#hot selling tarpaulin

[tanetarpaulin]

Best selling fabric coated dump truck Pp Truck Tarpaulin

[lostgreekgod]

i woke up at 6.30am. i had planned my day out, yet it was already 11am and i hadn't done any studying. my dad asked me to figure things out, his usual lecture of about how i was lazing away, warning me that i will regret it in the future. my american cousin called, and i could only feel worse when she told me about the things she was doing there. that should have been my breaking point today. but i had plans with a friend to play badminton, so i took my bike and set out. when we were done, she hugged me, said "we should do this often." and then we went to a little shop nearby for some ice cream. then we parted ways. on the way back home, my mum called, asking me to buy some flowers and a garland made of coconut/mango leaves we use to put on our door on special occasions, somewhat like a wreath. i rode my bike in the hot afternoon wind, sweating, my legs aching from all that playing, but something in me still vibrated, content with how the past few hours went. thoughts of my cousin vanished, I thought about how i and my friend had talked about how our future was so uncertain, cursing at how everything had gone downhill. we found our little bubble, talking about these things and making little jokes with each other just made our worries falter for a while. i stopped at a little shop, the roof made of blue tarpaulin covers entirely supported by two bamboo sticks. the two ladies who owned it sat under whatever little shade they could find. i asked them in my native language if they sold the garland. the lady smiled at me and said "no one makes them anymore, you could have come yesterday and I would have brought it and made it for you by today." then she told me about how it had gone out of use, the symbolic representation of that tradition entirely tarnished. the other lady added that most people didn't buy those garlands anymore, preferring to make it by themselves. then I asked them tentatively if they knew where the leaves were sold. they laughed warmly, their eyes twinkling. i had never ever conversed with such nice ladies before, especially those that sat on the pavements, selling little goods!! they then told me that i was looking for leaves at the wrong time. usually, fresh leaves would sell out by 10am, and I was roaming the streets at 12 in the noon. the kind ladies then pointed out another little shop, and i thanked them and headed my way. this was a very little interaction, shorter than 5 minutes. but its only 2 pm as i write this, but just those 5 minutes with those two elderly women was what made me so happy. good people are everywhere, i realized. we just don't open our eyes to see them.

[jacks-tracks]

Bantayan Biker

Bantayan is a big island, fairly flat, with good cement roads. I’d met a local who drove me about town, and he rents motorcycles. I don’t have a phone, but a nice expat couple waiting for the beauty salon next to my room called him and in rapid fire Tagalog  had him deliver  a motorcycle in minutes . Another honda 125 automatic in an embarrassing shade of pink, but everything worked. I put in 100pesos of gas and hit the road. Lovely sunny day, dressed in long pants and helmet, I even had my international drivers licence. Water, snacks good to go! 

 Just out of town I saw a big red sign “Evacuation assembly point” with an arrow pointing into the big graveyard. I kept going, thinking  it was probably a dead end. Most of the traffic was motorcycles, a few trucks, one bus, and a handfull of cars, all dawdling along. The mototbike taxis(3 wheelers with a sidecar) were the worst, poking along, often with huge loads, like rebar, hay, lumber, or in one case 10 people. Granted they were little school kids, but it was full! I wanted to see what the bike would do so on an open stretch I twisted the grips and zoomed up to 40 kph(wow),passing the pokeys. As always , it’s the sideroads that have the most appeal, so I took the first left towards the sea. Roadworks, cement slush in loose frames alternated with  rocky potholes. Used to that from home, I know that the best ride is right on the edge where trucks have not eroded the surface. There were lots of little houses, most with flowers growing in pots and old oil cans, a few walkers, sleeping dogs, (why do dogs sleep in the road?) and after 10 minutes downhill the sea. Coconut groves, clusters of houses with signs proclaiming a village, scrub jungle, and an empty smooth cement track, Easy riding indeed. I went to a beach where the fishermen had a hundred boats hauled out on logs(to protect their propellors). Some were mending nets in the shade of the boats tarpaulins, most were resting in little hammocks slung beside their beachfront bamboo homes. Fishing here is mostly at night, using battery powered lamps or coleman lanterns to attract fish to the gill nets . The beach was typical, a low sand bank, then a long flat rock bottomed foreshore, often 100 meters before the low tide waters edge. Boats only beach at high tide onto their coconut log rollers. It was hot already, perhaps 30 degrees, but a sea breeze swept the heat inland and the tall palms swayed lazily . I drove slowly, seeing lots of flowers, more sleeping dogs, and the occasional locals, who all responded to my Hellos. People are reserved until I make that first move, then everybody is friendly. English is limited, but I smiled when a toothless old gaffer told me to have a nice day.

     Some 10 miles along was the Mangrove walk. A business with bamboo pole walkways out into the mangroves for tourists. I’m just glad to see some mangrove intact. I kept going. There were power lines on cement poles, so houses had electricity, which must make food storage much easier. The usual shoebox stores, selling the usual tiny packages of junk food. One roadside palapa was labelled “Senior citizens Hall” and had a big poster congratulating a woman for being 100. Her picture was posted and she looked all of that. The “Hall was a 10 by 30 foot thatch roofed building made of vertical poles, so had lots of ventilation. Benches inside, no seniors. I enjoyed tooling along the shady road, which eventually lead back to the main road. I got stuck behind the beer truck doing home deliverys, but parked in the shade until the householder came for his case. The shade was from a bush covered in tiny red blossoms, which fell to cover the road.

 Back on the “highway, “I soon came to the capitol city, all 6 blocks of it. The center of town was a parklike square block and I paused there to drink water on a shady bench. It’s a feature of our modern age that while once the people in the park would have walked about meeting friends and gossiping on the benches, today everyone is glued to their cell phones, oblivious to the world around them. Having no phone I walked over to admire the central statue, a frock coated man who was pointing  either to the future or to the road out of town. I took that road, and  could not resist going down a road called  “Kabangbang”  Sure enough the pavement gave out, coral gravel slushed around my tires, and after a 10 minute uphill climb I settled for a view of the small farm inland hills. I kabanged back to the main road, caught another beachward side road, and found what was probably the original track along the seashore. Many more little houses, clustered in villages, all with elementary schools, crammed with hundreds of kids. When i saw an access to the beach I motored down and parked. A grizzled old timer, maybe as old as me, engaged me in broken conversation about fishing.lots of boats, few fish, crabs were the coming thing, were there fish boats in Canada, really I had been a fishing guide, and was it all big boats now? Being old bums we rested in the shade dreaming of the glorious past. He moved on to yap with another old fart, and I ate my leftover pizza. All this driving (4hours )had been enough and I puttered back to the capitol for a cold drink and a bakery load.  As the sun sank low, I cruised home, returned my bike, and felt I’d had a good day.

  Bantayan island had some of the nicest sand beaches I’d found, a slow pace, decent food, and a pleasant ambience. Nothing to do but beach walk, swim and eat. My main plan fulfilled! I stayed 3 days, and moved on well satisfied.

[tandhanpolyplast]

How do Tarpaulin Companies in India operate?

How do Tarpaulin Companies in India operate?

Tarpaulins have become an indispensable thing in India nowadays. In a tropical, hot and humid country like India tarpaulins are a ‘must have’ thing when it comes to protecting your valuable possessions. So, the demands for good quality, strong and long lasting tarps were always there. Hence, to meet the huge demands there are a number of tarpaulin companies in India.  Some of them sell budget…

[buytarpaulinuk]

What You Need to Know About Canopies

A canopy can be beneficial in a variety of situations because it protects against the weather while also increasing the amount of living and working space available in a structure. A Medium Weight Tarpaulin can be made to fit any form or size needed. Most structures would benefit from having a canopy added for these reasons. A canopy is a superstructure that covers the cargo and features opening and closing doors, windows, or panels. A canopy, in essence, prevents items from falling off of the tray, preserving tools, refrigerators, and other items safe inside. You may also add locks on doors, windows, and panels to keep your items and tools from being taken from the tray. Canopy tarps are heavy-duty and come with a galvanized steel pole structure and heavy-duty footpads. These have no corners, a valance, or are enclosed. The steel galvanized structure assures that the framework will be sturdy and free for the duration of the frame's life. These tarps are UV-resistant, allowing them to survive sun exposure and last for a long time; they are intended for temporary yet long-term use. These are ideal for keeping snow off of automobiles and for serving as carports to protect a vehicle's paintwork from the damaging effects of the sun. These companies sell tarp canopy kits for one or two automobiles.

