tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-45295516231247670972024-03-13T16:43:24.803-07:00Cat in WorldUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger91125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4529551623124767097.post-6375530811551136592010-04-21T17:00:00.000-07:002010-04-21T17:00:48.878-07:00Watery victory in the Fjordlands<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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No good adventure would be complete without Cat exclaiming "Frankki, we're losing power...." as we were hurrying toward Christchurch to pick up our 3rd partner in crime...luckily, running out of gas can be fixed by hitchhiking with the first German surfer in a van who stops to take you to a gas station.<br />
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On our drive from Christchurch to Queenstown (that same day) we stopped for a nice dinner before going into the world of freeze dried and pre-packaged meals. It turns out trouble makers #2 and #3 actually knew each other from the bay area way back in the day, which always adds to the feeling of fulfilling a prophesized quest for human greatness in the Fjordlands.<br />
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Here is us at Time = 0<br />
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about T = 3 hours...first (and only) fresh horse carcass. I am smiling here, but I admit that this image lingered with me through the afternoon...especially because the hoof was the only thing not fully decomposed....gross...<br />
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T = ~7 hours...already looking a little crazy, in my opinion.<br />
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T = 20 hours...we have no idea what is in store for us on this brutal day 2. My camera battery died, so I don't have documentation of the grim challenges that followed, let it suffice to say that at my low point I yelled into the forrest "I am not playing your water mind games and more!" and proceded to make my 30th river crossing by just walking through - without any hope of keeping my lower half dry<br />
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T = ...umm, sometime on the 3rd day...you'd never guess from these pictures that we just spent the last 40min climbing and slipping up a "trail" covered in ice/snow and flowing ice water. Wow, did it feel good to get to the top...so good.<br />
Fly Frankki!<br />
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Fly Steve!<br />
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Fly Cat!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4529551623124767097.post-21420219709127487982010-04-21T16:44:00.000-07:002010-04-21T17:01:51.892-07:00Total bliss in wine country<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Frankki and I designed to have 2 days of luxury and indulgence between camping trips, which turned out to be an amazingly good call. </div>
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We ate divinly fresh lunches at wineries bathed in sunlight paired with our favorite white wines from the tastings before lunch!<br />
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We biked like crazy kids between the wineries to visit as many wineries (and chocolatiers) as we could :)...I don't think this picture captures fully how exhausted and gross I am at this point in the day...it turns out Frankki is a much stronger biker than I am and I had to draft behind her to keep up:)...yay for drafting<br />
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...I can't believe we got to stay here for 2 nights...it was incredible down to every detail. I can't recommend it highly enough if you ever visit the Marlborough wine region<br />
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This is Jo, our BandB host, feeding her little pack of alpacas in the morning. The alpacas keep the grass in the olive orchard nice and short....did you know alpacas only go to the bathroom in a specific area?<br />
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Jo brought us breakfast of our choosing up into our separate B&B house every morning at the time of our choosing...you can't get much better taken care of than I felt hereUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4529551623124767097.post-41310493103014246542010-04-21T15:42:00.000-07:002010-04-21T15:42:19.584-07:00Bring on Abel Tasman, New Zealand<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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The first camping venture that Frankki and I did together was in Abel Tasman on the northwestern corner of the southern island. Abel Tasman is one of New Zealand's 7 designated "great walks" and we knocked out the 40km+ venture in 24 hours...not that we didn't want to enjoy the beautiful scenery...but because we are fit and crazy and we can :)</div>
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One of the aspects of the Abel Tasman hike that makes it so interesting is that there are multiple sections of the trail that can only be crossed within 2 hours of low tide. Here are Frankki and I on the morning of the second day crossing a long flat stretch that would be under several feet of water within hours.</div>
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Some parts of the crossing were already under water and we took off our boots and walked through the chilly morning water over a bed of small shells. This picture is of Frankki making her way in the early morning sunlight.</div>
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The ripples in the sand were beautiful</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8VqYe2aJ_jQMXvA7e35RltJcnltG6XkiWt-mdlOuoc6fPgeLQluuQDYzC57sruyk6dNPfsP51P1vXpSKh9r4fCfHLvZewdaarBY5XYEeh4AhrrYNK6JD8gfDJjxXuRXGiXAwxfjVlavY/s1600/DSC02200.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8VqYe2aJ_jQMXvA7e35RltJcnltG6XkiWt-mdlOuoc6fPgeLQluuQDYzC57sruyk6dNPfsP51P1vXpSKh9r4fCfHLvZewdaarBY5XYEeh4AhrrYNK6JD8gfDJjxXuRXGiXAwxfjVlavY/s320/DSC02200.JPG" /> </a></div>
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I am not really in a chronological kind of mood, so thank you for bearing with me. Here is dinner the first night. Upon inspection it appears to be some sort of pasta with alfredo sauce and tuna fish...and a bottle of wine. I can tell you we were less appreciative of the bottle of wine after walking 20+ miles of up/down terrain, but were determined not to carry it any further and shared it with some young french friends at our camp site who showed us a magical glow worm cave just off the beach. We went into this cave and were under a mini starry sky and then emerged into the universe and were under a much larger starry sky.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHQBu_3kCsgOa-098555NJSOcjCsMxbCozqmGMVIJxnVG8R1hE-ea3bqeZQ6OOWb51iSBRaiROi2IFp9hk7xMVWxt4neTMElRv3Q-ACrRHumBM3Tlq5WoyepPbGrrRMDRVed0a5KndmP0/s1600/DSC02219.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHQBu_3kCsgOa-098555NJSOcjCsMxbCozqmGMVIJxnVG8R1hE-ea3bqeZQ6OOWb51iSBRaiROi2IFp9hk7xMVWxt4neTMElRv3Q-ACrRHumBM3Tlq5WoyepPbGrrRMDRVed0a5KndmP0/s320/DSC02219.JPG" /> </a></div>
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Here is a picture of Frankki standing in the ocean waiting for the ferry taxi that will pick us up on this beach in another 20min. The cold water felt good on our joints.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX-Rq8rnpg3AmX0I37PuMrKB6HvTghWlxLmPAUCt3KhZXFWpm6bTUO4wG0y0Yrdd4gUHcVbi4mP42golQGCzLbuAYwouD4EW7KUfKmzHGwHO2KsCB0bh7N8BPz9Flpe-OByjOaWQpkWSY/s1600/DSC02211.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX-Rq8rnpg3AmX0I37PuMrKB6HvTghWlxLmPAUCt3KhZXFWpm6bTUO4wG0y0Yrdd4gUHcVbi4mP42golQGCzLbuAYwouD4EW7KUfKmzHGwHO2KsCB0bh7N8BPz9Flpe-OByjOaWQpkWSY/s320/DSC02211.JPG" /></a></div>
I am very fond of this picture...I feel all smily insideUnknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4529551623124767097.post-14725006466457107022010-04-19T14:43:00.000-07:002010-04-19T18:39:48.159-07:00The man I get to marry<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4I_Lh9jaPibzAhwKHA1prU59YRi_kPJMjGxpKlBMTopUtnYGs4QsrJGV6h9v75EeB9CpUSDtxj6WrlG6S5c2kbQsC6rjsYfin8xgkgwvs91NvBxsycncDP9VC-mHHkqCT8vpGCZTLILA/s1600/Nate_Flying.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> </a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn683kp3Z_NsZy5U2hBTdsuYiz5XpFydtNAqLzO-Nt3LgkCQAhb84BiJg7YhlhU1LS6AzUclmixnyfBws9sYTWi1oylp9jFME5_z45ojd8-8hFV8IfHpih56UT8951C-WgVMwIbNSs2aE/s1600/Just_Nate.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn683kp3Z_NsZy5U2hBTdsuYiz5XpFydtNAqLzO-Nt3LgkCQAhb84BiJg7YhlhU1LS6AzUclmixnyfBws9sYTWi1oylp9jFME5_z45ojd8-8hFV8IfHpih56UT8951C-WgVMwIbNSs2aE/s320/Just_Nate.jpg" /></a>WARNING: This blog contains shameless celebration of my fiance and may not represent the views of a neutral observer. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4I_Lh9jaPibzAhwKHA1prU59YRi_kPJMjGxpKlBMTopUtnYGs4QsrJGV6h9v75EeB9CpUSDtxj6WrlG6S5c2kbQsC6rjsYfin8xgkgwvs91NvBxsycncDP9VC-mHHkqCT8vpGCZTLILA/s1600/Nate_Flying.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4I_Lh9jaPibzAhwKHA1prU59YRi_kPJMjGxpKlBMTopUtnYGs4QsrJGV6h9v75EeB9CpUSDtxj6WrlG6S5c2kbQsC6rjsYfin8xgkgwvs91NvBxsycncDP9VC-mHHkqCT8vpGCZTLILA/s320/Nate_Flying.jpg" /></a></div>
<b>Nate is a hybrid of Leonardo DaVinci and Iron Man</b><br />
Like Leo, Nate is also an engineer and an inventor, winning MIT's biggest prize for student inventors. This past January, distant Singapore University invited him to speak about creativity and entrepreneurship to their students. He was also a host for a children's engineering reality TV show for 3 seasons and won a Peabody award in 2007. Here is Nate with another guy who does stuff on TV.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh8zQ0AkieFoxi6L2P5TugTerg822O-Xjw40erurIXENg674x2NiFKpob0DmgWwR3au6jVtnw3rE-TidZZBIcX2Up9cSomb0QOAiW82mj5K134rici2_jzCYGRmc9WBhrNUkd1QCEUwWU/s1600/Nate_TV_guy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh8zQ0AkieFoxi6L2P5TugTerg822O-Xjw40erurIXENg674x2NiFKpob0DmgWwR3au6jVtnw3rE-TidZZBIcX2Up9cSomb0QOAiW82mj5K134rici2_jzCYGRmc9WBhrNUkd1QCEUwWU/s320/Nate_TV_guy.jpg" /></a></div>
For a listing of Nate's accolades, I was shocked to find out I can look him up on wikipedia:<br />
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nathan_Ball<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitVZZ4ChR9t_z7t7jkhPq1zp0gJryZyQKeGZjynZhQdqXvs9z49dy2tEfrYJr6bB2zaoslqfoDwIFy8PUeGU8fR2Qb7CdWrpQKo8ffIOqHFdtR4Lw2s94MBLRcJfdAhZFTOOmuV9jm4Cw/s1600/Nate_mag.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitVZZ4ChR9t_z7t7jkhPq1zp0gJryZyQKeGZjynZhQdqXvs9z49dy2tEfrYJr6bB2zaoslqfoDwIFy8PUeGU8fR2Qb7CdWrpQKo8ffIOqHFdtR4Lw2s94MBLRcJfdAhZFTOOmuV9jm4Cw/s320/Nate_mag.jpg" /></a></div>
However, the real reason I like him is that <strike>he is a model</strike> he has filled his life with activities and people he loves and that give him energy. He is guided by his values as strongly as anyone I know, and finds inspiration all around him. He brings his best to everything he does with a thankfulness for each opportunity.<br />
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When he is in the gym, people stare and try desperately to comprehend how it is possible to do pull ups with 60 extra lbs and then do push ups with his hands balancing on pointy-spikes, one foot on a rubber ball and the other foot on nothing.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizX61Yks3nKYDEBnKXLu4nyZsG7FGF9EoHBW-0PKIyuDyAxzOFaQyj-vEYh8Vh7PW25mVVM3XhjKb5cRZ1FYPBviM8A58JEt9pevkM9k4MkPGkhqn9YkLC_1epfta5mGtDMzbd0LGuxCk/s1600/Nate_stomach.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizX61Yks3nKYDEBnKXLu4nyZsG7FGF9EoHBW-0PKIyuDyAxzOFaQyj-vEYh8Vh7PW25mVVM3XhjKb5cRZ1FYPBviM8A58JEt9pevkM9k4MkPGkhqn9YkLC_1epfta5mGtDMzbd0LGuxCk/s320/Nate_stomach.jpg" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-36zHzCSRIKB_YmB4Vqo6elgoU6cFFt3zm2hI6WmsKNLMVWSIsqLdb0I5IaZotD-Qwrw22rOolv4xi-97iYri1RpYe5_3KFweZkjRSgsryem1l5o9HstlLf4AbSOdyW2p8aCuPje8CWk/s1600/Nate_prom_vault.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-36zHzCSRIKB_YmB4Vqo6elgoU6cFFt3zm2hI6WmsKNLMVWSIsqLdb0I5IaZotD-Qwrw22rOolv4xi-97iYri1RpYe5_3KFweZkjRSgsryem1l5o9HstlLf4AbSOdyW2p8aCuPje8CWk/s320/Nate_prom_vault.jpg" /></a>Nate's dedication to pushing his own physical limits has become art in itself. See Nate in a tux on the pole vault run way at last years MIT Prom Vault , Nate running up the tree (!?what!!?) before flipping off backward and Nate doing a "flagpole" in Boston.</div>
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge7URGU90nP93uQilUyDyFBxUVJuogNexyuM06AjlJ_hapfieaIG2a9GotQYJ8p7Q7bU5UobFDBms1s8wpMZecYAugjuh6hotBZf31yIc1jhfhyphenhyphenC53Eq3_6xtmHPGF6TkaVeFBClYH_ag/s320/Nate-Running_tree.jpg" /></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL8E9CQYX2_X421uML2nKERTxcbAj_-XHuLPg7UeJfRwLUF3eA_C-cnm8EcVVcJQgR2ywWQmKs0zVy4ywH_l0mJDW0WvJXNdYVHDHRNzcTXM2ZAoxySaApoKMlLXLx14cQwaH6F84QusU/s1600/Nate_parkour.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL8E9CQYX2_X421uML2nKERTxcbAj_-XHuLPg7UeJfRwLUF3eA_C-cnm8EcVVcJQgR2ywWQmKs0zVy4ywH_l0mJDW0WvJXNdYVHDHRNzcTXM2ZAoxySaApoKMlLXLx14cQwaH6F84QusU/s320/Nate_parkour.jpg" /></a><br />
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He also loves nature and what more natural way to celebrate it than ice climbing at sunset.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7obaxBIM18MslwEbIbbYFw7MudVvMOrVqYzEfbMfrbcMz_NOi-8bIv5Faw04AeaOT7ztrf_-oERobwuP2utwsNycMCRmcVLh1nGCywmqxIv1gtCQCrJl2xeuFu8XYa8aPebf3Kgu3N_8/s1600/Nate_climbing.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7obaxBIM18MslwEbIbbYFw7MudVvMOrVqYzEfbMfrbcMz_NOi-8bIv5Faw04AeaOT7ztrf_-oERobwuP2utwsNycMCRmcVLh1nGCywmqxIv1gtCQCrJl2xeuFu8XYa8aPebf3Kgu3N_8/s320/Nate_climbing.jpg" /> </a></div>
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In the evenings, Nate tries to make time for his music and plays piano in a jazz trio and practices his beat boxing. If you are interested in beat boxing, or don't know what it is, you can find him on YouTube, and be the1,417,798th viewer:</div>
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jfE93AFk8l4</div>
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You would think that "DaVinci" Nate would feel pretty good at this point, but it turns out he also has a full time job! He co-founded Atlas Devices 5 years ago with friends who he respects and cherishes. The company creates rescue equipment for the military, and -naturally -Nate has to test their products out of moving helicopters.</div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNoRsJ9iI3m_-XhanMLXSUM70615gwZNexdoC6bbhRAk7MFDB1L0GxmMyxAEVE3dUDsQidgf5CxSVsUkrofIcrUgORX6KCx1DkLkaIlUo_PwSxRkG7vI9xbI1X3D4CkuQxWEGBfpFJfNc/s1600/Nate_helicopter.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNoRsJ9iI3m_-XhanMLXSUM70615gwZNexdoC6bbhRAk7MFDB1L0GxmMyxAEVE3dUDsQidgf5CxSVsUkrofIcrUgORX6KCx1DkLkaIlUo_PwSxRkG7vI9xbI1X3D4CkuQxWEGBfpFJfNc/s320/Nate_helicopter.jpg" /></a><br />
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If you would like to watch any of Nate's Danger Club videos (the ones with the flipping) or Design Squad (the ones with the children with power tools) episodes...you can find links on his website:</div>
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http://web.mit.edu/nball/www/</div>
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So, how did I unwittingly land the love of my life?</div>
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Nate
and I met for the first time weight lifting during preseason by the indoor track at MIT in 2001. We
lived in the same dorm that year and I remember helping him with his German
homework. Over the next 3 years we trained together 2-3 hours a day
for 8 months a year. My respect for and trust in Nate grew
every day as he showed up early to practice, helped support the pole
vault women at meets, helped me organize pole vaulter dim sum outings, and would offer to spot me while lifting. As time passed, our
shared history grew along with our commitment to the pole vault
team. Spending time together became so natural that we often ate dinner, played table tennis, and watched movies after
practice. </div>
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After
finshing undergrad, we continued to go to dim sum and see the
occasional movie or art exhibit. When I defended my PhD in Nov
2007, the pole vault team showed up to support me and
after I answered the last panel question, they took off their shirts to
reveal: "Dr. Cat!" written on their chests... I couldn't have been more surprised or thrilled at this climax to my academic adventure.</div>
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After
my PhD, I moved to Philly for work. Nate and I spoke on the phone
every month or two sharing the new challenges and goals we were taking on in our lives. I always got off the phone feeling inspired and
energized, wanting to run like mad through a park and jump around. </div>
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In
November of 2009, Nate and I were simultaneously single for the first time since we
met in 2001. In the past 8 years, we have
seen each other at our best and worst in our respective relationships, and are incredibly thankful for all the experiences we have had individually. Although we
had never discussed being in a relationship before, we knew that our trust and respect for each other guaranteed
that our friendship would only be deepened through being vulnerable and open with each other. </div>
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We
cleared our schedules for Dec 9 and 10 and although we were frightened,
spent two days imagining what it would be like to spend our
lives together. Although we understood that we weren't making any commitments, I left with the feeling - "where can I sign up for this?". Nate must have felt the same way since he flew to Tahoe for 2 days
before New Years so we could see each other before I left for my four months of traveling. </div>
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On
Jan 21, I met Nate at the airport in Siem Reap, Cambodia. At sunset on Jan 22 we
sat on top of some ruins and agreed that
although our minds couldn't rationalize it, we both knew that we wanted
to get engaged here. We had dinner reservations watching
traditional Cambodian dances and at 8:30pm we decided we'd try to find
a ring. We found a jewelry store open for
another 20min and I had the lady take out about 20 sparkling and brightly colored rings: light
blue, gree, red - most of them set with lots of little stones
around them...we wanted something simpler. The woman offered us a ring with a large
white sapphire ("cambodian diamond") for $160.
