Image – Page 4 – Julie Stephenson

Mar 24

by Julie in Motivation & Inspiration 0 comments

One Step at a time

Mar 06

by Julie in Antarctica 0 comments

Getting to Antarctica – by plane then ship…. Not at all easy… and Nature calls the game!

I'm back to Australia now after an incredible journey to South America to climb Volcan Osorno and travel once again to Antarctica. These have been incredibly privileged experiences..and ones which have enriched my life; and I feel I have returned in some ways quite changed. Nature called the game for us this time and due to fog and lack of visibility on the runway at Frei Station, our planned departure was delayed for two days because we couldn't land. Every few hours we all gathered in the function room to be advised of the current weather conditions and the pilots decision whether we had a window to land ..... or not...

Mar 03

by Julie in South America and Antarctica 0 comments

I was the recipient of loving generosity and kindness…

I have just been the recipient of such beautiful, kind generosity. I was checking out of the Holiday Inn at Santiago Airport and I said to the lady - "Es una Muy lindo pulsera" (that is a beautiful bracelet) and after I had checked out she came around to me and popped it on my wrist. I was overwhelmed. I had a tough night ...

Mar 02

by Julie in Antarctica 0 comments

Just a few photos of Antarctica whilst waiting for my flight

Thought I would start to share some photographs whilst I am in limbo waiting for my flight home. More to come over the coming weeks. 🙂

Feb 18

by Julie in Chile 2016 1 comments

I made it !!!! Volcan Osorno… she invited us to be part of her day – and I reached the sky!!!

I MADE IT!!!

Pop to this gallery to see Photos..

Oh my goodness… I honestly can’t believe I did it!!!!! After just a couple of hours sleep I heard my alarm go off whilst I was awake at 4 am…. excited about the opportunity to feel what it was like to experience myself in this challenge. When my gentle tinkering alarm sound played… and in the month’s prior; I had absolutely no idea how difficult both physically and emotionally this experience was going to be for me! The Teski hut at the base of Volcan Osorno was snug and homely. The wooden floorboards spoke as we walked gently with our hard soled walking and snow boots; in the dark, early morning. Breakfast was

Feb 09

by Julie in South America and Antarctica 0 comments

Made it to South America… Puerto Montt in Chile…. the journey continues !!

First part of my journey to South America… Yeh!!! I’m here at Puerto Montt; after flying from Brisbane to Sydney.. then to Santiago…. then to Puerto Montt..then hiring a car and driving for an our in peak holiday traffic in one way streets on the opposite side of the road than to which I am accustomed.. I am now here in Puerto Montt and a few hours in the morning I will be driving six hours to Chiloe – an area of beautiful islands, where I will be staying in a B&B on Lemuy Island - a small remote rural island where I will acclimatise myself to the time zone shift – in preparation for my Osorno climb on the week-end. It has been some time since I have posted – so I thought I would update everyone on my journey right now… I’m in Chile to climb Osorno volcano and then on to Antarctica. I feel so incredibly privileged to ...

Feb 07

by Julie in About Me, South America and Antarctica 0 comments

Not many sleeps to go now… Osorno Volcano climb and I am ready !

Today I am excited to be leaving for another incredible adventure. With gratitude I find myself having more opportunities to experience myself and that which is far greater than me; when I trek and climb the incredible landscape of the Osorno Volcano in Chile on my 54^th birthday in less than a week – on 13^th Feb; and then journey to Antarctica for a second time. For this trip to Antarctica my companion is a very fun Chilean girlfriend; whilst Max is skiing with our boys and their friends across the US and Canada. What a privilege to be able to experience these sacred places. I feel prepared and will give it my best shot! The Osorno volcano climb in Chile is one ...

