September 2017

Hi Everyone Hope all is well on the other side of the world. We are all so disturbed by all that is going on in our world. The news seems to get worse and worse. So lets focus on better and exciting news. Another amazing day in Cambodia. How many times have I said this over the years? That’s why I have made eight visits. Got up this morning and had breakfast with my friend from Tasmania. This is her first visit and she is taken back by the kindness of the people. We talked but she needed to leave since she was going to visit Angkor Wat. After breakfast went upstairs and rested. I then went out for my daily walk to “Gloria Jeans” but was hit by waves of “Africa Hot”. Immediately turned around and went back upstairs. I then checked my emails and received a very touching email from one of the scholarship students. I quote: Dear Larry! Hi Larry, my name is Brathna. I’m scholarship student of PEPY. I’m glad to see you and to know you. I want to be with you and want to know you forever. I hope you do not disagree you will be able to continue to be with me forever. Best Regards   Sarrak picked me up at 9:15 AM with Kimsru, Chhunnay, “Soury and Channa. Chhunnay, Soury, and Channa are former scholarship students who are now part of the staff of PEPY. I remembered them and they remembered me from past years. Of course there was Kimsru. I wish I can bottle her energy, laugh and excitement. We all need some of Kimsru. A very special person. We were going to visit the homes and families of Chhunnay, Soury and Channa in the countryside. After about an hour drive past green rice patties, road side food vendors and weird looking vehicles, we finally arrived at the home of Chhunnay. His family are farmers. They grow rice and have a fish pond. Chhunnay told me that his father would raise the fish with turtles and sell them when they reached a certain weight. I met his parents and saw what they had and they only wanted their son to go to the University. Chhunnay now speaks perfect English and is a great role model. We then went to lunch. I had previously eaten in this beautiful Khmer restaurant set on a fish pond. Great food. We then went to Soury’s home. A long drive over dirt roads. Finally arrived. Her parents were so hospitable. They had bought local Khmer cookies and pastries for us and also served us mango and bananas. Her father was a former school teacher who has now retired and is a farmer. When we arrived we also met her sister and one of her brothers. Her sister, who was in High School, had written on a board that looked like a chalk board, her daily activities in almost perfect English. The chalk board was not a chalk board, but a stretched out tire tube. Most of the tires we use do not have tubes in them. Walked through her families home and farm seeing lots of dogs, chickens, cows and various crops. It was then onto Channa’s home. His family are also rice farmers. Most of the rice is sold as unprocessed rice to Thailand or Vietnam. Those countries process the rice and say that it is from their country. Channa’s family had just finished building a new home. The home took over five years to build. I can only stare in awe at these parents for wanting a better life for their children and sacrificing making their lives better to give their children the opportunity of getting an education. At about 4 PM, I was dropped off at the hotel to rest. A day full of emotion and awe. I felt like a wet hot rag. By the way, I received a whats app text this morning from Kevin Pepper. Both Kevin and Andy will be leading the group in Mongolia. Kevin already is in Mongolia. He texted that he just got back to Ulan Bator after living with one of the host families we will be staying with in Mongolia. I quote: “I can attest to the cold temps. Make sure you’ve got your long underwear and your fur hat, Larry”. Can’t wait to feel the cold. At 6 PM Kimsru picked me up for dinner and we walked to the restaurant. I had a great surprise. Kimline was joining us. Kimline used to be PEPY’s head internal accountant and then became President. She has left and started her own accounting business. She currently has four people working for her. Kimline is such a wonderful woman and she and I have shared so much throughout the years. She is such a great role model. To have accomplished what she has is a truly awe inspiring story. Hope everyone has enjoyed day 4. Surprises await me tomorrow. Love Larry  

