In DF

Es lo malo de aveces dejar tanto tiempo pasar sin escribir porque se acumulan tantas historias y sentimientos que ya ni se por donde empezar...

I'll begin with the present: I am in Mexico City staying with an amazing couple I met two years ago in Mexico (Coco in Mexico, Canek in D.C.) through Mexico Solidarity Network, a program they were working for and I was taking a summer seminar in. Individually and together they are laid back, down to earth and hilarious (not to mention very smart). They have one of the most solid and healthiest relationships I have seen, too; overall they are such a pleasure to be with. It has been so good to hang out with them, know how they are doing, what they're up to, and they really make me think about things in ways I haven't thought of. They are politically conscious, leftist, Latina Americanistas that have a positive and critical way of interpreting and understanding the world. Although I feel like I am practically home, they make up a special part of my trip that is making me reflect on the steps ahead through conversations, lectures and events I've attended with them. But no politica talk for this entry- it's all about the FOOD!

Here I am with Coco (aka Coco Chanel or Coco Eh-mo)



Funny picture with Canek looking like he's giving me a lecture or something



They took me out for my birthday today (I'm now 26!!!) for a DELICIOUS comida (here comida = lunch, which is about 2-3 pm) to Hosteria Sto. Domingo, the oldest restaurant in DF that serves traditional dishes in the historic center of the city.

I had the Chile en Nogada: OH MY GOODNESS...



It is stuffed chiles with ground seasoned beef and about 20 something other ingredients inside with an almond sauce (with a hint of platano macho) all over (think- Like Water for Chocolate special occasion dishes). I took the first taste and it was like nothing I had ever tasted, it was an explosion of flavors and I felt I could taste every single ingredient. I ate it so slowly, with my eyes closed at times, savoring each bite. I even took breaks to reintroduce the flavor in my mouth, I'm serious! I don't think I'll ever forget that moment, that feeling and that sabor.



And yes, that is pomegranate sprinkled on top!



On another day we had brunch with Canek's parents and sister at a well-known pozole house (really, a house in a residential area that has insisted on keeping it a family business for over nearly years and there are tons of people waiting outside as if it was an IHOP on a Sunday morning on Mother's Day.) Here they serve a green pozole, al estilo Guerrero (the state) and it has all sorts of condiments and it is a little more thicker. You add pork rinds, avocado, sardines (si quieres), limon and some chile and voilà, another incredibly delicious meal.

...and here I am enjoying appetizer chalupas before that massive pozole I had above.



I had a hard time walking after that meal (I was overstuffed) but it was worth it.

Pictures below- making our way back home (late at night) on a nearly empty subway.



Pareja Eh-mo

Machu Picchu

Despite all the hype, and so many people everywhere, it still makes you stare and say "Wow, I´m really here."



Click on picture below for album.

From Machu Picchu

Songs on my mind

Gracias a la Vida (interpreted by Mercedes Sosa)

My favorite part:

"Gracias a la vida que me ha dado tanto
Me ha dado la marcha de mis pies cansados.
Con ellos anduve ciudades y charcos,
playas y desiertos, montañas y llanos,
y la casa tuya, tu calle y tu patio."



Al Otro lado del Rio

por Jorge Drexler



Soledad

por Jorge Drexler



Such a beautiful song!

From el libro Poesia de Protesta

Autocrítica

Por Alfonso Chase

Los falsos intelectuales de izquierda no se bañaron esta
mañana
y sudorosos y sedientos, indefensos y hediondos,
insistieron en repartir sus octavillas,
a los intelectuales de derecha y algunos otros estudiantes
que buscaban sus nombres entre la lista de aplazados.
Los falsos intelectuales de izquierda pasaron los memoriales
en donde no firmar era de mal gusto,
y proclamaron nuestro puesto ante la revolución,
mientras los obreros en las cantinas y en sus casa
bebían ron con coca cola y comentaban los diarios.
Los falsos intelectuales de izquierda, esta mañana
luego de comer sus corn-flakes
se montaron en los carros de papá
y junto con algunos otros amigos
empezaron a repartir hojitas en las calles
donde un leguaje que sólo ellos entendían
llamaba al pueblo a subleverase,
porque es muy fácil estar full-time en rebelión
cuando se tiene el estomago lleno
y las caries y el hombre son de los otros, lejanos, y cercanos
pero siempre prendidos como el aire.
Los falso intelectuales de izquierda, esos muchacho de pulóver,
vendidos del alcoholismo y la putería o mas bien,
los hijos de señor Ministro y la señora Embajadora,
que encontraron en la Revolución un justificante para su tedio

y la retrasan en sus relojes para darse tiempo
de aparecer en las crónicas
o en las reseñas históricas que han de hacerse en el futuro.
Los falsos intelectuales, esos que hacen la revolución
en sus tazas de café, mientras los días transcurren y mueren,

sin pedirle a nadie permiso,
o simplemente amarillos como los pergaminos
languidecen en sodas y bares o restaurantes
haciendo la revolución ante un chop-suey,
soñando ser los fieles Castro o los Chees Guevara de bolsillo.

