 Claire Hall - the soul cultivator | All Comments |
Comments | |
| 16th March 2008 pam | Miss Jolie - From: Karma Chameleons. What a great job she is doing, and why do potentates have to stash away so much money? What for? How much can they use? Happens all over Africa, and shouldn't Switzerland just blast their coffers open, and where you are Claire, a world away from rainy old England, there's another greedy bastard, the skulls piled up, a reminder that man will never change, its moving stuff you send us, keep it coming xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx |
| 13th March 2008 Michael N | Strewth - From: Asia's desperate Venice. 'The heat, the stench, the flies' and still only early spring. In sympathy, have taken some breaths of cool London air on my balcony. Hope that helps you both! xx |
| 12th March 2008 Michael Rudd | Hi Claire - From: Asia's desperate Venice. Hi Claire, so good following your amazing journey and so glad to be back in touch with you after all these years. I am MOST impressed with your french as I was the one that sat next to you in French class in school and we did not concentrate at all and mostly distracted each other in every class!!! Love you. Michael |
| 12th March 2008 pam | Horror trip - From: Asia's desperate Venice. Merde! j'aurai dit auf deutsch and en francais que the whole lotta them are a bunch of cons and dumkopfs and rammasse la vielle dame dans mes bras and lifted her bodily over the grenouilles, boy am I still western and you so chilled Claire, well done! xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxAnd your French! Tres bon |
| 7th March 2008 the soul cultivator | KANTHA BOPHA contact details. - From: HAEMO-GLOBING....donate your blood! Hi Nelu Contact details are: Kantha Bopha Conference Centre, Jayavarman VII Children’s Hospital, National Highway 6, Phum Treang, Khum Slor Kram Srok Siem Reap Khet Siem Reap Cambodia Telephone: 855 (0) 63 964803 E-mail: kanthabopha@camnet.com.kh, kbcenter@online.com.kh Website: http://www.beatocello.com Contact: Dr Beat Richner (‘Beatocello’) Or Zurich where he is from and the foundation is based..... Address Fondation Kantha Bopha c/o Intercontrol AG Seefeldstr. 17 CH-8008 Zürich G O O D L U C K ! & let me know how you get on. |
| 7th March 2008 nelu | keen to visit siem reap!!! - From: HAEMO-GLOBING....donate your blood! I am a Medical Student from Australia and i am very keen to come and spend two weeks of my holiday at the Siem Reap Kantha Bohpa hospital. I have read so much about it and it would an honour to undetake two weeks of my elective placement there. I however cannot find any contact details, in particular an email address for someone working in the hospital. I'm dying to go...please help!! |
| 5th March 2008 Stoned ? Cause | Contrary to "LAS visions and values and ECP's" - From: Siem reaping its just rewards. "These Angkorian ruins are very special, its not just a bunch of old bricks, it is true crafted oldness, it is a colourful vibrancy of temples and pagodas, old traditions kept alive and safe within its small communities, its ancient secrets passed down from its respected elders, it's progressive philosophies." You 2008 Is this not, the complete antithesis of everything we in the West have come to value? In favour of contant change; short term personal gain, temporary structure, and the absolute obsolescence of our elders. No idea what any of that means honey, but what your pictures appear to illustrate well, is that no matter how rich, strong or powerful we become; time, ultimately, will call it's name to all things. Contrary to "LAS visions and values and ECP's" we are all of us subject to this world, and indeed each other, not masters of anything at all......ever! I kind o' like it that way. Peace go with you both (Tad too much puff maybe?? ;-) ) |
| 3rd March 2008 Carolyn | Fabulous! - From: Siem reaping its just rewards. Loved, it, loved it. The description of the little girl selling the postcards was worth the price of your soon to be written book! Carolyn |
| 3rd March 2008 KP1958 | - From: Siem reaping its just rewards. It's really funny. Cambodia was a vassal state under the Siamese kingdoms most of the time from the 15th century to 19th century, when the country was finally swallowed up by the French. The Khmer were defeated by the Thais in almost all battles since the 14th century. The Khmer kingdom had long been an empire no more by the 17th century. They were constantly kept busy balancing the powers of the Siamese and the Vietnamese. Yet the Thais never thought of naming any of their provinces "Khmane Riab" or "Khmane Phinat" (literally Khmer Destroyed). It seems that the Khmer's once-in-a-while victories over the Siamese must have been very important to them. |
