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@onjaunt-blog
Retro-Jaunting. Somewhere in Corsica... The mystery shall unfold further as my memory-ons de-flu (as in, have been suffering one & now in recovery). As promised Julie :-) Kafotos 13 Jul 2013 1st Day of Corsican Countryside Delights
Modern Day Divinities Kafoto 2 Nov 2013 Something of a statement on modernisation methinks. Not begrudging electricity (it went out briefly this morning), but observant of the greater complexity and ... challenges to integration(?) that modernisation brings with it. Particularly rapid modernisation. The swings and the round-abouts of life. What a joy it is to be alive to experience them all - joyful and otherwise.
Bookfacing It Kafoto 1 Nov 2013 I'll get serious about my Cambodian posts any day now, but for now I'm playing with the Bookface Toggle which means this is going to an entirely different audience. I've not got a great selection of photos - so today's post is making do with a hard earned 'Angkor' accompanied by Banana Leaf Salad consumed at the "Shadow of Angkor'. Bliss :-).
Testing, Testing, 123 Kafoto 31 Oct 2013 Tumblrdom, this is a test for Bookfacedom - that of the white-on-blue 'f'. If syncing works this Tumblr post will appear in my Bookface. And won't that occasion be 'one small step for my jaunt, and one giant leap for my tech journey' - not :-). OK, so I'm a bit tech-jaded, but aren't we all? Tumblr has been the bright spark in all the Apps but of late she's been misbehaving and I can't work out if its my tablet, my internet connection (changeable whilst travelling) or my tech-grumps. Bookface friends - none of the above will make sense to you. Don't worry, that's a norm for my Tumblr posts.
Bears Repeating Kafoto 31 Oct 2013 Sunlit Divinities atop wall enclosing the monastry outside my guesthouse. An intrigueing place that will bear blog-repeating once I get my camera eye in frame again. Plus battery charged - kinda helps ;-p.
ReJaunted Kafoto Oct 2013 of Kafdraw Oct 2002 Returned to Oz and U-turned right back out again didn't I? Writing this to you from Siem Reap Cambodia on a return journey 11 years after my first jaunt here. Ten+ years on I still vividly remember the day I did the above drawing. It stands out as the lone day on that trip that I simply sat, observed and absorbed. You know those time-lapse film sequences they make to 'speed up' what would otherwise be a process too slow for humankind to stop, take time and observe? As the many, many tourists came and went that day, I felt like I was in a parallel world viewing the 'time-lapse' of Temple Time, literally watching speeded up human time. These temples have been here an incredibly long time and Ta Prohm particularly reminds me of that wonderful poem - Ozymandias - by Shelley. There is much to ponder here. As vividly I remember a promise I made to myself that day, that I would return to do more Temple Time. Promise delivered on.
Mid Jaunt KafTalk 2 Oct 2013 Indeed, have been neglectful of Tumblrdom since Melbourne return. Touch-down in the land of the familiar has been much friendered and keeping me happily engaged despite frizzing weather and teeth-gnashing politics-in-power. Happily summer is a-coming and those in opposition are em-powering rather than self-destructing for a change. Enough! This is a travel blog! So my blog-be-love, I am over-be-joyed to report that this is merely a mid-jaunt touchdown and as planned, air tickets have been purchsed to jet me out of Oz and into South East Asia at the end of October. I will likely re-jaunt from Camobodia, Burma proving more expensive than anticipated as I was dreaming of destinations for further travels from other antique lands. Meantime I am present-ing or packing travel purchases and thought I'd share this beloved series of African children's books by Mwyene Hadithi and Adrienne Kennaway. Wishing I could have bought the entire seires but making do with Tricky Tortoise, Enormous Elephant, Hot Hippo (Hippos being such Hotties ;->), Running Rhino (same-same-but-different), Greedy Zebra, and Crafty Chameleon.
Just Because Kafoto 20 May 2013 I know, I'm still in Africa. But I'm shuffling photos to make some 'Frican space for 'Fricafotos (ok, somewhat churlishly - it takes forAges!) and I happended upon the above foto of Manhattan Models in Central Park. And yes, that is the Ghostbusters building in the background. Anyshow, love the juxtaposition with my current surroundings (which you will see more of once I - ever? - complete shuffling). The world - s'mazing and s'wonderful (if also slightly purple and pouty and not a look that suits many above 18)
Meruan Landscapes Kafotos 19 Aug 2013 It really was spectacular, and I haven't shown any of the lush wildlife park on the lower slopes. I'll leave that to your imagination along with my buffalo-chasing story.
Canna Panorama Kafoto 19 Aug 2013 Well, at least I've used the panorama function before returning to Oz, even if late in the day. ...and just called to dinner, again!
