tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-48567659248769844152024-03-22T00:02:27.222+02:00the Kati - back on the roadThis travelog is a postcard to a friend from all corners of the world. The blog started in 2008 on a trip to Syria, Turkey and Jordan. Now the blog covers 20 countries on many continents.
I am an artist and traveller with an unsatiable curiosity about the culture, cultures, design, artifacts and customs of the world. Also a love of nature in all its glory.
This has driven me to more than 65 countries so far – with a whole lot more of the world still waiting to be explored. Join me on the road!Kati Åberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04729186654384794395noreply@blogger.comBlogger194125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4856765924876984415.post-39961983757858971862024-01-30T16:22:00.004+02:002024-01-30T16:49:31.489+02:00Paint the Town Red<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb8hSqp_UpVvfqszR9pH9nlPfYwUXKPP3jikWFgPtkUMbPUpMYPUkmQxLzMHf6li2mcVHe9Kec62-uf6hlecG74HR7mkH1Js230bsCW0bfQzGAY4kp63w3CJ1zdD6xX2xoip0cUiO9nMBLTle_Dr6J8ubU7wJ5pLH-4qKuWQJ6IOvJhQNALD5B4fONDBA/s1565/4188D775-678A-466C-8C61-10CDBB8B70BE.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1565" data-original-width="1046" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb8hSqp_UpVvfqszR9pH9nlPfYwUXKPP3jikWFgPtkUMbPUpMYPUkmQxLzMHf6li2mcVHe9Kec62-uf6hlecG74HR7mkH1Js230bsCW0bfQzGAY4kp63w3CJ1zdD6xX2xoip0cUiO9nMBLTle_Dr6J8ubU7wJ5pLH-4qKuWQJ6IOvJhQNALD5B4fONDBA/w268-h400/4188D775-678A-466C-8C61-10CDBB8B70BE.jpeg" width="268" /></a></div><p></p><p><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SFUIText";">All good things must come to an end. And so I am enjoying my last night in Bangkok, before boarding a flight to climates less pleasant tomorrow. The trip to Bangkok from Four Thousand Islands in Laos was long, uneventful and hard on the back side, but I got here.</span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfjjjNZqJoU4lqqvVxCDz98c_9o4CMq50oJpatnBjTjzBvf399xc3bKyn1wlun7XLc-A0dXEV7Cv7KwGrgZscXRjAfHj615pJNAoGKAOjGT_Yt8ko3gyjmx2uyCnL7Ir3h2xE8wiIPWiuxbwLS002v3mxlYucKHU91UQ1GczEpqT3rF0u4xxuRzSIECho/s4032/823A8572-D409-4B15-B845-0371B87F96C6.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfjjjNZqJoU4lqqvVxCDz98c_9o4CMq50oJpatnBjTjzBvf399xc3bKyn1wlun7XLc-A0dXEV7Cv7KwGrgZscXRjAfHj615pJNAoGKAOjGT_Yt8ko3gyjmx2uyCnL7Ir3h2xE8wiIPWiuxbwLS002v3mxlYucKHU91UQ1GczEpqT3rF0u4xxuRzSIECho/w300-h400/823A8572-D409-4B15-B845-0371B87F96C6.jpeg" width="300" /></a></div><p></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";">And so now it’s time to wrap up this trip. It’s been a while since I last travelled in South-East Asia. Things haven’t really changed that much now that the effects of Covid aren’t visible any more.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGPcvER4w1PaukRdC7p7C7aTC92nuzjMY2Cq7r8Vrq086QuhyphenhyphenSGS8dyQEnGITBQpyvQIQADMl3-LxSSrepZw7sba-fEJWNUdeBbk9qYVEvFBE5JH3OalJ-R3LAgrzGR2OWrVIAFU5yCtU8-bOCX-ef9hWaIIC9eqL2x_5nVhsF-kLqCUYV3AkfQqnM1Gk/s4032/09744293-D5ED-478D-8D46-9047D2DCB2A6.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGPcvER4w1PaukRdC7p7C7aTC92nuzjMY2Cq7r8Vrq086QuhyphenhyphenSGS8dyQEnGITBQpyvQIQADMl3-LxSSrepZw7sba-fEJWNUdeBbk9qYVEvFBE5JH3OalJ-R3LAgrzGR2OWrVIAFU5yCtU8-bOCX-ef9hWaIIC9eqL2x_5nVhsF-kLqCUYV3AkfQqnM1Gk/w300-h400/09744293-D5ED-478D-8D46-9047D2DCB2A6.jpeg" width="300" /></a></div><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";">What I’ve posted gives a <span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>mere glimpse of all that I have seen and done. Things go off on interesting tangents all the time. For example, this morning I went into a cafe that turned out to be a fan space for K-pop and other Asian teenage stars. There was a private space upstairs, where fan clubs could hold birthday parties for their idol. And if that idol was Thai, then they would more than likely drop by to say hello to their fans. Apparently these two very K-poppy young gentlemen are among the hugest idols in Thailand at the moment. </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYRYE8baV-sTEFJriGQ9CrPePsrKyDpJ9pommEAxvH3Ic0BWPDyAtKoRkBhuAefjUIG4NGlV8esSNsdxbNpcXwaLzPRb4K2nskCPYTgiNwbkiDvAbpiuPin22l1azCimm7aZXX_Bh6oTfAQRDZBDkzZHN35tOFncQEmUzjU6Zhq-9xBjFQNiJKibUJ1yQ/s4032/A614C4ED-C436-4040-B7B9-BCF40E28DEC3.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYRYE8baV-sTEFJriGQ9CrPePsrKyDpJ9pommEAxvH3Ic0BWPDyAtKoRkBhuAefjUIG4NGlV8esSNsdxbNpcXwaLzPRb4K2nskCPYTgiNwbkiDvAbpiuPin22l1azCimm7aZXX_Bh6oTfAQRDZBDkzZHN35tOFncQEmUzjU6Zhq-9xBjFQNiJKibUJ1yQ/w300-h400/A614C4ED-C436-4040-B7B9-BCF40E28DEC3.jpeg" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieiuhIrIGR7ePap7hys7UT81VUXUZPbE2K6dw6QEsQJvSC_f5J02VFIpO_RgZC8_OxdRtheO_AN7n2VBN_ax1J8z-EHHsM6U4ErxuYqqBO_rGvkViNvsHtt9o1h611RLUayB47cGpZ9ldeDu8Amt7b8dw70LFWvL3-PyktxzPaL5ePU9N8VPseyhH7SwE/s4032/728196A2-8D2F-41D0-B923-F00688485FB4.jpeg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br /></a></div><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyK7HGlBDTa6kNhZEsUuCZYWPCka5uOw7LWVRNztbTPrX4QanoA6tNV5yQVE8Y_yyAYjLAlcxn9w-HB_AKPujk7zEnfiJbFDirKJQDWyXnROoHhCXJ6ZtXw1P2MPlfGQNmLzekUNWWZwkyJAA9iQqvY2gLqBfecJYzzypexR2t5I8_Qw7IaEM4_SXso40/s4032/8482486C-3814-4205-92AE-3CED65246DAD.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyK7HGlBDTa6kNhZEsUuCZYWPCka5uOw7LWVRNztbTPrX4QanoA6tNV5yQVE8Y_yyAYjLAlcxn9w-HB_AKPujk7zEnfiJbFDirKJQDWyXnROoHhCXJ6ZtXw1P2MPlfGQNmLzekUNWWZwkyJAA9iQqvY2gLqBfecJYzzypexR2t5I8_Qw7IaEM4_SXso40/w300-h400/8482486C-3814-4205-92AE-3CED65246DAD.jpeg" width="300" /></a></div><p></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";">Once they were pointed out to me, I started seeing their faces everywhere - even on the Bangkok Sky Train - a wonderful way of getting round town without being stuck in traffic.</span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuSg-u8enrvgGTCxszq36P28RFVkRN6aQqMR25EHwQhK5JUIYrYcKz5rEvjKXXLg5RwGXpJWwIa7Xscu4lxmGtvYfveF6F0JfETmiwSQQGGsSi5ytgQpgHVpJ4AzozO6Dvt_UeKsyFSpoZ6a_utyOwuraCTaDhKXF0cOjNThPCtt8sQKiqi4rMnPlmDR8/s4032/73769B5E-6325-4528-9457-282A79B60ACE.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuSg-u8enrvgGTCxszq36P28RFVkRN6aQqMR25EHwQhK5JUIYrYcKz5rEvjKXXLg5RwGXpJWwIa7Xscu4lxmGtvYfveF6F0JfETmiwSQQGGsSi5ytgQpgHVpJ4AzozO6Dvt_UeKsyFSpoZ6a_utyOwuraCTaDhKXF0cOjNThPCtt8sQKiqi4rMnPlmDR8/w400-h300/73769B5E-6325-4528-9457-282A79B60ACE.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCBX8rTPjuem7cd3BeXevvtQcZhHRu96xCvBfNUb-4GTC3U9hoKrCQ-jrpomGSmINLqYVFFZOvX08qidsZx3LL18h33agWXMtaGIOsz4l5x2DyRNoZ_mNZEYjAfJdMAJmcA0JsKngeefcgyRAjhsehWYQwhnhl5VmzE6t5e-hNAQ8qsU0ZEmHOPKDQidk/s4032/A295B019-E263-407E-AF52-10E546830236.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCBX8rTPjuem7cd3BeXevvtQcZhHRu96xCvBfNUb-4GTC3U9hoKrCQ-jrpomGSmINLqYVFFZOvX08qidsZx3LL18h33agWXMtaGIOsz4l5x2DyRNoZ_mNZEYjAfJdMAJmcA0JsKngeefcgyRAjhsehWYQwhnhl5VmzE6t5e-hNAQ8qsU0ZEmHOPKDQidk/w400-h300/A295B019-E263-407E-AF52-10E546830236.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhec7SEHxxW2gIXmN8YLTLmMF1lTDk00ikwa66vpwWuK6603GfrSyEYtvKzFK9UiPhtZwYknQkQqNn8GHJ6c0txTpUHCiV0nUCyn50tixbp81BXWDvcnAn4wHKEhu9LjWpvHr40QfrwHrV24pzb5SKG5j0q4iJp3cE5KXIV0BZTtietj0GGwK81kU8ogT4/s4032/BEA62048-D307-4B44-97E4-53DA52FFCAEF.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhec7SEHxxW2gIXmN8YLTLmMF1lTDk00ikwa66vpwWuK6603GfrSyEYtvKzFK9UiPhtZwYknQkQqNn8GHJ6c0txTpUHCiV0nUCyn50tixbp81BXWDvcnAn4wHKEhu9LjWpvHr40QfrwHrV24pzb5SKG5j0q4iJp3cE5KXIV0BZTtietj0GGwK81kU8ogT4/w300-h400/BEA62048-D307-4B44-97E4-53DA52FFCAEF.jpeg" width="300" /></a><br /><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";">Bangkok is a huge hub for business in Asia. Countless companies have offices here - and anything you might want to buy you are sure to find. Today I took a walk around two of the local shopping malls - one upmarket with its Armanis and Guccis, and another more down to earth with knock-off designer wear and room to bargain. These malls are monstrously huge - and have just started bringing out the Chinese New Year’s decorations - year of the dragon.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmjXvDOSMwY4drsQcV1eGGiLc-KRAy1NGj4LC7oonOTRbZIIOVggDHP69lyAWKWGoc7dNsA3xxRybT2tneuj5ce3po3RIX4tV4dxxfI7pOskKDhRW7jqtKHiLt3XROul4NwSwFb8MARxRkKAgQNV2Q6qNgaMlypxiKx2OeN-MbbkdSM1qNxdLozfO9A5Q/s4032/38B3C796-D3F1-4BB0-ACBA-DBB1A011BEEA.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmjXvDOSMwY4drsQcV1eGGiLc-KRAy1NGj4LC7oonOTRbZIIOVggDHP69lyAWKWGoc7dNsA3xxRybT2tneuj5ce3po3RIX4tV4dxxfI7pOskKDhRW7jqtKHiLt3XROul4NwSwFb8MARxRkKAgQNV2Q6qNgaMlypxiKx2OeN-MbbkdSM1qNxdLozfO9A5Q/w300-h400/38B3C796-D3F1-4BB0-ACBA-DBB1A011BEEA.jpeg" width="300" /></a></div><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";">I grew weary or walking and trying to avoid enthusiastic sales personnel and slightly claustrophobic just trying to walk through these monster malls - and these were just two of the dozens around town. The second mall had 8 floor full of ... stuff. I gave up after two and escaped to pack my meagre belongings in preparation for my departure tomorrow.</span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 20.3px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";"></span><br /></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";">The things I will leave behind and miss are, apart from a decent climate, smiling people and beautiful nature: Sounds, Tastes and Colours.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibxm0Mycht3Jum1kyxNAPHm8R8jWVceBva0fl974Ww0w-4UcycMXOPxJwKNzna4J75aswhlccaf_P1Z5Np2ZX3OrpNg189vNSkfrnXMplSFLFG0J0ITIYHwVS9Crb63_LY5PpJhrVKGo9RT2dKZUM9HsTE9zFh-HLqstnju_YCUn_5T_fu6wUIOwxvZmQ/s1616/E30D2937-0AAE-4FB8-BB8B-B206A9D34A79.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1616" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibxm0Mycht3Jum1kyxNAPHm8R8jWVceBva0fl974Ww0w-4UcycMXOPxJwKNzna4J75aswhlccaf_P1Z5Np2ZX3OrpNg189vNSkfrnXMplSFLFG0J0ITIYHwVS9Crb63_LY5PpJhrVKGo9RT2dKZUM9HsTE9zFh-HLqstnju_YCUn_5T_fu6wUIOwxvZmQ/w400-h268/E30D2937-0AAE-4FB8-BB8B-B206A9D34A79.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";">Sounds, since nature is predominently quiet in the heart of winter. There are no leaves to rustle in the wind, and the few hardy birds that decide to spend winter in Finland, are not exactly very vocal during the coldest months. </span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: ".SFUIText";">I wish I could add the sound file with the evening song of frogs recorded from the outdoor restaurant of my guesthouse in Don Khone, Laos! Instead you’ll have to make do with</span><span style="font-family: ".SFUIText";"> a picture of the full moon reflected on the still waters of the Mekong, which is what I was looking at as I listened to the frogs.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja5tO6h0GJPMYU5QHmglfoo-WpVgbcAhfRk5vrPBmJKyYlbQ8MT2HXnh0U6ayQDtkNA3vO2Tyr2MOeI0wZ6Rk5Avk42UUC9nFpTNdEweMCAzYc-GB7heLstVBkhcixaolCYfkHXt3ps6vqceEiGNPh1aMBW2KqdGiY7_BXpsMOYzXTqPbSFH0tFIxvTvs/s1616/513E5181-F052-46AD-863F-C8951744E8A4.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1616" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja5tO6h0GJPMYU5QHmglfoo-WpVgbcAhfRk5vrPBmJKyYlbQ8MT2HXnh0U6ayQDtkNA3vO2Tyr2MOeI0wZ6Rk5Avk42UUC9nFpTNdEweMCAzYc-GB7heLstVBkhcixaolCYfkHXt3ps6vqceEiGNPh1aMBW2KqdGiY7_BXpsMOYzXTqPbSFH0tFIxvTvs/w400-h268/513E5181-F052-46AD-863F-C8951744E8A4.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";">Tastes, since fruit, fruit, glorious tropical fruit just doesn’t tastes as sweet back home. Imported too raw, tropical fruit will do its best to mature, but a mango bought back home is likely to rot before it ripens. A special shout out to all those glorious fruit smoothies - I’m particularly partial to watermelon, passion fruit and mango smoothies. Be still my beating heart!</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6MX_I-IQw-TL7hN02G_N8h0Ub1wX-AE1aoUCtved8G7XkzjUIvyxNJls0BNhX6YGwsTxB-UK4QmX1cu2CnRnczpZ670IRegChRdYSb0aYAlmGQ0dGdFBETHD6oR7LcbNUYqrCSArbKyPRt8roWnDDlFckkexcYvQz1_4MlhVsA1WtolR4BrK-INNie3U/s4032/0140652A-A134-4339-AE2B-3DCBC64B44AF.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6MX_I-IQw-TL7hN02G_N8h0Ub1wX-AE1aoUCtved8G7XkzjUIvyxNJls0BNhX6YGwsTxB-UK4QmX1cu2CnRnczpZ670IRegChRdYSb0aYAlmGQ0dGdFBETHD6oR7LcbNUYqrCSArbKyPRt8roWnDDlFckkexcYvQz1_4MlhVsA1WtolR4BrK-INNie3U/w300-h400/0140652A-A134-4339-AE2B-3DCBC64B44AF.jpeg" width="300" /></a></div><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";">Colours, since Finland in winter is, alas, monochrome. Even people’s winter coats tend to be black - safest not to brighten things up too much after all. Here not only nature but buildings, decorations and everyday objects are proudly and loudly saturated in colour.</span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic40xaNDQlmJCqGVnUJiVOBYz3Aioi0Poy70mXvnRqPdrFZaf7PxPtuGYpNHsIy1at9ieipO-W7W-Gf-F-qAdcyT4XV0ev5vxO-mK5-lM4YTpxtxkV_AczAD_onyohxSp-sRS0W_tQnovcRJOgyZhFrcFxyu8nXf7lTI2fbhKP_Fnmy7fNxkq7pAbyp8k/s1616/DFACC24E-B042-483D-A75F-08DBFFFDA4C4.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1616" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic40xaNDQlmJCqGVnUJiVOBYz3Aioi0Poy70mXvnRqPdrFZaf7PxPtuGYpNHsIy1at9ieipO-W7W-Gf-F-qAdcyT4XV0ev5vxO-mK5-lM4YTpxtxkV_AczAD_onyohxSp-sRS0W_tQnovcRJOgyZhFrcFxyu8nXf7lTI2fbhKP_Fnmy7fNxkq7pAbyp8k/w268-h400/DFACC24E-B042-483D-A75F-08DBFFFDA4C4.jpeg" width="268" /></a></div><p></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";">They certainly know how to paint the town red! One more thing to miss.</span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-qm282nsqdkAbaE6aPmj9ItOaInA8g8kgrY4vnuc8es1YlHJWauiGJitCeMpP3PORV3ucmGKiwowe4sVKwQn53HUZeokX83gZT9Ch9EMyrGPHok1AtllDDIW8Qi7NMAP2d7SCmCKiKrg1OUGMcXfVs3fMWAQ-zl9jergvsyHDiOJ0c6QVYGtZMetJY2o/s4032/A3770154-985D-4BF5-BC39-ED2630BB209C.jpeg" style="font-family: -webkit-standard; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-qm282nsqdkAbaE6aPmj9ItOaInA8g8kgrY4vnuc8es1YlHJWauiGJitCeMpP3PORV3ucmGKiwowe4sVKwQn53HUZeokX83gZT9Ch9EMyrGPHok1AtllDDIW8Qi7NMAP2d7SCmCKiKrg1OUGMcXfVs3fMWAQ-zl9jergvsyHDiOJ0c6QVYGtZMetJY2o/w400-h300/A3770154-985D-4BF5-BC39-ED2630BB209C.jpeg" width="400" /></a></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";"><br /></span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 20.3px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText"; font-size: 17pt;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br />Kati Åberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04729186654384794395noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4856765924876984415.post-17073047344485296072024-01-25T16:00:00.002+02:002024-01-26T09:59:18.894+02:00Four Thousand Island<p><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SFUIText";"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SFUIText";"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtO5oOM5bsfz1wQ8EhqCeez-RsUjMKj2bE5G934yO_wf2zvnsVMQivg8UetV4twt1hdf5wXbYYYIMEt3E70CA0GYP-Qga5irPtXdr_1Sq3DbWZ8dvF5q6ri3tg1f3tEJjAcH8cAgVZ5sEvR9xiEQmJHbKf301BJumCi48B7xujJ-OOYReQu21zZv9hHqs/s1616/B9DAEA16-66C8-4387-800C-1451D56472FD.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1616" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtO5oOM5bsfz1wQ8EhqCeez-RsUjMKj2bE5G934yO_wf2zvnsVMQivg8UetV4twt1hdf5wXbYYYIMEt3E70CA0GYP-Qga5irPtXdr_1Sq3DbWZ8dvF5q6ri3tg1f3tEJjAcH8cAgVZ5sEvR9xiEQmJHbKf301BJumCi48B7xujJ-OOYReQu21zZv9hHqs/w400-h268/B9DAEA16-66C8-4387-800C-1451D56472FD.jpeg" width="400" /></a></span></div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SFUIText";">Ah, Four Thousand Islands, Laos! While there may not actually be quite four thousand of them, this collection of islets, dunes and little islands in the Mekong delta is some kind of paradise.</span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SFUIText";"> </span><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6p4uvr5icXF-TI4O6wTrw0BybkDufV8HAfltCnWRIWOmijyRHFxE4TcX2yumjvJ9NhLiAzWyeKfYph-ZThyUAyBG-lI2HGPRD31zF_JALfIwDMfqeotOfEtcBFkAkMLt2JZMhR5ZWF-sv6YtUYCB_2dTxSQAhBfpVaqaBg-bDJZbNL5BNghAUN7hlg8o/s1616/B70B265D-9B23-4C60-AB59-A4E2987E2871.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1616" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6p4uvr5icXF-TI4O6wTrw0BybkDufV8HAfltCnWRIWOmijyRHFxE4TcX2yumjvJ9NhLiAzWyeKfYph-ZThyUAyBG-lI2HGPRD31zF_JALfIwDMfqeotOfEtcBFkAkMLt2JZMhR5ZWF-sv6YtUYCB_2dTxSQAhBfpVaqaBg-bDJZbNL5BNghAUN7hlg8o/w400-h268/B70B265D-9B23-4C60-AB59-A4E2987E2871.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p><span style="color: #454545; font-family: ".SFUIText";">Especially now during the dry season, when every day is pretty much guaranteed to be balmy and fine. Warm, but not to the point of exhaustion, since the moving water seems to keep the air flowing and there’s often a slight and delicious breeze.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyhyphenhyphenjtbYfvI4PrVybTvEZK2CTmf5GkJD_EpPNbCYI0fZNZifeFN76K9Ej484vqzqukFCQxJSdl49_hSd6M2o2alIBZiKZhJGMsDUjR0U1-JF0Of_r88EL9xn4_Gk6tr4hXV2vj6j3NZF_1Z1NfjNQOxBKWkEGy3UW4UsbUv_aHQOFTjN1_lk9KDFdh2Lo/s1616/95880D59-544D-456F-8EB1-F0262DBBAD2C.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1616" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyhyphenhyphenjtbYfvI4PrVybTvEZK2CTmf5GkJD_EpPNbCYI0fZNZifeFN76K9Ej484vqzqukFCQxJSdl49_hSd6M2o2alIBZiKZhJGMsDUjR0U1-JF0Of_r88EL9xn4_Gk6tr4hXV2vj6j3NZF_1Z1NfjNQOxBKWkEGy3UW4UsbUv_aHQOFTjN1_lk9KDFdh2Lo/w400-h268/95880D59-544D-456F-8EB1-F0262DBBAD2C.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";">The inhabitants seem a relaxed and happy-go-lucky bunch. Tourism clearly has done well by them, since they seem more affluent than the average person in the North of Laos. And though there is tourism, this is still a far cry from mass tourism. </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9e4kHiigD0RFpNNR4Ps9xm5K69kXkukJJW7GbSg3A454EAdcTcj-Hk1M26rFDntrPWDG_pgaKE5Kv6ACD0PO9fC4emH5FmTxvYDkHDIqoHrP4XUbQ9Iq12sP_a-qfk9XjaKEtEjPqpfuCpjOdIA9zI9aQhaswYk1tLdiIKiDbJ35CF7U1OoPIrEyYX5E/s1616/0DEE179A-0F5B-4019-8C5F-5F5A89FD38C8.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1616" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9e4kHiigD0RFpNNR4Ps9xm5K69kXkukJJW7GbSg3A454EAdcTcj-Hk1M26rFDntrPWDG_pgaKE5Kv6ACD0PO9fC4emH5FmTxvYDkHDIqoHrP4XUbQ9Iq12sP_a-qfk9XjaKEtEjPqpfuCpjOdIA9zI9aQhaswYk1tLdiIKiDbJ35CF7U1OoPIrEyYX5E/w400-h268/0DEE179A-0F5B-4019-8C5F-5F5A89FD38C8.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";">Don’t get me wrong though - Laos is clearly a poor country. People don’t have a lot and struggle and often fail to ensure good education for their children and other necessities of life. </span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6hZJNRa64vFWzDHVObIbf2-1OQVFsasjdmtmYrIa0Jotx_zAGyxm1We5pfsJzP7i6_pZTLZ9Pr2JnxAPy-HR0z8CrpWPcuzpthG864vdabmPUCHvg7TieuhuJaIWESyJevUwCt9mqEjNkjGPApckcCcePKvljGMVcz0c3rnGVgiVsww3VrfznVvjQYdQ/s1616/A47856D1-978B-47CC-82CF-E35150DBD942.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1616" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6hZJNRa64vFWzDHVObIbf2-1OQVFsasjdmtmYrIa0Jotx_zAGyxm1We5pfsJzP7i6_pZTLZ9Pr2JnxAPy-HR0z8CrpWPcuzpthG864vdabmPUCHvg7TieuhuJaIWESyJevUwCt9mqEjNkjGPApckcCcePKvljGMVcz0c3rnGVgiVsww3VrfznVvjQYdQ/w400-h268/A47856D1-978B-47CC-82CF-E35150DBD942.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";">One small way in which this is apparent is that money is most definitely not spent on toys for children. Car tires and great for games, as is a bamboo stick with two lemons stuck on it for wheels (here being attacked by a ferocious dog), babies clutch sticks in their hands for toys and a very proud little boy just passed dragging a sand filled plastic bottle behind him on a bit of string. You work with what you’ve got.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG7nj-CVejIDoPJDw1LmbIQmEcuMpC9I5iSfttn3nV5GwZVBifoKZj42X14vV-2ZFy2hZCn9Jic955ZbFtMBf9q4e88eYxPhszVB88Tr-XYspAmhs-fJnLnGyslld5djGRBpskTq0fpdw4FoX49YnXkGVv5OlR3q2R7CWfQNqbf5oNAWYyyeULrp92TXw/s1123/68F40922-DD05-4D8A-A441-6386362AD2EA.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="751" data-original-width="1123" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG7nj-CVejIDoPJDw1LmbIQmEcuMpC9I5iSfttn3nV5GwZVBifoKZj42X14vV-2ZFy2hZCn9Jic955ZbFtMBf9q4e88eYxPhszVB88Tr-XYspAmhs-fJnLnGyslld5djGRBpskTq0fpdw4FoX49YnXkGVv5OlR3q2R7CWfQNqbf5oNAWYyyeULrp92TXw/w400-h268/68F40922-DD05-4D8A-A441-6386362AD2EA.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";">The roads in Laos improve dramatically the further South one travels (one suspects the minister for roadworks is a Southern lad). So the little island of Don Khone, where I’m staying and the neighbouring Don Dat luxuriously have cement roads going round the island. This makes for a much cleaner and less dusty travel experience than dirt roads. The soil/sand throughout Laos is so fine, that it’s more like pink talcum powder - guaranteed to float up and coat absolutely everything. </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhswccmOJGGa965d-FY8HYImt9nPPAAk4HZJsQOX9nyRBzmWRPNmKOMA06Ge-UxUojs68ccYwzIu5EFRDsS2Wps00PduVYQzjofVLsChnLxpi3KFGq-ylZ6w_vqhUkyn__KhGeV_N-mycmJO_lUrAiG2uurwXjJLwCUfeQcj0l_S_OqH1vE0OF_TJNdOaM/s1616/D6EFF88E-5EC9-42B8-9EA5-38B9E4A8A9C3.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1616" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhswccmOJGGa965d-FY8HYImt9nPPAAk4HZJsQOX9nyRBzmWRPNmKOMA06Ge-UxUojs68ccYwzIu5EFRDsS2Wps00PduVYQzjofVLsChnLxpi3KFGq-ylZ6w_vqhUkyn__KhGeV_N-mycmJO_lUrAiG2uurwXjJLwCUfeQcj0l_S_OqH1vE0OF_TJNdOaM/w400-h268/D6EFF88E-5EC9-42B8-9EA5-38B9E4A8A9C3.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";">Here the best mode of transport for tourists is bicycling. Locals wouldn’t be seen dead on a bicycle - let alone walking. It’s motorcycles all the way. Or, in these islands, sometimes boats. Here’s the local school bus.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI8dOP_nfc_95v8ObrBPPybBRdpO7YjPpjDyBt27vU-1vNCyWkus_Q9m3UkIM-ef6jjdb1M_F76zneX5aSC_aGFjVbBXRgujd6dvj6q1Zq0fPC5OJTQr2aivxf379UCROUg8TJKwHHijZl3NhW6Ar7K9GknblqDl_HFHEdxapJURULyJT4FP5Vzdi_wqs/s4032/DE1F7948-ED31-44BB-AFAA-8F1F36C4CFC6.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI8dOP_nfc_95v8ObrBPPybBRdpO7YjPpjDyBt27vU-1vNCyWkus_Q9m3UkIM-ef6jjdb1M_F76zneX5aSC_aGFjVbBXRgujd6dvj6q1Zq0fPC5OJTQr2aivxf379UCROUg8TJKwHHijZl3NhW6Ar7K9GknblqDl_HFHEdxapJURULyJT4FP5Vzdi_wqs/w300-h400/DE1F7948-ED31-44BB-AFAA-8F1F36C4CFC6.jpeg" width="300" /></a></div><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";">The problem about cycling is that rental bikes here are a truly sad lot. I thought I had managed to find the pick of the bunch with the cheesy bicycle Fromage. Right until the seat came off that is.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaWjAHxG4526K8egjQ97xfWrfMBO7Mn48pHgyErQB71JacNWfgcKlgcpLXwxYRD9TavyV5uW07DAmlQtXPft6DLb2y2dCZT-5VSkF5QcF93Bp9w11hNaAEKH72-gOntvHNmKlll74bFkMgraccSXfB4FIJDzKPVOWRtz4GwVpZ4RF8SpIdv1GwEfBHX7U/s4032/B71C14FF-991F-4B01-AB23-EDAD3C032D19.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaWjAHxG4526K8egjQ97xfWrfMBO7Mn48pHgyErQB71JacNWfgcKlgcpLXwxYRD9TavyV5uW07DAmlQtXPft6DLb2y2dCZT-5VSkF5QcF93Bp9w11hNaAEKH72-gOntvHNmKlll74bFkMgraccSXfB4FIJDzKPVOWRtz4GwVpZ4RF8SpIdv1GwEfBHX7U/w400-h300/B71C14FF-991F-4B01-AB23-EDAD3C032D19.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";">But once you find a bike, within just a few kilometres of mostly flat and smooth road you have waterfalls,</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbOxGwSzEudWKmFUjX7xzfxZLB_0m4Y8VCDb_050fNnuui2y9rcNAylcdhPJqbuzpRg6wlKa8DmBD8NJk10V3E7ydFCKC6j4B4czC07yJ6CljT5jz2wikFHpoy4x55VVPdyI2CpM-OJuhrSqeMi7RQjIAw6qEACLbl8riHW5lGlP0qVHQlVCadKiRmAEk/s1616/A3164C87-EC99-494F-8294-6CBAA68D769E.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1616" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbOxGwSzEudWKmFUjX7xzfxZLB_0m4Y8VCDb_050fNnuui2y9rcNAylcdhPJqbuzpRg6wlKa8DmBD8NJk10V3E7ydFCKC6j4B4czC07yJ6CljT5jz2wikFHpoy4x55VVPdyI2CpM-OJuhrSqeMi7RQjIAw6qEACLbl8riHW5lGlP0qVHQlVCadKiRmAEk/w400-h268/A3164C87-EC99-494F-8294-6CBAA68D769E.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";">Some of which you can soak under (photo courtesy of fellow traveler Marine),</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi12EpWEXS1hUnLt35sk2gULrVtskFX2cHa-y6O7IJMnJFMWSsX5rkTE2qdOatWqOXDBY0XKBlL9faRyk2fzrk9hxp36IDv6gCvu7yLZyDCsLj-6zS8ShAyO2cLc_ojXdj5ul70vKe3VKfy0g_0wDxPeXY7frgvfTJHtERjtN7IPm1u1xCowURMArA2OSM/s1024/E4CCD5AE-DC9C-43F2-8915-FF0B55AEF4D1.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="768" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi12EpWEXS1hUnLt35sk2gULrVtskFX2cHa-y6O7IJMnJFMWSsX5rkTE2qdOatWqOXDBY0XKBlL9faRyk2fzrk9hxp36IDv6gCvu7yLZyDCsLj-6zS8ShAyO2cLc_ojXdj5ul70vKe3VKfy0g_0wDxPeXY7frgvfTJHtERjtN7IPm1u1xCowURMArA2OSM/w300-h400/E4CCD5AE-DC9C-43F2-8915-FF0B55AEF4D1.jpeg" width="300" /></a></div><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";">Beaches</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcTToGPArcG3E814s3tRiIPsUWn_8QGrHGFI9x4hWqwdWSPd2ut1RZTjJyJC_8ktehRS6Ve4pX1RzFQ_zFkSYtCp6AcenkvC53U3na3U4JRhP5w8Lr_YuhXPJ2Pnde4d2Zlged4Y8Oria4er96BjNuP6FR3kCaTbWpQs703uWzKN2kGcFqo7nzbSPSzXw/s1616/9C5E6352-A329-4935-8EA0-5518418B6B82.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1616" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcTToGPArcG3E814s3tRiIPsUWn_8QGrHGFI9x4hWqwdWSPd2ut1RZTjJyJC_8ktehRS6Ve4pX1RzFQ_zFkSYtCp6AcenkvC53U3na3U4JRhP5w8Lr_YuhXPJ2Pnde4d2Zlged4Y8Oria4er96BjNuP6FR3kCaTbWpQs703uWzKN2kGcFqo7nzbSPSzXw/w400-h268/9C5E6352-A329-4935-8EA0-5518418B6B82.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";">Fields, cows, pigs and chickens in pretty cages,</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglCoCJ0aNxXZ6tbV7pst0FTh4cCBC0B61k8zBvGnbpgfZcGNi06Uj5ukmVWnjWUMzC5oNTIk4nkpPPl3GlhP0ooqg5ziSTnlKinA2AkSa55d4RTGOpM5Oo4mH-brqgdye-6xUYmHXR6bARnw1aJYW0lpVzZvDIWbEZG0uncqjSd7cEsqsMvZMdLrcELcM/s4032/BD52C1AC-91F2-41EA-8996-D99DBF3F26A0.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglCoCJ0aNxXZ6tbV7pst0FTh4cCBC0B61k8zBvGnbpgfZcGNi06Uj5ukmVWnjWUMzC5oNTIk4nkpPPl3GlhP0ooqg5ziSTnlKinA2AkSa55d4RTGOpM5Oo4mH-brqgdye-6xUYmHXR6bARnw1aJYW0lpVzZvDIWbEZG0uncqjSd7cEsqsMvZMdLrcELcM/s320/BD52C1AC-91F2-41EA-8996-D99DBF3F26A0.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";">Villages, where fish are drying by the river</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNEkCm0aLhAC-X93T5XhXt4iewGTrwAjeK-7rNE-wv8s0mHBNCPUhBis688rwlx-DQ2CpOtPnNL4Pktvfoq2sjczZKBIPFTTeCqO-A0WOEq1RSCJlo_l65-xvdSHjjQhExheHLCvaYmcTFzYS6AH_W8obZMGjeq1igXm_8aJS2fiTcNSHrCPrcC8ZoEFg/s4032/E62107DA-5BEB-42CC-AB02-80436E499C5A.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNEkCm0aLhAC-X93T5XhXt4iewGTrwAjeK-7rNE-wv8s0mHBNCPUhBis688rwlx-DQ2CpOtPnNL4Pktvfoq2sjczZKBIPFTTeCqO-A0WOEq1RSCJlo_l65-xvdSHjjQhExheHLCvaYmcTFzYS6AH_W8obZMGjeq1igXm_8aJS2fiTcNSHrCPrcC8ZoEFg/w400-h300/E62107DA-5BEB-42CC-AB02-80436E499C5A.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbILxCidBvvTd-BMW2dpzGI0NlZMOKSSQucUJ3cy0sEXmV6-78ccNvaBZIo9qDav9VY12c20MKeeaQKITj5vfP8fsjJPdzMNZCojlgjBdqlJYIfnILhHAh1GOn_Nkk_WCi-6udfhO_2nIRuzirN1SzhPiojMiQOxtfi9yRkZez-hJ07VRJ9H7y6PfyBpo/s4032/CA0ADE46-648D-4D1B-9A59-F2718267FCA8.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbILxCidBvvTd-BMW2dpzGI0NlZMOKSSQucUJ3cy0sEXmV6-78ccNvaBZIo9qDav9VY12c20MKeeaQKITj5vfP8fsjJPdzMNZCojlgjBdqlJYIfnILhHAh1GOn_Nkk_WCi-6udfhO_2nIRuzirN1SzhPiojMiQOxtfi9yRkZez-hJ07VRJ9H7y6PfyBpo/w400-h300/CA0ADE46-648D-4D1B-9A59-F2718267FCA8.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";">and tractors (or at least bits of them) transporting goods and children.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM8MtKpFLV5BrU4kUKckBeRu6DVg2s3PzdeAKjMBm2wkXOGYkI58F0vBh0lhz5zvTnxQUBMtxLdVSiX6U4D-TrJthGPMCGc4kyS-AZsBGJkTeWCbdpEz82ZWOghxdFmuxfdtCKN37z8w4wQoPxlj0yR4XWl_14oG0Zqn1IiMhd-9FpzxN9uH0X-IUzFeo/s3024/F22009B0-55F0-4B2F-9EEC-BA598801372C.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2560" data-original-width="3024" height="339" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM8MtKpFLV5BrU4kUKckBeRu6DVg2s3PzdeAKjMBm2wkXOGYkI58F0vBh0lhz5zvTnxQUBMtxLdVSiX6U4D-TrJthGPMCGc4kyS-AZsBGJkTeWCbdpEz82ZWOghxdFmuxfdtCKN37z8w4wQoPxlj0yR4XWl_14oG0Zqn1IiMhd-9FpzxN9uH0X-IUzFeo/w400-h339/F22009B0-55F0-4B2F-9EEC-BA598801372C.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1sR21okTzbIYmBUedt3WLwNR5Hes1mJbdAcqcpuIK2hnOkangREWLAsSoqQMWO46XvKlQHib4xaxjthfNzLfpHeLiF6lFJbwqpT-EeMpR3tbWEa2k9hJhjWMoiWb6xEa9f8rOD-2duY0zf61HZO2sFPIubFBaaVmiIjduht60rXmdp-ZgrC05D9kH2Ws/s4032/0D2752C2-792A-4DD8-B031-65FA71C53536.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1sR21okTzbIYmBUedt3WLwNR5Hes1mJbdAcqcpuIK2hnOkangREWLAsSoqQMWO46XvKlQHib4xaxjthfNzLfpHeLiF6lFJbwqpT-EeMpR3tbWEa2k9hJhjWMoiWb6xEa9f8rOD-2duY0zf61HZO2sFPIubFBaaVmiIjduht60rXmdp-ZgrC05D9kH2Ws/w400-h300/0D2752C2-792A-4DD8-B031-65FA71C53536.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";">There are plenty of restaurants serving fruit shakes</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1Iv9bc3LSSAugxB5atM1YNvqnpQiIj3n4e-kZO8uZFDHYv79ISEtdIavLSe61e53bF4lAl-6GozTMgu882U-WSrlc8tI3ThxUMhd2kNo5a5-G619MVybqiu_RBiP0PCSVOs-h7iph5zkS0A5fOO7QoZNJF_NU0rJWdTtGEnr2wgvntu6QSSdmbT50R7c/s1208/7B519A00-C3C0-4735-8A1E-17D7946E5C37.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1208" data-original-width="807" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1Iv9bc3LSSAugxB5atM1YNvqnpQiIj3n4e-kZO8uZFDHYv79ISEtdIavLSe61e53bF4lAl-6GozTMgu882U-WSrlc8tI3ThxUMhd2kNo5a5-G619MVybqiu_RBiP0PCSVOs-h7iph5zkS0A5fOO7QoZNJF_NU0rJWdTtGEnr2wgvntu6QSSdmbT50R7c/w268-h400/7B519A00-C3C0-4735-8A1E-17D7946E5C37.jpeg" width="268" /></a></div><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";">Also present is a viewpoint, where the islands in the distance are already Cambodia.</span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 20.3px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";"></span><br /></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";">But if you squint sideways at the viewpoint you may catch a glimpse of one of the contraversial dam building sites in Laos. </span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEharBNd-qIQyZrvgkNnaZS4iu_bK1_wKqmF6O-KW4njTRbSdjmXWzEmjCfAqeBtetTOn3xBQfHYb55PbUSMhIEDO1gMCUp3yq9bFutqR8LwnH1eR4fy6mx41-SF5P8t9zOnACA3Y0qkEUMFY4YbZ00TOBwlR5nOVFSWfBY5bvfO5BsaY0vFFqbdf-gL7lk/s1616/154A1F25-48CB-4453-BEBE-F84265861CC9.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1616" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEharBNd-qIQyZrvgkNnaZS4iu_bK1_wKqmF6O-KW4njTRbSdjmXWzEmjCfAqeBtetTOn3xBQfHYb55PbUSMhIEDO1gMCUp3yq9bFutqR8LwnH1eR4fy6mx41-SF5P8t9zOnACA3Y0qkEUMFY4YbZ00TOBwlR5nOVFSWfBY5bvfO5BsaY0vFFqbdf-gL7lk/w400-h268/154A1F25-48CB-4453-BEBE-F84265861CC9.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";">It is no surprise that it is the Chinese who are building the dams and undoubtedly getting the best part of the deal. But the powers that be in Laos are keen to show the dams as a proof of the progress of the country. The damned dam is even pictured on the 2000 kip note (worth 10 cents).</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2S-SE_8n_7_O41Jn3L20h24DgJxXGcrGzWyV4czHNbPaJWjO3HCebLAoP1FsgkDpw5ILzFB-L1ufZMJLjLbwBoPiKub31l3P2o47loHLNyloSpHmwoQgfzRrbpA1FWVlt1Y_oQnPcw5OJTh8V23wcyBjpKwqznQarvuXjW_Wu0jLtpLeY5bVmCNjRDz8/s3918/B0F9561D-60F8-4FFE-9F25-36CCF6CAB5CB.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2938" data-original-width="3918" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2S-SE_8n_7_O41Jn3L20h24DgJxXGcrGzWyV4czHNbPaJWjO3HCebLAoP1FsgkDpw5ILzFB-L1ufZMJLjLbwBoPiKub31l3P2o47loHLNyloSpHmwoQgfzRrbpA1FWVlt1Y_oQnPcw5OJTh8V23wcyBjpKwqznQarvuXjW_Wu0jLtpLeY5bVmCNjRDz8/w400-h300/B0F9561D-60F8-4FFE-9F25-36CCF6CAB5CB.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";">When I have tried to ask the few locals who speak English what they think of the dams, they shrug and say: ”someone is making money”.</span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";">That someone is clearly not them. One highly suspects that the pockets being lined are further up the food chain. But the consequences are for everyone to bear. Already the local ”big waterfall” is looking very drained - since the Chinese diverted a major part of its water flow to new routes, that benefit their dam. Due to the extensive explosion work during the building of the dam, the highly endangered irrawaddy dolphin has disappeared from these regions, though hopeful tour operators still hang faded dolphin tour signs in their windows. Luckily they have alternative tours on offer now that the dolphins are gone (I always wondered what the allure of fishing was).</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPSvkEH9f2ij3iT8WRiBW5___OnoLrSc4jv8BBPPRJGK22vGDu4XdZ551D6mPB9N-dn14VQrZcQRLNnCtRnrqBeE0UIVYd0XLyQihJDgO7dBy_oPmr9DV4Osa8kz-9xnls5WdmJFQn6vuGOp6tR-1PJBc8jAXxFs0QDpKU2_udEJTU4Tr2hNIBsOjXyEA/s4032/8BD75F3E-7345-4550-A4C0-CA50030DC8C9.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPSvkEH9f2ij3iT8WRiBW5___OnoLrSc4jv8BBPPRJGK22vGDu4XdZ551D6mPB9N-dn14VQrZcQRLNnCtRnrqBeE0UIVYd0XLyQihJDgO7dBy_oPmr9DV4Osa8kz-9xnls5WdmJFQn6vuGOp6tR-1PJBc8jAXxFs0QDpKU2_udEJTU4Tr2hNIBsOjXyEA/w400-h300/8BD75F3E-7345-4550-A4C0-CA50030DC8C9.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";">Sadly, all good things come to an end. And so this is my last stop in Laos before starting to work my long and winding way back towards Bangkok and the return flight. But for a few more precious moments this place is mine. I leave you with the view from my guesthouse’s restaurant, where I spend mornings and sunsets sipping watermelon shakes and watching the world spin on its axis.</span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt5QU9yeL3aSI5a3dRGXMHtJ1rGaxdv4oKCc2MmrA63aNF5iyu5hghcUmgjcxfQLoij3VNfuXSr0ONkIOOR6LERTyrbH95CmfA3KGfCiOLP_ss78UN5UbkYiunD0Zb0OZzp9S1pfVKxuGMjqibJSamnwefZPe8FmVaq6YjGbtOG5ujn2vbtXTHWcomQ_c/s4032/F229845B-B859-49EA-8822-9FBF70EA738C.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt5QU9yeL3aSI5a3dRGXMHtJ1rGaxdv4oKCc2MmrA63aNF5iyu5hghcUmgjcxfQLoij3VNfuXSr0ONkIOOR6LERTyrbH95CmfA3KGfCiOLP_ss78UN5UbkYiunD0Zb0OZzp9S1pfVKxuGMjqibJSamnwefZPe8FmVaq6YjGbtOG5ujn2vbtXTHWcomQ_c/w400-h300/F229845B-B859-49EA-8822-9FBF70EA738C.jpeg" width="400" /></a></span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 20.3px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText"; font-size: 17pt;"></span><br /></p>Kati Åberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04729186654384794395noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4856765924876984415.post-28566746191557361142024-01-22T15:49:00.001+02:002024-01-22T15:50:55.028+02:00Dilapidated Southern Charm<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAdQQbEmW2raDzwouOil_5jlUX0sYWkybaApNYqGOa3WFF1-BHrVpgdNiBR87PotBpjUodJPdpLTUacgikkmpO46jfxceDRMlCrUpWV6DkefjZlK0NioM1i415sANcw2P-BnBvi00TtWlmvFLX7NKfzXHECRxjV1u0Ou_I6KkFjrXaYIBJx9TnBcF6uk8/s1616/95932C2C-EF15-4524-AC64-21B0E919240D.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1616" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAdQQbEmW2raDzwouOil_5jlUX0sYWkybaApNYqGOa3WFF1-BHrVpgdNiBR87PotBpjUodJPdpLTUacgikkmpO46jfxceDRMlCrUpWV6DkefjZlK0NioM1i415sANcw2P-BnBvi00TtWlmvFLX7NKfzXHECRxjV1u0Ou_I6KkFjrXaYIBJx9TnBcF6uk8/w400-h268/95932C2C-EF15-4524-AC64-21B0E919240D.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";">Another day, another town. I have moved on South. The 7-hour bus ride from Vientiane to iSavannakhet turned out to be an 11-hour bus ride. However Savannakhet luckily had enough old dilapidated French colonial charm to make up for the inconvenience.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz5G-iG-7UcOc5OL3HY0a6wAsVINJeRSzjiX2cV2RtaZFIQSg9FfFRp-EbLo7t4pg_2rFkRgGUIehQv6s0K1rTGxrBa4F76N0Qhi-rTu1GDz_2SRwfawLPzbHi8Eikzi7x7puCRZJo65w1gwLCj_gKrF8tVwNcyU2GgV-W0ajDSBSzmGfMe6APRerhaLk/s1616/EBFD48B6-69CB-41DA-8F90-FF56E8551C8A.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1616" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz5G-iG-7UcOc5OL3HY0a6wAsVINJeRSzjiX2cV2RtaZFIQSg9FfFRp-EbLo7t4pg_2rFkRgGUIehQv6s0K1rTGxrBa4F76N0Qhi-rTu1GDz_2SRwfawLPzbHi8Eikzi7x7puCRZJo65w1gwLCj_gKrF8tVwNcyU2GgV-W0ajDSBSzmGfMe6APRerhaLk/w400-h268/EBFD48B6-69CB-41DA-8F90-FF56E8551C8A.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXTru-klykYZBB0fCQeey4P2_hbAcmADhO65qMk97vKRxRzAK_Bqu-eZZrYli75Yq4sEWiiTvAAMev47QBekLmEwOaYPxsylBAZae_9_mM6Uy09V7R7gK0D7mfHctY9y4HJgnNqeGRgnQ_mZsRx-4mZdlFLkwW6D4mw1tM2PrSFBg6yZ4Frg_s_XNS-oI/s1616/0222D067-01CD-4152-BB4D-5A30FBBFEB38.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1616" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXTru-klykYZBB0fCQeey4P2_hbAcmADhO65qMk97vKRxRzAK_Bqu-eZZrYli75Yq4sEWiiTvAAMev47QBekLmEwOaYPxsylBAZae_9_mM6Uy09V7R7gK0D7mfHctY9y4HJgnNqeGRgnQ_mZsRx-4mZdlFLkwW6D4mw1tM2PrSFBg6yZ4Frg_s_XNS-oI/w400-h268/0222D067-01CD-4152-BB4D-5A30FBBFEB38.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";">My favourite being this closed down cinema, that still had original hand painted advertisements for ”recent features” like Star Wars (the original) on its walls.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEXPB5PxQxD4zqadaYqR-s7MEfbbY_VTVFnSEMDTKxvUFAGz7GI_yqWA3jiv8FaD5nWnqD5Me3Mgt2ujp0sXJuecFT_GBrv9F2o46pS-0GyyOr456GQYuN0fafhwQipDuu-iOpfn0jT2Gm7Nqbd_W4q_hyfWWm0xqwDAMQlfWDZrOGYg-PeNOwoDl7TuE/s1616/C3028FC7-F014-4053-989C-9D820E932E05.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1616" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEXPB5PxQxD4zqadaYqR-s7MEfbbY_VTVFnSEMDTKxvUFAGz7GI_yqWA3jiv8FaD5nWnqD5Me3Mgt2ujp0sXJuecFT_GBrv9F2o46pS-0GyyOr456GQYuN0fafhwQipDuu-iOpfn0jT2Gm7Nqbd_W4q_hyfWWm0xqwDAMQlfWDZrOGYg-PeNOwoDl7TuE/w400-h268/C3028FC7-F014-4053-989C-9D820E932E05.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjko-1f5n9igqIj_F90J2fRmyYn5Z6LnvJS6T4k3xL1US66SKEwPJXiLOpL_O4YRPLqRfKWhCWBnOPONv2xz8auA4CGoaS84gkAhWrsnMpfWGq0Qyw44RNuSufgN6JNlKc9tXMm05hgOATNPsLiAlBtVZw-sYu9rCBI10vVIX4jdwG_2e5NjXmWaWUBovA/s1616/94250B30-2D8A-4894-AA96-0B663E306A4B.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1616" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjko-1f5n9igqIj_F90J2fRmyYn5Z6LnvJS6T4k3xL1US66SKEwPJXiLOpL_O4YRPLqRfKWhCWBnOPONv2xz8auA4CGoaS84gkAhWrsnMpfWGq0Qyw44RNuSufgN6JNlKc9tXMm05hgOATNPsLiAlBtVZw-sYu9rCBI10vVIX4jdwG_2e5NjXmWaWUBovA/w400-h268/94250B30-2D8A-4894-AA96-0B663E306A4B.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-KU7w-hrOqE2mu3dQqTAGpajkTH5QHp_eBzdEbBYpV5vTlLYEMvYf1TDCqAJxh2mVIhSD0CjnlCnF9zRv_lDwrNk-ZXR3MI_UhkweTh96QvOd5Xds6QRk54V2_VIz2ZKN2CdOeYmuWGT0HND8JZ1HHI4ZWPFEC67h82VR9AhYj4jXO6Vv5gL8SfY94f0/s1616/2F05C925-9A67-41D7-B20A-16F93D21D4E1.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1616" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-KU7w-hrOqE2mu3dQqTAGpajkTH5QHp_eBzdEbBYpV5vTlLYEMvYf1TDCqAJxh2mVIhSD0CjnlCnF9zRv_lDwrNk-ZXR3MI_UhkweTh96QvOd5Xds6QRk54V2_VIz2ZKN2CdOeYmuWGT0HND8JZ1HHI4ZWPFEC67h82VR9AhYj4jXO6Vv5gL8SfY94f0/w400-h268/2F05C925-9A67-41D7-B20A-16F93D21D4E1.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";">Savannakhet also offered a new twist and yet more flavour to the Lao sauna experience!</span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 20.3px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";"></span><br /></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";">What the local sauna space lacked this time in old worldly charm was made up by the lively regular clientele who took me under their wings. There were separate ladies and gentlemen’s sides. On the ladies sides there was a happy gaggle of ladies seated around a couple of stone tables wrapped in sarongs and coated in different coloured goo. Indeed, exfoliating with a variety of efficacious and unbecoming pastes seemed to be this place’s speciality. I was also offered the possibility to get my own plate of goo - and I never was one to back down from a challenge. I finally chose rice milk and coffee grinds as my secret ingredients. Mixed together, applied lavishly - the result was all one would expect, brown and beautiful. </span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";">I would have loved to take photos of the space and its clientele, but photos of semi-clad local ladies is not an option. So sneakily I asked them to take photos of me! In the first one, you can see the chilling tables behind me and the door to the steam room on the far left. The second photo was the owner’s idea - to take one of me ”emerging” from the steam room. Like a muddy Venus from the sea.</span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZZI52_2W9p1Os8NZQn27jULglF_z1yNDrEAeozE1GVFGKOlDFHdygi7W9YRd5rrLoEjh7FIk5cVH3Z9DeL_UZzZbMfRYC9fTBZ_OC4mVJP3BB6HHKOKDsWjOkqSb9RfWIR-RjRXmx_TTJTwe87doXm9QsOGt6FiMmVbhVvnSm1WB0paN5BWmw1RO3-Pg/s4032/D8688654-4A29-407B-8E7B-09C3E635583B.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZZI52_2W9p1Os8NZQn27jULglF_z1yNDrEAeozE1GVFGKOlDFHdygi7W9YRd5rrLoEjh7FIk5cVH3Z9DeL_UZzZbMfRYC9fTBZ_OC4mVJP3BB6HHKOKDsWjOkqSb9RfWIR-RjRXmx_TTJTwe87doXm9QsOGt6FiMmVbhVvnSm1WB0paN5BWmw1RO3-Pg/w300-h400/D8688654-4A29-407B-8E7B-09C3E635583B.jpeg" width="300" /></a></div><p></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7WtuEOVkPYcLYO6I-FQ5bkF8MprRzvykdZEN63107rn2hT6ZE_Y3I9zrmrfXb7jZbW993ZfDYkGbvJjK-UAhwaBxGTUGi5mKG3FAS1d0hXPhXX9DcSG5H5spXeVw4d5eWoc_IKYQ0uE22donURBzLD1UvBbyoXrTMgwIH9Fh7jkkOASgOy_8gPQSVfOo/s4032/9F4D24DD-5549-400F-ABA4-82707F951130.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7WtuEOVkPYcLYO6I-FQ5bkF8MprRzvykdZEN63107rn2hT6ZE_Y3I9zrmrfXb7jZbW993ZfDYkGbvJjK-UAhwaBxGTUGi5mKG3FAS1d0hXPhXX9DcSG5H5spXeVw4d5eWoc_IKYQ0uE22donURBzLD1UvBbyoXrTMgwIH9Fh7jkkOASgOy_8gPQSVfOo/w300-h400/9F4D24DD-5549-400F-ABA4-82707F951130.jpeg" width="300" /></a></div><p></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";">Unlike Vientiane, Savannaketh, the second-biggest city in Laos, turned out to be very pleasant. A good place for lunch was the floating restaurant - Finally I got to go on the river - even if the pontoon was stationary.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjJJmYhWg1grElJW61q7R4QemOwRSN9-pjrphhHKPLSATVer55n9XbBaAMB0uNvKR7wlgiCjRGOZ3KyOj1XnQV9O3f8GVfKx975npX0YoLJdmkchR6jjSB-ZUsMKjTyv3yK3x0apf9vdzLaRDVOGYngLwj6OWmz0pBe_lVLmA61y5lDi-JlfoxoldBOe8/s1616/D334D240-84DC-478A-A114-4213FB5DEAB0.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1616" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjJJmYhWg1grElJW61q7R4QemOwRSN9-pjrphhHKPLSATVer55n9XbBaAMB0uNvKR7wlgiCjRGOZ3KyOj1XnQV9O3f8GVfKx975npX0YoLJdmkchR6jjSB-ZUsMKjTyv3yK3x0apf9vdzLaRDVOGYngLwj6OWmz0pBe_lVLmA61y5lDi-JlfoxoldBOe8/w400-h268/D334D240-84DC-478A-A114-4213FB5DEAB0.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEW00TnWmlBLusC5k12Q_Ya-A1oDhSCgSd4-fx23DsQinE01ByMHcf1Ydun6UnvkO4HxxhcBdOEQZZSH0dTMyWhFcir-0XdWylYUAWCLanW5W_g0qT4_3bi6t-0lJKE8QJiCG_lxm0sAG4apZ_qXwSnCSds3hDiZPaEGKpu2D68onq6u-zUOUPjmhRwgw/s1616/621FC976-126E-4AF5-AC76-E753BDD1D6FA.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1616" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEW00TnWmlBLusC5k12Q_Ya-A1oDhSCgSd4-fx23DsQinE01ByMHcf1Ydun6UnvkO4HxxhcBdOEQZZSH0dTMyWhFcir-0XdWylYUAWCLanW5W_g0qT4_3bi6t-0lJKE8QJiCG_lxm0sAG4apZ_qXwSnCSds3hDiZPaEGKpu2D68onq6u-zUOUPjmhRwgw/w400-h268/621FC976-126E-4AF5-AC76-E753BDD1D6FA.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";">Great food on the floating restaurant. I’ve been enjoying a break from Lao street food, which usually is either rice noodle soup or some grilled protein - most commonly chicken, pork or intestines - or sausages, which presumably include all of these.</span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlqkEl9_q8MnFpZyw6gi5Eu0gQGQ4I0a55nlJ7vNPwikunIx6pJ27xo11rvR5tOl-a_rWIXcyHdbKtSfzYG2oy978ZlWtu5dcHeiW-EhRFp8rLeEtM86CdaYrehLA0aR4gKkzNwE3vKuMbM5lBvbdG1flg9ohbVL5rXkxIzviykC6YAk3oPE1XqbAynlo/s1616/175F4788-AF6C-432A-B282-C928FF90CB82.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1616" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlqkEl9_q8MnFpZyw6gi5Eu0gQGQ4I0a55nlJ7vNPwikunIx6pJ27xo11rvR5tOl-a_rWIXcyHdbKtSfzYG2oy978ZlWtu5dcHeiW-EhRFp8rLeEtM86CdaYrehLA0aR4gKkzNwE3vKuMbM5lBvbdG1flg9ohbVL5rXkxIzviykC6YAk3oPE1XqbAynlo/w400-h268/175F4788-AF6C-432A-B282-C928FF90CB82.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";">So it’s been a lot of noodle soup for me! Luckily noodle soup, ubiquitous around South-East Asia, is a nice form of comfort food. In the most common Lao recipe, fresh nice noodles are dipped for just a few seconds into boiling water, broth, spring onions and sprouts are added as is a small bit of either grilled pork or chicken. </span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4_1wEE8VzVACE15Hs703hSBDQ1QvN_nfUF62IFviCrDk2F4Eb70S0yfv_Nw6fGYNdhG-GtHyQ_2FKldr8dZQqEcNuWYPyz_DPM6DVZOMW6w848NyVjF87E35-ZE_obI1j2UEoFDxG0F6Nvnh8oJ2Gq77zr7KP2LEfvlWq7uyP47EYWkdWE04AdJo3YTM/s1616/3FA69555-E73F-4AF4-AA3B-542688627AB8.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1616" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4_1wEE8VzVACE15Hs703hSBDQ1QvN_nfUF62IFviCrDk2F4Eb70S0yfv_Nw6fGYNdhG-GtHyQ_2FKldr8dZQqEcNuWYPyz_DPM6DVZOMW6w848NyVjF87E35-ZE_obI1j2UEoFDxG0F6Nvnh8oJ2Gq77zr7KP2LEfvlWq7uyP47EYWkdWE04AdJo3YTM/w268-h400/3FA69555-E73F-4AF4-AA3B-542688627AB8.jpeg" width="268" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG9hAOFJnvmO8nie462e9uPR4Fizkq03MPxRuqiRyQKIuPuGEK6_3QR1J2gZTp_UZhUluqTteezn7XSw7aPljwhaDM5U-weHFeQx4CZ_DSHBOVeTC7sjLZDGOp3-Ek_PCyTA_5RUJ20m30tkhov0ilcxH4BnuuzNLuY0ioKiEb7-rCeCsjZLo1LlnkFA8/s1616/AFC12DDC-52DC-4E98-BC2A-40D04C61AE4E.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1616" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG9hAOFJnvmO8nie462e9uPR4Fizkq03MPxRuqiRyQKIuPuGEK6_3QR1J2gZTp_UZhUluqTteezn7XSw7aPljwhaDM5U-weHFeQx4CZ_DSHBOVeTC7sjLZDGOp3-Ek_PCyTA_5RUJ20m30tkhov0ilcxH4BnuuzNLuY0ioKiEb7-rCeCsjZLo1LlnkFA8/w268-h400/AFC12DDC-52DC-4E98-BC2A-40D04C61AE4E.jpeg" width="268" /></a></div><p></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";">Pleasant and rather bland - unless you hit the condiments.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ2yDt4BlLIIuU6n8C-gkGzoZAJ0idAHWrfxV0NUBDdrtlFlGqpmKO67m92ij8cBKLlRu9DawkgKTlPKqAbbiEPC8L2F1wh03254WHsd9yxdKJEQtjtAgx-eRF_2CZmar360_zUcBG0LEHgwEbg2qYJj2lfQckkQZVXjH_Vd8JBmc8RDU3TvFrjffePps/s4032/31DAE891-C171-4895-BD75-8F1058E3E8B5.