Thursday, December 27, 2007
Tuesday, December 25, 2007
MERRY CHRISTMAS & HAPPY NEW YEAR FROM NEW ZEALAND!!!
Dearest Friends and Family,
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from New Zealand!!!!! I wish you all the love and joy this season has to offer you! May you be surrounded by the best of friends and so much love and joy and may your heart to so happy! This is a time to share with the ones you love. Share from your heart, not so much from your pocket book, but your heart, your love and share the joy you have with you. Open to your truth of who you are and let that being out and turn to your family and friends and say “Hey, I love you, you are and amazing being and I want for you all the happiness and joy there is for you no matter what.” So here I am saying exactly that to you! I love you! I appreciate you and think that world of you-even if I say it in a group email it is to you, individual and as a group, as we are all one anyway! So go be merry, happy and love! Merry Christmas!!
It's been lovely so far here in NZ! The weather the first day was gorgeous, warm, and clear blue skies with white puffy clouds. Rob and I got the car, made our way to Akaroa and the drive there was spectacular!!! All the rolling green hills, trees, blue skies, air so clean, the sounds of the sheep baaahhhing and the birds singing. It was so nice to see someone from home and be traveling with someone! What a beautiful gift!
We got to the top of this hill and was over looking the lake of Akaroa and the hills all around were just breath taking.
We got the house and “OH MY GOSH”!!! This place was gorgeous! Yes a little run down, needing a paint job but honestly who cares. With all it offered! We park at the door, the owners have all the windows and doors open, the man, Lou, calls out to us saying he’ll be right there, full of life and light in his voice. He introduces himself as Lou with such grounded New Zealand Cheer. He showed us the HUGE pool table, and when I say huge I mean huge, meaning it’s the size of almost two pool tables in the US! It had a gargantuan fireplace in the same room and windows filling all of one wall with a couch and vases behind it looking out on the huge grass yard with a large organic veggie garden beyond it-which we eat out of!!! YUMMY!!!
Next room over is the dining room with a Baby Grand Piano in it with the view of the mountains, fresh rolling green hills. Upstairs is where the real delicious part was. Our room……imagine a room with a Queen size bed, a dining table in the corner with windows looking in all directions in the corner, a fireplace next to the bed and then walking out on the extra large porch with a deep old looking tub OUTSIDE, with a bed with a four poled mosquito net hanging above it and a sun shelter pull down to guard from sun or rain or wind. So you can sleep inside or out! The view of the hills and the ocean from the other porch was just outstanding! So staying here by day of exploring Christchurch and looking around the place as well as just staying in laying in front of the fireplace sharing and cuddling as well as me getting well took up our days there. It was the most incredible, magical and best place I’ve ever stayed in my life and very romantical!
It was just incredible to take an outdoor bath with the stars above and the light cool breeze coming in from the ocean and mountains and take in the sounds of the cows mooing and sheep baaaing in the back ground. All the animal sounds came alive at night it seems. So gorgeous! The bathtub was so deep you could fit your whole body into it and possibly even put your whole head under without scrunching into it! Beautiful! Plus when you put on the hot water it is immediate hot water, almost scalding, so you have to be careful, but there was plenty to fill it and then some!!! So you can be warm, warm, warm!
And the food……it was……divine! We couldn’t have asked for more blessed food-Salmon cooked with the most glorious spices, asparagus, piles of veggies, salad, one night, other nights lamb, potatoes, more veggies and salads, and beef with lots of healthy things like steamed beets from the garden, served fresh to us each night. With breakfast being a HUGE bowl of cut fruit with all kinds of colors of Strawberries, kiwis, apricots, apples and many more, with toast, tea and ginger with lemon and honey for me!
It was so nice to be spoiled for those few days there. Moving on was hard but it was time after a few games of pool and a few delicious nights sleep there-us being the only people there.
Every where we went we found friendly people, so down to earth, authentically friendly, laughing, full of life and light. It was a delight to be around these people. To watch how they raised their children was even more of a delight. As they included them, they wanted them around, talked to them as people. It wasn’t as if they wanted them away, or they were too loud, or pestering them. They wanted to be a part of their lives, thoughts, ideas. They wanted to be a part of their lives inside and out. The children seemed so confident, so well rounded, so appreciated and appreciative. I’ve never seen anything like this in the west. It was such a breath of fresh air, I breathed a sigh of relief to have such love, laughter, joy, inclusion around at the next dinner table over or at the beach of a lake of everyone talking, playing, listening to music, working out problems and communication. This is how children should be raised, it’s just lovely to see a culture doing this and seeing how together they seem as adults.
We drove through the mountains and stopped at a resort for a dip in the hot springs but ended up staying over for a massage, dinner, a dip as well as a great night sleep, a lovely breakfast and then a very filling breakfast.
Driving through the vastness of the green valleys, the turns and twists, the clouds hanging just over the tops of the mountain tops and then breaking through to the blue sky at the beach, watching the ocean pound onto the pebbled grey beaches was just titillating to all the senses.
So driving south on the west side to all the jutting lush mountains coming out of the land, next to the sea was just a sight to be had for our longing eyes for nature. Here I was, “stop here”, “now here”, “oh, oh, stop here”. That was me, I couldn’t get enough. So many photos in so short of time. I’ve almost already taken my 1200 photos on my camera in the past week, of course that includes a few videos as well!!!! Much to share once I am back.
Now we are at France Joseph Glacier, near Mt Cook and it rocks the most so far! It seems like each place gets better and better. The blue glacier the moves a foot a year, maybe it’s a month, but I think it’s a foot a year, is powerful in its stature. It stands strong, powerful, unmovable yet feels like it’s moving all at the same time. The tall green mountains surrounding it are just stunning, whether in sun or in cloudy weather, it’s just miraculously amazing!
If you have never been here, you must come if you love nature. The sound of the birds, cows, lambs baaaing every where and so delightful to listen too. I can’t imagine eating the deer they have here for meals but they have lots of deer farms.
It’s to nice to hike by day see glaciers, nature, smell the freshest air I’ve smelled in a long time. As well as finding lots of organic foods and fallen back in love with nuts and dried fruits, YUMMMYYYY! They don’t have lots of organic and they aren’t much into health, but it is getting bigger over here and it’s very nice to see and taste when we can find it. Oh and driving opposed to busing it, this is like heaven. To go when you want to go, do what you want to do, I am really loving it. Plus listening to music in the car, windows down, fresh air in your face, feet sticking out the window, when it’s not too cold.
Some days are so gorgeous here, but other days I have 3+ layers on and a rain coat. But I have to say, it’s so far a lot warmer then expected and the landscape makes up for the chilliness!
It’s funny this place seems western but it feels like it’s about 40 years behind with it’s small towns, laid back attitude, things closing at 5pm, and when they say that Greymouth is the largest city on the west coast, well if you say a town with two main streets in it a large city, well, hummm…..that’s pretty amazing! So it feels a bit small and backwards but it feels absolutely amazing here!!! I am delighting in this place, enjoying all the hikes and nature.
The other day nature took me by the hand and started talking to me, showing me things, teaching me lessons. It was a beautiful lesson. It gave me a lot but I’ll share with you 3 words it shared with me: Love, Believe and Trust. These are some powerful words. The message was to be as the stone-strong and powerful within yourself, be as the tree-bend with life, allow for change of direction and acceptance, be like the river flowing around things, ever changing, going through and around things, being absorbed yet being part of. It told much more but nature has much to say and it asked to be listened to more and more. So to be silent with her, it is the best! Listen me, hear what life and the ones around you have to say. This is the important thing of the now. Who you put around you and what you put around you is what is important so take a look around, who and what is around you? Do you like listening to them? Do you want to hear more? Do you listen to it/them? Do you enjoy them?
My lesson is to listen more, enjoy life as a gift everyday and every human that crosses my path. Thanks for being someone that has crossed my path and that is in my life today. I send you love, Merry Christmas and have a very safe and Happy New Year!
Remember someone out here is thinking of you, no matter how far away I am, I am here, I feel you and love you. Love, Heather
Many hugs to you!!!!!
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from New Zealand!!!!! I wish you all the love and joy this season has to offer you! May you be surrounded by the best of friends and so much love and joy and may your heart to so happy! This is a time to share with the ones you love. Share from your heart, not so much from your pocket book, but your heart, your love and share the joy you have with you. Open to your truth of who you are and let that being out and turn to your family and friends and say “Hey, I love you, you are and amazing being and I want for you all the happiness and joy there is for you no matter what.” So here I am saying exactly that to you! I love you! I appreciate you and think that world of you-even if I say it in a group email it is to you, individual and as a group, as we are all one anyway! So go be merry, happy and love! Merry Christmas!!
It's been lovely so far here in NZ! The weather the first day was gorgeous, warm, and clear blue skies with white puffy clouds. Rob and I got the car, made our way to Akaroa and the drive there was spectacular!!! All the rolling green hills, trees, blue skies, air so clean, the sounds of the sheep baaahhhing and the birds singing. It was so nice to see someone from home and be traveling with someone! What a beautiful gift!
We got to the top of this hill and was over looking the lake of Akaroa and the hills all around were just breath taking.
We got the house and “OH MY GOSH”!!! This place was gorgeous! Yes a little run down, needing a paint job but honestly who cares. With all it offered! We park at the door, the owners have all the windows and doors open, the man, Lou, calls out to us saying he’ll be right there, full of life and light in his voice. He introduces himself as Lou with such grounded New Zealand Cheer. He showed us the HUGE pool table, and when I say huge I mean huge, meaning it’s the size of almost two pool tables in the US! It had a gargantuan fireplace in the same room and windows filling all of one wall with a couch and vases behind it looking out on the huge grass yard with a large organic veggie garden beyond it-which we eat out of!!! YUMMY!!!
Next room over is the dining room with a Baby Grand Piano in it with the view of the mountains, fresh rolling green hills. Upstairs is where the real delicious part was. Our room……imagine a room with a Queen size bed, a dining table in the corner with windows looking in all directions in the corner, a fireplace next to the bed and then walking out on the extra large porch with a deep old looking tub OUTSIDE, with a bed with a four poled mosquito net hanging above it and a sun shelter pull down to guard from sun or rain or wind. So you can sleep inside or out! The view of the hills and the ocean from the other porch was just outstanding! So staying here by day of exploring Christchurch and looking around the place as well as just staying in laying in front of the fireplace sharing and cuddling as well as me getting well took up our days there. It was the most incredible, magical and best place I’ve ever stayed in my life and very romantical!
It was just incredible to take an outdoor bath with the stars above and the light cool breeze coming in from the ocean and mountains and take in the sounds of the cows mooing and sheep baaaing in the back ground. All the animal sounds came alive at night it seems. So gorgeous! The bathtub was so deep you could fit your whole body into it and possibly even put your whole head under without scrunching into it! Beautiful! Plus when you put on the hot water it is immediate hot water, almost scalding, so you have to be careful, but there was plenty to fill it and then some!!! So you can be warm, warm, warm!
And the food……it was……divine! We couldn’t have asked for more blessed food-Salmon cooked with the most glorious spices, asparagus, piles of veggies, salad, one night, other nights lamb, potatoes, more veggies and salads, and beef with lots of healthy things like steamed beets from the garden, served fresh to us each night. With breakfast being a HUGE bowl of cut fruit with all kinds of colors of Strawberries, kiwis, apricots, apples and many more, with toast, tea and ginger with lemon and honey for me!
It was so nice to be spoiled for those few days there. Moving on was hard but it was time after a few games of pool and a few delicious nights sleep there-us being the only people there.
Every where we went we found friendly people, so down to earth, authentically friendly, laughing, full of life and light. It was a delight to be around these people. To watch how they raised their children was even more of a delight. As they included them, they wanted them around, talked to them as people. It wasn’t as if they wanted them away, or they were too loud, or pestering them. They wanted to be a part of their lives, thoughts, ideas. They wanted to be a part of their lives inside and out. The children seemed so confident, so well rounded, so appreciated and appreciative. I’ve never seen anything like this in the west. It was such a breath of fresh air, I breathed a sigh of relief to have such love, laughter, joy, inclusion around at the next dinner table over or at the beach of a lake of everyone talking, playing, listening to music, working out problems and communication. This is how children should be raised, it’s just lovely to see a culture doing this and seeing how together they seem as adults.
We drove through the mountains and stopped at a resort for a dip in the hot springs but ended up staying over for a massage, dinner, a dip as well as a great night sleep, a lovely breakfast and then a very filling breakfast.
Driving through the vastness of the green valleys, the turns and twists, the clouds hanging just over the tops of the mountain tops and then breaking through to the blue sky at the beach, watching the ocean pound onto the pebbled grey beaches was just titillating to all the senses.
So driving south on the west side to all the jutting lush mountains coming out of the land, next to the sea was just a sight to be had for our longing eyes for nature. Here I was, “stop here”, “now here”, “oh, oh, stop here”. That was me, I couldn’t get enough. So many photos in so short of time. I’ve almost already taken my 1200 photos on my camera in the past week, of course that includes a few videos as well!!!! Much to share once I am back.
Now we are at France Joseph Glacier, near Mt Cook and it rocks the most so far! It seems like each place gets better and better. The blue glacier the moves a foot a year, maybe it’s a month, but I think it’s a foot a year, is powerful in its stature. It stands strong, powerful, unmovable yet feels like it’s moving all at the same time. The tall green mountains surrounding it are just stunning, whether in sun or in cloudy weather, it’s just miraculously amazing!
If you have never been here, you must come if you love nature. The sound of the birds, cows, lambs baaaing every where and so delightful to listen too. I can’t imagine eating the deer they have here for meals but they have lots of deer farms.
It’s to nice to hike by day see glaciers, nature, smell the freshest air I’ve smelled in a long time. As well as finding lots of organic foods and fallen back in love with nuts and dried fruits, YUMMMYYYY! They don’t have lots of organic and they aren’t much into health, but it is getting bigger over here and it’s very nice to see and taste when we can find it. Oh and driving opposed to busing it, this is like heaven. To go when you want to go, do what you want to do, I am really loving it. Plus listening to music in the car, windows down, fresh air in your face, feet sticking out the window, when it’s not too cold.
Some days are so gorgeous here, but other days I have 3+ layers on and a rain coat. But I have to say, it’s so far a lot warmer then expected and the landscape makes up for the chilliness!
It’s funny this place seems western but it feels like it’s about 40 years behind with it’s small towns, laid back attitude, things closing at 5pm, and when they say that Greymouth is the largest city on the west coast, well if you say a town with two main streets in it a large city, well, hummm…..that’s pretty amazing! So it feels a bit small and backwards but it feels absolutely amazing here!!! I am delighting in this place, enjoying all the hikes and nature.
The other day nature took me by the hand and started talking to me, showing me things, teaching me lessons. It was a beautiful lesson. It gave me a lot but I’ll share with you 3 words it shared with me: Love, Believe and Trust. These are some powerful words. The message was to be as the stone-strong and powerful within yourself, be as the tree-bend with life, allow for change of direction and acceptance, be like the river flowing around things, ever changing, going through and around things, being absorbed yet being part of. It told much more but nature has much to say and it asked to be listened to more and more. So to be silent with her, it is the best! Listen me, hear what life and the ones around you have to say. This is the important thing of the now. Who you put around you and what you put around you is what is important so take a look around, who and what is around you? Do you like listening to them? Do you want to hear more? Do you listen to it/them? Do you enjoy them?
My lesson is to listen more, enjoy life as a gift everyday and every human that crosses my path. Thanks for being someone that has crossed my path and that is in my life today. I send you love, Merry Christmas and have a very safe and Happy New Year!
Remember someone out here is thinking of you, no matter how far away I am, I am here, I feel you and love you. Love, Heather
Many hugs to you!!!!!
Friday, December 14, 2007
OFF TO NEW ZEALAND TOMORROW!!!
Hello there,
Yep that's right!! And I'm so excited! I get on the plane the first thing in the morning and then land down at 2:05pm!!!!
OZ has been great here in Bryon Bay! I've loved it. So many artists, fashions, the beach is stunning and gorgeous. Everyone is cooking themselves in the sun!!! I am getting well, cough has gone away by huge percentages!!!!
I send you hugs and kisses from OZ! I'll talk to you in NZ very soon! Have a blast in all you do! I am excited to get onto some of those mountains! Time to do some serious hiking!
Love and hugs, Heather
Yep that's right!! And I'm so excited! I get on the plane the first thing in the morning and then land down at 2:05pm!!!!
OZ has been great here in Bryon Bay! I've loved it. So many artists, fashions, the beach is stunning and gorgeous. Everyone is cooking themselves in the sun!!! I am getting well, cough has gone away by huge percentages!!!!
I send you hugs and kisses from OZ! I'll talk to you in NZ very soon! Have a blast in all you do! I am excited to get onto some of those mountains! Time to do some serious hiking!
Love and hugs, Heather
Monday, December 10, 2007
Driving on the OTHER SIDE of the Road!!!
Hey there lovelies,
Wow Australia is brilliant! In fact I really have to acknowledge that it's nothing really of what I thought it would be like-well except great beaches and green. But I thought it would be more mountainous, but it brings me new surprises everyday!
For example, everyone told me Nimbin-don't go there, too many drugs, hasseled all the time for weed, others said it's beautiful. Well luckily I went with my gut. I went, it is stunning, so laid back, yes lots of weed but I was only approached once on the next to the last day there. It had rocks jutting out from the rolling green mountains, rivers and water every where, the people were just lovely and it was so much cheaper then other places-fruits and veggies-YUMMMY! Oh and it had the best bookstore I have been in for a long time.
Oh, one of the books is "Who can you trust. Your health at risk" by Toni Jefferys. He talked about women who wear bras, did you know if you wear a bra for 12+ hours you increase your chances of cancer by 19 times more. Or even worse the ones that do 24 hours increases their chances by 113 fold for cancer! He also talks about plasics, cell phones, and all kinds of things.
Oh, I went to this most incredible art gallery, not having any idea what I'd find. But it's the best art I've seen in a long time of people. One art piece was of this man who is a doctor. Did you know there is a vaccination in OZ for Cerivical Cancer. Yep, I saw it on TV and what thinking "yeah right" but then I saw this painting, his name is: Ian Frazer, he believes cervical cancer can be wiped out within one generation, this is his lifes work! How beautiful is that!!! So ladies if you want to help you and your friends, this maybe the way to go. I'm going to see if I can get him on the phone for a chat.
Anyway, after meeting some lovely friends in Nimbin I went on to Mulwillembah-say that three times fast!!! I didn't connect at first but man oh man, it's a place I could stay for a bit longer. Rivers, ocean near by-from what they said, cute little shop, a salon that on it's sign said "you don't leave until you "love it". How great is that! And a cafe that said "a place to meet and eat". I want to own a place that says that. LA needs a place to meet people and eating is a good thing too! I met a French woman there that was great fun, we instantly connected. We may meet up in January to go trek around Tazmania together and maybe drive a car across to Perth, we'll see! She fixed us some fabulous chocolate cake and let me tell you, it was lovely! And her salad for herself was as if it was for a customer in a restaurant!
