smoke….hash……what you want?

My first night in Kathmandu was a bit surreal. Having secured a room at the Tibet Guest House in Chhetrapati, I ventured over to Thamel (right next door) where lots of tourist shops are. Just like all of the other tourist towns…..this one has it’s streets lined with shops selling gifts and clothes. One big difference here however, is that North Face & Mountain Hardware are the knock off’s of choice. And they are good. I mean really good knock off’s. Shop after shop of ‘high end’ mountain gear going for about 5 – 10 % of the real stuff. One has to be careful….not just of the shop owners, but of the streets. Sidewalks are a luxury that these side streets don’t have. Walking takes place….near the edge of the road, sometimes in the middle of the road. Some roads are really only wide enough for one car, but that doesn’t stop 2 way traffic. Motorbikes just weave through the crowd beeping their horn giving you those precious 2 seconds before you’re impaled by a rear view mirror and dragged through the streets of Kathmandu.

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When it was close to dinner time I cracked open my trusty Lonely Planet and searched for a good place to grab some grub. Making a mental note of a few good picks, I headed out and made my way through traffic. K-Too’s it was called. Supposed to be one of the best steak houses in town. We shall see about that. I found K-Too’s but all of the lights were off. Must have been an off night….it was 7:15 or so and the streets were flooded with people, it should have been open. Not to be discouraged I found the second choice on my list. Closed. Finally I just wandered around and looked for people eating. I ended up at a Mexican joint on the third floor. Ordered a couple of chicken enchiladas as a well traveled fellow from New Zealand sat next to me and well over an hour later we got our meals. You might be wondering why every where was closed and my meal took so long. I should also mention that as I was walking around there were large groups of Maoists walking through the streets waving their red flag and making a bunch of noise in some sort of protest. I also noticed that upon leaving the airport, then entranced was surrounded by barbwire and sandbags accompanied by fully armed guards keeping watch. In addition to that there was a heavy police presence around town with vans full of military or police, some wearing riot gear. Even with all of this heavy show of force, everything that I saw was relatively peaceful. But why was everything closing. Turns out that there was a protest by a lot of the hotel and business workers in the form of a strike yesterday because a prominent business owner was kidnapped and being extorted for money by the Maoists. Not to be outdone, the Maoists had to flex their muscles and show their force, claiming that they didn’t have anything to do with the kidnapping. However when this happens…..business don’t want to take a risk and figure that business is better for them if they close……or just employees don’t show up at work thus leaving the kitchen understaffed and a couple of enchiladas taking over an hour to cook. When I finally left the Mexican place about 9:15, I got to the bottom of the stairs to find a metal gate locking me in. The guard on the other side saw me approaching, unlocked the gate and let me pass spilling out into the street. Only the street didn’t seem like the right street, everything was different. This experience felt like I got off the wrong floor on an elevator. Everything looked similar, but ALL the store fronts had somehow transformed over dinner into metal garage doors with 3 or more locks keeping them secure. I asked someone I passed on the street, which was a challenge because the streets that were packed mere hours earlier were now almost a ghost town. Curfew……it was in effect and everyone had to get indoors, and early too…..the Maoists were out and about. 

 
 
Nepali politics are at an interesting place. The once upon a time King was over thrown, but he still has his seat. The catch is this. Rule of the country has gone over to the “government” (i.e. multiple parties that aren’t in agreement on much except that they don’t want a king any more) and the King was striped of his power, budget and most of his land. So now he’s still there with not much more than his title and his face on the money….for now. This is the complete antithesis of Thailand where you can find pictures of their king on just about any and every corner, taxi cab, restaurant, you name it….they LOVE their King. The same can not be said in Nepal. Things are a bit different here. They wanted to make sure that people didn’t confuse them with their neighbor India, so they made the time zones different. You may know that the time zone in India is 30 minutes off the rest of the world. Well Nepal is 15 minutes off from that. An odd experience when resetting your watch at the airport….I heard many times over ‘WHAT time is it???’ 
 
