MERGE life+travel - PREVIEW

A LAO BOAT RIDE  A LIFE-CHANGING TRIP TO DEATH VALLEY  TELEMEDICINE  DOMINO PLAYERS IN CUBA

JUL/AUG 2013

PREMIERE ISSUE

The Evolution of the American Dream

GlobaL Parenting One young family shares their experiences living on two continents with three boys COVER STORY //

JUL/AUG 2013

is a lifestyle magazine that in-

spires & unites full-time travelers worldwide with engaging stories, insights for your next journey, stunning photographs, remarkable worldwide events, and even more: aims to incite you to make a transformation towards a life fueled by these rich experiences if you aren’t living it already.

editorial team

Editor-in-Chief: Nicole Beck Editorial Assistant: Mosila Andrei Alexandru Contributing Editor: Dr. Forrest Beck, ND Contributing Editor: Jacob Moss Copy Editor: Kristin Sengdeng Design by Half Asleep Studio

Creative Director: Natalie Walstein Design Assistant: Rebecca Brayman

SUBSCRIBE our website ADVERTISE write

a note from nicole Champagne tonight! The first issue of MERGE is out the digital door!

I am so excited to bring you this incredible first issue and so thankful to everyone who helped bring this project to fruition. The partnership and support of Natalie Walstein and Half Asleep Studio, have been an integral part of this entire venture.

I literally would not have pulled this off without her. Knowing it would be a huge challenge to travel, road school my son, and start the magazine, I looked for and found additional support at nearly every turn, keeping my thoughts focused and positive with the help of my husband and son, as well as the inspiring advice of Carrie Green at the Female Entrepreneur Association. I thank them and all the amazing contributors who have been patient and encouraging down this long road. I’ll save you from more and let you get to these inspiring and entertaining stories from around the world. Please drop me an email or a note via social media about what you loved so I can continue to grow this into the best and most widely read literary travel magazine there is. Here’s to many more!

See you on the road of life,

Nicole Beck

Founder & Editor-in-Chief

atlas score MERGE has created a ATLAS

ranking system to #

give you a quick idea

of how committed a writer is to a life of perpetual travel and how difficult this life might be for them. ATLAS is an acronym for Assessment of Travel Liberty And Sovereignty. How unfettered from conventional responsibilities, how free to do as they please and how deeply committed they are to a life dedicated to travel. Each question is granted half a star for a possible total of 5 stars.

1. Homeless? Is there a place of refuge they can return to between trips?

2. Can they hack it? Have they been traveling for over two years?

3. Mouths to feed and backs to wash? Are they traveling with children?

4. Reach? Are they traveling internationally?

5. Hand to Mouth? Have they found a way to work independent of location?

6. Spring Chicken? Are they under the age of 50?

7. Expat? Have they spent over 5 years generally outside of their home country?

8. Rolling Stone? Can they move at anytime?

9. Free Agent? Do they travel independent of sponsors and promotions?

10. Crazy? Have they done something extraordinary, exhibited spectacular courage, or entered a unique situation by choice? Some examples include travel to restricted areas, having a baby in a foreign country, or maybe an extreme hobby across many countries.

>> To find out more about any writer, simply click their name for a direct link to their personal website or blog.

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regional dialects

The contributors to MERGE Magazine are as diverse as our incredible planet. For many, English is a second, third, or even fourth language. Their writing is their voice, and just as we enjoy hearing an accent on a foreign speaker, we do not overly edit their writing to make it sterile for American eyes and ears. We allow the writer’s voice to shine through so you are able to have more of a personal storytelling experience as you read an article. Yes, our publication originates in the U.S., but there are readers from all over

the world enjoying the captivating stories found under the covers of MERGE. We appreciate the courage that it takes to write a piece of work for thousands of people to read, in a language that is not native. In addition, writers from the U.K., Australia, and other English-speaking countries will submit with spelling and grammar that is proper in their homelands. Please do not jump to conclusions if you see “traveler” spelled as “traveller” or some other instance. Respect the diversity of this world and enjoy the stories!

Editorial Notes

5

in this issue

Alberta, Canada

United States

42

Italy

60

18

Death Valley, CA

84 14

Calendar of Events July/August 2013

Trinidad, Cuba

42

Cover Feature: Global Parenting

By Cori Beddoes

JUL/AUG 2013 ///// THE STAPLES 14 Calendar of Events 29 Road Trippin’ Tools 41 Nomad Necessities 52 What in the World Did

Nong Khiaw, Laos

30

You Say?