Feb 07

by Julie in Antarctica 0 comments

“The Shape of Cold” – Antarctica Book

I have had this project on the back burners for 2 years… and recently I made a commitment to see if I could actually achieve any goals that I had set myself; and endeavoured to complete a book of my experiences in Antarctica in 2014 – before my next trip to Antarctica…which is today !!!! and I have self published my book “The Shape of Cold”. I am really excited about this collection of images and how my experience has translated into this beautiful compilation and artwork in the form of a book. I am feeling quite excited for when I return in a month – to be able to hold my first sample copies in my gentle hands. I will post some images of the books after they arrive.

Feb 02

by Julie in Uncategorized 0 comments

Bhutan book – “With the Roof Off”…. on it’s way !!!

Yeh!!!! Self-published my book of my wonderful journey through India, Bhutan and Myanmar with Max and Penny- or 1923 Vauxhall. “With the Roof Off” is being printed at the moment… and I will have some sample copies when I return from my next adventure from walking the incredible Osorno Volcano in Chile and my second adventure to Antarctica. 🙂 It is with humble gratitude I embrace being able to experience such amazing places and meet such a diversity of beautiful, open-hearted people; and have the opportunity to learn about myself – and that which is far greater than myself.

Feb 01

by Julie in Books 0 comments

Subscribe to be notified of Book releases

I have some beautiful publications of my photographs and journeys around the world. Pop your name on my list and be the to be notified of my new releases of both e-books and publications in print. As you exit this page with your tooltip – a popup should slide in. Pop your details in there. :-)… and if for some reason your slide-ins are blocked… just over on the right in the sidebar there is a box where you can enter your details. 🙂

Jan 23

by Julie in Healing 0 comments

Shamanic Healing

I have a deep connection with the Natural world have been recognised by respected Shaman around the world as one of their peers. I am a gifted Healer and Seer. I am called a master healer or shaman, yet it is not I who does the healing. It is ultimately yourself who is the healer. I am the facilitator for your healing and through my gifts in a sacred space, create the opportunity where energies within your body are realigned in harmony and balance. Healing results – simple as that. I use Kahuna massage/bodywork

Jan 22

by Julie in Earth and Sea, Shamanism 0 comments

Something ‘unseen’ but ‘felt’ within the land…. Dead Horse Gap walk Mt Kosciuszko

I have walked a lot of this amazing planet... and I can FEEL the energy of much of the landscape. Read on to find out about my journey through this landscape...

Jan 18

by Julie in About Me 0 comments

The day I ‘broke-up’ with normal….. hehehe

Had such a giggle when I saw this image from a feed from Nicole Cody today. Image by Col McGunnical. LOL... Max is off today to the US skiing and turf conferences with the boys for the next 6 weeks and suggested to me to have a think about climbing Kosciuszko this week couple of times in training for my climb to the summit of Osorno Volcano in Chile in a few weeks. 'Crazy' - I thought to myself... and within half an hour I had booked Frequent Flyer seats to Canberra and Air-B&B accommodation..and climbing Kosciuszko on Wednesday and Friday!! Yes crazy!! and definitely NOT normal!

I have nearly finished my book on our Bhutan journey (cover is the last thing to do).. and in the introduction I acknowledge that I 'DO' crazy! In my latest blog post I recognise to be honest and true to myself I need to accept who I am in

Jan 17

by Julie in About Me 0 comments

Waking up and feeling ‘different’… a new ‘good’… a new ‘better’!!!

Have you ever woken up and FELT different than the day before? A REAL DIFFERENT… where the world seemed brighter and that something had changed for the good? I Did. Last Monday morning. I woke up with this feeling that I had recognised that I won’t repeat the same mistakes as I have done before.. and that I will not cause myself harm by disrespect or dishonouring – by myself or others. Read on to find out how i have dealt with my own personal grief....

Dec 22

by Julie in India and Bhutan in Penny, Shamanism 0 comments

A prayer flag flutters in the wind. Which is it that moves? ..

A Tibetan puzzle. A prayer flag flutters in the wind.
Which is it that moves, the flag or the wind?
Answer: Neither. The Spirit moves them both.
Acknowledgement of the Unseen... of Spirit ... the foundation of a society where the unseen is acknowledged with reverence.
Spirit is that which moves through everything, and that by which everything moves.

