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| We go Hard!!!? Or We go HOME??!!! |
| 02.26.04 (8:07 pm) [edit] |
Just a quick note to reconnect--
I have just come back from a paradise island that didn't have phones or internet and therefore I was happily disconnected from the rest of the world- but not really disconnected as this island had its share of real world issues and ideas and many many many that were not...
The Perenthian Islands is probably the most beautiful place I have seen yet- of its kind- I love the jungle but on these islands there is jungle AND ocean and who doesn't want to slip into a cool wet pale emerald to cool off after a hike?
The snorkeling was AMAZING- the animal life underwater is so odd and colorful and animated- as I have never been snorkeling before this was quite an experience for me... we did not have time to do a five island snorkeling trip which hurts me a little because one of the spots is where huge 300 yr old turtles swim and you can swin right along with them and play with them for a while. We only tapped into the very very surface of what these islands have to offer - but their scuba diving certification is MAD cheap 150 dollars! and so I I am praying that I am able to make my way back down to the islands to swim with the turtles before going home.
What I really loved the best is that I really connected and chilled with the local guys on the island and learned a lot about their lifestyle and beliefs - and they are so laid back and many are educated and fun... they took us on a night boat trip for a beer run and we followed the moon on the darkened crystal emerald waters...
They were like crazy cool laid back rasta men and they kept yelling-- "WE GO HARD??--OR WE GO HOME?" - This is their party chant that sounded like we go HOT or HOME for the longest time got them to push on and keep partying...
GET THIS-- they even had Brett's ass dancing on the table at one point!!! Had some really great, deep conversations with them about many things and .....well
had to leave a little abruptly ...but right now I am back in Krabi, Thailand after a whole day of travel- and its time to move on and party with Erin and Zac... and I have to leave abruptly now- but more pieces of stories will be unfolded soon... much love to you all out there --- much peace --- Andrea
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| "Strong and....friendly...?" |
| 02.23.04 (7:12 am) [edit] |
Where to begin when you know there is no end to the infinite things you can learn and see and experience. Sssstretching your mental map over it allll
-can it get a grasp on all this...?
I guess that crazy bug experience I last wrote about, in which I had to keep my cool, was great preparation for what we'd be off to experience that next day.. !!
[b]There are many bugs and beasts in this world....[/b]
Now I said we would visit some limestone caves but SHit man-!
I didn't think we would have to trudge on hands and knees through bat shit=guano in order to slink through cave crevices more fit for small children!
In the limestone caves I thought- we'd see bats yeah- but like "oh - there's a cute little bat like the ones my dad would catch and chase my mom and us around the house with way up there atleast 10 feet above me"
BUT NO...they were flapping where we had to crawl through their shit dirty dirty all around above us around us with us- and you could feel the wind of them on your body your neck, droppings on us as well, in the darkness as they swooped down and flew around dumbly and screeched...
AND allll I could do and we all started doing was sing a constant song that came out through clenched teeth and amidst screams from us, so the bats would bounce off of our sound waves and fly elsewhere and not into us. And so I sang and sang and tried not to screech like a girl and overcame many fears in those caves... and it was really great to be honest.. quite an experience for real...
After this I needed the hike we made to a waterfall and washed the bat shit and remnants of fear clear clean off of me.. purified, did some jumping off of this high fallen tree and remembered my days at the waterfalls at Child's Park in Pennsylvania... we saw these awesome huge hornbill tropical birds that looked like pterydactyls flying in the sky on our way back down the river towards our guest house- a little more of a friendly sight in comparison to other flying things and beasts eee!...
Speaking of friendly- it was a "strong and friendly..?" 48 yr old native guide, named "Mahn" who was the hit of Julie's B-day celebration come night fall. He made her a peanut butter and jelly sandwich like "jungle- boonie" B'day cake, smeared peanut butter on some rolls from the store,- thought that counts!