These Heavy Duty Tarpaulins also utilized to safeguard event visitors since they are a stylish solution with a number of options. Choose the option that best meets your requirements. You must first determine the sort of canopy you require: complete, partial, or even a tool module. Full canopies are service bodies that are completely enclosed and have three doors for convenient access. Weather and dust are kept out of full canopies. They also provide year-round access to tools. They also provide theft and damage protection for important equipment. In most models, the full canopy is always accessible. Both the rear tray and the service body canopy are available as part canopies. It's completely enclosed and protected from the weather. It protects electronics from being damaged or stolen. It also has a tray for storing and transporting large goods. For the most part, only partial canopies are available.

A GOOD CAPEY'S ESSENTIAL FEATURES

It needs to be light. Increased weight equals increased fuel consumption. So that you don't waste too much money on gasoline, use a robust, solid, yet lightweight material. In the long term, heavy canopies might be damaging. The weight of the cargo, as well as normal wear and tear, might permanently harm your vehicle and impair its roadworthiness.

Swinging or lift-up doors are available. Users may easily load and unload items with a swinging door. A swinging door comes in handy while lifting heavy objects because you don't have to free up your hand to open it. A lift-up door is also useful because it can provide additional protection from the elements.

Pre-installed cargo bar or rack: If you frequently transport big things when traveling or camping, look for canopies with pre-installed racks or cargo bars. These will expand the storage capacity in your vehicle, so you won't have to worry about forgetting anything. Without running out of supplies, you may go on the highway or spend days in the great outdoors.

Windows on both sides: side windows provide adequate ventilation. When you sleep under your canopy, the skylights will keep you cool, especially in hot weather. It can also serve as an access point for your stuff, allowing you to obtain what you need without having to walk inside. All you have to do is reach through the windows.

Headroom has been increased. It's always a plus to have more space. When loading and unloading, having more headroom makes it a lot easier to maneuver around. You may expand your usefulness by adding extra room. You may use the canopy as a sleeping platform, a change room, and much more. Remember that any additional vertical or horizontal distance is usually beneficial.

[sandjsbeachbumbonanza]

Day 95 – Four Gorillas lodge

We woke up, had breakfast and hit the road. Sadly, an hour out, S realised he had left his safari hat at Mazikwe. “Adios, hat”. We had to change cars because the air conditioning in ours was busted and they could not find a new air conditioning fan belt. The company had to send a new car out to meet us. Our old friend, Alex, from the night of our arrival, drove six hours to meet us and swap cars. The new car was another Toyota Landcruiser, but a slightly smaller version. The air conditioning worked well and J found it a bit chilly after a while. On the way to Bwindi, Dona suggested we view a tea production factory, which sounded like a good idea. When we arrived, a guard with a standard issue AK47 waved us in and we then went on to the entrance. Unfortunately, since COVID, you need to have an appointment a week in advance to tour the facility. As we didn’t have that, we were turned away. We then headed on to Bwindi.

On the way we stopped at a rest stop, which had an ‘avocado house’ for a company that exports avocado seeds. J took some photos of the giant avocado sculpture outside the building but was disappointed that they didn’t actually sell any avocados. We then stopped in a town, Kabale, so Dona could pick up some white wine for us to drink at the Four Gorillas lodge, and any other items we wanted. He let J pick out some white wines. J went with the Four Cousins we had had at Mazikwe and a few other white wines. J liked the experience of being in a local grocery store. The staff at the grocery store were quite helpful. Dona was even able to exchange our warm bottles of beer for cold bottles.

The terrain on the way to Four Gorillas was breath-taking. It was very mountainous, but the villagers still managed to grow crops on the terraced hillside. The temperature decreased as we went up the mountain. On the way to the lodge, we stopped at a roadside vegetable stand. J and Dona got roasted corn for a snack. Four Gorillas lodge was down a long, single-lane dirt road. On the right side of the road was the national park (Bwindi), where the gorillas live. Apparently the gorillas make it down to the road from time to time and it’s possible to see them from the lodge.

Eventually we arrived at the Four Gorillas lodge. It is called Four Gorillas because when the owner was building it, he fell off a ladder during a storm, was knocked unconscious and pinned down by a beam from the lodge. When he woke up, the beam had been removed, he had been covered by a plastic tarpaulin, and a gorilla family of four was watching over him as it rained. Apparently the baby was even massaging his body. S doesn’t find this story 100% plausible. For example, why would the gorillas even think to put a tarpaulin over the owner when they sleep without cover in a nest? However, it does make for good marketing for the lodge. The main building was very impressive. The owner imported from the Congo to build the lodge, including a veranda which overlooks the impenetrable forest. The main building has floor-to-ceiling glass windows and is decorated with furniture imported from Dubai. There is a giant double-sided fireplace which separates the seating area from the dining area. The fireplace is fed by fresh charcoal. There is also a small bar right by the entrance.

After being shown around, we had some sparkling wine on the veranda, overlooking the impenetrable forest, which is actually a dense jungle that covers the mountains. We were placed in a cottage close by the main building with very few steps, to help out S. The room was bigger than Mazikwe, but smaller than many of the other lodges we’ve stayed at. It was sparsely furnished but had good lighting. Very importantly, it had hot water. J went to the room for a hot shower while S stayed on the veranda with Dona.

We had a few drinks in the main building next to the fire, where J sat on a fur stool and took in the heat. Dinner was an avocado and tomato salad with a honey mustard dressing, French onion soup and beef kebabs with vegetables and mashed potatoes. The lodge bakes their own bread, which is slightly sweet and very tasty. We finished with a caramel-encrusted pineapple slice for dessert, which was also delicious. We then retired to the sitting room for a nightcap. J loves the sitting area at Four Gorillas and would want to replicate parts of this in our next home.

[tanetarpaulin]

Heavy-duty coated waterproof PVC Tarpaulin rolls for camping vehicles

[montyrakusen]

EL TOR 1975 Part 1 introduction

Adventures in the desert. I was trying to get to Saint Catherine’s Monastery https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Catherine%27s_Monastery high in the mountains of the Sinai desert but during the winter, a minefield had been washed down onto the road and I had to make a detour.

The road to Abu Rudeis was long, hot and dusty and I was told the next bus up the mountain was on a Tuesday. It was Wednesday. Sadly I retraced my steps back a hundred kilometres, getting lifts from army trucks and at one point a half-track until eventually I was stranded in the heat on an empty road with only an oil barrel for company.

I only had a tourist map but a few miles to the north was the encouraging icon of a sun lounger and parasol over the seaside town of El Tor. I was dehydrated and hallucinating slightly when I was awoken by the hooting horn of a pickup full of Bedouins. I jumped in the back and they took me to El Tor.

At this time the Sinai Peninsular was occupied by Israel following the Six-Day War in 1967 (as a result of the Israel–Egypt Peace Treaty of 1979, Israel withdrew from the peninsula and it was returned to Egypt). In 1975 the desert was full of the detritus of war.

I was shocked when I saw El Tor. I naively thought it might have a shop or a beach front or somewhere to stay.

It was a ghost town, long-deserted and destroyed, situated on a bleak salty coastal plain gently sloping from the jagged red mountains down to the Gulf of Suez. There were a few Bedouin, a small oil exploration team and a naval lookout further up the coast. I would have felt scared if I had not been totally overwhelmed by the strangeness and emptiness and horror of the place.

I chose a wrecked dhow to sleep in, the beach was littered with them, and I fixed up a gangplank that I could pull up at night. I started to explore the town cautiously, each day covering more streets in the heat. There was a huge deserted hospital that had been a decontamination centre for pilgrims travelling on the Haj to Mecca, everything was smashed and lying about in disarray.

It was very lonely and sometimes dangerous. The desert wind constantly had doors and windows banging and there was always some human like shape in the distance that on closer inspection turned out to be a flapping tarpaulin. I walked through a minefield, only alerted to it by seeing the warning sign from the wrong side. I could see what looked like a crashed helicopter on a sand bar far in the distance, after walking for hours it turned out to be a fisherman’s hut and a long plank.

