liberal

At its core, liberal means 'free.' Liberty. While there isn't much of this in todays politics, I identify with this as much as anything. I am a small l liberal more than a big L Liberal. Civil liberties and Civil rights are at the core of me through my life observations and upbringing. It is why I work in Haiti. It is why I break up fights. It is why I participate. It informs who I am, but because I put the small l before the big L, I don't hate the other side. If I am a true liberal, I believe in the existence of more than one opinion. But lets get more specific.

I have something of a Robin Hood mentality when it comes to wealth. I wholeheartedly believe that someone who works hard to acquire wealth has a responsibility to help those who have little. In the short history of our little country, I see that we've been the strongest when we have a thriving middle class and we only have a thriving middle class when the wealth at the top is spread out. For me, it really is the difference between the wealthy having two mansions or one. I think they should only have one, so that fifty people can have a home of some kind. Until there is a system better than the government to handle that process, I see most of it happening through taxes. The fact is, from what I have observed, the wealthy in a capitalist system are hard-wired to not give up their money. We award greed. I am opposed to that.

I believe that health care is not a privilege, it is a basic human right. A healthy population is a productive population. We have the best services and it is irresponsible and beyond the pale that only those who have money would have access to it.

I am a supporter of gay rights. To say that it is a sin or a choice seems so obtuse. Actually, it is more representative to say that in a perfect world, gays, straights, blacks, whites, asians, native americans, muslims, jews, Africans, Canadians, Eastern Europeans, women, senior citizens, country singers, rappers, Nascar fans, soccer fans, garbage pickers, doctors, Red Sox fans, Yankee fans, conservatives, celebrities, and everyone else would be on equal footing. This is not to say that conservatives don't feel this way, I have just found that liberals have a bend towards non discrimination more than conservatives, so I identify with libs easier. Under God, for me, we are all equal.

God is incredibly important in my life, but I don't think that He belongs in policy or in school, although, healthy discussion in school doesn't seem like it would be a bad thing if it were left open. Maybe not exclusively teaching Christianity, but then again, you're counting on teachers to try and draw the line. I guess in my perfect world, school's talk about God, but not in that Pakistani Madras kind of way, but in open debate.

I am pro-choice. It is nothing I come to easily and of all my liberal leanings, this is the one that seems the hardest. Many Liberals who are pro choice have never seen a picture of a 3-4 month old fetus (which looks alarmingly child-like), laying in a pan, drenched in blood. It is a harsh image that begs debate on the wisdom of an abortion. That being said, I believe in a woman's right to choose. Here's another harsh image; in a overturned Roe v Wade world, a 19 year old girl who is raped and gets pregnant visits a man in a cold house and has a procedure done to abort the child with instruments that are less than sterile and goes through an incredible amount of pain to get the procedure done and three torturous months later, she dies of infections. That would happen. It's a woman's body and for me, I can't say what's best for her. I know what the arguments are and this is where I fall on this one.

War. This is one that both political parties own, but as far as I'm concerned, it sucks. Would I have fought in WWII? Yes. Vietnam, if I was drafted, but I would have hated it. Iraq? No. We have moved far enough as a society to avoid war but it has become such a money making tool that I don't see it stopping anytime soon. I think there are multiple ways to fight, AK's and bombs seem like a waste of time and life. I support troops and detest those who make decisions.

There is so much more that makes me a liberal and to be honest, this is just a snap shot of me as a 34 year old liberal. It is, like our constitution, subject and intended to change. What are we if not allowed to change?

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Where was all of this uproar when they started making us take off our shoes? This is the next inevitable step in the direction Homeland Security and the TSA have been going since 9/11. Everybody acts like it just got bad. Come on maaaaaaaan?!?!

I am of the INCREDIBLY unpopular opinion (and have been for quite some time) of reverting to what it was on 9/10/01. Sure we may have some more attacks but relinquishing our freedoms makes it hard to be free. It's not even about the terrorists winning. It's about us winning.
The entire world deals with terrorism, why shouldn't we? Are we a better pedigree of human being? No, we're not. My life and my sons life are worth no more than an Afghan family who is torn between alliances with NATO troops and local Taliban. I recognize that I live in a place where I don't have to decide and so that is why I will be on the first flight with security rollbacks...with my son Miles.

Ben, I wholeheartedly agree that we should and could start addressing diplomatic ends to coincide with lessening restrains at the airport, but more importantly, the strains of our fear. What has fear done for you lately? Has it helped? Has it payed your rent or your mortgage? Has it gotten you a job? Has it helped raise your kid? Has it gotten you laid? Has it helped the your favorite team beat the Yankees?

In the words of FDR, "Fuck fear and the Fox News broadcast it rode in on." (I may be paraphrasing.)

War

Happy Veterans Day!



There are two wars being fought that America has a direct involvement in. One war in Iraq. Another in Afghanistan. The one in Iraq started in 2003. Afghanistan even earlier in 2001. These are wars on terror. The total number of American troops killed to date are around 5,500. Total civilian deaths are around 60,000. And the money? Check this out.

What about post traumatic stress disorder? Or is a troop a pussy if they are 'just shell shocked?' Aren't they told to 'get over it?' Isn't there a stigma against troops who try and get help after they have come home from killing people? What if these troops didn't kill anyone? What if they just tortured different locals for information? Why do people on the left scream and yell at the military for torture but now that Obama has taken over the wars, see no issue with the killing of civilians? Would you rather be water boarded or decapitated? Regardless, what is the mental strain of performing these acts? And why is there a stigma?

And what about the husbands and wives of our troops? Are we doing everything we can to ensure their quality of life? Doing everything we can for their families? Does supporting them in any fiscal way go against the Tea Party principles? Isn't it a little socialist of us to provide entitlements for these folks and their families? Shouldn't the Tea Party look into making huge cuts in defense if they want to lower the debt?

What about the countries we are in? What's going on in Iraq right now? Are the vendors in the streets of Baghdad coming back? Are kids going to school in Tikrit? Are girls still being doused with acid on their way to school in the mountains above Kandahar? Is the NE border region, a place appropriately dubbed 'Swat Valley' safe? Are we making progress?

W was interviewed yesterday by Matt Lauer and said that he doesn't regret going into Iraq without WMD's. An apology wouldn't change the way I feel about the man. No matter the amount of rhetoric, I never thought he was an evil man, just stupid. An apology at this point would be like Buckner apologizing for 1986 or Costner apologizing for everything, needless and way too late. But as a self serving exercise, you may want to reconsider Mr. President.

It's no wonder that so many people hate Muslims. We have been killing and torturing each other for awhile now. They hate us in some of the same ways we hate them. For just being who they/we are. I like to think there are a lot of people in Iraq and Afghanistan who think the same way that I do. They don't hate Americans, they hate war. They want this to be done.

This Veterans Day I'm thinking, writing, and asking questions about war. None of the politicians that ran in the midterms on either side did this. Some of my questions have answers. Some don't. Some are skewed by my being a liberal and some are bipartisan, (because all questions involving government and defense have to viewed through this lens right?)

I encourage you to ask questions. Have uncomfortable conversations about war. Write a poem about Kabul. Watch Saving Private Ryan. Tell a person in uniform thank you. Create opportunities to think about it and not ignore it. Understanding and discourse are the only way that war ends.

"Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God." - Jesus Christ

Oh yeah, also, end this bullshit.

The Crap Heard Round The World

Let's list off some things that I'm proud of:

1. Being a Red Sox fan
2. Going to Haiti after the earthquake
3. Subsequently getting a non profit job that works in Haiti
4. Traveling around the world by myself
5. Being part of a successful arts non-profit
6. Never hesitating to speak my mind
7. Having an abundance of people to love in my life who also love me
8. My strong relationship with God
9. Dating women that are far more attractive than me
10. Having a strong moral sense

There are a few more but you catch my drift. Many of you know that I have a three year old son named Miles. I am proud of him every single day. Perpetually. That pride stays at a single level, which is pretty high, but from day to day, steady. Last night may have been one of the proudest moments of my life.

After months of trying, my son finally pooped on the potty.

Now, at first glance, this might seem odd. 'Why all the pride?' Last night was an achievement. I felt last night the way that I will feel when; he brings home his first A+, he hits his first home run, he asks a girl out, or any one of the 'fit for a Tom Hanks' movie moments.

He sat on the potty for 20 minutes like he had done so many times before, while I took a shower. I got out and was putting on deodorant when an unseemly voice behind me said, 'I pooped.' I thought, yeah right and then I looked. My face exploded with joy and pride and so did Miles'. I picked him up and twirled around. We went to get ice cream at 9pm and watched movies WAY past his bed time.

It doesn't feel like it all the time, but the moments as a parent when your hard work pays off, when you feel proud of your kid, are the some of the best moments in life. Way to go buddy.

Wedding Sermon for the Sheltons

Love you Ben and Rach!

Mawidge. Mawidge is what bwings us here togever, today. I had to do it. Please be seated. They call that an ice breaker. Hello and welcome to all of you who have traveled from far away from places like Florida, California, and The Eastside to be with Ben and Rachel this evening. Your presence means the world to them and it is a confirmation that you believe in the love that they posses.

For me to describe the feeling when Ben and Rachel asked me to officiate their wedding as “an honor”, would be an exercise in making an extraordinary understatement. What an opportunity for me, to be here and share this moment with the two of you. What an opportunity for all of us! And what an amazing opportunity for Benjamin Shelton and Rachel Lauritzen. We are all blessed to spending this evening, in what the 14th century poet Hafiz referred to as “drowning in the ambiance of love.”

