CK's Journal

(For travel in Asia, go to 11/2008-1/2009)

May 1st & 5th – Here we are in the time of swine flu, nobody knowing how it will play out and the way we’re addressing it at Agape is to triage patients at the door and send everyone with flu-like symptoms one way and everyone else through the waiting room and on into the clinic. Irma, Pat and I are seeing the patients in the fever, cough, etc. area. I’m thinking, well, here I am again.

But what prompts me to write (now that the swine flu crisis seems to have passed) is that I saw this photograph of a young woman named Thao (one of my favorite names) studying in her dorm room in medical school in Haiphong. Check out that desk, and the closet at the head of the bed, and how about the mattress (we’re thinking the bottom bunk is the same). An Australian woman we know – Alison – created this extraordinary opportunity for Thao to go to medical school. Thao’s family is very very poor (single mother, seriously ill, forages in trash to survive) and there is no chance she would have made it without Alison and you, Alison, are the salt of the earth.

As I think about being back in the mountains, looking at photos of the Beartooths and Wind Rivers, the swelling in my chest feels almost physical. What a great thing it is to contemplate the (likely) reality that I will again stand in the cold alpine wind in the high mountains, surrounded by raw and sublime beauty. What a thing to be here! Alone on a high mountain meadow in August; by icy tarn waters, looking up at the night sky with stars by the millions right here/now, sitting among a million tiny alpine flowers, scrambling across rocky domes, and here come the clouds and soon the snow – first flecks of sleet, more, now the snow – ahhh.

The things that helped me get going into the mountains again include:

• The Sierra Club took me on my 1st return trip – Big Bend for a wonderful time.
• The backpackers.com forum has been immensely helpful in giving me knowledge and inspiration. Hikerjer (words) and swimswithtrout (photos) show the true heart of the matter and I’m grateful to them.
• Always, of course, Leslie, my beautiful understanding and supportive wife (and partner in the back roads and alleys of Southeast Asia).

Clarification on no “I” “to be” – not here, of course; and it’s incomprehensible to think that this “I” would endure beyond death. I mean, what a disappointment to still be regular old me with my weaknesses and faults and lies hopefully (even if still just barely) outweighed by my strengths and goods and truths. AND an infinitely higher I (and of course, thou) seems certain.

When you find out who you are, beautiful beyond your dreams.

(For travel in Asia, go to 11/2008-1/2009)

I was talking with Chris H, who asked what I have planned after Grand Canyon. I told him probably a festival in late spring or early summer, then the Beartooths about 8/15-8/30 and Wind Rivers 9/1-9/15. Part of the Beartooths and Winds will be with other people (Mike H and Jeff, so far) and part alone. Chris expressed concern for my safety when I’m alone in the wilderness, “What if something happens … it’s the suffering you might go through that worries me.” (Mara?) Okay, what if something does happen? All garden photos taken April 2009.

Like anyone else, I’ve gone through various stages in life: the usual (which is not nothing!), then war, then healing, love, being a husband, momentary glimpses of enlightenment that led me up the path of service for 40 years (hospice, refugees, immigrants – life as a quest), working with Leslie, travel, being a father and my/our relationship with David, getting tired, and now this partial retirement, backpacking and through it all, since the war and all the killing, a deep awareness of mortality – thinking about the fragility of life and considering my own dying and being dead (I’m not sure how I can be dead, since when I’m dead there’ll be no “I” “to be” anything at all, except gone). I’ve studied dying and death and I’ve worked in and written on hospice. So I’m no stranger and I really do know that death don’t have no mercy in this land.

I haven’t written about this all that much, but truly, since Leslie said in 2004, “Why don’t you and David and Jeff go to Vietnam?” it’s been as if my life is complete, though it’s been complete for quite awhile. The trip itself brought several things full circle (war, Cambodians, my relationship with Leslie, David), but her saying that, right then, right there was where I went over the line.

And all this with no intimation of imminent death; but who knows except for people with cancer and like situations? I’m just trying to say, whatever comes, comes and I think about these things. As for the grief, I’m sorry. On some level, at some time, knowing these things may put things into perspective and thus be helpful.

I hope to have a long time left, but if I die before I wake, it’s okay. I’m not looking for it and I don’t embrace it, but I know, having faced this thing before, it’ll be like, okay. Kind of funny when you think about it – all this drama, loving, striving, suffering, joy, dreaming, risk, living, and … okay.

What if there is suffering? What if I have a heart attack and take 2 or 3 days to die alone in the wilderness? Far out, that’s what. I’m sure I’ll be saying, “Oh man, not this much suffering!” But when there’s no place else to go, you can bet it all that I’ll surrender and at worst, it will be, “Okay.” More likely, at this stage of life, it’s, Into the Light.

And I bid you good-night (a little further up the road).

Photo above right, from the right: Chuck, my chair, Julius, Jim, Dave, Bryce, Chris – G5 men’s Bible study at Bryce’s ranch. We sang (or mostly Jim sang) In the Garden, Old Shep, White Sport Coat (and a Pink Carnation), Crazy, Streets of Laredo, You Win Again, Ghost Riders in the Sky, Your Cheatin’ Heart, St. James Infirmary, Amazing Grace (and so it was).

More photos are here.

