somewheredownthecrazyriver

Buddha who ???

march 6th already.  not long now – i’ll be back in the cold north strong and free.  have spent the past several weeks – mostly in the company of family.  i have not had time on the internet – to upload photos – or time to blog – etc.  so i now take this opportunity – to thank everyone in australia for any and all kindness and support.  such things are important to me now – having lost all interest in those shallow games of one-upmanship that seem to dominate so much of life.  just do not have the patience and energy for those games anymore.  maybe i never did. 

have found a nice quiet corner of this country to relax in – to tune into my tired body and mind – and recharge.  favorite music – healthy food and good thoughts – and rest.  unlike some who just seem to be able to go and go and go – i find myself to be pretty high maintenance and so – time now for some TLC.  best wishes to anyone who might read this.  life is not easy and they say that it was not meant to be.  we are all – slip sliding away.  take the time to love yourself.  feed your mind – feed your soul.  care for yourself and those around you – let them care for you.  life is sweet – it’s just way too short.

everyone has different tastes in music.  but i think i will paste a link here – to one of my personal favorites – just because.  i have always loved ‘the blues’ – in many forms.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-twOjwBORwg&feature=related

it has always fascinated me that often – those people of great talent and fame and often beauty as well – have the ability to touch so many people so deeply – with their art.  and so many people – therefore – assume that these talented individuals must be just so amazing to meet and to know.  but often that is not the case.  and i have often wondered why.  is it because they pour so much of themselves into developing their talent that there is little of them left over for the normal things in life – like honest relationships, compassion, etc.  is it that you just have to ‘get crazy’ before you can really tune into your artistic side?  who knows.  there so often seems to be such a disconnect between their lives and their art. 

having recently read the autobiography of eric clapton – and found indeed that his personal life has always been so very messed up – and that he comes across in his book as quite shallow – i am even more amazed at the depth of the beautiful music that comes out of this man.  go figure.

in Canberra now, visiting the ‘rel’s’.  its good to see everyone once again.  i always enjoy my time here.  and – as last year – i joined the excursion to a small town in the central west of New South Wales, to help out with the renovations on an older ‘Bull-Nose cottage’, so-called because of the shape of the roof on the front veranda.  it’s an ongoing project – a work in progress – no rush to complete.  it was time to enjoy camping out in the cottage at night, doing a lot of  ‘hard yakka’ in the heat of the day (or a little – in my lazy case) and drinking lots of cool beer during the smoko’s.

this rear view will all be changed – with a wrap-around pergola.  the town is very small and the surrounding area is a fertile flood plain.  there are several rivers – now mostly dammed – so that the water release is managed – in order to provide irrigation for the many food crops grown on the land.  some good swimming holes around in the rivers as well – so we enjoyed that !

it was fun – and great to see the place ‘coming together’.  a great experience – a real slice of ‘Oz’.  oh yes – and don’t forget that gorgeous dog – such good company.  gotta have a dog!!

Thanks for a very lovely time !

hanging out in Adelaide – summer days rollin’ by.  time to take it easy and catch my breath.  wifi in the State Library.  a beautiful place to chill.  lots of travellers here – quietly doing their thing on the net.  its very peaceful and conducive to reflection – it seems to be the place for me right now.  having fun doing nothing much – rediscovering all my old favorites on You Tube.

have seen very little of Adelaide but i can say – it has the best Oz hostel i have stayed in – ‘Backpack Oz and the Guest House’.  Adelaide has the friendliest people ever – and they all love their city.  lots of interesting architecture – both new and old.  wide streets.  somehow very laid back.

most backpackers check in to catch the tour to Kangaroo Island for a few days – then check back in before heading to the Outback.  it seems very few actually come to see Adelaide.  from my perspective – its a great place to chill out for awhile. 

summertime.  its hot – peaceful – friendly – neat and clean – and very laid back.  so if you’re not looking for exciting times – you might enjoy it too.

at the hostel – two of us decided to ride – the bikes are rented ‘for free’ – in this lovely city of Adelaide.  the two of us became five – and we had a great day !  the path – the greenway that follows the River Torrens to the sparkling sea – and another lovely town called Henley Beach. 

a ride – a beautiful lunch – a swim – a snooze in the sun – and the ride back to Adelaide.  one of those brilliant summer days i will always remember.

Adelaide is nice.  so far – so good.  laid out on a big flat grid.  not so much ‘bling’.  but lots of space and a very calm demeanor.  very – very – friendly people here.  first impressions – it would be a nice’n’easy place to live.

and the beach is just a short bike ride away.

exit Darwin, 4 days / 3 nights through the big parks.  it was a wonderful time – brand new big tour-mobile – great guide – a small – great group of people.  had the best tour ever.  memories to last a lifetime.  a lot of driving – the highlights are hours apart – and some places were inaccessible – too much water.  conditions change daily with the rainfall – the waters rise and fall by many meters in a short space of time.  learned a lot.  loved it all.

first stop was the croc feeding river cruise.  so many crocs swimming out to the boat – they seem happy to perform for a mouthful of buffalo.  lots of photo ops !  other stops to hike and view aboriginal art, or waterfalls, or to swim beneath a waterfall – to high spots for panoramic views of Kakadu and the Arnhem escarpment in the distance.

