30 June 2010

The Journey to Ella Gap

The drive to Ella is magical and we have taken the road less travelled for a reason.  We hardly pass another vehicle on this narrow road that winds its way around the mountains and the spectacular views take my breath away.Sri Lanka-4On the way we visit Bambarakanda, which at 790 feet is the tallest waterfall in Sri Lanka.  The road to the lookout is narrow and I am not sure how we manoeuvre around the other passenger vans we encountered head on.  There is almost no room to pass!Sri Lanka-6We have to descend to the low country before we can make our ascent to Ella.  The dark green hills of the tea country are momentarily replaced by P6270679 the lighter green of terraced rice fields.  Ceylon was once known as the ‘Granary of the East’ but today the country is no longer self sufficient in rice.   Rice is of course the staple diet of most  Sri Lankans and and it is not uncommon for village folk to eat rice for all 3 meals of the day.  Sri Lanka-5 I am fortunate to see an ox and water buffalo threshing the recently harvested rice paddy the old fashioned way.  Today, this process is mostly undertaken by tractors.  We stop the car and the farmers beckon me closer to watch.  I am surprised they speak to me in hesitant English.  I respond in Sinhalese and they laugh.  “She’s a Sri Lankan lady, they respond”! 

I had thought that finally after months of travel in places I had stood out as a traveller or a ‘foreigner’, I would finally be able to blend in, in the country of my birth.  I don’t blend in.  I am not sure if it is the way I dress or the way I look but even before I open my mouth to speak, the locals I have met assume I am from ‘foreign’ lands!  My guide Naufer, is constantly assuring ticket collectors that I am a local (so I can for once get that cheap local price) and vendors who hassle me to leave me be!  Perhaps I should swop my shorts and singlets for the long flowing skirts and puffed sleeve tops the village girls favour but I haven’t packed a skirt and I can’t really see my self in one of those tops!

We check in to the Elle Gap Guest House for P6270764a late lunch and are ushered in to to a room with a view (see view below).  On a clear day you can see right through this valley all the way to the ocean, but those days are few and far between and I didn’t get that lucky.

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After a bit of a catnap I am walking through the lobby when Patrick stops me in my tracks.  He has P6270767 just arrived here with his uncle but is at a bit of a loss as to what there is to do around these parts.  Patrick is  French but has spent the last 4 years in Florida so his English is pretty good.  His uncle however still lives in France and speaks hardly any English.  However, we make do with lots of laughs and hand gestures and some assistance from Patrick, who translates.  We make plans to go to the local pageant later in the evening and I invite him to join me trekking in the morning.  It has been more than 20 years since I was last in Ella and I am excited to be here.

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  A friend is someone with whom you dare to be yourself.  ~ Frank Crane

Hanging Out with Friends and Family

I have known Mihiri most of my life.  She joined my school in Grade 3, when we were both about 8 years old.  Her family P6260476relocated back to Sri Lanka from England and she was given quite a rude shock settling in to a culture quite alien to her at the time.  She didn’t know a word of Sinhalese when she joined our class and had to learn the language of instruction in double quick time. Back then, we lived about 15 minutes apart from each other and share a love of travel, baileys and a history of growing up in the suburbs of Colombo!  As kids we often travelled together for outings with mutual friends and inevitable managed to miss our bus stop, catch the bus in the wrong direction (yes..we did that once!) or have some other misadventure due to the fact we both love to chat and our sense of direction (at least back then) was not great!

Despite the distance between us, we have kept up our friendship and never fail to catch up on my visits home.  Mihiri was the bridesmaid at my wedding and also visited me in Sydney while pregnant with her second son!  So it is not unusual that she has organised this weekend away for 3 generations of my family! P6260535

We are joined by Krish (centre) her husband, their 2 kids (the boys) and Krish’s friends Garmini and P6260560Ranjan.  I have never met Garmini and Ranjan previously but we get on really well and find lots in common to talk about including their own experiences of living overseas and interesting jobs!   Ranjan has worked for the UN in Iraq and Garmini has lived in the Bronx and been involved in projects for the Rotary Club after the Tsunami here in Sri Lanka. 

