A pilgrimage and trek to
the Tiger's Nest (Taktshang)
Monastery near Paro, Bhutan

A motion filed last month by the U.S. Department of Justice alleges Gibson Guitar knew it was trafficking in endangered timber when it was busted by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in November 2009, reports the Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA).

 Depending on where we
are in this big world, our
travel lifestyle looks

This is our 5th year of extended  European road trips ( 3 to 7 months long) , so we have seen much more of Europe than most, including Europeans, thanks to  slow travel. We anticipate coming back for many, many more years, which makes our investment in our motorhome ( before starting our world tour) one of our smartest moves. When we are not here we store it securely in a garage for just 70 euros a month..an amazing true-value way to keep a vehicle/home/storage unit in Europe.

Amongst families from Spain, France, Germany, Holland, UK, Ireland, Belgium,Denmark,Switzerland, Poland, Slovenia etc, we Americans are celebrating an idyllic 4th of July weekend at this beach resort in Barcelona. Under a canopy of shade trees, our 3200 square foot "pitch" - outdoor living room... holding our RV, large tent, hammock, lounge chairs, Italian table and chairs, BBQ, and bikes... makes for an ideal summer paradise to relax in and rejuvenate.



The beaches, the three huge pools, the restaurant, store, the fresh baked croissants and baguettes gathered by kidlet via bike every morning, the sauna, exercise room, massages, steam room, whirl pool, kids club, kids disco, regular buses to central Barcelona, weekly outdoor movies etc makes it perfect for families and we just pay 17 euros a night here. Seeing my pareo purchased in French Polynesia on the line or Italian table cloth bought in Tuscany are happy reminders that makes me smile.



Better yet, because this is our 14th time here in 5 years, (often for a month or more at a time) we always know many people here because like us, lots are regulars. We're so happy to see our many Spanish friends and also German, Holland, UK and Switzerland friends.  It always seems so odd to me that some traveling families struggle for friends on the road, because our travel lifestyle prevents travel burn out, creates deep lasting friendships with locals and easy, fun, deep language and cultural immersion.



 We've always had a little tent as a private play space for kidlet, but just bought a large one, now that she is a tween and wants more space for regular sleepovers and international PJ parties. She has favorite babies/toddlers that she's played with for years  and loves the multilingual Dutch teens who do creative things at the kids club ( they adore her trilingualism and Mandarin), but she also has a Spanish  BFF here and many Spanish friends that live nearby who come every summer, so she has known for years. It's the perfect place to have a lot of freedom in a safe environment and people on holiday are happy.



Little does she know that just immersing in her Spanish with her dear friends here or translating between her Spanish friends and English friends that she is doing some of her "world schooling". Language learning and re-immersing so effortlessly makes raising a multilingual child easy. Play time well spent. Dinners with local families that live nearby here or sleep overs with them there too makes this one of our "homes" with much deeper understanding about what a-life-in-Spain means, than most visitors ever get.

 


Of course, we do some formal road schooling every morning after our alfesco breakfast under the trees, like math, journaling, science reading, Mandarin, violin, and piano practice and my bookaholic loves to cuddle and read all summer long as usual (in all three of her languages). Sometimes she does her school work study time with her Spanish friend who has summer homework sheduled to do from her Catalan public school.




Three mornings a week, Mozart does an hour of Mandarin Chinese lessons with her wonderful Dean of Studies at her Mandarin school in Asia. In this photo he is testing her on writing words in Mandarin and she is showing him via the webcam camera. She won the white board at the kids club here by bowling the highest score, ( a thrill for her like when she wins at bingo) so it is getting good use.




Between swimming, ball tossing, reading in the hammock, morning beach walks, board games, eating alfresco meals and sharing tapas washed down by cava or Cervesa with friends, we parents get a bit of work and research done on these long, lazy summer days in beautiful Barcelona.

Yes, we still do some touring here too, and in August we will be off to Romania and Budapest, then this fall a USA road  trip before wintering in tropical Asia, but in this splendid sunny season, Barcelona is about dear friends and the Spanish style joie de vivre!

"You only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough" Mae West

We hope our North American friends and family had  wonderful Canada Day and July 4th weekends! Happy 235th Birthday America! Happy summer to all!