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ2yDt4BlLIIuU6n8C-gkGzoZAJ0idAHWrfxV0NUBDdrtlFlGqpmKO67m92ij8cBKLlRu9DawkgKTlPKqAbbiEPC8L2F1wh03254WHsd9yxdKJEQtjtAgx-eRF_2CZmar360_zUcBG0LEHgwEbg2qYJj2lfQckkQZVXjH_Vd8JBmc8RDU3TvFrjffePps/w300-h400/31DAE891-C171-4895-BD75-8F1058E3E8B5.jpeg" width="300" /></a></div><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";">The first time I ate noodle soup in Lao, I was both mystified and gratified to be brought a big side salad with the soup bowl. Crunchy lettuce leafs, green beans, mint leaves and a nice slice of lime on top. Like a good girl I squeezed the lime on the salad leaves and tucked in. The guys at the table next to me had just finished eating when I came. I noticed condescendingly that they had left their greens.</span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";">It wasn’t until the next noodle soup restaurant, where there were other diners eating at the same time that I noticed them taking a single lettuce leaf and ripping it into their soup, adding maybe a few mint leaves and a squeeze of lime. So in fact I had finished off the communal plate of extra greens.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjal5rJaUdBpBE5lJ-IlrJnCkFMFRZdt-0U5AW_ZYtFYy6_f0ErQAvHBFNFRFNQ6xLqQuaJHl8IEzE17w0UBlj5K-AjHE1Jf7oRlTNMcjveGipavyFHpcnReA2ZaF_hg4qkXCIGajb8xeDrS0otk5_T98mk_RpC6YLNYICuCTrSZyrGup1b7Gkhj7Dat20/s1616/9DFF1D47-6EF9-438D-BC1C-679268616092.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1616" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjal5rJaUdBpBE5lJ-IlrJnCkFMFRZdt-0U5AW_ZYtFYy6_f0ErQAvHBFNFRFNQ6xLqQuaJHl8IEzE17w0UBlj5K-AjHE1Jf7oRlTNMcjveGipavyFHpcnReA2ZaF_hg4qkXCIGajb8xeDrS0otk5_T98mk_RpC6YLNYICuCTrSZyrGup1b7Gkhj7Dat20/w400-h268/9DFF1D47-6EF9-438D-BC1C-679268616092.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";">From Savannakeht I continued south - to Pakse, a town you would quite cheerfully avoid if possible, but it’s on the way to greater things.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWfpqbghYGkXwhmmdnrBIy0LPd9oL-CT4O3rpeo7TCrW8rSUbDKo_kAXsddkzHglAbwdOPWHX93N9QmkxWkW2N0J7BDqjtHyfybA-TWEP36T-lPCJ2qWyMfQiFiTUb91cNG5zk1kF-tw7ErKWxa-7dtWzfs2AN0JtcW0MCRCXUunLg19VLf6bbXkFlQco/s4032/6E252701-6B11-41F3-8C17-168537373226.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWfpqbghYGkXwhmmdnrBIy0LPd9oL-CT4O3rpeo7TCrW8rSUbDKo_kAXsddkzHglAbwdOPWHX93N9QmkxWkW2N0J7BDqjtHyfybA-TWEP36T-lPCJ2qWyMfQiFiTUb91cNG5zk1kF-tw7ErKWxa-7dtWzfs2AN0JtcW0MCRCXUunLg19VLf6bbXkFlQco/w300-h400/6E252701-6B11-41F3-8C17-168537373226.jpeg" width="300" /></a></div><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";">And now I’ve seen it all: The bus to Pakse was so full, that they didn’t even stop to pick up even more passengers or freight on the way, despite several people trying to flag it down! </span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibTlykEpbLa25WsO27nU50FcFwH4R3t6f1NjU_WuOboagl9XxA-LtMILeeI-RUZVbtgumi-WnujcIvke1Rkgi5rXvCf-MScYK4lgsiPXfHBCUOFVPLyKD8HaYYvAt8szkBlNHkBmVO57gQxs1O7ARwERHthfkGPzyZ1Vzzsm6IrrD-_eOuQmlXhWvh6Og/s3088/B0441198-E391-49A1-BD69-3DF77C614CAE.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2320" data-original-width="3088" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibTlykEpbLa25WsO27nU50FcFwH4R3t6f1NjU_WuOboagl9XxA-LtMILeeI-RUZVbtgumi-WnujcIvke1Rkgi5rXvCf-MScYK4lgsiPXfHBCUOFVPLyKD8HaYYvAt8szkBlNHkBmVO57gQxs1O7ARwERHthfkGPzyZ1Vzzsm6IrrD-_eOuQmlXhWvh6Og/w400-h300/B0441198-E391-49A1-BD69-3DF77C614CAE.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho6sHmM1OEOSh9qfStcNoM1cKf26B0Op8m4iumTwNP6mlOsEUQV-x7mPAF0KLz2vB6zz2N4VXWWyhWHCx6mzGwqO75JH0tQvgwRFadEW2IpqHHy6_USEST_nxCS3fmWd1MTeyJ9NDpXLYOctNSDYCvLDWAyyq239-Arrg0FJphoZBU0BeNTIKeYVc8pG0/s4032/D2D51340-F449-4082-BD0A-2E8537827653.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho6sHmM1OEOSh9qfStcNoM1cKf26B0Op8m4iumTwNP6mlOsEUQV-x7mPAF0KLz2vB6zz2N4VXWWyhWHCx6mzGwqO75JH0tQvgwRFadEW2IpqHHy6_USEST_nxCS3fmWd1MTeyJ9NDpXLYOctNSDYCvLDWAyyq239-Arrg0FJphoZBU0BeNTIKeYVc8pG0/w400-h300/D2D51340-F449-4082-BD0A-2E8537827653.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";">To be fair the roof of then mini bus was already loaded with 7 motorbikes, 10 mattresses and enough bags of rice to feed a medium sized village for a year.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWOzkAMsoV7xfcAN29BpkEtS3xjsMTgKjNhxyVojkJYNxJsj-sG4UvqhbhKJVot7VjLHF_8F1dc2J3sWcyYqLuYf8cytfw6s6z4iDA9YggnZ_okPXQlmmYqiqcSLbP6CWjLcPTqhiplTZcw111wxPnwqOORc2wnVR2TdhMKMu_h-saJXGnJyXalcIKsgA/s4032/640C6EB5-7CD3-4C3D-AD3F-7182DBBAD5A3.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWOzkAMsoV7xfcAN29BpkEtS3xjsMTgKjNhxyVojkJYNxJsj-sG4UvqhbhKJVot7VjLHF_8F1dc2J3sWcyYqLuYf8cytfw6s6z4iDA9YggnZ_okPXQlmmYqiqcSLbP6CWjLcPTqhiplTZcw111wxPnwqOORc2wnVR2TdhMKMu_h-saJXGnJyXalcIKsgA/w400-h300/640C6EB5-7CD3-4C3D-AD3F-7182DBBAD5A3.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";">Kudos to the staff for managing to fit as much as they did on the bus. Somewhere there, deep down under six sacks of dried vegetables, is my trusted backpack.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwdQI2F389WLp_bjBZIk_eYrzIrLOpA1mWTtBjaJsZDvXZ5K14G4s1PZ7zw-E4VfhMflDFbFZ2tfabG0aIFKkvBJS7syAF0PMBwfEvU2BnxXeMQthk7rFuw11LtdBuZ2nzTiJWm9ECc_P1VCQIJJNxFO_dLZ6NpddMBnnDxtWPO9lHSxNkOXK_I1FywNw/s4032/65EAB3D4-1416-478A-BEF7-A6B51844B7E0.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwdQI2F389WLp_bjBZIk_eYrzIrLOpA1mWTtBjaJsZDvXZ5K14G4s1PZ7zw-E4VfhMflDFbFZ2tfabG0aIFKkvBJS7syAF0PMBwfEvU2BnxXeMQthk7rFuw11LtdBuZ2nzTiJWm9ECc_P1VCQIJJNxFO_dLZ6NpddMBnnDxtWPO9lHSxNkOXK_I1FywNw/w400-h300/65EAB3D4-1416-478A-BEF7-A6B51844B7E0.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";">My time in Laos is, alas, coming to an end soon. Before I leave, I shall gently drift along the Mekong to Four Thousand Islands. But that’s a bedtime story for another night.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br />Kati Åberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04729186654384794395noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4856765924876984415.post-4099518616639408762024-01-18T17:10:00.000+02:002024-01-18T17:10:14.411+02:00Fragrant Steam and Lao sauna<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYIYyRzB8rZcFL4iDh1ogg8LnYMhLp9LbBHu91If_X9ChyHQrnViQpiOsuc2A8pXL0HkoO-hJ2UhyU-KdwZyod69JpTlbl5anXPKAj_GjpZzw-7LNIKxUCjN_efnF97cNL47QQUoJgUvRqSzanieZEi2e-UAFr_XoLADFxEqt42tno2_0Mc_awBo-7RNc/s1616/B2E4807E-EF62-4A31-B577-53841DDF2F20.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1616" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYIYyRzB8rZcFL4iDh1ogg8LnYMhLp9LbBHu91If_X9ChyHQrnViQpiOsuc2A8pXL0HkoO-hJ2UhyU-KdwZyod69JpTlbl5anXPKAj_GjpZzw-7LNIKxUCjN_efnF97cNL47QQUoJgUvRqSzanieZEi2e-UAFr_XoLADFxEqt42tno2_0Mc_awBo-7RNc/w400-h268/B2E4807E-EF62-4A31-B577-53841DDF2F20.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p><span style="color: #454545; font-family: ".SFUIText";">Hello fellow travelers! I’m taking a little time off from moving around and relaxing in the capital of Laos, which as we all know is Vientiane. There’s really nothing much to see here, apart from the inevitable wats and a couple of stupas (those titty-shaped religious structures, that are either stand-alone or inside a wat area). The closest stupa to my hostel is, I kid you not, the rather overgrown That Dam Stupa!</span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";">Whilst on the topic of relaxation, here’s a fun fact: Laos has the best steam saunas! Not as aesthetically pleasing or socially intriguing as the hammam of countries like Tunisia or Morocco, but with much better steam AND the steam is infused with herbal aroma, which are guaranteed to cure all ills - indeed, in the past herbal steaming was used medicinally to treat those who were ill. On top of its healing properties, the smell of the steam is fantastic. The herbs commonly used include lemongrass, mint, eucalyptus, lime leaves, cinnamon, basil and rosemary - which doesn’t sound like a bad recipe for a chicken stew either. These fresh herbs are loaded into a vat of boiling water located under the steam room to produce the steam. (However the green thing in the pot in this image is the family’s dinner, not my herbs)</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM7PxGbk3zeH174JCVIjUfIP-VcGzqCLxG0TopX2IxKAWtfZ_OqSKcYl6CFZGSHww2k3qn6nerp75FkM4NEoucbWFDEpagSrL38nnhdZoCRiQE59js7ntZdvmSB-V2FiSIy5HuSSNpB0nQljEFtMCkn5pVleugp2FfI_1IO-nN-PxK7OzaYwvvWKu4S_Q/s1616/FC75830D-4DE3-4D04-8960-5822549863A3.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1616" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM7PxGbk3zeH174JCVIjUfIP-VcGzqCLxG0TopX2IxKAWtfZ_OqSKcYl6CFZGSHww2k3qn6nerp75FkM4NEoucbWFDEpagSrL38nnhdZoCRiQE59js7ntZdvmSB-V2FiSIy5HuSSNpB0nQljEFtMCkn5pVleugp2FfI_1IO-nN-PxK7OzaYwvvWKu4S_Q/w268-h400/FC75830D-4DE3-4D04-8960-5822549863A3.jpeg" width="268" /></a></div><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";">My first Lao sauna on this trip was in Luang Nam Tha at the Phon Herbal Sauna. Located in a quiet inner courtyard off a side street. </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMLyFcfTnzLl00OdcnUC3NeJDyc9CXG128a0SmLXCBTnMTeifGnTS__scKbSysnsROUHP9i8i2z2f6CO5CUdwkTZ5xNbRt4bMiR2W7tjbw5dy66X3qSgDAW55xTxBnRIFlGLzs39kr3jSo2I_7-ukfC5bwgerZ5fyGF_RBOOLQx_AZOSyXI8yV0xVAf0Y/s1616/D23B309F-2F6F-4F51-A1F1-F38423282C0A.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1616" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMLyFcfTnzLl00OdcnUC3NeJDyc9CXG128a0SmLXCBTnMTeifGnTS__scKbSysnsROUHP9i8i2z2f6CO5CUdwkTZ5xNbRt4bMiR2W7tjbw5dy66X3qSgDAW55xTxBnRIFlGLzs39kr3jSo2I_7-ukfC5bwgerZ5fyGF_RBOOLQx_AZOSyXI8yV0xVAf0Y/w268-h400/D23B309F-2F6F-4F51-A1F1-F38423282C0A.jpeg" width="268" /></a></div><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";">It was a family space, with the children chilling outside the family home and the old sauna building at the edge of the property. </span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 20.3px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";"></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYmTjkPEup2-oXQ3aKgP-fwzPO51fDAymDZKgOa6x0mntTGEQm5NO7TIUffD9kCpaSUB39Mgi-DWdifvzeLOBPFZZ6un69n-ykpjY5zcZef0wkpMyfJ9hLTNgSJNjaPu-aSLC-tOfESG5Jgt0fhOCu-5bt8krWkOhAdCRiU5YQ-4L4rKKOMqHT-LpS0EY/s1616/1EB3621D-6CED-41E3-B101-A2A746FDC6E0.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="font-family: -webkit-standard; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1616" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYmTjkPEup2-oXQ3aKgP-fwzPO51fDAymDZKgOa6x0mntTGEQm5NO7TIUffD9kCpaSUB39Mgi-DWdifvzeLOBPFZZ6un69n-ykpjY5zcZef0wkpMyfJ9hLTNgSJNjaPu-aSLC-tOfESG5Jgt0fhOCu-5bt8krWkOhAdCRiU5YQ-4L4rKKOMqHT-LpS0EY/w400-h268/1EB3621D-6CED-41E3-B101-A2A746FDC6E0.jpeg" width="400" /></a></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";">Up a rickety stairway and into the locker room / massage room.</span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggtadzFlPU0607VVONaYv584OjkdbVLcoAM_SW7xkilikE8Onj5tSfjcCnJNcFc5G-ig6pSqc6IyQvLKPeIs3LkJkrr-3xEtFFjU2MU_SIyImrtrftob6XYPCoHaYczmxcEdzysJCtu2IUzu_qKVaXWYGDH790eA58Z6sEBy4M04Fbo8qceJdhPZQD5tI/s1616/5ACA0717-5D86-481A-B271-DB12C9695EEA.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1616" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggtadzFlPU0607VVONaYv584OjkdbVLcoAM_SW7xkilikE8Onj5tSfjcCnJNcFc5G-ig6pSqc6IyQvLKPeIs3LkJkrr-3xEtFFjU2MU_SIyImrtrftob6XYPCoHaYczmxcEdzysJCtu2IUzu_qKVaXWYGDH790eA58Z6sEBy4M04Fbo8qceJdhPZQD5tI/w268-h400/5ACA0717-5D86-481A-B271-DB12C9695EEA.jpeg" width="268" /></a></div><p></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";">When I came, they were just finishing massaging one local man - other than that there was no-one else there. So they had to steam up the sauna for me, which took around 15 minutes.</span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";">The sauna is heated using local wood and in the local way, which is to use long sticks of wood and just shove them further into the fire as the tips burn off. This same method is used in the villages for those open cooking fires. People here really aren’t into chopping wood any more than they need to. So a 2,5 meter long stalk of bamboo is just right for firing up the sauna.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm6DPnh7Y9-o9w2d5pVXbaNJDQrSM3CTqL8xU77DaUbJz2F2nd5SDDE7oZnQdExYkmugpUwCV9xCQ730Hlq4xK7ui23QfXWTbqWRdIfkJvCxCiNzXvfj1eylXFuw_Be7iv67jdUTznaMsRiKV-IbzREj1RTWTcttQ_thrdrAtTT70DnHup8DZkG6zwles/s1616/82A30381-5E12-4DF7-ADEC-E144D28342EF.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1616" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm6DPnh7Y9-o9w2d5pVXbaNJDQrSM3CTqL8xU77DaUbJz2F2nd5SDDE7oZnQdExYkmugpUwCV9xCQ730Hlq4xK7ui23QfXWTbqWRdIfkJvCxCiNzXvfj1eylXFuw_Be7iv67jdUTznaMsRiKV-IbzREj1RTWTcttQ_thrdrAtTT70DnHup8DZkG6zwles/w268-h400/82A30381-5E12-4DF7-ADEC-E144D28342EF.jpeg" width="268" /></a></div><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";">You are given a sarong to wrap around yourself and you nip into the tastefully decorated changing cubicle to slip into it. </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8wttAFk4Vlrk5KmceYHMIE_4zR5KKsIMJqTQIOqZdU9K1XbksftpiaDzUFNfyQICAzVp_G2olh9eh-fhVWh-WGo_k56EXhr2KhiEQ8t16xhfm3_YChBayZnCWklVVLVVgkJTnbBXmXmO8CzRshY6QEckCmh70LEr_Ul3qcQ0alpO0IIgUQhCVTawrjbE/s1616/DA87D7AB-BC5D-4207-9C90-F59FAC2C5936.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1616" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8wttAFk4Vlrk5KmceYHMIE_4zR5KKsIMJqTQIOqZdU9K1XbksftpiaDzUFNfyQICAzVp_G2olh9eh-fhVWh-WGo_k56EXhr2KhiEQ8t16xhfm3_YChBayZnCWklVVLVVgkJTnbBXmXmO8CzRshY6QEckCmh70LEr_Ul3qcQ0alpO0IIgUQhCVTawrjbE/w268-h400/DA87D7AB-BC5D-4207-9C90-F59FAC2C5936.jpeg" width="268" /></a></div><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";">Then it’s off to sauna - unlike in Finland, without going to the shower first. Well, I say shower, but actually the washing facilities are a scoop and a vat of cold and hot water - the hot water being produced as a by-product of heating up the sauna.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO1DiZgcYGUhaKbhwgcg3KVG8Vdj8mbCIl6KerJNu4wQCejSgl7Vfwdv9r1ypyny0eT723nUf9s7Ly5mlbp6R696jL2jjcfb9covHPmpYzJtNTqfRFJDBwVsPT6bbIhIFVuJZvDP7OGsHKFuhnKx2KepGmofeznhBtSxMW7MDAvicDg_o_emJyStq5Drk/s1616/D0DC51C0-4CC8-4B99-9372-ACC7B3341EF4.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1616" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO1DiZgcYGUhaKbhwgcg3KVG8Vdj8mbCIl6KerJNu4wQCejSgl7Vfwdv9r1ypyny0eT723nUf9s7Ly5mlbp6R696jL2jjcfb9covHPmpYzJtNTqfRFJDBwVsPT6bbIhIFVuJZvDP7OGsHKFuhnKx2KepGmofeznhBtSxMW7MDAvicDg_o_emJyStq5Drk/w400-h268/D0DC51C0-4CC8-4B99-9372-ACC7B3341EF4.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";">There are separate steam rooms for men and women. The steam rooms are just under 4m2. The small size means that the steam is thick - so thick that for once you really can’t see your hand in front of your face, any of the walls or even the narrow window giving natural daylight. And when you first go in, you start coughing in the herb infused steam, but gradually get used to it. A very pleasant smell, it must be said.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYcJZ-h9jbQVjFSklULZLP8pz9_v-4YXhMzQf1n18k7xopM-qgivUkMrUkiKEB7bhbW6HGsT-cYD9hU_K2AI9x6y9PQC1PaAFiHYQKrYnVboZiIhG4b8x1z8HXQfpe7gDuGLzXJVO6YdmQam8JNwcFneDMKymww02pav9HjXoT3U1y1XKTYMx9Xsy8k8A/s1616/20567DD9-C865-4922-A450-D349C3244828.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1616" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYcJZ-h9jbQVjFSklULZLP8pz9_v-4YXhMzQf1n18k7xopM-qgivUkMrUkiKEB7bhbW6HGsT-cYD9hU_K2AI9x6y9PQC1PaAFiHYQKrYnVboZiIhG4b8x1z8HXQfpe7gDuGLzXJVO6YdmQam8JNwcFneDMKymww02pav9HjXoT3U1y1XKTYMx9Xsy8k8A/w400-h268/20567DD9-C865-4922-A450-D349C3244828.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1I3J2x5Rl3oULvAJoyiOuCKsFwrce1D5YApm-wqaDzyzookQ8o9owPARYD4c4yDfH0G10pIGccav9_Q0M3A6wXAQO_jVOrM0OmJM3COqtuImCv18_Vht5XIOHJsCy3rb4YVukrNOqfhviWESbbBn5cewNJcwto8BeRLbNpHQTmPZWoy2pq4cO9C7Kc4I/s1616/B4044833-3B6F-4C1B-A677-EE829A74E701.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="font-family: -webkit-standard; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1616" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1I3J2x5Rl3oULvAJoyiOuCKsFwrce1D5YApm-wqaDzyzookQ8o9owPARYD4c4yDfH0G10pIGccav9_Q0M3A6wXAQO_jVOrM0OmJM3COqtuImCv18_Vht5XIOHJsCy3rb4YVukrNOqfhviWESbbBn5cewNJcwto8BeRLbNpHQTmPZWoy2pq4cO9C7Kc4I/w400-h268/B4044833-3B6F-4C1B-A677-EE829A74E701.jpeg" width="400" /></a></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";">Much as in a Finnish sauna, the protocol is to remain in the sauna around 10-15 minutes, come outside to chill, then repeat a couple of times. When you’re done, it’s the perfect time for a massage.</span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";">Lao massage is physical, painful, efficacious and, by Western standards, cheap, with a 60-minute session costing 5 to 6 euros.</span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 20.3px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";"></span><br /></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";">After the full treatment, you feel reborn with skin as smooth as a ... puppy’s? Chick’s? Anyway, very damned smooth! And fragrant as a chicken cassarole! </span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 20.3px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";"></span><br /></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";">So having now relaxed for a bit, it’s back on the road again. Specifically back onto a 6.30 am bus (how I suffer) for the presumably bumpy 7 hour ride to Savannakhet. I’ll be in need of another sauna & massage after that ride I expect.</span></p>Kati Åberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04729186654384794395noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4856765924876984415.post-32809593200525705782024-01-15T11:08:00.004+02:002024-01-15T11:13:23.060+02:00Jungle Fever the Hard Way<p><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SFUIText";"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SFUIText";"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGe6cwok14pLcLYyPseAdb5QHKORllcgT5Ykl3mLZ5O94fVzGh2SY2NzLjpyk0FhlaRH8d2y71lYleetp8kqQi5G3A7Z2rA-GayWuDMS0b-hMqSp70slaEtsEp4-s3_PEdyGjPFgX9QuiNLbyVAAmIaQXsvsMPpFk955LFu_I7hyphenhypheneZKSivpBYysJzIrsQ/s1616/79CC62CB-EE75-476C-9EF0-0126926FA68B.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1616" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGe6cwok14pLcLYyPseAdb5QHKORllcgT5Ykl3mLZ5O94fVzGh2SY2NzLjpyk0FhlaRH8d2y71lYleetp8kqQi5G3A7Z2rA-GayWuDMS0b-hMqSp70slaEtsEp4-s3_PEdyGjPFgX9QuiNLbyVAAmIaQXsvsMPpFk955LFu_I7hyphenhypheneZKSivpBYysJzIrsQ/w268-h400/79CC62CB-EE75-476C-9EF0-0126926FA68B.jpeg" width="268" /></a></span></div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SFUIText";">The Nam Tha region of Northern Laos is mostly visited for the Nam Tha Natural Protected Area (NPA), a beautiful and relatively unspoilt bit of jungle. </span><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SFUIText";">Unlike in some countries, the nature reserves in Laos are still inhabited by the local indigenous people, who admittedly hunt and forage in the forests, but also maintain their own culture and knowledge of the jungle and its plants.</span><p></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";">To see the Nam Tha NPA, one had to get downright painfully physical - because trekking in the jungle is hard and hot and at times dusty work and your muscles WILL feel the effect. </span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjloXALGI8DC99eO44scycNCbhkQ8GY6oNk4HCGm8b1NH40pyDX2cUdz71hDeQ4kQaTOzO422G15a0eVwwocdLY8HbT_AqkRYh5HwdSg_dfLNgn_9dZY7TXl2sXyK510xFjNI0FIo_gz56yCyTLHQTPffP9SHuqABbWb5zLYJj5wSzKTh37SlT3llYJ4Uw/s1024/D88DC460-D817-431A-BFA3-7E337EEA4764.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="576" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjloXALGI8DC99eO44scycNCbhkQ8GY6oNk4HCGm8b1NH40pyDX2cUdz71hDeQ4kQaTOzO422G15a0eVwwocdLY8HbT_AqkRYh5HwdSg_dfLNgn_9dZY7TXl2sXyK510xFjNI0FIo_gz56yCyTLHQTPffP9SHuqABbWb5zLYJj5wSzKTh37SlT3llYJ4Uw/w225-h400/D88DC460-D817-431A-BFA3-7E337EEA4764.jpeg" width="225" /></a></div><p></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";">Luckily at this dry time of year, it’s not muddy and slippery work as well. However, </span><span style="font-family: ".SFUIText";">during the two-day trek, I certainly navigated enough crumbly narrow jungle paths with sheer drops next to them and loose soil sliding underfoot for one lifetime.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyjS7RoO41fvwnCYqCmRIPokpjY9U7OQIAeaq4xl6HYxtuBVcrLX8Apm2nHhwTMMJnlBsNrEdEiR9P2SW2BA0xTLot6MVtBwNolWpK9ZabbpzYysLbqByl-cQonVRaS1DosJP2-L8ydPul8In6Ioksph6oEbDiMiL8KTaRin7HXt7xdL4xWlLM0OwBTz8/s4032/306E83AB-AD4D-4396-A955-A43FB3E46DCB.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyjS7RoO41fvwnCYqCmRIPokpjY9U7OQIAeaq4xl6HYxtuBVcrLX8Apm2nHhwTMMJnlBsNrEdEiR9P2SW2BA0xTLot6MVtBwNolWpK9ZabbpzYysLbqByl-cQonVRaS1DosJP2-L8ydPul8In6Ioksph6oEbDiMiL8KTaRin7HXt7xdL4xWlLM0OwBTz8/w300-h400/306E83AB-AD4D-4396-A955-A43FB3E46DCB.jpeg" width="300" /></a></div><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";">I was not alone in my efforts, but in a group with six others, one guide and a local guide, who was changed at every other village. The six or us represented Finland, the Netherlands, France, Italy and Argentina. No people from North America. In fact I don’t think I’ve run into a single one on this trip.</span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 20.3px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";"></span><br /></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";">Here our guide, Pon Si, is chopping some walking sticks for us. I grew to love and hate that sturdy stick during the next two days, but it was admittedly very necessary.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF8NPQiYb-URKTzxwrHLlPdSnuvii5fBv7n_WzLdTfKayMirAFCsBytJMBvQa5jtmg8Qj-bIW_euc6oJyj7t_oqgEc_7zmVyFcliaPK92JhTRVbN1eyDHF_V2og_w3o8rMUie9HtEXjxAkIeHx1oRAEaEYbvQbNP_EOZpPyXpN57QUgTQ1hRZzL56IEcs/s1616/545D7924-C9AA-4716-9DA7-0ACD84BA7ACD.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1616" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF8NPQiYb-URKTzxwrHLlPdSnuvii5fBv7n_WzLdTfKayMirAFCsBytJMBvQa5jtmg8Qj-bIW_euc6oJyj7t_oqgEc_7zmVyFcliaPK92JhTRVbN1eyDHF_V2og_w3o8rMUie9HtEXjxAkIeHx1oRAEaEYbvQbNP_EOZpPyXpN57QUgTQ1hRZzL56IEcs/w400-h268/545D7924-C9AA-4716-9DA7-0ACD84BA7ACD.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";">So there we were, hot and sweaty, walking and huffing gracelessly uphill for hours and then downhill for hours through lush greenery on very narrow and at times impressively steep paths.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitw2QkvefN6BIvXWVOgSMp0lvPZVMSEA2m0AgHKuWMg3uLdJeUO88sRXYjuR5pI7AVNMtDqCm54ZKmEgoUQPsxiKLvPlTmTXW0Rxiu4IjBrpNi08859SJ8P0QlsJH6pck-7kBqQuboS-y4hZ_vAlrrbq5FIxGdTVIYhXhwbinFJY-F3ixnnbfG5h6VoSQ/s4032/A512F776-921F-4013-A3FE-94ABBF9F4FFB.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitw2QkvefN6BIvXWVOgSMp0lvPZVMSEA2m0AgHKuWMg3uLdJeUO88sRXYjuR5pI7AVNMtDqCm54ZKmEgoUQPsxiKLvPlTmTXW0Rxiu4IjBrpNi08859SJ8P0QlsJH6pck-7kBqQuboS-y4hZ_vAlrrbq5FIxGdTVIYhXhwbinFJY-F3ixnnbfG5h6VoSQ/w300-h400/A512F776-921F-4013-A3FE-94ABBF9F4FFB.jpeg" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGN1j5cdtFojpOzIydgVZLYISugDBwm2rcF2zWkRzP_zAykncSm0RH_A-F9jJXz-7OjKgIHecjMFab9VCQi9hk7xJ9j_jE_-fkW54bFFpxGPyfh1QD1Zwk3Dv9t28gxe-U-VxHvUVoyrzkxUKyoXBXGlrJo3CWn0J-hHPcsptqcRNvRoUwMSTb242oqSs/s4032/5E6B952B-9297-493D-9B9A-8D315C037AAE.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGN1j5cdtFojpOzIydgVZLYISugDBwm2rcF2zWkRzP_zAykncSm0RH_A-F9jJXz-7OjKgIHecjMFab9VCQi9hk7xJ9j_jE_-fkW54bFFpxGPyfh1QD1Zwk3Dv9t28gxe-U-VxHvUVoyrzkxUKyoXBXGlrJo3CWn0J-hHPcsptqcRNvRoUwMSTb242oqSs/w300-h400/5E6B952B-9297-493D-9B9A-8D315C037AAE.jpeg" width="300" /></a></div><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";">We stopped for lunch at makeshift shelters. </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwD2OWXHG-Uif6OkAVrX-lr9AknGY3ZqhY9NBMfZmreMlrjd0ScywfgLZ39sCaHzqs32bJZbahZSMi1d091fCwzrPh5tyJvIts1W1f46JWfaa2WheMDmo0F22pWuZ_W_e92dDJUREWAkLdFO7BBhiVYLE-1jn9SZntkrg3bR9yFG60lX4_Ew_Zi7-qLUs/s4032/0E7052DB-B04B-4ECD-AA4E-36C97618CE1C.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwD2OWXHG-Uif6OkAVrX-lr9AknGY3ZqhY9NBMfZmreMlrjd0ScywfgLZ39sCaHzqs32bJZbahZSMi1d091fCwzrPh5tyJvIts1W1f46JWfaa2WheMDmo0F22pWuZ_W_e92dDJUREWAkLdFO7BBhiVYLE-1jn9SZntkrg3bR9yFG60lX4_Ew_Zi7-qLUs/w400-h300/0E7052DB-B04B-4ECD-AA4E-36C97618CE1C.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";">Lunch was served on the large leaves of nearby plants and eaten by hand. Everyone sat on the ground around the leaf and just dug in. No plates, no cultery. Food hygiene was forgotten as we passed each other tasty morsels by scooping them up from the leaves in our unwashed hands.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy0sTaEc-X8JXlaPPZjLBq7x41bVsnQb1e25tYlSYcTj6HZn_WGHIvApCDmoe65oRrBDhJ2HUckzN1dHRucJtGRVjOiad0HC8Ps7dMJSFBqre4nhwdUI0NZmhBVk63M-C74gyoYcG0ob62qaeGyzGaDs5yeoilVyGbFdEBFXJVo1WT-Lwl3YWHznexvA0/s950/DD6880C8-90F4-4305-900F-3FAE2B75E0ED.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="633" data-original-width="950" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy0sTaEc-X8JXlaPPZjLBq7x41bVsnQb1e25tYlSYcTj6HZn_WGHIvApCDmoe65oRrBDhJ2HUckzN1dHRucJtGRVjOiad0HC8Ps7dMJSFBqre4nhwdUI0NZmhBVk63M-C74gyoYcG0ob62qaeGyzGaDs5yeoilVyGbFdEBFXJVo1WT-Lwl3YWHznexvA0/w400-h266/DD6880C8-90F4-4305-900F-3FAE2B75E0ED.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";">Finally, just before dusk starting to set in, we arrived at our destination for the night. And the very first thing I did was go and soak in the river. Oh that glorious, joyous, refreshing (not even chilly) soak! It made the sticky day seem almost worth it!</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLVDUtFDI42F-vHqjBhNrB8IhSmkwK3SIgsd6Wb5H5D1GYRCmpLbd-wQUEksJlUGuN9hITY6zofYNcLTq9D4YR6s5qx8MedqVF6Q-QjNQTdzI8sXy1nPvQSR0Y7kRhqhg-BURGXKQTFfTsr68G4cmRsmPgON8ZfZIeI2bLnZS2o4tklzPXYm_L1c1tCfM/s4032/364FDE8D-21C0-48D3-B780-D540E68B4E4B.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLVDUtFDI42F-vHqjBhNrB8IhSmkwK3SIgsd6Wb5H5D1GYRCmpLbd-wQUEksJlUGuN9hITY6zofYNcLTq9D4YR6s5qx8MedqVF6Q-QjNQTdzI8sXy1nPvQSR0Y7kRhqhg-BURGXKQTFfTsr68G4cmRsmPgON8ZfZIeI2bLnZS2o4tklzPXYm_L1c1tCfM/w400-h300/364FDE8D-21C0-48D3-B780-D540E68B4E4B.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";">We stayed overnight in Nalun village in Nampha NPA. Nalun was a village of the Khmu people, who are the largest minority ethnic group in Northern Laos, constituting 11% of the population here. </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGDn6qnVfVviM1uHRr_g2iWW_PF-GalZUtjbn1NS8sAQUuuwMG5g-OQ-e1hvgNUTVD_DoA0be1_Am2Kan_Hu0QlsNJnQA2H6F1UmQOkxWoequtweSFDRqLjT7GPDF7DfYbFoxfCGQ0h1-OQYrwjSHTWzsCfsGywmz6fheA-Q09yBGsNE7ZCdEuErjmdB0/s1233/9CB7334F-C8CA-4317-80F3-C03B370C80C5.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="824" data-original-width="1233" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGDn6qnVfVviM1uHRr_g2iWW_PF-GalZUtjbn1NS8sAQUuuwMG5g-OQ-e1hvgNUTVD_DoA0be1_Am2Kan_Hu0QlsNJnQA2H6F1UmQOkxWoequtweSFDRqLjT7GPDF7DfYbFoxfCGQ0h1-OQYrwjSHTWzsCfsGywmz6fheA-Q09yBGsNE7ZCdEuErjmdB0/w400-h268/9CB7334F-C8CA-4317-80F3-C03B370C80C5.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";">Nalun village looked like Asterix’s village! Beautiful wooden buildings on stilts, </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeSwGkzl6jJEB_hB26pt3CKJdx0SxVHPkWNWTg7QXkTsxeSGvq0yN7Sl1CfOp2M5sACN92bpY8JKAciZZxb4RdUJyKjJyQIaAz309k-vcuG3rwOGBdGH_hNX8dhDdJ05o3ErIaKJzW5EChsICOY6forIVgoK-wlYHts7ipFx2DHSBAAVb2bfmBQ0XLFH8/s4032/1263EFF3-23EA-4672-9BD6-47070D5285EC.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeSwGkzl6jJEB_hB26pt3CKJdx0SxVHPkWNWTg7QXkTsxeSGvq0yN7Sl1CfOp2M5sACN92bpY8JKAciZZxb4RdUJyKjJyQIaAz309k-vcuG3rwOGBdGH_hNX8dhDdJ05o3ErIaKJzW5EChsICOY6forIVgoK-wlYHts7ipFx2DHSBAAVb2bfmBQ0XLFH8/w400-h300/1263EFF3-23EA-4672-9BD6-47070D5285EC.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB25QVSdHXmYS5qtlkj5E20oZ43wfYf-0H14KIAhegWqylJjH8Hl5rhgadks2dZ2TUbOQ12pdNCKfMY2u59J1e7n53OImgukFrYoLbqANeGXentGOW4uj3r-EsntpTbPTrO5iYLEmJsMgfpM67eM3OZ7-yDDNIl1yRBkcmR9NZaBV3Jep_FMB-RwiuhXI/s1616/16B068BC-981E-4CEC-915A-9A6D609EB0C2.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1616" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB25QVSdHXmYS5qtlkj5E20oZ43wfYf-0H14KIAhegWqylJjH8Hl5rhgadks2dZ2TUbOQ12pdNCKfMY2u59J1e7n53OImgukFrYoLbqANeGXentGOW4uj3r-EsntpTbPTrO5iYLEmJsMgfpM67eM3OZ7-yDDNIl1yRBkcmR9NZaBV3Jep_FMB-RwiuhXI/w400-h268/16B068BC-981E-4CEC-915A-9A6D609EB0C2.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";">chicken, children and dogs running around, people cooking at open fires.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVf1M2SfLD64qNf-MA61vKnJr7fBgBj8kQdHsgPuSwP1BzaIqnVenCe2McJmTgLDb2AdWa04xrEnom3ALx9FOqUjplyOmkDNHzHmN_YcOqjxPEHwje9TT29DSPJxZ2oFjbHo3reDevO8P2Mui2qde8ImqAHXpTXb6l_r5vzMPBLidx5KAh1J7Iy5QUSx4/s1616/D3D60137-7AC7-4419-AABF-CE0FDD584507.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1616" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVf1M2SfLD64qNf-MA61vKnJr7fBgBj8kQdHsgPuSwP1BzaIqnVenCe2McJmTgLDb2AdWa04xrEnom3ALx9FOqUjplyOmkDNHzHmN_YcOqjxPEHwje9TT29DSPJxZ2oFjbHo3reDevO8P2Mui2qde8ImqAHXpTXb6l_r5vzMPBLidx5KAh1J7Iy5QUSx4/w400-h268/D3D60137-7AC7-4419-AABF-CE0FDD584507.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";">The tour operator business in this region has thankfully improved in the last several years, and tours in the Nam Tha region make sure a relevant part of the proceeds is left to the local community in some form - such as wages for local guides and compensation for accommodation and food at the villages. Our tour operator claimed 50% of our fees went to the village. That can be taken with a few spoonfuls of salt, but clearly we were an important factor in the village economy and were very warmly received by the villagers. </span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 20.3px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";"></span><br /></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";">In fact so warmly and with so many bottles of corn-based Lao Whisky, also known as Lao Lao or Happy Water, that some of our group as well as our guide were looking a little worse for wear the next morning. The party took place in the space under a house. </span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkDXqQRUIlqYPGJwfhnUpFnGCi26RVaAgtM4pbZWm-yMDlFQspnY0pgHLiResRv32ZEKygb4RYAw1tJ_5qtdH-NLnEiUzIreVmc8dWw5t1rU39ph10CJ1WSFhPq4eFuLOTnpHo5F5urVJ2VFHJQBq1KXrEeEvS7xPqy6cb7RAdKB1kwKSdHkH50gcNai8/s4032/7576404D-9A83-4189-8D05-F701A9A33187.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkDXqQRUIlqYPGJwfhnUpFnGCi26RVaAgtM4pbZWm-yMDlFQspnY0pgHLiResRv32ZEKygb4RYAw1tJ_5qtdH-NLnEiUzIreVmc8dWw5t1rU39ph10CJ1WSFhPq4eFuLOTnpHo5F5urVJ2VFHJQBq1KXrEeEvS7xPqy6cb7RAdKB1kwKSdHkH50gcNai8/w400-h300/7576404D-9A83-4189-8D05-F701A9A33187.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";">On offer was also a communal pot of fried cow-hide stew, which everyone dipped into with one and the same spoon. This delicacy was also passed on to me, but I hate to admit, I very ungraciously and with little thought for my hosts feelings, declined. The braver ones in our group who partook of this delicacy pronounced it very chewy - as in chewing gum chewy - and after attempting to make headway long enough, secretly spat out the hide and gave it to the village dogs. An acquired taste clearly.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEJntJktujU8whg1068bO-wJpClwPJCD04jEtIb8kQoFYJxvviK1xqkCkX6tnRt1GdGhIFQbhrW89cE0MzGl0hWHF-cZEM7e9HA9eL6ts2psvlnuR1YLEbvbQ7s2QzAbI04uF2A51av5e7ZX-DHeDpxADm3tLiRQtuQw65ovsbTCRnQ1ys3NlX-RekCTI/s1616/A6C5FC07-B578-4D06-A3E8-B9F8BB0C82EB.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1616" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEJntJktujU8whg1068bO-wJpClwPJCD04jEtIb8kQoFYJxvviK1xqkCkX6tnRt1GdGhIFQbhrW89cE0MzGl0hWHF-cZEM7e9HA9eL6ts2psvlnuR1YLEbvbQ7s2QzAbI04uF2A51av5e7ZX-DHeDpxADm3tLiRQtuQw65ovsbTCRnQ1ys3NlX-RekCTI/w268-h400/A6C5FC07-B578-4D06-A3E8-B9F8BB0C82EB.jpeg" width="268" /></a></div><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";">After dark, it was truly dark. There is no electricity in the village, just a few lamps running on batteries. </span><span style="font-family: ".SFUIText";">The starry night was sky bright enough to burn your retina if you stared at it long enough. As I always do, I looked for the North Star just to know, in roughly which direction home was in.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipOfU2g_nzpQOpfFPc9KPOUUQFaf-kHQz5Ovc3RoncHiY8RBq296L0A99_MWIY9VxuI-EsuE25j_Ea9wG3gpvUovNqs07lD4k3S06_-ujxc0RGhw09FKTPr9Njy_jMz890SeOPqARrKLpQYiMfe5jA4KiwvP8VUbenZ8CiF70a2_P-2_g5dROaCnoYqRI/s1616/D4B0FD55-2CF1-4ED2-8E1A-8C8A81A5CFB6.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1616" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipOfU2g_nzpQOpfFPc9KPOUUQFaf-kHQz5Ovc3RoncHiY8RBq296L0A99_MWIY9VxuI-EsuE25j_Ea9wG3gpvUovNqs07lD4k3S06_-ujxc0RGhw09FKTPr9Njy_jMz890SeOPqARrKLpQYiMfe5jA4KiwvP8VUbenZ8CiF70a2_P-2_g5dROaCnoYqRI/w400-h268/D4B0FD55-2CF1-4ED2-8E1A-8C8A81A5CFB6.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";">And then it was time for bed, which was a stone hard and thin mattress on the floor of a family’s home. The tour operators switch houses every time they arrive with a new group, so that the money from tourists is more evenly spread in the village. I’m sure the level of accommodation is the same, wherever you lay your head.</span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 20.3px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";"></span><br /></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";">I have been saddened that the beautiful old wood houses are being replaced by ugly stone buildings all over Asia. It seems that as soon as the local population’s income improves to the level that they can afford a stone house, they hasten to build one. After my night on the floor of this particular wooden house on stilts, I start to think they may have a point. </span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 20.3px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";"></span><br /></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";">One problem is that there is absolutely no sound proofing. Zero. Someone speaking loudly outside the house could just as well be speaking inside your room. Also, when someone changes sides on their mattress, the whole floor wobbles. Or if someone tries to sneak off for a midnight toilet break, you will most certainly we woken by the bouncing of the floorboards and the creaking of the doors. Being Finnish I am well aware, that there is such a thing as a sturdily build wooden building, which doesn’t have any of these characteristics. It just seems that sturdy building is not en vogue here. </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3xYTyhJQPKOKkia0I7DznE5kLKhYuTD4MA4PksG3ujHFUIp9QKEqRggh-tWqwFkzAKoJXfarl3hy-B4ZOuHMTSZGJE76zEH5oiT4eunV4UBH64w8q6uH9r0rEoe2c8qOlZXFVDBmEdiAcS4SR0utIxh7MldViF6M9lBxnHHuuqtVjKPjrUqwFVzDTVOU/s1616/4444503E-1FEA-4381-81DE-6F6D216DE9F5.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1616" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3xYTyhJQPKOKkia0I7DznE5kLKhYuTD4MA4PksG3ujHFUIp9QKEqRggh-tWqwFkzAKoJXfarl3hy-B4ZOuHMTSZGJE76zEH5oiT4eunV4UBH64w8q6uH9r0rEoe2c8qOlZXFVDBmEdiAcS4SR0utIxh7MldViF6M9lBxnHHuuqtVjKPjrUqwFVzDTVOU/w400-h268/4444503E-1FEA-4381-81DE-6F6D216DE9F5.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";">In the unlikely event that you have managed to fall asleep despite the sounds and the jumping floorboards and hard mattress, be assured it won’t last. Because by around 4am the cocks start to crow. And not in the distance either: the household cock lived in the space under the building - directly under the floor we were sleeping on.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3J2PHtGvrTAY16EnyLHl9kcbgocKnrb5qZ1564MRSL2nWjBW1rvs-Ig2V6NKfXvtj9aZMORLmnwGF-OmdidoJTsUwwQc1H7HwEsE4TNA4QS6rhQNivOPA6AWQ2SfwWyfn25fnDu0b73knWabz-gRfhMaXVmaqq9cpMmHRyfiX7_SMl9R4RR17F8VsIqc/s1616/21A5E43B-4EDE-45EE-A5D8-ED7C1EA057F2.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1616" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3J2PHtGvrTAY16EnyLHl9kcbgocKnrb5qZ1564MRSL2nWjBW1rvs-Ig2V6NKfXvtj9aZMORLmnwGF-OmdidoJTsUwwQc1H7HwEsE4TNA4QS6rhQNivOPA6AWQ2SfwWyfn25fnDu0b73knWabz-gRfhMaXVmaqq9cpMmHRyfiX7_SMl9R4RR17F8VsIqc/w268-h400/21A5E43B-4EDE-45EE-A5D8-ED7C1EA057F2.jpeg" width="268" /></a></div><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";">So I was, for once, up much earlier than I needed to be to check out the local shops (with a very proud cock-a-doodle-dooer in front of it)</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbBUNw16xzBm1XSAZ5lxorDwIJdvsoxJXbBTFlUTa6nkr9dlf9l0TPRIK3Fx1FBVD2BnY_Tr5Hpi3-Rjjwwd2NTHSG6f0XuxlV9XYOnhzguRXPDkL-cJvFAxBi4DfObovwlR181Kkf_EyIdk64v1HVh-tWBWUkyy8qkbYWBYs6a4vqYO0Lj-75TjhUD68/s1616/CC795CB4-859B-4EBB-A335-974722B84AF0.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1616" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbBUNw16xzBm1XSAZ5lxorDwIJdvsoxJXbBTFlUTa6nkr9dlf9l0TPRIK3Fx1FBVD2BnY_Tr5Hpi3-Rjjwwd2NTHSG6f0XuxlV9XYOnhzguRXPDkL-cJvFAxBi4DfObovwlR181Kkf_EyIdk64v1HVh-tWBWUkyy8qkbYWBYs6a4vqYO0Lj-75TjhUD68/w400-h268/CC795CB4-859B-4EBB-A335-974722B84AF0.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";">And local puppies. Don’t be alarmed: the puppies were not the main protein for supper, simply dozing in a pile beside the cooking fire.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit8aVgEnsYdsmAY4NqUL3rrAK1K9Vn1Bi5_gHiz7a63BZo0LB9Bq8KFpH_0P0edYO9leMJ5uSiJEBfNjmp5jwdywRx4mxkozbngSk4_brE-EBJ5wA_QNCFUyqfnJmnjEJEpVzwI82vk9o0YwgT0RJ87FW1EguDj6-pN43MFK0XOjLVPVSlDWW10G5bxsI/s1616/637E41FD-1782-41CC-9EAD-57942EBC14E1.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1616" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit8aVgEnsYdsmAY4NqUL3rrAK1K9Vn1Bi5_gHiz7a63BZo0LB9Bq8KFpH_0P0edYO9leMJ5uSiJEBfNjmp5jwdywRx4mxkozbngSk4_brE-EBJ5wA_QNCFUyqfnJmnjEJEpVzwI82vk9o0YwgT0RJ87FW1EguDj6-pN43MFK0XOjLVPVSlDWW10G5bxsI/w400-h268/637E41FD-1782-41CC-9EAD-57942EBC14E1.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";">The second day of trekking was much of a repetition of the first - with sorer muscles and no lovely village to arrive at. However, I must admit to being immensely happy to return to the creature comforts of my Luang Namtha guesthouse: A long shower followed by 12 hours of sleep in a soft bed, uninterrupted by a single creaking floorboard or bloody cock-a-doodle-doo.</span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 20.3px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText"; font-size: 17pt;"></span><br /></p></div>Kati Åberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04729186654384794395noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4856765924876984415.post-51034029252394671722024-01-11T12:20:00.000+02:002024-01-11T12:20:54.527+02:00Snapshot from a Bus<p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN71YukUWdrfRcYQnd32mRVFPRr1AJPY7qQOLFE85AqEMPsPHRKNvoBqEUyqRMa6wQSfUuLT3TmzBwA7JhTxgUpgxDxoGD6DxWU3T-PhpvCLcZ8bHUXXIctW0NvL_q9CyCLlVkcHLUHH8F_n7Gj9f2ExJB1LVnqTFwX4VnhKDMcmBl4c8iICK5hVHAOa4/s1616/3B874B87-C425-49D9-B411-C47738DA1A07.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1616" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN71YukUWdrfRcYQnd32mRVFPRr1AJPY7qQOLFE85AqEMPsPHRKNvoBqEUyqRMa6wQSfUuLT3TmzBwA7JhTxgUpgxDxoGD6DxWU3T-PhpvCLcZ8bHUXXIctW0NvL_q9CyCLlVkcHLUHH8F_n7Gj9f2ExJB1LVnqTFwX4VnhKDMcmBl4c8iICK5hVHAOa4/w400-h268/3B874B87-C425-49D9-B411-C47738DA1A07.jpeg" width="400" /></a></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";">I have developed an uncharacteristic, zen-like calm when it comes to waiting around bus terminals, train stations or roadsides for that most elusive of things: The ride I need to take. Even if there are printed schedules at the bus terminal, they sometimes turn out to be aspirational rather than factual.</span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: ".SFUIText";">As was the case on Monday, when I took a long ride with several buses from Chiang Rai in Thailand to Luang Nam Tha in Northern Laos. The morning bus I planned to take from Chiang Rai didn’t exist, despite written evidence to the contrary. So I got to start the day with a one-hour wait. </span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: ".SFUIText";">At least Chiang Rai bus terminal has the nicest wall paintings I’ve seen to date.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFAsP2fmofWNTRFb9rjUB8d8d-z-9cxeEP61l905spqof9aJkbif7d79bYR2jvT4833VhEshrrv50QF0rpMlKwePs_0lhj2pOgkMzRzNDVKpBM214f84hVnQ28E1PiObXZHADwpcaiJyBZB8PQN0TKNJ_bfK4kTE6J6UvjrmvdDM7ADUBYYqQIXbGDoBk/s1616/F2217CB8-5D56-4B8B-AC7F-26BAD3416779.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1616" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFAsP2fmofWNTRFb9rjUB8d8d-z-9cxeEP61l905spqof9aJkbif7d79bYR2jvT4833VhEshrrv50QF0rpMlKwePs_0lhj2pOgkMzRzNDVKpBM214f84hVnQ28E1PiObXZHADwpcaiJyBZB8PQN0TKNJ_bfK4kTE6J6UvjrmvdDM7ADUBYYqQIXbGDoBk/w400-h268/F2217CB8-5D56-4B8B-AC7F-26BAD3416779.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0WSl-K8Gab24HJe1DkgpzD1yV27y4kf03uv0wkoJnrT0ga7SGxkP0X98ZqlWflg7UtrTZQtarMkZXVm4aX4yvHaGp3vxB2M5biqHZPPWUbibMSLdAVEk4JBCO2BhvBqJTMQCsAb7XMlRv2Dxmv5XzWiBzRR72BZJKO1-RfD7JSdH51EwKM52PWzitgek/s1616/EA66A98B-4DA3-4E38-8139-9AE54C0BC260.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1616" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0WSl-K8Gab24HJe1DkgpzD1yV27y4kf03uv0wkoJnrT0ga7SGxkP0X98ZqlWflg7UtrTZQtarMkZXVm4aX4yvHaGp3vxB2M5biqHZPPWUbibMSLdAVEk4JBCO2BhvBqJTMQCsAb7XMlRv2Dxmv5XzWiBzRR72BZJKO1-RfD7JSdH51EwKM52PWzitgek/w400-h268/EA66A98B-4DA3-4E38-8139-9AE54C0BC260.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSHz-RYcJfqy9KPGe9mU4Db92HwFMod9MkRcJCQlh9ElfjtjImFAyKR2p-I2M9CDTNMKnhKpdWD0BepTOuIjYrEwsWX2URdWNMXTKRhfnXkZPMy8GU90h68hv1iETLT2eCmrwjjZ6Go8ke5E1MToACWAiw7UTiqjsYEpPPoCKRNky7Bw8niwZVaCsHpUo/s1616/872AA903-8A12-471E-9BBA-B51CCBC58A68.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1616" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSHz-RYcJfqy9KPGe9mU4Db92HwFMod9MkRcJCQlh9ElfjtjImFAyKR2p-I2M9CDTNMKnhKpdWD0BepTOuIjYrEwsWX2URdWNMXTKRhfnXkZPMy8GU90h68hv1iETLT2eCmrwjjZ6Go8ke5E1MToACWAiw7UTiqjsYEpPPoCKRNky7Bw8niwZVaCsHpUo/w268-h400/872AA903-8A12-471E-9BBA-B51CCBC58A68.jpeg" width="268" /></a></div><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";">Below you can see my backpack being lovingly hoisted onto the roof of my bus - the only place it would fit, since many people use these local buses for transporting bulky goods, which gradually accumulate around fellow travellers’ feet as the ride progresses and more people get on. </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3ejply8wTH1N_aGOftb_N833fKpdnX4T_e_v1oZvxrm2s5lMoFSwNGDfxHb4WKM3KWiV2K35HNRgb_A60gPxetmP-ng4S33HYRVA2qtLnY6PHeujYadpxccDP4KYPk6jL03jQtMnlsFqBz1zW9qg8AesT5IJGzQMdRHNe3gIm7o-rvNCDFYSlQMgi9Aw/s1616/2A3DF9D5-D171-45A3-AE39-2E2A24B3ABE1.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1616" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3ejply8wTH1N_aGOftb_N833fKpdnX4T_e_v1oZvxrm2s5lMoFSwNGDfxHb4WKM3KWiV2K35HNRgb_A60gPxetmP-ng4S33HYRVA2qtLnY6PHeujYadpxccDP4KYPk6jL03jQtMnlsFqBz1zW9qg8AesT5IJGzQMdRHNe3gIm7o-rvNCDFYSlQMgi9Aw/w268-h400/2A3DF9D5-D171-45A3-AE39-2E2A24B3ABE1.jpeg" width="268" /></a></div><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";">I have, down the line, rested different body parts on varied kinds of luggage. My least favourite being a 12-hour bus ride in Indonesia with my feet resting on a sack of pineapples, which was unfortunately infested with ants, and my favourite a large head of cabbage in a sack nestled firmly between my legs for 8 hours in Myanmar, as I sat on the tailgate of a small jeep pickup with my legs dangling out the back. That cabbage was the only thing keeping me from slipping off the tailgate. That pickup had, apart from many sacks of cabbage, also 12 passengers. Two of them had to sit on the roof of the cabin and one on the spare tire on the hood of the car - so I call myself lucky to have gotten the tailgate and cabbage. Lots of legroom.</span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 20.3px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";"></span><br /></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";">And legroom is at a premium in many countries. Locals are often much smaller and don’t need the amount of legroom us oversized Westeners are accustomed to. One’s hip bone is supposed to fit into a space considerably shorter than the bone in question, leaving one with the options of a massive man-spread or something from the Kama Sutra.</span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";">I had deviously hogged one of the few good seats - right behind an open doorway, meaning lots of lovely fresh air - and with legroom. The metal structure next to my seat shows what the average space reserved for legs in the bus was.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfGNvAhEOxFQ8_TdR5e70O6ftgTNuswT3kwGccg4Lw7WdA_QUpZ0-6yPn1Uul_kHin3mVHwMt5sCcxX3hhRiqxUg8UoNgPVKWkwzvATKrjS242gg6KlqbjqcrHHsVl3fedN8CmJ65Ohg-d6gCi8RgnPOxaBQ2ecVGjTJ2jj_Hah7xohPfgV-NNoqS7SgE/s4032/09561A99-85C6-4A48-96D2-217213909AF7.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfGNvAhEOxFQ8_TdR5e70O6ftgTNuswT3kwGccg4Lw7WdA_QUpZ0-6yPn1Uul_kHin3mVHwMt5sCcxX3hhRiqxUg8UoNgPVKWkwzvATKrjS242gg6KlqbjqcrHHsVl3fedN8CmJ65Ohg-d6gCi8RgnPOxaBQ2ecVGjTJ2jj_Hah7xohPfgV-NNoqS7SgE/w400-h300/09561A99-85C6-4A48-96D2-217213909AF7.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";">Of course it didn’t take long for that lovely empty space to fill.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU-qbg9dc2Z7X4wi_y-XXrbH-a_e4klrabN1w_sShVACQ3Xo9qgt6hqobULhyphenhyphennbPT2my5-YDoupWpZ5QPfqLshscRU5sdZ3uI5O_E9Buzm5nd9MmE7kmYOdJ48IA6uoRP42p6V238LDh07HMTmXhed7T3RqCxTXKn8MLGGMumsytZJpN263BQwNf8p7SM/s4032/6D95CEB8-A59C-4B2E-A353-FC741B16D0E4.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU-qbg9dc2Z7X4wi_y-XXrbH-a_e4klrabN1w_sShVACQ3Xo9qgt6hqobULhyphenhyphennbPT2my5-YDoupWpZ5QPfqLshscRU5sdZ3uI5O_E9Buzm5nd9MmE7kmYOdJ48IA6uoRP42p6V238LDh07HMTmXhed7T3RqCxTXKn8MLGGMumsytZJpN263BQwNf8p7SM/w300-h400/6D95CEB8-A59C-4B2E-A353-FC741B16D0E4.jpeg" width="300" /></a></div><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";">Sometimes front row seats have more space - and they certainly have the best views. However, if seated on the first rows, you grow to dread the sight of an orange clad monk or novice approaching, since they are automatically granted the front seats, and the previous occupants are unceremoniously evicted. Can you spot the hint of ominous orange in the photo?