Back on the road after Bodhi Villa was quite a shock. Breakfast this morning was not the tranquil affair, glowing from yoga and lingering towards lunch over Lao coffee and fresh orange juice.
Our first experience of Vietnam was typical, after a straight forward border crossing on motorcycles we changed bikes to get to the ferry port at Ha tien, to be told that the ferry was not running. We had head of this scam, but agreed to be taken to next stop down the road where our fears were confirmed. We refused to give the drivers any money, and took a bus to the next ferry port. They knew they were caught out, and had a wasted journey. We were very calm, and were pround of our selves for not beating them up and stealing their wheels.
This turned out to be a worthwhile stop, as it allowed me to get my laptop up and running, after the solid state harddrive became corrupted. Thankyou damn small linux and e2fsck! We also had time to get a good sleep and readjustment. Chris has been updating his blog at Chris' blog
We are about to board the ferry to Phu Quoc island for Chrismas, we hope to camp out and find at least a chicken to bbq.
I hope you folks are enjoying the seasons festivities, please hold a glass to our repective healths as we are thinking of you too.
Monday, December 22, 2008
Monday, December 15, 2008
Kampot, the sleepy town with sunsets to almost rival Cardigan bay in November
"You are a little rebel" said my grandmother, I liked the word, and enjoyed rolling it over my tongue because it sounded like pebble, and at the time I had a fascination with them.
Last night, gazing over the moonlit river at Kep, lying on a beanbag, and enjoying the local poison, I remembered the scene vividly - be careful what you say to little ones!
The Bodhi villa is as close to the perfect chillout spot as possible, and has a d1verse (divers)crowd, a number of whom have sold everything to travel, trusting in some force or organising principle was tending the light at the end of the tunnel. I hope the great Hunter Thompson was wrong to call it the mythic fallacy of the hippy movement, I'm still wearing my thai pants with pride, and practicing massage with anyone who sits still long enough!
While I still have a base in Swansea, it still a source of inspiration and some trepidation that thoughts that arise about the ugly lovely town have very little significance to the day here.
With that in mind I have been practicing daily ashtanga, my thanks go out to all the teachers and students I have met and encouraged me along this path.
The idea of the pilgrimage, seems a better description than the hero's quest my current travels. Two years since my last trip, this time in the company of a great friend from home, the experience is very different. In someways I feel previous adventures were an initiation. Less starry eyed, more compassionate the words from Auldous Huxley's Doors of perception, written about his own psychedelic fueled trip to that other side, come to mind:-
"The man who comes back through the Door in the Wall will never be quite the same as the man who went out. He will be wiser but less sure, happier but less self-satisfied, humbler in acknowledging his ignorance yet better equipped to understand the relationship of words to things, of systematic reasoning to the unfathomable mystery which it tries, forever vainly, to comprehend. "
Deep learning, of the type I have been hoping to achieve will always come at a price, and this trip too in carbon dioxide emissions, time, money and emotions seems a lot more effort than Huxley's 400g of mescaline. Self realization cannot be bought for 50c a tab, it is an ongoing process - but gradual steps through yoga, pranayama, and simply being present, are beginning to revive that feeling I first felt in India described by Blake as that state where:-
"every thing appears to man as it is, infinite. For man has closed himself up, till he sees all things through narrow chinks of his cavern."
Before anyone suggests this little hippy is going off on one - (What was the vedic term, Lyd?)this time my feet are solidly on the ground, thankyou to all who brought me back to this place, and supported my efforts even if they did not understand my motivations or methods.
Hope all are well, in what I hear is a real winter this time, here's hoping to a real summer on my return. Please do keep your emails coming, it is lovely to hear the details of your lives, you are all very much in my thoughts.
Jim x
Last night, gazing over the moonlit river at Kep, lying on a beanbag, and enjoying the local poison, I remembered the scene vividly - be careful what you say to little ones!
The Bodhi villa is as close to the perfect chillout spot as possible, and has a d1verse (divers)crowd, a number of whom have sold everything to travel, trusting in some force or organising principle was tending the light at the end of the tunnel. I hope the great Hunter Thompson was wrong to call it the mythic fallacy of the hippy movement, I'm still wearing my thai pants with pride, and practicing massage with anyone who sits still long enough!