Oh, I forgot, I have learned how to drive on the OTHER side of the road!!!! Yep that's right, I do the turn abouts and everything now thanks to Dougs lovely instructions and trust of me driving his van! How great and such lovely freedom. That will get me ready to drive in my next country, yep that's right my next country is coming up in less then a week! Can't believe 2 months has passed so quickly here in OZ.
I'm off to NEW ZEALAND!!!!! Rob is coming over and we are going to have a blast trekking around and exploring AND having Christmas and New Years there together! So nice to have someone from home here with me, I'm completely THRILLED!!!!! OH and guess what, New Zealand will be my 31ST COUNTRY I've traveled in in my life! I'm so excited! I do come back to OZ so I'm not done here, thank goodness as it feels like I've barely even touched OZ.
This place is so huge I just can't see seeing it in even a year. I mean you can see the highlight possibly but not close to everything it has to offer. Just taking the bus 1 hour here today back to Byron Bay, if I was driving I would have stopped at least 2 time to check things out! It's definately a place a car is a good thing!
Oh, but the sand is so clean it squeaks when you walk on it, so white and soft too! I went to the Sanassin celebration with all the Osho people! It was very simple, nothing like I've seen before but it was nice to be in the energy of Osho peeps!
The place I stayed in Nimbin was just exquisite as it was right on the river so I went swimming in the river, read in the grassy field, walked through the farms through such lushness you could hardly believe a place exists. I love the weather here, it rains a bit and sometimes hard at times, but normally not all day, it just gets it on and over and then it's warm. Sometimes hot. But mostly it stays a lovely short sleeve whether from day break to night fall when you may put a long sleeve shirt on. It's gorgeous weather! Perfect for me anyway. When it does get hot, like it did this weekend the sun feels like it is going to scorch your skin. I luckily haven't gotten a lick of sun here-too scared of it really!
This is funny, I'm finally, after 2.5 months of being out of India, just now finally starting to show my arms and wear my spagetti strap tops without a top over it. Once in a habit it's hard to change it. Last time in India it took me years to wear shorts! Funny what you take with you of those things.
So I have got something that I never have gotten-I got the Whooping cough, yep that's right. Some have called it the 100 day cough but I found the most amazing herbalist today that gave me quite the concoction that just about kills me with the taste- so I'm sure it will kill this thing, with some pure vitamin C and she says I should be well by Saturday! I'm experiencing all kinds of things on this trip. If you haven't had this peticular cough I say to you "you don't want to experience it". Unless you want to cough so hard you think you are going puke or die as you can only breathe through your nose and not your mouth. But other then spitting up things you feel fine, unless you talk that is. That's the worst offense that makes you cough! : )
It's all new experiences. This is the first time in my life I've gotten ill 3 times in a year-The Universe is talking to me, telling me to slow down every step of the way, and now with the sore thought it's saying "stop talking". Ok, so I will. So I'm here at my friend Dougs relaxing, helping him out a little and just catching up on little things.
Yesterday, was great, yet it's the thing that took me to getting well to worse. I hiked Mt Warning!!!!! Have you ever seen the movie/cartoon Fern Gully? If not, see it! It's one of my favorites and it's based near Mt Warning. It's about fairies of the forest and how humans come and cuts the trees, leaves garbage, doesn't care for the earth and one of my favorite parts is when a human carves their initials in a tree and she takes his hands and asks him "can't you feel it's pain". The trees feel and talk and people well.....we have our own ideas...It's a gorgeous tale and the fairies are sweet and sexy!!!! Just in case the story line didn't take you in! ; )
Mt Warning, most people get up it in 2 hours and down in 2 hours. Well, even ill and forcing myself to slow down I got up in 1 hour and 25 minutes. I guess you can say I miss hiking, I miss nature, I MISS BEING PHYSICAL AND WORKING OUT! But I got it yesterday. And the great thing is the clouds parted right as I got there for 30 minutes and the view of all the green hills below was stunning. Actually the hills around it are hills from a crater. Mulwillumbah sits in the middle of an old crater and all the hills around it is just the crater edges! Stunning! I saw this one tree so huge around it would take 6 or 10 human to hug it and touch fingers, and so tall, well I have no clue how tall it is. With all the vines on it, making it even bigger around and green leaves and root every where. Huge bolders here and there, so large, it makes you feel like a midget.
It was lush out there, it sprinkled a little, showed me great views and OH, the frogs croak in different notes and thought "my friend Scott would love to be recording these little critters". I imagined recording all of the notes they sang and put them to music or on a piano to make them croak per key-How fun is that!!! Nature at it's best out there!
So you can say I'm loving OZ, though it feels like I've seen little of it. But hope to see more once I am back. Everyone keeps asking when I'm coming home. I wish I knew an exact address, but I'm sure I will by January know when. But right now I can say this between Feb and April unless I find work-more than likely March or April though!
I think the laid back spirit of the people is wearing off on me, thank goodness, how great! I'm not stressing over things I normally would. Like today, I didn't book my bus in advance as I didn't know I was supposed to so I called them and they said to go pay at the station. I went down and they said they couldn't accept payment unless I wanted to take a chance of the bus not stopping for me and me losing my money. So there I was on the side of the road with my bags, my two friends helping in the sun waving down the bus! It stopped, the driver told me it was illegal to give me a ticket but did it anyway and I was on my way to Byron! YES! NO stress, NO worries! Love it! They do like their rules here though, I'll say that but I was happy he was willing to bend them for me!
I loved seeing all the towns on the way down as I listened to my ipod playing Alison Krause, I love her voice! I love Oh Atlanta, but don't have a clue what her lyrics are for the chorus, pretty funny, I've listened so closely but I can't seem to get it.
So I'm going to pass this on, it's by Richard Bach, he says this "the opposite of loneliness is not togetherness, it's intimacy", thanks for sharing that with me Edgar! It's lovely! A good thing to meditate on and really feel!
I have met some great people the past week or so of my trip here and I am grateful, some I may see again, some we shared some lovely experiences and conversations. The owner of the hostel in Mulwullumbah was just beautiful, great spirit, fun, gave us ice cream every night at 9pm for free, played games with us until 11 or 12am! He made my stay there and he was sad to see me, the French girl-Steph and Adriane leave! It's like we all bonded in those 3 days! I love it!
Out there they have something called Water Dragons, they are huge lizards! And I think they are vegetarian! Tassie, the owner of the hostel in Mulwillumbah, showed me how to feed them grapes! I'd hold them a certain way, move it around a little to give it a challenge or maybe it eats bugs and makes it seem like a bug, but then it gets it in it's mouth, slowly, very slowly holds it and starts to squash it. It has very small teeth so it eats slowly. Good for digestion, smart bugger! I love the nature here, and there was more then just him, a whole family of them under the porch. I've seen them every where. Today I saw one in the hostel visiting, until it saw me and wobbled out on all fours!!!
Ok, I'm off. I love you, I wish you all the happiness in the world and if you want to come out and play I'd love to see you! Can you believe it's almost Christmas and a New Year-this year ZOOMED by! Love and hugs to you, Heather
Wow Australia is brilliant! In fact I really have to acknowledge that it's nothing really of what I thought it would be like-well except great beaches and green. But I thought it would be more mountainous, but it brings me new surprises everyday!
For example, everyone told me Nimbin-don't go there, too many drugs, hasseled all the time for weed, others said it's beautiful. Well luckily I went with my gut. I went, it is stunning, so laid back, yes lots of weed but I was only approached once on the next to the last day there. It had rocks jutting out from the rolling green mountains, rivers and water every where, the people were just lovely and it was so much cheaper then other places-fruits and veggies-YUMMMY! Oh and it had the best bookstore I have been in for a long time.
Oh, one of the books is "Who can you trust. Your health at risk" by Toni Jefferys. He talked about women who wear bras, did you know if you wear a bra for 12+ hours you increase your chances of cancer by 19 times more. Or even worse the ones that do 24 hours increases their chances by 113 fold for cancer! He also talks about plasics, cell phones, and all kinds of things.
Oh, I went to this most incredible art gallery, not having any idea what I'd find. But it's the best art I've seen in a long time of people. One art piece was of this man who is a doctor. Did you know there is a vaccination in OZ for Cerivical Cancer. Yep, I saw it on TV and what thinking "yeah right" but then I saw this painting, his name is: Ian Frazer, he believes cervical cancer can be wiped out within one generation, this is his lifes work! How beautiful is that!!! So ladies if you want to help you and your friends, this maybe the way to go. I'm going to see if I can get him on the phone for a chat.
Anyway, after meeting some lovely friends in Nimbin I went on to Mulwillembah-say that three times fast!!! I didn't connect at first but man oh man, it's a place I could stay for a bit longer. Rivers, ocean near by-from what they said, cute little shop, a salon that on it's sign said "you don't leave until you "love it". How great is that! And a cafe that said "a place to meet and eat". I want to own a place that says that. LA needs a place to meet people and eating is a good thing too! I met a French woman there that was great fun, we instantly connected. We may meet up in January to go trek around Tazmania together and maybe drive a car across to Perth, we'll see! She fixed us some fabulous chocolate cake and let me tell you, it was lovely! And her salad for herself was as if it was for a customer in a restaurant!
Oh, I forgot, I have learned how to drive on the OTHER side of the road!!!! Yep that's right, I do the turn abouts and everything now thanks to Dougs lovely instructions and trust of me driving his van! How great and such lovely freedom. That will get me ready to drive in my next country, yep that's right my next country is coming up in less then a week! Can't believe 2 months has passed so quickly here in OZ.
I'm off to NEW ZEALAND!!!!! Rob is coming over and we are going to have a blast trekking around and exploring AND having Christmas and New Years there together! So nice to have someone from home here with me, I'm completely THRILLED!!!!! OH and guess what, New Zealand will be my 31ST COUNTRY I've traveled in in my life! I'm so excited! I do come back to OZ so I'm not done here, thank goodness as it feels like I've barely even touched OZ.
This place is so huge I just can't see seeing it in even a year. I mean you can see the highlight possibly but not close to everything it has to offer. Just taking the bus 1 hour here today back to Byron Bay, if I was driving I would have stopped at least 2 time to check things out! It's definately a place a car is a good thing!
Oh, but the sand is so clean it squeaks when you walk on it, so white and soft too! I went to the Sanassin celebration with all the Osho people! It was very simple, nothing like I've seen before but it was nice to be in the energy of Osho peeps!
The place I stayed in Nimbin was just exquisite as it was right on the river so I went swimming in the river, read in the grassy field, walked through the farms through such lushness you could hardly believe a place exists. I love the weather here, it rains a bit and sometimes hard at times, but normally not all day, it just gets it on and over and then it's warm. Sometimes hot. But mostly it stays a lovely short sleeve whether from day break to night fall when you may put a long sleeve shirt on. It's gorgeous weather! Perfect for me anyway. When it does get hot, like it did this weekend the sun feels like it is going to scorch your skin. I luckily haven't gotten a lick of sun here-too scared of it really!
This is funny, I'm finally, after 2.5 months of being out of India, just now finally starting to show my arms and wear my spagetti strap tops without a top over it. Once in a habit it's hard to change it. Last time in India it took me years to wear shorts! Funny what you take with you of those things.
So I have got something that I never have gotten-I got the Whooping cough, yep that's right. Some have called it the 100 day cough but I found the most amazing herbalist today that gave me quite the concoction that just about kills me with the taste- so I'm sure it will kill this thing, with some pure vitamin C and she says I should be well by Saturday! I'm experiencing all kinds of things on this trip. If you haven't had this peticular cough I say to you "you don't want to experience it". Unless you want to cough so hard you think you are going puke or die as you can only breathe through your nose and not your mouth. But other then spitting up things you feel fine, unless you talk that is. That's the worst offense that makes you cough! : )
It's all new experiences. This is the first time in my life I've gotten ill 3 times in a year-The Universe is talking to me, telling me to slow down every step of the way, and now with the sore thought it's saying "stop talking". Ok, so I will. So I'm here at my friend Dougs relaxing, helping him out a little and just catching up on little things.
Yesterday, was great, yet it's the thing that took me to getting well to worse. I hiked Mt Warning!!!!! Have you ever seen the movie/cartoon Fern Gully? If not, see it! It's one of my favorites and it's based near Mt Warning. It's about fairies of the forest and how humans come and cuts the trees, leaves garbage, doesn't care for the earth and one of my favorite parts is when a human carves their initials in a tree and she takes his hands and asks him "can't you feel it's pain". The trees feel and talk and people well.....we have our own ideas...It's a gorgeous tale and the fairies are sweet and sexy!!!! Just in case the story line didn't take you in! ; )
Mt Warning, most people get up it in 2 hours and down in 2 hours. Well, even ill and forcing myself to slow down I got up in 1 hour and 25 minutes. I guess you can say I miss hiking, I miss nature, I MISS BEING PHYSICAL AND WORKING OUT! But I got it yesterday. And the great thing is the clouds parted right as I got there for 30 minutes and the view of all the green hills below was stunning. Actually the hills around it are hills from a crater. Mulwillumbah sits in the middle of an old crater and all the hills around it is just the crater edges! Stunning! I saw this one tree so huge around it would take 6 or 10 human to hug it and touch fingers, and so tall, well I have no clue how tall it is. With all the vines on it, making it even bigger around and green leaves and root every where. Huge bolders here and there, so large, it makes you feel like a midget.
It was lush out there, it sprinkled a little, showed me great views and OH, the frogs croak in different notes and thought "my friend Scott would love to be recording these little critters". I imagined recording all of the notes they sang and put them to music or on a piano to make them croak per key-How fun is that!!! Nature at it's best out there!
So you can say I'm loving OZ, though it feels like I've seen little of it. But hope to see more once I am back. Everyone keeps asking when I'm coming home. I wish I knew an exact address, but I'm sure I will by January know when. But right now I can say this between Feb and April unless I find work-more than likely March or April though!
I think the laid back spirit of the people is wearing off on me, thank goodness, how great! I'm not stressing over things I normally would. Like today, I didn't book my bus in advance as I didn't know I was supposed to so I called them and they said to go pay at the station. I went down and they said they couldn't accept payment unless I wanted to take a chance of the bus not stopping for me and me losing my money. So there I was on the side of the road with my bags, my two friends helping in the sun waving down the bus! It stopped, the driver told me it was illegal to give me a ticket but did it anyway and I was on my way to Byron! YES! NO stress, NO worries! Love it! They do like their rules here though, I'll say that but I was happy he was willing to bend them for me!
I loved seeing all the towns on the way down as I listened to my ipod playing Alison Krause, I love her voice! I love Oh Atlanta, but don't have a clue what her lyrics are for the chorus, pretty funny, I've listened so closely but I can't seem to get it.
So I'm going to pass this on, it's by Richard Bach, he says this "the opposite of loneliness is not togetherness, it's intimacy", thanks for sharing that with me Edgar! It's lovely! A good thing to meditate on and really feel!
I have met some great people the past week or so of my trip here and I am grateful, some I may see again, some we shared some lovely experiences and conversations. The owner of the hostel in Mulwullumbah was just beautiful, great spirit, fun, gave us ice cream every night at 9pm for free, played games with us until 11 or 12am! He made my stay there and he was sad to see me, the French girl-Steph and Adriane leave! It's like we all bonded in those 3 days! I love it!
Out there they have something called Water Dragons, they are huge lizards! And I think they are vegetarian! Tassie, the owner of the hostel in Mulwillumbah, showed me how to feed them grapes! I'd hold them a certain way, move it around a little to give it a challenge or maybe it eats bugs and makes it seem like a bug, but then it gets it in it's mouth, slowly, very slowly holds it and starts to squash it. It has very small teeth so it eats slowly. Good for digestion, smart bugger! I love the nature here, and there was more then just him, a whole family of them under the porch. I've seen them every where. Today I saw one in the hostel visiting, until it saw me and wobbled out on all fours!!!
Ok, I'm off. I love you, I wish you all the happiness in the world and if you want to come out and play I'd love to see you! Can you believe it's almost Christmas and a New Year-this year ZOOMED by! Love and hugs to you, Heather
Thursday, November 29, 2007
How ya Goin'???
Hello there,
Yep that's right, How ya Goin'??? Not how you doing? or Where you going? It's How ya goin'? for How are you doing? I love it!!! Ozzies!
They have so many shortened words like, pool comp, that means pool competition! It's a language all of their own.
So many new things to share with you.....Firstly I road a camel, yep that's it, you heard me, a CAMEL!!!! Do you know how many wild camels are in this country? Take a wild guess......come on guess......higher........yes higher...............over A MILLION! That's write, I guess they breed like crazy out here once they were dropped off from Afganistan (from what our guide said). Watch out the spit!!! No, not really, that's just from Aladdin-I love that cartoon-you have to see if you haven't already, one of my fav's!!! Nope they just chew their cud and drip, not spit.
They guides for the camels were hilarious, I was laughing the whole time, they'd flirt, crack jokes, tell some history and make it funny. I wasn't even going to do this Camel ride but the guy got me laughing so much I just had to. Of course I turned down the butt rub he offered if our butts got sore...but I'm sure he would have made that fun as well!!! He took photos of us, the camel, the camels parts-if you know what I mean ; )! How degrading for the poor camel! Not really but goodness, how many people have photos of his genitals and feet! (the camels, not the guy's though he pretended to do that too, not something I'd want as a token from OZ). ; )
Bellingen was heaven, I hope to go back there. I have now been up in Byron Bay area for the past week staying with Doug, a new found friend, a friend of a friend from home. He's been great. Picked me up from the Bus station, we had SUSHI, Yummy!!! Now I'm woofing for him, taking his dogs for walks, gardening, fixing meals...but my favorite part is watching him do what he does best, he works with clay! Yes he throws, he makes great little animals out of clay and pots! I've already made one little rabbit, he said it was great for my first time. I was impressed with the little bugger! But it's fun playing with clay. I want to do more of it!
I'm finding balance between being out here in the country side-rolling hills, green, lush, raining every other day but coming out of it gloriously fresh, wet and sunny afterward, to visiting the small towns around. I get a little stir crazy out here once I've been here too many days, I need to see something else. I think if I lived here it would be different. So much to see here that I know there is going to be a ton I miss, as this country is Ginormous!!!! (sp? if it's a word) But I want to see more.
I will be helping Doug glaze tomorrow which will be exciting! Then on Sunday I'll be going in to Byron Bay's Market, which I'm very excited about experiencing!
Last night I went to a comedy night, OH it was great! Three Comedians, all terrific, people looked at me as I laughed so loud-OOPPS! Not really, I don't care, really, too many years of quiet laughter, I'm workin' on letting it all out now, while everyone around me is quietly laughing. But then I got a woman who would laugh quietly with me giving me eye contact, it was great!