What simple pleasures are making you happy this summer?

The kick-off of Sar’Nao, the second edition of the now well-established “month of photography” was done at the lobby of the Louvre hotel last night, gathering most of the malagasy photography world (well, at least those who could make it to Antananarivo). Right before the opening at 6 PM, photo lovers started the afternoon by a walk through Antananarivo downtown, starting from Anosy lake, heading to the kilometer 0 which is at the Soarano railway station. Those happy photographers then went up to Louvre to attend the opening ceremony.

This year, photographers were challenged to produce 10 photos for an individual exhibition, and another set of 10 photos for a collective exhibition. The themes that has been selected are the following:

- “Art an-tsary”: anything photographic that is artistic-related

- “La ville dans tous ses états”: urban life

- “Nature et biodiversité”: self-explanatory

- “Proof report in photojournalism”

- “virtual reality”

The Stenop’Art-As’Art association is the organizer of this annual month of photography. As per the organizers, ”Sar’nao” has two meanings:

• “Sar’nao” AKA Sarinao in Malagasy, literally translated into “your photo”. The organizers have made a mention in their presentation book that it means “your clichés” whether you are a newbie, an amateur or professional photographer
• “Sar’nao” which is an allusion to the malagasy word “Sarona ao”, literally translated into “which covers it all” as the event covers photography and anything related to visual arts.

This year’s visual representation of Sar’Nao refers to a Baobab as a tribute to this year being the year of the forest.

So without further ado, here is the program of the month (I mainly wrote this article for those who couldn’t figure out a damn thing from the JPG program that is available on other places on the internet)

I will probably meet you at some of those exhibitions And as one of my photographic “mentor” said “you keep shooting”

There was no other agenda in Burma.

And with that, my friend and I were on a photographic mission. This man, as we understood, was the premiere photographer in the Bagan area of Burma, and we were on a mission to convince him to take us through the hidden gems of Bagan, to travel to places that travellers don’t visit, and to photograph the area as seen through the lens of photographers such as Jean Larivière and Claude Schauli.

Of course we had no way to reach him — only a name.

On arrival to Bagan, we began our quest to locate him. “Blacky?” we would ask, making the gesture of taking a photograph. Before long, the question was answered with “Muang Muang Ananda,” and by multiple people.

Eventually we realized that Blacky’s real name is Muang Muang, and that he would be found at Ananda Temple in Old Bagan — the grandest of the Bagan temples. We dropped off our backpacks, negotiated the rental of some bicycles, and made our way down the dusty roads from Nyaung U towards Old Bagan.

During the 30 minute bike ride down bumpy dirt roads, we passed numerous temples and pagodas large and small, all in varying condition. Elaborately written Burmese signs indicated the name and number of each temple (well over 2200 of them!), but two temples loomed above all others in the horizon.

We reach the entrance of the larger temple, park our bikes under what scant shade we are able to find, remove our shoes and socks and step barefoot onto the temple ground. To say this is a grand temple and a surreal experience is an understatement.

As we walk down the temple corridor, we’re approached by a lady. She has the traditional tanaka markings on her face and large eyes that gaze at us expectantly. “Can I help you?” she asks.

“Blacky Muang Muang?” Florian asks.

“Ah Muang Muang!” says the lady on immediate recognition. “Muang Muang not here.” she says. “Come with me, I call him.” And with that, she begins to leads us through the temple complex, making turns left and right.

Eventually down one corridor she gestures for us to wait, and she steps aside to make a phone call. “Muang Muang will be here in 20 minutes” she tells us. “Muang Muang helped me a lot and I would like to help his friends. Let me give you a tour of Ananda.” We’re appreciative and the tour starts.

At the end of the tour, we return to the first corridor, where, in the distance, I see a man walk down towards us in a measured pace. Wearing a white shirt and a longyi in purple plaid (a traditional pant-substitute), Muang Muang watches our approach and looks at us with a measured gaze as Florian introduces us, explains our mutual acquaintance (a National Geographic photographer), and that we were hoping we could travel and do photography together. Muang Muang takes a few moments to process this information.