"Mahn" was quite the storyteller and was quite the advocate for naked trekking - which he called getting "back to nature"- supposedly 2 LA hot girls smoked his marijuana with him on a trek once and decided to do the "backtonature" hike. He told tales about working for GreenPeace, and leading baby turtles to the sea and swimming with them, about jungle spirits and the Muslim ancestors that live in the forestand must not be offended, magic mushrooms that grow on the elephant's shit, mixed mushroom concoction aphrodesiac drinks, about his ability to mind travel the whole universe he knows, and how he set a small toy godzilla in a cave and tells people that the jungle has a godzilla monster he bets, and he will find it for them- and he makes the buck everytime...he's hiked 30,000 kms so far and does about 10km's a day,
But soon everyone started to shrug and feel awkward and some even left the dinner table when he talked about the 3,000 women he's been with- he says all his money goes to women and then told us about his lust for pedophilia because he like them solid body- buying into the child prostitution that many many young girls are subject too, especially from China since in some parts the Chinese are by law only allowed to have ONE child or pay a fine, -- his joke that we earlier laughed at of how he loves women-when we didn't know which kind- and how he's not hung "big and long" but "strong and friendly" coming from him was silly BUT then turned my stomach and mind sour...
sorry for the reality that really bites here people - but the immorality of it- that he simply laid out on the table like it was another something we'd be entertained by, his blindness of the immorality of it- it definitely brings up an interesting and important idea that I believe all of us suffer from... I mean how can such a nature loving, spiritual, somewhat intelligent, interesting, funny, happy man blindly support such a disgusting market that has NOO place in this world, that has no respect whatsoever for women, children, life --the most important nature we need to tend to- the HUMAN NATURE.
Raping children in a symbolic sense is something we all can and may be guilty of without even knowing that we are really doing it!= when we give into base selfish desires and buy buy buy things and waste watse waste YES please believe-having affect on the world we don't even know that we are affecting... English is the universal language all must learn they've made it that way, our yuk corporations thrive and poison and exploit the people everywhere in the world -do you know?...
If the US is the so called "super-power" right now,and especially since our peanut head president has not a clue or care about the blood he puts on our hands from those who suffer! People HATE us out here! --if we are this "power" oh the greatest-than people need to take more responsibility for things and pop their own personal drama bubbles "Oh no, which color cellphone should I get Barbie, I already have the blue and green" "I don't know Ken" and realize there are real problems out there that people are suffering that we have part in and therefore should take more action on !
It makes me pissed and so sad!and yeah sometimes its like man! yeah sometimes its like - well, why should anyone practice austerity -
why take the stairs when I can take the elevator?
WHy do anything when everyone else is slopping around without a care, lazy ass, self-indulgence, or running around "how can I get mine"- hey as long as I get mine, who cares, hopeless, what can I really do anyway attitude- hey fuck it!
But do you know who you are fucking?????
Ok Andrea breathe breathe-
I know I know -
Go hug a tree, andrea- it'll be ok.... right............?
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| Bugged ..OUT |
| 02.21.04 (6:52 am) [edit] |
So we have moved out of Kuala Lumpur and have headed back north - -we are in the Taman Negara Rainforest...ahh about twenty _NO exaggeration-please believe me- twenty of these huge ass mamie- cicada bugs are slapping their large hard bodies against the light and ceiling and walls above me as I type -some of them keep flying down and zipping through my hair and on me.. and they scream and wail like nasty sirens especially when they are doing it, at least it looks like they are doing it, anyway they are loud and freaky but I can't bug out - I don't want to look like too much of a foreigner if that's possible! and a little cute lizard he just ran across the table.. i like him...
we have been in the rainforest for one full day and haven't done any serious hikes yet- we went on a night hike and looked for HUGE Insects, some crickets, grasshoppers, some sleeping tropical birds, large spiders and the native guide was able to tease some scorpions out of the rat holes they make their home in. Since it was too dry he told us that we couldn't see the Phospherescent fungus- which glow in the dark- and we wanted to see the largest flower in the world called to Rafflesia about 3ft big some grow--- ahh this cicada ahh I think he wants to type ahh..ewww I have to express it here because I can't scream I have to keep my coollllll...but the flower is not in bloom now...The native guide was born here and worked for the park for 28 years and was a wealth of knowledge.. the park still has 44 rhinos, 14 tigers, some elephants, and black panthers.. but they are dying out due to tourism.. I am so sickened by this, being a tourist and all... and we probably won't see them unless we do a 5 day hike deep into the forest and camp out...
