I know i’m in back in Thailand when a foot-long, orange and brown gecko comes skittering across the stones in my open-air shower, and cocks her head asking for a water splash too! Pouring some water from my hands across the stones to her feet, she ducks her throat down and drinks….a little more splashing and shes up on the wall, like a beautiful tropical ornament…..ah, Thailand…..

My journey here began with selling Xmas trees in Harlem for a month—(what an experience!!!)

my warming shed and trees on 118th St. and 3rd Ave.

Wowed by Grand Central Station and the skyscrapers!

Earning the $$$ to support myself in Asia for 4 months, i recovered from the marathon by taking the train on Christmas Day to my soul sista’s family home in Philadelphia—Thank you, Mena and Mama Cel and the rest of the family, for the awesome Italian Xmas celebration! I felt so held in the lap of love and nourishment, inside and out, with all the cooking and eating, hot baths, fires in the fireplace burning bright, the Botanical Garden afternoon…..such a wonderful send-off to Asia! (I’m burning that cedar stick and candle every night, and wearing those pretty socks, Mena)

Then through Milan, Italy and the Kingdom of Bahrain on the Gulf on into Bangkok just in time for Happy New Year on Soi Rambutri….fireworks, lanterns rising in the night sky, dancing in the streets, and tears in my eyes as i watch from the balcony where i looked out over the hot sky last Februrary with dengue…..now to return in full health….ah, Life, i love you.

Beautiful mountains i look at from my bungalow, looking towards Burma

Now i am in northern Thailand, northwest of Chiang Mai, in the little village of Pai, and have a lovely little bungalow to myself….with a stream on one side which the resident ducks love to wade into, the full moon rising right in front, a chill out deck, an outdoor tropical plant shower room, and best of all–a tiny fully equipped kitchen complete with blender!

my sweet little screened kitchen

little stream at the foot of my bungalow, rice fields beyond

I’ve been here for 2 weeks now, gone through the euphoria and also the second-guessing of travel, and am now settling into a nice pace….it takes me this long to really land, to get my daily nourishing food and yoga pattern going, to find the broom and sweep my floors, ground myself in the bliss and silence of my heart and being…..so important to reach this place anywhere i go.

morning light on banana trees

Listening to the tropical breeze wafting through the banana trees, i wake with the sun, meditate and stretch out on the patio, make a green smoothie (today was avocado, papaya, mango, banana from trees around the bungalow, mixed with my spirulina and almonds and coconut milk—yum!), head to town to have morning chai with other travelers,….then shopping the local markets for fresh food, i usually go home and am so content to be reading, doing yoga,  cooking my food for the day (which i have found is  something that really satisfies my spirit and body when traveling, instead of always eating out).  My afternoons so far have been filled with Thai Massage research! and evenings i either listen quietly to the night jungle birds settling into the trees and watch the sunset, go out to hear music, or hang out in the myriad of cafes for a delicious Thai meal….then back to the bungalow, burning my cedar and some of the eucalyptus leaves from the trees, i drift off to the far off beats of music from town………and that’s about it! Simple, clean, happy living.

Jungle river and water wheel

I have taken one motorbike trip on my Honda Wave 125 cc motorbike, to The Cave Lodge in Pang Mapha, out in the big jungle, to watch the swifts and bats circle the karst caves, immerse myself in the Burmese hilltribe culture, and visit a favorite Buddhist monastery….i plan to go back to get a Burmese style massage later this month, and to visit Chiang Mai, maybe meeting a new friend there ( KittyLove’s first owner who left Vermont for Asia), and also to stay at the community and organic farm of Panya Project.  I am so thankful to have this simple life of health, happiness, good food, good friends, and Thai massage….

I practice being in the moment, having the intention of deepening my yogini sadhana, but not focusing on a goal….i am opening myself, listening within, noticing my dreams, feeling into my heart, my longing…..My wonderful (lost and newly found again) friend Cameron wrote to me, upon the eve of embarking on my travel: “….So move forward, divert around what feels unsafe and draining of energy, towards positive affirmation and welcoming love.  I hope you will find the paths in the coming months that embrace your spirit and point the way… “

Sending all of you, my family and friends, plants, animals, stars, so much Love……we all radiate the Love we are, all around our beautiful planet….. Joyful Winter Blessings to all……

Thank you Kelly, Michael, Adam for keeping the home fires burning! i miss you and keep home in my heart….lots of ideas brewing for Spring….

