Back in Indonesia and Bali

A conference on rural electrification organized by ASEAN member countries brought me this week to Bali, 5 years since I was in Indonesia last time. Strange but good feeling. I realized I had totally lost my Indonesian language skills, but it was not sooo difficult to get back to it. To my biggest pleasure was that I met Ari while having a stopover in Jakarta. He is still the same, same mysterious look, strong but humble. He came with his daughter and Lucy and it was all a huge pleasure to meet them all. Communication was strange, without internet and google translate we dealt with basic words, pictures and smiles.

Once in Bali: SEAFOOD a gogo. Here at a restaurant, Bale Udang, a beautiful pick, recommended by Balinese. You see a very happy Andrea with, King Prawns in tasty sauce, Soup in Kelapa Muda, Octopus in Honey, some veggies and something that should never miss on an Indonesian meal: Tempe Goreng

A decision

It's been discussed, decided and action is taken. After completion of my first year in Laos, I will stay a bit longer. Life is good, work sucks at times for sure, but overall I have a role I like and I see a meaning of the things I do. I am surrounded by people I like and I have plenty of time to be. At the moment, I can not add much more.

News to look forward to to: I have the pleasure to travel to Bali for a workshop on rural electrification, organized by the ASEAN member countries. On June 12, I will be heading to Munich for the Intersolar and then: Two weeks of family time in Switzerland. The summer will be a good one and will pass by very fast.

Work is good, enables us to follow some of our principles and our believes and if lucky, we are also blessed by the opportunity to apply that in daily life, in our daily environment.. That is the best case as only least of the people can follow it, the reason being in not knowing what they actually want. But putting aside this high claim and fulfillment one could experience at work, overall it allows us all to think, it is challenging us, we make mistakes, earn criticism and glory, have drawback, learn and grow out of it. But, it is a curse when it starts stopping ourselves from about thinking of who we are and what the meaning of our life is.

Be like the flowing river,

Silent in the night.

Be not afraid of the dark.

If there are stars in the sky, reflect them back.

If there are clouds in the sky,

Remember, clouds, like the river, are water,

So, gladly reflect them too,

In your own tranquil depths.

Manuel Bandeira

A little auto-portrait in between, in the Lao jungle on the way to THE total Zip Line adventure

Time for a review

On April 15, 2011 I left Switzerland for a country and company I barely knew. I truly felt it will be a good thing to go and explore, just try it out without any expectations. With this attitude I started my work at Sunlabob Renewable Energy (www.sunlabob.com) almost 5 months ago. I am part of a team of roughly 70 people and have my own responsibilities over a team of 4-5 Lao staff. Very quickly I started liking my new life in Vientiane, Laos PDR and so far that has not changed. For the first time since many years I do not feel like that I have to be in a constant moving mode. On the weekend I can just hang out and do not feel pressured to rush around. I was also able to redefine what kind of cultural and sports activities I want to do: Lao class, gym, jogging, yoga, meditation, piano, reading, socializing etc. it was a re-start in many ways and I am happy to say that so far it is a successful one.

A Healthy Balance

Laos, often a forgotten small country in South East Asia, in the shadow of its biggest neighbor China, surrounded by laborious Thai and Viet ( at least from hearing), the lao spread a relaxedness and contentment, which I think got too much lost in our own culture. It is for me the perfect balance after usually busy and stressful days. This, what I would call the “Bor peng Nyang’ attitude, which means “it’s ok”, “do not worry”, “ there is nothing” is sometimes really helping me to place the importance of certain issues into perspective and to put reality, as it is, regardless of whether I like it or not, in the first place. I notice I have grown up in a society where everything is taken so seriously, even if there is no way to change it, we are trying to turn things around, striving for the perfectness and the ideal, instead of just moving on by focusing on the things we can actually influence and change.

My Huesli, a place to stay and enjoy – a treat after long working hours.

