2016 in Review

We will welcome a new year in a week’s time. I started 2016 in Quelimane, Mozambique where I waited for a month and a half for my new passport and visa to continue my journey in Southern and East Africa. I had originally planned to go on a couple more safaris in Tanzania and Kenya after visiting the Indian Ocean Coastline in early 2016. I had to deviate from my plans due to a lack of time and money. Perhaps I saw all I needed to see in terms of wildlife in Africa the year before. The three weeks in Ethiopia at the end of my trip rounded out my African visit with a strong cultural and historical component.

The Visit of Queen Sheba to Jersusalem

Before the journey, I researched the possibility of volunteering for a month or so. I could not find any meaningful project for duration less than three months to take part in. Well, because of the robbery that happened in December 2015, I stayed in less number of cities for a longer period each time in the latter part of my African visit. I was able to savor everyday life in each place, chatted more, and at times helped the locals with whatever resources that I could garner. Consequently, I contributed to improve other people’s lives in a more meaningful manner.

A village outside Quelimane, Mozambique

Despite the lack of funds and communication means, I was able to resume my African visit with some modifications in February. I experienced Africa in ways that other visitors could not even imagine. The challenges and adversities also linked me to my Creator closer than ever. I had no access to my Canadian bank accounts since they were frozen after the robbery was reported. My brother would wire funds to me via Western Union periodically. My spending might have constraints but I was liberated from my mindset and worries. Divine Providence took over. All I had to do is to surrender to God’s plan, and went along with whatever I normally would not agree.

I returned to Vancouver in early April. It did not take long for me to sort out my banking affairs. I repaid my family the money that they lent me as soon as I could. Then I gave away more things, and moved my stuff to the smallest locker in the storage facility.  Hopefully when I leave Vancouver in 2018, I would not need to rent a locker anymore. I am getting closer to the ultimate goal of owning no more than two suitcases of clothes and a few boxes of personal belongings.

There is a severe shortage of rental units in Vancouver; however, I was able to find a furnished basement suite in a well-kept house in East Vancouver. Since there is cable in the house, I watched a lot of Chinese programs on TV. My Chinese language skills have improved a great deal as a result. I also tried out a lot of healthy fusion recipes. The Catholic Church is a 15-minute walk away. In addition to the obligatory Sunday mass, I participated in bible study on Wednesday evenings. My daily routine also includes a 30 – 60 minute walk.

There were many first times for me this year. Because I did not have to be my mother’s caregiver, I had a lot of spare time on my hands. I participated in many research studies and volunteered at community events in the summer. I no longer had to do things for other people. I visited places in Metro Vancouver that I had not visited before. It had been a long time since I read a book at leisure. Well, I read four non-fictional books this summer. Ah, I now know what being retired is all about.

Ships to Shore Festival in Steveston

My general health is good except for the eczema problem that seems to linger on. Maybe I have been away for too long and became allergic to the moist climate of Vancouver. I am not too worried about this skin problem because I will be embarking on another epic journey along the routes of the Silk Road in about three months’ time. I am grateful for all the wonderful gifts that God has bestowed upon me this year.

Sex, Drugs & Video Games

What do sex, drugs and video games have in common? All three activities are highly addictive. In modern societies, people do not have to devote most of their time for survival. We have become lazy, bored and obsessed with these activities more than ever. Pornography is an 8 billion USD industry in the U.S. in 2012 according to Time Magazine. The UN estimates global illicit drug industry to be 400 billion USD per year in 1998. The U.S. gaming industry is roughly 20.5 billion USD in 2014 according to Wikipedia. Unfortunately, I could not locate figures for Canada.

On December 12th, 2016, the federal government passed Bill C37 which emphasized a strategy of harm reduction for the hard-core drug addicts. It is now legally easier to set up more safe, supervised injection sites (a.k.a. consumption sites). There is also a great push to decriminalize and even legalize marijuana at all three levels of government in Canada. Increasing amounts of resources are deployed to rescue the Opioid overdosed addicts, so much so that the City of Vancouver proposed to raise property tax to fund more consumption sites and wider distribution of Naloxone kits. Fentanyl overdose deaths are at a crisis level in Vancouver.

The pornography issue is just as worrisome in Canada. I was brought up to think that men and women could be platonic friends; men and women could connect at intellectual or emotional level. Not any more. Back in the pre-internet age, when men had sexual urges, they would read dirty magazines or find themselves prostitutes to satisfy their need. Today sex addicts prey on children, place obscene pictures/videos on social media or have cyber sex with other online users. I was informed by a long-time male friend that Canadian men usually do not want to marry their sex partners. They are also too cheap to pay for sex and/or are worried about getting sexually transmitted diseases from hookers. Women are treated as no more than sex objects.