Mt Meru Summisfaction Kafoto 19 Aug 2013 Lest I sound churlish, the day before the summit climb, Borni explained that the hardest part was the last ...ummm 200+(?) m ascent to the summit due to a steep rock scramble. I churlishly endorse this opinion. ...and dinner is served, so must post and go. ciao. ...Back again! (a day later). OK, so I've researched the walk we did (Yosemite Decimal Scale 2 apparently for the last section from Saddle Hut to the summit) and the last bit is described as a "short rock scramble". Given I was beaten to "Socialist Peak" by a 70-year-old (as were many others younger than I and rather than be put out - I'm SO admiring of Ingrid and take it as a sign that I can only improve in fitness as I get older ;->) I'm not about to quibble about omitted adjectives like "bloody endless", "gruesomely steep", "mean-minded" and "calf-killing". I really did crawl the last 100 m though and was only momentarily happy when Borni (our guide) took my daypack for me at the point I started whimpering. Yes, whimpering. Was a Sook. That said - it was a spectacular walk. It wasn't that hard. I didn't get any altitude sickness that I know of, other than grumpiness. My calves hurt for two days afterwards, so clearly it was infrequency of ascending for 5.5 hours that was my cause for self-sook. It was frigging freezing at the summit and I don't think I've ever down-scrambled a peak faster. Mind you, Ingrid still overtook us in the 2 hour descent at some point - but I was in shutter-snap mood and determined to over-document the route that had so irritated me in the dark tramp upwards. A Must-Do, that Mount Meru.
Mt Meru Summit at Sunrise Kafoto 19 Aug 2013 With Kilimanjaro summit in the distance...
The Selfie
An Inter-self-view Kaftalk 25 Aug 2013 Methought: I'm ever-so-behind in my 'Frican Posts. Need quick-fix to assuage the guilts (ok, slight over-statement) ... the annoyance factor. Much as I hate them, might be time for a Selfie.... Interview, that is. Key to participants Me (Interviewer) = Me-er Me (Interviewee) = Me-ee Me-er: You've been in Africa a while now Karen, how are you finding it? Me-ee: Thank you for your question Karen - it's an interesting one. Indeed I am finding out lots in Africa - or rather Tanzania. It's an endlessly fascinating country and everytime I think I've got a 'handle' on what makes it tick [it's late, I'm going to lean on cliches], within the hour I am usually all at sea again and qustioning whether I'll ever fully understand (just to throughly mix metaphore and cliche). Me-er: Ok - so a tad complicated then? What are you enjoying the most? Me-ee: The people - the people are lovely. There is a quiet pride and wisdom that shines from within so many of them that you can't help but be seduced. And the joy in the children is irrepressible! Meanwhile the countryside is exquisite. I've just recently climbed Mt Meru (thanks to a wonderful Guide - Borni - who provided encouraging moral support for the last 100 - 150 metres when I was particularly non-plussed about the idea of summiting), and trekked in the Usambaras. SO beautiful! Me-er: And apart from galivanting up mountains and rambling through villages from Lushoto to Mtae, what have you been doing with your time? Me-ee: I've actually been volunteering at - well a myriad of organisations. Teaching science and english at a couple of schools - private ones for Nursery and Medium School English so far, but public schools (class size 60+ apparently!) next week (fingers crossed - much harder to organise). Then there've been afternoons and Saturdays at a centre for needy children (not orphans - but needy). And very happily I met a wonderful woman from an American Charity for whom I'm preparing an inventory of teaching materials that have been sent from America. The idea being that, together with lesson plans, these can form a teaching resource for future volunteers as there is absolutely nothing but a blackboard and chalk in classrooms. In amongst that, there's been a few ongoing discussions about .... hmmm, good governance with the entrepreneurial fellows that brought me to Ilboru through the WorkAway website. And there's also been lot's of talk about fundraising and what I'll differentially refer to as fund-asking. Meanwhile, I'm also an avid apprentice to a 19 year-old german woman who is putting 10 children through school this year through her fundraising efforts in Germany. Me-er: Very busy then? Me-ee: Yes, life has been very full! You perhaps need to see photos of Arusha and the village Ilboru to appreciate more fully but I can't say I've ever had a dull moment whilst here :-). Me-er: Yes, I've seen the town myself. What would you say you are enjoying least then? Me-ee: Cold showers. Sooky I know but I so wanted a hot shower after trekking in the Usambaras. I will never take electricity so for granted again... And - more recently - lack suspension in vehicles. In particular on the 9.5 hour bus trip from Mtae. Me-er: So hot showers and soft suspension is what you'll look forward to most when you get back to Oz in mid-September? Me-ee: Not by a long shot - it's family and friends that I'm most looking forward to reuniting with. I've been almost six months away and it's time to call Australia home again. Me-er: See you back in Oz soon then! Me-ee: Indeed you will :-) Me-er: And it's goodnight from me. Me-ee: ...and goodnight from her.
Regal reflection Kafoto 27 Jul 2013 Off to climb a mountain (no, not THE mountain). In the meantime, here's a Lion for your thoughts.
Oh g-no g-no g-no I'm a G-raffe Kafoto 26 Jul 2013 Ok so i just cant help myself - the Gnu meme has clearly infested my photo-memories also. This fellow was SO close! And so pretty! If I weren't so heightist, I'd be head over heals in love with giraffes. They quite beauteous be. And if ever robotics conquers the human bi-ped walk (methinks they maybe have?) - I challenge them to create a robot that can walk like a giraffe. Personally I think these creatures are actually defying a couple of laws of physics with their giraffely gait.
I'm G-not a Gnu.... Shanonfoto 26 Jul 2013