While I still have a base in Swansea, it still a source of inspiration and some trepidation that thoughts that arise about the ugly lovely town have very little significance to the day here.
With that in mind I have been practicing daily ashtanga, my thanks go out to all the teachers and students I have met and encouraged me along this path.
The idea of the pilgrimage, seems a better description than the hero's quest my current travels. Two years since my last trip, this time in the company of a great friend from home, the experience is very different. In someways I feel previous adventures were an initiation. Less starry eyed, more compassionate the words from Auldous Huxley's Doors of perception, written about his own psychedelic fueled trip to that other side, come to mind:-
"The man who comes back through the Door in the Wall will never be quite the same as the man who went out. He will be wiser but less sure, happier but less self-satisfied, humbler in acknowledging his ignorance yet better equipped to understand the relationship of words to things, of systematic reasoning to the unfathomable mystery which it tries, forever vainly, to comprehend. "
Deep learning, of the type I have been hoping to achieve will always come at a price, and this trip too in carbon dioxide emissions, time, money and emotions seems a lot more effort than Huxley's 400g of mescaline. Self realization cannot be bought for 50c a tab, it is an ongoing process - but gradual steps through yoga, pranayama, and simply being present, are beginning to revive that feeling I first felt in India described by Blake as that state where:-
"every thing appears to man as it is, infinite. For man has closed himself up, till he sees all things through narrow chinks of his cavern."
Before anyone suggests this little hippy is going off on one - (What was the vedic term, Lyd?)this time my feet are solidly on the ground, thankyou to all who brought me back to this place, and supported my efforts even if they did not understand my motivations or methods.
Hope all are well, in what I hear is a real winter this time, here's hoping to a real summer on my return. Please do keep your emails coming, it is lovely to hear the details of your lives, you are all very much in my thoughts.
Jim x
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
Sihanoukville
Apologies to the handful who have been reading this, Cambodian internet is not up to much. I imagine the net is taking the strain of so many people trying to sort their travel plans out. This place is filling up with folks escaping Thailand, and the locals pushing prices up to cash in.
Sunday, November 30, 2008
Cambodia - of conisidences and contrasts
Well it had to happen sooner or later, at a bar in Siem Reap I got talking to an expedition leader for World Challenge and an assesor for the institute of Outdoor Learning, turns out he knew my old employer Roke.co.uk well, he had heard of Dryad Bushcraft , and we know a lady from the University of Glamorgan in common, small world.
Later on that night I bumped into a lady in a bar who lived in the same house as me in the student village in Abeystwyth two years later, her father owns the farm where the CAT staff house, affectionately known as the chicken shed /shack sits!
This is becoming such a common experience, I try not to be too superstitious, but when I start reading Jung the synchronicities come thick and fast.
Meanwhile it seems the world is exploding into chaos, with the bombing of Taj where I had the best coffee, and Leopolds in Mumbai where I ate too many curries at the start of my last big trip. The troubles in Bangkok have affected many people I am sitting with
Chris and I spent an amazing three days exploring the emensity of Ankhor Wat, taking time for me to play Mr Timotei, florikilng under a waterfall, photos coming soon!
After the breathtaking sunrise and sunset views, it was time to see the other side of this supposed land of smiles. A short tut tuk ride outside of Phnon Pen, we visited the Killing fields, then the interrogation centre at Tueol Sleng. It felt strange to make the journey from one to the other. Considering the 20,000 who made the journey in the opposite direction, but one way, of which only seven survived.
The whole experience was traumatic for us both, and will take some time to get perspective upon. With this in mind we have decided to head for Sianoukville to find the beach. The bus is due right now, so I'll sign off.
Later on that night I bumped into a lady in a bar who lived in the same house as me in the student village in Abeystwyth two years later, her father owns the farm where the CAT staff house, affectionately known as the chicken shed /shack sits!
This is becoming such a common experience, I try not to be too superstitious, but when I start reading Jung the synchronicities come thick and fast.
