2013 in Review

Sapi Island, Malaysia

At the beginning of this year, as I embarked on my Oceania journey, I had high expectations of the Land Down Under. I was looking forward to visit the mystical Ayer’s rock and one of the natural wonders of the world, The Great Barrier Reef. My Australian visit turned out to be rather disappointing, mainly because of the intense heat and high cost of living everywhere in Oz. Then it rained pretty much the whole time for the week that I visited Fiji. As a result, cruising around off-shore islands appeared to be totally out of the question. By the time that I got to ‘Eua, an island 45 km from the main island of Tongatapu in Tonga, I rode on a rented bicycle with no hand brakes without assessing the possible risks and dangers beforehand.

In a way, the bicycle accident in ‘Eua was a blessing in disguise. The Tongans restored my faith in mankind. During the week that I was hospitalized in Vaiola Hospital, I witnessed genuine love and concern for sick family members. I laughed and cried with the Tongans who became my family at a time of need. When I arrived in Auckland, the Kiwi nurses treated me with a sweetness that I could never forget. Returning to Vancouver on St. Patrick Day was a brutal reminder why I had planned for the departure from Canada. Even though I stayed in Vancouver for six months to recuperate, and enjoyed the modern conveniences of living in a metropolitan city, I did not change my mind about leaving Canada. As a matter of fact, I was more resolved than ever to make a permanent move.

In June, I was able to book an inexpensive flight from Vancouver to Mumbai, India via London by chance. I thought I could tour South India, Sri Lanka and SE Asia on my way back to the South Pacific. My first visit to India was ten years ago and I have longed to go back because India has so much to offer in terms of architecture, history and culture. I hoped to spend about 2-3 weeks in each country except for India which would require at least 4 weeks to visit most of the UNESCO sites.

For three months, I was an international nomad who did not carry any travel guide books. I did, however, carry my trusty netbook and a smartphone with me. Every night I would just plan out the next day’s itinerary. My onward flights would only be booked on line a few days before departure. My travel style took an 180 degree turn from tightly scheduled to spur of the moment hopping on any transportation means that I could get hold of. Hiccups became more opportunities to mingle with the locals. Another change is the worldwide presence of Facebook. Even when we don’t know each other’s language well, on line translation of FB posts makes it possible for people to connect.

At midnight on Dec 6th, 2013, I finally arrived on the island of Rarotonga in the Cook Islands. Life is so laid back and simple here. I would like to go to one of the islands in the Northern Group. A couple days ago, I went down to the main harbour and was informed that no boat would be going up there until after New Years. And I shall wait patiently. It would be interesting to spend a tropical Christmas here on Rarotonga. I look forward to hearing the choirs from different churches with guitar and ukulele accompaniment. 

My Indonesian Journey - Temples, smoking, shopping and other things...

Indonesia Nov 12 - Dec 5, 2013

I have always thought Indonesia is just a group of islands that are constantly under the threat of natural disasters and civil unrests. When the tsunami hit Banda Aceh on Boxing Day 2004, I could not help but asked God why such catastrophe should fall upon these people. Well, my visit to Banda Aceh provided answers to questions in my mind.

Banda Aceh had a lot of social problems and power struggles before the disaster. This port city had been on an economical decline for the last couple hundred years. Because of all the fighting going on, the city was already crumbling except for the mosques in pre-Tsunami times. I was informed by the staff at the Tsunami Museum that most of the city was rebuilt after the disaster. The government and NGO's also built houses for the homeless people. Reconstruction of roads and houses are still evident everywhere in the city. Because there were few resources left behind to fuel the in-fights after the tsunami, talks of being an independent state ceased too.

The three islands that I visited during my Indonesian journey are Sumatra, Java and Bali. Sumatra is the second largest island of the 1700 islands in the Indonesian territories. Sumatra is now the chief producer of Indonesian coffee. Java is the most populous island where 100,000 year old Java Man skeleton was discovered. I visited the Sangiran Museum and learned much about the Java Man in relation to Homo Erectus and Homo Sapiens. The other two important historic sites on Java island are the Borobudur (Buddhist) Temple which is some 40 km west of Yogyakarta. About 17 km east of Yogyakarta is the Prambanan (Hindu) Temples. Other than being a UNESCO site, Bali is a world class vacation spot, renowned for its unique Hindu temples and beautiful beaches. The other four UNESCO sites in Indonesia, that I did not visit, (from West to East) are Tropical Rainforest of Sumatra, Ujung Kulon National Park, Komodo National Park and Lorentz National Park respectively.

