It's been a long hiatus filled with growth and new roots. And now I'm ready to write again. Rather than begin a fresh blog with new directions, I thought I'd lay a new path over the old one.

What I learned today.

It's all about the travels you go on when you are in one place and plan to stay. It's about believing that growth happens from the inside out rather than the other way around. So my happy little feet are happy here in the tropical north firmly planted in the sand. And my mind is free to wander.

Street kids of Jogjakarta - Donations welcome

A generous gift from someone on the other side of the country has raised me out of my blogging slumber!

Last year Charlie and I trucked through Indonesia and formed a friendship with a group of street boys in Jogjakarta. The boys story of misuse and abandonment is extreme, but sadly not unique in this city..

in 1982 the Family of GIRLI was created by mas (brother) Didid when he saw a young boy having sex with an old prositute with a crowd howling and cheering around them. He put aside his college education and went to live on the streets to earn the trust and love of these boys and provide a stable role model and organised them to take care of each other...you can read more about the story here - Street Kids of Yoyakarta

The boys we met were part of this family and creating an income by designing, sewing and flying traditional kites. To help them raise money I put a link on my blog with a paypal account..I hope to raise enough to help them buy a sewing machine..and pay entry to new kite competitions around Indonesia.

Today a donation appeared in my account...

So, this post is one of gratitude for kindness bestowed on strangers with a common love. Thank you for your kind donation. Thank you for caring and sharing the wealth. And thank you for giving me hope today.

If you want to help out too, please find account details through paypal here or click the DONATE link on the side bar of the blog.

University Lives

Final exam completed! The excitement and stress of 13 long weeks of learning, learning, learning in a formal, school environment has finally come to an end.

Just so you know, Tabitha's mixed bag semester of four subjects has been interesting:
Sociology
Social Science
Effective Writing
Archaeology

I've acknowledged foundations of the human condition and understand the basic social concepts of our society. Sociology and social science have given answers to some of the 'whys' and 'wherefores', archaeology provided an understanding of where we have come from, and effective writing offered a platform on which to express it all.

Academia; a learning curve. I've learned the ins-and-outs of how to punctuate; when and where it is appropriate to break down; how to structure assignments, essays and study for exams; and (in my degree at least) the bones an essential elements of our beautiful, terrible social world (past, present and future, in theoretical terms at least).

It's been exciting, edifying, and at times a little lonely.
And I'm done for now. Hooray!

So what have I learned?
...a little of everything about everything....

1. How to dig a proper, professional hole.
2. What capitalism actually means for the rest of us.
3. To be pissed off about things, because a little change for some people can mean the difference between living and dying.
4. Australian realities are often harsher than those of the poorest country you've seen.
5. Formal, structured learning is priceless.

So it's Friday night and I'm ready to join the rest of my alcoholic, student brothers and sisters in a toast to a future of more learning, more knowledge and further education.

Love it!

Life and learning

As I write life floats past, broad brushstrokes that define each moment, every thought and the momentary glimpses of the beauty. It seems my journey of movement through the world has found its end in the tropical heat and wild weather I was born for. One of the northernmost parts of Australia.

It's been a wonderful journey of discovery, movement and knowledge..and now it's time for a foray into the world of thought and theory. Time to define the notions and ideas I've had over the years into something more concrete...a time for study.

Thanks for sharing my scattered thoughts as I've walked through cultures, travelled on the trucks of love through landscapes vastly different to my own.

Thanks for listening and understanding. I hope to one day soon have more stories to share. But for now, it's time for a different kind of life, one focused on reading, learning and studying about the world..

Three years of it!

Tropical Cyclone Yasi

Whew, it was a little windy the other day!

I love FNQ...

it's just me today - writing...

Life cycles, trailer racks of earth tracks, just me and my charlie and a surfboard between us and the world, my heart poured out on her sleeve..

