by axil
on January 5, 2011
i am in bali. specifically Ubud. being here is very inspiring. i now want to write a bestseller called “Eat, Pay, Leave — One man’s search to avoid spiritual enlightenment.” Don’t worry, it would not be about me, or at least it would likely not be the actual position i was advocating or theme of the book. but spending enuf time w european and other white people does have its corrosive effect on one’s opinion of why we’re here and whether it’s such a good idea. saw the house the author of “Eat, Pray, Love” stayed in being offered for rent on a hippy bulletin board (of which there are no other kinds around here, same set of offerings as Puna or Kauaʻi, or SF or Oaktown, complete w lots of spiritual guidance, Ecstatic Dance once a week, healers selling their healing…). Ad said: stay in the actual eat pray love house! so i would stay there and be as laconic and ironic as possible, taking apart the very things i love in order to resurrect them. i guess i should actually read the book first, before trying to use it to cash in on and likewise showcase my ambivalence toward enlightenment.
i am really careening from having been a monk. in a way, i miss it. it was the most sincere thing i have ever done, but deep down i wondered how long i would stay a monk. 10 days was a good number. the abbot said there was no commitment, and many people just do a week. i could handle the 4:30 am, the no food after 12, the no lying/stealing/killing and 200+ other rules — it wasn’t really that oppressive. the no swimming no motorcycle riding was hard. and letting go of my notions of romantic love perhaps even [click to continue…]
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by axil
on January 4, 2011
It has been a bit of a blur, as they say. After Burma I headed to Cambodia. After a few days in Phnom Penh, took a nite bus to Siem Reap. I found a nice eco resort with a pool, a little far from the action but the price was right. But there was no email at the place and it was a bit remote. The Cambodian cell never really worked, and then ran out, so I was kind of blissfully cut off. At Angkor Wat! And I was just totally caught up and enchanted by the place. Spent 5 days there. These guys really duked [click to continue…]
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by axil
on December 17, 2010
Hi everybody,
I’ve been living in a broken country, but I’ve crossed back over the line. 28 days in Myanmar was something as alternate universe as I think I’ve ever experienced. It’s not a black hole, but it is an inside out golden hole. Or a rainbow vortex. It’s very hard to describe, so basically I’m not going to try. Rather, I shot over 100 hours of video, as I thought it would be a bit of a coup if I could do so and get it out and share it. I know when I was looking for info in Myanmar there was absolutely no video about what life was really like there. So now I have it. And will be sharing it forthwith.
The basic trajectory of my time in Burma was a few days in Yangon, which is full of heart and soul and love and sadness. It’s basically rotting, and the people for the most part are too. No city has been harder on my lungs; the exhaust is in your face and really nothing you can do but talk to your lung cells about how yes it is very upsetting and oppressive and will try to get us out of here ASAP, and there is a big downside to cancer so please think twice before overreacting.
Split Yangon and spent 9 or so days in Rakhine state. This was where the trip took off. Most people have never even heard of this place, and I never did before I got there. Between Bangladesh and Burma, it’s its own country, people, everything. Fairly well neglected by the central government, fiercely independent, very into nature, idiosyncratic to a fault, Rakhine state is full of life lovers cut off from the mothership. This is still village life on planet earth with no outside corporate capitalist culture influence. I loved it tremendously. It is beautiful and innocent and lovely and open hearted and tasty and fanatical and lost.
Back to Yangon and up to Mandalay, boat ride down the Irrawaddy to Pagan, couple days in Pagan and then to Inle Lake for a couple days, and then back to Yangon. I may or may not fill any [click to continue…]
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by axil
on December 15, 2010
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by axil
on December 12, 2010
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