Hitchiking Links

Here are some good quick reference tips for hitchikers!

On hitching in general
For women's travel tips - wanderlustandlipstick.com
Hippy perspective and rainbow
Excellent travel reference site www.seat61.com
50 best travel sites

Dreamtime in Laos

Merry Christmas everyone! Mum, it sucks we can't email anymore, how can it be in this century that we can't communicate!!

I am living and working in an eco resort in the Lao jungle. Dreamtime is a beautiful place created by a dreamer, designed to protect and conserve the forest and offer a welcome space for travellers and other dreamers! It has the feeling of a North Queensland forest retreat - open platforms and open spaces for dining, cushions and mats on wooden floors. Trees, bamboo, misty mornings and handbuilt log cabins scattered throughout 30 hectares!! BLISS!!

I feel lucky to have landed here, in addition to learning Laos, my Hebrew is getting better, haha. It's jungle bliss, with no electricity, gourmet meals and a river to bathe in..

.. here's a photo of my little bungalow :) There are projects to be created..new compost bins, the garden plot, arranging spaces for goats and chickens. For now my main task is to decorate the bungalows. I collect materials from the forest floor and design dreamcatchers. There are also hemp paintings to design and curtains to sew..it's been very creative and I've surprised even myself.

There are also less fun tasks, such as hauling water, checking trails, making new trails and washing..but all in all it's been a blissful rest! Mid-afternoon when it's hot, I swim in the river and find a nice hammock to curl up in and drink tea or smoke the remainder of the day. There are some beautiful travellers and Christmas was spectactular with an amazing fire feast and drumming and music! I was thinking of you!

There are pieces of surrounding property available..did someone say start a commune and live in Laos?

If you're ever in Lao, go and bliss out in the forest!

http://www.dreamtime-laos.com/

Love you!

Surprise!! Welcome to Laos!

Oops, ready or not!!!

I feel that somewhere in the attic of my life, a mischievous spirit discovered a chaos machine..and plugged it in...and now I am in Laos...a few months earlier than expected!

Sunday 15th Dec, my travel agent told me my visa had expired and with no option for renewal she advised hopping the next bus to the nearest border..great news to receive early Sunday morning! Lucky my bags are packed. So, the next day I found a bus, Vietnam-Laos, 24 hours. Honestly, it's about time I embarked on my long awaited exit from Vietnam. But get through the border without losing my savings, get thrown in jail or banned from Vietnam???

Pulling up at the border crossing, I took out my little blue passport and wondered how I lived in a country for 20 months, worked and still don't have a proper exit card..gulp..of course, it was a straightforward matter of a few American dollars, overstayers fee, and back on the bus and through the cool, green winding roads of Laos. Yoohoo!

Laos is hosting the SEA Games, a big event for this tiny country of 7 million people. My bus was crammed with excited Vietnamese sports fans going to the capital, Vientiane. 24 hours, a couple of bumps and later I arrived in the bustling little berg of Vientiane.

From first glance, Vientiane is a mini Surfers Paradise, complete with fairy light covered restaurants, packed cafes, spas, saunas, French bakeries..and many, many tourists with flowing clothing and jangling jewellery, dusty backpacks and headscarfs smoking pot on the river and drinking coffee on the street. The town sits on the edge of the mighty Mekong and small plastic chairs and barbecue food sellers line its banks..this is where I chose to sit and drink my first Beerlao in the sunset. Delicious!

And a few surprises along the way included bumping into friends from Hanoi!

So, Tabi.. Welcome to Laos!

Consolidation - time well spent?

So with the apartment gone, my experiment in homelessness behind me and only a few possessions to my name, it seems I am finally getting ready to leave Vietnam...

With the thought of leaving on my mind, a good friend of mine recently got me onto this idea of consolidation. Leaving is a good time to work out why you came...and stayed.
It's too much to write every little story, the emotion and intensity that arose from first entering Vietnam till now, but the strength and knowledge that comes with independence, the love and care that comes from finding true friends and the fun times and hard times I have had along the way have all created a new me!
When I came to Vietnam I expected to stay 6 months, that things would work smoothly, my friends would support me and that I would come home soon after .. with loads of cash saved :) Shows what expectations can do...
While in Vietnam, I had some very sad times, some very intense times and told and learned some truths. I worked for 7 schools, had 8 private jobs, taught kids and adults from 16 months to 84 years old. I played music at 4 festivals, 3 bars, 2 parks and many parties. I've been an English teacher, private teacher, dog walker, kindergarten teacher, cake maker, fire spinner, music maker.
I feel as though I did everything I wanted to do and more...even swim in Westlake!
Many beers, cakes, road trips, jobs, tears, parties, music, laughter and love and a little homelessness later, I feel as though I have learnt to truly understand a new culture, I feel as though I have two countries now.
And the world awaits.

Homeless Hanoi - Mui and Pha

This is very special.