Meanwhile it seems the world is exploding into chaos, with the bombing of Taj where I had the best coffee, and Leopolds in Mumbai where I ate too many curries at the start of my last big trip. The troubles in Bangkok have affected many people I am sitting with
Chris and I spent an amazing three days exploring the emensity of Ankhor Wat, taking time for me to play Mr Timotei, florikilng under a waterfall, photos coming soon!
After the breathtaking sunrise and sunset views, it was time to see the other side of this supposed land of smiles. A short tut tuk ride outside of Phnon Pen, we visited the Killing fields, then the interrogation centre at Tueol Sleng. It felt strange to make the journey from one to the other. Considering the 20,000 who made the journey in the opposite direction, but one way, of which only seven survived.
The whole experience was traumatic for us both, and will take some time to get perspective upon. With this in mind we have decided to head for Sianoukville to find the beach. The bus is due right now, so I'll sign off.
Thursday, November 20, 2008
Why do nutters always sit next to me?
Back at Stanley, where I spent a beautiful starry night on rocks nears I awoke early, and found a quiet spot to quietly do some yoga. Not long after I had completed the ashtanga sequence, in that wonderfully calm state, an old man strolled strolled by...
The chap would be exactly the person you would paint, to illustrate the story of a zen master, from his pointy beard, billowy trousers down to his simple reed sandals. “You daoist?”, I answered in the negative, “but I have studied the Tao Te Ching...”. Before I could continue, he launched into the nature of dao, and how we must nurture the earth, and fully treat it as our home – like it was a brand new idea to me, I did not tell him where I had slept ;) He practiced daily tai chi, Kung Fu and meditation and sounded like me when I go off on one, but for much much longer...
He did offer a lovely image of death being like the pupating stage before becoming a butterfly, then wandering off chuckling to himself.
Fast forward to night before last, when I took a ride up to the peak, a viewing platform full of designer shops looking over the city lights. The ride up, on cable car is very special, the floor of the carriage is angled to prevent one falling forwards. It reminded me, when I get back to ride the Aberystwyth Cliff railway, something I still have not done.
As I was losing myself in the view, another chap approached me, with the now familiar greeting “You Arabic?” I get that a lot whenever I get tanned, and allow my beard to become unruly. For best part of half an hour he told me how the Koran was infallible, and contains no contradictions, original sin was a misnomer, how god was totally just, but would condemn non-believers to the fiery pits, giving them new skins as each burned off hardly pausing for breath. I suggested he relax, and even wished peace upon him.
Tiring of his soliloquy I asked him “What sex is god?” He replied “he is so great, he is beyond gender, fucking and such...” I asked why he said “he” rather than she in that case, or it, or simply god? Though I think he was a lost cause, reiterating “he is not male or female” failing to see the irony.
I don't know why people feel the need to tell me how things are, I cannot help wondering, if they really truly believed these things, would they have the same drive to try to convince strangers?
I would have loved to get him and Mr Miyagi from Stanley together, I don't think it would do anything to increase understanding, or international relations, but it would be an entertaining fight to watch ;)
The chap would be exactly the person you would paint, to illustrate the story of a zen master, from his pointy beard, billowy trousers down to his simple reed sandals. “You daoist?”, I answered in the negative, “but I have studied the Tao Te Ching...”. Before I could continue, he launched into the nature of dao, and how we must nurture the earth, and fully treat it as our home – like it was a brand new idea to me, I did not tell him where I had slept ;) He practiced daily tai chi, Kung Fu and meditation and sounded like me when I go off on one, but for much much longer...
He did offer a lovely image of death being like the pupating stage before becoming a butterfly, then wandering off chuckling to himself.
Fast forward to night before last, when I took a ride up to the peak, a viewing platform full of designer shops looking over the city lights. The ride up, on cable car is very special, the floor of the carriage is angled to prevent one falling forwards. It reminded me, when I get back to ride the Aberystwyth Cliff railway, something I still have not done.