We bargained her down to a bitterly low $100, which she agreed to if we paid in cash, at which point Nate turned to me.Once we were back in the hotel, Nate confirmed on-line that white sapphires actually exist.</div>
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The
next morning at breakfast we we were amused at how nervous we were despite us literally being the only ones in the world to know that we were going to attempt an engagement that day: "I don't know how this
is supposed to work...I haven't gotten engaged before"...."Should I get
down on one knee?" / "I think that would be nice - not too long though"
/ "Good, that was what I was thinking too"....and so we wandered around
Ankor Wat until around 9am we found a spot in the inner courtyard that
was quiet and shady and Nate got down on one knee and asked:
"Catherine Anne Tweedie, will you marry me?" "Nathan Barker
Ball, I will."</div>
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After the sliding on of the ring, we spent the rest of the day climbing over carved ruins,
periodically forgetting and then enthusiastically remembering. For the next two months I wrote Nate letters in my journal by beaches, on cliffs, in jungles and would email him images of the letters when I came to a computer. Although I shared the news over skype with my parents and sister, we waited to announce our engagement until we could do it
together in April.<br />
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I
returned to Nate in Cambridge on March 31, 2010. Within 10 days we
had announced our engagement and found our dream home to share for the
next few years. We will move into our sunny, industrial loft, two
blocks from Davis Square on May 22nd and look forward to inviting everyone to our housewarming / engagement party the weekend of June 4th.<br />
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So, there you have it. I am tumbling in love.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4529551623124767097.post-18937249047926324982010-04-08T09:01:00.000-07:002010-04-08T09:04:02.515-07:00And finally with a huge grin....I am engaged<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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more details to comeUnknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4529551623124767097.post-7544105684183252752010-04-08T08:58:00.000-07:002010-04-08T08:58:45.704-07:00Hail beautiful Kiwi Land. Add one Frankki.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I am back in the US now, but I spent so much of my time in NZ hiking that these pictures are about 3 weeks old - but I assure you they were worth the wait. Above is the view from the Pinnacles hike in Coromandel park about 2 hours from Aukland.<br />
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After finishing the 20km pinnacles hike by 3pm, I decided to drive 5 hours south so I could start the 24km Tongariro crossing the next morning. This was some of the most beautiful driving I have ever enjoyed. No cars. Just me, the car, the road and beautiful landscapes. <br />
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I arrived in the town that I planned to stay in to find that all the reception desks seemed to be closed for the night. In the spirit of independence and ruggedness I decided to put on all the clothes I had (Frankki had not yet arrived with my camping gear) and spend the night in the car....lets just say that I had to run the car every 90min throughout the night to bring my body temperature up....BUT, the reception desk opened in the morning and the hot breakfast above was incredible!<br />
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After the breakfast I was blessed with clearing skies and some of the most beautiful weather for the Tongariro crossing that could possibly be hoped for.<br />
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I don't know..it was just so beautiful<br />
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After the second day hike I drove back north to pick up Frankki from Aukland and we traveled north to the Bay of Islands and then all the way to the tip of the northern island where the Maori spirits are believed to depart the human world.<br />
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On the way back, we took a bus along the 90 mile beach and stopped for some tobogganing on giant sand dunes. <br />
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weeeeeee!<br />
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Ahhh....seeing this after being home for over a week melts my heart<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4529551623124767097.post-76523254356823429102010-03-11T11:36:00.000-08:002010-03-11T11:36:13.294-08:00I heart Sydney...it reminds me of San Francisco<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Sydney from the sky.<br />
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The harbor and the Sydney opera house from the Sydney Harbor Bridge.<br />
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Ferry ride out to Manly.<br />
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Outdoor pool - I nearly melted when I saw this...I can't imagine anything much more luxurious than this water-side lap pool, restaurant and yoga center.<br />
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I did handstands all over the Botanical and Royal gardens...it harder than I anticipated to take a good picture of yourself doing a handstand. Several people got a good show or failed attempts.<br />
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I must say - I am pleased with this one. At the time, I thought I would go around for the rest of the day taking pictures of myself imitating shapes, but that idea pooped out.<br />
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I took a tour of the iconic Sydney Opera House.<br />
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Here is the symphony hall. I couldn't take a picture of the opera hall because the stage set was copyrighted.<br />
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It was a dreamy evening since the tour magically reduced the opera tickets by $100 so I got a ticket to Tosca for $50!...I think I was the only one at the opera in shorts and a dirty under armour shirt - but I was thrilled to be there. Above is the view of the Harbor Bridge at night from the balcony outside the opera house at intermission. <br />
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</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4529551623124767097.post-59558624444460068672010-03-11T11:24:00.000-08:002010-03-11T11:24:03.972-08:00Surfing in Byron BayDuring my brief stay in Australia, I decided not to rush around and try to see everything (I will have to come back for another trip) and decided to stay in Byron Bay for 5 days. Byron Bay is in Queensland and reminded me of a small Santa Barbara with cute boutique shops, trendy restaurants but with a down-to-earth surfer mentality where many people walk around with nothing but swim shorts and a surf board.<br />
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During my stay I did lots of yoga (some in classes and some by myself by the beach), took surfing lessons, cooked in the hostel, and watched films from the Byron Bay International Film Festival that happily coincided with my visit.<br />
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There was often a good breeze at the beach. I had been stretching in the grass and started taking pictures of seagulls.<br />
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Here is a picture of me with bloodshot / tired eyes after three days of surfing and getting sunburnt in places on my face that teh sun doesn't usually hit: lips, upper and lower eyelids. During my 3 4-hour surfing lessons I started to see the potential for the incredible highs possible from surfing but left with a healthy respect for how tiring it can be. I was able to stand up on the board my first attempt and by the end of the second day could catch and ride in most "white-waves" (broken waves). On the third day I paddled out behind where the waves were breaking to start choosing some larger green waves to get on. I found I was pretty pooped just getting out to where I could sit on the board at wait for waves...with the feeling of being tumbled by a few waves still fresh in my memory...<br />
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There were a few films that I saw that energized me. There was a short film, in particular, that was so stunning I can't get the images out of my mind. It is called SALT and is made up of footage taken in the salt flats in the middle of Australia....so beautiful.<br />
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You can watch the trailer here: http://www.saltdoco.com/movie-info/synopsis.htm<br />
Another highlight of the film festival for me was a session on creativity: there was a short documentary on "Unleashing creativity" and another called "Automorphosis" - which is all about the people who turn their cars into works of art - incredible people...I loved "The Spoon Man"<br />
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There were so so many young kids hitting the waves with boogie boards - it was great to see a whole culture dedicated to enjoying the ocean in a respectful way.<br />
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One day there was a competition for the Ocean Surf Rescue Club. This little girl wrapped in the orange towel already competed.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4529551623124767097.post-83842264421817269642010-03-03T04:02:00.000-08:002010-03-03T04:02:27.573-08:00Cool Brisbane and Modern Art<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I arrived in Brisbane, Australia 2 days about and it was so quiet compared to Bangkok that it seemed like the city had been abandoned leaving me and the cool pattering of the rain that continued for the next 24 hours. I was happy for the cooler weather and spent the entire next day walking around seeing the city in the rain.</div>
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Not to mention that I am very excited to be using the extra gear that I had my mother bring from the US for my time in Australia and New Zealand (rain coat, long underwear, hat, dental floss..).</div>
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Brisbane is set around a winding river and yesterday I walked through the downtown area, the botanical gardens, went to the bathroom in a university student center and walked along the river front.</div>
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I found some lovely mushrooms that were enjoying the rainy weather as well<br />
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....as well as a Monet-esque Lilly-pad pond complete with flowers and rain drops</div>
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I was delighted to find that that modern art museum focused on large art installations (my fav!), many of which were commissioned for the large and architecturally interesting spaces<br />
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Who could not love this abstract piece made entirely of stainless steel tongs? Let me know if anyone sees a great sale of those on-line - I may be in the market.<br />
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This colorful, nearly-kitchy room was created by a pair of Indian artists. There was a lot going on but themes included the idolization of famous or successful indians and the hope that is placed in the children that are sent off to do great things, combined with their commentary on the Indian middle-class utopia (painting on the wall)</div>
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The detail on this painting was lovely...I miss India</div>
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Then there were the Japanese...man they are good. This large piece is a taxidermied elk covered entirely in crystal and glass balls.</div>
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This piece is all about surfaces and perception</div>
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On the second floor was a room filled with 100,000 white strings of different lengths that you could wander through if you took your shoes off and promised to move slowly and not hurt other walkers</div>
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Here is a picture from when I was walking through...very cool</div>
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Anybody want to do this with me next year?Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4529551623124767097.post-51871340476148052322010-03-03T03:50:00.000-08:002010-03-03T03:50:34.674-08:00Mom*Cat in Bangkok<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Look at that sweet mommy with cool glasses and her loving daughter in a FILTHY shirt standing together just before sunset on one of Bangkok's ferry piers.<br />
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I put my mother up in a charming youth hostel and in the mornings we had yogurt, mango, muesli and honey with a side of tea and toast...delightful! with the breeze blowing in from the concrete alley and the wooden sheep/magazine holder keeping us company.<br />
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We visited a 46 meter long reclining Buddha. Unbelievable! I have some pictures of the giant soles of his feet inlaid with mother of pearl.</div>
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We also went to the Grand Palace, which was the former residence of the royal family (although still used occasionally for major ceremonies). It was hilarious that the guide book said to look out for people saying that teh grand palace was closed and trying to detour you somewhere else to help you spend your money - and indeed - they were there!<br />