///// TRAVEL LOG 18 Letting Go in the Middle

of Nowhere by Laura Baker

30 8 Hours on a Lao Boat to

Watch an Old Woman Pick Her Nose by Jacob Moss

76 Maramureş - A Fairytale Adventure

by Olivia-Petra Coman Maramureş, Romania

76

84 Domino Players by a

Sidestreet in Trinidad, Cuba

by Adrian Seah

///// INTERVIEW 72 Interview with Helen

Pollock of RV Guests

///// EDITORIAL 42 Global Parenting

54

Telemedicine

By Dr. Forrest Beck

by Cori Beddoes

54 Telemedicine

by Forrest Beck, ND

60 The Evolution of the

American Dream

by Nicole Beck

Frequent Flyers NICOLE BECK Editor-in-Chief

DR. FORREST BECK Contributing Editor

MOSILA ANDREI ALEXANDRU Editorial Assistant

8

JACOB MOSS Contributing Editor

NATALIE WALSTEIN Creative Director

KRISTIN SENGDENG Copy Editor

REBECCA BRAYMAN Design Assistant

IN THIS ISSUE JACOB MOSS - 8 Hours on a Lao Boat...

Journalist & Founder of UPickAPath.com CURRENT LOCATION: Laos / Citizenship: Australia

Jacob Moss is a journalist with a curiosity for

ATLAS

travel. His journalism is the kind that is part of

the newly minted multimedia breed, yet one

that still believes in the pillars of old fashioned quality reporting and feature writing. He has worked for various magazines and newspapers in Europe along with highly regarded publications in Australia like The Australian newspaper and the online magazine Crikey. He specializes in the areas of travel, politics, society, culture and the obscure. With a fascination for the interaction of different societies and their dwellers and the issues they face, his ambition is to one day express whatever it is that gives him that uncomfortable indigestion when thinking of such things.

His insatiable want to learn about the world and then write about it continues and currently has him stumbling into the intimate pockets of South East Asia. He is the founder of the unique interactive website UPickAPath, where he haphazardly allows his readers to decide the steps in his next adventure, and often, his fate.

3.5

LAURA BAKER - Letting Go in the Middle of Nowhere Owner of Ethos Adventures CURRENT LOCATION: USA / Citizenship: USA

Laura Baker owns & operates Ethos Adventures; ATLAS a unique travel company that creates custom

self-guided itineraries that are kept classified

from clients and revealed only as each adventure unfolds. Prior to starting EA, Laura worked as an environmental lawyer focusing on air quality, transportation and environmental justice issues. She grew up exploring the Sierra Nevada Mountains near Yosemite National Park and has lived all over the country. Laura is an avid outdoorswoman and certified running coach.

2.5

MERGE Contributors 9

NICOLE BECK - The Evolution of the American Dream Founder and Editor-in-Chief of MERGE Magazine CURRENT LOCATION: USA / Citizenship: USA

Nicole LOVES traveling and used to struggle to

ATLAS

reconcile her passion with the two week

vacation allotment of standard employment.

She has had careers in environmental science, project & small business management and motherhood. Experience from these past lives helped her create MERGE Magazine; a collection of exclusive experience-based features, which she now runs on location. She is just finishing an epic road-trip via motor home in the U.S with her husband and son, whom she road schools. Together they will be moving to the UAE within weeks to begin a new adventure. She enjoys writing, so in addition to working with the writers, designers, and advertisers at MERGE, she will include a little something in each issue. Send her your thoughts at nicole@merge-mag.com.

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CORI BEDDOES - Global Parenting Photojournalist at CoriBeddoes.com CURRENT LOCATION: CANADA / Citizenship: CANADA

Cori’s interest in the people, culture and history ATLAS

of the world has led her to many fascinating

places, from the temples of Angkor, to the Berlin

Wall, to the beaches of Melbourne, to the ruins of Hampi. Since graduating with a degree in history from the University of Ottawa, she’s poured ale in a London pub, taught English in Canada, Germany and Italy, married and became a mother to three busy boys. Currently residing in her hometown of Red Deer, Alberta, Cori is an avid photographer who blogs her family’s daily adventures while preparing to move back to the mountains of Italy. Photo credit: Bonnie Hoskin / Traditions

3.5

10

DR. FORREST BECK - Telemedicine Contributing Editor & Author CURRENT LOCATION: USA / Citizenship: USA/CANADA

Forrest has had an insatiable wanderlust since

ATLAS

spending a college year abroad in Austria and

backpacking around Europe. He tried on a

conventional lifestyle, but couldn’t find one that was comfortable for very long, citing a need for more time with his growing son. A graduate in naturopathic medicine, he owned and operated a family practice in Port Townsend, WA for 8 years before authoring a book titled “Cultivating the Fine Art of Selfishness” and implementing his own advice to the fullest by doing what he loves to do while being of service to others. He has spent the last year road tripping in his motor home with his wife (editor-in-chief at MERGE) and son. He is now on his way to work in Abu Dhabi in the UAE as a health advisor where he will travel extensively for work and pleasure.