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We are also joined by my cousin Ramani, her husband Ajith, their 2 kids (the girls) and her mom, who is my mom’s sister (Aunty Audrey)!  Sri Lankan’s love a good sing-song and Ajith and Ramani keep the group entertained with their musical talents!  Garmini is also a great vocalist so the group bonds over the long evenings by gathering around the guitar and singing old songs from the 50’s and 60’s.  I have long since forgotten the words to these songs so I just sit back and listen as more memories of my childhood come flooding back.  

We grew up living next door to Aunty Audrey and Ramani and her brothers.  We were basically one big family and now that both my sister and I live overseas, Ramani & Ajith keep in close contact with my mom to the point my mom refers to Ramani as her 3rd daughter!  It is fun to be on holiday together with people who have been a such big part of my life while growing up in Sri Lanka and it is great we all get along so well despite some of us our meeting each other for the first time.

Just as in most Asian cultures, food is a huge part of our culture and life here often revolves around meal times.   It is unusual to find a Sri Lankan who does not enjoy a good meal of rice and curry for lunch.  Our holiday is no exception and the P6260563great meals laid on by the staff here are devoured over lots of laughs more socialising and a few drinks!

Besides my Aunty Audrey (centre) and my mom (end) we also have my Aunty Ivy.  She is my dad’ sister and will come along with us for the entire 2 week duration of our trip.  Now that her husband has passed away and her daughter lives overseas, she lives alone and is happy to join us on our holiday. 

Playing board games is one way for the generations to interact here and the kids to get to know each other & bond.  They become firm friends over P6250466games of Uno and Taboo and the hoots of laughter and shouts of ‘no cheating’, mean the grown ups don’t get much sleep after lunch!    

We have a great weekend together and say goodbye.  My mom, Aunt Ivy and I will travel further and we will catch up with the rest on our return to Colombo. 

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Treat your friends as you do your pictures, and place them in their best light. 

~ Jennie Jerome Churchill

Exploring Hatton & Dickoya

We are spending the weekend at a wonderful estate bungalow that was built in the 1800’s by the British, for planters stationed in the hill country.  The bungalow belongs to the company my friend Mihiri works for and part of the perks of her job include enjoying a bit of R&R here with her friends and family a few times a year.  The climate in the hills is always cool and it is also (in my opinion) the most picturesque part of Sri Lanka.  It was a pleasant change to pull on a fleece top and enjoy the sensation of feeling cool after the heat of South East Asia and Colombo.

P6260543The bungalow has about 6 rooms, each with its own ensuite and come fully staffed with a cook and various helpers who look after your every need.  OK..this holiday will be a little different to my Basix adventure in South East Asia.  The area has a real “English” feel to it and the bungalows have beautifully manicured gardens reminiscent of a cottage in an English village.

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One of my favourite things to do in the hills is to go for long walks and long drives to explore the surrounding countryside close up.  It is the start of the monsoon season here so the waterfalls are gushing.  We do a bit of walking around Devon and St Clair falls, 2 of the many falls that dot this area.  Sri Lanka2-1Sri Lanka is a major player in the export of tea and P6270608is ranked second behind Kenya internationally.  Tea production is a complex business and the process of plucking two leaves and a bud is  predominantly done by Indian Tamil women, closely supervised by a male superintendent!  P6270643

Each woman has a basic quota that she is expected to reach and anything above this quota gets an extra payment.  They will typically pluck about 20 kg of tea leaves which is then processed in the tea factories that dot this landscape.  Sri Lanka1-1

The workers in the tea estates are predominantly Indian Tamils, brought here by the British who were unable to engage the laidback locals in the thankless task of plucking tea.  Indian Tamils are now about 5% of our population and for many years laboured here as stateless citizens.  Today, this issue has been resolved, with India and Sri Lanka agreeing to jointly split the responsibility of granting citizenship to this community. 