It's just me today...getting to Know the city of Cairns better. I like her muggy insistence, her twitching nationalism, country roots and up-and-coming sense of self. She's slowly growing on me and who knows, we may yet become friends.
I created a song yesterday, yes, about love.
You could say it's my first one. 
I'm a proud parent of my first, true lyrical expression direct from my soul. Creation, to dig under the nails of thought, scrape the roots of memory and float gracefully in the arms of form.

Speaking of beautiful things..These are five things I'd like to focus on in my life..Buddhist precepts as written by Thich Nhat Hanh:

Reverence For Life

Aware of the suffering caused by the destruction of life, I am committed to cultivating the insight of interbeing and compassion and learning ways to protect the lives of people, animals, plants, and minerals. I am determined not to kill, not to let others kill, and not to support any act of killing in the world, in my thinking, or in my way of life. Seeing that harmful actions arise from anger, fear, greed, and intolerance, which in turn come from dualistic and discriminative thinking, I will cultivate openness, non-discrimination, and non-attachment to views in order to transform violence, fanaticism, and dogmatism in myself and in the world.
True Happiness
Aware of the suffering caused by exploitation, social injustice, stealing, and oppression, I am committed to practicing generosity in my thinking, speaking, and acting. I am determined not to steal and not to possess anything that should belong to others; and I will share my time, energy, and material resources with those who are in need. I will practice looking deeply to see that the happiness and suffering of others are not separate from my own happiness and suffering; that true happiness is not possible without understanding and compassion; and that running after wealth, fame, power and sensual pleasures can bring much suffering and despair. I am aware that happiness depends on my mental attitude and not on external conditions, and that I can live happily in the present moment simply by remembering that I already have more than enough conditions to be happy. I am committed to practicing Right Livelihood so that I can help reduce the suffering of living beings on Earth and reverse the process of global warming.

True Love

Aware of the suffering caused by sexual misconduct, I am committed to cultivating responsibility and learning ways to protect the safety and integrity of individuals, couples, families, and society. Knowing that sexual desire is not love, and that sexual activity motivated by craving always harms myself as well as others, I am determined not to engage in sexual relations without true love and a deep, long-term commitment made known to my family and friends. I will do everything in my power to protect children from sexual abuse and to prevent couples and families from being broken by sexual misconduct. Seeing that body and mind are one, I am committed to learning appropriate ways to take care of my sexual energy and cultivating loving kindness, compassion, joy and inclusiveness – which are the four basic elements of true love – for my greater happiness and the greater happiness of others. Practicing true love, we know that we will continue beautifully into the future.

Loving Speech and Deep Listening

Aware of the suffering caused by unmindful speech and the inability to listen to others, I am committed to cultivating loving speech and compassionate listening in order to relieve suffering and to promote reconciliation and peace in myself and among other people, ethnic and religious groups, and nations. Knowing that words can create happiness or suffering, I am committed to speaking truthfully using words that inspire confidence, joy, and hope. When anger is manifesting in me, I am determined not to speak. I will practice mindful breathing and walking in order to recognize and to look deeply into my anger. I know that the roots of anger can be found in my wrong perceptions and lack of understanding of the suffering in myself and in the other person. I will speak and listen in a way that can help myself and the other person to transform suffering and see the way out of difficult situations. I am determined not to spread news that I do not know to be certain and not to utter words that can cause division or discord. I will practice Right Diligence to nourish my capacity for understanding, love, joy, and inclusiveness, and gradually transform anger, violence, and fear that lie deep in my consciousness.

Nourishment and Healing

Aware of the suffering caused by unmindful consumption, I am committed to cultivating good health, both physical and mental, for myself, my family, and my society by practicing mindful eating, drinking, and consuming. I will practice looking deeply into how I consume the Four Kinds of Nutriments, namely edible foods, sense impressions, volition, and consciousness. I am determined not to gamble, or to use alcohol, drugs, or any other products which contain toxins, such as certain websites, electronic games, TV programs, films, magazines, books, and conversations. I will practice coming back to the present moment to be in touch with the refreshing, healing and nourishing elements in me and around me, not letting regrets and sorrow drag me back into the past nor letting anxieties, fear, or craving pull me out of the present moment. I am determined not to try to cover up loneliness, anxiety, or other suffering by losing myself in consumption. I will contemplate interbeing and consume in a way that preserves peace, joy, and well-being in my body and consciousness, and in the collective body and consciousness of my family, my society and the Earth.