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As you can see - lots of gold and colored mirrors cover the outsides of all the buildings in this complex. Small detailed work gleamed down on us in the 95 degree mid-day heat. My mother and I made like the asian tourist and carried a sun parasol. It was fun having my mother on my arm while we were safely in the shade of the umbrella.<br />
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Many of the walls inside the buildings and on the interior side of the walls were covered in detailed paintings relating stories from long distant legend and more recent history. Here is a blow-up of a giant monkey-god that laid down over a river so that aThai army could cross over his back.</div>
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My mother and I walked about miles in the midday sun through the side streets of Bangkok so I could get fitted for a suit that I ordered last time I was in Bangkok (nearly 2 months before!). For nearly 30minutes we passed nothing but stores selling goods for buddhist offerings and ceremonies. Giant, plastic golden buddhas shrink wrapped and ready for purchase!</div>
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Not to mention: take home a waxy, life-size imitation of your favorite enlightened monk.</div>
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As we passed out of the old city and into "new" Bangkok we passed the National Stadium and came to a giant complex of several interconnected shopping malls in the Siam district.<br />
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The Siam Paragon is clearly the jewel of the malls and its 4-story atrium is picture-worthy with plants, water-works and a lovely picture of the king. On the fifth floor Cinema I saw <em>The Hurt Locker</em> with my mommy - and was stunned with how good it was. (I came back the evening I was to fly out of Bangkok to watch <em>Avatar</em> in 3D IMAX ...It was amazing! The whole time I was thinking, these blue people have it exactly right - I want to be a blue girl - link me up to the big nature network, get me a flying Ichran and link me to some shimmering ancestral trees!</div>
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As you travel downward through the mall from the entertainment floor you pass though a home living floor and a fashion floor and eventually down in the basement you get to the largest aquarium in southeast asia. I happened to have 850 Bhat to blow before I left the country and was delighted with my walk-about.</div>
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Look! Nemos with their anemone home in captivity!</div>
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This picture turned out surprisingly well. I think the fish tank wall may have contributed a bit of curviness.</div>
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So..these are Moray eels. I saw several of these while I was scuba diving and thought I recognized them - they are Flotsam and Jetsam from the Little Mermaid! </div>
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I got some very close up pictures of this shark with all his teeth and staring eyeballs...there is something about standing so close to a giant shark that makes one a bit giddy.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4529551623124767097.post-47357428210099289842010-03-02T01:41:00.000-08:002010-03-02T01:41:35.292-08:00Resting up in Ko Samui<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Before heading back to Bangkok, mom and I made a 2 day pitstop on a quiet part of Ko Samui. We stayed at Oasis Health resort where most of the guests were there to lose weight and get tan. The pool was gorgeous and right by the ocean. The beach was nearly empty and mom and I went on several walks admiring all the plants and flowers.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSr-kCLzVC1gX5AaTV7eFEGSVPOczcqxdrFnnnyrNqgNJ9nYZaiNh6UGZC665inkQEyaDr5s6E1couiyDKcAa_8xUxakRkHefv0OR_yltAiC3QpvWJ4OKy4-NtvWVQGffjCIuzGSv_8-Q/s1600-h/DSC01539.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSr-kCLzVC1gX5AaTV7eFEGSVPOczcqxdrFnnnyrNqgNJ9nYZaiNh6UGZC665inkQEyaDr5s6E1couiyDKcAa_8xUxakRkHefv0OR_yltAiC3QpvWJ4OKy4-NtvWVQGffjCIuzGSv_8-Q/s320/DSC01539.JPG" /></a><br />
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These blossoms are everywhere and were often floating flower-side-up in the pool - which was almost unbearably picturesque and romantic.</div>
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Since I was there and am a girl of adventure I figured I would try a Colon Cleansing...good god!...It was one of the most mentally and physically challenging things I have done on my trip. You stick a sterile straw up your butt and then have to let 12 Liters of water alternately run into your colon (while you massage your stomach from left to right) and then out of your colon (while you massage your stomach from right to left). In this way you rinse your colon. It took about 45minutes and afterward I had a headache and my stomach felt a little funny. I am sure the miraculous benefits of this adventure are paying dividends as I type.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi23lxGdUF0ChXkRk-qDeSJX6G2j10oyt1a_u_2VVKwZWMqZzXDaj7dpV5WetFQTtJO8cwLB_Ah77Z031w94YNQ0kk5WpCklw9JI8dxQQQHY_zuZ6S9uZK0bvubt7eUqUXq4FbaG4WNmCk/s1600-h/DSC01526.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi23lxGdUF0ChXkRk-qDeSJX6G2j10oyt1a_u_2VVKwZWMqZzXDaj7dpV5WetFQTtJO8cwLB_Ah77Z031w94YNQ0kk5WpCklw9JI8dxQQQHY_zuZ6S9uZK0bvubt7eUqUXq4FbaG4WNmCk/s320/DSC01526.JPG" /></a><br />
Cat in pool :)<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_0V_dQshGXQl5tNMFa7Kv1yEeRzB7ROFnnje1G4AqDtit6Q37de4zFlYvg3v915F70hl0XTg6WVMvhYgeNLoVY5wCTkdANIxDoSUnD2ZKPNrRn02o3xRpy-LasVskL-PcKIYZJ5_l8gI/s1600-h/DSC01570.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_0V_dQshGXQl5tNMFa7Kv1yEeRzB7ROFnnje1G4AqDtit6Q37de4zFlYvg3v915F70hl0XTg6WVMvhYgeNLoVY5wCTkdANIxDoSUnD2ZKPNrRn02o3xRpy-LasVskL-PcKIYZJ5_l8gI/s320/DSC01570.JPG" /></a><br />
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...next to little concrete elephant</div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg1QAwba2QgOlz1KliLsMDGsJICxIVxs8yvwop8FKtAyT1CpIJaIr66x66PVWunV5knJeK0eOI78ThTXzOEDZzedgk9LvwHDKa31DbMTXLqS2Hm-tQm4d5vZqq7xxjvRkda84Uf3bvPqE/s1600-h/DSC01562.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg1QAwba2QgOlz1KliLsMDGsJICxIVxs8yvwop8FKtAyT1CpIJaIr66x66PVWunV5knJeK0eOI78ThTXzOEDZzedgk9LvwHDKa31DbMTXLqS2Hm-tQm4d5vZqq7xxjvRkda84Uf3bvPqE/s320/DSC01562.JPG" /></a><br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4529551623124767097.post-79041797241702111282010-03-02T01:34:00.000-08:002010-03-02T01:34:37.918-08:00Ko Tao with Mommy<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipZTbaLsJRdCUqltuHdFwoL-a7Hf1SfwtBM0_0wYHkdcvA5FazaFtTK5IjODqPGbpzM5_3GjK5RzF3yaS3at5yQvA1cw6m3_ZBhgEe8EqMyYq_JmdReWebsU09H29pKpFjiH4sXzcabPA/s1600-h/DSC01370.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipZTbaLsJRdCUqltuHdFwoL-a7Hf1SfwtBM0_0wYHkdcvA5FazaFtTK5IjODqPGbpzM5_3GjK5RzF3yaS3at5yQvA1cw6m3_ZBhgEe8EqMyYq_JmdReWebsU09H29pKpFjiH4sXzcabPA/s320/DSC01370.JPG" /></a> </div>
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Mommy arrived the day after Valentine's Day and we stayed one night together at Chewang beach. The area is so popular that lounge chairs for sunbathing vistors are lined up nearly into the ocean. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguIHdXJwh08VnFQBhWzM1KTc3IzUw8OkqXwzdDcKS4HIM-0VfuMngGppShgXOgR4pnS4EBh9uPXwl_Sp2H2w74ChjJ2icqrRYlLSfvEvlrtW91BEXh6AMBON76kztCuuWCxmqz5HWUe5A/s1600-h/DSC01519.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguIHdXJwh08VnFQBhWzM1KTc3IzUw8OkqXwzdDcKS4HIM-0VfuMngGppShgXOgR4pnS4EBh9uPXwl_Sp2H2w74ChjJ2icqrRYlLSfvEvlrtW91BEXh6AMBON76kztCuuWCxmqz5HWUe5A/s320/DSC01519.JPG" /></a> </div>
Here is the bungalow we stayed in for 5 nights on Ko Tao. Most people reached it by water taxi ride - although mom and I took the narrow and steep trail to get to the closest villages.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgojxpcq3VyRi4nXGh3ho0XwWGHMSJ7bTF0r9UlJzt4iiKmezHLQnH-oTlRNl2w8MUvRAQD902fDhstpmPqJa-5vokEGRsGAcgi6mmrb4ZOb7m03Wt2u4iYCYirA_2VEiNRz79PQw4Ya8s/s1600-h/DSC01516.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgojxpcq3VyRi4nXGh3ho0XwWGHMSJ7bTF0r9UlJzt4iiKmezHLQnH-oTlRNl2w8MUvRAQD902fDhstpmPqJa-5vokEGRsGAcgi6mmrb4ZOb7m03Wt2u4iYCYirA_2VEiNRz79PQw4Ya8s/s320/DSC01516.JPG" /></a><br />
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The resort we were staying at was called Sai Thong. Every morning and every evening we ate at the little outdoor restaurant. Here is the view complete with ocean and granite boulders.</div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjglSUbsSRQBcqDG6NS-S5mes-r_jv5QN5sTMil3QDszSaXG-11FkyVwxBMjJF9-Wb3hKSb3jy6gnUlMgbnnWWqmA9M5f5-SB-8U1ieXAnaMLdkSw3rc7ETEEfIbL_0gj2Z1EmZ6Jwbk9M/s1600-h/DSC01460.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjglSUbsSRQBcqDG6NS-S5mes-r_jv5QN5sTMil3QDszSaXG-11FkyVwxBMjJF9-Wb3hKSb3jy6gnUlMgbnnWWqmA9M5f5-SB-8U1ieXAnaMLdkSw3rc7ETEEfIbL_0gj2Z1EmZ6Jwbk9M/s320/DSC01460.JPG" /></a><br />
On the first full day in Ko Tao, mom and I took a snorkeling trip with 5 stops around the island. The picture above is a small island off the northwest corner of Ko Tao where I had some of the best snorkeling of my trip in the "japanese garden"<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgFKNTa93yJyGP0QFsGcOWlzABSNca8vMkqlRl-Z7BUe0Tq9Oz8Q-qUHttCZXvD8GdZk05qqKnToARsbwThSIyUcXiBj1xG4lqAVHeCpzVKdkRi88T_GebyKMr32eCQAdW2jL6dOQqmlk/s1600-h/DSC01462.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgFKNTa93yJyGP0QFsGcOWlzABSNca8vMkqlRl-Z7BUe0Tq9Oz8Q-qUHttCZXvD8GdZk05qqKnToARsbwThSIyUcXiBj1xG4lqAVHeCpzVKdkRi88T_GebyKMr32eCQAdW2jL6dOQqmlk/s320/DSC01462.JPG" /></a><br />
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Mom and I hiked to the top of a nearby peak to get the picture I took from above. We split a mango without having a knife which was a delicious but messy operation.</div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9HYhNc4sDm_XCQw-2mkF9ovAyBDhUBLm8XCoVwpJL_fqDEKO6QMp1cXzGjY2D98gI8RcgoBRnhgXNJRenXL46wckOcnkU7a5CXRsZ7C_diASNCtEmjSgOpphDd2o6oEHc4cY32YWawZs/s1600-h/DSC01457.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9HYhNc4sDm_XCQw-2mkF9ovAyBDhUBLm8XCoVwpJL_fqDEKO6QMp1cXzGjY2D98gI8RcgoBRnhgXNJRenXL46wckOcnkU7a5CXRsZ7C_diASNCtEmjSgOpphDd2o6oEHc4cY32YWawZs/s320/DSC01457.JPG" /></a><br />
Here is a ferry boat carrying passengers on a similar around-the-island snorkeling tour.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyamx889GlCEIy_SbPr1f1aonKOYb9UaFy9tHv9dlEGWftZ43hfvPF7DZNfU479ei6GSvhJAkRTbfbkgNQiItkwhyphenhyphenJX89iVJdmo9CurW78xrBYy8d5oLjsFG1He1ZHuqXyZJNpjWqYGwQ/s1600-h/DSC01468.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyamx889GlCEIy_SbPr1f1aonKOYb9UaFy9tHv9dlEGWftZ43hfvPF7DZNfU479ei6GSvhJAkRTbfbkgNQiItkwhyphenhyphenJX89iVJdmo9CurW78xrBYy8d5oLjsFG1He1ZHuqXyZJNpjWqYGwQ/s320/DSC01468.JPG" /></a><br />
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It turns out, that we didn't need to pay money to go see wildlife, since the wildlife would come directly into our bungalow and visit us. This orange and black from would crawl out of the drainage pipe in our outdoor sink every night and hang out, which made tooth-brushing a rather awkward affair.</div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuSUCQeod1_bEgLoMsn_7dx5leu_aWIy-fZgy9jBtBdpbNr9u_gBhPP8mJSjE3gfZXaGEmg4p1eCZsmO4gRnFgKwWZ9uCGD1CPAya-uDpk4Ceogmks8imSfvz6r09XxEpdzBHMt6Lb0dM/s1600-h/DSC01474.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuSUCQeod1_bEgLoMsn_7dx5leu_aWIy-fZgy9jBtBdpbNr9u_gBhPP8mJSjE3gfZXaGEmg4p1eCZsmO4gRnFgKwWZ9uCGD1CPAya-uDpk4Ceogmks8imSfvz6r09XxEpdzBHMt6Lb0dM/s320/DSC01474.JPG" /></a><br />
Why are you such a puffy frog?<br />
The next day I was speaking with my bungalow neighbor from my balcony to her balcony while we both sat in our respective hammocks. She told me how they were coming home after dark through the jungle with flashlights and saw a 2 meter python sitting in the trail and had to scare it off by rolling a coconut at it.<br />
The next day, one of girls who works at the resort tripped over a 3 meter python and we could hear her screeming after the shock....the next day I went to the internet cafe and looked up poisenous wildlife in south east asia. I was calmed to see that there were no poison dart frogs in southeast asia but disturbed to realize that I had been within several feet of some of the most poisenous fish in the world while scuba diving.<br />
Meet the Stonefish (I saw 3 of them in Ko Lanta and at the time didn't understand why other divers were so excited about these unattractive bottom-dwellers):<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCxQqCcYrV44luVGrjYdDhVnCWcBnR_PxCrTAStFQ8YsyDVPh0Pgy_VJ9uXN_JV9Bl_fQ-MXotTiEdnmUU2_NnE8_E4zdN6W2Sin2caAX6JN3XaIChMCIyHYvs-bdTzOoybk7CGJmWnzs/s1600-h/06-most-poisonous-animals-in-the-world-stonefish.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCxQqCcYrV44luVGrjYdDhVnCWcBnR_PxCrTAStFQ8YsyDVPh0Pgy_VJ9uXN_JV9Bl_fQ-MXotTiEdnmUU2_NnE8_E4zdN6W2Sin2caAX6JN3XaIChMCIyHYvs-bdTzOoybk7CGJmWnzs/s320/06-most-poisonous-animals-in-the-world-stonefish.jpg" /></a><br />
This is what the website said: Maybe <b>Stonefish</b> would never win a beauty contest,
but it would definitely win the top prize for being “The World's Most
Venomous Fish”. Its venom causes such a severe pain that the victims of
its sting want the affected limb to be amputated. It is described as
the worst pain known to man. It is accompanied with possible shock,
paralysis, and tissue death. If not given medical attention within a
couple of hours It can be fatal to humans.<br />
Stonefish stores its toxins in gruesome-looking spines that are designed to hurt would-be predators.<br />
Stonefish mostly live above the tropic of Capricorn, often found in
the shallow tropical marine waters of the Pacific and Indian oceans,
ranging from the Red Sea to the Queensland Great Barrier Reef.<br />
