The relaxing last stretch for home... Aug 20, 2005

August 20, 2005

The relaxing last stretch for home...

Hanging out in Kandy for about a week has been a brilliant decision. It's a wonderful city with plenty to do, and frankly running from one small town to the next, no matter the beauty and adventure is exhausting!

So the mad Englishman loved his "Black Forrest (ish?)" birthday cake surprise.

The next day we headed off for the stunning botanical gardens near by. They have a Javan Fig tree that is 1600 square meters (my american non-metric friends...that's BIG)! They have manicured it perfectly in the shape of an umbrella with minimal shooter roots (picture enormous tree trunks) for support. We reckoned you could fit an entire village under the canopy. Their other big show stopper is Burmese Bamboo, the largest bamboo in the world, growing up to 120 feet tall! (Yeah I know I sound like a "size queen"...but the beautiful little orchids were nice and they knew how to display them ;)

Liam spent the last hour or so taking the locals attention off my tattoos by doing back flips, (thanks monkey-boy, I needed a break!)

So, having witnessed the Pera Hera procession about 4 or 5 times now, we are pretty "festivaled-out." When you can announce the next section that will appear in a 3 1/2 hour parade before it happens, you've seen it too many times! It was splendid and we did discover more subtle nuances...like a section of the Tamil-Hindu boy troupe wears blue eyeshadow and ruby-red lipstick?!? And a rather mannish trannie brings up the rear? hmmm... Actually transgender male-to-females have a definite place in Hindu culture. They are considered spiritual beings not to be messed with! They will often show up unannounced at wedding parties and will perform, singing and dancing, (basically taking the place hostage!) until paid...then they leave. As a hindu, you wouldn't DARE throw them out. Fortunately she had the good sense not to do a daylight appearance during the final procession...our trannie looks a little rough by torch light, she might have been downright frightening during the day!

Love her! werq.

I finally paid my respects to the Temple of the Tooth. It's a massive complex (smaller than the Forbidden City, "but bigger than a bread-box"). One room was dedicated to the history of the tooth...from it being plucked from Buddha's funeral pyre to the present, much of the first 600 years I would say is mythical but about 2000 years is traceable! All of a sudden it hit me...this was not only a holy object but the "living" representation of this entire country's civilization, from it's first cut stone monuments to the present...It was a big "WOOOOOW!" Think if the Declaration of Independence was 10 TIMES as old with 10 times the history! It could be a dog's tooth or not even truly exist for all any of us know...(and that's not being blasphemous, that incisor has changed hands and kingdoms a dozen times)...the point is it's one hell of a powerful symbol of national identity as well as their most venerated religious relic.

Tomorrow is my last day. I plan to sleep in, go play in the jungle with the monkey-boy and catch a very, very long flight for home.

The next message will be photos of the trip after I've had a good rest and a sweet snuggle with the "honey."

Love ya, and hope you've all enjoyed this trip as much as I have!

xxpaul

Roll back the clock....hundreds of years. Aug 18, 2005

August 18, 2005

My journey is winding down. It's now the 18th of August here, and I head home on the 21st...still nursing my sunburn.

My itinerary has always been to end my trip in Kandy, the ancient city of the hill country, and the last bastion of traditional Sri Lankan culture to fall to the British. For more than 300 years, the Kandian Kingdom fought off the Dutch and then the British before finally being subjugated. Since they were able to remain out of the hands of British control until the mid 1800's, they have retained many of the old dances and customs, including a very strong belief in Buddhism. In fact this is considered the capital of culture and the Buddhist religion in the country. The monks carry great political sway in laws and policies of the Sinhalese. (We won't discuss the assasination of a Prime Minister by a Monk for what he thought was jeopardizing the future of Buddhism in Sri Lanka). Trust me, they are very serious about protecting their buddhist heritage.

And with some good reason...For at least 1500 years south India (Chola / Tamil) have been making "sorties" into the north of Sri Lanka trying to usurp the island and for 1500 years the Sinhalese people have been fighting them off. However, with each incursion, many Tamils (a branch of Hinduism) have stayed. (As well as the British created a Tamil Diaspora from Southern India, throughout all the British colonies, including Sri Lanka, for exploitation as cheap labor). So now in the North they have a long, rich, and developed history. Sometime in the 1970's, the Northern Tamil voice grew louder; they wanted some say in their government. Fair enough, but things got real ugly...let just say it is actually the LTTE (Tamil "freedom" fighters), which is recognized as the creator of the "suicide bomber" and not the Palestinians, who merely thought it was a good idea and adopted the tactic. Are you getting the picture that this war is no easy "cease-fire agreement?" (Since writing this entry, the war has officially ended).

So the Foreign Minister that was just assassinated was 1 of the 3 remaining moderate Tamils sitting on the parliament, and he was actually lobbying the U.N. to classify the LTTE as terrorists and to list them as one of the armies forcing children to fight...not a safe move. Another friend just told me that the country was now under marshall law...honestly I couldn't tell the difference, there's been loads of security the whole time I've been here. No one seems the least bit concerned, so really neither am I, (and nor should you be...;)

So back to Kandy. Liam (remember the mad Englishman?) and I have met up again. It's his B-Day today, so I'm off to surprise him with a present after this entry...We are staying in a bit of a dingy guest house with an amazing balcony overlooking the Temple of the Buddha's Tooth. Ground zero for the Pera Hera celebrations underway. And we're paying for our location during the festival...the room which is normally US $5 a night is now $40! Quite a mark up. But when a city of 100,000 or so doubles in size, you can name your price! The crowds (and the security) are unimaginable! For the 10 day festival people are camping out daily to stake out their seats, sidewalk crowds are daunting at 20 people thick, with roadside seats being sold at US$50! (That's a hell of a lot of money here, probably equal to US$500!) And perhaps 1000 Bikkhus (Theravadan Monks) are watching from the front rows (comps of course).