3

OLIVIA-PETRA COMAN - Maramureş Writer at Petra’s Chessboard CURRENT LOCATION: ROMANIA / Citizenship: ROMANIA

Experienced traveller, history buff, lover of

ATLAS

adventure and extreme water sports, and last but

not least – vegetarian. Born and raised in Braşov,

Romania, I have been constantly pursuing my greatest dream: seeing the world for what it is, without any commercial ‘make-up’ or artificial add-ons.

2.5

MERGE Contributors 11

ADRIAN SEAH - Domino Players in Trinidad, Cuba Photojournalist at HandcarryOnly.com CURRENT LOCATION: AUSTRALIA / Citizenship: SINGAPORE

“Travel always puts me outside of my comfort

ATLAS

zone, confronting me with all manner of unfamiliar

situations, languages, strange food, mind

boggling scenery and precious opportunities to interact with all sorts of weird and wonderful people from around the world. All I have to do is point the camera and click. I do not take much credit for my photos; I am merely the operator of the mechanical eye. I shoot the mundane, the routine, the everyday miracles that many of us stopped noticing a while ago and find great beauty in them.”

Adrian is currently on a one-year travel sabbatical from his position as an advertising creative director at CNN. He is now featured as a contributor to CNN Travel, and so far has experienced much of the southern hemisphere. His photographs are stunning and his words poetic – the combination will awaken your senses and transport your soul.

2.5

12

Media

art & design services to beautify your business!

calendar of events

JULY 1 World UFO Day World Bodypainting Festival in Austria

2

>> photo by Gerhard-Grasinger

calgary stampede in canada Hailed as the “Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth�, it runs for 10 days and offers participants over 2 million CAD in prize money. Tack on Banff and Glacier National Park and you have a new addition to your list of adventures to conquer. >> photo courtesy of

calgary stampede

3

5

4

6

festival of san fermin in pamplona, spain (aka The Running of the Bulls)

7

8

9

last day of the roskilde festival, denmark (june 29-july 7) Roskilde Festival is not only the largest North European culture and music festival, they have donated a total of DKK 180 million (over 31 million USD) for humanitarian and cultural work throughout their years of operation.

14

>> photo by christian hjorth

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17

18

16

19 20

boryeong mud festival, south korea (july 19-28) >> photo by shawn perez

15

nelson mandela international day (UN)

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>> photo by ben parer

hammock day

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14

23

13

24

25

bastille day, france

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>> photo by edgar olivera

12

lorraine mondial air balloon festival, france (july 26-aug 4) Around 350 hot air balloons synchronized for take off.

population day

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Raising awareness of global population issues and encouraging universal access to reproductive health services.

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>> photo by nicole beck

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30

29

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Calendar of Events: JULY 15

calendar of events

AUGUST 10

9

world breastfeeding week (august 1-7)

1

8

2

7

pga championship, new york, usa (aug 8-11)

3

Golf season’s final major.

garage sale day If you aren’t a full-time traveler yet, start cleaning out the crap and hit the road!

6

5

4

11 friendship day

international beer day

frog jump festival, valley city, ohio, usa

>> photo by stefan gustafsson

12

13 international lefthanders day

16

14

15 relaxation day

16

august is la tomatina in buñ˜¨øønol, spain

golf month

>> photo by agsaran

27

28

notting hill carnival in west london, uk (aug 25-26) Europe’s biggest street festival >> photo by janusz kaliszczak

burning man festival in nevada, usa (aug 26-sept 2)

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25

>> photo by keith pomakis

24

17

vesuvius day spumoni day

18 19

23

Celebrate this layered Italian ice cream dessert which includes cream, fruit and nuts. Yum!

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commemorates the historic eruption of Mount Vesuvius on this day in 79 A.D, which destroyed the city of Pompeii in Italy. >> dramatiZed scene from

21

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the discovery channel’s pompeii: the last day courtesy of crew creative, ltd.

Calendar of Events: AUGUST 17

/// LOCATION Death Valley is a desert valley located in Eastern California and is situated within the Mojave Desert. >> MAP COURTESY OF PAULNOLL.COM 18

travel log

Letting Go in the Midd le of Nowhere

When Laura recently ventured into Death Valley in California she expected to find awesome scenery, mineral hot springs, unique desert ruins, and good times with an old friend. Instead, she emerged with gratitude, hope, relief, and a truer version of herself. >> Words & photos by laura baker / ethos adventures

expectation

It’s human nature to form expectations, to plot and plan, hope and dream. We do it because we are taught to be goal oriented and outcome driven; we want the best.

We think that by identifying what we need out of a single experience we can influence our circumstances to achieve these assumed requirements.

We have all heard stories about someone’s amazing trip that was made extra special by something they hadn’t expected to happen. We hear these and are inspired to travel

ourselves only to feel disappointed when we don’t find the same result or experience.

