BOLT: Black Old Lesbians Traveling

Uh Oh! Do-Over and Never Again!

May 22, 2016May 22, 2016 by BOLT, posted in African American, Black, buddhist, family, Fun, Gay, generational, Lesbian, life coach, Long distance, Long term travel, Old, POC, queer, retirement, spiritual, Travel, WOC, Women

Kathy and I have been traveling for eight months now. We’ve been extremely blessed with drama free experiences, good travel health and very few problems. We’ve learned a lot about what works for us, what we love and what we prefer to avoid.

Uh Oh!

There is a vast difference between economy class...

Economy Class Train Travel
While traveling through Indonesia we missed a connection to the “first class” train we had reservations for. An economy class train was leaving the station soon. Rather than wait a whole day for the next first class train we decided to hop on this really low priced train. I remember thinking “how bad can it be?”. Well, it was pretty bad. Economy trains make more stops so the anticipated 4 hour ride turned into 8. The seats were uncushioned, hard benches. We had to sit 3 across where even 2 people would have been uncomfortable. There was no air conditioning. I was pretty miserable for most of the trip. The upside was we were sitting with very kind and helpful local people. Locals travel this way all the time, it is not for me for long trips. The experience helped me see how privileged we are and also what I’m willing to pay more for. This Uh Oh! was a great learning experience.

Do-Over…

On our second visit to Georgetown we rode the ferry instead of the very expensive taxi we took on our first visit.

We got to explore so much of Georgetown, including this beautiful Burmese Temple.

And all of our wonderful Chinese New Year experiences.

Georgetown, Penang Island, Malaysia

When we first got off the boat, landing in Singapore, we moved pretty quickly. We spent a day and a night in Singapore, 4 days in Kualu Lumpur and 5 days in Georgetown. Neither of us were crazy about Georgetown. We had yet to learn the value of slower travel, longer stays. I’m really glad we made a decision to visit Georgetown again. Exploring this lovely island town a second time, for a whole month was a wonderful experience. Now Georgetown is one of our favorite places, it’s even on our short list for a permanent retirement home.

Never Again!

Questioning our visit to the Tiger Kingdom, Mae Rim/Chiang Mai, Thailand.

Tiger Kingdom, Chiang Mai, Thailand

We visited the Tiger Kingdom on our first visit to Chiang Mai on a whim. We did no research. We just hopped into the cab of a friendly driver for what I thought would be a pleasant adventure. Had we done more investigation we would have easily seen that there is a lot of controversy about this place. Mistreated, drugged tigers are kept in small cages. Tourists (including Kathy and I) lie on, pet and take lots of pictures with these beautiful animals. I wanted to believe what the keepers say: that the cats are not drugged, that they grew up with people and are thus friendly. But I left with the nagging feelings that those things are not true. I have decided to never again visit attractions involving animals without first making sure the animals are being treated humanely.

The animals at the Sacred Monkey Forest in Ubud, Bali, Indonesia are free and happy.

Home free, serendipitous travel has great opportunities to find out more about oneself. I’ve learned that I like a certain level of comfort and am willing to pay for it; that staying long enough to get to know a place is best and that thorough research is a valuable tool in deciding where to visit.

What are some of your travel uh ohs, do-overs or never agains? Please share in our comments section. We love hearing from you!

From the Nimman to the Kayan: Big Contrasts in the “Land of Smile”

May 15, 2016May 17, 2016 by BOLT, posted in Travel

About 1 mile from our current apartment in Chiang Mai, Thailand is the pricy Nimman area. There you will find exclusive high rise condominiums, architecturally modern town houses, fancy restaurants and trendy coffee houses. This area is home to young, wealthy Thais, entrepreneurs, digital nomads and students from around the world.

Nimman is also home to the Maya Mall. Maya rivals any mall I’ve been to in the U.S. It’s full of high end stores. Like most malls Maya is an orgy of conspicuous consumption.