So each night celebration begins with an hour of chanting in the temple, then a cannon goes off to mark the beginning of the procession. About 10 young men lead the march all thunderously cracking 8 to 10 foot whips. They're followed by the fire jugglers, (for those in the know, picture "Burning Man", 300 years ago!?) Some are spinning kerosene drenched iron balls around their necks like hula-hoops, only from a distance you can't see the chains and they look like orbiting comets. Others are dancing with 2 fiery orbs suspended from chains, while still others have fire wheels spinning around their heads like halos which are then tossed high into the air twirling, dropping, then caught. Really impressive, especially when some of them were doing these acts while on stilts or balancing on someone's shoulders!

After the fire line come the drummers, the flutists, and the stick-clapping groups, each busting out their own little choreographed dance, that has been past down through countless generations. There are familiar looking "may-pole" dancers (like what you would see in medieval Europe or Mexico) and very unusual regal dancers, dripping in interconnected silver medallions wearing the oddest hats?! Picture a red dunce cap with a moving whip coming out the top, the front bill looks like a silver fan, then stick 2 silver mickey mouse ears on the side, and there you have it, tres chic! Actually it was amazing to watch them bellowing their chants and prancing about colorfully animated, like male peacocks!

Do you like elephants? Well I've never seen so many in my life! All dressed up in their Sunday best. Some with sequins or mylar, others with blinking christmas lights, (They cleverly disguised, then balanced car batteries on the Elephants heads to power the light show!)

Every once and a while a VIP, dripping in gold threads, literally from head to toes, (very asian pimp!), accompanied by a circle of (body guards?) servants would stroll solemnly by...

It was over the top grandiosity and pomp~! A true spectacle and really wonderful. The highlight was a big Tusker flanked by two slightly smaller but still stately male elephants balancing the Buddha's tooth reliquary on it's back and marching down the streets.

The whole event went on for hours and hours. At times I could hear the street symphony of noises to my front, sides, and behind me, creating an intoxicating whirlwind of sound as the procession extended through the city.

To my surprise, one of the local Tamil Hindu temples had a place in the parade? This was a temple to Kataragama, (Skanda / Maruga) so that meant what...? More hooks! This time the young men were all color coordinated in red pants, with a red clad elephant leading the way, carrying 8 foot lances, chanting, singing, and dragging along their "drivers" down the streets by the hooks through their backs!

I asked about the Tamil presence in what is considered the most sacred and important Buddhist (and thus also political) festival in the country. I was told it was done as a sign of religious inclusiveness and tolerance.

I thought that was pretty cool.

Two more nights and one more day till the festival is over...wonder what's in store?!

Dirt Magnet.... Aug 16, 2005

August 16, 2005

I don't know why it is, what I'm wearing, how I look or if I smell different, but I always seem to attract dirty old men!

I can be hiking through remote villages on Sumba, trying to relax in Budapest or lying on a beach in Sri Lanka with no one around for 1/2 mile and an aberration of a pushy, bald, (80 if he was a day!), old man will appear from nowhere and start coming on to me?!?!?!

At first I thought he was just being friendly, then he flashed me?! Then he flashed me again! Then he flashed his bum?! He was parading back and forth walking a Parisian runway (in his mind) just for little ol' me! Then it hit me maybe he was the ghost from x-mas future and I was scrooge? Maybe this is what I have to look forward to? Maybe I just need to throw on some saffron robes and take a vow of celibacy before I turn into the walking (sexual) dead?! Chilling thoughts...no?

So I splurged and got a (legitimate!) massage; it was of the South Asian variety called Ayurvedic. This Sri Lankan rendition involves sitting you in a chair and working handfuls of mysterious oils into your hair and scalp, then progressing down the torso. Afterwards, they lay me down on a slab of wood. Years of sweat and tinctures oozing from the grain made my body hydroplane. And you know it was the most comfortable board I've ever laid on! Anyways their fingers do more of a poking-swishing dance on your skin, rather than a slow methodical, intense pressuring like the Thai. Speaking of Thai massage, I think the US government should employ about 100, 4 foot 9 inch Thai grannies to massage "the enemy." Trust me if they really do know anything, they'll talk! And it will keep us from violating the Geneva convention.

So the massage ends with a spanking?! (At least I know I got my money's worth???) And then I'm thrown into what looks like a giant wooden hot dog steamer. They like to conclude the makeshift iron lung steaming with a suspended vessel dripping hot oil onto your forehead. Sounded a little too medieval for me, I passed on that part of the torture.

yes, this is a real phot that I took...adorable, huh?!

The first wave rolled in slow. Aug 15, 2005

August 15, 2005

The first wave rolled in slow.