Children are not the only ones that would spend all their waking moments playing video games. Pokemon Go was a big hit for a short time in the city, and managed to get some people to go outside. Otherwise, video games normally render the players inactive and anti-social. The most obvious side- effect of continuous video game playing is neck strain. The other effects include accidents caused by lack of attention, absenteeism, lack of reality perception, overloading of senses resulting in psychological problems, etc. A more far reaching effect is the production of "Zombie" generation who is deficient in human characteristics.

A few decades ago, we were taught to pursue material things, and work hard to forget the hurt and pain inherent in a competitive society. Many of us cannot find purpose in our lives, and use these vices to fill our empty lives. I think if we can figure out what we like to do, we can substitute these three addictive activities with less harmful hobbies. For example, women can knit sweaters, and men can make furniture for the poor in lieu of sex, drugs and video games. Better still, we should maintain a balance of body, mind & spirit by getting to know ourselves really well.

God Bless America.

The American people are going to elect their 45th president in two days. The fate of the country and the world for a large part will be affected by the results of this election. My prayers are with the people of the United States of America.

According to the 2014 report from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), nine nations - the United States, Russia, United Kingdom, France, China, India, Pakistan, Israel and North Korea - possess approximately 16,300 nuclear weapons in total. Russia and the United States have reduced their inventories but still account for more than 93% of all operational nuclear warheads. As an "insurance" measure, the "Norwegian Nobel Committee decided that the Nobel Peace Prize for 2009 was to be awarded to President Barack Obama for his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples." I am apprehensive that awarding a Nobel Peace Prize to another American president in less than ten years would cause worldwide unrest, if not, a nuclear war started by a smaller nation.

I grew up believing that only the morally upright individuals with extraordinarily abilities should govern the countries. According to Confucius,  the power by which men are ruled, comes from moral example (the whole art of government consists in the art of being honest).
1. The patterns of prestige are used in the service of governance of the country.
2. Government is good if it can maintain
a. economic sufficiency,
b. military sufficiency, and
c. confidence of the people.

It is indeed very difficult to choose between a hypocrite and a morally bankrupt person. Neither of these two candidates has actually presented new policies or reform plans. I do not know the American political system well enough to determine how their respective political parties or Congress could influence the decisions of the future president. I am however aware of the strong influence of the lobbyists and the presidential veto power.

A few doomsday prophecies foretell that Mr. Obama would be the last American president. This prediction might become reality because large corporations and/or interest groups could now become the policy maker behind the scene. The rich becomes extremely rich, the poor extremely poor and nothing in between. The president will be no more than a figure head wielding a lot of military power. Can the voters be assured that corruption would be kept to a minimum at the White House?

My simple prayer is that God Bless America during this critical time and the upcoming four years. May our American neighbors have the strength and conscience to deal with the challenges to come. I am certain that true leaders with impeccable integrity would surface from a population of 320 million by 2020.

An Interesting Question

About ten days ago, I attended a training session for Emergency Preparedness in Vancouver. Before the session commenced, the trainer asked us to take turns to introduce ourselves to the group of about 25 attendees. Other than the regular questions such as name, occupation, neighborhood, etc, the trainer also wrote on the slide "something interesting about yourself (in 2-3 lines)" for the self introduction.

The next day I asked a friend the same question. She responded by stating her assumptions that she would not want to reveal to strangers something too personal about herself. She gave a narrative like this, "I like to travel. The last place that I travel to is Morocco." As it turned out, I had a similar introduction and half of the group described their travels in their introduction. The rest of the introductions were so typical that I forgot what they were.

Out of the two dozen introductions at the training session, I could only remember distinctively a couple of introductions. A lady sitting at the back corner chimed out, "I have five dogs at home, and my dogs would eat before I do in the event of food shortage after a major disaster." The other introduction was a sales pitch from a realtor. Even though I was not in the market for buying or selling a home, his introduction stood out.

I reflected on the question and concluded that I do indeed dwell in a generally conservative and conforming society. Most people would not dare to reveal what they are truly passionate about. Are we getting more secretive in spite of the fact that we have entered the age of "Protected Human Rights"? Or it is an effect of the prevalent "I don't care" attitude? I believe it is a combination of several factors. It seems to me that the anti-war protesters and tree-hugging environmentalist must have all retired or passed away.

In many ways, it is not as fun to live in a modern society where people are indifferent about many things. Years ago, I would make friends with the people sitting next to me in a plane on long flights. These days passengers would put on the earphones once they settle in their assigned seats, and avoid conversations as much as possible. Prior to the internet age, when you had a problem, you would ask other people for suggestions and/or advice.  Now Google is everybody's best friend. Be it a relationship problem or a DIY issue, all you have to do is ask your best friend.