As an advanced society we are made to feel that if an experience doesn’t provide the expected outcome, there must have been a failure of someone, somewhere, and often we blame ourselves. “I should have planned better.” “I should have researched this more.”

I have long known that as much as I love being in control of my plans, travel and otherwise, that I truly have the most amazing experiences when nothing goes as expected. As part of Letting Go in the Middle of Nowhere 19

Ethos Adventures Laura Baker operates an outdoor adventure company providing clients an experience where expectations and predictions are nearly impossible. Ethos Adventures creates unique itineraries that are classified from the clients and revealed only as each adventure unfolds (think adventure-scavenger hunt meets the Amazing Race!).

Death Valley, California

20

my business I am constantly researching and scouting great adventures, which means that my personal experiences are necessarily planned and predictable. Yet, I recently found something completely unexpected when out scouting in Death Valley. This is my story.

experiencing the unexpected

I am a runner. I have been a runner for two-thirds of my life. I don’t run to win races, to stay fit, or to make friends. I run because I love it. It’s just what I do; it’s who I am. About a year ago I developed a pretty serious pain in my heel. Not a debilitating pain, just a niggling “hey, I’m here!” kind of pain.

After about nine months (and another marathon) the pain had grown. On a good day I only felt it a little bit. On a bad day I walked with a noticeable limp. All runners run with pain, it’s just what we do. “I can run through this,” I thought, but the pain continued to grow. I started to feel it even when I wasn’t running, or even walking. I knew it was bad when my heel became discolored, swollen, warm to the touch, and pulsed nearly all the time. I decided that I could

Letting Go in the Middle of Nowhere 21

no longer ignore it. After conducting some online research (like any good millennial), I invested in special orthotics, started taking an antiinflammatory three times a day, icing it every night and limiting my runs to no more than six miles (that’s a limit, right?).

While coping with the reality of short runs, I continued living as if nothing else had changed and embarked upon a trip I had previously planned with a good friend. My objective had been to scout a mix of popular and unique spots in the desert 22

that other travelers might enjoy and to provide a much needed relaxing vacation for my friend.

We spent our first few days hiking, trail running, visiting, taking in unbelievable sunsets, and dipping in mineral hot springs. Everything was going exactly as I had expected.

Except that the pain in my heel was worsening by the day. Walking had become excruciatingly painful and I found that I was so preoccupied with my internal troubles that I was struggling to appreciate the beauty around us.

As part of our last full day in the desert I had scheduled a “surprise” therapeutic massage for my friend.

What better way to de-stress before heading back into the real world? I had scheduled myself a super short one as well as a courtesy. I really didn’t think I needed a massage, but in booking it the woman on the phone had been so nice and helpful that I wanted to return the favor. So I had agreed to a 30-minute massage. I wasn’t particularly looking forward to handing over my hard earned cash just to have a stranger rub my loose shoulders, but nevertheless I had made the appointment, so I figured I might as well check it out for future clients.

When I arrived at the “office” (read: small house attached to a trailer) I was even less excited. My friend was just finishing her appointment as I arrived so I made myself comfortable in the living room and perused one of the brochures. I had previewed it earlier when I booked our appointments but I guess I didn’t understand what “therapeutic” meant. I imagined that the woman would ask what I was stressed about while she rubbed my shoulders…I really wasn’t sure. Upon closer inspection, I realized that she specialized in healing specific pains.

"I guess I didn’t understand what ‘therapeutic’ meant.

I imagined that the woman would ask what I was stressed about while she rubbed my shoulders.”

Interesting, I thought. Maybe I should tell her about my heel? I wasn’t sure if masseuses usually worked on feet but I figured I was committed to 30 minutes of something so I might as well mention it.

As my previously overworked and stressed out friend rolled off the massage table, I saw a noticeable difference in her. The change had been occurring gradually throughout our trip. Where she once vented about work, she had begun to comment on the beauty and rarities around us. But it was when she thanked, hugged and bid adieu to the outgoing short woman who ran a massage business out of her home with a relaxed smile on her face that I knew she had found some real peace.

Letting Go in the Middle of Nowhere 23

The woman began our session the way I imagine a therapist would, “tell me about your body.” I laughed.

What?

“Uh, I guess my biggest issue is this pain in my heel.” I showed it to her. She was speechless for a moment.

“This is really serious,” she said.

“This is the kind of thing that probably needs surgery. And it’s the kind of surgery that has mixed results. What did you do?”

Shit. I had read something online about this possibility but I had been doing my best to ignore it.

“Yeah,” I said. “I read that might be necessary so I just stopped running (only slight exaggeration here) and started icing it every night…I only recently decided to stop ignoring the pain.” I admitted.

“I’ll see what I can do,” she said.

“But I have to be honest, this is really serious.”

This is when I started to panic.