The foreign exchange rates are quite different from the international currency markets. When I received 10,950 IDR for every 1 CAD in the first licensed money changer office that I went into in Jakarta, I was already very happy because I could only get 10,800 IDR per 1 CAD in Canada. You could imagine how delighted I was when I changed more CAD's in a local bank in Banda Aceh, and the exchange rate was 1 CAD to 13,000 IDR minus a 3% commission. The Indonesian government could lose a lot of money when they buy the foreign currencies from the banks.

Just when I thought smoking is prevalent in Malaysia, smoking is an integral part of Indonesian life. A pack of cigarettes costs less than $1.00 USD in Indonesia. In all my travels, I have not seen as many chain smoker drivers as in Indonesia. I should know because I was always assigned the front seats right behind the driver. Even though Philip Morris bought the leading cigarette company, Sempoerna out a few years back, the national brand, Dji Sam Soe still has the majority market share. The unfiltered, hand rolled, cut and packaged kredit cigarettes remain the most popular choice of the older Indonesian smokers. Kredit cigarettes are tobacco blended with cloves and other secret spices.

Bali has always been in the TOP TEN list for having the most beautiful beaches in the world. In spite of the onslaught of tourists, most places on the island are kept pretty intact from the outside world. I was swarmed by aggressive taxi drivers when I arrived in the bus terminal in Mengwi around 10 p.m. I walked to the nearest police station and asked for assistance. A handsome policeman drove me to my guesthouse in Kuta. Prices in Kuta are still relatively low given that there are so many world class resorts and 5-star hotels. Transportation is a major issue in Bali. Unless you rent a car, your travels are limited by the sporadic bus schedules.

In many ways, Indonesia has exceeded my expectations. Even though I have sworn not to buy any souvenirs on this trip, I could not help but bought 4 tops, 1 batik jacket, 1 batik sarong and 1 pair of leather sandals in Indonesia because they are so beautiful and inexpensive. One of these days, I will return and travel to the eastern islands of Indonesia.

The Kingdom of Tonga

It would have been a typical South Pacific vacation in Tonga if a bicycle accident did not happen on the island of 'Eua on March 1st, 2013. My rented bike crashed to the side of a gravel road at the edge of a rainforest. The rest is history...

Tonga is made up of four groups of islands, with Tongatapu group in the South, Ha'apai in the middle, Vava'u in the north and Niuas in the far north. The capital is Nuku'alofa on the main island of Tongatapu. There are weekly ferries looping around Tongatapu, Ha'apai and Vava'u. The remote group of Niuas islands is only accessible from Nuku'alofa 3 times a year.

One of the reasons why I choose Tonga as one of my destinations is that it is a nation that was never colonised. However, it became a "protected state" of the British Empire. The reigning monarchy has absolute power over the parliament in the rule of the country. Even though majority of the young Tongans carry mobile phones these days, everyday life is still imbued in traditions.

I have jokingly coined the term "I-forgot-nation" for Tonga. Because religion is a great part of Tongan life, it is also an "I-for-God" nation. Unlike the rest of the world, there are no schedules and deadlines in their world. If things can happen, they will happen and there is no real push for anything to happen on time. If things don't happen, the typical response is "Sorry, I forgot."

Tongans might not be rich in monetary terms; however, they more than make up for it in "heart". Where would you see family members sleeping on the floor around the bed of a sick family member in a hospital overnight? Nurses encourage visits at all times and death is taken as seriously as birth. Tongans have shown me humanity at its best. May God protect and keep these wonderful people.

Aussie, Aussie, Aussie...Ya, ya, ya

My Aussie experience had not been an easy one.I visited all its states except for Tasmania which was on fire. When I flew over the continent from Perth to Sydney, most of the land appeared to be burnt orange in colour with some green on the two coasts. Majority of the continent is indeed uninhabitable.The term "outback" covers vast land that is not the coastal region.  

Like Canada, it is blessed with an abundance of natural resources. It is also diverse in cultures. If Canada can be described as an autumn country, Australia is mostly a summer country. It has a lot more youths than Canada, and yet it is aggressively trying to attract young labourers from all over the world to work on its farms and mines by granting working tourist visas.Like the Bible would say, "The harvest is great but the labourers are few."

