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Poverty is so Charming

...especially poverty in developing nations.

Dad sent me this article on a new MTV show in which Drew Barrymore and Cameron Diaz jet around the world exclaiming about how fabulous the poorest countries are for not taking advantage of the environment. They even ride in SUVs. Oh, the hypocrisy.

It reminds me of the trip my whole family took to the remote Tibetan Autonomous Region of Yunnan, China in 2000 (see photo). We were delighted to hike an entire day into the mystical, unspoiled Himalayan mountain village of Yubeng, where there was almost no electricity, no toilets, not a road or a motorized vehicle. We all found it so charming.

Yet when we asked the locals that night what they'd most like - The Nature Conservancy was working in the region to create ecologically sound ovens that operated off of human and animal waste so that people didn't have to burn wood all day every day to stay warm - they said, "A road." And the water wheel that generated enough juice to operate one machine? It was used to power a TV.

Read "Celebs Ignore Death, Poverty on MTV enviro Series." I don't agree with his exclusive measurement of quality of life in terms of infant mortality and life expectancy rates, but the man has a point...

Crow Cullers

No picture can capture the experience I had yesterday walking through downtown Singapore. I was startled by the unmistakable sound of gunfire, but I quickly dismissed it as a popped tyre or some other fluke. But then I distinctly heard a shot again. I looked towards the source of the sound and saw two men dressed in uniform. From no more than 10 feet away from where I and many others walked by, they aimed their shotguns into the trees overhead and -- with no barriers or warning signs posted -- fired away. Suddenly, a black football-sized object fell from the sky, and the men walked towards it. Upon closer inspection, I saw that their shirts were labelled: the "Crow Cullers" of Singapore.

Back to Civilization

The last week spent in Cambodia was wonderful. After so much time on our own, it was comforting to once again be surrounded by friends and family. At various points during the week, we were traveling in a posse of as many as 12 at a time. NOTE: that's 12 funny, loud, type-A people at a time. Subtle we were not. The phrase "herding cats" crossed our lips on more than one occasion. And yet we all got along swimmingly.

It should be noted that of all the places in the world we've been, Cambodia has the worst access to phones and internet. Our apologies for leaving you all high and dry for the past few days, but with Christmas and New Years, I'm sure you all kept busy. There is so much to write, but precious little time now in which to do it. We'll post some great photo albums and more stories as we get back to our laptops and catch up over the coming week.

FYI, we're now back in Bangkok, stopping through on the way to Singapore. And then home--whatever that means. Our plans are set, our flights purchased. We head back to the States on the 12th of January--less than two weeks from now. From there, there's still loads of Bomadding to do and people to see. So warm up your sofas and break out your wine. The Foxes are coming to visit!

Love from Asia,

Dale and MeiMei

Things to do in Goa

Goa is famous for its raging all-night psytrance music-fueled dance party scene. This is still going on, though not as strong as it was a decade ago. The free outdoor parties hosted by the likes of Goa Gil have been shut down by a government that's made clear its interest in attracting a more upscale brand of tourist than the hippie backpacker crowd.

But don't worry. There's still lots to do in the Anjuna area, even if you're not into pounding techno music and flourescent blacklight colors. Here are just a few examples:

1) Sip a $1 beer at a cliffside cafe surrounded by palm trees, like the Nine Bar in nearby Vagator, and watch a perfect sunset over the sea.

2) Chill out at The Jam Connection, a garden cafe with a fantastic treehouse and colorful tapestries hanging overhead, while you feast on organic salads and homemade ice cream.

3) Rent a moped and cruise over to one of the 24 gorgeous white sand beaches in the region, where you can spend the day sunbathing, swimming in the warm ocean, and snacking on fresh fruit.

4) Visit the Wednesday flea market where, for $100, you can stock up on enough Burning Man costumes and accesories, Indian tapestries and linen clothing, and Ganesh/Om/Shiva stickers/t-shirts/bags to last a lifetime.

5) Make friends with your neighbors at your beachfront (read: sand out your doorstep) hostel, who are just as likely to be Indian domestic tourists as they are Israelis, Northern Europeans or Aussies staying in Goa for the whole winter season.

