Sucking the Marrow from Life

It’s the people

January 13, 2010 by Anne Xuan Clark

This week, I spent the day in Tam Ky, Vietnam volunteering at orphanages with Global Volunteer Network. Currently, six volunteers from Australia, Scotland, Malaysia and the United States live in a four-bedroom house. The program is very well organized and they have a cook, driver, site coordinator and regional coordinator. The day I was there a visiting Physical Therapist was spending his one week/month in Tam Ky. They also had two local interns from a neighboring University. I’m sure the reason why it’s so well resourced is if you just visit this place your heart cracks wide open and you just want to help.

As soon as our van pulled up to the orphanage, the children streamed out of the building and ran up to hug us. We brought them their morning bananas and they were screaming with joy. There are 45 children at this orphanage ranging from infants to 11 year old children. I spent most of the morning in the infant room, and as soon as I walked into the room they all turned their gaze on me. Imagine ten pairs of adorable eyes just staring at you, waiting for you to pick them up and love them?!? I was totally hooked. Since I was the new untrained volunteer, I just held them, fed them and changed diapers, while other volunteers were helping to massage babies, exercise, potty train, and organize the supply run. I don’t think I’ve ever been around this many babies before, and it was just astounding to me that they could immediately trust me, especially given their circumstances. Children are there for many reasons – teenage mothers that aren’t ready to parent, very poor parents that can’t afford a child, or their parents died (many children became orphans from the typhoons). Later, we went to another orphanage for older children, and I (tried) to help teach English to older students. They were a bit rowdy and the other volunteer was great at managing their behavior issues. By the end of the day, I was totally exhausted. And although I felt like I helped contribute, it was really just temporary. Of course, the children need love and attention and that is important. But I will be thinking about how to do something more sustainable and impactful when I return (open to ideas!).

It started raining in Hoi An, so I headed south and am in Saigon tonight. Tomorrow, I go on a three day tour of the Mekong Delta, including homestays with local families which I’ve been wanting to do for the entire trip. Then I’ll get some beach time at Phu Quoc Island before returning to Saigon. I’m flying back to Seattle on January 22 and will be in Seattle for about six weeks before returning to Vietnam. Should I have ANOTHER going away party? Just kidding, but I will have a potluck (I’m on a budget people) with all my travel photos and we can all swap travel stories.

Attached are a few photos of the wonderful people I’ve encountered over the past week. The people are the absolute highlight of this trip, from the locals to hotel staff to expats to travellers. The first photo is the old woman on the beach in Hoi An that kept coming back to me to sell me snacks. I kept thinking she could be my grandmother, working so hard to make just a few dollars a day. So many tourists are cynical in Vietnam and wary of anyone selling anything, but I was delighted this woman was willing to cut me a fresh mango on the beach. The other photos are from the orphanage. You’re not supposed to have favorites, but I was immediately taken with Quynh and wanted to take her home with me!

I kept buying things from this elderly woman at the beach (Cua Dai) in Hoi An, Vietnam. She could be my grandmother and cut me fresh mango, plied me with oreos and sweet treats.

My heart immediately opened up to these babies at an orphanage in Tam Ky, Vietnam.

Posted in It's the people | Tagged Vietnam | Leave a Comment »

Better late then never

January 10, 2010 by Anne Xuan Clark

Central Vietnam is really glorious. I really enjoyed my last days in Hanoi, but it has been good to slow down the pace in Hue and Hoi An. As I rounded the corner on the bus from Hue to Hoi An, and we entered Da Nang I got a really weird feeling. I suddenly had a realization that this was the city of my conception and the birthplace of my brother. There was a visceral feeling of deja vu, coming home, I’ve been here before, all of it rolled into one – even though it was my first time to Da Nang.

