TableStakes

Dr. Peter Kerndt with some of the people whose lived he saved. During the thick of the AIDS crisis, my friend Dr. Peter Kerndt helped saved thousands of lives as the Director of the HIV/AIDS and TB Programs at the Los Angeles County Public Health Department. After serving nearly 30-years as an infectious disease expert, you'd figure that Peter had earned a relaxing retirement. But did he head to the golf course?  Nope, he flew to Africa and began working to stem the AIDS epidemic, which was sweeping through the continent, killing millions of people, wrecking the economy and destabilizing governments. The program was launched by the second President Bush, and it may be one of the most successful humanitarian projects in modern history. I knew next to nothing about America’s African AIDS eradication program. But about five years ago I met Peter, and he told me about the work he was doing. Anyone who lived through the 1980’s and 90s and observed the death and suffering of loved ones and friends who were infected with HIV and AIDs knows deadly it was. Even when drugs were developed to fight AIDS, they were at first ineffective not to mention extremely expensive.  That’s why I was knocked over when Peter told me that now America’s program could stop AIDs by providing a daily pill that costs less than 30-cents a day. The challenge was to build a distribution system to deliver that medicine to people throughout Africa. Peter is about as calm and competent as they come, but this was a massive logistical challenge. He and his colleagues worked over years with national health ministries in African countries to slowly build an effective medicine delivery network.  As of today, America’s African AIDS program has saved more than 23 million lives.

But Peter didn’t stop there.  He moved on to fight the killer disease Tuberculosis (TB) which is otherwise known as the “White Death.” TB is an infectious disease that kills more than 1.5 million people a year or about 4,000 humans per day.  Using their experience and connections from the AIDS program, Peter and his team began attacking this deadly scourge.  There’s no vaccine, but the disease can be eradicated with antibiotics.  Utilizing their existing network in Africa and other parts of the world Peter and his colleagues developed a plan to eradicate TB from the face of the earth by 2030.

One example of Peter’s work is a father in Mozambique with TB who his team treated along with giving preventive treatment to the man’s five kids and neighborhood kids so they wouldn’t get TB. Up until two weeks ago, Peter worked for USAID, the agency through which these humanitarian programs were administered. But as you may have read, President Trump and Elon Musk took a chainsaw to USAID and fired Peter, thousands of his colleagues and destroyed these lifesaving programs.  According to Peter these cuts already have taken a toll.

Trump and Musk wanted to save money, about $ 2 billion all together.  And how would they use the money instead?  Trump and the Congressional Republicans already have a plan.  They will use the money to cut taxes primarily for billionaires.  Sadly, this is not a joke.  You can do your own research to verify it. What is the actual price tag for Trump and Musk’s actions? “People infected with TB and HIV will not be able to obtain their medicine.  Their diseases will worsen, they will become very sick, and many millions will die,” said Peter. “These are totally preventable deaths that will now occur because the projects were terminated.”

Some people might say: “Sorry but this isn’t America’s responsibility.” It’s dreadful to hear such a heartless response in the face of such vast human suffering. The humanitarian benefits alone justify the cost of the program. But the national interest also suffers because these programs delivered very real and very deep appreciation from millions in Africa and around the world. How would you feel about a country that saved your husband and your daughter from a horrible death from TB? You would never forget; you would be eternally grateful.  Multiply that sentiment by tens of millions and you can see how our national security is enhanced. Peter and his colleagues and the American taxpayers who supported them are true heroes.  We can only hope that the chaos and cruelty that terminated their work will be reversed.