And the teachings of Siddhārtha Gautama and Psilocybe cubensis are worth listening to ..

from Chris

Hobbits o' Bellingen

Charlie B and me clankered all day and night to reach the land of the Hobbits, just a smidgen south of Coffs Harbor. An area of well watered pastures and contented brown cattle grazing on the open plains. As we drove, pastures evaporated and forest began encroaching the edges of the road.

It narrowed, the air became cooler and tiny houses appeared here and there nestled in the hillsides, tucked away in green valleys, or screened by forest and enclosed in old wooden fences. A few minutes on this winding track we arrived at Rand J's. The letterbox was weighed under a frenzy of vines and honey suckle, and a tiny wooden house with windows of colored glass sat happily surrounded by towering hoop pines.
The gardens were overflowing with vegetables planted in neat terraces, paths blocked by bicycles, timber, old carpet, pots, tubs, buckets full of miscellaneous green slime. The open shed home was full of instruments, jars full of seeds and grains covered the shelves, tools, bottles, furniture, materials hanging from the walls, sewing machines on tables and a tiny cot covered with a purple mosquito net. An old copper still bubbled away with its concoction on a red cedar bench.
R came out and suggested we go to the river for a swim. In the sunlight four shining souls wandered down a grassy slope at the bottom of the garden, with ancient trees watching from above, they disappeared into a small valley. The rockpool was crystal clear and the forest breathed all around. The frigid water flowing down in small waterfalls and around the thick fallen trunks of moss covered trees.
Many things to do around the house, a kitchen garden to create for example, camphor laurel roots to infuse and make 'smells', a native grain to harvest and dry for experimental cooking later, more smells and concoctions to look at. J flashed Charlie and excited grin and ran to the truck for a second. He came back with a wide grin holding a bottle full of brown liquid. On the side of the bottle was scrawled 'Danger - madness'. The paste was thick and had a pungent odor, the mixture was a number of psychedelics, things for taste and probably a bit of actual madness added for good measure.
Later in the warmth afternoon, pizza making maddness took its own course. Small families and groups friends showed up from the hills most born in this area, organic beers and music appeared, the flour grinder came out and a massive mix of millet, quinoa, spelt, buckwheat, amaranth and more ground where turned slowly into dust.

In the sunshine, on the hill under the trees, Baggins took out his washtub bass and plucked a beat, Sam Wise whistled and Sam Luce banged his knees, Tabitha sang a melody and although there were no Gamgee's or Took's they all had barefeet and laughed.
Until the cool of evening when the woodfire oven was kindled and on the table lay vegetables cut into pieces on trays, a banana carrot slice, raw snacks like balls of ground whole wheat, honey, nuts and definitely no meat, dates and goodness rolled in coconut juices..hang on, it's too tempting to get into a Dr Suess tirade here because the imagery in my brain is making me a little dizzy from the memory of the sight of that good food and all those funny hobbit names.

Anyway, we ate magical pizza under the light of the moon, jammed, and shared stories of life in this amazing forest and within me

..I felt the pull and tug of nature and her way to BE, simply.

Wash me away

Finally, I'm back on the blog. What can I say, I've been working, travelling and living in Brisbane and life is sweet..although...

In a month where water has swallowed entire Australian cities and rivers breached the streets of the grey CBD's, Charlie B and me had a 6th story view of brown tumult carrying boats, bridges and pontoons downstream. And felt the emotional pressure and anxiety as towns and cities realised enmasse about loss..and that things we hold dear can be removed in an instant by the sheer power of mother nature.

..and of course we are all thankful that the news programmes add sad piano backing music to montages of flooding and people losing their livelihoods, so we know exactly how to feel.