Sri Lanka is a country of many faiths and Buddhist Temples, mosques, Hindu temples and churches are also found in every little village in the hills.  We visit a lovely stone church built in the 1800’s and my mom reminds me we once came here for Sunday worship during our April holidays.

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It is truly wonderful to be back in the beautiful hill country of Sri Lanka.  It brings back fond memories of the carefree days of my childhood.  P6260520

"All truly great thoughts are conceived by walking."   -   Friedrich Nietzsche

29 June 2010

A Journey to the Hill Country

My mom, aunt and I are embarking on a 2 week tour of Sri Lanka.  The tour will commence with us journeying to a place called Dickoya in the hill country for a weekend with Mihiri, my closest friend from high school and her family, some of their friends and my cousin Ramani and her family.  Mihiri has reserved her company bungalow for the occasion, a perk offered to many Sri Lankans by their employers. 

We set off on Friday, a holiday here as it is Poson Poya in Sri Lanka.  Today, Buddhists commemorate the introduction of Buddhism to Ceylon.  The villages are decorated with pandals, flags and lanterns and along the way we are offered free

Sri Lanka7food at the local ‘dansala’s.  Village folk band together to organise these road side stalls and the country seems to be in holiday spirit.  This is a stop we made at the chick pea dansala.

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We have made an early start so we stop for breakfast along the way.  We stop at a restaurant P6250391where the movie, Bridge on the River Kwai was filmed.  My cousin’s husband Ajith is enjoying a typical Sri Lankan brekkie of string hoppers (like  noodles) with curries!  You may think it strange we have curries for brekkie..but there you go..

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Once the hustle and bustle of Colombo is left P6250409 behind the drive is beautiful.   The tea country is where some of Sri Lanka’s best scenery is found.  From hills carpeted with tea bushes to waterfalls tumbling down the mountain side, there are many reasons to savour this journey. 

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We pass Watawala, the city where Sri Lanka’s highest rainfall has been recorded and there is intermittent rain as we make the final ascent to Dickoya.  Growing up my family holidayed in the hills every April, the hottest time of the year in Sri Lanka, so coming up here again brings back fond memories for me.  

As we pass some of the women who pluck the tea and take care of the process of looking after the tea bushes and gathering fire wood for cooking we approach our bungalow and I look forward to my journey around my birth country.  Sri Lanka4 I am glad it is Poson in Sri Lanka because it has enabled me to enjoy the company of my family and friends!

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~ The whole object of travel is not to set foot on foreign land; it is at last to set foot on one's own country as a foreign land. G. K. Chesterton

Reflections on my Father

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My visit to Sri Lanka has been timed with a commemoration in honour of my dad at which I and my sister have been asked to speak.  The commemoration has been organised by the Bandaranaike Centre for International Studies.

  P6240366Mrs Bandaranaike was the world’s first woman Prime Minister and also one of my dad’s more illustrious clients. (With Mrs B in the ‘70s)

After his death, my mom donated part of my dad’s large collection of books to the centre and this occasion also acknowledged this gift.Sri Lanka1I share with you the speech I gave at the commemoration.

---------------------------------------------------------“To realize one’s destiny is a person’s only obligation”! These words written by Paulo Coelho in “The Alchemist” ring true for me whenever I think of the life my dad lived. Many people go through life without any real convictions or a desire to discover the reason for their existence. Many people come to the end of their life without ever having realized their true potential because they were too afraid to chase their dreams.

I am inspired by the life my dad lived because he was a man who went in search of his destiny and left behind him a legacy of service to his country and his fellow men and women. He was a man who lived by his convictions and never feared to voice an opinion, despite the fact the outcome was often detrimental to his future and sometimes his safety. Although he was a part time adviser to many Presidents and Prime Ministers his views were controversial and often not politically correct at the time, yet he had the courage to voice them anyway. He was not a man who necessarily told you what you wished to hear, even if you were the President of the Nation!

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(With President Kumaranatunga).