If I were to pick a favourite Aussie city, it is a toss between Brisbane and Perth. Both cities have a river running through it, moderate climate, a deep harbour and beautiful sand beaches. Their transportation systems are well organized, much better than that of Vancouver. There are a lot more bikes on the road yet very few dedicated bike lanes and hence less traffic congestion. Their city planners have made provisions for population growth and urban expansion years ahead and it is evident in the infrastructure.

Most of the famous Aussie landmarks might have been overrated especially the natural ones such as the Great Barrier Reef and Ayers Rock. I do however have a particular fondness for the man-made landmarks such as Sydney Opera House and the planned city of Canberra. In terms of wildlife, I did not have any close encounter with the kangaroos, koalas, emus, wallabies, etc. One thing that is abundant everywhere in Oz is flies. I swear I must have swallowed hundreds while visiting various national parks.

 Even though Oz is an English-speaking country, the Australian language is hard to understand. As with other young countries in the world, Oz is in the process of carving out a national identity that its people would be proud to call their own. It seems to me that Aussies are more sports-oriented. Not many Aussies know all the verses to their national anthem; cheers on Australia Day (Jan 26th) "Aussie Aussie Aussie/Oie Oie Oie/Ya Ya Ya" were heard loud and clear everywhere.

Food unites Malaysia

Malaysia Oct 24 - Nov 12, 2013

At the mention of the name Malaysia, one would conjure up images of a modern country which is a melting pot of many races. At one end of the spectrum are the pork-eating Malaysian-Chinese. The other majority group is the Muslim Malay. Malaysians share one common passion - food. I dare say the national food is noodles. From gourmet seafood char kuah teow to instant chicken-flavoured soup noodle, Malaysians love to eat spicy noodles any time of the day.

Even though Malaysia has very good infrastructure generally, a large part of the country remains isolated and rural, especially the northern part of Malay Peninsular and East Malaysia on Borneo. Travelling in these parts of the country certainly poses definite challenges for the independent travelers. I found myself waiting at bus stations, railway stations, ferry terminals and bus stands for endless hours because the schedules were mostly outdated and unreliable.

Malaysia appears to emphasize the nature aspect in its tourism promotional program. With the exception of the Lenggong archaeological site, the country has almost no ancient artifacts. Most buildings in the two UNESCO cities(Malacca & Georgetown) are no more than 200 years old. Perhaps more effort could be put in preserving its history. Penang is the only city that I witnessed the most restoration projects in progress.

If I have to choose my favorite place in Malaysia, I would pick Kuching as #1 choice to be followed by Malacca and then Georgetown. Kuching has a beautiful waterfront, the most number of museums which are all free of charge, a wide range of shopping styles from modern malls to portable stalls, the most places of interest such as wildlife park and cultural villages, a large variety of food, a generally good public transportation system and affordable accommodation.

In comparison to its neighbouring countries in SE Asia, Malaysia is modern and its cities are just as world class as the major cities in the western world. For Australian and New Zealand tourists and water sport enthusiasts, Malaysia is such a bargain in comparison to their home countries as vacation spots, and most locals can speak English. For a history and architecture fan like me, my Malaysian journey provided answers to the many puzzles that I had about the enigmatic island of Borneo and a refresher geography lesson for the Malaya Peninsular.

Sri Lanka Oct 9 - 23, 2013

Before I came to Sri Lanka, I had high expectations of the place because of their government's extensive and intense international promotions of Sri Lanka as the idyllic vacation and retirement spot for westerners. Their tourism slogan has been "Sri Lanka - Land like no other". Well, what I experienced in the past two weeks does not exactly match its claims. Perhaps if I did not visit South India before coming here, the discrepancies would not have been so apparent.

It seems to me that Sri Lanka is a duplicate of South India with a stronger emphasis on Buddhism. I find Sri Lankans to be relatively more submissive and religious than South Indians. There is a high degree of mingling of the Buddhist community with all aspects of everyday life of the common people. Sri Lankans don't seem to mind being ruled by both the government and the monks. The monks appear to be rather powerful, and they forget that the sangha should not be closely connected to society outside the monastery walls except in the case of Tibet where the Dalai Lama is both the political and spiritual leader. The ritualistic practices of Buddhism in Sri Lanka somewhat impede progress; Sri Lanka remains one of the more conservative countries in Asia.

