Rocket Man's Travels

2006-02-14T18:48:00.000-08:00

...TO PENANG
...ke Pulau Pinang
...a La Isla de Penang

Penang, the island of my birth. I very rarely feel sentimental about any place that I might call 'home' but I will admit to the odd twinge of fondness whenever I return to Penang. What brings it on? It could be the charming old streets of Georgetown, or the (relatively) laid-back pace of life, or the indescribably amazing food, or the dramatic sunsets that draw each day to a close. Or perhaps my memories of raising hell with my cousins around my grandad's old shop in Perak Road and his old house in Mount Erskine (both long since obliterated to make way for new development) with his amazing collection of stuffed beetles and snakes, of trundling down Macalister Road in a rickshaw, of building sand castles at Batu Ferringhi, of mammoth Chinese New Year banquets and kaleidoscopic lantern festivals, of incomprehensibly shrill performances of Beijing opera at makeshift streetside theatres. Much of the Penang I remember is already gone, thanks to rapid and poorly managed development -- beautiful old buildings have disappeared, the popular beaches are much dirtier, the views to the hills now interrupted by mushrooming tower blocks -- but much of it is still as it was and it remains a truly special place.

Someone else's photo of a beach in Penang. I hear that the only good beaches are the ones that are in out-of-the-way places, unsurprisingly, with names (like 'Muka Head') that I don't know because no one ever went there when I was little.

2006-02-08T19:40:00.000-08:00

FROM SUMATRA...
Dari Sumatera...
De Sumatra...

The immense and beautiful Lake Toba, set in the highlands of Sumatra -- lacking the spectacular volcanoes of Atitlan but with a massive island larger than Singapore in the middle -- was the perfect place to chill out for a few days... and occasionally indulge Christian's competitive nature with games of various kinds, aided by cheap bottles of local "Seahorse" whisky and not-so-cheap bottles of wine!

El Lago Toba, inmenso y lindo, situado en las tierras altas de Sumatra -- sin los volcanes spectaculosos de Atitlán pero con una isla enorme más grande que Singapur el el centro -- era el lugar perfecto para relajarnos por unos días... y a veces satisfacer los deseos competitivos de Christian con algunos juegos, ayudado por unas botellas baratas de whisky local que se llama "Seahorse" y unas botellas caras de vino también!

The villagers trying to launch a new boat by pushing it sideways onto the lake, which struck us as perhaps not the textbook approach. They succeeded eventually.
Los aldeanos tratando a botar un nuevo barco al lago empujandolo de lado, lo que nos pareció quizas no la técnica usual.

2006-02-06T03:40:00.000-08:00

Indonesia. That very populous 'Malay' country next to Malaysia that, before Monday, I'd only known through its films and its migrant workers, two of whom work in my parents' home in Kuala Lumpur. It's good to finally see it, meet more of its people, begin to understand its diversity, and get a sense of what is shared between it and my country, and what is not.

It is fair to say that my Malay language skills are pretty rusty and that I have never really had to use Malay in casual conversation in any case as I was surrounded by English speakers for most of my time in Malaysia. So these past few days have seen a somewhat extraordinary burst of Malay on my part! My range of expression is limited, and my comprehension of others somewhat hampered by the substantial differences in vocabulary between (Malaysian) Malay and Indonesian, but still it feels fantastically fluid and easy -- after the communicational disabilities I experienced whilst travelling through Vietnam (and to a lesser extent Cambodia), I am finding this absolutely amazing, to be able to speak to people in their own language, to negotiate the mundane but sometimes tricky business of travelling with ease, to strike up random conversations with fellow passengers or conductors on buses.

One storekeeper remarked that she liked the sound of Malaysian Malay, "lembut... macam orangnya juga" (gentle... like its people) -- I'd never thought I could feel as proud to speak Bahasa Malaysia as I did at that moment.

2006-02-05T20:20:00.000-08:00

The highlight of our visit to Java was, unsurprisingly, the temples at Borobudur and Prambanan. Borobudur was impressive, even to two travellers still reeling from Angkor-shock, and it was great being there as dawn broke over the massive temple and the steaming forests around its base.

