We shall not cease from exploration

And the end of all our exploring

Will be to arrive where we started

And know the place for the first time.

Through the unknown, remembered gate

When the last of the earth left to discover

Is that which was the beginning;

At the source of the longest river

The voice of the hidden waterfall

And the children of the apple-tree.

Not known, because not looked for

But heard, half-heard, in the stillness

Between two waves of the sea.

Quick now, here, now, always -

A condition of complete simplicity

(Costing not less than everything)

And all shall be well and

All manner of thing shall be well

When the tongues of flame are in-folded

Into the crowned knot of fire

And the fire and the rose are one.

T.S. Eliot, The Four Quartets

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separation, encounter, return...Lord, the endpoint to all our journeys. Grant us faith to believe that you will meet us in the heart of all our suffering. there is little we can do about it because we hold so very little in the hands of our doing. all shall cease. you will calm the wind, and the shoreline we'll see... Lord, we want you to be near us this evening.

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letter days 2
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Hi people,

Just woke up from a long sleep. Had a good trip tp Tasmania. Much of it was due to the campervan experience. There were 4 of us and we basically used the all-purpose hulk of a truck to eat, plan, sleep, cook, chill for the entire journey. It's something our group / cliques should try the next time we hit on the road, if ever, on an overseas trip. All took turns to drive, some cooked more often than others while the techies had fun plugging water and electricity (sometimes we errr, obtained it from dubious means) from centralised campervan parks.

Tassie was dry and droughty for most of our trip with bare brown trees and ash laden grass. It was a pity. We skipped some spots because there was no point heading up when the weather was grey and darkly on some days. There were days that a route was fogged up completely on both ends and occasions when our manual-powered monster couldnt quite navigate the hilly terrain However, we made it up with good cooking and fullblown appetites esp with some of the freshest oysters found on the southern hemisphere...there was one particular stretch of days when we had crayfish and lobster back on back, not too worried if our cholestrol or hormone levels would burst over the next dayscape, be it breakfast, tunch, tea or dinner. Some days were quiet. I munched an apple by a secluded cove and picked a seaweed to sculpture a morning sky.

Tassies are generally warm people though we detected a whiff of xenophobia (well, more to do with 'we dun see yellow-skinned people around here often so where the hell are they from?) in some remote townships on the eastern coast. Roadkills were frequent (and nope, we didnt hit any) but we never see bones on the road. Crows and tassie devils are that efficient. We did much and there was a fair share of travel bits from jetboat, to kayaking, fishing (and we were able to eat what we caught, courtesy of skipper/chef onboard!), dolphin watch to ghost walks onward to pubbing, forest climbs and bush hikes. Other interesting stuff happened on a pub-crawling night but i shall self-censor at this point and spill the odd details to some other time. Don't worry, i didn't commit any crime.

Am heading off to NZ from 30nov-5 dec and Sydney 9-12 dec before coming back for a much-awaited reunion with everyone. Pls take care and know that i remember moments and people from home everytime the room turns silent and there comes the invitation to walk on my own.

Some pictures tell a story, let them.