For the first 2 months I could stay with a friend, until I found my own little Huesli. Indeed, a little house I can call to be “my home”. It was an easy decision to live alone, to have a mess when I feel like having a mess, to have it clean and tidy when I feel like organizing and making things nice and not at least to have the freedom to walk around naked whenever I want, made the decision a no brainer. In addition, for fairly decent amount of money, I also got a little garden, which comes with an elderly man with a huge smile, doing the gardening once in a while. It is a natural Huesli and if someone would call it Hoettli, or hut, I think I could not deny it for its natural and simple character. The brick walls are thin, the tiles make me hear the raindrops as if I were in a tent and the water – well, the water at times comes and even visits me inside the house (voouaii, c’est le Laos! ). Also, I am NEVER alone. The Huesli comes with two little cats which found a way to climb underneath the roof and give me company during night and daytime, wake me up when they are hungry and make me angry when they feel like doing a little pee on the white cushion. Besides, once in a while a frog is visiting me in my bathroom. He is always in the same place and whenever I bring him out, some of his family just comes back in. So far none of them turned into a Prince so I keep on treating them well. Then, one would be surprised to see what cradles and flies in this area. Among all of them I love the ants most. They are the most unnoticed and fastest profiteers ever. So fast they come when they sense something eatable and it does not stop with some bread and cheese. They even go for the balsamico and cat food! Unlike my close feelings to the worlds of animals, the ants are for me the hardest to deal with. And since the first day I live here, I watch well their streets and speed in moving, to be fast enough with some counter measures.

C’est le Laos!

This is my credo. C’est la laos, is a way to name thins which I would say are typical for laos, but “c’est le laos”, is also I way of acknowledging that things can not be changed and the need to acknowledge certain realities and to live with it.

- Even in Vientiane only the main roads are cemented. The side roads are full of bumps and even little lakes during rainy season. What the Lao do first is, wherever there is a hole, they do some garden garbage on top of it, to make it even muddier. Then, sometimes, someone makes and effort and takes some old construction material and fills the hole, this makes it shakier on the bike. The best I have seen is that a truck comes, leaves a pile of stones behind and leaves. Nobody would distribute the stones evenly, nobody would flatten it out but leave is just to the passing cars and motorcycle. Well, at least the mud is gone, but will it stop the water? We will see.

- Go for the cheapest for reparation work. The art of fixing. If something is broken, it needs to get fixed. But being fixed can be very relative. You can fix it or one can make it look as it is fixed, but shortly after one realizes: it is not really fixed. I have not figure it out quite well what it is all about. The way of making clients dependent (kind of lao customer relationship management), lazzyness to do thing right, lack of knowledge or carelessness.

- Many houses, including my Hoettli have no earthing. What a feeling to touch my ipod sound station! Zzzzhhhr

- Sunday is resting day, ahh really? The reasons I took this house, is its calmness. A bit of surprise was when after 3 weeks my neighbor started doing several metal grids, 5 meters away from my bed, from Monday through Sunday, from the mornings to the evenings. And I can tell you, waking up on the sound of a metal saw and hammering is not the most pleasant of the feelings.

- Water everywhere. There are only the main roads which have some kind of canalization system. When it rains, the water does not only come from the top, it also seems it comes from the bottom up. Seing motorbikes stuck in the water, yeas, c’est la Laos.

- Examples to be updated continuously

A country full of adventures

Besides the relaxing weekends in Vientiane, Laos PDR offers plenty of adventure opportunities. And if there is an adventure to do, I need to be part of it. Within a daytrip from Vientiane, one can visit a rather mysterious looking monk, covered with tattoos (even in the face) living on a hill, overviewing a natural park.

Another, my most recent adventure was a bit related to work. I headed, equipped with a Suzuki VanVan motorbike, down the south of Laos to visit Sunlabob’s installation work. So nice to see the impact of a high tech solar powered water pump on a village. The systems provide 11 villages with fresh water for bathroom/washing purposes and drinking water.

Some time ago already, I had the opportunity to visit an installation in central Laos. In a small village, called Phakeo, around 75 households benefit from solar system, which provides them during 3-4 h per night with electricity through village mini-grid. Again, high tech can improve the life of the poorest of the poor significantly. But by acknowledging this, it is also with sadness to acknowledge the striking poverty in these remote areas.

For sure I want and need to explore more of this wonderful country and culture. It is a pleasant effort as it brings me out of long office hours and reminds me of the luck and happiness in life i had so far.