There is also a beautiful, state of the art multi-screen theater at Maya Mall. It is there that we saw a submission to the ASEAN Film Festival from Myanmar, Kayan Beauties

The Kayan are an ancient and proud people with a beautiful and distinct culture. We were privileged to learn more about them from this beautiful film. But we don’t have to go to Myanmar to meet the Kayan. In every tourist section in Chiang Mai touts and drivers offer to take you to see elephants, snake farms, the Tiger Kingdom and “long-neck women”. In the same breath and manner that they speak of animals they are referring to people, the Kayan women.

As the result of civil war, human trafficking, and economic insecurity Kayan women are on display in mock villages all along the Thailand -Myanmar border. Kathy and I have never had any desire to go to what are essentially human zoos. We would love to visit the Kayan one day, to be of service not for photo ops and cheap souvenirs.

This gulf of disparity between the very rich and the exploited poor are of course not unique to Thailand. Things are changing, the Kayan are standing up for their rights. Kayan Beauties, the film is doing much to educate and inform. If you can find it I encourage you to view it. It is a beautifully made, thought provoking film.

White is Beautiful

May 12, 2016 by BOLT, posted in African American, Black, Fun, Gay, Lesbian, Long distance, Long term travel, Old, POC, queer, retirement, Travel, Uncategorized, WOC, Women

When I saw the photos of Lil’ Kim I felt for her and her struggle with colorism and her own self-identity. I wish I could say I don’t understand it or could never see myself doing such a thing but the truth is there was a time in my life where I stared in the mirror and tweaked at my round nose and sucked in my thick lips and thought I would look better without so much Africa on my face. Lil’ Kim just happens to have the misfortune of being blessed with the money and the time it takes transform a person of African heritage into a person who shows no sign of that heritage.

Twenty years ago I may have tried to whiten my skin and bleach my hair. But the products were very expensive in those days and their efficacy questionable at best. These days that has all changed and although it has been decades since I have thought of myself as too African looking I have seen with my own eyes how ubiquitous and inexpensive these products are.

The rise in skin whitening sales is hard to overstate. Even poverty seems to be little barrier to the purchase of these products. Indeed I have found it to be less expensive to purchase products such as face cream, body wash, even deodorant with whitener than it is to buy it without the added chemical bleaching agents. It is certainly less time-consuming with most of the store shelves choked in bleaching agents here in Thailand.

Southeast Asia is one of the most beautifully diverse places on earth. People range in all sizes and all hues. The skin whitening industry is taking a toll on the faces and skin tones of this beautiful multifarious region. Although mostly advertised to women, the necessity for white skin is also sold to men and children. And when we first came here and saw how much a part of everyday life skin-bleaching is I was appaled and insulted. I thought of these women as self-hating and wishing to be white. Although it can be argued that pursuit of whiteness in Asia is not a by-product of Western entertainment and beauty standards, it cannot be said that this practice is harmless. Whiteners have several side effects such as early onset of cataracts and osteoporosis. Another truth is there is a direct benefit to having lighter skin here in Asia. Darker women are less likely to be hired for front desk work even with the same qualifications as their lighter counterparts. Asian men have shown a bias towards lighter women when looking for a marriage partner. Eventhough corporations are only advertising a product, they have locked into a history of colorism which serves to buoy their claims of white is beautiful.

Yet not everyone is falling for this deceptive and dangerous trend. In fac fanon t in India the sales of whiteners has seen a sharp decline especially in the sale of men’s products.

But most interesting to me is what the women are
doing. So while ladies especially but men too are affected by these whiteness campaigns all over Asia and the world, in India another type of advertisement has taken hold and made good progress in fighting colorism. Dark Is Beautiful, a slogan by Women of Worth organization against whitening and skin tone preference and color bias. Turns out being brown and proud works.