As I was losing myself in the view, another chap approached me, with the now familiar greeting “You Arabic?” I get that a lot whenever I get tanned, and allow my beard to become unruly. For best part of half an hour he told me how the Koran was infallible, and contains no contradictions, original sin was a misnomer, how god was totally just, but would condemn non-believers to the fiery pits, giving them new skins as each burned off hardly pausing for breath. I suggested he relax, and even wished peace upon him.
Tiring of his soliloquy I asked him “What sex is god?” He replied “he is so great, he is beyond gender, fucking and such...” I asked why he said “he” rather than she in that case, or it, or simply god? Though I think he was a lost cause, reiterating “he is not male or female” failing to see the irony.
I don't know why people feel the need to tell me how things are, I cannot help wondering, if they really truly believed these things, would they have the same drive to try to convince strangers?
I would have loved to get him and Mr Miyagi from Stanley together, I don't think it would do anything to increase understanding, or international relations, but it would be an entertaining fight to watch ;)
Monday, November 17, 2008
In which Jim encounters a ferocious beast
The makers of the TV series Lost must surely have taken Hong Kong as inspiration. Having rested up in Wong Nei Chung Gap and breakfasted on the beef entrails I was keen to be on the trail again, this time following stage II of the Wilson trail, but in reverse.
It seems the meddling Mandarins have concreted long tracts of the wilderness trails in the aim of increasing safety, which is not really in keeping with the surroundings. Even small drops are protected by huge railings which spoil the aesthetic somewhat. The money I feel could have been better spent on signage, which is often non-existent, unclear or just plain incorrect. Though thankfully some helpful soul has graffited corrections.
The second stage trail I began at Tai Koo, the trail beginning behind the station, I began the trail at night, when it was cool, and I was still on UK time, by now in the habit of taking an afternoon nap. Not long onto the the a rustling in the bushes had me concerned, I prepared to great who ever it was, but the sound was a grunty angry sound and getting closer...My first thought was wild boar, whose tusks are sharped every time they open and close their mouths, and like a rat's never stop growing! I backtracked slowly to the some WW2 era mass kitchens, the holes for the giant woks now filled with bougainvillea, passing another of almost identical construction, following on to the Early Morning Walker garden.
I decided to wait till the moon had risen, and hopefully Mr Piggy had run all the way home. It was a cold wait, so I tucked my trousers into socks, tucked in my shirt, and wore my neoprene laptop case as a hat. As it got steadily brighter I began to get braver, and walked on, but keeping a close eye for trees to climb, should an angry porker come charging.
Every so often I would hear budhist chanting, the smell of frangipani incense, and again rustling. This combined with the sound of clapping, I assumed I had wandered into the HK equivalent of Holt's Field, but there were no chalets, friendly hippies, or smell of ganj. The music was coming from hidden tape players in makeshift shrines, all over the place, and the claping was regular and getting closer...
Thinking it was somebody buggering about, when I was already weirded out by the music, and rustling I was prepared to deck whoever it was. Turning a corner was an old man walking and clapping his hands before, and behind him as he walked. When he saw me he looked terrified. I must have looked rather wild eyed, and later realised I was still wearing my laptop hat!
Following the trail backwards proved a challenge, as the descriptions did not mention the alternative routes, one could safely ignore if traversing in the opposite direction. The hikers guide mentions passing a radio station, and passing antennas to the right. This did not help, as since published it seems the masts are everywhere. An very strange place with hatches and restricted area notices everywhere, straight out of Lost.
By morning I re-entered the Wong Nei Chung Gap, this area was significant in holding off the Japanese, as it provided covering machine gun, and 3.7" gun fire over Happy valley. My camp was at section 5, a matter of tens of yards away from a pill box, captured from British and Canadian forces by means of a grenade down the ventilation hatch. The whole area was eventually taken, with huge losses on both sides.
Again came the rustling, and grunting, by this time I was prepared to go mano a cercdo with the beast and had my knife in hand..... I was so relieved to discover it was a porcupine, an inquisitive beast, that in my defence, makes a lot of noise for its size. My oft quoted mentor, Horrace Kephart, who wrote Camping and Woodcraft in about 1910 descibed the creatures as "inveterate camp maurauders, a voracious lover of salt, devouring anything that has the slightest trace of it, axehandles &c" I had visions of my sweatstained pack and cooking supplies being savaged.
