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Clédat - Dordogne, France

The Terrasson market, every Thursday morning, is a treat.
The town, I think it's big enough to be called that, is built up a hill. Spectacular views, and wandering through the ancient streets you get a real feel of times gone by. The Vézere runs through the lower part, flooding the place a few times a year.
One of the old bridges connects the two parts of the market, fruit and veg adorning the grey arches.
Also one of the few places here you might bump into a colored fellowman. Very noticeably absent, specially coming from a colorful Amsterdam.
One of the stalls belongs to a black man. He sells all kinds of leather stuff. I've yet to see someone buy anything, but he doesn't seem the least put out by that. Standing amidst his treasures he shifts his, considerable weight, from one foot to the other, rhythmically, as if about to start a ritual dance. A far-way look in his eyes - is he stoned or dreaming of distant shores?
Towards the end of the market, the vendors no longer interested in the buyers, hurriedly packing up their ware, set faces, I spot him. Gracefully moving through the streets, a bunch of cheap, flashy watches dangling from his hand, several pushed up his wrist. As he approaches he somehow manages to catch my eye and look past me at the same time.
It's confusing and, sensing this, he suddenly breaks out into a broad smile, and oh, I can still feel the pleasure, the joy of it. Chubby cheeks, glistening dark skin, fat lips, gorgeous teeth - a happy, happy face.
I want to grab those cheeks and kiss his juicy lips.
I want to take him home.Meanwhile Peter has been taking pictures of the market. Very nice, I'm sure, but the one I really want wont be amongst them.
It will be stored in my memory to lightens up my rainy days.

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Zurich, Switzerland

We stayed over in Bethune, about an hours drive from Calais, not a particularly nice place but the hotel was comfortable. We ate out that night, I couldn't eat the steak it was awful very fatty. Of course I complained and we ended up with the deserts and coffee free! Clearly my communication skills are continental - fab.
We drove up to Strasbourg the next day another lovely hotel expecting to stay only one night but ending up staying 2 as the apartment company in Zurich confirmed to us they had mixed up the dates and our apartment wasn't available til June - a swift and very strong reply was returned and different - better accommodation was confirmed at the same rate - doing well so far. We didn't mind the stay it gave Harry a break and we were just opposite the Orangery, a lovely large park with a small animal area where we introduced him to the Parrots and Monkeys though he was more interested in the budgies. We had a little shopping trip in town here too; I picked a shirt off the sale rack which when at the til turned out not to e in the sale. The assistant was French with no English, I just speak English - we came to an agreement some how that I would get the 50% discount - another result.

The weather has been roasting since we left and continued through to our arrival in Zurich. We easily found our apartment with the help of Google maps and we've settled in quite nicely thank you. We even have cleaners so no chores - wonderful.

The first few days we wondered, finding parks, supermarkets etc. It is more expensive than we first thought - lots of little extras. Health insurance is the biggest shock so far at 450cf about 225 pounds a month. Meat has also gone through the roof, mainly pig and about 4 times more than home. The food isn't as good as it should be, your limited to 2 supermarkets COOP and Migros and they clearly work together to limit choice and keep out anyone else - even the few Carrefour' are pulling out, some great closing down bargains but we have no-where to store anything.

A few days in and we found out Switzerland is going through the process of banning 'dangerous dogs' Staffies are included. We have to register him before the end of the month. We have to have him neutered and get a vet approval which consists of an examination of the dog and our handling skills. When out he has to be muzzled and kept on a lead.  There are different rules in different cantons (areas) so we have found an apartment just outside the Zurich canton which has yet is not affected. He's still getting lots of walks - even off the lead (pics attached)

as I said we have found an apartment, the paperwork sill has to be done but if all goes well we should be in at the beginning of June. There are issues here with the dog, they really don't like staffies here so we may have no choice but to move on but our fingers are crossed. We did look for a house but they are few and far between here. The apartment is ground floor - best for Harry and brand new in the beautiful area of Rapperswil, 5 minutes walk from the old town and the lake. It's also just 30 mins on the train to Zurich central. So fingers crossed for that one.