| 3rd March 2008 pamela | brave girl - From: HAEMO-GLOBING....donate your blood! what you go through Miss Claire to help out others, all those pricks and pizzas! Love your stories, keep them coming, meantime, I sit back in my armchair and travel, chin chinxxxx |
| 27th February 2008 Jessica | Great blog entry - From: HAEMO-GLOBING....donate your blood! Your writing is excellent. You should turn this in to a column at home! Get some family members to forward it to your local newspaper! Great info, glad you emphasized on the sterile/safe standards of the hospital, for the more skeptical tourists. |
| 26th February 2008 Michael N | Heartfelt - From: HAEMO-GLOBING....donate your blood! Serious stories with excellent pictures and witty captions. Great blogging. chin-chin. Hugs, Michael |
| 26th February 2008 Sheila | Blood - From: HAEMO-GLOBING....donate your blood! Dear Claire & Stuart What experiences you are having. I am sure that you are in your element there. Just to say that Rick and I gave our blood regularly twice a year all our working years until we had to give it up because of our age. In fact I seem to remember that Rick has a "pin" for 50 donations!! I didn't get there because of the in-between years when I was having "babies" when you cannot give until a year after. Carry on the good work. Thinking of you. Luv Sheila xx |
| 25th February 2008 C J | Amazing journey - From: HAEMO-GLOBING....donate your blood! Hi Claire and Stu What a fabulous journey you are on, so wonderful to share these peoples lives. It does shock me how easily we can do this, just think tomorrow after a flight any of us could be in Cambodia, but we get pressured into maintaining our daily choires.Take inspiration and if you want to travel, and catch a glimpse of another time and place and touch peoples hearts....DO IT. |
| 24th February 2008 the soul cultivator | GIVING BLOOD - From: Orphaned children in need. Thank you Jessica for mentioning this other important thing to do here in Siem Reap, I did this yesterday I gave blood, and it was the best donation of my life. I shall be writing this up on my next blogs. |
| 23rd February 2008 Jessica | Good for the Soul - From: Orphaned children in need. I commend your time well spent in Siem Reap. I remember donating blood at the Children's hospital during Dengue fever season and looking at the line-ups of (very ill) babies and children along the hospital hallways and outside...waiting for my blood. When he put my blood into the fridge, the fridge was almost empty, mine being the only type B. With thousands of tourists, this is atrocious. As soon as I said I wanted to donate blood, I was escorted inside the hospital by a friendly security guard, and immediately taken care of by smiling doctors. It took less than 10 minutes, I felt completely safe, watched him open the packaged needle. I felt good walking out of that hospital and encouraged my friends to do it as well. They did. Six of us. The doctors said that it was a REALLY GOOD DAY. It felt so good but it left me with the desire to help more. SO glad to come across your blog. Brings us all hope. Reminds me of giving and makes me want to go back to where I'm needed most. |
| 22nd February 2008 Beverley | Wonderful - From: Orphaned children in need. Love your blog and I'll be going to SEA in Autumn and will definately visit this place. |
| 22nd February 2008 Gunga | Thank you,thank you - From: Orphaned children in need. As usual your writing informs and inspires. I shall spread the word of your good works and this place. We shall look for it next year when we go there. I will get 'pledges' from friends to sponsor a student before I go and present it to them so their education can continue. Gunga |
| 22nd February 2008 ron perrin | cambodia - From: Orphaned children in need. LOVE it! How to capture the people of Cambodia? Ask Claire! Hey Stew! How bout that for an archaeological site! |
| 22nd February 2008 pam | humbling - From: Orphaned children in need. As always dear Claire a lot of give and no taking, which is what we here in the West have lost, the art of giving so well done and snogs for all those cute little orphans who could set an example to those bad kids here in London who think the world owes them their Nikes.xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx |
| 17th February 2008 pam | Virtual tour - From: The clocks struck rat. Thanks for doing this for us Claire, I haven't got the get up and go to do it but love following in your footsteps and seeing your fabulous pics, happy birthday indeed Hugs Pamxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx |
| 13th February 2008 Ed | Flying over - From: My Monkey Mind - The Dhammakaya Middle Way Hey Claire, Looking at the picture I'm in, I couldn't help but notice that if we wanted to stage a production of 'One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest' we'd already have the costumes (and Douglas would make an excellent McMurphy, no? Apologies if my cultural references are lost on you). Anyway, the blog is great, captured the experience completely. Looking forward to looking back on your past travels once I get home and have more time (and a faster internet connection). I was taking the bus to Anghor Wat too, but I only stayed a couple of days. Down in Koh Tao now. Have fun in Cambodia. Ed P.S. Thx for the extra pictures! |
| 12th February 2008 Sheila | Birthday - From: The clocks struck rat. Dear CLaire. What a time you are having. It made our visist to our local Chinese restaurant for the "New Year" sound very boring!! I do hope that you received my E Card. I am thinking of you today. Have a good one. Love Sheila xxx |
| 12th February 2008 SAM | HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU XXXX - From: The clocks struck rat. What an incredible journey you are on. I love reading every word and these photos are amazing, a real wow factor. HAPPY BIRTHDAY claire you deserve a great one. SAM. x |
| 11th February 2008 Gunga | Wonderful - From: The clocks struck rat. A fantastic write up. lots of color and details. Loved it, loved it. Start on your book! Carolyn ( gunga) |
| 11th February 2008 MoonGirldelLago | Peace - From: My Monkey Mind - The Dhammakaya Middle Way Dearest Claire, what a wonderful reminder of the need to and value of silencing our constantly chattering monkey minds to discover the truth within. Thank you. Plus...I always love your portraits of people (especially the Peruvians), but these pictures of the monks are on some new, even more beautiful level. Loads and loads of love to you, my dear amiga -- MoonGirl |
| 10th February 2008 pam | Getting there - From: My Monkey Mind - The Dhammakaya Middle Way Hi Clairey, seems you are emptying yourself of practically everything you have known, I hope you can bring back to England what you have learned and teach our new generation what it is to love and respect everything, AND how do you get a little boy of 4 to meditate, am gonna try this, meantime, if we banned all mobile phones it would a start. Nobody on the train can be without one, what does this say about being alone with one's thoughts.Love to you from a grumpy old woman xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx |
| 9th February 2008 Anonymous | Look Inwards - From: My Monkey Mind - The Dhammakaya Middle Way Look Inwards "We all have three eyes. Two for looking out and one for looking in. Why would we want to look in when everything is happening 'out there'? Because the treasure we seek is inside, not outside. What is treasure? Beauty, truth, peace, happiness. You already have what you seek. You already are stunningly beautiful. You are already peaceful and loving. How come you don't know this? Simple, you never look inwards, beyond superficial memories or recent experiences, so you never see your own riches. Take a moment to stop, look in and see. Don't rush. Don't search. Just look. And be aware." www.relax7.com |
| 9th February 2008 MAC from California | Filled With Pure Love & Wonder - From: My Monkey Mind - The Dhammakaya Middle Way Dearest Claire. This morning as I pulled into my parking space at my day job I saw the most amazing site and I was filled with wonder as to what it meant. Now I realize clearly that it was you. A large stark white egret was standing on the median between the road and the freeway. Egrets do not live around where my day job is. She just stood there staring at me and me at her. She was not afraid. Another car then pulled up startling her. She took off in flight, flew directly over me with her giant fabulously beautiful wing span soaring and flapping and away she went off into the world. Amazing. Beautiful. Abundant Grace. I was filled with pure love and wonder. Thank you. MAC from California |
