Teaching Billiards to a 4-year old

Okay, so it isn't a real pool table. But the principles are the same. So, on a Saturday night sleepover, Reeve tried to teach Gabi the fundamentals -- especially how to hold the cue stick. At one point in utter frustration, Reeve was overheard saying, "Gabi, I'm not going to teach you anymore!" But, alas, Gabi persevered and Reeve once again took up the role of teacher until finally Gabi was successful and got one of the balls into the pocket! (You will note in the picture below that Reeve has the skill down pat, and the cue ball is well on its way.)

The sleepover was a great success with mac-and-cheese for Saturday night dinner (kids only), library DVDs before bedtime, and pancakes for breakfast before heading off downtown to church at St. Andrews Presbyterian. O yes, after church the whole tribe worked-in a swim at our pool and had left-overs for lunch before Doug and Tracy headed home for the all-important naps. - rw

Grandchildren and Birthdays

One of the great privileges of living close to Doug and Tracy and family is that we get to see our grandchildren often. We were gone to Nepal on Rania's actual birthday but got to give her our gift early. We selected an heirloom type of gift and got her a music box made by Royal Selangor Pewter in honor of her second birthday and her first one celebrated in Malaysia.

We were with Reeve on his 6th birthday and he had a small family gathering. It was my first time to be with Reeve on his birthday.


We also got to go to Reeve's birthday party at a nearby bowling alley. He bowled a 131. See the R in front of his score. - Nancy

ISKL Middle School Malaysia Week

One of the perks of being on the middle school faculty at ISKL is that one week a year all students and teachers go to a location in Malaysia for a week. This year I was one of the teachers sent to "survivor island." It was the island of Palau Besar off the southeast coast of Malaysia. Prior to the heading to the island we spent one night at a rustic place on a close-by island and did a jungle hike. At Palau Besar the kids jumped off the boat, swam to shore and had to set up shelters and cook on the beach to survive. It was an interesting week. The kids did a great job. -Nancy

Nancy's comments on Nepal

We got to and from our trek in a small plane from Kathmandu to Lukla. As you can see the runway makes for interesting landings and takeoffs.


Ron asked me to post something about our trip to Nepal. It was the fulfillment of a lifetime dream to see Mt. Everest in person. Mt. Everest is in the left background behind Sara and me. Since we returned friends have asked me if I'd do it again. My answer is that I'm glad that I did it once but would not do it again. It was harder than I thought it would be. I had been working out and my legs were in good shape and didn't get tired. However, one can't prepare for the altitude when you live at sea level. When we hiked it seemed like I never could catch my breath. It didn't get better with time as it usually does in the altitude. The accomodations were a step up from camping but rustic and it was like backpacking and no shower for 9 days. Here is one of the rooms we stayed in at a tea house. Hiking close to the edge of steep drop-offs and over swaying suspension bridges high above a river canyon are not on my list of favorite hikes. But I made it and prayed a lot while hiking. Ron did great the entire trip - no illnesses or fears. Yes, I'm thankful to have had the opportunity to have hiked this trail once. -Nancy

Gabi & the Elephants

After Jim & Sara Orvick and I took Gabi to the Elephant Sanctuary on Tuesday afternoon, we're all wondering if Gabi's next question will be, "Mommy, can I have an elephant for a pet?"

It was quite a time we had after driving out the east-west highway 1 1/2 hours from Kuala Lumpur and arriving at the center shortly after 2:00 p.m. First there was the chance to feed the elephants -- mostly bananas, papaya and watermelon, but then we all lined-up to get short elephant rides.

"The Elephants at Kuala Gandah" definitely rate in the "top 10" places to take kids in the KL area, at least according to the recent book by Lorien Holland and Kate Phillips, KL for Kids. Malaysia's Wildlife & National Parks Dep't. started its elephant relocation program back in 1974 by moving wild elephants away from angry farmers and "rehabilitating them" by using domesticated elephants. (So far over 500 elephants have been relocated.) It would have been nice to stay around to view a 30-minute video that tells the complete story of the center; however, time was limited, and we needed to return to KL before the dinner hour.



O yes, Jim Orvick did have to get into the act and demonstrate his "Madison, WI zoo skills" in handling elephants!

Politics and Religion in Nepal

If you're suprised to see the hammer & sickle as a part of Nepalese life, maybe you haven't been following the news recently. In fact, today as I'm making this post, people throughout Nepal-- including the Maoists -- are going to the polls to democratically elect a constituent assembly. (After years of guerilla warfare, the Maoists have agreed to participate in a democratic election.) So, it was fascinating as we were trekking on the first and second day to be passed on the trail by three Maoists who were "showing the flag" and trying to persuade voters.

Then ... once we'd concluded our trek and had some time in Kathmandu, we encountered numerous "campaign vehicles" with loudspeakers blaring, representing a number of different parties. Many Nepalese are nervous about the election since the Maoists -- and others -- have resorted to intimidation and scattered pre-election violence. For the sake a country that in many ways needs to emerge from the dark ages, one can only pray for a positive outcome.