Dec 22

by Julie in Shamanism 0 comments

The Unseen… Shamanism, Healing… in a modern contemporary world…

Today I am commencing a series of writing about the unseen – which ironically has been the fundamental core of what IS seen of people, societies and cultures since man walked the earth. How humans make sense of the world and their place in it, has been the catalyst and embryo of belief, religious thought, and ways of living since man took breath.
Todays post is and introduction... setting the scene..

Dec 19

by Julie in About Me 0 comments

Shamanism….Animism… Celestial bodies … Alignment…. and more

I am beginning my series in the next few days on Shamanism....Animism... Celestial bodies ... Alignment.... and more ..... so if you are a subscriber keep watching in your Inbox for my broadcast... and if you aren't a subscriber - you can easily pop your name on my list so you never miss out SUBSCRIBE EASILY BY CLICKING HERE
In this series of fascinating articles, I will be investigating Shamanism, Animism and what the connection with the earth and celestial bodies has to do with healing, ritual and society; culturally over the millennia and into the present day; and my own personal experience of this through my travels and my own experience as a Shaman.

Dec 15

by Julie in Uncategorized 0 comments

2015… Loss and Grief… and honesty…

Not many days left in 2015 .... what a year it has been! I have not only experienced many joys but also incredible deep grief and loss this year. After returning from an extended period travelling overseas, it is time for me to re-group, re-ground and distill what is important for me in my life... and see how my life will unfold from here. I started the year with passion and commitment and dedication to a project that sadly didn't eventuate. I had the best birthday ever!!! and turning

Dec 12

by Julie in Uncategorized 0 comments

There is just something about storms and rain…

Yesterday I ran the gauntlet before a late afternoon storm... and managed to go up NgunNgun whilst I could see the storm clouds approaching... and then went up NgunNgun a second time because I could see that the storm wasn't as fierce as was predicted. I was treated with beautiful light... silhouetted mountains and a time to reflect quietly - as there were very few people climbing the mountain. I think the storm warning scared them off. For those of you who know me ..I don't scare that easily... and I don't shy away from adventure... nor challenges. I am facing a challenge at the moment,....

Dec 07

by Julie in India and Bhutan in Penny 0 comments

A change of Plans.. I missed the clouds in the sky…south instead of north

Walking up the steps to the Golden rock, Max and I looked at each other and realized that sitting in a car for 6 weeks had taken a huge toll on our fitness and our muscles had wasted a lot. That wouldn’t normally be an issue, but we both need to be fairly fit for our next adventures … and didn’t realise we would become so unfit so quickly on this trip. Max had said to me in the past couple of days that he was ready for home and he could easily head South at Mae Sot rather than north to Chiang Mai … and at that point walking up the steps to the Golden rock, we both realized that we really needed to head south straight to Bangkok instead of north. On the drive east we discussed and checked in with each other, and we both knew it was the best decision to make…seeing we had a couple of days prior realized that we didn’t really have enough time to drive through Laos as we had originally intended to. We sat peacefully next to the river for a beautiful lunch at Hpa An where we […]

Dec 06

by Julie in India and Bhutan in Penny 0 comments

The Golden Rock …. balancing, defying gravity …. Kyaiktoyo pilgrimage site

So… the big Golden Rock in Kyaiktyo in Myanmar. We were packed into a fairly new, troupe-truck – seven rows of six abreast; except for Max’s row because he had to pay for two seats because his knees had to go diagonally because they wouldn’t fit in front of him. People here are so small.. and I even feel like a giant standing beside some of the women! It was quite funny…there was a lot of confusion around why Max’s row only had 5 in it and after we had it sorted with one of the truck organisers…another would come along and try to stuff the sixth person in the row! – until we got him to actually look down into the seat and see where Max’s legs were and there was NO way a sixth person could fit in and we would be prepared to pay for the 6th seat. After a bit of argy-bargy and constant head counting …off we went. Ooops.. well we thought we were on our way but around the corner we stopped whilst a tyre was being checked and re-inflated. Then we were on our way… oopps… not quite… another stop, […]

Dec 04

by Julie in India and Bhutan in Penny 0 comments

Buddhist evangelical duff-duff and disco…..

