Silence is Golden

For the next ten days, Dennis and Andrea will be shutting the hell up and learning how to meditate. We have not joined a cult. Repeat. We have not joined a cult. We are thinking of starting one, though. Seriously. Want to join? Just leave your details (credit card numbers, bank account details, etc) on the site and we'll send someone around to your place straight away. So whilst observing Noble Silence, we hope that you all have a lovely time yabbering away to each other. If any emergencies arise, we can be contacted at the following address:

Deccan Vipassana Research Centre
Dhammalaya; Ramling Road, Alte Park, Alate,Tal.; Hatkangale, Dist.Kolhapur 416 123; Maharashtra,India.
Ph: [91](0230) 248-7383, 248-7382, 248-7167 Fax:[91](0230) 248-7167.

Please note: Emergencies do not include running out of beer, being unable to find the remote control, being unsure of what to have for dinner, etc! Get a grip people.

Also, before we wander off into contemplative silence, we wish Louise and Rene best wishes for their wedding. Have a great day!!!

Get it India

India - filthy, smelly and with some elements impoverished beyond belief - bears too many similarities to Dennis to be just coincidental. It is a place that has to be seen and experienced to be believed, and we've only been here three days!!! Amazing.

We flew into Mumbai (Bombay) on Sunday night. Around 10pm we began searching for a hotel on the seedy streets of Mumbai. We were not sure if we'd even be able to find a room, and we weren't too sure about this new environment. Our 45 minute taxi ride from the airport in a 1960's Premier taxi had taken us through the slums, markets and crowded streets that make up the city. Cows lay on the footpaths along with remarkable numbers of homeless families and junkies. We ended up getting a cheap room. This place looked wild. It smelt even wilder. We weren't about to be disappointed.

Our first day in India began with a knock at the door... Bollywood was a-calling. A scout was searching for Western-looking people to work as extras in a commercial shoot and we fitted the bill. After a two and a half hour hike to a beachside location (with 5 other suckers), we were set to begin our life as stars. After being supplied with our garish costumes of fluoro swimmers and boardies, we were given our stage directions and allowed to explore our artistic talents - not. A crazy director yelled, screamed and sang at us through the PA system for the duration of the three hour shoot. We were then fed and dropped home, slightly sunburnt, confused, but very happy to have had a taste of the frantic pace of Bollywood. So now we will be the wannabe stars of the next Indian McDonald's commercial!!!

Andrea's birthday (15/3) was celebrated in grand style. The country put on a public holiday to celebrate the occasion. They also celebrated a lesser known festival called Holi, which is the Spring festival of colour. In short, people take a day off work, get drunk and run around the streets smearing coloured powder on each other, the cows, the dogs, sleeping people, and the tourists of course. We got done over in a big way. We got covered in colours, hugged by strangers, our hands shaken by about half of the Indian population, and we wished everyone 'Happy Holi!' before going home to do about two hours of laundry.

Mumbai life has been very laid back and easy to settle into, which is why we have decided to leave before we get too comfortable. The food is great, the room is liveable, the people are fun, but tomorrow we move on to Pune, a few hours east of Mumbai.

Andrea: Thank you for all your comments and emails for my birthday. It is wonderful knowing that I am in your thoughts even though I am so far away. I had a great time celebrating my birthday across the world, but we both miss you all very dearly, and I am definitely feeling my rickety old bones starting to creak.

Angkor Wat

Our last scheduled stop in Cambodia saw us taking in the wonder of (according to tourist brochures, historians and fellow travellers!) Asia's most spectacular sight - the ancient city of Angkor and its jewel, Angkor Wat (temple). Spread out over a large area, the Wats are all that is left of a once thriving civilisation and they are HUGE! We spent three days (two for Andrea who came down with tummy troubles) exploring the ruins in good company - Ron and his new lady-friend, Tash, met us in Siem Reap. We could have easily spent a week or more there just exploring the place. Some of the temples have been restored, some have been left as offerings to the jungle, which grows in and around the temples, slowly changing and destroying them. It was our first real experience of walking around in a jungle and it was bloody hot!

We now find ourselves back in Bangkok. We endured a ten hour bus ride from Siem Reap over dirt roads that were so bad, they make our dirt roads in Austalia feel like superhighways. 'Rough as buggery' is an expression that accurately sums up the journey and the experience of having a hard bus seat assaulting our buttocks for 10 hours. Cambodia was our favourite stop in Asia. It was a good mix of nice people and beautiful places.

Our plane to India leaves in just a few hours. We arrive in Mumbai (Bombay) tonight. On the 20th March, we will be disappearing for 10 days as we do the 'Eastern Hippie Gettin' Right Out There' thing. We are going to do a 10 day Buddhist Meditation course, which involves complete silence for that period. Should be interesting. Check out the details at http://www.dhamma.org. Our next entry will be from the sub-continent!!! Later Asia.

Before we go, two things.

1. Congratulations to Matt and Karen on the birth of their baby daughter, Amelia Rose! 10/3/06. We can't wait to get back and see her.

2. We just discovered that if you click on the photos, they open up into full size images. Are we quick or what?!

More updates later!

Sihanoukville, Cambodia

Hello everyone - we have survived the challenges of Vietnam and have resurfaced on a beach in Cambodia.

The rest of our time in Vietnam was definitely rushed, but we think enough (some
say too much). In short, here is our story...
Hoi An - tailor made clothing was a hit. Spent a small fortune, but the kidney transplant was successful and Andrea is doing ok.
Dalat - a day spent on the back of a motor bike taxi riding around the mountainous countryside and seeing all the sights. A quirky place combining French architecture, with the plain weird like big concrete bee statues and an 'Alice in Wonderland' house! A fun place.
Ho Chi Minh City/Saigon - In itself, a city like all other cities. Like the locals say 'Same same but different', with interesting museums and people to talk to. We were invited by a local ex soldier to drink with him and his friends. Intriguing to hear a diferent side of the story of the war and the current political state, as our education has been mainly from a Western perspective. The War Remnants Museum (formerly known as the American War Crimes Museum - that impressed the crowd) was definitely one sided, but a definite learning experience. Emotionally exhausting. The political history in Asia is long and complex, and 'some people' have a lot to answer for.

We are now in Cambodia. We visited the capital Phnom Penh. After much discussion, we decided to see the Killing Fields and S21 prison. These are central to the genocidal civil war conducted by Pol Pot in the 1970's. Absolutely chilling. There are no words to describe what these people have suffered.

Despite their tragic past, the people so far have been very warm and friendly.

We are currently in Sihanoukville, a beach area in the South of Cambodia. A beautiful spot to relax. Our next destination is the ancient city of Angkor, with the largest temple of worship in the world (Angkor Wat). Apparently it's famous. We'll have a look-see.

Happy and healthy at our end. Sorry to hear about the deaths of pets, but we hope that our families and friends are in good health.