My good friend Chris told me about a homeless Vietnamese woman, Mui and her son Pha. For the last 5 years, Mui has been living homeless in Hanoi with her five-year old son Pha. They face many challenges, Mui is HIV positive and has a mental disorder.

The Vietnamese family culture dictates that when a woman is married, she leaves all to live with her husband's family. When Mui's husband was institutionalised with a mental disorder, Mui was rejected from the household.

The key word here is HAPPINESS. Although they have very little to survive, Mui and her son have love and happiness and refuse to let their situation get them down. Mui teaches Pha how to look after his environment, to recycle and all about LOVE!

Below are some photos from 'Companion in poverty' by Justin Maxon, you can find the full story and his comments on the photos here

Mui is a practicing Buddhist and said she is teaching her son happiness comes from within. They find their happiness in their simple affection for each other. Even though Mui and Pha face many daily challenges, they have an overwhelming sense of hope for the future.

Mui, carrying all the valuable possessions she owns in one bag, walks ahead of her son, Pha, while he runs to catch up with her.

Mui, a Buddhist, said she is teaching her son that keeping his head shaved is part of living a simple life which leads to greater happiness.

Mui recognizes how difficult Pha’s life is without a home and says that she likes to play with him as often as possible to keep his spirits high.

As she picks up a pile of old rice she found on the Long Bien Bridge, Mui said she is teaching her son how to pick up trash because she wants him to care about his environment.

Mui remains naked though it's not been explained why. I like to think it's because as a woman who has had her identity taken away, she believes she no longer needs to show the world she is a woman. She is simply a human. As a Buddhist she is pure. As a mother she is blameless. As a woman she is. She lives clothed in honesty.

Homeless in Hanoi - Week 3

Did you know the homeless tell the best stories?
A guy on the street just told me he has travelled to the UK, Ireland, and most of the 'stans. He said he had a great job and an excellent career and lots of money. Then his family took his money and he lives on the street. But it was hard to understand him, because he had no teeth.

The homeless in Hanoi creep the streets. They work as shoe shines, basket women, hawkers, pickpockets, beggars and bag slashers..they are old, young, male, female, beautiful, ugly, friendly, rude..

They come out to sleep at 11 in the morning when the parks empty of joggers and aerobics grandmothers. I never figured out where they sleep before 11am..

People on the streets live without an identity. They cannot get an ID card, the kids cannot go to school. It's a system that pushes down the people already marginalised and in need. The police here are no better, beating people, holding them in custody and generally scaring the shit out of them.

God, I'm lucky not to be Vietnamese. I'm still tired. Drinking too much. Staying out too late. My friends think I'm strange and elusive and are getting annoyed. It makes me feel even more alone.

Going to find a shower now, Josh says he will be back in a few hours, I'm going to mooch around his place..and wait.

Homeless in Hanoi - Week 2

I'm tired. For almost two weeks I've been roaming this city like a hungry cat. Dragging my feet, my bags and weary self through the streets, sniffing out comfortable corners and wriggling my way into potential floors, couches and beds..

I smell..I'm tired, really tired and I feel desperate.

Day to day has been a focus on finding a place to sleep for the night. I've crashed on couches and floors. Sleeping on park benches to make up for the lack of sleep trawling bars or pubs in the late evenings.

I feel like a hunter...and it all sounds so melodramatic..but it's true! Sleep is ALL I think about!

It's all subjective, obviously I have friends who don't want me on the street and contacts and places to stay..but still, I have this tangible feeling of aloneness..I'm rootless..and unloved.

Of course, it's crazy because in actuality I AM wanted, cared about! This state is self-created and can be stopped anytime, but now, right now, I feel alone. Miserable. And it seems I've stopped looking after myself.

Since I don't want friends or people who know me well to know I'm in the midst of a bizarre experiment, I haven't had much contact with friends, except a surprise here and there to ask for a shower. I've been sitting outside apartments waiting for hours until someone comes how from work, simply to take a shower in their house. I've been sleeping above cafes and restaurants (hidden from staff) or using friends couches to crash out in.

I'm tired and never want to be homeless again.

How to be Homeless

You no longer exist to society - you are outside it - you are rejected by it...

But remember, there are people routinely homeless. And not in the ways we think. Disaster survivors, travellers, new divorcees, financial crisis sufferers...and people simply living an alternative lifestyle!

People think it's lazy to be homeless, but that is far from the truth. Homelessness is very hard work. They also think that many are veterans, mentally ill or retarded, these stereotypes simply don't fit many of the homeless in Australia or around the world.

There is stigma attached to being homeless. Even if the person it living homeless well. There are even laws prohibiting it. Imagine. There are laws against being homeless. Let me say that one more time. There are laws against being homeless.