Sure, the online descriptions had been bad, and sure the pain was out of this world, but I had been so afraid of not being able to run that I had not accepted this as a potential reality. In fact, in my delusion I had imagined that if I took even a few days off now, that it would somehow mean that I couldn’t run for the rest of my life; 24

a reality that was easier to pretend didn’t exist than to accept.

Shoving her fingers in between my bones, she pushed and prodded and sighed and grunted, and I tried not to react to the pain. I must have started to squirm though because she stopped. “I need you to promise me something here,” she said. “I need you to promise me that if this becomes too painful that you will let me know. This is really serious and I am making some small progress but we don’t want to cause more damage.” I promised immediately.

LETTING GO OF EXPECTATIONS

I don’t know why I trusted this woman who worked out of her home in the middle of nowhere. I don’t know why I agreed to pay for a 30-minute massage that I didn’t need. I don’t know why now, at this point, I was willing to give up my conviction to run through every pain. I don’t know why something about this felt real. It felt like progress. It felt painful, but it hit me right then that I was willing to go through any amount of pain now and take (practically) any amount of time off, if it meant that I would be able to run for the rest of my life.

"I don’t know why I trusted this woman who worked out of her home in the middle of nowhere.”

“Breathe,” she instructed.

“Breathe down to your feet.”

Esoteric as that seems, in and out I breathed. “Yes! Yes, you’re doing it!” She exclaimed as she manipulated my foot. “We’re getting somewhere now.”

As I felt her fingers inside my foot, pushing aside my muscles and ligaments and gently shifting my bones back into place, my heart sped up, my body began to shake, and I felt tears roll down my face. I let the waterworks rip as I let go. I let go of my fear of not running every day. I let go of my fear that “fixing” this injury would break the bank. I let go of my need to be independent and fix it myself (run through it). I let go of my need to be defined by this activity, running. In a rush of adrenaline and emotion, I let go of everything.

When the shaking and the tears finally stopped, she had me stand on it. No pain. I’m not kidding. For the first time in months, walking was painless.

I nearly started crying again I was so grateful.

ACCEPTING THE UNEXPECTED

When it came time to pay we both looked at the clock and realized that she had been working on me for close to two hours! Though I would have paid anything at this moment (that’s what credit cards are for right?) before I could say a word she charged me for a mere 30 minutes. Apparently my friend had already paid to extend my session to an hour and the massage therapist had thrown in the extra hour! At this point I did start crying again. I hadn’t asked for any special treatment. I hadn’t asked for my friend to help me out or anticipated this kind of generosity. I hadn’t even known that I needed this and I certainly hadn’t expected it to change my life. And yet these two amazingly kind individuals, one for whom I would do anything and one whom I had never even met before, were looking out for me; giving me a priceless life-altering gift that I didn’t yet know that I needed.

"I hadn’t even known I needed this and I certainly didn’t expect it to change my life.”

Letting Go in the Middle of Nowhere 25

“We become so committed to the expectation that we can’t see what is before us and instead fight the reality of the present moment, sacrificing it, in order to achieve the expectation.”

I was sent away with a hug, a bag of local clay to smear on my foot to reduce the swelling and instructions to replace all of my shoes and lay off running for awhile, as my injury was caused by “blunt force trauma,” i.e. repetitively pounding the pavement.

That was a month ago, and no jinxes, the pain has not returned.

As instructed I have yet to start running and have replaced (almost) all of my shoes. Admittedly, I pushed it a little too far on a couple of hikes and while the pain did not come back I could feel my foot start to tire. So I am slowly learning the difference between pushing myself and listening to my body. I know that I will run again eventually and I have learned that it is all right if it does not happen today. I am more than 26

just a runner and I am learning to love that about myself as well.

Though I believe in having an open mind and living in the moment of my experiences, this trip more than anything demonstrated the power and reward of what can come from actually doing it. It would have been easy to force my expectations into becoming my reality. I had only expected to get a back rub. I had only expected to stay for 30 minutes. I had not expected to trust a complete stranger enough to let down my guard. I certainly had not expected to let go of my conviction to run through the pain.

I could have remained committed to these expectations, but then I would not have seen the opportunities before me and not have

found the relief I so desperately needed.

In all travels, and in life in general, we form expectations and we commit to them, consciously and subconsciously. We become so committed to the expectation that we can’t see what is before us and instead fight the reality of the present moment, sacrificing it, in order to achieve the expectation.

The flight is delayed so we run to another ticket counter to find one with the expected arrival time.

The restaurant in the guidebook is closed for renovations so we search for one that is substantially similar.

We thought we would be able to complete the hike within an hour but it took four hours and now the rest of the day is shot and we are exhausted. The famous photograph of the park was taken on a clear day many years ago but we are met with overgrown trees and a storm.