Hoi An is just lovely, similar to the slow, sweet pace of Luang Prubang, Laos. It’s a small, lowscale city that hugs a river with narrow streets. And the food is amazing! I had a wonderful cooking class today that began with a 2-hour tour of the market. We sampled sweet drinks, fruit I’d never seen before, cookies with minced pork. I learned about different types of rice, how to pick a ripe pomelo (it should be heavy), select fresh fish (besides clear eyes, also peer into the gills to see fresh blood), and the folk tale behind the betel nut. I have walked through this market many times already, but now it has new meaning to me. And this is what this trip has been for me. I have always been living my life, but now I feel SO ALIVE! (more on that in a bit)

I frequently run into travellers that I have met in other cities, since many of us are on the same Southeast Asia loop, and everyone starts to look a bit familiar. So I’m walking down the street yesterday and see a familiar face in a store – but then I realize it really IS a familiar face, a friend from Seattle! How bizarre is that? The world is so very small, and I’m about to make it a lot smaller. So here is the big news…

This trip has been truly life changing. I’ve always known that the biggest barrier in life is myself. So I’ve decided to conquer my fears, take the big leap, and stay in Southeast Asia for awhile. I have absolutely loved my work at the foundation. But for some time, I’ve felt removed from the clients and have been wanting to get back into the field to get refreshed/recharged. In Halong Bay, I met an Australian-Vietnamese woman who was taking a one year sabbatical to travel and volunteer. She was headed to Tam Ky, the region of my mother’s birthplace, to volunteer at orphanages through the Global Volunteer Network. It seemed like total kismet to meet her and learn about this opportunity. Tomorrow, I’ll visit her and the orphanages. For the first time in my adult life, I am totally free to do anything – unemployed, single, no children. I know that as soon as I return to the US, I’ll find a job, fall in love, and have children shortly. I may never have this moment again.

In Hanoi, my friends showed me the holiday postcard I’d sent them in 2000, declaring that I was going to move to Vietnam in 2001. During my first trip to Vietnam in 1998, I had every intention of saving money in the US, and then moving to Vietnam for a few years. But then life catches up with you and I never did move to Vietnam. So here I am again, and this time I’m going to seize this moment. I’ll volunteer in Vietnam for three months, travel in Asia, and then return to Vietnam to work for an NGO. This is an evolving plan, so please let me know if you have any connections in Southeast Asia, ideas, etc.

Internet is really slow again so no photos, sorry. My thanks to all of you for being with me on this journey, and the many journeys ahead!

Posted in Better late then never | Tagged Vietnam | Leave a Comment »

The new Vietnam

January 3, 2010 by Anne Xuan Clark

Leaving Laos was really difficult. My last days in Luang Prubang continued to be delightful. I went on a bike ride with the guesthouse owner, his brother-in-law, and fellow guests. We took a ferry across the Mekong, and rode along a bumpy road to a temple. Children plied us with lotus flowers to provide offerings at the temple situated on top of a hill with a spectacular view of the area. After we’d each purchased lotus flowers, the five children could relax, play and just be kids with us (business first of course!). They spontaneously burst into a coordinated traditional song/dance and again I felt so fortunate to be part of this unfolding life of mine. Later, we biked along dusty roads to our destination – a sugarcane plantation. This family runs an amazing operation from start to finish. They grow and harvest the sugarcane. They have custom built a huge gear shift and a water buffalo is attached, walking in a neverending circle to crank the gears while someone feeds sugar canes into the gears to produce the juice. They boil the juice for five hours, stir it, and then pour it into a mold, drying it in the sun to make bricks of brown sugar. We sampled all the imaginable uses – raw sugarcane, sugarcane juice, sugarcane taffy and sugar. YUM!

In 1998, I visited Vietnam for the first time and it was the most unexpected homecoming. Over the years, I’ve built up Hanoi as this mythical place and it’s occupied a very dear place in my heart. So it was completely disconcerting when I left Laos, arrived in Hanoi and was immediately accosted by hotel staff yelling at me on the street and physically trying to grab my luggage into their hotel. I ran away from there quickly, and since it was so late, just stayed in a 6-story walk up (of course I was on the top floor) that was very sparse and left me a bit sad. The next morning, I went in search of a new hotel, found Hanoi Amazing Hotel and it absolutely lived up to it’s name. The hotel staff were just delightful and I felt a bit sad to leave them to go on a cruise to Halong Bay. Halong Bay consists of 1,969 islands and is one of the most beautiful places on earth. I splurged and stayed on a luxury junk (a big upgrade from my last trip to Halong Bay of 2 nights/3 days for $30). We went kayaking through caves, I jumped off the top of the boat, hiked to the top of hills with amazing vantages and met lots of wonderful people. It was the perfect way to spend New Years Eve/Day.