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But there are also lots of pretty things that won't kill me and those were lovely to see as well<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_qwQm7sXrjtLnvl8AlfEJIj18EToruUtRCa7tHhtStErZjuTUVRoXPMQOridCyUFGy3h2xcxMW19ANriMqBRrqzI9X8IqLdy6nAxvqODy96KKROktRlc9Atie8-xdmGY9lqSAOy8VKtw/s1600-h/DSC01505.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_qwQm7sXrjtLnvl8AlfEJIj18EToruUtRCa7tHhtStErZjuTUVRoXPMQOridCyUFGy3h2xcxMW19ANriMqBRrqzI9X8IqLdy6nAxvqODy96KKROktRlc9Atie8-xdmGY9lqSAOy8VKtw/s320/DSC01505.JPG" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0Puc1KxWFCHYND4108SsuxJ3wC2W4Sk6BeJ-RNJRUCcVYZRBSmBVa0YYzqsX7Idh0MB021m0RR-7ZRMy3jfxFqTx1ZwsdXUXAMq6aDqKbXhT2L12RtBz5VV-yxUM_lts9b_lJZ3B3vso/s1600-h/DSC01491.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0Puc1KxWFCHYND4108SsuxJ3wC2W4Sk6BeJ-RNJRUCcVYZRBSmBVa0YYzqsX7Idh0MB021m0RR-7ZRMy3jfxFqTx1ZwsdXUXAMq6aDqKbXhT2L12RtBz5VV-yxUM_lts9b_lJZ3B3vso/s320/DSC01491.JPG" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7p9jRFpysvtIvZrEBjM12nA7WSObycy3Tb2_3drglCktL-BVC6kpKz2GyRMgGJCk9hlrhTf3w2tzzl17Hsz-QfgQT95sxXAPGcXVYcXOYSyk2_JsNbdFdulfXu25YnWewtTu1AEK2hoc/s1600-h/DSC01364.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7p9jRFpysvtIvZrEBjM12nA7WSObycy3Tb2_3drglCktL-BVC6kpKz2GyRMgGJCk9hlrhTf3w2tzzl17Hsz-QfgQT95sxXAPGcXVYcXOYSyk2_JsNbdFdulfXu25YnWewtTu1AEK2hoc/s320/DSC01364.JPG" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0Puc1KxWFCHYND4108SsuxJ3wC2W4Sk6BeJ-RNJRUCcVYZRBSmBVa0YYzqsX7Idh0MB021m0RR-7ZRMy3jfxFqTx1ZwsdXUXAMq6aDqKbXhT2L12RtBz5VV-yxUM_lts9b_lJZ3B3vso/s1600-h/DSC01491.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4529551623124767097.post-9711670893126772202010-02-17T02:31:00.000-08:002010-02-17T23:37:00.894-08:00My mommy's here and I've learned to windsurf<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5xKEZJcQJaFO9t9tMpQkJ2LEDYCnO3pUXt94eJjtGA01hd_t1B4r_VeGd4NICPJkOP1tCv15EvP82FBJVxOBCGUMI5rVoS6IMkuvoLCzN0Q55NHzICQaYi2y-AZYmBmNGZ7tHvThjXYk/s1600-h/DSC01420.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ct="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5xKEZJcQJaFO9t9tMpQkJ2LEDYCnO3pUXt94eJjtGA01hd_t1B4r_VeGd4NICPJkOP1tCv15EvP82FBJVxOBCGUMI5rVoS6IMkuvoLCzN0Q55NHzICQaYi2y-AZYmBmNGZ7tHvThjXYk/s320/DSC01420.JPG" /></a></div>
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In preparation for my mother's arrival, I decided to book a little house by the beach and stock it with plenty of snacks and fresh fruit.</div>
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That night we had a mixture of Indian and Thai food for dinner on our front porch. For dessert we had dragonfruit - which is the coolest looking fruit I have ever seen - hot pink on the outside with bright green detailing and white with black spots on the inside.</div>
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As I was walking along Chewang beach before my mother arrived I noticed a sign for windsurfing lessons. I have always wanted to pick up windsurfing, so this looked like a great place to learn. I signed up for 2 1-hour lessons and by the end of the first hour I could pull the sail out of the water while standing on the board and sail straight until I was about to hit something and then fall over.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWdmy3lKfB6xPvO6m2vH8RfiqDUpYEsbMN6kFqn60kGCGYt7tHQQ5_pkS9tzD7HCElsK3VMWHRrFWT9fNuvHIhA4L6a_R3DbWRR82b5npjw1a3oROFDQBKwbEKzxysRbufVfzsubEm-5M/s1600-h/DSC01432.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ct="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWdmy3lKfB6xPvO6m2vH8RfiqDUpYEsbMN6kFqn60kGCGYt7tHQQ5_pkS9tzD7HCElsK3VMWHRrFWT9fNuvHIhA4L6a_R3DbWRR82b5npjw1a3oROFDQBKwbEKzxysRbufVfzsubEm-5M/s320/DSC01432.JPG" /></a></div>
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By the end of my second session, I could curve (to not hit swimmers and boats - which is useful) and turn.I summarized what I learned in my journal so that I could remember next time I rented a board to practice.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6OLVO7Z3NMVwz2Rv-q9zb4OEpVqSEQlr5HPVDvBF-X-gUCK7WSxnS1Ngnx5-QCKHHkRcaf79Hs5SI-pcqftMBu5-HKg_21xmnxLxrWTuga7w4czwQcbLijCOoRbgWb1CzNGSb1mDcejI/s1600-h/DSC01481.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6OLVO7Z3NMVwz2Rv-q9zb4OEpVqSEQlr5HPVDvBF-X-gUCK7WSxnS1Ngnx5-QCKHHkRcaf79Hs5SI-pcqftMBu5-HKg_21xmnxLxrWTuga7w4czwQcbLijCOoRbgWb1CzNGSb1mDcejI/s320/DSC01481.JPG" /></a></div>
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Afterward, my mother and I got hour long oil massages on the beach before heading off to dinner.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkK8OjAE4_e5RTDuMtyBls26niVsHDwHRZfUIYQRIsvVYBfqLqu1qjcT3kzVslVO5bWRjOs6gJQ4XauhNgvhN22W_e4r181ZdBXgtDZRehO4CLRzziVL8iR4_wca_nJn9kwHGMei81F9A/s1600-h/DSC01455.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ct="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkK8OjAE4_e5RTDuMtyBls26niVsHDwHRZfUIYQRIsvVYBfqLqu1qjcT3kzVslVO5bWRjOs6gJQ4XauhNgvhN22W_e4r181ZdBXgtDZRehO4CLRzziVL8iR4_wca_nJn9kwHGMei81F9A/s320/DSC01455.JPG" /></a></div>
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The next day mom and I took a ferry to Ko Tao, a much smaller and quieter island. We hiked for 40minutes on a steap dirt path to get to Sai Thong Resort - a little collection of bungalows that can only be reached by hiking or by wooden boat. Despite being drenched in sweat when we arrived after carrying my bag and my mom's suitcase to the resort, I immediately felt at home on this island and was so proud of my mom for being in such great shape.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCUb0LyF15mvKlmDzei6KUOpyiEHI80Cv7ysZJhi2kEafGIVCwsVJnkSudMcByKd34NOId7TbEdb8o2Nir-l9AmxuoUn4Ho8tt-_u5nA1uZV-91v-Yd7V33VE2BTGj96SZzI2rxvfzLRk/s1600-h/DSC01452.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ct="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCUb0LyF15mvKlmDzei6KUOpyiEHI80Cv7ysZJhi2kEafGIVCwsVJnkSudMcByKd34NOId7TbEdb8o2Nir-l9AmxuoUn4Ho8tt-_u5nA1uZV-91v-Yd7V33VE2BTGj96SZzI2rxvfzLRk/s320/DSC01452.JPG" /></a></div>
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Here is my mother sitting on a granite rock in the resort's secluded cove. The only sounds are the waves lapping against the rocks and the birds chirping in the palm trees.</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4529551623124767097.post-75462600504718502562010-02-17T02:16:00.000-08:002010-02-17T02:16:41.982-08:00Valentine's Day and Chinese New Year - On the beach<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnxRTpzs49TijqlGxY3TFdLBBFqX0Z1zBAIeJpp_kSUfqB1SY4sQ1Aoe9FtCW8e4XEC5a0QSpzOALdJRh02TAXKasWdvyiPipKOl0U9oYSCPAgWtNH0DJf1_ETm7_Fabxb6rXUkIlfQZY/s1600-h/DSC01395.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ct="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnxRTpzs49TijqlGxY3TFdLBBFqX0Z1zBAIeJpp_kSUfqB1SY4sQ1Aoe9FtCW8e4XEC5a0QSpzOALdJRh02TAXKasWdvyiPipKOl0U9oYSCPAgWtNH0DJf1_ETm7_Fabxb6rXUkIlfQZY/s320/DSC01395.JPG" /></a></div>
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For Valentine's Day dinner I had mixed vegitables in oyster sauce on rice and a mojito with an Irish traveling companion at Chewang Beach, Ko Samui. Chewang Beach sort of reminded me of a Thai Las Vegas. After dinner we got some pancakes with coconut and chocolate inside them and then fried. We took our dessert and walked on the beach to see what all the resorts were up to.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2jMTNzu4HKn_EPoKNNI3rj8taaI5mwEXpmvvD3VlMDqcJn1WupNPbTIsSjLQe_koz9tISyIJhNzbBj5h23xyiOScouLbKQAIsNUC4A8nvbeO92Cu3Uazb0I_FCg13UitrH6otKM7iFas/s1600-h/DSC01406.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ct="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2jMTNzu4HKn_EPoKNNI3rj8taaI5mwEXpmvvD3VlMDqcJn1WupNPbTIsSjLQe_koz9tISyIJhNzbBj5h23xyiOScouLbKQAIsNUC4A8nvbeO92Cu3Uazb0I_FCg13UitrH6otKM7iFas/s320/DSC01406.JPG" /></a></div>
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We found explicit lesbian sex captured in sand sculpture</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqHhX3vHCcqe0Vwxt0kaHomy88Nkr2-PjaX690BoX3WIouzrCXIDTDmkck8NQNz0h6WBIAxhqmgFBVO3J49vd8fXfKfxwHctR2Iwkm1vl41vZQ4jglJNE0UNtnjbjzjOIPV1lz5Ni8q5g/s1600-h/DSC01412.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ct="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqHhX3vHCcqe0Vwxt0kaHomy88Nkr2-PjaX690BoX3WIouzrCXIDTDmkck8NQNz0h6WBIAxhqmgFBVO3J49vd8fXfKfxwHctR2Iwkm1vl41vZQ4jglJNE0UNtnjbjzjOIPV1lz5Ni8q5g/s320/DSC01412.JPG" /></a></div>
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We found dragon dancing and live traditional Chinese music </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRgjnsx7mnDf9vTmpKZgdRobrjUnAKtnq9KNWu0hmbTc84cXeG9YyA2qHlKoZs4BvqPdl53qyzZvngUYVGpgiib3MNeLsD6PS23Hu2oyrp7oSGgBWSP6e525kFQlg_jwTlicxrgDdKDVU/s1600-h/DSC01398.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ct="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRgjnsx7mnDf9vTmpKZgdRobrjUnAKtnq9KNWu0hmbTc84cXeG9YyA2qHlKoZs4BvqPdl53qyzZvngUYVGpgiib3MNeLsD6PS23Hu2oyrp7oSGgBWSP6e525kFQlg_jwTlicxrgDdKDVU/s320/DSC01398.JPG" /></a></div>
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And of course lots of creatively engineered valentine's day decorations - each uniquly endearing </div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4529551623124767097.post-72787414751075366302010-02-16T01:46:00.000-08:002010-02-16T01:46:51.673-08:00Rock climbing at Railay BeachHere are Railay East (far bay) and Railay West (near shore) taken from one of the nearby cliffs that I scrambled up on. Rockclimbers from all over the world bring their heavy ropes and gear to climb the vertical limstone faces and funky rock formations that rise directly out of crystal clear turquoise water. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhkVafYNWremvJRG3MhAmf34GLELgiNrm80P7uIv7rTqH6CzviPq88hn8Y1obofCWO0LJL-TyBOpxBEklofdjwMHs9Iia8g9iq9DYNphbPOGmTM5tCGTDTqx9kutqOj8GY15vzw0S7Zzs/s1600-h/DSC01238.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ct="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhkVafYNWremvJRG3MhAmf34GLELgiNrm80P7uIv7rTqH6CzviPq88hn8Y1obofCWO0LJL-TyBOpxBEklofdjwMHs9Iia8g9iq9DYNphbPOGmTM5tCGTDTqx9kutqOj8GY15vzw0S7Zzs/s320/DSC01238.JPG" /></a></div>
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Here is the view of the beach as I was arriving by longtail boat - which I hopped onto from the larger ferry bound for another island.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRXaxrszfOY_MzYLLjDDWWGl4bNlj1ALQmK_U7mSNutEUbP_lju8gujjaJ5ANl20jHPLQcX7JDw2dtjKGZF7_O_VGhyphenhyphenWYdeOWP1H0KBPy-oFvQfrwX6TpHyW1FZjGlZcRRHsv3DScmYyQ/s1600-h/DSC01216.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ct="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRXaxrszfOY_MzYLLjDDWWGl4bNlj1ALQmK_U7mSNutEUbP_lju8gujjaJ5ANl20jHPLQcX7JDw2dtjKGZF7_O_VGhyphenhyphenWYdeOWP1H0KBPy-oFvQfrwX6TpHyW1FZjGlZcRRHsv3DScmYyQ/s320/DSC01216.JPG" /></a></div>
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Railay West has trememdous tides that expose the rock face at the right called "One Two Three" wall and is popular with climbers of all experience levels. At low tide they bring tourists in from the boats with a tractor and trailer.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0g1U_RnnSdia3FreDo8Q45bZ0dQNcUsy2dx97hUZXURaQOw-hjXSTUEhkjJ2CtwcJAoUVdShCVrIiLs20LJAz_dGFjO9lvksBRawARfy9btiiAxlDLaJR3EhvsJrcq_Dr9kt-3t1oDTE/s1600-h/DSC01224.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ct="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0g1U_RnnSdia3FreDo8Q45bZ0dQNcUsy2dx97hUZXURaQOw-hjXSTUEhkjJ2CtwcJAoUVdShCVrIiLs20LJAz_dGFjO9lvksBRawARfy9btiiAxlDLaJR3EhvsJrcq_Dr9kt-3t1oDTE/s320/DSC01224.JPG" /></a></div>
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In the middle of the small peninsula is a deep lagoon with sheer walls rising up 50meters on all sides. At low tide, the lagoon is drained leaving a ring of caves that can be explored (and a huge mud-pit!)</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMpq9AFXyvaNSoxxc1BX5DAPdMPpYCeR5Y338A3ZGBNWKFWvpow0_mQvR7qw7jr5LlxCoZeH80juz_58Ql9CqiVVKVTjLLlOMJFANPiM9mGGd-2_iVOiy4Zks2mpanSeucphS5Fa4OdbQ/s1600-h/DSC01250.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ct="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMpq9AFXyvaNSoxxc1BX5DAPdMPpYCeR5Y338A3ZGBNWKFWvpow0_mQvR7qw7jr5LlxCoZeH80juz_58Ql9CqiVVKVTjLLlOMJFANPiM9mGGd-2_iVOiy4Zks2mpanSeucphS5Fa4OdbQ/s320/DSC01250.JPG" /></a></div>
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My hike to the lagoon turned out to be so vertical that many people turned back once they saw the bouldering required, something not revealed by the little dotted line on my free map.</div>
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On my way up I also had a monkey experience I had never had before. There was a group of about 20 monkeys on the small (steep) clay path. To move up the path I had to move very close to them. For a while I took some pictures - the one above came right up to the camera and gave me this dramatic pose. When I had all the monkey pictures I needed I intended to continue on, however one of the larger monkeys I had to pass grabbed me by the wrist. I stopped and he climbed up on to my shoulders and sat behind my head. After getting him off I laughed at literally having a monkey on my back....hehe</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcsmwOmg40Aen3lg3KI9TOmVPY-DJEXGzx10uWwICNVYfRcN6oM2ZBHWjkosM1uVZcGoQwsVS8L5QRLTLFP96AMVx4dhnn7z5blC5qfwKVKh7LZ7j3wp1l0DwBrDF3vY3a_LnO3-uImBI/s1600-h/DSC01283.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcsmwOmg40Aen3lg3KI9TOmVPY-DJEXGzx10uWwICNVYfRcN6oM2ZBHWjkosM1uVZcGoQwsVS8L5QRLTLFP96AMVx4dhnn7z5blC5qfwKVKh7LZ7j3wp1l0DwBrDF3vY3a_LnO3-uImBI/s320/DSC01283.JPG" /></a></div>