It can be disappointing and devastating when things don’t go as planned. But that is just life, it’s not anyone’s fault. Circumstances are constantly changing and evolving, that’s reality. If we can let go of our expectations long enough to accept the experience that is here, now, in this moment - we will never

be disappointed.

Though I started the trip with one set of expectations, it was my openness to experiencing what was possible and openness to letting go of the thoughts and convictions I clung to so determinately that allowed to me find what I truly needed.

Letting go of what you think you need and what you expect to get out of a trip is challenging, but when you do it, the rewards are boundless. I know this to be true, for I went into the desert one person and I came out a wiser version of myself.

Letting Go in the Middle of Nowhere 27

YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK // Image courtesy of Wiki Commons

Explore a new place in an unexpected way with a

classified itinerary that will have you

experiencing each moment as it unfolds.

Start your Adventure today.

road trippin' tools

6

Bocasa Blue Sunrise Picnic Blanket Nice large size can double as an extra blanket on chilly nights

MosRepel Natural Mosquito Repellent Bracelets

1 THIS WILL ROCK YOUR ROAD TRIP!

2

5

Itzy Ritzy Travel Happens Wet Bag Seals wet swim suits and towels from the rest of your belongings Roadtrippers.com A simple and intuitive road trip planner that helps you discover, plan and book the best places and experiences along your way, curated by local experts and travel writers. FREE APP!

3 BubbleShield Re-Useable Waterproof Sleeves  Some of the best places to make memories with friends were the worst places to use your smartphone or tablet -- until now.

4 X-Mini II Portable Capsule Speaker Small enough to take anywhere, good enough for your best friends, and cheap enough it won’t matter what happens!

Road Trippin' Tools 29

/// LOCATION From Luang Prabang, the Mekong and the Nam Ou river, into the remote village of Nong Khiaw, Laos >> MAP COURTESY OF ECOTOURISM LAOS

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travel log

8 HOURS on a Lao boat to watch a woman pick her nose. >> Words & photos by jacob moss / upickapath.com

The white, hand-made miniature wooden chair seems as if it has been transplanted from some eleven-year-old girl’s tea house.

Lashed with rope to the side of the cardboard boat that’s bobbing on the water as if nodding, confirming your initial thought; for the next eight hours, you should have considered travel insurance and brought an extra fluffy pillow.

From the ex-colonial town of Luang Prabang, where baguettes and croissants are found alongside noodles and rice in any restaurant’s menu, I board a boat on the Mekong heading north to the Nam Ou river. This trip came recommended as an “insider tip” from a German restaurateur married to a Lao girl: “Don’t take the slow boat along the Mekong into Thailand – that’s what all the tourists do,” he advised. “Go north on the local boat

along the Nam Ou river – the scenery is far more spectacular.”

Not a local is to be seen on the suggested boat, which leaves Luang Prabang full of tourists, heading north against the current.

“Don’t take the slow boat along the Mekong into Thailand - that’s what all the tourists do.”

Like most of South East Asia, no matter how hard a person tries to travel independently here, the foreigner is always handicapped, disabled in some way. All roads lead back to the welloiled tourist trail, whether you like it or not. There are few places left where tourists are yet to plant their flag.

8 Hours 31

Soured with this reality on this particular day, I sit at the rear of the boat in an attempt to avoid conversation.

The Mekong River is the vein of old Indo-China, weaving through China, Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia, Thailand and Vietnam. And like all of the great rivers in the world it is at the heart of many people’s lives.

This is obvious in the scenes that stand still - as they have for hundreds of years - as we glide by on the river like some boat ride at a fair. Scenes of village life and of a people and an 32

economy dragged along by agriculture like a plough being dragged by a buffalo remind me of a time I never lived. And that chickens have feathers and are not born as pink filets clingwrapped to guarantee freshness.

The river is the supermarket, the swimming pool, the bath, the kitchen sink, a source of occupation and wealth, however minimal it may be. Men and women in dome hats pan for precious stones in its silty bed. Taut, young men spear fish, aged ladies squat on the muddy banks scrubbing laundry, river weed is collected for drying

and eating, butt-naked children wave excitedly as we pass. And as the sun begins to descend, it seems the whole village is down at the river bathing, including the buffaloes. It is alive with splashing, children laughing and soaped up men playfully pushing each other off rocks into the water.

These people do not know the world and the world has no idea who they are. And unfortunately, after many years of standing still, the world is progressing in light years without them, and seemingly not giving a shit who they are.

An economist would say that Laos is growing up. As one of the few remaining Communist nations, the country only really began opening up to the world in 2005 after its domestic economy was liberalised and opened to foreign investment. While economic growth is raising a select few from poverty, it still remains largely poor.

But, like most of South East Asia, industrialisation acts like drastic plastic surgery to the face of the country.