I'm going to start looking for work tomorrow, I have been looking and registering on websites but they are all German speaking with other languages expected. Strange languages here though apparently is a 'high' German that's spoken here so even the Germans don't understand it. I'll see how it goes, there must be someone who wants someone as fab as me, if not I'll be retried and have to sack the cleaners .

The weather continues to be glorious and it's that time again for the dog.

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Tulamben, Bali, Indonesia

06/05:  in the morning, our hotel phone does not work. We have to use our mobile to call a mobile in Indonesia via Belgium: ouch! But: pick up at noon. We meet Wayan and ... Tony from Perth, would you believe????
 
Those Australian Tonys start yapping and do not stop. We are taken to lunch in a very picturesque resto in the middle of nowhere. And I really mean 'taken'. They paid. For the first time in my more than a year travel, I experience REAL hospitality, like you read about but not meet. We are the guests. Wayan and Tony own the resort and dive shop: Tulamben wreck divers resort Bali:
 
www.tulambenwreckdivers.com
 
Resort and dive shop in one: the way we like it. Over the road is a nice and cheap restaurant and a little supermarket, is one of the many things Tony tells us. Also: many people on Bali all called Wayan: it means: 1st born and can be a boy or a girl. So, it you call a Balinese Wayan, you have a big change of being right!
 
We have the choice of a standard room and a beach villa. We booked the standard room, it is next to the swimming pool and dive shop and we do not swap for the villa, which is 700m away and much more expensive, of course.
 
Priority: diving tomorrow! We go to book and we are told ... we can decide on what time we go diving, as from 06h45. How can that be? Well, every group (whether 1 or 6 people) get their own private diving instructor! So, you decide: how many dives and when. Of course, we do not choose that early: 9h is good enough for us. We get our own dedicated instructor: Arie. Although, we are happy to give the local people a job in 3rd world countries, it is a disadvantage to have a none native English speaking dive master. It is not so easy to understand their accent and often their English is not good.
 
 We go and discover the restaurant and indeed: very nice. I admit: I eat western food. STILL did not get over my 5 weeks of rice in Malaysia.
 
Early night because tomorrow is THE day!
 
07+08/05:  diving the USAT Liberty! Nr 11 on the top 100 of the world's dive sites. In January 1942 the US Navy cargo ship the USAT Liberty was torpedoed by a Japanese submarine near Lombok. Taken in tow, it was beached in Tulamben so that its cargo of rubber and railway parts could be saved. The ship sat on the beach until the 1963 eruption of Gunung Agung broke it is two and left it just off the shoreline, to the delight of the divers. We dove the Thistlegorm in Egypt, which is also a sunken ship from the 2nd world war (nr 3 on our top 100 list, nr 1 on ours). But this is whole other cattle of fish. In the Liberty there is nothing left inside: you cannot even penetrate it. Why is it nr 11, then? Well, we will see, we hope... .  And, man, do we see!
 
First thing we notice is ... women are carrying our tanks with BCD's to beach. Small, skinny things, carrying as many as 3 at the time. If they carry 3: 1 on their bag and 2 on their head! Carrying those heavy things a couple of hundred meters to the beach for the costumer AND the dive master, who does not carry his own gear either! There is a bell in the dive shop: when the girls have to show up for carrying, the bell is rang and they show up from nowhere!
 
We walk over the road to a 'beach'. It is black gravel.  The beach itself is big pebbles. Hard to keep your balance on. From there, you put on your equipment and walk into to the water. The Liberty is supposed to be 40m from the shore. I guess: 40 touristy meters which equals 60m. The first dive IS the wreck. I am an instant fan. The Liberty became part of the ocean and is completely integrated in the sea life. It is hardly recognizable as a ship: overgrown with the most beautiful corals, for 45 year already. I know there is a thin line between what I call 'junk' in the water and this ship wreck. For me, ships are - sort of - part of the ocean: this is what manhood uses to transport their goods from a to b. It is not nice of a lion to kill an antelope but it is survival. The same way men use a ship to transport food. If it sinks, it becomes part of the life underwater. Around a huge coral container, fish life is all over.  After the first day of Liberty diving, Hubby is not THAT impressed but the second day, he also becomes a fan. In the afternoon, we do the 'drop off' which is a coral wall, next to the wreck. Notice the boats behind me and the pebbles on the beach on the 'above water' picture, in between 2 dives. The boat will have its own story later and you can imagine walking on these pebbles.
 
