Dancing with Chopsticks

By Aloha Williams

You probably know of Angkor Wat, but have you ever heard of Nan Madol?
Ever crashed a Laotian wedding on the Mekong River?
How do the Cu Cui tunnels in Vietnam compare with those in Cappadocia Turkey?
Is halo-halo the latest dance craze?
Does it ever rain alligators and sharks?
Why does the barren Everest Base Camp hold such intrigue?
What country has eight of the world’s tallest mountains and yet grows bananas?

Dancing with Chopsticks is a personal view of the places and people found in Asia and the Pacific. Th e stand-alone chapters include Australia, Th ailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, Philippines, Western China, Tibet, Nepal, Micronesia, Turkey, and Singapore.

So may you pirouette, leap, and dance your way through Asia and the Pacific!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: May 10, 2017
• ISBN: 9781524585099

Aloha Williams

Aloha Williams has nearly reached the magical number of 100 countries visited. A native of Lahaina, Maui, Hawaii, she’s lived in every region of the United States as well as Central America and Europe. As a professional educator, she loves teaching all ages. She especially loves satisfying her inordinate curiosity about the world and its people. She always knows what day of the week it is. Just don’t ask her the date. She claims she speaks only English, but can shop in Spanish, German, French, and Japanese.

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Copyright © 2017 by Aloha Williams.

ISBN:      Softcover          978-1-5245-8508-2

                eBook              978-1-5245-8509-9

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

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Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

All proceeds will be donated to the Hurst Foundation.

Rev. date: 05/09/2017

Books may be ordered through booksellers or by contacts

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Contents

INTRODUCTION

AUSTRALIA 2008

THAILAND 2009

LAOS 2009

VIETNAM 2009

CAMBODIA 2009

THE PHILIPPINES 2009

OLD SILK ROAD 2009

TIBET 2009

NEPAL 2009

FEDERATED STATES OF MICRONESIA 2016

UP, UP AND AWAY IN TURKEY 2016

SINGAPORE 2016

BUCKET LIST & SUCH

PACKING LIST

For Scott

INTRODUCTION

Each time I write, and rewrite a travel, I relive my wonderful adventures again. Owing to the fleeting state of our memories, it is good to recall details, places, and occasional smells and sounds. As we age, objects fade into oblivion, and memories and relationships take the forefront of what we cherish.

This volume is not a novel to be read from cover to cover. Rather it is to be randomly thumbed through depending on where in Asia or the Pacific you wish to transport yourself. Some of the longer trips I chose to break into individual countries. Everything is a personal view of the places and people met in Asia and the Pacific. Australia, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, the Philippines, Western China, Tibet, Nepal, Micronesia, Turkey, and Singapore are stand-alone chapters! You’ll see that spurts, stops, and mad dashes appear to be how I travel, either intensively or not at all.

As my bucket list dwindles, it actually become more difficult to find a trip that doesn’t duplicate what I have already seen. Granted, a small problem, but one that makes me more selective. When you want to see everything, the whole world is open to you. Once you’ve seen a large portion, you must be more choosey.

You probably know of Angkor Wat, but have you ever heard of Nan Madol? Ever crashed a Laotian wedding on the Mekong River? How do the Cu Cui Tunnels in Vietnam compare with those in Cappadocia Turkey? Is Halo Halo the latest dance craze? Why does barren Everest Base Camp hold such intrigue? What country has eight of the world’s tallest mountains, and yet grows bananas?

Dancing with Chopsticks derives its name from using two sticks to eat in parts of the Pacific as well as Asia. If you were ever stranded, you could simply take two twigs to eat and cook. Have you ever noticed most chopsticks are blunt on both ends making your eating task difficult if you can’t pick the food up? Japanese chopsticks are the utensils of preference, as they are tapered at one end, making unreachable morsels easier to stab.

So may you pirouette, leap, and dance your way through Asia and the Pacific! May each tasty morsel of adventure leave a pleasant memory on your taste buds!

Aloha

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AUSTRALIA 2008

Travel light. Travel far.

Travel with an open mind and heart.

Aloha

DESTINATION SOUTH

The guardrail. The rain slick curve was too much for my car. At four in the morning there was no traffic, so I stopped and investigated the damage—a severely crumpled fender. A few curse words soared into the sky. As I climbed back into the car, I resolved that if the car would run, I would get to the airport, park it, and take off on my trip, worrying about the repairs after the trip.

Thankfully the car started and made a cyclical noise, and I managed to park at the airport. Yeah, I was off on an adventure, this time to Australia. For over a year I had been monitoring the monthly military flights to Down Under. With Steve on deployment I knew this was the time to launch off on a solo trip.

We had just visited Australia and New Zealand with an organized tour eight months earlier. We did Sydney with its iconic opera house, saw live koala bears, Chinatown, a bay tour, the natural history museum, Bondee Beach, Melbourne, and the Great Barrier Reef.

New Zealand included a stop at Dunedin, an albatross colony where some birds never touch land sleeping on the water’s surface, and Auckland the capital city. Milford Sound was relaxing. Did you know if you are 65 or older you can bungee jump for free? Only the Kiwis would think of such a dangerous sport. I got a special charge seeing neatly fenced pastures, hemming in cows in one field, sheep in another, and reindeer side by side. The tour threw in a few nights in Fiji, where I witnessed the clashing of cultures between the laid back Fijians and the tightly wound Eastern Indians.

During my trip, the tune of Waltzing Matilda swirled around in my brain. It is the unofficial anthem of Australia. To cinch it even further, Banjo Paterson, the composer, was honored on the Australia ten-dollar bill. I was told that the words of the song were engraved in miniscule lettering on the money.