2006-01-28T02:31:00.000-08:00

Sunrise over Angkor Wat. I cannot begin to describe how utterly overwhelmed Christian and I were by what we saw at Angkor, the centre of the Khmer empire between AD 900 and 1200. I had previously thought there was just a single ruined temple here and how wrong I was -- this is an entire imperial city-state, with huge and impressive temples scattered over an area of many many square miles. The proportions are staggering, the natural setting sublime, the artistry highly sophisticated, and the craftsmanship astonishing, such that the overall impact is of both deep spirituality and jaw-dropping awe. I am unused to gushing in this way but even so I am convinced that neither my words nor my photos here are doing it justice.

The ascent to the central sanctuary at the heart of Angkor Wat, topped by five towers symbolising Mt Meru, the home of the gods in Hindu mythology.

2006-01-28T02:30:00.000-08:00

The view of the main outer gate of Angkor Wat (and its central towers in the distance) across the moat that surrounds it. The moat itself is a staggering 190 metres wide, and the outer walls are 3.6 kilometres long. The three pointy towers you can just about see in the hazy distance (at the centre of the photo) are the giant towers at the CENTRE of the temple. This is a BIG temple.

2006-01-28T02:29:00.001-08:00

An unusually two-storied, and rather Greco-Roman-looking, building at the temple of Preah Khan.

2006-01-28T02:29:00.000-08:00

At the temple of Ta Prohm, now best known for being a set for the Tomb Raider film.

2006-01-28T02:23:00.000-08:00

The captivating, wild beauty of Beng Mealea, more forest than temple really. Most of the temples at Angkor will have been in a state similar to this when first found by European discoverers at the turn of the last century. Restoration work is now beginning at this site, but I can't help feeling it would be a great shame to lose the incredible atmosphere it has in its presently ruined state.

2006-01-28T02:21:00.000-08:00

One of over a hundred faces of Jayavarman VII (ruled AD1181-1220) carved into the towers at the temple of Bayon, in the ancient city of Angkor Thom.

2006-01-28T02:13:00.000-08:00

A very rare toothy smile on the face of one apsara (celestial maiden) at Angkor Wat. There are over 1000 apsaras at Angkor Wat but each wears a different facial expression, posture, hairstyle etc. Incredible.

2006-01-28T02:08:00.000-08:00

Frequent caresses from the punters have led to a rather incredible level of polish on some of the more popular apsaras.

2006-01-28T01:57:00.000-08:00

Christian in action, whipping out his big black um camera. Makes my dinky little ixus seem even smaller than usual.

The photo below shows Christian in his usual tuk-tuk riding gear, set to be the next hot trend in HoxDitch.

2006-01-22T06:21:00.003-08:00

Dusk at the lavish Royal Palace complex in Phnom Penh, where a procession of fabulous Khmer buildings with those trademark multi-tiered roofs and pointy gable-ends is interrupted by a bizarre iron house, a gift from Napoleon III.

As the sun sets over the Royal Palace, the Phnom Penhois come out to play, chat, hang out, eat, have their fortunes told etc on Sisowath Quay, by the confluence of the mighty Mekong and Tonle Sap rivers. Many of the locals are amputees (as seen here in the foreground) as a result of landmine incidents. Landmines continue to be a great problem in this country, with an estimated 8 million mines still out there and a further 2000 mine victims every year.

But at least the amputees are still alive -- thousands of other Cambodians lost their lives in the Khmer Rouge years between 1975 and 1979, tortured at S21 and then systematically killed at Choeung Ek, known to the rest of the world as "The Killing Fields". There is now a hollow stupa at Choeung Ek containing some of the skulls excavated from mass graves there. The information pavillion on the site rightly points the finger of blame at "the clique of Pol Pot criminals" but then interestingly goes on to say that these people "have the human form but their hearts are demon's hearts" which I think wrongly attributes evil to an Other that sits outside of our shared humanity, when in fact the potential for such great wrongdoing is wholly human, just as is the potential for great goodness. Which is why we need always be vigilant.