Dr. Peter Kerndt with some of the people whose lived he saved. During the thick of the AIDS crisis, my friend Dr. Peter Kerndt helped saved thousands of lives as the Director of the HIV/AIDS and TB Programs at the Los Angeles County Public Health Department. After serving nearly 30-years as an infectious disease expert, you'd figure that Peter had earned a relaxing retirement. But did he head to the golf course?  Nope, he flew to Africa and began working to stem the AIDS epidemic, which was sweeping through the continent, killing millions of people, wrecking the economy and destabilizing governments. The program was launched by the second President Bush, and it may be one of the most successful humanitarian projects in modern history. I knew next to nothing about America’s African AIDS eradication program. But about five years ago I met Peter, and he told me about the work he was doing. Anyone who lived through the 1980’s and 90s and observed the death and suffering of loved ones and friends who were infected with HIV and AIDs knows deadly it was. Even when drugs were developed to fight AIDS, they were at first ineffective not to mention extremely expensive.  That’s why I was knocked over when Peter told me that now America’s program could stop AIDs by providing a daily pill that costs less than 30-cents a day. The challenge was to build a distribution system to deliver that medicine to people throughout Africa. Peter is about as calm and competent as they come, but this was a massive logistical challenge. He and his colleagues worked over years with national health ministries in African countries to slowly build an effective medicine delivery network.  As of today, America’s African AIDS program has saved more than 23 million lives.

But Peter didn’t stop there.  He moved on to fight the killer disease Tuberculosis (TB) which is otherwise known as the “White Death.” TB is an infectious disease that kills more than 1.5 million people a year or about 4,000 humans per day.  Using their experience and connections from the AIDS program, Peter and his team began attacking this deadly scourge.  There’s no vaccine, but the disease can be eradicated with antibiotics.  Utilizing their existing network in Africa and other parts of the world Peter and his colleagues developed a plan to eradicate TB from the face of the earth by 2030.

One example of Peter’s work is a father in Mozambique with TB who his team treated along with giving preventive treatment to the man’s five kids and neighborhood kids so they wouldn’t get TB. Up until two weeks ago, Peter worked for USAID, the agency through which these humanitarian programs were administered. But as you may have read, President Trump and Elon Musk took a chainsaw to USAID and fired Peter, thousands of his colleagues and destroyed these lifesaving programs.  According to Peter these cuts already have taken a toll.

Trump and Musk wanted to save money, about $ 2 billion all together.  And how would they use the money instead?  Trump and the Congressional Republicans already have a plan.  They will use the money to cut taxes primarily for billionaires.  Sadly, this is not a joke.  You can do your own research to verify it. What is the actual price tag for Trump and Musk’s actions? “People infected with TB and HIV will not be able to obtain their medicine.  Their diseases will worsen, they will become very sick, and many millions will die,” said Peter. “These are totally preventable deaths that will now occur because the projects were terminated.”

Some people might say: “Sorry but this isn’t America’s responsibility.” It’s dreadful to hear such a heartless response in the face of such vast human suffering. The humanitarian benefits alone justify the cost of the program. But the national interest also suffers because these programs delivered very real and very deep appreciation from millions in Africa and around the world. How would you feel about a country that saved your husband and your daughter from a horrible death from TB? You would never forget; you would be eternally grateful.  Multiply that sentiment by tens of millions and you can see how our national security is enhanced. Peter and his colleagues and the American taxpayers who supported them are true heroes.  We can only hope that the chaos and cruelty that terminated their work will be reversed.

Martina, Jek, Elo and Ike Martina and Jek are people you can count on.  They are poor by western standards, but they have big hearts. They are raising four kids of their own, but also have taken care of dozens of their nieces, nephews and aunties who come from even leaner circumstances. It’s who they are, and it’s what is expected in their community. Martina is originally from the island of Sumba. Thanks to our friend Ibu Gedong, she lived with us in Berkeley for three years, and helped raise Max when he was a baby. She had met Jek before coming to America and planned to marry him.  However, Martina was a careful young woman, and vowed to make sure that Jek didn’t play around too much while she was away.  Fortunately, he lived up to her high expectations, and she married him and moved to his home island of Flores.  We have visited them several times over the past several years at their simple home in Maumere and have admired their generosity and the love and service they give to their family and community. 