My Birthday was Great! It started out by getting up at 5:45am for a 2 hour walk through the small country road, hills rolled out in lush bright green. The blue skies just shined as the white clouds turned shades of morning colors! The country homes seems such a peace sitting there with the nearest neighbor minutes away and not in view from each other! Then I found some friends-3 horses and some cows!
Their was 2 white horses and one brown. Well I just had to sing to them, they just came on up and listened, didn't want to be touched but stared at me. One got quite aroused, not sure if you have ever seen an aroused horse, but ladies, I think we would all agree we'd be running! YIKES! Glad I'm not a horse, well, I guess it would be different then! Well then I got excited as I thought I was going to see two horses do the wild thing in nature...but another horse came around and all horse flirting with the two in front of me stopped and the excitement of the male went away....Nature, don't cha love it. I guess it's ok in front of humans just not other horses, or maybe there was a jealousy thing going on or too many decisions, who knows! Not that you wanted to know all of that.
But my morning walk was filled with thoughts of what I believe in, what I stand for in this life. I came up with a few things: healthy living-food and exercise, healthy communication in relationships, healthy parenting, homes and food for all and creativity. All that I believe in is covered in this short line! There is much more but it all can be under those things. How lovely! What do you believe in, what would you stand for? What could you not live without? I can't live without exercise, dance, creativity and communication, and well good food is just so lovely!
So then I got home to Doug giving me this book that I almost brought with me: Mastery of Love by Don Miguel Ruiz! Oh my gosh, it's perfect. It's so lovely, talks about your childhood how it effects you now, how a little thing like you playing with your fathers guitar and him coming in and smacking you effects how you trust him and others for the rest of your life. How we learn to stop playing as we might get in trouble. Man this really hit some cords in me. I can really track things back. It's a great read so far and very simple! A must I see for reading and learning about yourself and clearing things with awareness!
I had one my favorite meals on my birthday as we celebrated Thanksgiving! I got to help prepare the meal which I love! I got to talk to my mom and some friends on the phone which was so nice! As some I haven't talked to in ages or since I left! That was a blessing! So the evening was filled with friends of Dougs, new found friends for me, food, music and at the very end I danced! I loved it! I was wiped out by the end of it but I was a great birthday! A good time to bring in the new-year 38 which equal an 11 in numberology and it's a powerful number! I have some great goals for this year! Love it!
So my days are spent walking, working on Dougs property, once he saw that I could help him out as he has so much growing and to do and no time, as it's high season for his business with christmas coming! Once the work is done I go swimming in the pool OR this is the bestest, yes that's in my dictionary, I take the dogs out to the beach and run with them, I get them in shape they get me in shape, then we swim in the cool, not cold, salt water. Which getting me out is the hard part since it's so nice and the weather being perfect! Then we walk to a lake across the way that is filled with Tea Tree water from it growing wild here and we swim there and get the salt our of their gorgeous German Shepard coats of fur.
They are happy, I'm happy and we head home or to Starbucks for chai! We sometimes go to one of their many parks of rivers going through them. Trees every where, people BBQing and perfection at it's best where parks are concerned. This is the one thing LA lacks, parks, I'll have to track them down once I'm back.
Because of the nature I could see myself living here or in a place like this. But I'll see. The US is a big place maybe there is a place there, but the warm factor is the big thing here, it's warm here at 6am-and it doesn't get too hot either. Perfect temperature! But who knows that's the future, for now it's gorgeous!
I hope you had a great Thanksgiving, if you celebrate it!
Oh, I have to tell you this. There was a sign I saw that said "aged people walking slow, slow down" or something to that effect in Bellingen. I thought it was hilarious-could you imangine in the US-watch for slow aged people, SLOW DOWN! Goodness, what does the aged people think of this sign, maybe it's a good thing. They have funny signs here. More on that later.
I must go work! Off to packing ceramics!!!
Have a great day! I look forward to talking with you soon. I'd love to hear how you are? What you truly believe in? And just a thought, what would you die for? I'll have to think on that one!
Much love to you, and so many hugs, Heather
May the brightness in your soul peer out, shining brightly in every moment and may it be shared by all around you! H
Yep that's right, How ya Goin'??? Not how you doing? or Where you going? It's How ya goin'? for How are you doing? I love it!!! Ozzies!
They have so many shortened words like, pool comp, that means pool competition! It's a language all of their own.
So many new things to share with you.....Firstly I road a camel, yep that's it, you heard me, a CAMEL!!!! Do you know how many wild camels are in this country? Take a wild guess......come on guess......higher........yes higher...............over A MILLION! That's write, I guess they breed like crazy out here once they were dropped off from Afganistan (from what our guide said). Watch out the spit!!! No, not really, that's just from Aladdin-I love that cartoon-you have to see if you haven't already, one of my fav's!!! Nope they just chew their cud and drip, not spit.
They guides for the camels were hilarious, I was laughing the whole time, they'd flirt, crack jokes, tell some history and make it funny. I wasn't even going to do this Camel ride but the guy got me laughing so much I just had to. Of course I turned down the butt rub he offered if our butts got sore...but I'm sure he would have made that fun as well!!! He took photos of us, the camel, the camels parts-if you know what I mean ; )! How degrading for the poor camel! Not really but goodness, how many people have photos of his genitals and feet! (the camels, not the guy's though he pretended to do that too, not something I'd want as a token from OZ). ; )
Bellingen was heaven, I hope to go back there. I have now been up in Byron Bay area for the past week staying with Doug, a new found friend, a friend of a friend from home. He's been great. Picked me up from the Bus station, we had SUSHI, Yummy!!! Now I'm woofing for him, taking his dogs for walks, gardening, fixing meals...but my favorite part is watching him do what he does best, he works with clay! Yes he throws, he makes great little animals out of clay and pots! I've already made one little rabbit, he said it was great for my first time. I was impressed with the little bugger! But it's fun playing with clay. I want to do more of it!
I'm finding balance between being out here in the country side-rolling hills, green, lush, raining every other day but coming out of it gloriously fresh, wet and sunny afterward, to visiting the small towns around. I get a little stir crazy out here once I've been here too many days, I need to see something else. I think if I lived here it would be different. So much to see here that I know there is going to be a ton I miss, as this country is Ginormous!!!! (sp? if it's a word) But I want to see more.
I will be helping Doug glaze tomorrow which will be exciting! Then on Sunday I'll be going in to Byron Bay's Market, which I'm very excited about experiencing!
Last night I went to a comedy night, OH it was great! Three Comedians, all terrific, people looked at me as I laughed so loud-OOPPS! Not really, I don't care, really, too many years of quiet laughter, I'm workin' on letting it all out now, while everyone around me is quietly laughing. But then I got a woman who would laugh quietly with me giving me eye contact, it was great!
My Birthday was Great! It started out by getting up at 5:45am for a 2 hour walk through the small country road, hills rolled out in lush bright green. The blue skies just shined as the white clouds turned shades of morning colors! The country homes seems such a peace sitting there with the nearest neighbor minutes away and not in view from each other! Then I found some friends-3 horses and some cows!
Their was 2 white horses and one brown. Well I just had to sing to them, they just came on up and listened, didn't want to be touched but stared at me. One got quite aroused, not sure if you have ever seen an aroused horse, but ladies, I think we would all agree we'd be running! YIKES! Glad I'm not a horse, well, I guess it would be different then! Well then I got excited as I thought I was going to see two horses do the wild thing in nature...but another horse came around and all horse flirting with the two in front of me stopped and the excitement of the male went away....Nature, don't cha love it. I guess it's ok in front of humans just not other horses, or maybe there was a jealousy thing going on or too many decisions, who knows! Not that you wanted to know all of that.
But my morning walk was filled with thoughts of what I believe in, what I stand for in this life. I came up with a few things: healthy living-food and exercise, healthy communication in relationships, healthy parenting, homes and food for all and creativity. All that I believe in is covered in this short line! There is much more but it all can be under those things. How lovely! What do you believe in, what would you stand for? What could you not live without? I can't live without exercise, dance, creativity and communication, and well good food is just so lovely!
So then I got home to Doug giving me this book that I almost brought with me: Mastery of Love by Don Miguel Ruiz! Oh my gosh, it's perfect. It's so lovely, talks about your childhood how it effects you now, how a little thing like you playing with your fathers guitar and him coming in and smacking you effects how you trust him and others for the rest of your life. How we learn to stop playing as we might get in trouble. Man this really hit some cords in me. I can really track things back. It's a great read so far and very simple! A must I see for reading and learning about yourself and clearing things with awareness!
I had one my favorite meals on my birthday as we celebrated Thanksgiving! I got to help prepare the meal which I love! I got to talk to my mom and some friends on the phone which was so nice! As some I haven't talked to in ages or since I left! That was a blessing! So the evening was filled with friends of Dougs, new found friends for me, food, music and at the very end I danced! I loved it! I was wiped out by the end of it but I was a great birthday! A good time to bring in the new-year 38 which equal an 11 in numberology and it's a powerful number! I have some great goals for this year! Love it!
So my days are spent walking, working on Dougs property, once he saw that I could help him out as he has so much growing and to do and no time, as it's high season for his business with christmas coming! Once the work is done I go swimming in the pool OR this is the bestest, yes that's in my dictionary, I take the dogs out to the beach and run with them, I get them in shape they get me in shape, then we swim in the cool, not cold, salt water. Which getting me out is the hard part since it's so nice and the weather being perfect! Then we walk to a lake across the way that is filled with Tea Tree water from it growing wild here and we swim there and get the salt our of their gorgeous German Shepard coats of fur.
They are happy, I'm happy and we head home or to Starbucks for chai! We sometimes go to one of their many parks of rivers going through them. Trees every where, people BBQing and perfection at it's best where parks are concerned. This is the one thing LA lacks, parks, I'll have to track them down once I'm back.
Because of the nature I could see myself living here or in a place like this. But I'll see. The US is a big place maybe there is a place there, but the warm factor is the big thing here, it's warm here at 6am-and it doesn't get too hot either. Perfect temperature! But who knows that's the future, for now it's gorgeous!
I hope you had a great Thanksgiving, if you celebrate it!
Oh, I have to tell you this. There was a sign I saw that said "aged people walking slow, slow down" or something to that effect in Bellingen. I thought it was hilarious-could you imangine in the US-watch for slow aged people, SLOW DOWN! Goodness, what does the aged people think of this sign, maybe it's a good thing. They have funny signs here. More on that later.
I must go work! Off to packing ceramics!!!
Have a great day! I look forward to talking with you soon. I'd love to hear how you are? What you truly believe in? And just a thought, what would you die for? I'll have to think on that one!
Much love to you, and so many hugs, Heather
May the brightness in your soul peer out, shining brightly in every moment and may it be shared by all around you! H
Wednesday, November 21, 2007
How do you like your Chokes?
And no I don't mean artichokes? Chokes out here are chickens!!! Pretty funny eh? They love to shorten and change everything with words!
Hey ya,
How are you? Well my last several days have been great and challenging all at the same time. I was out wwoofing on a organic permaculture farm. It was stunning, the view, with the mountains around and the greenery! My favorite was feeding the chickens.
The first day I was scared of them, afraid they'd peck at me like my mothers goose did when she was a child-she said it hurt! But they were great, I'd feed them from my hand and they'd grab my skin but no pain!! I petted them and picked them up. The son of the family helped me with playing with them and getting them back in the cages as they loved to come out to scratch around and eat grass! I liked the son best. He was very coold-sensitive, respectful, generous with what he had-like letting me on his computer and loaning me a plug to plug in my ipod. Plus he bakes cookies for everyone!!! YUMMY!
Then my second favorite thing was getting up in the morning around 6am-that's just when I wake up, and taking a walk. Well on my walks I'd sing to the cows and they'd crowd around to listen and stare at the human that would also moo at them-Yep, I love talking Cow! And they seem to love it too as they all moo back, especially when I'd walk off they'd all moo- of course in my human mind it means they were wanting me to come back or saying good bye. But hey who knows why they do that's it's not the first time cows have followed me down a field mooing!
Then I'd sing to Misty, the horse at the farm, she seemed to like me making up songs about her beauty. I loved her fuzzy white ears and sing to her about them. She seemed go like it and come closer-how lovely, but she doesn't to be touched so don't touch her-but I had to try! So once I touched her (twice it happened!!!) she jumped back and I jumped too, funny, she scared me, even when I expected her jump! Her white gorgeous body was just too nice to not try to pet!
I stayed in a caravan home you pull behind your vehicle, I liked it. It was nice and it's what I called home. Not like my creative little 6 walled bungalow like I had at the other place with windows on 4 of the 6 walls and very colorful and fun and set into the trees that you wake up looking at in the morning, but the caravan was nice!
So the father was a bit controlling and very selfish and all about him. But I just tried to avoid him after a while. He did know a lot about Permaculture that he learned from books. But after him treating me like a child one time too many my patience were up and I asked to leave and thank goodness he took me to town!
Though I loved working in the garden, arriving in Bellingen, where I've wanted to be for a while I'm very happy I came. I love it here! Cute little quaint town, with hills, rivers and valleys. Fresh air, coffee shops that fill the air around the main street. Cute little shops filled with all kinds of creative things. It is so relaxing and lovely here. I think I'll come back to stay a week or two. But I've got great plans for the next few days!!!
Starting tomorrow night I found a 5 RHYTHMS Class to dance my booty off too in Byron Bay!!! And this is where I've wanted to spend my birthday!!! So I'll be spending my 38th birthday, that's write I'm 38 years young in Byron Bay! To top it off I'm staying at a friend of a friends house where on my birthday-the 25th, we'll be having Thanksgiving meal-one of my favorite meals with Pumpkin Pie! And then Monday I'll be going out to a retro night club to dance to old time lovely music I love! So it should be a lovely weekend.
Last night I went on a sunset kayaking trip, just lovely. The sunset was stunning, the hill side breath taking and the whole thing was beautiful. I wish it was longer. I really love kayaking. So any of you who want to go when I get back I'd love to go with you have you come with me.
Oh I forgot to tell you, I met my first leech on my ankle, it was having some fun and I without looking rubbed something away, ooohhh, man it still stings days later. Not very friendly guests after the fact. Painful and itchy! All my life in the wild and I get a leech on a farm near the chokes!!!
So I'm enoying the nature, what I'm learning about Permaculture, want to learn more, it fascinates me!
HAPPY THANKSGIVING! Have a lovely day full of gratitude. I have a huge list of things to be grateful for but one of my biggest things I'm grateful for is you! You being in my life, hearing from you makes my heart sing and sharing with you my stories and rambling on forever and you reading it. I love sharing with you and hearing from you. The freedom of this life is a gorgeous thing to choose your friends, your life, your work, so make sure you are living the life you love and grateful for everything, even the rough times as that is where we grow. I know it is for me-though it's hard at times.
Many hugs and with much love and gratitude, Heather
Hey ya,
How are you? Well my last several days have been great and challenging all at the same time. I was out wwoofing on a organic permaculture farm. It was stunning, the view, with the mountains around and the greenery! My favorite was feeding the chickens.
The first day I was scared of them, afraid they'd peck at me like my mothers goose did when she was a child-she said it hurt! But they were great, I'd feed them from my hand and they'd grab my skin but no pain!! I petted them and picked them up. The son of the family helped me with playing with them and getting them back in the cages as they loved to come out to scratch around and eat grass! I liked the son best. He was very coold-sensitive, respectful, generous with what he had-like letting me on his computer and loaning me a plug to plug in my ipod. Plus he bakes cookies for everyone!!! YUMMY!
Then my second favorite thing was getting up in the morning around 6am-that's just when I wake up, and taking a walk. Well on my walks I'd sing to the cows and they'd crowd around to listen and stare at the human that would also moo at them-Yep, I love talking Cow! And they seem to love it too as they all moo back, especially when I'd walk off they'd all moo- of course in my human mind it means they were wanting me to come back or saying good bye. But hey who knows why they do that's it's not the first time cows have followed me down a field mooing!
Then I'd sing to Misty, the horse at the farm, she seemed to like me making up songs about her beauty. I loved her fuzzy white ears and sing to her about them. She seemed go like it and come closer-how lovely, but she doesn't to be touched so don't touch her-but I had to try! So once I touched her (twice it happened!!!) she jumped back and I jumped too, funny, she scared me, even when I expected her jump! Her white gorgeous body was just too nice to not try to pet!
I stayed in a caravan home you pull behind your vehicle, I liked it. It was nice and it's what I called home. Not like my creative little 6 walled bungalow like I had at the other place with windows on 4 of the 6 walls and very colorful and fun and set into the trees that you wake up looking at in the morning, but the caravan was nice!
So the father was a bit controlling and very selfish and all about him. But I just tried to avoid him after a while. He did know a lot about Permaculture that he learned from books. But after him treating me like a child one time too many my patience were up and I asked to leave and thank goodness he took me to town!
Though I loved working in the garden, arriving in Bellingen, where I've wanted to be for a while I'm very happy I came. I love it here! Cute little quaint town, with hills, rivers and valleys. Fresh air, coffee shops that fill the air around the main street. Cute little shops filled with all kinds of creative things. It is so relaxing and lovely here. I think I'll come back to stay a week or two. But I've got great plans for the next few days!!!
Starting tomorrow night I found a 5 RHYTHMS Class to dance my booty off too in Byron Bay!!! And this is where I've wanted to spend my birthday!!! So I'll be spending my 38th birthday, that's write I'm 38 years young in Byron Bay! To top it off I'm staying at a friend of a friends house where on my birthday-the 25th, we'll be having Thanksgiving meal-one of my favorite meals with Pumpkin Pie! And then Monday I'll be going out to a retro night club to dance to old time lovely music I love! So it should be a lovely weekend.
Last night I went on a sunset kayaking trip, just lovely. The sunset was stunning, the hill side breath taking and the whole thing was beautiful. I wish it was longer. I really love kayaking. So any of you who want to go when I get back I'd love to go with you have you come with me.
Oh I forgot to tell you, I met my first leech on my ankle, it was having some fun and I without looking rubbed something away, ooohhh, man it still stings days later. Not very friendly guests after the fact. Painful and itchy! All my life in the wild and I get a leech on a farm near the chokes!!!
So I'm enoying the nature, what I'm learning about Permaculture, want to learn more, it fascinates me!
HAPPY THANKSGIVING! Have a lovely day full of gratitude. I have a huge list of things to be grateful for but one of my biggest things I'm grateful for is you! You being in my life, hearing from you makes my heart sing and sharing with you my stories and rambling on forever and you reading it. I love sharing with you and hearing from you. The freedom of this life is a gorgeous thing to choose your friends, your life, your work, so make sure you are living the life you love and grateful for everything, even the rough times as that is where we grow. I know it is for me-though it's hard at times.