It did a great deal of low-land flooding, but that was about all. When the first wave receded, it created the craziest low tide the locals have ever seen. A few took it as a warning and headed for higher ground but many more were entranced by the newly exposed ocean floor, more than 1/2 mile (over a kilometer) in places.

Villagers including fishermen, women and children went out to explore this unprecedented act of nature. No one had ever even heard of this before. Fish were flopping everywhere, free for the taking!

What they did not know, (and how could they?), was that the great absence of sea was the vacuum caused by the next wave about to come in. Some say it was 30 or more meters high, about the size of a 4 story building. It completely pulverized the coast. Nothing breathing nor man-made withstood the pounding.
Many of those not sucked out to sea sought refuge on the remaining rooftops or in trains. The 3rd and final wave showed no mercy. Close to 1000 people died on one train alone.

On the Eastern Coast most who survived in the zone had scrambled to elevation after the first wave.

Now 8 months later (December 26, 2004), I am told much of the eastern coast is still in ruins. The people are in a quandary. The government has the money thanks to foreign governments, but will only rebuild 100 meters from the sea. So those who only own property closer to 100 meters have no land to build on. They are left living in tents or wooden shacks until the bureaucracy is worked out. Some of the real "smart ones" quickly threw up fences and secretly rebuilt their houses outside of governmental approval. Of course without an early warning system they are still very much in harms way.

I have only ventured to the coastal southwest. Here there are very few telltale signs of destruction. A few piles of bricks here, some abandoned railway ties there, other than the photos proudly displayed in restaurants, homes and businesses showing the before and after rebuild, you would never guess the disaster had reached this far. The scars have been cosmetically filled but it will take the Sri Lankans years to recover  from the emotional and financial losses.

http://www.sciaf.org.uk

If you have the inclination, I would highly encourage a trip to this friendly and beautiful country...they could use the support and most of you could probably use a vacation! Besides its now one of the ONLY countries that doesn't hate "America"! (Reminder, this was written during a prior administration...)

xxpaul

The Vel Festival...Aug 13, 2005

Saturday, August 13, 2005

ahhh high speed connection ;)

I think I stumbled into the only highspeed connection in the country, in the middle of a mall?! (I think the Sri Lankan Prime Minister is sitting next to me, she probably can't find a decent connection either...)

Speaking of the government...I saw a bunch of police the other night milling about...leave it to a friend stateside to tell me that the Foreign Minister just got assassinated?! Honestly, you would never be able to tell here...it's not in the papers or anything...then again my Sinhalese is a little rusty... :o)

So I'm sitting in Colombo and have decided to cut my two day trip here down to one. Not that the day hasn't been aboslutely brilliant, 'cause it has...but it's sweltering! It cools down to about 90 degrees F at night...It's monsoon season, all that means is it's a little cooler ?!?!?! and a LOT more humid, I've been drier in a bathtub! You know it's bad when no matter how much water you drink, you don't pee...and just sitting creates a puddle!

So "Arugula"...for 2 hours today I thought the Tamil Hindus were chanting about a leafy vegetable?! Then I think I sorted out the chant to either "Alugala!" or "Alohara!"

Today was indeed the start of VEL! For those back in SF you heard me whine more than once how I was going to miss the HUGE Tamil festival, Kataragama, because the SL government posted the wrong dates...well lets just say I don't think I would have been ANY more impressed by the Kataragama festival than by what I witnessed today! Keep in mind, I'm a little experienced (ok jaded). I've seen my fair share of Hindu festivals... to start off with I found this one unusual in that some of the participants were children! I'm talking about 9 year old's with pierced cheeks clenching a silver cobra head in their teeth and parading down the street for miles carrying decorated frames on their shoulders! The older kids (teenagers) would have the ubiquitous Tamil Hindu hooks in their backs, sometimes 4 or 6, sometimes a couple of dozen. A slight variation for this festival is a friend would stand behind them with ropes attached to the hooks and pull them in only to hurl them out, like a human yo-yo! As the procession progressed some of the tranced-out teens would be swung in circles by the ropes, (remember "crack-the-whip" as a child?)! The Caller would shout out "ALUGALA!" or sometimes "VEDI VEL!" and the chorus would mirror back the chant. After the swingers came the 5(!) chariots of Maruga, Skanda, etc., all were beautifully decorated giant, wooden vessels for the gods, painted up, with incense waifing. Four men would sit on top, handing out blessing in the form of flowers or coconuts. The Coconuts would be offered up, (smashed), in front of the chariots. It was gorgeous.

You know me, I've saved the best for last...So following the chariots were pick-up trucks. Not ordinary pick-ups, but portable swings for the young men to suspend from flesh hooks! The swings were created by extending 20 foot masts from the bed over the front of the truck. The poles were decorated with leaves and garlands. From the tip of the pole, ropes came down and attached to the hooks that penetrated the surface skin of the back, calves, shoulders, and thighs. Sometime the men were suspended face up and one was suspended in sitting position! The trucks would excelerate forward 10 feet then slam on the breaks to create swinging motion, sometimes friends would grab their arms and twirl them around. It was AWESOME! (yeah, of course I took a ton of photos...)

But believe it or not, I was even more impressed by the men and women who rolled like logs along the entire route, mile after mile on the baking tarmac, in the blazing sun, through the unmentionable filth.