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Here is the climbing map of 1-2-3 wall, that I climbed a number of routes on. The climbing was tremendously fun with such a varied set of rock formations to explore on one face. Of course, hanging out with all the resting climbers at the base of the wall was lovely too and I am very much looking forward to some more climbing later in my trip. Here are a couple pictures from the climbs...</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPeDo7NqaZTXj_xEvnouPiiCm1xLA2DF-anzJaej0YezuQUaoOJy1OpmcoK7_-1iu1shtaJKBmYVnGuuthiTJsgUhThkTutzkJLXaCymcuJrTijQuKcx6i0D9mdbYDoarJ4nr9WvXW6eo/s1600-h/DSC01295.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPeDo7NqaZTXj_xEvnouPiiCm1xLA2DF-anzJaej0YezuQUaoOJy1OpmcoK7_-1iu1shtaJKBmYVnGuuthiTJsgUhThkTutzkJLXaCymcuJrTijQuKcx6i0D9mdbYDoarJ4nr9WvXW6eo/s320/DSC01295.JPG" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHXl_nv-UquHrHaHFmpqGNu145kO6Ef24Cm98CtMGAfbZGNwrJeyLc6VJF_ZRafuoHzj-QSMucz7Q7ve1wsZxmucDdyo8nrVeMtS6ra5yIXV7cwKyImCGXtkreMQJSWb0axccySkm4BIs/s1600-h/DSC01268.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHXl_nv-UquHrHaHFmpqGNu145kO6Ef24Cm98CtMGAfbZGNwrJeyLc6VJF_ZRafuoHzj-QSMucz7Q7ve1wsZxmucDdyo8nrVeMtS6ra5yIXV7cwKyImCGXtkreMQJSWb0axccySkm4BIs/s320/DSC01268.JPG" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH5pQ2HqOxJfr2wN_5GGSX5iHYv-tTqQ3wsfckcRGCGZminhukK_4s2_wRWBRRxe5krrXhFKUKD362LWBR-D1KGLN3JFXeKMzFTq8mdc-r3mxWBIwcSv-rQx9EGWEUL9LFmRQsfrpdlQo/s1600-h/DSC01301.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH5pQ2HqOxJfr2wN_5GGSX5iHYv-tTqQ3wsfckcRGCGZminhukK_4s2_wRWBRRxe5krrXhFKUKD362LWBR-D1KGLN3JFXeKMzFTq8mdc-r3mxWBIwcSv-rQx9EGWEUL9LFmRQsfrpdlQo/s320/DSC01301.JPG" /></a></div>
There were a number of climbers that were a joy to watch. I can't even tell what this guy is resting his feet on.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl5zvepFVoOJu9-g-ZU0APtP9KNEcyHLM0fRres_flTEJ69oBAglXgHlDnuaj_WATflLwVSzpzRIOVU-m2FuqoiXy01wwn3kGB8iKTQciHWW0y9M00wD_AEHQZzkEmqYzz1FWOMnN2dY0/s1600-h/DSC01309.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ct="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl5zvepFVoOJu9-g-ZU0APtP9KNEcyHLM0fRres_flTEJ69oBAglXgHlDnuaj_WATflLwVSzpzRIOVU-m2FuqoiXy01wwn3kGB8iKTQciHWW0y9M00wD_AEHQZzkEmqYzz1FWOMnN2dY0/s320/DSC01309.JPG" /></a><br />
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<br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4529551623124767097.post-16194982200289995512010-02-14T00:55:00.000-08:002010-02-14T00:55:20.731-08:00Muay Thai BoxingWhen I first arrived on Ko Lanta I met a a large, muscular guy named Jonny who had been living on the island in a bamboo bungalow since October. He originally came to Thailand for a 3 week vacation and has stayed for 1.5 years. In the US, he worked for a large engineering corporation, now he is a master dive instructor and a Muay Thai boxer. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
It turns out that Jonny and I were in the same room in 1999. He graduated from a high school 3 miles away from where I went to school and was also a wrestler. He saw me in 1999 when I won my first wrestling match against a guy on his team. I was relieved to hear that although the guy got a lot of shit, he still continued wrestling :)</div>
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Jonny inspired me so much that I decided to stay on Ko Lanta and live in his world for a week. I signed up to get my scuba certification and take private Thai Boxing lessons early in the morning.</div>
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Welcome to the Muay Thai boxing gym on Ko Lanta on the west coast of southern Thailand. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtkpI2qrtS2x9AkEHHyi8y_00OgFL_aShSN28rEByu_dANWh9Yoaep_Mz4I5chVxIOj1NTiBsxhzQ5wWpD0jwI-bbc4_vIKxvC1VbtMEvPr7O7hCHcKSFGhf3kb23QpfxZUWado5-_xj8/s1600-h/DSC01088.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ct="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtkpI2qrtS2x9AkEHHyi8y_00OgFL_aShSN28rEByu_dANWh9Yoaep_Mz4I5chVxIOj1NTiBsxhzQ5wWpD0jwI-bbc4_vIKxvC1VbtMEvPr7O7hCHcKSFGhf3kb23QpfxZUWado5-_xj8/s320/DSC01088.JPG" /></a></div>
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Here is Cat with teh braids I put in my hair practicing the kicks I had just learned after the session with the instructor. During the session, you basically push and kick the trainer who is covered in pads - it is very motivating and very tiring. </div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmKytpwqMbgvVSPCnJXt1FT63ain0kHuexr2VL5LSY_G7Nfkh14l0LVE0kdRflzfDMCQxZVyC-Eva18_2yC6MTraUyvenE0jKSaXFDAtat3Gr1Vg30JVGsg2e1QD99YYftQ2OFtnXsBq0/s1600-h/DSC01063.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmKytpwqMbgvVSPCnJXt1FT63ain0kHuexr2VL5LSY_G7Nfkh14l0LVE0kdRflzfDMCQxZVyC-Eva18_2yC6MTraUyvenE0jKSaXFDAtat3Gr1Vg30JVGsg2e1QD99YYftQ2OFtnXsBq0/s320/DSC01063.JPG" /></a><br />
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I don't think this picture does justice to the pain I was feeling in my feet and shins after 2 days of Muay Thai kicking. I had lost skin in some places and my skin ached...not to mention my muscles -especially my lower obliques.</div>
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Here is a guy from Britain who has been training for several years and is having his private session. In the background is his wife who is a yoga instructor. They are training every day during their holiday.</div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg30nwT_wwHvf-gyLhikRUVlq-IHe5Sic_-1dMHH-SWi0PqtnpSwiuoiN3728-fLdePUaHVw3D4hkghXXRm_Qg3mPGSLVAp1s0zHylOZoe0fKno9MoeDHPwmHJGxQIlNrJ-W8EfzMwtvfo/s1600-h/DSC01082.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg30nwT_wwHvf-gyLhikRUVlq-IHe5Sic_-1dMHH-SWi0PqtnpSwiuoiN3728-fLdePUaHVw3D4hkghXXRm_Qg3mPGSLVAp1s0zHylOZoe0fKno9MoeDHPwmHJGxQIlNrJ-W8EfzMwtvfo/s320/DSC01082.JPG" /></a><br />
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Meet Lindsay and James - they are from Kansas and Colorodo and are spending the year teaching English in Beijing. They are both incredibly atheletic and good people and I got to play with them while I was on Ko Lanta, which worked out wonderfully.</div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj97fZGBxpQR0obOyv_7wN36iTABLCQHve1_kUtscFTTAhqSpRGczaa48rD1YrBO-9K2PW1CbdL4aZqI2RfGl-MxDz0IN8SujJI62xl7UI20RHcw7hj3IYvqzdR8qNo29zrqWcFdQLm8EQ/s1600-h/DSC01090.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj97fZGBxpQR0obOyv_7wN36iTABLCQHve1_kUtscFTTAhqSpRGczaa48rD1YrBO-9K2PW1CbdL4aZqI2RfGl-MxDz0IN8SujJI62xl7UI20RHcw7hj3IYvqzdR8qNo29zrqWcFdQLm8EQ/s320/DSC01090.JPG" /></a><br />
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Lindsay, James, Jonny and I went to the Ko Lanta Muay Thai stadium for a set of 8 matches. (Jonny had wom the final match of the night the previous week! - go Jonny!) I was extatic to go to the event and feel like I had a community. My trainer was taking the tickets at the door, his brother was doing some of the announcing, a frech guy I had met on the beach was selling drinks, and I got to wave to a half-dozen other people I had met at the gym during the matches.</div>
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The first round is typically more ceremonial, where boxers will dance around each other feeling each other out and pacing themselves for the massively long 5 x 3min sets. The first 4 matches of the night are typically boys between the ages of 12 and 16. There are usually no knock-outs during these matches and I saw varying levels of activity.</div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgkY83OnqA8qlpW-8RnFv7yHU4x7aAytr9X4LNFkpqdxsn6ZFM6XpFx2xolY9uJIY5Y1PRnsJ6BYF05EfLT41SeMyuPmt2ffUWMyo27KYh_p1-xOfFYPBBcVfvOq-Jb1RszvuzY11Y5R4/s1600-h/DSC01110.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgkY83OnqA8qlpW-8RnFv7yHU4x7aAytr9X4LNFkpqdxsn6ZFM6XpFx2xolY9uJIY5Y1PRnsJ6BYF05EfLT41SeMyuPmt2ffUWMyo27KYh_p1-xOfFYPBBcVfvOq-Jb1RszvuzY11Y5R4/s320/DSC01110.JPG" /></a><br />
However, in the 5th match, the guys did not pace themselves at all. They were doing flying attacks from the first round. My the second round one guy hit the ground completely limp after a solid hit to the head. Unbelievably, he got back up and kicked the other guy's butt for another 2 rounds before hitting the ground in the 5th round (picture below). He walked away safely but even in the 4th round both fighters were having trouble standing upright ...some of the fighters sitting near us said it was the best fight they had ever seen...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghEaIpt1D5MZeSMvWLeKgcZvAVLtS-UuEvpYodw__om5M0s7Nf9z4iIuQNf2k7RwgjZdCV21Mg6bh69JBO3cwJHASyN2JjBE8F-L-YE-RnFdvUA1qkpD-LdrNuUeHZ2_Ueb7KCgfOgj9M/s1600/DSC01122.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghEaIpt1D5MZeSMvWLeKgcZvAVLtS-UuEvpYodw__om5M0s7Nf9z4iIuQNf2k7RwgjZdCV21Mg6bh69JBO3cwJHASyN2JjBE8F-L-YE-RnFdvUA1qkpD-LdrNuUeHZ2_Ueb7KCgfOgj9M/s320/DSC01122.JPG" /></a></div>
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The final match was a swedish guy (primarily a boxer) and a Thai guy (primarily a kicker) - here you can see them doing their warm-up ceremony during which the boxers often move to each corner of the ring and do a short prayer and then do whatever other dance they would like in the middle of the ring. </div>
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Here's me on the beach after scuba Day 2.</div>
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And another amazing sunset</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx9-fxf_rAO40G_FkBcSplAgIAq6yg6MOzvv-9f-_ypPw2Ll03xWWFb2zhLjh7KWw436eKRIn6gyreF16SUzHzFul5iEgfmNW558OXY-iiLj7rOiSV_X-7jVFW6uHevrONgl98uWjhBlA/s1600-h/DSC01103.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx9-fxf_rAO40G_FkBcSplAgIAq6yg6MOzvv-9f-_ypPw2Ll03xWWFb2zhLjh7KWw436eKRIn6gyreF16SUzHzFul5iEgfmNW558OXY-iiLj7rOiSV_X-7jVFW6uHevrONgl98uWjhBlA/s320/DSC01103.JPG" /></a></div>
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4529551623124767097.post-39206662741910724062010-02-10T06:35:00.000-08:002010-02-10T06:35:06.240-08:00I am a certified scuba diver to 60 ft!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikihtizg9clFvFO2EDjCKerVPDuj0hZC44o7WCV7O080rfxU1h8rV1G_5HhAL_01DEnjZWnvEBBXyzvqVJa0TlHbbwkBpYuuX43VnTvCcNfFmVT4F6uKt__i3K6k7KothKE0xqzokXqy4/s1600-h/DSC01212.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">After getting settled in Ko Lanta and found I wanted to stay and enjoy the island rhythm for a while before moving on and decided to get my scuba certification and take up Thai boxing (Muay Thai) for the week. It has been a beautiful week where I have been outside 15 hours a day and doing at least 3 hours of exercise, which has left me feeling healthy, happy and balanced.</a></div>
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My scuba training took 3 days and was done entirely in the ocean. The first day was in very shalow ocean where I learned a bunch of the skills after doing bookwork, watching videos and taking tests in the morning.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_zSAuJqFTaJAuOZBfX8sqooQazY5bRs7xeq5faPvuONrxYC6bvaO-acixarjzwJ2TW1K75MC_aajPRHWgiQ_-icPGkRScOD1xynYWIc8VDRqhzd9wUGiCocsVjkhz2vntyEkKoJE1CK0/s1600-h/DSC01162.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_zSAuJqFTaJAuOZBfX8sqooQazY5bRs7xeq5faPvuONrxYC6bvaO-acixarjzwJ2TW1K75MC_aajPRHWgiQ_-icPGkRScOD1xynYWIc8VDRqhzd9wUGiCocsVjkhz2vntyEkKoJE1CK0/s320/DSC01162.JPG" /></a></div>
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On day 2 we went out to Ko Ha Lagoon which was about a 2 hour boat ride from Ko Lanta. On this day I did 2 dives to 12 meters</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPTlFNzOJtl9wRoxandGz7K_T8NMQSyV8O8lSYX2z0yUYAi16sd6W1Pi9saXc33ZWBH9JA2G05PYtC1Aa4hHLmfamBMDsmggdtrUI7Txz7lGdxxM4csGd-yAPU5cndCDyWYCrs3BKd6JY/s1600-h/DSC01189.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPTlFNzOJtl9wRoxandGz7K_T8NMQSyV8O8lSYX2z0yUYAi16sd6W1Pi9saXc33ZWBH9JA2G05PYtC1Aa4hHLmfamBMDsmggdtrUI7Txz7lGdxxM4csGd-yAPU5cndCDyWYCrs3BKd6JY/s320/DSC01189.JPG" /></a></div>
I got to meet most of the cast from finding Nemo which was exciting. You may recognize the fish being pointed to in the picture which is a Moorish Idol, not to be confused with the nearly identical Banner Fish that has a much longer white thingy on top.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj-kvmdBmi-cNPENRnTOlmH8QQeNrMu25U6vk1ntqyK7hpf_W2wzCBOpRN73HdsDCFxzL0tnA_dNd6RzvUmUEVubMBQMPX6Ag_BIH4_e4C5MNDAJ8oZ5wYQbd2tx-7rCQSB3kEGi46e2g/s1600-h/DSC01150.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj-kvmdBmi-cNPENRnTOlmH8QQeNrMu25U6vk1ntqyK7hpf_W2wzCBOpRN73HdsDCFxzL0tnA_dNd6RzvUmUEVubMBQMPX6Ag_BIH4_e4C5MNDAJ8oZ5wYQbd2tx-7rCQSB3kEGi46e2g/s320/DSC01150.JPG" /></a> </div>
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It is Nemo and the anemone! I admit that it was embarrassing how many times during my dive I had the thought..."this is so much like the movie"...especially when schools of hundreds of fish make turns al in unison like they are actually one creature.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7wEi3SZo2T2kpd1aIXSlLAzb3BSGOyme-WpmyY8yu-rnjf26Cll-s9FVRKGXoeP8GdRWhdyfbyGtcY8i6hnhPEU91om9q7sbF_Owkendz9uhbyS4rcfam1i3f9yCVJ4RCGI5K3jy_470/s1600-h/DSC01154.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7wEi3SZo2T2kpd1aIXSlLAzb3BSGOyme-WpmyY8yu-rnjf26Cll-s9FVRKGXoeP8GdRWhdyfbyGtcY8i6hnhPEU91om9q7sbF_Owkendz9uhbyS4rcfam1i3f9yCVJ4RCGI5K3jy_470/s320/DSC01154.JPG" /></a></div>
The rocks that we visited near Ko Phi Phi, that were apparently covered with water thousands or milions of years ago, are good looking above water but a mindblowingly stunning underwater. On day 3 I was diving to 18meters (60ft) and was comfortable enough with my boyancy to be doing nearly continuous barrel rolls as I toured around under water.<br />