Many hugs and with much love and gratitude, Heather
Monday, November 19, 2007
.....My Heather
Hello there,
This is yet another gorgeous poem from my same friend that wrote me the last poem. She has such incredible heart and talent and she is just lovely, knowing me so well! I miss her tons. I hope you enjoy this as much as I did. Much love, Heather
Lately, I wonder what time it is in your bedroom... lately, I want to be a part of the air, there, where you lay silent... I wonder if the best thing about today is the idea of tomorrow....the idea of Summer and your precious face resting in my hands...the background holding Amma against it's gold and red banners, India with its black language and profound mouths watching us exist....watching my hands on your eyes...the way you hold me up, kiss me, then fall down again... the way I love you like an extravagance...in a place where flowers with dove blood push, by morning, through the black soil of your breath out of your lips and I pick them fresh everyday and hold them there, in a deep green vase, next to my bed where I pray for you to be strong...where I pray for you to be happy...though I miss you....though I crave the touch of your orange blossom fingers, your embrace that cuts through me like the green balconies of the sun over an orange and gasoline rainbow...now...I am dying of such love....now, I wish to be where you are...where I know you are dancing in the empty air of turquoise brides...where all of a sudden, I am seeking a permanence in time, and imagine no limits on earth and you, you stand there like a habit of nature, immortalizing greatness like that of a just-created ocean... nothing but love, the curvature of silence, star lines and kisses.... your pure gifts gathering sage from the pockets of my grey ghosts....the pockets you could never visit without your red dress on....though I've missed your hair growing longer....in my sleep I can see you....and I stretch to reach you where you are...
This is yet another gorgeous poem from my same friend that wrote me the last poem. She has such incredible heart and talent and she is just lovely, knowing me so well! I miss her tons. I hope you enjoy this as much as I did. Much love, Heather
Lately, I wonder what time it is in your bedroom... lately, I want to be a part of the air, there, where you lay silent... I wonder if the best thing about today is the idea of tomorrow....the idea of Summer and your precious face resting in my hands...the background holding Amma against it's gold and red banners, India with its black language and profound mouths watching us exist....watching my hands on your eyes...the way you hold me up, kiss me, then fall down again... the way I love you like an extravagance...in a place where flowers with dove blood push, by morning, through the black soil of your breath out of your lips and I pick them fresh everyday and hold them there, in a deep green vase, next to my bed where I pray for you to be strong...where I pray for you to be happy...though I miss you....though I crave the touch of your orange blossom fingers, your embrace that cuts through me like the green balconies of the sun over an orange and gasoline rainbow...now...I am dying of such love....now, I wish to be where you are...where I know you are dancing in the empty air of turquoise brides...where all of a sudden, I am seeking a permanence in time, and imagine no limits on earth and you, you stand there like a habit of nature, immortalizing greatness like that of a just-created ocean... nothing but love, the curvature of silence, star lines and kisses.... your pure gifts gathering sage from the pockets of my grey ghosts....the pockets you could never visit without your red dress on....though I've missed your hair growing longer....in my sleep I can see you....and I stretch to reach you where you are...
Thursday, November 15, 2007
Got Paid for Singin'!!!!
Hello there loves,
How are you? I am great! I'm in Port Macquarie and it's stunning here. I am loving it in this port town. So much to share if I can remember it all.
Well I got on the bus from Sydney up here and I was just listening to my music on my Ipod, having a hard time containing my voice from singing full out! We stopped for the break and while everyone got out to walk and eat. I stood there just belting out at the top of my lungs singing to Amae! Got I love that womans music and lyrics! I didn't care that I was getting looks. I'm getting you just have to do what you have to do and let others do the same-including react or try not to react.
So I'm standing there singin' and having a great time, so very happy, heart soaring high from the music coursing through my body! I saw this little girl walk by with golden hair and a matching rat to boot-reminded me of that book your recommeneded to me Edgar, she stayed in my head, and she went into a play area. I didn't see her at all playing but when she came out she did something so stunning to my system. She walked right up to me and infront of me was a table and she placed a $2.00 coin! I looked at her fingers in slow motion as she scooted it against the table to me. It went so slowly, then she slowly walked off. My mind was saying "is this for what I think it is, for singing. Is this little girl of 8 or 10 years old really paying me for my singing". I picked it up, holding the $2.00 coin in my hand and looked up right at the same time she looked up and we waved at the same time.
I was so grateful, thrilled, excited and overwhelmed with ECSTATIC BLISS!!!! I felt as if the Universe is was telling me something, like, "yes you are on the right path. Keep going with this, yes, yes, YES, YES!". So I have been walking on cloud nine since. My first payment for singin' from a beautiful little girl with golden hair and a matching rat on her shoulder. Children are so great, so many lessons in that little moment when she place that coin down. I love it and love her for it! I love this Universe for how it works too!
I got in the moment it was one of my favorite of my whole trip and then realized most all my favorite moments revolve around singing and dancing on this trip. Lovely!
I went for a walk the other day at the rivers edge and starting singing "my favorite things" and then it hit me, "what are my favorite things". Well of course food came to mind-love my food-like raspberries with vanilla yogurt, the taste and scent of celantro, crab......Then of course I went into dance, singing, writing, animals-dogs and cats I just adore and any other little fuzzy critter or even unfuzzy like dolphins...., friends, cooking together with friends, having parties...and the list went on and I realized more and more what I loved and what were my favorites-like I love the feel, scent and sounds of Starbucks-I know not PC but honestly when I smell a Starbucks I as so happy and I love their music and chai of course-which I got to have yesterday here in town!!!! So what are your favorite things? What makes you smile and laugh, giggle, shine and all the rest?
Well I have fallin' in love! Yes that is right! And I am bringing the two of them home! No they are not human and nope I really can't bring them home, but I'd love to! I spent the last two days with Koalas, they are beautiful, so sweet and so great natured. I got to pet two of them yesterday and I just couldn't stop, they are so lovely and sweet! Then I got to pet a Kangaroo-well a few of them actually and some of them being mamas with their joey's (babies). I learned a lot about Koalas. Like, did you know they live to 16-20 years old, they die mostly from being hit by cars or dog attacks or chlymidia-a popular disease with them as well as conguntivitis.
They are so strong and have huge nails and only eat eucaluptus leaves which doesn't give them enough nourishment to move a lot so that is why they sleep all day-nope they are not stoned off of them.
The other big thing I am consciously practicing is to be grateful for my life every day and every moment. What are you grateful for right now? The roof above our heads, the computer so I can email you, the bed I sleep in, the food, and being able to travel, sing, dance,writing, thinking, be excited and to be conscious of CELEBRATING LIFE NOW AND EVERYDAY!
So I am off to Kayaking in a few hours, which I love and I am thrilled about. I send you love, I will share more soon. Much love, remember to be grateful and live fully. Love, Heather
Be YOU!
I need to go now but I will finish this later
How are you? I am great! I'm in Port Macquarie and it's stunning here. I am loving it in this port town. So much to share if I can remember it all.
Well I got on the bus from Sydney up here and I was just listening to my music on my Ipod, having a hard time containing my voice from singing full out! We stopped for the break and while everyone got out to walk and eat. I stood there just belting out at the top of my lungs singing to Amae! Got I love that womans music and lyrics! I didn't care that I was getting looks. I'm getting you just have to do what you have to do and let others do the same-including react or try not to react.
So I'm standing there singin' and having a great time, so very happy, heart soaring high from the music coursing through my body! I saw this little girl walk by with golden hair and a matching rat to boot-reminded me of that book your recommeneded to me Edgar, she stayed in my head, and she went into a play area. I didn't see her at all playing but when she came out she did something so stunning to my system. She walked right up to me and infront of me was a table and she placed a $2.00 coin! I looked at her fingers in slow motion as she scooted it against the table to me. It went so slowly, then she slowly walked off. My mind was saying "is this for what I think it is, for singing. Is this little girl of 8 or 10 years old really paying me for my singing". I picked it up, holding the $2.00 coin in my hand and looked up right at the same time she looked up and we waved at the same time.
I was so grateful, thrilled, excited and overwhelmed with ECSTATIC BLISS!!!! I felt as if the Universe is was telling me something, like, "yes you are on the right path. Keep going with this, yes, yes, YES, YES!". So I have been walking on cloud nine since. My first payment for singin' from a beautiful little girl with golden hair and a matching rat on her shoulder. Children are so great, so many lessons in that little moment when she place that coin down. I love it and love her for it! I love this Universe for how it works too!
I got in the moment it was one of my favorite of my whole trip and then realized most all my favorite moments revolve around singing and dancing on this trip. Lovely!
I went for a walk the other day at the rivers edge and starting singing "my favorite things" and then it hit me, "what are my favorite things". Well of course food came to mind-love my food-like raspberries with vanilla yogurt, the taste and scent of celantro, crab......Then of course I went into dance, singing, writing, animals-dogs and cats I just adore and any other little fuzzy critter or even unfuzzy like dolphins...., friends, cooking together with friends, having parties...and the list went on and I realized more and more what I loved and what were my favorites-like I love the feel, scent and sounds of Starbucks-I know not PC but honestly when I smell a Starbucks I as so happy and I love their music and chai of course-which I got to have yesterday here in town!!!! So what are your favorite things? What makes you smile and laugh, giggle, shine and all the rest?
Well I have fallin' in love! Yes that is right! And I am bringing the two of them home! No they are not human and nope I really can't bring them home, but I'd love to! I spent the last two days with Koalas, they are beautiful, so sweet and so great natured. I got to pet two of them yesterday and I just couldn't stop, they are so lovely and sweet! Then I got to pet a Kangaroo-well a few of them actually and some of them being mamas with their joey's (babies). I learned a lot about Koalas. Like, did you know they live to 16-20 years old, they die mostly from being hit by cars or dog attacks or chlymidia-a popular disease with them as well as conguntivitis.
They are so strong and have huge nails and only eat eucaluptus leaves which doesn't give them enough nourishment to move a lot so that is why they sleep all day-nope they are not stoned off of them.
The other big thing I am consciously practicing is to be grateful for my life every day and every moment. What are you grateful for right now? The roof above our heads, the computer so I can email you, the bed I sleep in, the food, and being able to travel, sing, dance,writing, thinking, be excited and to be conscious of CELEBRATING LIFE NOW AND EVERYDAY!
So I am off to Kayaking in a few hours, which I love and I am thrilled about. I send you love, I will share more soon. Much love, remember to be grateful and live fully. Love, Heather
Be YOU!
I need to go now but I will finish this later
Sunday, November 11, 2007
HUGE Kangaroo in my Way!
G'day mates!!!
How are ya? Well I'm back in Sydney now, the mountains were lovely. They made my heart so happy and they hikes were gorgeous! I did my first Wwoofing job-organic farming work. You put in 2-4 hours of work and you get free room and board and the rest of the day is yours.
I have to say this first experience was definately an experience! I get to the place, it's two trailers that have a wooden porch in between them that is missing boards so you have to be careful where you walk as you might fall in! ; ) Fun fun! I was brought into a room where I hadn't a clue if it's where I stayed or not. But found out shortly this is where the owner stays, but it's where everyone fixes food and watches TV and listens to music. No heat, just four walls, the ceiling might blow off if the wind got strong enough.
So I sat down with the other Wwoofers after chatting a while-2 from Switzerland, one from Germany and one from Korea, and we all watched a video. I was starving as I hadn't eaten in hours so they sent me to the fridge to fend for myself and not one vegetable to be found there, YIKES! All meat, eggs, cheese and bread. Well I do eat eggs and cheese and bread I'm not fond of but I'll eat. Put it this way, there was nothing organic here and nothing fresh or good to eat. I finally pulled something together and then the owner came in with tomatoes, so I got my veggies. I fixed enough for everyone and we all relaxed.
Well the owner, Lovell, he can talk a mile a minute. Someone told me that people in this area take wwoofers for company and I realized it was true within a short time. He couldn't handle being alone and he didn't care if you worked or not. Just be there. His father, when I went looking for work, told me I was working by keeping him company. Luckily I got to do some unloading huge amounts of aloe veras and a number of other plants from the truck and helped his other son plant some great small trees in front of his two trailers with his living room outside and covered by a huge plastic tarp. It was clean and nice. I liked hanging with him. He was spiritual, into health, though he didn't eat that way, but he knew how he was to eat anyway. He knew cures of cancers and all kinds of things. I liked him a lot and his girlfriend that came by in the afternoon, she was great too!
I went for a walk one day, now mind you I didn't have my glasses on for distance, I was wandering through that lush green trees and smelling the fresh air, while singing to Barbra Streisand on my Ipod-a new experience as I have never been in nature with my ipod, I love nature sounds, but the music took me further in to the now of nature. My voice raised louder and louder, letting the fragrant surroundings take me away! At some point I just stared at the clouds doing a number of things-white and puffy, the blueness of the sky was stunning and the sun just about to set starting streaking the sky with orange colors. I finally decided to head back.
I turned back and looked up ahead and froze in my tracks. What I was looking at from a distance looked like either a Ginormous (is that a word and if so is it spelled that way?) Kangaroo with no head or it was a huge man with a Kangaroo body. I'm talking this thing must have been 8 foot tall at least and heavy in weight, possibly 5 feet around. Without my glasses it was a little unnerving as I wasn't sure what I was looking at, but as I moved to my left I could see his head, as his head blended in with the trees. He just stood there in the middle of my path. Thank goodness it wasn't headless as it looked at first. My first though is "are they dangerous"? I knew I didn't want to get close just in case but how to continue on?
So I started talking to him as I moved closer. He took a few humm.....steps forward, or are they slow hops, not sure, he was bouncing but using all 4 limbs to move forward a few feet. Then stopped. I came a smidge closer and really got to see his beautiful brown colors of his coat and black eyes. I started talking some more and he went a little further off the road, at least I could pass now. He wasn't my first kangaroo I'd seen but that hugest thus far. Then as I got closer he hopped right over a 3 foot fence and right out into the woods. Man oh man, no effort, just hop, talk about humans being no competition for them. Can you just jump standing still 3 foot off the ground and keep going. He was very impressive. I'm sure they are not to impressed by us....I mean really, not physically anyway. We can write and all but they must be all muscle underneath that soft yet wiry coat.
I see Kangaroos all over when I'm in the county, it's pretty impressive and shocking these things actually live. I hear of raindeer too, we'll see.
I saw something two days ago I never heard of walking on the beach. I saw these little plastic filled balloon type things only 2 inches long. I popped a few of them with my shoe, having no clue what they were. I assumed it was something that fell over board from a boat. Later I was told they are blue bottle jelly fish, I'd even touched one with my hands but luckily not the tenticles. I was a little wigged out at I'd been squooshing live things, but they were probably dead anyway, hate thinking of killing something. And they were every where. Now I know why no one was swimming that day, but they were surfing as usual and fishing.
The people here don't seem to get cold, I'll have 3-5 layers on and they have a singlet top on and shorts. I think they have thick skin or something. I'm not sure. Or I'm just adjusting to the tempurature. But luckily I'm over jetlag and culture shock and feeling good. I still ask people "are there banks in this town?" as it's called a town. But I realize now if a train goes to it a bank is there and it is the west. I also got to hear the seranading of sicades again in Windsor and I got to see there burial grounds of shells they leave behind after they shed them. Pretty amazing things. I got to pet a few live ones. One wasn't too happy about it so I didn't pester him too much. But they shed everything but their wings and they only live for something like 24 hours but are in the ground growing for years before-at least that what I was told. Pretty amazing critters.
So my trip is going well thus far. Heading north tomorrow, probably to Port Macquarie, but who knows. I'll decide where in the next hours to come. I went out with Kristi and friends yesterday and really got to see how Ozzies party, pretty amazing. Can't say I could relate but they were pretty simple people and fun in their own right. For me, humm.....it was fun for a day, but not my thing but I could completely appreciate them for who they were and how at ease they were at being them.
I still have great memories of staying up in the hostel in Katoomba, with the fire place blaring heat out of it and everyone reading around it. Just so great. Felt like such a great community of people. Love that place. May have to go back. If you get the chance to stay at the Flying Fox Hostel, it's great!
I loved calling the bus and train station, everyone so nice, and getting them to laugh is so easy. It's truly lovely talking to the Ozzies. So laid back and "no worries".
I'm out of here. Take care and love ya lots, Heather
How are ya? Well I'm back in Sydney now, the mountains were lovely. They made my heart so happy and they hikes were gorgeous! I did my first Wwoofing job-organic farming work. You put in 2-4 hours of work and you get free room and board and the rest of the day is yours.
I have to say this first experience was definately an experience! I get to the place, it's two trailers that have a wooden porch in between them that is missing boards so you have to be careful where you walk as you might fall in! ; ) Fun fun! I was brought into a room where I hadn't a clue if it's where I stayed or not. But found out shortly this is where the owner stays, but it's where everyone fixes food and watches TV and listens to music. No heat, just four walls, the ceiling might blow off if the wind got strong enough.
So I sat down with the other Wwoofers after chatting a while-2 from Switzerland, one from Germany and one from Korea, and we all watched a video. I was starving as I hadn't eaten in hours so they sent me to the fridge to fend for myself and not one vegetable to be found there, YIKES! All meat, eggs, cheese and bread. Well I do eat eggs and cheese and bread I'm not fond of but I'll eat. Put it this way, there was nothing organic here and nothing fresh or good to eat. I finally pulled something together and then the owner came in with tomatoes, so I got my veggies. I fixed enough for everyone and we all relaxed.
Well the owner, Lovell, he can talk a mile a minute. Someone told me that people in this area take wwoofers for company and I realized it was true within a short time. He couldn't handle being alone and he didn't care if you worked or not. Just be there. His father, when I went looking for work, told me I was working by keeping him company. Luckily I got to do some unloading huge amounts of aloe veras and a number of other plants from the truck and helped his other son plant some great small trees in front of his two trailers with his living room outside and covered by a huge plastic tarp. It was clean and nice. I liked hanging with him. He was spiritual, into health, though he didn't eat that way, but he knew how he was to eat anyway. He knew cures of cancers and all kinds of things. I liked him a lot and his girlfriend that came by in the afternoon, she was great too!
I went for a walk one day, now mind you I didn't have my glasses on for distance, I was wandering through that lush green trees and smelling the fresh air, while singing to Barbra Streisand on my Ipod-a new experience as I have never been in nature with my ipod, I love nature sounds, but the music took me further in to the now of nature. My voice raised louder and louder, letting the fragrant surroundings take me away! At some point I just stared at the clouds doing a number of things-white and puffy, the blueness of the sky was stunning and the sun just about to set starting streaking the sky with orange colors. I finally decided to head back.
I turned back and looked up ahead and froze in my tracks. What I was looking at from a distance looked like either a Ginormous (is that a word and if so is it spelled that way?) Kangaroo with no head or it was a huge man with a Kangaroo body. I'm talking this thing must have been 8 foot tall at least and heavy in weight, possibly 5 feet around. Without my glasses it was a little unnerving as I wasn't sure what I was looking at, but as I moved to my left I could see his head, as his head blended in with the trees. He just stood there in the middle of my path. Thank goodness it wasn't headless as it looked at first. My first though is "are they dangerous"? I knew I didn't want to get close just in case but how to continue on?