Jek and his daughter Ike talking to a fisherman I’ve traveled to many places in the world that are destitute, so I wasn’t particularly shocked that Maumere was poor but it was also very dry. Probably poor because it’s dry since there’s very little rainfall on the coastal plain where it sits and only a few puny streams flow down from the mountains. That means meager water resources to grow food or support industry.  Martina and Jek rank among the middle class in Maumere mainly because Jek earned a college degree and worked for many years for development organizations building schools and hospitals throughout eastern Indonesia. Martina is an enterprising woman who has raised pigs and chickens and ran a small snack shop outside their front door. Jek had also bought a two-hectare piece of land he hoped to farm which is located a mile from their house. Middle class in Maumere means they live in a simple tin house with an outdoor kitchen where they cook over a wood fire. Importantly, however, they can afford to take care of their family members from both Flores and Sumba who need a home and a meal.

Martina, Jek with their family + Ibu and Pak When I visited them in 2019, they were having a hard time. A few months before Jek had refused to allow a corrupt government official to skim money off a hospital project he was directing. The price he paid for this honesty was his job. He decided to focus on turning his property into a farm and he was raising goats and trying to grow corn.  But there wasn’t enough water and the crops died, and soon after so did the goats.  Martina’s pig business also hit hard times after a wave of Asian swine flu killed all her animals. In April 2023, I visited them again with my Balinese friends Puji and Putu joining me.  I warned them that they would see a generous but very poor family.  However, when we arrived, I noticed a new brick house under construction next door. I inquired if they had new neighbors, but Martina said it was their new house.  In the backyard, the pig stalls were once again full of grunting, hungry and growing animals. After a sumptuous meal, we all decided to take a walk up to the farm.  Again, I warned Puji and Putu that we were likely to see a tangle of dry and dying crops and some skinny goats.  It was getting dark when we arrived, but as we rounded the last hill, the landscape was bathed in bright lights from a structure above the farm. And instead of the scrubby goat pasture I’d seen before there was row after row of healthy corn stalks with pipes and irrigation ditches bringing the plants a bountiful supply of water. 

I was flummoxed by the transformation of the farm, not to mention the new house and thriving pig farm. It took a while for Jek to tell me the story because my Indonesian language skills are weak.  But here’s what he told me: About a year before he was stressed because after losing his job and the pig farm, there just wasn’t enough money to provide for his family.  He had hoped to make a go of farming, but there was no chance due to the lack of water.  So, he had gone up to the top of the farm and sat on a rock where he often meditated.  This time he asked God for a miracle. He specifically asked for water to help grow his crops and feed his family. Jek and Martina have close relationship with God and Jesus.  Like most of the other people on Flores they are Catholic, a religion which arrived with the Portuguese colonists.  It’s a different kind of Catholicism though because it overlays the original animist religion that was here before. It’s a religion alive with ancestors and spirits which are everyday parts of Martina and Jek’s life.

Yes, that's Mother Mary looking over Martina and I About two weeks after his prayer, Jek met a man walking around his property.  The man said he was a water surveyor and wanted to do a test well.  Jek agreed.  A few weeks after that he found out that there is a vast aquifer under his farm which would supply enough water for the entire town of Maumere.  The municipal water authority said they would like to lease the rights to the water.  While Jek considered this, the water agency also found an aquifer on another property.  That owner wanted a substantial sum of money for the water rights.  Jek didn’t think this discovery was about money.  “This was a gift from God and an answer to my prayer,” he told me. “I didn’t think it would be right to take money for what God had given.”  The water agency and Jek worked out an agreement in which he would lease them the rights to the water in exchange for water for his farm, and his house.  The rest would be sent by pipeline down to the thirsty town of Maumere. Jek was already well respected in Flores. But his gift of water to the people of Maumere was a very big deal on the island.  He was at his house one day when a delegation of local leaders arrived.  He served them tea while they asked him to be a candidate to the provincial parliament. He subsequently agreed and will be on the ballot this February when elections are held in Indonesia.

Eight years ago, Tangkas villagers like people throughout Indonesia tossed their household waste into the river. They really had no other option.  There were no government or private waste management alternatives.  Semarapura, the biggest city in the region, had trash pickup but it was indiscriminately tipped into the local dump in Dawan which often caught on fire and polluted the village’s air and water.