The afternoon dive is almost as nice as the Liberty. Tomcat gets a manicure from shrimp fish, we study a pipefish together (yes, this is a fish), nice sting rays, puffer fish, great corals, ... .
 
The restaurant across the road is used for morning and evening meals.
 
Next day, again the Liberty. We did not even do 50% yet! This time, the parts of the ship are clearer. Hurricanes of fish are surrounding us.  I let the pictures tell the story!
 
In the afternoon, we do the coral garden drift dive, again from our own shore. We find a barracuda, with teeth bigger than ours. I approach it as close as I dare for the picture!!! We really dive in an aquarium: it is difficult to take a picture of Dr T without a fish in between.
 
Did we do anything beside the diving and the obvious? Hubby found a huge lizard on the wall of our room. I believed it was a real one. When he was still there, many hours later, I decided it was made out of stone. Till it disappeared. Then Tony found pooh in our bathroom. I mean: a small one on the floor. And guess what: that same lizard was on the roof of our bathroom!
 
We also met B. he is handsome and very chatty. We started off on the wrong foot. He whistled at me! NOT done. But, then, we kissed and made up. He says: 'I love you' in such a cute way. Unfortunately, his English is crappy and my Indonesian is none existing, so our relationship will not go far. Did I mention he is a mynah, called beo by us AND the Indonesian?
 
Tomorrow, I want a day of 'rest.' Which means: a day above water. We asked Wayan to arrange for a car and a driver (you do NOT drive yourself in Bali). But that did not work. Diving again tomorrow? This time a boat dive. I imagine an easy entry and exit. So, OK, tomorrow diving again, despite all the blisters on my feet.  

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Seoul, Korea Rep.

short walking distance to insadong, 5mins. went to tea museum. had a black tea.

took the shuttle bus by the hotel to namdaemum market..pasar like until afternoon..tons of stuffs..many jackets..

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Shaowu - Fujian Province, China

Hey Hey and a Big G'Day to you,
 
In response to Mondays earthquake the school quickly gathered the teachers and students together and they all decided the quickest, easiest and most fun way to raise money for those in need was to simply bring 'things' to school and spend two afternoons buying and selling.
 
So beneath a cloudless deep blue sky we all gathered in the playground with money in hand and bargained our butts off for several hours.  The stalls were news paper pages set upon the ground and upon these were placed the 'goodies'.
 
I was asked to 'donate' money 'the normal way' and I think I surprised some staff by saying no!  You see, I had a better idea in mind!  I figured that if all the money was going to go in the same basket and be sent to the same place I would not do it in front of a camera for the local news media team with a known total. 
 
What fun is that!
 
I withdrew 'many many monies' (as the students say), had it changed into small notes and spent a wonderful two afternoons bargaining my butt off with the students.  But to the students surprise I didn't bargain them down, instead I bargained for them to double or even triple the price.  Once I had paid the money and they had entered the sale in their log I would then either say 'hey, look over there' and when they did I'd place the item back on their newspaper OR I would walk to another stall and put it on theirs. 
 
It really did make the afternoons a wonderful occasion!
I had students chasing me all over the playground trying to return either my money or my purchase!
 
Poor Canadian Rob chose to do things the 'normal' way and was put before the local media circus for both his donation and for when he auctioned off his guitar.  Poor bugger, where's the fun in that?  It was all over in a few minutes. 
 
So below are some photos of our wonderful afternoons raising money for charity beneath the big blue!
Most of the students are my students and most of them are my favourites!
 
ON A SADER NOTE
 
After chatting to Luo Wei on the phone last night and today there sadly hasn't been contact from a single student who went to the earthquake area to work at the end of last term.  What their parents must be going though at this time. 
 
The same goes for countless other families from all over both China and Myanmar.
 