The oozing, stinking mud now caking the streets of inner city suburbs leaving those whose houses are left with a massive clean up. But funnily enough, the most noticable change in the city wasn't police barricades, bare supermarket shelves or sandbagged restaurants..the change I saw most obviously was a wholehearted outpouring of genorosity and love..clear honest kindness to your neighbour.

This feeling borne out of tragedy was palpable on the streets of Brisbane. Neighbours, strangers, colleagues tied by a cause making conversation, eye contact and offering help to those they might normally ignore.

Nice one Australia. Let's have a little more of that type of attitude... minus the devastation next
time.

Wonderscapes and citylust

Life winding, winding up, in this city, many years and the same winding roads leading me home. The big bricks of Brisbane are changing and new development has emerged, but the heart of the city remains the same. Staggering art-itechtural wonders, bizarre concept bridges, big, better gliding buses...and surprise surprise..more more more rules and regulations, white lines splitting the street, naysayers and conformity enforcers.

I feel this city doesn't reflect me anymore, in the sheer walls of glass and the grey concrete, I see less and less of myself. More and more of commerce that leads us forward..to where? I wonder about the disconnection, I really do.

And yet...

Yesterday I went clippity clopping in the city. My boots make a nice round sound on cement, and as I passed a fellow femanimal, my clop clips fell into beat with hers..I walked closely to her for a while, and could see she became increasingly uncomfortable, I noticed she purposefully tried to put her beats out of synch with mine, without success.

'A researcher hiding in an abandoned car once filmed children playing in a school ground at lunch hour. Screaming, laughing, running and jumping they all seemed superficially to be doing their own thing, yet careful analysis showed that the group was rocking to a unified beat. After some searching, the researchers found a tune that fit the silent cadence, and when they played it and rolled the film, it seemed as if each kid were dancing to the melody even though there had been no music playing in the schoolyard!'

So, are we connected..something within unifies us, makes us groove to the same beat of life, an unconscious undercurrent ties groups together and even in our most casual moments we pulse in sychrony. It's a feeling that makes me feel alright as I navigate the flow of energy, visible and otherwise, of this jagged, concrete place I call home.

Australian beach life is like no other... like no other...
it's ahop, skip and a jump...a very relaxed jump from Asia.

Damn, after time communing with mother ocean, getting my feet wet in the tea coloured streams, drying in the warm sun... I've decided, I'm moving to Byron and buying a small tea shop and forever supping tea with the wide view of the world at my feet ..

unique, I know

...

Peace

and

love

Hi, if you've read the recent Teach International article and are interested in my experience living in Vietnam, you can pop into my archives beginning early 2008

Tab

Birds and blue skies of Home

Yesterday, I almost tripped over a duck. Walking along a dark pathway I didn't see the small brood on the side of the road until it was almost too late. Imagine, I walk, and there is a duck.

They aren't the only animals in this amazing place, everywhere birds of all colors call and whirl in the air. Brilliant rainbows, shining whites, crested, yellow, white, black and proud. On my back porch one evening an owl landed gracefully on the awning, staring at me with eyes of wisdom and truth and after sharing time and space flew off again as I rose to leave. What a wonderland of creatures.

The truth is, I'm happy to be home. The secret is out. I've landed on Australian soil breathing the fertile green land, the bird-filled blue skies as wide and generous as I remembered.

Welcome to Australia..

A land of thick accents, terrible television advertising and regulated, regimented rules. A place of long history, and ancient traditions, overlayed with desperate commercialism, addictive purchasing and little political truth..

... but home at the very least!

Ghost Realities

'Almost every reality you 'know' at any given second is a mere ghost held in reality'....

Vision, self doubt, "see" and "hear"...what makes you so sure they exist? Given the power and subtleties of our culture, our system, our mental mind makers..the learning devices our societies create..what makes you more than an effective learning machine?

The peer pressure, phony proponents, unrealistic stings of unreality, social cues and the compulsion to go along with the herd are far more valuable pressures than we think they are...so how are we natural? how are we free?

It's been said we are a beach complete with shifting sands and dunes...'After all what is our reality anyway? Nothin' but a collective hunch'..as Lily says.