 
After spending a few days traveling around and walking the streets, it’s safe to say that I have never in my life been asked if I wanted ‘smoke’, ‘hash’, ‘pot’, etc….over and over again so many times in such a short period. I would have to say I’m approaching the 50+ mark and I’ve only been here 3 days.
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I went to Pashupatinath yesterday. This is the holy temple where they cremate those who pass on. While non-Hindu’s are not allowed inside the temple, we are allowed to watch the cremation process. When an elderly family member dies, the task is bestowed upon the son or younger family member who knows how to cremate a body to do so. There are 7 funeral pyres that sit next to a river that runs along side the temple. These pyres, if that is the correct word for it, are large, flat stone platforms about 12 feet by 12 feet. Wood is stacked up and the bodies are place on the wood and then surrounded by more wood. All of this mind you is going on in the wide open with kids playing and teenage girls flirting with teenage boy on the other side of the river. Even the occasional tourist from the far side will stop with their guide, stand on the steps with their backs to people being cremated and get their photo taken. I can not see what anyone would do with this photo, but to my surprise it’s not frowned upon, at least not openly. Regardless…..I chose not to take pictures of this. I did photograph the site, but no one being cremated. The process is an interesting one as it takes about 3 hours to burn a body, the entire time being tended to by a family member. When all that remains are ashes, they are pushed into the river below which leads to India and a holy place. A very interesting experience indeed. Something else that added to the area were all of the monkeys running around. A bit out of place…..but it did at a certain element to the atmosphere. That and the occasional UN chopper passing over head. That is something that truly gives you pause and forces you to ask yourself……where am I again?

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After this I ventured over to the big boudha. It’s pretty much just that…..a very very large bouda. I could even see it from the plane when we were taking off. You are allowed to walk up on it almost to the top. While there I saw my old motorcycle….that I thought had long ago been discontinued. Maybe in the US…but not here…..

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Night train to Bangkok….

Two weeks in Thailand. It’s a place that I’ve always wanted to go to and have never had the chance. Realizing that several friends have made the journey, some many times over, I asked around for some advice and decided to sign up for an organized tour. I would meet up with a group in Bangkok and spend 7 days traveling through Northern Thailand searching out the treasures of the north. Our journey began meeting up with our leader who goes by the nick name “Bom”. ‘Please don’t yell out for me in a crowded market’ he says……probably good advice. Along with Bom I’m joined by 8 others, a couple on their honeymoon from Canberra, Australia, Toby & Amber, Chika from Japan, Deb from Sydney, Liz & Katrina from London (traveling separately) and Jay & Cary from LA. All of us get along great and it seems like a good crew. Our first stop would be in Sukhothai after a 5 hour train ride. The Number 4 guest house was a good introduction to northern Thailand, situated not far from town, it was an easy walk and we were away from the hustle and bustle of the night markets which had every kind of vendor you could imagine. On our way to the ancient temples we worked our way through the different bikes & trikes and scooters converted to anything and everything including an ice cream truck! Just down the road from the No. 4 was a tobacco grower and we happened to be driving by as they were getting the crop ready to be dried. During our stay we were able to cycle through the ancient ruins and see many, many Buddhas, large & small.

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From Sukhothai we ventured via bus to Lampang. Near Lampang is the elephant conservation center and hospital where more than 50 elephants are available for a show as well as rides. All of our group did both. The ride was an interesting sensation. It started with a walk through a small pond and then up the side of a Thai mountain. While each beast had a handler that was ‘guiding’ us up the paths, the animals had a mind of their own and each took their own varying paths up the side of the mountain stopping at regular intervals for a snack, much to the dismay of the handlers. Eventually we all met up on the other side and were brought past the week old baby elephant. At the conclusion of our ride we were able to view the show which was both a display of the massive power that these animals have by tossing full sized trees around like they were match sticks, as well as a demonstration of their agility while balancing on a log or beating a drum using their trunk, even painting.

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Our group had perfect timing. The second day in Lampang was Elephant Day. An annual event where Thailand’s favorite animal gets to kick back, have a day off, and pig out on all their favorites. The conservation center setup elephant sized table after table filled with bamboo sticks, watermelon, pineapples, oranges and bananas. We had a front row seat as these monsters gorged themselves. Actually…..when I say front row seat, what I really mean is that we were able to walk within the elephants as they fed. This would have NEVER happened in America or else where for that matter, but we were literally walking between them making sure that a small side step by one of these behemoths didn’t end up crushing a foot or worse. Constantly looking from side to side and behind I ran through snapping picture after picture until all the food was gone. It was exciting just to be in their presence and fortunately for me they were much more interested in their food then the silly human running around them with a camera.