4am in the morning, even before the roosters; and my broken sleep was severed once again by what seemed like evangelical duff-duff or disco blaring from loudspeakers across this town – the third most significant place in Myanmar for Buddhists. This is Kyaiktiyo, the town closest to where there is a huge rock which looks like it is defying gravity and balancing precariously….and people; actually only men are allowed to place some gold leaf on. I have seen photographs of it some years ago, and it seems that more recently there has been a golden umbrella; which is the term for the spire of a pagoda; has been erected atop of this large rock. We are visiting here today – so I will be able to learn more and understand about its’ significance then. I’m not too sure whether I understand the significance of the loudspeakers at the entrance of every monastery or temple with blaring what I feel is discordant sound from a CD, and usually 4 people two each side of the road shaking a large silver bowl. I have been told it is ‘fund raising’…which must be the new term for begging these days here. My slight […]

Dec 03

by Julie in India and Bhutan in Penny 0 comments

Inlay Lake …and then to Taungoo…

I need to backtrack a couple of days because I am behind in my journal. Our drive to Inlay Lake from Bagan revealed to me the differences in rainfall and consequently the ability of the people here to grow food. Once again for me I could see a continuing theme of survival – and just ‘getting on with it’. Everywhere I looked people were doing their thing… working in the fields; working in the shops; carrying large loads on their head; steering cattle–carts; tending grazing roaming cattle or goats; riding motor-cycles to somewhere – but it seemed as if it was with a distinct purpose. The number of motorcycles here is astonishing, and with the roads in poor condition I’m finding it far more stressful driving here than along the winding steep slopes in Bhutan…and even in the chaos of India. Granted I have some issues with motorbikes …. but honestly, this is really challenging driving with motorbikes and bullock carts and pushbikes and trucks; all trying to stay on the narrow piece of bitumen… and no-one moves off the broken edge on to the dirt. My job is to say either ‘Yes’ or “No” for Max to […]

Dec 02

by Julie in India and Bhutan in Penny 0 comments

Rainbow LED lights in temples….. Buddhism 2015 style in parts of Myanmar…

I do have quite a lot to catch up on over the past three days and you can also pop to my gallery pages on the links below so you can visually travel with me through Myanmar. Buddhism is practiced here in Myanmar, and I’m finding it rather different than in Bhutan. In Bhutan the rainbow LED lights sparkled on the outside of the shops and hotels. Here in Myanmar, inside the temples the rainbow LED lights radiate from the Buddha’s head. Although taking off shoes and socks is customary in Temples, Pagodas, and Stupa’s here in Myanmar; the reverence code isn’t quite the same ..with many people talking on mobile phones; we are permitted to take photographs; talking loudly is common; and there just isn’t the same evidence of respect and quiet here that I experienced in temples in Bhutan. We visited a temple with 500,000 small statues of Buddha which lined the walls and ceilings. The regimented patterns that these hundreds of thousands of Buddha’s made was quite beautiful. Driving south every now and then we could see the head and torso of the largest Buddha in Myanmar; the Lay Kyun Sakkya Standing Buddha. It […]

Nov 30

by Julie in India and Bhutan in Penny 0 comments

Kale to Monymar …then to so many temples in Bagan.