No wonder when the trainer asked for something interesting about the attendees, only one person in a group of 25 people could come up with an original, passionate and unique answer.

8 Days in Belize

Even though I only spent eight days in Belize in November 2014, I experienced a wide range of cultures there. The Garifuna culture, being the predominant one, has the greatest influence on mainstream Belizean art, music, language and food. Stewed chicken and rice & beans was all I wanted to eat there. I tried to learn to speak Creole but it was not as easy as it might sound. However, I was able to somewhat dance the Garifuna way, as I was informed by other tourists. LOL

It was unfortunate that it poured half of the time during my Belizean visit. My original plan of spending 4 days each in Caye Caulker, San Ignacio, Hopkins and Placencia was cut short mainly because of the rainy weather. I was unable to visit Caracol and the ATM cave on the western frontier. These two sites are particularly unique and I had to skip both because of the safety hazards involved after days of torrential downpour. I wish someday to return to Belize and visit these two places.

The Split, Caye Caulker

I am very grateful to be able to visit Cahal Peche and Xunantunich. Cahal Peche dates as far back as 1000 B.C. and it is the site of a wealthy Mayan family residence. Xunantunich is a sacred site where the Mayan gods were worshipped. It is famous for the well-preserved carvings on top of the tallest pyramid on site.

Main Plaza of Cahal Peche

My last meal in Belize was actually Shrimp Chow Mein in a Chinese eatery in Punta Gorda before taking a boat to Livingston, Guatemala. For a small country, Belize surely has a lot of Chinese immigrants. They usually own grocery stores and restaurants. From the music they listened to and the videos they watched, I gathered that they have come from both Mainland China and Taiwan. My wish is for these Chinese-Belizeans to totally merge into mainstream Belizean society like the transplanted Guatemalans and Salvadorians have.

Sunrise on the Caribbean, Hopkins

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Trans-Siberian Journey 2011

Exactly five years ago to this day, I embarked on an epic journey. One would think that a Trans-Siberian journey should be somewhat uneventful. To many, myself included, Russia and Mongolia are rather mysterious before this adventure. Well, I can tell you one thing; Russians and Mongolians are no stranger than the Westerners. The Chinese are a different story though.

My journey started with a “$49 CAD” group tour in Shanghai and areas surrounding the Yangtze River. It had been twelve years since I last traveled with a group. China International Travel Services (CITS) used to have a rule of “one landmark, one designated shop”. This special group executed a “one landmark to three designated shops” itinerary. I was lured into joining what is commonly known in the Chinese community a "shopping tour" because of the attractive nominal price.

On one hand, the guides would tell their overseas Chinese guests with Canadian passports that China has become incredibly wealthy and its people are enjoying better benefits than ever. In the same breath, they would pressure us to make significant purchase at the sponsors’ retail shops before the coaches would leave for the next place of visit. I enjoyed the sights very much and learned a great deal of Chinese history from one local guide. I wish, however, the Jiangsu and Zhejiang tourism authorities would adopt a more up-front marketing method in the future. Overseas Chinese in general have been very supportive of China and its people for decades before the economic boom.

After the group tour, I flew into Moscow from Shanghai. My initial impression of Moscow was that Russians are English phobic. My first time in Lenningrad train station in Moscow was indeed very memorable. I had to spend 3.5 hours there just to purchase an overnight train ticket to St. Petersburg and to store my luggage. Russia has to be one of the few countries in the world where workers, who deal with foreigners on a daily basis, don’t have to learn English. As a result, the rate that I was picking up Russian words was unprecedented.

Even though St. Petersburg is very pretty, it is even more difficult to find people who would want to speak English. People would naturally back up or start to run when they hear the question, ``Do you speak English?`` Some locals actually thought that I was a Russian ethnic minority. They looked rather disgusted. As I was later informed by an English-speaking Siberian, there are pockets in big cities in Russia where the ethnic groups would lead lives as if they were still living in Central Asia.

As I got further and further into the heart of Siberia, Russians got friendlier and more fluent in English. By the time that I left Ulan-Ude, I found out that Russians are actually very hospitable and have a good sense of humour. It was already too late. My visa would expire Oct 10th and I had already visited five Russian cities.

Even though the border guards were stern looking, I was treated very well by the Mongolian Immigration officials. I managed to get a 10-day transit visa on arrival at the land border. The officer told me that I had used up his last visa sticker and I should buy a lottery ticket when I get to China. I know I have achieved this task not because of my good looks since I was blowing my nose and coughing the whole time.

