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lilou mace, tony samara, sonia choquette

Are there nights when you can’t sleep? And you don’t want to be bleary-eyed in  the morning so you refuse to take over-the-counter pills. The first thought that comes to mind to insure a good night’s sleep is to eliminate watching, reading, or thinking about anything that smacks of violence, or anything that causes stress in the body. We want to ease into sleep and shed unwanted thoughts. I have an idea, let’s get a cup of camomile tea or any herbal tea, and type www.juicylivingtour.com on a computer and click on Videos, and then click on Tony Samara. Next to his name it says: He was born in the UK, raised in Egypt and Norway, made decisions in the course of his life to abandon one way of living for another, “studied at Mount Baldy Zen Center in California where he learned the spiritual teachings of Kyozan Joshua Sasaki, and lived with and learned from shamanic communities around the globe including a period of time spent with some highly influential shamans in the Amazon and the Andes Mountains.” Listening to him is a treat, or maybe the word is gift. Thank you, Lilou Mace for bringing this interview to us.

I’m sitting comfortably, are you? All right! We have our tea, and are ready to carefully listen to Lilou Mace interview Tony Samara. His serene voice will explain that there’s another way to be in the world. You’re liking it? I knew you would. Shall we watch and listen again so that every word can permeate every fiber of our being? Our conscious mind has been put to rest, now another part of who we are can take over and put to use the words we’ve been listening to – the words that have the ability to change our old worn-out beliefs.
www.tonysamara.org

No need to worry about time. When the body is relaxed and stressless, it can handle a little loss of sleep. With that thought, shall we watch one last video tonight? What about Sonia Choquette? It’s wonderful listening. She’ll simply and lovingly explain about intuition, that we all have access to it, that somewhere along the way many of us chose to not use it, that it’s dormant at the moment – still there though should we make a decision to have it as our constant guide. That would be a powerful decision. She’ll show us how, and the rest is up to us. It’s just a matter of using it.
www.soniachoquette.com

I’ve mentioned Lilou Mace before, – do you know her story? It’s an amazing one in that she lost her job, and opted for “. . . The beauty and magic of following her heart and true nature.” She’s never done what she’s now doing. As she travels the world interviewing spiritual teachers – those who have something to say and have the ability to transform others, she relies completely on donations. There have been interviews that have caught her off-guard and her honesty was so refreshing when asked very personal questions. It seems that what comes up most often when she talks about herself is having complete trust in the Universe and that Love is the guiding force, a knowing that we are all connected and that we all have a right to live on our own terms as long as we aren’t harming anyone, including ourselves, and that we are all worth so much more than we realize and have gifts waiting to be tapped by us. She continues to figure it out as she goes along on her quest, and learning every step of the way and always striving to bring what she does to the next level. Good for you Lilou Mace
www.liloumace.com

I’ve read that it’s not good to use a computer or cell phone just before going to bed. We all know how they react on the brain. But every so often and when using a computer for the above-mentioned reasons, I would think that it sure beats a restless night.

Are you feeling relaxed and sleepy? I certainly hope so. Good night and sweet dreams.

******* ******* ******* ******* ******* ******* *******

“Do I contradict myself? Very well then, I contradict myself, (I am large, I contain multitudes.)” – Walt Whitman

 

 

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Ecuador

At this time of the year many of us, for different reasons, leave the bright lights and merriment of our own hometown to travel abroad. We go for various reasons: we don’t want to be alone in familiar surroundings, we’re thinking that, at this point in time, we’re not compatible with family, we’re grieving and want to get away, or we simply enjoy the sheer pleasure of traveling. I’ll be going, too, in imagination – to a sweet, small country called Ecuador where celebrations in the streets are happy, lively, and colorful. If you haven’t yet formulated your traveling plans, you might want to consider Ecuador.

I’m reminded of Ecuador for two reasons: I receive information from International Living and lately their focus has been on Ecuador, and I’m in the midst of organizing papers and came across a box filled with memories of five months spent in a beautiful place; a place so enjoyable that it’s perfectly understandable that people from different parts of the world are wanting to buy and live there.


Ecuador’s centuries old buildings and cathedrals have plenty of history. And now I’ll generalize and say that the people are kind and helpful, the hostals are clean and have a nice array of travelers, it’s easy and pleasant to get around (a little knowledge of Spanish is helpful), the food is excellent – north, south, east, west – there’s plenty to admire, fresh fruits and vegetables are plentiful in the large markets, it’s inexpensive, and additionally, this is a chance to buy a Panama hat. If you haven’t read THE PANAMA HAT TRAIL by Tom Miller you might want to take it along. It’s a good book about Ecuador; it’s witty and informative.


