These birds, with all sorts of character, were spotted down a laneway when I was wandering around Chiang Mai. A piece of vibrance among the guesthouses, the offices and houses, the traffic, and the cafes.
Wednesday, May 22, 2013
Birds Of Chiang Mai
These birds, with all sorts of character, were spotted down a laneway when I was wandering around Chiang Mai. A piece of vibrance among the guesthouses, the offices and houses, the traffic, and the cafes.
Tuesday, May 21, 2013
Brave Women, Genetics And Genocide, and A Voice: HRAFF '13
The Human Rights Arts and Film Festival has been in Melbourne for the last week and a bit, and I managed to see two short films, two full length stories, and wander through the amazing photography exhibit that accompanying the Fest. The Festival soon tours the country, so these are the ones I saw, loved and was moved by:
Taxi Sister
The story of a female taxi driver in Dakar, Senegal. There are 15,000 taxis, and just 4 taxi sisters among them. The short follows one around over a couple of days, picking up customers, waiting for fares, chatting with other drivers, and just living every day, making her living.
She finds herself having the justify her place in her chosen role to her male colleagues, and explaining that she is alone, having to bring in the money for her family. She no longer had a husband, she explains to the inquiries about why she is not staying home taking care of a man, and that she should be able to work in whatever role she wanted. She's sassy and strong willed, and such an interesting character, showing the world that gender is not a barrier to doing something you want to do.
Red Wedding
250,000 women were forced into marriages during the Cambodian Khmer Rouge period. The political spin was that this was to increase the population, and the new desired workers who were left from the genocide phase were the basis of this new population. This short was one woman's story, of the rape and trauma of her experience, and the lack of understanding about what went on and why.
Incredibly brave, we follow as she shows us the rice paddy where she now works, in the village she lives in, which was once used as a killing field. She tells us the bits of her story she confidently knows, and then confronts members of her village who were part of the arranged marriages and the ruling party at the time, to get a better understanding of it all.
She finds a way to discuss what happened to her with her family, and starts a formal complaint process, in a quest to find some sort of closure, and to help other woman like her. I wonder how she will remain safe as her story is being told to the world through this short film, as she confronts her village leaders, and as she submits her request for a formal investigation. So brave.
Sun Kissed
The story of a Navajo family with two children with the very rare genetic condition called XP. Characterised by skin that burns very, very easily in sunlight, often before diagnosis, and then by the rapid and pervasive neurological degeneration. At the point of the movie, their son had recently passed away, and their daughter was profoundly disabled, requiring peg feeding, and with very limited independent movement.
Initially they thought that they were the only ones experiencing this trial, and the medicine man had told them that their children were like this because when he was young he tortured ants. They had also been told that having children with someone from the same clan would result in children with medical issues, such as their children. But soon, she found other families in the Reservation with children with the same condition, and they started piecing some information together. None of the families she found were parents of the same clan. Some of them, too, had been told that their acts of harming animals when they were kids were the reason for their children having this condition. The impact of religion and cultural beliefs was strong, and the stories carried.
XP is a condition with an incidence of 1 in a million; but here in this region, it was presenting in 1 in 30,000. A significant biological situation.
They manage to speak with a Geneticist and a Historian, and start to hear a connection between this elevated prevalence of this rare genetic disorder to the Long Walk. Essentially, in the late 1800s US military rounded up the Native Americans and kept them within a small geographical area, and initially confining them to a concentration camp of sorts. From here, their population diminished due to the conditions to 5000 people, and it is thought that this mixed clans, and in turn, through the conditions and deaths and pool of Native Americans in one place, confined the gene pool.
This clustering of the Native American clans has meant that the recessive genes are meeting in a match more often, and manifesting in such a rare disorder in this generation of children. Fascinating that it has taken this long to present itself, frightening that there is a sudden surge of incidences of this condition.
Their quest to seek information about how the Long Walk may have impacted took them some time, as no one in their community wanted to discuss it. The past, and bad things such as illnesses, are not discussed in Navajo culture, it was explained. He lamented that this, in turn, meant that so much of their own culture was being lost to them. They no longer spoke some of the languages, and now they were having trouble accessing their history.
Apart from the incredible grief felt for this little family and their loss, the film leaves you with the contemplation of the genetic impact of such atrocities as forced migration on populations, communities, and the future generations - the Long Walk, the rounding up of Indigenous children in Australia, Nazi Germany, the Khmer Rouge genocide....