Paulo Coelho explains in the Alchemist there are four reasons why we don’t follow our destiny. The first is because we are told from birth it is impossible. The concept of discovering our destiny is not inherently part of many cultures. We often make choices that are conservative, whether it be choices about marriage partners or vocations. The choices are often safe and predictable and made because they reinforce our status in society rather than because they feed our passions. Any deviation from the well- trodden path is often treated with much scepticism and discouragement by the rest of society, entrenched in the all too familiar cycle of high school, university, the 9 to 5, marriage, kids, and a house in the suburbs. A cycle repeated by each generation without ever considering an alternative lifestyle.

Many of you are probably unaware that my dad was actually intent on pursuing his dream of studying history when the law faculty first opened its doors in Colombo and he made an impulsive decision to switch careers and study law. This choice, made at a crucial time in his life ensured he was on his way to realizing his calling and ironically, his life’s work is now part of this Nation’s history.

The second obstacle to pursuing our destiny is love. We often make choices to please our parents, our spouses or our kids. We fear they may disapprove of our dreams and so we abandon them because we are afraid of losing the love of those dear to us. My dad pursued his dreams despite the pressures of bringing up a young family. As a 40-year old man he gave up a stable career in the Attorney General’s Department to launch into a career in private practice. He had the courage to take a calculated risk because he believed in himself and had a vision of what his future could be. I know from the many conversations I had with him on this topic, that this was not a decision he made lightly, As a young man who had yet to make a name for himself in the law courts of Sri Lanka, he could never have dreamt of the success he would eventually attain. However, his journey in search of his destiny would not have been possible if not for the unconditional love and support of my mum. She made sure his home life was stable, that his every need (and mine and my sisters) was taken care of and that he always had a great meal to come home to. But most of all she was supportive of the choices he made.

What does it really mean to love someone? I believe the definition of real love is about caring for someone as much as you care for yourself. My Thaththi Memorial dad’s greatest accomplishment was that he found a woman capable of such love and I can certainly attest to the fact I was fortunate to experience such love myself. Therefore, never fear that love could ever be an impediment to realizing your destiny. True love will add momentum to your journey and truly give it wings!

As Coelho describes, the third obstacle to realizing our destiny is fear of defeat. We feel our dream is so impossible to achieve, it is easier to forget it. Pursuing a dream and choosing to go down the road less travelled is far harder than sticking to the old familiar path. Coelho explains that our suffering of encountering defeat while chasing a dream is much greater because we have invested so much of ourselves in this journey that is so meaningful to our lives.

For a man born in a little village in Sri Lanka, my dad had ambitious goals - of becoming an P6240362 Ambassador for his country, of working towards attaining the unification of his Nation and of winning every case he ever undertook, however impossible the odds.

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He pursued his dreams, with complete conviction and a belief in his ability to achieve them. Such journeys are never smooth and my dad’s life was no exception. Coelho explains the secret of life is to fall down seven times and get up eight times. There were many times in my dad’s life where he encountered defeat. He would come home quite upset when he felt he had lost cases he should have won. He would berate the judges who had failed to see the validity of his arguments and we would often just listen, not saying a word, knowing he needed to work through his frustrations. No matter how many brick walls he banged his head against, my dad never gave up on any of his convictions and every defeat only spurred him on to keep trying even harder.

P6240363 The fourth obstacle to not finding our destiny is the fear we have of actually realizing the dream we fought so hard to achieve. We often come across people who insist on renouncing all joy in their life for the sake of their family. They seem to think there is some saintly purpose in sacrificing their dreams for the sake of their loved ones. If the next generation does not see that we believe in ourselves and consider our selves worthy of realizing our destiny, how will they ever realize it is OK for them to chase their own dreams?

So today, I ask of you, his colleagues, his dear friends and family, please keep his memory alive by going in search of your own destiny and realizing your true potential. Live your life with real passion and be true to your convictions. Prove yourself worthy of discovering your calling and realize those childhood dreams that were squashed by peers or elders who didn’t know any better. Such a journey will only contribute to the Soul of our Universe and inspire others to find their own calling.