Thanksgiving 2011, and the beautiful silent snowy woods of home....mmmmm

With a Deep Bow,

Liza (as the Asians call me–”Lee-zah”)

“Follow your bliss….if you do, you put yourself on a kind of track that has been there all the while waiting for you, and the life you ought to be living is the one you are living. When you can see that, you begin to meet people who are in the field of your bliss, and they open the doors to you. I say, follow your bliss and don’t be afraid, and doors will open where you didn’t know they were going to be. If you follow your bliss, doors will open for you that wouldn’t have opened for anyone else.”    -Joseph Campbell

I was in India, and struggled to survive this massive illness myself in guesthouse rooms, huddling under the blankets feeling bone-chilling cold and then sweating profusely (when my fever would break only to regain back to the high temps 12 hours later), aching in every joint of my body, coughing relentlessly so that i could find only fleeting glances of sleep, digestive upsets leading to zero tolerance for food, and then pulling off my shirt to find a deeply entrenched rash all over my chest and stomach……you get the idea. It was scary, and like being in a feverish dream-like state, not able to really rest with all the hurts and coughing (due to fluid leaking into my lungs—hence the hemorragic component of this mosquito-borne plague). One last attempt was made to stay in India, and that was to go south where it was warm, so i didn’t have to shiver and wear all my trekking clothes to bed. Goa was warmer by far than Rishikesh, but still all i could do was huddle up in an attempt to comfort myself under the mosquito net, watch the beach scene from there, and listen to the crow who was nested in the tree outside. Lifting a book to read was almost too much for the joints in my arms, i would just prop it up next to my face…..make sure i had drinking water…..and go down for juice in the morning, and soup at night……to the Rice Bowl restaurant, to the same table, and order day after day the same thing, was all i could do. Then back to bed. One day i decided to go walking, thinking it might help ease the ache in my bones and my sore muscles from laying down all the time, and i walked down the beach for 4 hours, with my scarf shielding me from the sun, lugging my liter water bottle which made my shoulder and elbow joints feel like they were being pulled out of their sockets…..i felt like i was in the desert, trudging along, wandering….but i did reach another beach, laid on the lounge chairs until almost sunset and then walked back underneath the moon. That was my Goa experience. I knew i was done, i could not keep going on like this, day after day, just surviving. I needed home very badly. I changed my ticket to the soonest date Asiana Airlines had for my ticket class, February 8th, and on motorbike, taxi, train, plane, and bus, wove my way back home.

All of this is made for an incredible winter experience. Everything i thought i would be doing changed. All the big plans gone. Instead of being in the flow of travel and experiences, i sat in India and Thailand and watched other travelers from my bed. I listened as the guesthouses emptied out in the mornings, and were silent during the day when everyone was somewhere, and filled back up with laughter and jolliness late at night. I was still on my bed, dozing…..listening…..reading……chanting to the Medicine Buddha……my big thing of the day was taking a shower. And going down to eat at the same table just below my room. After getting back home, i laid on the couch, and then my back spasmed (i’m sure due to all the inactivity), and then i couldn’t really move at all. My attitude towards life plummeted. I cried and became very depressed. Adam, who had picked me up in Montpelier off the bus, took as good of care of me as he could, bringing me tea and yummy foods and the heating pad that saved me…..he luckily had a wonderful yoga training to go to a week after i got back…..and then i really sank into deepness within myself as he left.

And i survived, and found the gems of the situation. I allowed myself for the first time in many years (since childhood?) to completely give in and do whatever my body wanted to. So i slept. and slept and slept. The time on the clock meant nothing. I only ate what really appealed to me, and if it was nothing, i just drank tea (the above mentioned wonderful concoction). And i started doing very gentle yoga, not any set routine, just again what my body wanted. So i indulged, and let go of every shred of “should”. I let myself go into depression if i wanted. After allowing that deepness, i would without notice, suddenly find the most indescribable joy at the sound of a crow outside, or a tiny snowflake on the glass door, or the taste of my tea in the morning. I had uncovered by accident the experience of being totally present, totally real with where i was, physically, emotionally, spiritually.

I began from a clean slate. The fever had burned away what my life had been. I felt as though i needed to reformulate my life, to recreate it. Really, what a blessing to be able to get to this place! It is the gift of tragedy, of illness, of crisis. The things that matter really become apparent. All the ways in which i gave myself away, ignored what my heart was saying, were right there all along. My heart was uncovered. I called Tom, my boyfriend still in Thailand, and in tears told him everything in my heart.