Departure: it was a light day at la clinica and plenty of people working (Pat B, Vuong D, Joe C., Aaron M), so I got out at 1100. Leslie and I went to lunch at Whole Foods and then home to put in the ice chest, fix the front seat for traveling and take off. Photo below: New Mexico

West on I20 past Fort Worth, Abilene, Midland/Odessa with oil wells and windmills stretching off into the distance (all that money and all those fools got was bigger pick-up trucks and good football teams) and on to Pecos, my objective for the day. I pulled into one of the new rest stops (clean restrooms, wireless, “watch for snakes”) and set up the Campry for sleeping. It was a little early (8:30) and I couldn’t sleep, so got back on the road and got to Van Horn and another good rest stop. I slept fairly well with the cool wind and occasional splatting rain and the big rigs rumbling past and winding it up in low out of the rest area. Got up to use the restroom in the middle of the starry night and then slept hard for another couple of hours. In the morning I drove on into El Paso, had a taco for breakfast and kept on going.

4-5 days ago I wrecked my bike and sustained some fairly deep road rash. So my drill is after breakfast and dinner I go to the restroom and peel off the serosanguinously-soaked 4x4s, wash the scrapes ouch ouch ouch and then to the car trunk to apply new dressings. A couple of times already people have walked into the restroom while I’m cleaning the scrapes and they always do a double take and I can’t say that I blame them. Photo: Starting down the South Kaibab Trail

Into New Mexico – always a wonderful feeling, with changes in topography and vibe. Stayed on I10 through Las Cruces and on to Deming, then cut off on 180 toward Silver City. My original plan was to stop for the night at City of Rocks State Park, but with the early start from Dallas and stopping in Van Horn vs. Pecos I was making good time, so kept on going, figuring I’d find a good place to camp in the Gila Wilderness or Apache National Forest.

Left 180 on State Highway 78 west (trailers not recommended) and followed the narrow winding up and down road with very few other vehicles into Arizona and the Apache National Forest. I found a good campsite and set up the tent for a nap in the forest with the wind and birds and pine forest smells. But it was early and the direction is forward, so when I awoke, struck camp and headed west on 191 toward Safford. Photo: S. Kaibab trailhead

This is odd – there is a 20-30 mile stretch of 191 where the side of the road is almost carpeted in broken glass. It’s as if generations of louts have made a point of coming to this road to throw their empty beer wine liquor bottles into the sand and underbrush. I’ve never seen anything like it. Down the road a piece I spotted the first roadrunner I’ve seen in many a year – run you little roadrunner – run your little roadrunner heart out!

On the outskirts of Safford I caught phone service and talked with Leslie, who told me that a little while ago she was on Paulus, a few blocks from our house and saw what looked like a hawk on the ground. She stopped to see if what she was seeing was what she was seeing and and the hawk turned its head and looked at her. It stared for a moment and then took flight, with a squirrel in its talons. A good many people would say this was a sign – I’d think so, too. Photo: David & me on S. Kaibab Trail

I followed Highway 70 NW through Safford, a seemingly prosperous town, on into a huge (and down) Apache reservation – lots of trailers, TV antennas, dishes, pick-ups, junk laying around in the dust. After the reservation was Globe in the Pinal Mountains. I stopped at a gas station/fast food place to do the dressing change and when I was standing by the trunk putting the new 4x4s on a youndg woman walked over and asked, “Are you okay?” I said, “Yes, fine.” And she said, “I saw the medical stuff and wondered if you needed help.” We talked for a moment and I thanked her and she walked back to her pick-up. I was left wondering, when I help or offer to help, how many of those people feel as good as I felt with the woman’s offer. Photo: Grand Canyon from S. Kaibab Trail

I stopped a few miles past Globe in a rest area in a town named Miami. There was a continuously yapping dog there, so I gave it up and moved to a parking lot across the highway. Sound asleep in the night I heard wheels on gravel, a dispatcher’s voice and then tap tap on the window. The police officer checked me out and told me I had to move on. Easy enough. I drove back across the highway and with the dog long gone, slept until the maintenance person awakened me banging stuff around. Perfect.

I was on the road out of the mountains and into the desert with cactus and scrub and sunrise. I pulled off down a side road to watch the sun come up and then big highway into Phoenix. Photo: Tonto Platform

Huge breakfast, lingering, writing and then to a mall to hang out at a B&N until time for David’s flight in. I waited at the cell phone lot and when he called me I applauded, pulled around and away we went to Flagstaff with me remembering when Leslie and I drove past there on our way to Nevada and how pretty it looked then and still does, among the pines and foothills. We caught some sleet along the way and got into Flagstaff around 8pm. Got a room at the EconoLodge which was okay at first, but there was no hot water in the morning. Dinner at Chili’s and then the final organizing and packing.