Happy Mothers Day From BOLT

May 8, 2016 by BOLT, posted in Travel

Motherhood is many things. To me it is one of my greatest blessings. Being a mom is the thing I most wanted to accomplish in this lifetime. Thank you Shane, Chad and Malcolm for all the good times, great memories and even for the difficulties and challenges.

One of the greatest joys of motherhood, for me, were all the trips and outings.

And of course the baseball games!

Past Mothers Days were spent surrounded by children, grandchildren, and extended family members.

Until last year my mother was with me to celebrate Mothers Day. I still miss her a lot.

Now, her ashes are in the ocean that she so loved. Her spirit is always with me.

And in the hearts and minds of her beloved grand and great grand children and all the people who loved her.

Although far from my children and grandchildren this Mothers Day, I hope they are inspired by the life I live. Inspired to take risks, follow their dreams and enjoy their lives to the fullest.

I have known many wonderful mothers. It’s not just about giving birth.

Whatever your experience of motherhood I wish you the happiest of Mothers Days.

Versatile Bloggers Award!

May 1, 2016 by BOLT, posted in Travel

BOLT would like to thank Kissing Fish for nominating us for the Versatile Bloggers Award. We were pleasantly surprised and very honored to receive this recognition.

The BOLT mission is to travel fearlessly, serendipitously and pennilessly; to share about our travels and hopefully to inspire others to live out their travel dreams.

We are delighted to find connections with other bloggers and are inspired by their journeys as well.

BOLT Top 6 Signs You Are A World Traveler

April 24, 2016April 24, 2016 by BOLT, posted in Travel

Kathy and I recently made a trip to the U.S. Embassy here in Chiang Mai, Thailand. There were two years left until my passport expired but I needed a new passport for another reason. Which brings me to number one on my list.

1. You need a new passport because you have used up all the pages available for visas and immigration stamps. Many countries will not let you in without at least two empty pages. From South Africa (September, 2008) to Chiang Mai, Thailand (April, 2016) mine was full!

2. You readily jump into forms of transportation you would have considered unsafe and are probably illegal in the U.S. No seat belt? No problem! Since traveling we’ve hitchhiked, jumped into big rig cabs and the back of pick ups. In Thailand when we are not walking we are in a tuk tuk or songthaew. I forget to look for a seat belt on our rare rides in actual cars.

3. You no longer freak out when faced with a non-western toliet. You are just grateful it is clean and you remembered to bring toliet paper.

4. You trust that you will never be truly lost…it’s just another adventure! Delighted by the colorful outfits and beautiful smiles of these Balinese locals we followed them to a completely different part of town.

5. You never pay the first price asked. I never bargained at home, now I always pay less than the opening price. We bargained (and bought) so much from these ladies on Ubud they became our friends.

6. You appreciate how much more of the world there is to see and how privileged you are to be able to see it!

It’s Festival Time! Again!??

April 17, 2016April 17, 2016 by BOLT, posted in Travel

One of the most wonderful things about travel in Southeast Asia is the abundance of festivals and holidays that are celebrated. As a Malaysian cab driver said “There are so many holidays it’s hard to get any work done.” This is a perfect situation for these two Black Old Lesbians Traveling (not working).

Celebrating Chinese New Year at the Penang Clan Jettys, Penang Island, Malaysia

Many of you have complemented us on our planning skills, assuming that is how we attend so many amazing celebrations. Serendipity and the diversity of Southeast Asia has much more to do with this than our planning talents.

Western New Years in Ancient Hoi An, Vietnam

Our first visit to Chiang Mai, Thailand was timed to coincide with the Yi Peng/Loy Krathong festivities. There is nothing to compare to spending an evening with thousands of people from all over the world, sending beautiful lanterns into the sky and brightly decorated krathongs aloft onto a river. Knowing that you are participating in an ancient practice combined with the spirt of love and good will that abounded made for a powerful experience.

Sending Blessings Up via Yi Peng Lantern, Chiang Mai, Thailand

Creating and settling afloat krathong is a beautiful way of giving thanks and honoring the water spirits.