Los falsos intelectuales de izquierda, ligeros
como un ascensor, haciendo versos para agradar al Partido
o angustiándose de pronto porque la noche apenas llega
y en el día no hicieron nada por la revolución.
Estos hermosos muchachos con sus amiguitas al lado,
pálidas sombras de posibles mujeres,
Luisas Micheles sin barricadas, de ojos pintados y pestañas amarillas,
mudas y pálidas como las vestales,
y que nadie ha sabido si son inteligentes o idiotas
porque nunca abren la boca.
Los eternos muchachos, los que después de los treinta aun
siguen siendo los mismos que cuando tenían veinte
y para los cuales la arrugas son solo el pretexto para aducir
sufrimientos conflictivos o conflictos interiores.
Los falsos intelectuales de izquierda
lívidos y sucios deambulando por los bulevares o las rotondas
y fumando marihuana o viendo festivales de cine de protesta
o deambulando en la noche por el Jardín Rosemary.

Los precoces aspirantes o diputados o munícipes,
hablando ante parlamentos juveniles
sobre la necesidad de la rebelión
y ante la muerte heroica
y que por la tarde asisten a la boda de fulanita
y menganita y entre cócteles
y aceitunas
y escotes
tratan de extender la subversión
por entre todas las mesas dispuestas
los hacedores de la revolución de paquete,
la que nace de todas las tardes y se muere de tedio
y puede leerse entre octavillas o diarios o revistas
y esta en sus cuartos un retrato del Che junto a otro de Raquel Welch
y confunden la revolución con el manoseo o el Kama Sutra
y pierden los años y los días en lamentos,
como en una película de Sarita Montiel,
salidos de un cafetín en las mañanas cuando los obreros van a sus trabajos
y perdidos por las calles de la mano de una pequeña amiga,
pálidos y nostálgicos como un poema, del primer Neruda.

Buscar y encontrar

Muchas cosas por compartir. I went with a friend to the small town of Curva, a small town nestled somewhere por las montañas de los Andes, where the hawks fly freely and gracefully. This is where the Kallawaya culture of natural herbal medicine is preserved and practiced. Here we also found Don Max, a yatiri, uno que sabe, for a consultation and a menuchada (ritual for healing and good fortune). The overal trip was beautiful and I felt quite at ease with what he told me. The sights along the way were incredible; I felt far, far away from everything. We were part of this ritual high on a hill that gave us a perfect 360 view of the valleys, and mountains and where the only sound you could hear were that of the birds, wind and rivers below. This was nature and spirituality in perfect balance.

Por Bolivia

Llamas: cute to look at (and they stare right back) and good to eat. Un lomito con su respectivo arroz y salcitas. Mmm mmm.

What´s going on in Mexico?! I have a flight to el DF next month. Several countries (and my mom) are warning against traveling to Mexico and I just got a hold of a friend there that also recommends that "por nada en el mundo vaya." So I´ll have to figure out soon to see if it´s safe enough to change the flight to Guadalajara, or continue seeing more of South America (Colombia?) or just head home early (I suspect my bank account will have more say in this decision than I do); ya veremos...

Now: I flew in to La Paz early this morning (I finally decided to splurge a little after taking several overnight buses) from Santa Cruz. It was beautiful to fly over the rich green landscapes and the snake formations of rivers of Santa Cruz, and then fly over el altiplano and get an up close view of the Intilimani mountain-it was a spectacular sight! I checked into a hostel (where I´m meeting up with a Canadian couple I´ve been traveling with off and on since Rio), called home and just had some delicious rice and potato patties with some fresh squeezed orange juice on the street. Besides being a little short of breath (altitude here is about 3,600 meters above sea level), La Paz reminds me of Mexico city with houses way up on the hills and the fast-paced movement. This is Evo territory and it feels good to be here, where it feels a little less pretentious than Sucre or Santa Cruz.

I´ve been working on this blog post (paragraphs below) for a long time, and I´m still not done really summarizing (so many layers to how I´m experiencing Bolivia), so I´m just going to post what I have now...

