My Life Changing Journey: Internet and the joys with it.....

CONSTITUTION OF THE REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA, 1996

Ripples For Good....Motivating Change In The Waterways...It Starts with You!!

The Ripples for Good team comprises Liani Broodryk and Maria Botha, Dante and Katryn. In the first part of their epic journey, Liani and Maria and their two Jack Russel dogs, Katryn and Dante, will circumnavigate the entire boundary of South Africa, alone and unaided, to raise awareness of the critical issue of water conservation, the importance of safe drinking water in our communities and to inspire public awareness and action around these issues. Travelling by motorbike, bicycle, canoe, scuba diving, by foot and by donkey cart they will cover approximately 16 500 km to promote “Ripples for Good”.

In part two of their journey, they propose to circumnavigate the globe between the tropics of Cancer and Capricorn. At the end of this expedition they will have traveled through 86 countries and islands - on foot, on bicycles, on motorbikes, scuba diving and in canoes, even via donkey cart – educating and engaging members of the public, in towns and in remote rural places to support this cause.

They will document their experiences, highlight problem areas and connect communities with the various water organizations that can help them in practical ways to protect and preserve their water sources.

In their own special, courageous and determined way, they will DO something about sustaining water in our country and in our world.

Today there are:

1.1 billion people living without clean drinking water
2.6 billion people lacking adequate sanitation
1.8 million people dying every year from diarrhea diseases
900 children dying every day from waterborne diseases

Liani and Maria are passionate about South Africa – its natural beauty and its people. They are strongly aware of the impact that water pollution has on our rivers and our seas – the effect it has on our environment and our communities. And they passionately believe that they can do something, in their own small way, to make a difference in the waterways of our country and our world.

“Ripples for Good” objective part one, is to circumnavigate South Africa - unaided, including travelling across a small portion of Namibia and Mozambique - using various modes of transport such as motorbikes, bicycles, canoes, scuba diving and by foot.

They will do this in partnership with the Water Research Commission (WRC), to raise awareness around the importance of protecting our waterways against pollution and waste – thereby providing safe drinking water for all communities of South Africa as well as protecting the diverse wildlife along our rivers and in our seas.

The specific objectives of the expedition will be as follows:

Link communities with existing water organizations so that sustainable assistance can be provided with river clean-ups, recycling and sanitation

Link communities with water organizations in on-going projects that provide employment opportunities for members of the community

Raise awareness of water conservation, the importance of safe drinking water and recycling with the general public.

Highlight problem water areas found en-route on rivers, in towns or on coastlines where help is needed.

Monday 12 January 2009

Internet and the joys with it.....

With an extra day to spend at Rudi's place we could do laundry, do some catch up on our blogs and recharge all our electrical equipment. I thoroughly enjoy Rudi's place with all the animals walking freely grazing running around, playing with Dante and Katryn.
I would love to update my blog if its possible. With the confeculated internet connection that we have with Vodacom which is as far as I know the better network its a frustrating business of actually spending money without receiving what you pay for. The photos will upload for hours the data will be exchanged and then whaaaaaaa, Internet cannot disp[lay this webpage......gone is the connection and the costs involved without the photo actually posted.

While the internet does its thing I started to recap on the past weeks on the river and realised that we had a couple of rough days waiting for us and with eventful days past us I could feel the dizziness of goodness swallowing me. Its unreal the beauty that stranger posess. People that share your life everyday seems to make up their own minds about what and how they think and feel about you slapping a judgment in the name of its all good and for the better of you. Reacting on assumptions because we are in a hurry past each other chasing our own selfish dreams and feelings. Here is strangers, who freely sees the beauty in you and actually take something good with them. I fell into another philosophical mode and suddenly the internet could carry on doesn't matter what it does. Lots of unanswered questions about why do we say that we realise and appreciate the simpler everyday things in our everyday lives bit we are stuck in the general just of our direct lives. When last did the small simple gestures from the people close to you made any difference in the way you look at them. Is it possible to let people grow into the beautiful beings they can be without slapping a judgement on their acts without presumptions about their intentions. I have been reading a book "Life's values" and was stunned to the ground. I found my life's mission in words. There are so many goals to chase and people searching for love and answers to questions about aspects in life and themselves that we want to change about ourselves and the world that to get crazy with clever words and acts out of desperateness can swallow you whole. And yet there are examples to live by. Look at Ghandi and the so many others who have walked the walk and talked the talk. Yeah, so life goes on. Changes definitely for the better and love for all doesn't matter what. Its most the times hard to stand proud in the simpler things in life because you get the judgements, the break downs of being rude. Standing proud and sticking to your word I have come to learn is definitely not easy. Its strange how people around you starts to justify their own behaviour with all sorts and turns out that most words spoken meant nothing. It was hollow with nothing surrounding it. How many people can we count are truly still loyal, who honor things like integrity, love, respect and commitments. Who will still be at your back after all the simpler things now mean nothing and your efforts in changing yourself to find serenity ends up being a girl standing amongst people whose words were like the wind. I suppose that's the prize people love to pay for freedom, in order to be free, swipe everything you said under the carpet and leave the rest to deal with the rest.....Is the change worth it to give up all your words and efforts? Will it have been worth it if your goals were truly those that you have spoken about or were you just shitting around peoples minds and beings in order for you to get to the top. Is it really worth it being at the top, being the most famous amongst people, the one everyone love and like to spend time with, or do you make real changes for the better by standing alone in your believes no matter what. Standing alone against everyone who thinks you are crazy and have lost your mind while you stood strong and proud in believing in the simpler things are not easy but I suppose it will never be. There will always be a justification of acts, the ever longing search for things while the truth is in us..... No wonder it eludes us. We are never wrong. We know the truth....