Up at 4:45 and had breakfast burritos in the car driving along 180, which was a beautiful drive, forested with snow on the side of the road and then the road snowy and then icy and the forest mixed aspen and pine and then breaking out onto the main highway with RV parks, fake teepees, souvenir shops, motels and then into Grand Canyon National Park. Photo: Tonto Platform, storm coming

We parked in the backcountry lot and went in to the office and weighed our packs: 39# each, with full load of water (4 liters each). We caught the shuttle bus to the South Kaibab TH. On the bus a girl around 10 or 11 sat next to me, kind of bent over in the way people who are blind do – which she was. The bus took us right to the TH and over a little rise & there is the canyon in all its deep, deep glory & we were walking down, down, down into the canyons. The trail was very steep and scenic, taking us along ridgelines and switchbacks deeper and deeper into the mystic. There were many people on the trail, but the deeper we went the fewer of them there were. Can anyone tell me why people feel free to shout at one another as they venture along a trail. Anyway, thank goodness they fell away as we descended. Photo: sunset from Tonto Platform (storm over)

About three miles into it my right knee began hurting a little. David suggested I step down on my left foot, which helped some, but the pain continued to increase, except for the rare stretches of level trail. Finally, at the Tipoff, about 6 miles down and with the river in sight I couldn’t go any farther – which is when I discovered that going uphill was as painful as going down. Uh-oh. I dropped my pack and crept upward to a level area whil David carried his pack to there and went back for mine. We talked about what to do, but there weren’t many options. David found a good place to pitch the tent and we set up camp in a very strong wind, with me mostly just clinging to the tent with visions of it sailing up and over the precipice.

We saw the girl from the bus, coming down the trail with her parents, so that was a real up for us. Championship parents and daughter. Photo: campsite visitor

A young man (a guide) came over to the tent to find out why we were camping in a no camping area. He suggested we use the emergency phone down the trail a ways to arrange to catch a mule train out. David went to the phone and came back with “good news and bad news.” The bad news was that we would not be able to catch a mule train out and the good news was that my problem is called “canyon knee” and I needed to wrap it, rest it, elevate it and take some take ibuprofen (I already had taken 200mg Celebrex) and then we could take the relatively level Tonto Trail West to Indian Gardens and from there, hike out on the Bright Angel Trail. I was having intrusive thoughts of orthopedists, exercises, maybe surgery, rehab and so on, so this sounded pretty good to me. Photo: campsite Tonto Platform

David asked, “Is rain hitting the tent?” I said, “No” and he said, “I think so” and yes it was. So we hung out in the tent – nice and warm – and after about 45 minutes the rain and sleet stopped. I fixed chili with noodles (both home cooked and dehydrated) with Fritos and cheese for dinner. I took the ace bandage off my arm & elbow where it had been holding the 4x4s on the road rash and tight-wrapped my knee. Asleep by 8:30 or 9:00. The wind died completely in the night and when I got up, it was completely quiet with a billion stars sparkling in the dark vault.

The next morning I was amazed to feel a lot better. We had breakfast and took off along Tonto West, contouring around the cliffs and mesas above the deepest canyon and though a twisty, looping trail, it was relatively flat and I made good time. What a relief! I had been mortified that my infirmity was aborting the trip and to be able to have a Grand Canyon experience (if not the GC experience) was a huge relief and pretty grand. David had taken good care of me throughout and was a golden sport throughout. Photo: hiking out on Tonto Trail

We were low on water and filled up at Pipe Creek about half way to Indian Garden. The water was excellent for a desert and we drank our fill. The hike was easy and beautiful, with sandstone cliffs towering over us and sometimes walking at the edge of steep canyons. We encountered one other person the whole way – a very nice change from the crowded South Kaibab Trail. Photo: along the Tonto Trail

We stopped right before Indian Garden and had lunch under cottonwoods on soft green grass by a rushing stream.

Then it was a quarter mile to IG. We found a campsite, hung out talking and then pitched our tent. Dinner was mashed potatoes, bacon, flatbread, cheese – tasty! IG is the most developed campground I’ve stayed in – people close enough together that you can hear them talking. On the other hand there was a (clean) water hydrant less than 100 feet from our tent. Farther away, fortunately, was a latrine with an ammonia smell so strong it (as one camper said) makes your eyes water. All the waste is composted and I guess that particular latrine was earlier in the process. Photo: along Tonto Trail

Up around 6am. Leisurely breakfast of dehydrated eggs & bacon & hot chocolate for David and granola bar and coffee with a lot of hot chocolate added for me. And then up that dusty trail again. I think it’s about 6 miles from IG to the rim – all uphill, but not too steep. We leap-frogged several times with a couple we talked with at IG for a moment – on the trail, stopping, talking for longer (David talking longer than I because, of course, he had time while waiting for me) – a family practice resident and his public health partner – nice.

The farther we went up the trail, the more people there were (day-hiking) and the less informed some were about common courtesy, like yielding to the person coming uphill, not yelling, not purposely kicking up dust (I’m not kidding). One guy kept yelling up to someone ahead of him, “Mercedes! Hey Mercedes! Slow down!” Sheesh. On the other hand one young couple I’d seen several times saw me plodding uphill and the woman said, “You again – you just keep on going.” And her friend said, “Awesome.” That buoyed me for about 5 steps and trudge, trudge, trudge. Photo: where we had lunch near Indian Garden

The trail became actually crowded close to the top and then I was out at one of the viewing areas in throngs of peeps. Weird. I couldn’t find David, so caught a shuttle to the backcountry lot expecting to find him there because he had the car keys, but he wasn’t, so I sat on a bench to doze for awhile, but here came another bus and this had DK on it.