My obligatory "steamy market scene" photo, taken at the Russian Market (Psar Toul Tom Poung) where we had lunch today.

2006-01-19T20:31:00.000-08:00

Mention Saigon and it doesn't take long for thoughts of the Vietnam War to come to mind. And so it was yesterday, our last full day in Saigon (or, officially, Ho Chi Minh City), when we visited the War Remnants Museum, an incredibly moving reminder of the horrors of war generally, and of the atrocities perpetrated during the Second Indochinese War (i.e. the Vietnam War) in particular -- the unbelievable cruelty, the widespread environmental devastation, and the immense loss of life on all sides, as well as the continuing suffering of the many thousands severely deformed as a result of exposure to Agent Orange.

It was on one level a civil war, Viet against Viet, but really it is the tremendous American intervention that one remembers, and for good reason, as the war would almost certainly not otherwise have been so bloody and so protracted. What is not often recalled is the role of American allies (amongst others, the Australians, New Zealanders, South Koreans and Filipinos) who contributed forces stationed in the south -- one cannot help but see the parallels with the present-day campaigns of the United States and its current coalition allies.

Guarded optimism in contemporary magazine coverage of the war -- again, not at all dissimilar to much of the coverage on Afghanistan and Iraq more recently.

There is a photo of a GI holding a disembodied piece of a VC girl soldier up and apparently laughing, and the caption by the reporter wonders if this was a man or a monster. Perhaps the sad truth is that war makes monsters of all its boys and girls -- how else would you be able to kill and maim every day, and keep yourself together?

Also worthy of a mention before we leave Vietnam (in a few hours) is our visit to the Holy See of the Cao Dai religion. The very grand "cathedral" at Tay Ninh is a confused confection of styles, in keeping with its syncretism of Taoist, Buddhist, Confucian and Abrahamic beliefs -- the universe is ruled by the Jade Emperor, who has made several revelations to Man (including to Moses, Lao Tzu and Buddha) and the aim of adherents is to cut through the cycle of rebirth and proceed directly to Nirvana. I suppose as a set of beliefs it is no more or less ridiculous than any other, but I will admit to finding it less than compelling. I think I am reacting especially badly to the adoption of a formal structure modeled on the Church of Rome!

The building itself is a classic basilica in plan and in basic structure, but the end result is much wilder than anything in Rome -- dragons swirl up tall oriental columns topped by Corinthian capitals, holding aloft a sky-blue vaults embellished with clouds and even more dragons. Below, a bewildering array of geometric tile designs jostle for dominance, creating a violent visual vibration that is rather at odds with the airy, quiet serenity you might experience were you to keep your eyes closed. Entirely dominant at the far end of the nave is the all-seeing Divine Eye, mounted on a huge blue-green sphere, behind gilded altars and piles of fresh fruit, whilst keeping watch overhead are what appear to be reliefs of Buddha, Lao Tzu, Confucius... and possibly Victor Hugo (revered as a pre-eminent saint amongst Cao Daists)!

Menciona Saigon y después de un poco normalmente piensa sobre la guerra de Vietnam. Visitamos el "War Remnants Museum" (el Museo de los Vestigios de la Guerra) en Saigon (o, oficialmente, Ho Chi Minh City), un recuerdo muy commovedoro de los horrores de guerra en general, y los atrocidades de la Segunda Guerra de Indochina en particular -- la crueldad increíble, la devastación del medio ambiente, y la gran pérdida de vidas de todos, además del dolor que continua hoy de las muchas miles con deformedades severas a causa de Agent Orange.

En cierto modo fue una guerra civil, Viet contra Viet, pero es la gran intervención de EEUU que se recuerda, y por buena razón, porque si no la guerra no habría ser tan sangrienta o extensa. Lo que no es se recuerda a menudo es la papel de los aliados de EEUU (entre otros, los Australianos, los Neozelandeses, los Koreanos y los Filipinos) que enviaron soldados -- es claro el paralelo con las campañas actuales de EEUU y sus aliados corrientes.