Now that I’ve been in Hanoi for a bit, I’m starting to get the hook-up! I reconnected with my friends who ran the budget hotel I stayed in for two weeks in 1998. Last night, they prepared a huge feast for me and it was so wonderful to eat a home-cooked meal with friends. Tonight, I’ll eat dinner with someone who works for an NGO in Hanoi (PATH, major grantee of the Gates Foundation). Today, I took a tour with the local NGO, Hanoi City Kids, that uses university students as tour guides to improve their English skills. After visiting the major sights (it is really weird to view Ho Chi Minh’s embalmed body), we ate lunch at Koto, an NGO that provides culinary training to street kids, similar to Seattle’s Fare Start. This new Vietnam is a bit of a conundrum to me. So hungry for economic growth, but also aware of the growing pains. The university student said to me today, “I hope the next time you come to Vietnam there will be more cars then mopeds on the street.” I asked her why and she said it would be a symbol of economic growth, although she acknowledged with regret the harsh realities (pollution, traffic, widening gap between rich and poor).

I’m taking the overnight train to Hue tomorrow, and am ready to get to warmer weather and Central Vietnam, my mother’s birthplace. Hanoi is a bit relentless, and the Old Quarter is total chaos. There are now 2 million mopeds in Hanoi and I have to remain calm and steady to cross the street. It’s common to see tourists just standing in fear for minutes, waiting for a break in traffic that never comes. Of course, when I am with Vietnamese friends, the women link their arms in mine and they don’t even glance sideways when crossing the street!

I’ll have to post photos next time since the connection is pretty slow. Wishing you all a wonderful new year!

Posted in The new Vietnam | Tagged Vietnam | 2 Comments »

Making lemonade out of lemons

December 26, 2009 by Anne Xuan Clark

This trip is truly a discovery/rediscovery of myself and the world around me. Many of you don’t know that Livia and I broke up a few weeks before my trip. It was somewhat unexpected, but really the right thing for both of us. I still planned on moving to New York, and in some ways it created a blank slate of new opportunities. The road ahead in a new city was just for my own making. Now, I could spend this trip for me, and not missing someone back home. But those can be just words of consolation, as I try to see the positive side of life – always making lemonade out of lemons. I have truly enjoyed this trip, but in quiet moments, I am sometimes rehashing my past relationships, my role, what I will do differently next time, what do I really want – standard break up fare.

So it was a big surprise when I developed a crush on a 22-year old Laotian young man a few days ago! He was our guide for a walking tour of Khmu ethnic minority villages in Nong Khiaw, Laos. We had wonderful conversations about everything, and we both revealed ourselves to each other. On the boat ride home, I realized I had developed a small crush on him that made me smile. I smiled because it felt good to know there are many people in this world I can develop a connection with – over the span of just a few hours. Now if I can just find a more age-appropriate woman 🙂

I really loved my time in Nong Khiaw, another sleepy town nestled in the hills and on a river. I spent two night there, the first night in the fanciest bungalow in town for the high price of $40 (and it doesn’t even have a flush toilet – just a bowl, no infrastructure for plumbing). The next night I downgraded to a rustic bungalow for $6 (squat toilet and I was a bit fearful of bed bugs). Both bungalows had stellar views of the river. Both nights I also had the most amazing steam baths. There is a small wooden 5′ x 8′ shack. It take one hour to prepare the steam for you, individually creating a fire with aromatic herbs and wood, and the steam flows up through a small hole in the floor of the house. It’s not too hot, so you can steam for about an hour. Afterwards, they serve you delightful lemongrass tea in the cool evening air. The total experience costs less than $2 and I slept like a baby.