</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh14UQPhRS50iMJWGcA3z4t4QiBed5ars2BpufhD4zE-Zh0mrpNcILSHsf1jd1HL-s0Xr5DCKVrJ3pxEFfZ0kp9twR7w659VQjiUKV7fRDUuVdJALTpB4-BovPS2JyS6Bcor4K8e_laHmfo31wAl1Wi6m-VKFTbAjuWdryzDOZCT_1Mq4AX1Ghv3_kKf7U/s1616/B9A96F19-507E-4C03-A75D-62BD5E4678FA.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1616" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh14UQPhRS50iMJWGcA3z4t4QiBed5ars2BpufhD4zE-Zh0mrpNcILSHsf1jd1HL-s0Xr5DCKVrJ3pxEFfZ0kp9twR7w659VQjiUKV7fRDUuVdJALTpB4-BovPS2JyS6Bcor4K8e_laHmfo31wAl1Wi6m-VKFTbAjuWdryzDOZCT_1Mq4AX1Ghv3_kKf7U/w400-h268/B9A96F19-507E-4C03-A75D-62BD5E4678FA.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";">I think this has to do with rank. Many years ago, unlike my male fellow travellers, I couldn’t ride on the roof of a cargo boat going down the Mekong river, since then I would be physically higher up than the captain of the boat. And as a lowly woman, this was not to be tolerated. Maybe being seated in front of a monk would be similarly disrespectful of his superiority?</span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 20.3px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";"></span><br /></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";">But back onto this particular journey. Bus, border, another bus terminal, another wait of one hour and finally the final bus for the 4-hour ride from the border to Luang Nam Tha. Once again, by inadvertently being at the station unstylishly early, I get the best seat on the bus - riding shotgun with the driver. No seatbelts of course. But if a monk gets on, he’ll have to fight me for this seat.</span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 20.3px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";"></span><br /></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";">The following are a series of snapshots from this last ride:</span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";">We get off to a slow start. Various people get on or off on the way through Huay Xai, the border town on the Laos side. No-one gets on without first holding long conversations with the driver, presumably about the route the bus takes. Passengers enthusiastically participate in these debates. </span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 20.3px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";"></span><br /></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";">On the outskirts of town we stop for petrol - maybe, as in many countries, buses first needs the ticket money from passengers before they can afford to fill up. </span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 20.3px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";"></span><br /></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";">Now we’ve finally made it outside Huay Xai. Fewer stops for passengers - less habitation. We make a quick stop to let an elderly gentleman with bladder problems pee against a tree and then we’re off again. </span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 20.3px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";"></span><br /></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";">The countryside grows more mountainous the moment we cross over to Laos. And more beautiful than the flat and fertile region on the Thai side of the border. Occasionally we pass villages with picturesque wooden houses on stilts and always lots of kids running around.</span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 20.3px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";"></span><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5RFNVOzNm4F8P-IdS23SmdJlNrKmBSYvGC3VnLXzp7x04h9saW7yHI04F6sqq6DF-uUt220PLsJNOwG3NC0pw0cr2B7l5XPlbwBVvhUiZCrIu7GEKssqBjOj-sknEtcQdhrwU7LMH5K4OIklyw-nlV-lnjNiAChf5tP1n-MpF1r9hs8Cyuhy1vceHdW0/s1616/9BAFEB1F-8FAA-4018-8483-45E5A259C6A7.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1616" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5RFNVOzNm4F8P-IdS23SmdJlNrKmBSYvGC3VnLXzp7x04h9saW7yHI04F6sqq6DF-uUt220PLsJNOwG3NC0pw0cr2B7l5XPlbwBVvhUiZCrIu7GEKssqBjOj-sknEtcQdhrwU7LMH5K4OIklyw-nlV-lnjNiAChf5tP1n-MpF1r9hs8Cyuhy1vceHdW0/w400-h268/9BAFEB1F-8FAA-4018-8483-45E5A259C6A7.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";">There is rubbish dumped on deserted stretches of road - undernourished dogs trying to scravage a meal from it and billy goats doing the same but with much more panache and success.</span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 20.3px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";"></span><br /></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";">Hills, green, forested hills - glorious limestone mountains, roads that snake down their sides - it’s beautiful on this side of the border!</span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 20.3px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";"></span><br /></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";">A rare glimpse of a pampered and well-fed pet dog riding in the back of a fancy pickup truck and looking understandably pleased with himself.</span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 20.3px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";"></span><br /></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";">Two hours into the drive we have a proper toilet break. Not that there are any toilets. The break differs from the old man and his tree only in that it’s announced and there is enough time for everyone to find a suitable bush or old barn to squat behind.</span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 20.3px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";"></span><br /></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";">Then it’s back to business, overtaking slow trucks at dead curves, narrowly missing a sow and piglets, chickens of various age and ethnicity and at least one naked boy of around 3 years who dashed away from his mother and onto the road. He got a slap from his mum and a long blow of the buses horn for his trouble.</span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 20.3px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";"></span><br /></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";">Three hours into the four-hour journey I peek at the map. We’re half way there. </span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 20.3px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";"></span><br /></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";">The ladies sitting behind me get off and come to my window to wave and say bye bye. We squatted behind the same shed during the toilet break, so we bonded.</span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 20.3px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";"></span><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj8mqsMiy54vlKjtdf1evXe40B1QQHVOwhfB38GPjTS8qmAEyxW0rk0hs1HOYfZ9_Nnszw0Y3ZyJpweQ6iz1qa9PRsGXpywZg_IawdP7O2I_t2Zb-lJagZWaomisFTizbteNelV8U1_wfFW-ZBMSoWZQnFjTXDI0HQ7NHz4Jl5mIFMOUQ3S5iHi9iAc5o/s1616/4162965A-452A-4C96-B283-C23701780BA2.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1616" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj8mqsMiy54vlKjtdf1evXe40B1QQHVOwhfB38GPjTS8qmAEyxW0rk0hs1HOYfZ9_Nnszw0Y3ZyJpweQ6iz1qa9PRsGXpywZg_IawdP7O2I_t2Zb-lJagZWaomisFTizbteNelV8U1_wfFW-ZBMSoWZQnFjTXDI0HQ7NHz4Jl5mIFMOUQ3S5iHi9iAc5o/w400-h268/4162965A-452A-4C96-B283-C23701780BA2.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";">The driver is now making up for lost time as dusk starts to settle. The road is slightly better, though at times pot-holes force the driver to drive on the wrong side of the road for long stretches. Luckily traffic - most of which is motorcycles - seems to thin out considerably after dark. Especially lucky, since most of these motorcycles don’t seem to have lights. Or at least use them. Probably they’re just saving petrol. </span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 20.3px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";"></span><br /></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";">It’s officially pitch dark. I glimpse Orion in the dark sky. Not too much traffic. Unfortunately there are still trucks driving. These are tricky to overtake on curvy mountain roads. Our driver does his best though. A seatbelt might have been nice.</span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 20.3px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";"></span><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0O1Z2oo32gJLmGhj4xxfrVMX_YGly1YRKCn2QjY8Y31EJ4_czBwiNvo8_48WnK-QOqFZ3Gh2dIE_UwTpX0AHFTslPv75bIFBgugq5PUgKS_LmkN5JoySRZHi9AEbbhslP2Pxn9n-oAa13vBQ7-BRaaFgb5789l8xpK384m4GwTVA4vkdAyGt4Q2T1bM4/s673/2155863F-1AD8-4C04-8056-D79A9787E437.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="392" data-original-width="673" height="233" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0O1Z2oo32gJLmGhj4xxfrVMX_YGly1YRKCn2QjY8Y31EJ4_czBwiNvo8_48WnK-QOqFZ3Gh2dIE_UwTpX0AHFTslPv75bIFBgugq5PUgKS_LmkN5JoySRZHi9AEbbhslP2Pxn9n-oAa13vBQ7-BRaaFgb5789l8xpK384m4GwTVA4vkdAyGt4Q2T1bM4/w400-h233/2155863F-1AD8-4C04-8056-D79A9787E437.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";">And wonder of wonders, A mere 10 hours after setting off, I make it to Luang Nam Tha! </span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG5_J5_bI1hiqZV4AHr6IWNHyjFQR8_mGyK1M6gnrfPRnD6KRE2o9l9VGob8KaVBJ9CfIdWgA5RwkBTcaEoAuqm8YVB_Os3PV25_rhmMSkDpySEGYK2AGSBu9VwbVIxSnexshKVXczNAAmZ515Y1G8dRDudQdSrkPkpbTGhN9PdG_AwpsjS9U0ktKWN5Q/s6386/EF71C98A-906B-4FA6-B662-BD52CA5F563C.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3696" data-original-width="6386" height="231" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG5_J5_bI1hiqZV4AHr6IWNHyjFQR8_mGyK1M6gnrfPRnD6KRE2o9l9VGob8KaVBJ9CfIdWgA5RwkBTcaEoAuqm8YVB_Os3PV25_rhmMSkDpySEGYK2AGSBu9VwbVIxSnexshKVXczNAAmZ515Y1G8dRDudQdSrkPkpbTGhN9PdG_AwpsjS9U0ktKWN5Q/w400-h231/EF71C98A-906B-4FA6-B662-BD52CA5F563C.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";">Buses may not be fast, or very comfortable. But they certainly are entertaining!</span></p>Kati Åberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04729186654384794395noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4856765924876984415.post-81945607699798598522024-01-07T16:24:00.001+02:002024-01-07T17:33:46.020+02:00Things that Go Bling in the Night<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2JqPVNoGgMbrWl2-wdJ53NqpObKJTqKOQlQSTHvBl4DR4XuQKuQqyki1NPfRVqz_B1cdRf4ZcBt5SBhWsqUqjoqzDBru0GF1_aWxnBelfgGHsYTv99BL6DNjY04JxflM596Vj3steE7fUKZ1ezeZevRMdGrkAYFXEMEdlU7SH9V3YJ8M0T1Pft3Elty8/s1371/AA5D5361-6577-4BC9-9D7E-831F2070F88D.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="916" data-original-width="1371" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2JqPVNoGgMbrWl2-wdJ53NqpObKJTqKOQlQSTHvBl4DR4XuQKuQqyki1NPfRVqz_B1cdRf4ZcBt5SBhWsqUqjoqzDBru0GF1_aWxnBelfgGHsYTv99BL6DNjY04JxflM596Vj3steE7fUKZ1ezeZevRMdGrkAYFXEMEdlU7SH9V3YJ8M0T1Pft3Elty8/w400-h268/AA5D5361-6577-4BC9-9D7E-831F2070F88D.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SFUIText";">Ah, to be where flowers bloom! </span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SFUIText";">And here in Chiang Rai in Northern Thailand flowers are bigger and brighter and come with more bling than one is accustomed to.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGV06fb_QeyHLBZa4Oa2s6FbKBhbkGXsTzsOvX5KsiCaahbg85Cb3PsvWNYlMpGgcOSfsV1pxSJHXU8wx_XGY-AcG_AqXZnYSojN5xfLHkxC1rykc4t3iBJul1yzd6n2ZClZkvpXlfWoCGE8fyeGzTEDXyk7tg05ujQW8AfYpkhjs4kVha8pvhfQ91WFk/s1616/9EC02467-9131-465C-9B3D-F2D0ED23E87B.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1616" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGV06fb_QeyHLBZa4Oa2s6FbKBhbkGXsTzsOvX5KsiCaahbg85Cb3PsvWNYlMpGgcOSfsV1pxSJHXU8wx_XGY-AcG_AqXZnYSojN5xfLHkxC1rykc4t3iBJul1yzd6n2ZClZkvpXlfWoCGE8fyeGzTEDXyk7tg05ujQW8AfYpkhjs4kVha8pvhfQ91WFk/w400-h268/9EC02467-9131-465C-9B3D-F2D0ED23E87B.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIGOOEZLoMUNcF1Cva0-ru9Malh38TiXsRcZuF24SnPoM60FCzRJf4CiMr39h_29yZ7R0vwXdGIvWk_ZHDtSwuR_Jix8B1qqZzwBd-yLU4HKboTD-kcPr7K5K3qmnqvuSx7RLTHNx2cEJSgDbJlJwKoTH2Ff5QhgC52D-Dq7fFUzoUsUNPafWkruCUTK4/s1616/E31AA8F5-52DB-4CD4-94AA-228BD465E6C3.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1616" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIGOOEZLoMUNcF1Cva0-ru9Malh38TiXsRcZuF24SnPoM60FCzRJf4CiMr39h_29yZ7R0vwXdGIvWk_ZHDtSwuR_Jix8B1qqZzwBd-yLU4HKboTD-kcPr7K5K3qmnqvuSx7RLTHNx2cEJSgDbJlJwKoTH2Ff5QhgC52D-Dq7fFUzoUsUNPafWkruCUTK4/w268-h400/E31AA8F5-52DB-4CD4-94AA-228BD465E6C3.jpeg" width="268" /></a></div><p></p><p><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SFUIText";">The Chiang Rai Flower Fair offers some million dollar selfie opportunities.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6bPXa_wTGnoVA2txMEPRxiU_STMfs-zKVvwnyLYK1buMwX-Zl4Jr4_E1ncpABsHy4h-Fh5blQ87shvLFYMhFdm7R_koZtXbWYx75C-6y1T-9DnmTfuW4TFSHUQPvRxmXd1obAio6RBZetb-hcRqa68p0wYruQ93-74aiqHljwRkXPFtlJkC7vAEXKAdY/s1616/454A2765-D353-4A12-9C9B-11400DDFD356.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1616" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6bPXa_wTGnoVA2txMEPRxiU_STMfs-zKVvwnyLYK1buMwX-Zl4Jr4_E1ncpABsHy4h-Fh5blQ87shvLFYMhFdm7R_koZtXbWYx75C-6y1T-9DnmTfuW4TFSHUQPvRxmXd1obAio6RBZetb-hcRqa68p0wYruQ93-74aiqHljwRkXPFtlJkC7vAEXKAdY/w400-h268/454A2765-D353-4A12-9C9B-11400DDFD356.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SFUIText";">The event also has a performance stage, where school girls dressed as anime figures twerk to pop music. There goes local culture.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmbr9dKmoTK9AU55tjfAeuakGbZnb9MYwbUyjE0NGANxyWfua1Fp1Bq1mezF5mWX7SGW_yRmTYGRzE6uewXhPSRMejIPblyijD53YGVSamwTtYY7_yxcbcqfzriZQPWVfvn4Gz2JJreAlIrLWEwQYSm45NhbbcPcA4L0sFm6tp8M_Odm82cb0CFbcEWnU/s1616/51133BC3-2407-4EBD-B704-44A6AE4829BF.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1616" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmbr9dKmoTK9AU55tjfAeuakGbZnb9MYwbUyjE0NGANxyWfua1Fp1Bq1mezF5mWX7SGW_yRmTYGRzE6uewXhPSRMejIPblyijD53YGVSamwTtYY7_yxcbcqfzriZQPWVfvn4Gz2JJreAlIrLWEwQYSm45NhbbcPcA4L0sFm6tp8M_Odm82cb0CFbcEWnU/w400-h268/51133BC3-2407-4EBD-B704-44A6AE4829BF.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SFUIText";">The Flower Fair coincided with the Saturday night Chiang Rai Walking Street Market and the result was a horn of plenty with clothes, cloths, gadgets and food for all palates.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB2rrcKnlnIAaeWYkYzEtduP9YRmazs-buh7TikF7WrEW37elV4xPzSo4qW8Hev38_joMEtJtJtXywVS6o_8SiXfg0blBR6XIpyCkhSfVmqeHH_g7lXStr7XwJqT1QDxzqhwjp0m9SloY7kHKZwlCoz3x3cWwJdjJAPmbTXzdfjlj_J9K67pD7LpUrkLo/s1616/88A22794-F086-478D-AA01-44DA0279C98B.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1616" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB2rrcKnlnIAaeWYkYzEtduP9YRmazs-buh7TikF7WrEW37elV4xPzSo4qW8Hev38_joMEtJtJtXywVS6o_8SiXfg0blBR6XIpyCkhSfVmqeHH_g7lXStr7XwJqT1QDxzqhwjp0m9SloY7kHKZwlCoz3x3cWwJdjJAPmbTXzdfjlj_J9K67pD7LpUrkLo/w400-h268/88A22794-F086-478D-AA01-44DA0279C98B.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuD7j3COsXdKHjs0ZgSmTYsVgilqQzzr2b3RxcT2hdHergtlIJG4-Phy98_X14NL_XnGIU-SrYDLbP4mW9MNmY-7v-y5LpRE27PWyN0byeR94V2r81OIQXpdcdzoV23gmRnz8OGgxoW5966nTS_soxWt6WIYpYchqX0TNKfrkCCzAa90Tv9g2O7iRke7E/s1616/C7B501D0-03B2-42A7-9E50-6A352B9F9D4A.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1616" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuD7j3COsXdKHjs0ZgSmTYsVgilqQzzr2b3RxcT2hdHergtlIJG4-Phy98_X14NL_XnGIU-SrYDLbP4mW9MNmY-7v-y5LpRE27PWyN0byeR94V2r81OIQXpdcdzoV23gmRnz8OGgxoW5966nTS_soxWt6WIYpYchqX0TNKfrkCCzAa90Tv9g2O7iRke7E/w400-h268/C7B501D0-03B2-42A7-9E50-6A352B9F9D4A.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SFUIText";">Hungry? How about battered fried mushrooms and my beloved pink guava juice? (Yes please!) </span><span style="color: #454545; font-family: ".SFUIText";">Or if still hungry, a hefty leg of pork, a squid or some fish maybe, if you get to it before the cat does?</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_aHZwZwTW6mVls4AuawgrLZsJ3AqVYtS0ygzhyphenhyphenTHsZAVXOoFz7rBkQff0UgpEVqNqWqVxdDc_te7QR3OfeYPE02rnBovzKKbV0ceSKhOO4wN5Qb5Ck7u7vkMnIF__W7Ad1TCUpKISSXyB-OPQCWj20y5zGF6MB8M8SA0nVsEyK4LIW0QILIMVOMy7UJo/s1030/888C7840-7D95-4521-9018-7E424718CDF3.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1030" data-original-width="688" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_aHZwZwTW6mVls4AuawgrLZsJ3AqVYtS0ygzhyphenhyphenTHsZAVXOoFz7rBkQff0UgpEVqNqWqVxdDc_te7QR3OfeYPE02rnBovzKKbV0ceSKhOO4wN5Qb5Ck7u7vkMnIF__W7Ad1TCUpKISSXyB-OPQCWj20y5zGF6MB8M8SA0nVsEyK4LIW0QILIMVOMy7UJo/w268-h400/888C7840-7D95-4521-9018-7E424718CDF3.jpeg" width="268" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUsvVKjXE4zf7y-vYidyjiZzcAcUpx3aNi_HylQCp6ykVyY3Y91PTL8ssPyJ2x4E7F09RN3h76Fl209Tqz5rmALNfK3F4tKkecQN8IJVR_uQVcaZoH8vi98FSD0BNbtLbl932PFYIJnw15URO7rb3CwTYKb90FCtrjGczwhB2z0hiw7TNUtM_81nC_jeU/s1616/F10030B2-ED3F-42B1-859D-B1263ABAC9EF.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1616" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUsvVKjXE4zf7y-vYidyjiZzcAcUpx3aNi_HylQCp6ykVyY3Y91PTL8ssPyJ2x4E7F09RN3h76Fl209Tqz5rmALNfK3F4tKkecQN8IJVR_uQVcaZoH8vi98FSD0BNbtLbl932PFYIJnw15URO7rb3CwTYKb90FCtrjGczwhB2z0hiw7TNUtM_81nC_jeU/w400-h268/F10030B2-ED3F-42B1-859D-B1263ABAC9EF.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SFUIText";">Or some less substantial and more grubby bits of meat? (Pass)</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitwDYyocl-KKG6G8yiLnNy2w7YfT-ko5FPzyYXaLTPRzmBeixQNolRnkAGu2tZ_G8EOfDOUZ2G2an-KdPDQvrXePRVacY85lKcrrHAJvNftvFeE3ZevKhLsyAtjvdbIPK5dqd02B9VwpeATvMivUFvBH-n3KhFWfcRM9n7HAL_TdDLHgS6t1XxS_Sur5g/s1616/9C3122BA-A736-4CD5-B7F3-F833CCC1BC44.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1616" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitwDYyocl-KKG6G8yiLnNy2w7YfT-ko5FPzyYXaLTPRzmBeixQNolRnkAGu2tZ_G8EOfDOUZ2G2an-KdPDQvrXePRVacY85lKcrrHAJvNftvFeE3ZevKhLsyAtjvdbIPK5dqd02B9VwpeATvMivUFvBH-n3KhFWfcRM9n7HAL_TdDLHgS6t1XxS_Sur5g/w400-h268/9C3122BA-A736-4CD5-B7F3-F833CCC1BC44.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SFUIText";">Fortified by the market, I was ready to hit the Bling Big Time today: Wat Rong Khun - known as The White Temple</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2aEzY_qwwjBfRsJeiYX4UMJk3J6Lb-JTpME4qf3qGGxoktqWm2LFmsTkKniJ2J3KknVCVvBW3Dm58aSGfaaeEcXZwl6xFPjtx7OJxvyEm-pB-xHHEy3iWK7GNmT6DvjcfdSw7YV7kdmC5ugyvSxVRLfUuEg0Jx389OmRIDGAZ6KhT9KD7ZyDd_v1O3Sw/s1616/70A046C0-690C-43FE-9843-D42692FE9101.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1616" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2aEzY_qwwjBfRsJeiYX4UMJk3J6Lb-JTpME4qf3qGGxoktqWm2LFmsTkKniJ2J3KknVCVvBW3Dm58aSGfaaeEcXZwl6xFPjtx7OJxvyEm-pB-xHHEy3iWK7GNmT6DvjcfdSw7YV7kdmC5ugyvSxVRLfUuEg0Jx389OmRIDGAZ6KhT9KD7ZyDd_v1O3Sw/w400-h268/70A046C0-690C-43FE-9843-D42692FE9101.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgME7zpenebPLaN5YmiHm2NAmpaXMBRlx9EtUBBGpkVzgQDyuIiWdx9z97H2VEbbPCUaqzGYVJJ5hbNas3xAgvqmsFeWMQ2td20yYuSkSwQhXKTCCC6pToa2LvkSTJDKGN9htOh_K1NEcOq3aYAgRRwixMP-Z2IjpbjHeMKUiPU8KOua-l1izL39kMrcPo/s1616/0942553A-DD4C-4BC4-96AC-DF7061030F31.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1616" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgME7zpenebPLaN5YmiHm2NAmpaXMBRlx9EtUBBGpkVzgQDyuIiWdx9z97H2VEbbPCUaqzGYVJJ5hbNas3xAgvqmsFeWMQ2td20yYuSkSwQhXKTCCC6pToa2LvkSTJDKGN9htOh_K1NEcOq3aYAgRRwixMP-Z2IjpbjHeMKUiPU8KOua-l1izL39kMrcPo/w268-h400/0942553A-DD4C-4BC4-96AC-DF7061030F31.jpeg" width="268" /></a></div><p></p><p><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SFUIText";">The wat is a contemporary take on traditional temple architecture by Thai artists turned architect Chalermchai Kositpipat.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEippgiFlaCq9isv-aw7qztF-vsrGjYQAu3R1k6B-_CbOKgr8uThk0ZXTKY7P2emkGri47OTrwrNkDWi5CcHv5Pn8NgTVuT1KurgwqWOiT6Ju8gF0AfG4B7JbANsIT5aEOg9igLPhUtbTGP6LXu9ZaC0yNTtuhrD3QpJ7Kbh7_fiSipzxsdib5_vecQDeSI/s1616/4A22A451-D669-498A-9021-621B8AA236AE.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1616" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEippgiFlaCq9isv-aw7qztF-vsrGjYQAu3R1k6B-_CbOKgr8uThk0ZXTKY7P2emkGri47OTrwrNkDWi5CcHv5Pn8NgTVuT1KurgwqWOiT6Ju8gF0AfG4B7JbANsIT5aEOg9igLPhUtbTGP6LXu9ZaC0yNTtuhrD3QpJ7Kbh7_fiSipzxsdib5_vecQDeSI/w268-h400/4A22A451-D669-498A-9021-621B8AA236AE.jpeg" width="268" /></a></div><p></p><p><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SFUIText";">The temple is reached by a narrow bridge over a pool of reaching arms, which symbolize desire.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgCpCML7BIt4V4ifT-9CmDFrmTEBsCOqRcJNzZAIXFvZtSWQCeN6-i-LTurotqv_R_SEaI6PFQYGyiruntDJt2DkyCXIZhdBbraAfESSMMtydo6Vy4nfdlWLPoA9gXpFF4A5WfoDyVFkrrMZQsDUdFOlOzkyy6B35dfCXkuPGbz2F5KNATa0G4jilKJik/s1616/211C7A74-62D0-44B8-A7EC-E4209B143DAF.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1616" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgCpCML7BIt4V4ifT-9CmDFrmTEBsCOqRcJNzZAIXFvZtSWQCeN6-i-LTurotqv_R_SEaI6PFQYGyiruntDJt2DkyCXIZhdBbraAfESSMMtydo6Vy4nfdlWLPoA9gXpFF4A5WfoDyVFkrrMZQsDUdFOlOzkyy6B35dfCXkuPGbz2F5KNATa0G4jilKJik/w400-h268/211C7A74-62D0-44B8-A7EC-E4209B143DAF.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3CF_0rRXfoas2dpoxIQMjhKDofLiFgENe5KWSMQuCiYAOIWUasa0EmU_NL-WsQLi2muhoNs_l3o_1jAoW3fo-0umpOytCtYUTaqwL-BYRMeqehOzNR0gxARprvNKPUj3NOiYoZwvi6a_-garJu2EzvRTbtT4ErFD2VjbiqwqsLMhY6X_KGGyfEgeVyC8/s1616/B3E8F6B2-AE42-4425-9F99-81B867F5EA79.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1616" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3CF_0rRXfoas2dpoxIQMjhKDofLiFgENe5KWSMQuCiYAOIWUasa0EmU_NL-WsQLi2muhoNs_l3o_1jAoW3fo-0umpOytCtYUTaqwL-BYRMeqehOzNR0gxARprvNKPUj3NOiYoZwvi6a_-garJu2EzvRTbtT4ErFD2VjbiqwqsLMhY6X_KGGyfEgeVyC8/w400-h268/B3E8F6B2-AE42-4425-9F99-81B867F5EA79.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SFUIText";">The inside walls of the temple itself are full of paintings, as the walls of wats tend to be. Among the traditional Buddhist motifs of meditating Buddha, various demons, pilgrims, fish and trees there were the less traditional figures of kung-fu fighting Neo from Matrix, Hello Kitty, Yoda and Darth Vader (the balance of good and evil must be maintained), Sailor Moon, Elvis, Picachu, Teenage Ninja Turtles, Michael Jackson and men of Spider, Super and Bat variety.</span></p><p><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SFUIText";">There was also a uncannily lifelike wax work of a meditating Buddhist monk on the altar that had me fooled for several minutes. No photos allowed, you’ll just have to take my word for it.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiX1alqjA3VlsaRocJ-ucDd3qMbLe23V2L6CumxdaEVAQoXXuQ2SrkzShKGjXpa6S6TOG-Dt6SVehx4wFjHvv4ESU5dUx4NGOqRTIP6z_3VYPUYMLld4JeSNH7NwrxTbxHV5xx7Vsu_s62Ca63t82R_G9xi0ImJHzvAnagdBknD8dxtReUBEqtIfvVlFc/s1616/BB8B1FE9-9783-4DCD-A3AE-76511B92124B.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1616" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiX1alqjA3VlsaRocJ-ucDd3qMbLe23V2L6CumxdaEVAQoXXuQ2SrkzShKGjXpa6S6TOG-Dt6SVehx4wFjHvv4ESU5dUx4NGOqRTIP6z_3VYPUYMLld4JeSNH7NwrxTbxHV5xx7Vsu_s62Ca63t82R_G9xi0ImJHzvAnagdBknD8dxtReUBEqtIfvVlFc/w268-h400/BB8B1FE9-9783-4DCD-A3AE-76511B92124B.jpeg" width="268" /></a></div><p></p><p><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SFUIText";">In case you’re in the mood for something else, in the style of all renaissance palaces in Italy, the wat also has its own grotto (Cave of Art), with surprisingly realistic depictions of sea life, meditating Buddhas and a few skulls thrown in for good measure.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHnaNG49CGvJxx58BlMudcxDlUXsx-_AusTuD2FTX1ldv2RszDoqYZcNihVS_UOaDDwXZwl0VEoI-ZaR1FxWq-qDAvH6j12WpLr2jtAakBO0Q5l57sAxeiN8_nl4rq1h756d07zCAKvThD6BT0pb6KO7OypGvfPQG9KrEBVWFQDBxb6Fk1kyOat0OQ790/s1616/8FEF299B-9284-46A5-8C5D-ED9D3146CA66.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1616" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHnaNG49CGvJxx58BlMudcxDlUXsx-_AusTuD2FTX1ldv2RszDoqYZcNihVS_UOaDDwXZwl0VEoI-ZaR1FxWq-qDAvH6j12WpLr2jtAakBO0Q5l57sAxeiN8_nl4rq1h756d07zCAKvThD6BT0pb6KO7OypGvfPQG9KrEBVWFQDBxb6Fk1kyOat0OQ790/w400-h268/8FEF299B-9284-46A5-8C5D-ED9D3146CA66.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8lsGCP6HrHfJji2vrjdwQYV7eoSZGiK9TayJRKurSGz2dzj1J-7BHVr9ggdOB2zezDhZFmyx6rtjM6xqbEqDa-x8HKPJ_kpokrRVk1k9GOvkrEgdLU8C_Z8ryVrYXwwXvSVFctXxP97v_J_3M4vLiNHFOAmK9Lq9RYEPCkGmwGcmJG7VTw1NoJSZ_beE/s1616/855DFE56-C7EF-4889-A45A-615F3F1800F3.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1616" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8lsGCP6HrHfJji2vrjdwQYV7eoSZGiK9TayJRKurSGz2dzj1J-7BHVr9ggdOB2zezDhZFmyx6rtjM6xqbEqDa-x8HKPJ_kpokrRVk1k9GOvkrEgdLU8C_Z8ryVrYXwwXvSVFctXxP97v_J_3M4vLiNHFOAmK9Lq9RYEPCkGmwGcmJG7VTw1NoJSZ_beE/w268-h400/855DFE56-C7EF-4889-A45A-615F3F1800F3.jpeg" width="268" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS-UiBS2VRvnSWfNaUgY-MyTsWtPbkHeviSRj4pd2jKk-29HMgquqd-EL6vpLcpeNLV-wS711pIsnxeTK4AcEjAGL5pWNjkvkra3twg5rOlfStqR6U_RJzAs25vUzo6ocIiYAwIeNPGk-WM1FB-3FEcfHoHlwNK5pohYHzY56ZmH7TZhNVllWoN31jtbY/s1616/85324A66-040B-4773-9D54-73D738D78CF0.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1616" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS-UiBS2VRvnSWfNaUgY-MyTsWtPbkHeviSRj4pd2jKk-29HMgquqd-EL6vpLcpeNLV-wS711pIsnxeTK4AcEjAGL5pWNjkvkra3twg5rOlfStqR6U_RJzAs25vUzo6ocIiYAwIeNPGk-WM1FB-3FEcfHoHlwNK5pohYHzY56ZmH7TZhNVllWoN31jtbY/w268-h400/85324A66-040B-4773-9D54-73D738D78CF0.jpeg" width="268" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #454545; font-family: ".SFUIText"; text-align: left;">I have to give it to The White Temple: I have been to many places with bling, but this went beyond... I mean this golden building was the toilet!</span></div><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSXyVJsp5Z9136dogxrqdf636830r8A6ai_ZvdIos8UrLB4Fo7HDYDHAJiM1k_P6cA-RSKqgSyzz3NKg0PXsLWbpUFcBn_p1Ho6PqgdJQpzIaXnJk7V_XA_v1u-wnlNN2bULfnj5PwtN-2-oisavw98MkNcmrl3lx0Mbart6wHcjycQWlICeBUfiS-tdg/s1616/1F903E53-E1C3-4782-A8B1-07CF788B6B10.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1616" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSXyVJsp5Z9136dogxrqdf636830r8A6ai_ZvdIos8UrLB4Fo7HDYDHAJiM1k_P6cA-RSKqgSyzz3NKg0PXsLWbpUFcBn_p1Ho6PqgdJQpzIaXnJk7V_XA_v1u-wnlNN2bULfnj5PwtN-2-oisavw98MkNcmrl3lx0Mbart6wHcjycQWlICeBUfiS-tdg/w268-h400/1F903E53-E1C3-4782-A8B1-07CF788B6B10.jpeg" width="268" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyoE4GqpbwIB9vkNsG3ypK-jlVljNbUomVTrgmWOEueTOjPX646_p5yUiDvQTkyPvNkosQxPfbYVZ10_XoY5xsUgMHbiEbXcM3wsxLZr3B3KWb2Qb0Wj32GJ3aKcTwn4l4U7pNgd4XALYvTGpCnsF1YXiGf1dB2az2JbiQ_NGFmGIQAAjnTntUwL62h28/s1616/FA771E98-0465-4F46-831B-9D65248C0AD4.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1616" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyoE4GqpbwIB9vkNsG3ypK-jlVljNbUomVTrgmWOEueTOjPX646_p5yUiDvQTkyPvNkosQxPfbYVZ10_XoY5xsUgMHbiEbXcM3wsxLZr3B3KWb2Qb0Wj32GJ3aKcTwn4l4U7pNgd4XALYvTGpCnsF1YXiGf1dB2az2JbiQ_NGFmGIQAAjnTntUwL62h28/w268-h400/FA771E98-0465-4F46-831B-9D65248C0AD4.jpeg" width="268" /></a></div><p></p><p><span style="color: #454545; font-family: ".SFUIText";">Tomorrow I’m off to the Laos border. Fewer towns, more villages, less internet. And probably a lot less bling.</span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 20.3px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";"></span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 20.3px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";"></span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 20.3px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";"></span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 20.3px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";"></span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 20.3px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";"></span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 20.3px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";"></span></p>Kati Åberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04729186654384794395noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4856765924876984415.post-1819834180720261032024-01-05T16:38:00.001+02:002024-01-05T16:41:11.598+02:00Blessing and Chanting in Bangkok<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6Y1OnRffyPOyk505Kh1D5zO3bHJAhAOOTD4QXRqAcYuFhyphenhyphenlafhhDcjWPbQyjk8zxmDE2Bh5ps4J-Q8k-YLXmB9SEuQhyphenhyphenk8tt7xRd4rVJhn7p4MpiVp4wK1IInwRIuDwt9I-BBE-wx8TYRJXSyBM4qBr-QZW9HyxaOWaMVMxRDijfXI1NAX_OiEcj6W8A/s4032/7A2EFC1D-3A20-4DC2-B7E3-E425ADE92693.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6Y1OnRffyPOyk505Kh1D5zO3bHJAhAOOTD4QXRqAcYuFhyphenhyphenlafhhDcjWPbQyjk8zxmDE2Bh5ps4J-Q8k-YLXmB9SEuQhyphenhyphenk8tt7xRd4rVJhn7p4MpiVp4wK1IInwRIuDwt9I-BBE-wx8TYRJXSyBM4qBr-QZW9HyxaOWaMVMxRDijfXI1NAX_OiEcj6W8A/w400-h300/7A2EFC1D-3A20-4DC2-B7E3-E425ADE92693.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";">”Welcome to Happy New Year 2024 Blessing and Chanting Ceremony”, says the poster on the wall of the wat (Buddhist temple) opposite my guest house. And indeed, after 2023 there is much to bless and chant about.</span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 20.3px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";"></span><br /></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";">But for me personally, the year has started off favourably, as I forsook the cold snap in Finland and headed to South East Asia.<br /></span></p></div><div style="color: #454545; font-family: ".SFUIText";"><br /></div><div style="color: #454545; font-family: ".SFUIText";">Helsinki was around -15C, so the temperature here in Bangkok is 45 Celsius higher. This makes for a sticky beginning to the trip, since my sweat glands are in full winter mode - shrivelled to the size of pinpoints to make sure no precious heat escapes my body. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 20.3px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";"></span><br /></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";">So when walking around, especially at noon, it’s usually good to avoid the sunny side of the street, no matter what the song says. All the same, I did appreciate the first couple of minutes on the sunny side as only a Finn in the heart of winter can appreciate a hot sauna.</span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 20.3px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";"></span><br /></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";">And whilst on the subject of street sides, in Bangkok, as elsewhere in South East Asia, streets are where the action takes place.</span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 20.3px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";"></span><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHJaOepIw7tymvBkrcatJT1xT_tyHoQIJzR8M46Ezm7iV5LbTruBZg02lrjkiba2AyXKs8yabW2fphkq-c28l1dAg5GfIbwYZO143sYZRKpvgxGYwL7LAg0cQUWVEGx0-xzbAvDeNY2nK58Runm5pXBRGoqBpAiBdP17GdQWjij1z_S_a2nAi1MVb_WOU/s1616/685F6AD9-4199-47BE-B0A7-A0AC34903A0A.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1616" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHJaOepIw7tymvBkrcatJT1xT_tyHoQIJzR8M46Ezm7iV5LbTruBZg02lrjkiba2AyXKs8yabW2fphkq-c28l1dAg5GfIbwYZO143sYZRKpvgxGYwL7LAg0cQUWVEGx0-xzbAvDeNY2nK58Runm5pXBRGoqBpAiBdP17GdQWjij1z_S_a2nAi1MVb_WOU/w268-h400/685F6AD9-4199-47BE-B0A7-A0AC34903A0A.jpeg" width="268" /></a></div><br /><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";">One needs only take a slight detour from a main road down any narrow and shady passage to get away from most tourists and enter the Bangkok where locals live. </span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 20.3px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";"></span><br /></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";">Streets are the extended living rooms of people. They bedeck their home alleys with plants and drying laundry, play dominos, wash dishes and occasionally set up minimalistic street kitchens catering to locals rather than the tourists, who tend to stay on the beaten path. </span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 20.3px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";"></span><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbur2IJwjdAhoL7-dhxMGjGFa_q46_9IpbpIMoqZ5UhcgizdUtHOee06YWqUpOKCkWQOcYuLzGHJIqAbidfvtx2vvWSqmtVsmaA5hhCvMsNUC-qBxbVt6Agec7QZZwpfy98JYalgVc2ygV269D301oGyE6pBGDkAoLJBN8YBcwPNBK1v-LHdyuIXBKBbw/s1616/8A81753D-C7E1-4E4C-841E-050D9695AF16.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1616" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbur2IJwjdAhoL7-dhxMGjGFa_q46_9IpbpIMoqZ5UhcgizdUtHOee06YWqUpOKCkWQOcYuLzGHJIqAbidfvtx2vvWSqmtVsmaA5hhCvMsNUC-qBxbVt6Agec7QZZwpfy98JYalgVc2ygV269D301oGyE6pBGDkAoLJBN8YBcwPNBK1v-LHdyuIXBKBbw/w400-h268/8A81753D-C7E1-4E4C-841E-050D9695AF16.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTUDyFPb4Nbk805KcI0lgxv1rG56SbTPDlD-Iezmp7VwAK64ieyoC2JSbMZsAD744LSNRReDuGOJQih86shF9zAz4L3_4tGVk5RnpNVLbtSzR1sX9GzVUnhUlNIbzn7hdsh1MVPM2WnxfXnUQ9WQjFvJV0-gEeVdBTB5Y1fNp4YQv6ASY2h3yolADRZvY/s1616/0E1EDA10-F537-4D06-A818-3373E97EDA07.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1616" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTUDyFPb4Nbk805KcI0lgxv1rG56SbTPDlD-Iezmp7VwAK64ieyoC2JSbMZsAD744LSNRReDuGOJQih86shF9zAz4L3_4tGVk5RnpNVLbtSzR1sX9GzVUnhUlNIbzn7hdsh1MVPM2WnxfXnUQ9WQjFvJV0-gEeVdBTB5Y1fNp4YQv6ASY2h3yolADRZvY/w400-h268/0E1EDA10-F537-4D06-A818-3373E97EDA07.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";">People set up little shrines near their homes, some more bedraggled than others, but surely it’s the thought that counts?</span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 20.3px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";"></span><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVocsVNo9c0SJkCXU3eg_loL5MFeqym7h2IpvnRTmwPJeycYdqZxK7_RGYk2aHlnYIdcYkw2G5ZLwW0kVAuKW2LRbSMLSrcjpJAAcFw564ZZVeHNtXMYksC5i_kF45nluGD6pvIeYdbfTWKEc8T15INLmHMpGVuKO8iL4mcUwQDNTunWMlh5b_7824Q3Y/s1616/70234D78-746C-4009-B693-0F04CF739954.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1616" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVocsVNo9c0SJkCXU3eg_loL5MFeqym7h2IpvnRTmwPJeycYdqZxK7_RGYk2aHlnYIdcYkw2G5ZLwW0kVAuKW2LRbSMLSrcjpJAAcFw564ZZVeHNtXMYksC5i_kF45nluGD6pvIeYdbfTWKEc8T15INLmHMpGVuKO8iL4mcUwQDNTunWMlh5b_7824Q3Y/w268-h400/70234D78-746C-4009-B693-0F04CF739954.jpeg" width="268" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8rY_1bO_UsWplEYqZnjiUAThPaJb_PUlZ41Gl7tfINqUakj7aAe721wWF94Bh2dM4G2HnOU_s-p0z3zHFPkKc6B41zo5nO83c5rk40xQHaxQN4T_rUaHnvxV8VKKccLF6sxlKWd1MNK_FBEd7cHh_z_7jShpd817YY5QQA8UtUQhrDxNpEXOO9_uiM2E/s1616/2F0487DD-0269-4279-92E6-00DBE1DCA70F.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1616" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8rY_1bO_UsWplEYqZnjiUAThPaJb_PUlZ41Gl7tfINqUakj7aAe721wWF94Bh2dM4G2HnOU_s-p0z3zHFPkKc6B41zo5nO83c5rk40xQHaxQN4T_rUaHnvxV8VKKccLF6sxlKWd1MNK_FBEd7cHh_z_7jShpd817YY5QQA8UtUQhrDxNpEXOO9_uiM2E/w268-h400/2F0487DD-0269-4279-92E6-00DBE1DCA70F.jpeg" width="268" /></a></div><br /><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";">A few unfortunates also end up sleeping rough, though admittedly the sight is rare here in the tourism centre of town. Whether through jobs for all or simply because the government has cracked down on homeless people, I do not know. </span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 20.3px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";"></span><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ_I0i0s5riyZTFqmI1ULx6QFT_gBION-2UlXmKWZAl5HrMeVfJnP9UvWA4TYKm07MICvXetJZ4PAtr9Q2mJ0bMj_cp6Ac1TEyaiSAXtxcLQu8EYskBzcohGTIjfeXktnKJftNWMDFDK8OCkpDcN8u-6pOaYxMNEn0SxYzBn5Hn4qHiSyW3VOGQmTQ5G0/s1187/C01EA2E0-5518-4F7E-8809-7852A6FA81A1.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="793" data-original-width="1187" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ_I0i0s5riyZTFqmI1ULx6QFT_gBION-2UlXmKWZAl5HrMeVfJnP9UvWA4TYKm07MICvXetJZ4PAtr9Q2mJ0bMj_cp6Ac1TEyaiSAXtxcLQu8EYskBzcohGTIjfeXktnKJftNWMDFDK8OCkpDcN8u-6pOaYxMNEn0SxYzBn5Hn4qHiSyW3VOGQmTQ5G0/w400-h268/C01EA2E0-5518-4F7E-8809-7852A6FA81A1.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";">Many people here have jobs that we Westeners would consider menial. Street sweeping is done meticulously and manually (with rather wonderful brooms), as are many other tasks of carrying and transporting. </span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 20.3px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";"></span><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWSyXyXWoNP8JQHgj3h0zs_gNnWR2v59Rfeuzqfz99Fr8H54tLNsf2ku10gXozbcXxsiUmuNAxlxWHhJ0215h147mhxtu2vxvD9NC29p8D_06bZpnSiLX-RM0oeX9cXEs8pqZ3El18UDxsyakcf6rsYQdiqA1rUI-Ei17UzXA43iqpReMOY22E0uC_jHg/s1105/FC474F23-9D94-441C-90B8-A6617B1F14A7.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="738" data-original-width="1105" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWSyXyXWoNP8JQHgj3h0zs_gNnWR2v59Rfeuzqfz99Fr8H54tLNsf2ku10gXozbcXxsiUmuNAxlxWHhJ0215h147mhxtu2vxvD9NC29p8D_06bZpnSiLX-RM0oeX9cXEs8pqZ3El18UDxsyakcf6rsYQdiqA1rUI-Ei17UzXA43iqpReMOY22E0uC_jHg/w400-h268/FC474F23-9D94-441C-90B8-A6617B1F14A7.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmBmXT7QsjwxtjROH2imIJ6VoT90-2o5OK-ifWQ0RKALqk7XrVq6y1cNqJ_matm2Y3jBPKayJvXjfePnjuosJT7G5458JoT_kIkDDv9L_Vpfd88Lfn6xhRFAXRXKG6rbLa5nLzz89OwrQZVkniCBe5oKcXdJKwXuRkbz0u_82jDqoWzRHA2go8iqRQjYM/s1616/B6023767-7576-47DB-A0C9-DEAD4B92C09A.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1616" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmBmXT7QsjwxtjROH2imIJ6VoT90-2o5OK-ifWQ0RKALqk7XrVq6y1cNqJ_matm2Y3jBPKayJvXjfePnjuosJT7G5458JoT_kIkDDv9L_Vpfd88Lfn6xhRFAXRXKG6rbLa5nLzz89OwrQZVkniCBe5oKcXdJKwXuRkbz0u_82jDqoWzRHA2go8iqRQjYM/w268-h400/B6023767-7576-47DB-A0C9-DEAD4B92C09A.jpeg" width="268" /></a><br /><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";">But whether in the service industry or some other profession, people seem to take pride in doing their job well and maintain a friendly and smiling appearance even in the face of hungover Westerners who believe repeating ”no spices” enough times and increasingly loudly will make the staff start speaking English (not me, it was the other guy!!).</span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 20.3px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";"></span><br /></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";">Though the future is gradually encroaching on some traditional professions - as the friendly sweeping robots at the airport show.</span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 20.3px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";"></span><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdfhBEhl62ttD1jQnl7iKgc5lx4fYFIDa4xYphBeNcWgILX2yE0Ulfw7f3kuQrx64f1RdnOpc_1BnkmEkFrYv33Xi_h0EKa8YlR8zYTJ8f6qxvgswgECOINokoCo-wwFIzLtmB_g5A0ka6d93YiN7yj2hunjpeJKE57Dkzx4cglbG-duBznTsm8oFVRqM/s4032/28B0B9F7-359B-4862-80E1-F70A7FC9B8F8.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdfhBEhl62ttD1jQnl7iKgc5lx4fYFIDa4xYphBeNcWgILX2yE0Ulfw7f3kuQrx64f1RdnOpc_1BnkmEkFrYv33Xi_h0EKa8YlR8zYTJ8f6qxvgswgECOINokoCo-wwFIzLtmB_g5A0ka6d93YiN7yj2hunjpeJKE57Dkzx4cglbG-duBznTsm8oFVRqM/w300-h400/28B0B9F7-359B-4862-80E1-F70A7FC9B8F8.jpeg" width="300" /></a></div><br /><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";">Street sides are also the place to eat if you want to mingle with the locals and find the best cheap food in town. Street food stalls come equipped with ubiquitous low plastic stools and fold up tables. But the food is piping hot, tasty and costs around 1,5 euros. Though obviously you need to take pot luck - as in the case of today’s noodle soup, where the floating things that looked like sausage slices were in fact some kind of sesame and nuts, and what looked like balls of mozzarella ended up being fish.</span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 20.3px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";"></span><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4stNxkpYH0XAKEhxgDy5kJ_0S0LsfLgXUS-x2S2_hgwsslIItA2Fabzxolo2IgPXXCBAYdHdsgeYB9qufLyWwpPMod-QKF3xHoRWNv4tJaV7zeOPTy4diizUrO13uCqguHAxDukuWE64MWQrF8dbQnI1wjqWmzvywI8fht_cln9E2UYfLo8sknIqhCaY/s4032/672108E9-EC58-492C-A60B-6AE12EE99E38.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4stNxkpYH0XAKEhxgDy5kJ_0S0LsfLgXUS-x2S2_hgwsslIItA2Fabzxolo2IgPXXCBAYdHdsgeYB9qufLyWwpPMod-QKF3xHoRWNv4tJaV7zeOPTy4diizUrO13uCqguHAxDukuWE64MWQrF8dbQnI1wjqWmzvywI8fht_cln9E2UYfLo8sknIqhCaY/w300-h400/672108E9-EC58-492C-A60B-6AE12EE99E38.jpeg" width="300" /></a></div><br /><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";">The streets get especially lively after dark, when most locals get off work. The evening air is pleasantly cool and families eat their dinner seated outside their houses or on the floor of their homes next to open doorways, young braves lean nonchalantly on their stationary motorbikes and exchange gossip, and ardent fishermen continue fishing -using headlamps to bait their prey.</span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 20.3px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";"></span><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0Yo4WmuDNh5nc7JVh-XjP66iSlTKKtWaj4-P9EtRW1cv3TGoNBuW8TVAPn-lCl8HrpebKm-xd4SEUFYZDxSBM3PuN98SYCsRRI3v_ibsi20IMK1rU0YVVHpUKW08__fWg7Y2zgky1hhozAUzZKZ8GTCaFPqzshX4fw0ChkYQH8EUDZZpysnw9TvW58zc/s1616/C387979F-5BE6-473F-BE37-0C1DAF1BB3EC.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1616" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0Yo4WmuDNh5nc7JVh-XjP66iSlTKKtWaj4-P9EtRW1cv3TGoNBuW8TVAPn-lCl8HrpebKm-xd4SEUFYZDxSBM3PuN98SYCsRRI3v_ibsi20IMK1rU0YVVHpUKW08__fWg7Y2zgky1hhozAUzZKZ8GTCaFPqzshX4fw0ChkYQH8EUDZZpysnw9TvW58zc/w400-h268/C387979F-5BE6-473F-BE37-0C1DAF1BB3EC.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";">If, however, you want to get off the streets for a bit, the waterways are the coolest way to get around - with frequent boat services along the river costing 16 baht (around 46 cents)</span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 20.3px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";"></span><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU0TSany1kBNf9x_gvtjRKCD1orLC_QElePAqHYqB36IoEw31YQB22ooFSioDmw_SuB25h_1fhQ0Pc6S8Z_Wrw7MGx7V3XWSRSpkMEYWjHATD2pk9zotN_5Zpun3nJIoVf1nt5-8a2mDh8sTW1RaaWPWReyxELGHr2v5rPzZnyIcN-TpbqLKNGMPiZof8/s1616/96368138-0043-478D-83BA-8EF717F9DCCA.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1616" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU0TSany1kBNf9x_gvtjRKCD1orLC_QElePAqHYqB36IoEw31YQB22ooFSioDmw_SuB25h_1fhQ0Pc6S8Z_Wrw7MGx7V3XWSRSpkMEYWjHATD2pk9zotN_5Zpun3nJIoVf1nt5-8a2mDh8sTW1RaaWPWReyxELGHr2v5rPzZnyIcN-TpbqLKNGMPiZof8/w400-h268/96368138-0043-478D-83BA-8EF717F9DCCA.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";">And commuter ferries along the lesser canals up to 22 baht depending on the distance.</span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 20.3px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";"></span><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlPLKt-49Ykiew2EVylpBWJjs_PupaKKsJnr__RWBNpw-Mmbg5stGbG92X295uLRqR2M5T3WY7utwo5StRtbtQgFUQQ6WGRPvQY4dv0bJpSeUsMizAKyDZiF-p53LvmyqeWyW0eiaBETz9enSVLxQTTmvH1ikaLcfhG3e4M7oNV5LWsO7ZU2qFMAKDpnk/s1616/D1DA7251-5092-4608-911D-24B2949031CC.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1616" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlPLKt-49Ykiew2EVylpBWJjs_PupaKKsJnr__RWBNpw-Mmbg5stGbG92X295uLRqR2M5T3WY7utwo5StRtbtQgFUQQ6WGRPvQY4dv0bJpSeUsMizAKyDZiF-p53LvmyqeWyW0eiaBETz9enSVLxQTTmvH1ikaLcfhG3e4M7oNV5LWsO7ZU2qFMAKDpnk/w400-h268/D1DA7251-5092-4608-911D-24B2949031CC.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7N2bd0tXJdxemW-K0-wDmyEytfMdDI26F_fK8dlOAaXYmN_UM0L5Wrc_vGt71NHJ-cLfVXpAB04CTju1M_R_v7ebg_7sSKAdtWkCfmMrqD5uEgrbnYfzRGRG4TW5OD-q-DPTwe7_2dUyOAVPvpBhi0ZkgnSgr0T6EmT6ASiwBHsYSipM7_fYOQXv5akA/s1616/8A5853A4-F735-4104-95E0-2D19D63CB9F0.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1616" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7N2bd0tXJdxemW-K0-wDmyEytfMdDI26F_fK8dlOAaXYmN_UM0L5Wrc_vGt71NHJ-cLfVXpAB04CTju1M_R_v7ebg_7sSKAdtWkCfmMrqD5uEgrbnYfzRGRG4TW5OD-q-DPTwe7_2dUyOAVPvpBhi0ZkgnSgr0T6EmT6ASiwBHsYSipM7_fYOQXv5akA/w400-h268/8A5853A4-F735-4104-95E0-2D19D63CB9F0.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";">As one of the flight hubs of Asia, Bangkok is a familiar destination. However, it’s more of a launch site for trips to other destinations and the town usually just get a cursory and jet lagged glance. There is, however, much to see here outside the rather grizzly tourist havens and amenities around Khaosan Road.</span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";">Still, true to form, tomorrow I’m off to Northern Thailand and Chiang Rai - and from there over the border to Laos.</span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 20.3px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";"></span><br /></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";">So it’s north for me. Should be cooler, surely?</span></p></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNhjO5ajjIomavzQLNmzghWgZIo2AgXzdp5U2kz1rQ7NzbpIsRHzvWqRp0uRpz6jO11WQHTrdAAOeObdenB51BT_4zJzNuBWSxT9QBNw4xNZSn9S1XaKfzvUGJsQI9YH5tc690HfkDT8DHWP7DAV45ix5oz1kWpJtCEDQFB3ms4AqsjYVPRyitvjMsd8o/s1616/2CA00E67-49D2-4C42-8698-7A27DFB25411.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1616" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNhjO5ajjIomavzQLNmzghWgZIo2AgXzdp5U2kz1rQ7NzbpIsRHzvWqRp0uRpz6jO11WQHTrdAAOeObdenB51BT_4zJzNuBWSxT9QBNw4xNZSn9S1XaKfzvUGJsQI9YH5tc690HfkDT8DHWP7DAV45ix5oz1kWpJtCEDQFB3ms4AqsjYVPRyitvjMsd8o/w400-h268/2CA00E67-49D2-4C42-8698-7A27DFB25411.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><p><br /></p>Kati Åberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04729186654384794395noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4856765924876984415.post-42715091056946206612021-11-28T12:18:00.004+02:002021-11-28T12:30:23.233+02:00Follow the Water<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-1yYK7vGsWBqj8OkXgXqW8HPGcVvB7rS-499wSMMmog4Zqn5DFK53NCuh3LZW8r66ATX4rl1Lj4OYHsYGM-rnzzhfq6qq_-GEmRzcF2N0Au3UyvDH6sYkH5V9Q1CIlJtVJC62jWC_Btk/s1616/BF178E48-2079-43D2-A3EF-63A8B4788F60.