Hi Everyone How come so few have you have reached out to me? Have not heard from most of you. How is everyone? Are we all awake and alive on the other side of the world? How did my day start in “Africa Hot” Cambodia?After I wrote my blog last night, I laid down and the next thing I knew it was 7 AM. Got up and went down for breakfast. Saw a middle age woman sitting by herself and she invited me over to keep her company eating breakfast. She lives in Tasmania. Next fall, I have preliminary plans to go to Tasmania and Australia for the month of October. Olivia will come with me for two weeks and then fly home to let me do my wandering. Told me a lot of great things about Tasmania and got her contact. It was then back to “Gloria Jeans” for some great coffee and conversations with some locals. I could stand outside my hotel all day and take pictures of the people passing by on their motor bikes, Tuk  Tuk’s and trucks. A real show, but have no time for that. Got picked up at 9 AM by Manin and off we went to the Pepy office. They drew a big poster welcoming me. I plan on bringing it home. As soon as I arrived at the office, I told the staff that I was mad at them. I told them I have been here for two days and have not had Durian yet. What is Durian? Some of you know what it is, but I will attempt to explain it again. Durian is a local fruit that grows on a tree in many countries of Southeast Asia.  The fruit is encased in a thick and hard shell like a coconut. The shell is broken open by someone using a machete and the inside is scooped out. The inside has a semi soft/hard fiber with a big pit in the middle. There is one problem with durian. Durian has a very foul smell. Most westerners do not like it and never eat it. I immediately loved it and have been eating it whenever I come to Southeast Asia. In NY you can buy durian in Chinatown. Once my sons bought me some and Olivia tried to germinate a plant from the seed. The experiment failed. I have been to hotels where there are signs on the doors and lobby saying “No Durian Allowed”. A fruit that only wants to be loved and I love it. The staff promised me that my wish will be granted today. I first had a three hour meeting with the staff explaining to them how to take better pictures and the art of photography and showing them the gear I brought and why I brought it. I tried to make a very complex media simple and interesting. Hoped I succeeded. They were very interested in seeing some of my images and had great interest in my pictures from Peru. They were fascinated by Peru and how the people have similar physical characteristics to themselves. More on this later. They also loved hearing about the national dish of Qui. Qui is guinea pig and I had it a few times while in Peru. Guinea pig is unknown here and when they saw pictures of a guinea pig, could not believe that people eat it. Loved hearing about Machu Picchu and Lake Titicaca. I also read them my first three blogs I posted on this trip. It was then time for lunch. Lunch was quite interesting and I witnessed one of the beautiful characteristics of these people. There is a woman who comes in every morning and cleans the office. She starts at 6 AM and works most of the day keeping the office clean. The office consists of three floors of offices and classrooms. The scholarship students use the classrooms for special class work and computer time to supplement their attendance and schooling at the University. The classrooms have lots of computer stations and each student uses a computer. Manin is tech chief who keeps everyone running. The cleaning lady has been working for them for five months and is leaving. The staff took her out to lunch, had a big party and presented her with a beautiful framed certificate of employment and job well done. Do you see this happening in America? I am sure it happens in America, but not often enough. Everyone should be treated as important and needed people. Many of us have seen cleaning women clean offices late at night or early in the morning. I would think that most people are too busy to appreciate their work and effort. After lunch I Had further talks with the scholarship students. We talked about many things and I further stressed on them the importance of school and that they were the future of their country. I only hope that these people never loose the spark and drive to better themselves. I explained to them that I believe that these traits were passed onto them by their grandparents and parents. Their generations had survived their holocaust. I told them to ask their grandparents and parents about those years and write a journal about their families history. So much needs to be preserved and not forgotten. Being Jewish, I believe that when people go through an event of this nature, the survivors acquire certain survival skills that passed on to future generations. I then read my travel blogs for them. I would read a little in English, of course, and then a staff member would interpret in Khmer. Sometimes it became a funny and slow process. They then wanted to see more pictures of my travels. I then showed them Peru and explained to them the process of acclimating yourself to reach higher elevations. When they saw pictures of the Peruvians they also saw the similarities between them. I then showed them on