There are eight UNESCO sites in Sri Lanka and I have visited five of them on this trip. The first World heritage site that I visited was the City of Kandy which is a lakeside city that served as the last capital of the Sinhala kings before the British occupation. I then visited Dambulla for its Rock/Cave Temples. Only 20 kms east of Dambulla is Sigiriya where the remains of King Kassapa's Palace could be found on the slopes and summit of a 370 meter granite outcrop. Instead of continuing eastward to Polonnaruwa, Sri Lanka's second ancient capital in the 11th & 12th century, I went north to Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka's first ancient capital and saw the oldest certifiable tree on earth. I felt compelled to visit Jaffna where the 28-year old civil war started in 1981 and ended only in 2009. I was happy to see great progress being made in the re-building of this once vibrant city with predominantly Tamil residents. Two days ago I visited my fifth UNESCO site - Galle on the south coast. I have never seen so much Dutch colonial architecture anywhere else in the world.

Surprisingly, my favourite place in Sri Lanka is a "transit" place that I stayed for just one rainy day. I came down from Jaffna last Saturday to chill out for a couple days on the south coast before flying out to Malaysia. The last railway station in the hill country is Badulla. I walked around the city for about half an hour and decided that I did not like Badulla. So I rode the first outbound train to Ella, a quaint little town about an hour away from Badulla. I had penne carbonnara for lunch followed by a pot of Ceylon tea at their top hotel cafe in town. It was one of the best pasta that I have tasted in years. As I found out later, the chef actually went to Italy to learn how to cook pasta and pizza.

If I were to give any travel advice about Sri Lanka, I would say Sri Lanka is not developed enough for independent travellers. It is better to join a tour group. If you are here for R & R, then try to stay on the south coast. If you a trekking and/or nature enthusiast, then the hill country is your destination. If you are a history fan like me, then the golden triangle of Sigiriya, Anuradhapura and Polonnaruwa is the spot for you. There is a lot of beauty in every corner of this island country. It is really up to you to find your paradise on this island nation.

South India, Sep 10 - Oct 8 2013

Even though I had three months to plan my trip in South India, I did not draw up a timetable at all. I knew I wanted to see the Ajanta and Ellora Caves, to meet Amma for the first time on her 60th birthday, to visit Raja Raja's Big Temple and to understand the ashram culture a bit more. I watched many videos and read travel guide books to prepare for the visit. However, nothing could prepare me for the warmth and kindness that I experienced in South India in the those four weeks.

From my last visit to North India, I have learned to discard all my western concept of planning and purposefully getting organized. Most Indians believe in karma and dharma. They have faith that if things are meant to take place, they will happen no matter what. I will give you an example that happened just a few days ago. I was in Chennai Sunday morning. I wanted to attend Sunday morning mass. I asked a young woman at the Chennai Egmore station which general direction should I be heading to go to the Basilica of Santhome. Well, before I know it, a team of people worked out the route that I should be taking. There was always at least one person accompanying me along the way until I reached the Basilica. Worshiping is a big part of Indian life and my wish to attend the Sunday mass, being a righteous act, became their mandate to make it happen.

As with any journey, there are always ups and downs. I must admit, I had been lucky for the most part. Another example that came to mind was getting to Amma's ashram. The tuk-tuk driver took me to 4 hotels in Kayankulam and they were all fully occupied. I then asked him to take me to the ashram directly. He left me and my two bags on the other side of the lagoon. Because I can't swim, I hesitated to go on an old boat to cross the lagoon. Well, a family walked by and helped me to load and unload my bags. After I got to the other side, I was able to get dorm accommodation on the day before Amma's BD on Sept 27th. According to the residents of the ashram, there were close to 900,000 people attending the BD celebration. There were people sleeping on the ground uncovered everywhere at night during the 3-day celebration.

India is a place that you either love or hate. I tend to overlook the minor annoyances and love India and its people. It had been ten years since I first visited North India. I am happy to see that the quality of life has improved a great deal over the past decade. Most Indian tourists that I met, are well-educated and make a decent living. Even though they complain about a corrupt government, I believe that all that could be changed with the next generation of intelligent and honest Indian politicians. I am convinced that the future truly belongs to India and China.

Time is of Essence

Steam Clock in Gastown, Vancouver

I heard this story on the radio this morning...

