Travels with Zen-Aida » Encounters

Japan: Tokyo Bird Carver’s Club

zda — Sat, 05 Feb 2011 23:10:48 +0000

Ornithologists are a breed apart. And ornithologists who are also wood carvers surely form a distinct sub-category. In Tokyo, the “Bird Carver's Club” exhibited its masterpieces at the Shinjuku-gyoen Garden. And masterworks they were: from the right proportions to the distinctive details of each species, each piece was astonishingly life-like. The hours of study, contemplation and handiwork that went into every little sculpture can only be guessed at and admired.

Japan: Tokyo’s “cat cafes”

zda — Fri, 04 Feb 2011 23:05:54 +0000

By now it is a known fact that pets can help to combat stress symptoms. So it is a logical conclusion to combine two pleasurable activities in order to achieve a positive result: have a tea or coffee break and pet a cat to feel relaxed. The Japanese solution: visit a “Cat Cafe”.

What can you expect? I visited the “Calico Cat” on the 6^th floor of an unpretentious office building (ater all, there is no need to have a fancy ground floor shop, the cats wouldn’t appreciate it) and was first asked to take off my shoes, put on felt slippers, put my coat and belongings in a locker, wash my hands thoroughly and read the rules of the house: petting and playing with the cats is allowed, picking them up or disturbing their sleep isn’t. That will be 900 Yen = $10 = 9 Euro for the first 60 minutes, please, lint/cat hair remover included. Drinks and a cat food snack (for the cats, not the human) are extra.

Enter the spacious, wall-to-wall carpeted lounge at the risk of being overrun by one of the 49 (!) cats in residence here having one of its silly moments (we cat lovers know about these) and succumb to bliss. Cats being cats, they will mostly ignore you or graciously allow you to pet them. All the cats here are pure bred, very well groomed and kept: Abysinnian, Mau, Siamese, Persian, Russian Blue, Birma, Bengali (this one almost ran me over) and even two of the new, short legged Dachshund-like breed. Non-chalant is the best word for their behavior. They are all used to having guests fawn over them and take all this adoration in their stride - meaning that most of them are sleeping on one of the many pillows, wall perches or in boxes. I approach a magnificent Maine Coon and it briefly allows my stroking its silky fur before it decides to walk away. The Bengali sets his sights on me as the next likely victim to play with and even brings me his favorite toy as an invitation to do so. I am in heaven!

Not all the 49 cats are on duty every day, today it is just 26, and even if they are “working” they always have the opportunity to go into their own off-limits lounge next door. Discretely, there are several litter boxes hidden from sight. Most importantly, there is absolutely no tell tale odor. In fact, several air purifiers/humidifiers are placed in the large room, surely contributing to the level of comfort for humans and cats.

For the hard-working Tokyo resident, living in a small apartment that possibly does not allow pets and away from home most of the day, a cat cafe offers a welcome bit of R & R. A gentleman sitting on the low couch in the corner seems to be a regular visitor as he has three cats around him and has now dozed off himself, lulled by the soft music and the hushed voices of the other customers. Often, there is a waiting line, as there is a limit to the number of guests allowed in at one time. There are about 13 such cafes in Tokyo and all are an oasis of peace and quiet in the turbulent capital. There is even a department store - the Ikebukuro branch of Tokyu Hands - that has a an area - the Neko (cat) bukuro House - with 20 cats running around where visitors can interact with them (1000 Yen for 60 minutes). But then, we cat lovers know that even a brief encounter with our beloved furries is worth waiting for.

Iceland: Hotpooling with heroes

zda — Sun, 29 Aug 2010 11:13:42 +0000

Although the north west region of Iceland was only permanently settled by Norwegians in the mid 19^th century, a natural hot pool located about 18 km north of the town of Saudhakrokur was already mentioned as being enjoyed by the great outlaw hero Grettir, protagonist of Grettis Saga, one of the famous Icelandic sagas from the Middle Ages. You guessed it: I was headed for that hot pool!

We were told about the Grettislaug hot pool over dinner but warned that the access road was unpaved and very rough. Undaunted, and even though it was after 10 p.m., we decided to give it a try. Thanks to Saudhakrokur being only about 100 km south of the Arctic Circle and since it was the beginning of August, the sun had not set yet. Crawling along at 25 km per hour on gravel, with only some sheep and a few cute Icelandic horses looking up to see us go by, we reached the end of the road and a closed cow gate. On the other side stood a simple wooden house with a sign "Reykir" on it, next to a small camping site. Looking down toward the sea, there were some steam plumes visible amidst rocks, reassuring us that this was the place we were looking for.

After asking for permission to go down to the pool, we drove down to within 40 meters of the sea. Not a soul in sight except for seagulls. By now it was about 11 p.m., the sun had set, the light was slowly fading and the low clouds added to a slightly eerie atmosphere. Excellent opportunity for skinny dipping! Ohhhh, the delight of clearest warm sweet thermal water of about 39° C - absolutely perfect! There were two pools, one larger, the other smaller, enclosed with medium sized natural stones of the common variety and ground covered with black sand. Standing on this sand, occasional warmer water bubbled up from the earth’s interior through my toes. A magical experience indeed! And all this within 30 meters of the ocean!