I’d like to tell a simple story because it was a sign of how it would be for me in Ecuador – one helpful person after another. In Quito, the capital, I checked out of one hostal for no particular reason other than another was highly recommended. I wandered the unfamiliar streets and wondered where oh where could this place be. Suddenly next to me stood a high school boy. He asked in English if I needed help. That sounded like an offer, and it was too good to refuse. He took my suitcase, and away we went walking and talking right to the door of the lovely mother and son operated hostal. He wouldn’t accept a tip. He said that he wanted to practice speaking English. Very nice, I thought. Though being an American, I’ve yet to understand how people know one when they see one. Quito, the capital, has what many big cities have, its own history, museums you don’t want to miss, historical sites, and culture. The following are a few places to consider:
www.lacasasol.com
www.cafecultura.com
www.magicbeanquito.com
and Hassan’s Cafe, located at Reina Victoria No 24 399 Y Colon, Tel.: (02) 223-2564
You’re probably saying, I’m not going to Ecuador to eat Lebanese food. And I’m saying, Ah, but this is very tasty Lebanese food, and it’s a good chance to mingle with the locals.

Let’s leave the big city of Quito for the beautiful colonial city of Cuenca; we can always return. In Cuenca many of the hostals have wonderful old, big, beckoning courtyards. It’s a joy to walk along the streets and come upon small museums, old and well-used churches, restaurants, markets, the Tomebamba River, etc. and finding history in all of it. it’s a walking city and with a map, quite easy to navigate. One of the places I stayed at was the utterly charming Inca Real. Finding a hostal or hotel is not a problem, or, if staying a while, an apartment for $200-$250/month with kitchen and full bath.
www.hotelincareal.com.ec


A good guidebook and intuition helps when walking along Cuenca’s streets. Eventually Raymipampa Restaurant on the main square will appear just when it’s time to eat. And also El Maiz Restaurante although it’s a little out of the way, is not to be missed,


Now for a hair-raising bus ride from Cuenca south to Loja and then Vilcabamba. It’s worth the bus ride because it’s a chance to see the land and the people in a different way, and that’s all I’m saying. Loja is a good stopover for the night. Time to get acquainted with this interesting old city, and find a place to stay, and enjoy the evening before leaving for Vilcabamba tomorrow to savor the mountains. It’s tomorrow already? To the beautiful mountains by taxi or bus. Perhaps staying at Le Rendez-vous Hostal owned and operated by a couple from France who built it after touring South America and deciding to make Vilcabamba their home. Time to hear about what’s happening in Vilcabamba from Serge and Isabelle. Or check out other places to rest and revive; what makes one person happy, doesn’t necessarily make another. – a soft mattress, a hard one, maybe a hammock; it’s all there waiting.
www.rendezvousecuador.com

So much to see, the coast, the city of Guayaquil, the Galapagos, the Amazon, and north to Ibarra, Otavalo, Cotacachi, etc. Ah, yes, another time, perhaps.

* * * * * * *

The pleasure in traveling consists of the obstacles, the fatigue, and even the danger. What charm can anyone find in an excursion when he is always sure of reaching his destination, of having horses ready waiting for him, a soft bed, an excellent supper, and all the eases and comfort he can enjoy in his own home! One of the great misfortunes of modern life is the want of any sudden surprise, and the absence of all adventures. Everything is so well arranged.
– Theophila Gautier, WANDERINGS IN SPAIN

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trains

On a very HOT and HUMID 99 degree day last month the train I was scheduled to take was 90 minutes late. The three Amtrak employees at the counter couldn’t agree on the reason it was late or exactly when it was coming. Okay.

And so the train came and we ticket holders lined up and followed a uniformed person to a particular car where a conductor waited to give us our assigned seat number. After everyone was settled in, I realized it was COLD! in the train. I looked at the the woman across from me bundled in a blanket, and noticed that other passengers were wearing hooded sweatshirts. When the conductor passed by again I asked the reason for such a COLD train. She said it was frigid (that word didn’t help any) because there’s a flaw in the design, the thermometer was put outside the train. Okay.