Love. My assumption is that Ben and Rach asked me to officiate their wedding because of my postulations on love. The truth is that the only reason I have an awareness of how staggering love can be, is that I know people like Ben and Rachel. Watching you move through life together for the last 8 years has been an inspiration for me. I wake up every morning and pray to God that I’ll find the kind of relationship that the two of you have earned.

Having a relationship isn’t easy. I get that. I see both of you put effort into your relationship. I see you cook together (and cook really well. Scrumptious even). I see you stepping out on the town together. I watch you having adventures in all sorts of different places. I have observed a look in both of your eyes that is personally reserved for only the two of you, where the world melts away and you both can just be. Music, movies, and books are created from the energy that you hold together.

Furthermore, something that is undeniable about Ben and Rachel, is that they are different. On a given night, Ben might be spinning some sick house beats, with thirty pounds of pomade in his slanted mohawk, flailing his hands in the air, lost in the rhythm of the beat of this track that he can’t wait to talk about later. And Rachel may be enjoying a glass of Pinot Noir while allowing the Midnight Mambo colored nail polish from Sephora on her fingers dry. Taking in the latest episode of Grey’s Anatomy (possibly crying a few tears at that episode with the elderly woman who didn’t want to do anymore surgeries! Ah! McDreamy!)

These differences make up one of my favorite aspects of this lovely couple. I have walked into an argument of Ben and Rachel’s and felt immediately that I might be in the Northeast border region of Afghanistan. To the untrained eye, this might seem unsettling but I have noticed that this is one of the many ways that Ben and Rachel find forward movement together. It can’t be easy to be so different, but for them, it has been, is, and will always be worth it.

You are different and yet you share a home, you share friends, and you share a commitment that is unshakeable. Be careful to be mindful of one another all the time. Make a point to learn from each other on a daily basis. Understand that the person next to you in the morning will be a reliable, dependable partner, but will also be brand new everyday, as you continue to change and grow.

19th Century statesman, Frederick Douglas said: “There is no progress without struggle.”
Through your struggle in difference, you will find progress in love.

Friday, January 18th, 2002. Rachel got off of work and called Ben and they spoke about grabbing some sushi somewhere. He mentioned that they might be able to score a free meal from his parents and sure enough, that’s what happened. As Rachel raided her closet for the perfect outfit and went back and fourth on the different garments, her friend Kendra made an observation to the tune of, ‘you like him’, ‘you’re so nervous’, you liiiiiike him.’ Rachel protested, Ben was just a friend.

At dinner, she kept looking at him. Studying him between bites and conversation, the looks transformed into a desire to kiss him and at some point during the Japanese cuisine, it struck her that she did indeed have a sizable crush on this guy who she thought was just a friend. Later that night, when they were out dancing, she found the right moment and pecked Ben. Not a second later, they had their first real kiss, the sort of kiss that melts two people into one, a kiss that started a journey that brings us here today.

Last night, after an amazing rehearsal dinner, as Ben and I arranged music to play here tonight, I asked him the question that I had been meaning to ask him all week. What was the moment you fell for Rachel? Now, you can call it the cosmos, the universe, call it God, maybe that it was written, or chance. He said that it was when he went to get sushi with her and I stopped him right there. It was the same story Rachel had told me earlier and it occurred to me how rare it is when two people find true symmetry.

For all of the arguments yet to be had. For all of the adventures that haven’t been traveled yet. To all of the kisses that have yet to be kissed. To all the back scratches yet to be given. All of the chapters of your book that have become history. This poetic moment right now and all of the scenes of your movie to come. The lessons that you will learn from the world and from each other. The song of your love is one that I feel like I’ve heard a million times and yet when I hear the tune, it seems fresh, like I’ve never heard it.

This wedding is beautiful. Such a golden setting for such a golden occasion. And the both of you look absolutely stunning. But, this day is just for celebration. You’ve already done the hard part; you’ve both found someone to be a best friend and partner with for the rest of your life. In this moment, we look forward to what the two of you have ahead as we admire your past. I am indeed proud to be here and wish for you with my entire heart, a long and beautiful life together.

Day After The Election Debate On Facebook

Tea Party Guy: Funny thing is that they almost are all for public sector jobs and services. Than the other are pieces of the stimulus that did nothing for private industry which is what directly affects you and I. As well as passing a healthcare bill that we cant pay for, has no cost saving measure for medicare. He's added more debt than presidents Washington through Reagan combined, hes done alot.

Me: Don't you want to cut Medicare? It is a government run entitlement program. How much debt did Bush give us again? Didn't the CBO say that the healthcare bill would save money in the long run?

Jobs are jobs are jobs, no matter where there are created. Why do you completely pass over the fact that there has been 9 months of private sector job growth? 9 months. 9 MONTHS. That means for the latter half of his first 18 months in office, the private sector has grown.

I don't know if you make more than $250,000 a year (and if you do, can I borrow $5?) but if you don't, know that all these mostly white men that got elected yesterday don't have much of a platform for you. The idea that rich people are going to give to the poor didn't work in the 80's and it won't work now.

But, ok. You guys won. Credit where credit is due. Let's see how Bohner's house governs. There's been a whole lot of blocking and even more 'no' for the last two years. If they don't govern and govern fast, there's going to be a bunch of cauckus sucking.

Watch your Ochocinco touchdown celebration big guy, you haven't done anything yet. The American people aren't too psyched about the GOP. To do anything, we're going to have to do what most Americans do all the time, work together.

Yes, even on facebook, so let's start now. I like Tom Hanks, how about you?

Election Day 2010 Disjointed Thoughts

November 4th, 2008 feel like it was generations ago.

I am a capitol L Liberal. Please note this as I blog. I do not run from that label because at the foundation, I am a small l liberal. I believe in having the freedom to choose, marry, travel, love, fucking curse, work, and go out my front door.

I feel that giving tax breaks to the mega rich and expecting them to "trickle down" is foolish. I believe that a government that spends more on education than defense is a good idea, however I fully understand that America needs a strong defense. The two wars we are in are ridiculous (what's even more ridiculous is how little it has been talked about. Why? Would it make Obama look too presidential?)

The Rally to Restore Sanity put on by Jon Stewart made sense to me. While I completely understand that this is hardly the first time that the country has been in hard times, there is a reality about our reality shows that makes us a reality show. We are insane as a country right now. We all need to SLOW DOWN!

I have hope for my country. We're ok. We need less Jersey Shore and more discourse. We need to have Muslims as drinking buddies. We need Tea Party family members to put their hands on our shoulders. We need Glenn Beck to have an awakening. We need the media to stop demonizing Sarah Palin. We need to give Obama time.

We need more jobs. Here's a job...chill the fuck out. Everybody.

The End Of A Journey

This is the last entry in my travel journal for my trip around the world. I arrived back in Seattle and it was, surprise, raining. Seeing Bethany was like (insert a thousand metaphors here for relief, love, and longing). We embraced and it was better than I thought it was going to be. We went back to our new place and just chilled. The place is real nice. A lot nicer than I thought it would be. We spent the next couple of days just spending time together and talking about everything. We did some Christmas shopping and had our Christmas with each other a little early. We got baby stuff and Beth got a lot of stuff from around the world.

Christmas was a great time this year. We exchanged presents and spent time with her family in the daytime and by nightfall we spent time with my friends. It was nice to be just home, but no time for that, the day after Christmas was Beth's Moms Bday and so we celebrated by seeing the Dead Sea Scrolls and having dinner. The 27th was just killing time until tomorrow when we would leave to get married.

On December 28th, 2006, Bethany and I set out north to the San Juan Islands to get married. We arrived very early as we were told that on occasion the ferry will be full and people would be turned away. Not us. We walked around a little before the ferry arrived and soaked in the crisp and beautiful day ahead of us. After awhile, the ferry finally arrived and we embarked on a trip through the archipelago. Soaking in some amazing scenery on the way over our destination of Orcas Island had been reached. We drove off the ferry and both of us realized that it might be a little bit before we got the chance to eat again and so we went to a cute little place near the ferry landing called Mamie's Restaurant. Mamie herself was about the cutest old woman you could ask for and told us stories while we had lunch. We ended up staying for well over an hour and when we left we told Mamie we'd be back before we left. She gave her blessing and we drove into the island to find the last place we'd be single in.

The Turtleback Farm Inn is rated highly in all these different books. It won awards and accolades from all sorts of reviewers and agents. For Bethany and I, it was just the perfect place to get married. Sitting on some 50 acres of farmland, the Inn was as rustic as it was beautiful. We had the distinct impression that a great deal of love and care went into making this place very special. Inside the home, we felt warm and welcomed. This is the kind of place that when you walk in you feel immediately like you're home (which, incidentally, is how I've always felt about Bethany). Each room had a name and ours was Maple View, a lovely little room on the second floor with a great view of the acreage. It had a claw footed bathtub and probably the comfiest bed I've been in, ever. After taking in all Turtleback Farm had to offer we looked at the clock and realized we were getting married soon. I kissed Bethany, left the room, and went downstairs so we could get ready for the moment.

I got dressed and was walking around the downstairs for awhile talking to the photographer, the woman who ran the Inn, and the cook. Mostly I was just meandering until Bethany came down those steps. When she did it was like a scene from a movie (God knows I've tried to put the kibosh on thinking my life is a movie but if you saw Bethany at that moment and the way that she walked down the stairs, undulating downward toward me. My whole life stopped for a little bit and I tried as hard as I could to keep that moment in my heart. File that one under "very lucky man").