Requiem
A photography exhibit on display in the Yarra Gallery off Fed Square - here is a room of images selected from the collection shot by the 135 journalists who were killed or went missing during the Indochina War in South East Asia. These prints were taken by Cambodian Nationals and Foreign Press photographers in the battles and weeks before the KR took full command. Some powerful images captured - moment of history - all quashed by the ruling dictatorship/
Words Of Witness
We follow the work and passion of 22 year old budding journalist, Heba Afify, during the Egyptian uprising in Cario in January of 2011. She battles her Mum for permission to be out and interviewing people protesting, and teaches her family about the political situation of the overthrow of Mubarak, whilst she writes and publishes stories and updates for an English news site, and her Twitter and Facebook accounts.
As a young women she faces many barriers, including the perceptions from her own family, about what she should and should not be exposed to, all the while, displaying her passion and excitement for a new political era in her own country.
Taxi SisterThe story of a female taxi driver in Dakar, Senegal. There are 15,000 taxis, and just 4 taxi sisters among them. The short follows one around over a couple of days, picking up customers, waiting for fares, chatting with other drivers, and just living every day, making her living.
She finds herself having the justify her place in her chosen role to her male colleagues, and explaining that she is alone, having to bring in the money for her family. She no longer had a husband, she explains to the inquiries about why she is not staying home taking care of a man, and that she should be able to work in whatever role she wanted. She's sassy and strong willed, and such an interesting character, showing the world that gender is not a barrier to doing something you want to do.
Red Wedding
250,000 women were forced into marriages during the Cambodian Khmer Rouge period. The political spin was that this was to increase the population, and the new desired workers who were left from the genocide phase were the basis of this new population. This short was one woman's story, of the rape and trauma of her experience, and the lack of understanding about what went on and why.
Incredibly brave, we follow as she shows us the rice paddy where she now works, in the village she lives in, which was once used as a killing field. She tells us the bits of her story she confidently knows, and then confronts members of her village who were part of the arranged marriages and the ruling party at the time, to get a better understanding of it all.
She finds a way to discuss what happened to her with her family, and starts a formal complaint process, in a quest to find some sort of closure, and to help other woman like her. I wonder how she will remain safe as her story is being told to the world through this short film, as she confronts her village leaders, and as she submits her request for a formal investigation. So brave.
Sun Kissed
The story of a Navajo family with two children with the very rare genetic condition called XP. Characterised by skin that burns very, very easily in sunlight, often before diagnosis, and then by the rapid and pervasive neurological degeneration. At the point of the movie, their son had recently passed away, and their daughter was profoundly disabled, requiring peg feeding, and with very limited independent movement.
Initially they thought that they were the only ones experiencing this trial, and the medicine man had told them that their children were like this because when he was young he tortured ants. They had also been told that having children with someone from the same clan would result in children with medical issues, such as their children. But soon, she found other families in the Reservation with children with the same condition, and they started piecing some information together. None of the families she found were parents of the same clan. Some of them, too, had been told that their acts of harming animals when they were kids were the reason for their children having this condition. The impact of religion and cultural beliefs was strong, and the stories carried.
XP is a condition with an incidence of 1 in a million; but here in this region, it was presenting in 1 in 30,000. A significant biological situation.
They manage to speak with a Geneticist and a Historian, and start to hear a connection between this elevated prevalence of this rare genetic disorder to the Long Walk. Essentially, in the late 1800s US military rounded up the Native Americans and kept them within a small geographical area, and initially confining them to a concentration camp of sorts. From here, their population diminished due to the conditions to 5000 people, and it is thought that this mixed clans, and in turn, through the conditions and deaths and pool of Native Americans in one place, confined the gene pool.
This clustering of the Native American clans has meant that the recessive genes are meeting in a match more often, and manifesting in such a rare disorder in this generation of children. Fascinating that it has taken this long to present itself, frightening that there is a sudden surge of incidences of this condition.
Their quest to seek information about how the Long Walk may have impacted took them some time, as no one in their community wanted to discuss it. The past, and bad things such as illnesses, are not discussed in Navajo culture, it was explained. He lamented that this, in turn, meant that so much of their own culture was being lost to them. They no longer spoke some of the languages, and now they were having trouble accessing their history.
Apart from the incredible grief felt for this little family and their loss, the film leaves you with the contemplation of the genetic impact of such atrocities as forced migration on populations, communities, and the future generations - the Long Walk, the rounding up of Indigenous children in Australia, Nazi Germany, the Khmer Rouge genocide....