but we are checking out of here in 2 days and heading to the Perynthian Islands on northeast side of Malaysia before we head back into Thailand and meet up with more people from my Boston crew- Erin and Zac and I pray I see a little Salamanda but I fear that she won't be coming out here? so sad...
soooo we took it easy today and did this crazy canopy walk thing in which you walk across these small wooden plank bridges suspended about 80 feet and/or more over the rainforest...WOH! alittle scary ...then we went tubing down the Tembling River which borders the Taman Negara....its cool you have to take a boat taxi in order to get into the forest..as we floated down the pale green jungle juice...we saw monkeys climbing the rocks and went down little baby rapids every now and then- I swam most of the way- it was peaceful - I lost Julie's glasses, so sad, now I owe her cash flow I don't have... but she's more cool about it than I am...
Tomorrow is Julie's B-day and some of the Malay village guys who work at the restaurants that float on the river and cross you over on boats said that they would make her a cake and invited us to a bonfire where they will play their guitars.. there is NO liquor here! We are in the boondocks for real - aah hence this cicada fat shit that just started attacking me again --so loud and obnoxious I don't think its necessary! - what planet did they pull insects from damn it! and what will they thing of next ..ok So I have this special bottle of rum - which supposedly has got a little extra kick of speed in it- from Thailand and I told Julie we would celebrate by the bonfire manana.. the village guys said they would try to get some whisky but i think we are tooooo far away in the woods for that... anyways I am still on the purest and the naturalest high - so yeah I have to get out of here before I go crazy --
there will be more tales to tell manana as we plan to take a long hike to visit some limestone caves and see some waterfalls.. finally head deeper into the rainforest to look for my family tree... Love you all --- much peace and respect and love to you... Andrea Oh hope you all received my pictures ...some feedback would be nice damn it - its a big world out there and I am so so small and so are you don't fade out on me - so peep at least a little, ofcourse this is to those who haven't yet so a big up to those who have... peace people...andrea
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| Chillin with the birds... |
| 02.18.04 (7:33 pm) [edit] |
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So its Lauren Hill's Unplugged and Bjork's Vespertine and I am on the bus to Kuala Lumpur out of the jungle and I'm molding cloud creations out of the immense pure white puffy gatherings layed down- angel's bedding in the baby blue sky. Out of the jungle tree beasts and now viewing palm groves for mts. naturally gathering as well below on the sleeping sandstone curdle crumble loose bright buttered marmalade sand bedrock adorned with rare wild flowers- gems sparkling intensely out the leafy dark green jutting sea, rolling up swelling mts- has some underground beast been burrowing or burped?-trying to reach up offerings to the sky. The paper journal I write in is damp with jungle juice from pressed flowers and multicolored chalk glitter powder of pressed butterflies, its the little things I have collected from the Cameron Highlands. I am now in the choke full of smog capital city and it is taking me a little while to adjust, but I am settled into the Cameleon Lodge right next to a Jane Hindu temple with images of Ganesh, the smell of rotten coconuts, these white fragrant flowers I have yet to name and incense always waft in the air. I see them light huge pan-like things full of fire and bathe their hands and faces in the fire before they enter as if its their holy water. There are 6 people now in our group. Bret, Karen, Julie, Lincoln from Canada, Emma from London, and I did hikes together and now have moved on here. Buy it is so hard to keep everyone together and happy- we all want and need to do different things and receive different messages. Knowing how I am always floating on Andrea time, I was feeling a little upset running on someone else's agenda- not healthy for me or them. Its so cute. I know there is love underlying how we try to conference and plan the day and fit in what everyone wants to do but it can be a drag and so we are learning to pair up and balance each other out. Yesterday I felt so disconnected from the group I decided to do my own thing and had a much needed incredible time locating, navigating, and enriching myself with things. I sent home a package you should get soon mom. Its a beautiful wooden sculpture from the tribe Orang Asli that live in the Highlands, and some other stuff. It took me