Unfortunately I was only in Brazil, and really, only in Rio for a week, but it's been going so well in Bolivia! I've been traveling through here now for about 3 weeks and I´ve been meeting other nice travelers and seeing some beautiful landscapes…but how to summarize experiences in Bolivia without also noting the effects of colonialism, the political tension and la gente…

Entering Bolivia
I was waiting to board a night bus* from Salta to La Quiaca (border town of Argentina with Bolivia) and I noticed a funky dressed girl chatting on the phone with her dad. It was cool to see someone dressed like a backpacker and speaking Spanish (I haven't seen too many other Latino Americanos traveling por aqui). It turned out our assigned seats were next to each other- and she had bought her ticket off some man earlier that day! I asked her if she was on her way to Bolivia, she said yes she was going to meet up with a friend at the border and then head to the Salar de Uyuni (slat flats) and one string of conversation lead to another and we ended up talking for 3 hours (3 am) about school, education, US/Mexican/Argentinian cultures and societies; it was so nice to connect with someone I can call mujer. Her name is Ani and she is from Argentina, works as a nutritionist in indigenous communities and is also getting her PhD in (se me olvido, something to do with nutrition and health); I was so inspired to talk with her and listen to how much she loved what she does and how certain she is about her vocation in life.



Something else- it was nice walking with Ani through the market and passing by women that reminded us both of how our grandmothers worked en los mercados; hers selling and grinding spices and mine (my dad´s mom) selling cheese. There´s not too many people you can share those moments with...



We hung out in Villazon (the border town of Bolivia) where we walked around other mercados and ate tipica comida Boliviana. Below Ani explains how a potato is dehydrated (that video is taking for ever to upload, it´ll go up soon) and later prepared for a meal (also below is a plato de conejo falso, meaning beef.



She suggested that I should join her and her friend (Shawn) to Uyuni (I was on my way to a completely different part of Bolivia) which, from the border would be the closest area to visit. I hesitated at first because that would mean I would have to rethink my rough idea of the order of places I was going to, but we were getting along so well so why not? So I ended up taking a train with Shawn and Ani to Uyuni.

Salar de Uyuni
We got to Uyuni at about 5 am and slept for a few more hours at the train station while we waited for tour agency offices to open and book a 3 day trip to the salt flats. With that last night, it was my third consecutive night sleeping on a bus or train (this means: no shower, smelly clothes, socks, no real sleep and wondering if the lady next to you can smell you; bird baths help but it's not the same!) Below is a picture from a "Train cemetery" in Uyuni.



The trip: three days driving through incredible landscapes making you think you are driving through different worlds. There were seven of us in total (Ani, Shawn, 4 Germans working in La Paz and me). I am so glad that I did end up going with them because I was able to share emotions, feelings, impressions and take funny pictures. El Salar de Uyuni- about 12,000 square kilometers of salt flats. Can you imagine? Looking out and seeing nothing but flat salt earth and seeing the dimensions of clouds (since they're so far away!) Some time in history, this was all an ocean! Then there are areas where after it rains, the water left behind leaves a surreal mirror effect with the sky- we were lucky it recently rained and this view took my breath away.





It was sad splitting, but Ani had to go back to school and work and Shawn and I moved on to Potosi.

El Otro Lado de la Moneda (other side of the coin)
Oh, but many of these wonders and rich resources in Bolivia paid a high price. Take the city of Potosi for example...(skip this if you don't appreciate history or you've heard this one already).

The next stop was Potosi (highest city in the world at 4,060 meters above sea level; you lose breath just walking up a few steps!), a city known for its “Cerro Rico,” full of pure silver and other minerals. Background story (from Galeano, 1971): Inca leader Huayan Cápac went to this city for the curative thermal waters of Tarapaya, where he had also heard of the beautiful mountain of Sumaj Orcko. Once there, he was able to see this beautiful colorful mountain for himself. He suspected there were some precious stones set on the mountain and had miners find precious metals for new adornments to the Sun Temple in Cuzco (so they never used these metals and stones for exportation or trade). He sent miners to the mountain and the legend says that once the miners were inside they heard someone say in Quechua, “This isn't for you; God reserved these riches for those who come from afar.” The miners ran away, the excavation was abandoned and the Inca changed the name of the mountain to “Potojsi” which means “thunder, burst, explode” in Quechua. As Uruguayo writer Galeano wrote, those who “come from afar” didn't take long to arrive and in 1545 a campesino found a shiny sliver of silver on the mountain (after having to spend a night in the mountain looking for a lost llama) and shortly after “se descadenó la avalancha española” (Galeano, 1971, p. 31) (my translation-all hell broke loose).