Throughout this journey I have been confronted by how so many other people exist with what I consider to be immense challenges in just surviving with enough food and water. We drove through areas over the past two days where this was once again evident in the fields… on the roads… along the rivers …. through the small villages. We drove across the plains where rice was being hand harvested; threshed and winnowed; where bodies bent at the hips and occasionally looked up to see what the rest of the world was doing. For each region we drove through I noticed the small differences in how the rice was placed in the field after cutting. It seemed like the upturned Ti-Pi’s have been replaced by just armloads of stalks and placed in bundles lying horizontally across the stubble. Hand threshing still seemed to be done in the same manner and very occasionally a mechanical thresher stood proudly in a circular cleared patch in the field. Parallel lines beside the road held pairs of harnessed grey bullocks which pulled carts laden with stalks of grain… with the practical wooden spokes made for being pulled in the fields and along the sides of […]

Nov 27

by Julie in India and Bhutan in Penny 0 comments

Men with guns!!!!…

I saw a lot of men with ‘guns’ today…. And not the sort of ‘guns’ I would usually see at they gym. These were machine guns and …all sorts of guns. We needed to drive through Manipur to get to the border town of Tamu into Myanmar, which meant we needed to drive through an area which had quite a large military presence…. and I’m still not quite sure what the ‘civil unrest’ really means. We had to pass through many military checkpoints which our guide assisted us in the process of showing our passports and completing documentation of our passage through this area. The views to the mountains were beautiful and I was really enjoying the cleaner air away from the cool morning smog of Imphal … and often I was surprised out of my relaxed thoughts when I saw walking on the side of the road or just off into the bushes; men wearing camouflage clothing; …. and with leaves sticking from the top of their hard olive green hats. Then I saw their guns! Their guns slung across their shoulder with their right hand on the trigger. Some were larger than others. Some had […]

Nov 26

by Julie in India and Bhutan in Penny 0 comments

That horrible grinding sound underneath Penny…..

That horrible grinding sound underneath Penny….. Well.. it was late in the day with just 30kms to go and I was thinking about the title of my post after seeing two cars literally IN the river being washed… and I was thinking of something like … “Drive-in (the river) car wash”… and soon after that, the crunching sound underneath Penny changed the title of my post today. Everything started out well this morning with a lazy start whilst I attended to some emails and the boys went to look at a war cemetery. Our early start ended with another night driving in the dark to our hotel. Sorry Liz! Rule number two inadvertently broken again. Our morning drive climbed even higher – to about 2000mts. The Hill Tribe area of Nagaland was very different to other parts of India I have been. Clothing was different – less colourful and with few saree’s being worn; the homes were built differently; language was different; facial features were different; and it was relatively litter free – with signs everywhere promoting clean and tidy villages. Something seemed to be working because there was very little rubbish strewn on the streets. I […]

Nov 25

by Julie in India and Bhutan in Penny 0 comments

Ooops… “off piste”… when the ‘orange line became a 4WD track!

When did an ‘orange’ road on our map – which led off a four-lane highway become a 4wd track ??? …only in India…. And yes… we inadvertently went ‘off piste”. The morning started out amazingly. I was quite overwhelmed with our most generous and loving send-off and farewell with well wishes from our rally companions at the Raddison Blue. Our exquisite hand made masks which were given to us as a memento from our amazing journey through Bhutan were carefully packed into Chris’ car and off to England to be posted to us at some time later… and although the mask given to me was the shape shifting Tiger… (My Chinese birth animal is a Tiger) there was no way I could shape-shift out of the road we ended up which was 90km shorter than the other route… but a few hours longer I think. More on that shortly… We drove east toward Myanmar through fields of rice where the rice was harvested using a huge sharp knife and placed the cut grain in bundles upside down to look like mini Ti-pi’s patterning the fields. Small colourful mobile shrines supervised the harvest. Soccer was being played amongst the cows […]

Nov 24

by Julie in India and Bhutan in Penny 0 comments

More prayers…. descending out of the amazing mountains of Bhutan toward India

Our incredible journey through Bhutan was nearing it’s end as we descended rather quickly through more amazing mountains. We had our last glimpses of the Himalayas… with the white snow capped peaks and my memories accumulated of so many wonderful parts of Bhutan. Children carried on backs with beautifully hand woven cloth.. and their chubby little fingers open with trust. Smiles and gracious hospitality. Spectacular scenery. Incredible mountains and mountain passes. Chillies. Chanting. Music. Dancing, ritual and ceremony…. so many wonderful things in Bhutan. Prayer flags with wishes for humanity blowing in the breeze and fading with time and the cycles of life. Our descent was steep at times and by now Max has developed quite strong arms from all the turning around the hairpin bends. It is pretty arduous for him because the driving is actually quite physical and strenuous… and we both have to concentrate all the time because of the road conditions and traffic. As was with most days there were often little ‘issues’ with various cars and we always stopped to give a hand. Max is always ready to get under the bonnet or car, and open the tool roll or box of parts. On the rally there […]