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Our next stop was at the hospital where we saw one with an infected leg and a baby that had stepped on a landmine and lost a good part of one leg. One detraction from the trip however was the smog. On our way to Chiang Mai, the government declared it a disaster area with the smog level reaching 250. It was oppressive. I’ve never experience smog like that, even in LA. Half of the locals were riding around with masks like there was a bad SARS epidemic afoot. The entire group was looking for AC and something to do indoors, but when presented with the option to hop on a bamboo raft and head down a river, we all jumped on board and took to the challenge. I think the guides had more fun than we did as they stepped on each others rafts trying to dump the other and his passengers off. It wasn’t all bad considering how hot it was. All in all our trip to the north was a great way to see Thailand and the true culture. After a 13 hour night train to Bangkok I was off again to Phuket to see what the south and the beaches had to offer.

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Talking about spending a week on the beaches with my friend Erica from Brisbane, she just couldn’t resist the temptation and hopped a cheap flight to Phuket so the two of us could run around and see what trouble we could get into. Being a flight attendant had it’s privileges. Staying in the Tsunami safe Hilltop Hotel, we had a great view of the town and the bay at Patong Beach on the west coast. Being a bit crowded we ran up and down the coast checking out other little villages and much less crowded, nicer beaches on our scooter. 

 
 
A few weeks ago I had swapped a few e-mails with Dennis, an old co-worker who spent 2 years or so living in Thailand and has now relocated to Shanghai. When mentioning to him that I was running around like crazy on a scooter he replied back….’Watch out for those things! I’ve had 4 accidents in 2 years….fortunately nothing serious.’ I chuckled as I read it see how that was easily possible even for the best rider as people here are crazy on these things. Well…..you can add me to that statistic, and fortunately for me and Erica, it was only minor leaving me with more bruises on my pride than anything else. I’m just glad that I took the brunt of the ground and not my passenger. Riding away from it with nothing wrong with the bike and a few scrapes that could be tended to with some Neosporin and a band-aid……I started riding a lot slower and giving more room to the kamikaze Thai and worse….the visiting tourist like myself who ‘hit the gas and go!’
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All in all Thailand is a wonderful place and cheap if you want it to be. I bought a custom tailored suit, 3 tailored shirts and a tie for $115. Not bad…..and all made in 2 days. I’m sure if I bargained a little more I could have gotten it for $100…..but I’m ok with splurging a little. 

 
 
Next stop…..Katmandu an then Delhi Should start to get interesting from here folks!!!!! BTW….I’m still looking for someone to join me on my venture from Beijing to Moscow via Mongolia. Any takers? It’s only 2 weeks in April……..you know you want to!!!

Bali state of mind….

What is there to say? This place is truly amazing. And the dollar goes a long, long way. Arriving with no more than the name of the place that I was supposedly staying, my instructions were to find a cab and tell the driver to take me to the Bali Agung Village. No address, no phone number…..not even a clue as to what town the hotel was in. Having received these instructions from Jill, I was told not to worry about it. Since this was her & Mike’s third year running of spending some winter months here…..I didn’t question it. Once I got through customs and collecting my bags, I entered the gauntlet that would be the porters and taxi cab drivers all of which were trying to get you in their cab and have them carry your bags. Before I knew it I was trying to stow my travel bag in my large backpack when it was being picked up and taken to the customs counter. An over eager porter had picked the wrong bag. When I finally had him put the bag down I cleared customs and began the hunt for a cab. The ride should have cost about 60,000 Ruphia….just under $7 USD. After telling about a dozen drivers I had a ride and was looking for my friend……I found where you can buy a cab ticket. You pre pay so they don’t screw you.. How nice…..of course the taxi drivers don’t want to tell you that. One Cabbie told me for a cool 100k he would sort me out, when I laughed at him he said last year it was 60k, but now with gas as high as it is…….. But once you have the magic ticket….they’ll take you without issue. Of course my personal favorite was how they spelled “taksi” on ever car.