So this mountain was rich in silver! In gold! In so many precious minerals! Potosi was one of the biggest and richest cities in all of Latin America in the 1600s and supported Spain´s (and really, as Galeano explains, helps all of Europe´s economy) for two centuries! There were over 30 churches and gambling houses in the city and fine linens, fabrics, and jewels were imported from all over the world to here in Bolivia! It´s really hard to imagine all of this while walking through those streets now, passing by the UNESCO World Heritage designation monument at a cross street (now full of tagging), noticing the outskirts of the town still unpaved and learning that miners still work in similar conditions as they did during the silver rush. Forced indigenous miners and African slaves worked in poor conditions (not to mention the already high altitude and bitter cold) in the mountain which lead to the death of millions. It made me rethink about my eargerness to find cheap silver jewelry in the area, which didn´t matter anyway since ironically, you can´t find much silver here anymore; most of it was for export.

Oh, but you´ll find plenty of that in the wealthy, colonial and conservative-anti Evo city of Sucre. The city has a meditteranean feel with it´s white and terra cotta shingles. It´s a beautiful college town (40% of the university supports this town) which is also the official capital of Bolivia where the declaration of independence was signed. Here I learned a little more about Bolivia´s colonial history and it´s "independence" (Spanish fathers overtaken by their criollo sons) and the bravery of badass Juana Azurduy.



I also took a much needed break from moving and stayed for almost a week in Sucre. It´s a small enough town that you can walk nearly every where and the mercado is great- lots of fruits (chirimoyas!), veggies and meals on the third floor for almuerzo, comida y cena. Those 5 or so days revolved around that mercado. I also stayed at a hostel with a big kitchen where one night I cooked carne molida con tomates, arroz con frijoles fritos (cocinando el aceite con un chile y cebolla for that extra kick) and I also showed travel buddies from New Zealand how to make pico de gallo y guacamole, it was delicious!

Next I went to the small town of Samaipata, the jump off point to follow La Ruta de Che, to trace some of Che Guevara´s final steps. It was incredible. I visited the school house in La Higuera where he was shot and that laundry room space where his body was washed and exposed for the media in Vallegrande. I also chatted with inspirational Cuban doctors (and great admirers of el Che) that are working at a small community clinic- medicine and supplies all courtesy of Cuba... I have many more thoughts on this route but I think this is it for now.

After this I´ll visit el Lago de Titicaca, Tihuanaco and then cross over to Peru, I will post more pictures soon. Now I´m hearing some fireworks from some demonstration not too far from here, maybe I´ll go check out what that´s all about.



I can´t say it enough- el Salar de Uyuni was the most amazing sight I had ever seen.

Citation: Las venas abiertas de America Latina by Eduardo Galeano, 1971.

Still Going

My pictures are large images so they take a long time to upload (and cost money to be on the internet).

It´s been going ok, I think I´m finally getting tired of moving around...so I´m looking forward to getting to Bolivia tomorrow and taking it easy. Money goes by fast! Especially in a place like Brazil, so I was only in Rio de Janeiro for a week, which was not my plan. I really wanted to go to the north to see more of the Afro Brazilian culture and learn more about Condomble but with all these transportation costs, I just had to make the decision and head to Bolivia sooner than I thought...so I´m not sure that a capiriña buzz (Brazilian sugar cane liquor drink) and a few Carioca (Rio locals) nalga sightings quite justify a trip to Brazil, nope, I´ll definitely have to come back...sadly, it was a cloudy day when I went to pay a visit to buddy Jesus...



...but I did get to see him the following day, with a beautiful sight of the city from the Pan de Azucar mountain.





Ipanema Beach

I´ve also loved some of the graffitti art on the walls, it´s pretty hard to miss when it seems to be almost every where.





"To acuse is easy, to understand it´s difficult, to abandon, is (my interpretation) worthless"...left me with a lot to think about...

Next I stopped in Puerto Iguazu, on the Argentinian side and oh my goodness, those waterfalls were incredible, I´m not sure how to even describe the sound and that energy that comes from all that water! It was such a beautiful park, and I was completely wiped out by the end of the day from walking and swimming.





I´m on a bus terminal now headed for Salta, Argentina, to make my way to Santa Cruz en Bolivia. Ah! Picture below is with Sasha and Netali from Israel (I met them in Thailand). They were so, so cool, down to earth, super hospitable and I enjoyed every minute of hanging out with them. It was nice to relax for a week and stare out into the Red Sea.

Pleasant surprises

Being open to making new contacts and friends has allowed me to be in places I would have never dreamed of!