Then she announced the reason for the train’s lateness. She said it had to move very slowly coming from Florida because when it’s an extremely hot day, a fire could start on the tracks. We’ll continue at a slow pace, she said. Okay.

I brought no lunch, so I went to the snack bar car hoping that the food had improved since the last time I ordered food on an Amtrak train. There was a limited sandwich selection, I chose the one that might have possibilities. The woman behind the counter said because of customer complaints she put all those sandwiches away. Okay.

The snack bar car was full, maybe because it was warmer there than anywhere else (warmer, not warm). Finally I returned to the COLD car. When the conductor passed I asked whether there was any place on the train warmer than the car we’re in now? She said I could try to find that place when we reached Washington. Okay.

The woman sitting behind me tapped my shoulder and asked if I’d like to wear her sweatshirt and scarf. She had on a jacket. I am forever grateful to her because after mentally scanning my suitcase, I accepted that it held nothing to warm a body.

As we approached Washington, the conductor announced, “If you get off this train and go upstairs, remember one thing: the train didn’t leave you; you left the train.” She repeated this many times. And so I concluded that quite a few people are left behind. There was at least a 45 minute wait in DC while the train changed from diesel to electric. The train is completely stopped, lights are off, passengers are walking on the platform, or standing inside – there’s plenty of time to do nothing during the wait. Time to leave DC.

Finally, my stop. The conductor sings as she says goodbye. And as I walk from the train to the station a tad bit hungry and a little cold, thinking that it could have been an awfully unpleasant train ride. That didn’t happen though because of a very witty conductor who never let up, and, I’ll generalize and say, the best group of fellow passengers anywhere.

There’s something about train traveling that’s soothing. I’ve noticed that passengers come on trains with their own kind of feeling, and the feeling depends on the place where they’re boarding. For instance, some people who board at Penn Station in Manhattan tend to bring into the train a rather tense energy. It’s not until they’ve settled in, loosened their clothing, taken out a laptop, magazine, book, notepad, reclined their seat to rest, or taken out a snack quickly bought that that nervous energy slowly dissipates, and they can breathe a sign of relief.

Ticket please.

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camino de santiago

I’M OFF THEN by Hape Kerkeling
Have you ever thought about hiking the Camino de Santiago? – If you have or haven’t, I’M OFF THEN is a delightful travel book; it’s very funny and very honest. The writer freely shares what he’s feeling and learning, and the thoughts that arise on his spiritual journey. Questions come to him from out of the blue, and answers come when least expected. He meets people of all persuasions, a few become good friends, others he’d rather not have met. And the differences of one little village after another where pilgrims stay the night to seek food and refuge are noted, as are thoughts about the day’s hike.

Experiences differ greatly because everyone has their own reasons for hiking the camino. I’ve read that the experiences a hiker encounters on the pilgrimage are the ones needed, and that includes the people one meets along the way. To go alone seems quite brave. If the hiker is on a personal quest, then alone time tends to soothe the soul – after awhile. And there are always companions who come and go. At the end of the journey Santiago’s magnificent cathedral is there to greet the pilgrim.

The good and the not so good all sound wonderful to me because, when all is said and done, the experiences seem worth the tremendous effort it takes to hike the Camino de Santiago. Are you ready?

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paris, but not just

I’ve been thinking about where I would go IF I were going somewhere outside the USA. When I read Adrian Leeds eletters, I want to right away gather my things and be on my way. She lives in France and is very honest about how it is to live there. Her love for that area of the world shines in every eletter, even when reporting on things that could be, shall we say, improved, the reader knows she’d never move because of, – oh, so many reasons. For foreginers who make the move to France, for those wanting to learn the French language, for someone desiring to buy or rent in France, for a list of quality reasonable hotels, (or pricey ones), and for quality cafes and restaurants at reasonable prices (or not), she’s an excellent source because she’s ever alert to what’s happening over there. Over there where life is different from over here. This is not to say it’s better, just different – over there.
adrianleeds.com

Ode Magazine has an interesting concept called And now for the good news, and it’s this: from around the world, enjoyable, insightful, informative, newsworthy articles chosen for their upbeat slant, usually four at a time, are sent to a subscriber’s email box. Recently in And now for the good news, I read these words, The Kindness of Parisians?, and clicked on to the article in The Economist, from INTELLIGENT LIFE magazine written as, PARISIANS, RUDE? PAS DU TOUT! by bureau chief Sophie Pedder. It shed light on a few questions I had, and then I read the comments which were almost as good as the article. They were, for the most part, intelligently written by people with first-hand knowledge, and having varied opinions about the subject. www.moreintelligentlife.com
Morning coffee, delicious toast, wonderful bilberry jam, and And now for the good news is a nice way to begin the day.