| 7th February 2008 Michael N | congrats - From: Swimming with the fishes Hope you keep the old five pence piece. It was a payment you made from your past self to the future you. Brilliant blog. Proud of you! You should have your own tele programme. Pick-ups of the dialogue and the dramas around you excellent. Entertaining and exact - the way to go Clairey. xxx |
| 6th February 2008 Linnet | what I love about you, Claire - From: Swimming with the fishes is that you are gutsy enough to actually include the picture of the old mass of shit ... bless you, that certainly takes the mystery out of it all, for someone who has never done a colon cleanse. Wish I had that product for sale here in the healthfood store in Pana ... I can put quite a bit of it together, but it just won´t be the same! Miss ing you, my friend. Linnet |
| 5th February 2008 MoonGirldelLago | Meditation TV -- too cool!!! - From: Swimming with the fishes Dearest Claire, so fun and lovely to read all about your sun-filled adventures as I sit bundled in my (Guatemalan) shawl on my porch in wintry New Mexico, trying to get a wireless signal while snow swirls all around me! Love love love the Buddhist tv programming. If I'd worked on that sort of thing in Hollywood maybe I'd be there still. Much love & safe travels to you, my dear - xoxoxoxox MoonGirl |
| 5th February 2008 Ali | Great Blog! - From: Swimming with the fishes Congratulations on cleared colon and getting over the fear of the sea - or at least starting too! I have a good diet, but find myself relying on coffee to get my energy levels up - I'm going to give the cleanse a try in 2008 after reading this :) thanks. |
| 5th February 2008 pam | aaarghaaarghaaargh - From: Swimming with the fishes I am speechless, speechless, me cyant believe what you were storing in your insides, I feel terrible, thanks Claire, have decided that you just package your blog up into one big Booky Wook and that's it! No fancy editing. Just do it. Luv ya.xx PS: At the beginning I almost didn't want to read about that crystal clear blue water and fishes as I sit in suburban dullness, but.....it just got better and better. |
| 27th January 2008 MAC from California | What Will Become Of Us All? - From: Fussy Monks & Circus Acts. So GLAD to have you back on your journey! Girl interupted back in UK did not suit you. I can hear the relief and the joy in your voice again and that makes me very happy for you. Thanks for your amazing account of the little viral Arab airplane boy...so sad that at such an early age sounds like he is already devoid of joy and happiness. Little boys no matter what nationality are supposed to laugh with you... no matter what it is that you are laughing about...sounds like he already has dreaded judgement running through his veins - so terribly sad. What indeed is going to become of us all if a little boy can't find joy in laughter? BIG hug. MUCH love. JUMBO joy. MAC from California |
| 27th January 2008 Steve Sampford | Tidy Kitchen! - From: Fussy Monks & Circus Acts. Good to see you both back at it again. Sorry not to have spoken again before you left. Was Wacko Jacko any help? Should have my flat ship shape just in time to move out. Go in peace, and see you again some day. Big hugx x x |
| 27th January 2008 pam | take us places Claire! - From: Fussy Monks & Circus Acts. You really put us off travelling Claire, except when you get there, and then it starts to be more fun, with all those big buddhas around it should be calm no? V for Vendetta is my kinda film, sounds like you are not missing anything in fact. I just heard from a friend in Chile on his journey. We stay-at-homes just escape through the telly. Hugsxxx |
| 26th January 2008 twatrick | bloody england - From: The sadness in Happisburgh thankyou sweetie,and people wonder why i england is the last place i would want to go to....enjoy your travels.im in L,a by the way,boooop boooooop love twatrick |
| 25th January 2008 pam | Beautifully written as always - From: The sadness in Happisburgh Lovely blog Claire full of warmth and humanity and frustration and misery, travel is good for you no matter where you are going and Zen is it I think, am trying to dive into it but being in London makes one so angry it is difficult. Not sure what road you are both on but its a good one and your writing is superb as always, travels with my aunt is your nephew's creed from now on, luv ya. |