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1616" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-1yYK7vGsWBqj8OkXgXqW8HPGcVvB7rS-499wSMMmog4Zqn5DFK53NCuh3LZW8r66ATX4rl1Lj4OYHsYGM-rnzzhfq6qq_-GEmRzcF2N0Au3UyvDH6sYkH5V9Q1CIlJtVJC62jWC_Btk/w400-h268/BF178E48-2079-43D2-A3EF-63A8B4788F60.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><span style="color: #454545; font-family: ".SFUIText";">Did I mention Madeira is green? Yes? Well, no green without water. Since Madeira is the first rock from the coast, humid winds out of Africa routinely dump their load on its slopes. There is, in theory, plenty to go round. Yet water and its even distribution, have been the source of some controvacy during past centuries. Indeed the first legislation dealing with the water rights dates from the late 15th century.</span><div><span style="color: #454545; font-family: .SFUIText;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRB_8mz2RNdytgn0x9fuf38VofYGMQBAFlaQAdziwCoc5GGwOynGn9KcCD3aKAPhp0VK5GCG7hyXbI5-6Pw-4mKeRwPCW1pCmplhAhLZ_InClBBSg5YsEn-ovN__7QJAOmT5QwTi4ZO68/s1616/D6614CD9-1356-40ED-913A-DC0D1F0FB4F8.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1616" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRB_8mz2RNdytgn0x9fuf38VofYGMQBAFlaQAdziwCoc5GGwOynGn9KcCD3aKAPhp0VK5GCG7hyXbI5-6Pw-4mKeRwPCW1pCmplhAhLZ_InClBBSg5YsEn-ovN__7QJAOmT5QwTi4ZO68/w268-h400/D6614CD9-1356-40ED-913A-DC0D1F0FB4F8.jpeg" width="268" /></a></div></span><div><div><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";">The lower slopes were cultivated by early settlers and water from springs higher up the mountain sides was carried by a series of aqueducts - or levadas as they are called in Madeira - to the terraced fields. These early levadas were privately owned, cut into the mountainsides by contractors, who as often as not used slave or convict labour for the job. By the early 20th century, the undisciplined appropriation of water meant that around a third of the island’s arable land was not cultivated, largely due to lack of irrigation.</span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: ".SFUIText";">The Portuguese government stepped in, and in the 1930’s building of the current extensive system of levadas was begun. There’s around 2000 km of them - and the work involved was gigantuan! These water channels are cut into steep slopes, sometimes vertical cliff walls. </span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";">Besides the levada there is a footpath - sometimes just 40cm of siding, </span><span style="font-family: ".SFUIText";">sometimes a proper forest path. </span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 20.3px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";"></span></p></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5e6pnKtMY2KLVoAVCc0TufbfnjtZbJ6t-WWktrR2hJrYwGOKqXc-5SqG9iBrxuUVHsUMqQnCEFPLWNxty2tU0Apx07anQDNSzPprXGhWTD87lic4jnosknQHlBwCkpuyANogAjLp_f_Q/s1616/C72D938A-ACDE-4F9A-B7AD-DF18F5969D8E.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1616" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5e6pnKtMY2KLVoAVCc0TufbfnjtZbJ6t-WWktrR2hJrYwGOKqXc-5SqG9iBrxuUVHsUMqQnCEFPLWNxty2tU0Apx07anQDNSzPprXGhWTD87lic4jnosknQHlBwCkpuyANogAjLp_f_Q/w400-h268/C72D938A-ACDE-4F9A-B7AD-DF18F5969D8E.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8GYU6pKTqDqiU1QICvjWGcQzJLUcNeVzm55IYOMSkyM10iqX26t1T9LTvZd0LUteZ6RkVlkxvmaczXoIp3C1SHzolP_vLcBbJGH8SsUcCWLTFlVLbXCnGMTL3KCNlmdxuEEDwbvP_lso/s1616/22E55883-E1EC-4773-9D9F-E1E300DF8440.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1616" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8GYU6pKTqDqiU1QICvjWGcQzJLUcNeVzm55IYOMSkyM10iqX26t1T9LTvZd0LUteZ6RkVlkxvmaczXoIp3C1SHzolP_vLcBbJGH8SsUcCWLTFlVLbXCnGMTL3KCNlmdxuEEDwbvP_lso/w400-h268/22E55883-E1EC-4773-9D9F-E1E300DF8440.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivVchLMjofMxV8c4EKDTikcHXUPH9TWKxSLmvgw3wMKfW7kJhBeVBQcXytFlHq3LA8t9BB6jG-TF7Zz6kvQ6kzi79d8b2sEFGfp3AhGwCYhGVrekDteuk3XqpsBv_aVav8c8wEOQ4UHTQ/s1616/325911DF-435C-4E44-B224-890A1D6EA829.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1616" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivVchLMjofMxV8c4EKDTikcHXUPH9TWKxSLmvgw3wMKfW7kJhBeVBQcXytFlHq3LA8t9BB6jG-TF7Zz6kvQ6kzi79d8b2sEFGfp3AhGwCYhGVrekDteuk3XqpsBv_aVav8c8wEOQ4UHTQ/w400-h268/325911DF-435C-4E44-B224-890A1D6EA829.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: ".SFUIText";">The levadas form the backbone of Madeira’s wandering and rambling scene. And I have hiked along numerous levada by now. Past fat and thin waterfalls,</span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 20.3px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";"></span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 20.3px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";"></span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 20.3px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";"></span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 20.3px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_QM2RtDrc3ioQQMmGTR6jWexLBp8zvWnRUfsVA4z2wiYyIHFFm_McZMrPZze4XOmdj0QBgfmXCnMlv8AvZyNyLyVxtUvDEf8hNHU1gXIaVz1zeYqWbKfi9seEAK-xPMPlV5I8XrYYJuw/s1616/BE1E9E6B-5501-4842-8664-7B1E98F2363F.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1616" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_QM2RtDrc3ioQQMmGTR6jWexLBp8zvWnRUfsVA4z2wiYyIHFFm_McZMrPZze4XOmdj0QBgfmXCnMlv8AvZyNyLyVxtUvDEf8hNHU1gXIaVz1zeYqWbKfi9seEAK-xPMPlV5I8XrYYJuw/w400-h268/BE1E9E6B-5501-4842-8664-7B1E98F2363F.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNmAX2SHSu4jVnOq3JGegVOvW4s7eif-EHzzImnzmVHw9e37xcKEfvUdKy_lBgRQozk6k_77aNlAn3q5jrVaA0EIAPmM2he2X-X2B5bvKSCh9coqKQdArMN03a49c4yi7esYvIACoqJYk/s1616/8012A97B-FDA0-4ADD-BC9D-2592750BFDF0.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1616" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNmAX2SHSu4jVnOq3JGegVOvW4s7eif-EHzzImnzmVHw9e37xcKEfvUdKy_lBgRQozk6k_77aNlAn3q5jrVaA0EIAPmM2he2X-X2B5bvKSCh9coqKQdArMN03a49c4yi7esYvIACoqJYk/w268-h400/8012A97B-FDA0-4ADD-BC9D-2592750BFDF0.jpeg" width="268" /></a></div><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";">over rapids, </span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZH5xWpeilp_r2TGdaWSYUwcDc59tN0yLgtU46R4JbYe6VGmFQCNRkdQyW1YqCfsU8RXOGehoStjlv3DliYU6Pqr5olH-hzC9PO84GEbVXSSyD_p1pWhKaLRmjxWn1U27I_ZGZfwlD170/s1616/8DA893A4-D3A0-4462-A962-77C5BA35A9E0.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1616" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZH5xWpeilp_r2TGdaWSYUwcDc59tN0yLgtU46R4JbYe6VGmFQCNRkdQyW1YqCfsU8RXOGehoStjlv3DliYU6Pqr5olH-hzC9PO84GEbVXSSyD_p1pWhKaLRmjxWn1U27I_ZGZfwlD170/w268-h400/8DA893A4-D3A0-4462-A962-77C5BA35A9E0.jpeg" width="268" /></a></div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4zgMDQV-qF0gIq6e1VGinNyABWAU1eFtp8KS2akG74TA6zsSLxfWM_W5bpDEHIWZc2HpKD5gp6_jFIzFfXZygL-186QP8tq8_gnUgZ42JapWD0k2t3qizXY2Pguss-mKxgl00z1lzF3A/s1616/0C3073D2-0AD6-489C-9B85-5ACDB341E8B0.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1616" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4zgMDQV-qF0gIq6e1VGinNyABWAU1eFtp8KS2akG74TA6zsSLxfWM_W5bpDEHIWZc2HpKD5gp6_jFIzFfXZygL-186QP8tq8_gnUgZ42JapWD0k2t3qizXY2Pguss-mKxgl00z1lzF3A/w268-h400/0C3073D2-0AD6-489C-9B85-5ACDB341E8B0.jpeg" width="268" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_wHJ9F7PniWTmyFH9pT3_rJDKK63-DxLIth9cfk-aTTsbDvglbOTC13NN4hAjM4SPnP1Y6FKQ-6l8-lXqc2NJoBwy8lz9FrNm0qmtPyo_aKGtbJV-dnFDC7nR6M7YfGGxcU42iZ9RxGo/s1616/9743B54B-F2CF-4AE5-A52F-32AC47C0934F.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1616" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_wHJ9F7PniWTmyFH9pT3_rJDKK63-DxLIth9cfk-aTTsbDvglbOTC13NN4hAjM4SPnP1Y6FKQ-6l8-lXqc2NJoBwy8lz9FrNm0qmtPyo_aKGtbJV-dnFDC7nR6M7YfGGxcU42iZ9RxGo/w268-h400/9743B54B-F2CF-4AE5-A52F-32AC47C0934F.jpeg" width="268" /></a></div><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #454545; font-family: ".SFUIText";">hugging cliff faces</span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrHMNr3zwrD5jYLcMk33TRmfby2M2Pu972jeDrBwsZHvC08BvVDOFIDzFVJ_MqcNfC-5IZw_ZQjj_QfCoenOE9wfrlPbLAwM-uKTVzAnf1W1qwjH36gNv4Gd8gWMh8-GzrDUAP5ol30Dc/s1616/18A5F906-2312-45D9-949C-E26B02BD3154.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1616" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrHMNr3zwrD5jYLcMk33TRmfby2M2Pu972jeDrBwsZHvC08BvVDOFIDzFVJ_MqcNfC-5IZw_ZQjj_QfCoenOE9wfrlPbLAwM-uKTVzAnf1W1qwjH36gNv4Gd8gWMh8-GzrDUAP5ol30Dc/w400-h268/18A5F906-2312-45D9-949C-E26B02BD3154.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 20.3px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLeEdAQ5kBqg77Srv_lWlp8oEr4HGSc3P3wcgjhx0Zifmgcv5CsfKNEwZEtkf5me_31GJjrl5sMjpQCLqTXMUePKzo0xquMy_ZotyXPQohYXsJFaPsqLX9-KiQ2gao3nYw9kCK_efttNo/s1616/7EBD589B-09F0-4CD3-91C7-DFE0ABB76514.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1616" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLeEdAQ5kBqg77Srv_lWlp8oEr4HGSc3P3wcgjhx0Zifmgcv5CsfKNEwZEtkf5me_31GJjrl5sMjpQCLqTXMUePKzo0xquMy_ZotyXPQohYXsJFaPsqLX9-KiQ2gao3nYw9kCK_efttNo/w400-h268/7EBD589B-09F0-4CD3-91C7-DFE0ABB76514.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";">Plunging into tunnels</span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_87bPPYfdPf8K-vqZ20r3AQw0LGHdodbWWPRqo_nIEC2ru5TX00N3fQsIueQ1yoBJra4pZITEk3S4kUk95JGfJmpF3D6bNrlTa5nf3JJYJdkeF4onBedSvj2_iWacIWLCLPX7TMXoI64/s1616/67257C90-EAE4-4575-B5E5-0FA4C82E28C0.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1616" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_87bPPYfdPf8K-vqZ20r3AQw0LGHdodbWWPRqo_nIEC2ru5TX00N3fQsIueQ1yoBJra4pZITEk3S4kUk95JGfJmpF3D6bNrlTa5nf3JJYJdkeF4onBedSvj2_iWacIWLCLPX7TMXoI64/w400-h268/67257C90-EAE4-4575-B5E5-0FA4C82E28C0.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje3D5cp9ud5sEQ09JoMyUCIgWkdTci4Qo18sHEyBDnOoPqlV_LsUXHyUKhdL8fJM4C7xNqi5qV_lZ_ZfG7n3QCbe1tkXlTrH1EAd7_hZ1Bt0QEnvQ6OPLyw2VtFAaom8OmKuc311d5xVI/s1616/C54A7EC0-4346-4337-B46D-FB45D340D1F2.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1616" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje3D5cp9ud5sEQ09JoMyUCIgWkdTci4Qo18sHEyBDnOoPqlV_LsUXHyUKhdL8fJM4C7xNqi5qV_lZ_ZfG7n3QCbe1tkXlTrH1EAd7_hZ1Bt0QEnvQ6OPLyw2VtFAaom8OmKuc311d5xVI/w268-h400/C54A7EC0-4346-4337-B46D-FB45D340D1F2.jpeg" width="268" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmJ3op4ccJIQtLfjXnM5EoQJCxWy2C2ev2qZiSBL1Xytd7fovSYo47rr4vTuGGUmH_DtQZ6lOr9GM-PsCAnkfwnIS4EUAiqrGybrivt5wIoAAxztjJz6QMeAbym5RvrmLdyhvLxS_hwyk/s1616/3E22A087-15F8-4B82-9A2E-D73E4CC00DFD.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1616" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmJ3op4ccJIQtLfjXnM5EoQJCxWy2C2ev2qZiSBL1Xytd7fovSYo47rr4vTuGGUmH_DtQZ6lOr9GM-PsCAnkfwnIS4EUAiqrGybrivt5wIoAAxztjJz6QMeAbym5RvrmLdyhvLxS_hwyk/w400-h268/3E22A087-15F8-4B82-9A2E-D73E4CC00DFD.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLd1i5SXC5kJekEZv2WvNAtXPIb-H-xcIpygc4SD9UhtjHuFFNhdGIxpyB99ZucScIukpskH4trKmIMuZs7zqJU_OV1l00citsbqklFMUtyJkCl5poaCtujk58P6sziFrKHMR8YbDLHnU/s1616/1A22DD5B-FE22-4F79-8609-D2D71379EE9E.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1616" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLd1i5SXC5kJekEZv2WvNAtXPIb-H-xcIpygc4SD9UhtjHuFFNhdGIxpyB99ZucScIukpskH4trKmIMuZs7zqJU_OV1l00citsbqklFMUtyJkCl5poaCtujk58P6sziFrKHMR8YbDLHnU/w268-h400/1A22DD5B-FE22-4F79-8609-D2D71379EE9E.jpeg" width="268" /></a></div><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";">and pushing through lush green forests</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeOOKyyPRcqeUnMIsWyISRtEYgMYTxeZAoZ7xGDEZzPFrzZoLMOO6Mmgwo391EKOicHKNNREqHaGVLplTJwLmvRs3O3AQnc8C6bsU0OEvDSTjY2ttTGVGQhIhYN8YuhCSw2-bYMk0kMN4/s1616/39EECBA1-CDAD-4F5D-93D6-A41A8E90B90D.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1616" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeOOKyyPRcqeUnMIsWyISRtEYgMYTxeZAoZ7xGDEZzPFrzZoLMOO6Mmgwo391EKOicHKNNREqHaGVLplTJwLmvRs3O3AQnc8C6bsU0OEvDSTjY2ttTGVGQhIhYN8YuhCSw2-bYMk0kMN4/w400-h268/39EECBA1-CDAD-4F5D-93D6-A41A8E90B90D.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhODl8PiKp-FYDhPpep0ylWa7XzqlcBn7XnDLsqEHf4WiVlOsd-14L9t_iP7nGZapBUcD1hLWtOv8ka28Ekq0d75V4iDVoy3-tLX04Qc5zfKHuyCspLDz3ozVHIlVKFwHdWimr5nOFaiSo/s1616/F104D8CE-7010-47C5-AA5B-6C86834702A6.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1616" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhODl8PiKp-FYDhPpep0ylWa7XzqlcBn7XnDLsqEHf4WiVlOsd-14L9t_iP7nGZapBUcD1hLWtOv8ka28Ekq0d75V4iDVoy3-tLX04Qc5zfKHuyCspLDz3ozVHIlVKFwHdWimr5nOFaiSo/w400-h268/F104D8CE-7010-47C5-AA5B-6C86834702A6.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";">And these levada walks are always accompanied with the sound of water. Water bubbling in the levada besides me, </span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 20.3px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";"></span><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpjjSq9ZzA0kd8Iaxzf2fn3xMj-lnKVEREsysFuV9T-xnDecC3etHAopPccTGsN0pNgAMkWPBmMkMHnubXIzrbFC9it3vUbwxvfEbYQDRZXIjnPiKmw3N1tEx_NpeTrzNz77QdWDjRyfA/s1616/40D9A2B9-7E23-44FE-BF0A-C6D1CD31E507.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1616" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpjjSq9ZzA0kd8Iaxzf2fn3xMj-lnKVEREsysFuV9T-xnDecC3etHAopPccTGsN0pNgAMkWPBmMkMHnubXIzrbFC9it3vUbwxvfEbYQDRZXIjnPiKmw3N1tEx_NpeTrzNz77QdWDjRyfA/w400-h268/40D9A2B9-7E23-44FE-BF0A-C6D1CD31E507.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";"></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";">as often as not water roaring in rapids in the valley below me </span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj69O9xTJk-fQQ8OfDckphD02sGfVM4GUggxbS_ClNoPbhuN6lY9Y2sKyuChUmbSaxUb1vR1ALRd3KfX3besfBAfDBcq5pVV9WeLKnwRrADxvc3I3GWgv9ZWfxGnTr68JWd8bLDmCCPIe0/s1616/16E30461-3065-444C-A513-E9ED0A5922D2.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1616" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj69O9xTJk-fQQ8OfDckphD02sGfVM4GUggxbS_ClNoPbhuN6lY9Y2sKyuChUmbSaxUb1vR1ALRd3KfX3besfBAfDBcq5pVV9WeLKnwRrADxvc3I3GWgv9ZWfxGnTr68JWd8bLDmCCPIe0/w400-h268/16E30461-3065-444C-A513-E9ED0A5922D2.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 20.3px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";"></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";">and water dripping down cliff faces next to me</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvTgOBokekxt7WJuEr1QKQASBEaRHeYvBLDAEmo8HqAEmroFeSML74RqJPzS_WYLOtGLweYt4besaaWk1oShGqLBQfOPdL0nz2wpwQ_FqnYatUHlZsYHd2tmRLcG2Pjc3voyUS4b4-_Gg/s1616/4F3BBCA4-C629-4AA3-826D-1B1C345D4970.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1616" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvTgOBokekxt7WJuEr1QKQASBEaRHeYvBLDAEmo8HqAEmroFeSML74RqJPzS_WYLOtGLweYt4besaaWk1oShGqLBQfOPdL0nz2wpwQ_FqnYatUHlZsYHd2tmRLcG2Pjc3voyUS4b4-_Gg/w400-h268/4F3BBCA4-C629-4AA3-826D-1B1C345D4970.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";">And at times onto me.</span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuNU0sON8XrSxbyZ_JNIF6JztpvhyZawhhfwMh51xstIJvftC420Z2q-9y2noMJ_tPLPOde0R-vLRbbFWpzjkrIgsRabCB2mfo7U8OzoZBjPf0FxfqUbrfyM1U97_bKWKRMOPUzfFE9GM/s1616/87CDB07C-EC2A-4159-8E73-64C50C445677.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1616" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuNU0sON8XrSxbyZ_JNIF6JztpvhyZawhhfwMh51xstIJvftC420Z2q-9y2noMJ_tPLPOde0R-vLRbbFWpzjkrIgsRabCB2mfo7U8OzoZBjPf0FxfqUbrfyM1U97_bKWKRMOPUzfFE9GM/w268-h400/87CDB07C-EC2A-4159-8E73-64C50C445677.jpeg" width="268" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhktBygKSvfxxPd-LeQy0QWtoAPGlL-UM-79Uf-U2PndZEPpFbXz5RG0WFsf8l4hWmzPX1AzYtOK7EDjEdYyBQa_ONO3Sb9iYyzyhfzHg929Ved06Fbq_eTxSq4pKhwjFrRFPbJBSpUCX4/s1616/FFF10B72-3AA4-4011-9DC7-8615549D9A5A.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1616" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhktBygKSvfxxPd-LeQy0QWtoAPGlL-UM-79Uf-U2PndZEPpFbXz5RG0WFsf8l4hWmzPX1AzYtOK7EDjEdYyBQa_ONO3Sb9iYyzyhfzHg929Ved06Fbq_eTxSq4pKhwjFrRFPbJBSpUCX4/w268-h400/FFF10B72-3AA4-4011-9DC7-8615549D9A5A.jpeg" width="268" /></a></div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_lb6-e5MmbVwYxWD0mwoL9jkJt3vsiuduoALIyqM8iw_K114h8iPwBHIvkFwbXXWUTnnqdhgUxK1OegNgIUjNVDbeXic5h9Zcc9ZtOf_7OoHR7joTi2JO4OEwqTapq3hjnLYp3-Ke0vA/s1616/378602C1-F0CD-45BB-B1C9-92C6DD2582A2.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1616" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_lb6-e5MmbVwYxWD0mwoL9jkJt3vsiuduoALIyqM8iw_K114h8iPwBHIvkFwbXXWUTnnqdhgUxK1OegNgIUjNVDbeXic5h9Zcc9ZtOf_7OoHR7joTi2JO4OEwqTapq3hjnLYp3-Ke0vA/w268-h400/378602C1-F0CD-45BB-B1C9-92C6DD2582A2.jpeg" width="268" /></a></div><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";">All those watery sounds make for a very pretty ambience, though one that does make you want to pee all the time.</span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 20.3px;"><br /><span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";"></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";">Along the way I have seen little birds</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggCYq-Qb5AFOBcrcqYMEE7u3oMGXWzBW0RIiiKg_NBjJZ16UdPg4wSIKGVa4vyKpFLodHQWrOF9m1E7XElCtnChqsvA0hHCJNGagQtph8lX0UWjYRSMPzeVJjYdWdwI30LVZSCMHzJITA/s710/3055B5CC-F7C6-4448-806C-B2B010B57C4C.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="474" data-original-width="710" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggCYq-Qb5AFOBcrcqYMEE7u3oMGXWzBW0RIiiKg_NBjJZ16UdPg4wSIKGVa4vyKpFLodHQWrOF9m1E7XElCtnChqsvA0hHCJNGagQtph8lX0UWjYRSMPzeVJjYdWdwI30LVZSCMHzJITA/w400-h268/3055B5CC-F7C6-4448-806C-B2B010B57C4C.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";">And medium sized birds.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp-PKRnmBOWNUpsdFGQS129JASL2bd3hKG3gmhJvffWBR7t6WiEkEdxIGJQYMFfTM3GpRJH8PbofbBwwwAOgWI7BUHDSCoW8P0xNs3kghEyVHiESZL_cUX1n6ALJF-XgMIgfCWAc3cdxc/s1616/F8BB86C3-07C7-49EB-A44A-D4B5D39CC08E.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1616" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp-PKRnmBOWNUpsdFGQS129JASL2bd3hKG3gmhJvffWBR7t6WiEkEdxIGJQYMFfTM3GpRJH8PbofbBwwwAOgWI7BUHDSCoW8P0xNs3kghEyVHiESZL_cUX1n6ALJF-XgMIgfCWAc3cdxc/w400-h268/F8BB86C3-07C7-49EB-A44A-D4B5D39CC08E.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 20.3px;"><span style="font-family: ".SFUIText";">Plus a fair amount of sporty pensioners. Madeira is certainly a place that can make you feel young again. A rather uncharitable comment overherd at the airport in Finland was that there were more toes than teeth getting on the plane. Though not strictly speaking true, since Finland has excellent dental care for the elderly.</span><span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";"></span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 20.3px;"><br /><span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";"></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";">The weather has been benign and quite lovely. However, it should be no surprise to anyone that after this October - the driest month in 6 years - November is occasionally making up for lost time. Around every third day sees at least a slight drizzle, though luckily mostly during the late evenings and nights, when the days walks are done.</span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 20.3px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";"></span><br /></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";">On one memorable occasion a slight afternoon drizzle became an absolutely astounding downpoar, where mountain roads reverted to streams and an umbrella cut no ice.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPL2dzS4Q_vm6zmifH7DozK0Dj0-xWRMJ1PnbYTtEwJhm8Bm14zF1XL0NFRmralmeqd6HJ54M6pU3-cWz0e1Wu3vrxyabYF947sX4JWZZWqL3vO0auoAym2McB8CrqlQwSViNXCcCZoa8/s1616/F1E1E45C-55E5-427D-B239-C483E2F19909.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1616" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPL2dzS4Q_vm6zmifH7DozK0Dj0-xWRMJ1PnbYTtEwJhm8Bm14zF1XL0NFRmralmeqd6HJ54M6pU3-cWz0e1Wu3vrxyabYF947sX4JWZZWqL3vO0auoAym2McB8CrqlQwSViNXCcCZoa8/w400-h268/F1E1E45C-55E5-427D-B239-C483E2F19909.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioZfCWTEONdNFJkCYaDb2b66wJwhG8ufrX9a81-CbJWVYCrcnCJXgGtyQn4KZDub8a-BmPn6LN4FPghSGu7nvOt_BIsPLVAvNNEer_7euzCiYtRq_bQmDdLRZDE2iGH1Mvaod3gT-VMow/s1616/C5F0E746-FCDF-4FC4-A308-60E063C27B11.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1616" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioZfCWTEONdNFJkCYaDb2b66wJwhG8ufrX9a81-CbJWVYCrcnCJXgGtyQn4KZDub8a-BmPn6LN4FPghSGu7nvOt_BIsPLVAvNNEer_7euzCiYtRq_bQmDdLRZDE2iGH1Mvaod3gT-VMow/w400-h268/C5F0E746-FCDF-4FC4-A308-60E063C27B11.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";">All in all it’s been a chill two weeks. Madeira is not huge - just 57km long and 22km wide. Travel on public buses demands patience. The windy roads cannot be taken at speed and also the buses detour from the main roads to visit every mountainside village on the way. </span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 20.3px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";"></span><br /></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";">I missed out on exploring the western tip of the island, since the drive there which would have taken 40 minutes by car, takes 3,5 hours (one way!) on the only available bus routes. </span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 20.3px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL2dtnqdODAnunG1uAB6HL_0ULjHxdyA4kqJKOR9d2ebcIfYiDAWTQ_HrDCLjlxNwClT4t44pxo2-c5XtvjT929Rr8uXFz7EujPb8zbqdIefTeQC-D2QN_N-Mi-pBS9iXrVks9xVIppdc/s1616/8FA1977C-27FE-40D3-A81B-2A4FFD9969C4.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1616" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL2dtnqdODAnunG1uAB6HL_0ULjHxdyA4kqJKOR9d2ebcIfYiDAWTQ_HrDCLjlxNwClT4t44pxo2-c5XtvjT929Rr8uXFz7EujPb8zbqdIefTeQC-D2QN_N-Mi-pBS9iXrVks9xVIppdc/w400-h268/8FA1977C-27FE-40D3-A81B-2A4FFD9969C4.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";">However I feel I got to see most of the best of Madeira in these two weeks. In fact I feel two weeks was enough for this destination. As a traveller, who is used to hitting the ground running, I was on the verge of running out of things to do. Well, there are those 2000 km of levadas, but I did get to see many of the more spectacular ones, which are approved for hiking. </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhw64aU3jQdX09MrLz4hkgBhVm4x5H8UKXsf2HhNyFrgXQVD3nPuPZ2DPYQjflFvrI3h3b1EgTOsyLsmA4MXu8FqWMK_dHfNRes8FW8YpDszk1OGQKH_yIz5J8KhGH-t87rd9YsmMCTB0/s1616/6D2ECAD1-B577-481D-8BDD-6FDF54E37E02.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1616" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhw64aU3jQdX09MrLz4hkgBhVm4x5H8UKXsf2HhNyFrgXQVD3nPuPZ2DPYQjflFvrI3h3b1EgTOsyLsmA4MXu8FqWMK_dHfNRes8FW8YpDszk1OGQKH_yIz5J8KhGH-t87rd9YsmMCTB0/w400-h268/6D2ECAD1-B577-481D-8BDD-6FDF54E37E02.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";">So this lady and her camera say thank you Madeira for a bit of sun and green in the middle of the cruellest month in Finland. </span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";">Obrigada!</span></p></div></div></div>Kati Åberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04729186654384794395noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4856765924876984415.post-10881858858793322202021-11-23T11:30:00.007+02:002021-11-23T11:39:17.842+02:00Tip & Top in Madeira<p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwzPygK6nDpiH18YDlqP9tVv2NYCgVIa6Krx6uCVw8HB0GcJ_XXJZKqS2vkGLKOV5Hsn11pXR44ZwBVnPy7ys-ENgv_xFZDkWJDn6TTm4rEgLn3DHBzrV7Xb4pjfZ7cyuI9QdrGitzM7g/s1616/DDFCBEE1-5EBA-4DBC-96A9-6159AF7D9FFF.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1616" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwzPygK6nDpiH18YDlqP9tVv2NYCgVIa6Krx6uCVw8HB0GcJ_XXJZKqS2vkGLKOV5Hsn11pXR44ZwBVnPy7ys-ENgv_xFZDkWJDn6TTm4rEgLn3DHBzrV7Xb4pjfZ7cyuI9QdrGitzM7g/w400-h268/DDFCBEE1-5EBA-4DBC-96A9-6159AF7D9FFF.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><div><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";">Since the dawn of man, the tips and tops of natural formations have had a strange appeal for us roving types. Or at least I presume the need to conquer mounds of earth is a primal urge that we humans have been cultivating for yonks. </span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";">As very little of the surface area of Madeira is flat, there are lots of peaks to conquer and most walks end up being something of a cardiovascular training triumph.</span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 20.3px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";"></span><br /></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";">Just as the need to walk to the top of a big mounds of earth is ingrained in all of us, so is the need to go to the furthest tips of bits of land sticking out to sea (aka peninsulas). I’ve indulged in both these urges on this trip.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdaAyuDRz3jNd1QGxuraOtSzoJeduZNOP77bY9m0LLHtEymlwzdfF2hFkGKcwuSwPsIei4n-7nrJ2COtQeClOn81u9f-yPebNx3Eieik4XylxN16z0ebCHGHJEej-GzM_zIL3dKKXb0rU/s1616/D0170F61-B02D-40C0-A413-A0E22A05B4CD.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1616" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdaAyuDRz3jNd1QGxuraOtSzoJeduZNOP77bY9m0LLHtEymlwzdfF2hFkGKcwuSwPsIei4n-7nrJ2COtQeClOn81u9f-yPebNx3Eieik4XylxN16z0ebCHGHJEej-GzM_zIL3dKKXb0rU/w400-h268/D0170F61-B02D-40C0-A413-A0E22A05B4CD.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";">The Easternmost point of Madeira is the Punta de São Lourenço peninsula - with the lighthouse island Ilhéu do Farol at its tip.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheeeOQqUOvS11kYVaukBm10a6YwUNT7avYvo6o1oP3Ye2FUpwtZiFVydfgm7qisgIysbOZSNI5IXiFJhae0_W6Ptq2mh1yqqEmmHvHQlRX88kdwwMS_2a1qrgTQJ_EWI7PAlEvb6caEYE/s1616/50918686-986F-4725-B9DF-5CBA6293A4D9.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1616" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheeeOQqUOvS11kYVaukBm10a6YwUNT7avYvo6o1oP3Ye2FUpwtZiFVydfgm7qisgIysbOZSNI5IXiFJhae0_W6Ptq2mh1yqqEmmHvHQlRX88kdwwMS_2a1qrgTQJ_EWI7PAlEvb6caEYE/w400-h268/50918686-986F-4725-B9DF-5CBA6293A4D9.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";">The walk there is through rugged wind swept hills with tall cliffs that plunge into the surprisingly turqoise sea. And if I’m waxing lyrical about it, just look at it now!</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFNuDXwt_gw-HDG5wpSE5URzU9yb_rZkuW1BtV9iQpDCmfkp-1XMUTsO-OGCTlk4Adn1j2hxgP0Gt1Af9Ri8xXkJlWwkDiDF3SgCrd3sapXA1fb0GW2TZ38_lPSFeceGbMwhyZ1XDzzDY/s1616/3FB9A7A6-6845-4A35-A78E-2F4B8F597689.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1616" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFNuDXwt_gw-HDG5wpSE5URzU9yb_rZkuW1BtV9iQpDCmfkp-1XMUTsO-OGCTlk4Adn1j2hxgP0Gt1Af9Ri8xXkJlWwkDiDF3SgCrd3sapXA1fb0GW2TZ38_lPSFeceGbMwhyZ1XDzzDY/w268-h400/3FB9A7A6-6845-4A35-A78E-2F4B8F597689.jpeg" width="268" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6p2RtBb5GwW-5nbDpCZHcwRiEeO2btpUONWDyPgPHvwssUhQlHrW7eVfDo3McM6X0Di7mW86pFIfncDT4YHOYJdPLGdzw1OLg5qqv4pPZXW8jLdC0RHTpWwjhzYNYnL_dKUlkWyp0Zoo/s1616/02CE7CD1-6A14-4DFD-B70A-052AA6AFE2C5.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1616" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6p2RtBb5GwW-5nbDpCZHcwRiEeO2btpUONWDyPgPHvwssUhQlHrW7eVfDo3McM6X0Di7mW86pFIfncDT4YHOYJdPLGdzw1OLg5qqv4pPZXW8jLdC0RHTpWwjhzYNYnL_dKUlkWyp0Zoo/w400-h268/02CE7CD1-6A14-4DFD-B70A-052AA6AFE2C5.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";">And all the mod coms are provided for: at the end of the hike, there is the this elegant trailer-crapper at your disposal for the modest sum of one euro.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibrbRrT_GvQ52S5cTip2cPrK4go-9Y1rjq1DeAoFmUMd7P2zKa8L4c4DBlnr2t_Jkl1jE_1U-yGUAsr-8Eln2327NKDQPIGRlQKzjmfNkW-GA2dbOXHiYVCxNX31pCO9SmyL11jUa88fg/s1616/8B080C53-2842-4ED6-BA01-304B8F5C9259.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1616" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibrbRrT_GvQ52S5cTip2cPrK4go-9Y1rjq1DeAoFmUMd7P2zKa8L4c4DBlnr2t_Jkl1jE_1U-yGUAsr-8Eln2327NKDQPIGRlQKzjmfNkW-GA2dbOXHiYVCxNX31pCO9SmyL11jUa88fg/w400-h268/8B080C53-2842-4ED6-BA01-304B8F5C9259.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";">Having seen the furthest point, I naturally headed for the highest one next: Pico Ruivo, 1862 meters from sea level.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_19kCuU7QfsdLVI0lOLeVvRa9XTZjXuhdt3ckroDFK1UxArgpULw8mFRKt0b5jpdpeHgjfELZZWpz4d4Phndfb8Eq6C-WNz6blAgqDqZaR8H22CK49jhqN4QMD-ZJL1WwTqBVRsROZzI/s1616/92853816-F67E-4809-B6B0-C9EDE6A67920.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1616" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_19kCuU7QfsdLVI0lOLeVvRa9XTZjXuhdt3ckroDFK1UxArgpULw8mFRKt0b5jpdpeHgjfELZZWpz4d4Phndfb8Eq6C-WNz6blAgqDqZaR8H22CK49jhqN4QMD-ZJL1WwTqBVRsROZzI/w400-h268/92853816-F67E-4809-B6B0-C9EDE6A67920.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";">The beginning of the 5 hour trail from Pico do Arieiro to Pico Ruivo offered some jawdropping views of gobsmackingly pictoresque mountains with blue skies. </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpdB-Tne0XtlgHb_omjqVRMtdjYL5Kh8vCGuWn7hdq5ZLTW_gCrBuKM2EqOttNJ1JjIZLY4LXmu5DT0oP5XSXoVG3caeO43X3lBiVrINVDJKlZwpGZT2j9GhCrrwFxDOZELicqO9UZqEs/s1616/88E15F47-91CA-49B2-A81B-D33D7FA41755.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1616" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpdB-Tne0XtlgHb_omjqVRMtdjYL5Kh8vCGuWn7hdq5ZLTW_gCrBuKM2EqOttNJ1JjIZLY4LXmu5DT0oP5XSXoVG3caeO43X3lBiVrINVDJKlZwpGZT2j9GhCrrwFxDOZELicqO9UZqEs/w400-h268/88E15F47-91CA-49B2-A81B-D33D7FA41755.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiheS6j-NIW1YSd-AX6JGA6pIwudoqn3GzPlx44xoNeVyxEvSRz78Wv13SoQ11nTj9UDoRP9EWcNG6WXmAab33_Hb-LL1JygW9T-mryk1bSpjVzOixZTZbteFdU-O1Xqqp6zDdcRe0Mo_I/s1616/C8F48367-A1FC-4F93-B772-5BD77DE5F5C3.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1616" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiheS6j-NIW1YSd-AX6JGA6pIwudoqn3GzPlx44xoNeVyxEvSRz78Wv13SoQ11nTj9UDoRP9EWcNG6WXmAab33_Hb-LL1JygW9T-mryk1bSpjVzOixZTZbteFdU-O1Xqqp6zDdcRe0Mo_I/w400-h268/C8F48367-A1FC-4F93-B772-5BD77DE5F5C3.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 20.3px;"><span style="font-family: ".SFUIText";">Winding occasionally on narrow ridges between the peaks</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcKZ7nbf8kHBVwJft9RDDb92BA4g4gTori73xVM7-UspMNLKFQMfaJyt83538Qa_HN1tkc0PBB2EUj1yu5GkcIP9B-kOZxoJBHs7WOR6tY63Y_ScXdq4LyFj7dfVzDmzggHUa7IefdlDM/s1616/E1CC18AD-7DED-4D90-98D6-B11877FE26B0.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1616" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcKZ7nbf8kHBVwJft9RDDb92BA4g4gTori73xVM7-UspMNLKFQMfaJyt83538Qa_HN1tkc0PBB2EUj1yu5GkcIP9B-kOZxoJBHs7WOR6tY63Y_ScXdq4LyFj7dfVzDmzggHUa7IefdlDM/w400-h268/E1CC18AD-7DED-4D90-98D6-B11877FE26B0.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";">And occasionally on even narrower paths, hacked into vertical cliffsides. </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE52kCoECOrdCpZAVEiR7PkKR2e91RyUZg3nJD9PGhL6CchwcVbau9D6E9mkzWh4TOrnRNxGm53ZbUnPP6G96wMEsQGGmI66e4d9xbHHQx-efxd6qspgEgf45PJMtD6OyUU6HsjOpCMlY/s1616/FA786E95-32C5-4385-B6B5-491B6975759D.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1616" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE52kCoECOrdCpZAVEiR7PkKR2e91RyUZg3nJD9PGhL6CchwcVbau9D6E9mkzWh4TOrnRNxGm53ZbUnPP6G96wMEsQGGmI66e4d9xbHHQx-efxd6qspgEgf45PJMtD6OyUU6HsjOpCMlY/w400-h268/FA786E95-32C5-4385-B6B5-491B6975759D.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div></div><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: ".SFUIText";">Most of the trail seemed to be stairs going up and down and up and down - until the final ascent to the tallest peak. </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL_JK98KHQBNvZMipQFXQTAnJ1-3LFbBiaRIIrDK4ZKJ7m0YqyBFMQEsYNtCOkSRMfwqrRJ7sFGdMmj25PYdh2EANKC2-qhnltK-GDs1k7PlK7BNzE4NOOJZRENEyzuDY3q_H32BRluLg/s1616/6739FFDB-5A3B-450F-AB5B-43FD03CCF119.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1616" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL_JK98KHQBNvZMipQFXQTAnJ1-3LFbBiaRIIrDK4ZKJ7m0YqyBFMQEsYNtCOkSRMfwqrRJ7sFGdMmj25PYdh2EANKC2-qhnltK-GDs1k7PlK7BNzE4NOOJZRENEyzuDY3q_H32BRluLg/w400-h268/6739FFDB-5A3B-450F-AB5B-43FD03CCF119.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";">As the morning wore on, clouds started gathering </span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbpL1Kmqa0OUuuclNaB-eVD3AK78QwiODiAOY2Rq4MJjBtjKDmha2b2Odq9ThyphenhyphenhfDBB_8kWJJsREnaJ5aqBQuYyraTlWYIbN09C_lN8brBUSYx_G7cy9KaYdlL399Kj-wNc-FtRkrwD1s/s1616/CE81A552-4CB0-4D64-81F6-3807B0F40010.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1616" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbpL1Kmqa0OUuuclNaB-eVD3AK78QwiODiAOY2Rq4MJjBtjKDmha2b2Odq9ThyphenhyphenhfDBB_8kWJJsREnaJ5aqBQuYyraTlWYIbN09C_lN8brBUSYx_G7cy9KaYdlL399Kj-wNc-FtRkrwD1s/w400-h268/CE81A552-4CB0-4D64-81F6-3807B0F40010.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMkzvostdV2njEER-4hmol9NuGOQy5kQQYXWuMacz4gaa-UezV5aGVKe28YyViQvXjGHwNYy2VkzhGIFHWmsVpA3o66kAi8OuszsyzFXQ1WxbIOeuSSqUUCBz60pJBUKy1iE5Qow1htOk/s1616/D4216385-DC5A-4049-8B13-F8DA37AE1B6C.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1616" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMkzvostdV2njEER-4hmol9NuGOQy5kQQYXWuMacz4gaa-UezV5aGVKe28YyViQvXjGHwNYy2VkzhGIFHWmsVpA3o66kAi8OuszsyzFXQ1WxbIOeuSSqUUCBz60pJBUKy1iE5Qow1htOk/w400-h268/D4216385-DC5A-4049-8B13-F8DA37AE1B6C.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";">and the grande finale - the view from the top of Pico Ruivo - was clouds. Occasionally tantalizing glimpses of neighbouring peaks broke free from the cloud cover - to dissappear moments later eerily back into the milky white.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiivclkp_0MNvyPeKAjcHDKpNKKkmcPb6_R3uXYEMSczhePDtdZCOWpkFib8PefQuIK_KRjOddr2QWAmYNuSaqyeP5ky9V35hdbK3APTXm6gsYadeAueUz9AIRv0arbYVnZjIkvVYYEs6w/s1616/68377229-51A5-461B-818F-BDA4F17A5673.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1616" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiivclkp_0MNvyPeKAjcHDKpNKKkmcPb6_R3uXYEMSczhePDtdZCOWpkFib8PefQuIK_KRjOddr2QWAmYNuSaqyeP5ky9V35hdbK3APTXm6gsYadeAueUz9AIRv0arbYVnZjIkvVYYEs6w/w268-h400/68377229-51A5-461B-818F-BDA4F17A5673.jpeg" width="268" /></a></div><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";">It felt like a fair hike, but I managed not to sink too far into self congratulatory mode, since the day of the hike was Madeira Island Ultra Trail - an extreme running event, where the contestants run 60, 85 or 150 km - and the Pico Ruivo to Pico do Areiro trail was part of the track. The runners, many of whom had been running for 12 hours straight by the time we saw them, were going in the opposite direction from us on the trail. </span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtekRFh8R-Fv6g_0ZYp6fPRRzUcT6BVGYnxuG9-k7VIHgwgzXb4VMzRWNRnrejB60B9rxGtIwAMiYqe04sdxEHTmWepK9Q13m-bv54wK-Cnzw5p5Di8l3zPGVOekzT7hsewr02oTRHq8M/s1481/937E490F-BD4A-4131-9EA2-98DACDE59F8B.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="990" data-original-width="1481" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtekRFh8R-Fv6g_0ZYp6fPRRzUcT6BVGYnxuG9-k7VIHgwgzXb4VMzRWNRnrejB60B9rxGtIwAMiYqe04sdxEHTmWepK9Q13m-bv54wK-Cnzw5p5Di8l3zPGVOekzT7hsewr02oTRHq8M/w400-h268/937E490F-BD4A-4131-9EA2-98DACDE59F8B.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6cOHkuCb6VZ6fD_PQpER7yo9TUnG_jcArd010ErtaU-FzRPED010WFs35JTMfanOv5yGNaqzk1d3Kp2eufgaE-15uogx8zHPVESZPjtJkRXq3pP9cyZlgDSt4yr0ua2fbjmZjxOC1sYw/s1616/3824CD6E-B494-4F6A-88A0-74B07CB4ED63.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1616" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6cOHkuCb6VZ6fD_PQpER7yo9TUnG_jcArd010ErtaU-FzRPED010WFs35JTMfanOv5yGNaqzk1d3Kp2eufgaE-15uogx8zHPVESZPjtJkRXq3pP9cyZlgDSt4yr0ua2fbjmZjxOC1sYw/w400-h268/3824CD6E-B494-4F6A-88A0-74B07CB4ED63.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";">Occasionally there would be shouts of ”runner, runner” and everyone would have to flatten against cliff surfaces or daringly balance right on the edge of the narrow track to let the contestants pass unhindered.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCgJsXma0OAHGxKBnELrhz58q6CRf5uh1XETnzG1bbY_PlFaJL3mApO15x8_wYTYjXbWvxiiAdMOPkMi6DCJ2uwWwhRV0JeV2RqWlYxceJyXYEVWw1cIMrlbgBAHJXYNWcEzCbB7M27iY/s1616/3D87515A-D0BE-4D3E-85CB-F1BBE0535FA5.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1616" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCgJsXma0OAHGxKBnELrhz58q6CRf5uh1XETnzG1bbY_PlFaJL3mApO15x8_wYTYjXbWvxiiAdMOPkMi6DCJ2uwWwhRV0JeV2RqWlYxceJyXYEVWw1cIMrlbgBAHJXYNWcEzCbB7M27iY/w268-h400/3D87515A-D0BE-4D3E-85CB-F1BBE0535FA5.jpeg" width="268" /></a></div><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";">I may be three kinds of crazy, but you won’t catch me competing in that race. Ever.</span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixjw2FCp0A7PN5hUGkR6wFhXVxg3TxWLbSWgPWxCLcMKy1OBrlADBm7Ok-XAUFHkSZhZuerbQdM8puVLcfmfLMHB0NqOyRqGJLhuqZ3yS0DfeKRNM2kbWq842WTUWnL-FD4DjAlpBQlU4/s1616/9A1D2F3B-19C3-4FC7-A15A-673ADA1BD099.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1616" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixjw2FCp0A7PN5hUGkR6wFhXVxg3TxWLbSWgPWxCLcMKy1OBrlADBm7Ok-XAUFHkSZhZuerbQdM8puVLcfmfLMHB0NqOyRqGJLhuqZ3yS0DfeKRNM2kbWq842WTUWnL-FD4DjAlpBQlU4/w400-h268/9A1D2F3B-19C3-4FC7-A15A-673ADA1BD099.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p></p></div>Kati Åberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04729186654384794395noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4856765924876984415.post-15350548834625404372021-11-21T11:53:00.010+02:002021-11-21T12:08:42.431+02:00Little green island<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKjK1qECpJNxdrXhmxFq5URmyo8qO0vV0oxtf9Vjb7GUPYBjywiSO0ZaCzHcToR5SdlAO8W58GiRI2hz1wQ8Fxe-v9_DgS85bk_qcKCwOibKhz-EknVmJgtKAuYTnrDM8I5gjg-tOShps/s1616/B4F976D1-F525-4080-8832-E3F47BEBBA71.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1616" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKjK1qECpJNxdrXhmxFq5URmyo8qO0vV0oxtf9Vjb7GUPYBjywiSO0ZaCzHcToR5SdlAO8W58GiRI2hz1wQ8Fxe-v9_DgS85bk_qcKCwOibKhz-EknVmJgtKAuYTnrDM8I5gjg-tOShps/w400-h268/B4F976D1-F525-4080-8832-E3F47BEBBA71.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 20.3px;"><span style="font-family: ".SFUIText";">Well, this is the first entry in quite a while. Globe trotting has been low on the list of viable activities, as the world has inhaled and just held its breath for the last 20 months.</span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 20.3px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 20.3px;"><span style="font-family: ".SFUIText";">Of course mankind is not out of the woods yet as far as covid is concerned, but certain wealthy countries are far enough along in their vaccination programmes to be able to return to a kind of new normal. So in trying to avoid countries which are still in disarray, I’ve ended up just about as far South as is possible in Europe. Well, technically speaking Europe that is: Greetings from the island </span><span style="font-family: ".SFUIText";">of Madeira, Portugal.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg86-CeoeLGapr_1MBb7Tzp5v9dXLIusbFbp70dqB8DttE7qN1nNGE3mSlSX43uDJYv7CeUpmOyB4MLjWmrj8UQXS7ACkG41cbK-O-a2X1bP7ZSRNulQKfflzHW0awdG4SAhs62CG6yKhM/s1616/AAC02BA3-C2BE-4091-8C40-0AB941F080FA.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1616" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg86-CeoeLGapr_1MBb7Tzp5v9dXLIusbFbp70dqB8DttE7qN1nNGE3mSlSX43uDJYv7CeUpmOyB4MLjWmrj8UQXS7ACkG41cbK-O-a2X1bP7ZSRNulQKfflzHW0awdG4SAhs62CG6yKhM/w400-h268/AAC02BA3-C2BE-4091-8C40-0AB941F080FA.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 20.3px;"><span style="font-family: ".SFUIText";">Things I knew about Madeira before landing: </span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 20.3px;"><span style="font-family: ".SFUIText";">It’s an island. </span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 20.3px;"><span style="font-family: ".SFUIText";">It’s green. </span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 20.3px;"><span style="font-family: ".SFUIText";">It’s a great place for hiking. </span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 20.3px;"><span style="font-family: ".SFUIText";">It’s also a sweet alcoholic beverage. </span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 20.3px;"><span style="font-family: ".SFUIText";">And lastly, Madeirans knit awesome hats with big bobbles on top (had one, lost it, need a new one).</span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 20.3px;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5WpRLpzYjzXTXD-JYvEwH4HMnu7OnlNoHPTO40YhdGXrSIoWJE3aWOMkfqaYGUfL9bzPX596AjYqmj6iw6Jb6lS01hW_AFVzcd9xhVJ643vzVGk6yc6lIMlw41TAia0CCX_052NRGyDo/s1616/1E6835B0-92D9-47B5-860D-E19988B099B6.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1616" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5WpRLpzYjzXTXD-JYvEwH4HMnu7OnlNoHPTO40YhdGXrSIoWJE3aWOMkfqaYGUfL9bzPX596AjYqmj6iw6Jb6lS01hW_AFVzcd9xhVJ643vzVGk6yc6lIMlw41TAia0CCX_052NRGyDo/w400-h268/1E6835B0-92D9-47B5-860D-E19988B099B6.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><span style="font-family: ".SFUIText";">Things I didn’t know before landing, but learnt in the first 24 hours: </span><div><span style="color: #454545; font-family: ".SFUIText";">Christopher Columbus visited Madeira to buy sugar. </span><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 20.3px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";">Cristiano Ronaldo - greatest football player in the world (ask any local) was born in Madeira. And they have a CR7-museum dedicated to him to prove it. Oh, and a snazzy larger than life statue. Oh, and his face splattered all over the international airport.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyEmkRPTG0Mylb7_ujZ7cksf35O9eRpxCMwUUDXy1a1ZtLaY0lAcLMWujHWDIBs80py4mVYZ2_SHTBakqW-t4pF_PUCtBpLTCxRkxK2h9tl-Dh-qdc7wY3Mb9E94jrDz0moR6kB4Xu7CA/s1616/6E9248EB-E721-4C96-81FB-697D10EA7505.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1616" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyEmkRPTG0Mylb7_ujZ7cksf35O9eRpxCMwUUDXy1a1ZtLaY0lAcLMWujHWDIBs80py4mVYZ2_SHTBakqW-t4pF_PUCtBpLTCxRkxK2h9tl-Dh-qdc7wY3Mb9E94jrDz0moR6kB4Xu7CA/w400-h268/6E9248EB-E721-4C96-81FB-697D10EA7505.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(69, 69, 69); color: #454545; font-family: ".SFUIText"; text-align: left;">I came to Madeira expecting nothing much in the way of historical urban interest. In this respect, Funchal, the main city of Madeira has been a pleasant surprise. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnqsr_qforDBDddvElJNPxQvUQRHCEsmxP5VrpF-oPyH2U9cVaPslvgqY64naKTsN2Qq1n4J6RuOoUJYSe_aAmCdE6vKVSyZVhxkOKaaRIlAaGhjFGaeEhtFbJswz4ypoPd3x2nCu4KoQ/s1616/7C71E83F-2062-42E0-9138-81FEAF9AD5B4.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1616" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnqsr_qforDBDddvElJNPxQvUQRHCEsmxP5VrpF-oPyH2U9cVaPslvgqY64naKTsN2Qq1n4J6RuOoUJYSe_aAmCdE6vKVSyZVhxkOKaaRIlAaGhjFGaeEhtFbJswz4ypoPd3x2nCu4KoQ/w268-h400/7C71E83F-2062-42E0-9138-81FEAF9AD5B4.jpeg" width="268" /></a></div><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";">There’s a rather cute old town where the oldest buildings are from the 16th century - easily predating aything Helsinki has to offer in the bricks and mortar department.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZxOaHD1ngUcrS-k7XzJxf4GB_JbdUclTjJ24xDToVpQtyO6QaKca0FNaiP-e1YNimHGGWw9YjlS-537sGAF5Cv0pFBk6isEFTTidT2kWSdn9vkli_vUpUpeQoLr0omcFlfLt-JcAW28E/s1616/A173968E-E475-410C-9320-641E0059EF1C.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1616" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZxOaHD1ngUcrS-k7XzJxf4GB_JbdUclTjJ24xDToVpQtyO6QaKca0FNaiP-e1YNimHGGWw9YjlS-537sGAF5Cv0pFBk6isEFTTidT2kWSdn9vkli_vUpUpeQoLr0omcFlfLt-JcAW28E/w268-h400/A173968E-E475-410C-9320-641E0059EF1C.jpeg" width="268" /></a></div><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";">Madeira is all about mountains. Cities, such as Funchal, are perched on narrow strips of land between the mountains and the sea. And since Funchal keeps growing, it’s overflowed up the side of the hills to the tops of the closest mountains. The night vista reminds me of La Paz, though on a smaller scale: the lights of houses rising up the side of the dark mountains look like stars in the sky</span><span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";">.</span><span style="font-family: ".SFUIText";"> </span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4s7WPxBTmmSblhecqR8JOFnwvqZosLkymDY435t05wcLwbH9tR8-z4xoGINtP11E-alNjdxOmuZY2pPcYgGZvFRx_xEOskSIYWnGAqiJyhT9QeL9WUdsV7FLJXZ6ASLN0QFuNqEQAS4Y/s1616/3D6B144E-7703-405A-B220-7B1708C8F60E.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1616" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4s7WPxBTmmSblhecqR8JOFnwvqZosLkymDY435t05wcLwbH9tR8-z4xoGINtP11E-alNjdxOmuZY2pPcYgGZvFRx_xEOskSIYWnGAqiJyhT9QeL9WUdsV7FLJXZ6ASLN0QFuNqEQAS4Y/w400-h268/3D6B144E-7703-405A-B220-7B1708C8F60E.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmsglKcW9FRblZS7Ak8C7CKPNTqZ7LrnZE_GSGEPces7F5GdfnqgTnjZxQLhFvhiOSEkF9e4Fk2-MeacvPg4xBxJeiZ0hKokzessP0IuLaxCWWYtwdMBZmBreL7drchOyT-n5NJU1hWUI/s1510/277A1807-49FB-4969-B022-5483D39E6619.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1009" data-original-width="1510" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmsglKcW9FRblZS7Ak8C7CKPNTqZ7LrnZE_GSGEPces7F5GdfnqgTnjZxQLhFvhiOSEkF9e4Fk2-MeacvPg4xBxJeiZ0hKokzessP0IuLaxCWWYtwdMBZmBreL7drchOyT-n5NJU1hWUI/w400-h268/277A1807-49FB-4969-B022-5483D39E6619.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 20.3px;"><span style="font-family: ".SF UI Text";">The city also boasts a botanical garden with a view</span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 20.3px;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGG2y6qNDnPFXmEurjf_Ql7aDxUcGdiOha6wZA7hu1erXYCE0LhGexJVa1ooPr0LGJD_mJbEkH5JPZddn-Ab0JhdXDMzpIJyXCzISSc5G3qVcrgVxIJhyphenhyphenLlonIGAklhaByvA1fCaH4z6I/s1616/D794F228-BE53-442E-BC8A-215BD88A501F.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1616" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGG2y6qNDnPFXmEurjf_Ql7aDxUcGdiOha6wZA7hu1erXYCE0LhGexJVa1ooPr0LGJD_mJbEkH5JPZddn-Ab0JhdXDMzpIJyXCzISSc5G3qVcrgVxIJhyphenhyphenLlonIGAklhaByvA1fCaH4z6I/w400-h268/D794F228-BE53-442E-BC8A-215BD88A501F.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 20.3px;"><span style="font-family: ".SF UI Text";">And a cable car with a view.</span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 20.3px;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTIn0O4XMf6s6RxVpPxUaiQflJZJYIX_qtFeU4K-akwT_bYwr_93YSPGcf39pdS9_gVDGVWyE67W-cJYRycTAdeaYbcTXV7j7b_MCmxRa8H4CIwIjz5Z4ki07b1o_oQBMo1OSg2pJgqPA/s1616/100AA571-C497-4CBA-916A-A770D8CF7DA9.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1616" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTIn0O4XMf6s6RxVpPxUaiQflJZJYIX_qtFeU4K-akwT_bYwr_93YSPGcf39pdS9_gVDGVWyE67W-cJYRycTAdeaYbcTXV7j7b_MCmxRa8H4CIwIjz5Z4ki07b1o_oQBMo1OSg2pJgqPA/w400-h268/100AA571-C497-4CBA-916A-A770D8CF7DA9.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 20.3px;"><span style="font-family: ".SF UI Text";">But the best of Madeira is not its cities, but its beautiful nature. </span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 20.3px;"><span style="font-family: ".SF UI Text";">More on which in the next episode, since trust me: I’m walking the walk.</span><span style="font-family: ".SF UI Text";"> </span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 20.3px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText"; font-size: 17pt;"></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 20.3px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText"; font-size: 17pt;"></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 20.3px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText"; font-size: 17pt;"></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 20.3px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText"; font-size: 17pt;"></span></p></div>Kati Åberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04729186654384794395noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4856765924876984415.post-45306189658758584922020-03-09T17:33:00.001+02:002020-03-09T17:33:29.275+02:00Where Waters End<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTBnClMgtkjr9aMDZOdzM2cgOs_M7kqX8STBK2vhB2SBK-dkfzN65f5FC5nSL4CJp2GZO45m5l4TvDuAz9RaE4KFHmHvwwjk1NqU-bUXJCkSkEa16FchIc2frNROzlecP8ZaFv2Nosef8/s1600/A639497F-23C8-4095-91EB-1821CC2359B0.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTBnClMgtkjr9aMDZOdzM2cgOs_M7kqX8STBK2vhB2SBK-dkfzN65f5FC5nSL4CJp2GZO45m5l4TvDuAz9RaE4KFHmHvwwjk1NqU-bUXJCkSkEa16FchIc2frNROzlecP8ZaFv2Nosef8/s320/A639497F-23C8-4095-91EB-1821CC2359B0.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">Much water has flowed down many rivers since I left on this trip. Some of these waterflows I have had the joy of seeing first hand.</span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">I have spent a relatively large amount of time in the mountainous parts of Panama and Costa Rica - partly to escape the heat, but mostly because these regions are beautiful and have lush nature and wonderful hikes to offer. And these tree-covered mountains are the main source of water for both countries - so rivers and rivulets abound.</span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">Deforestration, especially in these mountainous regions, is a big problem for water supplies, but the governments are powerless or lack the will to do anything about it because, as the locals say with an resigned shrug: ”it’s business”. The world spinns around the same axis in all countries it seems.</span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">More than once on my hikes, the course of a river I have been following has taken an unexpected turn as, suddenly, the water has nowhere to go but straight down, tens of metres, roaring into the jungle below.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0Y_iLjIfN5vobeNGCxSmNACjABuh8TzG6oo3SCEXNVAnUX4Nszb9RZMBrE113KcEGcvO5ic0Jz_VJDgXQe8YUW6iJpFYfPTbB6CYm7ki03ni6XOJT8CCBNsduJ2J95fWxQsIX2tn80O8/s1600/D8AEB650-4965-4BCE-A93D-EE30CE15CA8E.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0Y_iLjIfN5vobeNGCxSmNACjABuh8TzG6oo3SCEXNVAnUX4Nszb9RZMBrE113KcEGcvO5ic0Jz_VJDgXQe8YUW6iJpFYfPTbB6CYm7ki03ni6XOJT8CCBNsduJ2J95fWxQsIX2tn80O8/s400/D8AEB650-4965-4BCE-A93D-EE30CE15CA8E.jpeg" width="300" /></a></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">Waterfalls have come in all shapes and sizes, </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfXaZsqxWSfPGQBLYyYawpH3qv6P8LJdfVI6E6PFkLxWiXdX-tUsvk3nvwA1erAk4qMgmRDTIH3-8g1PUMbHeZk_elwpTibGQsnyG9eqjm8CuHQ_52cTAGpd8tpjLJSF-f-mVPbE2Mrz4/s1600/2BF34C93-79D1-450A-9A03-E1652D6C962A.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfXaZsqxWSfPGQBLYyYawpH3qv6P8LJdfVI6E6PFkLxWiXdX-tUsvk3nvwA1erAk4qMgmRDTIH3-8g1PUMbHeZk_elwpTibGQsnyG9eqjm8CuHQ_52cTAGpd8tpjLJSF-f-mVPbE2Mrz4/s400/2BF34C93-79D1-450A-9A03-E1652D6C962A.jpeg" width="300" /></a></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">next to some of them I have swum, </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-vRyjzAOP88KX0JXAm1523DHwa8Qqu_K9Xs6G94LhRkpY1KaJb35v3L0V1WJMdZLRZ4OhyqFWeDIDUpKNRJzudZEEtKcyYjujbNpM4otNeuy6q6PCNdudvhuAsVarUanq1zbBbaBMRoc/s1600/B9E49E9E-D940-4D43-988A-A0A6B5935BAF.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-vRyjzAOP88KX0JXAm1523DHwa8Qqu_K9Xs6G94LhRkpY1KaJb35v3L0V1WJMdZLRZ4OhyqFWeDIDUpKNRJzudZEEtKcyYjujbNpM4otNeuy6q6PCNdudvhuAsVarUanq1zbBbaBMRoc/s400/B9E49E9E-D940-4D43-988A-A0A6B5935BAF.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">but mostly I have just admired them from a prudent distance.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibLPvODBEusaiUCYs5XzGXoPRfVEYgpTtfdqgDwDAiDJTOqHTgpjSuddFRH4OMlPCChGaVLxoUoTVRerRdETvLoiMp0wwgWSiGCnEdWeTzazYtDGc1fgVcwti-XWd2cxzluB0X82pmw3E/s1600/E984A494-7706-44D5-A085-6D8B0F1B8276.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibLPvODBEusaiUCYs5XzGXoPRfVEYgpTtfdqgDwDAiDJTOqHTgpjSuddFRH4OMlPCChGaVLxoUoTVRerRdETvLoiMp0wwgWSiGCnEdWeTzazYtDGc1fgVcwti-XWd2cxzluB0X82pmw3E/s400/E984A494-7706-44D5-A085-6D8B0F1B8276.jpeg" width="300" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht7wpgmw2oQHZFjS_dX4pRBN73SmOPI2FfVcdE8_rLJFgnJnghmBqhpo57dP_GwnGfiMAhpRnVulDiMo4hoxyych4fJaRc52dDsV21TSRZ2IT4QExPaydZj6WC9pr_zrxQPzmnIkJd_rI/s1600/032C7477-A936-4646-9DF9-108CEBFDDFD4.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht7wpgmw2oQHZFjS_dX4pRBN73SmOPI2FfVcdE8_rLJFgnJnghmBqhpo57dP_GwnGfiMAhpRnVulDiMo4hoxyych4fJaRc52dDsV21TSRZ2IT4QExPaydZj6WC9pr_zrxQPzmnIkJd_rI/s400/032C7477-A936-4646-9DF9-108CEBFDDFD4.jpeg" width="300" /></a></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">On this trip, I saved my favourite water for last!</span><br />