"Imagine yourself as an 8 year old child. You come home from school, the door is locked. You knock. A stranger answers the door and sends you away. You do not know where your parents went. All you have are the clothes on your back and a backpack. How do you feel? Where do you go? What do you do? If you have relatives, you might seek them out for help. You might go to a friend's home and ask for assistance. If you can picture yourself as that 8 year old, you will begin to know what it is like to be homeless...or..."

More from What is it like to be homeless?

1. Learn to travel light. Keep a postbox, find a safe place for your possessions if you can't keep them with you all the time.

2. Scout for good bathrooms, places with hot water so you can wash, friendly staff so you can take your time and visit many times

3. Carry nuts, peanut butter or foods with high protein

4. Always get enough sleep. The truth about being homeless is sleep deprivation. Carry a blanket with you and nap anytime you can.

5. Keep a positive mental attitude. Things always change! For better or worse, remember your current situation won't always be the same, so tuck into your food - when you have it. Sleep when you can. Be thankful for small kindnesses!

For more stories from the homeless check out Hear My Story

Homeless in Hanoi

My beloved brothel packed in two hectic weeks, now the paint peeled walls and cavernous spaces are empty and bare. My possessions, scattered to the four corners..walking out with an interesting stream of people. It's possible I'm almost ready to say goodbye to this tangled nest of a city.

Hanoi rushes over itself, jangles and honks, has broken edges that assault the senses and skylines that confuse the mind. After almost two years living and breathing Hanoi..and as beautiful as it is, I want a clearer picture. But what about the underbelly..

Now is a good time as any for a social experiment. If my apartment made me at home in Hanoi..what will being homeless do?

I don't have a fixed place to stay..and I intend to keep it that way. There are many homeless in Hanoi. Mostly sleeping in parks and on benches or on the streets and in alleys. The homeless and itinerant here are many..

Crime is high and many young kids are brought up on the streets. They come from many backgrounds, but they say children of rural families coming to the city to look for work have the worst time of it. The government is not kind to these families, sometimes detaining them for up to 6 months.

So I want to get a different perspective, as such. Take a nap on the bench of someone less fortunate and experience what it's like to have no attachments, to your city, your possessions and or your society. I've put these posts up 'post' experiment...enjoy my trials and tribulations.

And wish me luck. I'm eying off those benches in a park near you!

Meanwhile, a friend works for Volunteers for Peace they have a centre for homeless kids in the Ha Dong district of Hanoi. She's looking for volunteers to teach English or educate kids on HIV/AIDS. There is also temple work and orphanage work too!

Near misses, pavement kisses

I think it's safe to say, women see the world in a different way. Especially as travellers, lady adventurers, we see stories as a metaphor for life. Stories become gems that sparkle in minds, tickle tiny fancies and give them energy to become reality. I love stories and have wanted to write for a long time, but I suppose have always come to the conclusion my travels and experiences are simply not as interesting as others. Lately, my family and friends have mentioned this is not so...so, here's a story

Near misses, pavement kisses

Glass shifted under my hip, crunching against the pavement. My jaw throbbed and my breath paused, locked in my chest. All here? Intact? panicked messages raced around my brain. The ringing in my ears throbbed against the numb sensation in head from the impact. I felt a stain of blood oozing in my jeans. In the distance a dark figure steadied itself and rose slowly. He's alright...but why is he so far away? I'm ok..breath..slowly..get up slowly..
So this is what a motorbike accident feels like?

Ask anyone who has visited to Hanoi, they will talk about the traffic. It's essential therapy. Here, traffic is a rabid stampede of the worst kind of herd. Here, lanes are optional, honking essential and accidents, carnivale. But actually, it's not even the number of accidents you see that is frightening, it's the sheer abandon with which Vietnamese drive. And, of course, you will also see many accidents.

In my first week in Hanoi, during a conversation someone casually mentioned the worst kind is when a scooter is hit by anything larger. The conversation became a show and tell of scars, horror stories of twisted metal and twisted people scattered along on messy roadsides and generally painful tales of traffic in Hanoi. Inevitably, accidents become a story and a parade. Vietnamese traffic slows almost to a standstill viewing the chaos. I find gawking at accidents disgusting and normally I purposely avert my eyes from the personal tragedy of another.

But the worst ones are unavoidable. The first accident I saw left me haunted. A motorbike and a four wheel drive collided like a screeching metal pinata on a busy highway, the dyke road, a main artery leading to my home in Westlake to the tourist centre, the Old Quarter. A double 'lane' paved highway, an impossible street on a Sunday, during peak hour it becomes pure blurred motion. Cars, trucks and motorbikes all racing to outdo each other in an impromptu exercise of speed, close calls and near misses.

Ahead of us a motorbike in a frozen second was absorbed, chewed up and spat out into various, unrecognisable metallic pieces barely four cars in front of us. Instantaneous moments drawn into a long tunnel of sound and fear, fractured metal, flying bodies and sounds I'll never forget. And the bodies of the driver and passenger as we passed...a dark river of blood flowing to a gutter..I barely avoided throwing up and avoided the street for many weeks after.