Walking along the main town centre street, attacked by eagles and crows, I noticed rolls of film in the sand and that was how I found the photographer’s shop.

EL TOR The unknown photographer. I was picking through the negatives in the sand and I realised that these old scratchy scenes and portraits had an artistic value and juxtaposed with my own views of the town might make a poignant portrait of the horror of war.

I bought some of the negatives from a Bedouin but I do not know if he had the right to sell them. The pictures this photographer took are very good. As far as I can tell they were taken sometime between 1956 and 1967.

EL TOR Disclosure I have used the unknown photographer's images alongside my own photographs for artistic and documentary effect only. They form an intrinsic part of the art-work. I do not own the copyright of these images it belongs to the unknown photographer and I make it clear they are not my own work.

I do not wish to profit from the photographer’s work. I do not know who the photographer was.

The project is split into Part 1 (introduction)

https://montyrakusen.tumblr.com/post/621813732677500928/el-tor-1975-part-1-introduction-adventures-in-the

Part 2 https://montyrakusen.tumblr.com/post/621749159752548352/el-tor-sinai-1975-part-2

Part 3 https://montyrakusen.tumblr.com/post/621748895945457664/el-tor-sinai-1975-part-3

Part 4 https://montyrakusen.tumblr.com/post/621748676696604672/el-tor-sinai-1975-part-4

Text edit by: John Coombes

[sally-annesstories]

Day 53 - Santa Catarina - Record Hill - Tzucubal - Xiprian, Guatemala

Cricket world cup final from the middle of nowhere!

1. An early start at 6am. The guide said he would wake us up and well to he honest it was quite a fright to wake up to someone standing above me saying hi. Weirdness aside after ignoring the wake up for 10 minutes it was time to pack my pack and prepare for day two of hiking! At 7am breakfast was ready just across the way in a wee shop/house (I'm not entirely sure).

2. Hitting the road was pretty tough on day two to be honest. The first section was mildly flat and we got to an amazing viewing point at qrpine 9am. Looking out over the mountains and valleys that just keep going. Then a relatively flat walk before we hit record hill. Unsure if its an official name or just by Quetzaltrekkers but its a super steep hill everyone competes walking up. The fastest known time is 9 minutes something, the fastest in our group was 14 minutes. I enjoyed moving at a glacial pace taking a few photos and checking my altitude via snapchat (great feature) and did it in around 25 minutes. The entire day was pretty tough on the legs and ankles. I was happy with myself for taking my own pack. While its maybe more for travel than hiking it was comfortable and fitted for me. Back and leg wise I was in a way better place than others who were finding the borrowed packs less than comfortable. Perk of borrowing though is that your own bag stays cleaner! Following record hill the up hills kept going and going. Our front guide went at an excessively fast pace though our back guide had to be very slow due to one person needing to walk at a slower pace. Most of us taking turns to keep up with the front guide before dropping off a while. The best thing about all the uphills was of course we got icecream at the end in Tzucubal. By the trekkers it has the nickname icecream village due to the dairy that sells them as a reward at the end of the hiking the steepest parts. There are 3 Brits on the hike so all day we were follow the cricket score at each break. It was a nice having a reward of knowing how it was going waiting for us at each gap.

3. Following icecream village we spent a couple of hours walking through farmland and downhill. While no exhaustion from this, both my ankles were not a fan (my left one more so from spraining it 3 weeks before I left) so I had to take it pretty slow. Lunch was a welcomed reward at 1.30pm. Considering we are eating off a tarpaulin in the middle of nowhere it's pretty good food. This time rice, beans, tortillas and eggs for everyone else. The final portion of the day was seven river crossings and thr cornfield of death. The rivercrossings were probably my favourite part of the hike. They were quite disbursed, maybe 1km between each but because of this our guide kept us as a group the whole time rather than powering ahead. Unfortunately one guy got stung by a wasp so our backguide was with him but I did feel it was here our guides went at a reasonable pace. While I loved the crossings the cornfield that followed was not amazing. Incredibly steep, serious punishment at the end of the day. We hit a fork at one point and we could either take the 7minute path or the 2 minute one up. You definitely felt it for those 2minutes! Last portion of the day was 20 minutes roadside before arriving in Xipiran.

4. We had been told night two we'd get a proper hot shower (night one was the texmal) though on arrival at Don Pedro's (the family home we stayed at) we were informed they didn't have running water today and instead there was a tub of (cold) water and smaller buckets. This led myself and a few others to the shop down the road for some well deserved beers. The gallos went down so well. We spent a while doing nothing but spinning yarns. I eventually decided the cold was worth the shower and even managed to wash my hair which felt amazing afterwards. Dinner was then served up of veges, beans, tortillas and spices. Those after it also had chicken.

5. Following dinner a campfire was set up and we had marshmallows and s'mores! India (USA) was showing everyone who hadn't had smores before how to do it. I had one but then focused on the marshmallows as they're my favourite. People slowly dropped off to bed. We had a 3am start coming up so while an early night made sense I just cant sleep if I go to bed that early. Instead we hopped on q pseudo roof and watched a storm that was above another town. The lightening was phenomenal. Such an incredible view. At around 10.30pm I popped a couple of melatonin and forced a quick start deep sleep on myself!

[4wdsupacentre-blog]

Get out camping for far less than you thought!

New Post has been published on https://www.4wdsupacentre.com.au/news/get-out-camping-for-far-less-than-you-thought/

Get out camping for far less than you thought!

Its hard to deny that camping is not without cost, however when you have your gear all sorted camping will cost a lot less than a typical family holiday, the other benefit to heading out camping is the ability to see even more of our great country with minimal expense. With some quick research you probably have a rough idea of just how much camping will cost you, we recommend doing your calculations on what a campsite should cost, and then hit one of the Adventure Kings Showrooms to find out just how much you can save on your entire campsite setup!

We did some shopping online and found that a simple campsite can cost over $3,300! Whilst the equivalent (in our opinion, better) round about $1200. That’s a saving of more than $2000! Let us show you what you can take home TODAY! Starting with a comfortable and reliable camp chair – The Adventure Kings Throne was the first chair in the Adventure Kings lineup and because of this we made sure it hit the market with a bang!

And that is just what it did, the Throne Camp Chair is rated to up to 300KG which is insanely strong – we’ve even picked up and placed a car on top of 4 of these beasts! Not only are they strong, but they are seriously comfy, trust us, there is many a campfire session when we’ve had a quick nap between refreshments in our Throne camp chairs!

The next most important addition is to get some shelter over the top of your campsite, whilst you probably grew up with tarpaulins awkwardly stretched over your setup, those days are gone! You can have your shelter setup in just a few minutes absolutely free standing without anyone helping you out!

The Adventure Kings Gazebo is built tough, with a sturdy steel frame with a heavy duty stretch proof and absolutely waterproof fabric.

At some stage you are going to get hungry, this is normal, but unless you like eating cold food, you are going to want to figure out how to get your stomach full of goodness!

 The Adventure Kings Camp Fire BBQ Plate and a Bedourie Camp Oven this is the perfect combination to get the best tasting campfire meals, requiring no gas, and just cooking using the hot coals from your campfire!

There is no point packing a nice thick steak, and bacon and eggs, and all of your icy cold beers only to fish them all out of icy cold water, this is why a 12v camping refrigerator from the Adventure Kings Range is right on the ticket. These are built using the toughest internal components shared by industry leading brands at a fraction of the cost. By taking advantage of selling large volumes at slashed prices you can grab a 60L Fridge freezer with an internal compressor for under $600 which is less than half the price of similar brands.

To keep your campsite running it’s a good idea to keep everything charged up with a silent and efficient power supply like the Adventure Kings 160W Solar Power with nearly 9 amps of regulated power output for reliable 12v charge with no noise and virtually cost free! You can get your own for less than $1 per Watt of output, when comparing with other monocrystalline portable solar panels available on the market is around half the price of similar output models. For all of the savings you’ll have more cash for food drinks and fuel to get you to your dream campsite!

For more information head to www.4WDSupacentre.com.au or call our expert team on 1800 88 39 64!