Ketut Darmawan Our friend Ketut Darmawan from Tangkas decided he would find a solution, and in 2016 he did. He established the Tangkas Village Recycling Program (TPS) which picks up garbage every two days from the 300 households it serves.  TPS staff then recycles 93% of the waste.  The organic materials are turned into compost which farmers use in their fields and the plastics, glass and metals are recycled.  Darmawan was the engine behind this effort, and he built a coalition of supporters including the Klungkung Regional government who paid to build the recycling center, the Tangkas village government who helped pay for its staff and operations and Keep Bali Beautiful which set up an Airbnb Tour Experience to cover the remaining operational costs.  An award-winning video by film-maker Jillian Li beautifully describes the system. You can view the video here. After TPS proved successful, the question arose: Can this operation be scaled up to be used as a model for other villages and regions in Bali? 

Klungkung Regency Governor I Nyoman Suwirta You bet it could. Thanks to Klungkung’s innovative Governor, I Nyoman Suwirta, funding and leadership by Indonesia’s federal government under President Jokowi and most especially Darmawan’s gifted management skills, there is now an efficient regional waste management system that has replicated the Tangkas village success. You have to give a lot of credit to Regional Governor I Nyoman Suwirta.  He provided seed money to the Tangkas village program, and watched to see if Darmawan could achieve his goals. When the TPS proved successful, he plucked Darmawan out of the private sector and gave him the government job of creating a regional waste management system. Most importantly, the Governor gave Darmawan the capital funds to build it out.  About the same time, Bali’s provincial government also pitched in with funds as did the national government.  Jokowi’s administration also wrote policies to establish federal recycling and waste management standards.  And perhaps the hardest step of all: Balinese citizens began to change their minds and became very supportive of efforts to clean up their villages and towns.

Organic waste converted into fertilizer In less capable hands this mashup of village, regional, provincial and federal agencies, plus the private sector could have spelled disaster.  But Darmawan with his rare combination of management and political skills wove together a workable and efficient system. It works like this: Capital funding from the Klungkung region, operational funding from the Bali province and federal government, villages which provide the land for building waste and recycling facilities and help from private sector partners such Bali Waste Cycle which retrieves recycled materials from Klungkung and arranges for their transformation into new products.

I saw the system in operation at the region’s central waste processing facility, whose acronym ironically is TOSS.  This is where the City of Semarapura’s waste is processed.  Every two days a truck picks up waste from the city’s households.  (Commercial operations like the local market receive every day pickup.)  They return to TOSS where workers sort the waste into four categories: 1) Organic waste, 2) Recyclable materials (glass, metal and plastic) that can be sold, 3) Residue that is sold in bulk, and 4) Leftover waste that is trucked to the dump. 

Workers sorting plastic for recycling In addition, village recycling operations similar to the TPS in Tangkas have been set up in 42 of the Klungkung region’s 53 villages. The operation has been an unqualified success.  Before, all of this garbage would have been dumped into the river, burned or piled up at the dump.  Now, nearly 97% of it is recycled or reused.  The organic waste, which makes up the bulk of the waste stream, is made into compost which is provided to farmers.  Darmawan is continually improving the system.  For example, after touring composting operations in Japan last year, he tweaked his system to make it even more efficient. 

Loading fertilizer composted from organic waste for delivery to farmers The recycling operation requires a whole team of workers to first sort the materials into bags for glass, metal, and the many types of plastic that can be recycled.  These range from high value plastic which sells for 1,200rp ( eight cents) per ton to lower value plastic bags which sell for 300rp (two cents) per ton.  The sorting is supervised by Bali Waste Cycle staff.  Every day one of their truck arrives to pick up the recycled products. Klungkung’s share of the recycling revenue goes back into the program. Bali Waste Cycle then combines Klungkung’s recycled products with those from its other clients in Denpasar and other places. The residue waste stream is composed of bits of plastic, dirt and other junk that cannot be composted or recycled.  Villagers often burned this junk or tossed it into the street.  But now collects it and sends it to a manufacturer in Surabaya where it’s mixed into cement and becomes part of Indonesia’s expanding road and freeway infrastructure. The remaining 3% is trucked to the dump in Dawan village.  The goal is to reduce this amount to zero. Education is also an important part of Darmwan;’s mission.  There are regular tours of TOSS by school groups who receive a tour and learn about the benefits of recycling and how it really works.  Darmawan also works with Eco Clubs at Klungkung’s high schools which help in spreading the word and supporting the syste

Eight years ago, Tangkas villagers like people throughout Indonesia tossed their household waste into the river. They really had no other option.  There were no government or private waste management alternatives.  Semarapura, the biggest city in the region, had trash pickup but it was indiscriminately tipped into the local dump in Dawan which often caught on fire and polluted the village’s air and water.