much effort to get that out- its crazy how a simple task of mailing something can become such a huge feat in another country, but I did it! I then headed to the Bird Park, yeah that's me, in a city yet finding where the nature is amongst the concrete...I found it alright- and I can't tell you how much I feel like that Fraggle uncle guy recounting a story of travel- Saw the huge National Mosque, this is an Islamic nation you know, 90% of women covered in scarves and robes and kept walking to spend 4 hours walking around the bird Park, biggest one in the world they say. The most beautiful colored birds all sizes, crazy shaped beaks, flightless, endangered. I have never spent so much time with birds before! They are such incredible creatures. Hard bills and such soft soft feathers..Some with long lashes and crystal eyes, pecking at you, and ofcourse I had about 6 of them on me and I played with them for a long while. There were many scenic views with waterfalls and I sat and meditated and imagined that I was actually in the wild witnessing these animals. Although this would never really happen due to all of the deforestation and modernization that is pushing these creatures out of existence. They live in such a silent place and their caws and screams break it, but there is still this silent place they live that I love. I then strolled through an Orchid Park near by.. then took a Teksi, or Taxi, to the Twin towers, which are the tallest buildings in the world, next to the new "freedom" Tower (quite a name to really question..?) they are building to replace of World Trade in NY. There was a beautiful art exhibit I checked out and was so happy I did! It was the artist Chang Fee Ming's watercolors from his recent trips into the Golden Triangle, and all countries that have survived solely due to the life they have received from the Mekong River. The Mekong flows down from Tibet and borders/runs through and feeds China, Loas, Cambodia, Vietnam and the images of the people and the lifestyle and the land that he captured with watercolors were awesome. I can not wait for the next part of my journey! For I will be floating down the main artery life line Mekong and make those watercolors come to life!ahh! As I see I have once again written a novel and will end it off here and try to get my picture situation figured. You will be getting some very shortly. I love you all very much and hope you keep holding it down and keep love and positivity flowing through all you do. I send you all I can once again and will talk to you real soon... much love respect and peace, Andrea
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| Journeys through the jungle!! |
| 02.15.04 (6:47 am) [edit] |
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What up. Once again I send all my love and positivity to you. God knows that I am receiving quite the energy surplus in these jungle mountains. Pictures are on their way, internet service is slow, but let me paint some mental images for you - I just can't hold it in! Today was an amazing day... we have been doing other jungle routes but today's root was a very steep muddy struggle to the top of the mountains. Bugs and dirt in our hair streaming sweat- surprised we forgot our machete! jk! Swinging on jungle vines for real, they started calling me Drezan. Weird colorful mushroom growths, and wild flowers and mossy green monster furred trees..no words to describe it really. The beauty that nature is! over grown lush wild and untouched...After the climb up, we walked down twisty paths through the tea plantations. They covered mts as far as the eye could see with shaved tea bushes cropped in rows that truly revealed the physique of the land. We ran along snapping pictures and and blinking and rubbing our eyes.. it was like Alice and Wonderland soso surreal being amidst the tea plantation mountains and then it started to rain! ... Karen Bret and I separated from the other 3 in our group who went to far ahead, but we hitched a ride with this local Indian man with scary glassy yellow eyes. He was nice. We rode in the back with a whole load of gas tanks clinking, bumpy ride a little freaky but we got to our friends finally ok...we went inside the tea factory and saw how they processed it.... then hitched another ride down with another Indian familiy 6 of us riding in the back of this army like truck cab. Made a new friend, a dried frog we found in the cab and laughed and were happy we were still out of the pouring rain... the day was full of breath taking images and tomorrow we will visit the butterfly farm and honey farm after a long jungle hike.. we will also leave for the capital of Malaysia Kuala Lumpur. I don't know if I am ready for city life yet! I feel so at peace here. People of Malaysia are so beautiful and nice. Last night I woke up at 5 in the morning at dawn and I heard Muslims chanting in the mts - the echo was so eerie - they were praying at dawn and I felt like I was in a dream.. you could here from miles away.. I waited til the sun rose and stretched and prayed myself in the eerieness... wow.. what a day... more stories to come from Kuala Lumpur -- much love and peace to you all..... Andrea
