First Boat Ride to Northern Laos, June 2011

Topic: The boat ride from Luang Prabang to Huay Xai, Laos.  What none of my friends and I realized was that this longboat was going to be packed with Loatians, all of their stuff, and would last over 12 hours.  With minimal seating.  We did not necessarily anticipate that this would be our situation on this Saturday morning.

"Do you guys think we should get there early?  We don't want to miss the boat," warned Becca who was a seasoned traveler, knowing bus rides from Costa Rica to the border of Panama were an experience in itself.  My best friend Becca had flew to visit me in Singapore from Washington, DC, about a week earlier.  We had already traveled together through Siem Reap, Cambodia, with our friend, Gretchen, PE teacher from SAS.

"Yes, we should go...." replied Julie, my SAS colleague from next door, who met up with us in Luang Prabang, Laos and who was heading back to the States after this trip for a year to spend with her family.

So it was decided.  Off to the boat.  We gathered our belongings (really, just backpacking bags since we were headed into the jungle in northern Laos to hike, zip line and sleep in tree houses) and walked down to the boat area.  We bought our tickets for the longboat and looked at the huge mass of people in front of us.

All the "stuff"

"Ok...." I thought in my head.  There were tons, and tons, of people.  They had a lot of stuff with them.  It was a Saturday.  I think the pictures show this situation more justice than me describing it.  The "stuff" people had with them included backpacks, huge sacks full of rice, motorcycles, bikes, packages, luggage, you name it.  The stuff just got piled into the front of the boat all on top of each other and you hoped you didn't have anything fragile with your belongings.  People who ended up not having a seat on the boat, sat on top of the stuff.

We squeezed our way onto the boat, facing the seating area (which held car seats, literally they were seats that looked like they had come out of a van), wondering where we were going to sit.  There were hardly any available seats!  This boat was packed!  Becca found an empty seat next to another backpacker, Julie took a plastic chair, I took a seat next to this young Loatian guy who looked like he was saving the seat for someone, and Gretchen took a seat next to someone who was saving it for someone else who was not yet on the boat.  We definitely felt out of place.

The guy behind Becca was not happy with us taking his saved seats

"You can't save seats!"  Gretchen was exercising her boat rights.  The guy next to Gretchen did not speak any English and he was up in arms.  The guy next to me spoke English.  I had to try something to smooth this situation over.  I began making friends with the guy next to me.  "Hi, where are you headed?"  I asked the guy.  We got to know each other a little bit.  He was a student and learning English in Luang Prabang (the city).  He was returning back home to his family for the weekend.  I asked him, "Were you saving this seat for anyone?"  He answered no, but I think he was supposed to be saving the seat for someone (he ended up having a lot of friends on this boat).  I next asked him, "What's happening with that guy behind us?"  My new friend answered, "He was saving the seat for his girlfriend."  "Oh," I answered.  Gretchen, my Laotian friend, Becca, Julie, and I were caught in the midst of arguments and chaos.  This misunderstanding happened before the boat even started up creeping up the Mekong River.  "What is he saying?"  I asked my friend.  "He is just angry because his seat is supposed to be saved."  "What should we do?" I replied.  "He'll be fine, just have your friend stay," stated the guy.  The guy Gretchen sat next to would not stop shouting angrily; shouting over to my new friend; and causing more chaos.  We were only a few seats away from each other.  The two Loatian guys continued to talk in Lao and Gretchen would chime in that she was not moving.  Go Gretchen!  After some time, the girlfriend stepped on board.  There were some words exchanged between Gretchen's guy, his girlfriend, and Gretchen.  In the end, all three of them ended up sitting in the two van seats.  All of their faces looked like this: :(

Becca had a sad face, too

My new friend for the boat ride

After some tense times, the boat drifted away from the platform.  Finally maybe there would be some peace as we headed upstream to northern Laos.  I continued my conversation with my new friend.  It was interesting getting to know some of the people of Laos!  I shared a couple of photos on my phone of sites in Singapore (even though Singapore is so close to Laos in proximity, I made the assumption that this guy had not yet made the trip to Singapore) and told him that I was a teacher.  I don't really remember much else about our conversation other than the fact that most of the people on the boat were returning to somewhere and that's why the boat was so packed.  The guy also liked learning English and was very, very accommodating.  Too bad I don't remember his name for this story.  So my local friend got up to head toward the back of the boat.  I began talking to Becca and Julie, glanced back, and the guys in the back made eye contact with me and "cheersed" with beers at 8:30 AM.  Becca teased that I had a fan club.

