Three Tea TourOn the 5th October I will be starting a motorcycle ride from the Seattle Centre...not much exciting about that...however, this particular ride will last approximately six months and take in Central and South America.
Each day I'll be stopping at 4pm to make tea for whoever is nearby and willing to swap stories of their lives in exchange for three cuppas, which I'll film.
That adds something to the ride. Next I'm throwing in a stop in Ecuador to help with a school programme of building and teaching. If you have any books that might help the kids, or old computers, please send them to the address at the bottom of this message.
In addition, because this was initially the three cups of tea tour, which I found clashed with a Greg Mortensen book of the same name, I've become involved in his work, which is to educate kids, of both sexes, in Pakistan and Afghanistan. Unlike the Madrasses, the schools that the Central Asia Institute build do not hold or teach radicalism. The CAI was founded here in Seattle with entrepreneurial support.
Two charities www.ikat.org and www.penniesfor peace.com support these educational innitiatives. If you feel like finding out more about them google the Central Asia Institute or buy the book, 'Three Cups of Tea'.
Now, here's my real intention for posting this message. The first ever NW Tea Festival is taking place on the 4th and 5th of October at the Seattle Centre with Tea movies...yes there are some...at the nearby SIFF. Come along, drink tea and wave me off on Sunday as I head with my teapot into the sunset (probably a bit earlier than sunset).
Finally here's the slighly pretentious part: Three cups of tea because cup one is an introduction, cup two is sharing understanding and cup three is friendship. My aim is to help overcome ignorance: Fear is ignorance: Ignorance is the enemy
Hope to see you, at the Tea Festival on Sunday 5th. I may even make you a cup of tea.
Here's the school that needs helping out. Contact: Jill Sare: “Little primary school, La Escuela 24 de Mayo de Las Cabañas de Ayampe, about 10 minutes south of Manabi, Ecuador"
No I don't know where it is either, but I'll have to find it somehow.
A couple of random thoughts, Stephen, in no particular order.
love that you plan on stopping at 4 p.m. each day! That will be quite interesting, I'm sure.
I think I'm going to borrow your 3 'cuppa' tradition - it's delightful.
All the best in your adventure & have fun teaching!
Just had an email from Ecuador...do not post anything...it will not arrive.
I know it's short notice, but perhaps we could get a UPS or Fedex thing going if there's enough bits and bobs to take.
Unfortunately as I'm on the bike, unless I can digest it and regurgitate it later, then I have no space to carry things.
My slot at the NW Tea Festival is 3pm with the departure at 3:30, but earlier in the day there are tea related events, films, cooking demos and tastings.
Films at SIFF, other stuff at Seattle Centre. Take a look at www.nwteafestival.com for a schedule of events.
totally fantastic adventure... good luck to you!
Marianna and Amanda,
Bless your cotton socks for being nice people.
I owe you both a cup of tea!
Sounds great! What a neat concept :)
Have a blast! I did a road trip in 99 and it was one of my best life experiences.
Forgive me if that I'm not able to attend your event - know that i am totally there in spirit, sharing 3 delightful cups of tea with you and all!
Amy,
so where was your road trip?
In 2006 I rode across the USA from Atlanta, but took a circuitois route that lasted 45 days and covered 10,018 miles. That was fun and was the basis for www.unchainedworld.com blog is at: www.roughguidesintouch.com/lamble
I'll hold you to that 'cuppa', if you ever decide to venture north. The Dempster Highway is a CHALLENGE...not that I speak from personal knowledge!
That'll be 2010 sorted then.
Ok, that's got me laughing aloud! :)
Have your people talk to my people!
Good luck on your exciting journey, Stephen! May your days be filled with many wonderful stories. :)
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-8896088835450662466&hl=en
(Cut and paste into your browser field)
There's a video thing at the end of this link, which I've made this week, that explains how the trip has materialised. Do feel free to take a look, there's no charge!
Suzette, if I eat cheese before going to bed, my nights are filled with wonderful stories too. I highly recommend it!
Stephen... You are one of my favorite "wacky people". I enjoyed your video. I wish you the best of experiences on your tour.
If you haven't already met my friend Nancy Juetten, you might want to connect if you are interested in DIY Publicity while on your tour.
Nancy hosts a regular event called Publici-Tea. I recommend it. ...Howard
Howard,
Define "wacky", as I don't feel I qualify.
I've just sent a message to Nancy, I mean how could I fail to with a company name like Publici-Tea! So thanks for that.
I believe I'm meeting you at the author's and publishers event, so I look forward to seeing you there.
WOW! OK - I agree with Howard about "wacky", but in my book that's a good thing. And so is tea :-) ...
Have you thought about keeping a diary of your adventures? This could make for good reading. Have a safe, wonderful trip. -Krista http://www.nwweddingplace.com
I'll be keeping a blog similar to this one :
www.roughguidesintouch.com/lamble
which I wrote when I rode across the US. This time though, I'll have the videoing going on too, and it will be my own format, rather than a bought rough guides version.
Actually, if you read the earlier blog, there's a tea and Dunk related post. I hereby dedicate it to you, unless you know someone called Rich Tea, in which case he'd have first dibs.
Awesome!
Me, AKA Rich Dunk Tea... Love it!
-Krista
Nice website. By the way, what kind of cheese do you eat before bed? Limburger perhaps?
Any cheese will do, Muenster from the Alsace region is particularly pungent and creates night stories in colour.
But breath that smells like an ill donkey, so brush and gargle vigorously.
o_O
lol!
Now, that was disgusting. Well! Thank you for that frightfully odorous mental picture. May the force be with you!
The Muenster goes well with an Alsace Gewerstraminner as they are from the same region. It's strange how that symbiosis tends to surface so often.
I suppose tea and Brits would be an exception, although once you've had an exotic empire, I suppose you can pick and mix. That's why Chicken Massalla has replaced fish and chips as the UK's most popular dish.
Greg Mortenson was on Fareed Zakaria GPS this weekend. Wow -- he said he’s built 78 schools!
Here’s a link to the video: Fareed Zakaria interviews Greg Mortenson, author of “Three Cups of Tea”
Suzanne, no doubt about it, this guy is doing the right thing, in the right manner to solve problems that rockets, bullets and bombs can never hope to resolve.
How to support Three Teas Tour's charities:
visit-
http://www.threecupsoftea.com and buy any books you want, that way 7% of all the books purchased will go towards helping a girl's scholarship fund.
Check your local library and see if Three Cups of Tea is there. If not, either donate a copy, or ask for it to be added.
http://www.penniesforpeace.org is designed for school kids, here in the West. One penny equals one pencil and a million words. Get your kid's school involved.
Contact: Central Asia Institute, PO Box 7209, Bozeman, MT 59771. Tel 406 585 7841 www.ikat.org
$1 per day for a teacher's wages 1 penny for a pencil $1/month for a child's education.
Contact them directly, not me.
Stephen, this is great! And I will try to be there to see you off. I was planning to attend the festival anyway.
A way to get the books needed for the school is to get a couple of tea shops to collect the donations AND ask everyone who donates a resource to also donate $5 or more dollars towards shipping. The thing is that it would probably be best if you can find out what they truly need especially in the way of old computer books. I have heard tales of poor schools receiving crates of items that are unusable. They don't need that kind of headache.
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