RequiemA photography exhibit on display in the Yarra Gallery off Fed Square - here is a room of images selected from the collection shot by the 135 journalists who were killed or went missing during the Indochina War in South East Asia. These prints were taken by Cambodian Nationals and Foreign Press photographers in the battles and weeks before the KR took full command. Some powerful images captured - moment of history - all quashed by the ruling dictatorship/
Words Of Witness
We follow the work and passion of 22 year old budding journalist, Heba Afify, during the Egyptian uprising in Cario in January of 2011. She battles her Mum for permission to be out and interviewing people protesting, and teaches her family about the political situation of the overthrow of Mubarak, whilst she writes and publishes stories and updates for an English news site, and her Twitter and Facebook accounts.
As a young women she faces many barriers, including the perceptions from her own family, about what she should and should not be exposed to, all the while, displaying her passion and excitement for a new political era in her own country.
Monday, May 20, 2013
Solo Female Travel In India
Travel in India, on my own, and as a women, was one of the toughest, most challenging, and shock-inducing experiences I have had as a traveller. I described it to a friend over drinks as sometimes scary, and she reckons I have never referred to anywhere as that before. The chaos, the frustrations of things, and the smells and grit were full on – but that was nothing compared to the treatment I felt simply because I am a woman.
Being a pretty independent traveller, this trip was one of the first times I seriously counted down til I was back with the group. I went to Kolkata on my own, recharged with the group in Chennai, and then ventured out on my own again for a couple of days in Mumbai.
When I was travelling with Dave and Fi, or any of the other blokes in the Flagger group, both Fi and I were completely invisible and seemed to have no voice in the interactions – Dave needed to negotiate, make decisions and give direction for all of us. No driver or vendor even gave us a glance for such things. Because we were women.
This is something that you hear about, and read about, but nothing really, fully prepares you for the experience of it.
Of course, when I was by myself, and clearly the person to pay, the men had to deal with my requests and barginning. With my directions, and questions. Male taxi drivers, or food wallahs would then serve me, but would show their reluctance at having to deal with a woman.
They certainly did not change tack like this for an Indian woman, incidents of such treatment we witnessed all the time. I remember being at a food stall at the cricket behind an Indian girl in a sari, trying to order her lunch. The vendor served everyone around her, each new man that would approach the stall, and then looked past her to take my order. I had her ask for her lunch, before I asked for mine, otherwise she was completely invisible to them.
One of the other elements of travel in India as a woman, a white woman, was the staring. We were constantly stared at by the men around us, walking past us. Watched and photographed at the cricket. Asked by men and families to pose in photos with them. Pretty unnerving at times, creepy at others. I have never had my boobs stared at so openly before! Keeping our sunglasses on as we left a cricket game, or around some of the touristy sights, helped me feel like I could ignore the stares, and that helped me stop worry about them.
I would hate to think what they do with the photos. Although they were never that excited about me taking a copy of the same photo on my camera. The first photo on this post was taken by the woman's husband, who was none too pleased at the request to take one for me. She was lovely, though!
The worry about safety when I was on my own was another major feature of this trip. Moreso than most other places I have been to (although up there with Jo'burg and Kingston for it's edginess).
My pre-paid taxi from the airport to my booked hotel in Mumbai got very lost, and the more confused he got about where he needed to go, the more angry and aggressive he became. At me. He stopped a couple of times to ask directions from other drivers and people on the street, so rudely, then to demand more money from me for the trip. He stopped and demanded I get out at one point, because he didn't know where to go. But I certainly didn't know where I was at that point, and he seemed to have been getting helpful directions which indicated we were not far away from where I needed to be, so I stayed firm. He then picked someone up off the side of the road, and I felt sick...stories running through my head about the possibilities of this turn of events....but thankfully, it was a guy who worked for my hotel, and he helped get me to the right place.
A man urinated in front of me in the street in Kolkata, just took it out right there, and then seemed to be following me along the street for awhile. In broad daylight. I just kept walking, trying to stay calm, and not look lost, and tried then to make eye contact with other people who were passing by the quite street. All fine in the end, but it did not feel right there for a bit!
