About Me

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Yilan, Taiwan
I just returned back to the States after 11 years in Taiwan with my daughter. Taiwan is an excellent base for us explore Asia, while living in relative (gun free) safety, while benefiting from a cheap and efficient national health care system. The people are amazing too. I have Taiwanese friendships that are 20 years old and I'm always making new ones! My coworker here in CO is from Taiwan.

Saturday, February 28, 2015

福壽雙全 Live Long and Prosper

Yilan traditional market
Chinese New Year began on February 19th, ringing in the year of the Wood Sheep. This year was the first Lunar New Year Spring Festival, that I felt I was missing out. This would of been my 7th consecutive Chinese New Year in a row, my 9th in total (counting when I lived in Tamsui 15 years ago). Of course I know some of the traditions and preparations; that big family reunion dinner, new clothes, red envelopes, every day has some kind of traditional protocol -what to eat- who to eat with-special greetings. I can say that this year I really missed the idea of family togetherness.  Oddly, this is the first Chinese New Years I didn't buy red underwear (a common tradition) maybe I should of bought a pair of red panties with dancing goats and sleeping sheep, hardly a compensation. 

Yilan City
Usually I am in a nearby foreign country for 2 weeks and don't feel like I missed out- Taiwanese celebrations are so noisy with in your face fireworks and jarring temple music at the crack of dawn. This year I went to Chiang Mai for a blessed week and got a taste of New Years celebrations Thai style. 

年年有餘! Or “may every year end in abundance.” Since the character for “abundance” (yu, 餘) is a homophone for the character for “fish” (yu, 魚), fish a traditional symbol, motif, and food for CNY.

My whole month has been one big New Year holiday. Like the mighty ram, I pretty much headbutted my job off a cliff (see, "Blissfully Unemployed"). The whole reason I up and moved my daughter and I to Yilan was soon down the alpine abyss. Not satisfied with that, I sadly cemented the final status of my man/woman drama into pleutonicness on the last day of our Thai trip. The whole out with the old in with the new taken to a supreme level. Not that I have a throw away mentality but  it was just time to be honest with myself.

Chiang Mai

I was not expecting Chiang Mai, and our guesthouse to cator to so many Mainland Chinese tourists (see, "Record High") . It was kind of bizarre and at the same time completely normal to tell the young mainland Chinese lady, to keep her voice quiet, people are trying to sleep at 2 in the morning (I think I might of opened her door and let myself in). On the upside, my daughter had playmates her age at the pool from the Mainland, so as we spent our down time poolside, mostly with a lot of Mandarin. I casually enjoyed the guesthouse owners complaints about Chinese tourists- the same complaints I've heard from Taiwanese people - their Center of the World Entitlement (see, "Nouveau Rich" and "Chinese Database"). For the most part, the Chinese tourists I encountered there were fine, no crazy headlines. They were utterly tickled and impressed at my kid's impeccable Taiwanese accent.

Chiang Mai
In Chiang Mai they have a small China town east of the old center/moat. For several blocks it looked like the neighborhood was painted red. On our last day, we had a chance encounter on the way to breakfast in the old town. In front of Thapae Gate, there was a Chinese New Years celebration with different groups of the community in full costume. Unlike Taiwan, it was relatively quiet and serene, no fireworks and the whole thing lasted about an hour. If you would of slept in, you wouldn't even have known what you were missing. What caught my attention was the 5 year old boy on the top of a dangerously high pole, my daughter half joked, "They're going to sacrifice him!" I could not believe what I was seeing. I caught his performance and the Pole Lion Dance here:


It's still technically New Years, and with the 3 day 2-28 weekend, the holidaze just keeps on going. It will culminate on Lantern Festival which is March 5th this year. So with all the energy of this New Year sweeping clean out the innermost cobwebs of my life and my being, the appropriate maxim would be,  "大展鴻圖"  or "May you realize your ambitions." I'm still ever on the quest to realize what my ambitions may be- but look out for the day when that vision is crystal.

 As of right now I'm enjoying the ride, trying to keep my eyes open. I'm in an interesting and uncomfortable place of transition, ie, I'm broke, super single, missing my lost friendship and looking for an afternoon job in a new city where I still hardly know anyone. Its like one of my favorite Grateful Dead songs, "I sure don't know what I'm going for, but I'm gonna go for it for sure." Not a boring way to start the new year.