During the 20 minute cab death ride, I couldn’t help but notice how a short little ‘beep’ on the horn must have been a part of driver’s education. Everyone does it….and they do it all the time. It even replaced the use of the blinker…..you want to switch lanes…..no problem…..honk once and go for it! Don’t worry….they’ll let you squeeze in! More than likely it’s a group of scooters riding in a pack. The great thing about riding on a scooter here is that you can pass traffic on ANY side. You can even pass in any lane…..I can’t tell you how many times I had to swerve to avoid a scooter that had me in it’s sights in MY lane! Oh well…….as the saying goes in Bali….if you don’t like my driving, stay off the sidewalk! They weren’t kidding…..traffics backed up? No worries……take the sidewalk, the pedestrians will move. Once I met up with Mike and Jill from Skydive New England….they sorted me out with a motor scooter and off we went to try this for myself. I was the third wheel for the first 2 days running around with them and getting the lay of the land. Mike’s been getting into a little bit of importing so we ran to a few different furniture shops and sorted out last minute details like confirming that the container was going to be filled properly. When I saw the prices and what the furniture was like….I can see why he is shipping a container of it home. Huge, thick, solid, hand carved dinning room tables for $300 USD. Well worth the shipping and import tax. Maybe next year I’ll get a corner in that container as well…. 
 
 
We decided that since Jill & I had never been on a surf board now was our chance. After all we are in Bali. Running down to the beach we rented boards at the excruciating rate of $2 for the day. We proceeded to attempt to stand up and ‘catch a wave’. While I don’t think what I did could be classified as catching a wave, I did manage to get my feet under me if only for a short moment. The second time it happened I used the George Costanza method and decided to end on a high note and headed for the beach. It also wasn’t a hard decision to end at that point as when the winds are on shore in Bali from Java….they get the lucky distinction to have Java’s trash wash up on shore. So as you’re making your way out, you are constantly removing old potato chip bags from wrapping around your legs. After stepping on something and breaking the skin….I was very happy that I got all of my shots. Who knows what’s out there and that was enough for me….
One night we had dinner down on the beach at Jimbaran. This is where the fishermen get their catch during the day and then bring the boats in with the catch right on the beach. After the fish have been brought inside and sorted, tables are setup on the beach and dinner is served. The candle lit tables on the beach watching the sunset and eating fish that were merely hours old, is something that everyone who comes to Bali should do. I’m not a seafood fan and even I had to try. Unfortunately this beach is where the first of two terrorist bombings took place killing dozens. The second bombing, only back in 2005 was actually 2 bombs outside of a night club. The first went off and once everyone came out to see what was going on the second one went off. We drove by that area which was teaming with people and a memorial with more than 200 names on it. Why anyone would want to ruin this paradise is beyond me. Needless to say tourism was down a bit, but it is coming back, slowly but surely. 
 
 
After Mike & Jill took off I headed up to Tanah Lot to check out the temple at sunset. At low tide you can walk out and up to the temple. However at high tide the temple becomes an island. I was lucky enough to stumble on a photo shoot for a newly married couple, as the tide was rolling in they were on the edge of the rocks getting shots of the waves crashing and covering them with water. The next day I hoped on the scooter and headed up to the monkey forest. Whatever you do….don’t buy the bananas. Just make sure someone else does so you can watch them as they get swarmed. These little guys will climb right up your leg and pull them out of your pocket. Very funny as long as it’s not you! Making my way up through Ubud and stopping at the rice terraces, I ended up at Mount Batur. Of course just my luck, it was pouring rain. Nonetheless, at 4:00 am there was a knock at my door. My guide Made’ had arrived and we were off to catch sunrise at 1717 meters from the top of a volcano. Hiking up the side of a volcano in the rain is not something that I would like to repeat. I was not prepared for the cold and the wet and ended up catching a little cold. And after all of that the only sunrise that we saw was when the clouds surrounding the mountain got brighter. However the clouds did part for a bit on the way back down so that we could see the lake between the two volcano. A nice sight, but not quite the reward as sunrise would have been. Oh well…..at that point I just wanted to get down and climb back into bed because I knew I was going to catch a cold. Of course my guide was really pushing the longer hike trying to milk some more money out of me. I found that was quite similar to the shops north of Denpansar as compared to Kuta where I was staying. Everyone was selling something, but up north they got in your face and could more accurately be described as beggars then peddlers selling their wears.
All in all Bali was a fun experience. Even if the last day was packed with wind storms that dropped 3 trees that I saw and as I was packing my things in the hotel….the roof in my bathroom decided that it was time to go. The obvious added bonus here is now you can use the facilities and get a sun tan with no tan lines at the same time! Now that I have seen Bali I know I can come back and have a fun relaxing time here, and do it for cheap. I’m on a flight now to Thailand which starts with a 7 day organized tour and then 6 days or so down on the beaches in the south. And all I can think about is that I am so happy that I quit my job! J