The Journey 

One day you finally knew
what you had to do, and began,
though the voices around you
kept shouting
their bad advice –
though the whole house
began to tremble
and you felt the old tug
at your ankles.
“Mend my life!”
each voice cried.
But you didn’t stop.
You knew what you had to do,
though the wind pried
with its stiff fingers
at the very foundations,
though their melancholy
was terrible.
It was already late
enough, and a wild night,
and the road full of fallen
branches and stones.
But little by little,
as you left their voices behind,
the stars began to burn
through the sheets of clouds,
and there was a new voice
which you slowly
recognized as your own,
that kept you company
as you strode deeper and deeper
into the world,
determined to do
the only thing you could do –
determined to save
the only life you could save.

 

~ Mary Oliver ~

(Dream Work)

i have had this poem tucked into my journals for two decades now, Adam just read it to me about a year ago too, when he was at the farm in Missouri. This poem has meant so much to me as big changes occurred in my life. Now, it means to me getting clear about what my priorities are. I have done a lot of writing in conjunction with two spiritual teachers, a couple, who are leading me on an investigation of what truly matters to me. And also working with a Chinese Medicine doctor who is aware of the healthful aspects of regenerating yang energy for the coming spring and summer months by nurturing the deep yin places with appropriate foods, practices and quiet during the colder and darker winter months.

The joy of this, the gem of all that has happened, is that i have come home to myself. I have discovered that the most important thing is to live the love inside my heart and have that reflected in my life, with friends and family, in my work, in my relationship to the land i live on, all of it. It’s the reason i am alive…..committing to that, not being distracted. I have gotten pulled in so many directions in my life. And i have forgotten, and i have abandoned, and i have been distracted. Ask anyone who knows me, …..i am creative, a dreamer, i am interested in so much, my biggest obstacle is feeling overwhelmed by too many interests, etc. I am learning to define my priorities and and commit to those, without being distracted by all the other wonderful things at the buffet of the dinner party of life. So in effect, i am committing to my deepest heart, and i am marrying myself!

As i go through the reemergence into Spring and out of my for-once-true-winter-hibernation, my life is realigning. Maybe the shifts will be imperceptible to others, maybe they will be big and obvious. I know i am living more in presence than i ever have, and i feel that happening in the world, consciousness becoming awakened, like the snowball is growing. I thank the gifts of this life and living, of being given just what is perfect for me, of the teacher showing up just when the student is ready, and commit to living my deepest heart.

Wishing everyone a very soul-full Spring,

In love, Lizabeth

On this auspicious night, the longest of the year, i will be gathering with others in silence at a Buddhist monastery. For me this feels like the best way to honor the most yin day of the year and the deepest part of me….and i honor all my friends and family and world with this meditation….

According to the ancient Vedic texts of India, the heart is the source of real feeling and knowing—the very seat of consciousness. Yet we can sometimes keep our hearts so well guarded that true feeling and knowing become inaccessible. The Pali word “metta” is most often translated as loving-kindness, and the practice of metta meditation helps open your heart to yourself and to others. Use the following steps to experience this beautiful practice:

1. Sit comfortably with a tall spine. Root the sits bones down and press up through the crown of your head. Take a few moments to become present by cultivating a slow, steady breathing rhythm.
2. Bring your attention within and silently repeat the following affirmations to yourself:
May I/you be protected and safe.
May I/you be happy and at ease.
May I/you be healthy and strong.
May I/you care for myself/yourself wisely.
May I/you be at peace.
There are many variations on these metta affirmations, so find the one that feels right for you. If you observe resistance to sending yourself loving-kindness, just witness that without judgment.
3. Bring your attention to someone you love. Silently send them the same affirmations.
4. Bring your attention to someone you have difficulty with and silently send them the affirmations. If you have resistance, just notice it with compassion.
5. Bring your attention to all beings everywhere, silently sending the affirmations to everyone everywhere.
6. Let go of the affirmations. Place your attention in your heart. For a few moments simply breath, relax, and observe the effects of the meditation.

Namaste.

***************************************************************************

“You darkness, that I come from,
I love you more than all the fires
that fence in the world,
for the fire makes
a circle of light for everyone,
and then no one outside learns of you.

But the darkness pulls in everything;
shapes and fires, animals and myself,
how easily it gathers them!—
powers and people—
and it is possible a great energy
is moving near me.
I have faith in nights.”
-  Rainer Maria Rilke, On Darkness

All my love to you on this Solstice night! xoxox Lizabeth

Well, I missed posting a blog on the Autumnal Equinox as I had promised, but I am forgiving myself (remember compassion for ourselves is just as important as giving it to others!) and making this adjustment to my goals by writing on this “cross quarter” day between the equinox and the Winter Solstice…..a little less busy time for me.