We go on searches to find something closer to the truth that fits us. But it eludes us. Its as if the closer to the truth we get the harder the people closest to you make it for us to get to the truth. Luckily the internet worked and I got my thoughts away from the negativity of other people's acts. I can only tell and relay the truths I found a long the way of life.

Whaaaaaaa, life's great. Never a dull moment with goals of being a better myself and uniting my soul with my mind and physical body.

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Background info on our travels...Thanks Liani

There are many ways in which we can get technical about the how’s, when’s and why’s we started this journey, but ours is a story, and there's only one thing to do with a story, you tell it.

By "us", I mean 2 girls, Maria Botha and Liani Broodryk, 2 Jack Russels, Katryn and Dante on bicycles, and our amazing journey through South Africa. This is how it started:
It was one night, at a get together, surrounded by friends and family, when the reality of the moment struck. What was usually fun and games, turned stale, suddenly! Stuck in the proverbial rut! The moment was too big to ignore, so, the obvious question was, where to go from here? So as if by design, we set off to St Lucia, to new horizons, self discoveries, and a tremendous awakening.

The 'challenge' was met once we rode into Cape Town, 3 months later, after some close calls and never felt before, intense moments, we knew that this was not the end by a long shot. So, it is here, where our journey truly begins. Everyday just suddenly had a reason, and every moment counted. It was difficult, the obstacles seemed impossible, but with this came the discovery of kindness, trust, love, humbleness and courage, and the loyalty and trust of animals and nature alike.
We became aware of a whole new world, one that was so endless in it's possibilities and opportunities, we almost couldn't believe it! Threatening this world however, is ignorance and the lack of fearless leaders, ones who inspire individuals to understand and pursue their innermost truth, instead we are misguided and made to believe that war and terror is our only choice. In the midst of all this violence and outrage, is some truly amazing individuals, who have made it their life's work, to reach out to those who have lost hope, and despite efforts to promote confusion, rage, fear, distrust, the way of the world as it is told through mighty mediums, such as the media,

Since we've left St Lucia, our lives have changed dramatically. We saw that through what we were doing, and by challenging our own fears, we were starting to capture the imagination of many and soon realized that our story needs to be told. It is one worth telling, for it could very well be everybody's discovery.

Through weird coincidences, we have joined various organizations in their efforts to heal the wounded, preserve mother nature, etc.. We realize though, that what we experience first hand, could be an effective enough medium, to relay the truth about the state of our country and it's people. It's not as 'bad' as everyone fears, in fact, it's an amazing adventure, and this is how we thought it should go:
We have thought to relay our adventures on a website, which will basically contain our daily diary, pictures, video footage, live chats, etc. A wildly interactive site, aimed at showing off the beauty and diversity of our country and it's people, and at the same time, raise awareness for issues and pandemics that needs attention.

What is SOUL? And HOW do we live a soulful life?

People everywhere are searching for well-being: for meaning, purpose, fulfillment, health and happiness. For life to be good, we need to feel useful and appreciated. And we long for great relationships—to love and to be loved.
Behind all of these human desires is the creative impulse of soul. It moves through each of us and through the world we create.And when we can understand, love and respond to soul, we find meaning in all of our experiences – even the difficult ones.
On the other hand, when we resist the movement of soul within because we don’t understand what’s happening, we become ill, have accidents, experience emotional pain, struggle with money, work and relationships … Life becomes a real challenge.

From: www.mindfulness.com

Mindfulness is:You are not your thoughts. Our thoughts take us away from being here now. If I am thinking about the past, or worried about the future, I am a prisoner of my thoughts. When I take a moment to observe myself having thoughts, I am no longer the thoughts. I get to be and observe at the same time. That's why if I continue to come back to my breath which always occurs in the here and now, it draws me into the present. And from that vantage point I can observe as past and future attempt to draw me away from the moment. This paying attention to the here and now, to the breath, to the observing one's thoughts without being critical or judgmental is what many people call Mindfulness. But what is mindfulness?
Mindfulness is a word. Nothing more, nothing less. As a word it is a symbol or a sign. As a sign or symbol it points to a way of looking at life in general and one's own life in particular. Mindfulness points one in the direction of being aware of the present moment.

Mindfulness points to: Being aware of and paying attention to the moment in which we find ourselves. Our past is gone, our future is not yet here. So what exist between them is the present moment. If I can observe and not get caught up in my thoughts, it is all that I have. The here and now, the present is the link which holds what was and what will be. My past was a series of present moments which brought me to this present moment. My future should it happen will be a series of present moments effected by only present moment in which I am now living, being, doing, observing, being aware or unaware, and attentive or unattentive.
While mindfulness is a generalization about paying attention and being aware in the present moment , it occurs only in the individual. That individual makes a choice to be in the moment and be aware of what is happening in the present moment. In that choice is a realization.
You are not your thoughts. Thoughts take us away from being here now. If I am thinking about the past, or worried about the future, I am a prisoner of my thoughts. When I take a moment to observe myself having thoughts, I am no longer the thoughts. I get to be and observe at the same time. That's why if I continue to come back to my breath which always occurs in the here and now, it draws me into the present. From that vantage point I can observe as past and future attempt to draw me away from the moment. This paying attention to the here and now, to the breath, to the observing one's thoughts without being critical or judgmental is what many people call Mindfulness.