this was one of the last opportunities to view many sites before they are closed for the season – inaccessible in ‘the wet’.  so – very fortunate.  must return sometime in ‘the dry’ season – i am sure the contrast would be amazing.

the ‘permanent camps’ were very well done.  lot of frogs and toads – the night chorus.  the landscape was – everywhere – a brilliant green.  waterfalls in full flow – many closed to swimming – the flow too strong. 

this part of Australia is so unique – worth seeing any season i am sure.  don’t miss it.

magnificent views from the high points – across Kakadu to the Arnhem land escarpment.

looking back – I did beat a rather hasty retreat from Hanoi.  some nagging health concerns made the decision for me.  not physically up for the challenge of Laos and maybe reached my sauration point too.  maybe another time.  opted by fly to Darwin to get myself sorted out – and have now added a bad cold to my list of complaints.  so will happily hang out here until I feel stronger – at least another week.

it was a huge change – arriving in a modern – green – orderly – slow-paced city.  seems like the wet is here to stay – though no-one is really sure – i think it only becomes clear in hindsight.  there is an ‘almost’ cyclone nearby – to the west – and so there is a lot of rain now – on and off but mostly on.  it is strange rain here (well, for me) – the raindrops are so fine and light – its just that there’s a lot of them.  but not like the heavy rain we get back home.  and what a contrast there now – in the grips of a deep-freeze – ice and snow – while here in Darwin – it’s all enveloped in grey clouds and warm soft rain.  so green and tropical.  no need for the sunglasses now.  headlines about a big croc in a city drain (i think that’s par for the course).   check this link for a ‘gander at the local goss’ : http://www.ntnews.com.au/news/ .   (this link has some great links to photos of the N.T. – great croc shots by the locals, lightening storms, etc.)

 i might have just hit a very comfortable season.  missed what is described as the unbearable ‘build-up’ to the wet.  now is the ‘wet’ – which the locals seem to love (i think it has arrived a bit early).  and then there is the opposite season of the ‘dry’ – when the red dust rules and tourists are here en masse to see Kakadu, Litchfield and Katherine Gorge.  right now i have to say it is very pleasant and comfortable – happy to be here.

i’m still here . . . in old Hoi An – charmed by the gentle rhythms of life by the river.  it has been good to slow down and stay in one place for awhile – get to know the locals a bit – and watch the flow of life.  so i haven’t done much – but enjoyed it so much more.  update soon – heading north to Hanoi . . .

Hoi An is a small, beautiful old town, a UNESCO World Heritage Site – a joy to wander, shop and photograph.  easy to explore on foot, though many rent motos and bicycles to get out and around.  narrow streets and old shop-fronts are full of beautiful arts and crafts, and there are many historical sites to see.  there is a very interesting local market.  stopped there awhile for some yummy soup.  it was relaxing to watch the cook prepare the bowls of steaming noodles.  lots of open-front cafes and restaurants – nice to sit and watch the action, sipping a local style coffee, or a Saigon Beer.  

and after all the busy-ness in the regions to the south – peaceful Hoi An is a very welcome change.

Mui Ne is a long beach – not much in the way of a town.  the road follows the beach and on one side, a line of hotels and resorts – on the other side, local shops and restaurants.  before leaving Saigon i booked the `open bus` ticket to Hanoi, as well as the first two nights accommodation at Mui Ne.  very happy then, when i arrived to find the bungalow was really nice.  also the pool.  the beach was less impressive.  very content to relax here for a few days of luxury (more expensive, but worth it, though the food was disappointing).  on to – Nha Trang – a nice beachside town.  had hoped to take in some of the sights around – like trips to the islands and snorkling on the offshore coral reefs.  but the weather has changed – they have had lots of wild weather – wind and rain.  now the sea is not too inviting.  but i can see it would be beautiful in the high season.

bus from Siem Reap to Phnom Penh, the driver weaving this way and that – back and forth across the strip of bitumen – for hours – to avoid so many people on every conceivable form of transport, and wandering buffalo and darting chickens.  everyone’s horn blaring – for hours.  endless rice fields like a monstrous lake – a watery world.  two rice harvests missed this year so far – the fields too flooded to sow.  ‘climate change’ – said one tour guide.  Phnom Penh was not at first on my list – but thanks to suggestions – it was added, and after the wobbly bus ride was over – i was glad i went.  enjoyed a wonderful new guesthouse – and met some great people there.  viewed the Genocide Museum and Killing Fields – for those who died there.  wandered the streets and markets and found i did not know which way to look – so many people, so much going on!  took a moto through the crazy traffic and loved it.  and lost half the dinner off my plate – thanks to a very hungry, cheeky monkey !  i had a good laugh.  in the end i felt i should have stayed longer.  then bus/boat/bus from Phnom Penh to Saigon.  down that big, brown river.  stopped along the shore to cross the border into Vietnam.  on again, downstream to Chau Doc, where we stopped for the night.  next morning, toured a fish farm on the river.  again – met a great group of travelers on this tour.  then on to Saigon.

the Mekong Delta is packed with people.  its hard to believe what you see.  but Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City) is really too much, and too many – it defies all logic.  no doubt there are many places in the world that do.  i look forward to moving on – to travel up the coast – there is so much more to this country and so many beautiful places in Vietnam, yet to see.