viernes, diciembre 31, 2004

make a donation

The death toll continues to rise at such an astounding rate. It's pretty scary to think of the potential problems of diseases and such. If you are interested in helping the victims, Please click on the title of this entry, or cut and paste http://donate.ifrc.org/
It's Red Cross International. Of all of the organizations I found on the web, I figured they are the most helpful and in the know how when it comes to international aid.

I'm in Borneo at the moment and will be out of reach for a few days. I have received so many emails from friends and loved ones all over the world. I'm really touched. I am sorry that I don't have enough time to respond to each email at the moment. I will try to do so when I get back. In the mean time, know that I am safe and sound. The worst problem that I have here on my holiday is that it's monsoon season in the jungles here and so I won't be able to to as serious camping/trekking as I would like to. (Too dangerous) I'll be limited to day trips but will be staying in a longhouse community 3 hours upriver in the jungle. I'm very excited about that. Staying in a longhouse is by invitation only, and not a lot of tourists get to actually stay and live with a family.

Please consider donating the international relief effort. This is the most devastating catastrophe the world has seen in a long time, and it could get worse before it gets better. Even the survivors are now in danger as fresh water, food and shelter are in short supply.

domingo, diciembre 26, 2004

no worries, i'm fine

My goodness. What to say? I just walked back in the door of my hostel in Singapore after spending a very excellent X-mas in Bintan Indonesia. I did not have access to tv or any news while I was there, and so was greatly surprised when I received a panicked phone call from someone on my island asking if I was ok. I was buying fruit on a very peaceful day. She said that there were big waves, some of the villas were flooded and we had lost half of our jetty.

I didn't really understand why. I just found out. I am ok. I'm very lucky that at the last minute I decided to come here and not to Phuket as originally planned. I had planned on going to Malaysia tomorrow, but I will check and see what's effected first.

I'm fine. No worries. Pray for all of those effected by this tremendous earthquake. They are expecting another round. Perhaps I'll wait here in the mean time. Singapore is not effected.

My thoughts and prayers go out to all of those effected. I have friends in most places mentioned. They are now my neighbors. In Maldives mostly the buildings were effected.

I'm watching the news now. It's overwhelming.

lunes, diciembre 20, 2004

wild man of borneo

I always wondered what that phrase meant, "You don't look like a wild man of Borneo."

Well, this New Years I'm off to find out.

I'm leaving for KL, Malaysia on Wednesday. From there I'll take the train to Singapore where I'll spend a couple of days exploring. From Singapore I will take the ferry to Bintan, Indonesia on Christmas day for a party with a friend. Luxury resort Bintan being too expensive for me, I'll skip back over to Singapore on the 26th and then off to Sarawak, on the island of Borneo to spend the next week or so jungle trekking, caving and kayaking.

The more I look at the available information on Borneo, the more excited I am! It's one of the safest destinations in the world and most of the tropical diseases have been eradicated in Sarawak. I will plan my routes once I get to Kuching. Right now I think I'll spend most of my time in (World Heritage Listed) Mulu National Park, which has some of the largest caves in the world, and possibly the longest cave system.

Click on the title of this entry to be taken to an overview of trekking in Sarawak and all of its parks.

More to follow!

Happy Holidays and Happy New Years to all!

miércoles, diciembre 15, 2004

drunk and unhappy

After several hours of classes, after which I have hours of midterm exams to grade, I was invited to a "wine tasting" by my friend Coy with an American guest who lives in Australia. What I didn't know is that this guy was hungering for a woman.

He began as soon as I sat down. Mostly went on about my hair and refinement. I just laughed and said they must have given him quite bit to drink before I got there. I downed a glass of wine. He kept complimenting. Why? I look fantastic after about three drinks. I said as much.

After another five minutes he began emphasizing sentences by rubbing my thigh. I moved my chair further away. He followed. Began stressing that he was a humble guy. Hoped I realised how humble he was. I was not impressed. Took another glass of wine followed immediately by a third then a fourth to curb my sharp tongue.

