Cambodia

If asked to describe Cambodia in one word, my first response would be oppressive.   Oppresive heat and humidity. Oppresive poverty.  Oppressive sadness.  But as I looked beneath the surface, my opinion began to change.  Smile first and a stony face returns a smile that's, well, beguiling.  I've been learning to love Cambodia, although I always like things that are tough!
The pain Cambodians have experienced is palpable; the reign of the Khmer Rouge has left an indelible mark.   Art, cultural and intellectual pursuits were destroyed. Many of the children have been orphaned or maimed-the victims of land mines.    Land mines and undetonated bombs dropped by the US during the 'carpet bombing' along the Ho Chi Minh Trail still kill or injure people Signs warn visitors not to leave well-trodden paths.  Abject poverty is the norm.  Yet, there's a hopeful optimism in Cambodian people.

Surviving in this country is tough.  With the cool season approaching, temps still hover around the mid-90s.  The sun is scorching hot- it's difficult to be out in the middle of the day.   This year's rains flooded many areas in Cambodia and there are outbreaks of dengue fever.

I've spent my time here exploring the temples of Angkor Wat, birdwatching and checking out the Tonle Sap Lake.  8th graders, you will soon find out that watersheds are drained by rivers ,which ultimately deposit the water in our oceans.  The Tonle Sap the largest lake in SE Asia and represents critical habitat.  It flows into the Mekong River, but during the rainy season, the Mekong overflows.  The flow of the river actually reverses and water flows into the Tonle Sap.  As a result, the lake nearly quadruples in size!  It is the breeding ground for many birds and home to 5 million snakes!  Luckily, I only saw a few, but a couple were big!  Many Cambodians make their homes along the lake.  The houses are either built on bamboo rafts, old oil drums or stilts.  That way, when the lake floods, the houses don't. I found the floating villages fascinating, but it would be a tough place to live.

Tomorrow, I start my journey back home.  First, a bus to Bangkok and then  the LONG flight home!

A note from Thailand......

Hi All,
I have been very remiss about writing.   Sorry!   I met Sam and Simon in Bangkok last week......the flooding wasn't too bad at that time.  Sam said he almost didn't recognize me  becasue I had lost some weight. I think just about everyone was thinner by the end of the trek.  We headed  off to Kho Phi Phi, one of the most beautiful islands I've ever been to.   Ok 8th graders,  extra credit:  The islands are a great example of Karst Topography.  So, what is karst topography?  How does it form?   Where are there examples in Michigan of Karst landforms?  I'll award points when I return just before Thanksgiving.   I hope things are great at BCMS!
We came back to Bangkok yesterday and the flooding was much worse.  We managed just fine though.  We are now in Chaing Mai in the northern part of Thailand.  I'm going to try and download some pictures......the two computers I found in Bhutan were too slow!

some pictures......

Finished!!

Hi All,
Just a very short post to let everyone know we made it!   The last week was pretty tough: several mountain passes to cross ( one over 17,000 feet), lots of high altitude and long days scrambling over rocks and boulders and mud!  We just arrivied in Punakha after a 7 hour bus ride------very windy roads.  I will write more and post pictures, but there is only one computer here in the hotel and several trekkkers who want to contact family members.  Thanks for all the positive comments!  I will write more tomorrow, hopefully!
S

last call

Sam posting for Susan again.  Got a call last Friday Morning from a very fatigued and short of breath Susan.  I was right last time when I said it was hard to sleep at that altitude.  They were going over the pass that is over 17,000 ft the next day and then only had 3-4 more days of camping so they should be done by now and heading back to Paro.  I can't remember the total miles they trekked but over 300 and when I mentioned that, Susan added, "Over rocks!"  One member of the group had to be evacuated and many in the group had GI issues and some respiratory problems but all in all it sounds like it was a successful journey.  Susan should be able to post herself soon though she says the internet is not always working well there.  I will meet her in Bangkok next Monday, can't wait to hear the stories and see the pictures and mostly to see her.