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">As many of you will know, I have a great fondness for all things marine heritage related - especially, but not limited to, tall ships. So am I really going to be in Panama and miss out on the canal? Most certainly not!</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje1xKueOnvex8hrvsjoEsnSYaKOPtWC1EAiBB-tzsCwWCT7VhkJ1F7fldhamqH890NSnXztfhpsKxZiSCgIWlFzvW5LYUeobBKV7Fw_q_EduWEDY9XsVHEBzAqPkqSdxsG61xzaJ0A43U/s1600/B363C7E9-7080-486B-A64D-8B91E028CA57.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje1xKueOnvex8hrvsjoEsnSYaKOPtWC1EAiBB-tzsCwWCT7VhkJ1F7fldhamqH890NSnXztfhpsKxZiSCgIWlFzvW5LYUeobBKV7Fw_q_EduWEDY9XsVHEBzAqPkqSdxsG61xzaJ0A43U/s400/B363C7E9-7080-486B-A64D-8B91E028CA57.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">I was lucky, since the tour boats usually do just part of the canal. There is a full ocean to ocean, Panama City to Colon, Pacific to Atlantic tour of the canal only once a month. And that happened to be two days before my return flight later today. Destiny beckoned.</span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">To recap, the 82 kilometre long Panama Canal was built 1904-1914 by the US, roughly based on an earlier French blueprint. The French effort some decades earlier ended in 20.000 dead - mostly from malaria and yellow fever. By the time the second effort was made, it had been discovered that these were mosquito borne disease and measures had been taken. Impressive rurals in the Panama Canal head quarters (by William B. van Ingen) show some scenes from the building the canal in the early 20th century. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh84q1DZtew-nvLhmWB_Wl11R53jgoTifBMLRuXTFf6J355t44aWIfQFSqtR0PZysIF1fJQoXaJm9tBLx6eJHf-2a1nC4aK20MxBMImURXVRBSaqdRrN7wfz2OpqWdJu1PqpgzDyfPVHUc/s1600/23B3B781-1A33-41DD-BA3F-77953BBA210E.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh84q1DZtew-nvLhmWB_Wl11R53jgoTifBMLRuXTFf6J355t44aWIfQFSqtR0PZysIF1fJQoXaJm9tBLx6eJHf-2a1nC4aK20MxBMImURXVRBSaqdRrN7wfz2OpqWdJu1PqpgzDyfPVHUc/s400/23B3B781-1A33-41DD-BA3F-77953BBA210E.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJmNFxEKekXL6kYFtYhBSuDF1HPmIKVaOA9aCBos17j3fyetW9474YQTv-cLflKYpAa2E2VZPQ24EvdZhPfTlJFVdy2k-b9ecrr3sh6wyK5UDLM9f71VfRErZK_MoHRvySL0iL83eVb8o/s1600/0E9C6DE2-C9E6-4B07-A871-9B979D828BC4.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJmNFxEKekXL6kYFtYhBSuDF1HPmIKVaOA9aCBos17j3fyetW9474YQTv-cLflKYpAa2E2VZPQ24EvdZhPfTlJFVdy2k-b9ecrr3sh6wyK5UDLM9f71VfRErZK_MoHRvySL0iL83eVb8o/s400/0E9C6DE2-C9E6-4B07-A871-9B979D828BC4.jpeg" width="300" /></a></div>
<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">The Panama Canal remains one of the largest and most impressive feats of engineering ever undertaken.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnQ7UrEQI3KwvxteYbwNvhkXpgzMaC863iZompNB7xxJad3LGw2Spskl5BEqfbMYyrFSrOFMNOmfc-ymjnq6r3GuNXJa_PWfyvu_yQkHn5XG31h7ED7H2jElx4fMexVqWV_0lnRXV54YA/s1600/FDDA476A-AD7F-44EB-B9C1-E0A5959AA296.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnQ7UrEQI3KwvxteYbwNvhkXpgzMaC863iZompNB7xxJad3LGw2Spskl5BEqfbMYyrFSrOFMNOmfc-ymjnq6r3GuNXJa_PWfyvu_yQkHn5XG31h7ED7H2jElx4fMexVqWV_0lnRXV54YA/s400/FDDA476A-AD7F-44EB-B9C1-E0A5959AA296.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">The US continued to control the canal and surrounding zone until, after increasing pressure from the Panamanian people and protests leading to a few deaths, a treaty was signed, which provided for handover to Panama. After a period of joint American–Panamanian control, in 1999, the canal was taken over by the Panamanian government. It is now managed and operated by the government-owned Panama Canal Authority. The gringos certainly did not leave willingly or with good grace - as shown in the street art below. No wonder, since the canal is or major political, military - and financial - interest.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9GtiMCwuNC9HcssCy6DiNpwnDcOpu90YYnptfYRng03nQMva7j5lSVtrnRWOpvk_K770crU-STqHHlBAgj6Q_FqhRUeKyb47TYDhxxRT9pPmZ-NIs11g0Xm1GX5_lUzetMyU4UprDb9k/s1600/38F8689E-B043-4F25-8156-31D02F5BDCF6.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9GtiMCwuNC9HcssCy6DiNpwnDcOpu90YYnptfYRng03nQMva7j5lSVtrnRWOpvk_K770crU-STqHHlBAgj6Q_FqhRUeKyb47TYDhxxRT9pPmZ-NIs11g0Xm1GX5_lUzetMyU4UprDb9k/s400/38F8689E-B043-4F25-8156-31D02F5BDCF6.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">Since being handed over to Panama, the canal has been a pivotal source of income in the country and it has made Panama city the wealthiest city in Central America.</span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">But since 1914 the world of shipping has changed. Most notably, freight ships are much larger now than before. The old canal docks are unable to accommodate the new monsters. In the image below on the right is a ship that barely fits into the old canal - on the left the ”slightly” larger modern version. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHVitVTVjc5iQxOtvmQIo0ay7B1i7WBbCCzoJQqOtu0IajOJID1C66Bj-hBL4HoaaUYpEft5XxbVRyMQBDKY0ZPHY4lbbAP0tl4bDflhFvIBIac9aaQfp2Mvd__8YTtqFCOnxOmxUkUUQ/s1600/18435575-798C-47FE-B06E-7640729DD7FC.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHVitVTVjc5iQxOtvmQIo0ay7B1i7WBbCCzoJQqOtu0IajOJID1C66Bj-hBL4HoaaUYpEft5XxbVRyMQBDKY0ZPHY4lbbAP0tl4bDflhFvIBIac9aaQfp2Mvd__8YTtqFCOnxOmxUkUUQ/s400/18435575-798C-47FE-B06E-7640729DD7FC.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK0qLhTEN5WloVUXb-OqJKK2BBnwW4KQpYzyW7MJYYwCqQY27GJa1Yhs36CSLtgYD8syDzzCspDmCxrF5aPrD3lsEElX7idY-1x9s1rT3wFr5jK5B6vLkjX7Z38-PEROWUu0iVyZQ039o/s1600/C4B941B3-AE76-4773-83A9-02EAC72CC005.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK0qLhTEN5WloVUXb-OqJKK2BBnwW4KQpYzyW7MJYYwCqQY27GJa1Yhs36CSLtgYD8syDzzCspDmCxrF5aPrD3lsEElX7idY-1x9s1rT3wFr5jK5B6vLkjX7Z38-PEROWUu0iVyZQ039o/s400/C4B941B3-AE76-4773-83A9-02EAC72CC005.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">Also the capacity of the canal started to be fully used and shipping was increasing. All those plastic toys from China to the East Coast need to come through somehow.</span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">Something had to be done, and after a nation-wide vote on the issue, it was decided to expand the canal. The expansion opened in 2016. The image below is shot from the old canal showing one of the new monster ships sailing up the parallel new canal. A floating city of containers.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEpxbQ21l9aaz43b8e4viTQIxkywkVRW_Fyt2aJEgo0H3aNgivcrbXfnUR_kAyya0crEg3bwYDsSjLbYqHWDrWQMLJhHSdUOzolYOFWtq7AGqcByZN53Ai92qGIsqYMEIR_vQOmgSpXdM/s1600/3C5A0CE3-E1AA-4798-A6BB-CB2FA9C739F0.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEpxbQ21l9aaz43b8e4viTQIxkywkVRW_Fyt2aJEgo0H3aNgivcrbXfnUR_kAyya0crEg3bwYDsSjLbYqHWDrWQMLJhHSdUOzolYOFWtq7AGqcByZN53Ai92qGIsqYMEIR_vQOmgSpXdM/s400/3C5A0CE3-E1AA-4798-A6BB-CB2FA9C739F0.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">Just when the new locks were finally finished and all should have been hunky dory, a new problem ensued.</span><br />
<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">The canal runs on fresh water. The water originates mostly from the mighty river Chagres, which was dammed in 1914 to create what was, at the time, the biggest artificial lake in the world, the lake Gatun. When crossing the late, what appear to be islands are, in fact, the tops of the mountains of the former valley that is the bottom of lake Gatun. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio4BAnFvVloNn5KNy-Hymu_nxUFwNOCMFsi8aTyBFNnsjHxzTeWJra7zNZz0iqv_7i_ZEwRdUWrG6g7S2bXAR5738cW0tfSzTKiGTnhBYZWD-SVKXUEs9fduoeKLzy-3O3p9QxQUT8sZI/s1600/119F751B-2D8D-45DA-8D79-830E1A671D1E.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio4BAnFvVloNn5KNy-Hymu_nxUFwNOCMFsi8aTyBFNnsjHxzTeWJra7zNZz0iqv_7i_ZEwRdUWrG6g7S2bXAR5738cW0tfSzTKiGTnhBYZWD-SVKXUEs9fduoeKLzy-3O3p9QxQUT8sZI/s400/119F751B-2D8D-45DA-8D79-830E1A671D1E.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">A rather incredible 200 million litres of fresh water are needed for each vessle that passes through the old canal. And this fresh water runs straight into the sea. The new locks do have water storage tanks, which recycle around 60% of the water - but not all. </span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">So the total consumption of water has increased greatly with the new, wider canal. However, with the rise in temperature in Panama during the last ten years, unpredictable rain patterns and increasing deforestration, there is less water than before. </span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">So the Panama canal may very well be running on empty. Western press has picked up on this earlier this year, after the canal authorities issued preliminary data on the subject. Here’s one article on the subject, in case you’re interested:</span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext";"><a href="https://www.wired.co.uk/article/panama-canal-climate-change">https://www.wired.co.uk/article/panama-canal-climate-change</a></span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">But so far, it’s still business as usual in the canal. So off through the canal I went. Through three sets of locks, which have one to three chambers each. Water elevators if you like, on which our fortunes and our ship rose or fell. From Panama City and the Pacific we rose a total of 26 metres during the first two locks to lake Gatun and fell back those same 26 metres to sea level in the three chambers of the last Gatun lock into the Caribbean.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsoPuHSa8U1edCK-PHtf4np6r1SJDQR59rNel20q45QzWBfzDDHPZs9EEoBMNhwJlhnJewmd8zVaHo05afXPhtK04VLhfDwtdbyMTyl5OM8sOE9abBRanhjTvMOioyzIyGli5EcIRf86I/s1600/231ADBB4-88B2-4612-B484-D9E1ADD11B3E.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsoPuHSa8U1edCK-PHtf4np6r1SJDQR59rNel20q45QzWBfzDDHPZs9EEoBMNhwJlhnJewmd8zVaHo05afXPhtK04VLhfDwtdbyMTyl5OM8sOE9abBRanhjTvMOioyzIyGli5EcIRf86I/s400/231ADBB4-88B2-4612-B484-D9E1ADD11B3E.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">We shared the lock with a freight ship - the good ship Sti Battery. Sti Battery was as big as the old locks would accommodate - leaving just 75 centimetres of space on either side of the ship. Squeaky tight.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV67SMXSszDpXSEbiZUGU52PN3G4aY7v-dmiXQ0sN1PxkuJ0XLt9xddIyCGHYe0Q038xMJorhHfH-oD3h997uICtRT_JL3ScUTgEYsKMVB8MN5ZfQZ7PcgX5YW-Tq4-602iAOxYVQxWtw/s1600/E02CCCF5-801B-41FF-B94F-06087CD9677F.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV67SMXSszDpXSEbiZUGU52PN3G4aY7v-dmiXQ0sN1PxkuJ0XLt9xddIyCGHYe0Q038xMJorhHfH-oD3h997uICtRT_JL3ScUTgEYsKMVB8MN5ZfQZ7PcgX5YW-Tq4-602iAOxYVQxWtw/s400/E02CCCF5-801B-41FF-B94F-06087CD9677F.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">To make sure the ship remains exactly in the middle and does not scrape on the sides of the chambers and get damaged, little locomotives (weighing over 50 tons each) on rails attach sturdy cables to the ship from both sides. </span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">These cables ensure that the ship stays dead centre as the locomotives drag it into the narrow chambers. No room for error, this is a very precise and professional undertaking.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpNt9NMi3Z6cSVBVzeHJq6Axm_vqCnHUYutRh0lJtnm1INRxF8Jev0TXIVSCrj9CbZpFdHZ6F6tA6BeLdKoduR45u-hFQgCfQiOaG_kF-8wiShAeGeLQjkGVl0-ffQzgT1WADhRn0hCSo/s1600/5DA43183-82F8-41FF-9C9D-2063B09ADC32.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpNt9NMi3Z6cSVBVzeHJq6Axm_vqCnHUYutRh0lJtnm1INRxF8Jev0TXIVSCrj9CbZpFdHZ6F6tA6BeLdKoduR45u-hFQgCfQiOaG_kF-8wiShAeGeLQjkGVl0-ffQzgT1WADhRn0hCSo/s400/5DA43183-82F8-41FF-9C9D-2063B09ADC32.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">During the 10-or-so hours it took to pass through the Panama Canal, I spent time chatting to the staff. It turned out one of my mates, Rico, was the ship’s engineer. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrjEAN20JHgcV7NX2ZNv97w07wpiU9o6JsHoFA9u5APtfTaiT6xhSVeW_PUNX39rP_LKD8R6voBjcIhfOQt-AQYwvLQjn8luhndLdc7ofQkSPl07HF5k-GnyvszvZjq3VVHUhAcPDrStU/s1600/E0A2A43A-AC93-4204-AFEF-42B9B3AECBEA.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrjEAN20JHgcV7NX2ZNv97w07wpiU9o6JsHoFA9u5APtfTaiT6xhSVeW_PUNX39rP_LKD8R6voBjcIhfOQt-AQYwvLQjn8luhndLdc7ofQkSPl07HF5k-GnyvszvZjq3VVHUhAcPDrStU/s400/E0A2A43A-AC93-4204-AFEF-42B9B3AECBEA.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">He gave me a grand tour of the engine room - where he insisted he take a photo of me next to one of the two engines. Detroit Engines from the 70’s - big brothers of the engine of ”my” tall ship.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJPJL4tNZPGJHt_8w4YXKnmvtA7E4ThGPKDTWkVzFtfztFqL93KC_fMQ__Zjlgp5NV8PpdWBD56UOqo3os1ep2iXBTuLCJgEfspIzFsXzpoy_E-1cOUcR0cNdccy_eaaZTWtVcy1dK5nM/s1600/B5F2696C-DB90-4491-8818-F1183E9BAD4D.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJPJL4tNZPGJHt_8w4YXKnmvtA7E4ThGPKDTWkVzFtfztFqL93KC_fMQ__Zjlgp5NV8PpdWBD56UOqo3os1ep2iXBTuLCJgEfspIzFsXzpoy_E-1cOUcR0cNdccy_eaaZTWtVcy1dK5nM/s400/B5F2696C-DB90-4491-8818-F1183E9BAD4D.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">Going through the canal was a beautiful way to end this trip. We sailed out at 6.15 am with the sun rising over the Pacific and ended up just in time to see the sun set into the Caribbean. And t</span><span style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">he locks were even more impressive than I had imagined.</span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">However all good things come to an end; the canal and this trip. Later today I leave for the airport and back home to Finland. Prophetically, the one freight ship that overtook us during our trip through the canal was the Baltic Winter. I can try to run away from it, but it always catches up on me.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGHl5W3nYeyLLXRwfN_ltxhcwI9xJPjwO3DKh7XFYQFWk8h6gid0p35CVVWl3XaK0Ui3Qij3P4DSzSps4AMoQ2U9SCtwKWQKiZDEz9MdRs-Os-jF2LIKtqxa6blfQGkw_7o40fAsVFagk/s1600/3DA48AF2-D735-44AE-BE4C-EAAE711CE99F.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGHl5W3nYeyLLXRwfN_ltxhcwI9xJPjwO3DKh7XFYQFWk8h6gid0p35CVVWl3XaK0Ui3Qij3P4DSzSps4AMoQ2U9SCtwKWQKiZDEz9MdRs-Os-jF2LIKtqxa6blfQGkw_7o40fAsVFagk/s400/3DA48AF2-D735-44AE-BE4C-EAAE711CE99F.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">So long and thanks for being along on the ride.</span></div>
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Kati Åberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04729186654384794395noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4856765924876984415.post-57956413376674980842020-03-04T02:52:00.000+02:002020-03-04T04:37:53.577+02:00Dodging Heat<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6Gb0qKu2D-XWCGWNk-8VY1GomIjtgwQ6EKLXKqYdcNlnF1KQZ1RTqzGooCvX7bGNdA10zh2pbQri7flyEc77mR_7f_qYrBH8d8kAya_03Z94ziloqUsVo47jqZT6JuOtl0QfZuTtyEUE/s1600/84D7403F-869B-4210-83CB-3A4EF61C98A6.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6Gb0qKu2D-XWCGWNk-8VY1GomIjtgwQ6EKLXKqYdcNlnF1KQZ1RTqzGooCvX7bGNdA10zh2pbQri7flyEc77mR_7f_qYrBH8d8kAya_03Z94ziloqUsVo47jqZT6JuOtl0QfZuTtyEUE/s400/84D7403F-869B-4210-83CB-3A4EF61C98A6.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">Heat.</span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">That’s the bad thing about the tropics - well, bad from my point of view. They’re hot. Though the iguanas seem to appreciate this.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-WPNHlOJ27mYxdae8AucLzNRqfZMWzrv5PQGiaH8X0-2oigXf1cusXNpMOIryEJcgLXs1yNFkgY6I8pBe8c5HHc6KU0vDxOIMKUbvA5gyRZarU9zW7F1_AsimTdmA-Hr-E8oQbgoHuio/s1600/3C0C9B99-F653-42CB-94C8-1E5DF3FBD703.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="525" data-original-width="700" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-WPNHlOJ27mYxdae8AucLzNRqfZMWzrv5PQGiaH8X0-2oigXf1cusXNpMOIryEJcgLXs1yNFkgY6I8pBe8c5HHc6KU0vDxOIMKUbvA5gyRZarU9zW7F1_AsimTdmA-Hr-E8oQbgoHuio/s400/3C0C9B99-F653-42CB-94C8-1E5DF3FBD703.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">One can escape the heat to the highlands and mountains - and on the shore the air usually moves so that the heat is somewhat more bearable. Even so. I’ve taken to carrying my umbrella (paragua - for water) and using it as a parasol (for sun). The shade is a small one, but since the sun shines at zenith from directly above, I’m covered, head to toe.</span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">As the reader may deduce, I am no longer in the hills, though at the end of the last entry I promised to be heading for new mountains. And I did.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQY9El9o1lEEDlu-dRtUFXKmcRAVUMhROjjbwNs5Th1M9_A2WHfRblhDas-V30d6ryZsrgU0MzFD0IFyKA6Q2oHtmNS3CcOPqaKujG-SJWPQTQ16TnhZvU0jh1pdxbsJ8LEN6GV9dcyj0/s1600/A1614C9E-1ADC-481A-89E4-0B058684C4C5.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQY9El9o1lEEDlu-dRtUFXKmcRAVUMhROjjbwNs5Th1M9_A2WHfRblhDas-V30d6ryZsrgU0MzFD0IFyKA6Q2oHtmNS3CcOPqaKujG-SJWPQTQ16TnhZvU0jh1pdxbsJ8LEN6GV9dcyj0/s400/A1614C9E-1ADC-481A-89E4-0B058684C4C5.jpeg" width="400" /></a><span style="color: #454545; font-family: ".sfuitext"; text-align: left;"> </span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">Before arriving here on the Pacific coast at Quepos, I stopped for a few days in Santa Elena and Monteverde. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfnDLyfI3iTXGCHUFUHXE3pECf1-IoV8ppSzuxv3NfZG5euBRntJ4WPKa3caUYWfZW7T0lhupwN8p2zOlB9Y4z4-JZDC67i904m2uQ5bEEtkvjmUNpiXzT2lAHfLfcNWih77uDI4Q0PzU/s1600/4616DFE0-7B83-487F-9395-58292011FD55.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfnDLyfI3iTXGCHUFUHXE3pECf1-IoV8ppSzuxv3NfZG5euBRntJ4WPKa3caUYWfZW7T0lhupwN8p2zOlB9Y4z4-JZDC67i904m2uQ5bEEtkvjmUNpiXzT2lAHfLfcNWih77uDI4Q0PzU/s400/4616DFE0-7B83-487F-9395-58292011FD55.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja5HLMmx0kyP80C1YR-gWHVZSgs5ddL1urBzqSNDrTA7LkdwULPlZPs5zrADoJAZ4oQNtuwfpQx0MNxHv_5piV4y_Ty4tIYwr77zezX26YtKE20Vtnm0R3XMpT69KFsAojf1XSjUKAqMM/s1600/5285708A-0C77-42CE-B57C-29BD292B69D0.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja5HLMmx0kyP80C1YR-gWHVZSgs5ddL1urBzqSNDrTA7LkdwULPlZPs5zrADoJAZ4oQNtuwfpQx0MNxHv_5piV4y_Ty4tIYwr77zezX26YtKE20Vtnm0R3XMpT69KFsAojf1XSjUKAqMM/s400/5285708A-0C77-42CE-B57C-29BD292B69D0.jpeg" width="300" /></a></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">This is a region of cloud forests, good treks and wind. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivClinMRqWl6jGnHw54i_FrHgfLO55Kb8erPYmHsmrUOQFJviGvALxKL6pmr0RecO6qCa3VIylloMeHBF_o0MrkXgsuPaEK-wgNtgR_UbEzqztH7SWxdVe718YE4L0THzgBfsaeM2Btio/s1600/FD069161-8C75-401B-B6C7-507409DCF2A8.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivClinMRqWl6jGnHw54i_FrHgfLO55Kb8erPYmHsmrUOQFJviGvALxKL6pmr0RecO6qCa3VIylloMeHBF_o0MrkXgsuPaEK-wgNtgR_UbEzqztH7SWxdVe718YE4L0THzgBfsaeM2Btio/s400/FD069161-8C75-401B-B6C7-507409DCF2A8.jpeg" width="300" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrLDhyc9g4ZNywLTqxvbjWyEllWPfXWQGZnUiFNPJJ7sICe9gA1LLjbRdc9qSD0UhQWjul3o2wwQp7CzxbuWhztsJqrW51vfW0WpkkxVMBSP5ofZuqlNtrFgcg-QsdE1Yue0cRPcI6Ezs/s1600/ED00EDB0-C872-493E-A42A-5B832546F85C.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrLDhyc9g4ZNywLTqxvbjWyEllWPfXWQGZnUiFNPJJ7sICe9gA1LLjbRdc9qSD0UhQWjul3o2wwQp7CzxbuWhztsJqrW51vfW0WpkkxVMBSP5ofZuqlNtrFgcg-QsdE1Yue0cRPcI6Ezs/s400/ED00EDB0-C872-493E-A42A-5B832546F85C.jpeg" width="300" /></a></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">I don’t remember ever having been in a place as windy as Santa Elena, which is surprising, since Santa Elena is inland from the sea by about 50km. Santa Elena is reached by winding dirt roads, which are not wide enough to let a car and a bus pass eachother on a curvy bit. So the 42km trip by bus from Santa Elena to the Pan Americana highway took around 80 minutes and required a lot of cars to reverse, when they hit a curve at the same time as our bus. This happened frequently, since the road was mostly curves.</span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">Now I’m working my way gradually back to Panama. My original plan was to go from Santa Elena to San Jose (5 hours by bus), muck around twiddling my toes for hours waiting for the night bus to Panama City (17 hours). But in the end common sense won and I decided to make the grand trip back in installments.</span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">Quepos caught my eye as a suitable stop-over since it is on the doorstep of Costa Rica’s most visitied national park, Manuel Antonio. It turns out that the town itself has its own charm. For once, it’s not particularly touristy. On the first day I had a lovely swim in a pretty bay with only the Costa Rican coast guard as company. They were doing life-saving exercises, with somebody pretending to drown and the others rushing into the water to save him. It felt rather like being in an episode of Baywatch, but at least it was a very safe place to swim! </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilyDWmGPg4OaJuzzhaAo_TAJPioJYsn-A2eWeZuqNwBcMGyoD-eJLveBHaCvGKVeh5Fd6rZ5U4hDOxxtoTTUOtXsr_Vg6KaL8oI62vwxZ2-8JQSLvJLhyXOgBSPocbCkhmGqVS4ZqB8gs/s1600/108DAB39-550A-4E30-A9C8-E143940E42B4.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilyDWmGPg4OaJuzzhaAo_TAJPioJYsn-A2eWeZuqNwBcMGyoD-eJLveBHaCvGKVeh5Fd6rZ5U4hDOxxtoTTUOtXsr_Vg6KaL8oI62vwxZ2-8JQSLvJLhyXOgBSPocbCkhmGqVS4ZqB8gs/s400/108DAB39-550A-4E30-A9C8-E143940E42B4.jpeg" width="300" /></a></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">Especially charming was a stretch of the village, which could only be reached via ferry. It had a stunning stretch of beach, on which locals were swimming and fishing and dogs were enjoying the heck out of life. The beach came equipped with the usual stunning sunset views.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLn2RrtrgJnjGLPO73KLfwq4U7XDiJrGxNkEUQjZ2sd8b9H9jhMhpX9dTgouJ23-tvz_34ZvRlVo70RqgDa4UvMNP-PIYZTh2Fv6mgDYMxGIFZ2zD-5Wp96N4X14jKgFnzvS-WcTuEBnk/s1600/6B43E439-C996-4C90-9401-2E7224175935.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLn2RrtrgJnjGLPO73KLfwq4U7XDiJrGxNkEUQjZ2sd8b9H9jhMhpX9dTgouJ23-tvz_34ZvRlVo70RqgDa4UvMNP-PIYZTh2Fv6mgDYMxGIFZ2zD-5Wp96N4X14jKgFnzvS-WcTuEBnk/s400/6B43E439-C996-4C90-9401-2E7224175935.jpeg" width="300" /></a></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">When attempts to dodge the heat to higher ground fail, the only way to beat the heat is to start early, do the strenuous walking before it gets really hot (around 11 am latest) and hide in the shade or swim around in the sea until it cools down again arond 3 pm</span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">I nearly nailed it today at the Manuel Antonia National park. Like most national parks so far in this country, this one had good paths - more like garden paths than the slip-sliding in mud of Panamanian treks. But the views were quite lovely.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinsQzvPIf_uOh7sOWa_TvrIKVOBsMf1Lq_dC_OPFzfZXgiqh6pSuZDoIwghuuNOCRbfqV6cf1E_rKVgS-8j3eY6Ec-rlzYfTklyob-sb9MzS8uOKnLKoO0I9X2QgPprPHScid3jb9rth0/s1600/7672ACA3-734D-4ED6-A241-65790B298258.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinsQzvPIf_uOh7sOWa_TvrIKVOBsMf1Lq_dC_OPFzfZXgiqh6pSuZDoIwghuuNOCRbfqV6cf1E_rKVgS-8j3eY6Ec-rlzYfTklyob-sb9MzS8uOKnLKoO0I9X2QgPprPHScid3jb9rth0/s400/7672ACA3-734D-4ED6-A241-65790B298258.jpeg" width="300" /></a></div>
<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">And as before, the park was full of life. Not just humans, though admittedly they were the most numerous species. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuOj4sc5tkqCoNSy-OFSUx5HsrrWZFxpRHl-1z9t6FuHG4LJY-ihLFqxg9gjMty7BvjLFnI6vkBOsSM3s4_QeLIT-JKltp8mKt6dcWu9jCiQT5zwMptzUO8VsO-CvGWt0vwwiQKufKbzI/s1600/3BF5FE31-B065-451C-A7CA-893E6C465073.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuOj4sc5tkqCoNSy-OFSUx5HsrrWZFxpRHl-1z9t6FuHG4LJY-ihLFqxg9gjMty7BvjLFnI6vkBOsSM3s4_QeLIT-JKltp8mKt6dcWu9jCiQT5zwMptzUO8VsO-CvGWt0vwwiQKufKbzI/s400/3BF5FE31-B065-451C-A7CA-893E6C465073.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div>
<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">But howling monkeys, deer and the ever active and cheeky white faced capuchin monkeys</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlIDb-3m_ZNsAXX36Xfn2C_uGM7MCbGSUb_3wkaIFq-tKnqdG8ngxyjy_P4_I0Xe9wZZOf6kYbYucYODCyFTOaNEgQxrEmMQw_0daRyO_tHnX9lbQjnAAhQpL8tghFrWAO-F6CTo12zYI/s1600/E940F50A-7710-42E5-BDB3-45A27CE914CB.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlIDb-3m_ZNsAXX36Xfn2C_uGM7MCbGSUb_3wkaIFq-tKnqdG8ngxyjy_P4_I0Xe9wZZOf6kYbYucYODCyFTOaNEgQxrEmMQw_0daRyO_tHnX9lbQjnAAhQpL8tghFrWAO-F6CTo12zYI/s400/E940F50A-7710-42E5-BDB3-45A27CE914CB.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">A mother was lovingly delicing her young, when a world-weary-looking male made his entry, </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6Qv33cmhL1VUz_2eHGROJ4ENXfBfspmaHnt1qdQK3o-aa_KuB5TwBqQGLlRZQygtZprIIuZf3i7ZIlAnwljgL1IdF79U6IZcatn3-USFvE3G-2DEOAryaAEFvIjps4o8Ir3klJVWVI20/s1600/4DCFC36D-3129-4B27-B4D1-43C21172DDBC.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6Qv33cmhL1VUz_2eHGROJ4ENXfBfspmaHnt1qdQK3o-aa_KuB5TwBqQGLlRZQygtZprIIuZf3i7ZIlAnwljgL1IdF79U6IZcatn3-USFvE3G-2DEOAryaAEFvIjps4o8Ir3klJVWVI20/s400/4DCFC36D-3129-4B27-B4D1-43C21172DDBC.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">insidiously manouvered closer and closer along the branch </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbpXZ5z00M3Uw6gnRXVaXZ0YQF3waWnVUXxvon5T0bAmbGZSyhL_n8hzES9D0Tu3iIiIs3J4Q9EaEwMOI-BQUvJ2uO9QGvhHkMNOnuK-ach7yAE1cFZTUp8cEXjJsFcZeC2SKMWUyyvx4/s1600/20184EB7-015D-4055-AEB7-19319539757A.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbpXZ5z00M3Uw6gnRXVaXZ0YQF3waWnVUXxvon5T0bAmbGZSyhL_n8hzES9D0Tu3iIiIs3J4Q9EaEwMOI-BQUvJ2uO9QGvhHkMNOnuK-ach7yAE1cFZTUp8cEXjJsFcZeC2SKMWUyyvx4/s400/20184EB7-015D-4055-AEB7-19319539757A.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">until the mother’s attention was diverted from her baby to the long-suffering male. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSs5n3uILTqRD8wgQBCHuJ_v7SgpzbmHh_XFAuF87Rq3ZKSehiRpbH1q7Mc1HIF8RiKuM_cCBGhsu9YQJVBpSjtckjIgB5A5bmFXg-LdCYeL5GL1UpwoL6uvFQfpPQAnAD6wboX1g__tE/s1600/697DC46D-53F1-4B54-990A-5A8217A126F2.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSs5n3uILTqRD8wgQBCHuJ_v7SgpzbmHh_XFAuF87Rq3ZKSehiRpbH1q7Mc1HIF8RiKuM_cCBGhsu9YQJVBpSjtckjIgB5A5bmFXg-LdCYeL5GL1UpwoL6uvFQfpPQAnAD6wboX1g__tE/s400/697DC46D-53F1-4B54-990A-5A8217A126F2.jpeg" width="300" /></a></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">The male then resigned himself to her tender ministrations. The babe was understandably less impressed with having his pruning interrupted and tried to take revenge on the male by biting his head off. </span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">Unfortunately the head was too firmly attached, so the babe took off in a huff to do his own thing. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi41Q5uQBaEjkGJcMWsKCcUxMd3Cb3EDQg-LMg6dEGQtTjoJAy4Xb8K2Iut82YtMEoHqYL_vxz674Y6KlPUMwaUTFdOogqyiBYVCYleBMFaNcTpYc9w3yPFFtGt4Fqsj1q3lpnZOkb82p4/s1600/E53F410B-47B6-4F1F-94BC-B70C3946635A.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi41Q5uQBaEjkGJcMWsKCcUxMd3Cb3EDQg-LMg6dEGQtTjoJAy4Xb8K2Iut82YtMEoHqYL_vxz674Y6KlPUMwaUTFdOogqyiBYVCYleBMFaNcTpYc9w3yPFFtGt4Fqsj1q3lpnZOkb82p4/s400/E53F410B-47B6-4F1F-94BC-B70C3946635A.jpeg" width="300" /></a></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">And it turns out you can improve on the two-headed-monkey god act! Ladies and laddies, I give you: The three headed monkey god act!</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-zYtKh7xs2hbG5EcG8Q7UJMIFbeI-qh8ZNdESEo-18SaFtCCy7HmuchRMZOd8HupZa16bcaRbQDY6np6l1UBjyOwq3yMNX5KDwqzQ5t-EODtuHKo9qxlauctwxV0GCBSDNeCbSH9RNtY/s1600/0FEBE1FA-2208-4B4C-9C05-BD0D51DDA822.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1199" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-zYtKh7xs2hbG5EcG8Q7UJMIFbeI-qh8ZNdESEo-18SaFtCCy7HmuchRMZOd8HupZa16bcaRbQDY6np6l1UBjyOwq3yMNX5KDwqzQ5t-EODtuHKo9qxlauctwxV0GCBSDNeCbSH9RNtY/s400/0FEBE1FA-2208-4B4C-9C05-BD0D51DDA822.jpeg" width="298" /></a></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">This will be the last entry from Costa Rica. Tomorrow I get on a bus again and cross over to Panama. The canal awaits. </span></div>
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Kati Åberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04729186654384794395noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4856765924876984415.post-4799778622258144502020-02-29T05:21:00.000+02:002020-02-29T05:34:40.361+02:00Reflections on People from the Foot of a Volcano<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">Greetings from La Fortuna at the foot of Volcan Arenal. </span><span style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">Until ten years ago, this volcano would regularly erupt every five minutes with a big boom and a cloud of smoke and fire. The dormant volcano started up suddenly in 1968 and remained active until 2010 when suddenly it stopped. The volcano was dormant for 450 years before 1968, so it’s unlikely to start up again any time soon.</span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">The silence of the volcano is rued by travellers such as myself (it would have been a pretty sight!) and by about 10% of the locals. The 10% who own shares in the local hotel industry no doubt, since the end of the eruptions also meant the end of mass volcano tourism. </span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">But most of the inhabitants of la Fortuna are pleased that the eruptions are over. One local told me that all through his childhood and youth the eruptions would take place every five minutes. And every time you had to be slightly on the lookout to make sure this was just a normal puff of smoke and fire and not a bigger eruption that you possibly had to evacuate from under. He told me he lived in a state of constant strain or slight stress. I can well imagine.</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; caret-color: rgb(69, 69, 69); color: #454545; font-family: ".sfuitext";">Apparently there was nothing dramatic about the ending of the eruptions. There was the usual eruption 5 minutes after the previous one, then suddenly... nothing. People were coming out into the streets to wonder what was going on - it was the talk of the town for days on end. Volcan Arenal just went back to sleep. </span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; caret-color: rgb(69, 69, 69); color: #454545; font-family: ".sfuitext";">However the region still has much to offer. Nice views of the volcano of course</span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">and the best birdlife I’ve seen to date! This, truly, would be a birdwatcher’s paradice.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM8QsBjmNCM7bG9F6GnQHsWgRxlWhOmtXxGUtR6i19U0Wi4qeJ938_0z_5I-uzcS5FbaYEg0UDOtgRss7feb5JbnYhhveZiAYMoJ8k9KJ4gbvH4UZdHq7lbs1l3vB2G6ezeQ9XvjUiB3o/s1600/47FF5AEA-1ED1-4719-B9D2-B0AD5C19E29B.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM8QsBjmNCM7bG9F6GnQHsWgRxlWhOmtXxGUtR6i19U0Wi4qeJ938_0z_5I-uzcS5FbaYEg0UDOtgRss7feb5JbnYhhveZiAYMoJ8k9KJ4gbvH4UZdHq7lbs1l3vB2G6ezeQ9XvjUiB3o/s400/47FF5AEA-1ED1-4719-B9D2-B0AD5C19E29B.jpeg" width="400" /></a><span style="text-align: left;"> </span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">Also there is a river running with warm thermal water, where locals and tourists alike go to take a refreshing dip.</span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">But now onto something completely different. So far on this trip I’ve spent an unduly great amount of time on the topic of nature and animals and haven’t really touched on the topic of Panamanians and Costa Ricans (Ticos). </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">It’s obviously a bit arrogant to draw any conclusions about national identity from just a few weeks surjourn in a country, but that never stopped me before, so off we go.</span><span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext";"></span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">Panamanians are just lovely. During an earlier trip (also covered in this blog), I gave highest grades to Colombians for friendliness. This characteristic seems to be shared by their neighbourging country’s inhabitants as well. Also, to my relief, the Spanish of Panama is as clearly articulated and easy to understand as that of Colombia.</span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">A memorable meeting was in a village of indigenous people on my last day in Panama. We had chartered a private boat in Bocas del Toro to take us off the main island of Bocas and over to a local village on the island of San Cristobal. </span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">This was clearly off track as a destination for travellers, so the people in the village looked at us with surprise, though not unkindly. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4OABv2urVtLEr2SOSO4kFNPrzLS44FUBhbNhfSHdhzle3ESuyvQy_OXvTlcAtZUSt73aG55L5zKLhHXrqf3XEZY9NowMJSEcHSNwC2vBjWcQSnv12Qzb9kM0gfj-dNxjOwNj07DG6TtM/s1600/6AB65018-175A-444C-B7FD-03C3F1227F51.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4OABv2urVtLEr2SOSO4kFNPrzLS44FUBhbNhfSHdhzle3ESuyvQy_OXvTlcAtZUSt73aG55L5zKLhHXrqf3XEZY9NowMJSEcHSNwC2vBjWcQSnv12Qzb9kM0gfj-dNxjOwNj07DG6TtM/s400/6AB65018-175A-444C-B7FD-03C3F1227F51.jpeg" width="300" /></a></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">We walked to the end of the village where we met a woman and some children carrying planks from a pile of recycled woodstuff up a hill. We asked if we could help them, since we were going the same way anyway. The offer was accepted and off we went carrying our flotsam and jetsam. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1a7n0gPsHb6hbVvasnHpIjGwOonuZ2AdsP5tbqKws6WUDnPmjBVIY5zY57Q3ewNALGkZkQBQpEpJlbF5lFJVpway_5sJi4_LKMqb2LAygSuPF-bPOQzht4w82YP0F41oCVI3W8vuuaTs/s1600/99E7F9D8-3AB2-436F-AD1F-8D677BA2FE87.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1a7n0gPsHb6hbVvasnHpIjGwOonuZ2AdsP5tbqKws6WUDnPmjBVIY5zY57Q3ewNALGkZkQBQpEpJlbF5lFJVpway_5sJi4_LKMqb2LAygSuPF-bPOQzht4w82YP0F41oCVI3W8vuuaTs/s400/99E7F9D8-3AB2-436F-AD1F-8D677BA2FE87.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">We finally arrived at the lady’s house, which she told us housed 20 people (and a pig). Most of the inhabitants were kids, all of whom seemed very young. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbc6_rmKICBUo68TKHsxG5kjPokFdJQAzKShtSaPvvm6s7XXScfoXe8Il2BWFJobidi99Dk63jhAWy1t-_HjsD9L4cCRmpdqa6YneNv9OHVtpEDSnJVSIojrUJdqGetP2vIbK5-uMWtR8/s1600/234A1D47-1286-4822-A23C-22B810AD19EB.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbc6_rmKICBUo68TKHsxG5kjPokFdJQAzKShtSaPvvm6s7XXScfoXe8Il2BWFJobidi99Dk63jhAWy1t-_HjsD9L4cCRmpdqa6YneNv9OHVtpEDSnJVSIojrUJdqGetP2vIbK5-uMWtR8/s400/234A1D47-1286-4822-A23C-22B810AD19EB.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">The lady offered us refreshments - first some local fruit that they called guava, but was unlike the guava fruit I know - this was some seeds in a dry pod. You sucked the sweet fruit meat off the seeds. They she asked if we would like to taste some cocoa beans. Two kids ran off in a state of excitement and returned with the cocoa pods, which they opened by banging them against a tree. The method for trying the fruit was the same as with the guava - you sucked the white flesh off the hard cocoa beans. A tangy and sweet taste, unexpected, fresh and good, but totally unlike the taste of chocolate. I took one seed and offered the pod to the children asking if they would like some as well. Would they ever! The speed at which those 10-or-so kids managed to go through the two pods was impressive. Cocoa is a cash crop and this was a poor family - so I don’t think the children got this kind of cocoa treat too often.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkRPmjfzL5OZe2Ngr7mpA11N6zRglsNhVQgZwdBt0WqZUQ63sn7KrWPiEMLZUtjzL0MNiZeH2jmgyHiZa2Z3_g_phDWoHfauuEngzg0ASg9DoRgvuA8LaAlwrip4rlSnVVy32fAZPmJg4/s1600/F64FBFD9-E3EE-445C-B0D1-1210B199D102.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkRPmjfzL5OZe2Ngr7mpA11N6zRglsNhVQgZwdBt0WqZUQ63sn7KrWPiEMLZUtjzL0MNiZeH2jmgyHiZa2Z3_g_phDWoHfauuEngzg0ASg9DoRgvuA8LaAlwrip4rlSnVVy32fAZPmJg4/s400/F64FBFD9-E3EE-445C-B0D1-1210B199D102.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">Unfortunately our boat driver was waiting so we couldn’t take up her neighbour on her offer to introduce us to her home as well. But this brief meeting was one of the more cherished ones I had in Panama. When travelling, most of the people you meet are in the service industry. It’s seldom that you share a moment with local people such as the one we shared with these farmers. That’s one of the reasons I like using public transport. For a fleeting moment at least you are in the company of regular locals and having some slight interaction with them - rather than interacting only with waiters and hotel receptionists and taxi drivers.</span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">On crossing over to Costa Rica the first thing that struck me was that I suddenly stopped understanding Spanish. Ticos have explained to me that the Spanish of their country is very bad (their words, not mine) and that they usually abbreviate words leaving out key parts (such as half the word) - and also, somewhat surprisingly, incorporate a lot of English words in their speech.</span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">English here is more widely spoken than in Panama, and so enthusiastic are English-speaking Ticos to practice, that when you ask them something in Spanish, they are more than likely to answer in English. (I suddenly start to sympathize with expats trying to learn Finnish in Helsinki, where people will immediately switch to English if you so much as slightly mispronouce a word). </span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">There is a strangely ”Americanized” feeling to Costa Rica - and by Americanized here, I mean the US. But for the language and the nature and a few other details, it somewhat feels like Costa Rica could be a state in the US. This is the country to come to if you want to experience Central America for beginners: safe, organized, familiar. </span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">People are friendly enough, I cannot say a bad word. Yet somehow I feel more drawn to the people of Panama. Costa Rica seems to have adopted some traits from the US that don’t appeal to me. Things such as branding. The best example is ”Pura Vida”. </span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">The internet tells us:</span><span class="s2" style="font-family: ".sfuitext-bold"; font-weight: bold;"></span><span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">”</span><span class="s3" style="font-family: ".sfuitext-italic"; font-style: italic;">Pura Vida! Costa Rica Lifestyle. ... Simply translated, it means “simple life” or “pure life”, but here in Costa Rica, it is more than just a saying—it is a way of life. Costa Ricans (Ticos) use this term to say hello, to say goodbye, to say everything's great, to say everything's cool.” </span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">I’m somewhat put off by things like wanting to define the Costa Rican ”lifestyle”, wanting things to be ”cool” - even branding yourself as Ticos rather than Costa Ricans. I wonder how much they paid the marketing agency...</span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">And boy oh boy have the Ticos bought into this Pura Vida cult! I defy you to find a T-shirt or tourist trinket without a Pura Vida text. There are Pura Vida signs in parks and on cafe walls and randomly anywhere you can think of to stick a text. And if you run out of wall, nail it on a palm tree why don’t you? </span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">But my aim is not to give the place too bad a rap. I must say I’ve met lovely people here too.</span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">And not just people. As I’ve mentioned in previous entries, the wildlife here in Costa Rica is incredible. </span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">Talking of which, the strangest thing happened today. As some of you may know, my only fobia has to do with our eight-legged friends. As a confirmed arachnophobic, it may then sound very odd that I found myself cooing in very motherly tones over a Costa Rican orange-kneed tarantula today! It seems my fobia is very distinct and aimed at those daddy longlegs kind of spiders, with streamlined bodies and long legs on which they can run like the wind. More chubby spiders with short legs are easier, though no treat. But a tarantula now. Why they’re just the cutest little buddies! Though I think the nice coloration helped. This guy was like two hard boiled egg yolks covered in black velvet with colourful furry stubby little legs. And note, he had TEN legs! Some may call the foremost legs feelers or antlers, but legs they clearly are and therefore tarantulas are not spiders and therefore I don’t need to be scared of them. End of. But you can still shut your eyes if you don’t want to see the photo:</span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">This particular chap (I’ll call him Harry) was walking along in the most unlikely place - a big dirt car park. A group of adoring papparazzi-tourists ringed him as he made his majestic and slow way right across the 50 metre carpark. Just as Harry finally reached the jungle on the other side, he changed his mind and started his equally majestic and slow way back to the jungle he had originally come from. Maybe this crossing of the giant carpark is some initiation rite of young males of the species and Harry’s buddies were cheering him on in the background. </span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">As I cheer you all on! And fear not fellow arachnophobics, I promise faithfully never to have another image of a spider on this blog. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">More mountains on the horizon as I travel on.</span></div>