So when I first considered driving in Hanoi, my first thoughts were laced with a tangible fear. And how can one do anything properly if fear is the first response. In Vietnam, the first and only piece of advice is to be fearless. Be a road warrior, to leave the others for dead in the life or death race to the supermarket, to work or to pick up your children. To believe that others will help those who have fallen as you rush to your all important goal at a breakneck speed. Honestly, this is my advice. Be fearless.

The taxi had come speeding through a quiet corner in the wrong lane. My friend swerved the handlebars but not in time and the taxi clipped our back wheel. We were knocked sideways and hit the gutter squarely. I was thrown many metres over the front and my angelic flight through the air narrowly missed a concrete bench and I landed on the other side of the road.

We were both fine, no injuries, only small scrapes, bruises and cuts and a ruined shirt. The taxi never stopped. I still don't look at accidents.
And I don't drive in Hanoi.

A tightening net

I live in a Socialist republic..I know mail is opened and books and authors are banned from the country, I see people arrested on the streets, have read the propaganda leaflets, hear the propaganda loudspeakers in the morning, see the police driving around telling everyone to go to bed at curfew time...

..but for some reason it only perfectly crystallizes in my mind when the government does something that directly affects me..like ban Facebook!
Vietnam is making the transition from a totalitarian society to becoming more open, but its one-party regime still has a total authoritarian mindset. Vietnam has a history of internet censorship and is has always been quick to act and heavy handed on dissent.

Apparently, Facebook's ability to communicate and publicize is a new threat and 8 internet providers throughout the country received this note from the party:

“For security reasons and to fight against propagative activities that oppose the Party and the government, Department of Professional Technology – Office of Security Administration – Ministry of Public Security suggests that the addressed companies to apply technical methods to block thoroughly these following websites.”

I use Facebook to alleviate boredom and share life ;) but I am sure there are many Vietnamese using it as a way to move forward, and progress includes dissent..how can the government decide to stop a country from moving forward..it's been said, the first condition of progress is the removal of censorship!

The internet is proving a major battleground between censors and dissidents in Vietnam..

Work, food and love

Het Goi!!!!!!

International Week, i.e kindergarten mayhem at its finest :)

(An entire museum was created for goodness sake.)

All week we crafted it up, played around pretend campfires, ate on the floor Japanese style, danced to Cuban rhythms etc. Parents came to my classroom to read stories, demonstrate origami and show costumes. For our big show and buffet today, I dressed as an aboriginal and mc'd and everyone had to guess which animal I played on the didgeridoo..

The buffet was..ridiculous, culinary delights from 14 different countries..it was ecstasy on a plate! Aussie lamingtons, Austrian schnitzel, Korean pastries, Japanese sushi, French chocolate cakes and so on and on..it was an edible multicultural rollercoaster ride. Glad it's over...and I can relax my belly!

Right now, in Hanoi it feels like bad old dog days are back..already mid-November and Hanoi is sweltering! A grey storm cloud forming outside my window is conspiring to bring relief to this sweat saturated city. I'm listening to Ani Difranco in my underpants and feeling happy about it all.

Oh, today I learned Vietnamese slang for 'kindergarten teacher' ~ a poorly paid job the literal translation is 'tiger' meaning we are hungry all the time..

..I must be one of those fat tigers hand fed on tender side cuts...

Hanoi Street Art Festival 2009

What's the best thing to do when winter is on the horizon?

Play with fire, of course.

We've formed a troupe, a gathering of creatures who create flaming patterns, make beautiful sounds and generally enjoy something different outside!

Our first fire show was on Tuesday, at the first Hanoi Street Art Festival, attended by..wait for it..the Danish Queen, the President of Vietnam and everybody's favorite Danish prince and princess. The festival was at Hoan Kiem lake and was the first of its kind in Hanoi. A collaboration of nearly 50 artists from Vietnam and Denmark creating visual arts, dance and theatre.

Of course, we arrived late and didn't know the status of the honored attendees..we just wanted to spin some fire and play drums on the streeeeets!!

..and spin we did to a large crowd that gathered quickly around us. Fire spinning is a new concept here, and drumming is equally enjoyed by Vietnamese. Hooray! This month, our troupe will play at hotel openings, parties, boats, bazaars..lots to learn and many nice people to share with.

There were lots of photographers but only one promised to email me.. so I hope to share some photos..soon..possibly.

It's great to see Hanoi creating!
To see an expansion of the group mind!

And a peek at our new website!!
www.ahimsafire.blogspot.com

:)

African Drumming Workshops Hanoi

We've had four fantastic drumming sessions so far. Hanoians have answered our djembe call and are coming out on a Tuesday night to enjoy African rhythms.

For over a year Chris and I have been learning how to drum with two excellent professional drummers in Hanoi. Cedric and Sebastien both played and learned djembe with Mamadi Nyasuma in Africa. And we've slowly and patiently learned a whole host of rhythms.