Hi Everyone How is the other side of the world? Do I miss it? Not yet. Miss everyone, but not the craziness of the other side. Fell asleep so fast and could barely get out of bed. Finally woke up around 7 AM and went down for coffee and breakfast. Sampled some great local fruits. Breakfast in Southeast Asia is always special and different. Then went back upstairs and took a walk to one of my favorite coffee houses. The place is called “Gloria Jeans”. Great African coffee served by Khmer people in a relaxing setting with real dishes and cutlery. No plastic nor take out. Was then picked up at 9AM by Manin and driven to the office of Pepy Empowering Youth. This charity is a local non US charity that is the successor to the original Pepy charity that was a US charity. The original charity had served its purpose and accomplished its mission. When the original charity was completely operated and run by locals it was decided to terminate since the mission had been successful. Olivia and myself had originally helped start a scholarship program for local students to go to the University in 2012. That program first started with two students and has now grown to over thirty students. Students apply, are interviewed and then have to sign a contract to stay in the program for the full three years. The Program has been overly successful and the benefits have been huge. Some of the graduates have stayed on working for Pepy and setting role models within their local communities. I went up to meet the new group of scholarship students and talk to them. We had a long talk about many things. We discussed why I constantly come back to Cambodia, how special they are, role models and life on the other side of the world. Kimsru stayed as my interpreter since they are a new group of students and their English is not that strong yet. We talked about why an education is vital and setting goals and striving to attain those goals. I explained to them how different education is today from when I went to school. Today you google something instead of going to the library and reading about it. You also use a computer to type and not a typewriter. Spent over three hours talking to them and answering question. At first they were shy, but as the morning wore on, they became much more inquisitive. I have done this in the past and love doing these talks. It was then time for lunch and had a great Khmer lunch with the Pepy staff. It was then back to the classroom for more talking and finally got around to my photography and why I have fallen for this media of expression. Whenever I pick up a camera I become another person and see the world on a different stage. I have been learning how to see what I take before I take the picture. I showed them the whole process and demonstrated my cameras and lens for them. It was then time to show them some of my images and experiences. I showed them how I created some beautiful images out of seeing things that most people do not see or do not look for. They then asked me to see some pictures about some of my recent travels. The one trip that they all loved was my Yukon trip. Most of them have never seen snow nor even knew what dog sledding was. I explained to them the Alpha dog and how to dog sled. When they saw pictures of the Northern Lights their eyes sparkled. We talked about lots of places I have visited and what I look for when I travel. It was so enjoyable showing them places and things that are so different from their world. Their eyes could not believe Venice and the boats and gondolas. Most of them have never heard of Venice. It seems to me that this is one way that photography can be used to teach others about places they can never be able to experience. I could go on and on. How they all laughed when they saw me bungy jumping in New Zealand and saw some of the beautiful sunsets from Antigua. By the end of the day the group had grown. We could have talked for many more hours, but they had school until 9PM at the University. I then went to dinner with Kimsru. We talked about religion and schooling. She was born in rural Cambodia. Her parents were rice farmers and her grandfather was killed during the Pol Pot years. She told me that no pictures exist of her grandfather and she only knows what she knows from other family members. Her grandfather was a government official and one of her uncles lived for many years in the jungles because he was afraid of the situation. We talked lots about religion. She is buddhist. A great conversation. I wish Olivia was there sharing it with me. Her schooling is quite interesting. She received one of the first scholarships that the original Pepy ever handed out. She went to the University in Bangladesh and lived there for 5 and 1/2 years studying and learning English. Graduated and recently received her Masters. She is now full time employed by Pepy. What a woman of fortitude and endurance. To come from where she came from and do what she has accomplished is amazing.   I get spiritually uplifted by hearing and speaking to people like this. Hope everyone has enjoyed my second day in Cambodia. Love Larry            