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Kati Åberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04729186654384794395noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4856765924876984415.post-577994264044853142020-02-24T03:52:00.002+02:002020-02-24T03:52:57.033+02:00Animal Planet<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";">Well hello civilization after several days on Animal Planet. </span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";">For civilization read the rather grubby city of San Jose, capital of Costa Rica. But at least my hotel room has a TV so that I can watch American movies in Spanish.</span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";">I’m in San Jose simply for the logistics of changing buses to move on tomorrow to the mountains of the North. The bus system in Costa Rica certainly falls short of the one in Panama. It seems there is but one bus a day from San Jose to my next destination, tickets to this bus can only be bought at the bus station on the day of departure, the bus is at 8.40, but I need to be at the station buying tickets at 7.30 when the ticket office opens as, apparently, the tickets sell out very fast. Here’s a hot tip: what about having more than one bus a day to this popular destination?</span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";">So tonight San Jose is where I am. What can I say? Before coming here I met several Costa Ricans - or Ticos are they are called locally - from San Jose. They all adviced me to avoid the town as it’s dirty and dangerous. And yet here I am. Apart from the logistics of travel, it’s also always interesting to take at least a quick peek at the main city in any country. And this main city seems to consist of a main pedestrian shopping street full of stores selling cheap clothing, shoes and mobile devices, </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh16dkANeEj5Yd2FEx5EAB5M0NnlWtFS5HbQOWeo-ihS9LcBOGdP9BU51efcZayNyPXArO5AriPhQAY9aT6yU8yayXcf3S_lW5RF7ldJUD4FEQ3BgqrdHytnWaHmIFxKZZpOlX8qzqd9gc/s1600/DE24A74B-9910-4B7A-B576-8CB5EEC1A7B5.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh16dkANeEj5Yd2FEx5EAB5M0NnlWtFS5HbQOWeo-ihS9LcBOGdP9BU51efcZayNyPXArO5AriPhQAY9aT6yU8yayXcf3S_lW5RF7ldJUD4FEQ3BgqrdHytnWaHmIFxKZZpOlX8qzqd9gc/s400/DE24A74B-9910-4B7A-B576-8CB5EEC1A7B5.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";">and a few small parks packed with people hanging out on a warm Sunday afternoon.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNQnX6RUP-V1rMqUq8nOvf17Um32HxLrCbofINcF4pKbc-Ef0xZs_0VdHB1UBY6NaMM2swdSK8xnPjmKybcCGInWuOUjUr_DfBZHoHb338sUb0x1vaIx8NMvzrsw0-AdMR3La6NeoYIyg/s1600/E696D2CB-F95F-41C8-A063-A719E3D198F4.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNQnX6RUP-V1rMqUq8nOvf17Um32HxLrCbofINcF4pKbc-Ef0xZs_0VdHB1UBY6NaMM2swdSK8xnPjmKybcCGInWuOUjUr_DfBZHoHb338sUb0x1vaIx8NMvzrsw0-AdMR3La6NeoYIyg/s400/E696D2CB-F95F-41C8-A063-A719E3D198F4.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";">Most streets are deserted except for an occasional car or homeless person, and the main square is this:</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHtGc8bAoOvi38HWz1sG1W4sydHUm-O_cCBSPGmK2E-IfnflLYy64t8gh7anFE15_fKyoRLFckfLPaUa-z4XPLghMUFvDhe-gObvaGJARS-HxXAxzlnR2Tmd1i_lLtnA8A602CLWJG95Q/s1600/A110AC54-6853-4FCA-BFA5-A2B22A31588D.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHtGc8bAoOvi38HWz1sG1W4sydHUm-O_cCBSPGmK2E-IfnflLYy64t8gh7anFE15_fKyoRLFckfLPaUa-z4XPLghMUFvDhe-gObvaGJARS-HxXAxzlnR2Tmd1i_lLtnA8A602CLWJG95Q/s400/A110AC54-6853-4FCA-BFA5-A2B22A31588D.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";">Enough said and best move on. Fast.</span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";">I’ve been in Costa Rica for about four days now. Most of these spent on the Caribbean cost in the rather grubby little town of Puerto Viejo, where the main attraction is a pretty beach of black volcanic sand. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP535VR3mAjYTpWU9IMtqMfTkcNieHI7MLA9b_cQ6seepBmqWq-6PuM-LX0OG5RkIskoxxw4T7bP5xrMljavZ2S2csYKvOXC8qIJhYTmFhy88W2p3Rol2miINviO5HNNMiDOzj6vk1tmQ/s1600/98363303-1070-4566-A70B-38347F446DE9.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP535VR3mAjYTpWU9IMtqMfTkcNieHI7MLA9b_cQ6seepBmqWq-6PuM-LX0OG5RkIskoxxw4T7bP5xrMljavZ2S2csYKvOXC8qIJhYTmFhy88W2p3Rol2miINviO5HNNMiDOzj6vk1tmQ/s400/98363303-1070-4566-A70B-38347F446DE9.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTc-Ab-9d-Z_Cm0_IWo5cG_fLi8uJj-7MOjqlIjR3jVaAkqyCE-xmfBiB4GmxzPBXXyNxinIKVgtWj3o8XvljwCZgDb3PKzvq0ASTyJwlgZ1XAfXWoZLq8i-M3zwE-2eLGIbKRT6QC5RQ/s1600/ADB29EDE-6A5D-481C-92B9-5421C3387E92.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTc-Ab-9d-Z_Cm0_IWo5cG_fLi8uJj-7MOjqlIjR3jVaAkqyCE-xmfBiB4GmxzPBXXyNxinIKVgtWj3o8XvljwCZgDb3PKzvq0ASTyJwlgZ1XAfXWoZLq8i-M3zwE-2eLGIbKRT6QC5RQ/s400/ADB29EDE-6A5D-481C-92B9-5421C3387E92.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";">Apart from that, Puerto Viejo is well placed for visiting several beautiful areas of the coast nearby. On the first full day I rented a bicycle and rolled 12km East along the cost to Manzanilla. The road was a lovely coastal road, through jungle inhabited by howling monkeys and along some rather lovely beaches.</span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";">But the real cherry on the top was visiting Cachuita national park the next day. This park is not very large, around 8km of rather stunning coastline, </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFprl29owy2YHISDt_8WIpjlCS-eneLvSrNn8Efxwv2VFW-GuVxx0PH-vp4LdE9y1jkPIQZF2taljrWQLqwvl6KOb-WYcdW0yd18uwjGpsBCoDvg61ABfbdA8fIKaiqKzZ9xlUvZDlv7U/s1600/4DC87F61-4188-43E1-8111-BF2E529EB7B2.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFprl29owy2YHISDt_8WIpjlCS-eneLvSrNn8Efxwv2VFW-GuVxx0PH-vp4LdE9y1jkPIQZF2taljrWQLqwvl6KOb-WYcdW0yd18uwjGpsBCoDvg61ABfbdA8fIKaiqKzZ9xlUvZDlv7U/s400/4DC87F61-4188-43E1-8111-BF2E529EB7B2.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLcFwmW1qWRBcOD2fiGO-5idSHRo-eTKW4Nt5LtcVf-yK7SVfvxTMsM_8wGY0KglvDgyt7E24eju2Cs76xsTtV0yQRjz4QWpKJl6A4Bbf9dn2S28kgsCUmgnOOPr_M6z4imGhwDG1FMf0/s1600/31EAF029-5BB2-4BD4-AC41-56A89BA31A5F.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLcFwmW1qWRBcOD2fiGO-5idSHRo-eTKW4Nt5LtcVf-yK7SVfvxTMsM_8wGY0KglvDgyt7E24eju2Cs76xsTtV0yQRjz4QWpKJl6A4Bbf9dn2S28kgsCUmgnOOPr_M6z4imGhwDG1FMf0/s400/31EAF029-5BB2-4BD4-AC41-56A89BA31A5F.jpeg" width="300" /></a></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";">along which a very well trodden trail leads. The park is renowned for its wildlife - and it certainly delivered. So let’s hit the trail.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGDZ9_RoJxf_kF_C6YF7W2fx0n2LBIVC1_1gYiDliNXNZ4HKRUEdpB0PAiNsJ5oKhjk9ZfPzVKAEMNKXNsIc8Qt4bmvxudVMqK_BJUhFpTu7mJtvHeF9ysNdSrg93fPUmtQ6is2O3D6nU/s1600/0A292D09-1F81-42F3-8C29-FFBFC8C69BCD.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGDZ9_RoJxf_kF_C6YF7W2fx0n2LBIVC1_1gYiDliNXNZ4HKRUEdpB0PAiNsJ5oKhjk9ZfPzVKAEMNKXNsIc8Qt4bmvxudVMqK_BJUhFpTu7mJtvHeF9ysNdSrg93fPUmtQ6is2O3D6nU/s400/0A292D09-1F81-42F3-8C29-FFBFC8C69BCD.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";">The first guys I ran into were some rather frisky raccoons. These highwaymen had designs on a plastic bag a fellow traveller had left unattended on a bench. The raccoon and the owner of the bag grabbed for it simultaneously and had a momentary tug of war. The raccoon finally had to concede defeat - but with rather bad grace and dirty backward glances.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyzJ-l2aZS-KgZsKERyjzRSd0d5F2wtvk9Aunh4l9TfR2bogzmBX0kOvmF2ioEDXvMuTsjJF3qxi9qTnMjmiZm6b1eaK13Y_hIl5f4cCmAm_lngTzfB882kCqx_25bafIarLLi7vNPuVQ/s1600/A7CC5CE6-78F3-47C5-8357-296D914D3F8A.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyzJ-l2aZS-KgZsKERyjzRSd0d5F2wtvk9Aunh4l9TfR2bogzmBX0kOvmF2ioEDXvMuTsjJF3qxi9qTnMjmiZm6b1eaK13Y_hIl5f4cCmAm_lngTzfB882kCqx_25bafIarLLi7vNPuVQ/s400/A7CC5CE6-78F3-47C5-8357-296D914D3F8A.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";">Moments later I came across a family of monkeys hard at work tearing the bark off trees to find tasty bugs beneath. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq0xTtQ2XiVH1tPsb6yjx6kXqT96dAJOYV_7WX_xEy_Yn30WAMxXxCEQCN4jZeaPIu3ls6f1GpAl6e8dH1w-2ktBVw-HbYJomfhM9LTuut37XTFTqMwtTaXmWCV6vv9Ns-Mi867zHl18k/s1600/6236A0B2-EA39-4365-BFD1-B60054226F2E.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq0xTtQ2XiVH1tPsb6yjx6kXqT96dAJOYV_7WX_xEy_Yn30WAMxXxCEQCN4jZeaPIu3ls6f1GpAl6e8dH1w-2ktBVw-HbYJomfhM9LTuut37XTFTqMwtTaXmWCV6vv9Ns-Mi867zHl18k/s400/6236A0B2-EA39-4365-BFD1-B60054226F2E.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";">When a tour group suddenly walked up, the monkeys clearly felt their style was being cramped, and assumed a very impressive defensive position. It was at this pivotal moment in documenting wildlife that my camera informed me that my memory card was full. Aaaargh! I just had time to take out my mobile phone, to take a blurry shot of the double-headed monkey god act.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_wxUqRctYnw8uECgfW5urP66dYm6m_lJjRpd5N2YWYFChx3RaDXWZqEoN2MtNamxVSU8EA4-5XUwsscERk4TCJpFIQD7W3UhPDEiQYtgwi8KRvYdJallukP-tUqfAwU8eFAGRmGlTZbc/s1600/3C947BC7-EC52-4C63-B1D1-6ED088353547.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="1024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_wxUqRctYnw8uECgfW5urP66dYm6m_lJjRpd5N2YWYFChx3RaDXWZqEoN2MtNamxVSU8EA4-5XUwsscERk4TCJpFIQD7W3UhPDEiQYtgwi8KRvYdJallukP-tUqfAwU8eFAGRmGlTZbc/s400/3C947BC7-EC52-4C63-B1D1-6ED088353547.jpeg" width="300" /></a></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";">After this evasive action, the monkeys took higher ground and continued to feast.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZqad5VQs7v3pMYJuxokEbF06Wx863b5CuxVOV4LYrg38XN_SxdFmcCXFIHiiHb2mOoyMcUoQ9OfYIM5BXazV1a-AhjDK3HYJauRFlQqCeGqwbAtjNmSZsDo4dryYcHYkmfoj8PijGQPA/s1600/BF16B56E-30A3-477E-9837-6218C9B1F39C.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZqad5VQs7v3pMYJuxokEbF06Wx863b5CuxVOV4LYrg38XN_SxdFmcCXFIHiiHb2mOoyMcUoQ9OfYIM5BXazV1a-AhjDK3HYJauRFlQqCeGqwbAtjNmSZsDo4dryYcHYkmfoj8PijGQPA/s400/BF16B56E-30A3-477E-9837-6218C9B1F39C.jpeg" width="298" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy6MHDRM66dTN7DJyH_TlghMwtbVynq47c-0rFiRnYdpDdVD4Zz5JWpo1NL1-evSaBS1lLYYptuhaF8zDseDqYrD0OJNL7N9lQngY_1_tW9fo04x9edxbVzgvx73rWZPDCAfGS8tSOzSY/s1600/6A507B84-EB1B-4422-A219-06336EC5EAEA.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1268" data-original-width="1600" height="316" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy6MHDRM66dTN7DJyH_TlghMwtbVynq47c-0rFiRnYdpDdVD4Zz5JWpo1NL1-evSaBS1lLYYptuhaF8zDseDqYrD0OJNL7N9lQngY_1_tW9fo04x9edxbVzgvx73rWZPDCAfGS8tSOzSY/s400/6A507B84-EB1B-4422-A219-06336EC5EAEA.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";">There were also smaller animals to enjoy. Such as lizards</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz7FsiC4qtoZDbZDlt5dBH7DAJYApD0jvq0GUlYD54fN6q0bdVBzW6JosPId7Y-i67F7NR0LzC-LjMSRIOBr2N842Empx0Xu7_srzBXH5VbORPPqUHscyTOHqtocSCXTOCJlFmT67pMBI/s1600/B3D4D7AF-7EEE-4BED-A514-A644BA8E3550.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz7FsiC4qtoZDbZDlt5dBH7DAJYApD0jvq0GUlYD54fN6q0bdVBzW6JosPId7Y-i67F7NR0LzC-LjMSRIOBr2N842Empx0Xu7_srzBXH5VbORPPqUHscyTOHqtocSCXTOCJlFmT67pMBI/s400/B3D4D7AF-7EEE-4BED-A514-A644BA8E3550.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";">a row of little bats taking a nap on the trunk of a tree</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1tnam40iaF2ptdir3otc2S4EZQLv__sZRQrE0KcbENbxOPh_zftTMQaIM4fsf-LE9GQ6BXc4z4JxNPUnEo_qBahXLKy8cyC-dtBxDz0BFOznrBmspE7N_5Kgc6K9yO-1-fWtVP_umKX4/s1600/2822BE76-A452-49B0-9412-E6591A0DD8BA.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1tnam40iaF2ptdir3otc2S4EZQLv__sZRQrE0KcbENbxOPh_zftTMQaIM4fsf-LE9GQ6BXc4z4JxNPUnEo_qBahXLKy8cyC-dtBxDz0BFOznrBmspE7N_5Kgc6K9yO-1-fWtVP_umKX4/s400/2822BE76-A452-49B0-9412-E6591A0DD8BA.jpeg" width="300" /></a></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";">and a boa in a tree digesting rather a large meal, if his bulging stomach was anything to go by.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu8snWYar5qsDLJCRajAhtLZd7eN6Kd-h0FITthx1O7YPaLJC6UHiTAqje0pOeNqwHZqZMjIfGEPBWpqYaUmYcQq4xXQpnRE7atf3cSVVIqoglStX4mCVZhu-CNfhr8oMEkTQ24I4H_ZY/s1600/40BA73DC-5964-4A48-9EC5-BAA6F3C0944D.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu8snWYar5qsDLJCRajAhtLZd7eN6Kd-h0FITthx1O7YPaLJC6UHiTAqje0pOeNqwHZqZMjIfGEPBWpqYaUmYcQq4xXQpnRE7atf3cSVVIqoglStX4mCVZhu-CNfhr8oMEkTQ24I4H_ZY/s400/40BA73DC-5964-4A48-9EC5-BAA6F3C0944D.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";">Many signs along the path warned us not to feed the crocodiles - I wonder how often anyone tries? However no crocodiles in sigh this time, though I spent a moment stalking a bit of floating wood that I thought was the cleverly camoflaged nostril of a crocodile.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3WcoVzk7NgRx0ig2nTnr6P7-BCW9qqDuLA3fHFolUhBrtB8PfS0_HdeIKhdOK0zsqxXJNlPZl9vBfL-Sq90PsQLF6t31Jf_YL81bu6wtHjphTjowhLDbcxhkdZHGxa3qsdyI3SVX6clY/s1600/22ACA3B4-9BF6-43C2-B3B4-BFB133B7EE95.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3WcoVzk7NgRx0ig2nTnr6P7-BCW9qqDuLA3fHFolUhBrtB8PfS0_HdeIKhdOK0zsqxXJNlPZl9vBfL-Sq90PsQLF6t31Jf_YL81bu6wtHjphTjowhLDbcxhkdZHGxa3qsdyI3SVX6clY/s400/22ACA3B4-9BF6-43C2-B3B4-BFB133B7EE95.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";">But the big star of this trek is the ever-loved sloth. The first sighting was only some 10 minutes along the track. This guy was sleeping - or possibly meditating in a thicket - at eye-level and only 3 metres from the path. However he coyly presented only his backside and a few long claws.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj4pil8RxRBX3ZdJgqCFRvpYPBMA5uIM9GSV_70yt7aWlKoraOH3fVSb37D6KNOEmysgU3HrsGkfngvz2bUE0Uu4ukRBsmAAEKFz3MJVh2u6M9NKJs_oFhMPJESC6qLw5GpF7RmdpWoi0/s1600/8D787808-1B9C-40D8-BBD2-B530108587B9.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj4pil8RxRBX3ZdJgqCFRvpYPBMA5uIM9GSV_70yt7aWlKoraOH3fVSb37D6KNOEmysgU3HrsGkfngvz2bUE0Uu4ukRBsmAAEKFz3MJVh2u6M9NKJs_oFhMPJESC6qLw5GpF7RmdpWoi0/s400/8D787808-1B9C-40D8-BBD2-B530108587B9.jpeg" width="300" /></a></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";">But the cherry on the top was waiting at the end of the trail, when I came across this happy fellow in a bare tree by the path.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha6SGgPs5Z7DRnlbW9Wnn9nritHEu-q7hlpY6GqLV0zJGvnH1uCIx9Nc4k9QkuilYXYWFQ5nlwWwEyToGxjMWgbeZzH3Qn0Edo5hu-H5-gVobToG2Y_4vXkewgOsHGIt0T3gyiKRB3m_Y/s1600/52591F77-CAA9-4C7C-A6D6-1D6BF9C7F508.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="817" data-original-width="1088" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha6SGgPs5Z7DRnlbW9Wnn9nritHEu-q7hlpY6GqLV0zJGvnH1uCIx9Nc4k9QkuilYXYWFQ5nlwWwEyToGxjMWgbeZzH3Qn0Edo5hu-H5-gVobToG2Y_4vXkewgOsHGIt0T3gyiKRB3m_Y/s400/52591F77-CAA9-4C7C-A6D6-1D6BF9C7F508.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";">I suddenly noticed that he had company. Sharing the same branch didn’t seem to bother the companions in the slightest.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHXMvcHpyFnXTNlmggU_2NfozB5QLf9McSDYt2h1wUc2bThShSrDEXDmq45siMuS88W9hMmMbi6vMFbiY5S4dQO6Sr8aya1PcKhbjNgpvl_RfNNpb-RTEOD-42xfoySLWv4GCOIgE9Pr0/s1600/15DF3CFC-CCBA-4ECA-ADA3-58CC06B36F3E.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1201" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHXMvcHpyFnXTNlmggU_2NfozB5QLf9McSDYt2h1wUc2bThShSrDEXDmq45siMuS88W9hMmMbi6vMFbiY5S4dQO6Sr8aya1PcKhbjNgpvl_RfNNpb-RTEOD-42xfoySLWv4GCOIgE9Pr0/s400/15DF3CFC-CCBA-4ECA-ADA3-58CC06B36F3E.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: ".SFUIText";">I spent long moments talking sweet nothings to him up the tree (I was alone at the time, apart from the bird). When I finally left him, he let out several grunts of distress at my leaving (or so I’ve decided to interpret them).</span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";"></span><br /></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";">No grunts of distress from me on leaving San Jose tomorrow. Once again, I’m heading for the hills.</span></div>
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Kati Åberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04729186654384794395noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4856765924876984415.post-56177233304685321822020-02-19T22:39:00.001+02:002020-02-19T22:39:05.375+02:00Caribbean Cowboys<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUlpeIegqc0zIfTeo_3IKZYcsaxRbYCQkwIBu5cf5wQbmVcj-q0Z98ewF5KyZ8kurie915Tmkmi55uujUFhGiWstqL5OSlt1A-Yg_GVryBypbwbZ9U5r_sGyRWbf5FNpznK6nPfFmvtqI/s1600/F6FAAC85-6397-4C33-9617-A8A8F332CD73.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUlpeIegqc0zIfTeo_3IKZYcsaxRbYCQkwIBu5cf5wQbmVcj-q0Z98ewF5KyZ8kurie915Tmkmi55uujUFhGiWstqL5OSlt1A-Yg_GVryBypbwbZ9U5r_sGyRWbf5FNpznK6nPfFmvtqI/s400/F6FAAC85-6397-4C33-9617-A8A8F332CD73.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div>
<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">Well, hodwy folks!</span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">Greetings from the Bocas del Toro islands in the Caribbean. The last thing I expected, was to run into a rodeo on my first night in Bocas town! But cowboys, horses and cows were there, and everyone is wearing cowboy hats (sometimes two).</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVjhtodcyqgXwJVObrMnmfmngle-NjuyLuWjhtKF5WFb2hwF3k7mqHUAMcfXuEsjx3973A0-TDMuT3iE2xFSfnyBmg6Q0kyL9zN0FVFMc1twmvTCCORq5C-Qbzya_6FFdCqu56WrFERe8/s1600/B2DEA0F2-8386-43FB-BA17-C2F473098F44.jpeg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVjhtodcyqgXwJVObrMnmfmngle-NjuyLuWjhtKF5WFb2hwF3k7mqHUAMcfXuEsjx3973A0-TDMuT3iE2xFSfnyBmg6Q0kyL9zN0FVFMc1twmvTCCORq5C-Qbzya_6FFdCqu56WrFERe8/s400/B2DEA0F2-8386-43FB-BA17-C2F473098F44.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">I think we caught the very end of a long day at the rodeo. The only competition we saw was lassoing calves.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE80YR39h0reonZSUcsopBGLkTj5Gxrha2LRtvQCTLU22EcsL3AG7-W5weFEp33Hv1wQ1q6XndwGaV2v5P0aUJy09pHJpKleEU_BeKv86gZeR1wJiBFJWMN5yF8p7NBJ3OH6NtPIj4sxo/s1600/B888D09F-8B08-4988-B567-3A3B63D523FA.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE80YR39h0reonZSUcsopBGLkTj5Gxrha2LRtvQCTLU22EcsL3AG7-W5weFEp33Hv1wQ1q6XndwGaV2v5P0aUJy09pHJpKleEU_BeKv86gZeR1wJiBFJWMN5yF8p7NBJ3OH6NtPIj4sxo/s400/B888D09F-8B08-4988-B567-3A3B63D523FA.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwcZErUeHJl4xPitx06g6dMyDi-Dx6v4DQBF-nJI6rxwSdM6TE9hmVzdm9_cEAUxL8Lc5y0xJ6SZ2MhoQ7_Z_HG_WO2VifwuON6zVHymILfrOaoDyf6fz_FnUNA71zl7OAvFUj4yThFrs/s1600/34D0BF28-65A4-4AE6-BE51-ECC4274DA027.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwcZErUeHJl4xPitx06g6dMyDi-Dx6v4DQBF-nJI6rxwSdM6TE9hmVzdm9_cEAUxL8Lc5y0xJ6SZ2MhoQ7_Z_HG_WO2VifwuON6zVHymILfrOaoDyf6fz_FnUNA71zl7OAvFUj4yThFrs/s400/34D0BF28-65A4-4AE6-BE51-ECC4274DA027.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">By the time we got there all the competitors and organizers seemed to be a bit worse for wear. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOZ7a7JDD9HNsbgaBhNFDLemnIHeuqbgpY2mYpzsQk2byRL4DbWhF8O7ZBPDq244zOUqOfaQkPsG5FInf0Rz6UIKGb4NkU-6vU1lj_DtrbjY36VrCKFjEK9pFDjI5tufKg2_gBt2n03tM/s1600/C9A05354-59F9-4F51-88E1-74BD48D47975.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOZ7a7JDD9HNsbgaBhNFDLemnIHeuqbgpY2mYpzsQk2byRL4DbWhF8O7ZBPDq244zOUqOfaQkPsG5FInf0Rz6UIKGb4NkU-6vU1lj_DtrbjY36VrCKFjEK9pFDjI5tufKg2_gBt2n03tM/s400/C9A05354-59F9-4F51-88E1-74BD48D47975.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div>
<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">More calves had beer accidentally spillt on them than were successfully lassoed. But a good time was had by all.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinX4dTR0saH65iGkIQ-QwNeYqMm84MChnIE9Ud7aAXFbGnNYy3KHAr8ooPTZyRo9VHCBdF-lmI-G4NeDkrNtBmQ4NxpYj7RzWAwm0CmJhkuMxn4jE73uGayWRULEwInYcE-OH3imVDyjc/s1600/0E8CED64-DA47-446E-97AA-804953A25E3B.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinX4dTR0saH65iGkIQ-QwNeYqMm84MChnIE9Ud7aAXFbGnNYy3KHAr8ooPTZyRo9VHCBdF-lmI-G4NeDkrNtBmQ4NxpYj7RzWAwm0CmJhkuMxn4jE73uGayWRULEwInYcE-OH3imVDyjc/s400/0E8CED64-DA47-446E-97AA-804953A25E3B.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">Another surprise was that for the first time on this trip, it has been overcast and even, at times, rainy. They less often show the Caribbean islands in this light in travel brochures. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXG-Gpk-tjuqk5z-mTeSVAXSBmuVh9Mcf7vKDpxmuA_DJZ_FIn6WifrPZIxHM3l2EZHAfP7mlNa4_zmWgeLLjDkDbiiRYkniAApBz1DyjzKEWBU53VFuZtAJXi_NLkjSZWiy6GpqoYBUc/s1600/C77D303B-609C-458A-B090-6D4A680828B6.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXG-Gpk-tjuqk5z-mTeSVAXSBmuVh9Mcf7vKDpxmuA_DJZ_FIn6WifrPZIxHM3l2EZHAfP7mlNa4_zmWgeLLjDkDbiiRYkniAApBz1DyjzKEWBU53VFuZtAJXi_NLkjSZWiy6GpqoYBUc/s400/C77D303B-609C-458A-B090-6D4A680828B6.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghZq_cspPhXBpAsordAoIy7MNEVzgv7Mpp9W7WhJK7p582-9KJ198xlAN-p_Lq2PhuzoJ_pajRTG5AJ2biE8TnrbeL-tFKQk_V2Abya8bChGiqVSAinsXh56AQaQUMQeT_yEGCfBqCuJQ/s1600/8660D5AF-F6AC-4CE5-8B3E-5974D688C1E2.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghZq_cspPhXBpAsordAoIy7MNEVzgv7Mpp9W7WhJK7p582-9KJ198xlAN-p_Lq2PhuzoJ_pajRTG5AJ2biE8TnrbeL-tFKQk_V2Abya8bChGiqVSAinsXh56AQaQUMQeT_yEGCfBqCuJQ/s400/8660D5AF-F6AC-4CE5-8B3E-5974D688C1E2.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">Ah, a rainy day on the beach. Certainly not crowded and the restaurants are none too busy.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz6kKjLEBZfkESHwljYmH_AQKdbm4JTiY9ag5xWYFRaPa7ItVoJ6idt4Vlr0NaIaKjgmIv3gt4F5JeTB-LvmQsfsvQSWQF6JKhtXMMv9BJt9Ap3Whd3pT1cObr4gE6Gyze2UlrsjCq-Xw/s1600/4D382C29-19C7-4C59-9540-54DFBD10B155.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz6kKjLEBZfkESHwljYmH_AQKdbm4JTiY9ag5xWYFRaPa7ItVoJ6idt4Vlr0NaIaKjgmIv3gt4F5JeTB-LvmQsfsvQSWQF6JKhtXMMv9BJt9Ap3Whd3pT1cObr4gE6Gyze2UlrsjCq-Xw/s400/4D382C29-19C7-4C59-9540-54DFBD10B155.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">On the good side, the temperature reamains a non-stifling 26-or-so degrees.</span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">And fear not, the sun has come out to play often enough that previously unexposed bits of my thigh are now the colour of pickled shrimp.</span></div>
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Panama is not a big country - around a quarter of the size of Finland. Yet arriving to the North coast and the Caribbean has been like coming to a different country. Here much of the population is of African descent, houses are colourful, food is spicy, the vibe is chill, nobody seems to be in a hurry and life is lived on the streets. </div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">Yesterday I did a bit of catching up on myself. I’m goi</span><span style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">ng to cross over to Costa Rica tomorrow - so I thought it might be a good idea to give the first cursory glance at guide books to find out, where I’m going and what I’ll be doing in Costa Rica. It’s still all a bit of a blur, but at least I’ve worked out that I’ll make the first stop-over right after the border at Puerto Viejo de Talamanca. I’ll just have to work out the rest once I get to it. That’s the way most of my trips unfold - I’m not too much of an advance planner. This give more flexibility to stay on in a nice place if the mood takes me or move on if it doesn’t.</span><br />
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">But relocating to Costa Rica also means the end of a beautiful travel partnership, as Uupi will remain in Panama. We’ve had a good innings - and perfected the art of taking panoramic selfies by switching the camera from one to the other half way through the shot.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm64c_KGwqWKO8MBe0SkvQ3Z4Mp_dISxJneu0QzSKdwravli97GjwJF_ME4fQH6DLmZxDMTFfkGDsiPpxlGEMVF_2hL4Dc9fhxcWw_Kk7e0c_7bZ4XbKIeLcLkF8u_4XBjFt_XSlITSTU/s1600/885FAD03-F46D-436E-97C6-01B8B02A0AE0.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="757" data-original-width="1600" height="188" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm64c_KGwqWKO8MBe0SkvQ3Z4Mp_dISxJneu0QzSKdwravli97GjwJF_ME4fQH6DLmZxDMTFfkGDsiPpxlGEMVF_2hL4Dc9fhxcWw_Kk7e0c_7bZ4XbKIeLcLkF8u_4XBjFt_XSlITSTU/s400/885FAD03-F46D-436E-97C6-01B8B02A0AE0.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">We’ve done some amazing hikes, </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv-JevhS8OU6Duqu_dlCDUIn1znji1rKvxz-M59znMSrLNwnzQ32wgZirjp-sY4NH7LHXmhUz2vHGUYRtdSCjnq_UxbWHZe9YC4jdIIOmjTv7BfWYFWtFfcLi3VXDlTOibCPRZpdntgPE/s1600/F77601CC-2C4B-4609-B2E8-EB81291EB6F2.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="671" data-original-width="1600" height="167" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv-JevhS8OU6Duqu_dlCDUIn1znji1rKvxz-M59znMSrLNwnzQ32wgZirjp-sY4NH7LHXmhUz2vHGUYRtdSCjnq_UxbWHZe9YC4jdIIOmjTv7BfWYFWtFfcLi3VXDlTOibCPRZpdntgPE/s400/F77601CC-2C4B-4609-B2E8-EB81291EB6F2.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">beautiful snorkeling, </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqbC5OOgUA7OheCnJNVas9oZyHulTNIx4muWFF8qbueIGS71i6Hedj6QOO6bnYy2sL5FNTjyMMalfhCrebUSaig9nj8mj9Gq0_X8fjo1npX_-isKqX6pzslC2Ev_oqnD4mGTRnoA04JOg/s1600/86E157D8-6AF0-4879-BAE4-03104F52FBCB.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="683" data-original-width="1600" height="170" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqbC5OOgUA7OheCnJNVas9oZyHulTNIx4muWFF8qbueIGS71i6Hedj6QOO6bnYy2sL5FNTjyMMalfhCrebUSaig9nj8mj9Gq0_X8fjo1npX_-isKqX6pzslC2Ev_oqnD4mGTRnoA04JOg/s400/86E157D8-6AF0-4879-BAE4-03104F52FBCB.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">lots of coffee and fruit shakes (with or without rum) </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0grZLsO4YUkK5yMwyeTFvjMaQYAgYnsTCRtRFHY8p-lyuOQQVc4Ux_mVmpr0WwLVKPuRkdYP9lfOkwmToLmdx0lc0IVc5T3V_ccOCXTNcyzqebfCwRquEXSJ8iwQ6s44F6l48s3g8yVs/s1600/3D9B27C0-1BF7-457C-94F2-DF777ED7E3CD.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="646" data-original-width="1600" height="161" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0grZLsO4YUkK5yMwyeTFvjMaQYAgYnsTCRtRFHY8p-lyuOQQVc4Ux_mVmpr0WwLVKPuRkdYP9lfOkwmToLmdx0lc0IVc5T3V_ccOCXTNcyzqebfCwRquEXSJ8iwQ6s44F6l48s3g8yVs/s400/3D9B27C0-1BF7-457C-94F2-DF777ED7E3CD.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">waited for buses to come</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMqKhEhA_wtZdaq4djOlp38f4Fxd8-uC9L-R2kimavZMr-d1dCqsK8aTKlv5TDimKOaMQO2GJXdjLwX7L0qXfR0fpUDxXA7wRqXCzmOJLdoqMGU0R72ThskWeszKx4mo5rgzXjgwRVD10/s1600/8B0DF6AF-AFE2-41A9-9946-8682712D53F9.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="734" data-original-width="1600" height="182" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMqKhEhA_wtZdaq4djOlp38f4Fxd8-uC9L-R2kimavZMr-d1dCqsK8aTKlv5TDimKOaMQO2GJXdjLwX7L0qXfR0fpUDxXA7wRqXCzmOJLdoqMGU0R72ThskWeszKx4mo5rgzXjgwRVD10/s400/8B0DF6AF-AFE2-41A9-9946-8682712D53F9.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">and mucked around on beaches. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">But here on the shores of the Caribbean it’s time to say hasta luego. I will now continue this trip with just you, my trusted reader, for company. </span></div>
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Kati Åberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04729186654384794395noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4856765924876984415.post-29608640003016706892020-02-16T07:11:00.000+02:002020-02-16T07:11:51.776+02:00The Art of Hiking and How I Fell in Love with a Bird<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">The travelling blogger is a bit stumped how to start dissecting the last five days in Boquete, a charming small town in the mountains of Panama, not far from the border of Costa Rica.</span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">The town is pretty, the people are lovely and the climate is not too hot due to the altitude, a pleasing 20-25 degrees daily. There is only one reason people come here; To hike in the lovely hills and mountains around Boquete. </span><br />
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">According to my phone’s activity tracker, I’ve walked 90 000 steps amounting to 55 kilometres in the last five days. This doesn’t really sound all that impressive, but nearly none of these steps has been on flat ground. I have walked up the equivalent of 462 floors (calculated at 3m each by my phone). And back down the same 462 floors. And I can guarantee that none of these ups and downs have been as easy as, say, going up the stairwell of the empire state building. This has not been a case of stepping. Rather of clambering, slipping, scrabbling, jumping, teetering, tottering and balancing up and down 462 floors.</span><br />
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">Today was the most undignified ascent and descent to date, as we groped our way towards la Piedro de Lino, a hilltop viewpoint next to Boquete. </span><br />
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">We thought we were going to get to take it easy today, since the hike was a short one. But the trek is really steep in sections and the elevation is mostly through coffee fields, where we ended up scrabbling on all fours in the dry, loose soil, which slid under our feet on the steep slope, puffed around us like a sandstorm and gave no traction. If I had had a bit of cardboard, I would have been tempted to use it in the same way local children do: For lack of snow, children here go tobogganing on bits of cardboard down steep slopes of grass. Only in this case, it would have been slopes of dry soil. Well, I certainly don’t think I could have gotten any dustier today even had I come down toboggan style. </span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">Progress on our hikes has been slowed down considerably by Uupi’s and my tendency to stop and admire little bits of nature - and admittedly oftentimes try to capture them on film. The jungle is a constant play of flickering light and darkness, as the hard sun filters through layers of leaves of countless different shapes, hues and sizes. It makes for a pretty sight - though hard to capture on camera. </span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">In the last five days we’ve seen our share of rickety bridges,</span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">gorgeous trees,</span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">walked our share of muddy tracks, where the tree roots try to trip you up</span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">clambered over rocks</span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">and just generally messed around and had a jolly good time.</span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">On the way we have passed beautiful jungle and rain forest flora. Leaves, admittedly, have become a bit of an obsession with us.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirIclzY7A9Ol_RUTvKCG5KHfwjJ0QvEeuvGWpIFYi0X2D_6H2KamzVcv43sO-TGdMqJaKx82aHFm7NvQOPt_XWuqZu3s5BxZsSY8Hnb2a8p_WvTwXvXONnuO6EaxNxKuesqu4PPwW14hs/s1600/9C4D4437-CF7D-46F4-A879-829AE519BAAB.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirIclzY7A9Ol_RUTvKCG5KHfwjJ0QvEeuvGWpIFYi0X2D_6H2KamzVcv43sO-TGdMqJaKx82aHFm7NvQOPt_XWuqZu3s5BxZsSY8Hnb2a8p_WvTwXvXONnuO6EaxNxKuesqu4PPwW14hs/s400/9C4D4437-CF7D-46F4-A879-829AE519BAAB.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">But there’s just such a variety of shapes, texture, size and colour</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_k83w3PL8Mu8VhO9OwIThcIpDljxsLKlBGIfRVpgVExTNCkX4MUQ17Vxh5eDrN0QsCAR7PBMt5qxImburSGYDplOcAx1IcysLILTcayeCMxYVj_UoGfIdLbQY7AUhWk_5cLY_2Q0juhA/s1600/36AB7B45-00FC-4DDA-BF35-F82828DA4D6C.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_k83w3PL8Mu8VhO9OwIThcIpDljxsLKlBGIfRVpgVExTNCkX4MUQ17Vxh5eDrN0QsCAR7PBMt5qxImburSGYDplOcAx1IcysLILTcayeCMxYVj_UoGfIdLbQY7AUhWk_5cLY_2Q0juhA/s400/36AB7B45-00FC-4DDA-BF35-F82828DA4D6C.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">and the sun’s lighting technician is certainly doing a smashing job!</span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">I am also obsessed with the layers of plants that grow on trees! </span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">In fact so many plants grow on trees that the cows here sometimes graze upwards!</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3pE4gzyoewX9A7Gb0x0-n_PL3Vz6O7HlzUC7Q2auSdwyffvlf2C6hGp-UV0P4FsCZZNo5uNcTuM16RLeXtk0pSX_U4b4qx5tIZVk1slbFELUM0S5rRboo3j5leAqqGYpJtQxC-i4cHGc/s1600/04CE5E6A-676C-4300-9CAF-718EC41CE39C.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3pE4gzyoewX9A7Gb0x0-n_PL3Vz6O7HlzUC7Q2auSdwyffvlf2C6hGp-UV0P4FsCZZNo5uNcTuM16RLeXtk0pSX_U4b4qx5tIZVk1slbFELUM0S5rRboo3j5leAqqGYpJtQxC-i4cHGc/s400/04CE5E6A-676C-4300-9CAF-718EC41CE39C.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">I love the vines that weave nets around trees</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLlELVB_Iz37L1_RA_fN6x9Qorp_o4mgfN4sc010EXjbBjDydSOr4AbXxfMYoRkWOygt_lww-FxedPtamVjaMd7ZF22MPsL_Nce3SATPE-AKOzqcS-krw_XfSyzQ_tQ7rq04I-qs4ktl0/s1600/8BFDC866-861A-4856-94BF-4D61959BCA06.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLlELVB_Iz37L1_RA_fN6x9Qorp_o4mgfN4sc010EXjbBjDydSOr4AbXxfMYoRkWOygt_lww-FxedPtamVjaMd7ZF22MPsL_Nce3SATPE-AKOzqcS-krw_XfSyzQ_tQ7rq04I-qs4ktl0/s400/8BFDC866-861A-4856-94BF-4D61959BCA06.jpeg" width="300" /></a></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">the aerial roots that hang from them, </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxftn2pyShW77r0jQBaHXFdHNWxp3HBnxHCppTRuDGbacvKsDuP_O-pg_eP14n7F1lCSwU_muc-nd5V-zyuhkG7cTuTARC9B04q6JYiEC5bUzWUU87nEJM4Ho1vEAnCueOK7ZZhihDQi0/s1600/307A529E-BF6A-4E7F-A5FC-0777BC9E544C.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxftn2pyShW77r0jQBaHXFdHNWxp3HBnxHCppTRuDGbacvKsDuP_O-pg_eP14n7F1lCSwU_muc-nd5V-zyuhkG7cTuTARC9B04q6JYiEC5bUzWUU87nEJM4Ho1vEAnCueOK7ZZhihDQi0/s320/307A529E-BF6A-4E7F-A5FC-0777BC9E544C.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">the liana, the climbers, the creepers.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvR5oZCLoEXSVDTRWncaqYS1CLRWta1IAqzOHIPODdrxS6PBmZ1CktAkGz7U-Y5uzY5-ZbqNGdhkqNAW7TmvL0-0JWgWf91vEijz3rQ-_uAHslS6d8l-EzDgWVwxlFNDOwT1SSPyIcdpY/s1600/E48A96D7-524D-468E-8383-6380E96FA736.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvR5oZCLoEXSVDTRWncaqYS1CLRWta1IAqzOHIPODdrxS6PBmZ1CktAkGz7U-Y5uzY5-ZbqNGdhkqNAW7TmvL0-0JWgWf91vEijz3rQ-_uAHslS6d8l-EzDgWVwxlFNDOwT1SSPyIcdpY/s400/E48A96D7-524D-468E-8383-6380E96FA736.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">A special shout-out goes to these liana, which had twined themselves into perfect rope!</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXWbLthxl-mwjc2SPXye64dVhZFsj9dTN9_BAdccverSyHvWRd6_QPhVWmCo_2D-8amfJucRcB9vRhBl4V7QR7agLWKFGwIIsTVTZorrtfZIbZjpYQ3TP0o_8NzPiPURVt60ZXmr0IePc/s1600/ED06BC08-4E67-4C83-8760-551D6BBD67EE.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXWbLthxl-mwjc2SPXye64dVhZFsj9dTN9_BAdccverSyHvWRd6_QPhVWmCo_2D-8amfJucRcB9vRhBl4V7QR7agLWKFGwIIsTVTZorrtfZIbZjpYQ3TP0o_8NzPiPURVt60ZXmr0IePc/s400/ED06BC08-4E67-4C83-8760-551D6BBD67EE.jpeg" width="300" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGT5Kxq2tMXl4iwNH8dSFRlGHtQm2MUcn1b0fJUhIJ_vRaF1jU3ktPJTn_hCcZdVY4NVS9qUT0s97bj2BNnXuO0aEEJ0OWZe0nPI2mbQNZMHB55bJByuZIzQaJekxGE9FsLbItrZg6Gv4/s1600/F7163CAC-BD88-44D3-8C04-87E14CDC14AA.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGT5Kxq2tMXl4iwNH8dSFRlGHtQm2MUcn1b0fJUhIJ_vRaF1jU3ktPJTn_hCcZdVY4NVS9qUT0s97bj2BNnXuO0aEEJ0OWZe0nPI2mbQNZMHB55bJByuZIzQaJekxGE9FsLbItrZg6Gv4/s400/F7163CAC-BD88-44D3-8C04-87E14CDC14AA.jpeg" width="300" /></a></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">And, cherry on the top, there are the birds. The birdsong here is as varied and beautiful as the plants. </span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">I have never really been the biggest bird enthusiast, though I have an uncanny ability to recognize, whether a particular bird is a big bird, a little bird or a sea bird. But I now found out there is at least one exception to my indifference: I am totally and passionately in love with quetzals!</span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">Quetzals are the birds, whose feathers adorned the headpiece of Quetzalcoalt - the feathered-serpent deity of the ancient mesoamerican culture, who all mesoamericans claimed to descend from. Birdwatchers from around the world come here hoping to see this rare and beautiful creature. We, with true beginners’ luck, stumbled on a couple on our first day-hike near Boquete. These birds, according to a bird-buff friend of mine, are THE MOST BEAUTIFUL BIRDS IN THE WORLD (her capitals, not mine). I heartily agree! </span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">Not once on this trip have I rued not having my big camera with me as I did during our quetzal sighting. So the images below are, sadly, blowed up and blurry. But all the relevant parts should be there - the furry head and incredibly long tail feather of the male, </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxVa2BpSBl-rydmWrrZHa4eQSvuFylb6fgWPHrWD9PkTgPvqdpVfGEIutjydksMLQJaO5d2kis52oNv0bE7FDEZsbBye_fTVutAef5O1yuMzIRtrcpnjcVvlWLopO7xsED0V6IJJ_cW44/s1600/9632E5E4-512D-42DA-A56D-DDFBAC186611.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1272" data-original-width="890" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxVa2BpSBl-rydmWrrZHa4eQSvuFylb6fgWPHrWD9PkTgPvqdpVfGEIutjydksMLQJaO5d2kis52oNv0bE7FDEZsbBye_fTVutAef5O1yuMzIRtrcpnjcVvlWLopO7xsED0V6IJJ_cW44/s400/9632E5E4-512D-42DA-A56D-DDFBAC186611.jpeg" width="278" /></a></div>
<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">the smug expression of the female.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOgpBspZreHOb1wJE9bccQC6NgnZQcYY0FE9FtfdAc6gC_rhjuUCJI0vokgIMnVsG0ZtBtijJa9vjEA1mPxxoqK0XrCmaqSKkvyv0g3wm4TiceNQGYDpwA9SK8YOK6AisMIdFXR5En3Vw/s1600/BE082D60-BE00-453B-A220-FD94B52FE467.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="652" data-original-width="489" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOgpBspZreHOb1wJE9bccQC6NgnZQcYY0FE9FtfdAc6gC_rhjuUCJI0vokgIMnVsG0ZtBtijJa9vjEA1mPxxoqK0XrCmaqSKkvyv0g3wm4TiceNQGYDpwA9SK8YOK6AisMIdFXR5En3Vw/s400/BE082D60-BE00-453B-A220-FD94B52FE467.jpeg" width="300" /></a></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">This pair were hard at work building a nest in a tree not 10 metres from the path. Well, I should say the male was hard at work. The female clearly held a supervisory position. Chips of wood flew as the male hacked away at their future nest hole. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEudAQTyvDzUB2eyMnZIUCEWtxMuLyyXMKBonCDXiJ8o8qmlr2GwZry8PJzAc2sL6dFZ4nWQNkuxNmV2KXy47iMJEb-hATleZS1sHshUSZ0p-js-kZLa4E5xUEDHAdU1l09Ry4rXCzwR0/s1600/0882FA83-E4C3-48E4-B18D-F4937ACE4002.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="882" data-original-width="661" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEudAQTyvDzUB2eyMnZIUCEWtxMuLyyXMKBonCDXiJ8o8qmlr2GwZry8PJzAc2sL6dFZ4nWQNkuxNmV2KXy47iMJEb-hATleZS1sHshUSZ0p-js-kZLa4E5xUEDHAdU1l09Ry4rXCzwR0/s400/0882FA83-E4C3-48E4-B18D-F4937ACE4002.jpeg" width="298" /></a></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">At times he went in to do some interior decorating, so that only his tail feather stuck out. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJJPJBkVSWNcK2NFxMFYKAGaZKdB0KMSTC7Vqa1uV6fQCi63LpsxyTYDj-9dhnJcjVIO4YmsjaCZbRAOp5o9nnBCEP3wKcxO28F5bVnZ6yBL9nNuSb9BJVoi5RIXxL7m1nW-Jjwgkh7N8/s1600/3A3708D6-BD6F-4F81-B12B-49D2AF25F947.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1166" data-original-width="875" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJJPJBkVSWNcK2NFxMFYKAGaZKdB0KMSTC7Vqa1uV6fQCi63LpsxyTYDj-9dhnJcjVIO4YmsjaCZbRAOp5o9nnBCEP3wKcxO28F5bVnZ6yBL9nNuSb9BJVoi5RIXxL7m1nW-Jjwgkh7N8/s400/3A3708D6-BD6F-4F81-B12B-49D2AF25F947.jpeg" width="300" /></a></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">We stood mesmerized. An american birdwatcher (he was actuallly the one who alerted us to the presence of the quetzal) lent his binoculars. I could practically count the eyelashes on the darlings. A glorious sighting indeed!</span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">There is much more I could say about the hikes - and bits and pieces may creep up in later entries. Should you feel the urge to dig deeper into hiking in Panama (so far I’ve done hikes 1-4, 7, 17 and 20 on the list), there is an excellend blog about trecking in Panama at: <a href="https://www.journeyera.com/best-hikes-panama/"><span class="s2" style="color: #e4af0a;">https://www.journeyera.com/best-hikes-panama/</span></a></span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">The guy who writes these seems to be faintly dyslexic, seriously over-uses the words amazing, awesome and epic and likes to include pictures of himself without a shirt, but the information is sound and the photos rather epic, amazing and awesome.</span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">Tomorrow I head for the Bocas del Toro on the Carribbean shore of Panama, for some days of relaxation and reading up on Costa Rica. Time to hang up my hiking boots for a while. </span></div>
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Kati Åberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04729186654384794395noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4856765924876984415.post-38342067319148987692020-02-11T02:32:00.000+02:002020-02-11T02:32:02.209+02:00A Spot in the Sun<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuskB59aCK5gX1NSeC_Db4k_zvZPExId4_0J2fW9c2L3BYCZi83tlyucCcvldmyXiOIYZ2eHB0w_JYun7yA-DvYpo6zEwB7OFpHrWZyJRxrOEiQVw-uohEWSO2GIGQ_5TRd0Ag6t6jG08/s1600/0CB76267-3F65-4AEC-B13A-64729BAC3101.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="834" data-original-width="1600" height="207" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuskB59aCK5gX1NSeC_Db4k_zvZPExId4_0J2fW9c2L3BYCZi83tlyucCcvldmyXiOIYZ2eHB0w_JYun7yA-DvYpo6zEwB7OFpHrWZyJRxrOEiQVw-uohEWSO2GIGQ_5TRd0Ag6t6jG08/s400/0CB76267-3F65-4AEC-B13A-64729BAC3101.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">I have come down in the world. All the way down to sea level. </span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">If my last posting was green, this one is blue. Not the steely grey blue of the Baltic sea, but that ooh-aahy turqoise of warmer, sand bottomed salt waters.</span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">Throw in some palms,</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY5jV0hajn6DodBeMIywQhHR85svRPfUxrhHNJH_hbDTDoMZJWehBwuEyAiioYBTNmfJGEo65VLc3rYtxM0p1JKuIwejLiP8tTGeXL8NtWHgJqEDYAauInoR9pJJviTG5brVac-gkbUYg/s1600/668F0FA5-DC3D-4B31-9D43-A61FE50E676E.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY5jV0hajn6DodBeMIywQhHR85svRPfUxrhHNJH_hbDTDoMZJWehBwuEyAiioYBTNmfJGEo65VLc3rYtxM0p1JKuIwejLiP8tTGeXL8NtWHgJqEDYAauInoR9pJJviTG5brVac-gkbUYg/s400/668F0FA5-DC3D-4B31-9D43-A61FE50E676E.jpeg" width="300" /></a></div>