ON AN EVEN SADER NOTE
 
I've been doing a lot of reading on the net about it over the past week and to my horror the world really is shamed by countless people who really don't give a damn about any one but themselves.  Some of the disgusting things people write in response to some news articles are.....
 
......I guess I really don't have the words to describe how these people make me feel. 
These replies have been directed at victims in both China and in Myanmar.
 
But what makes me even angrier is the fact that they are printed and the fact that others post even more replies agreeing with them. In both countries tens of thousands of people lay dead or dying beneath what were once cities, towns or villages.  Most of these people will die and they will die alone trapped within a tomb of silence and pain.
 
What really pisses me off is the fact that these replies come from Canada and Australia.
Isn't it strange that they are countries with a small population and sweet bugger all natural disasters!
 
Yes, both do suffer some natural disasters but neither of us has ever had to live through something like this.  Yes Ben, Bill and Bob lose their farms due to fires and Jill and Kate lost their house in the last Queensland flood and yes it is sad but the fact is we have insurance and bugger all people die. 
 
Many of the people in the earthquake area will have come from small cities, towns and villages.
Most in the small towns and villages probably had a dirt floor and a pig next to the kitchen. 
Most will have had a small if any salary and not much else to speak of. 
 
The last few nights as I've been on my afternoon rides, I have been riding through the exact same towns and villages that would be levelled if it was to happen here.  If you look at most of my 'bike ride' photos these are the same areas that have been levelled in Sichuan Province and if you will notice one main thing, they are all very poor.  I have travelled a lot of China and most locations are very much the same, towns near a river and villages beneath a mountain near a stream and all have no insurance and most have no money.
 
So Australia and Canada, amongst you are people who in response to what has happened, have replied with such kind hearted and caring things such as:
 
They deserve it!
They are Chinese!
They are communist!
Does anyone really care?
There are too many of them anyway.
China is now one of the richest countries.
Who cares about the Chinese, they can all die for all I care.
 
And one of my personal favourites for the week....They can't even speak English!
My other personal favourite for the week would be this one...
They probably did it to themselves to take the attention off the Olympic Torch.
 I hope it hits Beijing next!
 
SO A LAST THOUGHT FOR THE NICE PEOPLE ABOVE. 
 
Maybe next it will be you and your family and late at night as you lay in your tomb full of pain the silence will be broken by the sound of rats coming to feast upon you as you lay trapped.  Sadly like those buried here in China, you won't be able to move to make them go away and you won't be able to scream in fear due to lack of water and dust built up in your throat.
 
There are a million other gruesome things that can happen to people who lay waiting for help that will never come and right now they are happening to these people and all you can offer are disgusting, mindless and racist thoughts like above. 
 
I wonder what the general population would say to saving to people such as those above if they were given a choice between leaving them for the rats or saving their worthless racist butts.  Sadly 99% of the population are good people and they would save them without a single thought as to whether they actually should or not.
 
Maybe we should simply say:
 
Isn't he/she the one who wrote that comment!
Does anyone really care about them?
Here, add some pepper and salt!
Oh, I have some lemon grass!
Let the rats feast!
 
Beers N Noodles toya.....shane
 
PS:  OK, no more blogs from me about the earthquake as you have enough of it from the media in what ever country you live in.  I will let you know about the outcome of the students from Luo Wei's uni in my next blog.  That is a more personal and 'in my face' happening.  I know that the phones are still maned and hope is still there. 
 
Remember, communication is still down in all areas and will be for a long time.
There is still hope for all of them.
 
But if we were to ask the same for the above mentioned 'people' who left such wonderful comments?
I would say all hope is lost for them.
Nice with lemon sauce!
Squeek Squeek!
_________________________________________
 
The soundtrack to this entry was Portishead
The album was the awesome "Roseland NYC Live"
__________________________________________

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Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa

Being in Jo'burg with a car makes a difference as it's such a hard place to get around. We went and visited the numerous malls in the northern suburbs and went to the fantastic Apartheid Museum which shouldn't be missed if you are there.

One day we did get trapped in a traffic jam in the middle of a notoriously bad area of Jo'nurg which was a little scary and I witnessed a gang trying to beat up a guy in a mall all because someone had dissed the other - but apart form that our stay in Jo'burg was uneventful.

