29. November 2021 17:12
by Rene Pallesen
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I was struggling a lot this year, through a combination of things ranging from self worth, lack of support, dealing with the boys, work and other things.
Mid-year during the lockdown it hit hard.
7. April 2021 22:04
by Rene Pallesen
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Over easter we went to Glenworth Valley for Camping. This location is about an hours drive north of Sydney in an easily accessible but beautiful little valley.
It is private propoerty, so you have to book beforehand and it does get very busy. We were very lucky that we were located down at the end of the property where it was more quiet.
In the evenings there were beautiful sunsets.
In the morning it was a bit more misty in the valley.
The owners also put on a great easter egg hunt for the children. There were hundreds of children with 20,000 chocolate eggs hidden in a field and there was an easter bunny riding a horse.
We also spend time playing some ball sports. I'd brought a baseball bat and ball. Because we were four families, we had plenty of people to form two teams. It got very competitive and the bat took a bit of battering, so I had to go a buy a more solid wooden bat.
In the evenings we had the normal campfire and baked dampers on sticks, marshmellows and baked potatoes in the fire.
There are also lots of walks witin easy driving distance, including some walks with beautiful waterfalls.
Also, people come to the valley for horse riding, so there are lots of horses in the surrounding paddocks.
And wildlife such as Kookaburras!
And going for a short stroll in the mornings was a beautiful experience with the mist and light changing.
Because of lots of rain, the whole area had been flooded just weeks earlier. Where we were camping would have been a meter under water, but because of the river running through the area the water had fortunately receeded.
21. March 2021 13:03
by Rene Pallesen
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I reached a significant milestone in karate this week. I graded for my 3rd Kyu (Brown belt) and at the same Kim graded for her 5th Kyu (Blue belt).
On the occation I treated myself to a new dogi (karate uniform).
I was so nervous and tense - and screwed up a few places. There is now a lot of hard work ahead to get to the 2nd Kyu which is at least another half a year away.
Here are some photos from the grading. The ones from the dojo are a bit blurry because they weren't taken from my camera and I don't have the full resolution photos.
20. March 2021 14:03
by Rene Pallesen
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Last year was a tough year with Karate.
First the lockdown meant that we had to go online for training, but even in the dojo I managed to get a lot of injuries.
Some of them visible and some of them not so visible...I have a whole stack of scans and x-rays as souvenirs from this year.
Some could have been avoided, but most are just part of the training.
I even earned an award for it...
The worst one was a kick to my chin. I dont have any photos of it, but I do have the indentation it made on my mouth guard I was wearing at the time. If it hadn't been for the mouthguard I am certain that I would have lost some teeth. This injury could have been avoided.
I have now gone out to buy a new and way cooler mouthguard (I created the design myself). It is thors hammer in the middle surrounded by the Fenrir wolf and Midgaards Serpent.
Even Kim got a few bruises.
13. March 2021 18:03
by Rene Pallesen
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Back in the late 90's I visited Laos. In the northern corner of Laos I acquired two old swords from a local.
Through some forums I have tried to find out as much as I ca
Perfect Moments Photography | A Rene Pallesen Journal
the children and buying medicine.
Vinchu is one of the few catholics in the country. She is fluent in English and has had a primary healthcare education. This has enabled her to get a job for one of the foreign representatives in the country, which means she is getting a salary that is considerably higher than what her peers get. Also she gets paid in US dollars instead of kip, the local currency.
On average, the government employed in Laos receives 100.000 kip a month (approx US$30). This is not enough to survive on, so most people have either two jobs or let the wife work as well. Lots of people have small vegetable gardens. This allows them to grow a few things to sell at the markets.
The employees from the hospital in Muang Xai have not received any money from the government for more than 6 months. The government declared that they should participate in the annual dragon boat race.
Vinchu paid for transportation of the employees to the local river, and other expenses, from her own paycheque.
Most of the people in the boat are doctors and people from the hospital.
Vinchu and I in a sailing raft!
Religion . . .Buddhism is a big part of Laos.
The holiest place in Laos is the stupa in Vientiane. There are practically no temples in the eastern part of Laos due to heavy bombardment during the Vietnam War. The only great temples around is the one in Vientiane and Luang Prabang.
The Buddhists in Laos are a bit less extremist than in Thailand. People do not have small alters in their homes, and it is not compulsory for the males to become monks.