Late at night in Mumbai, there was some knocking on my hotel door. I ignored it at first, but as it persisted and there was a request to open the door, things started to feel wrong. I held firm that I would not open the door, however the voice on the other side started saying he was the police. Soon there were more and more voices outside my door, demanding that I needed to open the door, for checks. They could not answer me about what the checks were for, nor would they comply to my request that the person stating he was the police slide his ID under the door to prove it. I assume because I was a woman. I am sure he would have for a male voice on inside of the door. Eventually, against every ounce of good judgement, I opened the door - to find every male who worked at the hotel out there around my door, and a man in uniform. He was checking who was staying at the hotel. He asked me a ton of questions, clearly prying about why a girl would be here on her own. Once I talked about being in India for the cricket, and the main staff explained this to the officer, things soon abated, and he moved on.
I loved and hated India, all at the same time. It has such poles of experiences. But these experiences, simply because of my gender, was definitely one of the most pervasively negative feelings about my 5 weeks there. It was confronting, and shocking, and so sad to have all those notions of the place confirmed, and then exceeded. India was named the fourth-worst place in the world to be a woman, and since the Dehli Gang Rape, and the public outcry about it, there seems to be a slightly heightened consciousness about women, their safety and standing in India. But this is such a systemic problem, something that will take much work, and much commitment by the country to make meaningful change.
As a traveller, my tips are to stay alert, trust your instincts, try and maintain a smile and a sense of humour, but stand your ground. You will balance the bad moments with the amazing ones. But mostly, as a woman, you have the chance to share such special brief moments with Indian woman you come across, with a smile, a hello, or a glance, a gesture, that feels important. A seed of hope. And of beauty.
Being a pretty independent traveller, this trip was one of the first times I seriously counted down til I was back with the group. I went to Kolkata on my own, recharged with the group in Chennai, and then ventured out on my own again for a couple of days in Mumbai.When I was travelling with Dave and Fi, or any of the other blokes in the Flagger group, both Fi and I were completely invisible and seemed to have no voice in the interactions – Dave needed to negotiate, make decisions and give direction for all of us. No driver or vendor even gave us a glance for such things. Because we were women.
This is something that you hear about, and read about, but nothing really, fully prepares you for the experience of it.
Of course, when I was by myself, and clearly the person to pay, the men had to deal with my requests and barginning. With my directions, and questions. Male taxi drivers, or food wallahs would then serve me, but would show their reluctance at having to deal with a woman.
They certainly did not change tack like this for an Indian woman, incidents of such treatment we witnessed all the time. I remember being at a food stall at the cricket behind an Indian girl in a sari, trying to order her lunch. The vendor served everyone around her, each new man that would approach the stall, and then looked past her to take my order. I had her ask for her lunch, before I asked for mine, otherwise she was completely invisible to them.
One of the other elements of travel in India as a woman, a white woman, was the staring. We were constantly stared at by the men around us, walking past us. Watched and photographed at the cricket. Asked by men and families to pose in photos with them. Pretty unnerving at times, creepy at others. I have never had my boobs stared at so openly before! Keeping our sunglasses on as we left a cricket game, or around some of the touristy sights, helped me feel like I could ignore the stares, and that helped me stop worry about them.I would hate to think what they do with the photos. Although they were never that excited about me taking a copy of the same photo on my camera. The first photo on this post was taken by the woman's husband, who was none too pleased at the request to take one for me. She was lovely, though!
The worry about safety when I was on my own was another major feature of this trip. Moreso than most other places I have been to (although up there with Jo'burg and Kingston for it's edginess).My pre-paid taxi from the airport to my booked hotel in Mumbai got very lost, and the more confused he got about where he needed to go, the more angry and aggressive he became. At me. He stopped a couple of times to ask directions from other drivers and people on the street, so rudely, then to demand more money from me for the trip. He stopped and demanded I get out at one point, because he didn't know where to go. But I certainly didn't know where I was at that point, and he seemed to have been getting helpful directions which indicated we were not far away from where I needed to be, so I stayed firm. He then picked someone up off the side of the road, and I felt sick...stories running through my head about the possibilities of this turn of events....but thankfully, it was a guy who worked for my hotel, and he helped get me to the right place.
A man urinated in front of me in the street in Kolkata, just took it out right there, and then seemed to be following me along the street for awhile. In broad daylight. I just kept walking, trying to stay calm, and not look lost, and tried then to make eye contact with other people who were passing by the quite street. All fine in the end, but it did not feel right there for a bit!