We sat down for awhile, waiting for the minister to arrive, and talked to the ladies between just being with genuinely happy with each other. Francis was the minister, the man running the show. He graced us a little after 5:30 and we got started with the ceremony. In front of the fireplace and in front of God we heard what we both agreed was the best wedding sermon we'd ever heard. It was filled with such wonderful, thoughtful things. Far too much to write here (and honestly, my heart was going so fast that I was really just listening in the moment, meaning it was all I could do to not pass out). One thing that he did say was that marriage was the only spiritual path that he knew of that two people could walk together. He finished his sermon and Bethany read her vows from a piece of paper and fought back the tears as did I. I said my vows from the hip and could almost feel my heart trying to work its way up through my throat. Needless to say what came out of my mouth was directly from the soul. After that Francis did the traditional vows, we put on some rings and kissed our way into the rest of our lives.

We went to the dining room where there was a gleaming strawberry cheesecake and sparkling cider waiting for us. It was our own little mini-reception. We cut the cake together then I fed her a piece and she returned the favor. Because it seems I am never done talking, I gave Bethany a toast and told her again how much she means to me and how much I love her (somehow on this day, saying it and hearing it couldn't't happen enough). We locked arms as we drank the cider and went back into the living room to get a few pictures. After that was all over, well, let's just say there are no more pictures for this day.

The next day we spent our honeymoon on the island and had just a perfect time. We returned to Seattle after our whirlwind up north and I went to get my old job back slinging meatballs and chianti. I did and then New Years happened. We spent it with friends watching the fireworks go off the top of the space needle. I had my new wife to kiss at midnight and what is better than that? It was like my trip just kept going. This was all surely just another country I was privileged to be in. Nope, this is my life.

I've been slowly getting back to life here in Seattle doing what the Bed, Bath, and Beyond crowd calls "nesting". I think when I started I thought this trip would change my life but I should have known better. My dear friend Jamison asked if it had changed me and I said that I wasn't a 23 year old girl searching for myself. What I meant was that life changing events don't just happen when you're traveling around the world, they can happen when you're traveling to the grocery store. Meeting people from Africa and Nepal can be just as rewarding as meeting people from Ballard and Texas. Everyone and everything in this world, in this life has something to offer. Did my life change? Yeah, it did but there is so much more. This isn't a phase for me. Spiritually, this isn't a phase for me. Life will change no matter what I do and the best thing I can do is try and stay open to it and embrace it when it happens. I went out and married the best woman I could find and now I'm going to try and raise my boy to be the type of person that will never stop searching, never stop looking, and never, EVER stop traveling. God bless all those whom I met on this trip and my deepest thanks to all those who are in my life. I am so blessed to be living the dream that is my life.

Peace and Love

Kung Fu Movie Capitol

Honestly, I never updated this when I was in Hong Kong or even after I got back home. It's now well into January and I am forced to recap what feels like years ago. I got into Hong Kong after high tailing it out of Thailand with my ass literally in my hands. I got in on a cool evening and there weren't that many cars out on the road. I ended up crashing pretty hard at my hostel, which was tiny, but nice. The next day I laid low and just did some minor walking around. After roaming for a bit I figured out that Hong Kong was going to be real expensive and that I had best find some free stuff to do.

I next day I continued my walking tour but ventured out even further. It is now that I want to take just a minute and talk about that man made wonder that is the Hong Kong skyline. If the Himalayas were in building form, this would be it. Monster buildings lined up one after the other. I remember thinking that New York City was impressive (and it still is, the Yankees suck, but NYC is awesome). I remember being uptown and looking at the WTC in the distance and thinking that it was a marvel to notice that in the distance it looked like a mountain. The thing about it though, it looked like "a" mountain. In Hong Kong, you can look down an ally and see an entire range. And the view at night? Breathtaking. So many lights that I figured the debt of 6 countries in Africa could be wiped out if Hong Kong could chill on the kHz for a couple minutes. I saw the light show that happens here every night at 8pm and as cheesy as it was, it was still pretty cool that they have a light show on their buildings.

I walked down the Ave. Of Stars, a Hollywood type walk of fame of all the Hong Kong film stars of past and present. I took a good long time here as its set next to the water and the view across is amazing. There was a life size statue of Bruce Lee kicking some ass which made me smile thinking of all the times I've watched Hong Kong flicks set in this town. I walked around the rest of the day checking out some random parks and called it a night.

The next day I took the ferry to Lanteau Island in search of the Po Lin Buddha statue. On the way there for just a fleeting moment I saw the big mutha sitting peacefully atop this mountain. It passed and I got very excited to see it close up. When I got up to the top I set my eyes upon what would have to be the biggest Buddha I'd ever seen. I climbed the 438 steps to the top and took a bunch of pictures and soaked in the scenery that this Buddha sees all the time. I walked back down and explored the monastery that the Buddha watches over. It was a modest complex trying to capitalize on the tourism that the big guy brings in but not in a greedy way. It was such a gift to me that I got to spend a little time with some monks here. I was with Tibetan monks, Nepalese monks, Thai monks, Chinese monks. Cool. That night I went to 007:Casino Royale, because if this was my intro back into Western culture, who better to do it than Bond?

The next day I spent the day on Hong Kong island which would be considered the business side between them and Kowloon. Bigger buildings, more suits, less local flare. Hong Kong park was a man made triumph. Green spaces were accented by little ponds, rivers, and fountains. There was a tai chi garden with Bonsai trees and an aviary where I got stuck watching this Great Argus with a red eye. I moved along to the Victoria Peak tram which took me well above the skyline in a tram that went seemingly straight up at points much like the ol' Cog Railway back home. I got up there in enough time to see the skyline during the day and then went to keep busy for a bit until the sun went down. I actually played video games for awhile in the huge mall that sits on the peak. Hadn't done that for about 6 months, which very soon would be a reoccurring theme. After the sun went down I took some pictures and stared dumbfounded at the skyline. I went for some Peking duck (so very, really, really good), and crashed.

My last full day on my trip was very calming and cooling. I had dim sum in the afternoon for the last time. For those of you who don't know dim sum is a lunch time event that Hong Kong is famous for. People come around with a bunch of super good food on rolling trays and stop in front of you while you choose which one you want. Whatever looks good to you will then be marked on your card to paid for at the end of the meal. MMMmmm. After dim sum I went to 10,000 Buddha monastery. When I got there I realized that it wasn't just a clever name. There's actually well over 10,000 Buddhas lining the long walkway up, on the buildings, big ones, small ones, smiling ones, holding things, eyes closed, eyes averted, wise, silly, laughing, standing, leaning, shouting, you name it. I spent a couple hours here and decided to head back and turn in early.

I got up early and set out of Hong Kong with the feeling of exhaustion from being away from home for a long time. Hong Kong was a funny place. A lot of people but organized. I was happy to be there, but wanted to be home. I didn't really meet anyone but I talked to so many people. It made me miss the third world actually. The plane ride was loooooooooooooong across the pacific and landing for a 3 hour layover in Vancouver was torture. No worry though, I would see my lady love in mere minutes.

Short Recap of a Long Time

Ok, here goes. I spent a month in a Buddhist Monestary in Nepal called Kopan and studied Mahayna Buddism with Monks from around the world. It was me and a little over a hundred westerners and three hundred monks. I woke up every day around 7am for the first two weeks and then 5am the last two weeks. The whole time there was split in two in a lot of ways. The whole time there was amazing.

Kopan is on top of a hill (Nepalis call it a hill, in America it would be a small mountain), overlooking Kathmandu Valley. It is a huge complex and comes complete with a giant Stupa Garden, a beautiful Stupa Garden. There are many buildings and one of them is the Chenrezig Gompa where we met everyday for teachings, meditation. There was a shop to buy stuff at, a bookstore/library which came in handy as I continued my reading spree by reading 6 more books. A giant prayer whell that I would use when I wanted to have a smoke and couldn't. I would push this huge thing around and around and the bell rang with every pass and seemed to calm me down. Prayer flags were everywhere and when the wind would blow prayers would be sent out to all living beings. God, theres so much more I could say but...

The first week I was there I was introduced to a place called Travelers Diharealand. It's a miserable place and I hope I never go back there, EVER AGAIN! Once I left that three horse town I really started to warm up to the scedule, whats the scedule?
6:30-Morning Meditation (I admit, I missed this a few times)
7:30-Breakfast (every meal vegitarian)
8:00-Karma Yoga (chores)
9:00-AM Teachings (With Venerable Fedor)
11:30-Lunch/Free Time (up untill lunch there was silence every day)
2:00-Discussion Group
3:00-Free Time
3:30-PM Teachings
5:00-Tea (My addiction to Bamboocha was quickly eclipsed with Milk Tea)
6:00-Evening Meditation
7:00-Dinner
8:00-Night Program/Meditation/Misc.(This was my favorite
9:00-Free Time
10:00-Lights Out (ZZZZZZZzzzzzzz)

The guy who did the teachings was Ven. Fedor who was an acidemic monk from Germany. He has been studying the Dharma for 20 years and knew more than I've forgotten. The only problem was that his voice was so monotone and the subject matter so intense that at times boredom would set in a little. He was a math/science guy, I'm an art/creatyive guy. We also had a few other teachers. Venerable Robina, a woman from Australia was particularly amazing. She works in the prison system in San Fransisco with people who want to take refuge with Buddha (the equivolent to being saved in Christianity). Her talk was moving and it was nice to hear the Dharma come to life.

