By boat from Mandalay to Bagan

Early morning rising after a sleepless night and a short taxi ride to the jetty. Passengers are all huddled in the darkness to check in for the boat at 6.30 am, to launch at 7 am precisely. First light appears as we wait and the misty dawn permits glimpses of boats, bank, daily life on the water, temples after temples. We pass under two bridges as we leave Mandalay, both bearing scarce road traffic. The river is enormous and wide.

We settle in for the long voyage. Breakfast is served, nescafé or tea, a boiled egg, two slices of bread with margarine and jam! Delicious! 

We have comfortable assigned seats in the inside cabin, probably a hundred passengers, full boat today, and there are many extra seats on two upper decks for fresh air. It is amazing how cool it is outside, for hours. I don a sweater for the first time in ages. I wear the sweater inside the main cabin!

There is lots of time to meditate, read, gaze, ponder. The river is wide, with high sand banks all along. At one point, we had two men sitting up front with long sticks guiding us over a sandbar. We made it across unimpeded and not delayed.

We see many rafts of piled bamboo sticks tethered together as platforms.   The larger settlements along the way on either bank are peppered with temples. The boat takes the long route! We always travel from high bank to next high bank, looking for the deeper water. As we proceed, the water smoothens as the elevation change lessens. There is not a single bridge between Mandalay and Bagan.

The journey takes twelve hours. No reason is given for the extra three hours! Perhaps the water is low and speed must be reduced. 

Tourism in Myanmar

The world is not yet flocking to Myanmar and the tourism industry is clearly in its infancy. It is clear for all to see that there are few if any services available yet in many places. 

The contrast with Thailand, north, south, east and west, is complete. There, every imagined need can be satisfied. Tourists are everywhere, and in many places are the only economy. In Myanmar, one rarely sees congregations of foreigners. Temples, if crowded,  are crowded with local people. Restaurants are patronized by local people.

When Cambodia opened up for tourism, in the 1990s,  after its destructive civil war, a brutal  genocide and invasion, there was an enormous explosion of tourist infrastructure. One does not see this yet in Myanmar, despite the current ease of entering the country. 

While at times this lack of infrastructure leads to discomfort, for example when one needs to go to the bathroom, overall  it is so refreshing. The country appears lost in time. Locked into a time warp by a military regime in 1962, time has stood still. The infrastructure has simply not been built. Roads don't exist or are in ill repair. Train service is from another era. The river is the easiest way to travel. Poverty is visible everywhere.

What will the future bring?  Is it inevitable that industries will quickly emerge to satisfy every whim of the tourist?  Will the open friendliness of the people become open caginess? Will every interaction be with a tout? Who knows. For now it is an extraordinary experience to be in, and to move around in, this amazing society.

Magic and Mystery in Mandalay

Here at last, in Mandalay. My first impressions are of being somewhere really different.

The people look different. Their faces, clothing and lived environment are quite different from the rest of South East Asia. I am more reminded of India as I move around. 

The streets of Mandalay are busy and dirty and  buildings are generally drab and unkempt. The sidewalks are cluttered with shelters, furniture and goods. The roadsides are just dirt and gravel. Most traffic is scooters and bicycles. Cars have steering wheels on the right but also drive on the right. I have never seen this before. Negotiating through traffic is therefore difficult. In the absence of traffic lights, vehicles just move into the junction and claim a passage through. There is no squabbling. Horns toot, often for no apparent reason, another Indian reminder.

The friendliness of the people appears genuine. They shout out greetings and only expect greetings back. Often, people want to engage in conversation and yet they are not touts. It is delightful.

Almost all men and women, young and old,  wear longyis, the distinctive lower garment. It is tied in such a way that walking, running, squatting, etc. are all accomplished with ease. Men wear a checkered cloth, women wear all colours and patterns. Women are as publicly visible as men and are not shy to smile. They often have thanata, a yellow skin cream made from the bark and wood of a local tree, as sun protection on the cheeks.

Poverty is highly visible. One can frequently see people living in shacks made of tarps and cloth by the side of the road. There is a sprinkling of beggars but they are not aggressive at all. Homeless people sleep on benches and on the ground. 