Once upon a time in India, a beautiful young woman came up to a handsome philosopher in her village and said to him, "Marry me for you will not find another woman who loves you more in this village." The philosopher replied, "Let me think about this and I will talk to your father when I have a decision."

The philosopher pondered over the marriage proposal for a long time. He could only come up with an equal number of pros and cons. Then he remembered what his teacher taught him. He should opt for a path that would allow him to have new experience if he ever came upon a crossroad in his life. He went to the young woman's house and told the woman's father of this decision of marrying his daughter.  The older man shook his head and said, "Too late, my daughter is now happily married and is a mother of three children."

The philosopher went home and became very depressed. He died shortly after. Before he died, he burned all his books and writings except a small note on which he wrote "Half of my life was spent on reckoning and the other half regretting."

Well, a majority of the people I know also have many regrets in their lives. When asked if they would lead their lives the same way again, their answer has been a resounding "No". I often wonder how much more improved and regret-free their lifestyles could be if they have let their imagination run wild and acted on new ideas or opportunities. I suppose most people are afraid of failures and prefer to sit on the fence until the last obstacle is removed from their paths.

I made a wish on my 50th birthday that I will find my Shangri-La - a place where I am free to act on my ideas without hurting other living things. In about a month's time, I will be celebrating my 51st birthday. I don't think I can have a birthday cake in rural India but I will continue to wish for the same thing a year ago.

On Sept 24th, 2013, I was in Hospet waiting for a bus for 12 hours to go to Bangalore, and I had a piece of cake during the wait. The lady at Hospet railway station gave me a BD gift by selling me a sleeper ticket from Bangalore to Kayankulum when the train was fully booked.My birthday wish was to be able to say "Happy Birthday" to Amma on her BD, and it came true on Sept 27th at 10:30 p.m. when I hugged Amma.

Six Blind Men and an Elephant

Last week I went to pick up my Indian visa. On my way back home, I visited a newly opened eyewear store in downtown. I wanted to check out the price of a new pair glasses with progressive lenses. The sales clerk warned me that it would take a few weeks for my eyes to adjust to these lenses and I would have to turn my whole head to see sideways because there are blind spots inherent with progressive lenses. I smilingly replied, "It would not be a problem because I have no peripheral vision anyways. I have learned to turn my head to see sideways a long time ago."

I reflected on my answer and pondered about the parable of the "Six Blind Men and an Elephant". Even though things might be seemingly apparent to us, we cannot always be certain that we have the whole picture. More often than not we only have 2-D snapshots of the objects from where we stand, at best. When we apply the dimension of time, the same snapshot will look very different at another point on the time axis. This observation totally illuminates the Buddhist concept of "Change is the only constant in life".

As a self-proclaimed problem solver, I always try to add a disclaimer that my solutions are time sensitive. What might work now could be disastrous if applied at some point in the future. My original plan was to settle in the South Pacific at age 50 and lead a more isolated existence because I have lost much faith in humanity, especially in an urban setting. After the bicycle accident in Tonga this March and having returned home to Vancouver for a speedier recovery, my plans have changed drastically. I thought I should attempt to seek love and compassion again.

It would appear that South India has the highest concentration of spiritual gurus who advocate love and compassion. Back in December 2010, I took a virtual journey to South India. For a couple weeks, I visited several South Indian ashrams in my mind. I focused on comprehending the teachings, and meditated most of my waking moments. I came out of my virtual retreat refreshed and my physical health improved; however, I did not experience the love that I was looking for. Hopefully the upcoming South Indian visit will bring me inspirations and perspectives that I sought after in my previous virtual journey.

Lime Squeezers

"If someone tells you that you are a "squeezer of limes" in Hindi, don't be flattered. The idiom means you are a self-invited or an idler. - Jag Bhalla, author of National Geographic's I'm Not Hanging Noodles On Your Ears

When I saw the above statement in an Indian travel guide book, I could not understand why lime squeezers were considered idlers in India. I searched the term "lime juice" on line and got an answer. According to Wikipedia, India is the top producer of limes in the world. Limes are so abundant in India that squeezing limes would be just a way of killing time producing a worthless commodity.

Nelson Mandela spent 27 years of his life in prison for something that he believed in and being vocal about. He must have done a lot of the equivalent of lime squeezing during all those years behind bars for punishment. Another lime squeezer that comes to my mind is Mahatma Gandhi. I have seen many old photos of him reclining. They both accomplished what they set out to do after enduring prolonged period of passivity. I would never know for sure if they aimed to become spiritual leaders and fathers of their nations; however, they certainly epitomized the defiant spirit that is everlasting in their people's conscience.

