Soul Searching

At the suggestion of my wonderful hostess I decided to motorbike up into eastern Bali for a couple of days. everyone here said that it is amazingly beautiful, and they were right. The first stop was a place called Chandidasa, and the hotel/bungalows were called Ida’s Homestay. There were three sizes of bungalow, tiny, medium (with two floors and an ocean view), and large. I opted for the medium for 16 USD a night. The small was REALLY small, kind of claustrophobic. each bungalow had an outdoor toilet and shower (cold water only). Overall extremely charming.
Then I proceeded further up the coast to a place called “good karma” run by a jovial guy by the name of Bobbo. This was an hour and a half ride from Chandidasa - basically on the edge of nowhere, but boy was it spectacular. I wanted to stay another day but figured out late in the day that it was Friday not Wednesday, and that I needed to be in the clinic the next day. So it just wasn’t in the cards.
I drove back to Ubud in three hours flat, making very good time. Dodging dogs, goats, pigs, chickens, women with chickens, even women driving motor scooters while holding onto live chickens! All this and being hyper aware that my helmet was staying on just by virtue of my very large head LOL!
Anyway, I made it back after a much needed break (I think I’ve done close to 50 treatments in the week I’ve been here - as much as a normal week in NY). I have clinic tonight. We’ll see how it goes.

I rented a run down scooter from someone at 3 USD a day. it’s been great. the only thing is that it seems like traffic rules are optional here, and that makes it slightly dangerous to cruise around nonchalantly when you feel like at any moment anything could happen. that said, I am taking driving the scooter VERY seriously.
It is absolutely amazing how resourceful people can be when they have little. these little scooters, not much bigger than a kids bicycle putter around with 4 or 5 people on them. mom on the back with a baby and dad driving with two kids in front of him. on top of that sometimes you see him smoking! that means he’s driving with one hand! crazy.
All that is just to give you the “scooter” mindset. just up the road from where I am staying is a park called the monkey forest.

It’s called that because, you guessed it, it chock full o’ monkeys. Big monkeys, little monkeys, baby monkeys, mommy and daddy monkeys. Not only are there monkeys EVERYWHERE but they have no fear of humans (or motor scooters). If they think you have food they’ll run right up to you and go through your pockets. I was told that there’s no rabies on the island but the infection from a monkey bite is still very serious. Anyway, the island of Bali, I have been told, is mostly Hindu, so there are shrines where ever you look. they are beautiful. the Balinese make daily offerings of rice and fruit, which of course the monkeys love. it’s a win-win situation.

Anyway this is all going to tie together right about now (scooters, traffic, monkeys - you might think it can’t be done but just watch…). As if driving on two way streets that are not wide enough for two very small cars to pass each other side by side is not enough, and driving on the other side of the road doesn’t help, not too mention the lack of any road signs, or the fact that most one way streets can be two way (but apparently not all - go figure), there is a tiny road through the monkey forest. Maybe as wide a city side walk (less than 3 feet wide) that is a “scooter” road.

Mind you this road goes up and down, makes ninety degree turns right next to sheer drop offs with only a guard rail that would keep a small monkey from falling over, it has pot holes the depth of a basket ball in it, there are monkeys meandering through it with no regard for their own safety or anyone else’s (I DO realize that they ARE monkeys but you think there’d be some instinct for self preservation), and this is the most incredible part, IT’S TWO WAY! simply unreal.


All that said (and it was a mouthful) the helmet that came with the bike has about the outer strength of a dried eggshell (I’m pretty sure if I accidentally dropped it it would shatter like a Christmas ornament). I think the only thing it could protect me from is a bird crapping on my head, but still given the craziness of the road conditions it did offer some psychological support. well, the chin strap came off, kind of like toilet paper being pulled off the roll, and any illusion I had of safety went with it. Wish me luck…

Please excuse all my errors and lack of proper formatting. this entire enterprise is being done on a little hand held palm pilot. I don’t even know how it looks.
I got myself a prepaid phone card (sim card) and i upload stuff via email to a friend of mine (thanks James!) and he puts it on the website. The money ran out a couple of days ago, so now everything is just being held on the palm until i can refill it.
On another note, anyone I write about will only be referred to by their first name unless they have given me express permission to use their name on my site.