It’s the eve of Halloween, and in this special time of the year, i remember from my Waldorf teaching days, a quote from Rudolf Steiner that “… the veils are the thinnest now, between the spiritual and material worlds….”

Clearly to me, i feel this connection to the spiritual realms deeply this October, in the spaciousness of the Vermont woods as the leaves and plants die back and contract inward, the gathering and bringing in of the harvest which holds the summer sunlight in the brightly colored roots & hardy leaves & golden pumpkins, and in the darkness and quiet that falls so early in the day now. In the Gaelic pagan tradition, this time of season is called the festival of Samhain, celebrated with big bonfires over several days. And in the yogic tradition, this time is an auspicious one, and I think my yoga teacher, Margaret Pitkin, www.wildblueyoga.com, describes it well:

“As we draw near the dark gates of Samhain (the 31st) now is the time to strengthen the energy behind our intentions. Samhain marks the New Year for the world of nature; the last remnants of the previous sun cycle are falling and decaying back into the earth, strengthening and nourishing its soils for the next cycle of light. Here, in the dark eighth of the year, is the place to offer our gratitude for what has come before and set our roots firmly in what matters to us most.

For me, I am deepening and strengthening my commitment to my own practice of yoga throughout the course of the seasons, but at this time of year I recognize the heightened importance of that urge. This practice is the means by which I tunnel my roots deeper and deeper into the crystalline bedrock of my own heart, the sweet nectar-filled ground of my being that is the mooring no storm can shake. My practice is my pathway home to the eternal hearth of my heart’s flame, it is the instrument with which I tune my body/mind to play in harmony with the symphonic beauty of nature, it is what opens the channels of love, joy and contentment in my core…..and this is what matters most to me! Here on the doorstep of winter I renew my daily commitment to this practice with invigorated intensity, love and excitement! I also renew my commitment to share the treasure of this yoga with you, so that we can sip its delectations together, as my wise teacher Douglas says “It ain’t nothin’ but a party, ya’ll”!!

My heart really resonates with these words……keeping the channels open to my deepest heart through my practices of yoga, feeding my body healthy organic food every day, connecting with nature and the people in my life, being kind to our gorgeous planet of plants and animals—these are the most important things to me…..

So after meditating with the snowflakes coming down in the October dawn, practicing yoga in front of the warming fire in the woodstove, and sharing a few laughs while sipping on chai with my fun friend and beach-bum Frank (if you’re reading this, Frank, you know I am too!), I set aside the “to-do” list, and took a long, luxurious bath with sweet almond oil and lavender essential oil, at noon–how decadent!…. but how important too. I am remembering these days, that one of the other things that matters the most to me, is to live an unhurried life. I want to savor the textures, smell the fragrances, touch the essence….enjoy the sensuousness, the ease, the grace that surrounds me…and not miss it by rushing around.

Part of this is taking the time to prepare my food with love and use whole, organic and seasonal ingredients, and savor not only the product, but the process too….i watched this great video on cooking by Michael Ruhlman the other day: http://vimeo.com/16092198.

Cooking’s slow. You have to wait for water to boil, stews to simmer, and breads to rise. It’s incredibly sensual. You hear the chopping of vegetables, the spattering of oil in the pain. You smell the onion and garlic as they meet the embrace of olive oil. And, of course, you taste. Oh yes, you taste.

This is quite a different experience from picking up some soup from the store (which I do sometimes, too) or ripping open a bag of chips for dinner (ok, sometimes in a pinch i still do this). Yes, it takes some planning–deciding what you’re going to make, shopping for supplies, finding the time to do it–but it’s worth it. So worth it. Cooking is healing.

Plus, when the ingredients are both seasonal and local, you’re eating the exact medicine that Nature provides to keep you strong, healthy, and balanced each season.

So, after my soothing bath and writing this post, I am going to be cooking squash soup today, and listening to a podcast from Healing Harvest Forest Foundation, www.healingharvestforestfoundation.org, which promotes using horses for logging (which Adam and I have decided to do instead of using gasoline powered machines on our family’s forest land—more on that later!)

Here’s the recipe i’m making today…..

Butternut Squash Soup

Ingredients:

• 1 Medium Butternut Squash (peeled, seeded, and cubed)
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil or butter
• 1 inch piece of fresh ginger, minced
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• Sea salt and pepper to taste
• Fresh Filtered Water (or vegetable stock

In a medium saucepan, add olive oil and onion and sauté until the onions are soft. Add ginger and garlic and mix together. Add butternut squash and just enough water to the pot to cover squash. Cover and bring to a boil. Turn heat down and simmer for about 30 minutes, or until butternut squash is soft. Add mixture to blender or use an immersion blender to blend soup until smooth. Enjoy!