As Susan Jeffers said, ‘Feel the fear and do it anyway’!

Coelho explains that intense unexpected pain is far easier to bear than the more apparently bearable pain, of not realizing a dream. It stays with you and eats away at your soul, till it destroys your life completely.

P1010165 Elizabeth Kubler-Ross said: “It is only when we truly know and understand we have a limited time on earth with no way of knowing when our time is up that we will begin to live each day to the fullest, as if it were the only one we had”. I watched my dad live every day of his life with absolute passion for his work. If we are not completely passionate about our life’s work and all we are doing is marking time in our lives then surely we have not realized our true calling or found our destiny yet.

It takes real courage, commitment and hard work to chase a dream. It is not some romantic notion of what people envisage it might be but the rewards at the end are surely worth it.

Perhaps my  dad’s greatest legacy to me is that his life has inspired me to chase my own destiny and live every day with passion for my life and the work I am engaged in and to be truly thankful to be alive. I know he is watching over me as I go in search of my own calling, even though my journey must surely be freaking him out completely!

My dad’s life has given me the courage to tread the road less travelled, and for that I will always be grateful. I can only hope that my own life will inspire others to do likewise.

I thank you for the opportunity to speak on this occasion and leave you with this quote.

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“My dad never told me how to live. He lived and let me watch him do it!”

26 June 2010

Conversations with a Sculptor

I have never had the opportunity to meet a female sculptor before, far less influence the work of one.  I am quite excited to meet Leela Pieris who is making a sculpture of my dad who passed away last year.  He was an eminent lawyer in Sri Lanka, and she is in the process of making his bust which will be dedicated and displayed in the law library. 

P6220317 My mom, sister, cousin and I are here because she has completed a clay model of my dad, the first stage of the process of making a bronze casting.  This is our best opportunity to comment on what she has done and make changes. 

The side view of the sculpture seems to resemble my dad, but looking more closely at the features of this model I feel they need some alteration.  My eyes are drawn to the mouth which I feel is down turned and needs a bit of adjustment.  The rest join in and we comment on his eyes, his moustache, his hairline, ...and I laugh wondering what my dad would say if he could see us now!  My dad was always very fastidious about his appearance so we take this task of immortalising his image for posterity very seriously. 

“is his nose too big?”

“Is his moustache too straight?”

We take each feature apart and analyse it critically.  I had never looked at each of my dad’s features in such detail and it is a strange experience. 

Leela Pieris explains the complex process of making a bronze sculpture to us.  The first step is to build a clay model which is constructed around an armature, a metal skeleton which supports it.  Plaster of Paris is then applied around the clay and allowed to set.  The clay is then removed, and a layer of wax applied around it.  The wax is painted on to the exact thickness of the bronze sculpture.  Then another mixture of plaster of paris, ludo and grog (technical terms which I hope I got right) is applied so the wax is now sandwiched between two separate layers.

Once this is complete, it is now time to fire the mould.  She has a kiln built into the ground where she does her firing.  Due to space restrictions in the kiln this bust will be made in 3 pieces.  As she lives in a residential neighbourhood her kiln is gas powered to avoid smoke pollution in the neighbourhood. 

Firing the mould enables the wax to melt, leaving a space between the 2 layers of plaster of paris that will now be filled by molten metal.  She explains how she makes her own metal composition.  It consists of a mixture of copper (80%), brass (20%) and zinc (2%) which was originally referred to as gun metal in England. 

The mould is put in the ground and molten metal poured into the cavity and allowed to set overnight.  The layers of plater of paris around the metal are then broken, the metal cleaned with a mix of sulphuric acid and water and lastly a patina applied to get the required colour of the bust.  We discuss colours for the final bronze sculpture and I suggest a similar colour to the Rodin sculptures.      

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I had no idea the process of making a sculpture was so complicated.  She will take an entire year to finish the sculpture of my dad and my visit has enabled me to get a really good appreciation of how complex her craft is.