Verlust

Ein sehr wertvoller und guter Mensch wurde aus diesem Leben gerissen. Was hilft ist zu glauben, dass nur die sterbliche Hülle nicht mehr unter uns ist, doch der Geist weiter lebt. Es geht ihm gut, er ist weiterhin in unserer Nähe, nur ist die Wahrnehmung unsereiner zu limitiert um seine Präsenz bewusst zu erfahren. Doch er ist da.

This is what I had written on February 2nd, 2011 but did not publish until now:

First step for departure

I thought about it a while, to be honest about 7 months or more. I have been evaluating, always tried to see the positive and negative aspects, weigh it and look to the future. I always said that all comes well and all comes the way it has to be but there were times I could not believe in that. Now, I know again it is true. Turning point was during my holidays in Laos when I regained enough objectiveness and certainty to do what I believe is best for me to do. For too long time I was a prisoners of my thoughts, a slave of my shaking confidence. This is over now. I feel good to be able to say that within a three month timeframe I will leave the Rhinevalley. Finally, a departure I have been waiting for a long time. I feel lighter, I sleep better, wake up with more brightness and in peace. This is good, very good.

A wise friend told me today:

“if a bird’s wing is cut, it can not fly. You shall fly again.”

Thank you M.

Prête pour 2011: la confiance avec l'élan et la sérénité d'esprit.

Since I am back it is peace and relaxation that occupies my state of mind and actions. This does not mean I have become lazy, not at all I have lost my Activity-Spirit. But still, it is as if I took a bit of Lao with me, as if I incorporated their “way of life” a little bit into mine. It is with the feeling of sereneness I can look forward to 2011. This gives me the strength to make certain decision and move forward in confidence.

It is going to be a year with more dynamism, or in French “avec élan”. This may sound odd, but with the confidence that I do the right things and I am in peace with what I do, I have no reasons not to go for my pleasures, ideas and passions. It will be a fantastic and exciting year.


Here you go, me – back in Switzerland, in front of my laptop and FULLY equipped to withstand some cold winter days, fighting the cold which goes through the bones.

Holidays are over, Switzerland shall come

Here I am, on my last holiday of my holidays. Happy, I had a great time. Sad, because I know I will think back about the food, the smiling people, the warm climate and all the usual. But, it is also good. Although I am a traveller and an explorer, I am also a worker. "Just" consuming by traveling and spending money can not be it forever either. As much as I love the idea of traveling for 12 months or more, it won't be for me unless I find a compromise somehow. Well, that would be a question for later, because now there is only one way: Back to work

But before: A big hug to all sun and nature' lovers who are currently somewhere in the cold and fog. A big hello to all who are also enjoying warm weather in different parts of this world. And a big Goodbye to Lao PDR, a country to be loved and further explored, that's for sure.

Ein Land in Südostasien für mich entdeckt:
The Lao People’s Democratic Republic

Schon seit vielen Jahren hat Laos mich angezogen. Ein Binnenland zwischen dem boomenden Chinesen, dem vom einer militärischen Junta regierten Burma, dem aufstrebenden Thailand, den fleissigen Viatnamesen und dem kriegsgeschütteltem Kambodscha. Ein Sprichwort sagt: Die Viatnamesen pflanzen den Reis, die Khmer schauen wie er wächst, die Laoten hören einfach zu.