I’ve returned to Luang Prubang and had a wonderful Christmas. In the morning market, they sell little sparrows in bamboo cages and locals buy them to release and make a wish. On Christmas morning, I bought two birds and made wishes for my future. Seemed like a great gift to myself. Spent Christmas day at the Tad Kuang Si waterfalls. The owners of the guest house invited me to their Christmas dinner and we feasted for many hours. Today, I will go on a bike ride and wind down with a massage. Tomorrow, I fly to Hanoi for my final scheduled four weeks in Vietnam. I am thinking of extending my stay though – maybe a few months in Thailand, Nepal and India, who knows? And that is the amazing thing about life. One door closes, and smacks wide open a whole new world of possibilities.

Attached are photos on an elephant trek (they usually only put max two people on the seat, and at first they placed me on the elephant’s neck, terrifying as we moved an I imagined myself coming all the way to SE Asia just to die from a fall from an elephant?!? So we crammed into the seat), my gleeful self with my 3-inch catch from net fishing in Nong Khiaw, and the view at twilight in Nong Khiaw.

Net fishing in Nong Khiaw, Laos. I caught this three-inch fish and couldn’t be happier with a 25 pound salmon!

Twilight at Nong Khiaw, Laos.

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Emerging from a cocoon

December 21, 2009 by Anne Xuan Clark

Laos has been totally refreshing this past week. I spent three days visiting the temples surrounding Angkor Wat in Cambodia, and it is a truly magical place. But I also spent a lot of time hiding in my hotel room, watching endless movies on HBO/Cinemax. Generally, I am pretty fearless, but I was feeling afraid of the world and just wanted to hunker down in the safety of my air conditioned room. There are so many street vendors everywhere – from tuk tuk drivers to children selling post cards and water. Tourists (myself included at times) adopt this stance while walking on the street of looking down, avoiding eye contact and scurrying by the somewhat aggressive vendors. My isolation in the hotel room was an extrapoliation of this avoidance. I didn’t want to be this way, but just found myself slipping into this space while in Cambodia.

The Southeast Asian Games (regional Olympics) were occurring in Vientiane, Laos, so I headed for the hills and spent two nights in Vang Vieng, Laos. As soon as the bus left the city, rounded the curve and I saw the mountains, I breathed a sigh of relief. I forget how much I need nature sometimes. Vang Vieng is a beautiful town, located on the river and nestled in the hills. Spent an absolutely lovely day kayaking and caving. We used a sea kayak, and passed rice paddie fields and water buffalos cooling off in the river. I knew my days of fear were over when I entered a pitch black cave with only me and the tour guide, and I was laughing at the absurdity of it all (this is fun?! people pay money to scramble around in the dark?) instead of being afraid of being alone with a stranger in a cave. There is another weird side of Vang Vieng that includes backpackers sitting in restaurants watching endless episodes of “Friends” – I don’t know why they all play the same TV show, or getting drunk on the river and inner tubing. I was ready to leave and finally get to Luang Prubang, Laos.

They say Luang Prubang is a tonic for the soul, and this is definitely true for me as well. The town is straddled by two rivers, and has low lying buildings and just has a very relaxing vibe. I’m staying in a sweet guest house that fosters a communal sense so all the travelers spend their days together. I have emerged from my coccoon and ready to suck the marrow from life once again! This morning, we walked along the dark streets at 5:30 am to witness and participate in the daily alms for the monks. Hundreds of monks (most of them novice teenage boys) pass along the street collecting rice, bananas and other offerings from both locals and tourists. There are also local children that dot the streets kneeling with cardboard boxes. On occasion, the monks take food they have been given and provide it to the street children. It is an interesting circle of life, generosity and poverty.

My plans are evolving, but I will likely spend the next few days in the north at a small rural village on a homestay with a local family. They don’t have electricity or plumbing, and I want to get a sense of how most Laotians live outside the cities. This feels like the perfect way to spend Christmas, and I continue to be so thankful for my life, this experience, my family and friends. Thank you to all of you for being in my life!

Attached are photos of me at Angkor Wat, Cambodia; view from my bungalow in Vang Vieng, Laos; me providing morning alms to monk in Luang Prubang, Laos.

