Doing trips so close together makes it hard to digest what I have seen. Kind of like "if it's Tuesday it must be Belgium". I will try to space them out a little. I don't have a trip planned for April. Yet.
My twin sister is arriving April 5th, with her husband Gord, and grand daughter Cammie. They are here for 3 weeks. They will do a side trip to Thailand, and I might go with them to Vietnam, HCMC and Mekong Delta.
I wanted to make a wee note about in Sri Lanka. Tim bought some take-out to eat on the train ride Galle - Colombo. He got it in a bag that was two pages of math homework, scotch taped to make a bag. Talk about recycling, and using things up.
I really have some things to digest with the last two trips, Sri Lanka, and Vietnam. Having stayed longer in each, and spending more time looking around, the poverty is something I want to cringe from. But you know, they are happy, generally speaking. They have very little, their house might be made of driftwood, on a mud floor, no windows, and a tin roof, but they seem to be tight knit families, happy children, "good" teens and the old OLD ones are part of the family, out selling chatchkas, or weaving, or playing with children. We befriended a lady who sold us our bottles of water. She was sitting on her front stairs, her daughter, her, her mother and her grandmother. 4 generations living and being together. It looked pretty nice to me. We met a very elderly lady selling at a roadside stand. She was well in to her nineties. In fact we met many 90 year or more old women. They are smiling, useful, amazing skin.
We did a bicycle tour in Hoi An. It's very flat around there so it was easy. But in such heat. It is wonderful that you can put on SPF 50 and be out in this scorching sun, and not get an ounce of colour. The tour took us around to men making fishing boats, the way they have done for centuries. Women weaving mats that they use for a mattress. The mats are cool on the platform (very hard) bed, and they might finish a beautifully designed mat/rug maybe 6'X10' and get $4. We ate a home cooked meal in someone's front yard. Biking past homes, the children playing would call out "helloooo hellooooo" and we would call back. We went through the rice paddies, along very narrow paths. On a bridge that looked like it was held together with spit. Hairy! We saw women making mother of pearl inlay boxes Beautiful. It was very refreshing to look at these artisans and not feel pressured to buy. I must say the touts in the old town really got to me.
They have the 90 year old women, and the adorable children in their pyjamas, at night sitting by the road side, selling candles. Lit and coloured and beautiful. But... I get the feeling that they know we have money so why don't we buy. What reason wold you have for not buying. If you have the money. "Buy from me. buy from me. Happy hour price" (that means two for one!)
When we went once to one tailor, it was a workshop filled with many different tailors. All women. Very competitive. There was a fight going on between several women. I thought it might become violent. Women are really good at screaming and yelling. It was so charged. A little embarrassing. I was so glad our tailor was not involved. But it must be so stressful to make enough money for your family when there is so much competition.
We picked up our clothes. Most of it is absolutely wonderful. I am unhappy with my outfit for the wedding. I am going to have to mail it back to her. She didn't line it. Which makes sense in this climate. But back home we are used to more structure, not billowy, flowy.
Now I will try to add photos. I never know if it will work, or this will get sent off without.
So here goes.
Tim's coconut drink
Jane's new pet, in a buddhist temple Colombo
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