yaron and hagit's Guestbook



16th September 2006

Thanks
I just wanted to thank you, as a Burmese person. Well done on finding the Synagogue in Yangon! :) Love the pictures; love your comments!
From Blog: Myanmar Days
13th September 2006

Amazing
Wow - this country and your pictures are absolutely amazing.
From Blog: Myanmar Days
30th August 2006

Great Story!
I'd love to spend more time in Laos, but maybe not on a long boat ride to nowhere. Have done that already in the Amazon region. But there, hitching a ride on the river was quite easy, it's just the lack of any people at all where we were dropped off, and the drumming deep in the jungle that was unnerving. I'm going to miss your blogs when you go home. I'm off to India soon. Just back from Egypt, Jordan and Libya, your part of the world, with my teenage son. Quite amazing.
30th August 2006

answer to LK
Lee Kay thanks for your comments. good to have you back on board! we finished our large bottle of "Banana-Boat" in nepal and imidiatly bought 2 small ones there. "banana-Boat" is the only one Hagit will put on due to the smell. nice of you to make the connection between this blog and the previous one :)
30th August 2006

Now that is Travel!
I really liked you saving the best part of the story for the very end- the Kif Kef chocolate bar. That's the essence of travelling, IMHO. Nice pictures from Luang Prubang and the waterfalls, and the "BASA" look on your faces in the Hongsa part really bring the story to life. How many Banana Boat tubes did you use so far? Did you bring enough? Waterfall picture tip- if you can control your exposure speed, take two shots of each scene- one with the slowest speed you can handle (use a tripod or a tree to go down to 1/8 or 1/4 if you can) and one at the fastest light allows (1/500, or even more for big waterfalls). The difference between the milky blurring and the frozen water drops can be fascinating.
26th August 2006

C'mon, guys!
I was waiting to hear some really funny horror stories about your caving adventures, and suddenly all the pictures came! Not that I mind the pictures (some of the Vang Vieng views are great), but you've set some standards during this blog, and setting the bar so high breeds expectations...
17th August 2006

Loving your travel tales!
I stumbled across your blog after returning from a trip to China. You were still there. Your photos and descriptions of your Asian odessey are wonderful. They bring back memories of visiting some of the same places, and wanting to go to some new ones. I especially liked your Angkor Wat photos. Stay well and safe travels.
12th August 2006

Critic of the Pictorial images of Ankor Wat
When you display pictures of one of the World's most stunning places to visit you should be more precise. You just showed two areas of Ankor Wat. Ankor Wat has 32 sites and at least 6 to 8 sites are of significants. Take less pictures of yourself and more of the sites if you want the world to see it. I recogment anyone who travels to Asia to make it their destination to see it before it will become to commercialized. Regards, PKA
12th August 2006

More than just Angkor Wat
Great pictures guys! This November trip it will be our fifth trip to Cambodia. We never get tired of visiting this amzing temples and the smiling face people. Thank you both for sharing your traveling stories with us. Chumreap Lea! (Bye) Terry
10th August 2006

your photos
Hi there, just wanted to say that your photos are absolutely stunning, Cambodia looks so beautiful. You`ve done a fantastic job at capturing it. I can`t wait to go there now! Take care :)
25th July 2006

Hey, you guys. I read all your comments from the top the end. That really intrigues me. Currently I am in Saudi Arabia. From a Chinese's point of view, for the agument
24th July 2006

Nice clothes buba!
20th July 2006

I love your blog
Hi Giti and Yaron You are absolutely wonderful and Your blog is a real masterpiece!!! From update to update it is always fascinating, interesting, creative, surprising and very moving. I wish you many new and wonderful experiences in the second half of your journey. Loving and admiring Yosi
19th July 2006

And of course the whole week story. It left me speachless...
19th July 2006

WOW
The Shirt story is amazing!
19th July 2006

no problem
mad dog mo - we have no problem if our blog is used to debate Tibetan politics as long as you look at the rest of the blog and comment on that as well :)
19th July 2006

Great Blos
Great blog, we are just about to leave for China (Fri 21/7/06) and have planned a 2 night stopover at Pingyao (from Beijing enroute to Xian); given we have a 13 year old son we think we will now definitely check out the Martial Arts museum (sounded a bit dull until we saw your photos) and the food stalls (felt a bit nervous). The info re purchasing supplies at supermarkets before 'boarding a train ' was invaluable. Many thanks!
18th July 2006

panchen lama
Ref the subject of panchen lama the Chinese freely admitted they were keeping him in custody 'for his own safety' shortly after he disappeared 11 years ago, but nothing has been heard of him since. Sorry guys!!- we seem to be taking over your blog!
17th July 2006

talking to tibetans
I understand the difficulty to talk to the Tibetans about their feelings. I had one monk come to me and ask me for a photo of the Dali Lama. after he explained the Dali Lama is good and China is... then he stomped his feet
17th July 2006