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Brisbane to Byron Bay to Melbourne & the 12 Apostles

I had barely taken 10 steps off the jetway in Brisbane. Fumbling with the unlocked GSM cell phone that I purchased for this trip I was realizing that I wasn’t getting a signal when I practically walked into someone. Upon raising my eyes from the useless piece of electronics in my hand there was a Qantas flight attendant greeting me with a huge smile and a hug. However I had just flown Virgin Blue and Qantas was in another terminal. It was my friend Erica. She had just gotten in from working a flight from LA and had walked up at the exact time that I was deplaning. Indeed…this was the way I would like to be greeted every time I get off an airplane. Erica was my host as she was just over a year ago when I was in Brisbane. This time however we would be traveling down to Byron Bay staying with some old friends of hers Matt & Carlie. They lived just outside of Byron Bay on 25 acres of land that they purchased a year or so back. Living in their RV in the beginning they had built an outhouse (one of the nicest ‘outhouses’ I’ve ever seen with custom tiled shower / floor etc..) and a shed that they now called home until the house will be completed in another year. Here Matt introduced me to things I knew about but didn’t know about. Owning 25 acres was nice, but there was a catch, they didn’t have any utilities. This meant that when it was raining, they caught the rain, when it was sunny, they caught the sun. There gutters on the roof poured into a 5000 gallon water container that they used for drinking, showering and laundry. Their power was generated from both propane gas & solar cells on the roof. The toilet was a composting toilet and as hippy as it sounds, it really all just made sense. It didn’t even have the hippy feel, I swear there wasn’t any petrully for miles. Matt and I bonded, he too was a once upon a time a corporate drone coding away until wee hours of the morning. Walking away from that job he found a new home and a new life with his wife Carlie and a new profession as a tandem master at the local DZ only 10 minutes drive. I must be honest and say that everything seemed quite appealing to me…the land…..building his own house…..using the energy and life that nature gives you…..everything except becoming a tandem master…..that’s where he lost me, but to each is own and of course you need to be able to provide some form of income to pay the bill. You can’t after all catch money….