In Laos, becoming a monk is voluntary. It is mainly people from the poorer parts of the country that become monks, because it is a good and cheap way to get an education.
Some of them are studying English and are therefore very eager to practice their English on the tourists.
When they call the monks in for prayer, they either beat a big drum or the use a wooden ram to chime the bell.
Tribes . . .
There are three main tribes in Laos. One of these tribes is called Lao Tsung (or HMong).
They live mainly in the northern part of the country.
The women still wear traditional clothing. I am wearing a traditional Hmong hat.
The Hmong have a dialect that is different from the other tribes. They keep to themselves and are very isolated from the rest of the society.
The difference between the Hmong village and the other villages is that the Hmong build their houses on the ground instead of on stilts.
The Hmong is responsible for most of the opium growing and trading in Laos. The government is trying to stop this trade, but it is difficult as the Hmong live in areas that are not easily accessible.
The Hmong are also responsible for most of the problems in the area around Route 7.
The Children of Laos . . .The kids in Laos are wonderful. There are always kids around you no matter where you go and they are always very joyful and curious to find out who you are.
You see a lot more kids playing with each other in Laos than in the western world. I guess it also somehow encourages them to grow up being socially responsible. This could be the simple reason why people are so friendly and welcoming in this country.
Lots of people say that it is because of the religion but I believe that it is something more fundamental than that. People in the western world have just forgotten how to be responsible towards each other. Why? Maybe they do not spend enough time in one another's company.
In Vang Vieng, I saw a kid playing around with a snake. It did not seem to bother him or his parents that it might be poisonous.
I don't know if the pad on his chin was caused by the snake. I doubt it though since he had been very sick.
He was pretty proud of his snake.
I am not sure what kind of snake it was. I did see a few other snakes around, especially at the temples.
It tends to be the elder children’s task to look after their younger brothers and sisters while the parents are busy. The system seems to work fairly well since the whole group of children play together, no matter what their age group. It is therefore not such a big burden as some might think.
The photo was taken approx 40 kilometres north of Muang Xai (where Vinchu was).
This photo on the right is one of my favourites.
It was taken in the northern part of Laos, at the 32-kilometer village outside Muang Xai.
The girls were collecting flowers outside one of the local schools.
The younger kids tend to be afraid of Europeans. Most of them have never seen a white face before.
This little fellow here was a bit worried about my presence...
This is the girl’s first piece of chewing gum... Pretty interesting to watch! *smile*
In the cities kids love to have their picture taken.
The Tanoy Family . . .I stayed a few days with a family running the Tanoy Guest house.
The eldest daughter of the place was called Tanoy.
The girl on the left of this photo is one of Tanoy’s friends from school.
The woman on the right is Tanoy's mum. Tanoy’s mum is 40 years old and has had 6 kids. She does not look that old and still looks absolutely stunning.
Below are a series of shots of Tanoy herself.
I guess she will one day take over the guest house.
Whilst I was staying at the Tanoy Guest House, I saw the preparations for the annual Water Festival.
Every year when the monsoon ends and Water Festival coincides with the full moon, The festival included Dragon Boat racing.
Everyone was taking part by making lanterns for this festival, including the monks!
All the monks were making lanterns to decorate the temples.
The festival lasts for three days.
During the festival, they celebrate with all their friends and families. They also drink a lot of “Lao Lao” (or Laos Whisky), which is a kind of rice wine.
Everyone walks down to the river during the day to watch the boat races.
Later in the evening, everyone parties some more and drinks more beer.
It does not matter that it is pouring down. The whole village is at the party and everyone is happy.
On the night of the festival, people light candles. They also float the candles in the rivers.
Unfortunately it was raining a lot that night, so people had difficulties keeping the candles lit.
At the end of the day, I managed to get a photo of me sitting outside the Tanoy Guest House!
Food . . .
The food is excellent in Laos.
It takes some time to get used to eating noodle soup for breakfast, but once you get used to it, it is excellent.
There are pigs and turkeys all over the place. Above is a pig being weighed.
An essential part of farming is the water buffalo - it is important for pulling the heavy plough and there feet are designed to walk in water-logged gxround.
All ingredients used are very fresh. People are walking around selling vegetables on the streets.
It is hard work getting the rice ready for eating. First the rice is to be pounded to break the husks. Then thrown up in the air to remove the husks from the rice itself.
Created: Jan 2000 Last Updated: 16 Sept 2001