I'm a beach.

i'm the metaphor at hand, a mismatched time honoured clock of misperception. I'm hypersensitive, bound by the norms with crowds of silent voices whispering in my ears full of indescision and misunderstanding...

the influence of the mob gone before..

I'm the fall guy of generations of mistakes
the crowing of a crowd
long bent and wasted, crowding in the collective mind

trick me and tell me it was a white car speeding by a blue house and maybe i'll say...um, yeah, it was going pretty fast..

and yet, I'm touching the void here
balancing out, aiming to avoid pleasing

almost...maybe not this generation..but maybe the next
maybe

Cook for Peace

Ooh, how wonderful is sharing food - a most precious ritual, culture to culture, home to home. Families celebrate over roasts, reward with sweet meats and show appreciation with treats. But these days sharing food is a revolutionary movement!
My lovely Catalan friend Estella, who is part of the love love love of the Love Bis - Malaysia Chapter - a seeker of good people, truth and (cheap sustainable) travel, joined the ragtag group collaborating Food Not Bombs here. They cook and share food regular Friday nights..for free! Yes, yes, free food!

Food Not Bombs is a peace movement sharing vegan and vegetarian food in over 1,000 cities around the world!

Holding the belief that while people are starving not a single dollar more should be spent on WAR. Food from bakeries, packaged food from dumpsters, surplus stock are collected, cooked and shared with the community...those people...'out there'.

The immense wastage of our Western societies is ignored, government and corporate priorities are SKEWED and as a result, billions of people starve. Thusly, a loose-knitted group of activists collect free, surplus and thrown away food and cook it up to distribute to the homeless and poor, FREE.

...and it's yuuuuummy!


It reminds me of my first Nimbin trip. Haha.

Starving and exhausted we pulled into town as the sun disapeared over the hills. The town was desolate (hippies retreat to the hills to pump water and fix solar panelling in their yurts). Our hungry bellies rumbling and not expecting to eat...

But then, a white van stopped on the main street in dim circle of street light adn two people began unpacking... a line of fold-up tables a huge feast began to materialise.

Huge pots bubbling with pea and lentil soups, fresh brown seeded loaves, steaming cauliflower and vegetable casseroles, cream cakes, chips and biscuits and plastic cups full of raspberry cordial and juice. Our eyes bulged at the miracle assembling itself on the desolate street.
From the dark shadows hairy, dreadlocked hippies emerged, torn tie-dye shirts, clinking talismans and dirt stained feet. Over soup, I chatted with a boy, Josh's age, covered in cake from stuffing his face, he had wild eyes and was living in a house in the hills making jewellery, this was his first proper meal in a while.

I was told that the man who created the feast was called Les. From his own pocket, he had been feeding people in the Lismore region every Saturday for 20 years!

There are angels among us..feeding us..and cooking up a little peace*

gypsy cats
miaow..

What do you do when the world around you commands obedience.. in dress, in manner and in life choices? What if you don't agree with the choices? What if you don't get into the hype, don't want to contribute to the fear?

What do you do if you wanted every single day of your life to be full of love..music..smiles..colour???

Would you give it up because someone says you must be more like them? Or would you put on your most colourful vest, arrange your pants, and walk whistling out the door...to meet and make your own sense, your own story...

The Love Bus are a colorful bunch of gypsy cats travelling the world creating spontaneous musical combustion. Starting their travels in the greenscapes of Kuranda, I met up with the kids in Malaysia where we were all lucky to meet Antares and from there the love has spread...worldwide...

They play music music music...

with soul
love

harmony

So let's get together

and feel alright...

sweetsouls

...
wandering

loving
singing
smiling
all the world
through..

...

always

with a beat
always with a song

no matter what
public
transport

they are on...

..