Late at night in Mumbai, there was some knocking on my hotel door. I ignored it at first, but as it persisted and there was a request to open the door, things started to feel wrong. I held firm that I would not open the door, however the voice on the other side started saying he was the police. Soon there were more and more voices outside my door, demanding that I needed to open the door, for checks. They could not answer me about what the checks were for, nor would they comply to my request that the person stating he was the police slide his ID under the door to prove it. I assume because I was a woman. I am sure he would have for a male voice on inside of the door. Eventually, against every ounce of good judgement, I opened the door - to find every male who worked at the hotel out there around my door, and a man in uniform. He was checking who was staying at the hotel. He asked me a ton of questions, clearly prying about why a girl would be here on her own. Once I talked about being in India for the cricket, and the main staff explained this to the officer, things soon abated, and he moved on. I loved and hated India, all at the same time. It has such poles of experiences. But these experiences, simply because of my gender, was definitely one of the most pervasively negative feelings about my 5 weeks there. It was confronting, and shocking, and so sad to have all those notions of the place confirmed, and then exceeded. India was named the fourth-worst place in the world to be a woman, and since the Dehli Gang Rape, and the public outcry about it, there seems to be a slightly heightened consciousness about women, their safety and standing in India. But this is such a systemic problem, something that will take much work, and much commitment by the country to make meaningful change.
As a traveller, my tips are to stay alert, trust your instincts, try and maintain a smile and a sense of humour, but stand your ground. You will balance the bad moments with the amazing ones. But mostly, as a woman, you have the chance to share such special brief moments with Indian woman you come across, with a smile, a hello, or a glance, a gesture, that feels important. A seed of hope. And of beauty.
Sunday, May 19, 2013
Project 52: Monday Lunchtime
For Project 52 Monday Lunchtime, I decided that I would treat myself with lunch out of the office, in preparation for the follow week, where I did the Live Below The Line challenge. I remember thinking when I had purchased it, just in the cafe downstairs from the office, that it was almost worth the whole budget for the following week.
This post is part of Project 52 with Jess from FuShMuSh.
Saturday, May 18, 2013
Summer In Toronto
It’s been a year since I set off on my 3.5 months of living in Canada for their Summer, to complete my MSW placement for uni. As Summer approaches in Toronto now, and the word ‘patio’ is popping into regular conversation, these are the things I found to do and see in the city that made my Summer over there so much fun!
I loved Doors Open Toronto, as an introduction to so many different and diverse places around the city, with a bit of history, and quirky details about some of the buildings. That’s how I knew about the temperature forecast being broadcast from the spire on the Canada Life Building! It was a great chance to trek around the city to different areas, and familiarise myself with the transport system, and some areas of the city. This year it is on next weekend, May 25 and 26. Definitely check out the Winter Garden Theatre over that weekend, if you get the chance – gorgeous!
Baseball fever was in full force last year, with the Blue Jays doing quite well. Well, at least for the start of the season! It was pretty easy to get tickets, and the stadium has an unusual sliding roof which was worth checking out as part of the atmosphere of a match, and is just at the foot of the CN Tower.
North By North East, or NXNE, is a festival of music, film and interactive forums, and this year will be on June 12th til 16th. Last year, headliners The Flaming Lips were amazing in Yonge Square, and this event over the 5 days let me explore a host of music venues whilst sampling local, Aussie, and international bands. Plus I managed to see a few of the films shown also, which were well worth the festival pass.
The 1000 Tastes of Toronto has changed to a school kids JuniorChef-style event for this year (June 15 and 16) called Future Tastes Of Toronto: At The Kids Table, where you can wonder around the Distillery District and sample dishes for $5, made by a top chef and a little apprentice. It is still part of the Luminato Festival – which will be on June 14 to 23 - which looks like it will be bigger and better, and restyled, this year.
I was in Montreal for Canada Day holiday last year, but I would recommend trying to get to Ottawa for the music and light festival on the lawn of Parliament Hill for July 1st. Feist was the headliner there last year, so it clearly pulls some great names – and there are plenty of amazing Canadian acts that are possibilities for this gig. (Actually, it sounds like you will be hearing Call Me, Maybe this year!)
I was lucky enough to be invited to cover the Roundhouse Craft Beer Fest last year on my blog, and in 2013 it will be on again on August 10 and 11. This will surely be bigger in it’s sophomore year, so keep your eyes peeled for what they have in store. A great chance to sample some of the smaller breweries from the state of Ontario.
Ohhh, I would so love to pop into Tim Horton’s for an Iced Capp! Yum!
Patios (that’s a beer garden for the rest of the world, or a balcony outside, or even just a strip of the footpath!), will be EVERYWHERE very soon, and there is nothing like a Sunday Session in the sun in TO. And there are so many great options!