I could spend 2.5 days in Mongolia so all my sightseeing was done within the capital, Ulaan Bataar. The temperature was around 14 degrees during the day as compared to 5 degrees in Ulan-Ude. The face of the all-time Mongolian celebrity, Genghis Khan is on all everything. Well, I have to agree with the Mongolian on this. The Mongols rule two ancient civilizations much bigger than their land and wealthier, namely China and India. Written Mongolian is somewhat Russian looking. Again, I blended in quite well by uttering a few Russian words. A bank teller even spoke to me in Mongolian until I stared at him with puzzling eyes. Mongolian women are gentle people whereas Mongolian men could be quite chauvinistic. Thanks to the chauvinistic Mongolian men in my train compartment, I was forced to get a lot of beauty sleep on my way to the Mongolian-Chinese border at Zamid Uud.

Because I have visited Beijing several times before, I opted to end my Trans-Siberian journey in Taiyuan, Shanxi. I like Pingyao very much; it is an ancient walled city south of Taiyuan. To my surprise, I ended up spending almost a whole day in Shanxi Museum in Taiyuan. I particularly enjoyed the creative ways that the Museum presents the artefacts. The Wang Family Grand Courtyard and Yuncang Grottoes would be on the agenda of my next visit to Shanxi.

I have spent my last 3 days in Xiamen visiting my brother and his family. My 4-year niece is a 3D photocopy of me. While visiting Tulou, I did my final mad dash of souvenir shopping and raising the local GDP by a few percentage points. You see, Fujian province is also famous for its teas and handcrafted candies.

All in all, this journey had been one of great diversity in scope, climate, cultures, languages, food and religions.

Angkor Wat, Dawn to Dusk

 I visited Angkor Wat in March 2005. I took a bus from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap. Even though my host advised me to book a taxi the night before my visit to the complex, I opted not to. At 4:30 am the following morning, I walked out to the main road and waved down a tuk-tuk. After bargaining a price for a full day exclusive service, I hopped on the tuk-tuk and got outside the main gate. A few minutes later, I witnessed a photo-perfect sunrise.

It was a very hot day and my driver would have to constantly urge me to visit the sites. The architecture had a strong Hindu temple feel although Buddha statues are everywhere in the complex. Archaeologists from Scandinavian countries were restoring the structures.The biggest difference between an Angkor Wat Buddha head and a "regular" Buddha head is the gentle smile on the Cambodian one as characterized by the sculptured towers of the Bayon.

Another feature that had me awe-struck is the bas-relief walls telling the stories of the battles between the Hindu Gods. The complex warrants a multiple-day visit not just because of its immense size but also the artistic value of the structures. Seldom would visitors find fine detailing even on the exterior walls. I have reasons to believe that the artisans of these structures came from India. Only in Khajuraho and Hampi, India had I witnessed such elaborate embellishments on exterior walls of temples.

My driver took me to a village on the perimeter for lunch. As I sat down with a plate of deep fried fish and rice at a tree-shaded table, a group of elementary school-age children approached me. I asked them why they were not in school. They replied that they already had classes in the morning. Some tried to sell me postcards and souvenirs. But for the most part, they just wanted to practise their English. To my surprise, these kids were very knowledgeable about capital cities all over the world. All the American coins in my pant pockets parted with me at the end of my lunch.

The signature shots of tree roots penetrating into temples of Ta Prohm are on all the promotional materials for Angkor Wat. That part of the complex is a magnificent display of the force of nature. Yet whatever remained standing was so preciously intact. My day ended with watching the sunset with a lot of noisy tourists on top of a temple at Phnom Bakheng. The next morning I took a fast boat back to Phnom Penh.

Definition of love

My nephew's 7th birthday is in early October. Yesterday I spent a better part of the day trying to find a birthday gift that he would like and is within my price range. It brought me a lot of joy to find that "ideal" gift. I had to consider his likes and dislikes, etc. by recalling the times that we spent together. He lives in a city that is 8 hours drive away from me, and I do not see him that often. He might never know how much time and effort I put in finding his birthday gift. The thought that the gift could make a difference in his life motivated me. What did he do to elicit so much love on my part? Nothing. Maybe I see a lot of similarities between us. I love my nephew.

I was only sixteen when I got accepted into university. Every day I would have to spend 2 hours each way commuting. My parents did not give us (their offspring and grandfather) allowances except for bus fares. As I was getting ready for school around 5 a.m. one particularly cold, damp winter morning, I heard someone cooking in the kitchen. It was my grandfather. "Why are you up so early, grandpa?" He wanted to cook me a hot breakfast before I got out of the house. Microwave ovens were not around at that time. He then gave me two dollars to buy a hot lunch for that day. "Go back to bed, grandpa. Your rheumatism must be hurting you." My grandfather loved me.