So I started talking to him as I moved closer. He took a few humm.....steps forward, or are they slow hops, not sure, he was bouncing but using all 4 limbs to move forward a few feet. Then stopped. I came a smidge closer and really got to see his beautiful brown colors of his coat and black eyes. I started talking some more and he went a little further off the road, at least I could pass now. He wasn't my first kangaroo I'd seen but that hugest thus far. Then as I got closer he hopped right over a 3 foot fence and right out into the woods. Man oh man, no effort, just hop, talk about humans being no competition for them. Can you just jump standing still 3 foot off the ground and keep going. He was very impressive. I'm sure they are not to impressed by us....I mean really, not physically anyway. We can write and all but they must be all muscle underneath that soft yet wiry coat.
I see Kangaroos all over when I'm in the county, it's pretty impressive and shocking these things actually live. I hear of raindeer too, we'll see.
I saw something two days ago I never heard of walking on the beach. I saw these little plastic filled balloon type things only 2 inches long. I popped a few of them with my shoe, having no clue what they were. I assumed it was something that fell over board from a boat. Later I was told they are blue bottle jelly fish, I'd even touched one with my hands but luckily not the tenticles. I was a little wigged out at I'd been squooshing live things, but they were probably dead anyway, hate thinking of killing something. And they were every where. Now I know why no one was swimming that day, but they were surfing as usual and fishing.
The people here don't seem to get cold, I'll have 3-5 layers on and they have a singlet top on and shorts. I think they have thick skin or something. I'm not sure. Or I'm just adjusting to the tempurature. But luckily I'm over jetlag and culture shock and feeling good. I still ask people "are there banks in this town?" as it's called a town. But I realize now if a train goes to it a bank is there and it is the west. I also got to hear the seranading of sicades again in Windsor and I got to see there burial grounds of shells they leave behind after they shed them. Pretty amazing things. I got to pet a few live ones. One wasn't too happy about it so I didn't pester him too much. But they shed everything but their wings and they only live for something like 24 hours but are in the ground growing for years before-at least that what I was told. Pretty amazing critters.
So my trip is going well thus far. Heading north tomorrow, probably to Port Macquarie, but who knows. I'll decide where in the next hours to come. I went out with Kristi and friends yesterday and really got to see how Ozzies party, pretty amazing. Can't say I could relate but they were pretty simple people and fun in their own right. For me, humm.....it was fun for a day, but not my thing but I could completely appreciate them for who they were and how at ease they were at being them.
I still have great memories of staying up in the hostel in Katoomba, with the fire place blaring heat out of it and everyone reading around it. Just so great. Felt like such a great community of people. Love that place. May have to go back. If you get the chance to stay at the Flying Fox Hostel, it's great!
I loved calling the bus and train station, everyone so nice, and getting them to laugh is so easy. It's truly lovely talking to the Ozzies. So laid back and "no worries".
I'm out of here. Take care and love ya lots, Heather
Tuesday, November 6, 2007
The Mountains are Good to Me!!!!
Hello there,
How are you? How is life treating you? Well I'm up here in the Blue Mountains, first in Mudgee (love that name) and now in Katoomba! The mountains are great and have been good to me here. Hiking everyday for 3-5 hours through the green carpeted forest up here at over 3,000 feet. It's so incredible how green a place can be. The trees go on forever without seeing any cities or buildings or houses. So stunning!
Even through the rain and fog it's just breath taking here. The air wakes me up as I walk out of hostel and onto the road to go to the trail head. It gets the nose running, the eyes watering and make one wonder "do I really want to do this" but after 20 minutes the blood is pumping and the heart is going and the passion for nature has awakened by the sight of the trees, fresh air and the bright red and blue birds hiding in the trees. So it's all worth it.
I am so in love with being in nature up here. And the people are so friendly, and the hospitality in the cafes are just lovely! They are all so friendly and making sure everyone has what they need. It's great to be around down to earth, caring, mountian people. So much less stress up here. I'm lovin' it. If it weren't so cold I'd consider staying. Yes it's spring here, but it's friggin' cold for my hot blooded body! But I have a feeling I'll be up here again.
I saw these 3 men coming out of the deli today with their dinners in hand in bags, all of them with those large full brimmed hats, jeans and all rough and Auzzie like. I just smiled as I past them, I am in Australia. These people really dress this way up here, it was great to see it live and in person.
Plus I had a great flashback of 2 or 3 years ago wanting to come Echo Point and Three Sisters in the Blue Mountains, and here I am, here, and loving it. Dreams coming true!
And the bonus is really feeling how authentically friendly these people are. I mean, I can talk with them on the street, on trails, in cafes, where ever and they are just so positive, full of laughter, conversation. So many of them seem to walk with a sparkle in their eye and a bounce in their step and just so happy. I went into an antique shop and the guy just talked my ear off about the short history of OZ and how the people are all from Europe, except the tribal people that you hardly see any more. He was just full of words, light and just wanting to share what he knew and he is from England, not from here.
So I could go on but I thought I'd keep this short. I am off to do some farm work, I think tomorrow, so it will be a new experience. I'm excited by it. Plus it's supposed to be sunny down there!
Oh oh, I almost forgot. I went to Kristi's family's house in Mudgee (I think that's the perfect dogs name, Love it) and we made homemade pizzas, OH MY GOODNESS! They were all about 2.5 inches thick, with all kinds of veggies and shrimp on mine, the others had meat and all kinds of things on theirs. YUMMY! Plus then we served up brownies that Kristi and I had made up earlier that day with Cherries and then played Scattagories! So much fun! I love games!
Ok, I am off now. Take care, big hugs to you, Love, Heather
How are you? How is life treating you? Well I'm up here in the Blue Mountains, first in Mudgee (love that name) and now in Katoomba! The mountains are great and have been good to me here. Hiking everyday for 3-5 hours through the green carpeted forest up here at over 3,000 feet. It's so incredible how green a place can be. The trees go on forever without seeing any cities or buildings or houses. So stunning!
Even through the rain and fog it's just breath taking here. The air wakes me up as I walk out of hostel and onto the road to go to the trail head. It gets the nose running, the eyes watering and make one wonder "do I really want to do this" but after 20 minutes the blood is pumping and the heart is going and the passion for nature has awakened by the sight of the trees, fresh air and the bright red and blue birds hiding in the trees. So it's all worth it.
I am so in love with being in nature up here. And the people are so friendly, and the hospitality in the cafes are just lovely! They are all so friendly and making sure everyone has what they need. It's great to be around down to earth, caring, mountian people. So much less stress up here. I'm lovin' it. If it weren't so cold I'd consider staying. Yes it's spring here, but it's friggin' cold for my hot blooded body! But I have a feeling I'll be up here again.
I saw these 3 men coming out of the deli today with their dinners in hand in bags, all of them with those large full brimmed hats, jeans and all rough and Auzzie like. I just smiled as I past them, I am in Australia. These people really dress this way up here, it was great to see it live and in person.
Plus I had a great flashback of 2 or 3 years ago wanting to come Echo Point and Three Sisters in the Blue Mountains, and here I am, here, and loving it. Dreams coming true!
And the bonus is really feeling how authentically friendly these people are. I mean, I can talk with them on the street, on trails, in cafes, where ever and they are just so positive, full of laughter, conversation. So many of them seem to walk with a sparkle in their eye and a bounce in their step and just so happy. I went into an antique shop and the guy just talked my ear off about the short history of OZ and how the people are all from Europe, except the tribal people that you hardly see any more. He was just full of words, light and just wanting to share what he knew and he is from England, not from here.
So I could go on but I thought I'd keep this short. I am off to do some farm work, I think tomorrow, so it will be a new experience. I'm excited by it. Plus it's supposed to be sunny down there!
Oh oh, I almost forgot. I went to Kristi's family's house in Mudgee (I think that's the perfect dogs name, Love it) and we made homemade pizzas, OH MY GOODNESS! They were all about 2.5 inches thick, with all kinds of veggies and shrimp on mine, the others had meat and all kinds of things on theirs. YUMMY! Plus then we served up brownies that Kristi and I had made up earlier that day with Cherries and then played Scattagories! So much fun! I love games!
Ok, I am off now. Take care, big hugs to you, Love, Heather
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
Australia-ABSOLUTELY!!!!
Hello there loves,
How are ya? What's up and new in your world? How is everyone? I keep hearing about the brush fires out there, I hope all is well? I have been in OZ now for 1 week, jetlagged, in culture shock but here. Man oh man it's so different from Asia and so very the same as the US. I'd say Sydney is Los Angeles, San Francisco, Portland,OR and Seattle all mixed together!
The first few days I just wanted to go home, and still have those urges. I miss everyone. But now I get why I crave home, I'm used to working when I'm in western like places. Plus with the dollar plummeting it's more expensive then the US. We need to get that US Dollar back up there!!!! You work on it ok!!! : ) So I'll be finding volunteer work or work soon-actually made my first $25.00 yesterday in doing a haircut at a hostel! It was great to be around that atmosphere!
At present I am staying in North Sydney in Dee Why-kind of sounds like Dee Way but it's the accent, it is Dee Why. I am at Kristi's and Beenies place and it's lovely, so gorgeous, decorated in things they have collected on their world journeys, just stunning. Beenie, my friend isn't here but Kristi has been lovely to be with and around, intruding me to her friends and taking me to BBQ's and tonight we will be having a girls night in of food and possibly massages! She has been great!
She and I are off to the Blue Mountains this weekend to get away, get some rest from the city craziness-which I find it's beautiful but not for me. I really get I am so not a city person. We will be going up to her family's home and then hike in the Blue Mountains. I'll get to meet some more of her family up there this weekend which will be nice.
I have to say it will be interesting how I'll fit in to everything here in the way that they love to drink and smoke here and if they are doing it they love to talk about it or they talk about it as they do it. And I don't do either so it will be a great witnessing sport!
Ozzies are so friendly! You are never really alone, if you reach out and talk to someone they talk back, every once in a while surprised but so open to chatting and telling you anything and everything, it's so lovely! And sometimes they start the conversation which is so beautiful! I've hiked to the next beach over, met some terrific people on the way over, got caught in a bit of a rain storm on the way back but not too bad.
Oh the weather, I thought I was coming to Sunny Sydney where it would be warm, well just think of San Francisco for weather here, sometimes gorgeous but other times freezing. My first two days I couldn't get warm. But we've had some stunning days of blue skies and lovely beach weather to go walking in! The beaches are stunning.
Say on another note there are elections going on here and since everyone is talking about them and the TV is non stop talking about the US, I was wondering does anyone know for sure is Hillary Clinton running next year or not? I haven't heard for sure and everyone out here seems to be pro Hillary, which I think is great! What a lovely idea, perfect timing to get Bush out, if he doesn't try any tricks, we'll see AND finally have a woman in office! I'd vote for her!
So I got to the city and after wandering around the Harbour with all the boats and all I got to the Opera house at sunset. What a stunning sight! Something I've wanted to see for years. It's like two things happen, I fell in love with her and I could see her for what she was, just a structure. But what a fabulous structure, and after about 25-35 photos of her, walking across the bridge and just taking in her gorgeous archetecture I got home at night. The city lights were grand and the harbour with all the boats, lights, buildings, all of it just breath takingly beautiful!
I'm adjusting to all the accents, all a little different yet all Ozzie. Then all the shortening of words, they don't seem to like words that are long or if they can shorten them they do. It's funny but not to easy for the new comer.
I was talking to Rob from home the other day and had a great memory of India that I just had to share. I remembered watching the cows walking around and seeing their tails go back and forth and I got that they use their tails as shit wipers, to spread the crap from one side to the other side of their butts, as they also hit you with them as well. I laughed so hard remembering that.
Anyway, soon I'll be looking for some work either in hair or wwoofing-organic farming, I volunteer my time on the farm for free room and board! I'd love to work in the gardens and with cows. I miss my cows. I want to milk a cow! YES that would be fun! Maybe also find some work in a hostel up north and get some hiking in.
I've been really getting in touch with why I am here. I just wonder sometimes why I am where I am at this place or that place. Especially when I'm craving to be creative-painting, singing, dancing, ceramics, and batiking. I think I'll be buying a song book soon to learn some new songs, I am craving to sing, hopefully in front of people one day. I'm really getting in touch with what I want to do with my life more and more on this trip. So I'm happy abut this. But as far as being here I know I'm here to hike, to get to know the people, to see if one day I'd want to live here, create a retreat center, teach movement, see if I can do anything with singing or dance, etc. I'll see what the Universe has in store.
One great thing that maybe coming through is there is a book I started writing last year and wanted to continue it here in OZ with Beenie. I just had a woman in LA email me interested in possibly making this dream a reality of making it a movie, as that is how I've always seen it, I'll see what happens. I'd be thrilled to see this happen.
Ok, that is all for now. I send you all hugs, let your hearts fly high! Listen and it will tell you what you need to do next. Much love, Heather
PS. Oh, the OZZIES love the word Absolutely! It's great and such a lovely positive word, just like them.
How are ya? What's up and new in your world? How is everyone? I keep hearing about the brush fires out there, I hope all is well? I have been in OZ now for 1 week, jetlagged, in culture shock but here. Man oh man it's so different from Asia and so very the same as the US. I'd say Sydney is Los Angeles, San Francisco, Portland,OR and Seattle all mixed together!
The first few days I just wanted to go home, and still have those urges. I miss everyone. But now I get why I crave home, I'm used to working when I'm in western like places. Plus with the dollar plummeting it's more expensive then the US. We need to get that US Dollar back up there!!!! You work on it ok!!! : ) So I'll be finding volunteer work or work soon-actually made my first $25.00 yesterday in doing a haircut at a hostel! It was great to be around that atmosphere!
At present I am staying in North Sydney in Dee Why-kind of sounds like Dee Way but it's the accent, it is Dee Why. I am at Kristi's and Beenies place and it's lovely, so gorgeous, decorated in things they have collected on their world journeys, just stunning. Beenie, my friend isn't here but Kristi has been lovely to be with and around, intruding me to her friends and taking me to BBQ's and tonight we will be having a girls night in of food and possibly massages! She has been great!
She and I are off to the Blue Mountains this weekend to get away, get some rest from the city craziness-which I find it's beautiful but not for me. I really get I am so not a city person. We will be going up to her family's home and then hike in the Blue Mountains. I'll get to meet some more of her family up there this weekend which will be nice.
I have to say it will be interesting how I'll fit in to everything here in the way that they love to drink and smoke here and if they are doing it they love to talk about it or they talk about it as they do it. And I don't do either so it will be a great witnessing sport!
Ozzies are so friendly! You are never really alone, if you reach out and talk to someone they talk back, every once in a while surprised but so open to chatting and telling you anything and everything, it's so lovely! And sometimes they start the conversation which is so beautiful! I've hiked to the next beach over, met some terrific people on the way over, got caught in a bit of a rain storm on the way back but not too bad.
Oh the weather, I thought I was coming to Sunny Sydney where it would be warm, well just think of San Francisco for weather here, sometimes gorgeous but other times freezing. My first two days I couldn't get warm. But we've had some stunning days of blue skies and lovely beach weather to go walking in! The beaches are stunning.
Say on another note there are elections going on here and since everyone is talking about them and the TV is non stop talking about the US, I was wondering does anyone know for sure is Hillary Clinton running next year or not? I haven't heard for sure and everyone out here seems to be pro Hillary, which I think is great! What a lovely idea, perfect timing to get Bush out, if he doesn't try any tricks, we'll see AND finally have a woman in office! I'd vote for her!
So I got to the city and after wandering around the Harbour with all the boats and all I got to the Opera house at sunset. What a stunning sight! Something I've wanted to see for years. It's like two things happen, I fell in love with her and I could see her for what she was, just a structure. But what a fabulous structure, and after about 25-35 photos of her, walking across the bridge and just taking in her gorgeous archetecture I got home at night. The city lights were grand and the harbour with all the boats, lights, buildings, all of it just breath takingly beautiful!
I'm adjusting to all the accents, all a little different yet all Ozzie. Then all the shortening of words, they don't seem to like words that are long or if they can shorten them they do. It's funny but not to easy for the new comer.
I was talking to Rob from home the other day and had a great memory of India that I just had to share. I remembered watching the cows walking around and seeing their tails go back and forth and I got that they use their tails as shit wipers, to spread the crap from one side to the other side of their butts, as they also hit you with them as well. I laughed so hard remembering that.
Anyway, soon I'll be looking for some work either in hair or wwoofing-organic farming, I volunteer my time on the farm for free room and board! I'd love to work in the gardens and with cows. I miss my cows. I want to milk a cow! YES that would be fun! Maybe also find some work in a hostel up north and get some hiking in.
I've been really getting in touch with why I am here. I just wonder sometimes why I am where I am at this place or that place. Especially when I'm craving to be creative-painting, singing, dancing, ceramics, and batiking. I think I'll be buying a song book soon to learn some new songs, I am craving to sing, hopefully in front of people one day. I'm really getting in touch with what I want to do with my life more and more on this trip. So I'm happy abut this. But as far as being here I know I'm here to hike, to get to know the people, to see if one day I'd want to live here, create a retreat center, teach movement, see if I can do anything with singing or dance, etc. I'll see what the Universe has in store.
One great thing that maybe coming through is there is a book I started writing last year and wanted to continue it here in OZ with Beenie. I just had a woman in LA email me interested in possibly making this dream a reality of making it a movie, as that is how I've always seen it, I'll see what happens. I'd be thrilled to see this happen.
Ok, that is all for now. I send you all hugs, let your hearts fly high! Listen and it will tell you what you need to do next. Much love, Heather
PS. Oh, the OZZIES love the word Absolutely! It's great and such a lovely positive word, just like them.
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
Last letter from Asia for Now!
Hello loves,
Well my last days here in Thailand has been incredible, all the wonderful food, smiles and loving way I watched a few people prepare my food with so much love I could taste it!!!!
I love watching the way the Thai people are, so soft, passive and non violent. Even in the way they drive, no horns unless really needed. If someone stops to get some food and double parks, no need for horns, just wait or move around. No yelling, screaming, anger, nothing, just a fact. What a great way to live, very Buddhist if you ask me. LA could take some lessons. I just love watching them.
I met a guy in a shop the other night that just let me watch him batik, he was so amazing. I wouldn't mind studying with him. Well especially his teacher, but he died in a motorbike accident. But his teacher did things I've never seen done with batik. But watching this guy the other night I was just mesmorized by him, the way he did his work and fixed it with such easea and so quick. I love batiking. The creative bug really wants to come out more and more.
I noticed the other day that the pack of cigarettes here actually have something interesting on them. I can't imagine this in the west but since I don't smoke I don't know. They actually have photos have bad lungs, organs, lips with holes in them and all kinds of not so fun things that happen to ya when you smoke. And then the photos of the parents smoking around kids too. I guess they are cracking down.