Soon enough, of course I needed the restroom.  I guessed the toilet was located in the back of the boat, after having watched a few people come in and out of a room back there.  I decided I would try it, and pass by my local friend.  On the way to the back, somehow with the translation of my local friend, I talked with the other guys and we had a couple of laughs.  They were cooking and having a good time, while drinking Beer Lao.  After emerging from the little room in the back AKA a squatter toilet, definitely not in the best of conditions, one of the guys offered me a beer.  In the spirit of adventure I thought, "Why not?".  I accepted, made friends, began taking part in the show of what would take place for the next 11 hours, and embraced the journey.  One of the guys sent kids to bring food to me back in my seat, which was pretty lucky since we didn't think to bring food with us and the trip lasted over 12 hours, with no food that was sold on the boat.  I felt taken care of by the Loatians and it was good fun.

The Loatian kids who brought me food (rice and veggies)

What my friends won't let me live down was when Becca said, "Look at Dani in the back with a beer in her hand!"  It was 9 AM on a boat filled with local people and their stuff, three American girls and one Kiwi, arguments that had blown over, and a 12 hour boat ride ahead of us.  No technology, no food, hardly spaces to sit, beautiful scenery along the Mekong River, and new people to meet.  I realized, when situations seem crazy, sit back, drink a beer, and make friends.  The rest of the boat ended up watching me do that, too.

Our scenery from the boat on the Mekong in Laos

Hluhluwe/Umfolozi Park, South Africa March 2011. Nature's gifts.

So there is a correction about something I had written last time that is not accurate.  After texting with Maya who had lived in South Africa for four months, she had learned that in Durban, some blacks (I'm hoping this is the PC term) have cars, but only the affluent and middle class black families.  Usually, blacks ride taxis and whites do not.  Whites have cars and drive.  After experiencing the Apartheid Museum in Johannesburg towards the end of my trip, it was blaringly apparent how deeply rooted segregation continues to be in this culture.  The Apartheid Museum confirmed some of my quick outsider observations, but in no way could I ever be a cultural expert by visiting countries for such a short time span.  What you notice quickly though is usually always interesting.

Apartheid Museum, Johannesburg

Now back to the African bush...Maya and my's first safari was breathtaking!  We had to wake up around 3:30 AM in our hut to make it out to the safari vehicle for 4 AM.  Our safari started at 4 AM (at least from what I remember) and it was actually cold when we headed out to the vehicle.  Cold!  What a change from Singapore!  The goal was to catch the animals waking up.  I'll be honest, I was completely excited for this safari, but I was also a bit wary.  What if some of the animals came charging at us?  I didn't really think that would happen, but there were definitely some reservations coupled with adrenaline.  Maybe I was just excited because I love animals so much.  The first animal we encountered on our pre-dawn ride was a hyena.  It was a bit freaky to see a hyena because I had just seen The Lion King and those animals were so nasty.  That's how much of an influence movies can really have on people.  Anyway, we saw the hyena in the dark, but someone had to hold this large flashlight contraption (that someone was me because I sat in the front of the vehicle) and shine it on the animal.  I had to position myself somewhat close to this hyena!  The big flashlight was also heavy and made my task more challenging.  I looked forward to the dawn.  "Click, click".  I  handed the big flashlight to Maya and took some photos of the first real-life hyena I had ever seen.

The hyena pre-dawn

The sky slowly turned to light.  I could finally put the heavy flashlight down for good.  Our next stop took us to an area of white rhinos.  Some were awake, some were sleeping.  The rhinos were huge!  Our guide told us about the poachers who have hunted these animals to near extinction.  Their ivory horns are the prized possession.  The animals are supposed to be protected in this park; however, unfortunately, poachers find their way in.  It's very sad.  "Click, click".  I captured tons of rhino shots.