The idea came about because we simply wanted people to come over and play drums, and now we know a whole group of people who are interested in playing loud beats!

We hold the sessions at Chris' place. His neighbors don't mind!

We've had Vietnamese, foreigners and everyone in between come to visit. We drum for two hours and use the first hour as a way to teach some of the basic djembe beats (for absolute beginners). Then, the beats combine and we have a massive jam! Hehe, learning how to listen to each other!

So come and visit! You don't need to know any rhythms, we aren't sure of most of them ourselves!
Bring: a drum if you have one, a tough pair of hands and a desire to beat the drum loud

Come one come all :)
Donations only and cake provided !!

Tues, 7pm
31 Nyugen Binh Kiem
Opposite the herbal medicine hospital

Call Tabitha 0123 865 8862 if you get lost!

Life on the farm

Imagine, 6am, soft morning sun glinting through your window. Chickens clucking, pigs grunting, birds and your sleeping partner shifting on the thin bamboo bed, preparing for a day of harvesting rice...Josh and I were lucky to experience a small part of Vietnamese village life.

Josh has only been here for 3 weeks but he already knows half of Hanoi..the Vietnamese half too! It was one of these connections that got us living on a farm in the middle of the countryside.

They have a small farm about 30 kms outside of Haiphong, a port city near Halong Bay. We managed to meet their entire extended family and were invited to a wedding (I was surprised it wasn't Josh's.) Even so poor, they were so generous, we gave them two huge flopping fish caught straight from the breeding ponds and food, but found it impossible to pay for anything!

After a difficult goodbye, we headed south..my rough idea was to go in a diamond shape, from Hanoi - Haiphong - Ninh Binh - Kim Boi Waterfalls - Hanoi. We didn't bring guides, or look at a map..so it didn't exactly turn out that way.

Giggling like loons we picked random buses from a station board or jumped on without knowing the destination. One took us to a town on the edge of the sea, we spent the afternoon whizzing around rolling hillsides in styyyyle..on a tandem bicycle!!

The part I enjoyed most was scootering from Ninh Binh to and through Cuc Phuong National Park. It's about 100 kms from Hanoi. And the landscape around Ninh Binh is delicious!

Huge, green monoliths jut out of the mountainous region...carved with rivers, lakes and scattered with peaceful temples. From the town it's 2 hours by bike to Cuc Phuong. We took it easy, explored streams, hung out with endangered monkeys and hundreds of brilliantly colored butterflies. Although it's a 'paved' national park, the happiness of the trees and animals would rival any Australia rainforest!

Ninh Binh was also nice, for a city. Happy dogs roaming the streets. It's my new measure of the kindness of a city's people, when stray dogs are friendly and well fed. Hanoi has a lot to answer for, considering they eat their strays..practical, but not too friendly.

Neither of us brought a camera..so until I can work out how to get the few I took off my phone...

...you'll have to imagine, a brother and sister on scooters, grinning wildly from ear to ear as the wind whistles past. Luscious rainforest all around, rice paddies, towering limestone karsts in the distance and long white winding paths ahead..

Full Moon Fiesta

Our friend works for a French NGO, and during the mid-autumn celebrations she organised a gala at Hanoi's National Pediatric Hospital.

A few foreign monkeys, including Josh and I, were invited to sing a little, dance a little and generally create a bit of fun for the kids and parents :)

My friend, Mienne, caught footage of the poi and drum performance! Enjoy *

Drumming and poi video

Mienne and Tab juggling

My scariest experience in Vietnam

Can a minsk travel 100 km held together with plastic bags and masking tape?
The answer is: Yes.. it can.

(And nope that's not the scary part. That's just a matter of fact.)

Our roadtrip started luscious and pastoral. 8 road warriors, my newly-arrived brother. A beautiful crew, complete with a cat packing a GPS grumbling through Vietnamese countryside, mountains, winding roads and tiny villages...

It wasn't till evening when we hit a bad patch of road my memory becomes clearer. One of the bikes didn't have a light and the road was quickly disintegrating into rocky chunks. It was hard to see and after the rain, tracks were slippery under the tires. There were a few times I thought I would be bumped right off the bike.

But, that wasn't the scary part.
We decided to stop, better for our asses and better for our bikes..some villagers (who definitely heard us coming) came out and offered us an abandoned school for the night. Not quite the woodsy camping experience we pictured, but considering the road..a great option. Surrounded by curious locals, we got comfortable, someone swept the floors and they even rigged up a bare bulb while we drew pictures for the cute kids on the blackboard.

But that's when things got complicated...

Two policemen arrived and they weren't happy we were there. They had terse words and attitudes, a huge comparison to the smiling people around us. Our friend, Lan Anh, did most of the talking while we produced what we hoped were harmless tourist smiles...