As for religion, Nepal is predominately a Hindu country (80%), but in the area we visited (near Tibet), it is mostly Buddhist. In Tengboche our schedule included a visit to the Buddhist monastery where in the freezing cold (it had snowed lightly overnight) we sat on the floor for 30-45 minutes listening and observing the monks as they chanted the morning "service." It was a mystery to me as to whether the chants were actually prayers to the gods, or whether they were a form of spiritual discipline designed to lead one into a sense of peace or enlightenment. The monastery was not heated, and even though electric light bulbs hung from the ceiling, they were not used. Jim & Sara Orvick are pictured with two monks following "the service." .
One of the interesting things about our trek was that at almost every high point in the trail we encountered a "Stupa," or a small representation of a temple. For reasons that were never explained, we were instructed always to walk on the left side of the stupa, rather than the right. At most formal temples there were rows and rows of "prayer wheels" (cylinders with Hindi inscriptions) that people, as they walked by, would send spinning with a flick of the wrist in hopes that in the multiplicity of "prayers" ascending to the gods, they would be blessed. - rw
P.S. - Our blog wouldn't be complete without a picture of Nancy and Pemba, her "faithful Indian companion" (actually, Nepalese!). The picture was taken on an especially difficult trekking day when it had snowed the night before. Pemba was so faithful and reliable helping Nancy around scary corners of the trail that had steep drop-offs on one side. He also carried about 5 gal. of drinking water in his backpack to replenish our water bottles when needed. Perhaps unfortunately for Pemba, he usually ended up bringing up the rear of our trekking group -- the position where Nancy and I invariably found ourselves!

P.P.S. - One of the most spectacular Himalayan peaks is Ama Dablam (pictured behind the four of us) at 22,493'. It certainly doesn't approach the height of Everest, but it was always much more in the foreground while we were trekking. Very impressive!

Side-benefits of Trekking in Nepal

One thing we really appreciated about how Erik Richardson organized our ISKL trekking experience was the opportunity we had to visit sites that represent a significant improvement in the social or medical situation in an otherwise very poor country. With Sir Edmund Hillary's death within the past few months, media attention has rightly been focused on the immense contribution he and his foundation made in the Everest Valley. For example, Nancy is standing by a sign that points out that Hillary was responsible for establishing the Pangboche School at an elevation of nearly 13,000 ft.
In our visit to the school the ISKL students in our group had brought with them arts-and-crafts projects that could be shared with the kids in the school apart from the kids knowing English! In gratitude for what our group had done, teachers at the school presented each of us with ceremonial Nepalese scarves of appreciation.

At an elevation of 11,200' in Namche Bazar -- the place where we spent our second and third night in the high country -- there's the "World's Highest Dental Clinic" operated by a Nepalese dentist who received her training in Canada.
People literally walk for days to reach her clinic and can have a tooth pulled or a cavity filled for as little as 100 Nepalese rupees ($1.40)! When we arrived to tour her clinic as a group, an ex-pat on a trekking expedition was just leaving who presented her with $20 for having his teeth cleaned. He announced that he visits her clinic every year!

When we returned to Kathmandu for our flight out of the country, we had time to visit orphanages in the city established by "The Umbrella Foundation" (www.umbrellanepal.org).
Jackie Buk from France, the Country Director, has a passion for children in Nepal who are often left in the lurch -- or worse -- by poverty. As many as 70-80% of these children are not orphans but come from homes where there's not enough resources to feed and clothe them. Through charitable donations the Umbrella Foundation has been able to rent large homes that house 40-50 boys or girls and provide nourishing meals, schooling and recreational opportunities. Visiting these kids was a moving experience!

Nepal -- Trip of a Lifetime!

During ISKL's Spring Break (3/27 - 4/6), Nancy and I were joined by good friends Jim and Sara Orvick from Wisconsin for a flight to Kathmandu with 21 other ISKL-ers -- a very congenial group of students & adults -- for eight days of trekking in the Mt. Everest region (Everest pictured above & is the highest "bump" to the left in the pix below). We hiked 40-50 miles over the 8-day span assisted by porters (who cooked for us) and yaks who carried most of our gear.

One of Nancy's least exciting moments (pictured in yellow rain poncho) was crossing long suspension bridges over deep river gorges with yaks before-and-behind! (Pure-bred yaks have long hair which is suited for the cold at high altitudes, but most yaks are a cross with Holstein cattle and look more like a normal steer.)

During the eight days we encountered every kind of weather -- beautiful clear skies, as well as clouds and fog, rain, hail, sleet, and snow! Rustic "tea houses" provided our overnight accommodations, usually with twin beds and a toilet outside the room --sometimes a flush toilet; on one occasion an outhouse that you had to stumble to in the middle of the night! Food was almost entirely vegetarian, but very good. Nancy, Sara and Jim experienced symptoms of altitude sickness on more than one day; I attributed my health to the tried-and-true practice of drinking coca tea every day -- a practice we learned some years back while trekking in the Peruvian Andes.
The picture below was taken of Jim Orvick, Horst Richardson and myself on the second-to-last day of our trekking when we did a day-hike to a high viewpoint, only to discover that clouds had mostly blocked the spectacular view! Of special significance is the fact that the three of us were the oldest members of the ISKL group with ages that totalled 204! Even old men can do it!
More pictures and commentary will be forthcoming in the next few days! (By the way, it was not uncommon to see Sherpa porters like the one pictured above carrying huge loads like the 7 8-10' 4x4s.) - rw