Hm...

Equally, I want to describe the diving center where I am staying at now in Israel as well as my impression (and surprise) from Egypt. Where to start...

Ok, Egypt. I think I have been most impressed and surprised by what I thought I would look forward to versus what I actually enjoyed in Egypt. To be honest, the only thing I was really thinking and looking forward to were the pyramids in Giza and going down the Nile river, but this is only ancient Egypt! What about modern day people and culture? They speak Arabic and over 90% of the population is Muslim. You can hear prayers from the speakers outside mosques and most women are covered from head to toe. Most of the people I've talked with are men who are drivers, staff at hostels, guards at temples and monuments; since many women (that I saw) do not work in these areas. I felt fortunate to meet so many who were willing to share their experiences and as well as take my ignorant questions with humor, ie.-

"Are those ashes on your forehead?" (Insert Catholic upbringing/reference point here)

(Laughs and shakes his head) "No this is from years of prayer, from my forehead touching the ground."

"Oh, right."



I enjoyed my time here mainly because of the connections I made with people, but of course to actually stand in front of the Khufu pyramid (below), well, that moment was pretty amazing, too.



...I thought it was funny how I kept overhearing ..."and this was built before Jesus was born!" from a couple of tour guides.



...and then there is the town of Dahab! Who would have imagined (ok, maybe most except me) aqua marine water and incredible coral reef in Egypt? Again, all I thought I would see in Egypt were pyramids and deserts. I stayed a few days in this hippie beach town (that has turned more into a tourist resort-town attraction) where I snorkeled on the shore of the Red Sea (clearly seeing Saudi Arabia right across) and saw coral reef and fish that looked like they were taken right out of the movie Finding Nemo. There is a part of the shore where you pass memorials set on the side of a mountain of other people who have died from diving here (the current is pretty rough and it's over 300 feet deep in some areas), which is awkward just as you're about to dive into the same hole, but it was incredible!

Now I am in Israel, which was not on the itinerary, but it's great the way it worked out! I am thankful that I did return to Thailand because I got the opportunity to meet a really nice, easy-going couple from Israel. They live right on a border town of Israel (Eilat, far, far away from the Gaza strip), and they invited me to hang out at their place for a few days. Dahab is just a two hour car ride from this border so it worked out quite well. As soon as I mentioned that I would be going to Israel to other travellers, some said- are you crazy? You want an Israeli stamp on your passport? You won't be able to get into any other Muslim country! You're supporting their politics! Yeah, well, as a good friend said, as residents in the US we're sometimes supporting shitty politics, too. Anyway, politics aside, I wanted to meet up with people that gave me a really good feeling and so I went ahead with crossing the border. I literally walked to their place from the border. Their names are Netalie and Sasha and they are diving instructors. They live in a home right behind the diving center they run which is right across the road from the sea; it's beautiful and so laid back! There is absolutely nothing but rocky hills on either side of the center and you look out straight to the sea and over to Jordan. I also went diving for the first time the other day and that was also incredible (man I really need to look up some adjectives in a thesaurus). I can't even describe what I felt when I looked up at the water several feet above me. It was meditative in a way. I really had to relax, not think and focus on breathing. Once I got out of the water I wanted to go back in. Another staff member at the center said, "now you know why we love what we do," "Absolutely," I replied.

The first picture in this post and the one below are from the city of Petra in Jordan. I took a one day organized tour (when you're short on time, a one day tour with two other tourists is pretty ok) and I am really glad I visited this place. You walk for about 45 minutes through a really deep canyon which reveals this incredible memorial below. For being constructed in about 100 BC, it is in near perfect condition. I was standing in front of it, in awe, not being able to fathom the age of this- 100 Bc?!



Also on this day I lost $300 at the beginning of the tour (long story) which really tested me to either put things in perspective, or let this loss kill my day. I was so mad at myself and bummed out because at this point of the trip every penny counts but, I know that in the larger scheme of things, (and I can almost hear my dad telling me this, too) money is just money; we give it value, not the other way around and while I was standing there, I thought, I'm sure I'll remember how this took my breath away more than losing money that can come and go at any moment, so it is better to value what is in front of us because we just never know if or when we'll see it again.

Religious city Varanasi, India

I had been digesting (litterally and figuratively) experiences from India back on the island of Ko Chang in Thailand for almost the past two weeks. It was so nice to return to familiar faces and feel like I belonged somewhere for a while and of course, when you're away from any place you see the same environment just a little different. Overall, India was amazing and yes, many describe the streets as madness, but I would also add that it's a functional madness; somehow, the traffic flows, people get to the other side of the street (ok, so we're running for our lives a lot of the time), everyone litters, and there are several people cleaning up and making small change (I'm not saying it's wrong or right, this is just how I saw it). It was interesting returning to Thailand and having something to compare it to. I thought of how it will be to return home and see how I'll see my home environment, my family and friends...