Grand Canyon was over. My thighs and calves were sore, but my knee was fine. Even Dave’s were sore. I had planned beyond my ability. Would I have made it with a 2 hour rest part way down or going down the less steep Bright Angel Trail. Maybe find out next spring. Here are some of the things I learned (again) – do I have to learn everything 3-4-5 times? Photo: hiking out on Bright Angel Trail

• My son really is a golden sport. He hikes much faster than I, but waits with aplomb. Still, I question inflicting the disparity in strength and stamina on him. Bottom line – a great backpacking buddy.
• I’m a slow hiker – my natural bent is to stop and enjoy the scenery and that + my puff-puff-puff sketchy musculoskeletal & cardiovascular strength means 5-7 miles with a full backpack is a good day’s hike for me and I just have to plan that way.
• I like alpine environments (above timberline) more than sub-alpine or desert. But what am I to do in late fall and early spring? So desert it is.
• I have freezer-bag cooking down. Good to bring some little Snickers along as well.

We drove to Phoenix. Got a decent hotel and traditional post-hike meal (cheeseburger). The next day hung out in Starbucks for a few hours, then to airport where we talked for awhile and then DK to plane and I was on the road again, headed east (bad thing) and home (very good thing). I slept at a rest stop somewhere in New Mexico and again in Texas. Driving into the west Texas sunrise with clouds scattered across the lightening sky. Driving down the old hippie highway with Dylan like an Old Testament prophet: I saw gunshot swords in the hands of young children

I slept again outside Fort Stockton and when I started up again it was cold and windy and grey and I was down. Onward. 60 miles past Fort Stockton the sun was coming out and I noticed in the rear view mirror that the little door over the gas cap was open. I stopped and found the gas cap wedged into the opening – a sign! Yucca blooming, sun coming out and then Hello! Beep beep! Another roadrunner. Alright. Photo above: enchanted forest in Big Bend

Finally in to Big Bend around noon. While I waited for the backcountry permit office to open, I got my pack and gear in order.

I had a permit for Boulder Meadow by 1:30 and took off up the trail. I found an excellent campsite and was set up by 4. Unfortunately there were a good many large black flies buzzing around, so I ended up in my tent earlier than I’d planned. I walked around in the enchanted forest several times, but the tent was the main place. Photo: highway out of Big Bend

The next day I fired down the trail and up the highway to Dallas. Home around 8pm, tired and feeling good and very glad to be home. When I walked up to the front porch, the fragrance from the roses …

The Truth
Remember in November or December 2004 at First Chinese BBQ when you said, “Sure, you and David going to Southeast Asia (for 2 months) sounds great. Why don’t you call Jeff and see if he wants to go, too.” When you said that it was like all debts past, present and future were cancelled. It wasn’t even so much the content as the way you said it – free and easy, no baggage, no qualifiers, just, as I said completely free and easy. And there was that time, I think it was after the insane rush to the bus from Bago to Moulmein when the bus kind of appeared out of nowhere: “Quickly, you must go quickly!” the guesthouse guy was saying and somewhere between Bago and Moulmein you said (putting the mal de ojo right on me), “You owe me for this.” And all I or any other sane person could say was, “You’re right.”

The point of all this is to say, if you start to feel worse or if you don’t feel better or if you just take a notion at any point, I’ll not dash, leap, race, shoot, zoom, jump, fire, zip, boogie, hotfoot, hurdle, hop, shake it, sprint, rush, fly, whoosh, whiz, rocket, bound OR any other such thing; no, I’ll turn around, set the cruise control and head home in a heartbeat – I’ll head home with a glad (but worried) heart. There will be NO disappointment.

In a dream …
Today (3/14) was quite a day. It started more or less typically – coffee in bed together. I gave Leslie the first rose bouquet of the year. Later I walked up to Whole Foods to try their breakfast – okay, not great. Then we went shopping and we are … Walmart Shoppers … and then to BistroB.

The first thing was that Phuong gave Leslie a CD titled Phuong & Van Happy Wedding. As that was happening I looked over and we were sitting next to Yorn and his wife Ny (from those desperate days on Sycamore) and so were embracing and talking and I looked over and there were some boxes on the table and at some point still talking to Yorn realized what the boxes were. Michael, the man who manages the restaurant had given Leslie a prayer wheel that turns by heat of the candle beneath it. We had looked for one of these in Asia, and though we found one in Hong Kong, it seemed too expensive. They look Tibetan, though they are from the Tzu Chi Movement in Taiwan. And the same for the coil incense burners Michael gave to Leslie. Nobody knew it was her BD. On the way home we finally found a bird bath we like to replace the one shattered when a linb fell on it. Yes, Happy Birthday Leslie!
—–
Here is the plan for the Grand Canyon:
Fri: Drive I-20 past Abilene, Big Sprang, Odessa – probably sleep around Pecos in rest area in my Camry Camper – which even has curtains now.
Sat: Highway 10 toward Tucson. Camp in New Mexico around Gila Natl Forest (cut off on 180 toward Silver City).
Sun: I-10 past Tucson to Phoenix via I-10/I-17. Pick David up 4pm in Phoenix and drive to GC. Camp or hotel. In the morning …
Mon: Kaibab Trail to Bright Angel Campground
Tue: From BA Camp, Clear Creek Trail to Clear Creek area
Wed: Day hike Clear Creek area – probably downstream through a gorge to the Colorado River.
Thu: CC to BA Camp
Fri: From camp out via Bright Angel Trail
Sat: Hotel in Phoenix – shower
Sun: DK depart 0820 to Cali & CK to Big Bend.
Mon: Big Bend – start Boulder Meadows
—–
Door-lying, teetering, friendly, earish, innocent, perfesser, helicoptering, sensitive nose Buddy, awww, just plain sensitive, donutting, truck-stopping, cute, annoying, always violent, sincere, tufted, awkward-lying, hopeful, appealing, publicity pooping, handsome, noble (as in this photo) Buddy!

