March Flying Carpet 2013

In March the Flying Carpet
still reminisced about February in Cambodia.

Soaring over ruins ancient and modern...

Ankor Wat

Khumer history
etched in Stone
eternally alive

The Bayon

enormous stone faces
guard the four directions

Banteay Srea
stone into flower
delicate dawn

Ta Prohm
natural state
juxtaposition
silk-cotton root/ blind windows

glimpses of

ancient mythologies

jigsaw puzzle rocks

desecrated Buddhas

riotous offerings

and inexplicable events

The Flying Carpet was blown away by Cambodia

the pathos, the tragedy, the compassion

Special thanks to all the people we met with giving hearts 

especially

Hoeum Vanith

Bill Morse at The Land Mine Museum of Aki Ra

“Making Cambodia safe...one step at a time.”

Mr. Morimoto at IKTT

“cannot care the tool
cannot care the work

cannot care the forest
cannot care the life”

and everyone at Journeys Within
“See a problem... solve a problem”

Bye!

February Flying Carpet 2013

February Flying Carpet

In February
the Flying Carpet
shimmered in the heat of Laos and Cambodia

Glitzy and bizarre
the shiny airport in Bangkok

We flew to Luang Prabang in Laos.

Our multi-faceted guide, Khamsouk

began our tour at his monastery Wat Bang Sing Muang.

When he was 14 years old,

he traveled by walking, boat and truck for three days

to join the monastery.

He had never been out of his village.

The young monks chanted at sundown.

                              

At Wat Xientong,

glass mosaics tell stories and parables of the life of the Buddha.   

   

    In 2006 Luang Prabang had many beautiful crumbly surfaces to photograph.

    

Now the city has been renewed with many guesthouses,
but the real life of the city endures.

Our group had the rare privilege

of visiting Khamsouk’s family and village.

They welcomed us warmly,

                                   

prepared a beautiful feast which they shared with us

and showed us their weaving, dyeing and spinning tradition.

Every home had a loom.

  Khamsouk told us about village life                                   

                                         

  and how his wife’s parents were building a Wat for the village.

We met a man skillfully stripping bamboo with a very large knife

and traveled on to our resting place for the night.

 The next day we travelled by boat on the Nam Ou River.

We visited a village by the river

where children enjoyed seeing their images in our digital cameras.

The village was a basket lover’s dream.

Once again the power of the Buddha statues

collected in the Pak Ou Caves

was overwhelming.

                    

Special thanks to Nancy Craft,

Khamsouk and his family,

Susan, Carla, Harriet, Andrea

and all the kind people of Laos

January Flying Carpet 2013

In January
The Flying Carpet
shivered above snowfall

Dodging angels and searchlights
in the Deco night skies of Los Angeles

phantasm glimpse flicker

Zagat Rated

Excellent!

with the Snap Crackle and Pop of it all

Special thanks to:

Anne who began it all, 

Helen H. of the adventurous heart,

Ernie and Marge for hospitality,

the Seasiders,

Karen and Bruce for pistachio ice cream,

& Merna for her amazing self

December Flying Carpet

In December the Flying Carpet

celebrated the deep of winter

staring at lights and shadows

remembering Chartres

while hovering low amidst

the Canyon Road luminarias and ferrolitos

on Christmas Eve

Special Thanks to Norman, Jan & Bill, and Jake

In November the Flying Carpet 

sends you a peculiar concoction of Holiday Cheer

The warmth of hospitality

 The wonders of shop windows

that sing jingles of Buy Buy Buy

Decking the halls

Family greetings like that of our Denver Family last year:

Eye Wish you a Merry Christmas

and PC Messages 

like Happy Chanukah, Kwanza, Eid, Solstice, 

Etc., Etc., Etc.

to all you Freakquent Carpet Flyers
who understand that
Whackiness is close to Godliness

Hoping yours is Merry and Bright

In October the Flying Carpet

cruised the updrafts over the Great Salt Lake

and begins the long journey to Kyoto.

Wonderstruck...
Thunderstruck...

into silence...

                                                                                                                                                                                                              

...and for those of you missing words and smiles,
the Flying Carpet includes this trip's collection
of outrageous sayings on tee shirts:

All Grace Celebrity

Florida Possible Revolution

You're Smart Apple

Baby Doll Never

Ladyism Raise New Feminine Gender

Hello Gorgeous Kiss

Resist Gravity

Lovely Times & Smile

Bang the Drum Hot Blood

Hilarious We are Counting on You

Mickey Mouse
The Hero of Our Hearts

Hunting Action Monster Hunter

Cloud Lets Go of the Moon

She's Skating on the Ice in a Glass

Spicy of Legend

Fighting Laundry

Must Your Loverly Smile

Continent Everywhere

Hysteric Mini

...and a Happy Halloween

Special Thanks to Sarah and Masa-san, Steve and Ritsuko-san,
Saito-san, Robert, Tomoko-san,
and my travel companion Zack