Below are a few more pictures of India, mostly of Varanasi, considered a holy ancient city for Hindus and Jains. The city was built along the Ganges River (pronounced Ganga) which plays a vital role for the residents. People bathe in the river, wash clothes in the river, bathe their animals in the river, and also cremate bodies here, too. There are several ghats along the river (like piers to a beach) where religious ceremonies are practiced nightly and there are also the cremation ("burning") ghats where thousands of bodies a year are burned. Some people are opposed of watching but there are many Hindu families and observers around. Private life is so public and death is seen as just another part of life; after all, this is just one life passing and another one is reborn.

Varanasi

What's next? I have a flight for Cairo, Egypt tonight and I hope to be there for a few weeks (I still don't have an outgoing flight). After Egypt (and maybe Israel? I just met a nice couple who live close to the border with Egypt, not on the Red Sea side) I'll be headed for Rio de Janeiro, Brasil!

It happens in India

Here are pictures from the first two weeks in India- in Delhi and Rajasthan. I haven't added comments or descriptions, but I figured I'll just post this now since I haven't posted any albums of India yet (and I'm headed back for Thailand in two days!)

Delhi and the state of Rajasthan

I also met really, really nice, good people that I traveled with for a few days- three are from France and one from Spain. We met on a bus that was headed for Patna (then for a train to Darjeeling). Below left to right: Stephane, Gustavo, Virginie, and next to me, Johan. We had such good, easy going chemistry that made it so pleasant to travel together for a while. I've enjoyed meeting other people, hearing their stories, and learning more about the universals of life, despite ethnic/social backgrounds (much to my surprise).



Below is a picture from a train ride (sorry Gustavo is blocked, but hopefully you can see the arrangement of beds in the background)- there was a political party campaign and there was a man that had 5 legitimate tickets for about 20 people (with party flags and signs), but of course, the seating list was updated, and one of the seats he had was then mine but refused to move people, and I also felt bad for moving so many people, but at the same time- this man is putting multiple supporters into single beds which was also not fair for them, either...anyway, I ended up on another seat, crammed with luggage for a while with Gustavo. We made the best of it and started taking pictures and chatted with some of the passengers. Fortunately we did get our own beds about an hour or two later. Gustavo said, "Voy a ir a conquistar mi cama," and I said, "Si, para eso son buenos [Spaniards]," and we cracked up. And yes, he did conquer his seat! I don't think I'll ever forget that train ride.

Experiences that shift and shake the core...

You can have moments in India that can shake your core and have the "power to alter the way you view the world and your place in it..."- Sarina Singh, India Lonely Planet coordinating author.

My goodness, looking back to my first days in Delhi and now (about 5 weeks later) I just shake my head and smile. I have looked at an empty blog entry page twice not knowing where to begin to summarize and after my latest experience taking a 10-day meditation course, I'm even at a greater loss for words...well, here is what the course consisted of:

10-day Vipassana Meditation Course- a technique taught in India more than 2500 years ago - there are meditation centers in Washington and California, by the way!

Here's a brief overview of the technique: http://www.dhamma.org/

I had to commit to staying for the entire 10 days of the course. The course is quite disciplined and I had commit to accepting this before registering.

I also had to keep a vow of Noble silence- meaning silence of the body, speech and mind. For 10 days I could not talk to anyone else, or even make eye contact with anyone else; I was basically looking down or away all the time, it was quite strange at the beginning. Even singing would be breaking this vow! It took all I had to even quiet my mind which, I think I finally accomplished for longer periods of time on day 7 or 8. I kept all valuables (passport, money, etc) including all books and writing materials (no reading, no writing for 10 days!!!) locked away somewhere else. I was so hungry for a pen the first few days that I would get criminal thoughts when I would eye a pen in the cafeteria; it was so funny and pathetic.*

Men and women are segregated and have different dormitories. We are only together to meditate in the main hall.