I also got to meet a Sri Lankan tattooist...s-c-a-r-y! He was certainly nice, had cool designs, but I can't get over my western hang-up of wanting a sterilizer! He just reuses the same needle person after person...

(Traditionally in Tamil and other Hindu festivals, tattooists will be found offering their services of providing talismanic or commemorative tattoos).

Anyways, I'm off to the movies (more about the aircon than anything!) Tomorrow I will head south for the beaches before the final festival climax, the Pera Hara, The Procession of the Buddha's Tooth!

xxpaul

This Country is one, cheap date! Aug 12, 2005

August 12, 2005

So I thought I would start off with throwing some figures around...

-Bus Ride (US) 5 cents
-Hotel room $ 3.75
-Dinner with beverage and dessert $ 1.80
-Coke 40 cents (probably overcharged)

-9 hour train ride first class observation car $ 5.70 (3rd class would have been only $ 1.80, I decided to loosen my usually tight purse strings and splurge a little).

-And for the grand finale!!!! Avocados the size of my fist! for 5 to 6 cents each! I'm considering importing them~! If U.S. Customs wouldn't have a cow, I'd fill my back pack with them and have guacamole for a year! (of course I'd share;)

-Oh and I apologize to my two favorite hair-cutters. Joe and Stephanie...you've been replaced. I'm bringing home my barber-boy who does a great fade-cut for 60 cents and will throw in a full scalp massage plus facial for 20 cents more! (The eyeball massage was a bit much, but we'll work on that...)


I haven't said much about the people...they're WONDERFUL! (once you leave Colombo of course...;)

My friend Stan insists you do not need to share the same language to carry on a conversation. I had an experience that very much confirmed his assertion. I met a Sri Lankan man on the way to the hills who starting pantomiming that he liked to swim, surf, dance, and that he was a brown belt in karate...it took me about 5 minutes into the "conversation" to realize he probably wasn't talking with any of the Sinhalese because he was a deaf mute. Long story short, he's a wonderful man who wants to be a tour guide for deaf people around the world coming to Sri Lanka (he already had quite the resume of hearing customers!) So if you know anyone, pass on the info...I'll vouch for him.

Salman Deaf (no, not a joke)
No.226
Nawala Pitiya Rd.
Ulapane
Sri Lanka
(FYI- this contact information is now 8 years old...)

I had a wonderful time in the "hill country" (the "hills" looked like mountains to me, maybe they reserve that title for the Himalayas?). One of my most favorite creatures in the world lives here in abundance. Picture the cutest fox you ever saw, but it eats only fruit, then put 3 feet of bat wings on them and you have the Flying Fox, (a fruit bat, really). Their dark shadows fill the sky, blotting out sections of stars...they'd be hella scary if they weren't so gosh darn adorable!

I also saw "Lipton's Seat." A truly unreasonable 3 mile climb up then back down the side of a mountain to look out over Sir Thomas Lipton's Tea Estate, (yes, this is where that hideous abomination of British bagged dirty leaf juice originally came from). It made me sooo miss my friend Scott. He and I , well ... we are Tea-Heads (sorry I'm breaking your anonymity). I'm more of a daily user or "Maintenance" tea drinker while Scott is a full on binger! After a day of drinking the "King's Brew," he'll wake up not knowing where he is or who he slept with...come to think of it, maybe he's just a senile slut...(love you, Scott!)

On a serious note, the next time you drink a cup of tea (and I'm sure coffee is no different), join me in thanking the countless people that make it happen. Men and women had to blast through mountains and break stone by hand to lay train tracks to carry the tea that is picked by young and old women, who carry the tea bags on their heads, hour after hour, day after day, for about US $30 a month. It has to be picked by hand because only the top budding new growth is acceptable for brewing. It's not a clear cut human rights /labor abuse issue. Yes, the Tamil people live on the plantations (sound familiar?) But they are free to come and go and marry... School is provided for the children...but I think most of them grow up to work on the plantations...And if you don't drink tea or coffee you're not off the hook, because 40% of the Sri Lankan economy is textiles of which 60% fuels the U.S. textile market...Nike, Adidas...name an outdoors or athletic company and they run sweat shops here. The Sri Lankans don't mind the basic work, just as long as they are given the opportunity to form Labor Unions and have decent working hours, conditions, and pay...anyways enough of that...

Back to the day trip...What made that hike so ridiculous is I had already done a 3 1/2 mile hike through Horton's Plains to "World's End". This place is completely out of character for Sri Lanka, for those that know San Francisco, picture Mount Tam on a cold foggy drizzly day! I'm running around in a t-shirt and flip-flops like I'm back home and the poor locals are wearing WINTER coats, hats and all! Once you have walked through winding trails past waterfalls and unending grass that grows like pom-poms,you're rewarded with a view over an 800 meter sheer cliff! Gorgeous folks...

I've just arrived back into Colombo from the "Hill Country."Tomorrow starts the VEL festival (I think...ask 3 different people, get 3 different answers?!) So if it happens and if I find it I'll tell you all about this wild, Tamil Hindu festival where they pull chariots through the street chanting and piercing their bodies...stay tuned ;)

much love
Paul

Settling in to paradise... Aug 8, 2005

August 8, 2005

So it's been a while since I've been able to make a journal entry, not for lack of trying...Im in the technology hell realm.