Previous Posts on Chinese New Years:
Last year's trip to Burma, "Stuck in Singapore" (I never did finish writing about our fabulous trip to  Myanmar
Chinese New Year to Me

Resources:


Saturday, February 21, 2015

Valentine's Day, the longest day of 2015

Early flight means an early check in at our guesthouse, but first a swim before breakfast

Friday the 13th we left for Taoyuan airport, but not to fly. We stayed at a nearby motel, a love motel recommended from a friend of a friend as a cheaper alternative than the airport transit hotel, or sleeping in the airport. We might as well have, I didn't get much sleep with planes thundering over us, but my daughter was able to catch a few Zzz, which was important as we had to wake at 3:30 am.

Our first Song Thaew ride

We arrived in Chiang Mai around 9 am, took a taxi to Natlen Boutique Guesthouse outside the old center and having to wait for our room, had a swim and breakfast. After a shower power rest in our room, it was off exploring temples. We hailed down a local songthaews, red pick up trucks converted to taxis, which are surprisingly cheaper than tuk-tuks.

12 zodiac animal offering, Tiger in the center

Our first temple was the Wat Phra Singh which had several chedis and smaller temples and shrines on  its grounds, including the main attraction Whuan Lai Kham built in 1345 and a small reclining Buddha that was empty. There was a copy of the Jade Buddha in the teak Ubosot built in 1806.  It was a beautiful introduction to Chiang Mai. The grounds were peaceful, the weather was neither hot or cold, with sunshine and a gentle breeze rustling the leaves.



I saw a small restaurant on the way that looked packed and had as many locals as foreigners, so we walked back there, downed a few coconuts and feasted. I had an amazing spicy tuna salad and a (?) soup.  Oh the world for heaps of tamarind and lemongrass!


Feeling tired we returned to our guesthouse and instead of sleeping, lounged by the pool for a read, my daughter was in the water the rest of the day. I had to beg her to take a late nap around 5, so we could go see some kickboxing that started at 9:30. When I tried to wake her for dinner at 7:30 pm, she did not want to get up and was quite the grouch potato during dinner and didn't perk up until the kickboxing started.








The audience was mostly western tourists, so I'm not sure how authentic the whole set up was, but it definitely was an exciting introduction for us. We had nice seats near the ring, but as the seats filled in, my daughter couldn't see over the melon heads in front of us. We moved back near the bar which was raised and actually it was a better view, not just of the matches, but the Thai family members that came to support their fighter. It also became the "box seats" of the team of the final match (a Swiss guy against a local).

                          (Watch my video of that night and my daughter's opinion here).

We were pleasantly surprised to see a female match and an entertaining interlude of several fatty, blindfolded fighters swinging blindly at each other for comic relief. My first impression was that the fighters seemed to have a lot of respect for their opponents, obviously they are are friends outside the ring. We saw several hair raising KO's which was unexpected-of course when I put my camera down.



Natlen Guesthouse at night

We returned around 11 pm, and hit the pillow hard, having been up since 3:30 am. A long, voltaic Valentine's Day indeed .


Friday, February 13, 2015

My Valentine Delusion


Dorking out on his 40 something birthday, Nov, 2014

By the time you read this I will be flying to Chiang Mai on Valentine's Day early morning with the most important people in  my life. We will probably have checked in and hit the pool by the time you my dear reader have finished your cup of coffee. 



Saint Paul's timeless words


I have been having a stellar year with my good friend Andrew.  
The bitter truth is despite his constant kindness, it was not enough for me take that leap and have me call him my boyfriend. I just couldn't shake the feeling that despite his companionship, support and devotion I could not match him, something was not "right".



 He is definitely the one in whose kindness I constantly basked. Taking a chance on letting myself trust, letting my daughter trust was a priceless dance. The only conclusion is that the risk of close friendship was worth it, we are dear friends foremost. Learning to trust is a lesson worth learning and any other man would of given up on me and my formidable wall were it not for his sledgehammer of constant forbearance and patience. I certainly have not made pursuing me easy, even moving to Yilan 6 months ago, he made regular treks here, driving 5 hours in the night and crashing on my sofa, just to be with us because he says my daughter and I are worth it. There is some inner fortitude in him, some dark stubbornness rooted in benevolence that kept him from never giving up on me. I think basking in his constant unselfishness has made me finally open a window into a possibility I thought impracticable. After all that, the dejected truth is I prefer just his friendship and nothing more.


