Out of Print: Green Island: Island Chronicle Vol. 3: Travelogue - New Zealand

"Green Island: Island Chronicle" Embark on the most distant journey, letting the soles of your shoes and your soul be imprinted with the world's earth. We are cloaked in sea breeze and starlight, we traverse oceans and mountains, finally arriving at that furthest destination. It is the place where the heart yearns to be, a poem resonates from the distant expanse, a poem born from the world and from the depths of the heart. A true arrival. / Purchase the Travelogue now and receive a postcard for the cover and back cover! https://c2.staticflickr.com/2/1961/31139355648_83587079ae_b.jpg https://c2.staticflickr.com/2/1938/44100503445_c741c0634e_b.jpg / https://c2.staticflickr.com/2/1936/45029310281_e46bc1d289_b.jpg **Island Chronicle Vol. 3: Travelogue** Let us listen together to the quiet sounds of this world, and explore the contours of life in the wilderness of words. Go forth, to the very edge of consciousness you once thought desolate, only to find the most brilliant starlight there. If you are willing, we shall journey together. https://c2.staticflickr.com/2/1928/43200064580_10c2b12894_b.jpg The Travelogue features reflections and inspirations gathered during travels in New Zealand's South Island, Myanmar, Chiang Mai, and Lanyu. https://c2.staticflickr.com/2/1904/44100500765_7e62afbbfe_b.jpg / https://c2.staticflickr.com/2/1975/44292510994_6f6d9711b1_b.jpg https://c2.staticflickr.com/2/1904/44100498705_c3a2f72c3c_b.jpg The Travelogue consists of the book itself with a dust jacket. The paper for the book's cover is the same Muffin paper used for the "Green Island" text postcards, offering a simple and warm tactile experience when held. https://c2.staticflickr.com/2/1967/31139344878_227e81d274_b.jpg **Table of Contents:** https://c2.staticflickr.com/2/1930/31139343898_068d0043ca_b.jpg What do you seek in the world? < New Zealand South Island > Living well on the journey. Little Blue Bag Crossing the valley to see you. Aoraki/Mount Cook National Park A cabin by the river. Fiordland National Park This peaceful place is home. Lake Wanaka Sunset Town. Hokitika Goodbye, someday. Farewell to the South Island < The World > In the rainy season. Chiang Mai, Thailand Children without shoes. Bagan, Myanmar The Island of People. Lanyu Postscript I: Three Galaxies Postscript II: Island Chronicle - After Iceland. I Just Want to Draw You a Card Postscript III: A Tranquil Flight of Consciousness https://c2.staticflickr.com/2/1922/43200063600_cb59f40c0d_b.jpg The Travelogue has 191 pages. This page is like writing a letter, with the entire text enclosed by hand within that beautiful sunset. https://c2.staticflickr.com/2/1964/43200062730_bb596ba86a_b.jpg https://c2.staticflickr.com/2/1944/44100501435_153eddba2b_b.jpg **< A Little Something About the Destinations Featured in the Travelogue >** https://c2.staticflickr.com/2/1945/44100490245_043a8878fd_b.jpg < Myanmar Chapter > **(From my diary, October 2017)** : "What's there?" A five-hour flight to Singapore, another three hours to Yangon, then a ten-hour overnight bus to Bagan. So, what's there? "Precisely because I don't know what's there, I went." / **(From my diary, October 18, 2017)** Time to say goodbye. This morning at six, after a ten-hour journey on a long-distance bus, we returned to Yangon. As I opened my eyes in a daze, I looked out to see the clouds in Yangon still abundant, but a golden morning sun was breaking through at the horizon. It was truly golden, the most golden sun I had ever seen. The angle was also fresh, very close to the horizon. Living in the west, I couldn't see such a sun due to the continuous range of towering mountains in the center of the island. A farewell gift? It is time to bid farewell to this fertile land, shaped by the waters of the mother river. This afternoon, I wandered casually through the city of Yangon. Jay Chou's lyric, "Cherish everything, even if you don't possess it," kept coming to mind. Let's cherish everything. Even in hardship, starting from the place you were born, some people in this world are destined to have a harder life than you. When traveling, never forget to be people-centric, never forget your original intentions, never forget to reflect on yourself and the world, never forget to add a little more kindness, a little more smiles to this world. Goodbye. Someday. Goodbye, Yangon. Goodbye, Myanmar. / **Myanmar Musings** The most comfortable moments are always at dusk. We are either on a pagoda or by the river, watching the sun slowly set. It's serene, primal—an atmosphere suited for wandering, for contemplation, for solitude, for keeping others at bay, letting only the sunset in. Each soul has its own unique color, yours might be of the forest, of the azure sea, or of the pitch-black night. If my soul could have only one color, then, I wish my soul to be the color of the sunset. Please, let it be the color of the sunset. https://c2.staticflickr.com/2/1931/44100484935_a35bb1e2fc_b.jpg < Lanyu Chapter > **(From my diary, May 18, 2018)** Goodbye, Lanyu. Someday. I boarded the boat, leaving the small island. I was reluctant, but I left nonetheless. I always say that when you want to go somewhere, it must be calling you, and all you can do is answer its call. There are countless place names in the world; why did you come to this particular place? I recall last winter, a sudden, intense desire arose to see this island. I waited, waiting for the northeast monsoon to pass, waiting for the souls of the flying fish to return to the homeland of the Tao people. I believe I truly heard it, heard the island's call. Later, through a twist of fate, I saw an interview with the Tao author Xia Man-lan-an, and immediately ordered his works. His words were too beautiful, speaking of his people's stories, the ocean's stories, the flying fish's stories. When a place name ceases to be just a name, I am like the fox in "The Little Prince," tamed. Before even arriving, it held a special significance for me. Thank you to everyone who commented and messaged me on the postcard post. I could only send out a few due to limited capacity, but I read every word. Thank you for all your shares. Here is the message I wrote on the postcard: **Before arriving, I promised myself,** **the first moment I see you, no matter what you look like,** **I will love you.