addendum

Last post was by Sam for Susan, they are still off line.  Canadian Himalayan called and said that all was well with the group a few days ago

stats

The group has walked over 280 miles in the last 19 days and slept (or attempted to sleep) at about 16,000 ft last night.  About another week to go!

rest day and call

Made it to Laiya (sp?) for rest and adjusting to altitude.  Going up from here.  Feet are ok, have to watch every step, don't get to look around much except when you take a break.  About 11 bumblebars left, doling them out.  Borrowed a sat. phone to  call out, all is well but the expedition phone is out of batteries so probably no more contact until the end.  Guide says good karma so the weather will probably be good for the rest of the trek!  Many stories when I return.  Best to all.   SS for SS

The Trek Begins

I had breakfast with Thinley,our guide, yesterday and I was asking him questins about the trek.  Bottom line:  He told me thew Snowman Trek is like punishment.  Then he added, "You asked for this.  You must complete it,"  Without knowing me, he knew the exact right thing to say!
I won't be able to post for quite a while, but I will when I can.  Thanks for all of your support!  I haven't had much luck adding pictures ( the connection's too slow), but if I have time after packing I'l try again.

Torrential downpours yesterday.  Snow on the mountain caps.  A chill in the air.  It must be time for the punishment to begin............................

Bhutan

Below, the Paro Valley was shrouded in a thick blanket of clouds.  The mystery of Bhutan was not going to be unveiled easily.  Circling the airport, you  could see glimpses of the remarkably carved landscape.  The plane descended sharply and before we knew it, we were on the ground.
Bhutan is really magical- the landscape, the architecture, the people, the spirit.  In the afternoon, the sun peaked out between raindrops and a few of us went for a walk.  There are flowers everywhere, colorful buildings, skinny dogs and cows and lots of happy and inquisitive kids.   On the way back, we spotted a prayer wheel.  As I walked around and spun each wheel, I prayed for Sam to be happy, and I prayed for myself to feel lighter and rediscover a sense of wonder about the world.  I believe that will happen here.

update

Like Billy Pilgrim, I have become unstuck in time.  Nothing like being hurled through time and space for 22 hrs to make you feel unglued.  Your old life is shed like a snake skin and you are left feeling a little raw and vulnerable.  Did I say I liked that about travel?  Did I lie or does that only become true in retrospect?  I was lucky to have made it with no complications.  Apparently, a typhoon delayed many flights around the Pacific, but mine was only delayed about an hour.  Still, arriving in a foreign country after 22hrs. in the air is a bit unsettling and exhausting.  I woke up at 7 am, roused by the third world alarm clock of barking dogs and quickening traffic.  Three cups of coffe later, I was ready to make my way into Bangkok.  I took a tuk-tuk to the river boat-very fun!  You have to be quick on the boats because you are likely to be left behind if you prevaricate.  OSHA would have a field day here.
Bangkok has a rapid pulse that's hard to adjust to after living in Michigan.  Totally different vibe......  I would find it exhausting if I had to live here more than a day or two.  Several times today I made a mental note to never take my life for granted!
I visited the Grand Palace at Wat Pho (I think)  I found Bangkok hard to navigate- so frenetic!  Jet-lagged, I decided to head back to my hotel around 4pm.  I took the sky train-no problem- but got a little turned around when I took a tuk-tuk to my hotel.  As we were driving, the heavy sky finally opened up and just poured!!!   As the plastic was rolled down on the sides of the tuk-tuk, I couldn't see a thing!  The driver had mercy on me and transferred me to another driver....but by this time, I had no clue where I was.  I asked so many Thais- all very helpful and all with different directions!  At one point, I was so tired I wanted to cry.  I knew I was close, but since I had arrived in the dark, I didn't recognize a thing.  I asked an old lady and her daughter and they pointed in the right direction.  A few minutes later, between the rain drops, here comes the woman on an old motor bike!  I climb on the back for a hair raising drive (against traffic) and she dropped me at the doorstep of my hotel.  We laughed and hugged and I vowed ALWAYS to be nice to foreigners.  People here are so patient-- we could learn a lesson from that.  Like my waiter told me this morning- after recounting this sad tale- life is like a wheel- sometimes you are on the bottom and sometimes you are on the top.  Love to all of you.
Susan

I Made It!