These rhinos knew I was taking a photo

The wildebeets and impalas have a feeling they're on the menu

We proceeded from the rhino area and stumbled upon wildebeests and impalas (medium-sized African antelope) on edge.  Why were they all perfectly standing the same way, facing the same direction?  I thought that some smell had to be in the air.  The animals seemed like they were in a trance and I caught it on my camera.  The impalas especially were beautiful and so cute!  After waiting a while to see what these animals were going to do (they really just stood there and it got boring), the vehicle carried on forward.  I unassumingly looked around and to my left, and to my surprise, there were two lions, a male lion and lioness, ducking down in the bush.  Without realizing (and with my loud voice), I exclaimed, "Oh my God there's a lion!"  And as I said that....the lions slinked away.  I ruined their careful hunting of those "on edge" impalas and wildebeests and I ruined our photo opportunity of these majestic creatures.  To my defense, it was the first lion in the wild that I had ever seen!  I guess the lesson learned is: just keep your mouth shut on a safari, or use a quiet voice.  Maybe one day I will learn to control my voice volume.  So yes, we tried to follow the lions that had slinked away by taking the vehicle into the African bush.  These were smart lions.  To no avail, we had lost the lions.  At least I would see some other "big cats" later on this South African trip at the Emdoneni Lodge, 20 miles or so away from the Hluhluwe/Umfolozi Park.

Giraffe at dusk

That was just the first part of the safari.  Maya and I took another safari that same day which started at 5 PM and lasted until dark.  Dusk was another great time to observe animals.  One of the best parts about the 5 PM safari was watching the sun set over the African Savannah and observing the stars emerge.  In Africa, in this beautiful, protected area covering 96,000 hectares, you feel so small, yet so connected.  There is something about breathing in the midst of nature, nature that many of us in the US are unable to experience, except through watching informational shows or documentaries on the National Geographic channel, that validates the unique feeling of the African Savannah.  I really did feel like Pumbaa and Timon from The Lion King watching those "sparkly dots up there in the big bluish-black thing".  It is a sight to see.  You understand that "everything you see exists together in a delicate balance....You need to understand that balance, and respect all the creatures from the crawling ant to the leaping antelope."  -The Lion King
Watching and capturing these animals on camera was a gift.  There is so much beauty and balance out there that we need protect.  Most of that protection and awareness comes through experience and education.

Night on the African Savannah

More about the Emdoneni Lodge where I had a cheetah on my lap, later....not sure what I'll write about that...

Hakuna Matata!

This is crazy and real.  Advice: Exercise your best judgement.

Travel to South Africa 2011- Beginning of trip with Maya

Woo hoo I'm finally on Spring Break!  It's the first time since I've been in Singapore that I'm staying put.  I'm happy with that choice. :)

Two years ago for Spring Break, I made the trip on Malaysia Airlines to Johannesburg, South Africa.  Johannesburg was my connection before I took a commuter flight from Johannesburg to Durban, South Africa.  In Durban I met Maya, who was working on a Fulbright Scholarship in South Africa at the time (March 2011).  The flight from Singapore to Johannesburg was great.  It was a 10 hour trip that connected in Kuala Lumpur, Mayalsia and then flew straight across the Indian Ocean to Africa.  Malaysia Airlines was a much better flight option to me than other airlines that connected in Dubai and then flew to Africa.  At one point in our mostly direct flight to Africa, the pilot suggested we look out the window at Madagascar as we were flying over it.  How exciting it was to be traveling to Africa for the first time and seeing places I've always wanted to see!  I let the guy next to me on the plane know of my excitement.

It was wonderful to have Maya meet me at the airport in Durban (East Coast of Africa).  She had rented a car to drive back to where she was staying in Durban and the drive from the airport to her place was an interesting one.  We passed through what I guess you would say is "downtown" Durban and two years later, I remember the scenery looking dingy and very different than Singapore (of course).  Whenever you're in a different country, there is always a different "feel" as an outsider, and the feel of Durban was new, a little dreary, and also a place I was happy that I didn't have to live alone.  At one in the afternoon on a Saturday there looked like there were shops that were closed/gated up, people and trash on the streets, separate buses for black and white people (Maya explained this to me), and then on the side streets, gated houses.  As we approached Maya's cute ranch-looking house, all the houses around, including hers, were gated and alarmed due to high crime.  As I had heard about high car thefts and violence in South Africa, I inferred that this was the reality of living here.  Just watch out and be safe.