Ketut Darmawan Our friend Ketut Darmawan from Tangkas decided he would find a solution, and in 2016 he did. He established the Tangkas Village Recycling Program (TPS) which picks up garbage every two days from the 300 households it serves.  TPS staff then recycles 93% of the waste.  The organic materials are turned into compost which farmers use in their fields and the plastics, glass and metals are recycled.  Darmawan was the engine behind this effort, and he built a coalition of supporters including the Klungkung Regional government who paid to build the recycling center, the Tangkas village government who helped pay for its staff and operations and Keep Bali Beautiful which set up an Airbnb Tour Experience to cover the remaining operational costs.  An award-winning video by film-maker Jillian Li beautifully describes the system. You can view the video here. After TPS proved successful, the question arose: Can this operation be scaled up to be used as a model for other villages and regions in Bali? 

Klungkung Regency Governor I Nyoman Suwirta You bet it could. Thanks to Klungkung’s innovative Governor, I Nyoman Suwirta, funding and leadership by Indonesia’s federal government under President Jokowi and most especially Darmawan’s gifted management skills, there is now an efficient regional waste management system that has replicated the Tangkas village success. You have to give a lot of credit to Regional Governor I Nyoman Suwirta.  He provided seed money to the Tangkas village program, and watched to see if Darmawan could achieve his goals. When the TPS proved successful, he plucked Darmawan out of the private sector and gave him the government job of creating a regional waste management system. Most importantly, the Governor gave Darmawan the capital funds to build it out.  About the same time, Bali’s provincial government also pitched in with funds as did the national government.  Jokowi’s administration also wrote policies to establish federal recycling and waste management standards.  And perhaps the hardest step of all: Balinese citizens began to change their minds and became very supportive of efforts to clean up their villages and towns.

Organic waste converted into fertilizer In less capable hands this mashup of village, regional, provincial and federal agencies, plus the private sector could have spelled disaster.  But Darmawan with his rare combination of management and political skills wove together a workable and efficient system. It works like this: Capital funding from the Klungkung region, operational funding from the Bali province and federal government, villages which provide the land for building waste and recycling facilities and help from private sector partners such Bali Waste Cycle which retrieves recycled materials from Klungkung and arranges for their transformation into new products.

I saw the system in operation at the region’s central waste processing facility, whose acronym ironically is TOSS.  This is where the City of Semarapura’s waste is processed.  Every two days a truck picks up waste from the city’s households.  (Commercial operations like the local market receive every day pickup.)  They return to TOSS where workers sort the waste into four categories: 1) Organic waste, 2) Recyclable materials (glass, metal and plastic) that can be sold, 3) Residue that is sold in bulk, and 4) Leftover waste that is trucked to the dump. 

Workers sorting plastic for recycling In addition, village recycling operations similar to the TPS in Tangkas have been set up in 42 of the Klungkung region’s 53 villages. The operation has been an unqualified success.  Before, all of this garbage would have been dumped into the river, burned or piled up at the dump.  Now, nearly 97% of it is recycled or reused.  The organic waste, which makes up the bulk of the waste stream, is made into compost which is provided to farmers.  Darmawan is continually improving the system.  For example, after touring composting operations in Japan last year, he tweaked his system to make it even more efficient. 

