Our home in the jungle.

On the Line

Every morning we eat the same thing, which is some version of frosted flakes and instant coffee with powdered creamer. It's not he most glamorous thing in the world, but it gets the job done. We emabark at 6 am on the boat and again at 4:30 pm to do our bird surveys on the river. It's fun beacuse we designed the study and now it's up to us to find out if their si more bird diversity in the primary forest versus disturbed forest. Some of the highlight birds of the day include a serpent eagle and a sacred kingfisher. The sacred kingfisher was a beautiful white and irridescent gree andit was special to see because it only comes to Borneo for part of the year. On our second outing on the boat the sun began to set and it outlined the clouds with gold as it sunk beneath the Earth. Ahead of the boat the river was still and the green trees of the jungle flanked the brown water on both sides. Everyone on board was quite because we had been out all day. As the boat cruised forward I leaned my body against the edge and look ahead at the stillness of the brown river. Everything was organic and pure . . . as if god had really made the Earth and everything was just ticking in the first few seconds of existence. Everything felt right and it seemed as if I was peering into this moment while also being part of it's construction. Time could stop and it would make no difference. "Enveloped in the moment, the world swallows you, as you swallow it. Like a boat cutting through water, there is stillness before you, and stillness after. Do not seek meaning, for meaning has already arrived, just swallow the world, as it swallows you. Do this, and that will be enough, Do this, and you will be fulfilled." In between these two trips I washed my clothes with two bucket of water. One of the buckets ws for rinsing and the other was for washing. I washed all of my clothes and hung them on a line to dry in the jungle. It was sunny for a good while, but then the clouds came in quick and it decided to pour. I ran out on the moss covered pathway to get my clothes, but most of them had already got soaked. In the end I hung a line in my room and dried them off inside. No everything is pefect and washed, including myself, whichel feels like a great accomplishment. It's hard to keep things one way in a jungle that constantly changing.

Gold eyes at night.

Clouds above the Kinabatangan river.

Mind Permutations

Travelling gives me time to think about what is important in my life. The landscapes that surround me, the people that move through my day, a cup of good coffee. In the past this wasn't always the case.

It was harder for me to see what was important and what was not. I think I intuitively knew it, but being able to clearly see it was hard. When you are younger you have hurddles in life that you need to jump through. These hurdles distract you from yourself. Learning how to learn, becoming self-reliant, and pushing your mind into new emotions and places is someting that consumes a lot of your younger years. They take time away from you, but nevertheless they need to be done.

All of these things need to be overcome before you can focus on "higher goals," such as finding a depper purpose in your life and in the world that exists around you.

In highschool I would meditate under a big Magnolia tree in my parents patio after drinking my cup of tea each morning. Meditating under this tree brought peace to my life. It allowed me to quiet my mind and stay focused. It laid the groundwork for "higher goals"to be created. Some would say that this was the highest goal in itself. I could not argue against them, but I had learn more from the world before I could be certain myself.

When I was 18 I left home and walked alone through the Sierra Nevada mountains for a little over three weeks. I had been reading Walden, Siddhartha, and Dharma Bums. These three books couldn't have made me more ready for the journey that lay ahead. I was ready to learn from a much wiser teacher than those found in my books and my classrooms. I was ready to learn from nature itself.

As I walked through the Sierras the beatuiful landscapes taught me things that can not be fully put into words. I saw myself reflected in glacial pools at the top of Forester Pass. I saw a tree crack and fall before my eyes; the noise was so loud and sudden and clear. I saw the wind push clouds higher than the mountains that seemed so unsurpassable.

This walk taught me my place.

Now 11 years later I'm pecking away at a keyboard in the capitol of Poland. I have a wonderful partner, a job as a teacher that allows me to be creative, and the coffee is still good.

My mind no longer wanders as freely and I'll be honest that it is something that I miss. Instead of a bee buzzing through the meadow- I feel that I've become more the meadow itself. I'm more rooted. Still growing and still learning, but a little more set in my ways. There is more order to my life. Everything is in it's right place.

Looking at the World Through a New Lens

After living in Puerto for two weeks I've decided that this mid-sized jungle city is an intersting place. Everything is centered around what the Amazon has to offer. For some it offers beautfy, biodiversity, and a sustainable source of food. For others it offers gold, timber, and an unsustainble source of food. But at the end we are all takers. We are all taking from the Amazon in one form or another. It might be sustainably and it might not be, but in the end we are all takers. The question then becomes how should we take from the Amazon? How can we take in a way that benefits the most people and in a way that benefits the Amazon? Can everyone in Puerto host birdwatching students? No Can everyone mine gold and still have an area that is capable of sustaining human life? No Can everyone be a fisherman? No Can everyone harvest and process Brazil nuts? No So what should we do? There's not an easy solution, but I feel that I'm a part of it. I've gone to Puerto and a part of of Puerto has come home with me. I'm going to buy castanas more often, I'm not going to buy gold, and I am going to whole heartedly tell others of the beauty of Puerto. Maybe once they see the place for themsevles then they will decide that they want to be a small part of the change. And then maybe if you have a lot of small change you will get some big change. Just maybe.

A small treasure from the jungles of the Peruvian Amazon.

Baja Mornings

This picture was taken from a dilapidated lighthouse. I love this picture because at first sight one notices all of the broken buildings and poverty that runs through Mexico, but once you look a little further you see what a beautiful country Mexico really is. The landscapes are beautiful and the people are kind. What more does a country need?

Bahia de Los Angeles

A line of gold, cuts it's way broadly across the blue sea. Heavy beaked, ancient creatures, meditate on the rocks. They're our teachers. Swirling thoughts, of fish and love, accompany them through the day. As the line changes to purple, to red, and finally to warm vermillion, the ancienct ones continue to sit. Simplicity is key, if we want to be, the ancient ones.