Back at my base, my hammock was waiting for me, and a welcome sight, my stashed main pack undesturbed, and had a much needed snooze!
Note: I edited this post, having typed it initially on a "borrowed" open wireless connection, with sun streaming on the screen, so could not read what I had written.
It seems the meddling Mandarins have concreted long tracts of the wilderness trails in the aim of increasing safety, which is not really in keeping with the surroundings. Even small drops are protected by huge railings which spoil the aesthetic somewhat. The money I feel could have been better spent on signage, which is often non-existent, unclear or just plain incorrect. Though thankfully some helpful soul has graffited corrections.
The second stage trail I began at Tai Koo, the trail beginning behind the station, I began the trail at night, when it was cool, and I was still on UK time, by now in the habit of taking an afternoon nap. Not long onto the the a rustling in the bushes had me concerned, I prepared to great who ever it was, but the sound was a grunty angry sound and getting closer...My first thought was wild boar, whose tusks are sharped every time they open and close their mouths, and like a rat's never stop growing! I backtracked slowly to the some WW2 era mass kitchens, the holes for the giant woks now filled with bougainvillea, passing another of almost identical construction, following on to the Early Morning Walker garden.
I decided to wait till the moon had risen, and hopefully Mr Piggy had run all the way home. It was a cold wait, so I tucked my trousers into socks, tucked in my shirt, and wore my neoprene laptop case as a hat. As it got steadily brighter I began to get braver, and walked on, but keeping a close eye for trees to climb, should an angry porker come charging.
Every so often I would hear budhist chanting, the smell of frangipani incense, and again rustling. This combined with the sound of clapping, I assumed I had wandered into the HK equivalent of Holt's Field, but there were no chalets, friendly hippies, or smell of ganj. The music was coming from hidden tape players in makeshift shrines, all over the place, and the claping was regular and getting closer...
Thinking it was somebody buggering about, when I was already weirded out by the music, and rustling I was prepared to deck whoever it was. Turning a corner was an old man walking and clapping his hands before, and behind him as he walked. When he saw me he looked terrified. I must have looked rather wild eyed, and later realised I was still wearing my laptop hat!
Following the trail backwards proved a challenge, as the descriptions did not mention the alternative routes, one could safely ignore if traversing in the opposite direction. The hikers guide mentions passing a radio station, and passing antennas to the right. This did not help, as since published it seems the masts are everywhere. An very strange place with hatches and restricted area notices everywhere, straight out of Lost.
By morning I re-entered the Wong Nei Chung Gap, this area was significant in holding off the Japanese, as it provided covering machine gun, and 3.7" gun fire over Happy valley. My camp was at section 5, a matter of tens of yards away from a pill box, captured from British and Canadian forces by means of a grenade down the ventilation hatch. The whole area was eventually taken, with huge losses on both sides.
Again came the rustling, and grunting, by this time I was prepared to go mano a cercdo with the beast and had my knife in hand..... I was so relieved to discover it was a porcupine, an inquisitive beast, that in my defence, makes a lot of noise for its size. My oft quoted mentor, Horrace Kephart, who wrote Camping and Woodcraft in about 1910 descibed the creatures as "inveterate camp maurauders, a voracious lover of salt, devouring anything that has the slightest trace of it, axehandles &c" I had visions of my sweatstained pack and cooking supplies being savaged.
Back at my base, my hammock was waiting for me, and a welcome sight, my stashed main pack undesturbed, and had a much needed snooze!
Note: I edited this post, having typed it initially on a "borrowed" open wireless connection, with sun streaming on the screen, so could not read what I had written.
Sunday, November 16, 2008
Back from Wilson Trail
After exploring Konloon, and Honk Kong island I felt the call of the wild. Though as you folks know, the wild has me on speed dial. I have a load of notes about HK city, but thought better to present them once I've had something to compare them to.