Eine Kultur des Nicht-Wandelns

Man merkt schnell den Unterschied zwischen Thailand und Laos nach der Grenze. Ein Tick weniger organisiert, die Häuser einfacher und die Stimmung gemächlicher. Keine stinkende, mit Mofas überfüllte Strassen wie in Bangkok oder Phnom Penh, sondern wenig Verkehr auf mehr oder weniger schlechten Strassen. BO PENG YIANG, (nothing wathever) ist nicht nur ein Ausruck um zu sagen „no problem“, „take it easy“ sondern eine Lebensart. Alles easy, no hurry and worry. Allerdings fragt man sich schon, warum die Laoten Lao sprechen und sich über Jahre nicht mehr an deren vielen Nachbarn angenähert haben. Schnell fragt man sich warum die Laoten nicht mehr von ihren kulinarisch orientierten Nachbarn abkuckten und damit ihre eigene, eher einfache Küche etwas aufmotzen? So habe ich gelernt, dass es historisch-politische Gründe gibt aufgrundessen man versuchte sich klar von den Nachbarn zu trennen. Doch über die Jahre hinweg scheinen die Laoten eine Kultur des Nicht-Wandelns entwickelt zu haben. Sie besitzen keine Neugierde und Interesse über den eigenen Tellerrand zum Nachbarn zu kucken und dabei vielleicht noch was zu lernen. Kulturell bedingt scheinen die Laoten Veränderungen nicht zu suchen, sondern Leben eher passiv-konservativ in meist kleinen, sehr ländlichen Dörfchen.

Wenn der Ingwer im Garten wächst und die Hühner aus dem Abfall picken

Ich hatte die einmalige Gelegenheit eine Eco-School, hauptsächlich finanziert aus Kanada, zu besuchen. Ausgelegt für junge Erwachsene (zwischen 17-25) ist dies nich eine gewöhnliche Landwirtschafts- sondern eher eine Lebensschule. Das Konzept ist einfach genial und bevor ich jetzt hier versuche es in meinen eigenen Worte zu beschrieben ist es am einfachsten ich gebe den Link, denn besser erklärt kann es nicht sein: www.sustainablelaos.org Es lohnt sich diese Webseite kurz anzuschauen!

Mit dem Bus in die andere Ecke des Landes

Selten habe ich mein Hinterteil so lange wund liegen und sitzen müssen wie von den 4000 Inseln im Süden von Laos, bis nach Luang Prabang im Norden des Landes. Begonnen hatte der Tag mit einem schlechten Frühstück und einer kleinen, erfrischenden Bootsfahrt auf dem Mekong. Dann versagten die Laoten mit ihrem Organisationstalent und nachdem dann doch genügend Busse vorhanden waren, sass man im Schweiselibus für 2Stunden. Nach Ankunft, 5h später wurde mein Hinterteil in einem VIP Bettenbus (tönt besser als es ist) weiter aufgrund schlechter Strassen wundgeschüttelt. Morgens um 6h schon sehr müde angekommen, gehts gleich weiter, nochmals 9h. Doch zu diesem Zeitpunkt realisiert man das nicht mehr, man hat nur das Ziel vor Augen und kauft sich einfach ein neues Ticket. Spätestens nach weiteren 5h Stunden schüttelkiste, melden sich alle Glieder und schreien nach mehr Bewegungsfreiheit. Das einzige Rezept heisst bopenyang. Irgendwie verging die Zeit mit lesen, ipod hören, aus dem fenster starren, nachdenken und quatschen doch noch und überlegte mir was an dieser Busfahrt noch schlimmer sein könnte: Die Strassen sind meist geteehrt (obwohl viele Löcher und grosse Bumps) und pro Sitz sitzt eine Person, soweit ganz in Ordnung. Zurückdenkend an Guatemala ist das alles andere verständlich, dort sass man sogar auf dem Dach und geteehrte Strassen konnte man länger suchen, enstprechend holpriger und schüttelnder als in Laos. Sprich: Die Busfahrt ist gar nicht so schlimm, wir sind einfach verwöhnt, das ist es!

Die Einfachheit im Norden gefunden

Laos ist ein verhältnismässig kleines aber langezogenes Land. Allerdings unterschätzt man die Distanzen und die Erreichbarkeit der unterschiedlichen Orte. Je nördlicher man geht umso einfacher werden Leute und Infrastruktur, je wahrscheinlicher wirds, dass man ethnischen Minderheiten, auch Tribes mit ihren traditionellen Kostümen begegnet. Die Regionen wurden bisher vom grossen Tourismus aufgrund der langen Anfahrtsreise verschont. Gerne wäre ich ganz in den Norden gefahren, in die Abgelegenheit, doch lässt dies meine zu Ende gehenden Ferien zeitlich nicht zu. Allerdings fand ich in Muang Ngoi, am Fluss namens Ou einen guten Kompromiss. Ein Dörfchen in mitten Laotischer Hügellandschaft, Ausgangsort für Trekkings oder Standort zum Nichts-Tun, mit Generatorenstrom von 18-22h, nur Kaltwasser trotz frischen 15 Grad in der Nacht. Genau das soll nun für mich ein Ort der Zurückgezogenheit sein, bevor es wieder zurück in den Alltag geht.