Ani Karen ran the evening program. She's been at Kopan for many years and hearing her voice was a little slice of Nirvana. The food was amazing. I've never been that big a fan of vegitarian food, untill now. Oh my God it was good! The people there were amazing as well. I met so many people from around the world and it became apparent early on to me that if I had met any of these people back home and they told me they went to Nepal to study Buddhism for a month in Nepal, I'd want to sit down and have cofee with them. I met too many to mention, but trust that I love them.

The last two weeks we took the 8 Mahayana precepts which included; no killing (anything), no lying, no stealing, no sitting on high beds, no sexual misconduct (including anything sexual), no music/dancing (the hardest for me because it included tapping of feet, hands and singing to yourself), no perfumes or jewelry (including deoderant), no intoxicants. We also took a vow to not eat at wrong times which meant no breakfast and no dinner. In the middle of the precepts I decided to take a vow of complete silence for 3 and a half days.

That sounds like a lot but you'll have to believe me when I tell you it was amazing. There were so many things I learned while I was there. So many things that will effect my life in such a positive way. In the interest of time I'm going to withhold that info. Honestly, even if I had the time, a lot of what I learned and shared was for me. Thats the amazing thing about Buddhism that really distinguishes itself from other doctrines. It dosn't impose at all. Buddha taught his "middle way" and if there are parts that you dig, then apply it. If there are parts you don't dig then no worries.

I left Kopan with a heavy heart and said goodbye to a lot of new friends. Some I will see again, some I won't but I will always cherish the time I got to spend with these people. All in all it was so incredible. Bangkok is a far cry from the peace and calm of Kopan. It's loud, crazy, and really sleezy. There are a shitload of tourists here which deadens the experience a little. In all the places I've been sans London, the great thing has been a lack of tourists, at least in these types of numbers. I'l certainly make the most of my time here at any rate.

Truth be told, after Kopan, I'm ready to go home. I miss Bethany. I miss my friends. I miss America. The Pats are 9-3 and I want to watch them today. It'll all be over soon enough and I want to be in the moment as much as possible. I'll send another update as I'm leaving Thailand. I'm going down south to Krabi and then to Koh Phi Phi where they filmed "The Beach". For you Bond fans, I'm going to the place where they shot the crazy rock/laser gun thing in "The Man With The Golden Gun". For you Nathan fans, I love you more than words.

Dig it

Wha' Happened?

Oh Man.

Well, at least I waited until the last leg of my trip to really slack on the updates. I made it down to the southern coast of Thailand. My jaw dropped to the ground and when I first got there I was saying "wow" alot under my breath as to not seem like another awestruck tourist. The tourist.

Lets get this out of the way now. I'd like to go on record by saying that there are two very distinct side of the tourists coin in Thailand. On one side I'd say that they have almost single handedly raised a developing country out of the slums. The amount of money that is pumped into this part of the world from the tourist dollar is awesome (and I don't mean that in a cool way, I'm saying it as like the amount is huge). It's provided better wages, roads, and access to modern technology amongst a host of other things for the local people in southern Thailand. Now the other side.

White people are ruining the world. I saw more white people in southern Thailand than Thais. Most of the tourists don't really give a shit about the people who live there. They are on holiday and expect these people to cater to their every need. What used to be beach communities have transformed into polluted cash cow towns. I use the word polluted for two reasons. 1:The towns can't really keep up with the amount of people roll through on holiday i.e.buses, boats, garbage. 2:The local people have been polluted. I was constantly berraded by people wanting to sell me stuff and they moved us around like cattle from one place to the next. There was little to no chance to get to know a Thai on a level where they could share some stories with you. I had encountered this before in India but not nearly on this scale. If I had gone there on holiday than maybe I would have seen it differently, but I wasn't. I'd seen things at this point that made me sick of people being polluted. Saving the world is going to be really hard. Lets move on.

I got down to Krabi, a beachside community, and checked in at my bungalow. I went down to the beach and went for a swim and walked around. There were boobies on the beach and so that made me happy. Sunbathing topless in the States has yet to really catch on and I'd like to say that its a fine idea. Boooooobies. I walked around and took a path to the next beach over where upon the end of my walk I was surrounded by little monkeys called Gibbons. Monkeys and boobies.

The next day I took a longtail boat (the main type of transport and sound pollution when you're near water) to a secluded peninsula called Rei Lai. When I got there I saw a cave that was frozen in time with quartz bleeding out of the limestone (I forgot to mention the limestone. Huge outcroppings of limestone were everywhere down here. I thought that they were volcanic at first but it turns out they are like old coral that shoot up in the air. Some are 20ft. Some are 200 ft. They are a sight to see for sure {for all the rock climbers in my life, you would have a heart attack if you saw all these faces. I wished you could all be with me}). I went to climb up this little cliff to a lagoon in the middle of the limestone but it started raining that really hard tropical rain and decided with my knees and all that it would be too slippery. I ended up back at my bungalow and began to drink beers with the Irish. Are they actually born with a beer in thier hands?

The next day I set out for the Ko Phi Phi islands. The ferry ride to them lasted about 2 hours and on the way I met some Kiwis (New Zealanders). They ended up being the coolest people I met in Thailand. I hadn't really had the pleasure of traveling with these guys much and the ones I met far outdid my expectations. We landed on the island and the water was what I had been looking for. Terquoise, in every way. I met the Kiwis at the beach and we walked out into the water which never got deeper than our knees which suited us just fine because we waded there on our bellies and backs the whole time. At one point the lady Kiwi pulled her red card (Whats a red card? On thier trip so far whenever one of them pulled a red card no one could be without a drink in thier hand for the rest of the day. I was hanging out with the Kiwis which apparently meant that I was a Kiwi for the rest of the day. Oh shit). Someone brought beers out to us in the water and there we stayed, through a rainstorm that came through, for the next 3 hours drinking beer and laughing. We decided to go and get ready to hit the bars after our hands looked like they had aged 50 years.

The next part is honestly a little hazy. We went to the what will probably be the first and only "Mens Night" that I'll ever go to. Free shots for men. Yay men. Those of you who know drunk Nathan know that he is a singing man. Thats what I remember (and consequently a bunch of people Thai and tourist told me the next day that they, "recognized me from last night because you were the one singing"), singing alot. I sang in the sidewalks (no cars are allowed on the island), in the shops, to people, and at one point in a Thai karaoke bar. They didn't have english songs so I just improved the Thai. After awhile a Thai guy came with a guitar and plugged in. He played "Hotel California" and it went like this..."On a dark dessert highway. Cool wind in my hair. The warm smell of colitas, rising up through the air. On thefgf blahdk diddy blak bluk, nirenioniongonooimn WELCOME TO THE HOTEL CALIFORNIA". Not pretty. I cohersed the guy to give me the guitar and started playing some Ray Charles, Otis Redding, and GNF'R. I ended up on stage playing a hour and a half set completely wasted as the bar to show thier appreciation was feeding more alcohol. Unreal.

It wasn't long after that I passed out in my bed. When I awoke the next morning it felt as though someone with a poison coral fist punched me in the back of the head and then turned me around and punched me in the temple with an oak hammer. Hey speaking of poison coral, I went snorkeling with my new Kiwi friend David the next day. We met our guide and made off for Phi Phi Lei the smaller and uninhabited of the two islands. I could fill a whole other entry with what I saw underneth the water. It was truly amazing. Sharks, different colored fish, eels, everything you could ask for. The visibility under there was like nothing I had ever seen as well. In the middle of it we got to go to Maya Bay which is where they filmed the beach in "The Beach". The water there was probably the clearest I'll ever see in my life. I pretended I was a stud and walked in the water with my best Leo swagger and enjoyed myself for a moment amongst the hundred other people doing the same thing.

We finished the snorkeling and I had to get back to Phi Phi Don to catch my boat back to the mainland. I said goodbye to the Kiwis and as I got onto the ferry and went back to Krabi the weather got to be shitty again. No matter, I laid pretty low for the rest of that day and got a good nights sleep. The next day I awoke to the sunlight and went back to Rei Lai to try to climb the little cliff again. I did it this time and the cliff ended up being a tough little climb. There was a robe there to help but there were points in which I figured I was screwed. I can't really bend my left knee and my right can only take so much abuse until it goes out. The climb down into the lagoon was what really hurt. Small 25ft. rock faces going straight down. Ouch.

When I got down the lagoon was at low tide and so no worth it. I climbed back up, miraculosly without major injury and went to a lookout point. When I made my way off the cliff I cursed myself for doing that and found my way to a restaurant where I enjoyed my last good Thai meal complete with some Thai pancakes for dessert. I was leaving for Bangkok that night on a bus and so I got my stuff together and made my way to the station. The ride up was long and the movie they showed on the bus was by the same guy that did "Kids". It was a terrible movie that included foul language, nudity, rape, drug abuse, and murder. Fucking Thailand.

I got into Bangkok at 5:30am and walked around till Koh San road opened up where I did a little Christmas shopping and went to the airport. Thailand was a trip to say the least. Strikes and gutters in this little kingdom in SE Asia (Inever mentioned it but these people LOVE thier king). I'm in Hong Kong now and what I'll say is that it is big. Mumbai might have been the biggest city in terms of numbers but this place feels bigger. I want to come home now. Back to what I know. Back to Seattle (even though I heard the weather has been nuts lately). Back to my friends. Back to the woman I love. It's time. I'll be home soon. Yay.

Signing Off From Katmandu

I've made it to Kathmandu and I'm going to try and recap the last week and a half. This trip has been so amazing.

Samuel and I had an amazing time together and that is all there is to it. I had even written in my journal that I wanted to meet and be friends with an Isreali before my trip was done (seeing as the Isrealis I had met until then were very stand-offish). The next day I met Samuel and the rest was Goan history.