Day before yesterday I made my way down to Stanley on the South side of HK main island. Though everything here is very expensive for Asia, comparable with London. Transport is the exception, the 45 minute journey cost about 8 hkd
Accomodation at eh cheap end, aroung 130 - 250 hkd for a private ensuite room, with room to swing a kitten. Stanley his more the sort of place to rent an apartment, unlikely to find anything below 500 hkd, so I slept on the rocks. The signs about the place forbid everything from racing model cars, and even lying down on places for sitting will get you grief. So I was as discrete as possible with a bergen with thermarest attached to the side.
After spending too long in the city, it was magical to sleep with the sound of the ocean, orion was a reasuringly familiar sight. With shark nets prominently placed, I skipped a moring dip, but did manange a full ashtanga yoga sequence.
Later I met up with an HK born Indian, not living in London who I met on the plane, we swam out from a nearby bay to a swiming platform, where I was able to teach him som e sun salutations as the sun was setting.
Now flexible and cooler I headed up to stage one of the Wilson trail, described in "The Serious Hikers guide to Hong Kong" as very strenuous, starting with a 1000 steps. They were not kidding, I also very much doubt the authors were carrying over 30kgs including this laptop. Still, after a snooze in the bivvy just past the summit, then steadily through the night, I made it to Wong nei chung gap road soon after sunrise very glad of my new lightweight boots - thanks Mum!
At the end of section 1 of the trail, I found the pill boxes used to defend against the Japanese, the jungle here was much denser, now with trees big enough to support my hamock, for my second snooze of the day, and a read of the new Malcom Gladwell book: Outliers, the story off success, still a few chapters to go.
Back in HK now, having fuelled up on Noodle Beef Combinations which contains Brisket, Stomach, Gristle and Beef Combinations. My first recursive meal, and throughly delicious, even if I struggled to work out which the various bits were.
My main pack is stashed in the woodland, with a stash of good firewood, water etc so I'll be heading up there tonight. I have some anchovy paste, garlic and chilli so hope to find some tomatoes and pasta for a putanesa sauce mmmm.....
Day before yesterday I made my way down to Stanley on the South side of HK main island. Though everything here is very expensive for Asia, comparable with London. Transport is the exception, the 45 minute journey cost about 8 hkd
Accomodation at eh cheap end, aroung 130 - 250 hkd for a private ensuite room, with room to swing a kitten. Stanley his more the sort of place to rent an apartment, unlikely to find anything below 500 hkd, so I slept on the rocks. The signs about the place forbid everything from racing model cars, and even lying down on places for sitting will get you grief. So I was as discrete as possible with a bergen with thermarest attached to the side.
After spending too long in the city, it was magical to sleep with the sound of the ocean, orion was a reasuringly familiar sight. With shark nets prominently placed, I skipped a moring dip, but did manange a full ashtanga yoga sequence.
Later I met up with an HK born Indian, not living in London who I met on the plane, we swam out from a nearby bay to a swiming platform, where I was able to teach him som e sun salutations as the sun was setting.
Now flexible and cooler I headed up to stage one of the Wilson trail, described in "The Serious Hikers guide to Hong Kong" as very strenuous, starting with a 1000 steps. They were not kidding, I also very much doubt the authors were carrying over 30kgs including this laptop. Still, after a snooze in the bivvy just past the summit, then steadily through the night, I made it to Wong nei chung gap road soon after sunrise very glad of my new lightweight boots - thanks Mum!
At the end of section 1 of the trail, I found the pill boxes used to defend against the Japanese, the jungle here was much denser, now with trees big enough to support my hamock, for my second snooze of the day, and a read of the new Malcom Gladwell book: Outliers, the story off success, still a few chapters to go.
Back in HK now, having fuelled up on Noodle Beef Combinations which contains Brisket, Stomach, Gristle and Beef Combinations. My first recursive meal, and throughly delicious, even if I struggled to work out which the various bits were.
My main pack is stashed in the woodland, with a stash of good firewood, water etc so I'll be heading up there tonight. I have some anchovy paste, garlic and chilli so hope to find some tomatoes and pasta for a putanesa sauce mmmm.....