We were sad to say goodbye to our little Chico but we were ready to move on to see more of Africa and hopefully some gorillas.

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Karpacz, Western Poland, Poland

After my longest stretch of work without a break, I was glad when the May day holiday finally came around. It was a year earlier that I took advantage of the sunny skies to do some hiking in the Tatra mountains, although it was to be a different mountain range this time around. For the first time, I was to head south west into the heart of the Karkonosz mountains, a range made up of predominantly spruce forest, with dwarf mountain pines and alpine vegetation fading away above 1250m to leave only mosses on the highest peaks. The highest of these, Mt Sniezka (1602m), was to be our primary destination for the short weekend trip.

We spent a night in Opole before heading off around 9am back up the A4, leaving it at Wroclaw soon after 10am. With some heavy Saturday morning traffic of the single laned road, we decided to stop off in Swidnica for a morning coffee. Ania actually suggested we stop in a "shitty town" and Swidnica seemed to fit that description quite aptly. The skies had clouded over, and the town was virtually empty, giving it a strange feel. The rynek was nice enough, like any Polish town, although the cappuccinos we had in one of the restaurants certainly weren't. It was quite possibly the worst I'd had in my entire time in Europe, and with some shady characters making their way inside we decided to make a move. Swidnica was actually home to a UNESCO world heritage listed wooden church, and supposedly the birthplace of the German WWI flying ace known as the 'Red Baron'. However, the trip was all about the Karkonosz, and we decided not to waste any more time here.

We arrived in Karpacz, one of the most popular mountain resorts in Poland, soon after 1pm and made our way slowly up the winding main road amidst literally thousands of tourists. We certainly weren't the only people who'd planned a weekend here over the holiday, and after checking into our small guesthouse we quickly made our way away from the crowds in the centre of the town. It was a short 2km hike up the side of the road to a chairlift which was to carry us 528m up the range to Mt Kopa (1375m). It wouldn't have been difficult to hike all the way up, but with only a couple of hours we decided to make the most of our time higher up.

There was a lot of snow at the top, and despite the threat of the clouds gathering above us we decided to press on to the summit of Mt Sniezka, which looked a lot more imposing from closer up. The trail ran alongside the Czech border and we were rewarded with terrific views on both sides, particularly down into a valley on the Czech side near the mountain resort town of Pec Pod Snezku. By the time we reached the summit it was quite cold and the clouds had gathered so we couldn't see a thing. However, as with many Polish mountains there was a restaurant there which gave us a chance to sit down and have a bite to eat in relatively warm surroundings. Luckily enough, within 10 minutes the clouds had parted, revealing the gently sloping plateau of the Karkonosz range. It was still quite cool, so after taking some photos of the view and the nearby small wooden chapel we made our way back down.

Although we had dinner in the centre of Karpacz, we decided to return the next morning for a leisurely stroll. It was a beautiful sunny day, and given we'd done what I wanted to do the previous day, the next few hours activities were Ania's. After having some lunch and ice-cream we got back in the car and drove a few kilometres further on to the most famous site in Karpacz apart from the mountains - the Wang Chapel. This remarkable wooden chapel was built at the turn of the 12th century on the bank of Lake Wang in southern Norway, and sold to a Prussian king in 1841 because it was too small for the local congregation. It was carefully dismantled piece by piece before being shipped to Berlin, and then Karpacz (a part of Germany at the time) where it was reassembled over a period of two years. It is the highest church in the Sudetes, situated at 886m, and was well worth the visit.

We left Karpacz around 2pm, and after snaking our way through the scenic winding roads of the former Sudetenland, we decided to have a break at Ksiaz castle, near Walbrzych. This is the largest castle in Silesia, and I imagined we'd find a nice quiet place in the gardens to rest for a while and take in the view. I couldn't have been more wrong, as we stumbled upon some kind of festival once we passed through the gate, and were suddenly surrounded by thousands of people just wandering and eating. Upon discovering the entry price to the castle we decided to turn back and go for a short walk through the nearby forest. In the end, this worked out well, as it was a lot more tranquil and we even discovered a viewing point of the fine castle, which Hitler once planned to use as a shelter.