| 25th January 2008 Kim | You're back! - From: The sadness in Happisburgh Claire, I love your blog, love hearing your thoughts and your written voice. Take care in Thailand. Make sure all your diving equipment is in tip top shape, if indeed that is the direction your are going in. I want to move to Bali, with my children. Can you go there while you are on your travels and scope me out a house please? Kimxxx |
| 24th January 2008 MoonGirldelLago | Feliz Nuevo Ano! - From: The sadness in Happisburgh Dearest Claire, What a wonderful piece! I love your observations about England, they echo my experience returning to the US after time in beloved Guatemala. And your experience at Sheila's funeral was profound, a beautiful way to start the year and your new adventures. Thank you for sharing that. Much much much love to you from New Mexico! xoxo |
| 2nd January 2008 Simona&Michele | it's all about the image (of the swiss): alps for breakfast - From: Blood & Blisters. Hi Claire Reading your blog, was like walking the 42keys another time. Of course as Swiss we felt obliged to lead the group, even though we have never been climbing before. Sometimes people forget that Switzerland is, beside being neutral, a sailing (thanks Alinghi) and tennis (thansk Roger) nation. The alps are just a tourist attraction to us ;-) Hope to read soon from your next journeys to the East. |
| 28th December 2007 SAM | Dont stop now. - From: Simple things that keeps this world spinning. I loved your summing up of your brilliant travels so far. I can not wait to read where you go next, you have kept me entertained for months. Wishing you a happy new year. Sam |
| 27th December 2007 Ani | Congrats - From: Simple things that keeps this world spinning. on a job supremely done. Gracious love and peace to you this Holiday Season and always. Juicy Goddess at Play in the Fields of the Lord |
| 27th December 2007 Gunga | Going to Peru - From: Simple things that keeps this world spinning. I loved reading ALL your journal entries and your comments on the different cultures. I, too, love C and S. Am and have just decided to return to Peru and try Columbia ( a first). I hope you are thinking of writing a book about your trip. There are many of us who dearly love those cultures and the sweetness and kindness of the people who live there. Thank you and safe trip home. Carolyn ( blogger name 'gunga') |
| 17th December 2007 pamela | awful tourists - From: Blood & Blisters. After your trek I hope you gave those Amex people what for! I would go one better and linger over the ruins in a helicopter, polluting your peace and the air and seeing the ruins my way, in fact shouldn't we be seeing all this from space and leave the earth entirely. Bit deep that one. Love your blisters.... |
| 17th December 2007 Rafael | - From: Blood & Blisters. Very nice, Claire!! And I really miss MP... See you! Rafael |
| 6th December 2007 aurelle | visiting places - From: Barbie Gran. I like your attitude. I always find it embarrassing to be with other visitors who treat the local people as though they are funny or odd, or worse, ignorant. So many tourists forget that people of different cultures often have skills that we are without, and sometimes have absolutely no need of our western skills. And not knowing the real effect of our presence (keeping children at home to attract tourists, for eg.) makes it difficult to know how to tread lightly, and yet show appreciation. great photos. |
| 6th December 2007 the soul cultivator | - From: Barbie Gran. Its amazing the different versions people-travellers-tourists are told when visiting somewhere. On these organised tours you can be told anything, then they hurried along to the next location, which I don’t like doing at all, so Thanks for your input I always love to hear from experienced others. |
| 6th December 2007 Gunga | Tourist vs. travelers. - From: Barbie Gran. Loved your blog. Have been to Cuzco twice ( once for the Solstice and Inti-Rami) and plan to go again. Have been told by several guides NOT to take pictures of little kids because the parents will never send them to school ( which is free)as they become the 'meal ticket'. Also, have been told that one of the reasons for the 'rosy' cheeks is because of the altitude and being so close to the sun. Your description of the 'trophy wives' and the Texans was priceless. I just returned from a trip to Chile where several participants were solely interested in 'counting coutries' but seldom showed any interest in the culture or what was right in front of us. Keep travelin'. Carolyn ( blogger name' Gunga') |