Ever since seeing a picture of the Batu Caves, I have wanted to visit. As the universe would have it, this happened for us on the day of Thaipusam. This is the largest Hindu celebration in Malaysia and attracts thousands of devotees to the statue of Lord Murugan at the Batu Caves.

We have actually attended 4 New Years Celebrations, all of them serendipitously. Each celebration had its own traditions, spirituality, sights, sounds and highlights. We spent western New Years (January 1) in the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Hoi An, Vietnam. It was a lovely day of walking and sightseeing. Many Vietnamese people went out of their way to wish us “Happy New Years” even though it was not their holiday.

Penang Island has the largest ethnic Chinese population in Malaysia. Spending Chinese New Year there was an awesome experience. . This is the longest holiday we have ever experienced! It was 2 weeks of fireworks, dragon dancers, ceremonies and festivities. There was something to see and do every day and every night.

Chinese New Years Celebration, Kek Lo Si Temple

Chinese New Years Celebration Nyonya Style

Throwing an orange into the basket is a traditional new year practice. It will help you find true love.

Chinese New Years Celebration, Snake Temple, Penang Island, Malaysia

We were delighted to find out that our time in Ubud, Bali, Indonesia would include another New Years Celebration. This was a two day experience. The Ogoh- ogoh Festival was a night of loud merriment. The main purpose of the making of Ogoh-ogoh is the purification of the natural environment of any spiritual pollutants emitted from the activities of living beings (especially humans). The enormous statues are paraded through town culminating in music, dancing and mock fighting between the Ogoh-ogohs. It was wonderful to be a part of this Balinese -Hindu tradition.

The next day is Nyepi. This is a national holiday on Bali and is a day of silence. The streets are empty and all businesses are closed. We spent a beautiful day of quiet reflection at our lovely bed and breakfast accommodations.

Our door, Alamanda B&B, Ubud, Bali, Indonesia

We just participated in another New Years tradition: Songkran (Thai New Year). This three day holiday is celebrated with lots of water (symbolic of purification): bathing the Buddha, pouring scented water on the palms of elders AND the world’s largest and longest water fight! We stayed drenched for three days. Mad, crazy fun!

I don’t know what BOLT’s next festival will be but what I know for sure is that there will be one! We are looking forward to sharing it with you.

A BOLT Ode to the LAPL

April 11, 2016April 11, 2016 by BOLT, posted in Travel

One of the longest, most consistent and rewarding relationships of my life has been with the Los Angeles Public Library. I learned to read, and more importantly, to love reading at a very early age. This is thanks to my mother, who was never without a book.

We always took weekly trips to the library. I can still remember the excitement of proudly printing my name in order to get my own library card! Mom always knew the librarians by name, over the years some became her close friends.

My first job was actually with the Los Angeles Public Library. I was 14 and got a summer job at the Jefferson Branch Library. It was great for a nerd like me! Unlimited access to books and I got to indulge my other passion: working with children. I was proudly in charge of the summer reading program and story hour!

I’m sorry to say I didn’t always treat the library as well as it treated me. Returning books late or damaged is part of our long history. The library is a very forgiving and patient companion. I have made my amends and try to do better today.

I always took my sons to the library. It was a great rite of passage when they got their first library card. We enjoyed story times, art projects and summer reading challenges. I read to my boys nightly, usually from books we had checked out from the library.

My visits to the library continued throughout my mom’s life. In her retirement she proudly served on the Friends of the Baldwin Hills Library board. When she was no longer able to get around on her own we made weekly library trips part of our routine. Her friends, the librarians, were truly heartbroken at the news of her transition.

The amazing thing to me is that today, living a life of world travel, my relationship with the LAPL continues. In fact it is stronger than ever. Using the Overdrive App I can access the library from anywhere in the world.
http://www.overdrive.com

I check out E books for my tablet and audio books for my phone. These services are completely free and easy to use. Guess what? All you need is a library card!