Loading fertilizer composted from organic waste for delivery to farmers The recycling operation requires a whole team of workers to first sort the materials into bags for glass, metal, and the many types of plastic that can be recycled.  These range from high value plastic which sells for 1,200rp ( eight cents) per ton to lower value plastic bags which sell for 300rp (two cents) per ton.  The sorting is supervised by Bali Waste Cycle staff.  Every day one of their truck arrives to pick up the recycled products. Klungkung’s share of the recycling revenue goes back into the program. Bali Waste Cycle then combines Klungkung’s recycled products with those from its other clients in Denpasar and other places. The residue waste stream is composed of bits of plastic, dirt and other junk that cannot be composted or recycled.  Villagers often burned this junk or tossed it into the street.  But now collects it and sends it to a manufacturer in Surabaya where it’s mixed into cement and becomes part of Indonesia’s expanding road and freeway infrastructure. The remaining 3% is trucked to the dump in Dawan village.  The goal is to reduce this amount to zero. Education is also an important part of Darmwan;’s mission.  There are regular tours of TOSS by school groups who receive a tour and learn about the benefits of recycling and how it really works.  Darmawan also works with Eco Clubs at Klungkung’s high schools which help in spreading the word and supporting the syste

Ayu at Lincoln Memorial My friend Ayu is a bright, young Balinese woman who works for the Bank of Indonesia. Last year, she took a business trip to Washington DC, Philadelphia, New York and Boston. Her Facebook posts about these places were positive and showed off our country’s famous landmarks. But over dinner the other night, she asked a difficult question: “Pak Dave, why are so many people living on the streets in America?” I struggled to find an answer. I told her the problem just isn’t in those cities, but nationwide especially in California where I live, and in my town of Berkeley. “But what is happening Pak Dave?” Ayu quizzed. “I thought America is the richest country in the world. Why are these people on the street, and why are they hungry and very dirty?” A little background…The view from a Balinese person’s perspective is that all Americans are indeed wealthy, even the budget travelers. How else could they afford to fly across the world to this beautiful island, live in hotels and eat at restaurants.  Traveling is a luxury that only the well-off can afford in Indonesia, although that’s beginning to change some as it develops a middle class. Ayu wasn’t trying to dump on the USA.  She was honestly trying to understand the disconnect between her perception of America and the reality she observed.

Homeless in Berkeley I gave it a shot. “Well, housing is very expensive in my country, and the people who cannot afford it must live on the streets. Some cities and states provide temporary shelters for these folks, but there’s just not enough room for everyone.” Ayu shook her in response, but I could tell she didn’t get it.  I tried again.  “Also, some of these folks are mentally ill or are alcoholics and drug addicts, and they don’t know how to access services or don’t want them.” That seemed lame the moment I said it. “Honestly Ayu, I really don’t know why this is happening, and I’m embarrassed I don’t know.  I walk past a dozen or more homeless people every day in Berkeley.  I give money to some of them, steer clear of those who are raving, and just feel bad when I see two older women packing up their tent every morning, so they won’t be harassed by the police. I’ve never researched the causes of why people are homeless, and why our governments can’t solve the problem.”  Ayu took pity on me and changed the subject. But I could not forget her simple question. Why are there so many homeless people in the richest country in the world? In the weeks that followed in Bali and on trips to see friends on the islands of Flores and Lombok, I looked for homeless people and pestered my friends with questions of how they deal with poor people who don’t have homes.  The truth is I never actually saw any homeless people on any of these three islands although there were plenty of poor people living in very humble places.  Also, there are nearly an estimated three million people living in Jakarta. My Balinese friend Putu explained that in Bali the family takes care of its own, finding food and shelter for all, including those with mental illness.  Backing up the family, is the banjar which is a traditional Balinese neighborhood organization that rallies the community for funerals, weddings and other key ceremonies.  It also keeps track of every member, and notes who needs help including food, health care, housing… you name it. One of Putu’s jobs is to maintain a database of every member, noting who might need extra help.  The banjar makes sure no one falls through the cracks.  There are a lot of banjar rules and regulations to follow, and like any small group everyone knows everyone else’s business. The final layer of help is the government at the village, region and provincial levels who allocate funds and services for people that the banjar identifies as needing them.  This four-layered support system works. Even during the COVID crisis when Bali’s economy tanked, no one went hungry or unhoused.