[gethealthy18-blog]

Modi On Man Vs Wild: What He Did And What He Said About Nature, His Childhood, And His Message To The Youth

New Post has been published on http://healingawerness.com/getting-healthy/getting-healthy-women/modi-on-man-vs-wild-what-he-did-and-what-he-said-about-nature-his-childhood-and-his-message-to-the-youth/

Modi On Man Vs Wild: What He Did And What He Said About Nature, His Childhood, And His Message To The Youth

Chaitra Krishnan Hyderabd040-395603080 August 13, 2019

We’ve seen many world leaders and policymakers trying to work positively towards environment conservation. But to get into the wild and interact with nature just the way our species used to centuries ago (and not in a safari vehicle), isn’t everyone’s piece of cake. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the man leading the world’s largest democracy proved that he has always been one with nature by spending some quality time with Bear Grylls on Discovery channel’s Man Vs Wild show. The episode that aired on Monday night at IST 9:00 PM was awaited by the whole world ever since Bear Grylls shared its teaser on Twitter a couple of days ago.

The show is all about being able to survive in the wild with bare minimum commodities, by using whatever is in your backpack. Bear Grylls has proven his ability to survive in the most difficult terrains and gruesome jungles by attacking the predators and has also become a predator himself when needed. However, it was a first for Modi to embark upon an adventure of the same kind. Let’s take a sneak peek into the highlights of the show.

The Start Of The Episode

The episode starts with Bear Grylls landing in the Jim Corbett National Park situated in the state of Uttarakhand on a helicopter. Jim Corbett National Park is India’s oldest wildlife sanctuary and was established in 1936. It is named after Jim Corbett, a famous naturalist, and hunter who killed man-eating tigers and leopards. However, the sanctuary was established to protect India’s national animal, the Bengal tiger! And the essence of the entire episode revolved around the conservation and protection of the wildlife and our environment.

After he meets the Prime Minister, Grylls decides to take away from the trail path and heads deep into the jungle. While exploring the beauty of the wilderness around them, they shared many moments of light-hearted humor and valuable life lessons. For example, Modi bursts into laughter when Grylls tells him about the time he squeezed the essence of fresh elephant dung into his mouth for survival. And when Grylls reminds Modi that the jungle is dangerous, Modi tells him that it’s dangerous only when we go against nature and we should learn how to co-exist with our environment.

Grylls then makes a weapon with the help of a wooden stick that he picks out from the forest, a knife, and a piece of string that he brought along. He explains to Modi that a weapon is necessary to stay safe in the forest that is home to more than 250 Bengal tigers who are smart predators. The adventure seekers then walk towards a nearby river that would help them get out of the tall grass area that made them vulnerable to the predators. They cross the river on a raft made by Grylls with some sticks, hay, and a tarpaulin sheet and then continue their chat over a hot cup of tea.

Modi On His Childhood

When Grylls asks Modi about his childhood, Modi jokes that he cannot admit that he was a good student. He also tells Grylls about his family, his village, and the humble financial background he was raised in. “I didn’t have a sophisticated childhood. When I went to school I kept myself perfect, I didn’t have an iron at home so used to keep burnt coal in a copper bowl to iron my shirt,” Modi says. He also recollects the time when he would sell tea at the railway station whenever he didn’t have school, to help out his father who used to run a tea stall.

Talking on the importance of living in harmony with nature, Modi narrates an old family story about his uncle who wanted to sell firewood. He tells Grylls that his uncle was forbidden to pursue the business by his grandmother as she was against cutting down trees. He also recollects another story about the time he caught a crocodile from a river that he went to bathe in. “My mother said to me this is wrong. You cannot do this. You should not do this, put it back. I went and put it back,” Modi said.

Modi On His Youth

beargrylls/ Instagram

The Prime Minister recalls the time he was 17 and had left his home. “I wanted to make a decision about my life. But before that, I wanted to understand the world. I wanted to see the spiritual world. For that, I went to the Himalayas. I fell in love with nature. I met people in the Himalayas, stayed with them. It was a wonderful experience and I spent a long time there,” he said.

When Grylls asks Modi about what he feels about becoming the Prime Minister of India, he says, “It never occurs to me as to who I am. I am above all this. When I was a Chief Minister and even now as the Prime Minister, I only think of my work, my responsibilities. My position never goes to my head.” Also, he encouraged the youth to think of life as a whole and take the downs as a way to climb to the top.

beargrylls / Instagram

During their travel, Grylls asks Modi what will help India become clean. To this, the Prime Minister replies, “It’s only the people of India who can make India clean. Personal hygiene is in the culture of the Indian people. We need to develop the habit of social hygiene. Mahatma Gandhi has done a lot of work on it and recently we are getting good success in this. I believe India will succeed in this very soon.”

About being on the show, Modi says that it brought back the happy memories of his youth. On a heart-warming note, Grylls bids goodbye to his travel partner for the episode by reciting a prayer for him. But he doesn’t fail to bring back the humor bit as he asks the Prime Mister if his underpants are dry after the river ride!

Modi is the second world leader to appear in the show after Barack Obama. Hopefully, the awareness that he raised with the help of this show will lead to something fruitful for our environment and wildlife. Did you watch Modi’s day out with Bear Grylls on Man Vs Wild? What is your opinion about this episode? Share your thoughts with us in the comments section below.

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[adityatodi]

Thursday, May 23, 2019

After a delicious breakfast of banana pancake and fresh fruits, we depart Hoi An to go to Da Nang. I booked an AirBnB close to the ocean there. Though check-in is not until 2PM, the host—Hong, was gracious to let us drop our luggage. We then cab it to Marble Mountains which is about 10 minutes away. The mountains provide a panoramic view of Da Nang. There are some beautifully stone carved Buddha statues inside the caves, marble statues of Buddha and exquisite pagodas. It’s a steep hill with lots of steps and things to see. There is a peace and calm to this place, away from the hustle and bustle of the city. Pilgrims come here to offer prayers and with it bring a sanctity to this place. We make it to the top and see the ocean on one side and the city on another. In the backdrop is the other parts of the hills. We walk back down as get to our AirBnB since Zubby has to rush to the airport. Goodbyes are shared and a commitment to continue remaining in touch over the summer. Walter and I head to a nearby coffee shop since the AirBnB is not yet ready. I’m on the phone with family for a while and then head to AirBnB to drop our luggage and head out. We walk along the beach and get lunch at a restaurant by the beach called Hai San Pho. The vegetarian food is not good (probably the worst meal I’ve had this trip), but Walter has good things to say about the seafood. We enjoy a great conversation about family, relationships and how with time the nuclear family changes as family members move to different places. We then go and sit by the beach. Walter loves the beach and the fact that anyone who comes to the beach is in a fun and chill mood. It’s hard to remain sad for too long when one finds themselves in nature. We talk about adversities we have faced and aspirations we have. Walter too needs to leave for the airport soon. We head back to the AirBnB, pick up his luggage and share goodbye. It’s been such a wonderful couple of days traveling with Zubby and Walter and I will cherish these memories. Hopefully this is the end of a beginning. A beginning of friendships that will stay the test of time.