They say elephants when they are about to die, find their way across miles and miles of jungle terraine to their traditional dying grounds...well it appears computers do the same thing.

Ever wondered what happened to your 1989 IBM? It's here, wheezing it's last breath.

I haven't been able to log onto hotmail for 1 week (probably longer by the time you get this email...)

So much has happened, Im not sure where to begin. I arrived in Colombo, it was everything I had hoped it wasn't. A spralling congested hassle. I later found out they've stopped teaching marshall arts in Sri Lanka because in Colombo a highly trained hitman could be hired for about US$ 20-25 dollars. Death comes cheap here.

So after one day I made the fortunate decision to get the hell out of the capital and head for the hills. Ahh Kandy. Kandy is considered the cultural center of Sri Lanka. It's in the hills so you can escape the sweltering heat of the plains. The train ride up was gorgeous, chugging (very slowly) through the lowland rice paddies then up through the lush mountain jungles with fantastic views! A four hour train ride cost me a whopping US$2.50. Transportation comes cheap here, too.

This is an actual train master's office and NOT a museum.

Step back in time to a first class train cabin :)

Knowing that I would be in Kandy for quite a few days later on (since it's the central hub, culturally and transporation wise, for the whole country), I left the next day. While sitting on my Kandian hotel's 19th cent. wooden victorian veranda overlooking the shrine that contains the Buddha's Tooth relic, I met a truly Mad Englishman. His name is Liam.

Liam is 21 years old, majors in the study of Asian religions and is a "4th black belt down" Tae kwon doe martial artist. About 120 pounds soaking wet, can-of-whoop-ass. Loves his women and his beer, showing off for the locals (they're fxxxing mad about martial arts!), and carrying on intellectual conversations for HOURS about religion, politics, and Ancient Asian arcitecture. He's been brilliant fun.

The Mad Englishman showing off martial arts for the kids.

The morning after we met we decided to head off to the plains of the ancient cities to the north. I will try to convey some of the truly amazing sites we've seen, but I'm afraid I won't do them justice.

Our first stop was Aluvihara. These ancient monastic caves are the location of where the Buddhist tradition was transfered from oral to Pali in the 1st century BC. 2000 years later the British came along and torched the entire amassed library.



We passed through more impressive sites such as Nalanda and Dambulla before arriving at Sigiriya. This bit of real estate features a massive rock, about 300 meters high, soaring up in the middle of the plains, a bit like New Mexico if you've ever been...At the base and on top were incredible works assembled by monks and kings over the past 1500 years. To get to the top of the rock you have to climb steps carved from the rock, passing between two massive lion paws and up through what had once been the lions mouth! (Im pretty sure this site may have been featured in the show the great race, ooh how embarassing of me...) The views of the ancient water works and countryside were spectacular!

In this ancient Buddhist monastery, intricate carving is found only on the toilets!

The next day we rode bicycles around the ancient city of Pollonaruwa then onto to the oldest Sri Lankan Capital Anurhadapura. Along the way we passed through a strict nature reserve finding the ancient monestary of Ritigali. This was one of my most favorite parts of the journey so far...climbing, trekking through jungle and "discovering" ancient monuments...very Indiana Jones! We ended that particular day with a quick stop at yet another sacred site, (Im tired just reading this!) called Mihintale, this is where the famous King Ashoka's son, Mahinda, converted the King of Sri Lanka to Buddhism.

Liam practicing martial arts in the jungle ruins.

This morning I have just returned to Kandy from Anurhadapura. Quite tired and ready for some relaxation (huh! will see...you know me!)

I's still savoring the quiet time I manage to make for myself under the Sri Maha Bodhi Tree. This is the original sappling that the daughter of King Ashoka, Sangamitta, brought to Sri Lanka over two thousand years ago. When the original Bodhi tree that the Buddha found enlightenment under at Bodhgaya died, they were able to take a cutting from this tree back to its original "birthplace" (remember Bodhgaya from my India travel journals...?)

The one thing that was a bit odd, was that in order to "protect" the tree the Singhalese have set up a military base AROUND the tree...hmmm a bit odd that such a powerful symbol of peace and enlightenment would be surrounded by blockades and machine guns...

what do I know...

love ya!
paul

Arrival in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Aug 1, 2005

August 1, 2005

I debated whether or not to check in today.

I'm totally knackered. It was a late night of burocracy both at immigration and unexpectedly the hotel. It seems the airport enjoys having 4 or so international flight ALL arrive at 1 am and the hotel has had several guests unable to return to their homes in Mumbai due to the flooding...I didn't get to bed til nearly 4am.

I friend emailed me from a Muslim area in China regarding the "doll". He shared his similar tales of coming across the Bin Laudin action figure...actually I had forgotten I had seen that one too. Thanks Rod. It seems these toys are quite popular the world over. He went on to tell me how these otherwise friendly folks pour over gun magazines like american lads with playboys...it is a wonderful world we live in!

The drive from the airport.

At every intersection their were shrines, mostly buddhist, but some hindu and christian mixed in for variety...Picture 3 dimensional characters glowing in neon or florescents and sprinkled with crhistmas lights. It was like the Super Friends pantheon...there was St. Sabastian and Mary, the little baby J and Gatama (sitting. walking and lying down), Shiva and Ganesh...remember the "It's a Small World" ride at Disneyland...?