And more more beautiful music to be heard ----


Sounds of Sun
www.myspace.com/soundsofsun






Sunny Lee Snook
www.myspace.com/sunnyleesnook

*more of the LOVE you love on Fb*

Music4Humanity

Music4Humanity is a global music project aimed at inspiring humanity, focusing on enriching the lives of others through music and compassion. The kids involved in this hold fund raising events, music workshops, concerts, music therapy, docos and films, and create volunteer music programs all around the world!Josh explodes on stage wth smooth jazzy vocals and dreamy guitar fingers, cheeky or contemplative, flamboyant or melancholic; Josh Lee's music is littered with personality. Folky with space for funk, gypsy, roots, jazz and rock. Amorphous and changeable, but clear and elegant..
 Josh is currently living and gigging in Bristol, UK...

Help keep the love going...visit www.music4humanity.info

now...

i say...

I was recently approached to write an article for the Jakarta Post on hichhiking...whether they print it or not is another story...but here is what I said....


1) How does hitchhiking in Indonesia compare to other countries/places?

Well, honestly, long highways seem the same no matter what country you travel in. To me a journey seems subject to the state of mind of the traveller than anything else. In Indonesia, I noticed friendliness and more rural territory, maybe because of this people are more open to accepting a roadside travel companion. Everywhere people were generous and enthusiastic about teaching language and sharing songs and knowledge. Unfortunately, the roads highlighted our trip in Sumatra! On much of the coastal highways, bone jarring potholes appeared around every corner. Trucks and cars progress through the countryside much slower and I spent many sleepless nights in the cab of a truck bounced around like a pinball.


2) Why do you choose to hitchhike over taking other transport?

After travelling for a long time, I became frustrated with the callous way travel is generally approached. I got off the bus. Literally. I started walking. I walked almost 300 kilometres and along the way people offered me lifts, rides or even doubles on their bicycle. Now I’ve hitchhiked in 8 different countries, exchanged conversations with hundreds of people and learned pieces of 6 languages. I’ve become hooked on this idea of ‘humane’ transport because hitchhiking offers real human contact. It’s an exercise in real life experience. Real people. Real travel. When I hitchhike I open myself up to possibilities, genuine interactions and generosity, and usually remove money from the equation. I hitchhike both because it’s free and because it’s freedom.


3) What kind of people do you usually get rides from?

Absolutely everyone! Old and young, from different countries and from different backgrounds. I've found it's easier to stop trucks and with private cars it seems men are more likely to stop than women. In countries where it is rare to hitchhike, the question everyone asks is why I choose to travel this way. So my brother and I adapted the way we explained our presence on the highway and tell people we are participating in a social experiment… in human kindness. And it’s really like that. The more people you meet, the more you see how diverse but similar we are and how absolutely anyone can stop to help a stranger. And even if you can’t stop, an apologetic wave goes a long way to making a girl feel better!

4) Tell me about the best ride you've ever gotten?

I’ve ended up in many wonderful places with interesting characters. A recording studio in Bengkulu, a shishkebab BBQ on a beach with Iranian students, a wedding party in the mountains, and all along the way people went out of their way to share their culture and experiences. But one time I hitched from Sumatra to Java, on a ferry! My friend Charlie and I spent hours speaking broken bahasa and sharing Ayam Goreng with the drivers. Aboard, we whizzed into the executive lounge complete with live band and spent the night playing guitar and relaxing on comfortable lounges. We got a ride with the band and a place to sleep till the next day. Patiently teaching traditional songs like Kopi Dandut and helped us to find the highway. The people were generous and genuine and it was the very best part about arriving in Java.

5) What are your favourite things about hitchhiking? Least favourite?

Hitchhiking is exhilarating. I am constantly surprised, amazed and humbled by the open-hearted kindness of strangers. Moving through the world this way has changed the way I view the world. I can never be convinced by the media into believing we should be afraid of other people, this first hand experience has led me to believe we should open our selves and our hearts even more to people and we'll find we reap the trust that we sow. The least favorite aspect of this form of travel is long, hot highways and my own terrible sense of direction! I once hitchhiked for three hours from Penang, Malaysia unknowingly in a very, very big circle, only to end up at a very familiar road, with a very, very familiar bridge!