Vietnamese cop: Where are your passports.
Us (sitting on the dusty floor): We are tourists, our hotels have them.
Vietnamese cop: (looking at our friends..with fantastic logic) If you are tourists.. why are you Vietnamese?
Lan Anh: ..some smart reply..
Vietnamese police: You are tourists, you must sleep at our station. It's not safe for you to sleep here.
Us: (looking at smiling 8 year olds) ...Um...

Even with Lan Anh's incredible diplomacy, we had no choice but to saddle up and at a sombre, grey looking station they took names, grilled our friends, Lan Anh and Son, and told us we could continue on our journey in the morning.

Disappointing, yes..but still, not scary.

While on the way to the other station to sleep, our police escort suddenly disappeared. Strange, their headlights had been following us closely, so we stopped on the road... by chance next to a bia hoi! Beer, peanuts, more peanuts, a broken (and fixed) bike and more beer later, we realised the police weren't coming and headed out of town!

Being in the middle of nowhere, in the dark, crossing rickety bamboo bridges and water, the best thing was to find a secluded place, rig up hammocks and sleep. This, while decidedly drunken, messy and kind of farcical...was also not scary....

...Asleep, drunk, in a tree in a forest...in Vietnam..

What was scary was being shaken awake at 4am by Lan Anh...

LA: There are men with guns. I don't know who they are. They have guns.
Me: (drunk) Whaaaat?
LA: They have Son, I don't know if they are police, but they don't look like it. They have Son and they have guns.

And she disappeared into the dark.

I panicked. I could see a bright light in the distance, motors and hear angry men shouting. I rolled out of the hammock, and hid in the darkness of the bushes heart in my mouth...

Racing through my mind was the ridiculousness of hiding, the positives of hiding, and racing through my body fear and prickly bushes I had fallen into.. After what seemed like ages, brain cells kicked in, there were shouts that we should pack up camp, no gun shots and I shook awake the sleeping couple in the tree above me and we gathered our things as directed.

That was the scary part.
I don't think I have ever been so scared in my life.
My heart was in my throat the entire time. Thank god, someone had their head together and communicated we were travellers. Luckily, for us, they were local police looking for a group of Vietnamese hoodlums. They saw our bikes and mistook us. The gun in the end, was very small. And the men, friendly enough once they realised we weren't armed.
Our Vietnamese friend, Son, probably copped the worst, having to explain in the middle of the night face to face with angry men with guns..and Lan Anh again, ever diplomatic and sensitive!

The police were very friendly, much nicer than the first lot. They joked and smiled as they offered us cold, hard tiles to sleep on. We spent the night in the position we were meant to be in...on a cold floor in a station house.

In the clear light of day (at another bia hoi) we nursed hangovers and laughed about our situation... you know..that nervous kind of laughter.

The rest of the trip was wonderful, searching for imaginary waterfalls, swimming in rivers, and hanging out with goats and water buffalo surrounded by magnificent jungle..the kind of happiness one expects in Vietnam.

I prefer it that way, less police involvement, more swimming and jungle....

....and...we rode home with a coke bottle and sticky tape holding our engine in place..a massive leap of ingenuity (the moral of the tale being a minsk can pretty much do anything.)

And, also ... now that we can laugh about it..when travelling in the countryside, be aware of local law enforcement expectations, and carry a phrase book..

What's this...mid-autumn...again!

Mid Autumn has come..and gone! With all of the hooha and hoopla (and traffic) of last year. Only more...

Tet Trung Thu is my favorite Vietnamese festival. New Year is too big, Christmas too ugly. Mid-autumn is just right. Cool breezes are starting to sneak in, the city is overdue for a holiday and in the lead up the streets crackle with a buzz of excitement.

Plus the pagan moon-worshipper in me loves city-wide revelling under a full moon! And like any good pagan event, it's celebrated with fire, masks and myths!

You may remember me marvelling last year at beautiful floating lanterns let off around the city...well, they are dangerous, create litter and are now banned..surprise! But, I found a guy who took me to the back of his dingy shop..hehe..and with a prayer, we set it off from my balcony. A little scary considering the houses below my apartment all have thatched roofs..

This year I was lucky enough to have a chocolate mooncake magic'd up for me...yep, magic mooncake.

I organised our mid-autumn event and put on a great show for the kids! We put on our masks, decorated, reenacted a myth of a golden carp who swims through the dragon's gate to becomes a flying dragon...nice!

((And much better than the traditional story of the moon woman who accidentally urinates on a holy tree!! Go figure, I wasn't going to explain that one to my four year olds, no matter how traditional it is.))

All the same, hoopla, traffic, the coming of winter..I really like mid-autumn!

...and here's the link to my post last year in case you didn't know just how cool it was ;)
http://happylittlefeet.blogspot.com/2008/09/mid-autumn-moon-festival.html

My brother.
My brother who I am a part of and who is a part of me.. is here. Now.
If I could write how a soul who has known you through the ages makes you feel. To have the smallest, oldest, warmest part of yourself..appear... and make music with you.
it's bliss.