Colombo is a trip...Unfortunately their cease-fire with the northern Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) rebels ended abruptly a couple of days ago and the war is on again. (Im sure I'll fill you in later for those unawares...) It's wierd crossing through dozens of military check points, complete with sandbags, barbed wire, fully armed troops...jeez I'm just trying to sightsee.

They've gotten rather creative with the bombed out buildings...don't rebuild, just throw in some furniture and a makeshift staircase and you have a breezy office building with great views!

I'm leaving the Beirut-of-the-Indian-Ocean for the hills at 6am tomorrow!

Anyways, thanks to everyone that said "hi" it really means a lot to me... and again I'm sorry I can't respond to everyone personally (but remember thats what these emails are for!)

xx paul

Travel Tales of Sri Lanka, July 31, 2005.

April 15, 2012

When I originally started this blog, I intended to start with my current journey, Egypt, (done) then roll the clock back to my very first trip to Asia in 1996. Unfortunately, transcribing from my chicken-scratch journal to type is taking much longer than I had hoped...

This July, I will be leading a small group to Sri Lanka to tour this magnificent island nation and to witness the Kataragama Festival. As a teaser for this trip, it seemed fitting to share my 2005, Sri Lanka travel journal. And just a reminder for those who are considering to join me on this upcoming trip. This journal was written during an intermittent civil war, which is now over. Sri Lanka is very safe to travel and certainly could use the tourism!



Sunday, July 31, 2005

And the story continues... Many of you are new to my travel journals...so let me start off by saying if you do not want to receive my travel spam, just let me know... For those of you familiar with these rants and reviews, I hope this series proves as amusing...or whatever ;) One of the things most interesting about the journals is how I now experience my travels differently...like most of us, I'm sure, I have an inner dialog constantly chattering...(fortunately these days its less self-abusing and more amusing...), but the thing that has changed is now when I travel and I know I'm going to be writing...my inner dialog occurs in the "first person narrative"...weird huh?

So this journey started a day earlier than I had anticipated, (you can imagine the last minute scramblings...thanks mom for pointing out my itinerary confusion...would have been quite disappointing to show up at the airport to find my plane had departed 24 hours previously...) I arrived in Bangkok the evening of July 28 and I am now heading off this evening for Sri Lanka. Those of you from previous journals know Bangkok is an old friend and an easy place to adjust to jet lag and to catch ongoing flight connections for more remote destinations.

I spent the first two days shopping ad nauseam and decided to collapse poolside and start planning the Sri Lankan itinerary, yeah kinda late, but whatever...

My dear friend Mani from Berlin had to cancel at the last minute and a MAJOR festival I had booked my flight around...actually occurred prior to my trip...gotta love 3rd world governmental "official tourism" websites...why on earth would they care if their posted dates are correct?!?!? The festival I am missing is the Kataragama festival. It is a Tamil-Hindu celebration culminating in participants swinging from hooks through the flesh! (yes the birth place of the Mod-Prim's "flesh hook suspension")...oh well I will certainly still catch the other major Sri Lankan festival called the Procession of the Buddha's Tooth...So there you have it folks, the basic jist of what's in store.

A little bit of amusement for you...I went to Bangkok's Chatuchak weekend market, a very lively place with MILES of hamster trails to get lost in...I actually came across something that shocked me.For those of you who know me, I am NOT easily offended. I stumbled into a Marxist T-Shirt stall. Actually Im sure it was the money generating operation of their local communist party ( I hope the irony of this capitalist venture wasn't lost? ;)

Anyways, at first I was quite excited and just had to get this one t-shirt showing a vietnamese female guerilla fighter carrying a 50 caliber machine gun?!? with the caption "For me and my baby"...still I was amused.
Then I looked up and saw they had action figures, you know, like G.I. Joe...only these were of Palestinian "freedom" Fighters. The one that actually horrified me was the doll of a suicide bomber! Completely life-like and highly detailed including, ski mask, an uzi in his left hand, a detonator in his right hand and sticks of dynamite strapped to his chest!!!!!! I sent up a little prayer that these dolls were intended for the childish and not the children. I hope it goes without saying, I decided not to patronize...

http://www.boreme.com/posting.php?id=985

anyways, that's all for now peace and love.

Secret Friends...

Jan11, 2012

Final Chapter of Egypt Travel Log...

I was having dinner alone, partaking in my favorite solo sport- eavesdropping. I was listening to a British expat talking to another American about bedbugs in American hostels (ew!) and the Tahrir Square protests. The American tourist asked about all the eye patches and bandages he had seen in Cairo. The expat responded that it was a known fact that the police were systematically targeting the protestors eyes! She had one close Egyptian friend lose an eye in a protest, kept returning Tahrir Square, until he lost his other eye. “He is now totally blind.”

A lovely Nile River Cruise, lol

 Believe it or not, this is where our sugar comes from...and global warming.

 The barge is carrying trucks, which are carrying sugar cane.

It's harvest season.

It takes a little work, but if you look closely, 

the middle figure lying down is Osiris masturbating!