Angkor Wat in Siem Riep, Cambodia.

Bumpy bike ride outside Pnomh Penh, Cambodia.

Morning alms in Luang Prubang, Laos.

Posted in Emerging from a cocoon | Tagged Cambodia, Laos | Leave a Comment »

The other side of Southeast Asia

December 13, 2009 by Anne Xuan Clark

The transition from Bali has been pretty rough. I arrived in Bangkok after 10pm, and got a bit lost before finding the guesthouse the guide book described as charming. Traveller hint, charming is code word for decrepit! Shared bathroom, the floor was wet from the shower (no separate tub, the shower is like an RV and gets everything wet), and no toilet paper. The 8 x 10 room was hot, dark, and there wasn’t even a top sheet! The next morning, I set off to find a new hotel and after going to 8 places that were full, I found a room with a private shower but it wasn’t available until later that morning. So I took a ferry, then the skytrain to a posh mall and watched a movie (New Moon, I needed something familiar). Hours later, I returned to the new hotel to check in and they told me it wouldn’t be ready for two more hours. They let me lie down on the couch because I was so exhausted and I turned my head and cried. What was I doing at this $10 night hotel and did the next six weeks include other horrid experiences like this (sorry, the question marks and punctuation are challenging to make work on a Khmer keyboard). Homesickness was hitting me hard!

The next day, I arrived in Pnomh Penh, Cambodia and decided not to be cheap and went to a hotel that was $27. When they showed me the room, I think I cried a little, but this time with happiness from a flat screen TV and separate shower. I was disturbed when I read the rules posted inside the room, since the first one was no sex with children allowed in rooms. At night, I coud see evidence of the sex industry on the streets. The next day, I went on a 25 kilometer bike tour that was billed as easy. Yes, it was flat the whole way, but very little paved roads so quite a bumpy experience! We took a ferry, and then cycled past Muslim slums. And then passed the Vietnamese shantytown with the streets lined with small homes along the river on stilts with corrugated tin roofs. We went to the zoo that had fallen into disrepair and they only have one lonely snake. As we walked along, the tour guide pointed out the palm trees, and then proceeded to tell me the Khmer Rouge used the jagged edges of the fronds to kill people during the war. There is so much sadness, poverty and despair in Southeast Asia. My heart breaks a little bit every day. But then there is also so much hope for the future. The tour guide told me his younger sister is the first person in his family to graduate from University, and he hopes to attend next year as well.

Yesterday, I arrived in Siem Riep, home of Angkor Wat and the renown temples. It is a lovely city, and feels quite safe and comfortable. I went to Angkor Wat last night during sunset, and it just takes your breath away. In a few days, I fly to Vientiene, Laos. Decided to splurge and spend the money since it’s a 30 hour bus ride from Siem Riep.

I know this isn’t the usual upbeat e-mail full of wonder and awe, but it is the real other side of life in this part of the globe. And it motivates me to want to continue to change the world. Attached are a few photos from paintings on the wall and ceiling in a temple in Pnomh Penh; and the South Gate to Angkor Wat.

Glorious painted ceiling and walls in a Buddhist Temple outside Pnomh Penh, Cambodia.

South gate entrance to Angkor Wat in Siem Riep, Cambodia.

Posted in The other side of Southeast Asia | Tagged Cambodia, Thailand | Leave a Comment »

Do I really think I can walk on fire?

December 7, 2009 by Anne Xuan Clark

Today is my last full day in Bali and I head to Bangkok tomorrow. In order to prepare myself to be jarred by big city life, I will be getting my sixth massage in 13 days! I am going to have my final Balinese splurge and get a 3 1/2 hour package. For the low price of $30, I will have a spa day that includes a 90 minute massage, honey and cucumber facial, and hair creme bath.

These last few days have been amazing. Need to find a new adjective because everything is just so AMAZING! I attended another cremation ceremony. This one was relatively smaller for only one person, so I was able to see the more intimate details of the ceremony. The streets of Ubud were closed as the delegation of gamelan troupe, women carrying offerings on their head, friends/family/community, proceeded down the city streets into the Monkey Forest. I could hear the chanting and see all the offerings they placed into the coffin.