6) Enjoy an Aryuvedic vomitory purge, colon cleansing, or saltwater nasal flush -- if that's your idea of how to 'relax.' For the rest of us, there's plenty of massage and yoga around town.

7) Just sit and watch the cows go by...

A Whole New World

We have traveled from places where piles of feces pave the streets and you encounter more suffering than you could ever imagine, to the home of what is considered by many to be the finest building on earth -- the Taj Mahal. And wow, is Agra a completely different experience from the India we have seen to date.

Happy Thanksgiving...from Calcutta

I know. My greetings are a bit late. The Thanksgiving holidays are in fact just past us. Most of you are back at work after a long weekend of belly-stuffing with delicious turkey leftovers. I wish I could be there to join you. But instead, I find myself in Calcutta.

Yes, Calcutta. The very last place on Earth you associate with gluttony and happiness. But this 'City of Joy' has proven quite a surprise, in both its highs and its lows.

Our first three days in India were marked by the folowing "memorable moments:"

1. While walking down the sidewalk, I was temporarily impeded by a naked boy of about 3 who, without notice, squatted and took a dump right there in the middle of my path. The icing on the cake was when he then wiped his ass with his hand, inspected it, and smeared the residuals in the dirt before walking on. All this as if it were as normal as could be. And it is - for Calcutta.

2. As honored guests of Ruby and Manu, upper-crust residents of Calcutta and friends of Carol Fox (thank you, Carol!), we found ourselves one evening standing at the VIP gate of the Calcutta sporting arena, preparing to watch the (in-)famous Russian "Circus on Ice." Yes, Icecapades. A rink full of cold, frozen ice filled with glitter-clad skating cowboys. In Calcutta.

3. The most abject and horrific views of the human condition were on display around Kalighat, or the Temple of Kali. Appropriately, Kali is a goddess of destruction. And in the wake of her temple, human beings are living like animals. They pile up in shacks and sleep in pools of fetid water. The air is suffused with an indescribable stench, exascerbated by the spilt blood and decaying remains of the live goats that are sacrificed at the altar every morning. Oh, I almost forgot--we had to enter this cesspool without any shoes, walking barefoot through puddles of blood, dirty water and human waste. After which we went home and furiously scrubbed the outer layer of skin off our feet.

Well, this is getting long and I should wrap up. But there is so much more to tell. Our journey to the worst slums in all Calcutta, the cheapest lunch of our lives, the best Chai in the world, and a special little girl we met at a home for street kids.

All in, as United Airlines would say, "Three Perfect Days."

Christmas Decor--Singapore Style

'cause we all know that nothin says Christmas quite like a life-sized pixie on a giant spotted mushroom...

Advanced Hula Hooping

I was just walkin' down the street, mindin' my own businesss, when this scene caught my eye.

(Click the picture to open a Video Clip in a new window)

Note that this skinny little geezer is swinging a good 40-50lbs of wood beads...and doin it from his neck.

Too Much Travel

A lot of my friends have been asking me lately, "Why are you guys hanging out in Singapore for 2 whole months?" Well, it's partly because we've both got work to do, and this is a great place to get work done. It's partly because Jeanne's here (friends!), and her yoga studio, and we've got a sweet apartment, and we're enjoying modern city living. But it's also because we've come to the conclusion that you can only be a "tourist" for so long. After about 3 months of travel, in my opinion, your eyes start to glaze over and you think, "Another Madonna and child/fountain/temple/Buddha/beautiful beach?" And then you start looking for the nearest Hard Rock Cafe where you can get a big glass full of ice with your Pepsi.

So in essence, here in Singapore we're still being bomads. But we're taking a break from the whole tourism thing. Because at some point on these year-long type journeys, you need to hunker down and become a "resident."

And then Joanna dug up a fantastic article from the New York Times on exactly this topic (only discussed with far greater eloquence and aplomb): The Goldilocks Travel Plan. Read it here.

Another Reason to Love France

It has been proven definitively (by that oh-so-reliable source, the web survey):

France IS the world's sexiest nation!

Click here to read more

Thanks to Doc Berry for contributing this ammunition to our ongoing battle of France vs. The World.