Art By Tali Landsman

The friends of your young days are the best kind to keep. For they do not really see you. They see in their minds A younger and more pure version of you. And that they love and hold. The you who took a thousand wrong turns, They have not met. The times you lived in shadows, Or toiled in empty fields, They never knew. For that, You love them in return.

If you want to see photos of my recent trip to Hong Kong and Taiwan, please click on the link below and it will take you to my Facebook pages that has these albums. http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?ref=profile&id=1224674926#!/profile.php?v=photos&ref=profile&id=1224674926

Sometimes when I travel, I get the sense that people are truly curious about tourists. They view encounters as an opportunity to learn where do we come from, how do we think, eat and dream. In other places like in Rajasthan, I got the sense that they would rather shake the tourists at the airport, until no money is left in their pockets and really they would be happy to send the tourists back home. But if they must stay, they will do their best to to see if anything more can be extracted from them during their stay. Not so in Taiwan. People will wave their hands at me from store fronts while my bus was driving by. some will squeeze next to me in markets, so we can start a conversation. Time and again random people will approach me and welcome me to their country. Jules needed to use the bathroom in a busy market. We've approached a restaurant overflowing with customers and asked the waiter where is the nearest loo. He pointed upstairs to his restaurant and boasted that they have th...

When we bought the house in rocky Colorado, They told us that we own The left side of "Hell's Gates". It is a tall rock formation That stretches up from the Sweetwater creek. Maybe it's the black veins that runs down vertically like ribs, that gave it its name. It is a large rocky cliff and it is a bit imposing. I wasn't sure that I like being the guardian Of the left side of the gates of hell. What does it actually entails? Do I need to meet the "sinners" at the gate? What if I am away on a trip? Do I need to encourage them? To help to register them? To play to them a sweet song? What if I do not believe in sinners? What if I do not believe in hell? To me, hell only exists in the minds of men. In not knowing the sweetness of spirit Not being aware that it is all just a dream The whole physical realm- just a dream.

One of Taiwan greatest culinary contribution to the world is vinegar. It is made in small workshops much like boutique wineries. We may appreciate an aged balsamic, but the Taiwanese vinegars are not used on food. They are drank like a healing tonic and they taste sooooo very good. I heard that vinegar assists in weight loss and helps to balance an overly acidic diet. (caused by caffeine, meat, eggs, dairy, sweets et.) The main difference is that the Taiwanese vinegars are not sour but taste sweet like a rich liquor but without the alcohol (created naturally from the fruit juices). I bought a variety of aged tasty fruit vinegars to take back to NZ. The good news is that they sell them in Auckland too. Here is a link to the stores: http://www.blissfulvege.co m/about_us.htm

The earth is trembling. There are earthquakes everywhere Or so it seems. The fundamentalists say it is a punishment For the "sins" of men. The ecologists say it is because if the El Niño effect and Global warming Caused by the carelessness of men -another way of saying the "sins" of men. But I am remembering a wise Hawaiian song That speaks about the white men Who occupy the islands And how they tremble, When sweet Pe'le' (the goddess of the volcano), lets it flow. Yes, the earth is moving It is a living breathing organism. Lava flows in her veins Like anger in the veins of unenlightened men. Lava, earth quakes, floods, Creates lakes and rivers, new atolls and canyons. We are so heavily invested in the cities we've created On the shores of mighty oceans, That we forget we've built our homes On a living, shifting surface. We tremble when the walls of our houses shake, Fearing for the loss of our investment, our lives. saying all this, I know too well,...

Our journey to Hong Kong and Taipei starts in Auckland. It used to be the lights of Manhattan across the East River that delighted my heart. Now it is the white sails in the blue harbour across the Auckland bridge. I can take the Shelly Beach Road exit and end up in Ponsonby with a latte' in hand. On Queen street, you can cross the street in a diagonal- imagine the freedom! They will let you do that in Tokyo too. New York will live another hundred years before they'll see the wisdom of diagonal crossing. I love mingling with the tourists in the Viaduct harbour. The tour companies sell overpriced fleeces to the shivering tourists - they did not know it can gets this chilly in New Zealand. I admire the business women walking up Parnell Road in their high heels. All tailored to perfection and with immaculate hair due. They are powered more by their ambitions than by calf muscles I love the many book stores around the city. Love to chat with the homeless on upper Queen street. I lo...