The Real Great Wall

Everyone has seen the impressive photos of the Great Wall. A perfectly restored section is often displayed with a paved or brick path of which to stroll along. We signed up, along with Susannah and Eli, for a three day backpacking trip along the Great Wall. We really had no idea what to expect, but had visions of these "restored" sections, with clear and easy walking paths.

We saw this part of the Wall (finally) on our third day of hiking/backpacking, after two days spent on the "unrestored" sections. Unrestored is a bit of a misnomer, as they were restored by the Ming dynasty about 500 years ago. The original Wall was built more than 2000 years ago by the Qin dynasty, which began linking city walls to create the Great Wall. The restored sections are seen by most tourists, and have been restored within the last 30-50 years. A lot can happen in 500 or so years, so you can imagine what nature has done to the unrestored sections. At times it was difficult to tell whether we were hiking on the Wall, along the Wall, or where the Wall used to be.

We stayed in a tiny village below the Wall, surrounded by forest and cornfields. We could look up from the outdoor kitchen of our homestay and follow the ridgeline in all directions. We hiked between 5-7 hours a day and saw very few, if any, other people. The unrestored section, in which we hiked, varied from semi-restored to nearly indistinguishable due to nature overtaking it. This section is supposedly closed to the public, but somehow we got passes to hike it. The entire three days varied from surreal to special.

Enjoy some of the photos:

Southeast Asia Reflections

We had dreamed of travelling to SE Asia for many, many years. We'd read and heard so much about the area...the people, the food, the history, the geography. The majority of our previous travels, together and separately, were in Spanish speaking countries, where it was fairly easy to integrate into the culture. We were both excited and apprehensive of travel in such completely different cultures. We were not disappointed. We continually had to pinch ourselves and say, "I can't believe we're in Vietnam." "I can't believe we're in Cambodia." "I can't believe we're in a real, active monastery in northern Thailand meditating for 10-12 hours a day." "I can't believe we're at the Khmer Rouge Killing Fields."

When we were in New Zealand, it was easy to forget that we were not in the U.S. There was rarely a moment in SE Asia in which we would forget where we were. If we did, we would quickly be reminded by...


The moped we just passed with 2 giant, dead pigs attached just behind the driver on the back of the moped...or

The exotic fruit we were eating that two months previous we did not know existed...or

The beautiful Vietnamese women riding their bicycles, while dressed in their flowing silk dresses...or

Everyone wearing yellow shirts on Mondays in Thailand to honor the king...or

All of the amputees (victims of land mines or the Khmer Rouge) begging for food or selling illegally photocopied books in Cambodia...or

The most ridiculous traffic of Phenom Penh...or

The "American War" video we watched at the Reunification Palace in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)...


We hope to never forget the feelings, sensations, and sights we experienced during our two months in SE Asia. It was a great taste test, but we only scratched the surface. We look forward to returning.

Pain is Your Amigo...

Our second week in Thailand was spent at Wat Lam Poeng, a beautiful monastery on the outskirts of the city of Chiang Mai in Northern Thailand. Curious of the Buddhist/Thai culture and wanting to try something different, we signed up for a 10 day meditation course.




Here were the rules and agenda as laid out to us at our "orientation:"

• No talking, unless it's with the head monk (Master) during your daily reporting session



• Wakeup at 4:00 a.m.



• Breakfast at 6:00 a.m.



• Lunch at 10:30 a.m.



• No eating from noon until breakfast the next day



• Bedtime, at the earliest, at 10:00 p.m.



• All time between eating, sleeping, reporting to Master, should be consumed with meditation



• No reading



• No writing



• No contact with the outside world



• Must be dressed in white for the entire time (including sleeping - we each had to buy white underwear)

The rules and schedule, did not turn out to be as strict as initally portrayed. Conversations were allowed, unless a mean monk came around and scolded you. You could eat between noon and 4:00 a.m., but nothing that could be chewed. That allowed ice cream, yoghurt, and the pumpkin soup they served at 5:00 p.m. each day. We were usually fine with a small yoghurt and a mug or two of soup to hold us over.