Chinesisches Sprichwort

Life is short, break the rules, forgive quickly, Kiss slowly, Love truly, laugh uncontrollably, and
never regret anything that made you smile.

Energy makes me travel, energy makes me write at 1 am :-)

For the reason of the potential and belief that the renewable energy sector will gain further ground in the worldwide supply of electricity, I got to travel to Spain. For the reason of the natural and human need of FOOD, I am now writing this little post.

Intro: A little bit drunk and THE need to write:
After two(!) Sangrias I am a little bit drunk (I know my friends, I still do not support alcohol any better) sitting in my bedroom in the heart of Madrid and feel like writing. For some reason, tonight there no "fear of thw white sheet", actually I want to write about five topics in the same moment, but the force of the cause asks me to go step by step.

Main part: Tapas new defined:
I check into my hotel at 10pm. On the way from the train station I oberved well my surroundings and got a glimpse of a merket, at 100m from my hotel. Let's check it out. What I saw makes me write this article at 1am, half drunk (see intro). It is called "Mercado San Miguel", located inthe old city centre of Madrid. Inside there are JUST Tapas stalls. There is the "jamon and sausage" bar, the ostra (asuter) stall, of course you'll find variations of empanadas and empanaditas, cheese counter, Sangria (my fate), variations of fish tapas and even sweet and sushi tapas! My proceedings: I inspect everything carefully before taking the right decisions. Before I arrived in the Mercado I was like "you are not really hungry, don't eat". After I made the tour the question was not which tapas to eat, instead, the question was which Tapa NOT to eat. So, I agree, the sushi tapas are teasing, but come on, I just arrived in Madrid, the capital of Spain. Some real jamon, freshly cut from the leg? I had it yesterday, need something different. Eating auster makes me feel bad for the animals. I go for five different kinds of fish/meat combination of tapas and just loved it. However, one thing is the food, the other is the concept I fell in love with. People constantly stand and circulate in the hall. There is no place to sit down, but once ordered the tapas, you stay next to the food stall, which also serves as a bar. People talk, the atmosphere is living from locals being social and enjoying life. Wonderful, this is great, I love it.

Conclusion: I am really tired but looking forward not to sleep: Life is precious!
Travelling and discovering new places is such an enrichment in life. How can I miss out on doing so and learn more about a different culture and everything that goes along with? I don't know, but I know tomorrow I will continue to be an explorer and challenge Madrid. But for now, I need to sleep, hopefully not too long, every hour of sleep is one less exploring.

Proud to introduce two new friends!


Last weekend I went hiking: From Schynige Platte up to the mountain hut, having a Raclette there and a short night sleep. The other day, we went up to 2700m, on top of the Faulhorn, before descending to the mountain lake where we jumped into 8degree celsius warm water twice.
And immediately after: Emergency Power Supply was needed:
Then, it went down to Grindelwald and back home by train. This is a short version and of course I could elaborate more on the beauty of the landscpe, the view etc. as I did before. This would all just be a repetition of what I had written previously.


What I actually realized past weekend is how good it is to spend time with people that are close to me but also to meet new friends. When I think back and try to remember when I met last time someone (outside of the daily business activities, that would not really count) I can call now "friend", I can not remember. Isn't that sad? There are so many interesting and fun people in the world sharing common interest, ready to tell their stories and to laugh. But during my life the past 18 months I rarely met any of thos (except when I was travelling outside Switzerland) Why? There is a variety of reason starting with "I am full worker", focusing rather on existing friendships and family than new friends, but certainly also to be in the Sargans area and be in a society where people are culturally rather "reserved". It is sad.