In my time
The first time I saw someone truly cursed was in one of the interview rooms at the Parkland (Dallas County Hospital) Psychiatric ER. I was talking with a woman who had brought her daughter and granddaughter in and their story was that the grandmother’s husband (daughter’s father and granddaughter’s grandfather) had started abusing (sexually, of course) the granddaughter and the grandmother was telling my student and me that her husband had abused her too and then her daughter and indicating the child, she said, “He’s not going top get this one” – “God-damn him!” And it felt really still and ancient and maybe a little scary in that sterile room with its government surplus chairs and desk. I knew he’d been cursed.

The next time was when I was sitting on a stoop on Annex Street where so many of the Cambodians lived. The same building where Pheap T died and that other woman who bled to death and where Esmeralda died of smoke inhalation – and I just realized that it was in the same apartment where Esmeralda died where I was sitting one day with Peng N, her son and my student, Olivia G and at one point Olivia turned to me and said in a very calm voice, conversationally, “Mr. Kemp, there’s a fire in the closet” and I turned around and sure enough, the flames were about 2-3 feet high and so we all ran to the fire and started throwing burning/smoldering clothes out the door and I remember I got hold of a tennis shoe and some melting rubber stuck to my fingers. I’ve always loved how Olivia said that. Anyway, I was sitting on the stoop of this building and a woman ran out holding a plate with both hands high over her head and ripped out an angry string of ritual-sounding words and shattered the plate on the ground.

A lot of other stuff happened in that building – 1519. Jose’s family lived there (a book right there), the two Vietnamese sisters and the daughter with MR and lots of seizures, the woman whose younger son killed the older son when they lived at San Jacinto and Peak, the man with AIDS – found by my students on outreach & the only person I’ve known in the US who had big weeping buboes, the woman with TB (well, several people there had TB, but I remember her the best because of her really sweet daughter, Patty). There were gangsters there, several of them serious criminals. One of the cops shook me down pretty good upstairs. That’s where B lived, a kid with Down’s, and his sister, who I loved and now I realize I was the best friend she ever had and may ever have. The last time I saw B, he was 20 or 22 and he was at some apartments on Bryan and someone had given him some speed and he was motoring around like people do, so that was a downer.

————–
I read an obituary the other day and it was less in some respects and more in other respects than what I would want, so for that reason and because it’s not easy writing an obituary when you’re grieving. This way I’ll take some time, get in what needs to be in. I’m starting mine now.

Divine Moments of Truth
For some reason I started thinking about people I’ve spent time with in the past ~week (other than Leslie & David):

• Ron C – retired police officer, believes (literally) in truth, justice and the American way. You always know he’ll always do the right thing. Good in every sort of fight in case that ever came up.
• Mary H – NP who started at Agape as a student and is now my close colleague.
• Nora A – the Agape lead promotora, a challenging life, strength like it’s just impossible to believe her strength, good Mom, merciful (full of mercy).
• – Dan F – my church school teacher, a great man, an avatar, a living mudra of what he teaches: mercy. Photo is of Dan
• – Dung (pronounce yoong) L – oh my goodness, Leslie and I had lunch with Dung and her husband today. I met her more than 15 years ago when she was about 12 years old, new to America, and even then, surrounded by strong and determined girls (she was one of Shirley’s scouts), she stood out for her determination. Photo below is of Dung and me in front of Pho Bang
• Jihad – why me, Lord, why am I interacting with people with names like Jihad? Refugee agency caseworker, seems like an okay guy.
• Jay G – my neighbor, retired, lives to ride and rides to live.
• Woman whose daughter and S-I-L burned to death, along with her husband (both are in 60s), taking care of 4 grandchildren.
• Man with a sexually transmitted infection who, when I asked him about unprotected sex, said, “All the time.”
• Htoo S – part of the very painful exodus of Burmese, Karen – beautiful, beyond her dreams.
• Mary Kathleen – my niece, we haven’t talked for what? 5 years? It was really nice talking with her.
• Brother John – enchiladas at El Taquito, where veteranos and poleece mix with the neighbors and friends.
• Aaron M – former student, farmer, uni faculty, believes in the mission.
• Joe C – former student – solid in the clinic and he also believes in the mission and is willing to work for it.
• David S – the man who works on our house, supremely nice person.
• Jackie M – one of our PNPs, another very nice person and very good to be around.
• Pat B – our regular PNP – I didn’t actually see her, but she’s a big part of our life at the clinic and so, here’s to you Pat, good and faithful servant that you are.
• Jim C – this guy will burst into song at any time, so be ready. Another living symbol of the message of Matthew 25:40. One of the things he regularly does (unrelated to his spontaneous singing) is go to nursing homes to visit people and to sing and play guitar for the people there. He’s a good singer, too.
• Mike H – on the front lines of holding back financial disaster. Solid.
• Chuck H – living on the edge longer than just the past few months when the cancer came back.
• Lance and Dylan – father and son, Lance a companion on the streets, “Mr. Jones and me stumbling through the barrio.”