So I'm getting on the airport shuttle in an hour for the airport. It's raining so I'm in here with you. Not knowing when I'll get to write again. I really love sharing with you. I really got in touch with why I was so sad over losing the photos, besides the physical memories, was because I am not able to share them with you. I just love sharing. I really wanted to send them too you, but instead you have my descriptions. Plus if I ever do make a book on this, who knows how they could have helped. Yes, I said book!!!! Fun fun, one of these days I will get a book out and actually it's in my chart that I will publish a book, and easily it says. Don't know how that reads out but that's what they say!
Ok, well I'm off for now. I miss you a ton and love you lots. I send you huge hugs!
Oh I'll leave you with this, a yoga teacher said it once, "Freedom is not doing everything you want, but being in control of your mind to do what you need" Something like that. I really like that quotes, keeps everything balanced some how.
Ok, love to you, Heather
Well my last days here in Thailand has been incredible, all the wonderful food, smiles and loving way I watched a few people prepare my food with so much love I could taste it!!!!
I love watching the way the Thai people are, so soft, passive and non violent. Even in the way they drive, no horns unless really needed. If someone stops to get some food and double parks, no need for horns, just wait or move around. No yelling, screaming, anger, nothing, just a fact. What a great way to live, very Buddhist if you ask me. LA could take some lessons. I just love watching them.
I met a guy in a shop the other night that just let me watch him batik, he was so amazing. I wouldn't mind studying with him. Well especially his teacher, but he died in a motorbike accident. But his teacher did things I've never seen done with batik. But watching this guy the other night I was just mesmorized by him, the way he did his work and fixed it with such easea and so quick. I love batiking. The creative bug really wants to come out more and more.
I noticed the other day that the pack of cigarettes here actually have something interesting on them. I can't imagine this in the west but since I don't smoke I don't know. They actually have photos have bad lungs, organs, lips with holes in them and all kinds of not so fun things that happen to ya when you smoke. And then the photos of the parents smoking around kids too. I guess they are cracking down.
So I'm getting on the airport shuttle in an hour for the airport. It's raining so I'm in here with you. Not knowing when I'll get to write again. I really love sharing with you. I really got in touch with why I was so sad over losing the photos, besides the physical memories, was because I am not able to share them with you. I just love sharing. I really wanted to send them too you, but instead you have my descriptions. Plus if I ever do make a book on this, who knows how they could have helped. Yes, I said book!!!! Fun fun, one of these days I will get a book out and actually it's in my chart that I will publish a book, and easily it says. Don't know how that reads out but that's what they say!
Ok, well I'm off for now. I miss you a ton and love you lots. I send you huge hugs!
Oh I'll leave you with this, a yoga teacher said it once, "Freedom is not doing everything you want, but being in control of your mind to do what you need" Something like that. I really like that quotes, keeps everything balanced some how.
Ok, love to you, Heather
...For Heather
This is a gorgeous poem from a friend that I will keep annonomous for now, you know who you are my love! Thank you, you took my breath away. She wrote this back in May for me and I'm finally posting it. Much love, Heather
There are women who never meet...who have the same dream of distance,
the
same language running parallel with the same speed which does not
change...they circle the earth raised by distance into the sky and pass
each
other, touching everything, as if it was simple geography or patterned
roads
moving slowly from their eyes to their hands....they lay awake at night
speaking to ghost stars and gaining wisdom from coral locomotives with
lions
feet....windows with a million and one homes to miss... having violet
avenues running like doves in their veins a merging of voices in a
procession dour with tambourines...and this procession, this merging of
voices with their little pink hearts un-caged, enter softly, our
doorways
like paper doves...and these woman...THIS woman that I know...she comes
beautiful, to me, in the moments between work and life...where all her
victories swallow red ribbons and kiss each other to death and dress in
white against her good heart... the shape of ivory hidden beneath a red
star... though right now, I imagine, she is sleeping.... somewhere on
the
shores of a land with invisible winters she is sleeping..... tomorrow's
sun
hanging it's lips just about a mile above "Grand Central
Station"...where
she will wake...and follow the clumsy grey fingers of geography until
she is
home... and I wonder if she is somewhere catching tigers in red
weather,
where a loud pulse of feet and hands fill the streets...I wonder if her
movements are still drinking fame through a camera like jealous
stars...I
wonder if she knows her little hands are missed
...you know....I still hold her, here, like a flower... just in case
she
didn't know....
There are women who never meet...who have the same dream of distance,
the
same language running parallel with the same speed which does not
change...they circle the earth raised by distance into the sky and pass
each
other, touching everything, as if it was simple geography or patterned
roads
moving slowly from their eyes to their hands....they lay awake at night
speaking to ghost stars and gaining wisdom from coral locomotives with
lions
feet....windows with a million and one homes to miss... having violet
avenues running like doves in their veins a merging of voices in a
procession dour with tambourines...and this procession, this merging of
voices with their little pink hearts un-caged, enter softly, our
doorways
like paper doves...and these woman...THIS woman that I know...she comes
beautiful, to me, in the moments between work and life...where all her
victories swallow red ribbons and kiss each other to death and dress in
white against her good heart... the shape of ivory hidden beneath a red
star... though right now, I imagine, she is sleeping.... somewhere on
the
shores of a land with invisible winters she is sleeping..... tomorrow's
sun
hanging it's lips just about a mile above "Grand Central
Station"...where
she will wake...and follow the clumsy grey fingers of geography until
she is
home... and I wonder if she is somewhere catching tigers in red
weather,
where a loud pulse of feet and hands fill the streets...I wonder if her
movements are still drinking fame through a camera like jealous
stars...I
wonder if she knows her little hands are missed
...you know....I still hold her, here, like a flower... just in case
she
didn't know....
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
Counting down now for OZ!!!!
Hello my sweet Beloved Ones,
Wow, Thailand has been a beautiful recovery place from the third world of India. But honestly I miss India a ton. I love the dirt, the craziness of it all. I mostly miss Rishekesh, the people I met there, my great yoga teacher there, CHAI, the river and chanting on it and my chai place as well as my samosa place. It's a special place India. As nice as it is to have a clean toilet here, India is in my blood and will never leave. It's a passion inside of me. I look forward to my next trip there.
Yet I'm thrilled to be going to OZ, man oh man, a dream come true. It's coming true. Only 1.5 days left and I'll be on Australian soil. I'll be being picked up by my friends fiance, as he was wisked off to England for a family illness for 5 weeks, but I'll see him later. It gives me and his fiance a chance to get to know each other. So sweet to still be able to stay with her! What I'm actually surprisingly excited about is to get a job-doing hair or in a hostel, how fun to do some work and to play. It's a good way to get to know people as well.
But on the now point, I have met with so many authentic smiles here in Thailand this time. I think my attitude has calmed and changed as I am loving the people this time around and getting their hearts again. Pretty amazing how change your mind and everyone seems different.
I left Bangkok for Ko Phangan, well to say the least, I really missed Bangkok, I love that city. As much as I love the ocean, Ko Phangan is crazy now, even in wild and wet season. Everything turned moldy within 2 days and I think I was soggy inside and out. My bones were cold. So 4 days was one day too much, but thankfully I'm here in dryer and definately warmer Phuket where I am grateful to be. I am eating at the local eateries with all Thai people for less then a dollar for a meal, catching up on a million emails I've some how lost track of, trying to find a good dentist here to get a cleaning and just getting ready for my next leg of my journey.
Yesterday was a crazy day, my 7 hour travel day with a 2 hour break to go to the dentist didn't quite happen as planned. I got the boat at 7am and then bus to Surat Thani, was supposed to leave at 11:00am for Phuket or go to the Dentist and go on the 2pm bus. It was pouring so I chose to do the dentistry in Phuket. Well the very slow, 60 year old primping bus driver was 1 1/2 hours late picking us up, looking in the mirror making sure his hair was good or running his fingers through it, stopping one other place for no reason and then taking off-in which I had plenty of time to go to the dentist, oh well. Well on the way he picked up fish for his family, went shopping, dropped his stuff off at his family and then refused to drop us any where but some where in the middle of where we didn't know where we were and wouldn't tell us! I love traveling I do, it just cracks me up. My western mind was just a little baffled by all the things he did for himself along the way, making it a 12 hour jouney instead. I was wiped out!
But I'm happy to be here, in a great little place with a real mattress and a working fan that has high medium and low and a sink and a wooden couch! Very nice for $6.00 a night. Better enjoy this now, OZ won't be so cheap. A little scary going west now, yikes! No cows in the streets-which I miss terribly! No monkies to come bug me or eat from my hands. Yet lots of things that can kill ya-box jelly fish and sharks and spiders that look like they are steel. But mostly these are rare or only in seasons.
On top of being thrilled about being thrilled about OZ, Rob, from home, and I are planning our trip for NZ as well for Dec-January and I'm just so excited to be there in nature as well. We will go to a B&B first which the photos are incredible. If you know of any great places around Christchurch let me know as that's where we will be flying into.
I am loving being here having chocolate milk-yikes! My Thailand addiction. Mango Sticky rice and now I've gone off soymilk, it makes me spit up. Not that you needed to know that but it's the truth!
Oh, my in the skin dirty feet from India are gone. The beach cleaned them and my toe nails are actually white for the first time in 6 months. It's so nice to see the actual color of my feet, so nice. I love sand and beach water!
Ok I can go on and on, you know me. But I'm doing great, life is thrilling and always changing. So tomorrow at 10pm I'll be off to Sydney, for now I'm just enjoying this town of Phuket-it's "Poo ket", not "fuck it" by the way.
Oh I did go shopping for jeans but honestly I couldn't quite fit in them properly as Thai women as gorgeous as they are don't have legs so if I didn't mind sitting I looked great in them. But since I have muscle on my legs I just couldn't get them. So I'll have to wait. But it was a great shopping experience!
I have to say the book I was reading of Osho's was talking about misery and happiness and how people don't tend to like happy people, they don't support others happiness. I found this sad, yet I have experience it as well. It's pretty crazy, us humans. And then there is the flip side, I was talking to a friend about tears and anger, how as children we are told not to cry, not to be angry and then as adults we don't know how to express these emotions so we are repressed or just fake we are ok. How do you express your feelings? For me I have always hated crying but in the last year I'm embracing it more. Thankfully as I cry all the time-well at least weekly anyway, at least it gets expressed, happy, sad, angry tears, all human.
This morning I got angry as I couldn't find my list of things to do, here I do this to save time and now it's disappeared. Well I got upset and remarkably enough within moments I was calm, felt relieved and happy. What was odd was if anyone was around I would have felt embarrassed, anger is not an ok emotions was the message inside me again-how odd, so human. Why not? Many gurus say anger is a great emotion to heal, to make things happen, to know what you want or don't want. But some how we have been told it's wrong and so is happiness. Don't be to happy as you will make others uncomfortable. The message from others is:"Don't cry as you will make me uncomfortable as I don't know what to do to make it go away or heal it so just stop it so I'm comfortable." Humans are crazy, why can't we just accept our unhappiness when it arises and embrace our happiness when it comes up and all others emotions as well? Fear I think it is, fear of being out of control of ourselves and others and of how we'll be seen.
I think I scare people with all my emotions and truths of what I'm feeling, but that's ok. As the people that stay around are great people that accept me and we can handle each others emotions! At least I have found balance in it over the years with the tears and all! It's all good learnin', as I like to say! Ok Big Squeezes!
Keep your heart open, keep dancing and listen to your soul! I am thinkin' of ya!
I'd love to hear from you! Ok I'm off, love and hugs to you, Heather
Wow, Thailand has been a beautiful recovery place from the third world of India. But honestly I miss India a ton. I love the dirt, the craziness of it all. I mostly miss Rishekesh, the people I met there, my great yoga teacher there, CHAI, the river and chanting on it and my chai place as well as my samosa place. It's a special place India. As nice as it is to have a clean toilet here, India is in my blood and will never leave. It's a passion inside of me. I look forward to my next trip there.
Yet I'm thrilled to be going to OZ, man oh man, a dream come true. It's coming true. Only 1.5 days left and I'll be on Australian soil. I'll be being picked up by my friends fiance, as he was wisked off to England for a family illness for 5 weeks, but I'll see him later. It gives me and his fiance a chance to get to know each other. So sweet to still be able to stay with her! What I'm actually surprisingly excited about is to get a job-doing hair or in a hostel, how fun to do some work and to play. It's a good way to get to know people as well.
But on the now point, I have met with so many authentic smiles here in Thailand this time. I think my attitude has calmed and changed as I am loving the people this time around and getting their hearts again. Pretty amazing how change your mind and everyone seems different.
I left Bangkok for Ko Phangan, well to say the least, I really missed Bangkok, I love that city. As much as I love the ocean, Ko Phangan is crazy now, even in wild and wet season. Everything turned moldy within 2 days and I think I was soggy inside and out. My bones were cold. So 4 days was one day too much, but thankfully I'm here in dryer and definately warmer Phuket where I am grateful to be. I am eating at the local eateries with all Thai people for less then a dollar for a meal, catching up on a million emails I've some how lost track of, trying to find a good dentist here to get a cleaning and just getting ready for my next leg of my journey.
Yesterday was a crazy day, my 7 hour travel day with a 2 hour break to go to the dentist didn't quite happen as planned. I got the boat at 7am and then bus to Surat Thani, was supposed to leave at 11:00am for Phuket or go to the Dentist and go on the 2pm bus. It was pouring so I chose to do the dentistry in Phuket. Well the very slow, 60 year old primping bus driver was 1 1/2 hours late picking us up, looking in the mirror making sure his hair was good or running his fingers through it, stopping one other place for no reason and then taking off-in which I had plenty of time to go to the dentist, oh well. Well on the way he picked up fish for his family, went shopping, dropped his stuff off at his family and then refused to drop us any where but some where in the middle of where we didn't know where we were and wouldn't tell us! I love traveling I do, it just cracks me up. My western mind was just a little baffled by all the things he did for himself along the way, making it a 12 hour jouney instead. I was wiped out!
But I'm happy to be here, in a great little place with a real mattress and a working fan that has high medium and low and a sink and a wooden couch! Very nice for $6.00 a night. Better enjoy this now, OZ won't be so cheap. A little scary going west now, yikes! No cows in the streets-which I miss terribly! No monkies to come bug me or eat from my hands. Yet lots of things that can kill ya-box jelly fish and sharks and spiders that look like they are steel. But mostly these are rare or only in seasons.
On top of being thrilled about being thrilled about OZ, Rob, from home, and I are planning our trip for NZ as well for Dec-January and I'm just so excited to be there in nature as well. We will go to a B&B first which the photos are incredible. If you know of any great places around Christchurch let me know as that's where we will be flying into.
I am loving being here having chocolate milk-yikes! My Thailand addiction. Mango Sticky rice and now I've gone off soymilk, it makes me spit up. Not that you needed to know that but it's the truth!
Oh, my in the skin dirty feet from India are gone. The beach cleaned them and my toe nails are actually white for the first time in 6 months. It's so nice to see the actual color of my feet, so nice. I love sand and beach water!
Ok I can go on and on, you know me. But I'm doing great, life is thrilling and always changing. So tomorrow at 10pm I'll be off to Sydney, for now I'm just enjoying this town of Phuket-it's "Poo ket", not "fuck it" by the way.
Oh I did go shopping for jeans but honestly I couldn't quite fit in them properly as Thai women as gorgeous as they are don't have legs so if I didn't mind sitting I looked great in them. But since I have muscle on my legs I just couldn't get them. So I'll have to wait. But it was a great shopping experience!
I have to say the book I was reading of Osho's was talking about misery and happiness and how people don't tend to like happy people, they don't support others happiness. I found this sad, yet I have experience it as well. It's pretty crazy, us humans. And then there is the flip side, I was talking to a friend about tears and anger, how as children we are told not to cry, not to be angry and then as adults we don't know how to express these emotions so we are repressed or just fake we are ok. How do you express your feelings? For me I have always hated crying but in the last year I'm embracing it more. Thankfully as I cry all the time-well at least weekly anyway, at least it gets expressed, happy, sad, angry tears, all human.
This morning I got angry as I couldn't find my list of things to do, here I do this to save time and now it's disappeared. Well I got upset and remarkably enough within moments I was calm, felt relieved and happy. What was odd was if anyone was around I would have felt embarrassed, anger is not an ok emotions was the message inside me again-how odd, so human. Why not? Many gurus say anger is a great emotion to heal, to make things happen, to know what you want or don't want. But some how we have been told it's wrong and so is happiness. Don't be to happy as you will make others uncomfortable. The message from others is:"Don't cry as you will make me uncomfortable as I don't know what to do to make it go away or heal it so just stop it so I'm comfortable." Humans are crazy, why can't we just accept our unhappiness when it arises and embrace our happiness when it comes up and all others emotions as well? Fear I think it is, fear of being out of control of ourselves and others and of how we'll be seen.
I think I scare people with all my emotions and truths of what I'm feeling, but that's ok. As the people that stay around are great people that accept me and we can handle each others emotions! At least I have found balance in it over the years with the tears and all! It's all good learnin', as I like to say! Ok Big Squeezes!
Keep your heart open, keep dancing and listen to your soul! I am thinkin' of ya!
I'd love to hear from you! Ok I'm off, love and hugs to you, Heather
Monday, October 15, 2007
Left India with a Bang! What a Train Ride!
Hello there Loves,
Wow Wow Wow, India, a great memory, yet happy to be in Bangkok! My last week in Rishekesh was heaven, getting up and scraping my tongue, cleaning my eyes with an eye cup, cleaning my nose with a neti pot, then with my finger cleaning my teeth with Ganga Salt for getting all the bacteria out-This was my start of my day every day. If I stayed longer in the Yoga course I'd be vomiting by now and maybe even swallowing gauze and eventually doing enemas, who knows, my morning process was already a half hour as it was.
Then there is grabbing my steel cup and heading for chai of all milk with my favorite family and to the beach to chant. This last day was the greatest, I filmed myself chanting and did a whole film of the surrounding mountains with silence and song in the back ground. As well as watching the horses getting loaded up with sand and rocks and stumbling off to carry it to some house they are building. It was a great last morning. I chatted with a beautiful friend from Japan at the Ganga, then off to say good bye to a friend leaving that morning, so nice to get one last hug, as who knows how long it will be for my next hug.
The great thing about staying in a place for weeks at a time is I can start hugging everyone and that's the best!!!! So I did my last things and got on the train at 10:15pm. I slept great on the train the first night!
Have you ever been on a train, stood at the door way, closed your eyes, a voice comes in and says "be the wind", I felt the wind all around me, brushing around me, my hair moving, but becoming the wind, I didn't become. I realized the wind went around me, it didn't go through me, it touched me, but it didn't really feel like it touched me. It was as if it stayed close enough to change my feathers, my hair, my skin, but didn't touch me really. I felt as if I was flying, I was a bird flying, flying high, the wind all around me, carrying me but not really touching me as it stayed a few inches away just holding me. I got caught up in it, feeling it, becoming total with being up in the sky, I could feel the clouds, see the sky all around me and feel the ebb and flow of the wind whipping around me, changing my directions, pushing and pulling, taking me up and down. It was heaven to be there.