Please Help!

This will probably be the first of many pleas for help, but don’t despair! Look at it for what it is, a chance to make a direct contribution to others in need. What I would like to do is have anyone interested NOT donate money, but actually donate supplies. That way everyone can pick something they want to give, and the cost will be small (a box of needles is about 5 - 10 dollars, a box of moxa the same). You could donate one box or ten. It’s up to you. You can donate herbs, poultices, patent formulas, what ever you like. Nothing is too small. What I’d like to do is mobilize a shipment quickly (for Aceh) and then one for the Ubud clinic. I’m going to set it up so that you can call Kamwo directly and just tell them what you want to give, or how much (really no amount is too small), and they’ll take care of the rest. Then I’ll have one of my assistants ship it out (I’ll cover the cost of international express shipping to Bali). Then YOU get to be part of this wonderful experience directly, in a way that is fulfilling to you. Kamwo’s telephone number is 212 966 6370 ask for Ray or Judy.

So through some one I met to whom I mentioned my desire to do aid work for the local people (who have almost no access to local healthcare) I was put in touch with a woman that runs a foundation for sustainable building. she in turn put me in touch with people that run a local free clinic.
Originally the clinic was set up as a birthing birthing center for the local population and quickly became a source for all kinds of healthcare. The offer midwife services, homeopathy, acupuncture, herbal medicine, body work. all for free to the people that live in the area (most of whom are extremely poor).
As fate would have it the woman that originally sent me to the local clinic (who herself is very involved in local philanthropy) offered me to stay in her place in exchange for treatments for her and her assistant.
The first stroke of luck, her place turns out to be a gorgeous resort. Five or six separate cottages, with their own swimming pools, some with jacuzzis all created and designed by her. Truly amazing and wonderful.

The second stroke of luck was that the acupuncturist working at the local clinic was going on vacation for a month and they were extremely happy to have someone help out (that would be me). The acupuncturist here, Bobbi, was kind enough to stick around for the first day and show me the ropes. She left a successful practice in the Hamptons to come here and help. She is doing an amazing job.
Although the first day was supposed to be really slow because Bobbi had told everyone there would be no clinic (and then I showed up!). It wasn’t as busy as usual but we treated at least twenty people, farmers that live outdoors on a mountainside to little kids. It was a great experience. I have two more weeks of clinic before I’m off to java.
Then comes the third stroke of luck, it turns out that they are in desperate need of aid in an area known as Aceh (not to be confused with Banda Aceh - a tourist resort). It’s in a Muslim area, torn apart by civil war and devastated by the tsunami (yeah, I had totally forgotten about that - I thought if it wasn’t in the news any more it can’t be that bad… I was wrong). They asked if I would be willing to go and help, warning me that it was slightly dangerous, with miserable living conditions (all of the aid workers sleep in a big open room on top of the clinic), and not a lot in the way of food or personal comfort. Of course, I replied I would be delighted to lend a hand. It is exactly what this trip is about for me. I’ll fly out on a Red Cross plane in two weeks and do a week there before I head back home to New York for a week.

I met the king of Ubud, (Ubud is the local Indonesian town I am staying in).
I should correct that to say I kind of met the king of Ubud. I’ll explain more in a few minutes. I found out about performance of Balinese dance that was happening in the town performance center. it was particularly special because it was made up of some of the most famous Balinese dancers and musicians of the 20th century. most of whom were in their eighties. it was quite a show. I burned out about halfway through the performance and had to go but what I saw was great.
What happened with the king was that when I first arrived at the show there were all of these empty seats in the first row, so I sat there extremely happy with my good fortune. about a quarter of the way through the performance a young man comes up to me and asks me if I wouldn’t mind moving my seat back one row. I asked why. he told me because the king of Ubud was there and he usually sat in the front row. of course I immediately began to move seats when the king came up and said “why are you moving?” “for you” I replied. he said “I hope it’s not too much trouble.” I said “no trouble at all.”
So it’s probably more accurate to say I got booted from my seat by the king of Ubud but there you go.

Got here to Bali safe and sound. wrote three post that i will try and upload later. Hugs to all.