“You see, I just had an operation in my eye.” He finally says. “Normally I can take you. Not this time. Maybe next time. I hope you enjoy Bagan.”

I have the sense he is unsure of us, having arrived unannounced.

“I can show you some places on a map,” Muang Muang offers. He pulls up a map and begins pointing. “Sunset. Sunrise. Sunrise. Good views.” He stops and looks back at us. The conversation is over.

I realize as we’re standing there that we’re actually in front of a temple shop. Behind Muang Muang are glorious photos of Bagan. “These are amazing!” I can’t help but exclaim. He looks at them, nods with a slight smile and says “Bagan.”

“Come back tomorrow.” He adds.

That night, Florian and I explore one of the recommended temples, and the next morning, we return.

Muang Muang is back at his stall and he greets us with a slight nod.

“Thanks for your recommendation,” I say enthusiastically. “We were caught in thunderstorm at the Shwezigon Pagoda but it was so much fun.” Spontaneously, I pull out my camera and show him the pictures taken from the night before.

He flips through the pictures, stopping at one of the evening pictures in a vivid blue colour and gestures us to sit down.

“What time did you take these pictures?” He asked.

Looking at the timestamp, I answer “7:22pm”

“This is the time you should go out to take pictures. Sky is very blue. But only a few minutes.”

These tips are golden! Sensing an opportunity, I boldly ask — “we’d love to have a guide. Can you recommend someone? I know you can’t do it this time, but if there’s anyone at all we’d be grateful.”

Muang Muang hands me back the camera and he sits down. For many wordless moments, he gazes out contemplatively, hand on his chin. Still without speaking, he now gestures for Florian’s camera and looks through his collection of photos. Again he sits gazing out without words.

“As I said, I had an operation in my eye,” he finally says. “Normally when people come to Bagan, they ask for me. There’s no one else I can recommend. Maybe I can take you around for just one day. Maybe tomorrow.” He adds.

I am beyond ecstatic. We thank him profusely and begin to make arrangements for a private car hire and to compensate him for his time. Our day is to begin at 5:00am to catch the sunrise and we’re to visit a few more remote villages and monasteries.

Before the sun is up, we’re already on our way. As the day unfolds, I learn more about Muang Muang. Back around 30 years ago, as Bagan was just starting to open up for local tourism, Muang Muang started by taking souvenir photos of local travellers in front of the temple. Back then, travel to Burma was heavily restricted and people could only come for 7 days at a time. Noticed by a Swiss photographer named Claude Schauli, Muang Muang was entrusted with photographic equipment for an expedition team that could not finish their shoot in 7 days. The photographer showed Muang Muang the ropes so that he could continue to gather photos for them until their next visit. The photographer left all their gear and essentially provided Muang Muang with all the tools he needed to take his photography to the next level.

As his photographic skills continued to improve, a series of instrumental mentors continued to hone and guide his technique to the point today where Muang Muang is widely recognized for his iconic photographs of the Bagan region and other parts of Burma. When I later had the opportunity to visit his home, the walls were adorned with numerous awards and prizes from various competitions. His work (uncredited) has been featured in some early Burma guidebooks, he was involved in the photography work for a Louis Vuitton ad, and he played a role with helping UNESCO and the archaeology department in documenting the temples and its artifacts in the region.

This morning we first stop at Salay, a few hours away from Bagan. We arrive at an old monastery, where we were greeted by an old monk and his proteges. We sat through a tea ceremony, and as we learned about the monastery school for orphans and poor children, decided to make a donation towards the education of the young monks. The old monk showed us the library of books that were all over 400 years old, gesturing that he had all of the tomes memorized in his head.

After the brief tour, we were allowed to wander the complex and photograph the monks as they went about their day. It was a splendid opportunity to watch everyone.

Outside, a crowd of curious children were gathering. I smiled and waved at them, and they smiled back. Later one of the children presented me with a garland of flowers and I reciprocated with a bag of chips. As we left the complex, I waved to them as they vigorously waved back.

We continued our journey to another town, and then another monastery, where yet another group of children gathered around in curiosity. Not surprisingly, we were caught in a rainstorm, so I passed time chatting with Muang Muang and letting the children make faces into my laptop photobooth application. Giggles and laughter pierced right through the patter of the rain as we waited for the storm to pass.