For 10 days I meditated for about 10 hours a day and followed this schedule:

4:00 am Morning wake-up bell
4:30-6:30 am Meditate in the hall or in your room
6:30-8:00 am Breakfast break
8:00-9:00 am Group meditation in the hall
9:00-11:00 am Meditate in the hall or in your room according to the teacher's instructions
11:00-12:00 noon Lunch break
12noon-1:00 pm Rest and interviews with the teacher
1:00-2:30 pm Meditate in the hall or in your room
2:30-3:30 pm Group meditation in the hall
3:30-5:00 pm Meditate in the hall or in your own room according to the teacher's instructions
5:00-6:00 pm Tea break
6:00-7:00 pm Group meditation in the hall
7:00-8:15 pm Teacher's Discourse in the hall
8:15-9:00 pm Group meditation in the hall
9:00-9:30 pm Question time in the hall
9:30 pm Retire to your own room--Lights out

Sitting for this long was very, very difficult (painful) at the beginning and as the teacher explains, it takes a lot of patience, persistence and diligence. This was at the physical level, the most challenging. Even the early wake up bell was not so bad; after the third day, my body was automatically waking up...

...and this is just the course at the practical level but then there is the technique itself which went beyond what I could have ever imagined. I feel like I was introduced to a whole new way of seeing life, of how to act of how to calm my mind and reflect on many past things in life. I've definitely been put to the test since finishing the course and continuing on my travels in India and I feel different, I don't know if that sounds cheesy or what but it's true. Vipassana is a meditation technique that brought me directly to my inner physical senses- I went deeper than emotional and psychological level; to a field of mind and matter. And this, as the teacher explains, is where our deep rooted causes of misery and stress lie. It was incredible how memories from a year, two years and many years back surfaced and manifested themselves as physical good and painful sensations in my body. Sometimes I would walk out of the meditation hall dumbfounded by what I just remembered or crying from what I thought I had long ago buried (but never surpassed!). More importantly, I learned how I can heal from so many ills and truly be free and happy by observing that intense physical pain, that daily schedule and that vow of Noble silence to realize the law of nature: impermanence; everything passes from moment to moment, from moment to moment. Nothing, whether good or bad ever remains the same, anicha. I continue to practice this techniqe daily and it has really helped me feel much more at ease. It was so intense and beautiful! On day 10 we break this vow of silence and begin adjusting to talking again. We were all chatter boxes on that day talking about the things we were thinking about each other, the intense moments we experienced and how we felt overall. It was so funny to share these stories because there I was thinking I was the only one thinking certain thoughts when in reality everyone shared the same experiences. It was also funny how I spent 10 days physically very close with several people but only really got to talk with them for a few hours and now I feel like I can share with them just about anything because they went through this same experience, it's amazing.

*with this I realized just how much I write and why it is good to not have access to writing materials as this triggers the mind in so many ways! I realized what the act of writing is for me, what has it been good for, what it has not been good for and even now, I write a lot less. I remember on the 11th day when we were able to get our things back, I opened my journal, read the last entry about my pre-course anxiety ramblings and closed the journal without writing a new entry. I simply did not have words to write what I was feeling or describe what I had just gone through in those 10 days.

Now I am in Darjeeling, the "Queen of Hills" where on a clear day you see the Himalayas (which I have yet to see, but they say it's there!). I am traveling with a few other people that I met on a bus in Patna (another city) all on our way here (with an interesting 11 hour train ride). It's been so great to travel with others and listen to their stories through traveling and life. I was especially impressed with one older woman's story (she about late 50s traveling alone) where she was telling me about how her father passed away when she was 32 and how she changed her life in hopes to become something her father would have been proud of. At the end she said, "Funny thing is that, just about 5 years ago, I realized my father was proud of me just the way I was." Her story struck a personal chord with me and has stayed with me for several days. These are the moments that have truly enriched this experience for me.

Amazing what a train ride can do...

I read the last entry I wrote about my first impressions of India and I crack up; I admit it got the best of me for a while but I am really enjoying this part of the trip. I've learned to decline offers on the streets with politeness and good humor (as long as they don't follow me for a few meters I'm ok). I've learned not everyone is out to sell me something or hit on me- some people really are interested in just talking! Two days ago I took an overnight train ride from Agra (after visiting the Taj Mahal, incredible) to Varanasi which I must say (at the expense of sounding cheesy) has altered the rest of my trip through India, and the remainder of these next four months of traveling. There's something calming, soothing and meditative (is that a word?) about crossing through countrysides, having hours and hours to read and write and just think. I reflected on these past four months, the learning lessons thus far, and where I was headed for this next month in India. I think I lost sight of this running around sight seeing through the state of Rajasthan, which was beautiful and educational but something was not sitting well. I was suckered into buying something I didn't want (and that I couldn't get a refund on) back in Delhi and it was either taking this "two week" tour (which I had just completed upon leaving Agra) or walking away from the deal altogether; I figured I might as well sight see. I tried making the best of it (the sights were amazing) despite the resentment and broken spirit I had from the situation I was in. This out of all experiences I've had so far, has REALLY challenged me to just let it go, look forward and think, what can you do now? As I said, that train ride to Varanasi really allowed me to refocus and think about what I'm doing here. I also re-read a copy of the essay I wrote for the fellowship that I had glued to a journal. I knew what I had to do. I looked at all these pre-purchased train tickets that would have zipped me through the entire country, set them aside, and took out my guide book to rework the entire next month. No more Mumbai, Goa, Bengalore, Chennai and Kolkata; it was too ambitious and not in tune with what I imagined myself doing here.