The day after his pure drug induced night scare we hit the relaxing hard and just sort of walked around. We ate good food and got to know some of our neighbors better. I met yet another English couple who were too cool and yet again, I miss Bethany. We watched the sun go down on a pile of rocks away from the beach and that show was unreal. Our waiter Jon was from the north of India and waited on us every time. He got a kick out of me telling him that we have the same job. I get that question a lot and you'll just have to trust that there are not too many servers traveling overseas. Miss you Buca, see you soon.

The next day we got up early and rented scooters to take up the coast. As soon as we pulled away, and I was on a scooter mind you, I realized why people say riding on 2 motorized wheels is freeing. I loved it. We would ride and then stop for water, ride, beach, ride, food, ride, etc. We ended up all the way up in Margao and Samuel bought himself a guitar for the road. He had been missing it so badly and we decided to head back to Palolem so we could watch the sun go down and make music on the sand. Israelis,(along with a lot of other people, LOVE Pink Floyd. LOVE THEM! So we sat there and played "Comfortably Numb", "Wish You Were Here", and "Time" to name a few.

I was supposed to leave the next day but I ne4ver got the chance. I was having so much fun and Samuel was on no time clock. We just hung around all day and walked around some more. I got some X-mas presents and we had our last supper with Jon. The next day we went to Margao again to catch trains to our separate ways. Samuel was going to Hampi, a town which I wanted to go to so bad. I was headed to Mumbai. We said good bye and exchanged e mails and took pictures and ended our initial time together. Suffice to say, the family will probably take a trip to Isreal at some point. Love you Samuel.

I headed up to Bombay/Mumbai and when I arrived on the overnight train it was 6am. Really early to be in a huge city. At that point, I don't think I knew how big it was. I walked the streets and they were pretty desolate. The buildings were surreally different and I needed breakfast. After I got my flight to Kathmandu all patched up and checked in at a seedy guesthouse. I went to "The Departed" that night at a theater in Mumbai. Going to the theater in India is very different. They have assigned seating, metal detectors, and get this, an intermission. Watching the movie, which is set in Boston, made me miss home terribly. I was certainly the only person in there who had a Red Sox hat on and I felt overwhelming pride (I did have a conversation with a couple Indian guys afterwards and assured them that I'd never killed anyone).

The next day I hit the streets and strolled down Marine Dr. which hugs the coastline of the city. Seeing all the people and getting a feel for the make up of Mumbai, I quickly realized that this was the biggest city I'd ever been in. 14 million people and I was just one guy walking around amidst the madness. I saw the Gateway To India, which was this gigantic arch by the water. The Taj hotel which was the definition of luxury. The I walked around the Colaba area and did some more X-mas shopping as well as fighting off the random people trying to sell me worthless shit. Yes, I did go to McDonalds and I felt like a jerk immediately after. I also went to this classic cafe called Leopolds. It's been there forever and there is a book that is set there that Johnny Depp just bought the movie rights to.

Yesterday was a travel day as I went from Mumbai to Dehli to Kathmandu. It was a long trip and there was a guy from Brazil that sat as we were waiting in Dehli and sang to himself as he listened to his i pod in an off key voice that could have curdled milk. It was long and I was happy when we set down in Nepal. I haven't been here long enough to give an account but I can tell you that it is different from anyplace I've been so far. It certainly isn't tropical and honestly, it's nice to not be sweating at every minute of the day.

By the way, how was everyones Halloween? Everyone is going to vote tomorrow right? The word by the campfire here in Asia is that the Dems are going to take the house. The Senate is tight but will go to the GOP. Everyone is talking about how Iraq is the main issue and global eyebrows are raised at Saddam being handed so called justice just days before the election. The world thinks that the trial was bunk because due process waved bye-bye to the preceding a long time ago. People out here don't hate Americans, on the contrary, they dig us. They hate GW and his whole administration. I can't count the amount of times people have referred to him as a terrorist and put him in the same league with Bin Laden. At home this kind of talk is reserved for liberal rhetoric, here it's the norm. I see another evangelical has gotten himself in trouble. The funny thing to me is that 1000's of Christians would have stood beside Rev. Ted Haggard before this happened and said what a shining example he is and look at how his righteousness shimmers in the sunbeams. Let's see where his supporters go now. Thats one thing I've picked up from reading the new testament, Jesus forgave, Jesus loved, Jesus didn't give a shit what you did, as long as you asked for forgiveness. We could all stand to be a little more like Jesus.

I heard it's been raining in Seattle quite a bit. I got to watch Monday Night Football this morning,live, and it looks like the Seahwks defense is running on all cylinders. Too bad the offense is struggling. The Pats got beat by the hated Colts yesterday and I'm as sad about that as a Pats fan can be in Asia. Whatever. We'll see you in the playoffs Peyton and God knows you have more trouble there than you know what to do with. Football started, basketball started, hokey started, the new Bond movie is out. I miss home and I miss you.

I'm going to take a trip around Kathmandu in a little bit and then it'll be off to the Monestary. I'm feeling a little nervous about it but also assured that it will be wonderful. It's going to be a month before I write to everyone again. I'll be in Thailand and possibly a monk (although I doubt it, I enjoy my worldly possessions too much). I'll be thinking of each and every one of you while I'm there and even some of you that aren't on here. Do me a favor and tell everyone that you know that I love them. Even if I don't know them than you should tell them that you love them. Vote Democrat, Happy Thanksgiving, and may the force be with you. This is Nathan Bean signing off from Kathmandu.

Drugs, Beaches, And Sunsets

It's been a long time since I updated and honestly, I don't remember much. I left Allepey on a train headed north and met some wonderful people. A doctor from England that had worked in South Africa for awhile and had some amazing stories. I also shared the trip with a really cute couple from Spain and France. I love hippies. I slept a little on the train and when I got off I was so weary. It took another 2 hours before I arrived at the sleepy beaches of Gokarna.

Om Beach is the name of the main beach where I would make my hub for the next few days. It's called Om Beach because it resembles the symbol for "Om", which is everything. The mood when I showed up was a little cold. There were westerners there but they were all seemingly into what they were doing and nothing/nobody else. I got settled in my room, which was covered with fire ants, and went for dinner. There I sat, alone, wondering if I had come to the wrong place. I also knew I had been in transit for a long time and maybe I should just sleep it off.

The next morning I woke up determined to not let the day suck. I would go on a hike and meet as many people as I could. The day started out with talking to Bethany who was visiting my Mom in New England. She is out there for my Nanas 80th birthday and to say I'm happy about all this wouldn't do it justice. It's such a wonderful thing that she got to see my family seeing as they are such an important part of my life. I've since found out that it all went great and a good time was had by all. Oh by the way, Happy Birthday Nana. 80 years is an amazing landmark and I'm so proud to have you for a Grandmother. BIG HUG!!!

I left for my hike and I almost immediately started missing the old roommates. This would have been something we did for a weekend trip except it's in India and more secluded. It was a little dangerous at parts but the scenery was ridiculous. Lush palms and jagged rocky coast. I talked to a guy from Turkey on the way to Half Moon Beach and he also mentioned that the vibe at the guesthouse where we were at was wield. I was happy it wasn't just me. I continued on and found myself a cove to swim in at Half Moon Beach and then continued on to Paradise.

When I got there I was awestruck with how desolate it was and I found a cute older couple and chatted with them for a bit before heading back. When I was passing by Half Moon again I ran into an English couple named Kirsty and Charlie. I only talked to them for a moment but I would end up hanging out with them more later. Then on the path I met yet another English couple much more of the hippie ilk. We sat down and started talking...then I got high. I was going to finish all my walking...then I got high. So I found a big palm tree, and I know why. Yeaaaaaaaah, because I got high, because I got high, because I got high. Da-da-da-da-da-da. Watching the sunset from the lone palm tree that was on this little outcropping was one of the most memorable moments of my entire trip. I went back to the guesthouse and had a wonderful dinner and met a bunch of guys talking about America. I assured them that I wouldn't bomb them if I sat down and they all agreed. Shortly after I decided to retire and I was loving my life again.

Just to put this out there, from the moment I stopped with the English couple and smoked from a chillum;

Chillum:
-noun 1. a hookah or other water pipe adapted for smoking marijuana, that can be passed in ritual fashion among a group of participants: used esp. by Indians.

I was lifted the rest of my time here. Some may say it's a bad decision and they might be right but it felt like the right thing to do and I'm still here. I decided to go back to Paradise Beach for the evening and spend the night there. When I got there I met up with the English couple, a crazy holy kid from Germany, an actually crazy guy from Argentina, a kid from Bombay who spoke perfect English, a couple quiet Isrealis (they are all pretty much quiet) and the staff for this guesthouse. It wasn't really a guesthouse so much as a Shack with a lot of beach area. I had a wonderfully chill time there and slept under the stars in a hammock. The next day I went back to Om Beach and got another night at the guesthouse Namaste. I spent a lot of time with Kirsty and Charlie and we agreed to meet in the morning so I could go to town which was a long walk and something I had no idea about.

We met in the morning and with my bag on my back (which, I gotta tell you, is paying huge dividends here in India Jay) and my mind somewhere up in the clouds, I left this place for Goa. Everyone has told me Goa sucks now but I wanted to form my own opinion about it. I said goodbye to Charlie and Kirsty and thanked them for being cool people ion a strange place. I stayed the night in town at a terrible little shanty called Gokarna International. If you're planning on being in Gokarna, don't stay here. One cool thing though was that the TV, which didn't really come in, was showing the World Series. The Cardinals won huh? Someone in Seattle give J.P. a big hug for me and tell him that I would send him to St. Louis if I were there. Go Birds.