Yesterday, I went on an amazing bicycle tour. The tour starts with breakfast overlooking a lake and Mount Batur (still active volcano). We stop at a coffee plantation and learn about the process and sample five kinds of drinks including Bali coffee, ginseng coffee, lemongrass tea, cocoa and ginger tea. We bike 25 kilometers (all downhill!) with many educational stops along the way. The tour guide is very informative and we visit a family compound (the pigs in the backyard he calls a living bank, just like an ATM!), rice farmers, village temple and more. As we bike through small villages, the children come out and scream “HELLO!” Again, I felt so lucky to be witnessing everyday life in Bali.

Last night, I attended a fantastic cultural performance of Kecak Fire and Trance Dance. It’s outside and in the round and we were in the front row (I’d heard before about fireballs and was ready to raise my feet!). Men are chanting, the story unfolds and the costumes are spectacular. Before the fire walk, my friend leans over and asks if I want to walk on the hot coals and for a moment I pause because I felt/feel like I can do anything. It has been a long time since I felt like I could do anything and this sense just pervades my being, to the point that I think I can walk on fire! Well, I didn’t walk on fire but am ready for new adventures in the coming weeks in Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam. Thank you to everyone for partaking in my journey!

Attached are photos of the cremation ceremony (the body is inside the bull), pounding rice on the bicycling tour, Kecak fire walk, and me with the Kecak performers.

Posted in Do I really think I can walk on fire? | Tagged Bali | Leave a Comment »

Snorkeling, dolphins and hot springs

December 3, 2009 by Anne Xuan Clark

The journey continues and I keep wondering, how can it get any better? And it just does!

I left Ubud on a very high note with a $15 three hour massage (yes, that makes four massages in seven days)! The masseuse went to my new friend’s home, Denise and Ketut, in Denpasar. Walking into their home is unbelievable and I was already relaxed before the massage began. I felt like I was in paradise, getting a massage, the windows flung upon, their daughter playing piano and their son is swimming in the pool.

The next day, I arrived in Lovina, on the north coast of Bali most famous for their dolphin tours. I have a bungalow on the beach, and can hear the gamelan music from the adjacent temple. Yesterday, I went snorkeling at Menjangan Island and it was spectacular. So many fish that I have never seen before, and the coral and underwater life is amazing. It makes me want to paint, sculpt and create jewelry/metal work!

This morning, I went on the dolphin tour from 6am-8am. There were five of us on a motorized catamaran and we saw THOUSANDS of DOLPHINS! I sat next to the guide and he would happily scream, “Dolphin jumping! Look!” One of the best parts of the tour was his total glee to see these dolphins even though he gives this tour every single day. It was as if he was seeing them for the first time. And this trip makes me feel that way too. I want to savor this feeling of wonder and awe that I feel every day. I know I will bring that home with me and it is such a gift.

Afterwards, I had a personalized tour by motorbike of a nearby Buddhist Monastery. Bali is 90 percent Hindu, although most of Indonesia is Muslim. Then I capped off my day with a trip to the hot springs. Only a few tourists from China, Java, and many locals too. It’s a natural hot springs and the water is spewn from the mouths of dragons. I thought I should really do it up, so I asked my guide about swimming with the dolphins (they have this offered in a hotel swimming pool in Lovina). He said I didn’t need it, because it’s for people who need power and I didn’t need any more power!

Tomorrow, I head back to Ubud for four nights before leaving to Bangkok. I am so excited to return to Ubud. On my first (and only) trip to Vietnam in 1998 I fell in love with Hanoi. We took a two day trip to Halong Bay and were so excited to return to Hanoi. I have this same feeling about Ubud, it is like going home.

The attached photos include the crystal blue water at Menjangan Island, the dolphins in Lovina, and the natural massaging force of the hot springs (this was the coolest part of the hot springs!).

Posted in Snorkeling/dolphins/hot springs | Tagged Bali | Leave a Comment »

The beach, a wedding and a funeral – well, a cremation

November 29, 2009 by Anne Xuan Clark

Thanks for all your lovely e-mails, gives me a welcome taste of home. My senses are on overload and exploding every minute. There is so much to see, hear, taste and experience in Bali.