Earlier in the afternoon, I had booked a food tour with Diep—a local friend of Katrina. Since she offers a vegetarian tour, I was immediately convinced. Diep picked me up from the apartment and off we were on her motorbike. There is something beautiful about traveling around a city in a motorbike with a local who knows the ins and outs. In a bike, there is no separation. The sound and the vision are unfiltered by steel and glass. Our first stop is a local street vendor who sells Bánh căn, bánh xèo (Vietnamese tradition crispy pancakes). The vendor is vegetarian as she is a practicing Buddhist. The very religious Buddhists here only eat vegetarian, however, on lunar days (twice a month) most of the population eats vegetarian for the day, thus it is easy to find vegetarian food around here (Vegetarian food is called Quan Chay). The vendor we met wakes up early morning to buy groceries and make preparations. Her shop then opens at 10am and she is working till 6 or 7pm. Like many of the street vendors, her shop is on the ground floor while the family lives upstairs. Through her earnings she has been able to support the entire family including the education of her children. For hours every day she is sitting by the hot stove in the Da Nang heat as she makes her pancakes. It’s a very moving story, but not unique. I notice that many of the street vendors actually tend to be woman. As we’re eating she stops making pancakes for a while and stands by the entrance of her store looking into the distance. Who knows what she is thinking. I thank her for allowing me into her shop and giving me a taste of her delicious food. I tell her through Diep’s translation that I find her story inspiring and wish her the very best. Our next stop is a shop in the middle of the market. The market is one for local people who come here to buy low cost clothes and accessories. The markets remind me of the markets one sees outside the remnants of Sundhara. Tarpaulin spread across the floor and on top of it heaps of cloths and accessories. As we make a turn, there is a giant food market with stalls of different vendors selling a bunch of items. Diep makes me taste Chè xoa xoa (Vietnamese jelly and green beans with coconut milk) and Nước ép (Vietnamese green juice). Both the juices are refreshing and helpful for the digestive system. This food stall serves a bunch of fresh juices each with it’s own health benefits. The fresh fruits become part of traditional age old recipes that have been passed down and each generation brings with it parents who bring their kids along. For these kids, this is their entertainment. This is what is meant by going out to eat. Memories are associated with the place as as the kid grows up and becomes a parent, they fulfill the sacred tradition of passing on to the next generation these experiences. And so the markets continue for generation after generation, a mixture of individual memories and common binding experiences. The next stop is for the one Vietnamse dish that I have not yet had and would do injustice if I left the country without trying it—Bánh mì gà (Vietnamese baguette). The stall is run by an aged lady, around 75. She is slightly hunched, white hair but very much looks active. She has the option to not do this and let her daughters take care of it, but she prefers to keep herself busy. Her husband passed away when her daughter were around 6 or 7, and the responsibility of raising them fell entirely on her. She took this responsibility head on and educated and took care of her daughters who are now in their mid-20s. The Bánh mì here is the most delicious Bánh mì I’ve ever had. The bread is fresh and crunchy and the sauce is a mix of sweet and chilli. If it were not for the places we had already been earlier or the three more we would be going to, I would eat more of it, but had to respect my stomach. Next stop is another vendor who also lives in multigenerational household with her shop on the ground floor. The low tables and chairs at this place is a classic imagery of Vietnam’s street culture that I will take away from this country. In the streets of Ho Chi Minh and Da Nang one finds low plastic tables and chairs put on pavements as family and friends and couples sit outside and enjoy a meal. The tables and chairs are respective of the communal culture, the importance of family and relationships. Next to where I’m seated, there is a couple on a date and a few minutes later a group of friends walk in and sit on another table. Over there I have some Bánh tráng kẹp (Vietnamese rice paper cracker pizza with quail eggs and onion) and then we head to another place to eat Bánh bèo, (water fern cake with veggie toppings). The place use to be a small shop serving only vegetarian food and grew so much in popularity that they were able to open a more upscale restaurant. The restaurant is next to a monastery, thus helping it also to get vegetarian customers. The stomach is getting pretty full by now and I’m in no mood to jeopardize the gastrointestinal health. Our last stop is a shop in the corner of a narrow alley serving a dessert called Chè chuối (grilled banana with warm coconut soup dessert). The vendor here as well has a moving story of her daughter having gone through a bad marriage that involved physical violence, finding courage to get out of it and now helpin her mother with the stall. The gastronomical journey now comes to an end. I savor the last moments on the motorbike going through the streets of Da Nang and bid goodbye to Diep and thank her from the bottom of my heart.

This evening has deeply enriched me. In addition to the food, throughout the evening I have conversations with Diep as well about the city, the vendors and her own life. Many people I have spoked to say that the pace of development they have seen in Da Nang over the past 5-10 years is unseen. Many high rises have come in and it has become a major tourist destination. I ask Diep how she feels about this as a local. While she is happy that this has brought economic boost and is a sign that her city has “made it” on the global map, the downsides is the pollution and overcrowding that comes with it. Diep has been such an amazing guide. Her energy and passion for this city is infectious. She knows the city so well and the stories of the street vendors she takes me to as well. She is an accountant by day, but then does food tours 2-3 times a week. She was so happy that her tour is rated #10 on TripAdvisor and hopes that one day it becomes big enough so she can leave her government job that pays a meagre $150 per month (versus $35-50/person food tour she gets). She mentions a British friend of hers who helped improve her English and design the website. These small steps and help by a friend has made such a significant impact on her. It made me think when have I helped someone in a way that has made such a positive impact on them—I had a hard time thinking of it. While I have some deep friendships, it did make me wonder what it means to be a friend and help someone in such a significant way. I hope if a friend needs me, they will feel comfortable approaching me for help or I’ll know it before then need to approach me and I’m able to extend help.

Often times, elites like us go through these informal sectors and think of them as not being hard workers. We think that if they worked harder they could do something and earn more money and get economic mobility. But as one has more and more interactions, it is realized that in fact they work harder every single day then I even could. It is not the lack of hard work that is stopping them, but the circumstances they find themselves in. For me these street vendors are the true entrepreneurs. Entrepreneurs for whom their business is their bread and butter. Their grit is inspiring. I pray that I too may have the ability to work hard and deliver better lives to those around me. I hope that through my work, those around me are happier and able to provide better lives to their families and give them opportunities that they otherwise would not have. Life is short and I have been blessed with abundance. I hope I’m able to pay back even a small portion of this debt.

I get back to the AirBnB, take a shower and head over for a rooftop party that Katrina’s expat friends are hosting. The evening is spent meeting and talking to these folks, conversation with a couple of South Africans about cricket and the upcoming World Cup and chatting with Katrina about family and childhood. She has an early morning yoga class she is teaching and I’ll be off to Hanoi. We bid each other goodbye and hopes of seeing each other before ten years!

[rivkarevans]

Get out camping for far less than you thought!

Its hard to deny that camping is not without cost, however when you have your gear all sorted camping will cost a lot less than a typical family holiday, the other benefit to heading out camping is the ability to see even more of our great country with minimal expense. With some quick research you probably have a rough idea of just how much camping will cost you, we recommend doing your calculations on what a campsite should cost, and then hit one of the Adventure Kings Showrooms to find out just how much you can save on your entire campsite setup!

We did some shopping online and found that a simple campsite can cost over $3,300! Whilst the equivalent (in our opinion, better) round about $1200. That’s a saving of more than $2000! Let us show you what you can take home TODAY! Starting with a comfortable and reliable camp chair – The Adventure Kings Throne was the first chair in the Adventure Kings lineup and because of this we made sure it hit the market with a bang!

And that is just what it did, the Throne Camp Chair is rated to up to 300KG which is insanely strong – we’ve even picked up and placed a car on top of 4 of these beasts! Not only are they strong, but they are seriously comfy, trust us, there is many a campfire session when we’ve had a quick nap between refreshments in our Throne camp chairs!

The next most important addition is to get some shelter over the top of your campsite, whilst you probably grew up with tarpaulins awkwardly stretched over your setup, those days are gone! You can have your shelter setup in just a few minutes absolutely free standing without anyone helping you out!

The Adventure Kings Gazebo is built tough, with a sturdy steel frame with a heavy duty stretch proof and absolutely waterproof fabric.

At some stage you are going to get hungry, this is normal, but unless you like eating cold food, you are going to want to figure out how to get your stomach full of goodness!

 The Adventure Kings Camp Fire BBQ Plate and a Bedourie Camp Oven this is the perfect combination to get the best tasting campfire meals, requiring no gas, and just cooking using the hot coals from your campfire!

There is no point packing a nice thick steak, and bacon and eggs, and all of your icy cold beers only to fish them all out of icy cold water, this is why a 12v camping refrigerator from the Adventure Kings Range is right on the ticket. These are built using the toughest internal components shared by industry leading brands at a fraction of the cost. By taking advantage of selling large volumes at slashed prices you can grab a 60L Fridge freezer with an internal compressor for under $600 which is less than half the price of similar brands.

To keep your campsite running it’s a good idea to keep everything charged up with a silent and efficient power supply like the Adventure Kings 160W Solar Power with nearly 9 amps of regulated power output for reliable 12v charge with no noise and virtually cost free! You can get your own for less than $1 per Watt of output, when comparing with other monocrystalline portable solar panels available on the market is around half the price of similar output models. For all of the savings you’ll have more cash for food drinks and fuel to get you to your dream campsite!