Despite the poverty, goods are available everywhere. The public market is busy and very crowded. There is nothing one cannot buy! The highest profile businesses and the most glossy sell technology. Obviously there is a revolution under foot. Internet is widely available and cell phones are ubiquitous. Scooter operators easily operate phones on the go! People all seem busy and involved. 

Factories, large and small, but mostly small, are integrated with the city housing. Small printing presses, mills, pharmaceutical production, mechanics, gyms, streetside restaurants and carts all mix together and create a sense of energy and purpose. It is still the cooler season in February and activity does not wane in the heat of the day.

There is a beautiful coolness in the mornings. Many people, again both men and women, exercise by walking briskly in the morning. There is a whole hour of coolness before the sun heats up!

This is a unique and fascinating place to be!

I am in heaven

Don't be alarmed. The world is perfect as it is.

This weekend is the Chiang Mai Flower Festival. As winter loosens its tenuous grip on this beautiful place, I find myself in heaven. I do need to let you know there is a definite absence of vestal virgins so please spread the word to terrorists. Heaven is quite simply an orchid place.

This morning I attended a transformative yin yoga class given by an Irish yoga teacher. We will remember that in recent history an internecine war killed more than 3000 people there and yet a beautiful and passionate yoga teacher can emerge from there. At the end of class he asked us to connect with one other person and discuss conflict in one's life and how we might move to a happier place in difficult relationships. I chatted with another Irish yogi who confessed that his most difficult relationships were with his five siblings. After I listened carefully, I asked him to do his best to forget all that history and when he is with any of his siblings, just accept who they are, do not try to change them, and keep the meetings very short!

We only had a few moments but there was no need for me to talk of my own experience. I hate no one. I love everyone and everything. The world is perfect as it is. This is how we find it today. There is only this moment.  Peace and love to all.

What is happening?

My days fly by. I wake always well before dawn. I have some time for quiet contemplation before others become active. Most mornings I run as soon as there is enough light. I also attend yoga classes and meditate. The city of Chiang Mai is bursting with temples - more than 200 in the city itself.

Most days I also set out on foot to explore the city. There are surprises around every corner. The markets are ubiquitous and one wonders how any of the sellers can make a living, given that hundreds of people are selling exactly the same 'things'. There are morning and night markets in addition to 'any time' markets. There are restaurants everywhere too and the food of course is delicious. The speed of cooking, combined with a diversity of fresh produce year round and a courageous and creative use of spices, herbs  and coconut all conspire to create one of the world's most exciting cuisines. All other cuisines are also available.

Today, I decided to rent a bicycle. It took about 30 seconds to make the arrangements. Off I set on my trusty steed. I had noticed lots of people riding around, without helmets, in daylight and in the dark, and had serious reservations about the danger involved, given that roads can be insanely busy at certain times of day. However, I worked up my courage, arranged the seat at an unusually high spot to create space for legs, and launched into traffic. I soon discovered the cardinal rule for cycling here is to completely ignore what is happening behind you. Secondly, if one sees space, one moves towards it. There is nothing more to know. One can do left and right turns with gay abandon or just simply forge straight ahead, working one's way around all obstacles. It feels amazingly safe. The Thai tradition of reverence for the head (which must never be touched) presumably discourages them from crushing heads under vehicles. There is no other explanation for the careful progress of vehicles caught behind bicycles. One cannot forge ahead until the way is clear. There is no gunning of engines, no threats of swift movement and no ugly gestures. It's like a dignified path through life. Be kind to all.

However, surprises come from nowhere. When I was very far from base, I noticed the left pedal starting to become very independent. It would not engage when it was at the highest point in the cycle but would then flop forward a quarter circle in a most alarming way. I continued my progress hoping that nothing untoward would spoil my perfect journey.  As I manoeuvred through a particularly busy junction, while doing the dreaded right turn across a very busy and fast highway, the left pedal was quite suddenly not there and my left leg flailed helplessly in midair. I heard a clatter of course and found a way to get back to retrieve the nuisance pedal. I know little about bicycles and how they are put together. I do fear their anomalies however, such as screwing tight in the wrong direction and the danger of stripping threads. But I had no choice. I needed to reattach the pedal if I was to avoid walking a very long way home. I did finally get it attached, with only bare hands (by now black) as tools, only to discover that both pedals were now facing in the same direction. Back to the drawing board, and a swift hand tightening of the offending bolt, and I was on my way again, looking more like a duck with one malfunctioning wing than the smooth worldly operator of a two wheeled vehicle.