Además, vale la pena mencionar nuestra visita a la capital de la religión de Cao Dai. La gran "catedral" en Tay Ninh es una confección confusa de estilos, como su syncretismo de creéncias taoistas, budistas, confucianas y abrahamicas -- el universe se gobierna por el emperador jade que ha dado unas revelaciones a la humanidad (incluso a Moses, Lao Tzu y Buddha) y el objetivo de sus partidarios es acortar el ciclo de renacimiento y ir directamente a Nirvana. Supongo que no es más o menos ridículo que otras colecciones de creéncias, pero confieso encontrarla poco convincente. Pienso que estoy reaccionando mal a la adopción de una structura formal que se basa en la iglesia Romana!

2006-01-15T20:14:00.000-08:00

Tengo un nuevo hobby - ir de compras para trajes y abrigos. Hoi An es un pueblo muy lindo que lleno con satrerías expertas para hacer ropa de etiqueta a precios bajos. Hay decenas de sastrerías aquí, por todas las calles y en el mercado, cada una con una copia obligatoria del "Next Directory" y muchas revistas de moda. Sus diseños no son los más últimos o sofisticados, especialmente para hombres, pero la calidad de confeccionar parece ser alta y es difícil quejarse ya que se puede tener un buen traje de lana hecho a medida sólo por US$60-$70!

I have a new hobby - shopping for suits and coats. Hoi An is a charming little town that is full of tailors skilled at making formal clothing at low prices. There are scores of tailors here, on every street and in the market, each with an obligatory copy of the "Next Directory" (bizarrely) and loads of fashion mags. Their designs might not be the latest or the most sophisticated, especially for men, but the quality of tailoring appears to be high and it really is quite hard to complain when a decent tailor-made wool suit can be had for just US$60-$70!

Christian being measured (read: molested) by the "flamboyant Mr Xe" (as accurately described in the Rough Guide).

2006-01-12T00:55:00.000-08:00

Looking on. Monks at a Buddhist temple outside Hue in central Vietnam, and their bemused audience this morning.

Earlier in the morning, I happened upon the abbot at another temple, who complimented me on my fine choice of hairstyle. A nun in his party kept saying "dep lam, dep lam", i.e. looks good. The European tourist whom they seemed to be accompanying looked bemused.

Bemusement is a popular look here.

2006-01-10T06:55:00.000-08:00

Hanoi is cold in January. Cold, grey and hazy, with a dull, flat light that takes much of the gratification out of photography, whilst increasing the degree of challenge involved. Despite this, there are simple pleasures to be found here – hearty bowls of pho’ bo, dirt-cheap glasses of bia hoi, very friendly people (though possibly excessively so in the case of our hotel staff!), and street upon charming street of pleasant bustle in the Old Quarter. And even though the thousands of little limestone islands in Ha Long Bay seemed as ghosts through the grey mist – not the stunning field of rocky outcrops advertised in the tourist brochure – it was hard to sit on the prow of our boat as it cut across the calm emerald waters and not enjoy the beautiful serenity of it all.

I am still getting used to relying on a combination of hand signals and assorted visual aids (often the bowl of food at the next table) for communication, with a good measure of smiling thrown in for good measure. I find it somewhat ironic that I am facing much greater communicational barriers in Vietnam and Thailand, two countries geographically proximate to Malaysia, than I did in Mexico and Guatemala – at least in terms of verbal rather than non-verbal communication. The fact that Vietnamese, unlike Thai, is written in Roman script is barely helpful, mainly because it is a tonal language (with 6 tones) with a plethora of indecipherable accent marks, all devised unhelpfully by the French.