St. Paul's definition of love has always been my guiding light.

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.  It does not dishonour others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.  It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. 

The same principles are also applicable to romantic love. In reality, few people are more obsessed in possessing and/or controlling their loved ones. A lot of lovers cannot bear the thought of being separated from each other especially when they first fall in love. In my opinion, this is nothing more than a form of OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder) and self-centered behaviour. As the saying goes, "If you love someone, set them free. If they come back, they're yours; if they don't, they never were."

It is indeed very difficult to define love. I suppose when I love someone, I am only concerned about their well-being and happiness. Sometimes there is sacrifice to be made to preserve the well-being and happiness of my beloved; it is also when I ask myself how deep is my love.

Potpourri of Travel Stories Prior to 2012

An act of kindness

In September 2003, I was travelling in Northern India with my parents. We saw abject poverty in much of the rural areas. We gave out food, change, pens to people all along the way with one exception.

We were unable to buy first class tickets for the train journey from Agra to Jaipur. We had to ride in a non-AC car with the locals one hot afternoon. It was 42 degrees Celsius in the shade, and we had finished drinking our last bottle of water when a local man got on the train from a village stop. One of the empty bottles was sitting at my mother’s side on the hard wooden seat. This elderly man in tattered clothes sat opposite to us, and he kept staring at my mother’s thigh. She got very worried that the man would rape or rob her because of his long stares. She almost sat on my lap. As the train was pulling into the next station, the man got up and motioned me to give him the bottle. He jumped off the train. When he returned, he handed my mother a bottle full of yellowish water. 


As I figured out later, he was concerned that my mother looked extremely dehydrated. He wanted to get some water from the station tap using the empty bottle. We (North Americans) consider ourselves as civilized and refined people. Yet we have to be reminded constantly how to be kind and compassionate towards others. Do we really know how to live in the moment, be truly mindful of our surroundings, and be aware of other people's needs?

On the way to Marymana (Mother Mary's last house before her assumption) - April 2004

My next stop was Virgin Mary's house in the hills after Ephesus. I was told by my host at the guesthouse that I should be able to take a taxi up there for less than $20 USD. The taxi drivers would not take me there for less than $40 USD one way. One of them told me to wait for 2 more tourists to share the cost of the ride.

I waited for half hour and there was no other independent traveler. It was 2 pm and I knew I had to get going. I started walking and the taxi driver scared me by saying that there are a lot of wild dogs in the bushes and I would be eaten up by wild animals. I pretended I could not hear them and hiked up the hills for 6 miles. Giant tour buses went by. Even though I did not look up, I could sense curious stares from the passengers on these buses. 

While hiking, I prayed to God and Virgin Mary for protection. There were trees that provided shade for me pretty much the whole way. I was not too dehydrated after the 1.5 hr hike. To my surprise, admission was only $2.50 USD since I entered the premises on foot. If I had come by a vehicle, it would have been $15 USD for admission. So things really worked out money-wise.

I only had a 0.5 litre bottle and a can of pop that whole time. Outside Maryemana (Mary's House) were many fountains and I had all the natural spring water that I could drink before I started back.

Half way down the hills, a Muslim couple driving a Mercedes Benz stopped. The wife got off the car and invited me to get into the back of the car with her. They took me back to the exit side of Ephesus.

Normally re-entry is not allowed. I explained to the guards that I needed to take the minibus at the other side. They let me in and I got to see Ephesus in both directions and dramatically different lights that normal tourists would not experience.  How much blessed and loved could I be!

Silk Road - Northern Route, August 2005

I arrived in Kashgar this morning, safe and sound. The bus ride from Yining to Korla got to be one of the worst bus rides in my memory. It reminded me so much of the time we were travelling in the Himalayan Mountains after a rainfall. It took a whooping 23 hours for a distance of 750 kms. I thought I would stay overnight in Korla but I did not because I saw everything in an afternoon. It is a lot like Las Vegas. High rises in the middle of vast barren land. Surprisingly, it must have at least 1 million in population.

The roads from Korla to Kashgar are much nicer; however, the bus was pretty run down and broke down at least ten times, especially near the end of the journey. It took 20 hours for 1001 kms. Kashgar appears to be more modern than I imagine. I took a mini tour this afternoon and would explore some more tomorrow. Depending whether the travel agent can get me a train ticket to Urumqi on Saturday, I might be flying back late to Urumqi Sunday night.

Waving down a bus outside the Atacama Desert in South America 2007

After 24 hours of non-stop travelling on buses, I have arrived in the beautiful city of Salta in Argentina. I will be taking a flight from Salta to Buenos Aires tomorrow night. Will be spending 2 days there then flying off to the infamous Iguazu Falls.