My 40th birthday weekend, January 2015

   I've grown accustomed to being alone so long, the pessimist in me wonders if its possible to even be part of coupledom. Then the optimist in me says, of course its possible with the right person. So now I'm back to square one. 
Below are excerpts from Rob Bresney's writings on Valentine's Day that I find thought provoking-perhaps elusive for me: 



"Everyone carries with them at least one piece to someone else's puzzle." So wrote Lawrence Kushner in his book, Honey from the Rock.
In other words, you have in your possession certain clues to your loved  ones' destinies -- secrets they haven't discovered themselves. Wouldn't you love to hand over those clues -- to make a gift of the puzzle  pieces that are most needed by the people you care about?  Search your depths for insights you've never communicated. Tell truths  haven't found a way to express before now. More than you know, you have the power to mobilize your companions' dreams."

Gertrude Stein defined love as "the skillful audacity required to share an  inner life." It suggests that expressing the truth about who you are is not  something that amateurs do very well. Practice and ingenuity are  required.  It also implies that courage is an essential element of successful intimacy.  You've got to be adventurous if you want to weave your life together with another's. I am most definitely am an adventurer, perhaps I am too mercurial for the stability required. Most definitely I over analyze all of this when truthfully we were never meant to be more than playmates.

Moon Festival 2014

The excerpt used by Bresney that best describes what I think of Andrew, is the one about basking in kindness:

First Day of 2015 post hike, Taipinhshan.

Anais Nin wrote the following passage in her novel, A spy in the House of Love

"As other girls prayed for handsomeness in a lover, or for wealth, or for power, or for poetry, she  had prayed fervently: let him be kind." Although I wasn't looking for it, I was happily surprised that kindness was exactly what I needed.  Bresney tells his readers, "A quest for tender, compassionate attention doesn't always have to be at the top of your list of needs, but I think it should be for now. You will derive a surprisingly potent alchemical boost from basking in kindness." 

If kindness is what I needed, now what I need most is restful respite. Yilan is then the perfect place for breathing space.






Return To Tainan

Dinner on the veranda of King's Villa, Guanziling
It was our first time being back to Tainan since moving to Yilan. Did I miss it? Upon arrival at the highs-peed station we immediately noticed it smelled weird, and we (my daughter and I) got an immediate runny nose. At first my daughter was, "Oh lets move back to Tainan", but that didn't last long. We both found Tainan too bustling, crowded, congested. Is it Chinese New Year already? It seemed that way. Because our trip was so short and sweet we also didn't have anytime to visit with old friends which was a shame, as on Tuesday, I had to return to my daily private tutoring, a fantastic gig.


lunch at Basil Bistrot,Taipei


Being unemployed has it's benefits. I could have a 4 day weekend in Tainan. I decided to go back because Sunday there was a 6 hour Ashtanga introduction to the primary series, which would be a  refresher for me. I could practice with my old yogini gang and recommit myself to my practice again.


We left Friday noon for Taipei and decided to check out an exhibit at Galleria H after a quick bite at Basil, le Bistrot. We get excited about eating food we can't find in Yilan. In this case, open faced, filling sandwhiches on crusty bread. I got the salmon and sundried tomato and Z got a bacon and grilled chicken, we couldn't even finish our potato wedges. Both came with tons of mixed greens drizzled in balsamic vinegar and oil.



lunch at Basil Bistrot, Taipei
 The very small exhibit looks, "into the identification of races, genders and generations at a certain level. We intend to develop a set of clarified feminine writing logic through the works of these six artists and art groups. The ways of writing illustrate six different life stories, family memories and self-reflections after confronting some particular situations of races and genders." 


A Bangladeshi film of a woman marrying herself, Galleria H
My daughter embarrassed me and the curator, she was incredulous at the size of the exhibit, "This is it! It's so small!" I had wanted to see the probably more interesting Chini Gallery's exhibit of a Spanish artist's very Picasso-esque animal/human portraits, but we had to be in Tainan by a certain hour for AJ to pick us up at the high-speed station (he had a night class).





The next day we started hitting local used book stores and record shops. The whole record store scene was certainly a new part of Tainan life I hadn't seen before. By lunch time I had a bag of books and had to stop.