I open my eyes to find I'm on a train, there are Indians watching me, who knows if they could feel what I felt but man oh man it felt great. I think I was vibrating. Later I put my Ipod on to listen to some Amae-if you don't have her music you have to get it, she is the most uplifting person I know to get cha out of a bad mood or in an even greater mood, powerful music and I love to sing to her. Well here I was busting out singing to her on the train, which I normally don't do, but something told me to do it. I got a little attention but mostly smiles and approval, which was a sweet. I love it.
I then walked to the door and was listening to some other dance music, singing at the door way, putting my whole body out of the train but my feet and my hands holding the rails and my stomach out to the world, I look out at the landscape of greenery, farm lands, looked up at the sky, saw the shanti shacks the people lived in a they would wave at me as I went by. I'd wave back. It felt so great to be welcomed so lovingly and briefly. I felt like a kid again, playing on the train, waving at strangers, dancing a little gig at the doorway of the train. I just can't stand still with music.
Well I stood there for a long time, at least an hour and then when I went to another door way a man asked for me to dance. I was not sure what to do, the whole thing of dancing on demand, especially since I hadn't really danced, I was more like bebopping around, not REALLY dancing, but they didn't know that. I wiggled my way out of it.
I talked to a man that had fallen in love with a woman but the parents didn't approve as he is Muslim and her Hindu, so sad. It's hard to fall in love and then to have to split because of such reasons.
Well the dancing thing came back to me though, another group of men asked me to dance. I said "you notch" (you dance) one man got up and shook his hips so I did the same and another said "no music". I got my speakers out and he danced for a second. So finally I danced for only 2 minutes for them at their request of western music-Prince was the thing that came up so there I was half the train watching and I danced for them but tried to pull them into the dance but they weren't having it. It was great fun! New experiences left and right in India.
That night was another first experience, I ordered dinner and never got it, very strange. My neighbors I think they thought they were alone in the compartment as they just turned off the lights as I was reading and then woke up at 4:30 or 5am and started talking, turned on the lights and all kinds of craziness!!!! ; ) India, oh India.
And then there was one last lesson India had to give me while I was there, not a very nice one and I feel very stupid because of it. You know how you have these feelings something is going to happen yet you don't know how to stop it or you just don't do anything about it. Well that is what was going on with me. I kept saying "this is the most dangerous part of India make sure your bag is locked up. You have your one bag locked up secure but the one with the most valuable things isn't locked up properly, you should do something about this. It might get taken...." Well all my life of travel I've always locked up my things safely, I've always done everything very safely in travel.
Well I didn't listen to myself and though my bag was locked up it was locked to something that could be cut. It was the last 30-40 minutes of the day and a half train trip. I got my tooth brush out, I brushed my teeth, I went to the toilet, sat down. Something told me get my bag down, I climbed up, did you ever have the feeling like you were looking at something and it wasn't real? I had this feeling before, when my car was stolen, I walked out 18 years ago to my car, walked back inside the house, walked back out to where my car was expecting it would be there, but some how it just wasn't. Well same thing happened, I went up the ladder, came back down, went back up and it was gone, my bag was gone. YIKES!!!
Heart raced, it's gone, it's gone. I knew it, it was gone, it was going to happen.....What to do, acceptance, let it go...heart racing, both Ipods, all the recordings, 3 months of photos, my camera, diary, speakers, prescription glasses and so much more....I felt my belly, yes I had my passport, yes I had my money. That's what's important, I have my documents, I can still leave, no hassles. Now what to do...I looked up and down the train, I let go...it's gone, it's ok.
Then I remembered 2 little girls distracting me at 2 stops back and remembered my friend telling me how quick the kids are at getting things and they do it invisibly, right in front of your face and you don't know.
I was good, well until I ran into the police on the train and then they made a mess of everything. I had to say things over and over again, they weren't listening, it got messy with telling the story and wish I hadn't, as you shouldn't have had to relive this so many times. It made it painful after a bit.
I got to Calcutta and made a report, I won't even tell you how much a crazy mess that was. But I did it and finally left in shock, not sure to be happy to be relieved of the weight and burden of protecting all those electronics or to cry as the loss of photos.
So I have felt both, I'm sad about the photos. But honestly the greatest thing is I ended up in Calcutta, where I could replace a few little things for dirt cheap-like my steel cup I love so much-I know I don't need it, but I love it and I used it quite a bit for all the cleansing stuff and well in India for chai.
I met some great women in the dorm room and that felt good. Calcutta is a city of a million photos and with no camera that was hard, but it was beautiful really to be there. My last day was up and down, mostly good, found what I needed. But the best was I was flying out the next day and my last morning there I just wandered the streets and found a little place that this man said "what do you want" I took it as an invite and sat down for a chai in my cup-divirginizing it. It had to have chai in it before I left India, it just had to!!! And it was a good chai, not as good as Manju's my mamma friend in Rishekesh but it was good. I bought some samosas for the plane ride and walked on.
I found a man cutting hair on the street. Being the hair stylist I am I dropped into deep fascination of how he was cutting the hair and was hypnotized by it all! I was taken in. I loved watching how close he could get with such crazy huge ass scissors, clink clink clink, opening and closing. Then with a straight razor he cleaned up the mans neck and around his ears and then proceeded to shave him with a straight razor. I had to laugh as the Indian men can be so rough with each other, positioning his head here and there and then back there and again there, as the man had moved. It was fascinating to watch the man go around with the shaving cream around his lips with his hands first, so intimate and then with the brush for the the foaming and man the foam that came from it and then he shaved him twice. So clean, simple (looking) and quick, only 30 minutes, all for the great price of 30rs which is less then a dollar.
I bowed in nameste and walked off to see all the street venders open, get and fresh squeezed orange juice and then head back passing the homeless sleeping on the street. Meaning these people had beds on the streets-matresses and frames and sleeping on them. Going in one direction one man was on the matress, coming back it seems to me there was a different man, but I'm not sure on that.
I was heading back to my chai place I had had chai earlier, why there, because he was nice, he had kind eyes and felt like he really cared and said "come back some time" and since I said I would, I did. He didn't really speak english either but he knew those kind words. So I came back, order puri with sambar or sabji-not sure, but all I knew was it was the best puri and sabji I had in ages!!!! He made the puri different from anyone else, a little lighter, yet thicker and less grease, the taste of the sabji was heaven, not too spicy either. With my right hand I ate my last street meal in India. The chai was even better this time. Everyone stared at my steel mug. One as I walked down the street even said "that your mug" and I proudly said "yes", so happy to have one back!!!!
So my cup got devirgindized twice and I had a great meal, watched a great haircut and shave, and watched Calcutta, my favorite big city in India, wake up. I got tons of Hellos and such gorgeous greetings as I walked to and from my hotel. I met the guy I was taking the cab with and off to the airport we went through the thick exhaust that you can cut with a knife, if you can find your knife, no just joking!!! It's not that bad, but I did have to roll up my window as it was palpable and making me a little dry and nauseous. A sign of being ready to go I guess.
I was at the airport, tiny airport really and everything went quickly at first, the people with Jet Airways were so sweet. We got to the place where they scan you and your bag and well, I guess I didn't lose both of my swiss army knives as one was still in my belly pack. And since it was a beautiful gift I couldn't just let them take it. They let me go back down stairs, Jet Airways found my bag, let me put it in my bag and then told me I had to go get it scanned again. YIKES! I was a bit nervous about boarding. But there was no problem, I scanned it, handed it to them and got up stairs in time for a chai 4 times the price of a normal chai and 10 times the price of a chai in Calcutta, crazy! Yet chai in Calcutte is only 2rs.
During the flight I had this great feeling of relief, I realized for the first time I was really happy to be leaving India. I was happy, giggly and excited for this next leg of my trip.
Now in Thailand, I feel so at ease. Firstly you can get everything done in a timely matter, the airport was a real airport with A/C and clean floors. It's all so clean and the big thing-I'd say to my new friend from the plane "listen" he said, it's so quiet. Yes it's so quiet. I didn't realize how loud India had been, all the horns every 5 seconds. Thailand is so quiet, even in the loud areas. We heard one loud horn the whole first day. I got to show him around the city as he only had that night here as he was leaving the next morning. He got a camera and books, etc all in the matter of 2 hours. It was great.
The next day I proceeded, after some thought, to start replacing the things I had stolen, not realizing how much there was but the biggest thing was how replaceable everything was. That was amazing! I almost didn't replace things but I chose to. I got everything basically back within one day except my Ipods. But even with that, one of my friends is giving me his with all my music on it! Shocking how easy it is to just replace everything, especially here in Thailand. Thank goodness it happened then.
This whole thing really left me with a feeling of "trust thy self, listen to yourself and listen to your own advice" as well as let go. I am still sad with losing the photos, email addresses and diary but the good thing is I have my life, my health and no one was harmed. So it's a good lesson.
This morning over a huge bowl of musli, fruit and curd I watched a man start to abuse this dog, I won't go into it, but I was so relieved to get the courage to walk over and tell him to stop, that he was a living being. He didn't like stopping but he did, thank goodness. It's hard to see people harming animals. There were a few people that was grateful that it was stopped, but man I just couldn't handle it any more.
I feel great here in Bangkok, I'll stay an extra day and leave tomorrow. But the greatest thing is I'm wearing my first pair of shorts I have worn in a year or more. What a relief! My legs are happy as it's been so hot and it's the first time I have felt cool in so long. And not to be stared at is nice too.
I will have my prescription glasses back as soon as I walk over and get them, only in hours and only for $79.00. And with red frames I'm very happy with them, they are really nice ones!
Bangkok has changed so much in 6 months since I've been here. It feels more like India with all the homeless, lepers on the street, the locals sucking on and spitting their red stuff they put in their cheek, the constant "tuk tuk" calls. Plus the buildings have totally changed and they are more pushy, but it maybe closer to India but not even close to it's intensity. I have never felt such a difference in leaving a place from 3rd world to almost western, well it is western here. I'm happy I did this transition time in Bangkok and going down to Ko Phangan tomorrow as going straight to Sydney would have been too much shock.
So I'm good, recovering from the incident in India and a little sad but doing well considering all. Lessons being learned around each corner.
So I'm off to the beach tomorrow night, excited to put my feet in the sand and hang in my hammock. And hang out in my shorts and sleeveless tops!!!! As much as I love India I was ready to be in my clothes again, but I can give up these things for short times, but it's nice to be back in my clothes again, it feels like my skin!
Ok loves, I hope you are well. I love hearing from you. I miss you tons and send you tons of hugs. Life is good, all the time-as Michael Beckwith would say! I love it! Happiness is a choice, what will we choose today! I love the quote from AA, not sure if it's exact but something like this "to be unhappy is inevitable to be miserable is a choice". I'd prefer to choose happiness myself, honor all feelings but still choose happiness.
I love and hug you, Nameste, The divine in me honors the divine in you, Heather
Wow Wow Wow, India, a great memory, yet happy to be in Bangkok! My last week in Rishekesh was heaven, getting up and scraping my tongue, cleaning my eyes with an eye cup, cleaning my nose with a neti pot, then with my finger cleaning my teeth with Ganga Salt for getting all the bacteria out-This was my start of my day every day. If I stayed longer in the Yoga course I'd be vomiting by now and maybe even swallowing gauze and eventually doing enemas, who knows, my morning process was already a half hour as it was.
Then there is grabbing my steel cup and heading for chai of all milk with my favorite family and to the beach to chant. This last day was the greatest, I filmed myself chanting and did a whole film of the surrounding mountains with silence and song in the back ground. As well as watching the horses getting loaded up with sand and rocks and stumbling off to carry it to some house they are building. It was a great last morning. I chatted with a beautiful friend from Japan at the Ganga, then off to say good bye to a friend leaving that morning, so nice to get one last hug, as who knows how long it will be for my next hug.
The great thing about staying in a place for weeks at a time is I can start hugging everyone and that's the best!!!! So I did my last things and got on the train at 10:15pm. I slept great on the train the first night!
Have you ever been on a train, stood at the door way, closed your eyes, a voice comes in and says "be the wind", I felt the wind all around me, brushing around me, my hair moving, but becoming the wind, I didn't become. I realized the wind went around me, it didn't go through me, it touched me, but it didn't really feel like it touched me. It was as if it stayed close enough to change my feathers, my hair, my skin, but didn't touch me really. I felt as if I was flying, I was a bird flying, flying high, the wind all around me, carrying me but not really touching me as it stayed a few inches away just holding me. I got caught up in it, feeling it, becoming total with being up in the sky, I could feel the clouds, see the sky all around me and feel the ebb and flow of the wind whipping around me, changing my directions, pushing and pulling, taking me up and down. It was heaven to be there.
I open my eyes to find I'm on a train, there are Indians watching me, who knows if they could feel what I felt but man oh man it felt great. I think I was vibrating. Later I put my Ipod on to listen to some Amae-if you don't have her music you have to get it, she is the most uplifting person I know to get cha out of a bad mood or in an even greater mood, powerful music and I love to sing to her. Well here I was busting out singing to her on the train, which I normally don't do, but something told me to do it. I got a little attention but mostly smiles and approval, which was a sweet. I love it.
I then walked to the door and was listening to some other dance music, singing at the door way, putting my whole body out of the train but my feet and my hands holding the rails and my stomach out to the world, I look out at the landscape of greenery, farm lands, looked up at the sky, saw the shanti shacks the people lived in a they would wave at me as I went by. I'd wave back. It felt so great to be welcomed so lovingly and briefly. I felt like a kid again, playing on the train, waving at strangers, dancing a little gig at the doorway of the train. I just can't stand still with music.
Well I stood there for a long time, at least an hour and then when I went to another door way a man asked for me to dance. I was not sure what to do, the whole thing of dancing on demand, especially since I hadn't really danced, I was more like bebopping around, not REALLY dancing, but they didn't know that. I wiggled my way out of it.
I talked to a man that had fallen in love with a woman but the parents didn't approve as he is Muslim and her Hindu, so sad. It's hard to fall in love and then to have to split because of such reasons.
Well the dancing thing came back to me though, another group of men asked me to dance. I said "you notch" (you dance) one man got up and shook his hips so I did the same and another said "no music". I got my speakers out and he danced for a second. So finally I danced for only 2 minutes for them at their request of western music-Prince was the thing that came up so there I was half the train watching and I danced for them but tried to pull them into the dance but they weren't having it. It was great fun! New experiences left and right in India.
That night was another first experience, I ordered dinner and never got it, very strange. My neighbors I think they thought they were alone in the compartment as they just turned off the lights as I was reading and then woke up at 4:30 or 5am and started talking, turned on the lights and all kinds of craziness!!!! ; ) India, oh India.
And then there was one last lesson India had to give me while I was there, not a very nice one and I feel very stupid because of it. You know how you have these feelings something is going to happen yet you don't know how to stop it or you just don't do anything about it. Well that is what was going on with me. I kept saying "this is the most dangerous part of India make sure your bag is locked up. You have your one bag locked up secure but the one with the most valuable things isn't locked up properly, you should do something about this. It might get taken...." Well all my life of travel I've always locked up my things safely, I've always done everything very safely in travel.
Well I didn't listen to myself and though my bag was locked up it was locked to something that could be cut. It was the last 30-40 minutes of the day and a half train trip. I got my tooth brush out, I brushed my teeth, I went to the toilet, sat down. Something told me get my bag down, I climbed up, did you ever have the feeling like you were looking at something and it wasn't real? I had this feeling before, when my car was stolen, I walked out 18 years ago to my car, walked back inside the house, walked back out to where my car was expecting it would be there, but some how it just wasn't. Well same thing happened, I went up the ladder, came back down, went back up and it was gone, my bag was gone. YIKES!!!
Heart raced, it's gone, it's gone. I knew it, it was gone, it was going to happen.....What to do, acceptance, let it go...heart racing, both Ipods, all the recordings, 3 months of photos, my camera, diary, speakers, prescription glasses and so much more....I felt my belly, yes I had my passport, yes I had my money. That's what's important, I have my documents, I can still leave, no hassles. Now what to do...I looked up and down the train, I let go...it's gone, it's ok.
Then I remembered 2 little girls distracting me at 2 stops back and remembered my friend telling me how quick the kids are at getting things and they do it invisibly, right in front of your face and you don't know.
I was good, well until I ran into the police on the train and then they made a mess of everything. I had to say things over and over again, they weren't listening, it got messy with telling the story and wish I hadn't, as you shouldn't have had to relive this so many times. It made it painful after a bit.
I got to Calcutta and made a report, I won't even tell you how much a crazy mess that was. But I did it and finally left in shock, not sure to be happy to be relieved of the weight and burden of protecting all those electronics or to cry as the loss of photos.
So I have felt both, I'm sad about the photos. But honestly the greatest thing is I ended up in Calcutta, where I could replace a few little things for dirt cheap-like my steel cup I love so much-I know I don't need it, but I love it and I used it quite a bit for all the cleansing stuff and well in India for chai.
I met some great women in the dorm room and that felt good. Calcutta is a city of a million photos and with no camera that was hard, but it was beautiful really to be there. My last day was up and down, mostly good, found what I needed. But the best was I was flying out the next day and my last morning there I just wandered the streets and found a little place that this man said "what do you want" I took it as an invite and sat down for a chai in my cup-divirginizing it. It had to have chai in it before I left India, it just had to!!! And it was a good chai, not as good as Manju's my mamma friend in Rishekesh but it was good. I bought some samosas for the plane ride and walked on.
I found a man cutting hair on the street. Being the hair stylist I am I dropped into deep fascination of how he was cutting the hair and was hypnotized by it all! I was taken in. I loved watching how close he could get with such crazy huge ass scissors, clink clink clink, opening and closing. Then with a straight razor he cleaned up the mans neck and around his ears and then proceeded to shave him with a straight razor. I had to laugh as the Indian men can be so rough with each other, positioning his head here and there and then back there and again there, as the man had moved. It was fascinating to watch the man go around with the shaving cream around his lips with his hands first, so intimate and then with the brush for the the foaming and man the foam that came from it and then he shaved him twice. So clean, simple (looking) and quick, only 30 minutes, all for the great price of 30rs which is less then a dollar.
I bowed in nameste and walked off to see all the street venders open, get and fresh squeezed orange juice and then head back passing the homeless sleeping on the street. Meaning these people had beds on the streets-matresses and frames and sleeping on them. Going in one direction one man was on the matress, coming back it seems to me there was a different man, but I'm not sure on that.