Many of the important scientific discoveries and inventions also happened during some idle moments. We would not know about gravity if Isaac Newton did not sit idly under an apple tree. Penicillin would not be invented if Alexander Fleming did not go away on holidays and mold had a chance to develop on the bacterial cultures. The list of such examples is long. Modern day people seem to have an insatiable appetite to fill all their waking moments with activities such as working, commuting, listening to news or music, playing video games, chatting, texting and surfing the net.

I think we should set aside some time everyday to be lime squeezers. We might not be productive in the short term or instantly gratified; nevertheless, the world could be a better place as a result of this collective non-action.

Value Added Life

In preparation of my trip to India in September, I was applying for a tourist visa. Even though there is a consulate office in Vancouver, regular tourist visa applications were outsourced to private companies two years ago. After filling out an application form on line, I took the hard copy to the recommended private company for processing. Two visits to the visa office later, my visa application was still not processed. I had a similar experience applying for a Russian visa two years ago. The complex requirements for the Russian visa seemed more palatable since Russia was formerly a communistic country where people's movements were restricted and closely monitored.

I simply could not understand why an Indian visa application could not be processed because the size of the photo was not exactly 51 mm x 51 mm and the background of the photo was not completely white. These visa service companies appeared to be paid for picking bones from eggs. No wonder it was outsourced. What is the practical purpose of making the applications so uniform? From the economics standpoint, the standardization of visa photos is a way of providing business opportunity and employment. It certainly does not appear to improve national security.

Many years ago when I worked as an engineering technician at the City of Toronto, I used to input data for the water distribution system in hope of implementing a mathematical model to the system and identifying problematic areas for infrastructure planning. The work was monotonous but I was determined to complete the project because I believed that my work was worthwhile. However, after running the program a couple times, I realized that the software the City purchased did not have the capacity to handle large networks and my data would probably be shelved like those ancient blueprints in no time. I became very disinterested in my work even though the pay was above average. Surprisingly my bosses still wanted to keep me there despite the issue.

Many cultures place a great deal of importance on occupations. Many people derive their identity from their work. When they lose their jobs or retire, they also seem to lose the purpose of their lives. The answer to question, "Do you work to live or live to work?" is not always apparent to them. What exacerbates the problem is that their work has not been adding much value to the society. One such sector is the financial services industry. The irony is that these "professionals" are also the highest paid workers. They excel at taking advantage of rumours and arbitrages. It is hard for me to feel empathetic for burnt out stocker brokers and deal makers or the workers in that visa office because they have not been leading value added lives.

Sacred Places

In December 1999, I visited the Holy Land. Even though I studied a lot about this area for many years before my visit, I was still mesmerized by what I saw, heard and sensed. I went with a group of Christians who would be kneeling and praying every hundred yards or so because we were literally tracing the footprints of Jesus, seeing what Jesus must have seen a couple thousand years ago. Many of the sites were just ruins and yet visitors were frequently overwhelmed by the surreal ambiance. For instance, while we were riding on a boat modeled after a traditional fishing boat, sailing on the Sea of Galilee, it was drizzling softly. We could easily envision Jesus walking on water in the mist, calling out to us just like he did to his disciples.

Sea of Galilee

Bodh Gaya is the place where Sakyamuni became enlightened during a long meditation under a Bodhi tree. It was 105 degrees in the shade when I visited the Mahabodhi Temple in September 2003. Yet it was surprisingly cool and breezy when I walked by the offspring of that very tree. On the same trip, I also went to Tibet. I observed an unusual occurrence. No matter what kind of weather it was in the morning and early afternoon, it would always rain at 5 p.m. in Lhasa. In the early morning, the land was once again pristine. It was as though the unceasing veneration of the prostrating believers touched the Gods who in turn sent the rain to wash away the impurities and dirt every afternoon.

Mahabodhi Temple, Bodh Gaya

Bakhor Square, Lhasa

Machu Picchu is merely 2430 meters above sea level; yet clouds linger around the site constantly. Llamas roamed all over the place. It is commonly known as the Lost City of the Incas. I managed to have a picnic at a quiet corner in the lower part of the site. While eating my sandwich, I noticed a tiny bird perching on a rock not too far away. I threw a small piece of bread at him. He chirped for me. I threw another piece and he was singing away. Before I knew, I was in the middle of an ad hoc symphony performed by dozens of small birds all around me. The miracle part is that I am normally scared of birds. But I did not experience any fear or discomfort even when the number of birds got to be uncountable.