After lounging at AJ's big house in the East district listening to records, we drove to the nearest hot springs-- Guanziling at The King's Castle at the top of the hill. We had a light dinner there on the veranda and then went to the nearly empty pools bathing like royals. There were public outdoor baths with some inside public pools of different temperatures, a mud and massage room and some pools with steaming Chinese traditional medicinal herbs like mugwort. We ended our bathing with having our feet pecked and tickled by tiny fish and drove back to Yilan very relaxed.




Sunday was a my big day. I couldnt find the Jyoga studio at first, Google Map had me in the alley behind it, but when my friend told me the lime green building across from Starbucks, I couldn't miss it. The Ashtanga teacher  Rameshji (Ramsheesh Sheety ) is from Mysore and has studied under both Pattabhi Jois and BNS Iyengar since a teen. The event was organized by Kaosiung Yogi. He spent 2 hours just on the sun salutations, not even finishing Namaskara B when we had to break for lunch which was catered by my dear friends from Funkoo. After lunch while our food settled, my friend Tori Mitchell led us in some Yin hip openers and Farrah Furtado led a very relaxing Yoga Nidra. The last couple hours Rameshji returned to finish Namaskara B and some difficult poses upon request.




Stupid me asked him about which he expected me to be able to do. He literally was forcing me into a human pretzel (Garbha Pindasana), but at least I have some better idea how to get into it myself. Lubrication is key! Warm water or sweat, because my thighs are not skinny enough to do it without this. He also helped me with my Firefly balance (Tittibhasana).


All in all a wonderful day of yoga. It was invigorating to be near these newbies who were so passionate, most going towards their teacher certification and me who has been practicing on and off for years and basically lazy and taking what I know for granted, in comparison. I noticed all of us needede reminding to engag our Uddyana Bandas (the central energy meridian pulled in and upwards by abdominal muscles). I was definitely sore the next day! During my own personal Monday morning practice,   my flow was intuitive, it was so fluid, creative, dynamic, I just knew it was from the subtle effects of the previous day's Yoga Nidra practice.


We returned to Yilan, leaving Tainan after lunch on Monday, My daughter and I were both relieved to be back. It was colder, sure, but it seemed so fresh, our runny noses disappeared and Z was glad to be back to playing with her classmates and neighbors.


It seems like Yilan is home-- at least for now anyways.





Thursday, February 12, 2015

February is my Jubilee! Blissfully Unemployed


Mid-January I gave my month notice to the bosses of my new school. I only lasted a semester. They decided to take me up on the offer (after begging me to stay) halfway, my last day was Jan 31st, not after Chinese New Year so  I have been enjoying a long overdue, vacay. This is the first time  I have been able to take winter break with my daughter since she started school. I don't have to work and pay an anchingban to babysit her and drill her with Mandarin while I work.

The common questions I get are, will I move back to Tainan,  and do I regret moving to Yilan. Truthfully, had I known it would not work out, I wouldn't have moved to Yilan. But I am so glad I did, I am grateful to be here, although its cold and the sky had been permanently grey for 2 weeks. I also feel more courageous, bolder. I have my APRC, why not use it? I don't have to be a slave to a school anymore. I should make an effort to do what makes me happy, when I want to.



I would never imagine in my wildest dreams that I as a single mom, basically living paycheck to paycheck (I can't seem to save in Taiwan, like I did when I was working in Tamsui 15 years ago, but I think being childless was a major factor), would just up and quit my job without first finding one with the same salary. By all outside accounts, this seems reckless, irresponsible, messing with our financial security, yet it was the only decision that gave me peace. Of course I felt guilty for my bosses, having to find a teacher for 2nd semester, but I feel they let me down most of all.


Like most schools, they have a revolving door with foreign teachers, but there is a core of 4 or 5 who have been slaving away for 3 years or more. I was working 27 classes a week, a mix of Junior High, Elementary and kindergarten. Prepping for that was insane, the kids are conditioned to paying attention to whiteboard screens and I was making ppts for everything. The middle school kids for the most part were a nightmare, there was daily disrespect, foul language, sexual disrespect, Confucius is rolling in his grave. Of course there are good students and classes, but for the most part the generalization holds that the students body in all departments are wealthy, spoiled, with little motivation, personal integrity and lots of entitlement.