The happier I am, that I can count now two new creatures of the planet earth "my friends". ... and all started wit a "teambuilding task à la Andrea" (I droped my Swiss army knife which fell between two big stones and it was kind of a mission to get it out). That set the ground for so much fun, jokes and good conversations and I am confident there is more of it to come. This trip was so much more than hiking, it felt much longer and so intense in terms of the experience.

Intensive Zeiten

Jeder anfang ist schwer, so auch dieser, für einmal in deutscher Sprache. Warum denn das? Dieses Wochenende habe ich eines der schönsten Komplimente gekriegt, dass ich mir vorstellen kann. Meine Texte haben "beeindruckt", waren auf "höchstem Niveau" und diese Aussage kam von einem gebürtigen Dr. Schwabe! Dies ist Anlass genug mein Sprachenfrust ausnahmsweise zu vergessen und mich weder in der französischen, englischen sondern ganz einfach in meiner Muttersprache (!) auszudrücken.
Bewegt und intensiv sind die Zeiten heutzutage, beruflich wie privat. Entscheidungen stehen an, welche mein Leben in eine andere Richtung führen werden. Die Zeichen sind intensiver als bisher, Spannung ist in der Luft und ich weiss, meine Tage im Rheintal neigen sich dem Ende entgegen. Ein gesundes Selbstbewusstsein durchströmt Herz und Kopf und lassen mich die Momente hier mehr geniessen als zuvor. Dazu beigtragen haben viele gute Gespräche und "in Bewegung" sein. Die Psyche folgt der Physe, die Fortbewegung mit Zug, Velo oder zu Fuss inspiriert und provoziert. Ich denke vorwärts, hinein in die Zukunft, so ungewiss die zurzeit auch sein mag erfüllt es mich vollumfänglich. Ich bin überzeugt auf dem richtigen Weg zu sein und meiner Selbstverwirklichung schrittchenweise näher zu kommen. Die vergangenen, eher schwierigen Monate erlaubten mir meine Bedürfnisse und Interessen näher in Erfahrung zu bringen. Ich bin mir selbst näher gekommen und das macht mich stark.

Lieber Leser, liebe Leserin, Du möchtest nun jetzt wissen, was das konkret zu bedeuten hat, solch verschlüsselte Aussagen und Anspielungen sind mühsam und machen nur neugierig, ich weiss. Zurzeit kann ich schlecht weiteres kommunizieren, doch schau wieder rein, spätestens in 4-6 Wochen steht hier definitiv mehr.

Weekends can be fantastic!
...and the very last one is just one that will be a reference for the coming years. How to explain this.
To summarize, people, location, activity, food and the weather just all matched and made me feel closer to heaven!
It started on Friday morning when I picked up the two other Ladies in Bellinzona and ended a few hours ago, on the way back to Sargans. I could now try to describe how I felt, what we did, where we were. But these few pictures do actually represent most of it with a lot of accuracy. What you may not see: How much I appreciate the time spending with two of my best friends, how much I like the conversations, the exchange of thoughts and doing things together that are much fun for all of us! These moments are seldom and suprisingly it does not much matter whether I am in Switzerland, Asia or America, intensive moments like that are a rarity.

Une taupe en métamorphose

My good intentions in giving you a daily update of my refound traveler's life ended already on Monday, after a few eye drops were let into my eyes and made them oversensitive against light. It was a start of the week with the first operation in my life, some pain and the result of no longer having glasses sitting on my noise or contacts covering my precious eyes directly.
This also meant that I did not get to see a lot from Budapest. I discovered how much I could sleep, do nothing and focus all my energy and thoughts on the heeling of my. For a few days I became a „taupe“ (mole in English) and this is how I felt:

So it was, and therefore no big stories of meeting locals, no pictures, no exploration of the absolute Magyar nightlife and the city's underground atmosphere.

Most interesting was at the end of the week, on Friday, on my way from Budapest to Geneva. Once again I had to acknowledge that I am born in the wrong language. How much I love the sound, how much I do like to speak French (although I have lost practise a lot)... Even better I felt in Geneva, a city I still like to call some kind of home. Also, it was in Geneva my eyes recovered substantially and within few hours I was without pain. The „taupe“ became 100% me again, enjoying daylight and beautiful Geneva.