The difference with Thailand, I suppose, is that one would not even begin to entertain any hope of reading anything in Thai – street signs, menu items, public notices – the way one might in Vietnam. Interestingly, this complete inability of mine to even attempt to pronounce never mind understand the great majority of signs, reminds me that it has been some time since I travelled through a ‘developing’ country with no history of colonisation by a European power (who might have left their language or their script or both) and in fact that there are not many such countries in the world. One finds modern developing states all throughout Southeast Asia and Latin America but these all bear the imprints of their former colonial masters, not just in language but also political institutions, and systems of knowledge and learning – these ‘invisibles’ that many developing nations take for granted were never imposed on Thailand and so the Thais have had to find their own way. That they remained independent is remarkable enough, and their success (by the standards of the developing world, at least) at adapting to modern times and conditions is even more so.

Hanoi está frío en Enero. Frío, gris y nebuloso, con una luz apagada que reduce el placer de fotografía mientras aumenta el desafío. Sin embargo, hay placeres simples aquí – cuencos sustanciales de pho’ bo, vasos muy baratos de bia hoi, la gente muy genial (aunque posiblemente excesivamente en el caso de la personal de nuestra hotel), y muchas calles llenas con el bullicio de vivir en la Ciudad Vieja. Y aunque las miles de islas en la Bahía de Ha Long se parecen fantasmas por la bruma gris – no la colección bonita de piedras que se muestra en la publicidad turística – fue difícil no disfrutar la serenidad mientras el barco se deslizó a través la agua esmeralda.

Todavía se estoy acostumbrando a depender de gestos de mano y algunos medios visuales (a menudo el cuenco de comida en la próxima mesa), y sonreír mucho, para comunicar. Me parece un poco irónico que me enfrento más grandes barreras linguísticas en Vietnam y Tailandia, dos países cercanos a Malasia, que en México y Guatemala. El hecho de que vietnamita, no como tailandés, es escrito en una escritura romana, no es útil, porque es un idioma tonal (con 6 tonos) con muchos acentos, todos concebido por los franceses.

Supongo que la diferencia con Tailandia es que no se espera leer cualquiera en tailandés - señales viales, cartas de restaurante, anuncios públicos - mientras en Vietnam se puede intentar. Mi incapacidad aun para tratar a pronunciar la mayoría de las señales me recuerda que fue hace mucho tiempo la última vez viajé por un país en desarrollo que no tiene historía de colonización por un poder europeo (que podía dejar su idioma o su escritura o ambos) y que no hay muchos países así en el mundo. Por lo general, los estados modernos por toda Asia Sudeste y America Latina tienen los sellos de sus ex jefes, en sus idiomas, sus instituciónes políticas, y los sistemas de conocimiento y aprender - estas 'cosas invisibles' que muchos países en desarrollo dan por sentado nunca se impuso a Tailandia y entonces los tailandeses había tenido que buscar su vía propía. Que ellos mantenieron su independencía es bastantemente notable, y su exito (según los criterios del mundo en desarrollo, al menos) en adaptar a las condiciones modernas es aun más extraordinario.

2006-01-05T02:28:00.000-08:00

El viaje continua, en una tienda de Internet muy ocupada al lado del Khao San Road en Bangkok. Mientras trato de usar mis dedos tiesos de frío por el air-con aquí, las condiciones a fuera continuan ser sofocantes -- calientes, húmedas, congestionadas y increíblemente turísticas en el modo más repugnante. Pero es el Khao San Road al fin y al cabo.

Me sentió un poco extraño esta mañana cuando ponerme mi mochila otra vez después de quedarme por casi tres semanas en casa, no tengo que re-empacarla cada noche, no tengo que decidir cada mañana si sería el día de salir, no constantemente preguntarme a donde ir el próximo. La oportunidad para tener un descanso relajado por navidad con la familia y una ronda suficiente (pero no excesiva) de salir a fiestas fue bienvenida, pero definitivamente es bueno por empezar viajar otra vez. Un poco inquietante, como es siempre al principio de un gran viaje, pero bueno.

The journey continues, in a busy Internet café off the Khao San Road in Bangkok. As I struggle to press my air-con-frozen fingers into action in here, conditions outside continue to be oppressive -- hot, humid, congested and unbelievably touristy in the most off-putting way. But it is the Khao San Road after all.