**********************

Happy Autumn……and i encourage you to take time to do what nurtures you and matters most!

Love and Peace to all,

Lizabeth

Wow, the sunlight is dazzling, the days stretch out long and langoriously….the morning dawn arrives very early this far north (Elmore, Vermont) around 4 am, with the robins, phoebes and chickadees heralding in the glorious day, and met at the other end by the hermit thrushes singing their fluted songs, the fireflies and star and planets ablaze in the night sky, reaching darkness at nearly 10 pm. Sometimes there is so much of this high intensity, yang sun energy, that i have to cup my hands over my eyes, gently easing my Piscean soul into a bit of  peaceful yin darkness.

I began this little blog 6 months ago, at the other side of the seasonal circle, at the Winter Solstice in Varanasi, India….the nights were the longest of the year. This dark time of year is when i go inward and receive and listen and learn and fill up my cup…having lots of time to reflect and write, being with my teachers, taking lots of yoga classes instead of leading them, letting my days flow naturally. Now at the Summer Solstice, i find myself giving, teaching, setting up daily and weekly schedules, making lots of  lists, being much more active. And when i get tired, i remind myself to balance, to walk the middle way. Take a little of the dark, cool yin of the winter months, and cover my eyes, and soak up the peacefulness. Slow down a bit. Take time to smell the beautiful food on my plate before i eat, pause to really see that awesome sunset, play with the children who appear in my day.

Balance, balance, balance…..that is what my 50′s seem to be all about. I am remembering the darkness in the fullness of light, seeing life in the face of death, knowing stillness in the midst of my summer activity.  Funny to be writing about balance, at the sun’s extreme phase. But many things are teaching me this….and i am grateful. Two beloved people in my life left their bodily form recently, Jake Mason Reddy and Dennis Simpson. And this weekend friends and family celebrated their lives by gathering together, telling stories, playing music, burying their ashes. I cried, and i also laughed….i felt so sad and shocked, and also gave my respect for their paths. I remembered them in all their beauty.  And who knows how long any of us will be here? We are more like the breezes, wafting through the trees than a solid, permanent form.

Let us remember to honor this summertime, to revel in the light, to be active, to grow our gardens (many are sprouting up around our house, thanks to Adam’s great energy this summer!), but not be so busy that we forget to love one another, to take time for reflection, to sit quietly in the dawn and listen to the birds, enjoy our food, slow down and relax.

May you thoroughly enjoy this summer’s light!

Love and Happiness,

Lizabeth

Somewhere

a black bear

has just risen from sleep

and is staring

down the mountain.

All night

in the brisk and shallow restlessness

of early spring

i think of her,

her four black fists

flicking the gravel,

her tongue

like a red fire

touching the grass,

the cold water.

There is only one question:

how to love this world.

I think of her

rising

like a black and leafy ledge

to sharpen her claws against

the silence

of the trees.

Whatever else

my life is

with it’s poems

and it’s music

and it’s glass cities,

it is also this dazzling darkness

coming

down the mountain,

breathing and tasting;

all day i think of her–

her white teeth,

her wordlessness,

her perfect love.

Today, on the Vernal Equinox , I am inspired by the bear, to stand in the middle of my life, and deeply love what is….

And ahhhh, home….the deep green of the spruce and hemlock, the little brook half way down the driveway to my house that just yesterday began to run strong with whitewater, the sound of the first red-wing blackbird, and the geese returning from the south, and the little flower buds opening on the witch hazel that i planted next to the steps last fall (the first herbaceous plant to flower in Vermont— in March, in the snow! it’s blooming, even tho the deer nibbled it a bit when i wasn’t looking)…..how good it is to be home, to see the first signs of Spring in this part of the world….

This morning,  i’m beginning my day by opening up all the windows and doors, shaking out the pillows and blankets, letting the new energy permeate my environment and being, lighting incense and the woodfire, and then just sitting outside, softening and quieting, listening…..later, i’m gathering my yoga mat and hibiscus tea, and heading down to town to attend an Anusara yoga class, one of my first ventures out—-so far after arriving back,  i’ve been so happy just to settle myself into my home and woods:  i’ve been practicing yoga in front of the woodstove, making lots of yummy homemade Asian food, painting the downstairs floor what i call “Robin’s Egg”, what the store calls “Florida Keys Blue” (both nice!), just nestling into my hammock and looking out the stars,  listening to the sound of the rivers and streams starting to roar down in the valley, hanging out on the deck in the sun, ski touring in the local woods….the beautiful sliver of crescent moon hangs in the clear evening sky, with Venus, and late last night with some streaks of Northern Lights…

Thank you all for the comments you have written!—such a fun way to stay in touch….if you ever think of “What’s Lizzy up to?”, you can tune in here….i will be posting a new entry at least 4 times a year, on the Spring & Autumn Equinox and Summer & Winter Solstice, in honor of the seasons and cycles of this day, month, year, and life…..and more entries in between, as my daily living unfolds.