** **To Lanyu.** Yes, the first moment I see you, no matter what you look like, I will love you. I have come, do you know? / **About the Inner Pages of the Travelogue** https://c2.staticflickr.com/2/1948/44100489005_f749e21b3a_b.jpg **Introductory Poem** On this island of verdant grass I heard life's questions for me And received a gentle, silent answer From then on On this island unfolded my loneliest journey And the gentlest, most desolate corners of my consciousness Will you come? To witness the winds and rains of life I've gathered Condensed and fallen, nurturing A field of grass, a season of flowers Come gaze upon the ancient forests That have grown since the primal dawn Where my diary turned to mud lies And my moss-covered melancholy resides Come. And see the island's four seasons Where I am always present In life's joys and sorrows Listen as the tides daily Bring and take away How many destinies bloom and fade And the mountains, the mountains are there Don't carry burdens too heavy Let your body, laden with sadness Be gently stroked by grass and trees And travel with the wind along the river In the island's mountains, there is always A moment of gentle breeze, a moment of soft rain At night You are at the cliff's edge Build a campfire and camp Waiting, waiting for starlight To illuminate your blinded heart Waiting, waiting for the sunrise To dry your tear-soaked eyes https://c2.staticflickr.com/2/1980/44292513584_30df3b7ff4_b.jpg What do you seek in the world? About enlightenment at dusk. "My soul is the color of the sunset." / https://c2.staticflickr.com/2/1980/31139344318_7728f0f2d3_b.jpg **/New Zealand South Island Chapter/** Thinking about driving back to Christchurch tomorrow along State Highway 73, officially ending this road trip, I suddenly understood: a journey truly begins with its arrival, which is then followed by a series of farewells. Much like life itself. If travel has a mandatory lesson, it is "living in the moment." We constantly bid farewell to every past instant—the most beautiful, the most painful, the happiest—all will eventually depart. If the essence of life is constant farewell, then all we can truly possess is the present moment. The present moment has no past, nor future. In this moment, there is only oneself, only each other. We exist together in this instant, this present moment. To realize this alone makes one feel incredibly fortunate, cherished by the world. Waking up, we bid farewell to the seaside town and move on. The scenery outside the window constantly changes: snow-capped mountains, streams, lakes. Amidst this stunning beauty, we share this moment together, simultaneously bidding farewell to the past, then smiling at each other. "Happiness only real when shared." Life is enough when it is like this. / "Close your eyes, and our souls never stop flying. I let my consciousness reach outward, to a more distant place, to that moment when body, mind, and spirit are all opened by the world. In that moment, we are immensely content, immensely happy." "Goodbye, New Zealand. Someday." https://c2.staticflickr.com/2/1948/44100497155_544f5a53b9_b.jpg Embarking on the return journey This distant land, only the wind and frost can be taken away Farewell, this city, this rainy season Waving goodbye Leaving a piece of my soul In the rain, in the wind / https://c2.staticflickr.com/2/1946/31139354398_618729ca6d_b.jpg Chiang Mai Chapter. Every day after waking up and getting ready, I would go to the ground floor common area for breakfast. This hostel has a very thoughtful service: snacks, toast, instant noodles, drinks, yogurt, etc., are available 24 hours a day. So no matter what time you wake up, or if you're hungry in the middle of the night, you don't have to worry about missing breakfast or going hungry. While eating breakfast, I chatted with the cleaning lady, who became my first friend in Chiang Mai. When we first met, she said to me, "You must be the young lady from Taiwan." / https://c2.staticflickr.com/2/1948/43200063240_5fe0134734_b.jpg Myanmar Chapter. "Head north, to see the wind rolling sparse dust on the red earth roads. Head north, where many barefoot children reside. Head north, it's a kingdom of smiles. Head north, find someone to guide you into their childhood, their world. Head north, climb a pagoda to gaze afar at sunsets and sunrises. Traveler, just head north. As for me, I must leave." https://c2.staticflickr.com/2/1928/31139356468_32e39db0f5_b.jpg / https://c2.staticflickr.com/2/1947/44100486395_c3f5390df9_b.jpg Lanyu Chapter. For me, the Lanyu trip can be summarized in seven words. "See the mountains, see the sea, see the sunset." https://c2.staticflickr.com/2/1951/44100482475_7dd2fac864_b.jpg https://c2.staticflickr.com/2/1902/43200061390_8b4c245c62_b.jpg https://c2.staticflickr.com/2/1909/31139354958_1b704574f1_b.jpg / https://c2.staticflickr.com/2/1952/45178964041_1e7cc94378_b.jpg Inner pages are printed on art paper, the book's cover and back cover are Muffin paper, the dust jacket is Ivory. A total of 191 pages, made in Taiwan. https://c2.staticflickr.com/2/1920/44100491375_670fc2d697_b.jpg / Other Island Chronicles https://c2.staticflickr.com/2/1954/31139345788_0824d5d3eb_b.jpg Island Chronicle: Iceland :https://www.pinkoi.com/product/2eFhKXMy Island Chronicle: Hokkaido Railway Journey :https://www.pinkoi.com/product/GrSNTheW Island Chronicle: Railway Journey + Full Set of Photo Postcards :https://www.pinkoi.com/product/ySDYgK7X https://c2.staticflickr.com/2/1905/45178968371_c031570330_b.jpg