Nov 24

by Julie in India and Bhutan in Penny 0 comments

Steep slopes and Prayers… Mongar to Trashigang

Dust and rocks…. steep slopes and landslides… and I’m sure the prayer flags caught the prayers of some of those who drive along these incredibly spectacular – yet at times pretty scary roads. Roadworks is constant… and so are the huge expanses of land slips which scar the landscape. The prayer flags are beautiful. I love the way the sun shines through the filmy fabric dancing….which has printed prayers of wishes for all of humanity which blow in the wind across the land. The history, symbolism and meaning of the Prayer flag in Bhutan is interesting and rich… and representative of the strong Buddhist belief in this beautiful country. The steep slopes still produces food for the people of this area and there were terraces still enveloping the ridges and spurs. Corn dried on black plastic.. and the harvesting and drying of crops always seemed to be a rather social, family affair. Small hazelnut seedlings were the only evidence of regimentation as they all stood in small containers side by side in rectangular plots bound by a wire perimeter fence. Our rotary-hoe at home is used for hoeing the soil; unlike what we saw where the hoe was actually mixing stabiliser with […]

Nov 21

by Julie in India and Bhutan in Penny 0 comments

Mongar Festival…. Oh My Goodness what a festival!!

Our drive to Mongar was spectacular. The landscape was varied and we woke to one of those exquisite blue sky days after a cold blustery dry storm front the previous evening. Our guide said he had often driven this road and rarely had he seen so far and it be so clear. We were fortunate to see the highest mountain in Bhutan Gangkhar Puensum and the Eastern Himalayas which was absolutely breathtaking. We also had many high passes which once again were graced with prayer flags which we contributed and I said my prayers to be carried with the wind. About midnight I heard drumming; singing and this long rhythmical horn. Something was happening in the cold clear night air. It was a little strange. I looked out of the window and strips of coloured lights draped the buildings and flashed discordantly with the ritual sounds of monks chanting and bowls singing. I stayed up most of the night wondering what it could be… and who would be up all night (other than myself listening) … making such ceremonial sounds. It all became apparent the following day when we participated in the local Mongar festival… which for me was an absolute highlight of my […]

Nov 20

by Julie in India and Bhutan in Penny 0 comments

Laughter with weavers and a quiet day

We left the exquisite misty mountain views at Trongsa….and at reception our huge old-fashioned key which was attached to a fluffy teddy-bear. I couldn’t quite work out the significance of that – but it made me smile. We had a short drive today toward Bumthang…. not much roadworks… and along really a pretty mountain and into a more open landscape. The past few days has been pretty arduous on Max because it has literally been one curve after another ….up the mountain ..down the mountain….winding every 100mts or so. We mostly stayed in second or 3rd gear with an average of about 20 or 30kms an hour. …. And it was BUMPY!!! The road-works were unrelenting and we both had to be vigilant for oncoming traffic. It is pretty full on… and sometimes I forget to watch out for the Tulip distance in my route book because I am so engrossed in watching the road. Fortunately it isn’t a competition and it is usually just following the main road. Every moment is one of adventure, and I never know what is next. In front of us we saw Alistair stopped, and to the left were two women who […]