Thursday, November 13, 2008
What have I been up to since my last blog.
Since my last big adventure I returned to teaching bushcraft and survival skills in Wales through my work with dryad bushcraft, and taken time out in the off season to learn more bushcrafty skills.
Professional hightlights have included:-
Couchsurfingin Northern California
Roasting vension and pizzas in a filing cabinet.
Cooking a four course meal for 10 in 70 mph winds
Serving a meal of seaside creatures, plants and Cawl for Canadian TV show with Micheal Smith
Bivouaking in Mount Hood national park out of season, where they filmed the shining, and hanging out a bunch of crazy gun nuts.
Learning and helping to film the process of forging damascus steel knife blades at in Sweden, where they make the Rolls Royce of Axes Gransfors Bruks
Teaching friction firelighting to autistic children (not my decision)
Receiving my Postgraduate diploma in Architecture: Advanced Environmental & Energy Studies from the Centre for Alternative technology
I have also studied been lucky enough to participate in a microhydro installations with the University of Glamorgan, included extensive theory, surveying and modeling to laying pipe and wiring.
Advanced First aid Remote Trauma - anybody need a glucose drip, or shot of adrenaline?
Basic Food Hygine - I got it, but the course did not include cooking bugs in the woods.
Loads of yoga, a little paid massage work, little mechanical engineering, a little computer work. Got my heart broken twice, and miss one special person like crazy, but I'm still smiling.
Professional hightlights have included:-
Couchsurfingin Northern California
Roasting vension and pizzas in a filing cabinet.
Cooking a four course meal for 10 in 70 mph winds
Serving a meal of seaside creatures, plants and Cawl for Canadian TV show with Micheal Smith
Bivouaking in Mount Hood national park out of season, where they filmed the shining, and hanging out a bunch of crazy gun nuts.
Learning and helping to film the process of forging damascus steel knife blades at in Sweden, where they make the Rolls Royce of Axes Gransfors Bruks
Teaching friction firelighting to autistic children (not my decision)
Receiving my Postgraduate diploma in Architecture: Advanced Environmental & Energy Studies from the Centre for Alternative technology
I have also studied been lucky enough to participate in a microhydro installations with the University of Glamorgan, included extensive theory, surveying and modeling to laying pipe and wiring.
Advanced First aid Remote Trauma - anybody need a glucose drip, or shot of adrenaline?
Basic Food Hygine - I got it, but the course did not include cooking bugs in the woods.
Loads of yoga, a little paid massage work, little mechanical engineering, a little computer work. Got my heart broken twice, and miss one special person like crazy, but I'm still smiling.
Honk Kong still wide awake 4am, why not start the blog?
Hard to believe it is nearly 2 years since I last attempted a blog. My last effort began when I was travelling in India and Thailand studying yoga, massage and meditation. Also taking plenty of time to enjoy the company of many wonderful people from all over the globe many of whom I am pleased still be in regular contact with.
To anyone who has met since, they will be well aware how much I gained from the experience, and also how much of a challenge integrating the experiences of this time, into life in the UK has been. Though while on adventure I made a list of things to do, on my return, and after two years most of them I achieved. Anyone still waiting for a thai yoga massage, I will get around to you eventually!
My plans to blog my Indian adventure came to a halt as due to really slow computers, and I wondered how much interest there would really be in reading my ramblings, especially as so many of the experiences were personal and not I thought of interest to others.
Since then the whole facebook phenomenon has exploded like an electric spider across the collective concious, turning us all into voyeurs. The flipside is the comfort it has brought in knowing how much interest our friends take, in the little details of our lives. I wonder what Andy Wharhole and Marshal McLuhan would have made of it?
There are a mountain of images, thoughts, ramblings etc which never quite made it from my computer to the web. So this trip I have with me a fine an acer aspire one, a fine little linux laptop, digital camera and servers at home, with all the tools to spread my musings, pictures about the place.
As these thoughts are vomited up, I will post them here, eventually they may morph into a more structured output, but for now you will get them partly digested, with all bile included.
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