The closest thing I can compare to looking up along 60 feet of nearly vertical coral reef covered in life toward the light coming from above is a futuristic alien city where millions of aliens are going about their business moving in and out of their colorful and undulating homes and stores.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikihtizg9clFvFO2EDjCKerVPDuj0hZC44o7WCV7O080rfxU1h8rV1G_5HhAL_01DEnjZWnvEBBXyzvqVJa0TlHbbwkBpYuuX43VnTvCcNfFmVT4F6uKt__i3K6k7KothKE0xqzokXqy4/s1600-h/DSC01212.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikihtizg9clFvFO2EDjCKerVPDuj0hZC44o7WCV7O080rfxU1h8rV1G_5HhAL_01DEnjZWnvEBBXyzvqVJa0TlHbbwkBpYuuX43VnTvCcNfFmVT4F6uKt__i3K6k7KothKE0xqzokXqy4/s320/DSC01212.JPG" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6SuhyphenhyphenEKxVV1ZRp2-9mJsC0U30j0uPoFfaPtGtgFuDTmG1ytSjr_mR5SutuRYgy4ZeprSsxeQpX3PQhCdhyQvDmqNIBVedwXrozd6Pt2quIYmWxnxBbct5JIFkEfdwCR7K8LY17AYrOqw/s1600-h/DSC01204.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6SuhyphenhyphenEKxVV1ZRp2-9mJsC0U30j0uPoFfaPtGtgFuDTmG1ytSjr_mR5SutuRYgy4ZeprSsxeQpX3PQhCdhyQvDmqNIBVedwXrozd6Pt2quIYmWxnxBbct5JIFkEfdwCR7K8LY17AYrOqw/s320/DSC01204.JPG" /></a> </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4IHhj87pSQ9cIhX5E5-KRThyphenhyphen-c5zuwRnRhlFX6t25oAFPIjp4kfrf0rPVi00GFs5MpuTHwUjiuYIuZaTBlPgZXjtm2zXFZVEFFclQeekWeuWdl4ilN0-Jd8dZuTAyikL7ADm7gSJiamQ/s1600-h/DSC01199.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4IHhj87pSQ9cIhX5E5-KRThyphenhyphen-c5zuwRnRhlFX6t25oAFPIjp4kfrf0rPVi00GFs5MpuTHwUjiuYIuZaTBlPgZXjtm2zXFZVEFFclQeekWeuWdl4ilN0-Jd8dZuTAyikL7ADm7gSJiamQ/s320/DSC01199.JPG" /></a> </div>
I saw a lot of strange underwater life but I would like to highlight a couple:<br />
Blue sea star - these were everywhere and has arms that were sometimes over a foot long draped over rocks and coral<br />
Christmas Tree Worm - makes very bright (blue, orange, purple) multi-tiered parasols that stick out of the coral and retract very quickly when you come close<br />
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I think I like bright schools of fish the best of all...watching thousands of fish moving all around you as if you aren't even there is incredible...especially while doing barrel rolls...<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyNLxCmlCOqXMOqkw6quItRXKgzCuJx8kf2jeeMeiRPEmjaQZN9soNr-ti-vzohw3l7XOJb4Hi2Y5GuD5WPXDm4wqjCHt6rri-zssnhAwQNfQvuEItP5QQBCOsqDf4zcZilq6x6UEHRbU/s1600-h/DSC01185.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyNLxCmlCOqXMOqkw6quItRXKgzCuJx8kf2jeeMeiRPEmjaQZN9soNr-ti-vzohw3l7XOJb4Hi2Y5GuD5WPXDm4wqjCHt6rri-zssnhAwQNfQvuEItP5QQBCOsqDf4zcZilq6x6UEHRbU/s320/DSC01185.JPG" /></a></div>
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikihtizg9clFvFO2EDjCKerVPDuj0hZC44o7WCV7O080rfxU1h8rV1G_5HhAL_01DEnjZWnvEBBXyzvqVJa0TlHbbwkBpYuuX43VnTvCcNfFmVT4F6uKt__i3K6k7KothKE0xqzokXqy4/s320/DSC01212.JPG" /> </div>
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My days for the past week have gone something like this on scuba diving days...</div>
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6am-7:30 meditate and collect shells on beach, watch the sun rise</div>
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7:30am - get picked up by diving company and am on the boat by 8am</div>
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8:30am - Amazing breakfast (omelets, fruit, weat bread, vegitables, jam, yogurt) is shared on the 3 level diving boat</div>
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9am - Discuss the days dives with my instructor (I am her only client for these 3 days!) over tea</div>
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10am-11:30am - Preparation and first dive</div>
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11:30-12:30 - Excellent lunch of vegitables and curries with rice</div>
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1-2:30 - Prep and second dive</div>
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4pm - Go to favorite beach hang out caled "Thai Cat" and drink/eat a fresh coconut while reading my book (see coconut below)</div>
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5pm - Go for swim in the ocean</div>
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6pm - Watch the sunset and read book</div>
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7pm - Meet friends for dinner and talk</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_6WNK1CmFnxrShK14jMPHMVkqur_U1zVSMb9YGX7UagbTlzfhPNX6qS0pHIXPZ_qhJ1IXDwp7TaXzbxgQEMLbq3nsLEmKEQnY82UPOm-RxLmQbpiJBJkjtfoxlQtCmO-EUgGcrLTtBmk/s1600-h/DSC01186.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_6WNK1CmFnxrShK14jMPHMVkqur_U1zVSMb9YGX7UagbTlzfhPNX6qS0pHIXPZ_qhJ1IXDwp7TaXzbxgQEMLbq3nsLEmKEQnY82UPOm-RxLmQbpiJBJkjtfoxlQtCmO-EUgGcrLTtBmk/s320/DSC01186.JPG" /></a> </div>
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</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4529551623124767097.post-89222903083942144822010-02-05T07:02:00.000-08:002010-02-05T07:06:57.798-08:00Cat returns to paradise<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I boarded a bus in Bangkok at 6pm. Eight hours later, at a rest stop I decided to go to a small island called Ko Lanta (that I had never heard of before) instead of first stopping in the island tourist hub, Phuket, as originally planned. I was pleased about this journey for two reasons:<br />
A. I was was able to manage my thoughts to stay very happy and relaxed throughout the 18 hour bus/minibus/ferry journey, while many people around me were starting to suffer because of negative thoughts they were having about things like our bus breaking down after 10 hours in a not-so-reclining bus seat.<br />
B. I was able to listen to what I wanted (going directly to the more remote, quiet island) and simply do what I needed to without clinging to the original plan.<br />
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Along the way, I exchanged contact information with wonderful people: an israeli girl who just spent a year in India doing yoga, was a practicing Japanese Buddhism and was going to romantically rejoin a french backpacker she met several days ago; a hippie from the mountains North Carolina; a mixed martial artist who has been training in Chiang Mai but is originally from London and sells project management software; and an American couple who were both college athletes (baseball and javelin) and are spending a year after college teaching English in Beijing.<br />
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This is the sunset I was greeted by the first evening.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidOaga23SCDs8R5m2VznZmB28k_urlf8Ea3K4qD31fqoI8XZ4-rmXhaMzHsM7QAEvoSEQaIeZ9qmQW0wPP7vkA_Sh_skEIpLJiArelbSbyqxdzyrQ1TgN5TAUD2ldM-sWYch4JpicHMTs/s1600-h/DSC01049.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidOaga23SCDs8R5m2VznZmB28k_urlf8Ea3K4qD31fqoI8XZ4-rmXhaMzHsM7QAEvoSEQaIeZ9qmQW0wPP7vkA_Sh_skEIpLJiArelbSbyqxdzyrQ1TgN5TAUD2ldM-sWYch4JpicHMTs/s320/DSC01049.JPG" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZIgtc7RaKU3ZchGO3webaiYjCp1nMpytJ2n0hLZ1Rh571ii8d05H2E_9DEZgtmS1PvVoVPN6E0I1Qm_bBaK7ISqECQFnh-bkI1qRpzKkgbt6f2nRN8eTremNGZoU_79dqAQoFWUtsaRE/s1600-h/DSC01047.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZIgtc7RaKU3ZchGO3webaiYjCp1nMpytJ2n0hLZ1Rh571ii8d05H2E_9DEZgtmS1PvVoVPN6E0I1Qm_bBaK7ISqECQFnh-bkI1qRpzKkgbt6f2nRN8eTremNGZoU_79dqAQoFWUtsaRE/s400/DSC01047.JPG" width="400" /></a> </div>
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This is a "short cut" I took while walking around the island that 10 minutes later earned me some sliced up toes that I am treating with bacitracin and lots of salt water and sand.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-4nyKsb1R2W1r7v_J3V_sPubpAvIahaLIeVxcdzLjqxxYrEqVeKDyAvQvBJ9BWWyIoesq1rDMm4x_lapqelE_ZieP2twuJ-lTjYhtwJWYaIh6h523G33GiWIVvh5BtIWP185690JRPTA/s1600-h/DSC01042.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-4nyKsb1R2W1r7v_J3V_sPubpAvIahaLIeVxcdzLjqxxYrEqVeKDyAvQvBJ9BWWyIoesq1rDMm4x_lapqelE_ZieP2twuJ-lTjYhtwJWYaIh6h523G33GiWIVvh5BtIWP185690JRPTA/s320/DSC01042.JPG" /></a></div>
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...and here is my bamboo bungalow with my open air bathroom...</div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxLHO9oL41-5jedX0DeGRoeIouUvzbxZcGuUUBDSOOVzsR8dKj6nU3DW2dJs-y6E23yd-Y_kHpMz4n5Zn9S0dlAzRxTYqFKbiZGC22LpqjoDFO4zcq2EhdSYbc_9CxtxwUQ55WU2QiE80/s1600-h/DSC01056.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxLHO9oL41-5jedX0DeGRoeIouUvzbxZcGuUUBDSOOVzsR8dKj6nU3DW2dJs-y6E23yd-Y_kHpMz4n5Zn9S0dlAzRxTYqFKbiZGC22LpqjoDFO4zcq2EhdSYbc_9CxtxwUQ55WU2QiE80/s320/DSC01056.JPG" /></a><br />
...open air bathrooms are the best!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXeALAe73-dtgrol1WyJkI3ft7RwNC6E2L5fmrG3tNvX5xewpva652B5isNpA4LfEMcxwc9lQtX52jqSCDDmTfjeo1LrXyjvFwyJy4sG9Fjq8IGLp8KIeLhLsFu9zh_wpjC1pkNJxMLAw/s1600-h/DSC01044.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXeALAe73-dtgrol1WyJkI3ft7RwNC6E2L5fmrG3tNvX5xewpva652B5isNpA4LfEMcxwc9lQtX52jqSCDDmTfjeo1LrXyjvFwyJy4sG9Fjq8IGLp8KIeLhLsFu9zh_wpjC1pkNJxMLAw/s320/DSC01044.JPG" /></a> </div>
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Here is Sasha (London mixed martial artist) and me before we parted ways on different ferries. Tomorrow morning at 7:30 am I am going to walk 2km to the Thai boxing club on the island and try to get a private lesson. Who knows, maybe I will want to train there for a few days?</div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiX20QaN5XceK7XSRTaJ-wPtuy1uPeQQM2NTmfqDrABDdcGWlvsKo3jW7D1xAiHtmYVxOncRXXXo43EJTllVuJzW1sB-5ZcygywIXW2J0Y14jMC71JR9NOD7EfmwJff664dH44Bn_D8VI/s1600-h/DSC01039.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiX20QaN5XceK7XSRTaJ-wPtuy1uPeQQM2NTmfqDrABDdcGWlvsKo3jW7D1xAiHtmYVxOncRXXXo43EJTllVuJzW1sB-5ZcygywIXW2J0Y14jMC71JR9NOD7EfmwJff664dH44Bn_D8VI/s320/DSC01039.JPG" /></a><br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4529551623124767097.post-17737679666407261322010-02-05T07:01:00.000-08:002010-02-05T07:01:19.606-08:00Phnom Penh - lively but relaxed - I enjoyed my stay<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAmHa_-wGHGK0SINXChlbijuNF3jZSKyGmzICJkcwEmlXSFxLh3Ipye7426UyMeLgarZ9TgebqFIalEMKmgMg8s3rKhuSfbVe-HG6MnP31__oUk-mt7hzLJCiqtaQCSrXvDOikSzK2ZhA/s1600-h/DSC00768.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAmHa_-wGHGK0SINXChlbijuNF3jZSKyGmzICJkcwEmlXSFxLh3Ipye7426UyMeLgarZ9TgebqFIalEMKmgMg8s3rKhuSfbVe-HG6MnP31__oUk-mt7hzLJCiqtaQCSrXvDOikSzK2ZhA/s320/DSC00768.JPG" /> </a></div>
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I was ushered into this small temple by an older caretaker (I assume) who proceeded to do the good luck chants (usually done by monks) and shower holy water onto my head and then begin smoking. I couldn't resist this picture!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiygUrszWUuN461zqeooP093p5uQrbXiH3DbP5lTIM4ToBLSTj2V2wWKHxFkgnz3Qo1kUddIxxB4vsUQCEo_oHUZmBOfHoBz8NgdPYl4sxwGPgGLYu06iGGFHyp8pbAsfpv5zWFWfHMRrk/s1600-h/DSC01009.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiygUrszWUuN461zqeooP093p5uQrbXiH3DbP5lTIM4ToBLSTj2V2wWKHxFkgnz3Qo1kUddIxxB4vsUQCEo_oHUZmBOfHoBz8NgdPYl4sxwGPgGLYu06iGGFHyp8pbAsfpv5zWFWfHMRrk/s320/DSC01009.JPG" /></a></div>
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wooshing mopeds near the Russian market area</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJEVFETJeUOqTUcfPGhsXn5l0Q1JlOJbLEkV8KtQTu2isq6Kk60ldzGDmgbpX8_sKbH4XR4QuqMXeeh8gOMIrumUcPDTXZokPQ3Rw41dgkso-zl0oAjiElQ8eaQ2hJCDCr9eO60vlfFpc/s1600-h/DSC01036.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJEVFETJeUOqTUcfPGhsXn5l0Q1JlOJbLEkV8KtQTu2isq6Kk60ldzGDmgbpX8_sKbH4XR4QuqMXeeh8gOMIrumUcPDTXZokPQ3Rw41dgkso-zl0oAjiElQ8eaQ2hJCDCr9eO60vlfFpc/s320/DSC01036.JPG" /></a> </div>
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Tiny! novice monk</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyIkN3B0TX2Y0XTgEzIY8iL0jFpWuHSnz9lUf5VCZUK9rGkGaUUado3q9OvEYfWt48GO4R8GoQ2B0Ko-HupTdWyoPGlq3njZeD3OcG0cuR27YD-ms3J4sbgGr8Rgzm3LqenTMsmZb9gig/s1600-h/DSC00761.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyIkN3B0TX2Y0XTgEzIY8iL0jFpWuHSnz9lUf5VCZUK9rGkGaUUado3q9OvEYfWt48GO4R8GoQ2B0Ko-HupTdWyoPGlq3njZeD3OcG0cuR27YD-ms3J4sbgGr8Rgzm3LqenTMsmZb9gig/s320/DSC00761.JPG" /> </a></div>
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view from my guest house balcony</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7ItadX5Ofn9OqF1pZH52hW14kTEG3xsi_wHwGsFd7WWLjUpBpe2V1QOcpbkWD9TBgBvLmA0SwTztk4SBDggJ2R5Ub63D56wnYXSaiRlO24sxZyJ3g4VDOjSSeGK1vV4odpzS20l24r_s/s1600-h/DSC00781.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7ItadX5Ofn9OqF1pZH52hW14kTEG3xsi_wHwGsFd7WWLjUpBpe2V1QOcpbkWD9TBgBvLmA0SwTztk4SBDggJ2R5Ub63D56wnYXSaiRlO24sxZyJ3g4VDOjSSeGK1vV4odpzS20l24r_s/s320/DSC00781.JPG" /> </a></div>
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really nice hotel I visited for the day. You can swim in their pool and lounge about if you order food in their outdoor cafe...tough life </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpVHeJOuoyRqHWK3RvHHyuPdYxgE5LxRR88Gh7B1Crg3yCTUmIp19iuu7CtY_cXn9JhkJfGnPrALd3e8W3UtK0IMNEBAg1RhSlZW3wsNywYC1YIbfQzGxD6rOkLf6-So6JOylzl1lEfzs/s1600-h/DSC00784.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpVHeJOuoyRqHWK3RvHHyuPdYxgE5LxRR88Gh7B1Crg3yCTUmIp19iuu7CtY_cXn9JhkJfGnPrALd3e8W3UtK0IMNEBAg1RhSlZW3wsNywYC1YIbfQzGxD6rOkLf6-So6JOylzl1lEfzs/s320/DSC00784.JPG" /> </a></div>
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It looks like the elephant is smiling. I smiled a lot too as I traveled around the city. Biking in rush hour was hilarious (very much like a racing video game) and I loved riding side-saddle on the moto-scooters (while practicing being very relaxed like all the Cambodian girls who whirl through traffic without holding on and often texting) </div>
<span id="goog_1264514260770"></span><span id="goog_1264514260771"></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4529551623124767097.post-16518542404648348682010-02-03T01:09:00.000-08:002010-02-03T01:09:25.480-08:00Cambodia, 1974 to1979<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Cambodia has had some very rough history in the not distant past. In the 4 years after the Khmer Rouge took over the government in 1974, over 2 million Cambodians were killed; this represents between one fourth to one third of the population. Intellectuals were especially targeted and identified by characteristics such as higher education, softer hands, lighter complexion, and ability to speak another language. The goal of the Khmer Rouge was to create a completely equal society - practically this translated into mobilizing the whole population into agriculture (often rice farming) and killing anyone who resisted. Before the Khmer Rouge took over there was tremendous corruption in the government and so the revolution was originally hailed by a very frustrated population as the change that they had been waiting for.</div>