She explains to us it is rare for one artist to complete all 3 stages of a bronze casting.  She is the only person involved in undertaking this complete process in Sri Lanka.  She has trained in England and been involved in this craft since 1960 when she came back to Sri Lanka.  Her life has been transformed by one experience in particular when she was commissioned to complete a double life size statue of Christ by the church.  She tells us how she constructed this statue by studying the Turin Shroud.  The statue is now displayed in a local church here in Sri Lanka.  

After the statue was installed it was accidently damaged by a priest who had ordered it be painted black.  Mrs Pieris was horrified to discover this and explains how she was instructed in a dream to ‘redeem the redeemer’!  Cleaning a sculpture that is already installed is not an easy process.  She described how she had to build a 40’ scaffolding and then cleaned and reapplied the patina on this statue and in the process reaffirmed her faith.   

It was quite an amazing experience to be part of this process and I am looking forward to seeing the bronze casting take shape.

P6220314 "The longest journey begins with a single step."
-  Lao Tsu, Tao Te Ching

25 June 2010

A Postcard From Colombo!


When I boarded the plane in Bangkok, I hadn't expected to see anyone I knew although this isn't the first time I have bumped into friends on a plane ride to Colombo.  I hadn't even reached my seat when I vaguely saw someone waving ..and realised they were 2 mates I had gone to university with in Colombo back in the 80's!  Geethani and Samantha met while we were in uni in Colombo and got married shortly after we graduated.  They both studied electronics, went to the US to get their Phd's and now live in Phoenix, Arizona.  They were on their way for a family reunion and happened to catch the same flight back!  Talk about a small world.  So, we found some spare seats at the back of the plane and spent the next couple of hours catching up on mutual friends and our lives in general.  I had met them about 3 years ago when they were visiting Sydney and invited me to Samantha's sisters for a reunion.  His sister happened to live at the top of my street in Sydney!  Like I said...small world..!

It is about 1 in the morning when I arrive and my cousin Ramani and her husband Ajith have come to pick me up.  It is good to see familiar faces after being on the road for so long!  The streets are empty and we arrive home in good time.  My mom is delighted to see me.  I can't stop chatting and finally at about 3 in the morning my mom gently says it probably is time to go to bed!

Lot's has happened since then but the power pack in my laptop isn't working and we are off on our travels around Sri Lanka tomorrow. I will try and get it repaired while on the road, and keep the blog up to date. If by chance, you don't hear from me for awhile you know why!

There's nothing half so pleasant as coming home again.
Margaret Elizabeth Sangster

20 June 2010

Bangkok Re-Unions!

The night trains pulls into Bangkok in the early hours of Saturday morning.  I’ve booked a hotel close to the airport but will use Em and Helen’s room in the city during the day so we can have some quality “girl time” together (read pampering) before we say a final good bye.  It also enables me to rendezvous with my friends Elle and Fei, who if you remember I met in Vang Vieng!

Elle and Fei pick me up for lunch and inform me we are going to visit the floating market with a stop for lunch on the way.  We are delighted to meet each other again and spend time hugging and catching up.  We pick Ging, a friend of Elle’s and another friend Ploy meets us at the lunch restaurant.  They have taken  me to a place which is one of their favourite local haunts and I let them order the food which we share in traditional Thai fashion.

P6190273It is yummy and tasty but then I haven’t really come across any food that isn’t in South East Asia!  While the floating boats have long gone (they are only around in the morning) the water market is in full swing and there are more varieties of food here than I have ever seen in my life.    P6190278

We browse the markets, try more food and ice cream and head back for Kho Saan Road where we will meet up with Raf, our mutual friend from Taipei, who we also met in Vang Vieng.  As luck and the Universe would have it, he is in Bangkok on the same day as I.  I lag behind as Elle and Fei as they greet him and then walk over casually.  The look on his face was priceless and I wish I had captured it on camera!  Raf is really delighted and amazed I am here and after more hugs all round we go find a cafe for dinner.