It finally happened! I was on my way to the airport to return home when my driver Ah’med struck up an interesting conversation. It started benign enough, “Are you married?” I respond, “No, I’m divorced.” He says, “I’m not married.” The conversation just got odd, an unmarried Egyptian man in his 30s proudly proclaiming he’s not married?! I ask, “But you want to be married, right?” He said no and that he had no interest in getting married. In an effort to clean up my lie and encourage an honest dialog, for the first time in Egypt I back track and tell him that I’m not divorced but find it easier to say I am. Ah’med then says he has a “secret friend.” Uncertain of what I heard, I parrot back, “A secret friend?” He says yes, and does the Egyptian hand sign for secret; the palm of the hand swipes the mouth. Symbolically, this looks like wiping away words. Ah’med asked if I had a secret friend, I told him I did, but not any longer. He asked if I had an a secret friend in Egypt. I laughed and said no, and try to tiptoe the issue by saying it would be too hard with the cultural differences. But he asked what did I mean. Still smirking, I told him if I tried to have an Egyptian friend I would most likely have to pay him money and where I’m from I don’t have to pay for secret friends (yet, lol). He laughed and said it's true! He even has to give his secret friend money.

Actually, it’s kind of sad…

 Back streets of Luxor

and my favorite bakery...

I hope you all have enjoyed the Egypt chapter...

Interpreting

Horis, son of Orisis

January 9, 2012

The Language of Cars

I’m often asked if I drive in other countries. My answer is “almost never.” I don’t know the local dialect.

 I got caught speeding a few months back and had to take an online traffic school. Six hours of “please-shoot-me-in-my-face” tedium. Anyways, one of the questions I found ridiculous was, “Horns should be used to tell people to get out of the way.” Of course the answer is “no” (from my ethnocentric perspective) and I got the answer right. In America, we use the horn to signify only 3 things:

“Eminent danger!”

“YO! I’m downstairs; don’t make me get out of my car to ring your goddamn doorbell!”

“Fuck you!”

It’s a common mistake to think that a honk is a honk, for each country, sometimes each region within a country, has its own lexicon of toot. With the varying definitions come entirely different thoughts and behaviors about driving.  I find in the West, we tend to be clumsy with the horn, even nescient. Like most things, the more you engage the evolved your skill level. Horn communication carries subtleties often missed to our untrained ears: cadence, pitch, tempo, and duration. There’s the single tap, which can mean, “I’m here.” There’s the double tap, which can mean, “I’m here” or “I’m passing.” I appreciate the long followed by several short blasts, which means, “I’m coming through and you’re going to blink first!”

Unwritten laws appear to loosely govern hierarchy. In descending order: trucks, expensive cars, clunkers, donkey or camel carriages, domesticated livestock and finally, pedestrians. Non-beasts of burden (cats and dogs) might get a courtesy break. I was a bit shocked by the amount of road carnage; vultures do not go hungry in this country. Apparently, according to my military friend, there is a distinction in the pedestrian category between males and females. One of the U.N. peacekeepers hit a Bedouin girl. The peacekeepers were expecting all hell to break loose with the family, who actually turned out to not be very bothered since, “it was their daughter and not a son.”

Jan 10, 2012

There is a prime corner piece of real estate in Luxor. It’s literally a plot of land with dirt, tables, chairs, a stray dog, and lots of tea, the Egyptian kind, in which a scoop of loose granules is added to a cup of hot water with sugar. The bits settle, then you drink. My waiter is Saud. We start talking politics; they LOVE talking politics here. Egyptians are savvier than the average American and certainly care more. Saud says Mubarak was a bad, bad man: “Things are too expensive and he didn’t take care of the people.” I hear this over and over again. The military that we finance are the only apparent system that works and is well-funded. To my surprise, Saud says Kadafi was not a bad man, “He was half good, half bad.” He went on to say, though the Libyans had no freedoms, they had affordable food, fuel, and housing. Saud works 12 hours a day 6 days a week and makes 400 Egyptian pounds a month- that’s about US $75. To get a visa to work abroad an Egyptian has to pay a bribe, about US $200 to work in Saudi Arabia or US $2000 for Europe.

Saud warms up to me and says he thinks all the tourists are looking for sex. I wondered to myself, “Is he hitting on me?” He goes on to say, older women come to Europe to look for Egyptian men, usually for sex but sometimes to marry (this is a known phenomenon). He says with a big smile, “men tourists want to jiggy-jiggy, you know what that means?” His wry smile, twinkling eye and He asked my age and made me guess his. I pegged 24, maybe even 22. He swore on Allah that we was 30, “but everyone thinks I’m younger because I’m small.” I’ve just realized though he may not be hitting on me (still on the fence about that one), he certainly is no stranger to prostitution. He insists with a knowing stare that 70% of tourists are looking for sex, (can you say “hooker damage?”) p.s. He’s not that cute. I decide to pretend he was hitting on me anyways, otherwise I’d have to admit I may be losing my traveler’s mojo. Perhaps I’m getting a little long-in-the-tooth or maybe I’m caving into to my lingering internalized homophobia or just simply I don’t want to politicize my travel, but on this trip, I’ve started telling everyone that I’m divorced. Over the years, in many countries, the locals respond with incredulous looks and comments when I tell them I’m single. By saying I’m divorced I’ve been able to sidestep most of the interrogation, sympathy, and distrust.

View of Luxor City from the outdoor cafe.

...on to eavesdropping and 'secret friends' for the final installment.

