local company to come in and conduct a professional estate sale of all my belongings and on the following weekend ( was it really only 6 days ago?) I held my own moving sell. Now my house is completely empty and cleaned ready for renters in about 10 days.

Next Tuesday, October 25, I will travel to Jacksonville, Florida, with the Renfroes, resettle Max my cat with Rena and Shelly and their other pets Sandy the dog and Mojo the cat and fly on Wednesday to Chicago and onward to Beijing. I plan to travel several weeks in China and then fly from Hong Kong to Saigon, Viet Nam, which I think will be my location for Christmas and on through or new year on January 1 and their lunar new year, Tet, later in January. When asked I have said that I plan to teach English in Viet Nam. Maybe I really will!

So that's what is happening in my life at the moment. I will write a little more in different chapters about the moving process so that when I get to China I can start reporting more current events. If you are interested, you can read more.

Home Again

Home Sweet Home

I have been remiss in not reporting that I am safely back home and many of you have let me know that. Sorry!!! I made all flights as planned from Siem Reap to Seoul to Atlanta to Valdosta and in something like 36 hours I was back home where I had 2 vehicles that would not start but a nice clean front yard, thanks to my sister and brother in law. I got to my house about 6 PM on March 1 and minutes later my dear friend William Mackey dropped in with a basket of fruit, wine, cheese and snacks that would get me through the first days at home without having to go shopping. I`went to the Renfroes for a delicious southern soul food dinner and then headed home for a much anticipated sleep.

How do I feel about being home? Well, I am happy to be with family, friends and Max, but I do miss life on the road. Being able to take clothes from a closet and not a suitcase, brushing my teeth with water right from the tap and not from a bottle, opening the refrigerator and pouring a glass of milk, hopping in the car and driving where I want to go certainly are common activities that take on a new significance after so long a time away and I am grateful that I have a comfortable home and a warm welcome on my return. There is a lure of Asia that beckons me back and I hope that I will be able to return soon. Meanwhile, I will enjoy the gorgeous spring weather, albeit with itchy eyes and runny nose---so much pollen--- and being with the people I love here in Valdosta.

Countdown to Departure

Ear Candling at the night market in Seam Reap

I have come up with a plan to get home leaving Seam Reap tomorrow night for a 24 hour plus trip to Valdosta, if all goes well. I will be flying on Korean Air and on Delta, so I can not verify actual flight bookings. I hope my good luck holds out and that I will be back on Williams Street when I wake up Wednesday morning. By chance if anyone knows of someone driving from Atlanta to Valdosta on March 1 who would not mind a rider, I would like to hitch a ride. Let me know in my email hanahan12@aol.com.

Meanwhile, I am using my remaining hours in Asia well. Today I took a cooking class learning some new Cambodian recipes. Today's dishes were Cambodian vegtable soup, spring rolls and banana with taro root for desert. I learned at my previous class that you eat what you cook so I skipped breakfast. Since I was the only student there was far too much food for me to eat and I have a few fresh spring rolls I brought home to snack on later.

Tomorrow I will do a repeat tour of the Temples of Angkor Wat. I was there about this time last year and I think there is enough to see to warrant another visit. The tour should keep me from getting into too much trouble on my last day.

Yesterday I went for an ear candling, something I have heard of for years but never had an opportunity. A waxy paper cone is placed into your ear and fired up. All the wax in your ears is drawn into the cone, and I really believe that I hear more clearly after the treatment. Of course I enjoyed a massage also and will probably do the same again today. Like I said I am trying to use my remaining hours in Asia to the fullest.

Back in Cambodia

When I flew to Viet Nam I was hoping that I could fly from Sai Gon to Tokyo and connect with American Airlines for my flight home, but I could not find a satisfactory option, therefore I am in Cambodia in search of a flight. I really like Phnom Penh--it is friendly and inexpensive and the food is soooo good. I will stay here for one day more and then bus (maybe the last one of this trip) to Siem Reap which I have said before is one of my favorite cities in the world. From there I think I can fly to Seoul, Korea and then nonstop to Atlanta. If all goes well I may be home on 2 March. With little time left, I should go out and hit the streets of Phnom Penh. Oh, my dear Asia, I am missing you already.

Rewind

I have counted neither but I would guess there are more motorbikes in Sai Gon than there are pine trees in Valdosta. The streets are jammed with motorbikes always beeping and dodging each other. It is pandemonium but I have seen hardly any accidents, so I guess it works.

I began my homeward trek this week flying from Singapore to Sai Gon, Viet Nam, where I plan to stay for about a week visiting and revisiting friends, sights, restaurants, etc. I liked this city the first time I saw it and I hope I can keep coming back. My plan was to fly from Sai Gon to Tokyo where I could connect with American Airlines for my flights back home, but now every flight to Tokyo looks full so I think I will have to fly out of Bangkok, darn it!!!

Between here and Bangkok lies Cambodia and I could travel by bus via Phnom Penh and Siem Reap , getting in another visit to those wonderful places or I could fly to Bangkok. Both options are appealing and I do not mind another stop in Bangkok. I wish traveling via Cambodia did not involve more packing, unpacking and hotels, but I may have to take the slow way so I can enjoy the delicious Cambodian food again. Reports of improved weather back home are encouraging.