And why ThreeLeaves, you might ask? this is the name of my handmade soap company, representing the energy and spirit of me, Leslie and Adam, and our lives together in the little handmade house in Elmore—i started the soap company so i could stay home with my kids, back in 1996–we think of ourselves as ‘one of the leaves’, and they know, as much as I know, how we all pulled together back then, and how the soap and all the various facets of it,  permeated our living (literally–our house always smells of essential oils) ….although i now only make soap for family and friends, i still have the original website work and pictures that Adam helped me to produce (lots of funny stories about positioning bars of soap for those photo shoots on top of the washing machine, right Adam?) Leslie was the inspiration for the most enduringly popular bar, Buttercup, an Egyptian Geranium-Lavender-Rosemary scent, the first one i made because she needed something for her sensitive skin….and we all sold them, at country fairs and farmers markets……everything started organically like that, and and continues to unfold…..anyway, i will be adding a page onto this blog where you can see it all—stay tuned!

Wishing you blessings, the planting of seeds,  and new beginnings every day,

Love, Lizabeth

Below them are walls of rock…

Fruits and medicinal herbs fill the valleys.

The mountains and trees appear like dakas and dakinis dancing.

Vast jungles are like demonesses with their manes swept back,

And rocky spires pierce the sky.

The rivers roar due to the high passes

And precipices the seal the boundaries….”

CHOEJE LINGPA—Wishfulfilling Light Rays: Opening the Door to the Hidden Land

*******

Annapurna Sanctuary, December 28 – January 4, 2010…..a time and place and sojourn into mountain heaven that I will never forget…..thanks Adam, for going together….i know you know it, but I have to say it here to the world: the trip just about as awesome as you can get……

Luck comes to those who are prepared to embrace it…...our mantra that we repeated as we looked at each other and were without other words to describe our vast fortune that spread out before us each day……Luck comes to those who are prepared to embrace it…..and we were prepared in so many ways: making time in our lives to just take a trip like this, making it important…being generous in our spirits and having deep respect for each other as we hiked….respecting the mountain energy and aligning our bodies in accordance to the rigors presented to us each day…being present in the moment and ready to be flexible, and on and on…..everything came together: the people, the weather, the timing, the humor, the environment, the stamina, the yoga mat, the teahouses and kitties, the dal bhat….we had the right elements (luck?) to pass through into some sacred land…..From scouting the area on a circuit trek done on a whim 2 years ago, Adam and I knew that the ABC (Annapurna Base Camp) trek would take us into the icy heart of the Himalayas, and we would be attempting this in the off-season winter time. Trekking between Christmas and New Year’s this year put us up in the high mountains for the blue full moon on New Year’s Eve….knowing this months ahead, I felt it to be an especially auspicious time…here’s the lowdown as each day unfolded:

December 23—meeting up in Kathmandu! And having Mexican food for  a celebratory dinner…

December 24—waking up and opening up little gifts and homemade organic Christmas cookies that I actually hand-carried all the way from Varanasi, India without smashing, shopping for gear in the many trekking shops in the backpacker lanes of Thamel, and procuring early morning bus tickets for the next day, today the culinary highlight were freshly made steamed vegetarian Tibetan momos…

December 25—early bus ride to Pokara, and finding our old guesthouse again, dining at My Favorite Restaurant (it did turn out to be our favorite)…

December 26 and 27—kicking back, fueling up, finding our Nepali guide (Kul), and porter (Mukti)–our comrades all the way–, and permits, going over the packing list, getting a ride set up to the trailhead with the guesthouse owner’s brother-in-law due to a transportation strike called by the Maoists…

December 28—after a big pot of chai tea and muesli-fruit-yogurt, we (the four of us–myself, Adam, Kul and Mukti)  head to Phedi and start up the trail…. Today from Phedi, basically a roadside bazaar, to Derali, we made a 1030 meter ascent, landing at “Nice View Teahouse” with a woodstove warming our toes as we ate lentil soup, rice and vegetables(dal bhat) for dinner, a kitty loungeing at our feet, a mist concealing the not-just-nice-but-amazing view of the mountains that we woke to the next morning….sleeping very well in rented down sleeping bags and silk “cocoon” liners….46 degrees in the basic wooden room at bedtime…

December 29—woke to 36.5 degrees outside and clear skies, revealing the massive pink sunlit peaks of Annapurna South and Dhauligiri to the North……traversed over the waters of the clear green glacier-fed river, the Modi Khola, many times on log and swinging suspension bridges, up and down ridges of terraced rice and millet fields, ending at Jhinu hot springs (1750 meters), where a late evening dip in the hot water pools next to the Modi Khola was an soothing treatment for our tired muscles….