For more information head to www.4WDSupacentre.com.au or call our expert team on 1800 88 39 64!

from 4WD Supacentre via 4WD Supacentre on Inoreader https://www.4wdsupacentre.com.au/news/get-out-camping-for-far-less-than-you-thought/ from 4WD Supacentre https://frwdsupacentre.tumblr.com/post/182793041876

[frwdsupacentre]

Get out camping for far less than you thought!

Its hard to deny that camping is not without cost, however when you have your gear all sorted camping will cost a lot less than a typical family holiday, the other benefit to heading out camping is the ability to see even more of our great country with minimal expense. With some quick research you probably have a rough idea of just how much camping will cost you, we recommend doing your calculations on what a campsite should cost, and then hit one of the Adventure Kings Showrooms to find out just how much you can save on your entire campsite setup!

We did some shopping online and found that a simple campsite can cost over $3,300! Whilst the equivalent (in our opinion, better) round about $1200. That’s a saving of more than $2000! Let us show you what you can take home TODAY! Starting with a comfortable and reliable camp chair – The Adventure Kings Throne was the first chair in the Adventure Kings lineup and because of this we made sure it hit the market with a bang!

And that is just what it did, the Throne Camp Chair is rated to up to 300KG which is insanely strong – we’ve even picked up and placed a car on top of 4 of these beasts! Not only are they strong, but they are seriously comfy, trust us, there is many a campfire session when we’ve had a quick nap between refreshments in our Throne camp chairs!

The next most important addition is to get some shelter over the top of your campsite, whilst you probably grew up with tarpaulins awkwardly stretched over your setup, those days are gone! You can have your shelter setup in just a few minutes absolutely free standing without anyone helping you out!

The Adventure Kings Gazebo is built tough, with a sturdy steel frame with a heavy duty stretch proof and absolutely waterproof fabric.

At some stage you are going to get hungry, this is normal, but unless you like eating cold food, you are going to want to figure out how to get your stomach full of goodness!

 The Adventure Kings Camp Fire BBQ Plate and a Bedourie Camp Oven this is the perfect combination to get the best tasting campfire meals, requiring no gas, and just cooking using the hot coals from your campfire!

There is no point packing a nice thick steak, and bacon and eggs, and all of your icy cold beers only to fish them all out of icy cold water, this is why a 12v camping refrigerator from the Adventure Kings Range is right on the ticket. These are built using the toughest internal components shared by industry leading brands at a fraction of the cost. By taking advantage of selling large volumes at slashed prices you can grab a 60L Fridge freezer with an internal compressor for under $600 which is less than half the price of similar brands.

To keep your campsite running it’s a good idea to keep everything charged up with a silent and efficient power supply like the Adventure Kings 160W Solar Power with nearly 9 amps of regulated power output for reliable 12v charge with no noise and virtually cost free! You can get your own for less than $1 per Watt of output, when comparing with other monocrystalline portable solar panels available on the market is around half the price of similar output models. For all of the savings you’ll have more cash for food drinks and fuel to get you to your dream campsite!

For more information head to www.4WDSupacentre.com.au or call our expert team on 1800 88 39 64!

from 4WD Supacentre via 4WD Supacentre on Inoreader https://www.4wdsupacentre.com.au/news/get-out-camping-for-far-less-than-you-thought/

[katietaylorarchitecture]

20th Century Kibbutz Life - Interview

Valerie, Devon

When, why and how long did you live on a kibbutz?

I lived on a kibbutz for a total of approximately a year - between 1973–1975. (Came back and returned).

Which one? How did it work? What did it specialise in?

Kibbutz Gal-on. Top of the Negev desert – nearest small town Kiryat Gat. Nearest larger town Beersheba.

At the time I was there it comprised of 200 people. Founded in 1946 as a result of the Holocaust, with some Polish survivors of concentration camps and later in the early 50s Americans, who were Zionists, part of the kibbutz youth movement.

These were the main groups but people from many other nationalities joined. Later on when young people started travelling more, they would often work as volunteers and if they liked the life, would apply to become a Guest and after a year, could join as a proper member. Obviously most members were Jewish and frequently young people having finished their schooling, would make a trip to Israel and stay for a period on a kibbutz.

When I was there there are many different nationalities, including Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, French, British and of course American.

It worked as a socialist collective. It was run by a “leader“ but on a committee basis. As already mentioned, the Guest members were, as it were “On probation“ – on both sides - to see if the person liked the way of life – and for the older members to ascertain whether they would fit into the ethos and environment.

So that there was a form of hierarchy, the bottom of which were the volunteers. They could stay as long or as short a time as they wished.

Members worked for eight hours a day, volunteers for six. Members tended to have specialist work on any aspect of the kibbutz . Volunteers were assigned to work anywhere.

Work was for bed and board. You were given pocket money for chocolate, soap, cigarettes et cetera to be purchased in the only shop there.

The kibbutz aimed for a form of self-sufficiency – and mass produced fruits which could be sold on the market. (I’m not actually sure where the fruits were sold I think they were sold abroad). They also produced electric fans for selling.  So that they were partially commercial and partially self-sufficient.

It was agriculturally -based. A lot of irrigation had already been done by the time I got there so that the land was sufficiently fertile for large orchards – pears, citrus fruits. They had cattle (for milk), chickens, cotton.

Routine; If you worked in the fields (picking fruit), as a volunteer, you had to be ready to be picked up by the trailer driven by a tractor at 4:30 AM as the sun rose. You worked until 9 am when a breakfast was brought to the fields and eaten under a rough tarpaulin as the heat was becoming too great to eat in the open. Work finished at 11:30 when there was lunch and rest of the day was free. Part of the afternoon was usually spent sleeping!

If working around the kibbutz there was a later start – 7 AM. The sort of work that might be done was based on the maintenance of the community, for example: cleaning, clearing and serving in the dining room, washing up, peeling vegetables, plucking chickens, cleaning shower blocks and toilets. Sometimes volunteers worked in the children’s houses. Also I did typing work in the factory. And worked on the irrigation pipes which had to be constantly maintained.

There was a resident nurse but for medical needs people went outside the kibbutz. (There was also a woman who came to do leg waxing)!

Members took care of the elderly and carried food in special containers from the dining room to their houses.

The vehicles were communal and were mostly vans or agricultural vehicles.

How the spaces were set out:

Each member had a small house with a red slate roof. I’m not sure what the material was it looked like some type of concrete but it was painted white. I suppose coolest and heat retaining in winter???  I have no photographs of these. They were actually very pretty and one of the features of the place was The abundance of trees – Fir trees and flowers. The houses were laid out in a tasteful way around smallish circular lawns so that members would use them, especially when children came to visit. The only regular feature of the housing areas were the paths – concrete. Necessary for there was often a lot of rain and mud in the winter. The paths were lamplit.

The members’ houses were little larger than the others (guest houses). They usually had steps up to a Veranda where the front door was. There was a main sitting room where there was a rudimentary cooking area – sometimes for making sandwiches, tea making /coffee making. There was a separate bedroom, separate shower/toilet/wash-basin.

The guest houses, which I think were older, previously used by members, just consisted of one room in which there was a bed and rudimentary cooking facilities and separate shower/toilet/wash-basin in one.

The volunteers lived in the huts right at the back of the kibbutz, where the original settlers lived and they were made of wood, (so extremely hot in the summer) – there are plenty of photographs of them, which I have sent.  They opened into an anti-room where there was a wash-basin and just one room in which were at least three beds.

The volunteers used the toilet blocks and shower rooms, there about three showers for male and female, mixed.

There was a laundry and a clothes bank. Mainly of the elderly Polish women worked there – and volunteers also worked there. The bank of clothes was used by the whole kibbutz, including volunteers for work. Each Person had their own number sewn on to the item of clothing and a sort of pigeonhole where their clothes were put after being washed and ironed. Also, one thing I forgot was how much I learnt on how to live with very little – I only had the clothes I brought in a rucksack which I had to keep wearing and re-wearing when I wasn’t working.  This taught me a lot about living with very few possessions.

Eating: 

All the food was consumed in a separate building – the dining room. There is a picture amongst my photos and you can see that it’s a modern building. I’m sure they must’ve used a smaller building to eat in communally originally.