Nolly in her Clark Kent dress By day she is a mild-mannered hotel owner and chef, but when night falls she dons her black tights and T-shirt and becomes a super hero as a fierce defender of the Tortuguero Beach turtles. We spent a late evening on the beach with Nolly as our guide to observe female green turtles wade in from the sea and then ponderously climb up to the beach to near the jungle and scour out a large nest from the sand.  She instructed us to stay quiet so we wouldn’t startle these skittish turtle moms.  Nolly told us the story of how she has defended these turtles against poaching for more than twenty years.  She volunteers to safeguard the turtles from those folks who violate the midnight to 6am ban on visiting the beach which was established to give turtles a chance to lay their eggs without bothersome tourists watching them.  She said it’s less dangerous work now that most locals understand the value of eco-tourism for their families.  However, not long ago turtle poaching was more common.  She says that she then patrolled the beach with a machete to enforce the ban against aggressive poachers. “I remember once there was a big group of Costa Ricans on the beach.  I went up to them and said, “f you take one more step, I’ll cut off your arms.  Take two steps and you’ll lose a leg too.”  They took one look at Super Nolly and another at her machete and took off.

Green Turtle / Tortuga Verde Tortuguero NP Costa Rica Code / Código #R0188A ©Adrian Hepworth Ironically, Nolly’s family arrived in Tortuguero as turtle hunters around 1940.  Nolly’s family was the first to settle in what is now the village of Tortuguero. Her grandparents originally were from San Andres, an island off the coast of Columbia.  At that time Tortuguero was very remote. It was a tough place to raise a family.  Her grandmother, Sibella, had to walk eight-hours up the beach to Barra Colorado to trade coconuts for supplies.  Later, Miss Sibella cooked for the loggers and others who arrived in Tortuguero. But it was Sibella and Nolly’s mom, Miss Junie, who helped transform the village into a place where natural resources were extracted to where they are now protected.  They helped establish Tortuguero National Park to protect not only the turtles but also the other wildlife and the rainforests that are their home.  Junie became a cook for the park staff, and later opened a small hotel and restaurant (Miss Junie’s) where we stayed on this trip.

Pak Dave with Stacy & Ben Hitchhiking was one of the highlights of the PCT experience last year. You meet some characters when you stick your thumb out...most of them interesting and delightful. After a solo backpack trip through the Trinity Alps in mid-June, I found a ride from the trailhead to historic Weaverville, and headed straight to the town's universe level ice cream parlor (Crockett's UpNorth). After a big cone full of mint chip ice cream, I emerged with a sugar high and stumbled out to Highway 299 where I combed my hair and stuck out my thumb. This was a Sunday afternoon and there were lots of cars on the road; so I thought I had a good chance to catch a ride to Redding. Instead, all the nice couples in their SUVs rolled up their windows when they saw me, admittedly looking a little grungy after several days on the trail. The local Weaverville drivers hand-signalled me that they were just going a short distance.

Pak Dave & HikeNBike on the PCT Badass is when you traverse the Sierra High Line trail on skis. Badass is when you hike and bike up Mount Diablo twice a week. Badass is when you hike Apache Peak on San Jacinto Mountain in snow and ice with an ice pick and trail runners arriving in Idylwilde after midnight. Badass is when you hike the Pacific Crest Trail one year after major surgery to get back in shape. Badass is when you ride a bike for the US Olympic Team at the Mexico City Olympics after taking up cycling just a few years before. Badass is when you summit Mt. Baker at 72-years old while long-jumping crevasses and passing younger climbers. I could go on, but that might embarrass my new friend HikeNBike who I met last year in Belden while hiking the PCT.  You see HikeNBike is not a bragger. It took me several months of knowing him to learn these few nuggets about him.  It turns out we live only a few blocks from one another in Berkeley. 