I must say that during this past week I have experienced numerous miracles. First, I got detoured in Puno and avoided serious civil unrest in Bolivia. Then I was able to reroute via Chile. When I arrived at a border town in Chile at 2 am in the morning, I had no Chilean money and the hostel took me in without questions. The miraculous part was that I was able to walk to the hostel from the bus terminal without problems. You see, the bus terminal did not open 24 hours a day and there were a number of homeless people staking the terminal. Petty theft is common according to the Lonely Planet guide.

The very next morning, with less than 5 hours of sleep, I was urged by my host to check with all bus companies to find a way to get out of Arica because the international services are infrequent. I got lucky because I went to a very kind and smart agent at Geminis. He told me to check with another international service bus company. Both men checked and there was not one single seat. Then the Geminis agent went to a national service bus company and arranged for me to go to San Pedro de Atacama, a small town near the Chile/Argentina border. He said if I waved down a bus on the highway, and begged really hard, I might be to get on a bus to Salta or the nearby city, Jujuy.

I went back to the hostel and told other tourists. They all thought that it was outrageous. I rested a bit more and had a visit of the town centre. When I returned to the hostal after my extreme sightseeing in Arica, my host suggested that I might even try to hitchhiking, especially with a truck driver. When I was at the bus terminal waiting for my bus to San Pedro, some passengers told me that there was a 7.9 earthquake off the coast of Arica 2 days ago. Fortunately there were no substantial property damages and no human loss.

After a pretty rough night on the bus, I arrived in San Pedro at 9:50 am. We had to get off the bus twice during the night at 2 control points for drug trafficking. It was freezing cold outside even we were travelling the desert region of Chile. I did what the kind man told me to do. I waved down a bus and the driver was very sympathetic. I got on an international bus without having to plead with the driver too much.

I sat with local people for all my bus trips and managed to talk to them through hand gestures and words common to both English and Spanish. I have not met one that is mean to me whereas many of the tourists have this superior attitude over the locals especially with the indigenous people. My local neighbors always tried to help me along the way even though I did not understand them half of the time. I feel very blessed indeed. I must get going now because I think siesta time is over and the stores and offices are opening up again. I got to confirm my flights with the airline office.

From Cuzco to La Paz today...in 2007

I have seen one of the New Seven Wonders of the World yesterday. Machu Picchu is indeed very wondrous. I made friends with half a dozen birds and one persistent alpaca who followed me to the exit. I don’t normally take more than two pics of one thing but I have four pics of him or her. I finally had to say to my amigo at the exit, "Baby, I can’t take you home with me because you don’t have a bus ticket to go down to the train station." We were both heart broken and parted with our heads down.

As I suffer serious Acute Mountain Sickness, I could only join an old folks´ tour. I took the train and bus to Machu Picchu. There was a guide who did a 2 hour tour of the site. Afterwards we have about 2 hours of free time. I was sitting down to have a sandwich and chocolate milk which I had been carrying all that way. Then I noticed some birds singing around me. I threw out a couple peanuts and more came. I had a choir of birds singing around me while having lunch at Machu Picchu. It just could not be any more magical than that!

At the end of the day sightseeing in Cuzco, a native woman came up to me with a shopping bag full of sweaters. She told me that they are alpaca sweaters. After some bargaining, I bought one XL sweater from her. It is a perfect fit and the more important thing is that it will keep me warm at the next high place that I visit - La Paz. My amigo at the hostel confirmed that it is llama hair.

 Passionate People and Surreal Landscape of Jordan - Nov 19, 2008

Believe it or not, my wait at the Port of Nuweiba was over 10 hours. When I got to the other shore, it was past 11 p.m. During the unbearably long wait, I acquired husband #9. He is a travelling businessman from Aleppo, Syria. Even though there was a younger oriental woman, who spoke Arabic, in the group, I was the chosen one. Julia, my competition, is a Taiwanese student who has been studying Arabic in Cairo for the past 2 years. Julia told me that before I arrived in the waiting area, she was the centre of attention. But seriously though, Julia is actually on a love mission to get a visa to go to Jordan for her Egyptian boyfriend. Ah, the things that a woman in love does for amour.

Aqaba is much, much cleaner than any of the port cities in Egypt. King Hussein Highway is incredibly well maintained. The prices in Aqaba are lower than that of the cities in Egypt. Jordanians love their king, so much so that there are pictures of him everywhere.

As I was trying to find a restaurant that serves breakfast at 8:30 a.m. this morning, an elderly man approached me and asked if he could help me with anything. I said "breakfast" and he invited me to have coffee with him at his jewelry store. Imagine if I had accepted his invite, I would have husband #10 by now. Well, the logical side of me instead chose to sit in a minibus heading for Petra for an hour for it to get full.