8 Hours 33

The Mekong River is changing. The rapid construction of dams by government is affecting water levels. And I have no doubt, that ‘development’ will swallow these people whole.

Spend my last dollar travelling, until the day I die

Passing a heard of lazing buffaloes, I can’t help but eavesdrop to a conversation in front of me between a French and Australian backpacker, both dressed in I love Phi Phi island singlets. It makes me want to capsize the boat.

“I hear they shoot buffaloes with rocket launchers in Cambodia,” says the Frenchmen to the Australian.

“Man! I can eat meat, I can eat cows, but it’s different if you shoot ‘em with a rocket launcher…Jesus!” the Australian says with disgust, hugging his backpack.

An American accent also becomes apparent on the boat, and it’s not until after a few moments sitting with a grimaced grin on my face that I realize it’s being addressed at me from a large bald man with thickets for eyebrows. I can’t stop looking at them and feel incredibly rude.

“You travelling alone?” he asks when he can finally see he’s grabbed my attention.

“Yeah, at the moment,” I said, and thought of an unsuspecting buffalo exploding like a piñata. “And

34

yourself?” I asked after a moment of contemplation.

“Nah, it’s me and Emma up there,” he indicates towards a Mediterranean looking woman up the front of the boat. “We’re arguing,” he confides in me as if to relieve a bowel problem he’s had for a week. “I got an email from my wife asking me to send money for my kids.” He looked straight at me and said resolutely, “and I did.” I connected the dots in my head, but was not one to pry; especially not when I can sense that there will be a long story or explanation to follow – which followed nevertheless.

“I know what you’re thinking,” he said, and I wondered if he could see the smouldering flesh fragments of a buffalo scattered all over a field.

“It’s a bit odd to most people, but our respective spouses didn’t want this lifestyle – so we left them behind,” he said with a shrug, looking down at the water. Something was charming about this bushy eye-browed man.

“How long have you been travelling for?” I asked.

“Argh, seems like forever. I’m 67 years old and I’ve been travellin’ for half of them,” he smiles a tired, content smile. “I figure that if I live 19 more years, and everything goes according to plan, I’ll be spending my

last dollar travelling on the day I die,” he says. “Just can’t sit still,” he says.

I enjoy his accent and listening to him talk.

"I hear they shoot buffaloes with rocket launchers in Cambodia.”

My ear is drawn to another conversation between the Australian and Frenchman:

“When a beggar comes up to you in Cambodia and has all their limbs, I mean, come on,” the Australian scoffs. “Look at the competition!

You should at least be missing an arm or a leg.” This is followed by laughter.

I return to the American man for distraction. “Bit of a nomad then are you, where you originally from?” I ask.

“Florida…Emma’s Spanish, we met each other on the road.”

“Where have you been?” I ask.

“Everywhere. But we’ve just escaped three months down in Singapore.

We were staying at a hostel and the owner wanted to go on a holiday for 8 Hours 35

a while, so we offered to mind the shop for him,” he said.

“We almost went mad – we’re not made for nesting. But we were earning 420 dollars a month so I feel like a very rich man at the moment,” he says, while eating his pack of dry twominute noodles. His full eyebrows rise and arch, giving him the warm look of a character from a children’s book. He reaches out to shake my hand. “I’m Tom,” he says. “Jake,” I say in return and squeeze his hand. “Nice to meet you,” I say. And it truly was.

The river has moods, the driver tells me as we approach rapids that are merely a few inches deep. The bottom of the boat scraping on stones can be felt and heard. The car

36

“We were earning 420 dollars a month so I feel like a very rich man at the moment.” motor that propels the boat forward is reduced to a purr in sections and the driver navigates the rapids with a long bamboo pole. At one stage, the driver pulls over and indicates he wants us to walk along the embankment.

“You are too heavy – you must walk 20 minutes...that way,” he flicks his hand in no particular direction and leaves us.

Three British men lead the way muttering complaints under their breath and sagging fishing hats. A man and woman animatedly speaking Spanish don’t take much notice as they remain in the trance of flirting, while a ponytailed Dutch girl falls into a scrubby bush. The driver is lying on the roof of the boat with a cigarette hanging out of his mouth, sleeping when we find him. One of the British men shakes him, “Come on ya’ bugger!” The driver replies after smacking his lips and stretching his arms, “half way- another four hours.”

As we turn the corner to slip into the Nam Ou river from the Mekong, dramatic giant karsts draped in vines are gradually revealed like a curtain being drawn. They create a corridor and heighten the sense that we are entering a place removed from the rest of the world.

Now, from where you sit in your living room, you would imagine that every inch of this planet is easily accessible. But some places are not.

I’ve arrived at the remote northern Lao village only accessible by boat, Nong Khiaw.

free ikea pencils

As soon as I reach for my

backpack they come running. Like a stampede, screaming with arms outreached. They don’t know me, but they’re happy to see me; because I’m white, I have money, I’m an outsider.