Hi Guys The journey starts. Got to the airport at around 8:30 AM and checked into China Southern Airlines. After taking a 16 1/2 non stop flight and living through three meals, cat naps and lots of movies and bathroom stops, I finally arrived in Guangzhou China. The city sits in a valley surrounded by green mountains. The first thing I noticed was the extreme air pollution that looked like a huge fog that was engulfing the city. There were quite a few office buildings and lots of government looking housing. The time difference was twelve hours ahead of NY. I wandered through this large and commercial airport looking for my gate and finally found it. My favorite, cold brew at Starbucks, was around the corner and tanked up for the next leg of my trip. Could not use my cellphone app at this Starbucks and no US money was accepted. Now I know that I am Really in a foreign country. The next leg took me to Siem Reap Cambodia. About a three hour trip. Immediately fell asleep and was woken up once by the stewardess who asked me if I wanted dinner? I could not bear eating more airplane food and declined. It was then back to sleep. Arrived in Siem Reap and was greeted by my friends and some of the scholarship students who all remembered me from my last trip. This is my eighth trip to visit and experience this amazing country and its people.  It was so nice to be greeted by everyone and realized how much I had missed them. I must say that the first thing that greeted me in Cambodia was a wave of “Africa Hot” heat. It was around 7 PM and still that hot. Lets talk a little bit about hot and cold. Almost everyone knows that I will be going to Mongolia from Cambodia. Will be in Western Mongolia and the Gobi for most of my two weeks. Was told by Andy Williams at Muench Workshops, that the weather in Mongolia is very cold and it it will drop down to the 20’s and teens during the evening and not much warmer during the day. He insisted that I bring a winter coat, long johns, snow pants, warm hiking boots, gloves, hats and dress in layers. We will be camping out in Ger Tents for most of the time. No five star hotels here. So how do you pack? I asked Andy to come to my house and pack for me be he declined and said that he has limits. I mostly packed for Mongolia and have very few clothes for Cambodia. I will get laundry done and if necessary, but some items in Cambodia. Could not take two suitcases since I am going on lots of different airlines and do not know their rules. We then hat dinner in the hotel. Great Cambodian dinner with lots of little dishes to choose from. It was so nice talking with Kimsru, Manin and Konnetha. I could have talked all night. One of my favorite activities as most of you know. It is now time to take a nice cool shower and shave and rest. Am excited being in Cambodia and so looking forward spending the next five days talking to everyone and going with them places. I am being picked up at 9AM and and looking forward towards the next five das of activities with the staff and students of Pepy Empowering Youth.   Love Larry  

Hi Everyone Hope everyone loves my new website. I have come a long way. My original travel blog started in 2006 with about ten people. I currently have over 150 participants. Just got back from my favorite Starbucks in Briarcliff. Recently I have been having my second cup of coffee there with yogurt. I sit and watch people come in, always in a rush, and constantly texting. I guess this is the America of today. Remember when none of us had cellphones? I have been to countries where drinking coffee is a pleasant and relaxing time. Coffee is never served in take out cups and plastic. We all need to slow down and enjoy the ride. We all start and finish in the same place. Life is about the journey, family and the legacy you leave. Speaking about the journey. My latest journey starts on Tuesday morning. Am flying on China Southern Airlines to Guangzhou wherever that is. Take a connecting flight to Siem Reap Cambodia. Most of you know that I have traveled to Cambodia in the past. Started going in 2006. This will be my eight trip. I can thank Daniela Papi for the affection that I have developed for the Cambodian people. I tell people I travel there to cleanse my soul and spirit. It has been eighteen months since I last visited, and miss them. Some of me was probably buddhist in a prior life. Will be spending my time with the staff of a local Cambodian charity named Pepy Empowering Youth. Check out their website. Also, will be with the group of scholarship students who are currently with the Pepy program. Some of the activities we will be doing is teaching the staff and students about photography, visiting some of the scholarship students families and taking the scholarship students on an all day field trip. Will be leaving Siem Reap on October 2 and travel to Ulan Bator Mongolia. Spending two weeks in Mongolia taking pictures and re bonding with two of my photography mentors, Andy Williams and Kevin Pepper. I have learned so much from Andy. He is always patient. Most of my time in Mongolia will be traveling in the way I like to travel. No five star hotels nor western bathrooms. Living in Get Camps in Get tents. More on Mongolia later, but I will see and experience things that will last a lifetime. Packing will be difficult. Cambodia will be HOT. Olivia called it “Africa Hot”. Mongolia will be much cooler. A few notes on my website. I want to thank Rebecca Berman for the great work she did and can highly recommend her. We have also posted some prior photo albums on the website. Northern Italy, the Yukon, Summer of 2017 has been added along with my last trip to the Palouse. Talk to everyone from Cambodia   Love Larry