Road Trips and Randomness

Finally..I'm back..on the blog.

I could describe this month as insane, colorful, intense, intention albeit slightly drunken..but let me tell you about our little journeys, some of the best parts of the month.

The first was a mad weekend dash to the coast. Saddled on two grumbling Minsks four of us hit the road, hangovers in hand and hammocks in packs to meet a pair of friends.

The trip was uneventful bar running out of petrol..twice, one minor breakdown, losing a bike (the wait nicely soothed by roadside beers and pappadums) and the ride blanketed by green countryside, speeding highway trucks, waves and smiles at as our growling minkas left motorists in clouds of pollution...culminating in spotting our beautiful friends magically on a roadside that evening.

After a happy reunion, seafood dinner and purchasing a few highly toxic alcoholic coconuts we headed away from the town and onto winding roads towards a destination...somewhere beautiful.

There were six. Frederique a dreadlocked Indian feminist anarchist, her lover, Stix, a spindly German intellectual. Cedric, a soulsy French activist, Lan Anh, my earth child, a bearded Quebecan cat called Felix and me.

Now, at this point we either got lost, or didn't have a direction in the first place (more the case), but in the dark of night the road we were driving on dipped suddenly down towards the ocean and...ended.. abruptly.. at a jetty. Surrounded by towering freighters and not to be deterred, we asked where the mammoth ships were headed..South Africa was the reply.

Now, this has to be said, there was a moment of hesitation as the destination was seriously considered. But then, one of the ladies said if we got onto a little boat, she would take us to an island. So three huge motorbikes balanced precariously and Western asses on a tin boat...we chugged towards black outlines in the distance.

Darkened foliage silhouetted islands ahead of us, but it was pitch black. Land was a welcome sight, bikes off the boat and onto solid ground, and rumbling off again towards mountains...

Now... I could say we made it to a beautiful beach, found a suitable place to camp, put our hammocks up in an respectable way and lit a campfire to play guitar around..

But somewhere along the way, an important piece of someone's motorbike fell off...and the journey deeper into the hills was cut short. And once the first nasty little coconut was cracked, there was nothing else to do but enjoy the unexpected stop, find trees for the hammocks, drink more coconut, light fire poi and generally degenerate into giggling alcoholics..then sleep.

The next morning, six slightly intoxicated travellers squinting in the hot morning sun fixed the broken bike magically and scooted to the left. Just in time to dip in the pollution filled ocean, munch prawns, breathe in the scattered beauty of dotted islands... and make our merry way home.. after 5 hours on a bike, in the dark, totally assless...

,,,but having no ass at the end of a beautiful weekend is better than sitting on a fat ass at home.

..why am I still here...

'A city is a place where there is no need to wait for next week to get the answer to a question, to taste the food of any country, to find new voices to listen to and familiar ones to listen to again.'
Margaret Mead

I get the feeling my mother wonders why I am still in Asia. She hopes I'm happy, even though, I say I am, I'm sure she wonders 'WHY?'.

Yes, the streets are dirty, there's noise, pollution and definitely more traffic than your city. More aggravation, it’s more difficult to move about and harder to communicate.

But I found after 14 months that massive, disarranged picture has settled into the shape of ordinary life...

So what happens when you start to understand the language, see meaning in seemingly meaningless actions, when traffic, pollution and people aren't strange, annoying or confusing anymore?
Life happens...learning happens...acceptance happens...and it makes room for contentment.

Apart from the lifestyle that comes with having a good salary. I am simply in love with this city.
It's beautiful. And has an intangible quality that is hard to place. A Parisian woman recently described as a 'city of hearts' if that means anything.

And...every so often I have a random encounter that makes me smile...and sometimes frown.

So I stay...learn. I'm content now...finally...happy.
Hope that helps mum... ;)

Backpackers & Guesthouses in Hanoi

To begin with in Hanoi, you'll probably want to stay around the Ho Hoan Kiem area..this is where you'll do most of your shopping, see the most of Hanoi city life and get harassed the most by local touts and sellers of bananas and pineapples!

I haven't stayed in many hostels or backpackers but I have friends who have and these places below seem like the best picks for many budgets and many levels of comfort...