It felt a little strange this morning to hoist the old rucksack onto my back again after almost three weeks at home, not having to repack it every night, not having to decide every morning if it would be leaving day, not constantly wondering where to go next. The opportunity to have a relaxed Christmas break with the family and a respectable (though not excessive) bout of partying around New Year’s was welcome, but it definitely feels good to be on the move again. A little discombobulating, as it always is at the beginning of a proper trip, but good.

2005-11-30T20:47:00.001-08:00

The awe-inspiring Atlantes standing at the ruins of Tula, outside Mexico City

The church is all that remains of the village of Paricutin, hemmed in on all sides by lava

The new volcano of Paricutin, which emerged in the 1940s

Teotihuacan, an impressive ancient site just outside Mexico City, with some seriously large pyramids

2005-11-30T20:47:00.000-08:00

English version below

En San Francisco ahora, recuperando, descansando. He terminado mi viaje por Latinoamerica, más rico por la experiencia, más pobre según el banco.

Mi última semana en México fue muy bueno, en Michoacán para visitar "el nuevo volcán de Paricutín" (muy extraordinario) y pasar unos días en la playa de Maruata donde pensé ver a mi amigo Karl (visitando desde Inglaterra) pero no pudimos encontrarnos aunque estuvimos en el mismo pueblo el mismo día! Sin embargo, todo fue bien porque Karl tuvo la oportunidad para visitar muchos más lugares y yo conocí a Vincenzo, un buen hombre de Italia – un turista mexicano nos dijo que parecimos un poco extraño, un chino y un italiano hablando una mezcla de español y italiano...

Y mi último fin de semana en el DF (la ciudad de México) también fue fantastico, con Ben y Yasmina (mis amigos que viven allá), y Karl, y mi amigo Callum. Continué ser una noveldad para los mexicanos – en Teotihuacán, hubo un grupo grande de estudiantes jóvenes que me trató como una celebridad (comprendo ahora un poco de las privaciones de celebridad!), y en Xochimilco, los mariachis fueron los unos sacar fotos de nosotros!! Fue divertido!

He visto mucho, aprendiendo mucho durante el viaje. He sido una sorpresa cómo diversas ser los indígenas, especialmente en cuanto de idioma, porque diferentes grupos migraron a las Américas desde Asia a diferentes tiempos. He estado recopilando unas palabras indígenas en unos lugares y las diferencias son fascinantes -- por ejemplo, "buenos días" es "sakcari" en Tz'utujil (alrededor del lago de Atitlán en Guatemala), "nas eransco" en Purépecha (en las tierras altas de Michoacán) y "kinamikilanesepampadios" en Nahuatl de la costa de Michoacán!

En resumen...

De México, siempre recordaré la gran amabilidad y curiosidad de la gente, la energía de la ciudad del DF, los tesoros de cultura (hispánica y antes), las ricas comidas especialmente en Oaxaca!

De Cuba, adquirí una perspectiva extraordinaria sobre un modo alternativo de vivir. Hay que admirar la nobleza de la visión de la Revolución, la humanidad de una sociedad en la que se proporcionan todos los fundamentos (comida básica, asistencia sanitaria, educación, viviendas, empleo) a todos, el empuje para minimizar derroche / reciclar / reutilizar que el resto del mundo debería emular. Por supuesto, hay muchos problemas y faltan muchas libertades... pero espero que ellos no olviden lo que tienen especialmente después de que Fidel muera...

Por fin, Guatemala, un país que siempre será apreciado para mí -- por mis buenos amigos que conocí allá, por Semuc Champey (la atracción más increíble y menos explicable del viaje!), por mi maestro Lorenzo que abrió la puerta del mundo hispánico para mí, por Chico, Paulina y Elvira, que sienten como mi segunda familia...

Además, muchas gracias a...

André y Christine, y Ben y Yasmina, por su gran hospitalidad y compañia

Mike y Annegret, por su generosidad

Carien y Inge, por una gran sorpresa de cumpleaños

y Callum, mi compañero de viajar de primera... ha sido un placer vero viajar contigo!