I was heading back to my chai place I had had chai earlier, why there, because he was nice, he had kind eyes and felt like he really cared and said "come back some time" and since I said I would, I did. He didn't really speak english either but he knew those kind words. So I came back, order puri with sambar or sabji-not sure, but all I knew was it was the best puri and sabji I had in ages!!!! He made the puri different from anyone else, a little lighter, yet thicker and less grease, the taste of the sabji was heaven, not too spicy either. With my right hand I ate my last street meal in India. The chai was even better this time. Everyone stared at my steel mug. One as I walked down the street even said "that your mug" and I proudly said "yes", so happy to have one back!!!!
So my cup got devirgindized twice and I had a great meal, watched a great haircut and shave, and watched Calcutta, my favorite big city in India, wake up. I got tons of Hellos and such gorgeous greetings as I walked to and from my hotel. I met the guy I was taking the cab with and off to the airport we went through the thick exhaust that you can cut with a knife, if you can find your knife, no just joking!!! It's not that bad, but I did have to roll up my window as it was palpable and making me a little dry and nauseous. A sign of being ready to go I guess.
I was at the airport, tiny airport really and everything went quickly at first, the people with Jet Airways were so sweet. We got to the place where they scan you and your bag and well, I guess I didn't lose both of my swiss army knives as one was still in my belly pack. And since it was a beautiful gift I couldn't just let them take it. They let me go back down stairs, Jet Airways found my bag, let me put it in my bag and then told me I had to go get it scanned again. YIKES! I was a bit nervous about boarding. But there was no problem, I scanned it, handed it to them and got up stairs in time for a chai 4 times the price of a normal chai and 10 times the price of a chai in Calcutta, crazy! Yet chai in Calcutte is only 2rs.
During the flight I had this great feeling of relief, I realized for the first time I was really happy to be leaving India. I was happy, giggly and excited for this next leg of my trip.
Now in Thailand, I feel so at ease. Firstly you can get everything done in a timely matter, the airport was a real airport with A/C and clean floors. It's all so clean and the big thing-I'd say to my new friend from the plane "listen" he said, it's so quiet. Yes it's so quiet. I didn't realize how loud India had been, all the horns every 5 seconds. Thailand is so quiet, even in the loud areas. We heard one loud horn the whole first day. I got to show him around the city as he only had that night here as he was leaving the next morning. He got a camera and books, etc all in the matter of 2 hours. It was great.
The next day I proceeded, after some thought, to start replacing the things I had stolen, not realizing how much there was but the biggest thing was how replaceable everything was. That was amazing! I almost didn't replace things but I chose to. I got everything basically back within one day except my Ipods. But even with that, one of my friends is giving me his with all my music on it! Shocking how easy it is to just replace everything, especially here in Thailand. Thank goodness it happened then.
This whole thing really left me with a feeling of "trust thy self, listen to yourself and listen to your own advice" as well as let go. I am still sad with losing the photos, email addresses and diary but the good thing is I have my life, my health and no one was harmed. So it's a good lesson.
This morning over a huge bowl of musli, fruit and curd I watched a man start to abuse this dog, I won't go into it, but I was so relieved to get the courage to walk over and tell him to stop, that he was a living being. He didn't like stopping but he did, thank goodness. It's hard to see people harming animals. There were a few people that was grateful that it was stopped, but man I just couldn't handle it any more.
I feel great here in Bangkok, I'll stay an extra day and leave tomorrow. But the greatest thing is I'm wearing my first pair of shorts I have worn in a year or more. What a relief! My legs are happy as it's been so hot and it's the first time I have felt cool in so long. And not to be stared at is nice too.
I will have my prescription glasses back as soon as I walk over and get them, only in hours and only for $79.00. And with red frames I'm very happy with them, they are really nice ones!
Bangkok has changed so much in 6 months since I've been here. It feels more like India with all the homeless, lepers on the street, the locals sucking on and spitting their red stuff they put in their cheek, the constant "tuk tuk" calls. Plus the buildings have totally changed and they are more pushy, but it maybe closer to India but not even close to it's intensity. I have never felt such a difference in leaving a place from 3rd world to almost western, well it is western here. I'm happy I did this transition time in Bangkok and going down to Ko Phangan tomorrow as going straight to Sydney would have been too much shock.
So I'm good, recovering from the incident in India and a little sad but doing well considering all. Lessons being learned around each corner.
So I'm off to the beach tomorrow night, excited to put my feet in the sand and hang in my hammock. And hang out in my shorts and sleeveless tops!!!! As much as I love India I was ready to be in my clothes again, but I can give up these things for short times, but it's nice to be back in my clothes again, it feels like my skin!
Ok loves, I hope you are well. I love hearing from you. I miss you tons and send you tons of hugs. Life is good, all the time-as Michael Beckwith would say! I love it! Happiness is a choice, what will we choose today! I love the quote from AA, not sure if it's exact but something like this "to be unhappy is inevitable to be miserable is a choice". I'd prefer to choose happiness myself, honor all feelings but still choose happiness.
I love and hug you, Nameste, The divine in me honors the divine in you, Heather
Sunday, October 7, 2007
Cow Cuddling!
Hello there,
How are you? Life is great here! Though it's time to leave Rishekesh, a sad time but busy time getting everything ready to move on. I've been here for 25 days now and have only 2 1/2 more days. I've loved my time here.
One peticular moment stands out above the rest and that is coming out of yoga, sitting on a bench and having this beautiful cow come up to me and put her whole head in my lap to be cuddled and loved. She first tried to horn me but then once I started petting her, she just curled right up in my lap-her head that is, she stayed that for a good long while. She left and then came back for another loving session. Cows are such loves, so soft, especially around the necks-they have long hanging skin here, and around the ears. I have fallen in love with petting cows. Everyday I need to get my fill of cow petting and loving.
Yet you have to know which cows to pet, as one baby cow has made it his mission to horn you if you have something in your hands or if you try to pet him. He's an aggressive little thing. Well, little compared to the others.
And luckliy cows have 4 legs, because I have now found out that if a cow steps on your foot, it doesn't break it. I was a bit concerned when I found a cow on my foot, and being able to pull it out from under it. I will miss my cow filled streets, my cow cuddles and being able to touch them daily. Though I won't miss their crap covered asses and watching them clean each others butts, but the love, I'll miss the love of the cows and loving on them.
I went for a hike that lasted 7 hours the other day, it was gorgeous! First hike in ages and I got to stop at the top, have a chai and take in the green views with the river below flowing half muddy and half clean-where I guess another river joins it, a mountain was in the way of seeing how it got so clean in such a short distance. But I'll tell you my great highlights of this day. First I got to go to a cafe I went to 7 years ago where the man is so sweet and kind hearted and I got to have fond memories of my time there before. The on the way down I went to dunk my head in the river as I was hot and this young Indian boy-probably 18-19 came up and started helping me wet my hair and then next thing I knew he was washing my hair in the river. He sister and possibly father, just sat there laughing. It was beautiful.
Then I walked on to find a Sadu (a holy man-many here are fake) he showed me how to feed that blackfaced monkeys. So for a rupee I got some food for the blackfaced/Honoman monkeys, put my hand out and this one, she pushed the other one away and put her whole face into my hand and with her lips and gently scraping her teach on my hand took every last morsel I put in my hand bit my bit. She didn't hurt me, cut me, or anything. Just wanted the food and understood when I had no more. Wow, what an experience! I wouldn't have done that with the red monkeys but these ones are much more gentle.
My neighbor used to have them come in her room and they'd lean on her and just hang out, they are very peaceful hearted monkeys with people, yet can get a little upset when sharing food.
The same red monkey came into my room again this morning as I was organizing my stuff, turning around out of being shocked he was there I squealed and then told him out, and he went. Yes, getting better with these monkeys!
So my mornings are just lovely here. I get up around 5:30am or 6am, I go out to get my chai in my own big steel cup after 6am and go sit at the ganga chanting, taking in the nature, mountains and life surrounding me. All the men coming out to bathe in the river, bless themselves, put water in a cup and pour it out toward the sun with their arms reaching upward in the suns direction, giving thanks to the sun. It's amazing what these people do as ceremony, daily, as ritual. What is the west's rituals? I can't think of anything.
But this morning I chanted, then I sang, a danced in the sunlight and bathed in nature as I moved through it on it's rocky beach shoreline. I left when I drew too much attention. But for those moments of bliss, sharing, being in the sun, dancing, singing and laughing, it was heaven. Such little things make me happy. It was so nice to forget about everything else-what to pack, what to send home, what to take to Oz, etc.....and just be in life and with life. The moment is beautiful and breath taking.
If I were to describe a big part of India I'd describe to you a visual. See a dark skinned, wrinkled from weathering-sleeping out on the Ghats in all kinds of weather, hand reaching out, asking for baksheesh/money, food, chai. Visualize a coin being dropped into that hand, that is India. Someone always asking, always needing, always begging. It's not always nice, they aren't always in need, some are always in need, but there is never a moment when they don't want something from you in the tourist areas.
I realize it changed me since the last time I'd been here, always feeling, even at home, like someone wants something from me. Something don't want to give, can't give or shouldn't give. It give a head trip after a while as you start to think they just can't be your friend, they have no heart, you are only a paycheck for them and it leaves an empty sad feeling. It changes you. But then to remember the memories of all the ones that wanted to give and wanted nothing in return keeps you sane. As there are plenty of them when you are outside the tourist zones. So letting go of the "someone always wants something from me, will need to be let go" as it creates a wall, you don't look at people any more, you stop being friendly and start being inhuman after a time. This isn't the goal.
I go from the ghats and walk down the street with a line up of a hundred sadhus sitting here wanting food or money from you-luckily they beg from many Indians as well. They are all dark skinned, dressed in bright orange, with their pots for money, for chai, for food, a stick sometimes for walking, glasses, a orange sash around their heads and eyes that are so striking.
One baba/sadhu, his name is Sacha, meaning truth, he has traveled the world, lived in the US, Africa and many other places. He is filled with stories, yet lives with one set of clothes that gets washed on his body each morning, has one jacket so he doesn't get cold and a pair of hiking boots so his feet are protected. Sacha has dark brown eyes in the middle and blue edges around them, they are stunning. He knows so much. It's nice to sit and talk truth with him about life, how little we need and about being. I know he is safe and surrounded with love. I light up when I see him.
Another thing you get in India is the constant hawking of anything in the throat, no shame in that. In the mornings I hear them trying to get everything out for sometimes up to a half hour. And then they blow their nose into the sink or street with their fingers holding the other nostril-both of these things I learned the last time here in India and love it! Gross or not, I like it! And then at my little chai shop one family member just sits there doing nothing but talking and drinking chai and from time to time, he moves his hips, lifts one side and then squirts out a fart and then he laughs, yet sometimes he doesn't. It is funny though, bodily functions happen. Can you imagine in the west everyone being like this?
But India is evolving, more men and women are holding hands now, touching each other, spending time with each other alone. I never saw Indians touch 7 years ago. And the women are driving motor bikes now. It's ever evolving, is it good, maybe, yet it makes me wonder what it will be like in another 10 years, how western will it be then. How different will it be from the west?
I watch the buns, the milk, and everything being delivered to my chai shop each morning by a bicycle vendor, who rides around shop to shop selling their goods. No where to go, wé'll bring it to you.
So the time has come to leave India. I leave Rishekesh on Wednesday night, go 1 1/2 days by train to Calcutta. I fly out on Saturday for Bangkok for 2 days and head to the beach for 6 days of beach time before flying out to OZ. Which I'm very excited about going to. To where short sleeves, no sleeves, shorts-which I haven't worn in the whole time I've been away. I want to buy a part of shorts and jeans, Oh, yes, the west is coming into my being. and as much as I love India, the calling for not being stared at 24/7, wearing what I want sounds really great to me. I've been on a dress code for 8 months now, time to let that go. And then the real joy of seeing my friends again that I haven't seen in so long.
Well more later, this is enough for now. I wanted to let you know what's going on. Remember to stay in the moment, it's all we truly have, let tomorrow take care of it's self, and yesterday is long gone, so today, this moment is what we have, how would you like to spend it. For me, right now, I am sharing and I am grateful for it. I send you love and hugs, Heather
How are you? Life is great here! Though it's time to leave Rishekesh, a sad time but busy time getting everything ready to move on. I've been here for 25 days now and have only 2 1/2 more days. I've loved my time here.
One peticular moment stands out above the rest and that is coming out of yoga, sitting on a bench and having this beautiful cow come up to me and put her whole head in my lap to be cuddled and loved. She first tried to horn me but then once I started petting her, she just curled right up in my lap-her head that is, she stayed that for a good long while. She left and then came back for another loving session. Cows are such loves, so soft, especially around the necks-they have long hanging skin here, and around the ears. I have fallen in love with petting cows. Everyday I need to get my fill of cow petting and loving.
Yet you have to know which cows to pet, as one baby cow has made it his mission to horn you if you have something in your hands or if you try to pet him. He's an aggressive little thing. Well, little compared to the others.
And luckliy cows have 4 legs, because I have now found out that if a cow steps on your foot, it doesn't break it. I was a bit concerned when I found a cow on my foot, and being able to pull it out from under it. I will miss my cow filled streets, my cow cuddles and being able to touch them daily. Though I won't miss their crap covered asses and watching them clean each others butts, but the love, I'll miss the love of the cows and loving on them.
I went for a hike that lasted 7 hours the other day, it was gorgeous! First hike in ages and I got to stop at the top, have a chai and take in the green views with the river below flowing half muddy and half clean-where I guess another river joins it, a mountain was in the way of seeing how it got so clean in such a short distance. But I'll tell you my great highlights of this day. First I got to go to a cafe I went to 7 years ago where the man is so sweet and kind hearted and I got to have fond memories of my time there before. The on the way down I went to dunk my head in the river as I was hot and this young Indian boy-probably 18-19 came up and started helping me wet my hair and then next thing I knew he was washing my hair in the river. He sister and possibly father, just sat there laughing. It was beautiful.
Then I walked on to find a Sadu (a holy man-many here are fake) he showed me how to feed that blackfaced monkeys. So for a rupee I got some food for the blackfaced/Honoman monkeys, put my hand out and this one, she pushed the other one away and put her whole face into my hand and with her lips and gently scraping her teach on my hand took every last morsel I put in my hand bit my bit. She didn't hurt me, cut me, or anything. Just wanted the food and understood when I had no more. Wow, what an experience! I wouldn't have done that with the red monkeys but these ones are much more gentle.
My neighbor used to have them come in her room and they'd lean on her and just hang out, they are very peaceful hearted monkeys with people, yet can get a little upset when sharing food.
The same red monkey came into my room again this morning as I was organizing my stuff, turning around out of being shocked he was there I squealed and then told him out, and he went. Yes, getting better with these monkeys!
So my mornings are just lovely here. I get up around 5:30am or 6am, I go out to get my chai in my own big steel cup after 6am and go sit at the ganga chanting, taking in the nature, mountains and life surrounding me. All the men coming out to bathe in the river, bless themselves, put water in a cup and pour it out toward the sun with their arms reaching upward in the suns direction, giving thanks to the sun. It's amazing what these people do as ceremony, daily, as ritual. What is the west's rituals? I can't think of anything.
But this morning I chanted, then I sang, a danced in the sunlight and bathed in nature as I moved through it on it's rocky beach shoreline. I left when I drew too much attention. But for those moments of bliss, sharing, being in the sun, dancing, singing and laughing, it was heaven. Such little things make me happy. It was so nice to forget about everything else-what to pack, what to send home, what to take to Oz, etc.....and just be in life and with life. The moment is beautiful and breath taking.
If I were to describe a big part of India I'd describe to you a visual. See a dark skinned, wrinkled from weathering-sleeping out on the Ghats in all kinds of weather, hand reaching out, asking for baksheesh/money, food, chai. Visualize a coin being dropped into that hand, that is India. Someone always asking, always needing, always begging. It's not always nice, they aren't always in need, some are always in need, but there is never a moment when they don't want something from you in the tourist areas.
I realize it changed me since the last time I'd been here, always feeling, even at home, like someone wants something from me. Something don't want to give, can't give or shouldn't give. It give a head trip after a while as you start to think they just can't be your friend, they have no heart, you are only a paycheck for them and it leaves an empty sad feeling. It changes you. But then to remember the memories of all the ones that wanted to give and wanted nothing in return keeps you sane. As there are plenty of them when you are outside the tourist zones. So letting go of the "someone always wants something from me, will need to be let go" as it creates a wall, you don't look at people any more, you stop being friendly and start being inhuman after a time. This isn't the goal.
I go from the ghats and walk down the street with a line up of a hundred sadhus sitting here wanting food or money from you-luckily they beg from many Indians as well. They are all dark skinned, dressed in bright orange, with their pots for money, for chai, for food, a stick sometimes for walking, glasses, a orange sash around their heads and eyes that are so striking.
One baba/sadhu, his name is Sacha, meaning truth, he has traveled the world, lived in the US, Africa and many other places. He is filled with stories, yet lives with one set of clothes that gets washed on his body each morning, has one jacket so he doesn't get cold and a pair of hiking boots so his feet are protected. Sacha has dark brown eyes in the middle and blue edges around them, they are stunning. He knows so much. It's nice to sit and talk truth with him about life, how little we need and about being. I know he is safe and surrounded with love. I light up when I see him.
Another thing you get in India is the constant hawking of anything in the throat, no shame in that. In the mornings I hear them trying to get everything out for sometimes up to a half hour. And then they blow their nose into the sink or street with their fingers holding the other nostril-both of these things I learned the last time here in India and love it! Gross or not, I like it! And then at my little chai shop one family member just sits there doing nothing but talking and drinking chai and from time to time, he moves his hips, lifts one side and then squirts out a fart and then he laughs, yet sometimes he doesn't. It is funny though, bodily functions happen. Can you imagine in the west everyone being like this?
But India is evolving, more men and women are holding hands now, touching each other, spending time with each other alone. I never saw Indians touch 7 years ago. And the women are driving motor bikes now. It's ever evolving, is it good, maybe, yet it makes me wonder what it will be like in another 10 years, how western will it be then. How different will it be from the west?
I watch the buns, the milk, and everything being delivered to my chai shop each morning by a bicycle vendor, who rides around shop to shop selling their goods. No where to go, wé'll bring it to you.
So the time has come to leave India. I leave Rishekesh on Wednesday night, go 1 1/2 days by train to Calcutta. I fly out on Saturday for Bangkok for 2 days and head to the beach for 6 days of beach time before flying out to OZ. Which I'm very excited about going to. To where short sleeves, no sleeves, shorts-which I haven't worn in the whole time I've been away. I want to buy a part of shorts and jeans, Oh, yes, the west is coming into my being. and as much as I love India, the calling for not being stared at 24/7, wearing what I want sounds really great to me. I've been on a dress code for 8 months now, time to let that go. And then the real joy of seeing my friends again that I haven't seen in so long.
Well more later, this is enough for now. I wanted to let you know what's going on. Remember to stay in the moment, it's all we truly have, let tomorrow take care of it's self, and yesterday is long gone, so today, this moment is what we have, how would you like to spend it. For me, right now, I am sharing and I am grateful for it. I send you love and hugs, Heather
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