Obviously it wasn't all bad, I learned a lot- about making ppts and new games and met some kids who I truly cared about. My coworkers were all outstanding. But the joke among teachers, especially the Taiwanese, is that, " If you want to kill yourself, work at Ch--D--." My daughter's class a prime example, they went through 2 homeroom teachers in one semester because the class is unmanageable even for a retired, well experienced expert who couldn't believe how ill mannered the kids were. I took my kid out and into public school as soon as the semester was over. I prefer she be with normal kids.

In many ways it wasn't their fault, especially the boarders who live there during the week. I think the Taiwanese education system, lack of physical exercise, (see, "The Real Reason Kids Fidget" and "How Low Muscle Tone Affects Academic Performance" )  as well as their parents "throwing them away" (because that's how those kids perceive the whole boarding experience.) I found the boarding students generally have the worse emotional problems and were a nightmare to teach, at least 90-97%  of my boarding students had behavioral problems. (Read, "Why Boarding Schools Produce Bad Leaders").  I suspect the school leadership caters to paying parents/customers over whats best for the school, or whats best for students and teachers (26 classes minimum is insane). I was shocked to learn that the boarders are packed into a makeshift bedroom (a classroom with bunk beds) with 8 or more students. They have breakfast, lunch and dinner in their classrooms, there is no cafeteria, and worse there is no common area where they can sit on a sofa, watch TV, interact socially in a home like environment, sounds more like a prison. After dinner, they basically study 'til bedtime, which for Junior High and High is too late to be healthy. Its no wonder the kids act out the next day in my class, hungry for love first, exercise second, learning anything is not a priority, let alone English as a second language.



I was babysitting first, teaching was secondary. I wont mention how I had to make tests easier so the students didn't totally fail. Before I worked here, I believed for years, that grades were arbitrary, but after working here, I totally think kids, these kids need grades. Even then, getting 60%, they don't fail them, elementary school and junior high students all over Taiwan would do well to let kids repeat a grade if they didn't deserve to pass, which most of mine did not-yet they do.Prepping for 27 classes, meant I didn't do any prep for kindy and the joy was just taken away from teaching. I was working thru my lunch breaks and working out for only 10-15 minutes in the morning. The workload stress had subtle effects on my body, although I am the same weight on the scale, I feel like I lost muscle mass, my metabolic/endocrine system and is out of whack.



I could totally have stayed, but at what cost to my quality of life? I lasted a semester because I had to dramatically lower my standards and expectations, which were already pretty easy going. My whole waking self was consumed with the school, I hardly know my neighborhood. As for them telling me the 2nd year would be easier because I could just reuse old materials, I say look at those teachers who have been working there years, they come in early, work during their lunch breaks, one even coming in on Saturdays (unpaid) because thats how much work she had. All the teachers worked so hard, while the students were lazy. The board met for meetings but I don't think they had any idea about what teachers were going through or what was best for the school, other than profit, competing with the competition, and drawing more students. They would be wise to look at the public Waldorf school down the road which has a waiting list, or listen to the suggestion of teachers who have tried introducing ideas in the past, only to be shut down (having a gardening class/club). I suggested during Christmas some kind of used clothes drive for the two local orphanages, the response was, " But we never have done any community service before."


So for my well being, I quit and haven't regretted it, even though I just came back from my trip to KK and am leaving for Thailand soon. March rent will be paid by Providence. I believe God has something better for me. I found a nice tutoring job, great kids and family, just down the road from me, which has been enough to fund our recent trip to Tainan (highs-peed tickets were 4400 NT total, not counting buses). I'm sure more tutoring jobs will come.

Veggin' with the cat and cartoons on our winter break.
After Chinese New Year I will make it a priority to hang up tutoring posters around the University, and not just for English, but Yoga too (I am a certified teacher from the States). I dont know what happened, but maybe someone turned on a subtle switch when I turned 40, that I don't want to do something I don't enjoy, even if the paycheck is good, because the money just isn't worth it to me. I'd rather take a bite out of my salary if it means I still have joy. Time will tell if I can maintain Joy come March when I am down to zero and the bills are coming in, but until then at least for this blessed month, everyday is "Easy Like Sunday Morning."




Wednesday, February 4, 2015

Hello 40! Return to the Land Below the Wind

Sunset at the Waterfront, KK Tourist trap indeed

The birthday adventures continue. For my 40th I wanted to do something special for myself, because if I don't, who will right? Its like Christmases, all the presents under the tree are not for me, but for my daughter and every year those are becoming less because we are blessed all throughout the year. Anyways, 40. yipee! I'm excited, my 30's were great, definitely not easy years, raising a daughter alone, but help is most often at hand.