December 30—Jhinu (1750 m) to Doban (2550 m) and the Annapurna Approach Lodge, by way of a difficult uphill climb, then descending into the cool valley of bamboo and rhododendrons, “festooned with orchids and ferns”( –Lonely Planet)….. Doban, a bustling little guesthouse area with waterfalls and brooks all around, and a very loud-meow kitty….nestled in for the night, with the moon appearing and disappearing in the encircling clouds….

December 31—Woke to clearing skies after a night of pouring rain, which was very comforting on the roof, but also raised questions about trekking the next day—rain or snow? But we stepped out in the morning to the beautiful sight of fresh powder snow and misted-in mountains…we hiked along slippery paths hugging jungle ravines and steep drops and icy streams to the next stop midday at Himalaya for lunch…..as we hungrily ate more dal bhat, the skies cleared up, urging us to continue on….it was here, with renewed energy and impetus and feeling strong, that our group confered, and realized we were going to make it all the way to Machhapuchhare Base Camp, situated at the entrance to the Sanctuary, by nightfall on this New Year’s Eve…the deep, slow breathing to send as much oxygen to our bodies as possible, coupled with drinking loads of electrolyte water (and a porter to carry all my heavy stuff didn’t hurt) had kept us free of high altitude sickness…. as we started out for our destination, the mountains really started kicking in—the huge side walls of the valley soared up on each side, avalanching snow and ice falling into the high ravines with resounding crashes, everything magical and snow frosted from the arching bamboo stalks to the alpine flowers to the moraine boulders…..that night we all tucked in at Cosy Lodge at MBC (3700 m) on a high open ridge, with a quasimoto host (seriously!) and group of Nepali, Japanese and Korean trekkers, one of whom had come down from ABC with signs of HAPE (high altitude pulmonary edema)…..the Full Blue Moon, long awaited, rose elegantly above the towering dark peaks at 7:30 pm, and lit up the Sanctuary—completely mesmerizing…27 degrees in the room at bedtime….and i sent my love to Leslie Dianne back home—Happy New Year!

January 1, 2010—in the wee hours of early morning, we make the 2 hour trek to ABC (4130 m), in a surreal mixture of high-altitude, cold temperatures, cobalt blue sky and complete awe at the tremendous ampitheatre of huge peaks in the sanctuary—with the near-vertical south face of Annapurna I towering above the sanctuary to the northwest……we spend alot of the time up there in silence, just absorbing the incredible energy……and then with light-headedness setting in, and after tea and a bow to the Anatoli Boukreev memorial chorten, we headed down to lower altitudes….everyone up there that day greeting each other in the bright sun and snow, commenting on what a great place it was to be on the first day of 2010……descending about 1500 meters, from 4130 m to back down to Doban at 2550 m by nightfall….but not before seeing a helicopter evacuation of one of our fellow trekkers back to Kathmandu, succumbed to the effects of high altitude……

January 2—hiking  up and down the river valleys and ridges to Chhomrong (2170 m), a wide open valley ringed by terraced mountainsides and high peaks, by late afternoon, and a very welcome hot shower….

January 3–…. continuing  down to Ghandruk at 1990 m, the second-largest Gurung settlement in Nepal, with a charming cluster of closely-spaced, slate-roofed houses and outstanding views of Annapurna South and Macchapuchhare, which were swathed in pink and orange sunset as we arrived……and trekking easily out to Naya Pul, another roadside bazaar, the next morning….

January 4–on into chillout ‘lost-in-time’ days in Pokhara (808 m), a very pleasing, you might say, post-trek environment….

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How to sum up such a magical trek? it was not just seeing scenery that blows your mind, but also taking in the incredible mountain aura and energy, feeling it in deep your being,  changing your awareness…..Adam was the king photographer, capturing the spirit of our time in Nepal…..take a look at the awesome photography, http://picasaweb.google.com/mitch.ad/AnnapurnaSanctuaryTrek20092010……and my photos will be uploaded soon, too….