I limped to a bicycle store that I had spied earlier, and where envy had surfaced as I saw beautiful bicycles rather like the ones all of my athletic friends ride. A young man took pity on me and quickly tightened the bolt with a wrench that was longer and newer than any I have ever seen. When I offered payment I got the kind of smile that makes one weep. I muttered my thanks in appalling Thai, wiped away my tears in manly style, and rode as fast as I could back to my abode. The pedal was quickly becoming loose as I rode so I asked the owners not to rent it out again as it really was a hazard. I doubt that my admonition will make any difference but it is important to try.

Apart from the obvious excitement of such an expedition, I now have a good route identified for my next very long run. I also know where I can go for a refreshing swim after it. Life is so good, so rich, so precious.  Carpe diem!

Peace and love, Nigel

Where am I now?

On December 5 I left Victoria for Hawaii and helped my sister celebrate a special 70th birthday there. We explored Maui for the first time. It is an idyllic island with all of the modern comforts, warm clear water and beautiful beaches.

On December 15 we headed for New Zealand and I spent the next five weeks working as hard as I could on the organic orchard, which sadly is being prepared for sale. The fresh clean air, excellent nutritious food, good company and a huge amount of physical exercise has helped me regain a lot of strength, both in mind and body, that I did not expect. The recipe for good health is very simple really, but the discipline required is hard to come by!  I also started preparing seriously for the Boston Marathon in April. Louise joined us for the first two weeks of the year and joined in the fun on the farm!

On January 22, I left New Zealand for Thailand. I stopped in Melbourne and my nephew was kind enough to come out to the airport and spend a few hours with me. It is always exciting to catch up on news of his family.

I spent two days in hectic Bangkok, just catching my breath! Midday temperatures hit the mid thirties so it is necessary to adjust.  Two days ago I flew to Chiang Mai, in the north, among the mountains  and this is my home for several weeks. It offers me the opportunity to enter a period of contemplation  in a place steeped in Buddhist history. The people are delightful as always, the climate is salubrious, the food exquisite and a beautiful calm is coming my way.

I will be very quiet for a while. All of my energy will go into being present, with the breath, accepting everything, and developing a path of loving kindness for the future.  Peace and love, Nigel

Season's greetings!

Christmas 2014

Another year comes to a close.  How quickly time flies, ever faster it seems!

We have had a wonderful year, all in all.  We started out the year in New Zealand.  There, we had lots of fun working and relaxing on Nigel’s sister’s orchard and travelling to the Eastern Cape as well as the Abel Tasman National Park together.

In February, Nigel travelled with Thelma to Indonesia, where they enjoyed Bali and Lombok, such different cultures in neighbouring islands!  Then they spent two weeks in the Philippines, mostly in the Visayas, where the highlight for Nigel was diving in very warm waters with a whale shark!

We enjoyed the longest and most perfect summer we have ever seen on the West Coast.  Day after day we awoke to perfect blue skies and pleasant temperatures.  In June, Thelma visited us here and was able to catch Geoff run a half marathon in Vancouver.  He has taken up the sport and is becoming a contender!  How did he get to be 38?!  Taryn is enjoying her job as a school secretary and has become a confident, creative potter.

In October, we travelled east to Ontario and Quebec, visiting Nigel’s brother in Capreol and viewing the gorgeous Eastern fall colours for the first time.  We also went to Philadelphia to confer again with the world expert on ocular melanoma.  Nigel’s health news is unbelievably good really and you can catch up on the details by checking out his blog.  On  December 5 he flies to meet Thelma in Hawaii and then on to New Zealand where Louise will join them on the last day of the year.

We consider ourselves very lucky to arrive with joy and hope at the end of another year.  We wish friends and family a lovely holiday season and best wishes for a healthy and happy 2015.  

Peace and love to all,

Nigel & Louise