<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; caret-color: rgb(69, 69, 69); color: #454545; font-family: ".sfuitext";">and possibly someone riding horseback on the beach, </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMWNAGprfZzYVq3mWOH3bJMSiApRzjw0S3dJtN4uVDWs2F0IIaRQwzOqgdMp_YAJ8BxUZFw89usl9WCb1drihNFmjtqaEeyGGx8fBzW2IsehbBYel1PsnT5OgWKJNGzFbWwD2wrwtMYXs/s1600/C13F7944-4639-419E-AC02-C27E81271AE0.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMWNAGprfZzYVq3mWOH3bJMSiApRzjw0S3dJtN4uVDWs2F0IIaRQwzOqgdMp_YAJ8BxUZFw89usl9WCb1drihNFmjtqaEeyGGx8fBzW2IsehbBYel1PsnT5OgWKJNGzFbWwD2wrwtMYXs/s400/C13F7944-4639-419E-AC02-C27E81271AE0.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">or better yet, riding on the beach during sunset</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg03ptX5i2d0QOcen9eGik3eYlEmsx7xAX-lMXB_WRSnECp_WcV9GJ3LABFwc56TZzq29IxJM2kdcqvWmnou6HzdOm_ScZcu33fZ8KzMcQk_S4303G4Kfc4ZwcfPmzvokMMCXmb4WdY1R8/s1600/D2E4EC4E-5421-46F8-97D6-ECB26B2FC8BE.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg03ptX5i2d0QOcen9eGik3eYlEmsx7xAX-lMXB_WRSnECp_WcV9GJ3LABFwc56TZzq29IxJM2kdcqvWmnou6HzdOm_ScZcu33fZ8KzMcQk_S4303G4Kfc4ZwcfPmzvokMMCXmb4WdY1R8/s400/D2E4EC4E-5421-46F8-97D6-ECB26B2FC8BE.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">Oh, I know! Let’s have some nubile girls doing sunset yoga on surfboards!</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHtYHc-yhqq7VrVfGqtCAFlu46YxkRGtneEzGKvEeoavacJ-hOm1eF8O_DHR_eEIH1D_gy1y8QaPCkxEbbvGOupk7xk7HtxXaic7jlmvLvd5MbnRlhYl9KFjRwcwqrLSgUU2CGzldBvKU/s1600/ADC110F8-739D-4841-A4CF-778542D8C9E7.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHtYHc-yhqq7VrVfGqtCAFlu46YxkRGtneEzGKvEeoavacJ-hOm1eF8O_DHR_eEIH1D_gy1y8QaPCkxEbbvGOupk7xk7HtxXaic7jlmvLvd5MbnRlhYl9KFjRwcwqrLSgUU2CGzldBvKU/s400/ADC110F8-739D-4841-A4CF-778542D8C9E7.jpeg" width="300" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvkbkZ9KTlZwck7__iY_zyXOFUIN8saDVERMWsegu6nJjDeo53EFx-yArYcylkHbQTuVi5mgoDpy-TYIz9Jdj3C_gz8F2VJpHDWS70TWOyPniMrJ-fLKzcIL9kH7CR0CljxJyYg4FrD28/s1600/8B11ACE5-38C5-4297-9286-0ED0CE119DD4.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvkbkZ9KTlZwck7__iY_zyXOFUIN8saDVERMWsegu6nJjDeo53EFx-yArYcylkHbQTuVi5mgoDpy-TYIz9Jdj3C_gz8F2VJpHDWS70TWOyPniMrJ-fLKzcIL9kH7CR0CljxJyYg4FrD28/s400/8B11ACE5-38C5-4297-9286-0ED0CE119DD4.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div>
<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">By now everyone should be suffering from cuteness overload - or possibly wondering, if I’ve gone off my rocker and joined some extreme wellness/mindfullness cult. However, the truth is, I’m just by the seaside. </span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">I’m in Santa Catalina. This former fishing village is now one of the top surf destination in Central America. But fear not, I haven’t taken up surfing either. I tried it once in San Diego 20 years ago; I hopped on the board, fell off the board, got wallopped hard on the head with the board and decided it probably wasn’t my thing. I’m leaving it for the professionals. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVObSlbFhI49BVW2unS_8Xtjg4ck1X-6CM5K9JOzj8Dj_wJNaQTohXfiM0cVNm2JsAR_hFsstuwt-6HBG2UDmX06pjuCMBfb3BPWWmDPVx86By00NgpZ8soRk8Z8J5kR7Bk9mWmL2zCEY/s1600/1EFA332A-2BFD-4C1D-967A-F7BF606A0E4C.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVObSlbFhI49BVW2unS_8Xtjg4ck1X-6CM5K9JOzj8Dj_wJNaQTohXfiM0cVNm2JsAR_hFsstuwt-6HBG2UDmX06pjuCMBfb3BPWWmDPVx86By00NgpZ8soRk8Z8J5kR7Bk9mWmL2zCEY/s400/1EFA332A-2BFD-4C1D-967A-F7BF606A0E4C.jpeg" width="300" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPv_yToOdQcq3V9klXx2VyLRfjlYl3JIeoLyXfAynTNR-HgEjEkipaT0435W5EikdyC6piz-vPJ1TnSUh7P0f9e4NqQWG7mHG7O3fRR5q12C1Wg72XOFTzI4mu2Rvg1W6I2yjoCsSkpxU/s1600/11E3C77E-3492-45F4-AE90-6C89C83A884B.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPv_yToOdQcq3V9klXx2VyLRfjlYl3JIeoLyXfAynTNR-HgEjEkipaT0435W5EikdyC6piz-vPJ1TnSUh7P0f9e4NqQWG7mHG7O3fRR5q12C1Wg72XOFTzI4mu2Rvg1W6I2yjoCsSkpxU/s400/11E3C77E-3492-45F4-AE90-6C89C83A884B.jpeg" width="300" /></a></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">However Santa Catalina is also the stepping off point for trips to the Parque Nacional Coiba - a group of 38 island forming a national park and Panama’s very own little Galapagos.</span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">Our trip to Coiba got off to a good start, as a couple of rather small yet very lively dolphins jumped around our boat for a bit. And they jumped truly high - certainly more than a meter into the air. Even though there were no hoops to jump through and no fish bait as a reward. Show offs.</span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">Our day-trip had two agendas: snorkeling and a small hike on the main island of Coiba national park. This island used to be a notorious penal colony and therefore access was very restricted to nature’s greatest destroyer - humans. Not surprisingly the islands now boast a rich biodiversity and rather spectacular marine life.</span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">The only hike on Coiba we had time to do was a puny one-hour affair with only 50 floors worth of elevation. It offered a good view of the Coiba harbour at the end </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigGhjRpWFGxip6Wq3DCQ_b7zpwKq-lEJdMQ0SIIOr2xyx7lXiUwZz2_4eW6oPAZchDDTQ11yB9HRNcNrE6nGnhaIwoFM9DtmpnyM8hTYS5UCgoO53PuOKA6U8LZaWbVGrm1_ZNHYl2wpc/s1600/8E245AC7-3CFF-4EE3-A57A-C7E79A230395.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigGhjRpWFGxip6Wq3DCQ_b7zpwKq-lEJdMQ0SIIOr2xyx7lXiUwZz2_4eW6oPAZchDDTQ11yB9HRNcNrE6nGnhaIwoFM9DtmpnyM8hTYS5UCgoO53PuOKA6U8LZaWbVGrm1_ZNHYl2wpc/s400/8E245AC7-3CFF-4EE3-A57A-C7E79A230395.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">as well as tantalising glimpses of birds and a more solid glimpse of a mother-father-baby monkey unit. The male of the family clearly took umbrage at our being there staring at the wife and babe and started making those iconic whook-whook-whook cries that - if Tarzan films are anything to go by - are the prelude to going into full attack mode. We decided to make a hasty yet dignified retreat. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2ahyphenhyphenX6zjlJke-J8YEVP3YJqaveeXzYdHPrnAJfw4R_MBmc7GodGcUUkjzrn9dvNHWnQYVMD-CytGwbBX2g7ivK7UWl2pu4jv5Dh1gPIAkvP5CSO8piXJq0rX9ftBtjHbP_8BsIS-N6PE/s1600/EE9A9905-399B-49D8-8897-E535C293C702.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="968" data-original-width="1290" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2ahyphenhyphenX6zjlJke-J8YEVP3YJqaveeXzYdHPrnAJfw4R_MBmc7GodGcUUkjzrn9dvNHWnQYVMD-CytGwbBX2g7ivK7UWl2pu4jv5Dh1gPIAkvP5CSO8piXJq0rX9ftBtjHbP_8BsIS-N6PE/s400/EE9A9905-399B-49D8-8897-E535C293C702.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">The photos of the indignant female are unhappily all very blurry. Since this trip will include weeks of trecking, I was in no mood to take my big and good and damned heavy camera with me, so I’m shooting with my trusted Canon G12 pocket camera. Around 9 years old, and with no zoom to speak of, but it’ll have to do.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfU_PdtL3wjSVnii5YrG4GeF4W-Aq_M0KvhX3wFPl9xgpCMmDtzskfO9kgbohAlNAb6mwLr8eZm-Ze3OEiKB4y2ap4aoEktcDoW3JmiJiQYFw-ln5i_dL-j05Z_ZBIQdsbWQBlSgbvbrA/s1600/B96DD4AE-2F56-41A7-B260-19FF872460D1.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="659" data-original-width="879" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfU_PdtL3wjSVnii5YrG4GeF4W-Aq_M0KvhX3wFPl9xgpCMmDtzskfO9kgbohAlNAb6mwLr8eZm-Ze3OEiKB4y2ap4aoEktcDoW3JmiJiQYFw-ln5i_dL-j05Z_ZBIQdsbWQBlSgbvbrA/s400/B96DD4AE-2F56-41A7-B260-19FF872460D1.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">Scuba diving trips are widely organized in Santa Catalina - and no wonder since the sealife is truly wonderful! On the first stop Uupi and I swam around the small islet we landed on. On the way we saw two big turtles and five medium sized (around 1,5 metres) sharks plus the usual array of gloriously colourful tropical fish. The sharks were white tip sharks, which I know to be harmless. This was lucky, since we had left our guide behind by the boat overseeing the rest of our party: Nine beer drinking Panamanians, who didn’t seem to know how to swim and didn’t seem to mind as long as there were beaches, palms and beer. And yes, all present and accounted for!</span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">However professional the tour operators here are, unfortunately full body burkhas are not included in the provided equipment. Virginally white Finnish winter skin and the poor ozone layer and strong sun of Panama are not a happy mix, when contemplating a 7-hour snorkling trip.</span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">Both Uupi and myself were sadly unprepared burkha-wise, having left our leggins, long sleeved hoodies etc mostly at home. So we needed to do a dash of last minute shopping and creative dressing to achieve our chic look for the tour.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEionnwDUTtsQUcZspKvG3Ztes0tvtuGaJEmN3ekkZgH3twCXRLxWwCmFEE1_12jupqnWkfKddow8OCYshCvUVjh30bx1VHRdEkFQxmp3Ib10_FLWFkWcWDYwTHfqanUfjYXlL11iKJ8wDw/s1600/9598E037-F825-432E-8F59-3718F2404C5D.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1202" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEionnwDUTtsQUcZspKvG3Ztes0tvtuGaJEmN3ekkZgH3twCXRLxWwCmFEE1_12jupqnWkfKddow8OCYshCvUVjh30bx1VHRdEkFQxmp3Ib10_FLWFkWcWDYwTHfqanUfjYXlL11iKJ8wDw/s400/9598E037-F825-432E-8F59-3718F2404C5D.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">Luckily we remained mostly unburnt due to swimming fully dressed and lathering high octane sun lotion at every opportunity. </span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">Now I must toddle off to see another epic sunset. What we long suffering bloggers wouldn’t do for our readers. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHkapTpHUYTb6EBzdM6H9WbHqbyq-0-vcvY9ikBGTuzDuVXVxkvTtLzZkNVFgyTuZOProXpdq387voToYsEyJYDkYfI-asjFychYdTQf0emhyV4YooVjoDVRlj7MBVD2TGLhOwwypoTxs/s1600/4CB1C502-4F3E-4C30-A6CA-772ACAE8D488.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHkapTpHUYTb6EBzdM6H9WbHqbyq-0-vcvY9ikBGTuzDuVXVxkvTtLzZkNVFgyTuZOProXpdq387voToYsEyJYDkYfI-asjFychYdTQf0emhyV4YooVjoDVRlj7MBVD2TGLhOwwypoTxs/s400/4CB1C502-4F3E-4C30-A6CA-772ACAE8D488.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Kati Åberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04729186654384794395noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4856765924876984415.post-64947958829773363162020-02-07T21:58:00.000+02:002020-02-07T22:10:43.295+02:00Green Caldera<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".sfuitext";">One of my main goals on this trip is to hike some of the numerous gorgeous hikes Panama has to offer. I have duly gone up the mountain and down into the crater.</span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".sfuitext";"> </span><br />
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">From Panama City I moved to higher ground and el Valle de Anton, specifically the town/village/hamlet of el Valle, which is Panama’s only town/village/hamlet located in a volcanic crater. The mountains rimming the caldera form an excellent source of numerous hikes, all offering nice views of the town/village/hamlet, </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">as well as some lovely mountain views in the other direction.</span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">Since it’s the middle of winter back home in Finland, the wise woman may well choose to barricade herself at home, watch movies and eat lots of comfort food. My main form of physical exercise in January has been dashing off to the local shop for afore mentioned comfort food, or, if feeling particularly energetic, walking the 1,5 km to the centre of town to indulge in tea and cakes with my friends.</span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">So I’m starting off relatively gently. The hikes in el Valle seldom rise more than 300-400 meters in elevation, which make them around moderate in difficulty. However, 400 meters is still around 130 floors in terms a city-born, comfort-food-eating layman could understand. That’s a lot of going up and then having to come back down again - with bits of even ground in the middle. My thight are certainly feeling it. </span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">Since there will be many more hikes to come, I will not indulge in a blow-by-blow of the two day-hikes I’ve done up to date. Suffice to say that the first hike was the iconic la India Dormida, or Sleeping Indian trek. The peak is so named for its natural curviture, which - so they say - remarkably resembles a sleeping Indigenous woman. I’ll take their word for it. It’s all hills to me.</span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">But this trek is a very pretty ramble, which goes along the hilltops surrounding the caldera. Mostly it’s just walking with bits of climbing and, at times, the odd section of scrambling on all fours.</span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">There’s one thing I wasn’t expecting in the hills of Panama: it’s really windy! Several times on this hike I was very bloody nearly knocked off my feet, when a particularly virile gust of wind suddenly hit me. Not one of my best hair days. </span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">The second day-hike was up the mountain and through the jungle at cerro Gaita. At the end of the trek, a set of seemingly endless stairs led through verdant jungle.</span><br />
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">These steps led to an elevated wooden platform, which rose over the treetops </span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">and offered some rather stunning views. </span><br />
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">I’ve been in jungles before, but seldom has the foliage been as well displayed as around this stairway, probably because there was a larger than usual break in the jungle foliage which made it possible to view things from a greater distance. </span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">There are multinous species of trees, and on these trees grows moss and on the moss, a rich variety of plants grow. A botanist’s wet dream. </span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; caret-color: rgb(69, 69, 69); color: #454545; font-family: ".sfuitext";">Many of the plants in the jungle were ones, which I recognize from friends’ flower pots.</span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; caret-color: rgb(69, 69, 69); color: #454545; font-family: ".sfuitext";"> </span><br />
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">Life bursts through anywhere and everywhere. </span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext";"></span>As do travellers Kati and Uupi. </div>
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Life is certainly good, when it’s green. <span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext";"></span></div>
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Kati Åberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04729186654384794395noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4856765924876984415.post-59014412031974812882020-02-03T04:51:00.000+02:002020-02-03T04:51:45.130+02:00In Panama<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: ".SFUIText";">Ah, back on the road again. I’ve just arrived in Panama to start a six week tour of the country - with a bit of Costa Rica thrown in, if I get round to it.</span><span style="font-family: ".SFUIText";"> </span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";">The first days of this trip we have spent in the capital, Panama City. </span><span style="font-family: ".SFUIText";">As the sharp-eyed reader will notice, I use the term we. What, you might say, has become of the hardened solo traveller Kati? Well, she’s still around somewhere and will come out along the line even on this trip. However, I’m starting off this journey with my mate Uupi, another seasoned globetrotter and all round good gal.</span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";">Our taxi driver to the hotel was incredulous and affronted when we hold him it is usually around -5C back home in Helsinki at this time of year. Further information about the fact that Northern Finland would have temperatures of -25 or -30C failed to impress him: I think that amount of cold just went beyond his comprehension. So as he drove us along he kept saying ”minus five - you can’t live there. Minus five, who on earth could live there!”</span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";">Well, the answer to that is, obviously, Finns. But I have to say the climate here has been as welcoming as the people! This is not the scorching heat of South-East Asia, but more like the hottest days of Finnish summer: 24-30 degrees.</span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";">And nature has not only colour, but an odour! The smell of earth, leaves, flowers, wonderfully ripe pineapples in street stalls... </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnoaqwuIVpEki6L_I1WbM0hV_2v03wzdip8fdqGzy_HF9JpRwtdybyzh4woLKsGa6V0vhs6u70qnXeiYhoq3CxO6eCxAfCYoRA0Ve3cCIDZKzQQpZX_TI6_0RlqDi6LOLNmubRebXkFyY/s1600/51C0AA5C-344F-463E-9399-E6F22D25D148.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnoaqwuIVpEki6L_I1WbM0hV_2v03wzdip8fdqGzy_HF9JpRwtdybyzh4woLKsGa6V0vhs6u70qnXeiYhoq3CxO6eCxAfCYoRA0Ve3cCIDZKzQQpZX_TI6_0RlqDi6LOLNmubRebXkFyY/s400/51C0AA5C-344F-463E-9399-E6F22D25D148.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";">One of many the things I miss in Finnish winter are smells - since snow and frozen bits of nature don’t really have one.</span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";">So Uupi and I have spent the last two days exploring bits of the capital city. There is the relatively pictoresque old colonial town, Casco Viejo, on a peninsula just west of the new centre. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: ".SFUIText";">The old town is on the Unesco World heritage list. At least it used to be. I heard rumours that it was now on the list of endangered heritage sites. There used to be a wonderful, nearly 360 degree sea view from there. But a couple of years ago the powers that be decided to build an elevated causeway in the sea, which circles the whole Casco Viejo peninsula. So now the old town offers a 360 degree view of a motorway.</span><span style="font-family: ".SFUIText";"> </span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";">However Casco Viejo still seems a favourite place to arrange photo shoots. And photo shoots seem to be greatly in vogue. Be it graduation photos </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKQAkyUsWZ6TF0w4gUGWIBt3jF3hJac_TSbh8Xb_aZ0iSJdJ3vKICUHAQwXhgvlXV0y-eoG0tVilRoTZ3eo-BZkphXa5QkOpw6WDRyVPPsgDfWf58YxDbhEPKLf0OPbd5yfOVLgE7J2FM/s1600/D7BFCB39-5798-4BCD-919B-2B9D69EA637C.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKQAkyUsWZ6TF0w4gUGWIBt3jF3hJac_TSbh8Xb_aZ0iSJdJ3vKICUHAQwXhgvlXV0y-eoG0tVilRoTZ3eo-BZkphXa5QkOpw6WDRyVPPsgDfWf58YxDbhEPKLf0OPbd5yfOVLgE7J2FM/s400/D7BFCB39-5798-4BCD-919B-2B9D69EA637C.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";">or sweet memories for the family album of lovely young couples, </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpngfW5Jh6rq3dKgihcoTAIJl7rRfatyJaA9jVr_As61k3BUWupzk5iq6Z4Ps57eoxLxgR0UpmJsE2QhGs8lvC8o5ja9nj9DFjkace3HaRRcW6zT7aAFmPFSqAnMH6Ee9l_ILEGiVX3DA/s1600/BDA72221-EA6D-4707-BF42-CF0E013B5778.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpngfW5Jh6rq3dKgihcoTAIJl7rRfatyJaA9jVr_As61k3BUWupzk5iq6Z4Ps57eoxLxgR0UpmJsE2QhGs8lvC8o5ja9nj9DFjkace3HaRRcW6zT7aAFmPFSqAnMH6Ee9l_ILEGiVX3DA/s400/BDA72221-EA6D-4707-BF42-CF0E013B5778.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";">these photo sessions were very professionally organized. Business must be brisk for local photographers.</span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";">Apart from the photo shoots, hipster cafes and Helsinki-priced restaurants, there wasn’t really any life or soul in the streets of Casco Viejo. But when we wandered further afield, the moment the pretty colonial buildings ceased and the shopping streets began, to our relief we found the real Panama - and street life in all its technicoloured beauty.</span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";">On this, the second day in town, we took a gentle stroll (just over 18km) along a thin road leading to three islands just off the entrance of the Panama Canal. And indeed this</span><span style="font-family: ".SFUIText";"> route offered us good views of the first bridge crossing the Panama canal,</span><span style="font-family: ".SFUIText";"> </span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";">the rather unprepossessing new highrise centre of Panama City, </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUgb6pGeqOVe7VRC0x6n6t80VtoymTcEiHd_D90G3ciDkgMk3M9IHzVSI_ncw_qNlqq_uc2GAuzUnW3uUtuaUAHcqT9aoTGIij_odvSnv34iHj-Zx96z8ls6IX32iPnAhSq6VG0U9iWqo/s1600/1DC9EB38-6A9F-4B12-B8FF-079E201E6361.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUgb6pGeqOVe7VRC0x6n6t80VtoymTcEiHd_D90G3ciDkgMk3M9IHzVSI_ncw_qNlqq_uc2GAuzUnW3uUtuaUAHcqT9aoTGIij_odvSnv34iHj-Zx96z8ls6IX32iPnAhSq6VG0U9iWqo/s400/1DC9EB38-6A9F-4B12-B8FF-079E201E6361.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRNN-F2Sx7g9ksSBj42NAiZSy67mOCzyI05BKEFRC_Mn238q-T83Cz0o9LyqIfbPfteZ0t8CE_TuPFtSH-jKTwtJzvCT8aDyGZrX_CYTP-ZBnIDPzquAMFu0-RNipUVPHYEIc6nQrTGEI/s1600/B4AAAC9A-4ED9-481D-B569-7E7FA393620C.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRNN-F2Sx7g9ksSBj42NAiZSy67mOCzyI05BKEFRC_Mn238q-T83Cz0o9LyqIfbPfteZ0t8CE_TuPFtSH-jKTwtJzvCT8aDyGZrX_CYTP-ZBnIDPzquAMFu0-RNipUVPHYEIc6nQrTGEI/s400/B4AAAC9A-4ED9-481D-B569-7E7FA393620C.jpeg" width="300" /></a></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";">as well as of Frank Gehry’s weird Biomuseum - not quite as successful an example of his wow-architecture as the Bilbao Guggenheim.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpBYXFtmRzmQp9kjXekMU7UO4fZkxQZM8QJDOim9jk41Jf8KUBPv45aWHXlCOL7ZKZuW_iVkPfLCboVX7ybHp4DOtsoSlJ8HC_-8lKAkoL94LHIxmC76yhQXKeshDllH17i0WJiHY0AkA/s1600/E61B8DB2-1685-4801-A7BB-2B754C96E94F.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpBYXFtmRzmQp9kjXekMU7UO4fZkxQZM8QJDOim9jk41Jf8KUBPv45aWHXlCOL7ZKZuW_iVkPfLCboVX7ybHp4DOtsoSlJ8HC_-8lKAkoL94LHIxmC76yhQXKeshDllH17i0WJiHY0AkA/s400/E61B8DB2-1685-4801-A7BB-2B754C96E94F.jpeg" width="400" /></a><span style="text-align: left;"> </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic9YDSDP1qtraWjZShtWuUx5Rh3UeJPrTRS_9Mts3sfjXJn90bAgHRvDstgbXeD6_uQsJeJqbmD6KUfwvwMTbF1lEdegMwLXsHrw4mnEAPUAnBC_it_AYOqHY6S9TLHBTN1hgUCWi81_0/s1600/EB0335E1-737B-4503-8CBE-27A166A22671.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic9YDSDP1qtraWjZShtWuUx5Rh3UeJPrTRS_9Mts3sfjXJn90bAgHRvDstgbXeD6_uQsJeJqbmD6KUfwvwMTbF1lEdegMwLXsHrw4mnEAPUAnBC_it_AYOqHY6S9TLHBTN1hgUCWi81_0/s400/EB0335E1-737B-4503-8CBE-27A166A22671.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";">Tomorrow we leave the capital and head for the hills around el Valle de Anton. The next few days will be dedicated to hiking in the jungle. I’ll try to stay on track. </span></div>
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Kati Åberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04729186654384794395noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4856765924876984415.post-49286828425905112982019-12-18T23:50:00.000+02:002019-12-18T23:50:12.286+02:00Final Daze<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8tD-2S1oLZQXR1HJaIFqalWYCR2Y7tP0mWFcVLVCd5f7-v0do4gXdzssfd1PgaCnx4URyf8nsbxLrQvF8kxP-h7oWXu_3mBPEiTk6nJSySqh6ay9SaPsHFPTMTigVS9kH-BIPrKbYSRg/s1600/24F49FCA-9B7E-4B98-87F7-11B11202D306.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1070" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8tD-2S1oLZQXR1HJaIFqalWYCR2Y7tP0mWFcVLVCd5f7-v0do4gXdzssfd1PgaCnx4URyf8nsbxLrQvF8kxP-h7oWXu_3mBPEiTk6nJSySqh6ay9SaPsHFPTMTigVS9kH-BIPrKbYSRg/s400/24F49FCA-9B7E-4B98-87F7-11B11202D306.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".sfuitext";">All good things come to an end. And so I too have now bid adieu to Tunis. This country has been a pleasant surprise with an endless wealth of history and all the layers of historical artifacts and buildings that go with it. There has been much to love and admire. Here are a few of my favourite things.</span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext";"><b>Arabic writing</b></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivbH-Rb5bl_FoL6BGt6cR9nrRTU5-843RROl6QP5uFHVWC75te6Td2fWBjovWg4VAy-t96QWWolazs5OdNqwsxuYMfOcTT3AFaShskOGwr3Lnzbt01_cx24Yw6JXh2bDRVyO875B3Zr4U/s1600/FFFCDB55-4A11-4D51-A56A-674B27D09AD4.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1070" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivbH-Rb5bl_FoL6BGt6cR9nrRTU5-843RROl6QP5uFHVWC75te6Td2fWBjovWg4VAy-t96QWWolazs5OdNqwsxuYMfOcTT3AFaShskOGwr3Lnzbt01_cx24Yw6JXh2bDRVyO875B3Zr4U/s400/FFFCDB55-4A11-4D51-A56A-674B27D09AD4.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div>
<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">Arabic letters are a treat! The writing is truly beautiful: curving, swirling and flowing most pleasingly.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQHJZB5h9e11OWGjC8ZvMOkg7THbPyi4jdwUOffeD13AM2SN0A-czZT3N9Mi3Vo849zJCA2vYEYXFRLb2M_ZJrBA4oGXHg4WHYmiuYLRuyltt8mFxVQt1XjjqaggNVAwsvCyhzwRkHlbo/s1600/2F36D436-10EA-4BCE-A60C-3D3D1B039240.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1070" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQHJZB5h9e11OWGjC8ZvMOkg7THbPyi4jdwUOffeD13AM2SN0A-czZT3N9Mi3Vo849zJCA2vYEYXFRLb2M_ZJrBA4oGXHg4WHYmiuYLRuyltt8mFxVQt1XjjqaggNVAwsvCyhzwRkHlbo/s400/2F36D436-10EA-4BCE-A60C-3D3D1B039240.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">They also make for some great graffiti!! Text graffiti has never been my favourite - until now. Admittedly I have no idea what is written on the walls - or even if in all cases these forms create complete words or sentences - but the form of Arabic text is there and the form is lovely!</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjMIAImZZV0zGZgH45b1KyWUlUy-MKBJzOaXPcwEJWy4oQsOj__sCPrYgLqrSsGKmi5ZhyphenhyphenK3bOJ2ZFh8Z1dgXmT9Ac3WBJQecFEHYc6Nbo4hLpGOMnzC8Q-8MQS27P53XQmimI28eUmDE/s1600/6E1D1078-6F22-448C-9FB9-B0DA58B95E68.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1070" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjMIAImZZV0zGZgH45b1KyWUlUy-MKBJzOaXPcwEJWy4oQsOj__sCPrYgLqrSsGKmi5ZhyphenhyphenK3bOJ2ZFh8Z1dgXmT9Ac3WBJQecFEHYc6Nbo4hLpGOMnzC8Q-8MQS27P53XQmimI28eUmDE/s400/6E1D1078-6F22-448C-9FB9-B0DA58B95E68.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div>
<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">Why, even a very valuable international brand looks better in Arabic.</span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext";"><b>Medinas</b></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpno8D7Qwg8hOnn5MshqEumiYUwfvqheMlhKztQUdN5gX6E2LNcago4cbZQpFZFyLf8PCar9rGq-V7HVIuaqa65k1OxrHMyfxNns3RxwlUsDsYyNI5cZEO3SNvP5OIDxwRnEwPiCB9QqI/s1600/69921571-2A5D-4C52-B0C4-9FF52D79B059.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1230" data-original-width="822" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpno8D7Qwg8hOnn5MshqEumiYUwfvqheMlhKztQUdN5gX6E2LNcago4cbZQpFZFyLf8PCar9rGq-V7HVIuaqa65k1OxrHMyfxNns3RxwlUsDsYyNI5cZEO3SNvP5OIDxwRnEwPiCB9QqI/s400/69921571-2A5D-4C52-B0C4-9FF52D79B059.jpeg" width="266" /></a></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">No surprises there for anyone, who has read previous entries. The medinas, or fortressed old towns, are far more pleasing to the eye and imagination than the new parts of town. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkG_YkjyOAAPyOgNZS2jz31wZJAjfKltcnARdyp8_2Ju2_7mrYZr0oXVHT2uXO1-nhNPuua7wPjQxGbh8JzwSFKn997IYDkojrr48idGonFcoEi88Lv2WWBKADYr4LnfGsmK-mcbL-X50/s1600/C9E03398-13C6-4500-AE49-061A5278AB70.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1070" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkG_YkjyOAAPyOgNZS2jz31wZJAjfKltcnARdyp8_2Ju2_7mrYZr0oXVHT2uXO1-nhNPuua7wPjQxGbh8JzwSFKn997IYDkojrr48idGonFcoEi88Lv2WWBKADYr4LnfGsmK-mcbL-X50/s400/C9E03398-13C6-4500-AE49-061A5278AB70.jpeg" width="266" /></a></div>
<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">New buildings in Tunis tend to look rather bleak on the outside. Painting the outside of your house is the hight of decadence - or more likely an unnecessary expense for people trying to make ends meet. So in many villages the houses are concrete or brick, square and featureless, with just a few small windows if any. Maybe the insides are more lovely - certainly in the old houses of the medina, the houses open up to wonderful inner courtyards and the interiors are decorated with lovely old tiles. The beauty is revealed only on entering.</span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext";"><b>The doors</b></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYiOJiq0KyCizXJ5J8RW9u4SDslsGc37_mWXn1bIpW0KLchHTti8OEtgNEgowWyBclrrnt61aiye2zO2o_nhTa7bU-O66c0g1ou5XDT8rnAKbHb48PhfWmTyqa6-FIRZPq14j6lSaisxo/s1600/B0D68F60-B59D-4F1D-B699-03674081382F.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1070" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYiOJiq0KyCizXJ5J8RW9u4SDslsGc37_mWXn1bIpW0KLchHTti8OEtgNEgowWyBclrrnt61aiye2zO2o_nhTa7bU-O66c0g1ou5XDT8rnAKbHb48PhfWmTyqa6-FIRZPq14j6lSaisxo/s400/B0D68F60-B59D-4F1D-B699-03674081382F.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">In the medinas, the doors are the only thing to give a glimpse of the beauty that lies within some of the old buildings. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxfEq-PDJ4ICe9OnwCSGSK5WgyUsB9dY4le6ztjGMRV8o5I6_bq8KeT3fhZQDU_f4uMxoKGpwZOR91hSzcsHpaQLAdC4Snh0EmstcERWLqbNggZzNxqTjb2NKB1TiOJ8oCykv4WPohn_M/s1600/91866377-FF09-44BA-8BA6-3B5E2A745022.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1070" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxfEq-PDJ4ICe9OnwCSGSK5WgyUsB9dY4le6ztjGMRV8o5I6_bq8KeT3fhZQDU_f4uMxoKGpwZOR91hSzcsHpaQLAdC4Snh0EmstcERWLqbNggZzNxqTjb2NKB1TiOJ8oCykv4WPohn_M/s400/91866377-FF09-44BA-8BA6-3B5E2A745022.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div>
<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">Whether in prime paint or showing signs of life and layers of paint, these beautiful old doors are some of the prettiest I’ve ever seen.</span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext";"><b>The cats</b></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCSWEJ_lxt0nE-f3hxQrXzNjepd1YK_6N27o96l0lhUA4acXMYnh0LDhpARubyQCKEeYyPR8V40CofF4zUR-72X2FPmJOPiqhh_M0Z0oR-s6p7ee008GnH_YSKJqRKYBxQLV9vEmx7pCg/s1600/2F970F91-1F39-49E1-B385-5D6EB7072B9D.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1070" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCSWEJ_lxt0nE-f3hxQrXzNjepd1YK_6N27o96l0lhUA4acXMYnh0LDhpARubyQCKEeYyPR8V40CofF4zUR-72X2FPmJOPiqhh_M0Z0oR-s6p7ee008GnH_YSKJqRKYBxQLV9vEmx7pCg/s400/2F970F91-1F39-49E1-B385-5D6EB7072B9D.jpeg" width="266" /></a></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">Tunisian street cats seem to have an unerring talent for picking the most scenic spots to recline. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHVvHz6Xgmxf_KqNfLcmsGim4dCrMA2EhLP4yLhzl6SBT1jKEWtcYbVbU0qHLhdqD1TowkbHr28t3mqSyf4_RFawGtZllS97HPO8wEZ7E49anI0gj3d4OSFBJ-k_RwebLgkaU9i8eMQjg/s1600/957D1E58-9122-427D-AAB4-0164429C7FEE.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="945" data-original-width="1414" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHVvHz6Xgmxf_KqNfLcmsGim4dCrMA2EhLP4yLhzl6SBT1jKEWtcYbVbU0qHLhdqD1TowkbHr28t3mqSyf4_RFawGtZllS97HPO8wEZ7E49anI0gj3d4OSFBJ-k_RwebLgkaU9i8eMQjg/s400/957D1E58-9122-427D-AAB4-0164429C7FEE.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">Wether you like cats or not, I defy anyone to claim they are not the most photogenic of animals! </span><span style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">The glorious harbour feline above goes out to my friend Anna - with love.</span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext";"><b>The mosaics</b></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTXAuZk0ZU6nC6YcE3hqnYxQ-R2OHVtEIojR-Z947TAUtjsqi7KHmstV-o1OJg7ENEO6sJc18dQSTXEuG_FJ8duO5Fv13o8fggJ5wqUhvvDjp1lFyDillnc2mkCv7WJgifLrciuus-nFk/s1600/86953132-E2DF-4A22-BB0A-6A1554674AF3.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1066" data-original-width="1595" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTXAuZk0ZU6nC6YcE3hqnYxQ-R2OHVtEIojR-Z947TAUtjsqi7KHmstV-o1OJg7ENEO6sJc18dQSTXEuG_FJ8duO5Fv13o8fggJ5wqUhvvDjp1lFyDillnc2mkCv7WJgifLrciuus-nFk/s400/86953132-E2DF-4A22-BB0A-6A1554674AF3.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">I have become a mosaic fan on this trip. I’ve seen impressive mosaics before</span><span style="font-family: ".sfuitext";"> in various museums, but seeing them in situ in the houses of Bulla Regia made me appreciate them in a totally new way and to realize, how truly stunning they looked in ancient villas. </span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">Also, how durable they are. The impressive Bardo museum in Tunis houses some lovely mosaics. </span><span style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">Many of them are installed in the floor - but not cordoned off: Visitors walk right over them.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTID7HM0oK5HvMe004gPmavG3x6QskgxMm-KEcvi70wbqC2PZl7nV_HFs7f0oND_ROsxM-RS9E-G30Xmm-kskgxNfNe9uHNkzIzsxdpRTJKiP1Yb_hbd3Puaz8ljIgPM9rTxJdjw5fy74/s1600/0374409B-7FC6-47B8-80FC-98138E02CD9D.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1070" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTID7HM0oK5HvMe004gPmavG3x6QskgxMm-KEcvi70wbqC2PZl7nV_HFs7f0oND_ROsxM-RS9E-G30Xmm-kskgxNfNe9uHNkzIzsxdpRTJKiP1Yb_hbd3Puaz8ljIgPM9rTxJdjw5fy74/s400/0374409B-7FC6-47B8-80FC-98138E02CD9D.jpeg" width="266" /></a></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">These mosaics may also include pivotal historical information. For example, did you know that baseball cap is an ancient Roman invention?</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTti0AkmCyLEvVDD5rcOXYRy-98jA5PSt86KFvUXbLcBiSNxkjhnybuhLi_W00cWoC7vTmbAlC2PsDGIzJ0MgSdBA-AuB3gz9Ng-pFkvOSLwcHc-766S5Q5NIKSl-cK2ZEPEyP7YbW0tY/s1600/98DFABC1-242C-49D5-B5DD-605397D988D3.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="408" data-original-width="611" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTti0AkmCyLEvVDD5rcOXYRy-98jA5PSt86KFvUXbLcBiSNxkjhnybuhLi_W00cWoC7vTmbAlC2PsDGIzJ0MgSdBA-AuB3gz9Ng-pFkvOSLwcHc-766S5Q5NIKSl-cK2ZEPEyP7YbW0tY/s400/98DFABC1-242C-49D5-B5DD-605397D988D3.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext";"><b>The Fishermen and the Sea</b></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqWIdsNGB8kTIiGLW8FzbFuNjwyiq8wFu_zsqzh68MMla_bucrZ_lw11ZjDNSf6_3tKpTiMOUfXS2A9KDAeMzDjMf7IlaOmkL_0v7M7sMox4eOaLi09Kbkxx_XzcIc9ePeYk0i-TuIIFg/s1600/7FCAF123-80C0-4378-A4AD-7C5335A58DF2.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="633" data-original-width="948" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqWIdsNGB8kTIiGLW8FzbFuNjwyiq8wFu_zsqzh68MMla_bucrZ_lw11ZjDNSf6_3tKpTiMOUfXS2A9KDAeMzDjMf7IlaOmkL_0v7M7sMox4eOaLi09Kbkxx_XzcIc9ePeYk0i-TuIIFg/s400/7FCAF123-80C0-4378-A4AD-7C5335A58DF2.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">Be it octopuses, squid or fish, the fishing industry is still alive - and not dominated by the huge trawlers that do so much damage to fish and the marine environment. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL1mdMkIxE_o6nQ6OfKPJSG8kJbFxAM1-w9IYvjDzZ9Zhyur8A83ARuGwTNVO8j-PsAaYqqI-FQWVnvnziInf6DV0cFmeYgdBqEQJOZ9q73bbvcvKlNuctjcan66Q1n9VIQ9et1xDuOZk/s1600/992C1743-D2EB-44B8-A0AA-581C8445C5ED.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1070" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL1mdMkIxE_o6nQ6OfKPJSG8kJbFxAM1-w9IYvjDzZ9Zhyur8A83ARuGwTNVO8j-PsAaYqqI-FQWVnvnziInf6DV0cFmeYgdBqEQJOZ9q73bbvcvKlNuctjcan66Q1n9VIQ9et1xDuOZk/s400/992C1743-D2EB-44B8-A0AA-581C8445C5ED.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div>
<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">Here you still find commercial fishermen, who make a living (possibly a meagre one, but a living none the less) by setting out in their small wooden boats at sunrise to lay a few nets.</span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext";"><b>The markets</b></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKv_xDkVdBaDwnL4n1oxW1XZyNpV4wG7HfZqk3pJ9OLGPHYbq-CtDteBA2MyEM5F4cFSwjmglaTauBPKRQBuMlgZfRh38h5tXrVh-s3naXSMrJW7ADp2RSHgHGuW-BJGYOrAp5f3WQfEg/s1600/9C2E3ADE-0FE2-4946-BC4D-F56EDDDA0007.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1070" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKv_xDkVdBaDwnL4n1oxW1XZyNpV4wG7HfZqk3pJ9OLGPHYbq-CtDteBA2MyEM5F4cFSwjmglaTauBPKRQBuMlgZfRh38h5tXrVh-s3naXSMrJW7ADp2RSHgHGuW-BJGYOrAp5f3WQfEg/s400/9C2E3ADE-0FE2-4946-BC4D-F56EDDDA0007.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">Huge shopping malls outside city centres with the usual Mc Donald’s, Starbucks and Major Brand clothing stores? I think not! Tunisia is still the country of local corner shops and food markets. These places are full of colour, noise, goods and cats.</span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext";"><b>The people.</b></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8YVmSLnSa2tisgKNoryD4K9xTyKUSGWYqqmNbofEKsoMHqjFJDcsU4loXUQTrVCBZjSwRI134VQQRTlYLrDCC-rlGfCCCVMJAp6S5KKUZudq-ZcOD49fQoKhyphenhyphenhkXroe28IP0fGNEzKVM/s1600/BC66F4CD-789D-4966-930B-BC83E26971F2.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8YVmSLnSa2tisgKNoryD4K9xTyKUSGWYqqmNbofEKsoMHqjFJDcsU4loXUQTrVCBZjSwRI134VQQRTlYLrDCC-rlGfCCCVMJAp6S5KKUZudq-ZcOD49fQoKhyphenhyphenhkXroe28IP0fGNEzKVM/s400/BC66F4CD-789D-4966-930B-BC83E26971F2.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">My first impression of really lovely people still holds true after five weeks. I found people polite, honest, helpful and welcoming. (Photo above courtesy of Eva).</span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">There is a rather lovely tradition here, where if you want to thank someone especially sincerely, you place your hand on your heart as you thank them. This is usually combined with a long and sincere look of thanks.</span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">So shukraan to all I say, using up 25% of my Arabic. Hand on heart.</span><br />
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Kati Åberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04729186654384794395noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4856765924876984415.post-81202139920298922152019-12-15T21:08:00.000+02:002019-12-15T21:08:58.806+02:00The Ksour of Tatouine<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHUZEHizgF-trO3rya8uEGfodpoBSVXUB6vn3_6l67tuLMCXw-cl9TfYUohScs3ghv4L8z4moSPhVp5fYNyO5CX5_e18_565iyFTFQlOn_QxfPJk3EK77JPq0cQ0v892Ozy3KJ_gCSacY/s1600/4EBB9D01-F3BD-4BCC-BB02-F409D583E16E.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1070" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHUZEHizgF-trO3rya8uEGfodpoBSVXUB6vn3_6l67tuLMCXw-cl9TfYUohScs3ghv4L8z4moSPhVp5fYNyO5CX5_e18_565iyFTFQlOn_QxfPJk3EK77JPq0cQ0v892Ozy3KJ_gCSacY/s400/4EBB9D01-F3BD-4BCC-BB02-F409D583E16E.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";">As the end of the trip draws nigh, I feel I should touch on one major omission in this travelog. This entry will be an informative little nugget with none of my usual ramblings on. I just want to share my new-found passion for Berber architecture with you.</span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";">At the hectic beginning of this trip, when I was buzzing around Southern Tunisia with fellow traveller Eva, we touched bases with Luke Skywalker’s home planet: Tatouine.</span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";">Tatouine itself is a rather unimpressive city in the deep South of Tunis. However around Tatouine one of the most unique architectonic feats of the Berbers can be visited: the ksour.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRYuqDSFLcATh5908XhvkscxyG_onqYCXIoWW0ixnUUzeYvGeCb324fZgrmQHnkLBmf0q6OCJiNzczCRXmpzxam1NZ3YioUAHzD5mHYHp-9iL0MiNm451wMVa0hCTTMOMduQa3F_Tznf4/s1600/B74C8C57-4EC2-4801-AC5E-C07A84786098.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1070" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRYuqDSFLcATh5908XhvkscxyG_onqYCXIoWW0ixnUUzeYvGeCb324fZgrmQHnkLBmf0q6OCJiNzczCRXmpzxam1NZ3YioUAHzD5mHYHp-9iL0MiNm451wMVa0hCTTMOMduQa3F_Tznf4/s400/B74C8C57-4EC2-4801-AC5E-C07A84786098.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";">A ksar (plural ksour) is a traditional fortified granary built by the Berber tribes.</span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";">The fact that the thing that was fortified against attack was grain, not people and shops as in the medinas and bazaars, tells a lot about the priorities of the Berbers. Living in such harsh and unhospitable lands, their lives depended on the grain crops produced in good season.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2pmQH-76o6lSCqpy4TkMdoc2t0e8gyE0jWKt0267oXcZjZal5n2B7Ny6oGjMM_qXvrzaph7jNRpFn4LP5kwMNNoqozVNP6nktFbKiUXxikZ82KrA0sF9HRbqCU2kBVAUQIrpLiA-ljas/s1600/487F9C89-1D92-4C52-A93F-F66F37BBF965.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1070" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2pmQH-76o6lSCqpy4TkMdoc2t0e8gyE0jWKt0267oXcZjZal5n2B7Ny6oGjMM_qXvrzaph7jNRpFn4LP5kwMNNoqozVNP6nktFbKiUXxikZ82KrA0sF9HRbqCU2kBVAUQIrpLiA-ljas/s400/487F9C89-1D92-4C52-A93F-F66F37BBF965.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";">Ksour were usually built on natural defensive positions - often hilltops. One such was the spectacular Ksar Ouled Soltane, which we visited. There was no need to fight against the crowds - we were the only people there.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiasewcGSI2-qkUkjWM_bbtwUv4XV_8CQx5teMgpDgoJT4runyTl30OmLmVvobgloxDn1ysZB5tA0CXDDtkZ4wBRBZBCvXj-ne3xqM4DqzMG9XZtwfHQCfD0HiJiWfojXn7QGweiqMfKTU/s1600/CE6BB5EA-942E-4ACD-B89E-5FF86437FC49.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="964" data-original-width="1441" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiasewcGSI2-qkUkjWM_bbtwUv4XV_8CQx5teMgpDgoJT4runyTl30OmLmVvobgloxDn1ysZB5tA0CXDDtkZ4wBRBZBCvXj-ne3xqM4DqzMG9XZtwfHQCfD0HiJiWfojXn7QGweiqMfKTU/s400/CE6BB5EA-942E-4ACD-B89E-5FF86437FC49.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";">A ksar consists of many ghorfas - long barrel-vaulted store rooms built of stone, gypsum and mud. The ghorfas are somewhat like caves with tiny doors opening to the central courtyard. Exhibit A: tiny door next to a big traveller. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGTUcHcp5yO5Hz1R8A3gWeyLyKDGzf5GN_AWpK_Gfcd2uiULKt3NjnPAbCtMNW_vc6UwNdPkfNlKtXfgPT46YjOLljejGGPLE6BpIukhb6ZtprvfwbXU4dGSotxSJdpdgOXTC7tKPXV9E/s1600/06AE2572-86E8-4E50-B3B9-C3B4B0B0E581.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1070" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGTUcHcp5yO5Hz1R8A3gWeyLyKDGzf5GN_AWpK_Gfcd2uiULKt3NjnPAbCtMNW_vc6UwNdPkfNlKtXfgPT46YjOLljejGGPLE6BpIukhb6ZtprvfwbXU4dGSotxSJdpdgOXTC7tKPXV9E/s400/06AE2572-86E8-4E50-B3B9-C3B4B0B0E581.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: ".SFUIText";">One ksar can have several courtyards, each entered through a single, fortified gate - or skifa.</span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";">The ghorfas are piled on top of eachother around the courtyard -usually ksour are three or even four storeys high. Entry to the upper levels of ghorfas is via very narrow stairs </span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";">or even stepping stones sticking out of the walls.</span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";">The end result is one of the most unique architectonic structures I’ve seen. And very pleasing to the eye.</span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";">Oh, and apparently ksar Ouled Soltane was used as a set for some scene in Star Wars I: The Phantom Menace. What can I say. Star Wars do seem to know how to pick their locations</span></div>
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Kati Åberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04729186654384794395noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4856765924876984415.post-89655598390610176542019-12-13T22:12:00.000+02:002019-12-13T23:21:15.076+02:00Tourist Stalking in Ancient Homes<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">Finally, the land is green. What a sight for sore eyes after the endless ochre and burnt yellow of sand.</span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">The ploughed fields here in the mountainous North-West of the country even look like they have something resembling deep brown top soil.</span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">Ah, mountains! Well, the great mountain ranges of the world would scornfully call these foothills, but I’m from Finland, so who am I to complain. </span><span style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">And the views are very nice. In terms of the nature, this is the prettiest corner of Tunisia. </span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">I have entered the border regions, with Algeria hovering just kilometres away. There is an ongoing and semi-permanent operation by the Tunisian police and army to try to stop the smugglers taking food and contraband to war-torn Algeria. The Tunisian authorities call the smugglers terrorists, but apparently the motivation for this activity is purely mercenary, not political or religious. </span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">The first indication of this border unrest I got in the charming town of El Kef. High in the mountains with an old basar on the top of the hills and stunning views, el Kef was a very nice place, where I roamed free as a bird. There are old Roman baths still in use located 12 km from El Kef. Bathing in 2000 year old pools was definitely on my agenda. But alas, the police didn’t allow foreigners to the pools, which were too close to the border. So close! </span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">My next port of call was Jandouba and specifically the unique ancient Roman ruins of Bulla Regia. Bulla Regia has pretty views and the usual ruins overground, with some rather wonderful mosaics still in situ, being rained on, walked on by tourists and gradually being overgrown by weeds.</span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">There was a well preserved theatre with a mosaic of a ferocious bear as a reminder that theatres featured not only ancient tragedies, but other forms of entertainment as well - including bear fights.</span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">And of course there are several hammams, with pools that looked ready to slip into. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrXglzRsBLfsefRqwfwfsz6eV9vAE6tZSmk04wvltUsOQ6-5Rpj5VtuN1Z23n88sjenywZbxd914_B5Hm0WfnfZupAksqHVVzO22J4tp7L_u0lRoSbwgKTeoDHy3uzYnNmhqa04WMtGWI/s1600/C13EB454-AFC3-46CB-9563-79EDA87E0F70.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1070" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrXglzRsBLfsefRqwfwfsz6eV9vAE6tZSmk04wvltUsOQ6-5Rpj5VtuN1Z23n88sjenywZbxd914_B5Hm0WfnfZupAksqHVVzO22J4tp7L_u0lRoSbwgKTeoDHy3uzYnNmhqa04WMtGWI/s400/C13EB454-AFC3-46CB-9563-79EDA87E0F70.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">But the truly unique feature of Bulla Regia is, that like the Berbers with their trogladyte dwellings, also here the locals dug deep. Below the semi-ruined ground floors of the buildings </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfL78jI3YSyjerzQ37s_rkFbB-ou1B4WwuEGS9xold08ldajeRBQYl38JNOlHSZBoUztJIkXqhY_4ESe8U0I-PDfJyVExR98ifcLn9Y8iCPNyKOPmy53F5eOJspKbcGPjHElGT5clf1ow/s1600/14534562-7E23-4870-9F79-E0DC7306C462.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1070" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfL78jI3YSyjerzQ37s_rkFbB-ou1B4WwuEGS9xold08ldajeRBQYl38JNOlHSZBoUztJIkXqhY_4ESe8U0I-PDfJyVExR98ifcLn9Y8iCPNyKOPmy53F5eOJspKbcGPjHElGT5clf1ow/s400/14534562-7E23-4870-9F79-E0DC7306C462.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div>