This taken from PARISIANS, RUDE? PAS DE TOUT! by Sophie Pedder – for you, should you be going there –

Where to Stay:
Hotel de la Bretonnerie
22 rue Sainte-Croix de la Bretonnerie, 75004 Paris. + 33 (0)1 48 87 77 63
reasonable prices
www.hotelbretonnerie.com

Le Montalembert
3 rue Montalembert, 75007 Paris. + 33 (0)1 45 49 68 68
steep rates
www.montalembert.com

Where to eat:
L’Atelier de Joel Robuchon
5 rue de Montalembert 75007 Paris. + 33 (0)1 42 22 56 56
steep rates

Chartier
7 rue du Faubourg Montmartre, 75009 Paris. + 33 (0)1 47 70 86 29
reasonable

And:
“Leave touristy places and take the metro instead to St. Paul, in the Marais and wander the narrow back streets off the rue des Francs – Bourgeois and the exquisite Place des Vosges. Or head for the left bank, starting at Saint-Germain-des-Pres metro, with a coffee at Cafe de Flore (172 Boulevard Saint-Germain. +33 (0)1 45 48 55 26)-far less touristy than Les Deux Magot’s next door. Don’t miss the little Place Furstenberg, hidden off the rue Jacob – magical when lit up at night.”

There’s a lot more to read.

If you go, enjoy!

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vacations and labor day weekend

For many people Labor Day means closing a beach house, or leaving a rented villa in a beautiful European city, or summer day outings with family and friends, or, shall I count the endless vacation choices? Better not, you say. Okay, I understand; I won’t. In any event, it’s time to head back to a big city, a small town, or the countryside to greet autumn – time to unpack. I hope you’re all well-rested after a lovely summer. Now settle in and have a fun-filled Labor Day weekend. www.dictionary.com Labor Day n. The first Monday in September, observed as a holiday in the United States and Canada in honor of working people. (Australia, too?)

Ahh, but some people have yet to take a vacation; they like traveling during autumn and/or winter. Where are you all going? Will you travel beyond your borders or stay close by? In either case, I’ve got a few websites for you who have yet to pack.

Here we go, or rather, here you go –

www.yotel.com

www.ecuadorexplorers.com

www.casademariafelix.com

www.heartoftheinitiate.com

www.hiayh.org

www.wtgonline.com

a few lightweight clothes –

www.travelsmith.com

thoughts for the road –

www.mindmovies.com.

Wherever you go, enjoy.

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peace and love in 2008

I hope anyone reading this was able to welcome in the New Year around family, friends and loved ones.

Mom, thanks for making the trip. It was wonderful as always having you with us. I’m thinking that Taverna Agora may become a family spot…

Good things coming for all of us in 2008!

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new york city and philadelphia

Do you need a reminder that the holidays are coming? Just teasing.

Philadelphia is a sweet, doable city. And the information collected at this time as I’m trying to learn about this city is not necessarily written in stone. For instance, someone said there are no movie theaters in center city. But, as I walked on Sansom Street in route to Petulia’s Folly, I happened upon the Roxy Theatre. I was delighted to see this very small theatre looking like it has lots of character. It’s showing three different movies. I’m not up on movies lately, however, this I know – one stars Will Smith, the other is narrated by Sean Penn and is about war (and our government), and I’ve completely forgotten what the third is about. No one wanting to know what’s playing there would be too enlighted by this description, but it’s a hint of what’s playing. www.petuliasfolly.com www.gophila.com

I was in Manhattan this past weekend. It’s crowded there! The tree at Rockefeller Center is dressed beautifully in blue and stops people in their tracks. Saks Fifth Avenue is so congested it’s hard to meander up any aisle, and people stand patiently in line waiting to see the holiday windows. At La Bergamote, 169 Ninth Avenue in Chelsea, I enjoyed a cup of coffee and a duck rillette on the best crusty, non-doughy bread. And at le Gamin, 183 Ninth Avenue, Sumi and I ate tasty salads and delicious soup. I’ve never seen Chelsea Market as busy as it was this past weekend. On Sunday baby Sophie and I walked around Chelsea for one hour. I wanted her to see the world, but, alas, she fell asleep on our way to Integral Market at 227 West 13th Street. After buying onions and celery at the market, we stopped off at Integral Yoga Bookstore to pick up their January & February 2008 catalog. It’s looking good. Check it out at: www.iyiny.org