It's grand to be 40!
My daughter and I went to Malaysia 5 times, as of now 3 times to Borneo, two of those to the state of Sabah. Taipei has direct flights to KK (Kota Kinabalu) via Air Asia and often there are specials. For 3 people we paid 15,000NT return, including taxes and fees.

We left the morning of my birthday for a much overdue, much awaited 4 day weekend. As for plans as always I was informed and open. On our previous 2011 trip we pretty much did everything on my list but diving. (See, "Land Below the Wind"). We did the Proboscis Monkey River and Firefly Cruise, island hopping at the nearby Tunku Abdul Rahman Marine Park, went to the local zoo/botanic Gardens, Lok Kawai Wildlife Park, we hit the markets and malls and absolutely explored the rest of Sabah including having a up close and personal orangutan experience and seeing the rare Raflessia flowers in bloom in the wild.

It would be hard to top that, especially in 4 days.


I did have some ideas for what I wanted to do this time around. I had been in contact with Borneo Divers, the oldest diving company in town, and knew I was going to have my daughter do her PADI Bubble Dive with them. I also made a dinner reservation for my special night at the Le Meridian AJ's treat. They were the best place in town, indeed one of the most expensive. The buffet was fresh, amazing, using organic produce, having western, Malay, Middle Eastern and Sabahan specialties.

Noni trees on the beach

Day 1: We arrived took a taxi to our place in the Api Api Center's Promenade Service Apartments. It was across from the Waterfront, a block from the Meridian and had lots of those 24 hour curry cafes. Unfortunately it was run-down, there were prostitutes at night, security guards and police posts, which later proved quite a dramatic ending on our last night.

Our first afternoon we walked down the Waterfront though the Philippine market admiring the fruit and spices and walked to Gaya Street where all the tattoo artists, travel shops and tourist info was. We quickly made plans in stone for island hopping day 2, diving day 3 and tattoos in between. All that was left was hunching down into a lascivious birthday dinner where we took modest amounts of almost everything. I had seconds on the arugula salad, it was addicting and ended it with the best coffee I ever had, which I later regretted when I couldn't sleep.


Day 2: Beaches, Island Hopping and ziplining

Roti Cobra

After a breakfast of  tey tarik (pulled tea) with Roti Canai and different Indian condiments, our ride picked us up and took us to the Jesselton Jetty where we went to our first island, Sapi.  We did a little snorkling, but I found it too cold, it was overcast and really the visibility under the water was poor. My daughter was having some problems, getting comfortable with her snorkle, and my suitor AJ patiently stayed with her until she felt comfortable and confident. I fretted that maybe I would have to cancel her diving trip (non refundable) if she didn't have a little breakthrough, and under his care, she did.



For kicks Z and I decided to zipline on the Coral Flyer, the world's longest island to island zipline between Sapi and a nearby island. Although people think I am some adventure seeker, in reality I am deathly afraid of heights. I can climb anything, but if I have to climb down or look down forget about it! It was unmistakably a frightening experience to lift my feet off and zip down with my kid strapped between my legs, stories above the shallow water. I thought I would scream for sure, but while up there the view was lovely and it was calm. Slowing down was scarier and louder.

Here we go!


Made it safely!


Day 3: Diving

Foremost, for my birthday I wanted to go scuba diving with my daughter. Since being a mom I only went diving one weekend in Kenting when she was 3 and it wasn't a very pleasant experience (post typhoon, poor visibility, rough shore dive with ankle breaking coral, I lost a fin). When I was single and carefree I learned to dive at Utila Island, Honduras. I got my PADI Adv open water and we dove 3 times everyday for a month. My buddy stayed and got her DM (Dive Master). I then dove in Thailand, the Read Sea, living temporarily in Dahab, Egypt for 5 months diving for basically free (diving friends are friends indeed). I also dove off of Palawan, the Philippines in 2001. I always felt super blessed when I was diving. I wanted to share this with my kid on my special day.


On Saturday, the diving driver picked me up from my hotel and instead of driving to the local jetty we headed a few km out of town (but longer in traffic) to the 5 star resort where we chartered our own boat for ourselves, coming back when we wished. It was such a better day to be in the water, yesterday it was borderline cold for me, an overcast sky. Today the sun was out, the visibility in the water was good.