Mis amigos en Londres, Dubai y Malasia... nos veremos pronto!

2005-11-30T20:45:00.000-08:00

In San Francisco now, recovering, resting. I’ve finished my journey through Latin America, richer for the experience, though somewhat poorer according to my bank.

My last week in Mexico was excellent, in Michoacan to visit “the new volcano of Paricutin” (quite extraordinary) and spend a few days on the beach at Maruata where I planned to meet my friend Karl (over from England for a week) but we utterly failed to find each other even though we were both in the same village at the same time! Nevertheless, all turned out well because Karl got to see more of Mexico and I got to know Vincenzo, a sound Italian chap – a Mexican tourist came up to us saying we were such a strange sight, a Chinese man and an Italian speaking a mixture of Spanish and Italian...

And my final weekend in Mexico City was fantastic too, with Ben & Yasmina (my friends in the city), and Karl, and Callum. I continued to be a novelty for the locals – in Teotihuacan, there was a big group of schoolchildren who treated me as though as I were a celebrity (I now somewhat understand the hardship of celebrity!) and in Xochimilco the mariachis were the ones taking pictures of us! Quite entertaining really.

I’ve see much, learnt much during the journey. It’s been a surprise how diverse the indigenous people are, especially in terms of language, because different groups migrated to the Americas from Asia at different times. I’ve been collecting some indigenous words in a few places and the differences are fascinating – for example, “good morning” is “sakcari” in Tz’utujil (around the lake of Atitlan in Guatemala), “nas eransco” in Purepecha (in the highlands of Michoacan) and “kinamikilanesepampadios” in Nahuatl from the coast of Michoacan!

In summary...

From Mexico, I will always remember the great friendliness and curiosity of the people, the energy of Mexico City, the cultural treasures (Hispanic and earlier), the delicious food especially in Oaxaca!

From Cuba, I gained an extraordinary perspective into a different way of life. One has to admire the nobility of the vision of the Revolution, the humanity of a society where all the fundamentals (basic food, healthcare, education, housing, employment) are available to all, the drive to minimize waste / recycle / reuse that the rest of the world would do well to emulate. Of course, there are many problems and many liberties are lacking... but I do hope that they don’t forget what they have especially after Fidel goes...

Finally, Guatemala, a country that will always be dear to me – for the great friends I made there, for Semuc Champey (the most incredible and least describable attraction of the whole trip!), for my teacher Lorenzo who opened the doors of the Hispanic world to me, for Chico, Paulina and Elvira, who were like a second family to me...

Furthermore, many thanks to...

André & Christine, and Ben & Yasmina, for their hospitality and company

Mike & Annegret, for their generosity

Carien & Inge, for a great birthday surprise

and Callum, my first-class travelling companion... it’s been a real pleasure travelling with you!

My friends in London, Dubai and Malaysia… I will see you all very soon!

2005-11-14T15:09:00.000-08:00

English version below

Quedan dos semanas antes de volar a San Francisco y después a Londres. Mi aventura latinoamericana es casí terminado. Siento buen sincronización -- mis pies están cansados, mi mochila está pesada (la mayoría con bebidas alcohólicas), y, lo más importantemente, ahora tengo dificultad distinguir un zócalo del otro, una iglesia de la otra, una calle de la otra.

Pero qué experiencia extraordinaria! A veces un poco incómodo pero siempre aprovechado, siempre darme algo nuevo. Las atracciones, la gente, la comida y las bebidas han sido fantásticas, pero lo que recordaré es esta primera experiencia de viajar independientemente, en ambos sentidos, de estar solo a menudo y de viajar sin muchos planes, especialmente en las partes donde un viajero solo asiático todavía es una novedad, aun una singularidad -- en mi opinión, hacer cualquiera solo es una idea que no se está conocida acá.