Maya's house was lovely!  A nice little kitty greeted us when we drove up and it looked very healthy and friendly.  Maya had wanted to keep the cat, but we think it was the neighbor's.  I was exhausted from the jet lag and traveling, so we chilled together, caught up a bit, and Maya prepared some yummy South African dinner that's like a stew and I'll have to remember what it's called- I think mutton bredie.  There was a lot of great food along the East Coast of Africa, including many Indian influences like curry because of the proximity of India to the East Coast of South Africa.  A lot of the food was rich and fattening, so by the end of the trip, it was a bit much for my system.  The rooms in Maya's house were lovely and it felt really nice to be in a house with your best friend in a different country!  Maya was sharing this house with another Fulbright recipient and her sixteen year old daughter.  I was glad Maya had other people in the house with her to share in her Fulbright experience (the house did get broken into later on, but luckily nothing happened to anyone).

Setting out on our road trip along the The Elephant Coast 

The red soiled earth

After rest and recuperation, Maya and I set out for a road trip along the East Coast, called The Elephant Coast.  The Elephant Coast runs from the iMfolozi River in the South to the Mozambique border in the North. It's called the Elephant Coast because this area, also called KwaZulu-Natal, has the highest volume of elephants in South Africa, outside of Kruger Park (another game reserve in the Northeast corner of South Africa and on the border of Zimbabwe and Mozambique).  This road trip was amazing!  Maya and I had loaded up the car with "mix tapes" and my favorite CD was "The Lion King" musical since I had just seen the musical in Singapore with Nadiah the week before I set out on this trip.  I had also purchased a new camera so I was playing around and documenting just about *everything* as we drove, including the long stretches of smooth highway (courtesy China and putting money into South Africa for the World Cup), the circular huts, the skinny trees, and the red soiled Earth.  There were new sights all around.

The circular houses

Skinny South African trees

Our first destination by car (Maya was an excellent driver and tour guide) was the Hluhluwe/Umfolozi Park/Game Reserve, where we would go on safaris and stay in huts on the campground.  I'll write about that next...just to prepare you, the weather was nice and dry, there were a lot of bugs and monkeys, and there were *so* many stars in the sky.  Being in the African savannah did feel like the Lion King...and it's something to do in your lifetime, if you enjoy nature and animals.  Will write more about this next time!  So far....South Africa....an amazing place.  And that's only the first two days.

Our hut on the Hluhluwe/Umfolozi Game Reserve

Sickness and Health

So I've been "out" from working out (gym, pilates, Boot Camp, ballet- yes it seems like I do a lot) for about three weeks already.  I've got the dreaded Mycoplasma that people from northern latitudes seem to catch here in the tropics.  Mycoplasma, for me, makes me extremely tired and not my usual energetic self.  It's sort of like a mono, as we would know in the States, but sort of worse.  Mycoplasma can knock you down for quite some time.  You take antibiotics to help kick the "infection", but something about Mycoplasma stays in your blood, unfortunately, forever.  I've gotten a reoccurrence of the infection every year since I have been in Singapore, and usually around the same time.  My running ragged must catch up with me by February/March.  Hence some of those "exhaustion" blog entries in 2011.  At that time, I didn't even know what Mycoplasma was.  There is a lot to go on and on about Mycoplasma, but I'm literally sick of it by now and I can't wait until it's gone!  For me, Mycoplasma means quality couch time, which usually only occurs when I'm sick.  Sometimes my Mycoplasma is a blessing in disguise.