Z checking her gear

I was a little nervous going through my refresher, through my skills check. My DM gave me a verbal lowdown and I didnt quite get what he was saying, but once in the water it all came back. The coral itself was nothing special, nothing I hadn't seen before in technicolor like in Utila or the Red Sea, no turtles or sharks like Tioman, but it was nice to be weightless, to try and see my daughter submerged, flailing her limbs around like a newby. There were lots of anemones and clown fish and I did see something I have never seen before, a honey comb eel that my DM  Jonathan didn't spot. He was bored, he had been spoiled taking tourists diving off their resort in Sipadan, this was nothing for him here.

Borneo Divers, Mamutik Island

On our down time, Z and I chilaxed and watched the local wildlife- Giant Water Monitor Lizards and French tourists lounging on the white sand. We saw those little dragons on all the islands.



Our diving people had three wooden decks covered by tent  tarps right on the beach, they kept to one near the equipment and Z and I had the whole place to ourselves. I did some sun salutations and standing vinyasas before our first dive. We had lunch there when my daughter was ready to eat. Everything was gloriously insouciant the way diving and divers usually are. There was no rush or hurry. I was bummed AJ wasn't with us, it was so much better a beach, vibe and snorkeling for him than yesterday.  Little did I know he was in KK having a very Tarantino-esque tattoo adventure.



All is not Paradise though. On our last night we had a bit of a scare.  First before dinner, my ATM card got eaten by a local machine, which was annoying and inconvenient, but harmless. I'd prefer that experience to the next ordeal. It was about 6:30 pm we were walking back, well fed from our Middle Eastern dinner and were going to a market to buy tea as gifts. It was dark, the sidewalk was not well lit and we were just across from the Api Api building when I heard the foreboding sound of many feet running towards us, threatening voices, the crackling sound of shattered glass, something malignant was upon us.  The oncoming shadows were many and we were three. I looked right at the oncoming traffic, the road was clear and I pushed my kid into the street and told her to run for it. More sinister sounds of crackling something broke behind my shoulder, we ducked instinctively and suddenly we were surrounded by a group of young thugs. Were they running to us or from someone?  Its a confused mix of both. All I know is my whole being went into flight mode. AJ sort of stayed back, I bolted with my kid like a reflex, all the hairs on the back of my head standing up, no time to confer. He sensed the danger only after he saw us running from the crazy one and his first thought was we were targeted for being westerners.

Evidence of our snacking between dives
There was one ampethamine crazed, drunk fiend who scared us the most. He came to us like a magnet. I pushed my kid into a reflexology shop and told them to bolt the door while I tried to lock the door in vain. When the owner was asking me questions, a young lady was calming down my daughter, when the the crazed one came in and ran toward the young woman who screamed and ran up the stairs and he grabbed her, both of them falling. I pushed Z out and ran back behind the building, and when I heard his raving voice there too, we cut through the middle through a kitchen of an all night curry place and I pushed Z into the bathroom stall and told her to wait. We could hear commotion outside. I told her to lock it, I'd be back, but she begged me not to go,  that's when AJ called for me outside and reassured me that the police had the guy.  We saw several police taking him away. It took a good 20 minutes to calm my kid down for bed, and it all seemed so unreal when it was over. We came to find out he knew that girl and it was just a matter of us being at the wrong place at the wrong time, hiding in the wrong shop. I was just relieved he didn't have a knife. 

Snakeskin fruit "Salacca"
Not to end on a sour note, we had a peachy flight back-- I actually slept and we had a whole Sunday afternoon to recover. I found some mangosteen in my backpack as souvenirs. I couldn't get enough of the fruit and that says a lot coming from Taiwan and the year round abundance of fruit  that Taiwan grows. Yet in Sabah there were heaps of rambutan and mangosteen. I bought a few kilos for our island and diving snacks and discovered a fruit I had never seen before, "Salacca" and they looked like scaly, dragon eggs and tasted like bitter sweet white lima beans.

mangosteens galore

Rambutan coming out of our eyes
Life thus far has been a congenial feat, a fated fete. However I may stall, I venture towards my destined dream speculation, a guest in a banquet of passing shadows, vanquishers and defenders, a heroine in my daughter's dream. Coming to what cusp, commencement, time will tell.

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