The magical moments of these sacred places captured my heart and mind. The indescribable peace that I encountered made me surrender to the higher power totally. I was united with my environment, and everything else was not important.

In March 2016, I visited the rock hewn churches in Lalibela, Ethopia. The churches are amazing engineering feat to bear witness to. What I experienced there made it a sacred place. One early morning, I attended a dawn service on top of St. George. Normally I would be too afraid to walk on uneven rock surface without holding onto some railings. There are no safety installations at the site but somehow that fear was lifted from my heart. I was very much at ease with the environment and hundreds of devotees.

Game of Life

While recovering from my injuries in 2013, I played Scrabble all my waking hours, stopping briefly for meals and personal hygiene routines only. I was trying to avoid taking painkillers by exercising my brain and keeping myself mentally occupied. For many years, there were two boxes of Scrabble sitting on the shelf in the recreation room. However, nobody wanted to play the game with me. So I resorted to play online with strangers on Facebook. Even though I was never a big fan of arcade type of games, I had to play arcade games in between the Scrabble moves to keep me busy. I was beginning to understand why arcade games are so addictive. As with material possessions, players always have an urge to get to higher levels every time they play. It is an addiction that is common for all ages since things usually do not play out the way that people plan. Arcade games provide apparently provide escapes from reality.

Online Scrabble is a snapshot of our society today. People seem to forget that it is just a game. Everyone is there just to win. Some youngsters have turned it into a game of "filling the blanks". They have no idea how to spell words with more than four alphabets. A few men play Scrabble to solicit cyber sex. After all it is a women's game and there is a high concentration of females. Most of the female players are no ladies either. I have been called names that I would be too embarrassed to repeat them here. I also discovered that there were websites dedicated to help people cheat at Scrabble when I had to wait for hours until the other player came up with the next word. At the end of the day, my love for the game could not help me to overlook the vulgarity of the players. Then I remembered why those boxes of Scrabble were collecting dust on the shelf.

Tree of Life

The Tree of Life carries different meanings for different cultures. The symbol is ubiquitous.  This is a magnificent image of such symbol on a wall of Wat Xieng Thong in Luang Prabang, Laos.

One meaning is the propagation of human life. These days people are more into investigating their roots and the genealogy charts certainly resemble trees. The family trees intertwine with each from marriages and adoptions. This Eastern interpretation carries an connotation of finite time frame of earth's history. Ironically it goes hand in hand with creationism as suggested by the Judeo-Christian faith. In my case, I am a dead branch in the traditional sense because I am an unmarried middle-aged person and have no children.

A second belief is that the tree of life represents the accumulation of wisdom and knowledge. This interpretation is taken from the Book of Genesis. There is a Tree of Knowledge in the centre of Garden of Eden. However, this idea collaborates with the Buddhist belief of birth and rebirth. There is no finite start or end of the earth. The cycles are intermingled among all living things, human, animal, fish, plant, etc. The pain and suffering in this life is attributed to the bad karma that I created in my past life. I nourish my tree of life by doing good deeds and learning from my life lessons.

During these injury recovery days, I have had more time to reflect upon both interpretations. I accidentally opted for the latter paradigm to avoid complicated human relationships. I should hope that I lead a happier life because of the good karma that I have attained. When my physical form expires, I would like to have people remember me by the wisdom that I have gained.

On the Road of Recovery

It is Day 57 of my recovery. Even though the wounds on my left knee and elbow are pretty much healed, I now face another kind of chronic pain. My sleep patterns are erratic. Sometimes I could sleep for 16-18 hours a day and sometimes I slept for 3-4 hours a day. I could hear my stomach growling and yet I have no appetite.

Perhaps I have become more aware of the trauma that my head sustained from the injury. It is as though a contractable steel band is put on my head. As far as I know, I have no bone fractures or brain injuries. I try not to take painkillers as much as possible. Massaging the scar on the left side of my face has somewhat lessen the tension in my forehead and around my eyes. I cannot read or watch television for more than a couple hours at a time.