Nov 20

by Julie in India and Bhutan in Penny 0 comments

Steep slopes… boulders… falling rocks… winding roads… dust… sheer drops

Steep slopes… boulders… falling rocks… winding roads… dust… sheer drops….Oh my goodness what incredible scenery and such a fabulous drive over the past couple of days. Traversing the mountains toward the east along this route in the Trongsa valley region has to the best of my knowledge never been done before in a Rally … and it was just spectacular and quite remarkable. I have two short videos which I will upload when we get to a city in a couple of weeks. I can’t upload photos at the moment either so a description is it for today. Max said yesterday’s drive from Gangtey to Trongsa was the BEST drive he has ever done – and he has spent a LOT of days driving around the world. More on that in a minute – but first from Punakha to Gangtey. It seems from my observation that Bhutan has two very important industries; Electricity from Hydro; and Tourism. The electricity is sold to India with some sort of agreement that the Indians work on all the roads. A road-workers life is an extreme one. I just can’t imagine spending my life under a blue tarpaulin held up by sticks; walls from […]

Nov 16

by Julie in India and Bhutan in Penny 0 comments

Hold on….. Monastery of the “Divine Madman” – the Fertility Monastery

The female river Mo Chhu; supposedly the more calm; serene; placid….before the confluence – joining with the male Pho Chhu… was where we went white water rafting today. There were only a few sections of actual white water, because the monsoons have long gone and the glacial melt had finished; but none-the-less it was fabulous. “All forward”…was our command to paddle and off we went. “Hold on”… and my arm lay over my paddle and my hand gripped the rope on the side of the bright blue inflatable raft and whoosh went the water soaking my running leggings and bare feet. Ohhhhhh….. that water was COLD….. but was so much fun. Of course we splashed each other with our paddles! A water activity wouldn’t be complete without a complete drenching ! We were told that in the monsoon the river is raging and the rapids are incredible and sometimes one has to lean back to clear going under the bridges which on our paddle were probably 20 feet above us. Today was a calm paddle with just a few rapids of exhilaration… and just before landing on a sandy beach we nearly navigated cleanly between 2 very large boulders. I have […]

Nov 15

by Julie in India and Bhutan in Penny 0 comments

What a road!!!! Landslides…. Curves…. And never-ending roadworks.

What a road!!!! Landslides…. Curves…. And never-ending roadworks. ..and when I say never-ending…. I don’t just mean the 60km we travelled from Thimphu to Punakha – I mean I just don’t understand how there will ever be a solution to the constant road-slips and landslides here; when the widening of the main road from the east to the west of the country digs into the base of the steep loose soil and when it rains….the mountain just slides down on to the road. We were speaking to a lady from Australia (who incidentally knows my sister in Byron Bay – small world hey!!) and she is doing work here and said last month six people were killed at 1pm in the afternoon from a landslip; and her colleagues were trapped on the other side of a landslip for 2 days and had to sleep in their cars until it was navigable. Before our wonderful drive to Punakha though, I had an amazing time in Thimphu. We stayed at the beautiful Taj; and I spent the morning chatting to people and wandering through all the handicraft markets. It was an absolute delight to not have to fend off persistent […]

Nov 14

by Julie in India and Bhutan in Penny 0 comments

A mountain drive ..Paro to Thimpu….

Penny is once again adventuring through the mountains of Bhutan. We left our beautiful mountain retreat and passed through farmland of terraced fields growing rice; turnips; potatoes; radishes; beets; and of course chillies!!!… which fire through what seems EVERY meal including breakfast. I’m not too sure I’m a fan of such burning heat in my mouth quite so early in the morning though..so boiled eggs and rice has become my staple breakfast. Small red carpets of chillies dried on the metal corrugated roofs that were secured not by screws but large rocks. Fields were dotted with mountainous piles of rice stalks, which were covered by a cloth to prevent any moisture entering the store of food for the animals for winter. Pine needles were being collected in woven baskets and lumbered on the backs of people who leaned forward as a counterbalance. These pine-needles are used as bedding in the stables and help mop up and hold together the manure which is then spread in neat piles on the bare golden fields of rice stubble. I saw more closely the structure of the traditional timber homes; where the crops were dried in an open area above the […]

Nov 12

by Julie in India and Bhutan in Penny 0 comments

Clean air…. Steep slopes… and unfortunately Penny’s ISSUES!