<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">are living spaces dug underground to escape the brutal heat of summer.</span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">And in many of the excavated homes, the lowest levels have remained intact. So here you can actually enter a Roman villa which has walls and a ceiling and so get a totally unique sense of what these luxury homes were like.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNgsmoZ0J4ZJA2w9_00UstQMJniQRYsqefXw3HaTupyPuSrsAHn8WUkP8obCc_zk3uNK9h4sKMJp_V1yju1yN9RHftWDMlts4gm-bkI5ja3cqWCuFL7v2mpKczeDphbr85Q81K97OHbMk/s1600/0D2C4389-C970-4135-80DE-F973AF93A83C.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1528" data-original-width="1020" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNgsmoZ0J4ZJA2w9_00UstQMJniQRYsqefXw3HaTupyPuSrsAHn8WUkP8obCc_zk3uNK9h4sKMJp_V1yju1yN9RHftWDMlts4gm-bkI5ja3cqWCuFL7v2mpKczeDphbr85Q81K97OHbMk/s400/0D2C4389-C970-4135-80DE-F973AF93A83C.jpeg" width="266" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-Avfo9kPRn2h18lJ180ZjX5OzqC-_EcXJ55Pds5h-MSZUovUVWdfC-aKQ8ssuPlFFSrwjyt2DBwGqWaO3mxfUbMKv2IlqhtGB9fwcp6pFRmi7z22OLhBWZTwXRaXzRhV0_MScLTiRJso/s1600/98BF200A-93E5-47C6-BFAF-FA4A8CA8FB6A.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1070" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-Avfo9kPRn2h18lJ180ZjX5OzqC-_EcXJ55Pds5h-MSZUovUVWdfC-aKQ8ssuPlFFSrwjyt2DBwGqWaO3mxfUbMKv2IlqhtGB9fwcp6pFRmi7z22OLhBWZTwXRaXzRhV0_MScLTiRJso/s400/98BF200A-93E5-47C6-BFAF-FA4A8CA8FB6A.jpeg" width="266" /></a></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">And though many of the best mosaics have been removed to museums around the country, some stunners are left. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7YMQCrCmtsNlqMINZNGEFPyTr-I3eRZ31WzYdudYaI1myAJmKr-4qf-DBO_HFkwXcQxLPErDXSNl45jJKSwXm2_3xXvhrbrd7ZxskDI1mb0twrZ797fe5cqvzRBVc9YMO5FalypZ-gkM/s1600/2572E7FD-5519-4DA8-9EED-2657160A4F66.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1070" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7YMQCrCmtsNlqMINZNGEFPyTr-I3eRZ31WzYdudYaI1myAJmKr-4qf-DBO_HFkwXcQxLPErDXSNl45jJKSwXm2_3xXvhrbrd7ZxskDI1mb0twrZ797fe5cqvzRBVc9YMO5FalypZ-gkM/s400/2572E7FD-5519-4DA8-9EED-2657160A4F66.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">The most impressive of these being a mosaic of Venus being borne aloft by two sea gods and crowned by cupids.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwTamsBENxHWYc6k93dlZw6ONgrru8RnpzlvSIvYGcm3lxCA-vUqycyMUe0sRvxmdPmC130zTFTyzNYEtA23VcVKqS1_-EDic_8kwjixZ9Zqk_MdKqN4j-c7PvNJt6gs3gK-KFlPpwsFc/s1600/18659D2F-6608-41C9-BB80-8E9283D345CE.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1070" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwTamsBENxHWYc6k93dlZw6ONgrru8RnpzlvSIvYGcm3lxCA-vUqycyMUe0sRvxmdPmC130zTFTyzNYEtA23VcVKqS1_-EDic_8kwjixZ9Zqk_MdKqN4j-c7PvNJt6gs3gK-KFlPpwsFc/s400/18659D2F-6608-41C9-BB80-8E9283D345CE.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4ej8JX98vUJWV6IlssPYhCmRhDeEKU7NLScfIb_bmrp5UbQHzvGC5f_LGroPZoYdD7gIu89akQpeyJjQsEzZVsW1Q6P54mRmOXPCAx3b4abnycTKWN7iZPyLfJYfOw5b5EGQeZLmIjlE/s1600/6EBD5346-52BF-4775-ABB2-F83C35F6B1FD.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1070" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4ej8JX98vUJWV6IlssPYhCmRhDeEKU7NLScfIb_bmrp5UbQHzvGC5f_LGroPZoYdD7gIu89akQpeyJjQsEzZVsW1Q6P54mRmOXPCAx3b4abnycTKWN7iZPyLfJYfOw5b5EGQeZLmIjlE/s400/6EBD5346-52BF-4775-ABB2-F83C35F6B1FD.jpeg" width="266" /></a></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">This was once a dining hall, where the seating was around the walls, so that the mosaic was clearly visible and formed a nice centrepiece and possibly a menu for a fish dinner.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7vD7PfZu-XVIQz4K7LvJjOjrsKqMXlhVz_Ls-DPCgmAGdLcBbwiMhyphenhyphenrc8LLW0LTrpz7JDbGWMMXx0g-trz4sjoa58PJRLVb62qASdBodB1lbnSLXB1qEW-XIrcAsKum-XOZpL0M-uSME/s1600/C6777F72-A51B-4EC2-83AB-43BA8077E701.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1070" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7vD7PfZu-XVIQz4K7LvJjOjrsKqMXlhVz_Ls-DPCgmAGdLcBbwiMhyphenhyphenrc8LLW0LTrpz7JDbGWMMXx0g-trz4sjoa58PJRLVb62qASdBodB1lbnSLXB1qEW-XIrcAsKum-XOZpL0M-uSME/s400/C6777F72-A51B-4EC2-83AB-43BA8077E701.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">In Jendouba the secrity measures really caught up with me. As I stepped off the bus I was accosted by the security police, who wanted to know where I was going. I duly told them. On returning from Bulla Regia the local security guard flagged down a shared taxi for me (these shared taxis work rather like louages, except the taxis pick up customers en route, so they are not necessarily full when setting off). The guard took all kinds of info from the driver including his telephone number. I told him and the driver I wished to be dropped off in the centre of town to find my dinner (which project didn’t end well as all who read my last entry will know). However halfway to town the driver got a call and I understood it was the security guard directing the driver to take me to my hotel instead. So despite my protests, he refused to let me off in the centre but drove me to my hotel and even demanded that I physically walk into the hotel - not start walking straight to town to find food as I would have otherwise done. I understood he was just the messenger so I didn’t shoot him. But when I finally had swung by the hotel lobby to let him off the hook, I swung right back out again and started walking towards the centre. I managed to walk around 50 meters before I got stopped by the tourist police, who questioned me about where I was going and had a big pow-wow on whether my walking about was ok or not. </span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">To some extent this has been the pattern for the next two towns I went to after Jendouba as well. At least in the next town, the pretty mountain village of Ain Draham, the tourist police who leeched onto me the moment I got off the bus gave me a lift to my hotel. Unlike the ones in my third port of call, Tabarka. They just followed me in their pickup as I huffed and puffed up a steep and seemingly endless driveway to my hotel carrying my backpack. Tabarka is, in other respects a totally charming seaside town with an old fortress on an island.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhab1z3xBllRuHFKmjYQhwyHC1hri6oQNTWCqxNTyQosUqQTq4to1c5wZ2rTbfBMNJgZSyrTuXm7uXr2GEb0TYzF3KBkPZ2n58OBHFIiY-TTetdxMY-NjiNGHHt_glmoPy6F0z55VK2ui4/s1600/8A158FDE-550E-4D23-8C60-1E8B4E981FE8.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1070" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhab1z3xBllRuHFKmjYQhwyHC1hri6oQNTWCqxNTyQosUqQTq4to1c5wZ2rTbfBMNJgZSyrTuXm7uXr2GEb0TYzF3KBkPZ2n58OBHFIiY-TTetdxMY-NjiNGHHt_glmoPy6F0z55VK2ui4/s400/8A158FDE-550E-4D23-8C60-1E8B4E981FE8.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">In these border regions, the tourist police are always asking how long I will be staying at the hotel (answer: I don’t know. Depends what I feel like doing tomorrow morning), where I will be going next (answer: same as previously) and what time in the morning I’ll be leaving (answer: depends when I wake up). I’m clearly a very odd and badly behaved kind of tourist in their books.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">But dammit, I would be really crap at living in a totalitarian police state! </span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">I’m obviously not used to it, for one thing. But this regime of officials telling me what I can or can’t do and monitoring my every move is starting to get my goat.</span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">Austensibly all this activity is for my safety. But the activities of these ”security” police seem totally random, more beaurocratic than genuinely safety inducing. At the same time as they will make the hotel concierge knock on my door at night to check if I’m really leaving the next morning (papers must be filled), and the whole louage wait while they take copies of my passport, nobody seems interested when I set out on lonesome treks up the local mountains through cork and pine groves getting a bit lost and tangled up in brambles and bleated at by goats. As an activity I would presume these rambles are more of a safety hazard than the tourist police not knowing what time I’m having breakfast.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVhK86It79E-LShk-2Nr0ERZE0mcpYTJw3J1dts3U12EipWKyJvijPAl4ckWTXxfis29VRCNRlzARLKv6ZpQnNesh04qTBepPOg6XcJLV6FmPWFAQjNg8nR380hhc-gMCKnGac2wvHrA4/s1600/A7FC8754-979F-431D-8C52-75069BC20E94.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1070" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVhK86It79E-LShk-2Nr0ERZE0mcpYTJw3J1dts3U12EipWKyJvijPAl4ckWTXxfis29VRCNRlzARLKv6ZpQnNesh04qTBepPOg6XcJLV6FmPWFAQjNg8nR380hhc-gMCKnGac2wvHrA4/s400/A7FC8754-979F-431D-8C52-75069BC20E94.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtwwpivv-1w6tQEIsQYGEy4-g8HOaWTEeTM6-LgnnOtjOpH9qSSP-ZgnqlzsBQuxYbLZuC520MP4I7lBuGjC-gzsR_e4Ry1qSDKn181Qe2fDYf7DFvOvi87ok0LDK56585dUWYGInSJ2A/s1600/CA6AEF78-4E62-409C-948C-CF1AD52158C3.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1070" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtwwpivv-1w6tQEIsQYGEy4-g8HOaWTEeTM6-LgnnOtjOpH9qSSP-ZgnqlzsBQuxYbLZuC520MP4I7lBuGjC-gzsR_e4Ry1qSDKn181Qe2fDYf7DFvOvi87ok0LDK56585dUWYGInSJ2A/s400/CA6AEF78-4E62-409C-948C-CF1AD52158C3.jpeg" width="266" /></a></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">Oh well, as my last week in Tunis commences, I’m heading East and away from the mountains and the border - leaving tourist police behind me. They will not be missed.</span></div>
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Kati Åberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04729186654384794395noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4856765924876984415.post-33237681653381018182019-12-09T13:10:00.000+02:002019-12-09T13:10:51.713+02:00Of Men and Women<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzDzqfTpRYDhNkpt3Bhsd06o9wKVLqIar7P1Sg87qJX1nE5aVsK1BxmcxUpTmjTUJciNVKNpnsZb6DTY-XuRMip6UwuhBETQ97Ua3P1ujnjZoODffq4MVfkIb2IIZdn7lkVRZj2XWOSE8/s1600/1394EC5B-32D1-4407-BAA2-490D9164234D.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="849" data-original-width="1270" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzDzqfTpRYDhNkpt3Bhsd06o9wKVLqIar7P1Sg87qJX1nE5aVsK1BxmcxUpTmjTUJciNVKNpnsZb6DTY-XuRMip6UwuhBETQ97Ua3P1ujnjZoODffq4MVfkIb2IIZdn7lkVRZj2XWOSE8/s400/1394EC5B-32D1-4407-BAA2-490D9164234D.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";">Today’s entry is about women and men. Therefore it’s about cafés, hammam culture, shouting matches and cake.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw_RRkOEavUZQrMWo2j0ZDyo7fPqZ8oAaVvAbkYvBrw3WPa3biUxPCR5fy-am8ZFCUwAgZsACgix8Q7S9EOZEPXpmmhhhldSqKWxv1yCMm4xmP4pVz-EY5Q3r4JqdWRvs7GR5GAOEyrvg/s1600/4AAB34E7-782D-46F1-8B5F-AD0365771BBC.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="873" data-original-width="1307" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw_RRkOEavUZQrMWo2j0ZDyo7fPqZ8oAaVvAbkYvBrw3WPa3biUxPCR5fy-am8ZFCUwAgZsACgix8Q7S9EOZEPXpmmhhhldSqKWxv1yCMm4xmP4pVz-EY5Q3r4JqdWRvs7GR5GAOEyrvg/s400/4AAB34E7-782D-46F1-8B5F-AD0365771BBC.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";">I’ve come to the conclusion that it would be quite nice to be a man in Tunisia.</span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";">The good old boys certainly don’t seem lonely here. Whatever their age, they are to be seen in clusters - old men sitting by the roadside discussing the ways of the world, </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGyHl4EeDfPcwjSh40GzudLbBWodOZdABV6GoPbOb06yyKFhDaEMxybapx3-klJB_VJDE5Q1rpMJBN9v8qYoIN2QzfuuhIrnR5tVz72NIsbyltF5kHL2I45VHZTKh7yKdVmB1Z4AWnYg0/s1600/C2C3BBB4-C5A4-45D0-893E-EA926CEFBF90.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1070" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGyHl4EeDfPcwjSh40GzudLbBWodOZdABV6GoPbOb06yyKFhDaEMxybapx3-klJB_VJDE5Q1rpMJBN9v8qYoIN2QzfuuhIrnR5tVz72NIsbyltF5kHL2I45VHZTKh7yKdVmB1Z4AWnYg0/s400/C2C3BBB4-C5A4-45D0-893E-EA926CEFBF90.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7nRZtDe3f2U4oY4jXjHP0_WKl9zTvsYD01rbfV4hSGS69aTB6uvboZpXdSE7XrFEFz2RcDHvgqLWM_F21X4DHhJGc3gyYUj9qp6CQ1QHHGcuUkEstpvq4F3WY2cV6EuvtEugNaASA6nY/s1600/F42C160F-B3AC-43F9-A274-EF68FBF9BFF3.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="575" data-original-width="872" height="263" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7nRZtDe3f2U4oY4jXjHP0_WKl9zTvsYD01rbfV4hSGS69aTB6uvboZpXdSE7XrFEFz2RcDHvgqLWM_F21X4DHhJGc3gyYUj9qp6CQ1QHHGcuUkEstpvq4F3WY2cV6EuvtEugNaASA6nY/s400/F42C160F-B3AC-43F9-A274-EF68FBF9BFF3.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";">groups of young men sitting on rocks smoking, louage drivers stopping the car to have a quick chat with a friend they see on the raodside, or, as in the case of my mate mr Hamadi, men playing the French card game belote every night for the past 30 years at their regular cafe and still enjoying it!</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoQJ0K6FXAHY8Er2ePq4pm4jl15suemRdk4G3fuwoqgmnKmu9IBNGZP63jx2C54khURzkEhaEQ31Gu4LYVtSeWT_xq9Ou_35nHRCbJPSrCsJNq_01Wu1gtAX87jun8_QLyVWmAyeISnjM/s1600/E1FBDD8F-B561-46FE-AF85-3D41ACACCD34.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1347" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoQJ0K6FXAHY8Er2ePq4pm4jl15suemRdk4G3fuwoqgmnKmu9IBNGZP63jx2C54khURzkEhaEQ31Gu4LYVtSeWT_xq9Ou_35nHRCbJPSrCsJNq_01Wu1gtAX87jun8_QLyVWmAyeISnjM/s400/E1FBDD8F-B561-46FE-AF85-3D41ACACCD34.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";">Grown men behave in very youthful ways - playing pranks on each other and always laughing, laughing, laughing together. </span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";">I think it would be very hard in this country for a man to die at home alone so that nobody notices and his dalmatians eat him. I have also not seen any dalmatians yet.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-7CBYgZNJAwRBdxz9ORF00GlcC4oT3j6P5VATwUhywN97aF8tYVUGyiZ4rGMYcQRWEWbcG08KHPIoaZ0NpPXFAYbJfeD_TH6OpWL7SSTRONUFZeHTA62y8YUdgroQ6F0WcHJ9230Xrs8/s1600/0339FDC7-A648-49E7-AA85-2F52DDCFF534.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1060" data-original-width="1587" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-7CBYgZNJAwRBdxz9ORF00GlcC4oT3j6P5VATwUhywN97aF8tYVUGyiZ4rGMYcQRWEWbcG08KHPIoaZ0NpPXFAYbJfeD_TH6OpWL7SSTRONUFZeHTA62y8YUdgroQ6F0WcHJ9230Xrs8/s400/0339FDC7-A648-49E7-AA85-2F52DDCFF534.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";">The most sacred domain of men are the cafés. This is where men of all ages do the serious talking and sit smoking and drinking very little coffee but taking a long time over it. </span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";">And make no mistake, the cafés here are for men. A couple of family-friendly cafés do see a scarse smattering of women (usually with their husbands, or with friends, never alone) sitting enjoying a cup of coffee in the afternoon. But in most cafés, and in the evenings in all cafés, it’s strictly boys only.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVe7nnM42PZqBBZd5rqI1L1JEMk7RUq6IvJ7h71MpycBh7CcIdvRML8T_xhdTyV1v8fwrdHBUg3qRf_CGbhpy2FuyYJDoXifTK59wWO44MxCgmBuJrfyZDh7Chg2WRSH3TxJ9SPBdkxyE/s1600/ACC9C6AB-99AB-4872-9CF7-22C7A8985D29.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="414" data-original-width="619" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVe7nnM42PZqBBZd5rqI1L1JEMk7RUq6IvJ7h71MpycBh7CcIdvRML8T_xhdTyV1v8fwrdHBUg3qRf_CGbhpy2FuyYJDoXifTK59wWO44MxCgmBuJrfyZDh7Chg2WRSH3TxJ9SPBdkxyE/s400/ACC9C6AB-99AB-4872-9CF7-22C7A8985D29.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";">My hotel in Kairouan was on one of the main squares of the town. It was absolutely chock-a-block with streetside cafés, all of them doing a very brisk trade. Going back to the hotel at dusk was a slightly surreal experience, since I had to push my way past row upon row of chairs full of men. There were easily a hundred people on the square - and at 6pm, I was the only woman in sight.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx8Y_Bbofwu82lZC3sFrHHu7nbRpRt6Ijp-CY-PvspF_b0i4sv4sLUJubVVkw19bjfm5Xr6JC5OujjbJCAdhN7cgjYLYs4OmPakuDa5nCBXbv8tciwSd05IBlfvoDNUEw3AkviiHsj3Ns/s1600/8AD74DE9-C3B4-4EA7-8D94-C1A26D33765F.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="886" data-original-width="1326" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx8Y_Bbofwu82lZC3sFrHHu7nbRpRt6Ijp-CY-PvspF_b0i4sv4sLUJubVVkw19bjfm5Xr6JC5OujjbJCAdhN7cgjYLYs4OmPakuDa5nCBXbv8tciwSd05IBlfvoDNUEw3AkviiHsj3Ns/s400/8AD74DE9-C3B4-4EA7-8D94-C1A26D33765F.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";">A fresh low was achieved in the extremely untouristy town of Jendouba. Admittedly it was Sunday evening, when things tend to be closed. As I wandered along the streets in search of nourishment, I found only one restaurant that was open - they were grilling fish outside and that seemed tempting enough for me to try to penetrate the cigarrette smoke and push on into the establishment. However I was told firmly at the door, that women were not allowed. So apparently only. men need to eat on Sunday evenings? I ended up eating bananas and bisquits in my hotel room. A new culinary low on this trip.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzRGKvlQ5KlQOe0PS8jvToxaFxLZb1VlgsVXMWMfGHdatzm_PWXWd-GXnqb5MKjpEJ19w4bpoCxXX4NheRFquhbOefz4j9qTsi2iXf1uxG6RmXZu16WARaDy-nMOgwN40r6t6wCPjU9E8/s1600/0F37B76E-8C74-47EE-A177-40C7F30AE5C7.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1070" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzRGKvlQ5KlQOe0PS8jvToxaFxLZb1VlgsVXMWMfGHdatzm_PWXWd-GXnqb5MKjpEJ19w4bpoCxXX4NheRFquhbOefz4j9qTsi2iXf1uxG6RmXZu16WARaDy-nMOgwN40r6t6wCPjU9E8/s400/0F37B76E-8C74-47EE-A177-40C7F30AE5C7.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";">So where are the women while all this smoking, coffee drinking and fish frying is taking place?</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQiJUVwGxD1CjyYCaDZvmfqBDFz0IMwCaCcM-oK5eOAhccsc9gPh3_nvgjTYAL7UiWIlSqwTQuPAs3uL2yrezijXdyoPjZPBfhJs9RtNlJv91m5-t2MQdjNABVrZg1uBRlLxJLVjjtfCc/s1600/E414016A-DCD4-4E27-8D26-CF09D5E6D58D.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="759" data-original-width="1135" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQiJUVwGxD1CjyYCaDZvmfqBDFz0IMwCaCcM-oK5eOAhccsc9gPh3_nvgjTYAL7UiWIlSqwTQuPAs3uL2yrezijXdyoPjZPBfhJs9RtNlJv91m5-t2MQdjNABVrZg1uBRlLxJLVjjtfCc/s400/E414016A-DCD4-4E27-8D26-CF09D5E6D58D.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: ".SFUIText";">On market days, women can be seen shopping for household items or clothes </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGe4QkFZvm50jIk2hNxwTAx3sULPkN2EFt6wBTFQsNMM_tNo9V8_VFlYtxt6AEeTc2yJs4XtDROpvIYFB1EDvbShFplON9hkqAQxfu3tplFLecyRkY19T5uXDUQlEa1ONgUXOxf9mozeY/s1600/A99520D1-D682-4375-9619-55A7FFB6F803.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="888" data-original-width="1329" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGe4QkFZvm50jIk2hNxwTAx3sULPkN2EFt6wBTFQsNMM_tNo9V8_VFlYtxt6AEeTc2yJs4XtDROpvIYFB1EDvbShFplON9hkqAQxfu3tplFLecyRkY19T5uXDUQlEa1ONgUXOxf9mozeY/s400/A99520D1-D682-4375-9619-55A7FFB6F803.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje_MxwKeP5H_AvptYMqTo1oAZJt6kXx_qrbtOqwTqSpq8rZx7KC1L0h9WIwenuySC2LmH4KK-pUZfe7SsBKNIUUD9FuG3X7b8qAcsv2XnBzg7Q8IPi_zj4maxutUVHGk-uiXs8XyS06sM/s1600/A15D5655-12BD-4226-BFE6-C36989AB35B6.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="885" data-original-width="1325" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje_MxwKeP5H_AvptYMqTo1oAZJt6kXx_qrbtOqwTqSpq8rZx7KC1L0h9WIwenuySC2LmH4KK-pUZfe7SsBKNIUUD9FuG3X7b8qAcsv2XnBzg7Q8IPi_zj4maxutUVHGk-uiXs8XyS06sM/s400/A15D5655-12BD-4226-BFE6-C36989AB35B6.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Or for food any day of the week.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7yzardDdwxE4viVL5wTTO4Nvgm2PSn5xoaMEatFrBDEmbq0qtot9hwE8wCz4Cz6V1HUdrlKcmKu7F3IGfhE92JovfKO3V4S-hLz8aO7YeGsWPrgjEkckegkQkCFKrNYiyXHEfXIPAvCY/s1600/3E1B5349-9888-4CD4-B6D3-832FEFB7F876.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1070" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7yzardDdwxE4viVL5wTTO4Nvgm2PSn5xoaMEatFrBDEmbq0qtot9hwE8wCz4Cz6V1HUdrlKcmKu7F3IGfhE92JovfKO3V4S-hLz8aO7YeGsWPrgjEkckegkQkCFKrNYiyXHEfXIPAvCY/s400/3E1B5349-9888-4CD4-B6D3-832FEFB7F876.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg08UwqpYEnNk4sdI0rLemAB35IB9u5xA5vLTAyMgAOKu4lHZwTC3PVHzqjr9aIE8l9LRA4BSjt8F8Dn8fm29ptLszXp92F5dM4VkSd6PgjjtGT_zy-oMc5AccKTtDqSKHqN79qVuWBeXM/s1600/4FCFC698-54F7-4A87-9D32-2B7DD95C80BE.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="927" data-original-width="1387" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg08UwqpYEnNk4sdI0rLemAB35IB9u5xA5vLTAyMgAOKu4lHZwTC3PVHzqjr9aIE8l9LRA4BSjt8F8Dn8fm29ptLszXp92F5dM4VkSd6PgjjtGT_zy-oMc5AccKTtDqSKHqN79qVuWBeXM/s400/4FCFC698-54F7-4A87-9D32-2B7DD95C80BE.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";">And occasionally working behind the counter of a store or picking olives. Or cleaning and serving breakfast in hotels. And judging by the hotel cleaning ladies that I’ve seen in action so far, Tunisian women are hard workers! But that’s about it as far as seeing women is concerned!</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiba5GdKKB_tFpsYidteGLprN1VmxAAvDz-aC4IZ8EoBIDESIvle3k4eJZL7rWvb5u40Op4ZL1jBJUcRk31fS4Gl81NmUwgJBt0ZvzuK8oe53dARYcEp0yLujXB-VLMZ6HjrYl44Og2G_w/s1600/B9F6569D-9593-4CF7-BBA4-65C47B95C67B.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1070" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiba5GdKKB_tFpsYidteGLprN1VmxAAvDz-aC4IZ8EoBIDESIvle3k4eJZL7rWvb5u40Op4ZL1jBJUcRk31fS4Gl81NmUwgJBt0ZvzuK8oe53dARYcEp0yLujXB-VLMZ6HjrYl44Og2G_w/s400/B9F6569D-9593-4CF7-BBA4-65C47B95C67B.jpeg" width="266" /></a></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";">Probably the closest I’ve come to the secret world of women is in the local steam baths, hammams. And as many of you know, I’m a sucker for all things sauna or hammam -related. So I’ve made quite an extensive study of the local steam baths by now.</span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";">Let me walk you through the procedure of a local hammam. Hammam’s tend to be for women between noon and 5pm and for men in the evenings. But even if you know this, first you have to find the place. Not easy, since there doesn’t seem to be any rule as to how a hammam will look on the outside. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik2yi4UcRbXkG9TJnwhdm8fny7Vow1t-cz3qgc9f7kyZnVWru1EFT8vGbp2xALmy3bZp7PCmm2GKocK4-Q0z8eh7So9Rcdc3i_sft7p5Ym6rdl8zOvpmLBGZWx0-jGAsfc7zniKZWVH_4/s1600/B19B382D-473D-4E09-A112-83CD84B9B506.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1031" data-original-width="1543" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik2yi4UcRbXkG9TJnwhdm8fny7Vow1t-cz3qgc9f7kyZnVWru1EFT8vGbp2xALmy3bZp7PCmm2GKocK4-Q0z8eh7So9Rcdc3i_sft7p5Ym6rdl8zOvpmLBGZWx0-jGAsfc7zniKZWVH_4/s400/B19B382D-473D-4E09-A112-83CD84B9B506.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";">There may be curtained doors - but then also regular house doors may have curtains. There could be a sign in French also, but usually only in Arabic, or no sign at all. The door could be red (as the guidebooks claim hammam doors are) - but usually not. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRJktJKySVkkr7X-gVHKE5oGSiyKn9UaILoC25-blrwEqVSifb3WpLfT6a5lL3N8yl31CItTCdlLDt2mRx7bMPEZeUhgXUIaPwv6cd4yomq-LU9joQkaYEEu2V6RqJ1dfiJ2fUPB_xu-w/s1600/10B28414-B754-445E-9894-7973C1505FF2.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1070" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRJktJKySVkkr7X-gVHKE5oGSiyKn9UaILoC25-blrwEqVSifb3WpLfT6a5lL3N8yl31CItTCdlLDt2mRx7bMPEZeUhgXUIaPwv6cd4yomq-LU9joQkaYEEu2V6RqJ1dfiJ2fUPB_xu-w/s400/10B28414-B754-445E-9894-7973C1505FF2.jpeg" width="266" /></a></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";">The surest sign is if you see a little old lady carrying plastic buckets with a little plastic ladle, shampoo and flip-flops inside them slipping in through a nondescript-looking doorway. Hammam for sure.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFppSuGLBl3PNpgtCJt18mUi28wTng7ol_s646CmjiWpufY0Obb412G1M0A6emn-JZTlh-dqKrSWrVuX5MBwwhcQ5kp13bUAOHhlwYCsyfop9LHsU9geb07xcaoI_FVJK0AAHePhxEc-8/s1600/FA4FD81B-8260-45BB-8C36-40B78FFC7944.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1070" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFppSuGLBl3PNpgtCJt18mUi28wTng7ol_s646CmjiWpufY0Obb412G1M0A6emn-JZTlh-dqKrSWrVuX5MBwwhcQ5kp13bUAOHhlwYCsyfop9LHsU9geb07xcaoI_FVJK0AAHePhxEc-8/s400/FA4FD81B-8260-45BB-8C36-40B78FFC7944.jpeg" width="266" /></a></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";">From the road, fIrst you enter a small entry hall, they you pass through a curtain to another small entry hall and through a third curtain to the main changing room. This is a large, often domed, space with a mat-covered, elevated area round the sides. You take off your shoes before stepping up to the elevated platform to change clothes. The bottom part of a bikini or knickers are always used in the hammam - full nudity is not done here.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyjJNMupAiPNavxdQeji4dEEMqnNk9SJwvAG509wf-SCK1UAGc9OF6ZSmGm9icWMnS7xySvZsVagu0Ylcu20mkqEbPDBIFGSANXRNw2mVK2RQ4sFf0pUZTVgCrmJGhyTElYb2Aq132nrc/s1600/91BFBDB0-B682-46F0-92C7-9EBA6CA3240F.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1070" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyjJNMupAiPNavxdQeji4dEEMqnNk9SJwvAG509wf-SCK1UAGc9OF6ZSmGm9icWMnS7xySvZsVagu0Ylcu20mkqEbPDBIFGSANXRNw2mVK2RQ4sFf0pUZTVgCrmJGhyTElYb2Aq132nrc/s400/91BFBDB0-B682-46F0-92C7-9EBA6CA3240F.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";">There is a counter when you enter the changing room, where you pay the hammam entry fee (typically 3 dinars, so just under 1 euro) and for any extra services you may require. The most common service is the washing service - called gommage (usually also 3 dinars). In a gommage, a lady, usually elderly, will use a hammam washing glove - called keisah - to flay you. Now a hammam washing glove round here is about as soft as one of those iron wool pads you use to scour the oven. Talk about exfoliating! My official reason for not being more tanned after this trip is, I think all the tan got rubbed off in the hammams. </span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";">You can also decide to add on a massage. So far the term massage has resulted in a) having surprisingly cold mud (or some weirdly grey-green soap?) ladled onto you and getting quite a nice mud-massage (3 euros) b) a regular massage in a separate massage room with oriental muzak playing in the background (9 euro rip-off) and c) being shampooed all over very gently (90cents worth of throth and relaxation).</span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";">There are several rooms of different temperatures in a hammam. The gommages and massages usually take place in the first hall you enter after the changing rooms. This is the coolest of the warm rooms. There are tile-covered podiums on which the treatment is done. Hot and cold water come out of taps or in some cases out of great pools of hot/cold water in the steam rooms. (Well, the rooms aren’t usually all that steamy but in the best cases, the hottest room will be a bit steamed up). After treatment you can mess around adding hot and cold water to your little buckets, ladling it on yourself, rubbing down, scouring, ladling some more, soaking feet in oh-hot-hot-hot water... Good fun. Still better fun is watching the locals. From very old ladies to mothers with children, teenagers - everyone comes to a hammam. This tradition is clearly not dying out.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq-ZsKxjLaG7OaiJitHeqNsNLu1wqct7R0B1u6UVhk_6tUrjpyc5nLucRzMg6IangQ-mK_VGCvivZc5IYMS2dFHCTByDGH6TSraCcVwR48taDKSfNP9vsbfmPtvnPyLX0swA1y96umKzs/s1600/BA6F0014-EF2D-4B58-A829-F354E714C608.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1070" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq-ZsKxjLaG7OaiJitHeqNsNLu1wqct7R0B1u6UVhk_6tUrjpyc5nLucRzMg6IangQ-mK_VGCvivZc5IYMS2dFHCTByDGH6TSraCcVwR48taDKSfNP9vsbfmPtvnPyLX0swA1y96umKzs/s400/BA6F0014-EF2D-4B58-A829-F354E714C608.jpeg" width="266" /></a></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";">The first introduction to hammams at the beginning of this trip was in Tozeur. It could have been offputting for a less hardened hammamista (new term, copyright Kati). At the door Eva and I were welcomed with a barrage of extremely heated shrieking and screetching! Two or three women were going at it hammer and tongs - one of them was the lady who washes clients at the hammam. The heat and intensity of the argument was such, that in Finland you would have had to try to molest the washing woman in the showers or something to deserve this level of abuse and to raise such intense passion. But it was more likely a case of the client inadvertantly having dropped a bar of soap on the floor.</span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";">The second experience was slightly similar - this time in Houmt Souk and this time I know what the fuss was all about. The small hammam was very full and some little old ladies were hogging the seating around the side of the steam rooms with their buckets of water and having their legs up on the benches. When the washer woman asked them to lift down their buckets so that we would have space to sit down, all hell broke loose again. Ooooh, the screetching and the shouting - eyes flashing blue murder! Everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves immensely. Finally justice won the day and we got seats.</span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";">I’ve been trying to work out these out of control shouting matches. Is this the pent up frustration of women put down by society? Or is this shouting a steam valve, which allows the locals to seem usually so calm and easygoing? Is this an old hammam custom - to let the steam out in a steam room?</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7mgRzqADlastnvl6EoOZtYhrpe3MtRBnjXQkNM3rKGMvqWxwTygmhOGrb5QxqJrXfkRoTCVYVB9APIOSGYroaa4CVpGfQvw67NRc03Sej_P24kFLnmFejSFp0NlKGZ45HdfJfWiPo-OE/s1600/DB62FC81-F78E-4407-A4CA-CA3AD0EC728F.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1070" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7mgRzqADlastnvl6EoOZtYhrpe3MtRBnjXQkNM3rKGMvqWxwTygmhOGrb5QxqJrXfkRoTCVYVB9APIOSGYroaa4CVpGfQvw67NRc03Sej_P24kFLnmFejSFp0NlKGZ45HdfJfWiPo-OE/s400/DB62FC81-F78E-4407-A4CA-CA3AD0EC728F.jpeg" width="266" /></a></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";">Luckily my more recent visits to hammams have been more peaceful. A favourite, and unforgettable, moment was my second visit to the Houmt Souk hammam, which coincided with my birthday. I told the proprietress when I bought the ticket that it was my birthday. Since by this time I was a valued reapeat customer and treated like royalty, word got round. When I was being thoroughly gommaged by the washing lady, she started singing happy birthday to me. The proprietress popped in to the steam room to sing along. Soon that got the other ladies started. In the changing room the party continued. I got sung to, I got offered sandwiches and water and finally a lady walked in with a birthday cake, which was presented to me with much felicitation and joy all round! (Photo courtesy of the lady, who bought the cake)</span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";">The lady, apparently, worked in - or owned - a bakery nearby. And apparently someone called Fouzua had either not picked up her cake or refused to pay for it. So Fouzua I became. One of the more memoreable birthday surprises I’ve had!</span></div>
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Kati Åberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04729186654384794395noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4856765924876984415.post-55388913964249168642019-12-06T12:24:00.000+02:002019-12-06T12:27:36.922+02:00Holy Blue<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv2adDkIz-VQ_5DxbgrcLlejdPXtqieGrP34zGK5w8rVCJIlCfqg7QvsJLgGpXPIrj1QxSxWUzejToV1bhRLnNy52k0Sz5y3Gcug9yS8cEZnOCW3SRYC6MhzuJqYHoKSKmaSFsdsIuWwE/s1600/B6223633-00FD-46F7-8B7C-3A3894594FC9.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="959" data-original-width="1435" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv2adDkIz-VQ_5DxbgrcLlejdPXtqieGrP34zGK5w8rVCJIlCfqg7QvsJLgGpXPIrj1QxSxWUzejToV1bhRLnNy52k0Sz5y3Gcug9yS8cEZnOCW3SRYC6MhzuJqYHoKSKmaSFsdsIuWwE/s400/B6223633-00FD-46F7-8B7C-3A3894594FC9.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">Happy independence day Finland! Today’s entry is very blue and white in honour of the Finnish flag.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">I have now headed back to higher ground after spending the last few weeks by the sea. Having finally managed to tear myself away from Houmt Souk and the island of Djerba, I’ve been working my way gradually Northwards via Sfax, Mahdia, Monastir, scouring fortified old towns (medinas) with their narrow twisting streets </span><span style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">and Islamic fortreses (ribats) that look like storybook castles.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheqedtd5EJRpUthT8w4fO1sruKAcxBmzLP93MygvvwHjrFeBhnwk0ZSFDHtC8yhslm2rEcq7RD34fhiqzaj8tagTXkOVNjBfdLSqIYPCaH1NPSRKtxMXHcWps239EJtzirFVSOJAy8i7Q/s1600/0539AC87-09A7-4F02-8137-74DD30722C15.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1070" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheqedtd5EJRpUthT8w4fO1sruKAcxBmzLP93MygvvwHjrFeBhnwk0ZSFDHtC8yhslm2rEcq7RD34fhiqzaj8tagTXkOVNjBfdLSqIYPCaH1NPSRKtxMXHcWps239EJtzirFVSOJAy8i7Q/s400/0539AC87-09A7-4F02-8137-74DD30722C15.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPS3EYz7SPt-G4kH-DBGH0vWe5AXZE2pBLRJoph59Je7e_FNvKwdkOg9Ee1Rc5JTQmg_HgekMM8LwCNWduYVHglPpmWEswomznS1GpNpPAMQOA1vqwYrSZrhLLtTacHWHtrpc1834nBiM/s1600/1F0D277C-D106-4A68-8B1B-FF881DE7A1C2.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1070" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPS3EYz7SPt-G4kH-DBGH0vWe5AXZE2pBLRJoph59Je7e_FNvKwdkOg9Ee1Rc5JTQmg_HgekMM8LwCNWduYVHglPpmWEswomznS1GpNpPAMQOA1vqwYrSZrhLLtTacHWHtrpc1834nBiM/s400/1F0D277C-D106-4A68-8B1B-FF881DE7A1C2.jpeg" width="266" /></a></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">I even dared to take a quick day-trip to check out the medina of Sousse. Sousse is tourist heartland, but I met hardly any - at least Western - travellers. Either low season is really paying off, or else the tourists really do just stay in the zona touristico’s with their beaches, frappuccinos and hamburgers.</span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">But for fear of running out of coast, I’ve now headed inland. First stop was the very holy city of Kairouan, considered the fourth holiest site of Islam, since it houses the oldest mosque in North Africa. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbX1Yi_LqtPXrwiLxeDKx22gLWv4n53F5y_mnQin63QUfhwdwX1UOwTsnAr72jn_MvP27p39J_EqxkpjfNuS_s6tjSKFqcOX2wPYe-2uXHU0pn92Lc1u5_q3Q7MesjD7fQYx-niZ-oqp4/s1600/465E6CE8-F623-42FD-AB64-5AA5C066B26A.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1062" data-original-width="1588" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbX1Yi_LqtPXrwiLxeDKx22gLWv4n53F5y_mnQin63QUfhwdwX1UOwTsnAr72jn_MvP27p39J_EqxkpjfNuS_s6tjSKFqcOX2wPYe-2uXHU0pn92Lc1u5_q3Q7MesjD7fQYx-niZ-oqp4/s400/465E6CE8-F623-42FD-AB64-5AA5C066B26A.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuTfRYGF10BgTmepTI1ki6HWKpSKXgKwpF_n-8dRJ4YR2g4uYaqDfcDRfNxFAB0A716DLu0-8qjyWheYT5STGmcHkPVgCLSbKZnYdd2GCnLyY0ASEgEdwUvUjO3FnIHpEzf0FMKMNKrRU/s1600/A9EDB24F-BE2A-49CF-989E-5006DEF114FB.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1070" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuTfRYGF10BgTmepTI1ki6HWKpSKXgKwpF_n-8dRJ4YR2g4uYaqDfcDRfNxFAB0A716DLu0-8qjyWheYT5STGmcHkPVgCLSbKZnYdd2GCnLyY0ASEgEdwUvUjO3FnIHpEzf0FMKMNKrRU/s400/A9EDB24F-BE2A-49CF-989E-5006DEF114FB.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoF-FQsg6hdBaJ9_YZc2ZWQFjTmzhNa7LpczH5BlTRiFLTQVsuhJRq9mgFfMZnTvDQJ8vRNT0iPUw7UPlAhv68Xa_-9KGOmvoFF7tXx9qJl3dzevZPvv40O0IIiR1juujn07Fe_1ANPlQ/s1600/E34F8342-3FFB-40C7-A18B-CCFFFB87F9CF.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1070" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoF-FQsg6hdBaJ9_YZc2ZWQFjTmzhNa7LpczH5BlTRiFLTQVsuhJRq9mgFfMZnTvDQJ8vRNT0iPUw7UPlAhv68Xa_-9KGOmvoFF7tXx9qJl3dzevZPvv40O0IIiR1juujn07Fe_1ANPlQ/s400/E34F8342-3FFB-40C7-A18B-CCFFFB87F9CF.jpeg" width="266" /></a></div>
<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">This, the grande mosque, was originally founded in 670 AD, though the oldest part left standing is the minaret from 728 AD. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-nl4m0zZKT6NELAHSw5gCQqRQBoA2p-w-O0l9SFILARSto_51rQjY1IMpdpJdshIvzz07FHFOTJVcUar7dKAyZVkdDQ6Rh4kCO1BvwiP225J6h3G-MELALr2-bbnhcNFvNx9M6JNhl6A/s1600/CD8DE626-8278-4D48-A59E-A90BD338CD63.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1070" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-nl4m0zZKT6NELAHSw5gCQqRQBoA2p-w-O0l9SFILARSto_51rQjY1IMpdpJdshIvzz07FHFOTJVcUar7dKAyZVkdDQ6Rh4kCO1BvwiP225J6h3G-MELALr2-bbnhcNFvNx9M6JNhl6A/s400/CD8DE626-8278-4D48-A59E-A90BD338CD63.jpeg" width="266" /></a></div>
<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">When buildings are old here, they are really old. And into these already impressively old buildings the remains of even older structures are incorporated. The vandals may have attacked Tunisia at one point in history, but the true vandalisers of old Roman ruins are the Tunisians themselves. For example the great mosque alone has 414 pillars to support the horseshoe arches. They are all plundered from the Roman sites of Carthage and Hadrumetum (Sousse) and consequently no two are alike.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPzEKPPrE0qvKIKNjLuyriIsDtzb3dreXrhvhxmwrGyc-A4HFEFGrZGdOh5kjqqowb3QbfK1zmqn6fxKN4kLKn1BNmy-6forrfQb5ypJEssttpRnE156fB9kmB8J3GF-GThxnx4iDCNtw/s1600/1B0189B5-B8F3-4472-B315-73EBA3152EC5.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1070" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPzEKPPrE0qvKIKNjLuyriIsDtzb3dreXrhvhxmwrGyc-A4HFEFGrZGdOh5kjqqowb3QbfK1zmqn6fxKN4kLKn1BNmy-6forrfQb5ypJEssttpRnE156fB9kmB8J3GF-GThxnx4iDCNtw/s400/1B0189B5-B8F3-4472-B315-73EBA3152EC5.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMdvqTy3cDskBRpbU1hW61W-E2ZR_WOrFRvu6pilweeFTOGvisXfJ_cXCvkgqQUMRP7cyvAJnA1Qj0gyDleUX-RV7uIt841XMz6qxEoCiIsk3Y8wiDUXyTfyrbapbwOsndKHXQ6vNcsCU/s1600/23186598-AA10-410C-A1A3-04DEF04CE5DC.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1070" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMdvqTy3cDskBRpbU1hW61W-E2ZR_WOrFRvu6pilweeFTOGvisXfJ_cXCvkgqQUMRP7cyvAJnA1Qj0gyDleUX-RV7uIt841XMz6qxEoCiIsk3Y8wiDUXyTfyrbapbwOsndKHXQ6vNcsCU/s400/23186598-AA10-410C-A1A3-04DEF04CE5DC.jpeg" width="266" /></a></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">The great mosque has even recycled some old Roman stones with text on them in its walls (some upside down). The texts, curiously enough, tell of the building of a new pagan temple.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYiW5qfP9kVvVBPhXs_gRraARBSpUE2-kPuLsuOwhqRuVom97oe77g44CVbMXA-g9mgst_93gw4pInzxkRtNw5w6EPKOVXV9kP747FHiSLVywifQho6N7BdG6CzH5FEOaG-HY5p9UfIQo/s1600/4CA5EFBB-FCDD-47CD-942A-1937AA17D6D2.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1070" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYiW5qfP9kVvVBPhXs_gRraARBSpUE2-kPuLsuOwhqRuVom97oe77g44CVbMXA-g9mgst_93gw4pInzxkRtNw5w6EPKOVXV9kP747FHiSLVywifQho6N7BdG6CzH5FEOaG-HY5p9UfIQo/s400/4CA5EFBB-FCDD-47CD-942A-1937AA17D6D2.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div>
<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">And when done with religious monuments, any left over ancient Roman columns make very handy corner posts for the old medina. The way the locals drive, I suppose it is a good idea to enforce house corners in case of collisions.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnU_9e-F_yvuWPTQHHuovmHndirPfvunCRJm8apYvQKrAuyYIqDvGAKSvZGWqWqNty7honc1mKTzFTLjm9NcG0zsL33U1uEVk2j8lozprgSJJIfL0roq-iOZFViVCdL2D3DH3vH6cS0no/s1600/3792EE22-E948-414A-AC4F-9090ECE40985.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1070" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnU_9e-F_yvuWPTQHHuovmHndirPfvunCRJm8apYvQKrAuyYIqDvGAKSvZGWqWqNty7honc1mKTzFTLjm9NcG0zsL33U1uEVk2j8lozprgSJJIfL0roq-iOZFViVCdL2D3DH3vH6cS0no/s400/3792EE22-E948-414A-AC4F-9090ECE40985.jpeg" width="266" /></a></div>
<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">Another notable religious site in Kairouan is the rather stunning tomb of one of prophet Muhammed’s companions (sahab), Abu Zama el Belaoui. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWaBrWi47vV3MELI6QdsNSFeiqpoSBIBhi1vkXlE5lOZaB_Bf_kd-vlhEJIurdayTjdolE0d_FtVME-QC4znI3Wx8cp6jCQg_mBQaG3VSBQntjsKvWdwZnlrBe5T90dbMh3vjTUa3B82A/s1600/C2B727A5-C55E-4BB2-B995-A3B7CB071E23.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1070" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWaBrWi47vV3MELI6QdsNSFeiqpoSBIBhi1vkXlE5lOZaB_Bf_kd-vlhEJIurdayTjdolE0d_FtVME-QC4znI3Wx8cp6jCQg_mBQaG3VSBQntjsKvWdwZnlrBe5T90dbMh3vjTUa3B82A/s400/C2B727A5-C55E-4BB2-B995-A3B7CB071E23.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlTpdhCKq1htgVPXn5-oTktg-kxOYqoVXDNMb8lQBUNbcRGLFMf0RNf_hRVL8_mKqtluvdl4Oip7oqbch5J15tacKu2515dUhmpxornnrQnRBES-RnmCrt09B2YpMDLddouZdMtBwAySs/s1600/A88C138E-17FC-4ED2-BD71-F3360EFB9781.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1070" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlTpdhCKq1htgVPXn5-oTktg-kxOYqoVXDNMb8lQBUNbcRGLFMf0RNf_hRVL8_mKqtluvdl4Oip7oqbch5J15tacKu2515dUhmpxornnrQnRBES-RnmCrt09B2YpMDLddouZdMtBwAySs/s400/A88C138E-17FC-4ED2-BD71-F3360EFB9781.jpeg" width="266" /></a></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">He was commonly called the Barber, since he carried three hairs from the prophet’s beard with him wherever he went - including, one supposes, into the grave. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh65-iOi1skYQEDugSYvtvESHDJTd5d7UEl3Eqc362nsQqmWLP0zhuC7ZCf2sqX_C9eclT_Dtsq0tdbrAzc8u6RwvU4HWror4Kwqt83l04B0wSNKbDoF92_ufe0kcGwra3D0w7tFMdtXsY/s1600/841A1547-4CAA-4386-AFAE-7592D927749A.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1070" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh65-iOi1skYQEDugSYvtvESHDJTd5d7UEl3Eqc362nsQqmWLP0zhuC7ZCf2sqX_C9eclT_Dtsq0tdbrAzc8u6RwvU4HWror4Kwqt83l04B0wSNKbDoF92_ufe0kcGwra3D0w7tFMdtXsY/s400/841A1547-4CAA-4386-AFAE-7592D927749A.jpeg" width="266" /></a></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">Leaving one to ponder, how long dna lasts and could one some day clone the prophet from those hairs? </span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">Kairouan also gets the prize for bluest city! Blue is definitely the favourite colour of this country when it comes to decorating houses - but usually the houses are </span><span style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">whitewashed with blue windows and doorways. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOH_nkPOpnclFaOpOVvsRREMCMtlEElLg4nL-e1k7LXgD5WHcIwBPAcmKsu1aw3VGK0NSb8lOBli43hSZ81-QapJ3ftZv8TqwIY6_7mkWRTgke8VWBxh3VKe2mvnrwd1YsCCX2gCOxng4/s1600/6A67CDCE-BF78-4220-9C46-BB79F2F6E776.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1070" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOH_nkPOpnclFaOpOVvsRREMCMtlEElLg4nL-e1k7LXgD5WHcIwBPAcmKsu1aw3VGK0NSb8lOBli43hSZ81-QapJ3ftZv8TqwIY6_7mkWRTgke8VWBxh3VKe2mvnrwd1YsCCX2gCOxng4/s400/6A67CDCE-BF78-4220-9C46-BB79F2F6E776.jpeg" width="266" /></a></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">In Kairouan they go one further, and many of the houses in the old medina are bluewashed!</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRoUiNJqJa744OueGkWIt-YKUXXx-QVx1d7QAixHAWTaj5gEE1Sz7mndne38w89t2nR-N9o9wPxDohrHn05WxyI_B9KrCWujkpCDFkbbfI_rH5xtHJAuqM19OMlVeuWH1kYjwigMvKYGA/s1600/4EBB5432-0DA1-4A36-A42B-4CA18A985B0C.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1044" data-original-width="1562" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRoUiNJqJa744OueGkWIt-YKUXXx-QVx1d7QAixHAWTaj5gEE1Sz7mndne38w89t2nR-N9o9wPxDohrHn05WxyI_B9KrCWujkpCDFkbbfI_rH5xtHJAuqM19OMlVeuWH1kYjwigMvKYGA/s400/4EBB5432-0DA1-4A36-A42B-4CA18A985B0C.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi97EbgpWc9SwmDHX5KqhWV2tVik1utcoOvkkmpwLwmynixf3l2fKQDfj6tFqH8ZpPPuWLXt2HsacaF7PZLncomXcbU9O0N916yAQFzjmCyLFFY5-mfzS9dg49hyphenhyphentqA7Jpe_i1cCUPj0B4/s1600/B695E2D7-D458-480D-96DD-AF3ED35D03BC.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1070" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi97EbgpWc9SwmDHX5KqhWV2tVik1utcoOvkkmpwLwmynixf3l2fKQDfj6tFqH8ZpPPuWLXt2HsacaF7PZLncomXcbU9O0N916yAQFzjmCyLFFY5-mfzS9dg49hyphenhyphentqA7Jpe_i1cCUPj0B4/s400/B695E2D7-D458-480D-96DD-AF3ED35D03BC.jpeg" width="266" /></a></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">According to one legend, seven visits to Kairouan equal one visit to Mecca. And since Mecca is clearly off limits to me, this is as close as I’m likely to getting Islamic brownie points.</span></div>
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Kati Åberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04729186654384794395noreply@blogger.com2