The nurses have been telling me that my recovery has been remarkable. I tend to agree with them, claiming that the wounds on my left side now balance out the ones on my right side from the car accident three years ago. Two major accidents in three years are a bit too much to deal with for most people. Maybe I am just getting impatient to resume my journey. As the saying goes, what doesn't kill you would only make you stronger. I am definitely one of the strongest people that I know!

It is Day 80 since my accident. I now have a new hair line. I had to shave more hair to massage the keloids on top of my head. I am rather fond of the new style without the side part. It makes me look more intellectual. The dressings on my elbow and knee have been removed for three weeks. I have resumed walking after dinner since Monday. This week I could walk slowly for 15 minutes before the wounds started to hurt. I hope to increase by 5 minutes each week until the walk is 45 minutes long. I could not do the Xiang Gong exercises yet because my elbow would still bleed when moved too much. Both the knee and elbow feel very tight.

Who is my neighbour?

A bicycle accident in Tonga on March 1st cut short my South Pacific tour. I had to return to Vancouver on March 17, 2013 from Auckland, NZ for medical treatment.

I was hospitalized for 8 days in Tonga. Even though the hospital was recently refurbished, it remained a very basic hospital where nurses still wear the traditional uniform and doctors' ward rounds are kept formal. The Tongans took me in as one of their own and took excellent care of me. They had little but they gave their all. Nurses regularly came to the ward to make sure that the patients were comfortable. If it weren't for the multiple infections on the open wounds all over my body, I would have stayed in the hospital even longer. 

I arrived in Auckland on March 13th in terrible shape. The following morning I went to Auckland Hospital, trying to get my dressings changed at an Outpatient Department. Well, I stumbled into a "Transition Lounge". A nurse there took pity of me and changed my dressings on her break. Afterwards, she even looked up the phone number of a medical centre and urged me to see a doctor about the infected wounds. I was sent back to Auckland Hospital by the GP on duty at the medical centre. 

After waiting in the emergency ward for no more than a couple of hours, I was seen by an orthopedic surgeon at the hospital. He reviewed my wounds and recommended immediate surgeries with a hospital stay of 7-10 days. I did not have additional travelers insurance and opted to return to Canada for medical treatment. The nurses were kind and encouraged me. The hospital supplied me with compression stockings, blood thinners, new dressing and antibiotic prescription for the 13 hour flight.

My sister picked me from the Airport and drove me to Vancouver General Hospital directly on Sunday, March 17th. I was seen by emergency doctors, trauma doctors, plastics, orthopedics. They all took pictures of the wounds and poked at my wounds. After waiting for eleven hours in an emergency treatment room, a young doctor came to tell me that they would not do anything. He told me that I should see my family doctor instead and ask her to arrange for a home care nurse to change the dressing daily. 

Well, they forgot to contact the community nurse to change my dressing on Monday. When I went to see my family doctor on Tuesday, my dressings were soaked and gave out a terrible odor. My family doctor sent me back to the Emergency Dept of VGH right away. This time the Emergency doctor said that I should be able to change the dressings myself. I replied that I might be able to change the dressing on my left knee but I doubted if I could do that for my left elbow.

I might have grown up in Canada and considered myself a Canadian through and through after living here for so many decades. This whole experience nevertheless taught me valuable lessons.

"My true neighbor is somewhere else in the world."

My angels of mercy and me at the Vaiola Hospital in Tonga

South Pacific Odyssey

Twelve Apostles, Australia

In about 4 days, I will be flying to Australia. I will spend four weeks visiting the famous landmarks of the Land Down Under. I have been checking the weather forecast in Oz everyday since the news of country-wide bush fires broke. Somehow I know the temperature is going to be just right during my stay. I could not wait to see the Twelve Apostles, Uluru, Great Barrier Reef and Wave Rock. A week in Fiji then follows. I am not a big drinker; however, a Kava session is going to be a highlight in Fiji. Tonga is my third destination. I am in for some amazing choir singing there. Maybe I would even get to see the Tongan Royals at a Sunday service. I wanted to go by sea from Tonga to Samoa but there are no regular ferries between countries in the South Pacific. So I become an incidental tourist in New Zealand. I am not into extreme sports so I will be spending a lot of time with nature and sheep, breathing the pure air and riding on a train or bus. My 18-day stay in NZ might just be long enough for me to visit both islands. My new life will start in the Cook Islands on April 1st, 2013.  (To be continued)