The next day was a travel day and I headed for Palolem Beach up north in Goa. I arrived and noticed that there were two growths on my forearm. I don't know if something bit me or what but they are discerning. Oh well. I ended up hooking up with this guy named Samuel from Isreal and he is so cool. He reminds me of Craig a little bit but with Zach's laugh and...he's Isreali. All these guys finish their time in the army and then go on trips, more often than not, in Goa. This is the first guy though that I've really talked to and he's so cool. Last night we talked to this guy and he gave me a piece of pure MDNA. I didn't even hesitate and told the guy that I didn't want it. There, finally some willpower when it comes to the drugs! Samuel on the other hand was down and thus I began my long night of designated human. It was fine (although I wouldn't want to be Sams jaw right now) and I had a good nights sleep.

The beach here is great. It's so much more touristy here than where I've been. There are so many tourists here and it's just a bit of a trip! It's expensive, well, expensive for India (I'm staying on the beach with Samuel for 5 dollars US). I just found out that the Patriots ripped a hole into Minnasota. The huge bumps on my forearm are fading a little. I'm going to watch the sun go down on an island off the coast tonight. I'll be in Nepal one week from today. I've got a woman at home who loves me and she has our son in her belly. I love my life.

Namsate,

Nathan

Ashram

We got up in the morning and headed for the boat jetty to cruise to Ammas ashram halfway down the backwaters between Kollam and Allepey. The boat was medium sized, whatever that means, and was filled with about 9 people out of a possible 50. We shoved off a little after 10:30 and entered the intricate system of canals and waterways. Rama had never done this before so it wasn't just me who was in awe of the trip. Once we moved away from the small city of Kollam the scenery got smaller and smaller revealing the riverside villages of Kerala. People living their everyday lives i.e. washing clothes, bathing, cleaning. It was an honor to float by and observe this.

The trip reminded me of when I was younger and I would go and visit my Grandparents home named "Honey-Do" located on Lovell Pond in Fryburg ME. They had a canoe and I would take it just off to the side of their house and there was a sort of swamp there. It wasn't very big but I could go into these makeshift canals and pretend I was in the jungle for a little bit. This time I was actually in the jungle. Lined with lush palm trees and houses stuck in the middle. Man, it was incredible.

After a 3 hour trip we arrived at the ashram. A gigantic pink collection of buildings that were seriously in the middle of nowhere. You can see them down river from about 30km away. We got off and headed up to the office. I was pretty nervous, I don't know why but it just had a little intimidating feeling to it. Walking into the courtyard there was a mix of Indians and westerners mostly dressed in all white. They walked around with a purpose and without Amma there it seemed peaceful.

Now the shitty part. As I went to check in at the office the guy at the desk was telling me that Indians and Westerners were not allowed to share a room. The accommodation seemed to be segregated. Rama said that there must be something that could be done seeing as we had shared a room for the last couple nights and it was clear we were friends. The guy at the desk called a superior (not Amma) and asked if we could, the final answer was no. Rama decided shortly after this that he did not feel comfortable there. We walked out to the small village that lay outside of the ashram and walked for a bit. We said our good byes, hugged and then I watched Rama ride off in the sunset. You will be missed.

I went back into the ashram and kept to myself for the most part. In a place that was billed to have endless love, compassion, and equality, I was feeling pretty confused. The room was as basic as I've seen yet but the view from the 12th floor was absoloutly stunning. Unlike anything I'd ever seen in my life. To be that high up and to see what I was seeing, in a place where nothing much is over 8 feet, wow. I went to bed and hoped for a better day at the ashram tomorrow.

The next day started out with seva, which means selfless service. It was helping with food prep, a area in which I had some experience. I cut dates with some other travelers and we did it for 3 hours. It felt good to do and after I had lunch and went to the big hall to meditate. I got to know this really cool couple while I was there. Sasha & Jessica are from Brooklyn and they have been in India for some months now doing a photo shoot on Westerners finding spiritual significance in India. It made miss Beth even more (who am I kidding,everything, food, showering, and walking make me miss Beth). We had wonderful conversation and when it was all finished they are people that I'm looking forward to keeping in touch with. The majority of people staying at the ashram were, for lack of a better description, glazed over. As a result, we didn't interact very often. Kind of a bummer.

I kept a smile on the whole time though realizing that the same seems to go for every religious entity, rarely do the disciples act like the guru. Christians don't act Christ-like, Muslims don't act like Allah, Hindus don't act like the Hindu Gods etc. It's because most of the people set the bar so high that it's impossible to reach. In reaching for it, I belive sometimes, something is lost. Such was the case for the Amma devotees. The feeling that Amma has left there though was wonderful. I enjoyed being around the ashram of a living guru, a living saint. The music, the chanting, the atmosphere was so different.

On the eve of my second night there was a massive thunderstorm. I could see it coming in the distance to the east. When it hit I went to the 16th floor, end of the line, and watched as the rain marched and swirled from on high. The lightning struck so powerfully and so closely that goose bumps ran down my neck, arms, and back. The thunder shook my insides as it was ripping through the sky. The whole show lasted about an hour and then slowly moved on. It was the best thunderstorm I have ever seen.

The last day I woke up and helped again with the serving of food. I smiled and acted awfully chipper and the people seemed surprised. Why is it that they practice love and compassion with only themselves? I went to the small shop and got a new dohty (the Indian man dress that has captivated my thighs...Mm mm, thats hot), a postcard and a bracelet, along with some Xmas presents. I left the ashram feeling mixed emotion. Whatever it is, I am much more relaxed and ready for the next leg of my journey through two states to Gokarna, the holy beach city. It's a 15 hour train ride and I am so looking forward to the beach. Word.

Waiting On The Train

The train ride there was pretty uneventful. We arrived in Kollam at 2:00am and to save trouble and time went to the nearest hotel and checked in. We both were pretty tired so we fell asleep pretty fast to the sounds of a thunderstorm overhead. When we woke up the next morning we had breakfast and then asked if the backwater boat would be leaving anytime soon. The man at the front desk said that the boat leaves at 10:30am. It was 10:27am. Shit. Ammas ashram will have to wait one more day. Rama and I decided that it was best not to waste the day so we decided to explore Kollam a little bit.

He had been there before and mentioned something about a lighthouse. Those of you who know me, know how I feel about lighthouses. I jumped at the chance and we took a rickshaw to see it. It was big, beautiful red and white stripped piece of Indian shoreline beauty. Normally we could have gone up it, but it was closed so we just admired it from the outside and moved on. We walked through these little fishing villages and for some reason, walking with an Indian holy man gives you some sort of street cred. At least I felt more at ease about walking up to peoples homes and starting conversations with people. Rama said it was because they were unpolluted. That made so much sense to me. We talked to so many people and the beauty of it was that since Rama is from the north and only speaks Hindi and English and the people in Kerala only speak their own local language we were all forced to communicate in other ways. It was a blessing to be able to connect with these people. After this we went and got me a Dohtty, which is for all intensive purposes a skirt for men (but so comfortable). We had dinner at another local vegetarian place and then went back to the hotel.

In the middle of the day I called Bethany. Thankfully I got through and she told me that after having an ultrasound, she found out we are having a boy. The idea gets stronger and stronger every day. We're going to be a family. I was so excited that I told everyone in the shopping mart where I was, (and got some pretty strange looks for my effort). I'm so happy about my life right now. My life is over as I knew it in so many ways and in the same amount of ways, my life is just starting. I'm so happy. This place is amazing, I'm off to Ammas ashram in the morning.

Temple Town

I took a long train ride and ended up in Madurai. When I checked into the hostel, there was an elephant outside from the temple across the street having some rice and water. Are you kidding me? Just hanging out, having some lunch. I checked into my room and felt sort of groggy from the train ride and so I decided to take it easy. I walked through the town, which is more like a city, but not by Indian standards, just my own, which have no real bering here. I ate Tandori chicken and I was immediately in love. So, so good. There was also a view of the Sri Meenakshi temple but it was dark out and I could not see. I went home and went to bed to the sounds of Diwali i.e. very loud, random explosions.

The next morning I awoke and went to check out the temple. I ran into what I thought I would, touts. This guy dooped me into seeing a great view of the temple. It was a great view and I should say that the size of this temple is gargantuan. It's so incredibly big that my eyes had a hard time looking in just one direction. After I was done with the view, the guy actually tried to sell me a 3,000 dollar rug. What do you think Beth? He said it's an investment? Yeah, right. I spent about 45 minutes in there telling these cats I was all set and I met a guy from Canada named Iggy. He was playing the same game playing grab ass with these guys, we shook them and made for the temple.

Ok, good time so far. Things to see:

1.Sri Meenakshi Temple
2.Ghandi Museum
3.Big Palace
4.National Museum
5.Various Temples

We entered the temple grounds and before we got in Iggy recognized this guy who was sitting down. His name was Rama. I introduced myself and had no idea this guy would become my travel partner for the next few days. How could I have known? Rama is a Sadu. A wanderer, a holy man. We sat down with him and we started to buy little things like sweets, bracelets, etc. We would then give them away to people and just talk to them. He especially loves kids and so we would play with them and give them stuff. They closed the temple and so we went for late lunch. Yummy local Indian stuff that Rama knew would scare me. It was really good, I just hope I don't get a virus.