Valley of the Queens

January 8, 2012

Friendly Falafel Guy, Luxor

I made a mistake yesterday in following my guidebooks advice and took a tour of the Valley of the Kings. The place was awesome, but tours suck. I forked out the ridiculous surcharge to climb into King Tut-ankh-amun’s TINY tomb. I knew it was going to be less impressive than some of the other tombs, such as Ramses VI, but come on, it was KING TUT! He did have one cute wall mural, his mummy, and one of his sarcophagi. To really see the splendor of Tut you HAVE to check out the Cairo Museum. It’s amazing and well worth the hype.

 beautifully carved gate at Karnak

 The guidebooks and plaques refer to this recurring architectural temple element as a hippodrome. I'm not an egyptologist, but hippodromes are for chariots, I'm not quite sure how they'd navigate pillars? Whatever, it's gorgeous!

 Renovations continue...

The following day I rented a bicycle and road around the west bank to the Valley of the Queens. As long as one has some time and it’s not hot this is by far the best (and cheapest) way to see the sites. Once I got outside the top 3 site groups, I had the Valley of the Nobles to myself! Okay, you can’t entirely escape the hassling tour guides and tomb guards, just suck it up, cave in and pay out a few cents of baksheesh (the ubiquitous cultural practice of tipping for everything including wiping your own ass) and the experience is incredible.

All photos below are of Luxor Temple lit at night.

Above, a mosque has built on top of part of the temple. 

Above, is a closeup shot of a Nubian with earrings

 and  what appears to be facial scars on his cheeks.

I had the good fortune of catching a lecture hosted by the Mummification Museum. Though open to the public, it’s geared towards Egyptologists working in the area. Professor Susanne Ostine shared her current research on the “Life of a Tomb.” Scholarship continues to diversify in archeology. Rather than concentrating on the big find or a rock star Pharaoh, this academic is looking at the tomb, holistically. Who and how was the tomb originally built? Who were the subsequent (dead) occupants (later kingdoms stopped building tombs and started squatting older tombs)? Her team also engaged in forensic studies deciphering premortem injuries and diseases from postmortem vandalism. I could tell from her delivery that she would love to make a great find, but I also emotionally appreciate that she still carries out the less glamorous and romantic, yet still worthwhile investigations.

Tomorrow topics are Cars and Sex!

Train to Luxor

Luxor

January 6, 2012

Cairo Train Station

The overnight sleeper train to Luxor wasn’t exactly the Orient Express, but I have done much worse. I shared a car with a sociologist liberal New Hampshire boy who attended a Southern Baptist College who then joined the military to escape his horrendous student debt. This could be a cautionary tale except he loves the military. They taught him to fly helicopters and he is now serving in the long standing U.N. “peace keeping” mission on the Sinai. No heroics or nationalistic hubris, he just enjoys the adventure and the prospect of a secure future career as a civilian pilot. Army boy told me of a scene he witnessed as he was boarding our train.

Sizing up the train cabin before my guest arrives.

A man broke a carriage window and against the boarded passengers’ best defense to repel the man, he was able to crowd surf through the window. OH I wish I had seen that! But I am grateful that I didn’t have to put up with that bedlam in second class.

I have to admit I was enchanted by this army guy. And no, it wasn’t his flawless good lucks, but rather his disposition. I felt like I had entered a movie set from the 1940’s. With a warmth and humor, this guy was the character that always sees the good side of situations and people and chooses his words effortlessly from a place of kindness. He loves being active, playing music, and charity work. In other words, in my reality, he was completely exotic. This encountered reminded me that I am surrounded by and often the emitter of neurosis.

Luxor

Luxor would be just another sleepy town sitting on the Nile if it wasn’t for the endless flow of international package tour boats and buses. Even during this unstable political time in Egypt, which is keeping away the vast majority of tourists, there are still more tourists than I care to share my space with. It must be like the swarms of locus during a regular season. If you can get away from the river’s edge, the tout-hassle declines tremendously and the city is kind of cute. I gorged myself daily on fresh breads and pastries from a shop that was little more than iron racks of baked treats piled on the sidewalk in front of an industrial oven.

Room mural with mood lighting, such a love nest.

Room even came with a balcony! 

Hotel's rooftop patio 

View of the Nile and the West Bank

My room in Luxor had the luxury of cable TV. Clear your mind of whatever image that might have conjured. This is a shoebox sized room. The TV gets 3 English channels and the screen is the size of my laptop. Back to the point…I was watching an English program and a commercial comes on. A handsome man walks down a street in any-town, Islamic world. He’s blindfolded and following a mysterious man dressed in black with all but his eyes shrouded. Mystery man leads the blindfolded man to the top of a staircase. Blindfolded man then steps out and tumbles and twists, with sounds of his body thumping of the stone and bones breaking. The closing shot is of blindfolded man laying dead at the bottom of the staircase bleeding and with his limbs dislocated. There is no dialog (and the visuals don’t need any), but the closing text is in Arabic except for the url: www.saynototerror.me. This bit of anti-terror was played repeatedly while I watched my American movie? Who’s the intended audience? The most obvious answer would seem to be Egyptians. But when I surfed the regular Egyptian channels I never saw the commercial; it appeared to only be incessantly broadcasted on the all-English content cable movie channel, which I’m sure some Egyptians do watch, but so do all the foreigners.

Tomorrow I go to the Valley of the Kings!