There were rows of long tables rather like a college refectory, a very large kitchen with quite modern facilities for large numbers, large washing-up troughs, tureens and pans for catering for large numbers of people. Attached to the kitchen was a peeling room also used for chicken plucking. Outside this was an area where delivery vans were kept.

Meals were served something like 7 am to 10.30 am, lunch 11.30 to 1.20, supper 6.30 to 8 or 8.30 pm.

Tea and coffee making facilities in the rooms.

There was a members “clubhouse” (a new purpose built building) and a volunteers “clubhouse” (somewhat rundown old hut). This is where the community would assemble in the evenings to chat, have coffee, read the papers and I think there was a television in the members club house.

There was also a communal swimming pool.

The children’s houses were separate. The groups of children were divided by age. They lived in these houses all the time but spent 2 -3 hours with their parents at tea time. I believe there was a primary school on the kibbutz for the children’s groups and possibly a secondary – but I’m not sure now whether they were bussed out of the kibbutz for secondary education.

It was compulsory for all members to do on Army service -for a month each year. When the children reached 18, they had to do a proper training in the Army.

Surrounding the “village“ of the kibbutz were fields and orchards and even a kibbutz cemetery. They had planted conifers in a sort of oblong patch in the middle of a wheat field so it looked rather dramatic – an area of green in the middle of the golden wheat.

My own impressions:

The “quality“ of life really appealed to me. You were valued for your hard work. Also the manual work appealed to me because I had been studying for years and it was a great relief to do six hours of manual work and then have time off without the burden of knowing there was always some study waiting to be done. There was a sense of freedom about working on something relatively simple and knowing you were free afterwards, yet your accommodation was taken care of through your work.

The members came from all sorts of different backgrounds and were extremely intelligent, creative and interesting, so there was always someone to talk to and things to be discovered. It was particularly interesting to talk to the original settlers about why they came there. They were very idealistic and that impressed me.

The older Polish members were very insular and weren’t at all Keen on us volunteers - they saw us as “hippies“ which was understandable given what they had been through in concentration camps.

(When I was growing up in the 50s hardly anything was ever mentioned about the war. You might find this quite surprising – I do. I knew there had been a war because I’d seen my father’s army clothes hanging in the wardrobe. But it was never mentioned at school and my parents never mentioned it. Now I believe that it was so traumatic, the last thing they wanted to do was talk about it. It was never mentioned at school either. So it took me until much later to really understand what had happened – and why the concentration camp survivors so sour and hated us).

(In this context, when all the changes happened in the 60s and 70s, which you may have read about – parents were horrified and very resistant. Now I can see why, after what they have been through. I remember my father being utterly disgusted when young men started growing their hair longer than ear length)!

I found it the most amazing experience of my life. I was really happy there. I enjoyed leaving my middle class background and mixing with so many different people from different backgrounds.. I learned about my own background and English characteristics from a different perspective, seeing myself through other peoples eyes.

One of the key discussions was about identity, that  was something I have never even thought of. But because most of the other volunteers were Jewish, they had a lot of trouble in ascertaining their true allegiances, coming from different countries – so for example, for the Americans -  they were quite troubled about which was most important, their American identity or Jewish identity. I remember being very shocked to find that they had American flags in their gardens. They were equally curious and rather rude about our royal heritage !

I guess it was my first experience of national identity/multiculturalism.

I was forced to become more tolerant and relaxed because I was living at close proximity to others.

One thing I did find hard was the gossip, (but since then, I found out all small groups love to gossip – and I guess we all do). But there were times when I felt very paranoid about people talking about me. They talked about everybody.  The other thing was that it was very hard to find a place to be alone. Being alone,  I found was quite important to me at times and I would go for walks outside the kibbutz to get time for myself.

The Effect of living at close proximity created lasting relationships – and now there are least four women who I am very close to still.

(Just have a wonderful holiday and catching up with two of them in Philadelphia).

Because of living in a socialist collective as it were, it really affected the way I saw my middle-class English life. It particularly affected my view of materialism and consumerism and the way we live in the west. To work for your board/bed and the right to be there – by helping the community in all sorts of ways and learning so many different skills,  albeit manual, seemed a much more natural human way to be.

For a while, I really wanted to be there permanently. The volunteers were given Hebrew lessons.  Anyone wanting to live on the kibbutz had to attend and Ulpen - Hebrew school. It wasn’t impossible to live on a kibbutz if you weren’t Jewish but now I can’t remember if you had to convert if you wanted to do this.

When I returned home I had a terrible culture shock. Being amongst 200 people whose faces were familiar, even if you have not spoken to them, felt very safe and there was something very reassuring about it. So that when I returned to London to resume my studies, I was quite depressed and lonely, travelling around the city seeing hundreds of faces I didn’t know, felt deeply alienating.

Eventually, I came to know that I was too conditioned into my background and values to make such a huge change.

Adaption of kibbutz and the effects of change:

The most obvious “difficulties“ came when the children of the kibbutz grew up at a time when volunteers from other cultures were visiting and the excitement and challenges of travelling appealed to them, having been brought up in a relatively closed environment. They left to go travelling, many married out side the kibbutz and did not return. Also, I found out from one of the members later that some hated the experience of growing up in the children’s group. I wish I knew more about that – it’s probably been written about by now.

Also, the impression I got was that it is possible that the education was a little limited – after all it was a farming community. So it was natural for the young to leave the community atmosphere and strike out on their own.

One of the aims of the kibbutz was to be flexible enough to move with the changes of the times. My particular kibbutz had to keep changing their commercial operation with the fan factory for example, because the market started to be flooded with the cheaper ones from China.

Some kibbutzim, I believe, did not survive with the need of more commercial success and shrinkage of membership. However some did survive. Gal-On had a crisis point in 2000 (financially and shrinkage of membership) and they changed the system so that members went outside the kibbutz to work and brought their salaries into the community. I believe they divided up their organisation for this purpose. The dining room changed to a coffee/ eating house/ restaurant where meals were bought. People ate in their own houses and with their families. I think the children reverted to living with their parents?  They built a guest house/hotel to bring money in from outside holidaymakers..

There is a website – galon.org or kibbutz gal-on.org which will tell you a bit more about the history and if you want to know how the kibbutz survived until now. I had a look and noticed that their membership had increased to at least 400 so they must’ve done quite well. And it says that now children who left are returning to live there. Perhaps the strains of outside life, consumerism, materialism have now lost their attraction. And the values of sharing life in the community are now again more appealing. I believe it is partially self-sufficient and partially commercial and appears to be viable for that reason.

There are a lot of photos on the website which give you more idea than mine.

One of the aspects which I wondered about at the time, was whether you could live as a single person successfully. Naturally the community was very family based. There were single people on the kibbutz but they were very much in the minority. Unless they married someone else on the kibbutz/or lived with, or met a volunteer, their choices might have been limited.  But there was less emphasis and pressure on being married because you could just live with someone in their house but eat and mix with others without making a big statement. (You could easily live with someone without giving up your whole life to them). However, I did wonder in the long term, whether there would always be a slight stigma because every time they had a festival, and there were many, there were so many families I wondered how a single person might feel.

The kibbutz was also a place of shelter for people who found living on the outside too difficult – so there were some “odd” people who had started off as volunteers though not many.

There was always quite a lot of entertainment – films, dancing, putting on forms of entertainment et cetera.

It was just after the Yom Kippur war. I think in my ignorance I did not fully appreciate quite what was going on. There were always planes screaming overhead and sirens. Whenever the news played in Hebrew in the dining room, everyone stopped what they were doing to listen.

When I got back to England I took some time to read up about the history of Israel.  I could not help but feel emotionally attached and full of admiration for what the Israelis had achieved out of the Holocaust. And for the ideals the socialist Zionists lived by. But now, at least 40 years later, for me, it really seems to have gone very sour and as a nation, they seem to be doing what was done to them.

I notice in the literature on the Internet about the kibbutz, they talk about founding it in a dangerous country - the ‘dangers’ were created by the Arabs are already living there!

They certainly did so much to make a geographically hostile land habitable and profitable – as it was desert. But though there was a lack of awareness about the land already being occupied – awareness which has now come into being. (Some of the local Arabs worked on the kibbutz for money and there were individual friendships with members).