BOLT Reviews Indonesia: Bali ♡♡♡♡♡ Java ♡♡♡

April 3, 2016May 30, 2016 by BOLT, posted in Travel

So, we are back in Chiang Mai, Thailand for a couple of months and wanted to take a few moments to share our impressions of Indonesia. Before we begin let me state that Indonesia is, by far, the largest island country in the world. Indonesia has more than fourteen thousand islands. We visited two. Is it presumptuous to give a review based on our one month experience of two islands? Yes it is. But that’s what travel blogging is all about. The BOLT mission is to travel, share our travels and inspire travel. We offer this review in that spirit.

We visited the islands of Bali and Java, staying in two spots on Bali and three on Java. Our experience on and impressions of Bali versus Java are quite different. This review will reflect these differences.

We LOVED everything about Bali! Bali is definitely a place we hope to return to, many times, hopefully with some of you!

We first stayed in the cultural hub of Ubud. The whole town is actually a UNESCO World Heritage Site. We walked everywhere…

Met beautiful people…

Enjoyed amazing food…

Stayed in an affordable, beautiful and tranquil spot…

Picked up some beautiful cloth…

Visited the Sacred Monkey Forest…

And even got to enjoy the amazing Ogoh Ogoh Festival, part of the Balinese New Years Celebration.

We also stayed in the sleepy little fishing village of Pemuteran, popular with divers. We had a wonderful, relaxing stay there…

Everyday we took a walk down the village lanes, enjoying the rural atmosphere.

Even our drive to the ferry to leave Bali was awesome. We got to stop at this lovely lake shrine.

But what about Java? The island of Java is the economic hub of Indonesia and the capital city of Jakarta is located there. We took the train all the way through from the east to west with a stay in central Java. We departed by plane from Jakarta.

Sultans Water Palace, Yogyakarta, Java, Indonesia

While Yogyakarta, in central Java, was enjoyable it is not a place we hope to visit again. There were spots of great beauty and history like this 18th century water palace.

We met lots of friendly people. The prices were good, the food was tasty and our accommodations were great. But for us, there is just no reason to return.

We also visted Borobudur in central Java. This is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, home of an ancient temple. Again, beautiful, historic, interesting but no compelling reason to return. One negative I can put my finger on is that Borobudur felt very touristy. There were vendors everywhere which took away from the spirituality of the site.

I shared, in my previous post, about our visit to the big capital city of Jakarta. It was actually a great visit just not one we care to repeat.

So, in closing, if any of this appeals to you, I really encourage you to consider a visit to Indonesia. Also, if this post leaves you with any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us at boltraveling@gmail.com or visit our Facebook page at Black Old Lesbians Traveling .

One Day in Jakarta

March 27, 2016March 27, 2016 by BOLT, posted in Travel

The BOLT motto is to travel fearlessly, serendipitously and pennilessly. I have to admit I often fall short on the fearlessly. Especially when planning to visit a new, big city I usually have some anxiety. Jakarta was no exception. There was a bombing here not too long ago and a big taxi strike a few days ago. I read that Jakarta was crowded, polluted and difficult to navigate. All of this became very big in my head.

But we needed to go to Jakarta for our flight out of Indonesia and decided, despite my trepidations, to come for a few days.

Turns out, as usual, that my fears were unfounded. Jakarta is a pretty cool city! Every where we went people were friendly and helpful. We had a great walk from our hotel to the National Monument and Museum, enjoyed some delicious local food and made it back to our hotel, happy, safe and exhausted.

Tuk Tuks, Scooters and Traffic Everywhere...No Problem!

I feel pretty good that, despite my anxiety and fears, I am willing to try new things and explore new cities. I have learned that I can’t rely on negative reviews or opinions. The reality, when I am open to it, is often far different.

I’m sure Jakarta has problems, what big city doesn’t? As a good friend recently reminded me “a life spent in the Crenshaw district has certainly prepared me for anything Jakarta has to offer.”