There were more, some outstanding people, some less so, people that I love, people that I don’t, but these are the people of that week. What is “the mission?” The practice of mercy.

The gnomes have learned a new way to say hello!
Out front, the rosemary has been blooming for at least 2 months. Old Blush (China rose, 1789) was the first rose to bloom, followed by Katy Road Pink, Archduke Charles, and Maggie – though none are in full bloom yet. Tulips started blooming a few days ago and the delphiniums (old-fashion kind) will start blooming in a few days. Oxalis is blooming. Both mints are very strong, the oregano is doing well, and other bulbs and perennials are growing well. So are the weeds. The arbor over the front walk collapsed while we were out of town in December and it’s kind of propped up now as I gather energy to build the muy fabulosa new arbor of cedar, with a few inset apsaras from Cambodia. I anticipate using just a few screws.

In back, none of the roses are blooming, but the herbs look great: sage, oregano, marjoram, burnet, chervil, and the lemon grass is poking its first tender green leaves out of the brown clumps and there are clumps of garlic 1’-2’ tall in the garden and the yard. The onions are doing well, but I let the crawling creatures and drought get to some of the lettuce and chard. My buddy Aaron is bringing me some kind of heirloom tomatoes next week.

Since we’ve been home from Asia, we’ve had the backyard shed rebuilt and painted and the cottage out back (Kabañastan) cleaned and painted.

The clinic rocks on. In the first week of March 2008 we saw 50 patients, 5 of them new. In the first week of March 2009 we saw 98 patients, 32 of them new. Welcome to the recession – lots of tense, depressed people out there. Whew, I kind of committed to myself that I wouldn’t write about current, political, related events in this journal. But it sure feels like a hard rain’s gonna fall.

Looking back on this last trip to Asia, we agree, it was a great trip. On the plane home from Hong Kong to San Francisco, we talked about the best parts or places and Leslie took notes:
Hong Kong
– Hot and cold drinking water in common area of GH + refrigerator so we can make ice
– Half price public transportation for seniors
– Brewing our own coffee
– Getting on our scheduled flight to BK the 1st day airport reopened Photo: our street in Hanoi
Bangkok
– Rediscovering Bangkok as a friendly place with helpful, nice people
– Higher number sois for hotels = less prostitution and friendlier people
– Great street food (charcoal chicken, pad see yew, coffee, etc.)
– Tops Mart salad bar and food court and they’re all over
– Finding Chinatown and good gold stores
– Using public buses again (the weather was so cool that we were comfortable on the non-aircon buses
– Japanese area
Hanoi (what a great place!)
– Great food nice people super-clean, smells good, great market
– Extra good coffee cheap
– Hotel with internet in the room (no balcony room)
– Bun cha
Tom Cac – the place (and bus ride and lunch buffet) – “The next big place”
– Israeli man we hung out with
– Sleeper bus nice Photos above & below taken from front steps of our hotel (Kim) in Saigon. The 1st photo is looking right and the 2nd is looking left
Hue
– Citadel on a rainy day
– Binh Duong III – best hotel of trip, maybe ever with internet in room and across the street is …
– Thu’s Café across street from hotel
Saigon
– The young women at Kim Hotel
– Ben Thanh Market
– And really getting it re food at market
Phnom Penh (Best of all, meeting up with David)
– David’s street in Phnom Penh, paved, no meat market, a miracle
– Samnang and family
– Juedi, the best cook ever
– Great internet café around the corner with nice kids helping Leslie
– Sister’s Café across the street from Russian Market
– OK Guesthouse for booking travel Photo: Ben Thanh Market in Saigon – click it for a sense of the depth of Ben Thanh
Kompot – great GH – the Popokvel (good aircon, view of pig-pen), good desk clerk, and across the street
Long Villa, for good food
Kompot is not a 3-4 hour trip – 7 hours, good ride
Finally
– Finishing in Hong Kong
– Really getting it on food in Hong Kong, and Bangkok, too
– Hanging out in Mongkok at the end of the trip, really getting into the few blocks around our guesthouse

Email from Leslie – We’ve remembered several things in the last few days that we want to add to the travel blog. So here goes (Photo: I walked a few minutes from bus stop on the road from Hoi An to Hue and there was the ocean):