Hanoi Youth Hotel
It's located on a very busy road, but it's smack bang in the middle of the district! My good friend Cedric works there and it's slowly becoming a real funky place to be with a pool room, lounge and pretty good food downstairs.. bargain, because you'll definitely get a better deal...
33 Luong Van Can St
Hoan Kiem District.
T: (04) 3828 5822, (0167) 274 2493

Hanoi Backpackers
It's really, really clean and has dorms. A pretty damn typical tourist place without a trace of originality, privacy or love...but cheap and in a really good location. It's tucked in a corner near St Joe's cathedral..but is pretty easy to find!
48 Ngo Huyen
Hoan Kiem District.
T: (04) 3828 5372

The Drift..um, yeah..again..soulless..but it's clean
42 Truong Han Sieu St
Hoan Kiem District.
T: (04) 3944 8415

If you can afford to pay a little more, I would recommend Vinaway Hotel. It's called the 'Freaky Hotel' but some of our more gregarious couchsurfers. Vinaway is a pretty bizarre hotel and has great, great, great staff who will help you with anything. Plus, it's down the road from Chris' place..so you can drop in for a tea of meditation! See his CS profile here" target="_blank"

52 Le Van Huu Street, Hai Ba Trung District, Hanoi.
Tel: (84-4) 39433845 - Fax: (84-4) 39448409
Email: vinaway.hotel@gmail.com

Summer School Fun!

Summer school rocked my socks! Two beautiful weeks of splashing, painting, creating, dressing up, collecting, building and singing..

It's all over now and the new school year has just begun. The school is freshly painted, classrooms arranged and decorated and my little ones are adjusting to a new routine with their brand new teacher!

Kindergartners are the sweet. Here are some shots of my summer school kids and our antics :)

I can climb walls, shoot sticky stuff from my body and have 8 limbs or so it seems at times!)

My two Japanese girls

Z is for Zebra

Story (and photo) taking time!

Self discovery!!pink masks and sequined skirts are fun!

Sharing the pool with the older class

edible!!

I stepped out to see a sunset like never before!

From my balcony I could see a massive glow covering the sky like wings of a gigantic butterfly.. The entire horizon was a brilliant red and it seemed to last forever. I saw an indescribable shade of pink I've never seen before.

I stood on my balcony with a huge smile on my face...magical.



Sure it has something to do with pollution... but beautiful no less...

Taxis in Hanoi

It should go without saying that 90% of taxis in Hanoi are cheats..and yet, why do I still get cheated?

It seems some taxis drive you around the block, others blatantly 'forget' to use the meter and others have simply tampered with it.

Ok, so how to get around being ripped off completely. My suggestion is to get a bike..but here, who knows how you'll go. The next best option (the only option really) is to use a reputable taxi company (like the ones listed below).

1. Don't go with the tiny green taxis you see zipping around
2. Ensure the meter has a clear, unbroken box around it
3. Watch the streets on your map
4. Ask the driver approximately how much before you get in

Here's a list of good taxi companies in Hanoi, hope it keeps you out of trouble!

MaiLinh Taxi - 04 3822 2666
Hanoi Taxi - 04 353 5353
Taxi CP- 04 3262626
Hanoi Tourist Taxi -04 3565656

Quynh

Goddess. Outright amazing Vietnamese goddess! For someone whose culture locks women into neatly formed, high-heeled stereotypes, this girls imagination and passion for creation is rare and precious. Quynh shoots right out of this hemisphere and makes herself real without a template.

She's not just a dancer because she's gorgeous, she's gorgeous because she's a Dancer -with a capital D.. passion straight out of a novel, and a love of dance, unequaled in my perspective. This girl knows she is destined for something greater and will walk, skip and haul herself to the end.

She's a lover, a fighter and a damn good cook. Her and I have been in love with the same fella - at the same time - and have still have created a friendship that ensures we value each other and desire only the best. I think our understanding of each other and our similarities surpass even our friendship.

All in all, she's the very best part of Vietnamese beauty.

Fred

Fred is a wolf woman. The first time I met her was on couchsurfing, she tripped me out a little and has continued to do so for the remainder of our friendship. Fred is astonishing. A fully fledged feminist, anarchist, human soul eater, she has the ability to remain female/male and a true child of the universe.

Fred amazes me continually because I have never met someone so in touch with themselves, ego never presents an issue for her. She is chasing the tail of humanitarianism with a hunger I've never before seen. She's living proof you don't need money to survive, you don't need to be coy to be sexy, and you can wholly give your life over to the universe in servitude with the fullness of your heart...

She's a lifelong volunteer, a servant of humankind, a creatress and a goddess..and I'm proud to call her sister.

She plans to create festivals, fix the Food Not Bombs org in Paris and volunteers, volunteers, volunteers....with many organisations!! What a lad!

David

David. Someone who is easy to talk to. dream with, get excited with. Who loves aesthetics and should have been born in the 1920's where art and dreaming was staple and fringes on skirts highly erotic. He's an analytical anomaly of a hipified non-stereotypical variety. And is just sugar really. Sugar in a slightly jaded, know-it-all, generous with his thoughts kinda way!

He trips the light fantastic and sprays the world with color and interesting characters. Like a pixie, jack-in-the-box his photographs sort out reality from unreality and blends them together in one amazing palette. Who uses his friends and acquaintances as models, and wraps life in a colorful bubble or good vibrations.

His photos make me tingle. And there isn't enough virtual memory to capture it all.

www.davidpricco.com