We decided to come back early next day (this time with swimsuits on) and were lucky enough to meet the owner of the place taking a morning swim: a venerable gentleman with a shock of white hair and sparkling eyes, speaking limited English and very proud of his 10 children and 21 grandchildren all of them now scattered in all parts of Iceland and some abroad. He had built the stone enclosures to the pools himself and operated the campsite as well as being a fisherman. It is this type of encounter that makes individual travel so special and unique. Next expedition: to Drangey Island with his boat to see puffins and other birds!

Thailand: Spending a day with tigers

zda — Thu, 06 May 2010 12:01:32 +0000

Poachers had killed the female tiger but left the new-born cub to fend for itself. Passing villagers found it whimpering in the bush and decided to take it to the newly established temple near Kanchanaburi, Thailand. Little did the Buddhist monks realize that they were embarking on a unique venture in 1994 with that very first orphan: today, the “Tiger Temple” is home to approx. 55 Indo-Chinese big cats and countless other animals.

Whether it can be called an animal sanctuary, petting zoo or conservation program is a matter of opinion – and every visitor will experience it differently. For cat lovers, seeing and handling these big felines is definitely an unforgettable experience: to pet these wild animals and sense the muscular build under the fairly coarse fur is surely a dream come true.

Different visiting programs are offered: the “early morning” includes feeding the youngest cubs – giving a milk bottle to a three-month old, playing with the teenagers in a large, sandy field with home-made toys and watching them cavort happily in a man-made water basin. The (considerably less expensive) afternoon program includes picture taking with the biggest of the animals, walking alongside them to the Tiger Canyon and seeing them at play in yet another water basin.

Although the Wat Pa Luang Ta Maha Bua is a fully operational Buddhist temple, it is the local staff and volunteers (mostly from Europe or the United States) that the visitor will get to intract with. It is they who control and direct the tourists around and generally make sure that both visitor and cat don’t get in trouble with each other. The monks, in their flowing saffron-colored robes, show themselves in the afternoon, walking the big cats.

Over the past few years, a new Tiger Island has been readied: a large, moat-bound area will give each animal generous space to freely roam in, while allowing visitors to view the cats from flyover pedestrian walkways. Much has been written about the implementation of these plans – why it has been taking so long to build, how the considerable income from the tourist programs has been used, how have the animals been kept in the meantime, whether this smoothly run commercial operation can still be called a temple, etc. Every visitor will have unique opinions and memories of this very special place, which can be enjoyed as a day trip from Bangkok.

South Africa: Tenikwa Center for “Lesser Cats”

zda — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 10:52:34 +0000

Do you, like most people who speak Spanish, think that “caracal” is a misspelling for “caracol” (snail)? Well, it isn’t. A caracal is one of the endangered wild cats of South Africa, about the size of a cocker spaniel dog, with beautiful face markings and big, dark ears, very shy and, unfortunately, fast becoming rarer than rare. I had the good fortune of going into the large enclosure for three of them at the Tenikwa Wildlife Awareness Centre near Plettenberg Bay, South Africa. And, oh yes, I also got to be really close to the cheetah brother and sister pair in their enclosure, while they were fiercely playing with each other, completely oblivious to the small group of onlookers on their turf.

Len and Mandy Freeman set up Tenikwa in 2002, moving to the Garden Route from KwaZulu Natal, and have established a wildlife rehabilitation program for all injured or sick animals that are brought to them, but most especially for the wide range of “Lesser Wild Cats” that are part of Africa’s wildlife heritage. After all, Africa is not only home to lions but also to cheetahs, leopards, anthill tigers, caracal, serval, African wild cat, etc. The Freemans have set up a veterinary hospital facility to treat injured animals (through traps and being shot at by farmers) and a conservation program which is aimed at the grassroots level to raise awareness about habitat loss, the impact of environmentally insensitive farming practices and respect for wildlife. They work with the youngsters of their communities as well as with farmers in the region, to educate and show them alternative options to killing these innocent animals. One very effective method of protecting the cattle, sheep or goat herds, has been through the use of trained Anatolian sheep dogs- it seems there is a great deal of respect between these dogs and any of the predator cats.

The very excellent website of Tenikwa gives a lot of information about their work, about the cats, their behavior and habitat, as well as the ways in which individuals such as you and I can get involved, even from far away. I certainly did.

China: Life in Beijing

zda — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 23:44:19 +0000

One of the great megalopolis of this world, Beijing never ceases to surprise me. Even though the number of skyscrapers has easily quadrupled since the first time I visited in 1995, you can still find quiet corners where it seems as if time has stood still. But believe me, it hasn’t. Not here. If anything, time has been torn down and has been rebuilt to look as if it is standing still (but this time with running water and electricity).

It seems to me that only when you look into the eyes of the old people and see enlightened wisdom and then into the eyes of the very young that you find unspoilt innocence. In between these two extremes of life, there is only the rush and surge of business and making money that moves today’s 17 million Beijingers.

I had the privilege of being in Beijing during the week-long festivities celebrating the 60th anniversary of the People's Republic of China. The photos of the floats and all the people strolling in the evening in Tienamen Square reflect the atmosphere of pride in being Chinese and general enjoyment at being at the center of things.