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Below is a picture of the middle and high school buildings that were converted into a detention center and a place for forcing confessions through extensive torture. Over the 4 years it processed 20,000 people. Extensive records were kept and I saw a lot of photographs that I never thought I would see.</div>
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The detainees were kept in either group or individual holding cells</div>
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The rules shown below included not crying while "getting lashes or electrification"<br />
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After the appropriate confessions had been obtained from the detainees (sometimes confessions were written thousands of times), they were transported by truck 15km to the killing fields. At the entrance to the killing fields there is a big structure out of glass and wood that houses the skulls of 9000 people that were recovered from the surrounding fields.</div>
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I think one of the most amazing things I saw was the interview with the truck driver who drove all the people between the detention center and the killing fields. He was smiling during most of the interview as he pointed out the details of the killing fields. He is one of the few people that remain to testify in the war crimes tribunal that will begin in a few years. This topic deserves more commentary and hopefully I will get back to it...</div>
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I don't even know what to say about a sign like this.</div>
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As we walked around there were pieces of clothing stuck in the ground everywhere. These are clothes from the people in the mass graves that are still surfacing after each rainy season. I was uncomfortable walking around the killing fields since everywhere I stepped I noticed fragments of bone or clothing from the thousands of people who were thrown into mass graves here only 30 years ago.</div>
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There were many pictures that I could not bring myself to take while I was walking around these facilities, but this picture spoke pretty strongly to me about what it was like to live life during these years.</div>
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On a lighter note, here is Cat and Kev making a biking pit-stop at a bakery. My apetite was still at about 15% of normal after being sick but I found a very healthy little muffin friend to nibble on.</div>
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4529551623124767097.post-66804009226747037692010-02-03T00:27:00.000-08:002010-02-03T00:27:20.280-08:00Boat ride to Battambang<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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The morning after Nate departed. I hopped a boat ride to Battambang that was supposed to be the most beautiful in Cambodia and estimated in the guide book to take between 5 and 9 hours. Southeast asia is currently in the dry season and the boat ride was safely at the 9 hour mark with our heavy load of passengers and rice for small towns along the way. It was pretty amusing that the boat had to stop every few minutes to "ask" (honk) fishermen to move their nets or wait for one of the crew to use large sticks to get us un-stuck from the bank where branches often sideswiped dozing passengers.<br />
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At the beginning of the ride we passed through Tonle Sap lake - which is Cambodia's largest freshwater lake producing a significant amount of fish for the country all year round. This lake is attributed to be a primary source of sustenance for the great Angkor empire.<br />
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The river is lined with floating fishing villages. The houses move significant distances every year as the rivers swell and ebb in size. They float on bundles of bamboo sticks that need to be removed and dried every 3-5 years to stay "floaty"<br />
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These giant-insect like cantilevered fishing nets were present all along the river and were often constructed as a floating house / giant fishing net combos. Definitely makes for a short commute to work...I think I would miss getting to ride my bike though.</div>
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I really liked how well organized all these floating houses were. Every kitchen area I could see into had a spot on the wall for each pan. I suppose when you have a family with several children and grandparents living in a tiny space where you often can't stand up, it is helpful if it is tidy.</div>
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While we were passing through a bird sanctuary I came to the front of the boat and sat with my feet on the edge, being careful not to get in the captain's line of sight as I had seen him use the horn on several passengers already. I saw a whole bunch of white herons, some large black birds, but the strangest birds are the ones I would see in a few days as I biked along the Mekong.</div>
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My main boat-companion, Kev (who I would meet up with 2 days later in Phnom Penh), filled a good part of our 9 hour trip with his tales of his 3 months of cycling and hitchhiking adventures through China, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, and Thailand.<br />
Below, Kev is preparing for the next day and tutoring me on the finer points of hitchhiking logistics and philosophy. The logistics were amusing and may be useful someday but the philosophy is what I found really interesting because it relates to the reading I have been doing on honest and empathetic communication (Nonviolent Communication by M. Rosenberg...thanks for the recommendation, Chris!!!)<br />
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The idea is that when you hitchhike you are showing your vulnerability and others are able to give you a pure gift of a generous act. This makes them feel good because they have been generous and it makes you feel good because you have shared your vulnerability with another human being as asked for help. As a bonus, you often get going in the direction you were hoping to go and sometimes get to share a meal or a place to sleep.<br />
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No worries, parents, I am not planning to switch to a new primary mode of travel - since I do think there is another dimension added for single female travelers. However, the principle of the entirely generous exchange on both sides is very appealing to me.<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4529551623124767097.post-72769247029648601862010-02-02T20:51:00.000-08:002010-02-02T20:51:57.621-08:00Ankor Wat and Siem Reap<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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In the pre-dawn coolness, Nate and I joined the processional of dark figures and bobbing flashlights on the bridge crossing the moat of Angkor Wat. The moat is wider than a football fiel and in the darkness we imagined what the Angkor temples would look like as we passed through the outer gate. In front of the main complex are two large pool filled with lotus flowers - we waited there as the sky grew lighter and revealed the shape of the Angkor towers mimicing the shape of the closed lotus blossom.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu19ekwc634hW3jZYWL127xxziSyN3JmpudZ-yFX6m60pB5ZBaXabHKRkYDQLQVKzhpVnx3NMjQOyuE-kis4ZN4rLpodxlrUE1xfL0jXYMXB6LGCjtOVksSL6bYje_Y0DYOwxYRwmlG0k/s1600-h/DSC00469.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">We exited the Angkor complex later that morning and emerged to the scene of bridemaids resting in the shade of the outer walls while impeccably adorned Thai brides were photographed with parasols by the outer moat.</a></div>
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For a more extensive set of pictures and descriptions of all the beautiful temples we visited please see the lovely photo journal that Nate put together:<br />
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/nateball/Cambodia?authkey=Gv1sRgCLSji_jyu53xSw" target="_blank">http://picasaweb.google.com/<wbr></wbr>nateball/Cambodia?authkey=<wbr></wbr>Gv1sRgCLSji_jyu53xSw#</a><br />
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I have been dreaming about visiting Angkor Wat in Cambodia for several years - especially since hiking 5 days to see Machu Picchu in Peru. I also celebrated the realization that I have now been to 5 of the 7 voted wonders of the world The Taj (India), Pyramids (Egypt), Macchu (Peru), Petra (Jordon) and now Angkor (Cambodia) - and greatly look forward to my trip to China for the great wall :)<br />
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The temples that I liked best were ones that were being both destroyed and held together by the massive roots of Spung trees. The most massive and elegant example of this is Ta Prohm. Below is the main entrance with the hugs smiling face characteristic of the major works created under Khmer King Jayavarman VII in the late 12th century.<br />
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Nate pushed up into a handstand to the delight of some passing tourists.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Cat in backbend during walk about in Angkor Wat.</div>
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One of the smaller and more ruined temples we visited <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw6CiJjfZ31g4KZv4ghNz0zLNYeEs9gysrjrjrJwLNHuPbrNvsRr6VNVveYD-l_F5gIi3VzQ_SxixcnH4wXMGxiJM6irGttOIIs9kYQxtIyUaW13RCrxm5Iale64GfQejG6ZHH9lndJ3E/s1600-h/DSC00556.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw6CiJjfZ31g4KZv4ghNz0zLNYeEs9gysrjrjrJwLNHuPbrNvsRr6VNVveYD-l_F5gIi3VzQ_SxixcnH4wXMGxiJM6irGttOIIs9kYQxtIyUaW13RCrxm5Iale64GfQejG6ZHH9lndJ3E/s320/DSC00556.JPG" /></a><br />
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Here is a massive pool built for a Khmer King kept full by an underground spring. Incredible.</div>
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Stay tuned in the near future for the rest of the Cambodia blogs, before I head down to Southern Thailand to begin my month-long exploration of the islands :)Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4529551623124767097.post-61118936609778583202010-02-02T06:04:00.000-08:002010-02-02T19:44:37.389-08:00I heart bicycles<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
I spent 2 full days biking on dirt roads / paths along the Mekong River. In my 28 years of life I have not yet developed a very strong directional sense, so my strategy was to keep the 10th largest river in the world always within view on my right. (Sometimes I would lose sight of it and have to cut through farm fields to catch a reassuring glimpse.) This is what it looked like:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_ymq2pcl3Y3kr79TWeXf5S_97z7IxqjYAPtwpZU8bbAXoBhcTnk6BYMmO3QZnkzUX06pftt2KBK-eaGcDv9L4drkTi1nhs1JmfIuRx7gbXl5R3_gu9U9BFlq99DaeXOaYP_jv6iwIwH0/s1600-h/DSC00885.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" kt="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_ymq2pcl3Y3kr79TWeXf5S_97z7IxqjYAPtwpZU8bbAXoBhcTnk6BYMmO3QZnkzUX06pftt2KBK-eaGcDv9L4drkTi1nhs1JmfIuRx7gbXl5R3_gu9U9BFlq99DaeXOaYP_jv6iwIwH0/s320/DSC00885.JPG" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDNlBr1OA6wzYXcqx8ZMpLswDvkUK7m1FYSfdYlGUGus2EstFyaLnu_UOGSWjxkOO5OStNzM88nADePxRBzhJ12P2z9ixnHXI_jly_xRPSeri2S1963FIeYv5tzsMaZIOi-4Pzbs6Vd6E/s1600-h/DSC00875.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" kt="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDNlBr1OA6wzYXcqx8ZMpLswDvkUK7m1FYSfdYlGUGus2EstFyaLnu_UOGSWjxkOO5OStNzM88nADePxRBzhJ12P2z9ixnHXI_jly_xRPSeri2S1963FIeYv5tzsMaZIOi-4Pzbs6Vd6E/s320/DSC00875.JPG" /></a></div>
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On my first day of biking, when I left the small town of Kratie at 7am with all my belongings bungee corded to the back of my mountain bike, I felt a surge of joy and had a huge smile on my face - I couldn't help it - this act felt freeing and distinctly like what I wanted to be doing. Here is my bike with my bag looking especially small from this angle. It weighs about 8kg now.</div>
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Following the river, there were many bridges of pretty good quality passing over tributaries to the river (which is now at its low point in the dry season)</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1igBKFAbU7hxOJhYFT_dHGVn-bn5j0uip2a0rQgr2BAE6LZU6Pd3UO6ipJtRWJlO5S7k6Iqj5NGgTCndgeCKPdkAZzPfAPRdPu6Hd1C0QbS6w1DF1z7yOZuTn_BjWBZQSp1vKW9EIYE4/s1600-h/DSC00888.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" kt="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1igBKFAbU7hxOJhYFT_dHGVn-bn5j0uip2a0rQgr2BAE6LZU6Pd3UO6ipJtRWJlO5S7k6Iqj5NGgTCndgeCKPdkAZzPfAPRdPu6Hd1C0QbS6w1DF1z7yOZuTn_BjWBZQSp1vKW9EIYE4/s320/DSC00888.JPG" /></a></div>
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This little cutie came over when I took my first break on the first day to have some mini-biscuits and water. I gave her a biscuit and she thanked me and then continued to watch me. Her little brother was too shy to come claim his biscuit in person so she accepted it on his behalf</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEofgGzR7xgwx0B0cbLXu7A_afm7EcypzjeFEVXR0CR-svPdWnDGDXkrWIkOWRaEA9t_bzu3CF-4jdxfWsmyjHWuaGbF4JuPR8rqvmiJCbVnYycGXbMJOJJDTf40v2Hb9H-_bCSPt3pIk/s1600-h/DSC00890.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" kt="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEofgGzR7xgwx0B0cbLXu7A_afm7EcypzjeFEVXR0CR-svPdWnDGDXkrWIkOWRaEA9t_bzu3CF-4jdxfWsmyjHWuaGbF4JuPR8rqvmiJCbVnYycGXbMJOJJDTf40v2Hb9H-_bCSPt3pIk/s320/DSC00890.JPG" /></a></div>