Switching to more positive topics; there's one week until Spring Break at SAS and I'm looking forward to that as a healthy time.  Sleeping in, meeting up with friends, doing what I want, resting.  It's a welcome break without travel that helps to detox the soul.  Last year (which I did not write about because I skipped blogging for about two years), I spent my Spring Break in Israel.  Traveling to Israel was one of the best trips I've had so far.  I traveled alone and to visit one of my sister's childhood friends who was living in Tel Aviv at the time.  Even just the plane experience on Lufthansa was an adventure in itself because I was alone.  Usually when you're alone, you pay more attention.  At least I do.  The gate from Frankfurt to Tel Aviv seemed a bit intimidating.  Security was high and to me and it felt like I was headed to a war-torn country.  At the time, I could have been.  Tensions were high with Iran and Israel and Iran were in the news everyday leading up to my Spring Break departure.  I know this region has much deep-seeded conflict, but when I actually entered Tel Aviv, it felt so "safe".  So much of the international news describes the conflicts between Israel and Palestine and I was happy to not have to experienced any rocket attacks (Steph had when she was near Gaza).  I learned tons in Tel Aviv from the people living there and I loved, loved, loved the lifestyle.  People were bold and didn't really care (from what I gathered).  Live life to the fullest because you never know if you're going to war.  There was also an unbelievable amount of dogs in Tel Aviv.  My friend Steph had a puppy, Munchie, and Munchie became one of the highlights of my trip.  We took Munchie everywhere with us.  On a walking tour of Tel Aviv with Fritz de Wit, to the Dead Sea and Jerusalem, everywhere.  Dogs are definitely training for having babies.  It was quite an ordeal to pack up the car (we actually had two dogs traveling with us) and exit the car with all of the stuff, so I was patient.  The weather (in March), scenery, food, people, history, sites, were just in a world of their own.  Of course I loved the pita and hummus, but also Shashuka.  Someone I knew wanted to name their future dog "Shashuka".  You'll have to look up what Shashuka is if you don't know. The Mycoplasma is now kicking in and I'm done typing. :)

So in sickness and health, the world still goes round.  There are so many memories to capture on here of the places I have been and this is just a start.  There is so much more about Israel.  If you ever have the chance one day to go, go.  It's a place I will always remember and think back to time and again because of its significance and the time in my life that I made that trip.  I have the tattoo now to remind me.

Wow. Almost 3 years later.

I've thought about blogging again.  And I had *pretty much forgotten* that I had even created this blog.  My friend Becca had the idea of making a blog so that she could know what was going on over here in Asia.  Then you get caught up with life and have so many other things to do besides sit down and write about your day.  Even though I used to carefully write in a journal- well, for a long time- but I've recently broke open various journals from over the years--and one important one was started in 2003 when I began student teaching.  So I've thought about somehow getting those ideas out there.  It's one account of the trials and tribulations of a beginning teacher.  I'd say stories are one of the ways in which we learn and my journal is surely is a story.  Almost an extreme one.  I guess for me, it's always about learning.

So what's been going on in Asia?  Well for people all over the world that have read this blog and I do not know, probably because this blog may have come up in google searches, there is so much that you can do here in Asia.  Life is not boring as an international teacher.  In fact, life goes so fast, that I haven't kept up with this blog.

So in a way, this blog entry is a rekindling.  I'll have to think of specific topics for the new blog entries. This one would be a tribute to my first teaching assistant here in Singapore.  Over these years and since I arrived at the Singapore American School, Ms. N has been a part of my everyday teaching life.  She took her "creative freedom" to make our classroom colorful, artsy, and organized.  Now, she will take her amazing skills and bring to life art exhibits in a gallery close to my house.  So I won't see Ms. N everyday, but her skill of taking visions and turning them into a reality will live on in Clarke Quay.  Go visit her!  One day, she will make her debut in NYC.

SAS is still an amazing place; and I've grown a lot.  In ways that I did not anticipate happening.  But then again, I was an open slate when I arrived here.

Exhaustion

So I've finally reached the point of exhaustion and spent the weekend keeping my interactions with others to a minimum. I took the day off work on Friday (which I hardly do) and just slept, slept, slept. My throat started hurting mid-week and it was a struggle to get through the day with my kids, so I thought: best to stay home. It all worked out.