Replay

When I was in Melacca the first time I discovered a guesthouse which I filed as the place to stay next time here. It is on "Harmony Street" so named because there are an Islamic mosque, a Hindu temple and a Buddhist pagoda within 3 blocks. My hotel is just opposite the mosque and my window is at the exact level of the loudspeakers in the minaret which are used to call the followers of Islam to prayer 5 times a day. This morning I was abruptly awakened by the
muezzin reminding all good Muslims that it was time for morning prayer. Although I kind of
get a thrill each time I hear the exotic sounds, I was less than thrilled at 6 AM. Well, this is a long caption to tell you the above picture is the offending mosque.


I left Bali last week and flew to Kuala Lumpur. I keep thinking that KL is one of my favorite cities in the world. It is clean, beautiful, friendly, English friendly, epicurean. What's not to like?
This is the first leg of my homeward journey; and I feel a bit sad that the time is coming that I leave Asia, but I am looking forward to the comforts of home including my well supplied bathroom, a glass of wine while visiting with friends and family, playing with Max, even sweating in the yard repairing the months of neglect.
I am now in my hotel in Malacca which is about half way between KL and Singapore. I was here before I went to Indonesia and so I am revisiting a few places I enjoyed before and also discovering some new places. Tomorrow I go by bus for the short trip to Singapore. I will stay there for one night and fly on a confirmed ticket to Ho Chi Minh City, Viet Nam. I hope that I will be able to make a trip to Phu Quoc Island which is one of Viet Nam's best beaches. It is likely I will be home early in March, but I always try to keep options open.
If anyone has a bottle of wine and some good cheese in your fridge when I get home, I will be available.

Way To Go

This is one way to go. Incongruously the whole time I was watching this scene, "Come On, Baby, Light My Fire" by the Doors was playing in my head.

When I arrived in Ubud a week back I began hearing talk of the royal cremation scheduled for 10 February. It seems that 10 February was an auspicious day for the bodies of 3 members of the royal family of Bali who had died within the past several months to be cremated. As I am becoming accustomed in Bali, I never really understand what and why things are happening, so it is mostly a matter of watching, asking and trying to put together the pieces of information. Evidently the bodies were buried up until this day when they were exhumed and treated to a royal sendoff. The atmosphere was very festive and I detected only a brief instant of sadness when one lady, presumably the widow, tossed flowers on the pyre of her husband and had to be assisted down.

The royal palace in Ubud is very centrally located and I passed it often going to and fro and this is where the event was to begin. From Wednesday afternoon onward there was classical Balinese music and dancing. The drums, flutes, gongs and bells were a constant exotic background soundtrack when I would shop or eat or sight see in this part of town. When I walked up to the palace on Thursday morning the crowd was huge. Everywhere there were sarongs for sale. Wearing a sarong, which is simply a meter and a half of cloth wrapped around your waist, was required in order to enter the temples and palace. I bought a nice sarong and to complement my outfit I also purchased a non required scarf for my head, just to add to my sizable collection of head wear. I felt quite well dressed, at least for Bali.

The cremation was supposed to have begun at 10 AM and by about noon the coffins with the bodies were loaded into two huge pagoda like towers which were sitting atop massive bamboo poles. Then about 100 men lifted the platforms and began running and shouting and dancing their way along the street toward the cremation grounds. The orchestras were playing lively music and it sort of reminded me of New Orleans funerals which I have seen in movies. The crowd which was about half local and half tourist followed the biers to the temple where it was another couple of hours of music, chanting and dancing until the fires were lit and the actual cremation took place. My timing was good to have been in the right place and time to witness this unforgettable event. That is one way to go.

Close Encounters

The monk look cute but I prefer they keep their distance.

Here in Bali most people are Hindu and therefore have temples for everything from trees to wisdom to monkeys. One of the famous temples is the Monkey Temple so I went exploring there. I was careful not to take any food with me having been warned the monkeys are aggressive beggars. Well, soon after entering the tropical forest grounds around the temple, I was looking around at the lush landscape when out of no where a monkey lunged for my backpack. scaring me half to death. I was perplexed what could have prompted such an attack, having nothing edible. The guide asked if I had any plastic and I told him I did not. Then I pulled a rubber raincoat from my pack and that seemed to solve the mystery of the attack, at least as far as the guide was concerned. I still do not understand.

Yesterday I was walking on well traveled shopping street and a dog ran up and latched on to my leg. The animals in Bali seem to have taken a dislike to me. The feeling is becoming mutual.

More Like It

Interesting character on the streets of Ubud. Check out the "big" hair.

Procession to welcome the gods at the Hindu temple. Most other pics were too dark, darn it.

I have been in Ubud several days and this is far more what I had expected when I envisioned Bali. I am not sure what elevation this is but it is significantly cooler than other places. I do not have AC in my room and I am perfectly comfortable.

Ubud is known as the place which preserves Balinese culture. On Friday night when many of the people in Valdosta were attending the Father Daughter Valentine Dance, which I have heard from several sources was another tremendous success by the way, I got to see the birthday celebration of one of Ubud's biggest Hindu temples. There was dancing, incense, music and then a procession of the temple's gods. I expect more than 100 people in costume welcomed the gods who were bigger than life size figures which were carried on palanquins around the temple grounds. I never really understood what was going on and no one I asked could explain to me. Well I just observed and sometimes that is the best you can do.

Last night I attended a professional performance of Legong dancing. There was a huge orchestra of drums, flutes, bells and percussion instruments. In other settings the sound might have been called racket but here it was quite pleasing, at least for a while. The dancers used their eyes as much as their arms and legs. Balinese are known for large, beautiful eyes.

I had planned to depart here on 10 February but now I have learned there will be a royal cremation that day and I should not miss it. I have to see what I can do about my flights.