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Within the first 30minutes of biking through small riverfront villages I saw details of rural agriculture life in Cambodia that I can't imagine seeing otherwise. Also, it was refreshing to have everyone genuinely excited to see me, since I seeing a (pale and female) foreigner biking through their village was such a novelty. Everywhere I biked children screemed Helloooo! and mother's called their children to watch me pass. In fact, any time I stopped small groups started forming and would mostly just watch me... this was fun except for when I really needed to pee. I had to sneak off from this group of guys pretending I was taking pictures around the corner.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlo8XBmQBc2fBbyp5mF40-2h9YJejLeaJPrkgSVEWLkTDy75GiBwh6iWL-GW_gC2THkG5HW99Ts5islZHSLzTtfotybpkj5QPZ4YT7mf6sGDPJMrkOnb4yVSXk7iT9mLkdcbGzjQjLMx8/s1600-h/DSC00944.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" kt="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlo8XBmQBc2fBbyp5mF40-2h9YJejLeaJPrkgSVEWLkTDy75GiBwh6iWL-GW_gC2THkG5HW99Ts5islZHSLzTtfotybpkj5QPZ4YT7mf6sGDPJMrkOnb4yVSXk7iT9mLkdcbGzjQjLMx8/s320/DSC00944.JPG" /></a></div>
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At the end of the first day's ride I was in Chlong which gets about a paragraph in the lonely planet guide and was the only place with official guest houses for many miles. The first place I inquired was run by a friendly woman who excitedly ushered me up the stairs and then flew about opening sets of shutters to reveal a rather magnificent 2 bedroom house, made almost entirely out of teak and other hard woods. With a one-night fee of $7 to enjoy the space for the rest of the day, I was sold.</div>
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Here is me at the end of day 1.</div>
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I washed up and spent the afternoon laying on the wrap-around balcony and reading while enjoying the river. This was my private view:)</div>
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On day 2 I saw a LOT of carts - there seem to be several main designs for ox-carts and they all seem to be made for 2 oxen. I wonder why no one tries to pull stuff with one ox?</div>
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The second day was a 75km ride that took from 5:59am to about 3pm. What was cool about biking during this whole time was getting to see the daily activities averaged over thausands of families. For the first few hours I provided a bit of entertainment to hundreds of families eating sunday breakfast on raised and shaded platforms (that double as sales stands for produce later in the day). I said hello to hundreds of children (possibly thousands) on day 2.</div>
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I ran out of water and small bills by about 1pm and had 30minutes of biking that were mentally and physically less fun. However, I met a farming family that had change for a 10USD bill and multiple drinks I could buy and I hung out with them for a while. The man I was speaking to was 28 and here is his 1 year old daughter that he would like to send to university.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE4Iv4XLLSHVwj678PLMRm5lbPTkoMlEGaaqfidiJBf_Wf1HSa3tA8HRqDS7smzyhll9vrwPa9ZIHJV3EaiWbLQJO-wIrARb942NqMWLptNPUXzNe61k7XcWXqrOFqifXNGbQ5dnklmfQ/s1600-h/DSC00969.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" kt="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE4Iv4XLLSHVwj678PLMRm5lbPTkoMlEGaaqfidiJBf_Wf1HSa3tA8HRqDS7smzyhll9vrwPa9ZIHJV3EaiWbLQJO-wIrARb942NqMWLptNPUXzNe61k7XcWXqrOFqifXNGbQ5dnklmfQ/s320/DSC00969.JPG" /></a></div>
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Arriving in Kampung Cham felt a little miraculous. I checked into a room by the river. I changed colors in the shower. I ate a huge bowl of Fish Amok and rice (traditional Cambodian dish that resembled a fish custard with onion).</div>
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4529551623124767097.post-82140470574300200682010-01-29T06:52:00.000-08:002010-01-29T06:52:40.273-08:00Biking down the Mekong starts tomorrow<div align="left" class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
I have been in Cambodia for 10 days now...here is the route I have followed (with modes of transportation drawn in as close to scale as possible)</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_RFb426mDVSTDxqYsAzKkhayrkYKlh_oV9D-vkz8W-k5X3y9IHEc8J4d11L0J_I_WBuWoYAfBHoD_xVTBuUFMr3-paFogMhyphenhyphenFqNNqd7h6jp5dIRakWckQSxsw50Du6GT1YcCNUR9rVVQ/s1600-h/DSC00865.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" kt="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_RFb426mDVSTDxqYsAzKkhayrkYKlh_oV9D-vkz8W-k5X3y9IHEc8J4d11L0J_I_WBuWoYAfBHoD_xVTBuUFMr3-paFogMhyphenhyphenFqNNqd7h6jp5dIRakWckQSxsw50Du6GT1YcCNUR9rVVQ/s320/DSC00865.JPG" /></a></div>
Here is the brief version of what has happened (with a blog on each step to follow in the coming days)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj61pwG-WvaXv0r0GYdNoUDptsagImP__02fY4CKpPU4ie8qeEwk1j_M_oE40n_lnRldjJT_rBZD2Sn5H_DzjhIuomRB9NK-Hx1PilttjI0ZrZpud6gJIcKus6fkGGCu7e8k8Of09T-WaQ/s1600-h/DSC00868.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" kt="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj61pwG-WvaXv0r0GYdNoUDptsagImP__02fY4CKpPU4ie8qeEwk1j_M_oE40n_lnRldjJT_rBZD2Sn5H_DzjhIuomRB9NK-Hx1PilttjI0ZrZpud6gJIcKus6fkGGCu7e8k8Of09T-WaQ/s320/DSC00868.JPG" /></a></div>
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On the boat ride between Siem Reap and Battambang, I met a wonderful British school teacher who inspired me to do some bike riding. Kevin and I met up 2 days later in Phnom Penh where I rented a good mountain bike. He told me where in Cambodia he'd had some of the most beautiful riding of his past 3 months and Kevin even parted with part of his precious Cambodian map (actually quite difficult to come by in Cambodia...), only taking a small bit to the south of Phnom Penh where he is ending his journey by donating his bike to an orphanage. Excellent chap!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU_i-2tyY7J5xH7SHXOnxPP3AW63pP3dXDFJ4elYu_9e0cdudua8ebocBsWfHy_RNyIjw-YcZbwFpPjBFuujMxlAGfboof1I26hqMPYdoQPqTTShKYs0ACjirK9ipgSTt47x6G5raHCnw/s1600-h/DSC00826.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" kt="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU_i-2tyY7J5xH7SHXOnxPP3AW63pP3dXDFJ4elYu_9e0cdudua8ebocBsWfHy_RNyIjw-YcZbwFpPjBFuujMxlAGfboof1I26hqMPYdoQPqTTShKYs0ACjirK9ipgSTt47x6G5raHCnw/s320/DSC00826.JPG" /></a></div>
This morning, I miraculously boarded a 7am bus to Kratie and got my montain bike on for an extra 3 USD. This afternoon I spent in Kratie, resting up for tomorrow, watching the sunset accross the magestic Mekong river and buying snacks for the ride around all 4 blocks of town!<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVNOOC6j0uLdZl4dKOUKL8dC59c2MYyeJgaU0B2ZI_Zn1E-AqciwLPaaGlvLLoVKBG1IJNShYtn1Zx9eahyphenhyphenFrJKrcxdRUb6CsCPrxQ-kBjE5BTi8dU3HNDNXXQNUptxnv5TukZK5u0qF0/s1600-h/DSC00848.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" kt="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVNOOC6j0uLdZl4dKOUKL8dC59c2MYyeJgaU0B2ZI_Zn1E-AqciwLPaaGlvLLoVKBG1IJNShYtn1Zx9eahyphenhyphenFrJKrcxdRUb6CsCPrxQ-kBjE5BTi8dU3HNDNXXQNUptxnv5TukZK5u0qF0/s320/DSC00848.JPG" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1q7EzbhqtZ1Z340SwV9iwuJP5VhiErN7oVGUUpxFdEfW8xrHKVsnq1rtGDBhA4rFdUdxjZz7s-0SjLfux_epgnIzZq_4pdSU3QSb_qmMeg_ODdXgR-vMYFM176WXkBDksIyHUVN_4sGc/s1600-h/DSC00852.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" kt="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1q7EzbhqtZ1Z340SwV9iwuJP5VhiErN7oVGUUpxFdEfW8xrHKVsnq1rtGDBhA4rFdUdxjZz7s-0SjLfux_epgnIzZq_4pdSU3QSb_qmMeg_ODdXgR-vMYFM176WXkBDksIyHUVN_4sGc/s320/DSC00852.JPG" /></a><br />
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I was a bit nervous yesterday since I am recovering from some vomitting / nausea / fever 2 days ago but today I feel almost strong like horse and am looking forward to being out on the bike. My goal is to ride along the unpaved road that follows the river, listen to my body and be safe :)</div>
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Here is a cartoon from 2 days ago</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg652Z2bMxuj1doFbBekhX4QmTkbWatVtAfO17pkuw2bRuGTEhnL22Vt8JU0RwDMCRPYHlBsTWhL72Wj_hveYWCETVX2fNV1W8K6BKeGMaugQeQolS8WMl2llagfqbMvRWAg806T-9ZHkY/s1600-h/DSC00862.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" kt="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg652Z2bMxuj1doFbBekhX4QmTkbWatVtAfO17pkuw2bRuGTEhnL22Vt8JU0RwDMCRPYHlBsTWhL72Wj_hveYWCETVX2fNV1W8K6BKeGMaugQeQolS8WMl2llagfqbMvRWAg806T-9ZHkY/s320/DSC00862.JPG" /></a></div>
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There are absolutely incredible pictures that I can';t wait to share from earlier in the Cambodia venture, but those will have to wait until after this 2-3day bike trip (unless internet cafe's have made it to the fishing villages that aren't connected by paved roads...which is possible...).</div>
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With so much love. Your Cat-Biking-down-the-Mekong-river-Tomorrow</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4529551623124767097.post-58487743325301238932010-01-19T17:56:00.000-08:002010-01-19T17:56:06.600-08:00Practice clearly. Mindfully. Try your best. - Dr. Narong<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBWlzCUS0e9fJSHgHgXheOsHBoEJEPPhZ7-HIzwNMt9Xe2cXsxC0T3AGrV7fMrBAbdoYo3fZXeyBiuLvswqP1K2dhEoDwnnw8vO2OFCNUI38BLXpor-CDvNZpFqFx0diY0q2TTCgsGDjA/s1600-h/DSC00340.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBWlzCUS0e9fJSHgHgXheOsHBoEJEPPhZ7-HIzwNMt9Xe2cXsxC0T3AGrV7fMrBAbdoYo3fZXeyBiuLvswqP1K2dhEoDwnnw8vO2OFCNUI38BLXpor-CDvNZpFqFx0diY0q2TTCgsGDjA/s320/DSC00340.JPG" /></a><br /></div>
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Living and meditating at Wat Umong in a forest outside of Chiang Mai, Thailand has left a big impression on me.<br />
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Over the last 9 days I have essentially not spoken, written or read
anything. For the 14hours of meditation practice every day, there was 5-10minutes of instruction from Dr. Narong. I now understand that retraining the mind takes a tremendous amount of focused repetition.<br />
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I can say the following with confidence: We meditate to train the
mind to see the true nature of reality so that we may live happily;
acting and speaking in ways that reduce suffering for ourselves and
those around us.<br />
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This statement has both profound and practical implications for me that I did not comprehend 10 days ago. For now, meditation is an active work
in progress. I woke up this morning and practiced for 2 hours on my
balcony as the sun rose.<br />
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Here are a few more images from my stay at the temple<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWQjR3AkRj27PpXtpmzLdIdc78GS4mMYWaFUUYRxJcitO5fMwtKaPfZkqHnA2SbdC6GIBhrmvN8nMv1DqGdDzURbeMhSLxSm9O2d3PJaW60Zxie5m6N7sbVcGB_oVhoJG3nArOEKBAgO4/s1600-h/DSC00345.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWQjR3AkRj27PpXtpmzLdIdc78GS4mMYWaFUUYRxJcitO5fMwtKaPfZkqHnA2SbdC6GIBhrmvN8nMv1DqGdDzURbeMhSLxSm9O2d3PJaW60Zxie5m6N7sbVcGB_oVhoJG3nArOEKBAgO4/s320/DSC00345.JPG" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif_7Nn5cFv_W6Mhj7ioGbhlx9EJ7lEImKbwpl0rPZViC1HpkkY-Onz6QKWRkpV8eXKBSu4cCSbg6-AwI7GOoe64juaFyPyx9Sm5oMAwnLaC1c8FaF6UGPG7gw7oF6cXig-p_TVhRbImOk/s1600-h/DSC00358.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif_7Nn5cFv_W6Mhj7ioGbhlx9EJ7lEImKbwpl0rPZViC1HpkkY-Onz6QKWRkpV8eXKBSu4cCSbg6-AwI7GOoe64juaFyPyx9Sm5oMAwnLaC1c8FaF6UGPG7gw7oF6cXig-p_TVhRbImOk/s320/DSC00358.JPG" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiMJXKISUMpKrU1JY4rJ5bCKD90PF9mDFF0Hi_ayKqxQq1nTp9W5uYlcDEsGM6PSqtBCx5hjjNSzVmB9AcjYZyh0anry-F9s4S6YLskNuQ_H-VzAucWOBL4EgpqVkwaxNkGCSKUF24JvA/s1600-h/DSC00347.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiMJXKISUMpKrU1JY4rJ5bCKD90PF9mDFF0Hi_ayKqxQq1nTp9W5uYlcDEsGM6PSqtBCx5hjjNSzVmB9AcjYZyh0anry-F9s4S6YLskNuQ_H-VzAucWOBL4EgpqVkwaxNkGCSKUF24JvA/s320/DSC00347.JPG" /></a><br /></div>
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And finally, here are the guidelines for the meditation retreat and also the chant that we said together before every meal (I became very fond of this one).<br /></div>
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<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqp3yoq7HSYjaviPrEH67yAp3m51jX11yLKS-HfcQ0-_BU9jvt0LsutCTOJfBEMjrQghCmk8jPnm0X11eCUyKjRRDAyx03AGv1ymVg60m3HUHk-NFyf8liIs_4raJWoxt9DlcKE9_MhWk/s1600-h/DSC00350.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqp3yoq7HSYjaviPrEH67yAp3m51jX11yLKS-HfcQ0-_BU9jvt0LsutCTOJfBEMjrQghCmk8jPnm0X11eCUyKjRRDAyx03AGv1ymVg60m3HUHk-NFyf8liIs_4raJWoxt9DlcKE9_MhWk/s320/DSC00350.JPG" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTWUQBCPCnwx5DjP1ZCCWie39U8kPrY6_Mzb8zO-H1jagNu09pmxLAuqKiVB2lqPr-BLdKhx0t33yjGAURccL-iSEnggjuOQDFfJ8-iRLfqRXD_Wu-Qq1f5XOA2WTvIQMFESw6buCfYa8/s1600-h/DSC00352.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTWUQBCPCnwx5DjP1ZCCWie39U8kPrY6_Mzb8zO-H1jagNu09pmxLAuqKiVB2lqPr-BLdKhx0t33yjGAURccL-iSEnggjuOQDFfJ8-iRLfqRXD_Wu-Qq1f5XOA2WTvIQMFESw6buCfYa8/s320/DSC00352.JPG" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJEsp-f4QrfailThxJUgHMtncEmfnChbUwvqaK7t8RZUJaBMmFs7lKmB1TWHJfVa8laiqbYxHgES3nWLucVEtRdArpCRKaugD5f-4N6BAPYvmyiKn2p26wXWXfPpuhcidxhTaRN0B69cc/s1600-h/DSC00349.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJEsp-f4QrfailThxJUgHMtncEmfnChbUwvqaK7t8RZUJaBMmFs7lKmB1TWHJfVa8laiqbYxHgES3nWLucVEtRdArpCRKaugD5f-4N6BAPYvmyiKn2p26wXWXfPpuhcidxhTaRN0B69cc/s320/DSC00349.JPG" /></a><br /></div>
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com5