I’m here because they look different to me, they’re poor, and I’m interested in how they live.

The curiosity that draws travellers to these villages is perverse and makes me feel uncomfortable that I could be part of that.

“

But perhaps one thing that attracts us is the purity often found in these places.

The simplistic lives, in which a community is reduced to bare basics, yet seem happy and warmer in heart than those of us who live in our cities.

Well, this is how I am convinced by the idealistic naïve self within me.

Their streets are still paved with dirt and this cannot be romanticised too much. Children with grubby faces are pulling at my pockets, my shirt and something within me.

8 Hours 37

"Give them one of the free pencils you can grab handfuls of at the entrance of every store, and you have inspired happiness that stands on stilts."

I hand out the bundle of IKEA pencils I had stockpiled back home and paper to the almond dark eyes that meddle with my conscience. They quickly disperse, finding a place on the dirt to scribble and draw their bursting imaginations down on paper. It makes me laugh that IKEA could give millions of dollars in aid to these countries and never provoke a smile in one of these children.

Give them one of the free pencils you can grab handfuls of at the entrance of every store, and you have inspired happiness that stands on stilts.

A crooked old lady is curious of the excitement. She walks right up to me and indicates with a nudge that she would like a pencil. The only one I

38

have left is blunt so I show her how to sharpen it with my pocketknife. With this, she unsheathes a large machete and begins to sharpen the pencil, with gusto. I flinch and this makes her laugh.

She continues to hold the pencil up close to her face, inspecting it with a childlike curiosity. She nudges me again and gives me back the paper. She’s pointing at the paper and I assume she wants me to draw something. My attempt at drawing a cow is pitiful and she laughs. She presses her hands together at her chest, gives a subtle bow and walks off to sit on a tree stump.

I sit there for a good hour watching the village go about its afternoon ritual of sweeping. They are constantly sweeping the front of their houses here. It’s irrelevant if the porch of their house is merely a patch of dirt, it is swept with pride.

A chicken and its chicks are trying to cross the dirt road that cuts through the centre of the small village but constantly retreat when a bicycle approaches. Piglets are foraging for food. Sheets of river weed, the same mucky green stuff I had seen them picking out of the river, are hung up in backyards to dry. Voices come from

inside the bamboo huts. A man who appears blind in one eye comes and sits next to me and speaks to me in a slurred tongue I do not understand, regardless of the language. Another old lady is shoving her face into a watermelon and spitting the pips out with authority. She is looking at me suspiciously. I can understand why.

Every now and again she would see the odd traveller come through town and they would look at her with

a smile, but also with a glance as if she is an exhibit. And there is nothing more delightfully uncomfortable and inwardly challenging than when her eyes and the eyes of that traveller should meet. She has most likely never travelled far from this village.

She has accepted that she will spend her entire life and die in this village.

But people like me, have travelled thousands of kilometres to see her pick her nose and spit watermelon seeds.

8 Hours 39

As the afternoon drags on, people gather in sarongs around a bucket shower by the road and clean themselves methodically. Men are returning home to the village on motorbike from work and sitting down to eat. Without even thinking, I am snapping photo after photo of it all. Driven by a fascination in these ordinary lives. I then feel disgusted in myself. But continue to take photos.

I want to know their names, ask them questions, put them into context and give a life to their faces. I want them to be more than photographs.

"And there is nothing more delightfully uncomfortable and inwardly challenging than when her eyes and the eyes of that traveler should meet.�

40

But I leave only with the pictures the children give me, drawn with their IKEA pencils; one being a picture of a man wearing a backpack, and something resembling a camera as his head. 

nomad necessities

1 2

Eco Edition Playing Cards Never leave home without them...

3

Tie Dye Hairbands For ladies with locks and dudes with dreads, a hairband is an invaluable travel necessity.

4

40 Blinks Ultralight Sleep Mask Never again be annoyed when your air neighbor decides to read a novel at what was just 3AM in your timezone - get your beauty sleep!

HVLO Headphones in a Headband Perfect for planes or plains! Use this sporty headband to rock your favorite tunes while you exercise and to lull yourself to sleep in otherwise hostile sleeping environments. Sports pack even has two headbands one for sweat and one for sleep!

5 6

7 En Route Travel Journal Blogging your experiences publicly is one thing, but where do you record that time in Bangkok when...?

Waterlily Infinity Scarf This scarf is such an eye-catcher and has so many uses on the road!

Skross World Travel Adaptor All-in-One, no pieces to lose.

Added bonus, when not in use, kids find these fascinating, all the buttons and extensions popping in and out might make this a carry-on item!

Nomad Necessities 41

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A LIFE A LAO BOAT RIDE 

JUL/AUG 2013

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