I wish I did not spend so much time in Egypt. I had no choice but to skip Wadi Rum. As we were driving past Wadi Rum, the landscape outside the window was incredibly surreal. I prayed that there will be peace in the Middle East in the near future, and I can visit Iran, Iraq and Lebanon with a stopover in Jordan. Hopefully I will be able to meet my Prince of Arabia next time.

Tomorrow is my big day in Petra so I will try to rest up now. I haven't been walking for many days and my feet are quite healed. I should be able to explore the Rose City on foot for 10 hours.

Reporting from Wadi Musa (Moses' Valley) outside Petra...

On the Road to Damascus, Syria - November 2008

I just had the biggest meal I have had in weeks since I left Vancouver 3 weeks ago. To indulge in the Syrian pastime of eating is effortless; however, the aftermath could result in the consumption of a handful of Tums. Syrian cuisine is definitely the best among the Middle Eastern countries.

The Syrian fatteh is rather different from the fatta in Aswan, Egypt. Syrian chefs marinate meats before cooking and this makes such a big difference. I also had shish tawouk which is chicken shish kebab - the best that I ever ate.

Enough about food, let me tell you what happened this morning. I went to the Old City today with the hope of re-creating the scene of how Saul, the Christian prosecutor converted into Paul, the most influential evangelist in the Christian church history. Well, I did not accomplish what I set out to do. First, I could not get into the Umayyad Mosque. Then I got lost trying to find the "Straight Street" in the Old City.

Don't let the name of Straight Street fool you. The streets here are anything but straight. One wrong turn you will be walking in the totally wrong direction. Well, the good thing is that I wandered into an area that is hardly visited by foreigners. I believe it is a wholesale market.

I bought myself a beautiful "sheesha", water pipe for smoking fruit favoured tobacco. I picked the different parts to be assembled together. It has to be the most gorgeous sheesha that I have ever set my eyes on. I bought it from a shop looked after by 3 young men. The oldest one could not be more than 20 years old. The other two boys appear to be brothers who are about 10 and 12. The whole experience was very enjoyable even though we did not know each other's language.

Back to Paul the evangelist...Supposedly he was imprisoned in a jail near a city gate of Old Damascus. His companions lowered him to ground level in a basket to make an escape. St. Paul's chapel, which I did not find, marks the spot where the event took place. By following a group of French tourists, I nevertheless managed to see St. Ananais house. Sometimes tourist groups could be useful that way.

I was extremely tired by the time I finished being lost in the Old City. I ate, then crashed into my bed and did not wake up until 6:30 pm. I located the museum on my way to the restaurant and will visit it tomorrow morning before taking a bus to Palmyra because most of the artefacts from Palmyra are actually displayed in the National Museum in Damascus.

As-salamu alaykum

Eggs a la head in Porto, Portugal - September 2009

Greetings from Porto, Portugal It is 6:30 am and very dark outside. The sun does not rise for another 45 minutes. I am sending this email from my little netbook, lying in bed. I totally adore my netbook even though I carried it the whole day yesterday, my shoulders are still good as new.

I had the most amazing day yesterday. As always, I got lost while visiting the old city of Porto. However, this time I was not alone. A young man from Sweden was asking for directions from the locals who were sitting on their doorsteps, drunk and/or stoned on a warm Saturday afternoon. Before I know it, Fabian and I were travelling together.

Before I get any further with my narrative, I must make a confession. I did not expect this trip to be an eye-opening one. Was I ever wrong in assuming this! I am once again educated by my travels. For instance, now I know the Portuguese version of Benedict is Bento. English words now make sense to me and I am very persuaded to study Latin. I am also intrigued by the Portuguese tiled walls. They totally removed my pre-conceived notion that tiles, especially painted porcelain tiles can only be found in bathrooms or kitchens.

While walking down to the river bank, I stopped to look at the map under the bridge, Ponte Dom Luis I (designed by Gustavo Eiffel). I got hit by an egg. At first I thought those darned sea gulls pooh on my clean black T-shirt. I let out a loud cry and wanted to return to the guesthouse. Some lady who was going to hang her laundry to dry, gave me a freshly washed towel to wipe myself. Another lady came out to wipe me. Fabian was going to take me back to the water tap that we were drinking from. You see the egg cracked right on top of my head. My face and hair were covered with the sticky stuff. Thankfully the temperature was not too high or else there would have been scrambled eggs a la head. Well, the sea gulls gave me the best hair conditioner that I could ever hope for.