What now? Well, I hope to be in Kathmandu (Nepal) within the next two days, return to India for a 10 day meditation course and end in Kolkata. It's like asking yourself what's better, eating a whole pie or savoring a slice? Yes, I'll have a slice of that pie, please.

India

I am in India now and it has been...crazy. In the end, I can only laugh, otherwise, I'll have a misearable time beating myself up for being such a sucker and falling for what other people tell me and "suggest". It hasn't been easy traveling as a solo woman; there are hardly any women on the streets (if there are, they are just passing by) and all the people working outside- from cooks, to cleaning service- are all men. My natural distrust in men is really challenging me; it's hard when there are guys telling you that the other guy shouldn't be trusted, and they all seem so sweet and nice. Well, I guess that is how the first week goes..now I've become more assertive, and, sorry to say, but I can't find a better way to put it- I've become a bitch on the streets with touts (men on the streets trying to take you somewhere, rip you off, "help you out"). Does it sound like I've been ripped off? YES...



...but then I look around, and realize- man, you're in freakin India for goodness sakes, and I just smile. I spent two nights in the desert near Jaisalmer in Rajistan and I saw a bright red sunset - and even a moon set! I danced under a beautiful full moon last night. It's not been all so bad, but it has been a challenge to really do some self-talk and not let a small aspect of tourism get in the way of really enjoying this experience and opening up to genuinely good people. Here are some snippets of what I've observed and experienced-

In Delhi, there are numerous sexologist offices (Jeanette, you can find work here!) with big billboards.

Everyone on the street honks- to let you know- get out of the way, I'm passing through and I'm not stopping- not even for you, old lady and little kids.

I think I've gotten use to the smell of dirty bathrooms, or I've learned to not smell it. I thought this the other day when I went into a stall on the side of the road (basically a hole with stuff all over) - 'hm, I bet this bathroom must have smelled a lot worse four months ago when I started traveling...'

Sample of taxi driver questions: hello, how are you? Are you married? Do you have a boyfriend? How many brothers and sisters do you have? What do you do at home? How much does that pay? It's been fun making up stories- I say I have a fisherman boyfriend in Thailand and I'm just in India for two weeks.

Of course, I have not overlooked the poverty, the children, the lack education, but that deserves a more thoughtful, insightful entry than this choppy I'm-in-a-rush one. Above and below are pictures from the desert and the fort in Jaisalmer.

Pictures of Bang Bao, Ko Chang

Finally I can share where I've been staying for over the last two weeks- and for the next two, as well!

This is the living room/deck of the house I am staying in-



and this is where we have dinner-



and where we swim when we go snorkeling-



and the sunsets and amazing colors I see-





I swear I'm not bragging or anything like that ;)

So I ended up changing my flight for the beginning of January. It was just too soon to leave Thailand! I am having so much fun in Ko Chang, with Barbara and Nui and everyone else; it's been real nice to just sit and learn to relax. So many things go through my head through out the day, including...what if I stayed here? What if I return here at the end? It's tempting...this experience, meeting so many people and seeing so many sights really makes me think about where I am with so many things and realizing that not everything is as complicated or as impossible as I'd like to believe (for my own security's sake, I think). I'm back in Bangkok for a few days to pick up my visa to India, extend my tourist visa for Thailand and fix my camera (it fell and now it doesn't focus), but then I'll go back to Ko Chang for the holidays. I'll also be meeting up with Barbara here, since she has a photo shoot for something, so maybe I'll get lucky to stick my head in and see what that's like. It's funny because there is no sign of Christmas in Bang Bao, but as soon as I returned to Bangkok- Christmas music was playing loud in the subway stations! I suddenly felt like I was jolted back to city life; back to another reality of hustle and bustle (and commercialism, of shopping, of time = money...). It's funny how we tend find a new appreciation for things when we suddenly don't have them in front of us... but I'll be back in Ko Chang in no time.

Here's an album of Bang Bao:

Bang Bao