A few days ago I attended a wedding in Karangasem, the rural part of Bali, a two hour drive from Ubud. I was invited by a friend of a friend, Denise Abe, and her husband, Ketut. Denise is a former Seattleite and now owns the Three Monkeys Cafe in Ubud. Denise, Ketut and the groom are all involved in the East Bali Poverty Project (www.eastbalipovertyproject.org). They have impressive outcomes including reducing infant mortality from 50 percent to 25 percent through public health outreach, developing and running four new schools (illiteracy rate was 100 percent), installing the first road into the region which will spur economic development, developing infrastructure for water, on and on. Donations stretch really far here so please check out the web site to learn more.

Yesterday was the beginning of a four-day festival for Ubud, marking the anniversary of one of their temples. The hotel staff asked if I wanted to go to a beach ceremony. I tried to ask what it entails and just went along with no idea what to expect. And it was just extraordinary. That’s what Bali is like, I don’t know where I am going and then loveliness and magic abounds. About 1,000 people attended with only a handful of tourists, offerings were carried down the road surrounded by rice patty fields and we end at the beach. More offerings and prayers and the surf is pounding away. Words can not explain how lucky I felt to be experiencing this ceremony. Today, I attended a cremation, one of the most holy ceremonies in Bali. Three different bodies were placed in separate huge paper mache animals and then burned. The gamelan music is playing the entire time and no one is crying, it’s a festive occasion because now the souls are finally freed. I sat next to the daughter of one of the deceased and she really wasn’t sad at all.

I just love Ubud, and have been fighting my instinct to plan my days and move on to the next town. Right now, for the first time in many years, I am just taking it one day at a time. It is a liberating feeling and exactly what I need for now. Soon, I will hit the beach though! I wish I could attach many photos because there is so much to share with you, but the internet connection is too slow. The attached photos include my morning walk in the rice paddy fields, beach ceremony, and the wedding couple.

Posted in The beach/a wedding/and a funeral - well a cremation | Tagged Bali, East Bali Poverty Project | 2 Comments »

Aah, settling in to Bali

November 27, 2009 by Anne Xuan Clark

I’ve settled into Bali and bliss has already occurred, but not before a few moments of panic! It took me 24 hours to get to Bali with a layover in Taipei so I was pretty exhausted when I arrived. I’m in Ubud, Bali, the interior of the island and the cultural heart of Bali, surrounded by rice patty fields. When I arrived, I was a bit disappointed because my room was very small, bathroom was dingy but what can I expect for $20? Didn’t sleep well at all and woke up disoriented and don’t even have a clock. It was rough goings in the morning and I was feeling frustrated and wondering if I have made a horrible mistake travelling alone on a backpackers budget of $50/day with two months stretching in front of me. At first, I couldn’t figure out where the free breakfast was (the hotel staff gave me vague directions), it was hot, my new sandals gave me blisters, I didn’t know where to buy water and was parched, on and on.

After breakfast, I wandered down a side street and found another guesthouse for the same price with a much better room/bathroom. So I returned ready to check out and wound up haggling for a massive upgrade and now have an amazing huge deluxe room with air conditioning, beautiful sitting area overlooking the rice patties. Then I found this amazing spa reservation service that will get me discounts anywhere and make all the arrangements. I had a two hour session that included a Balinese massage, scrub of sandalwood/tumeric/rice, detoxification with cool yogurt, and finished off with a bathtub of flowers overlooking rice patties — all for $15! So all is well in the world once again.

The food is delicious and the drinks are so refreshing (watermelon mint juice, ginger lemon squash). The people are very kind and there are offerings everywhere. It really is a magical beginning to my journey. Tonight, I’ll have Thanksgiving dinner with friends from Seattle who happen to be in Ubud as well. I’m loving it so much here that I will likely stay for two weeks, skip Thailand and head to Laos next. Attached are a few photos of me in the flower-filled bathtub, doorway to my room, view from the hotel’s outdoor area.