1. On a bus from Vietnam to Phnom Penh, I talked with an 85 year old man from New Zealand who travels alone regularly in SE Asia – he said that he really recommends solo travel for Seniors and receives really good care from local people on buses, in hotels, etc. He thinks “being old” has real advantages! On this particular leg of his journey, he was seated directly behind the driver and the driver’s assistant made sure that no one was seated next to him so he had extra leg room. The assistant had him board 1st and exit last, made sure he could order what he wanted at the “rest stops” and was seated under a fan to eat. So I guess he has a solid point! In fact, when we left Kampot, the desk clerk at our hotel phoned the bus “depot” (an open air cafe at the edge of town) and arranged to seat us (more old people) in the choice spot behind the driver and directly across the aisle – again no one seated by Charles so he could stretch his legs. We had no idea he had done this until we got to the depot and the man in charge tore up our tickets and issued new ones with seat assignments – this particular bus had open seating but not for us! Photo: a rainy day at the Citadel in Hue

2. In the market in Kampot, I stopped to watch some young women hand-beading fine traditional Khmer dresses – we got a good picture I think. An elegant woman about my age was waiting on a bench outside the shop and offered to translate in perfectly beautiful British English. After we took the photo and were ready to leave, she said “Happy New Year Dahling”, in such a fine British accent that I was a little shocked. She reminded me so much of Charles’ mother, Mary, that I got tears in my eyes. I miss her so much.

3. On our final night in Hong Kong, we went to the night market to visit a Tibetan vendor who Charles has done business with before at his inside store location. I was charmed by the young woman working with him, Tsering, pronounced “Cheering”. She noticed that I was interested in the beautiful gold ring she had on and offered to order some for me. Since we were leaving the next morning, I gave her my email address and hope that she’ll send me some pictures. But if not, I’ll find her the next trip and see what we can work out. Photo above and right: Mongkok – to right is the entrance to our section of the Dragon Hostel – there’s 6 or 8, maybe 10 rooms behind the sliding metal door

This time, Hong Kong on the way out of Asia was much better for us than on the way in. The uncertainty of the Bangkok airport closure last November and where we would go next and how much money we’d lose was replaced in January by a relaxed return to my favorite (and one of Leslie’s favorite) cities in the world. Photo: the way out of the airport to bus stop for the A21 into Kowloon

As we have for the last few years, we stayed in the Dragon Hostel in Mong Kok, the most crowded area of one of the most crowded cities in the world. After 6 weeks of travel we were pretty tired and spent much of our time in Mong Kok just experiencing the experience. We continued to find good and cheap places to eat and amused ourselves with new blocks, new streets, new sights. At this point of the trip neither of us are motivated to write and our daily stuff kind of merges and I’m unsure of what happened when.

Or room was even smaller than usual – I came about 6-8 inches short of being able to touch both walls standing with my arms outstretched. But the Dragon is a good place, clean and run with great professionalism by Stanley Fan and a crew of no-nonsense women. Stanley speaks excellent English and the women profess to speak no English – uh-huh. It’s a constant parade of backpackers and budget travelers of all ages and all nationalities, and these days, more and more people from the mainland packing 4, 5, 6 people into the 3 and 4 person rooms. Photo above and below: Fa Yuen Market in Mongkok

Of course we took the Star Ferry back & forth across the harbor to visit the Peak to have espresso at Pacific Coffee with a panoramic view of Hong Kong below. We used to take the Peak Tram (a cable-hauled funicular railway straight up the side of the Peak), but several years ago switched to the less expensive and more scenic double deck bus from the Star Ferry terminus to the Peak Tower. We took the bus back down, getting off at the massive IFC shopping mall/office complex and walking out and down to Connaught Road to Tsim Chai Kee, our favorite shrimp wonton noodle shop – only to discover that, alas, it closed in December.

Back across the harbor, taking the #2 or #6C bus from the Star Ferry terminus up Nathan Road to the Sincere House (where the Dragon Hostel is) we found the Good Hope Noodle café where we drowned our sorrows in (what else) shrimp wonton noodle soup. Good Hope isn’t incredibly good like Tsim Chai Kee, but it’s as good as First Chinese BBQ here in Dallas, which is far better than anything else we’ve had in the states and when I went back to Good Hope for more later, the wontons were different (containing – I guess – shreds of some kind of fermented fungus or vegetable). Why would anyone get excited about shrimp wonton soup? All I can say is that it’s not anything like what we usually get in the US. Photo: the people’s dim sum

From The World of Suzie Wong on the Star Ferry: “The ferryboat came churning alongside and the crowd moved forward. We jostled together down the gangplank and chose one of the slatted bench seats on the lower (2nd Class) deck … we had hardly sat down before the water was churning again, the engines rumbling, the boat palpitating – and we were moving off busily past the Kowloon wharves …” toward the Island, with its jumble of skyscrapers along the waterfront stretching for miles into the haze of a Hong Kong explored by very few visitors. Photo: the people’s dim sum

For dinner we had take-out meals in our room – splitting big servings of char su (BBQ pork) on rice for $22HKD or pork and duck for $26 and an order of steamed vegetable with oyster sauce for $10 or spicy satay drowned in peanut and pepper sauces and assorted buns from one of the bakeries found on almost every block. This time through we didn’t make it to any of the big dim sum places or to our old favorite, Big John’s, but no problem – it’s all good in Hong Kong. Photo: the harbor, Star Ferry headed toward Central