Richard, the banker, left on Tuesday. We all went out Monday night for a farewell drink- and it was good to see him, but not to see him go. He'll have fun back in California and I know he throughly enjoyed his time in Singapore. I'll have the stuffed snake he "won" at the zoo from my birthday as a memento. A funny and crazy guy.

All else has been going well-school is good and Nadiah and I are counting down the days until Spring Break. Three weeks. I'm headed to Durban, South Africa to visit with Maya and she's planned a safari among other adventures for us. One of my preparations for this trip is to buy a better camera than my i phone camera, especially if I'm going on a safari. Akira gave me the recommendation of a good one--canon rebel or something like that. A dslr if that means anything to anyone. Then, I get get pictures into this blog!

So a couple of new Singaporean things I have done: eaten dragonfruit (which I guess is only grown in Southeast Asia) and Laksa, which is like a Chinese/Malay curry. The Laksa, which was served in a clay pot, was awesome. It had seafood in it along with all the spices and noodles- yummg goodness. Singapore is known for it's Laksa. The dragonfruit, which doesn't have much taste or sweetness, has a cool texture and lots of nutrients. So the health benefits win for me, even though I have a dragonfruit in my fridge and can't really bring myself to eat it...

That's a short, quick, and not very exciting update, but that's what's going on. School tomorrow and the routine starts again...

Whale Sharks and the Philippines- Chinese New Year

Greetings! Another amazing experience to write about. On 4 February, 2011, a bunch of cool teacher girls and I went swimming with whale sharks in Donsol, Philippines (a small coastal town about 600 km away from Manila). The Philippines is about a 3.5 hour plane ride from Singapore to Manila and then we had about an hour flight from Manila to Legazpi. Once we had landed in the *small* airport in Legazpi, it was about an hour drive to Donsol and the resort in which we stayed called the Elysia Beach Resort. The resort was very cute, clean, small, and the food was amazing. Very fresh and healthy.

So the whale sharks, butanding, as the locals call them, are also named "gentle giants" by the locals. The "gentle giants" name actually calmed some of my fears as I really did not know that much about whale sharks or what to expect with jumping in open water and swimming with them. All I knew was that I was going to be jumping off a boat when a whale shark was spotted and told to look down in the water. Who knew what else was going to be in that water!! (At least that was what I was thinking...).

My friends Linda and Tabitha and I were in the same boat with a guide who was in the safety video that we had to watch before the "Whale Shark Interaction". That's what swimming with the whale sharks is called--"the interaction". Haha. Anyway, we called the guide famous because he was in the video and he was actually very, very awesome. He had been swimming and learning about the whale sharks since 1998, when the Philippines basically announced they had whale sharks and people came to see. Some of those people were poachers and hunters, but since then, the whale sharks have been protected. It was amazing to see how this small coastal fishing town has transformed into tourist area (that is still pretty underdeveloped and "rustic") and how the locals revere these amazing animals. And I see why.

After about 2 hours of boating around and not spotting any whale sharks, we finally were told to "get ready". By this time, all of us were ready to just jump in and see a shark (which is actually a huge fish and not a whale or shark). Our guide knew right when and where to have us jump in, so we were ahead of all the other people in the water and got to see the shark right from the start of its head! Our guide said, "okay, put your head down----NOW" and we snorkeled and saw this huge head not that far away from us. AMAZING! At first I couldn't really believe it. The water was not that cold and then, wow---you're looking at something very close to you that you've never seen before in your life! I got to see the whale sharks 4 times. We swam with them and I got to see their spots, gills, eyes, the little fish that swim near them and keep them clean, their fins, etc. It was so surreal and peaceful. You see how small you are in the world.

So the whale sharks travel around and one of them that was tagged in Donsol by the World Wildlife Federation showed up in Taiwan at some point. They also find the whale sharks in Thailand at different times of the year.

So whale sharks are awesome and I wanted to take one home. And not to eat. They were really cute and gentle. I am glad people are protecting them and also enjoying them. Whale sharks are beautiful creatures! I suggest you do a little research now because they are that cool. :) Pics are on Facebook. The pics of the actual whale sharks from our underwater camera are being developed....