JOINT ACTION COMMITTEE - Emergency committee formed in San Francisco, CA, May 5, 2008 in response to Cyclone Nargis that devastated Burma on May 3.

burmarelief.blogspot.com

On June 19th, 2005, Aung San Suu Kyi will turn 60 years old. In commemoration of this milestone, and as a way of increasing awareness, a number of activities and actions are being planned for the weekend of June 17th-19th. I'm asking you to do two things...

Read the details

Towards the end of March I started making some inquiries regarding how to improve the housing situation for Hay Mar Soe, my "foster daughter" in Burma, and her mom.

Things happened quickly...

Read about it here

I'm happy to report that a piece I submitted recently to a writing contest has been selected as one of 12 finalists. Four winners will be selected from these 12 based on the voting public. Please take the time to read all the pieces (they're short) and vote.

The contest is being held by an organization started by travel writer Brad Newsham, called Backpack Nation. Submitted stories are on the theme "Haves sharing their resources with HaveNots." I've written about my recent visit to Burma and my "foster daughter" there, Hay Mar Soe.

The four winners will each receive $1000 for their cause.

Here's the page that contains Brad's explanation and links to the stories: www.backpacknation.org/phase3.shtml

I shot these photos during a visit to the region around Kyaing Tong in the far east of Shan State (Burma). Village life there has remained unchanged for many years with little outside influence. View the Faces of Kyaing Tong

I'd periodically thought I'd like to help Ailene and her family but never knew quite how... More >>

What's a manananggal? That'd be a Philippine witch. Read more.

In Nov 2004 I travelled to Thailand and then crossed the border into Burma. I was going to Mandalay to follow up with Hay Mar Soe. Read the story.

I spent a couple months recently travelling in Mali and Mauritania - attending Tamashek festivals at Essouk (Kidal) and Essakane (Tombouctou) and spending some time in the Sahara. I've posted two new photo galleries.

Mali Photo Gallery
Mauritania Photo Gallery

I had a truly memorable travel day recently in the Cordillera Mountains of the Philippines. The story involves a ritual pig sacrifice and 500 year old mummies. Read about it here.

I've got some photos posted from my recent visit to Burma.
Click here to check it out.

I first visited Burma in January of 1987. For a long time I wanted to return but stayed away respecting the travel boycott. More recently I started thinking again about going and in January of 2003, I returned. I'm glad I did. Here's a story.

The library has been serving the community of Numancia, Philippines for over four years now. I'm currently in the Philippines to visit the library and work on the project. Read all about the project at the foundation's recently updated and redesigned web site: Cecille Gonzales Gomez Library, Inc.

As with any big city, life in Manila can be many things. Maybe because I'm fortunate enough to come from a place of prosperity, I am most moved when I experience the opposite end of the spectrum. Life in Manila can be difficult. Here's a story.

The recent attention given to the southern Philippines in the US press has given me cause to ponder my experiences there in 1993. In October of that year, I travelled by ship from Zamboanga - on the tip of Mindanao - to the southernmost Philippine island of Sitangkai and back with stops on other islands that make up the Sulu Archipelago. I generally found the people to be friendly and most hospitable. One episode, however, proved to be a bit hair raising; I offer an account here.