As the thigh rubbing continued, I began rubbing Coy's thigh as a pointed statement of "How could he?" and "Revenge is forth coming". Coy made his excuses and left.

My tongue was getting ever more endanger of saying something extraordinary to our guest despite the constant drowning by wine. Chef and Cyrille were aware of this and trying to distract him. More thigh rubbing, chair moving and another glass of wine. After a bit he and Chef really began getting into it. The guest started bragging about how the reason why he was so successful is that he didn't like anglo-saxon women. The more he went on about this, the closer I got to Cyrille, who eventually put his arm around me in a protective way and he and I spent the rest of the time insulting the guy in Spanish. Que cabron!

Luckily I made it away eventually. Unfortunately for me, the alcohol (grand total six glasses of wine in just over an hour) really kicked in well after I had gone. Which leaves me here at past 4am drunk and unhappy about it....

I'm going to kill Coy tomorrow.

miércoles, diciembre 08, 2004

dreams...

It's nearly three in the morning. I'm alone in my office which will soon be my classroom. My infamous world-traveled red silk kerchief on my head, my favorite jeans, a singlet and a hooded sweatshirt, naked feet except for my butterfly toe ring that reminds me of a day in Barcelona with Racquel...

I'm listening to songs that remind me of all of the places I've been like wisps of fog near the shore stretching into the vast expanse of ocean . I wonder about the people in those memories. Is Sebastian still wandering the deserts of Humahuaca happily cooking a meal in the day while wild burros watch on? Does Katherine still go for sushi when she's feeling blue and swimming on Sundays? Is sexy red-headed Jeannine dancing wildly at a disco somewhere in Germany? Has Junsuke finally found his way to Australia? Are all of my dance partners still dancing? What happened to the old Grinder's gang?

I wonder who checks my webpage and wish that all of my friends had webpages for me to check to see how they are doing.

The water here is enchanting. Alone on a kayak, alternately racing through the water or sitting still tasting, breathing, feeling the infinite...I remember so many people. How beautiful life is!

I dream of buying a house in Argentina. Some little place to plant a garden. I would make it into a hostel for young people who like to travel but have little money. Perhaps I would also do English classes out of one of the rooms. Maybe have a community room. It would be the sort of place that one would want to raise children in. They would be bi-lingual from the start.

I see my dreams swimming past my eyes like dragonflies filling the afternoon with magic.



jueves, diciembre 02, 2004

i'm just a girl...

Vaya! There are some things about living here which I have a harder time with than others. Example: in English speaking countries we generally don't mention other's imperfections. It's considered rude. In Asia it's just normal and anything out of the ordinary (apparently) should be pointed out and discussed for no reason that I can see.

Now, if I ask someone's opinion and they tell me honestly, even if I don't like the answer I figure it's my fault for asking. If, however, they just suddenly volunteer information that is personal and rather insulting (to my ears) I figure they deserve whatever reaction they get.

My hair, my clothes, my skin (especially after holiday- temperature and climate changes wreak havoc), if I smoke (I only have the occasional cigarette), and now my weight all seem to be open season, especially if someone doesn't like them. The last one blew me away. I may not be skinny, but I am slim but a little curvy (and there my actually curvy friends will disagree with me). I am generally the smallest size in the store unless they cater to skeletons in which case I'm a small and not the x-tra small. Since coming here I think I have put on about 2 kilos. Not quite 5 pounds. All of my clothes still fit just fine, and that's my personal measure. One night at the bar, I said "Hello, how are you?" and the barman volunteered, "You know, when you came here, you were skinny and nice, but now I think you are a little bit fat." I just laughed, and laughed. Where the hell did he learn to talk to women and why does he keep talking to me?? None-the-less I have made the extra effort to exercise everyday and at least 1 of those kilos has disappeared (whether I will or no- I'm a woman and can't help the nagging in my head after someone says something like that). Speaking of which, it's time for me to go kayaking before classes.

Vaya!