It was very intense, as you can imagine. It's funny, the not eating and sleeping was not the hard part. Although we only slept six hours or less a night, eventually we did not require naps and did not fall asleep while in seated meditation (which was no easy task for Ari). Besides an occasional hunger pain around 5:00 p.m. and 9:00 p.m., the lack of food was okay.

It was the pain of sitting in meditation that was the hardest part for Ari to deal with. By the end, we were meditating 10-12 hours a day (alternating between walking and sitting meditation). The entire purpose of the meditation practice was to teach/learn discipline and mindfulness, and that everything we experience, good and bad, is only temporary. Therefore, the pain is temporary and one must be disciplined to sit with the pain. In one of his reporting sessions with the Master, Ari whined about the pain. Master laughed and said, "Pain is your amigo." Ari, who is ridiculously inflexible and not meant to spend multiple hours a day sitting cross legged, did not think it was funny. The message however, about discipline, mindfulness, and temporariness, was powerful.

At one point, Lisa had a different sort of pain. She had a 2-3 day period where she was very sick from the food. Master, however, alleged the illness, was fire (vomit) and water (diarrhea) and was supposedly cleansing her as a result of the intense meditation, not from food poisoning. While she made a quick recovery, she could no longer eat the cafeteria food that was served. She stuck to yoghurt and bananas for the rest of the 10 days.

It was amazing to be in a real, working monastary. Surrounded by monks (novice and mature monks), chanting, and temples. Very quiet. We talked very little for the first 5 days and then talked more (at and after meals) the last 5 days. It was definitely an inward journey, and struggle to make it through the 11 days. We felt like we walked out of the monastary as stronger people.

Initial China Photos

Shanghai:

Hangzhou - Honeymoon city of China (2 hours outside Shanghai):Tai Chi in the Park...

Some Thailand Photos

Below are a sampling of photos from Thailand, with brief descriptions...Enjoy...





Globalization has no limits...Ronald doing the traditional Thai/Buddhist greeting...











Image of Buddha carved into a tree:











King of Thailand. His image is everywhere. On Mondays, almost everyone (at least in Bangkok) wears yellow to commemorate the fact that his birthday was a Monday and the color for Monday is yellow.

Ruins at Ayuthaya, ancient capital of Thailand. Since all of our photos from Angkor Wat were stolen, this will have to do for now. Not nearly as impressive, but still amazing.

While at the monastary, we made a new friend - Kan. Her name is pronounced "Gone" and she explains her name as "I'm not here, I'm gone." She has a cooking class business and we took her class. Food was incredible, as is Kan.











Every day photo from Thailand...

We ate mangosteens, our new favorite fruit, by the truckload...

Streetside vendors. The best way to eat in Thailand, unless it is mystery meat that you are ordering...

We had the incredible luck to hear Thich Nhat Hanh speak in Chiang Mai. At his speech, we met Venetia Walkey, an amazing 75 year old English woman who has been living in Thailand for years and is married to an internationally known Thai artist, who is also about 75 years old. When he was in his 20s, he completed an overland journey via motorbike from Thailand to Europe, creating and learning about art/sculpture along the way. (Unfortunately Ari inadvertantly deleted Venetia's photo, so you will have to see it when we return.) Together they have created what they call a Dharma Park, full of small, lifesize, and huge sculptures and creations. She invited us to spend a day at the Dharma Park and got a private tour and first class treatment. Their vision is to spread peace, primarily through Buddhism (and bicycles!), throughout the world. One of there initiatives is to spread peace through what are called Dharma Wheels. See article link and photo below. We wanted to be able to put the wheels on our bikes for our ride through Europe, but had to reconsider this option as we would not be able to replace broken spokes with the wheels permanently attached...But for commuting in town they would be great. If you are interested in ordering your own Dharma Wheels, contact us to give you her information.

http://www.buddhistchannel.tv/index.php?id=7,132,0,0,1,0

"Bridge over the River Kwai," built and rebuilt during WWII by Japanese POWs. The treatment of the POWs by the Japanese was horrific.Our new, and now good friends, Matt and Amy. They worked with Ari's parents in Chiang Mai (northern Thailand) and were amazing hosts while we were in Northern Thailand.