Trail Angel Piper After a night hike to the peak of Steven’s Pass, I began to simultaneously set up my tent, cook dinner and phone a guy named Piper who my buddy Dancer had suggested would give me a ride to Leavenworth, WA in the morning.  Who says males can’t multi-task?  It was late, but Piper picked up the phone and confirmed he would meet me at the bottom of the hill at 9AM the next morning.  We didn’t talk long, but I felt sure that it would be fun talking to him the next day. I wasn’t disappointed.  Piper turned out to be a man of many interests and talents.  He told me about his career training pilots from all over the world to fly Boeing jets.  I was briefed on his adventures as a wilderness guide in British Columbia, and he described the many beautiful lakes that I had rushed past in the last two days.

But it was his job as a PCT Trail Angel that had really captured his interest the last couple of years. I say “job” because Piper was working full-time helping out PCT hikers.  He’s the main man shuttling hikers to and from Stevens Pass to Leavenworth and other places along this stretch of the trail.  North and south of the pass, just about every PCT hiker has been helped by Piper or knows someone who has.  And what we most remember about him is the gift he gives to each and every hiker: A song played on his pipe.

Balinese ceremony saying thanks. Saying thank you seems like such a small thing, but it can lead to a whole new way of living your life: It changes your mood. It changes how people react to you. It changes how you see the world. It changes how you see other people. It changes how you see the earth. It changes how you see the Supreme Being. It makes you happy. It makes others happy. It sets you free. Many years ago, when Felicity and I were writing a magazine article about the Maori people of New Zealand, I was impressed by their tradition of saying thank you to the fish they caught for a meal, to the trees they cut to build their house…you get the point. Saying thanks changed the whole equation. It expressed humility and acknowledged our relationship with the forests, rivers, fish and other natural resources we rely on in this life.  

Big thanks to this big rainbow trout who returned to the Big Horn River that day.  We tried it out and guess what: Gratitude changes your mood…for the better.  It helps you look for the light and blessings in your life. It makes room for what comes next: Kindness, Compassion and Unconditional Love.

Thanks to our Chicago family this holida Thank you! 

And thanks to our North Carolina family. Terima Kasih!

After a tiring, wet hike down from Pinchot Pass, George and I decided to make camp early near the Woods Creek bridge.  The sun made a surprising appearance, and I took the opportunity to dry gear and catch some Golden Trout for dinner.  After this feast, I found a granite bluff overlooking the forest for my evening yoga and meditation practice. For Bhakti yogis like me, a goal of meditation is to build relationships with the Supreme Being (Bhagavan) and others.  Usually, my meditation is not particularly dramatic. Krishna arrives for a friendly chat, sometimes Saraswati plays a tune, Ganesha takes care of a problem on his cosmic Helpline or I just sit quietly with my own atma (soul).  But this evening a very bright wave of energy struck me right in the heart, and from there branched out to my whole body.  I felt like I was glowing while completely at peace and ecstatically happy.  Sorry, my language skills don’t come close to describing the experience. This pulsing, radiant energy continued for some time, and I identified it as pure Love in a form that I could see, feel, touch, and taste.

And then an image of Jesus appeared just in front of me in a seated, cross-legged position.  He told me that what he was giving me were the energy waves of Unconditional Love.  It turned out to be the answer to a prayer. In this blog, I’ve been writing about my mission to understand and practice Kindness, Compassion and Unconditional Love.  And here was Jesus right in front of me giving me a taste of it…pretty darn cool.  After a while of receiving this bounty, Jesus asked me if I’d like to send some of that Love energy back to him.  I gave it a try.  At first, what I sent was weak and intermittent, but gradually I improved.  My biggest challenge, however, was staying focused. Often, I would lose the moment, as my mind veered off to some other subject. Jesus told me it didn’t matter.  All I needed to do was practice to sustain the exchange of Love. I asked if he was here as my tutor, and he agreed.  Apparently, part of my curriculum in this lifetime is not only to have an intellectual understanding of Unconditional Love and to practice it, but to be able to feel its energy. Over the next several days of meditation, Jesus returned to tutor me.  I got better at the practice.  It occurred to me that it would be helpful to give myself a physical cue to remind me to practice this new gift. Inspired by what Krishna taught in the Bhagavad Gita (Chapter Four) I began a breathing exercise to help me quickly reunite with the taste of Unconditional Love. I inhale to breathe in Love and exhale to share it.