Okay, here we are at entry three and the fun has begun! Reality check #1, planning ahead is great but when you hit the ground is when things count. My wonderful plans to see Tokyo and Nikko were thoroughly trashed (as was the reputation of the Nikko hotel chain) when I arrived at the Narita airport outside of Tokyo. not only was the airport hotel dingy (not dirty per se…) but it takes four hours one way to get to Nikko, and two hours each way plus fifty dollars to get to Tokyo. so having arrived at 4:30 pm I thought I would head to Tokyo for a couple hours, look around and head back to the hotel.
I checked in, freshened up, and headed downstairs to the front desk at around 6 pm. the desk clerk informed me that it takes 2 hours to get to Tokyo and 2 more to get back. On top of that, the last train back was at 9 pm which would mean that I would travel for four hours so I could see Tokyo for an hour or so. I decided that was a no go and I would just try again in the morning. so I picked up the schedule for the train into Tokyo and made a new plan for the morning.
I got up all excited for the morning and went downstairs to catch the bus to the high speed train to Tokyo. I figured I’d drop off my bag and catch the first one. Then the clerk told me that the first two trains of the day were SOLD OUT (as they are every day)! That meant that if I took the next available one to Tokyo I’d be in the same situation as the night before. I couldn’t believe it! Instead I opted to go into the town of Narita. I had a hard time getting oriented and got lost almost immediately (which isn’t so bad or stressful for me) and made a bunch of sign language with some locals (they must have found it pretty amusing, one guy let me do my shtick twice before letting me know that he spoke English) but I finally figured out where I was, had an unremarkable sashimi box lunch and headed back to hotel. I arrived just in time to catch the next bus to the airport. All in all Japan was a total bust. Narita was not worth the trip, the hotel wasn’t all that nice, and there wasn’t enough time to really do anything. c’est la vie…

Ok. the reality of travel, to which I am no stranger, is beginning to hit. I’ve been sitting in the airport for the better part of three hours. Just, of course, so I can sit on a plane for 16 more hours.
You would think that “they” (the ubiquitous ones that are the general cause of all evil. some would say the GOP, others would say the white coated faceless scientists - it’s only the second entry and already I can see that the white coated scientists are in for a rough ride) would have figured out a better way for folk to do this kind of thing. Excitement puctuated by complete and utter boredom. Well, to be honest i’m not really bored, only tired. i don’t normally sleep well on planes. We’ll see if this is any different.

And so my adventure begins. i am in a taxi on my way to the airport. I was up until 6:30 in the morning preparing my luggage and tying up loose ends - though there are still many left.

I woke at 7:30 am, too nervous to lay in bed. it’s just as well, I am hoping it will help me adjust to the new time zone faster. (it’s the part I hate most about travelling, changing my sleep habits!)

Although my first destination is Ubud on Bali, it won’t be the first place I visit. I have a 24 hour layover at the Tokyo airport (hotel provided by the airline). My plan is to travel to a town called Nikko. Apparently there is an ancient samurai trail that runs through that town. The place is also supposed to be littered with temples of all kinds - Shinto, Buddhist. It’s reported to be worth the 175 km ride even tough it’s a bit touristy. I would love to get some bodywork or acupuncture while i’m there but time will be short, we’ll see.

After that I go on to Bali. I get in at 10:30 at night and head straight to a town called Ubud. I’m super exited to see it and some one I know has put me in touch with a local clinic there where i might be able to see some patients. how exciting! from there I plan to follow my nose. There’s an island called Flores, where archeologists found the remains of a tiny branch of our ancestral tree - little people! Three feet tall and using tools! It puts a kink in the whole brain size is relative to intelligence thing (I bet a whole bunch of brainiacs with large craniums came up with that theory!). Then there’s Komodo, where the dragons come from. I have been fascinated by them since I was a little boy. How incredible to see one! (I am such a geek!)

Well, my thumbs are getting sore from typing on my palm pilot (no room for a laptop on this trip), so i’m going to stop for now. I wrote all that and I’m still here in nyc in the back of a yellow cab that seems determined to try and break the sound barrier! Hope everyone is well. (The cab driver and I figured out that the trip from Brooklyn to JFK took exactly 32 minutes!)