Clean air. Steep slopes. Incredible scenery. We are now finally driving through Bhutan. Close to the border there were lots of Indian road worker camps, and as we climbed in elevation workers were either making asphalt; clearing landslips; shoveling gravel and dirt; pasting hand made concrete on vertical surface; or cracking rocks into gravel by hand. Yep… making gravel for the roads by hand. Banging one rock on to another rock. One by one. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. As we climbed and wound our way around the steep mountainside, the little roadside stalls with sweet mandarins and the best lady-finger bananas became more scarce. Cows ambled across the potholed surface. People waved as we drove through their small towns. Small terraced farms growing vegetables laced the hillsides. Bright red chillies were being dried on rooftops. Prayer flags dusted the hillsides; softly flapping and flowing in the wind. Prayers for the living in coloured flags… prayers for the dead on white soft fabric. It honestly felt like I was in another world. One of gentleness. One of calmness. One of prayer and connecting with the ‘unseen’ as a way of living. I walked […]

Nov 10

by Julie in India and Bhutan in Penny 0 comments

An elephant… a HUGE elephant…with tusks!!!… then BHUTAN!!!

Another early morning at 4.45 for a 5.10am start to go to a reserve to see if we could spot some elephants and some rhino’s. Very soon after we entered the park on the left was a HUGE round brown thing standing there… and it took a few seconds for me to realize it was a HUGE Indian Elephant! My brain was switched into Rhino mode…so I wasn’t expecting to see an elephant! Within a couple of minutes we managed to spot another group of about 4 large brown moving blobs far in the distance through the dense jungle. I thought to myself – “Wow…. This is going to be amazing… elephants already!! I wonder what else I will see.” The four of us were seated in the back of a jeep type car ….in a cavalcade of about 8 or so vehicles in the same camouflage paint colours and fabric seat covers. It was quite chilly in the open back as we stood between the metal frame which we held on to over the bumps…..and for those who didn’t bring a coat or pashmina, was a bit cold for them. Max unfortunately for him was one of those. […]

Nov 09

by Julie in India and Bhutan in Penny 0 comments

Looks like it is ‘terminal’……

The small fire in our fireplace in a quaint hotel in Darjeeling went out about midnight and when our alarm went off at 5.10am I was happily snuggled into slumberland under a fluffy doona in white linen. We had 10 minutes to get dressed and meet in the dark ready for our morning walk to greet the sunrise and hope to see glimpses of Kangchenjunga to the north. It was hazy; children were exercising on the round metal equipment; some were jogging… some in our group were puffing due to the altitude; and we all looked to the beautiful golden sunrise to the sounds of Auuuuuuuum…., dogs barking, birds singing; and to the north a feint outline of the shoulders of Kangchenjunga. The afternoon prior I went to the town centre of Darjeeling and really enjoyed the music of a local festival. There were not only traditional dancers and music; but also quite contemporary music, and dancing seemed to be the same as I am accustomed to in Australia with the exception that the girls have a more creative flair with their hand and hip gestures. Darjeeling was interesting….not quite the picture on the tea box with […]

Nov 08

by Julie in India and Bhutan in Penny 1 comments

There’s Penny!!!!! ….. and we are off!!!

I have a few days to catch up…so I apologise for a longer overview in this post so I’m not always behind. I’ve had a bit of Delhi-belly despite all precautions taken…. All better now… so onward to Bhutan! We visited the Sunderband National Park whilst Penny was clearing customs and although it was still hot and very humid, was an interesting insight into how people live in an area where we were told isn’t even a single book written about it. Driving south toward the Ganges Delta system supported a more agricultural existence… and livelihoods were sourced more from the earth. Huge brick factory chimneys stood like giant cigars in the distance. Some had been closed to reduce the pollution in the area; yet some were still operating and producing bricks which were used not only for home and city buildings – but also for use on the banks of the islands to hold the edges of the islands from being washed away in the current from the raging waters in monsoon season. Riding in a bus on quite a long, bumpy journey provided a different perspective into the lives of the residents in this river […]

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