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| She must be Trippin.... |
| 02.14.04 (6:08 am) [edit] |
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What up out there....Hope all goes well in everyone's world...Trying to recount all of the incredible things I have seen thus far on my little journey would be like trying to help you all examine each of the countless stars individually, so many to see, and where to fuckus? hmm?~ yet each one so bright and unique, holding a whole world of life, my god...These block letters are my attempt to sit down and ground myself from time to time and sort through all of the crazy shit I have been blessed to witness as I float through this national geographic dream come true!... My attempt to reach out to the many I wish to never lose touch with as the days shuffle away, ... virtual kisses to you all til our paths cross again, and I can give you a real big one for real!... South Korea has come and gone of course with much hard work and much celebration. I am now sitting in East Malaysia in the Cameron Highlands, on top of a breathtaking jungle mountain at a quaint wild flower enriched resort with my lil Boston crew~ Karen, and Bret, and Julie from NY, and about 40 other eccentric backpackers from all over the world trekking the jungle here, before and after some amazing places they have been and will go. I met my Boston crew in Bangkok for 2 days, too foreigner- ridden to get a good taste of what the local culture is really like. After A 21 HOur! Train ride into Penang, Malaysia we finally settled and saw some unforgettable sites, the largest temple in Southeast Asia Se Lok Si Temple, where a beautiful enormous waterbearing woman statue, a Boddhisatva, gaurds the whole island, towers over the whole place...I wish I could express the breezes i felt from way up there, the pagoda with 10,000 Buddhas in it, the red Chinese paper lanterns golden dragons tails flying in the wind, the gardens and breathtaking views can leave you to do nothing else but pray and meditate and pray and whisper and pray... The intense heat in the small, mellow city of Georgetown was brutal at times yet we were often relieved with the same type of cool breezes, mother's blown kisses to the child, that I felt from the waterbearing Boddhisatva atop the mountain..We sat sipping banana shakes at The Oriental Guest House and walked around Georgetown and sweated out puzzle pieces for the things so new, amazing and sometimes confusing about the people and land around us... through lengthy discussions we sorted the puzzle pieces we dripping out of us, wonder ful questions about how such a diverse ethnic mix-Chinese, Indian, and Malay coexists and we never knew it, questions questions we wonder and discuss right down to the differences and why of the human and how they use the toilet, squatter vs. throne, Ny should get tuk-tuks or rickshaws, American corporations many too many that make it abroad and why..and on and on.. this is the beauty of travel I am finding - the many questions you are forced to ponder...without many of the comforts and luxuries that you are used to in the US, you learn how wasteful we really are, how privileged we are to have clean water, and how many down to the very very little things we control and play a part in the world, can't wash that off your hands! A 21 hour train ride out of Georgetown over the longest bridge in Asia! 3KM long, I watched pink and brown jellyfish with 10 feet long tentacles bob to the surface and and then later some of 200 different types of palm trees and limestone monster looking mountains crowding rice fields drift by the train window...into the jungle 3 hours big bus taking windy steep paths to our current home for the next few days... in the Cameron Highlands... and here I sit, the hike today was strenuous but I feel my muscles building. Its so nice to be out in nature again, everything I am longs to be out in nature and this land is so vibrant and surreal and IMMENSE, its like I am a shrinked supermario princess trying to trek over the unnaturally huge life forms around me...and there are other worlds baords leavels to go ...I will be in touch with more adventures in the next couple days ...hope all is well out there... i send you love and peace always.......and please..be in touch with comments, love, and details about how things go in your worlds!!
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