6) Tell me about hitchhiking as a woman!

Trust and confidence is key and your intuition is worth more than you can imagine. I've never understood how good I was at assessing people until I began hitchhiking. As far as being a female hitchhiker, I haven’t found my experience differs much to my brother’s or other male friends. Needless to say, it’s easier hitchhiking in pairs, as a single female there have been times the conversation veered uncomfortably towards my marital status. It’s important to be confident and maintain friendly conversation but be ready to divert it if it becomes too personal. I assess drivers carefully and find getting rides at gas stations allow me more time to speak to drivers before accepting a lift. So far, all my experiences have been very positive.

7) What have you learned from hitchhiking?

Hitchhiking is an exercise in personality development. Moving through the world this way has made me more aware of people, to trust myself implicitly, manage my relationships, divert/change/adapt my conversation skills and to be more humble (when faced with great generosity or when being turned down ride after ride). I’ve learned it’s not money or possessions which provide lasting satisfaction, its human experience and sharing our collective stories. We can communicate no matter what our backgrounds, races or culture, we just have to slow our engine, open our doors and give it a try!

Two Tribes meet

I told them I would be back with bamboo in a sec and wandered down the rugged little hill and past the puppy’s grave. (Over the years many animals have found their end at Magick River. Mary once pointed out to us all the sites of the dead pups and cats and kittens and monkeys! She said when the dogs brought him up the road, with not a scratch on him, the baby monkey was so poignantly human he was given a ‘proper’ burial.)
I spotted Anoura cutting betel nut with women and sat with her chewing the nut wrapped in bitter tasting leaves, promptly forgetting about my bamboo mission. Our asli neighbours were having a celebration. I’d watched them cooking since morning and communicated in stilted Bahasa I wanted to taste Orang Asli cooking. With big smiles I was led to their rumah.

Cute kids peeked at me from behind mother’s skirts and the men shot curious glances. But honestly, I was concentrating on the food piled high on my plate. The men asked me to invite my friends and that’s how the tribe at the top of the hill came to meet the tribe at the bottom…finally. We brought guitars, of course.

The women laid out another mouth watering spread of food. Freshly killed wild boar made into three delicious dishes, coconut sauces, fresh bamboo shoots, wild picked jungle vegetables and the traditional crunchy crackers, all topped off with a sweet caramel pudding. Even the vegetarians were happy.

Our French/Spanish friend Micky’s eyes were popping out of his head as he exclaimed between mouthfuls, “it’s so fresh, so clean, so full of taste.” He would close his eyes after every mouthful of boar and mumble something half Spanish, half French. One of the brothers shot a mid-sized male boar in the jungle a day ago and the women told me they never eat meat from the town because of the chemicals. Throughout the meal, I had mental pictures akin to Asterixsk and Obelix cartoons, wild parties in the forest with bountiful food and glistening sides of wild boar…this was what it was like!

After eating came the songs!
Of course, we are always quick to sing (and Happy Birthday featured prominently). But funnily enough, we had a newly arrived New Zealand couple with us, a very proper, tight collared private school teacher and her husband. He surprised us all, first asking if he could sing a song, and then, gently putting aside the guitar offered to him, he promptly took off his shirt…in front of a crowd of open mouthed foreigners and curious asli, he proceeded to do a totally impromptu, very impressive version of the Hakka! In the brief moments of shocked silence that ensued, I quickly translated the song was from the asli of New Zealand and this man (with his white, white skin, short shorts and curly hair) was not asli, but had learned their music. The Temuan grunted with understanding gave him a proper applause.

Micky sang a Spanish song accompanied with some gypsy kind of dance (inspired in part by the local wine) and Stas sang a Russian ballad. With the help of a much better translator, a half Malaysian friend Aslan, they shared old folk stories of the Temuan in the area. Accompanied with a promise that the next day they would drive some miles to visit the local elder for more lore.

The two tribes met and now it feels as though we have more brothers and sisters. Let’s hope we respect our new friendship and know that it will add much more to our lives and experience in this magical place.