It's a little hard to post here becasue evrything is in thai,

Getting Ready

I'm not sure when it was in my development that I became a watcher of things: birds, clouds, seasons, time, but maybe it's part of the reason I love to travel.  Travelling  offers the opportunity to view the world from a different vantage point.    I like the feeling of disappearing and re-emerging into something totally new, exploring this world from new angles.


   Soon I'll be a tiny speck on a vast expanse of rock and I find that angle to be my most favorite vantage point of all. From a mountaintop perch, it's possible to watch a broad swath of the world below. It's humbling to realize one's small personal niche on this planet and  nothing makes me feel better than to realize my own insignificance.  I find the mass and  gravity of mountains very grounding.

    The tractive force of the Himalaya is pulling me closer each day....

An Overview of Bhutan and the SnowMan Trek

Bhutan:

Landlocked by a physical geography of almost impossible angles, Bhutan is isolated and remote.  As a result, the mystery and allure of such a place deepens in people like myself.   The entire country is mountainous, ranging in elevation from 100 meters to 7541 meters (Gangkhar Puensum). These mountains-the Himalaya- formed relatively recently, at least in terms of geological time.

Millions of years ago, Bhtuan was submerged at the bottom of a warm, shallow body of water called the Tethys Sea;  the Tibetan Plateau was beachfront property.  As the continental plates shifted, the landscape of planet Earth changed.   About 45 million years ago, India collided with the Eurasia, as the Indian plate moved inexorably to the north.  The result of this collision is the crumpled geometry of the Himalaya.    It's hard to fathom the forces required to build such a magnificent topography, but those forces are still sculpting the mountain chain today.  The Himalaya grow about 5millimeters per year, which is why I decided to visit sooner rather than later!

   About the size of Switzerland, Bhutan is wedged snugly between India and  (Tibet) and China.  Like its neighbors, Bhutan is steeped in Buddhist tradition.   The culture of Bhutan is unique, primarily because of  its isolation from the rest of the world, but things are slowly changing.   In 1997, Pepsi built a bottling factory in Bhutan; television arrived in 1999.  However, as far as I know, there are still no traffic lights in the capitol, Thimphu. 

The people of Bhutan are trying to navigate their entry into the  modern world,  while preserving their own culture, through  an agenda known as "Gross National Happiness".  This agenda outlines criteria to measure development in terms of their society's greater good.  For instance, visitors to Bhutan are required to pay $200 per day, which limits the number of tourists in the country and provides revenue for preserving the land and biodiversity of the country.   Bhutan has incredible biodiversity, including 5446 species of vascular plants, 178 species of mammals and 770 species of birds.  Forests cover 72.5% of the country; much of it in areas that could be razed for agriculture and development.  Government policy ensures these areas will be preserved.  Thankfully, this deep respect for nature, an aspect of Buddhism, permeates even the government in Bhutan.

The Snowman Trek:
Often dubbed "the hardest trek in the world",  the Snowman Trek winds its way through the western corner of Bhutan.  I assumed it earned that distinction because it's expensive, but as I researched in more detail, I think it has more to do with the altitude, steep terrain, weather and remoteness.  The trek crosses 11 mountain passes, nine of which are over 4500 meters.   For much of the year, the trails are impassable, due to the combination of altitude and monsoon season.  The best time for trekking is late September to early November, after the rainy season.  Fewer than 50% of those who attempt the trek complete it; I'm hoping that statistic is due to weather, not physical hardships! We'll see.....