On our last time through I made it up to the 4th floor of the Fa Yuen Market, past the fish and meat areas, past the vegetables, the fruits, the ethnic stalls (Philippines, Indonesia, Thailand, etc.) – not to mention Chinese stalls – and up to the people’s food court. So this time through Leslie and I went and found some of the cheapest food in Hong Kong – for breakfast, big portions of dim sum (sui mai and shrimp dumplings) with hot tea for the 2 of us, $24HKD – less than $2USD each. There were about 10 big stalls selling food and all the customers sharing tables. Really a scene and we had a good time eating and checking it out – and some of the people there also seemed to have a good time, eating and checking us out. One of the food stall guys gave Leslie a Beer Chang bottle opener. Photo: good food right there

One last wandering walk in the Hong Kong night, through the neon streets, among vast crowds with people flowing like magic, people eating who knows what all, walking arm in arm, walking alone and playing a video game or reading anime, smoking, push a cart, striding fast, ambling slow, passing out flyers, gazing into girlfriend’s/boyfriend’s dark eyes, and no jostling, no bumping, all in the flow and at least one love hotel on every block & noodle shops & phone shops & clothes for sale & dried foods fragrant & fishy & stairways leading up to a whole other world & we aren’t even in the market area yet. Photo: Leslie sitting in Pacific Coffee on the Peak

Email from Leslie: Well Charles, Hong Kong just keeps getting better! You asked if we should research a better hotel for our next trip – I think I like Stanley’s more every time we stay there. This current room is the best we’ve ever had here – since it’s new, the air conditioning works great and is the new model. Stanley also added an extra exhaust fan, one in the room itself in addition to the usual one in the bathroom, which is great for sleeping and also seems to dry clothes much faster. This room seems smaller, I agree, but is better arranged (or we’ve finally gotten the hang of how to stash/store everything under the beds/a tiny vanity table/etc) so we seem to have more living space. At least we can both stand up at the same time which wasn’t the case in a room we had once before. And finding the little table to add to the room really helps. I think next time we should stick up some removable hooks (or ask Stanley if he’d like to keep them) which will help even more. I noticed that the Japan Family Store has the hooks so we know where to go!

Three neat things have happened here this time, completely unexpectedly. I’ve looked for a cool bottle opener in every country we’ve visited and bought a Tiger Beer opener in Hanoi. But it’s really plain, not cool at all. So in the People’s Market (Fa Yuen?) I saw a great Beer Chang opener on a shelf at a food stall that also sells lots of beer. I asked the owner where I could buy one which led to a lengthy pantomimed conversation about his being sold out of Beer Chang but has every other kind I might want and a trip to the stand up cooler to show me each kind, bottle by bottle. I finally convinced him that it was the opener I wanted to buy, not a beer so he just gave it to me! I tried to pay him but he just waved bye to me and went back to work. As an aside, the beer companies give good promotional items to their vendors – our little Dim Sum shop had 4 unopened Tsing Dao plastic buckets in their trademark dark green color. I covet 1 of those buckets and I know that lady would have given me one (she was really delighted to have us I think – we attracted so much attention just being there that we surely brought in more customers!) but I couldn’t figure out a way to bring it back. A bucket added to the 50 pound head just seemed too much.

The second neat thing happened at the Japan Family Store. We bought coffee filters there for our Vietnamese coffee maker but the coffee just plugged it up completely – I had to lift it out and gently squeeze to get any coffee into the cup. So I took them back (receipt in hand) and the lady let me exchange them for 2 great little ceramic glasses that we’ll use in the bathrooms (the last thing on my list of must have souvenirs). So that’s the 2nd time anyone has ever returned something in Hong Kong, I bet. I was the first as well as the 2nd – the water heater we still have came from Yue Wa Department Store and replaced the 1st one we bought there when it blew out the fuses in the hotel the first time we plugged it in. That exchange left the employees with their mouths gaping – the Japanese store though has a cash register that works just like ours to scan a return if you have your receipt.

Third, we went to a middle class shopping mall that had a grocery store in it (looking for coffee that would actually let water thru the filters) and found a huge food court – these are very common in Bangkok but this was our 1st in Hong Kong. So it took us awhile to decide what to order – most of the food was too ethnic for us. We ordered with the assistance of a young lady who insisted on helping us and then joined us to eat. Her name is Cindy and she is the production engineer (the only female in such a position) at a large furniture company. As such, the company furnishes her a room (with shared bath and kitchen) on the mainland during the week and transportation to and from Hong Kong for the weekends where she stays with friends who are still in college. She graduated early with a Master’s degree and was hired straight out of school. Her Dad is a physician and now hospital administrator and her Mother a 7th grade teacher in China. They are so proud of her, as well they should be. Women do not have an easy time getting high level positions in Chinese businesses – I’m sure she works much harder than her male counter parts to make a place for herself. This bright young lady visited with us an hour or more and then walked us out to a money changer (open on Sunday when the banks were closed) so we could cash a traveler’s check. We enjoyed her company so much – maybe we’ll see her again next trip!

I know there’s more but I’ll write again later. Even though my typing is finally getting faster, I’m still painfully slow so better get to work.

Great trip Charles – I can start packing again any time you say!

Love, Leslie

PS I forgot that Mimi’s brother (at our breakfast place) gave us one of his toothpick holders. We really wanted the Ovaltine miniature but they were all used and he wanted us to have a new one. Thoughtful but we needed the one that’s reminiscent of a Seinfeld episode – maybe next time.