Later in the day I caught a bus in Chinatown for $10.00 for the trip back to Philadelphia. It took 50 minutes to get out of the city, and a little less than 2 hours to get to Philly. I’ve got to say that it’s a fast and pleasant ride. There’s no stopping, so, before you know it, you’re in Philadelphia’s Chinatown. Anyone unable to get a reservation anywhere in NYC and wanting to visit NYC should try Philadelphia. I say this because people commute daily from Philly to Manhattan. And, if you catch a bus in NYC around 88 East Broadway, you’ll be back and forth in no time at all. Additionally, you’ll be able to enjoy both cities. There are many hotels and B&B places in Philadelphia. Hopefully, they’ll be a lovely room waiting for you. www.Apexbus.com www.2000coach.com
www.hellophiladelphia.com

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on flying

Emi is on her way to Japan at the moment. Have a happy and safe flight, dear Emi. And a trip that makes your heart sing.

Flying, especially on a 13-hour flight, tends to dehydrate the body. Bringing and drinking lots of water will minimize jet lag and give a boost to the body, and get us to our destination in good shape. Honest. And having an aisle seat close to the lavatory is a good idea. If an aisle seat is unavailable and your seat mate tires of shuffling around to allow you to pass by, just smile and say thank you. Exericise on a flight is important, that includes walks to the lavatory. Also, it’s good exercise for your seat mate to get up and down to let you pass by. I hope you brought lots of bottled water, Emi.

What about all those stories about flight delays, flight cancellations, and added time spent at airports. Hmm! Getting upset is quite useless. We can’t get that plane moving any faster. In the Jan/Feb 2007 Spirituality & Health magazine is a write-up on page 36 titled, “The Simple Kindness of Sharon Salzberg”. And in that write-up it says that “Salzberg embodies the potential in all of us to live steady lives of nurturing and peace,…”. She wrote a book, The Force of Kindness. Perhaps we should all slip that book into our luggage when going to an airport. And should a voice on the loudspeaker announce you know what, we’ll simply pick up that book and bury our face in it. Reading about kindness when waiting at an airport could be a very good thing.
www.sharonsalzberg.com

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philly, it’s a wonderful city

I find it hard to believe that I hadn’t been to Philadelphia until this past weekend. It’s a wonderful city. And it’s easy to navigate many of the neighborhoods by foot. My cousin Norm, cousin-in-law Pat, and I stayed at Courtyard by Marriott at 21 N. Juniper Street. It was a good choice. We arrived in Philly on Friday evening and like all good tourists proceeded to lose our way to McCormick & Schmick’s where we had a dinner reservation. We had to ask for directions. We backtracked and there it was, so close to the Courtyard. There’s nothing like walking in the wrong direction when you’re looking for a place. We came upon Reading Terminal Market on our roundabout walk to McCormick & Schmick and made a mental note to go there for breakfast. Our dinner was very good. It’s a restaurant chain, but the service and food are always dependable.
www.marriott.com
www.mccormickschmick.com
www.readingterminalmarket.org

Reading Terminal Market is mostly about food. There’s a lot going on in that huge space. The Amish influence is there, the Farmers’ Market, many different kinds of eating establishments, crepe counter, bakeries, good coffee, chocolates, etc. We ate breakfast at the counter at an open-style coffee shop where people stood waiting for a seat the entire time. People from other neighorhoods in Philly shop here. So it must be good.
www.yelp.com/biz/reading-terminal-market-philadelphia

Philly is made up of many neighborhoods and one flows into the other quite nicely. We found a lovely park called RIttenhouse Square Park. Saturday was a beautiful day and people slowly gathered there. I’ll dispense with naming all the stores in that area. Suffice it to say that if you’re in the mood for shopping, you won’t be disappointed. Listing all the museums, cultural events, family activities, historical sites, waterfront district, etc. would take a long time. It’s fun to just arrive and decide at the moment the kind of day you wish to have. Philly is easy, pick a spot and go. Information on the city is everywhere. Wherever we were, when we stopped to look at our map, someone came over to ask whether we needed help. Philly is a friendly city.