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“I have journeyed to sacred places in utter joy,

Like a swan landing on a lotus lake

And the vase of my heart is filled to the brim with the

Nectar of their sublime qualities.”

NGAWANG KUNGA TENDZIN—The 3^rd Khamtrul Rinpoche (1680-1728)

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So I’m now swinging in my hammock in chilled-out Pai, North Thailand, with the cool breeze wafting through the palm and mango trees that shade my sala….with a glass of mineral water, my never-ending book—The Heart of the World, by Ian Baker, and Adam’s little EEE computer…I will add a disclaimer right now: the reason I haven’t been back on the blog writing sooner than this has been partly due to the lack of electricity in Nepal (16 hour a day power cuts), compromised access to computers, and the general immersion into my trip that creates a sabai, sabai/ manana, manana attitude…..But here I am now, really thrilled to have my fingers on a travel-size computer in my bungalow, the very type that I will buy once back in the States…..(check out the very fancy review at    http://astewartm.wordpress.com/2009/10/03/the-netbook-the-swiss-army-knife-of-computers/)

So, back to sabai, sabai…..and my plate of freshly sliced papaya…..talk again soon, hugs and kisses from Thailand……

~LMM~

Hugs later, we sat and shared our stories of getting there, had some cheese naan and spinach soup, and then walked home through the candlelit streets….every night the Nepal government folks turn the lights off for several hours from late afternoon til about 8 pm….

Later, we had some great Mexican food (!), and talked and talked , lounging on the chill-out cushions until they closed…..we had an interesting conversation with our Hindu Nepali waiter, when he asked about who this “old man with the beard” was, pointing to  a Santa on the nearby Christmas tree…”is Santa Clod your Christmas god?” we all had a good laugh together over that!

Christmas Eve….. we woke and opened little gifts, of cookies, soaps, candle, books, and then headed out to buy bus tickets to Pokhara, a plane ticket back to Bangkok for Jan., and dined on Tibetan momos for lunch….(so, for some reason, i am thinking of Christmas in terms of menus—food has always been a focus point, preping and making culinary delights, that marks family gatherings for me…so in that vein, i’ll continue with the menus)….Christmas Eve dinner was yak cheese balls for appetizer, and then veggie burgers and mint tea, also eaten around another fire, this time out back of a bookstore, where we lingered as we walked out thru loads of fantastic coffee-table books of Himalayan expeditions, explorers, and spectacular mountains and Nepali culture….

Christmas morning…..we headed out on a bus to Pokhara, the lovely little town around Phewa Lake, from where we are starting our trekking into the Annapurnas, a great ride along a river that got increasingly wide, clean and flowing rapidly…..we snagged a sweet little hill-side guestroom, with birds, goats in the field, lakeview and mountains all around….and of course Christmas dinner was around another fire, under starry skies, this time at “My Favorite Restaurant”, and with a glass of Chenin Blanc, more yak cheese balls, pumpkin soup, and the house pizza!

so we are well fed here in Nepal…..after meeting up with our guide, Kul and porter Mukti, we decided on a plan: to trek to  Annapurna Base Camp, ABC for short….and spent the rest of the day, getting permits, photos, and supplementing our gear with fresh iodine tablets, Gore-tex gloves, rented down sleeping bags, and a new little pack for me, since we have the porter to carry my bigger pack. So i think we are all set! just some energy snacks to purchase today, and we are resting up…. it will be about 8-10 days out in the mountains, no internet, and i will be making mental notes and taking pictures to post…..this morning, Sunday, the Maoists are calling a 3 day transportation strike, so we will be getting the guesthouse owner’s brother to drive our team of 4 to the trailhead tomorrow AM in his car…..and we just met a beekeeper from Humbolt County, CA, here in Nepal and also Thailand visiting historic “bee sites”, and who had just come back and was recovering from Everest Base Camp….he told us of reports of 2 feet of snow at ABC….but when he found out we were from Vermont, he says, “No problem!”  ….nice…..I do feel as  ready and prepared as we can be, but i know that the mountains rule, so we will see what wonders they have in store for us….

Wishing everyone a very Beautiful New Year’s Eve, with the Full Blue Moon shining bright above…..

Love from Nepal, xoxoxo, Liz (and Adam!)

so, in the spirit of sadhana, my spiritual practice, it’s time to open up my private diary (just a little), and give the most valuable gift that anyone can give–myself and my time and my presence, to those that i love, just like friends do, over a cup of tea…

Salaam, Namaste, Peace on Earth to you at this Winter Solstice 2009~

All my love, Lizabeth

McLeod Ganj, Dharamsala, India