THE MILITARY WAY

Traveling in a military transport is not luxury comfort. One must wear earplugs to stop the noise of the engines. Sometimes you sit in a sling seat along the bare plane walls. Other times there are regular plane seats. There is no movie unless you bring your own. No stewardess waits on you. But the beauty is that you have lots of room to move around. You aren’t cramped into a tiny seat. One time I stretched out on a cargo box, and slept most of the way. And depending on the person in charge, there are plenty of snacks you can eat. Even though the flight hours are the same, the trip doesn’t seem as excruciating.

My destination was Sydney, transferring onto Alice Springs in the interior. We landed at Richmond Air Field, near Sydney. I was told that there was some minor problem, so the plane was grounded for a day. I am not sure why, but I had a sneaking suspicion that the crew wanted a day of sightseeing in Sydney.

Because we were outside of Sydney, I could not hail a taxi. I shrugged my shoulders, and began the several mile walk to the bed and breakfast the ticket agent had arranged for me. However, luggage wheels do not work on grass or mud, so I hoisted my bag and struggled at least a mile before I hit pavement.

John, owner of the bed and breakfast, was a lovely host who confessed they were ready to sell the house and move on. The second story room was lovely with one problem, cats. When I am around cats I sneeze continuously. I was totally unhinged to think of sleeping the entire night wheezing away. Fortunately I packed a facemask in my toiletries, which solved the problem.

The next day our plane was ready to hop to Alice Springs. Unbelievably, I was the only passenger on board. The crew being reservists were much more relaxed, and invited me into the cockpit. I first saw the fabled red rock, Uluru or Ayers Rock, from the air.

We landed in Alice Springs, touted as the closest town to Uluru. It was five hours away by car, approximately 280 miles! This is one time that my research failed me, not realizing the distances. I later learned that there is an airstrip that lands directly at Uluru. But Alice Springs was a good place to wait out a day before exploring the heartland.

ALICE SPRINGS TO ULURU

My hostel was adequate sleeping six of us in a room, with warm running water, but I swear it was located the furthest from downtown.

I tried exploring every corner of Alice Springs. In my wanderings I came upon a second hand store where I was able to purchase a sleeping bag far cheaper than the rental fee at the hostel. I lugged it around while I poked my head into the flying doctors museum. I am not particularly fond of steps, but managed to climb to the highest point in Alice Springs where the Anzac Monument was located.

Anzac honors all those who died in war. It was first begun to honor the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC) who fought at Gallipoli near Istanbul, against the Ottoman Empire during World War I.

My entire purpose of coming to central Australia was to see Uluru Rock. At the unbelievable hour of four, I managed to wake up to my shake alarm, shower, and meet my paid vendor. Steve was our bus driver, guide and cook. He certainly earned every penny as he hustled from sunup to sundown. He stood about 5'8' his sandy blonde hair brushed onto his face unless he was wearing his cowboy hat. He had a cute Australian accent. I laugh when the tables are turned. My son and his cousin went to Australia, and the girls loved their American accents.

I sat in the front seat by the driver, and swore that the road was a study in one point perspective. As far as you could see, the highway was an endless straight line. The red hills and cliffs reminded me of Southern Utah, but with a greater sense of age, looking more eroded and flatter. I laughed at the road signs reminding drivers that Australians drive on the left side, British style. Apparently North Americans forget, and drive on the right side causing some scary moments.

Camels were used for transport before roads were built. When the Old Ghan Railway, a train between Alice Springs and Darwin was completed, and motorized travel began, camels became obsolete. The animals were set wild. It is estimated that there are 50,000 camels running unfenced in Australia.

I wondered how they competed with kangaroos for the little vegetation that grew. Every so often there was a kangaroo carcass rotting beside the road. The animals like the green grass that grows from the accumulated water on the asphalt, and get hit by cars at night.

At a rest stop for gasoline, I marveled at the nothingness for miles. The service station was modern and clean. I gave lots of credit to anyone who could live in such a remote location. Then again, some hermits would revel in the quiet.

The ride might have been a good time to learn to play the didgeridoo instrument. This is a long stick, some hollowed by fire and some by ants that creates the sound of a kangaroo jumping with seemingly different layers of tones coming out of one long tube. It is difficult to play, controlling your breathing. I debated my entire trip about purchasing a colorfully painted didgeridoo souvenir. I finally decided that out of the Australian ambience that it would not be appreciated nor ever played, a decision I was glad I made.

ULURU, NORTHERN TERRITORY

The native Anangu call this red outcrop, Uluru. The British called it Ayers Rock. Whatever name, it has come to symbolize a sacred rock. The Aborigines detest anyone hiking the top, because of its great spiritual significance, even though there are flimsy handholds. There were strong wind warnings not to climb the day we arrived. However, we watched a couple descend, he bracing himself, and she sliding on her rear end. Apparently the descent is much steeper than it appears from the ground.

A paved footpath circles the entire rock so it is quite accessible for all people. There were cave like indentations decorated with some petroglyphs at the base, evidence of human inhabitation. At one end was a pool of water, which seemed so incongruous in this parched land.

The strata of Uluru is made of sandstone laid down and then turned on its side, so that the lines ran up and over like a six layer cake cut and laid on its side. Our guide warned us about taking any rocks from the formation, since there is a curse. Many who have taken rocks have tried to mail them back to remove the perceived jinx.

It took under two hours to walk the perimeter, soaking up as much of the atmosphere as possible. On the shadier side, tall trees grew, remarkable in this barren land. Perhaps I was seeking some mystical, magical outpouring of feeling. As much as I was prepared to feel the spiritual power of the place, I left as I had come. I was somewhat disappointed, as I have walked places in the world