There is also the host of outdoor cinema venues that pop up all over the city, including the free one in Yonge Square. Of course, a visit to Toronto Islands, and High Park are ones to be planned for at least once during these Summer months ahead, just gorgeous! Toronto, like Melbourne and London and NYC, always have something going on, something to get involved with, and a new neighbourhood of activities to explore.
Enjoy the Summer over there!
I loved Doors Open Toronto, as an introduction to so many different and diverse places around the city, with a bit of history, and quirky details about some of the buildings. That’s how I knew about the temperature forecast being broadcast from the spire on the Canada Life Building! It was a great chance to trek around the city to different areas, and familiarise myself with the transport system, and some areas of the city. This year it is on next weekend, May 25 and 26. Definitely check out the Winter Garden Theatre over that weekend, if you get the chance – gorgeous!Baseball fever was in full force last year, with the Blue Jays doing quite well. Well, at least for the start of the season! It was pretty easy to get tickets, and the stadium has an unusual sliding roof which was worth checking out as part of the atmosphere of a match, and is just at the foot of the CN Tower.
North By North East, or NXNE, is a festival of music, film and interactive forums, and this year will be on June 12th til 16th. Last year, headliners The Flaming Lips were amazing in Yonge Square, and this event over the 5 days let me explore a host of music venues whilst sampling local, Aussie, and international bands. Plus I managed to see a few of the films shown also, which were well worth the festival pass.
The 1000 Tastes of Toronto has changed to a school kids JuniorChef-style event for this year (June 15 and 16) called Future Tastes Of Toronto: At The Kids Table, where you can wonder around the Distillery District and sample dishes for $5, made by a top chef and a little apprentice. It is still part of the Luminato Festival – which will be on June 14 to 23 - which looks like it will be bigger and better, and restyled, this year.
I was in Montreal for Canada Day holiday last year, but I would recommend trying to get to Ottawa for the music and light festival on the lawn of Parliament Hill for July 1st. Feist was the headliner there last year, so it clearly pulls some great names – and there are plenty of amazing Canadian acts that are possibilities for this gig. (Actually, it sounds like you will be hearing Call Me, Maybe this year!)I was lucky enough to be invited to cover the Roundhouse Craft Beer Fest last year on my blog, and in 2013 it will be on again on August 10 and 11. This will surely be bigger in it’s sophomore year, so keep your eyes peeled for what they have in store. A great chance to sample some of the smaller breweries from the state of Ontario.
Ohhh, I would so love to pop into Tim Horton’s for an Iced Capp! Yum!
Patios (that’s a beer garden for the rest of the world, or a balcony outside, or even just a strip of the footpath!), will be EVERYWHERE very soon, and there is nothing like a Sunday Session in the sun in TO. And there are so many great options!
There is also the host of outdoor cinema venues that pop up all over the city, including the free one in Yonge Square. Of course, a visit to Toronto Islands, and High Park are ones to be planned for at least once during these Summer months ahead, just gorgeous! Toronto, like Melbourne and London and NYC, always have something going on, something to get involved with, and a new neighbourhood of activities to explore.Enjoy the Summer over there!
Friday, May 17, 2013
Reviewing The Country Map
visited 44 states (19.5%)
Create your own visited map of The World
44!
In this past twelve months I completed my 3.5 months in Canada, with several trips into the USA. Then I returned home for a little bit to save for the next travel stint. The New Year saw me return to Cambodia, and Thailand, via Malaysia, before visiting Burma, Nepal and India for the first time. 8 countries in 12 months, 4 new ones to me.
When I was travelling with Fi and Dave, and after we had completed our amazing visit to Agra and the Taj Mahal, I checked out their running list of the Wonders of the World they had visited. The Natural, the Ancient, the Man Made, the Industrial, the Modern. Fi is also working through a list of countries with every letter of the alphabet. She is streets ahead on the country count, and hasn’t yet been to Europe! Ahh, there will always be lists!
This is an annual post I have been doing since I was living in London, and I am pretty pleased each year to see a little more red on that map, a few more pages used up in my passport, and to have a host more travel stories to share and remember, and ultimately, a greater understanding of the world.
How many have you managed to experience, to date? Where are your wanderlust plans aiming for next? I think I need to target one of those continents that is lacking some red coverage!
Wednesday, May 15, 2013
No Reason To Be Scared, Melbourne
She is crouching at the Little Collins Street end of Union Lane, in the middle of the CBD in Melbourne, off Bourke Street Mall.
I think she needs a hug. And a blanket. And someone to play with. And to get out of this dark alley in the city.
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