We arrived back in Opole soon after 7pm, capping off a great weekend. We certainly made the most of our time, doing a bit of hiking and siteseeing, mixing some exercise with leisure time. I'd love to make it back to these parts some day, and do the seven hour hike from Mt Sniezka to Mt Szrenica, at the western end of the park near the town of Szklarska Poreba. Unfortunately, that wouldn't be happening for a while as I only had another 6 weeks left in Poland before I was to fly to Scotland to begin a position at a summer school. Nevertheless, it was a great opportunity to see a part of the country I'd never seen.

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Hoi An, Hoi An, Vietnam

Hoi An is my favourite place in Asia so far, a quaint little riverside town that used to be an international port so there is lots of Chinese and Japanese influence visible in the buildings. This town also proved to be slightly dangerous for me as there are over 300 tailor shops which naturally led to some binge shopping. Although I felt like a zombie when I arrived from lack of sleep on the night train I was on my way to exlore the riverside pretty much right away. Winding through the narrow streets lined with tailors I really couldn't believe how many there were, literally every single store street after street, the town is quite small and there really are over 300, it's quite overwhelming. After roaming for a few hours I settled on a few things and was off to my cooking course.

Dinner was seriously the highlight of my trip so far. It was a one hour cooking class and then we got to eat everything we made and it was seriously some of the best food I've ever had. We made amazing grilled fish (stuffed with onions, garlic, ginger and lemongrass and cooked in a banana leaf), veggie spring rolls, stirfried squid and wontons with sweet and sour vegetables. The food was incredible and they gave us the recipies so I can't wait to try them at home.

The next morning I was up with the sun to check out the My Son ruins outside of town. Thy were built by the Cham people dating back to the 7th century and was the capital of their civilization from the 9th to 11th centuries and used mainly as a religious sanctuary. Again the brick structures were quite fascinating with all the bricks just fitted together. These ruins are larger in scope than the ones in Nha Trang and surrounded by mountains so it was quite picturesque. 

Since I was up at the crack of down this left most of the day for wandering Hoi An. One of the highlights was the Japanese covered bridge which is just gorgeous. It's very intricate and was constructed in the 1500s and most likely used to link the Japanese community to the rest of town. I also saw several Chinese influenced buildings which were quite nice to look at. Mostly though I spent the day going around to the different tailors for fittings and then going to pick everything up...it was quite exhausitng.

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Kuta, Bali, Indonesia

Well here i am in Bali...on the final road home now...it's been a good...well worth blowing the life's savings for...

I'm staying in an area called Kuta...the 'Ibiza' of south asia....some parts of Bali are meant to be stunning...but that's not really Kuta...tis like a mini bangkok. Walking down the street would drive you bananas...there're boys everywhere trying to sell ya anything from shades to kidneys...they enjoy crossing the road shouting 'alrite mate, how ya going' in the shittiest aussie accent you're ever likely to hear...they'd follow ya for a good 100m before getting the message...the place is dirt cheap...i had a steak, egg and bacon breakfast this morning for 30000rupiah (2euro)...one of the nicest steaks i've had in a long while...i went into one shop (well i was dragged) and bought 15t-shirts and 5 shorts for about 30euro...probably well ripped off...in fact i was ripped off...when i got back to the room and checked the bag, half the gear was missing...i went back to the shop raging...the t-shirts were even back up on display...i had a shouting match with yer man for a bit, then i raised my fist to the prick...i got the shirts but agreed to buy him a few red bulls...seems to be the way they do business....when i Rome i bose.

The nightlife is savage here, some might call it explosive (Jesus, that's an awful pun)...but in all honesty, Bali is the fecking bomb (whoops, there i go again)...the bombed nightclub that killed 300 tourists in 2002 is across the road from where i'm staying...they still haven't done anything with the decor since the bombing, if it was in Ireland there would still probably be a queue outside it...even though it is just a hole in the ground.

Most of the bars and clubs are located in the same area...paddy's and the bounty club seem to be the busiest at this time of year...they start filling up at 1am and go onto the early hours...well worth a visit for anyone out this way.