We eventually returned back to the Bagan region to visit some of Muang Muang’s favorite temples. “Look at this angle. Try this.” Muang Muang would instruct as he observed me taking photos. Sometimes he would grab my camera, fuss with the settings to show me different angles.

Before I knew it, the day was wrapping up. We thanked Muang Muang profusely for his time.

“Come back next time,” he says. “More notice, and we visit more places in Myanmar (Burma).”

Thinking of the rewarding day, I nod and wave goodnight.

The next day we’re back at the temple again where Muang Muang passes me a DVD. “Photos I took during the day.”

I thank him, and as I walk back down the temple corridor, my mind is already racing, vividly visualizing all the next places in Burma I still have yet to discover.

To book Muang Muang for a trip:

Typically Muang Muang asks for a 1 month lead time. He can take you on photographic trips all throughout Myanmar, but he specializes in Bagan. His day rate is $150 USD per day plus all travel expenses including food. That’s a fixed rate irrespective of the number of photographers in a group.

Since internet is highly unreliable, call Muang Muang to speak with him at 061 65183 / 09 502 2462

The best times to go:

Depends on what you’re looking for. If you want long shadows and more golden hour opportunities, the winter months from October to February are the best. For stormy weather and rainclouds, come in the summer months.

Not only trekking is a great way for getting some fresh air, it’s also a great human adventure as you get to know other people while crossing that “tahalaka” in the ricefield, or when climbing that hill and talking about the view (while trying to pretend that you’re not suffocating Hint: it’s a good idea to bring your camera as you can also stop and try to get a good shot when all you actually need is a rest. But this hint only applies if, and only if, you’ve got fellow trekkers who are willing to wait for you at the arrival.

Anyway, the purpose of this post is to let you know about another ballad opportunity: it’s not necessarily a trekking per se since you’ll only walk 1h30mn with lunch in between. This one is organized by the Analamanga Tourism office (ORTANA) as part of their effort to arrange monthly outing for locals to discover Antananarivo and its surroundings (and history).

From a photographic’s perspective, this is a very promising ballad as:

• you’ll start at 7AM:I know – leaving your warm bed at 6AM to go for a trekking ain’t necessarily the best way to start the day for some of us, but photographers also know that good shots are taken at sunrise – and the best thing is that we’re at winter season now in Madagasacr, though we have a great foggy sunrise – a perfect condition for great shots IMHO,
• then you’ll take a train ride from Soarano to Ambatolampy (60 km from Antananarivo)- going through small villages, old tunnels and ricefields – a promising landscape that will surely be “decorated” by the smiling kids longing the railways,
• once you arrive in Ambatolampy, you’ll visit the now famous aluminium pot-makers. I expect that it would be great to get photos of how those pots are made in a smokey environment somewhere in Ambatolampy
• you’ll then walk through Ambatolampy’s town (located at 1600m of altitude), then have a lunch at Rodeo Grill. A sakafo Gasy can be pre-ordered for 5 000 Ariary (USD2.5)
• then you’ll visit the botanical garden called “jardin de la nature”, before heading back to the railway station
• as the train is expected to leave Ambatolampy around 3:15PM, I expect you’ll still be in the train at sunset, though it can be a great photo opportunity for capturing Antananarivo’s town from a not-so-familiar angle

So if you’re interested, hurry up to book at ORTANA . This will happen on July 9th 2011.

Here are the contacts:

ORTANA

Bâtiment IFANOMEZANTSOA, Escalier Ranavalona, Antaninarenina,

Tél. : 22 27051 /034 20 270 51,

Email : info@ortana.mg

I’ve been told the train can only accomodate for 200 people (including ORTANA staff and tour guides): trust me, this will fill so quick you will have to wait for months before the same experience will be renewed again (frankly speaking: I haven’t heard yet of one ballad experience organized by the ORTANA that has already been renewed- they always propose a new trail/experience- I know it, a lot of people are still waiting for a second run for the “rafting the river”) . Now, if you aren’t into taking photos, at least you would have enjoyed the ride and meet new people.