Driven by the idea of having a fish dinner by the sea, we ventured out to the mouth of the river. We were wandering in the city centre right by the sea. Almost all the stores were closed except for SPAR and Inter-Marche. According to Fabian, SPAR is the largest supermarket chain in Scandanavia. Inter-Marche is a French owned supermarket.. None of the local stores was open. We were about to give up the idea of having a seafood dinner at around 6:30 pm. Then I got a glimpse of the Atlantic Ocean in between the buildings. I wanted to watch the sunset from the most western point in continental Europe. When it got chilly, we got up and started walking towards the bus stop. The restaurants opened and the BBQ on the sidewalks were warming up outside the restaurants...

I had grilled bacalhlau (I think rock cod) for dinner. Of course, I had Port wine which is the best red wine that I have ever tasted. What would an authentic Portuguese dinner be without a chocolate mousse tart? The best part is that the cost of this dinner is only 15 Euros.. No wonder there are so many British and French tourists here.

This is a long email because I might not be able to write in 1 -2 days. Don't worry about me. I feel safe and I know I am protected by at least 4 guardian angels surrounding me everywhere I go.

From Russia with love in October 2011

Greetings from Ulan-Ude, Russia!

From Kazan to Yekaterinburg, it is a 15-hour train ride. I have to say out of the 5 Russian cities that I visited, I like Kazan the most. I love its peacefulness, harmony and bookish atmosphere. Half of the population is Muslim and the half Orthox Christians. If you look at picture #82 carefully, you can see the minarets on the background and golden onion domes on the foreground. The picture has not been photo-shoped. Nowhere else in the world could have a mosque and a church within a block of each other; never mind in the same Kremlin.

Yekaterburg is famous for the gruesome murder of the last Russian royal family, the Romanov's. They were murdered in July 1918. I visited their final resting place at Sts. Peter & Paul cathedral in St. Petersburg. I thought I would also light a candle at their death site in Yekaterinburg where they were hiding from the Bolsheviks. For a mid-size Siberian city, Yekaterinburg has many more public jumbo screens than some world-class cities. Its wealth comes from the nearby precious stone mines.

This is my 13th day in Russia and my Russian vocabulary is still limited to a dozen words. However, I managed to keep myself entertained for the greater part of a 60-hour train ride without saying a whole lot of Russian to a train full of non-English speaking Russians. I got a 70-year old Russian grandma to sing and recite poetry to me. Other times I have had staring contests with kids and a young man from Tajikistan who now lives in Irkutsk.

The Buryats are Mongol descendants and they account for 30% of the population here. Tomorrow I will make a day trip to a Buddhist temple 23 km away from the city. On my way there, I will also visit the ethnological museum to better understand this culture. Ulan-Ude is famous for the 22-meter tall giant Lenin head. There is also a golden Lenin statue outside the new Orthodox Church on the newer side of the city. The locals just love their Uncle Len!

Volunteering is mandatory!

During the past three months, I had been volunteering at various community events and celebrations. I have had many opportunities to talk and work with high school and post-secondary students. Because I don't have any children, I am not clued into the latest development in BC high school curriculum. I learned a few things from these youths.

When I asked a Grade 8 student one Sunday afternoon in early June the reason for his volunteering, he replied that he already had two detentions in the last week because he has not fulfilled the requirements of thirty hours in volunteering per school year. He had to complete thirty hours of volunteering before his summer holidays could start in three weeks' time. This young man was driven by his father to the relatively remote site where the event was held. His father stayed on site the entire four hours while his son volunteered. Too bad the event organizer only acknowledged four hours.

I spoke to a first year university student the following week. He was in an International Baccalaureate program when he was studying in senior high school. He would have to complete 150 volunteering hours before he could graduate from high school. He also added that he hated most the part about having to fill out a feedback form each time he volunteered. He had to make up some stories to say how great the experience was. He was doing volunteer work this summer to better his chance of getting into a med school.

Vancouver has many international students who came specifically to learn English. I met about a dozen of them during my volunteering stints. A Japanese girl told me that she wanted to practise what she learned in the past nine months before returning home by volunteering at a community event. Then there was a group of four Korean students who would be taking group pictures and twittering every half hour or so. A couple of Chinese students would arrive with large messenger bags. They were at the community event to collect freebies along with the garbage on the ground.

Even though I was not required to volunteer, I volunteered for other self-centered motives. Prior to retirement, I seldom got time to explore my hometown, Vancouver. I chose events at locations that I have not visited before or have not visited for a long time. I also had preference for ethnic celebrations so that I could post enticing pictures on social media promoting the cultural diversity in my hometown. I also collected small toys, pens and souvenirs which I can give out to deprived children on my next journey.

I had a blog titled "To Date Or Not To Date" a couple months ago. Now only if we can make it mandatory for these lonely souls to volunteer on the weekends, these singles would be paired off in no time at all. LOL