Another aspect which is a little ironic, was how very safe I felt in that group of 200 people who are looking after the community which I was a small part of. I felt safer than I did living in a bedsit alone in London! In fact as it turns out, the environment I felt so safe in, wasn’t safe at all!

I forgot to mention at the beginning you asked why I went there. I had a first marriage which after three years had broken down, in the middle of studying to be a teacher.

After doing my final exams, I was in a pretty poor state and a friend, who was Jewish suggested travelling to Israel. All I knew of Israel was from the Sunday school stamps and scripture teaching in school – but I was just keen to get away and have a completely different experience!

In the end I passed my exams to a higher standard than I expected which enabled me to do another year of a degree. After taking a year out to go to Israel, I decided I should complete the degree.

[color-odyssey]

I remember being overwhelmed by the exquisite beauty & scale of the Himalayas after my first trip to Ladakh, a Ride of a lifetime! Waking up to stunning views of Pir Panjal mountains on the historic Mughal road and Aharbal with gorgeous landscapes of pine-covered Himalayas, rivers gushing through the mountains, orchards laden with fruit and heart warming people, this was my first time in Kashmir. Already in awe of its beauty I was looking forward to less explored Lolab valley. Read about Mughal Road: A night to remember! (Map of our route)

Wild roses at every turn on the road!

Lolab valley in Kashmir also called Wadi E Lolab is known for fruit orchards, lush green paddy fields, beautiful meadows & lakes surrounded by pine-covered mountains. Located near Kupwara about 120 km north of Srinagar, the route passes through one of the most stunning mountain landscapes, studded with wild roses & daisies at every turn on the road!

Fruit carts on the road to Srinagar

After an adventurous night on Mughal Road we started early from Aharbal to reach Chandigam in Kupwara via Srinagar. As we neared Srinagar, colorful carts of fruit sellers started to appear on the roadside. Selling fruits like cherries, plums and apricots from nearby orchards, we bought a whole carton of fruits to munch on the road.

Srinagar to Lolab valley

Just before Sopore, we were stopped at a check post on the road for identification. Sopore in Baramulla district is a sensitive area and the town was under curfew at that time. After waiting for a few minutes, we were allowed to pass but were instructed to stay on the main road till Kupwara. We managed to cross Sopore and reach Kupwara by evening but the last 3-4 km from Sogam town to the J & K tourism bungalows in Chandigam was a bit confusing. Through small villages in the middle of paddy fields, locals guiding the way, we reached the bungalows before sunset.

J & K tourist bungalows at Chandigam, Kupwara

We stayed here for the next two days exploring nearby villages, lakes and caves around Chandigam and Kalaroos. It was Ramzan – a fasting time for Muslims, the chef informed us and there weren’t any groceries or vegetables in the kitchen. He got us freshly baked bread with tea and asked us to drive to Sogam, the nearest town and get whatever we wished to eat, and he’d cook for us. We decided to take the jeep and drive back to Sogam for the groceries before it got dark.

Curious kids at Sogam near Chandigam

In spite of being tired after a day of riding, hearing about shopping all the women got excited and sat in the jeep. We even took the soft top off the jeep to get the most of the drive. 😉 So four of us land up at this shop in the small town of Sogam and stop at a grocery shop beside a mosque. As we get down, I notice a few curious eyes stare at us. Shy yet inquisitive, they scanned us from head to toe in awe; like we were some exhibits in a museum! But we were as fascinated by them and stared back with a smile. 🙂

Riding through the village roads in Chandigam, Lolab valley

Surrounded by Deodar trees the bungalows are at the edge of the village. The next morning we woke up to watching Wild Mountain foxes run by the complex while sipping tea. As it was Ramzan we requested the chef if we could make breakfast on our own. He was more than happy and we took over the kitchen. After a delicious breakfast of potato curry, masala omelet & freshly baked bread from the village bakery with tea, we decided to pack our lunch and drive around exploring Chandigam.

Lush green paddy fields at Lolab valley

Quaint wooden huts in Lolab

Cleanliness principles on a board in Kashmir

Through small villages with quaint wooden houses, kids playing on the streets, goats & horses grazing, as we got out of the village the landscape opened up to lush green paddy fields, lakes lined with daisies and ducks swimming in the water, surrounded by pine-covered mountains, it was like walking into a painting!

Lush green landscape of Lolab valley surrounded by the mountains.

Reflections on a lake in Chandigam

Lined with daisies and ducks swimming in the water

A picnic is the closest to camping we could do here, and everyone was delighted with the idea. We parked our vehicles, climbed up to a shaded spot under the trees by a small stream and enthusiastically set up our picnic spot. While munching on the fruits we got on our way from Srinagar, we lay down a tarpaulin sheet, got the stove working and boiled water for our lunch, courtesy MTR that has meal pouches that just needs soaking in hot water for a few minutes before eating. Chilling out with family & friends, under the trees in the midst of nature, is bliss! After food we couldn’t help but lie down enjoying the cool breeze, looking at the trees above. After a short snooze & tea in the woods, we walked around the meadows and met a few locals, one of them a woodcutter and a few kids returning home from school.

Meadows with Deodar trees at Lolab valley

Green meadows of Lolab

A picnic by a stream in the woods at Lolab

Wild roses

A few locals we met at the meadows

A bunch of school kids returning from School

The last day of our stay in Chandigam, we decided to check out Kalaroos village, about 20 km from Chandigam that has ancient monuments and caves. Near the village there’s a huge rock called Satbaran, for the seven doors carved on it.

View from the trek up to Kalaroos caves

It’s a small trek on top of a hill to the caves and while walking around we found two boys who were more than happy to guide us. There aren’t many people, who visit this area they told us, but they hike everyday and hang out around the caves, as the view from up there is great. Locals believe the caves led all the way up to Russia and the name Kalaroos came from Qil-E-Roos, which means Russian fort! Their stories and adventures on the way to the caves through the pine forest with wild flowers and small streams, transported  me to an enchanting wonderland.

Satbaran rock at Kalaroos

The cave

View from the caves at Kalaroos

A small opening in the rocks with wild roses growing out of its edges, one has to crawl on all fours to get inside the cave. Surrounded by rocks it’s cool inside and the walls are slippery covered with droplets of water and moss. It’s dark with no light inside other than our phone torches, it felt a bit queasy with the damp smell of rock and we came out after a few minutes. The boys told us about a few people who tried to go inside the cave but weren’t able to go further than a few kilometers, due to lack of equipment. No one knows if the story of the caves connecting all the way to Russia is true, but nonetheless it was a fairytale trip down a rabbit hole, much like Alice in wonderland!

Stunning Lolab valley

Riding through lush green paddy fields surrounded by himalayas.

After a good day amidst nature riding through flowered meadows, calm lakes and the mountains beyond, we got back to a few locals roaming around the tourist complex. After enquiring we got to know that they were curious and had walked all the way just to look at us! The district headquarters know every person who enters the area especially tourists, and news had spread about us Indians, as they called us. Some of them even knocked on our door and the rest of the evening went laughing & chatting about our mutual fascinations over cups of kahwa. After a special dinner of delicious Kashmiri Yakhni, (a slow-cooked yogurt based light curry) with pulao that the chef prepared specially for us, I was in heaven! As I walked around and looked up the starlit sky I saw the glowing Milky Way galaxy through the Deodar trees, a perfect ending to an extraordinary trip to Kashmir!

Milky Way galaxy through Deodar trees at Chandigam, Lolab valley.

I don’t know if it was the enchanting beauty of Lolab, the intriguing stories or the people who offered these unforgettable experiences but travelling to Kashmir valley was nothing short of a trip to paradise! All the adventure we had on the road and the memories we made on our trip are in my mind forever and I dream of going back there again to relive the magic of Kashmir. A video from our road trip to Kashmir shot on iPhone; every time I look at it, I want to go back!

4 Bikes and 1 Jeep, Nine of US at Chandigam, on a road trip from Delhi to Kashmir.

Read about Mughal Road: A night to remember! (Map of our route)

Kashmir: A piece of Paradise! Our adventures on a roadtrip to less explored Kashmir valley. New! #ontheblog #travel #Himalayas #kashmir I remember being overwhelmed by the exquisite beauty & scale of the Himalayas after my first trip to Ladakh, a…