Byron Bay is a place that catches your eye. It’s a hippy, surfer, touristy town where the beach just seems to stretch as far as the eye can see. Right in the middle of the bay it comes to a point where the light house stands. Sitting next to the door of the Cessna Caravan on the way to altitude your mind wonders as you gaze in aw at the size of the bay, the beaches and the light house, as picturesque as you could possibly imagine. Before you know it the picture has turned into reality as you’re in freefall helplessly attempting to divert your gaze from the scenery and concentrate on the skydive at hand. Of course this was all for naught as the views take control and your focus is gone. While in Byron Bay I was also able to catch up with Kristen from Chicago who had arrived a few days before we did. She will be there for 3 months while teaching at the local high school. Since she hadn’t started classes yet, the three of us ran around and explored what the town had to offer. 
Back in Brisbane my time spent lounging pool side was cut short and I was being put to work. Oh yes….this was no time to rest as I assembled gutters, changed tires, installed car batteries, cleaned camel backs and the list went on. Erica was surely a slave driver in a previous life as our days of ‘sleeping in’ started at well before 9 am. This should be illegal. Tish was sent in as my alarm clock to jar me from my slumber so that I could begin the daily choirs. Tish of course…..was the dog. A loveable canine always wanting her belly scratched, she did not quite have that cuddly appeal at 8 in the morning. Ok, so maybe some of this slave driving was just in my mind, but at the end of the day I had lots of fun hanging out in Brisbane and Byron. Erica showed me once again….that she indeed was a rock star. She even convinced me that whenever I buy my next place to live…..I am going to own chickens. Fresh eggs…..one a day. All from the flightless bird that doesn’t eat much more than grain and seeds along with plucking at the back yard. Simple to keep and collect eggs…..I’m going to need a house with a yard. I’m pretty sure that the townhouse on Bucky Dr says ‘no chickens’ some where in the by laws but I’m not positive. 
With only a few days in Melbourne I attempted to jam in as much as possible. I spoke to Axle from Sydney who grew up there and got some tips for the city. My mate Brad that I met a year ago in Cairns and had also come to Boston for a week was in town. After running all over Fitzroy for a few days, it reminded a lot of East Berlin. The young hip crowd and the endless number of cafes abound, it was a place that was very welcoming and yearned to be explored. Wanting to connect with the locals and get the real experience, I attempted to find someone on couch surfers to host me. While this didn’t work out in the long run I did manage to meet up with a smiling stranger, who oddly enough, lived in Fitzroy. We met for coffee and had dinner at the Queen Victoria Markets. A festive event with live music and vendors hawking their goods from T-shirts to high end paintings and everything in between, the markets were a pleasant surprise and a nice change of pace from running around a city. Later that night I made my way down to St. Kilda and met up with Brad at the Vineyard. Having a prime location on the main drag, live acoustic guitar and a woman’s voice billowed out to the streets. Brad was there with 3 or 4 other local skydivers having a night out and kicking back. He introduced me to his mates as ‘one of the guys on Team Mandrin’, to my surprise one of them had seen our videos and was asking all sorts of questions about VRW. A small world indeed. Catching the last tram back to the city I managed to get some sleep and wake up early as the next day, my last full day in town, I had a 600 km drive in front of me. 
My new couch surfer friend Merle and I wanted to see the 12 Apostles. This would be an epic journey that took us down the great ocean road and into random rain forests and hidden beaches. Putting my photographic skills to the test I attempted to capture the images that my eyes were seeing. This was a formidable task and one that I have yet to master. While I was able to capture some of the feel of what we were seeing, it paled in comparison to actually being there. Stopping at the famous Bells beach we saw where Bodi caught the 100 year wave into oblivion. A truly enlightening experience. Along the way we couldn’t help but stop time and time again as merely the side of the road was something to be seen. Waves crashing over rough rocks that had been tossed about on the coast line right next to the most pristine beaches you’ve ever seen. Finally we stopped at a camp ground that caught our eye. It was snuggled into a valley with a stream that lead out to the ocean. If we had more time on our hands this would have been a place to stay for a few days while venturing on one of the many hikes that were available. Just on the other side of the road was a beach that if it were in California or Florida would have been packed elbow to elbow with sun bathers trying to get rid of those nasty tan lines. Being on the southern coast of Victoria there wasn’t a soul in sight. Diving into the ocean we were reminded that it was still in charge. Actually it reminded me that it was still in charge. Merle was a surfer and life guard. After being raised in Germany, she had been telling me of her last 7 years living on the New Zealand coast surfing every chance she got and being in the water usually 3 to 4 times a week. This was obviously her play ground and I was merely visiting. Once back on the road we made a few more stops along the way and finally found the 12 Apostles. What are the 12 Apostles you might ask? Well if you don’t know then you’ll just have to look at the pictures below. They were amazing. The sheer cliffs dropping down to perfect beaches with towering rock formations standing at attention out in the waves. I stood there with my camera praying for a break in the clouds and finally the winds heard my calls and cleared the way for some rays to light up the cliffs and cast shadows upon one another. It was a long and windy drive but after getting just a few of those photographs….it was all well worth it. 
As I write this I find myself sitting on an Airbus 330 heading to Denpasar, Bali. With Australia behind me I’m already longing to return. I have a feeling that this is going to be a common sensation this trip. Having some down time here and there I’ve been managing to tear through some books. One of these reads was entitled ‘Getting stoned with Savages’ It’s about a couple that had enough of corporate life and went to live on Vanuatu and Fiji islands in the South Pacific for a few years. After traveling for only a short time I can see how appealing this really is. Of course in this book, the author’s wife had a job that brought her to these places so he was able to spend time writing and enjoying life. So if there are any single woman out there that want to support a homeless, jobless 32 year old with the travel bug and a zest for life…….let’s buy a ticket to Fiji and see what happens 🙂

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