After we walked around and ended up talking to this young woman. We decided to go for ice cream in the nicest hotel in Madurai. The young woman, who had an awful limp, ended up being the Jackie Joyner Kersie of Indian Para-Olympics. She has all these medals and had just been accepted for the games next month, again. She was so cool. We walked around for a little longer and it started to get dark. I said goodbye to Iggy and told Rama I would try and meet him the next day. I went to eat Tandori Chicken again, which is quickly earning Bamboocha type status and went to sleep accomplishing none of my goals for the day that I had set for myself. Then again, I was happy I hadn't.

The next day I went back to the temple determined to see it. There was no stopping me to see great views and blah, blah. I went past where Rama was the day before but he was not there. I went into the temple and it was unreal. People worshiping God in a different way than I have ever seen. I felt like the only times I had seen stuff like this was in Indiana Jones. I couldn't help but think if I had pushed on the right hoof of this golden elephant that a secret room would open up and there would be a ritual where the evil guy chants something like "Num Num Shivi" and takes out some poor souls heart. Unless I can get past the guards and save the priceless piece that belongs in a museum. And get the girl. And not forget my hat.

I saw the Palace too, and that was the only other thing I had time for. It was huge and the only things remaining from the original are the dance and main hall. 60% of it is gone, which makes one in awe at what was taken down. This place must have been huge! I went back to my hotel and the guy at the front desk told me my friend was around looking for me. I went up to my room to get all my stuff because my train was leaving soon and when I came down, like clockwork there was Rama, with his kind eyes and infectious smile. We walked to the train station and wanted to come with me to Quilon (Kollam). I think I asked him if he was kidding and then said "hell yeah". We boarded the train and headed South for Kerala. To Be Continued...

Hole-E Sheyit, I'm In India

Ok.

India is very different than anywhere I've ever been. I thought it might be similar to Africa but I was dead wrong. It's richer but at the same time, there is massive poverty. You feel the pressure of 1 billion people at all times everywhere around you. The driving here makes driving in Africa look like a Sunday whimsy. The people begging assault you (no really, this lady had a stick in her hand and pelted me in the shin. Not as effective as you might think). Cows roam the street because they are sacred. The Internet cafe I'm in right now is blaring "Thriller". There are so many older people here than in Africa. Because we are so ashamed of our elderly in America and ship them to nursing homes and what not, I would say that you see way more elderly people here in India. Speaking of...

When I checked into the hotel, with hot water by the way, I had been up for 28 hours and was desperate for a nap. I took a big doze and woke up in the evening. I realized it would be a good idea to get cash out of the ATM (by the way, they have Ben Kingsly all over their currency here) before I left the next day. I asked the porter and he said that there was a citibank outside just to the left. I started walking and 20 minutes and 10 terrible directions later, I officially was lost. As I was asking this one guy a man that looked about 65 got off a bus. He said he could help me and I took a good look at him and used my judgement. He introduced himself as "Percy Lazurus, Risen From The Dead". His English was pretty good and he would break into gospel songs every now and again. We both agreed that Jesus was pretty cool and for the first time since I started reading it, knowing part of the bible ended up being useful. Percy Lazurus Risen For The Dead was actually 76 years old and just about as cute an angel I could have asked for.

We walked all around Chennai for about an hour and finally found the ATM. I got my money and afterwards he took me for some sweets, which are a pretty big deal here. I had this stuff called Mysore milk bars...oh my god...it's so...GOOD. I bought some stuff for him and his wife Matilda, (hey, thats a nice name, Bethany, think about it, Matilda Bean, Matilda, Matty, Mats, Tilda, Silly Matilly?) for helping and it made me happy to do it, because I knew he wasn't especially rich. I got some new sandals and we ducked into a little restaurant for a cool drink. After that I said goodbye to Percy Lazerus Risen From The Dead, and thanked him for being my first friend in India.

This place is crazy and it's wonderful. I'd heard it described as looking at the most beautiful thing along side the ugliest thing. I'm beginning to understand that, but that understanding will only grow and grow. I still don't have a ticket to Nepal? That has me a little worried but a wise man here told me that 90% of the things we worry about never happen. I like that. I'll write more soon and I'll put some pictures up too, I promise. Be good.

Nathan

Kwa Heri Africa

I can't believe my time here is over. I spent the last week in kind of a haze. It flew by because there was, all of a sudden, so much to do. I had to try and book train tickets and places to stay in India on unreliable Internet connections. I was in full goodbye mode all week which for me, who isn't great with good byes (thanks Ma), is emotionally taxing. Quinn and I busted our ass to get an agreement signed with the men who run the hotel and premises therein that Mama Rose resides on. We actually drafted a contract ourselves. Contracts are not easy and there is sort of an art to it i e: where to place certain words, demands, intros, etc. I had to get a bunch of pictures that I hadn't taken yet of people and places. I had to do laundry one more time before I left. I'll miss doing laundry by hand when this is all over, it's meditative. Martje, Quinn, and I put the finishing touches on the classroom. We put our hand prints all over the wall underneath "UNITY IS POWER", in the colors of the Tanzanian flag. It came out pretty well I think.

My last day started with the same ol' breakfast and Quinn and I went to Mama Roses for the parent, teacher, kids day event. Mama Roses boys made an airplane that said USA on one side and AIR CANADA on the other. The kids sang a couple songs including one that every kid got to do a solo. "My naaaaame is Dunkan, I am haaaapy, to be with you". Watching all the kids go I up I started to get a little emotional and anticipatory. I'm going to miss these kids in a very different way than I've missed anything or anyone before. They have done so much for me and not just opening my eyes and all that other type of stuff. They got to me. Really got to me. It's going to take a long time to feel how much I really love them and then when I do finally feel it, how will I react to the fact that all of these kids are starving when they come to school. Over half of them are HIV positive. Their future is so bleak and yet they are so content. They have no TV, no X-Box, no Hot Wheels, no toys really and yet, these were the happiest kids I've seen in a long time. When they were singing that song I also started to think about my child and how he/she/it will be singing in a class someday. I am going to be a father. Ok, moving on.

A little later in the day I brought Sabrina up to the new classroom and we sat down by the wall of hand prints. I deliberately put my hand print next to Sabrinas and I showed her that. I put my hand on mine and her hand on hers and she looked at me. I said we would be together no matter where I was and I had learned the word for 'heart' in Swahili so I said that I was in her "moyo" and she was in my "moyo". She kept looking at me with this sad confusion and I began to form tears in my eyes. She hugged me and as we were leaving she smiled at me which totally disarmed me from my somber mood. I'm going to miss her so much.

After the even was over I said good bye to all the kids and watched them pull away from the school in a dalla dalla for the last time. Mama Rose and her family of friends and I sat around talked and when it came time to leave (I still had not packed for heavens sakes), before the goodbye started coming I reminded them that I'd see them all later that night at my little gathering by the beach. I went home and packed all of my life into one bag, which is still a shocker, (and I don't mean that kind of shocker, I mean I was shocked, sickos).

I met up with everyone at the beach that night. We all sat around at the Italians bar, talked and shared stories. At one point I remember Martje saying that the crowd of people were mostly local. That made me feel really good actually because it meant that I had really put an effort in to know Africans. These people were so good to me and it felt right to spend my last dinner with them. Mama Roses family were all there which consist of:

Mama Rose
1.James
2.Lawrence
3.Robert
4.Stephen
5.Edward
5.Jennifer (Roberts Wife)
6.Masi (Robert and Jennifers beautiful girl) (MASI ATTACK!)

That's a big group and what an amazing family. They are some of the kindest people I've ever met in my life and I was blessed to be a part of their lives. Mama Rose took a short walk with me and I thanked her and we talked about my travels and what she was hoping to do with the school in the future. I told her I was going to try and help send volunteers to her in the future. I will be in contact with that family for as long as I live. I said good bye to Mama Rose and thanked her for being my Mom in Africa. She started to cry, which, of course means I started to cry. I said good bye to all the boys and Jennifer and Masi and pretty soon after that my night was finished.

Today I woke up and spent some time with Quinn. Quinn is partly what kept my sanity in tact on this trip. She was a constant feeling of home and a person here that I could trust and count on. We had so many long, wonderful talks about this and that. Thank God she was here. When the volunteers factioned off into Orphans vs. Mama Rose, (everything had to be a competition with the couple here, I'll be happy to be moving on from them. They were just the kind of people that have to win at everything and make you feel like a fool. Not jerks so much as just young and unwise. Pretty much like me at 25. Plus, the sour tone in the house had more to do with the Ball Foundation doing a terrible job of taking care of us and people complaining all the time. It's one of the reasons I'm excited to meet this friend of Bethanys. She has this debilitating disease and is in constant pain but never complains. Ever since Bethany told me about her, I think about that before I complain. I'm really abusing the parenthesis in these blogs. Sorry)) I felt so fortunate that she and I were on the same team. On the same level. On the same wavelength. She filled the role of best friend very nicely and I'm thankful for her.

I'm leaving now. I wish I could sum up what this time has meant to me but right now, I don't even know. What do I feel? I feel wonderful. I feel thankful. I feel sadness. I feel excited. I feel alive. I feel colorful. I feel like part of a family. I feel like having one more Bamboocha. I feel like staying. I feel like going home. I feel like going to India. I feel filthy. I feel incomplete. I feel filled with joy. I feel compassionate. I feel love. I feel Africa.