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The soccer is on and the bars around the main road are all chockers with soccer fans watching the Netherlands play Japan.  Elle and Fei lead us down an alley and into a local haven.  A big screen with the soccer, out door seating in a beautiful environment and peace and quiet.  The joy of making friends with locals is unbeatable when travelling.  They order more food..I had no idea my Thai friends could put away this much food and we chat and laugh about how good it is to be together again.

Ploy and Ging are excited to meet us.   They don’t often get to meet international travellers and are happy and a little shy at this chance to practice their English.  Our mutual friend Miller had also visited a few weeks previously and they’ve met him too.  They wish they had similar international friends…and Elle promises to take Ploy to back to Laos soon.

We chat over dinner and Ploy tells me she has been reading my blog.   I am flattered.  I know that friends and family of my fellow travellers are reading my blog..but this is the first time I actually meet one of them!  She loves the chance to read about places and people she dreams of visiting and meeting herself one day and says she enjoys my writing. 

Ploy is 23 years old and has known Fei since middle school days but only became close friends at University.  She too is an accountant and plans to get a double major in International Business.  She has studied accounting because it enables her to find a job but she doesn’t find it interesting.   She dreams of opening her own clinic one day having being exposed to the medical world by her dad who is a doctor.   Her passion is too travel though and she has already travelled to China, Singapore, Malaysia and Burma.  She says she will continue to read my blog and dreams of doing something similar one day.

Ging has majored in English and shows me the book she is reading, The Carrie Diaries by Candace Bushnell.  Who would have thought that Sex and the City would inspire a Thai girl to read but there you go!   I encourage her in her pursuit of perfecting her English and she tells me her story. 

She met Elle in middle school and they have been firm friends since then.  She is working currently as a secretary in a company that provides air traffic controllers!  This is rather difficult for her to translate in English so I hope I got that right.  She travelled to Ohio after she was applied and was selected to be part of a program that promoted travel through work.  She worked at Pizza Hut at the Ohio airport but was fired after inadvertently breaking one of their rules.  She ran out of change one day, and used her own to pay a customer and then replaced the money once the till was full.  Someone saw her with her hand in the till and reported her without bothering to check her story.  The poor girl was fired even though her supervisor believed her. 

This goes to show us there are inflexible people everywhere and her experience of another culture must obviously have been marred by this unfortunate occurrence.  However, she displayed the spunk of a solo traveller, called her uncle in LA and spent the rest of her time in CA, turning a negative into a very lovely positive for herself.

She too is dreaming of opening up her own business but she wants to move to the countryside and leave behind the bright lights of Bangkok. 

P6190280 Both of these girls are excited to meet me and discuss their chances of travelling around the world one day.  I encourage their dreams but caution them to start small first...maybe explore Asia together?  It has taken me a long time to get here and these girls are nervous about travelling alone. 

While we are talking Ging changes her status. 

“Nothing to be scared about”, she writes and I feel happy I have inspired her to be brave.

We chat and laugh and talk more about their future, their dreams of finding a man they can share their life with and the difficulties in finding such a man amongst their age group. 

It is finally time to head back.  Netherlands have won the soccer and the party has spilled out into the streets.  Soccer mania is at fever pitch tonight..

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We hug and say goodbye once more.  I am not sure when I will see my friends again but technology these days enables us to stay in touch a lot more easily.

Fei and Elle drive me to my Bangkok hotel for my last night in South East Asia.  Ploy texts us as we drive…her mum is reading my blog and would like to access the archive…how do they do that?!

I have struck gold with my final stay.  I found this place on the internet and it is idyllic.  I have spent the whole day writing..and it is now time to leave for my flight to Colombo.  Till my next post…

Intrepid_Thailand-19  “To dream anything that you want to dream. That's the beauty of the human mind. To do anything that you want to do. That is the strength of the human will. To trust yourself to test your limits. That is the courage to succeed.” – Bernard Edmond