truth of occupation
imagine what the american or any other government would do if some foreign government and organisation keep influencing certain groups of its population that they are under oppression and urges them to fight for independence? a "preemptive strike" on those terrorists bases or air strikes against countries that are responsible for infuencing its citizens? by contrast the "chinese occupation" is very moderate. talking about culture revolution and its damages, it was definately not targeted at tibet, it was a nationwide catastrophy to chinese and whatever culture in china, tibetan culture by contrast was relatived spared due to tibets' remoteness and small presence of mad students. regarding panchen lama, no body knows what really happened to him, probably the cia kidnapped him and put the blame on china, even if the chinese government really kidnapped him it must be because people with evil intention may use him against the stability of tibet, if that happens who is going to suffer? have you ever wondered why those who seems to care so much about human rights and religious freedom in china never seems to realise that millions are dying in congo, and never seems to care much about what israel is doing to its neighbours. have you also wondered what those tibetans who talks about oppression all the time really want, some probably really think so, but the majority of them is using this as an excuse to seek asylum in dharamsala, a tibetan friend once asked me if dharansala has any link with chinese police because her cousin is trying to escape after accidentally knocking down someone while driving with no license. and for those of you who think china stands to gain something from the "occupation", you probably don't know that every year huge amount of money and resources are pumped into tibet from other parts of china, even with the construction of hydroplants and extraction of local resources, tibet is still heavily dependent on others, and if you think the meagre income from its travel industry could have any leftover for the central government you are very wrong. if you think chinese other than businessman and tourists enjoy going to tibet you are wrong again, in the early days of "occupation", tens of thousands of fresh graduates from big cities were sent to aid the development of tibet only to be slaughtered by simple minded tibetans influenced and armed by cia agents there (documents regarding the deployment of cia agents in tibet after the "occupation" to arm locals against the central government was declassified recently), and many others perished in the harsh environment. Lastly to mad dog mo, tibet is not disneyland, tibetans do not live in mud houses and chant budhist sutras in monastries for you to enjoy. many wish to go to university, get a good job and live in houses with concrete walls and airconditioning.
17th July 2006

Great photos......
Having just travelled through Lhasa several months ago, your photos brought back so many memorires and are a great snapshot of the place. I've also just been through Dharamasala ( seat of Tibetan Government in Exile and home of HH 14THDalai Lama) where free speech is allowed and there was definitely a movement against the new train, with posters all round the place and a movement to wear a black armband for mourning. I think the new railway line will further dilute Tibetan traditions, which is a real shame as I MUCH preferred the Tibetan areas to the soulless Chinese new constructions. One further point, which is not publicised in Tibet ( because of no free speech)- did you realise the Chinese in 1995 kidnapped the Panchen lama - only 6 years old- who is the second highest spiritual leader in Tibet after the Dalai lama, and who would normally choose the next Dalai Lama. He hasn't been heard of since, and the Chinese have nominated their own Panchen Lama, which can't be done, as these lamas are supposed to be the reincarnation of the previous lama, so I'm not sure how the Tibetans will now find their next Dalai Lama. It seems such a crime.....
14th July 2006

I'm sure the tibetans want the liberation and economic pros, unfortunately it's going to come at a fairly large cost of culture, traditions, etc. Eighther way you go you lose out on something.
13th July 2006

answer your questions....
it is ture Tibet has proggressed much in the last years. friends that have traveled to Tibet 10 years ago tell a diffrent story of how Tibet was. it is also true that if Tibet gets indipendence then it will be the poorest country in Asia along with East-Timor BUT..... It is the asperation of people to retain thier culture, customes and treditions. (this is not a "Western view" - it is even your own view wherever you are!) China did not do that in the last 60 year. on the contrary: from the start of the chineese rule through the "cultural revolution" to the present day distruction of holy-lakes for electric pklans there has been nothing of Opration. the emprisonment of countless Tibetan leaders (not to mention the Panacha Lama himself!). the distruction and bombing of Temples and Monestaties show how deep the orprestion is. Only now has China found the economic benafit of this minoraty due to tourism. but traveling to Lhasa, where most chineese tourist are, one has a sence that you are more in a chinese disnyland that in Tibet. luckly the countryside (empty of the chinese tourist) is still not as developed. the fact the the Police have such a strong presence at the Tibetan centers of political power (read: the monestaries) and the many Tibetan uprisings (last one in 1996) is the idication that under the serfice the Tibetans want thier freedom. if not political then at least cutlrual
11th July 2006

how do you know the tibetans are not pleased with the train when you have not even spoken to them? what most tibetans want is not political or religious freedom as what many westerners assume, they just want a chance to catch up with the rest of china or even the developed world, something they can never achieve if they are in a medieval country sandwitched between two powerful nations and led by a smiling monk. this is a very complicated problem that cannot be explained in a few words, my advice is to look at things from their perspective, since you are in tibet it is a good chance to do so. and for your info, tibet had been part of china for centuries until the british came, so it is not wrong to use the word liberated.
2nd July 2006

Google
I Googled you from the first entry since I thought I don't get your Blogs, but later on I found your blogs in my spam folder, for some reason they filtered as spam. :( So you are in Google from the very beginning! Keep up the good work...

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