Salaama

Safari

Oh Wow,

I left for Arusha on a cramped bus at 8:30am on Friday. The bus ride was so long and with my knees starting to hurt and the sun going down, I was beginning to wonder if it was worth the hassle. I showed up in Arusha and the touts were in full force. Like Zanzibar but worse and knowing that all of them are full of shit is unsettling. I learned "Toka" in Swahili which means piss off. It worked. I got hooked up with a tour operator through my friend at U Dar, Jessica, and we set everything up. I slept in a sketchy place and ate some beef and chips. I locked everything up and went to sleep with more holes in the mosquito net than George W. had in his reasoning for going to war.

The next morning I awoke and met my Safari partners. Mr. Giraffe, from Arusha, was the uncle of the tour operator and a fine gentlemen. Stephen, from France, who was so incredibly French that it was hilarious. Everything about a stereotypical French guy with his speech "Ahhhhhh, what is word, oh-la-la, mmmmmmmmm yes" and his appearance was what you would imagine. The only thing that didn't fit was that he was so incredibly cool. He is a Buddhist and lives in Madagascar. The driver, Mike, knew great English and was a thoughtful and awesome driver. He has a girlfriend in Colorado so we kept joking that we must be family. The first place we went was Lake Manyara.

Beautiful backdrop on a beautiful day in the lush African forest and savannah. That's Lake Manyara. We went to the visitors center first to read some info and blah, blah, blah. The welcoming committee while we were there was a troop of about 40 baboons that were just traveling through. We left the visitors center and started our safari. It wasn't long before we saw our first animal. An elephant the size of a small apartment was standing right next to the road eating a tree. Eating a frigging tree. Are you kidding me? We went along and saw another troop of baboons who were walking along the road. We then turned a corner and I got to see my giraffe, eating the high leafs on a tree by a small river. He saw us come up and stood for a moment and then decided it would be best to bounce. Watching that creature move is amazing and the way they stare at you gave me a sense of their wisdom. We continued on and saw monkeys, impalas, and all sorts of stuff and then we were in the savannah. Wide open plains filled with zebra, wildebeast, 100's of different kinds of birds including flamingos. There was a hippo pool and in the far, far distance we could see a couple of lions. Wow.

We went and had lunch under a acacia tree, my favorite tree in the world I think and what Mike told me they called, "the shade of Africa". After lunch we ended up observing these three elephants who Mike said were brothers. One of the little guys was acting skittish about getting in the pool to cool off. He kept sort of inching towards it but wouldn't go in. Finally, the BIG brother pushed him into the pool by running his head into his but. If I had a big brother, I would have felt even more sentimental than I already did. We left soon after and it was off to Mosqutio village to spend the night (that's not a cute name it actually is called Mosquito village).

We woke up early the next morning and headed off to N'gorongoro Crater west of where we were staying. We entered into the conservation area and the fog was everywhere. It was one of those, "felt like I was in a dream moments", but even more surreal because it looked like the middle of the jungle. We came around a corner and all of a suddenly there was a clearing and we were looking down on a plain that went as far as my eyes could see. Mike told us that it was the Serengheti. They are part of the same ecosystem and even though we were officially a hundred km from the park, there it was.

We started our descent into the crater and I have to tell you, I've never seen anything like this. A volcano exploded in this area a million years ago and now this flat surface remains with a couple lakes, a forest, and grass when everywhere else is dry. It's surrounded by an escarpment 500 ft. straight up on all sides. Wow. We got to the bottom and met some Massai people who were tending their cattle and wanted money from us, I said "hapana pesa bwana, pole sana", and we drove on. I can't tell you how teaming with wildlife this place is. Everything we saw yesterday, sans giraffe, plus warthogs, rhino, gazelle, jackal, ostrich, more birds, buffalo, hyena, and more.

When you ride on safari you stand out the top of the roof and take pictures in awe. My head was on a swivel trying to take everything in. The wildebeest would number in the hundreds with the zebra and gazelle. It was dusty as hell but that's all part of the gig and Mike had something cool to say about every animal. The coolest thing I saw on safari was a pride of lions that had just killed two zebras. Four lions were sitting by a pool and two were patrolling the kills, protecting the food from scavengers. The jackals had the biggest balls as far as I'm concerned, walking right up to the kill and taking bites before Ms. lioness was like, "uh-uh, no you dit-int", and ran over to scare him off.

We had lunch by a hippo pool and there were these birds, like hawks, that would bomb people who were eating out in the open. Serves em' right, this is their turf. Which leads well into my next story. After we started again I had to go to the bathroom and I asked Mike if we could stop and to my surprise, he said yes. I stepped out onto the floor of the crater with nothing around but 1000's of animals and as I looked out I had the strangest feeling. I am quite simply, just an animal. That's all we all are, and being surrounded by all these animals was humbling and wonderful. As we moved on I had to keep reminding myself that this wasn't a zoo, this is how they live, this is WHERE they live.

At the end of the day I got inexcusably cheesy and I got my disc man and played, "The Circle Of Life", from The Lion King, while we were going past a herd of wildabeast, and yes, I got goose bumps. Hey, at least my kid is going to dig when I do shit like that. We left too soon for my liking anyway (I could have stayed there for 4 more days) and headed back to Arusha.

The trip home was as long as the trip up. As we left the roof of Africa which was cloud covered when I came up was out in full force as we went past Moshi. I got to look at Mt. Kilamajaro and it isn't quite as high as I expected but it is enormously wide and regardless of any size, it's beautiful. When I got to Dar I made my way home via a dalla-dalla and realized quickly that I was leaving Africa soon. This time has, at the risk of sounding like everyone else who comes to places like this, flown by. I feel so fortunate to have had this time, wait, you know what, not yet. I still have another week.

peace & balance,

Nathan

Classroom and H.O.V.A.

Hey Yall'

This will be just a quick update. Tomorrow I leave for Arusha to organise a safari. Arusha is about a 10 hours on a bus so I'll be sure and listen to a bunch of music on the way. Thank God for the disc man. I was supposed to go on safari with a few friends and the driver here but Kari, the same dolt who runs the organization, screwed everything up. He's sort of a master at that. He wouldn't let Thomas, the driver, take us up because of timing constraints. coughcoughBULLSHITcoughcough. It actually has worked out though because I'm going to be in India alone soon and I feel I've had very little practice at that. Not that I'm ever really alone. I travel with God. Happy Ramadan by the way.

I have pretty much finished the classroom at Mama Roses. It looks pretty good. I still want to hang some decorations but it's all cleaned up with desks and everything. The answer to your question is yes, I did finish the chalkboard and it was the hardest thing I've ever put together. It's what they call a "labor of love". I used to think that was some cheesy comment until I actually did a labor of love and now I understand. It feels so good to know that this will be here after I'm gone. Quinn came in a painted the words "Unity Is Power". Everyday Mama Rose starts off with singing songs with the kids and one of them is a song about going to market. At the end of the song she and all the kids are singing "Unity digadumdigadum Is Powah digadumdigadum Unity...". It's wonderful time of the day and I think she is right. On the 14th, The kids, their parents, Mama Rose and her boys, Quinn and I are all having a get to know you and thank you session. At that time we will all, underneath the "Unity Is Power" put our hands in paint and leave our hand prints on the wall. YEAH!!!

So, last night I went to see the 8th wonder of the world. Jigga man himself. H to the iz O, V to the iz A, H.O.V.A. Jay Z (for those of you, like, I don't know, my Grandparents, {who, I recently found out are reading this via printed pages by my wonderful Aunt Betty, Nana and Gramps I love you so much}, who don't know who Jay Z is, he is one of the most popular hip hop stars alive.) The show was at Diamond Jubilie, which is basically like an expo center back home. Oh my God, it was amazing. He just went ahead and rocked the mic in Africa. Of all people in all places, I saw Jay-Z in Africa. Seeing a show like that here was different than in America. We just danced and had a good time and everyone, EVERYONE was feelin' it. Little bit a Brooklyn in Dar.

After the show was over Myself and 5 others from the University of Dar including fellow Traelpodder Jessica (what up girl) took a taxi home. We piled in and the trip there was sketchy at best. When we reached the campus, 4 of the kids got out and it was the lone Tanzanian in from with his Tanzanian driving brethren and me in the back. The guy not driving lived a few km of campus and I started to notice that he was talking to the driver a lot. I didn't think much of it until the guy tuned around and asked me if I could drive. I sort of giggled like "are you kidding"? I could see by the look on his face he wasn't. It turns out the driver didn't know how to drive. I suck it up and say, "Yeah, I know how to drive". The more accurate answer would have been, "Yeah, I know how to drive a Chevy in America on the right side of the road".

The guy gets out of the car and gives me directions for where I live, a mere 15 miles away. The driver hops in shotgun and I quickly realize what Tanzanian cars are like. Even the nicest cars have the shifter on the left. Wierd. I get on the road and immediately head to the right side of the road, bad move. There's no 2nd or 4th gear. The brakes are all but shot. The stearing would be better described as aiming, like I was in a boat. And of course, there was a headlight out. We're off. I hit speedbumps and caught air I think, and I won't even go into what the potholes are like here. For some reason, in Tanzania, people don't dim their high beams so whenever a car came I lost sight of the road (serious lack of street lamps as well). 45 minutes and a few early gray hairs later I pulled into my driveway. Wow. I left the driver and as I walked away I said a little prayer for him.

Other than that, it's been business as usual. My time is winding down here and soon it will be off to India. I can't believe how fast the time has gone. I guess everyone says that when they are in such a strange and wonderful place. I won't do the goodbye Africa email just yet though. I'm leaving for safari in a few hours. I've been saying the whole time that all I wanted to see was a giraffe. Looks like it's on. As the rastas say here...

Peace and Love,

Nathan