Lo que la gente en algunas partes me ha molestado mucho es el tema más escrito en mi diario, y he aprendido mucho sobre mí mismo y otras personas -- algunas son curiosas (especialmente los niños), algunas son amables, algunas están tratando de ganar algo, algunas sólo son mal educadas (especialmente si gritan "Chinito!" mientras pasarme en un carro por la carretera, o mientras caminar pasarme en la calle en una manera machista, sin ninguno interés, sin ninguno intención de conversar). Por el último, Habana fue probablemente el lugar más duro para mí, seguido por los lugares alojados en Chiapas.

He aprendido no hacer caso a veces, tratar de charlar a veces, y responder en la misma manera a veces... según la situación y mi humor! Estoy agradecido por viajar a veces con mis amigos y compañeros -- normalmente ofrece un descanso bienvenido y de repente caminar por la calle necesita mucho menos energía que cuando yo estuve solo. Es un poco de un "rollercoaster" emocional, pero normalmente se da cuenta de que todo estará bien en el fin, que no es probable el treno se caiga...

PS -- Esto es la escritura más dura desde empecé aprender español. Siento los errores, pero todavía es difícil imaginar que hasta hace dos meses yo no podía escribir así.

2005-11-14T14:26:00.000-08:00

Two weeks remain before I fly to San Francisco and on to London several days later. My Latin American adventure is drawing to a close. It feels like good timing -- my feet are tired, my rucksack is heavy-laden (mostly with assorted alcohols), and, most importantly, I am now having difficulty distingushing one pleasant zócalo (Mexican town square) from the next, one beautiful church from the next, one charming street from the next.

But what a truly remarkable experience it has been, quite discombobulating in parts but always rewarding, always giving me something new. The sights, the people, the food and the drinks have all been tremendous, but what I'll remember is this first experience of travelling independently, in both senses, of being on my own for much of the trip and of making it up as I go along, especially in parts where a lone Chinese traveller is still something of a novelty if not a complete oddity -- in fact, I think the idea of doing anything alone evidently makes little sense to anyone around here.

The hassle I've had as a lone Asian/Oriental traveller has probably been the theme most often covered in my journal, and I can safely say I have learnt a lot in the process about myself and about others -- some are just curious (especially children), some are being friendly, some are trying to get something from me, and some are just being rude or pointlessly intimidating (especially if they yell "Chinito!" as they speed past me on the highway or as they swagger past me in the street, without the slightest hint of interest in stopping or talking to me). For pointless or intimidating hassle, Habana was probably the hardest place for me, followed by out-of-the-way places in Chiapas.

I've learnt to ignore them sometimes, try to have a conversation sometimes, and respond in kind sometimes... depending on the situation and my mood! I am grateful for the good fortune of bumping into and travelling around with some of my new travelling companions from time to time -- this normally offers a welcome respite and walking down the street suddenly takes a fraction of the energy it did when I was on my own. It's proved to be a bit of an emotional rollercoaster, although, as with most rollercoaster experiences, one has a pretty good inkling that all will be fine in the end, that one is not likely to go flying off the rails...

2005-11-14T13:42:00.000-08:00

In front of the Gran Teatro, a shameless Baroque extravagance, in Habana, the capital city of Cuba and once the greatest port of the Spanish colonies. The words that come to mind are faded magnificence, past glory, streets upon streets of grand edifices that have been crumbling away for decades.

2005-11-14T13:32:00.000-08:00

The utterly flabbergasting Capitolio in Habana with a clear resemblance to its namesake in Washington DC and obviously built at a time when the US was Cuba's jefe (boss) not its arch-enemy.

2005-11-14T13:30:00.000-08:00

The Plaza San Francisco de Asis in Habana Vieja (Old Habana).

2005-11-14T13:28:00.000-08:00

Classic cars everywhere you look, including this one here on el Malecon, the Habana seafront.

2005-11-14T13:25:00.000-08:00

The whole place is falling to pieces, apart from the lucky structures that either have been restored or are in the process of being helped, as in the case of this house facade in Trinidad.

2005-11-14T13:23:00.000-08:00

The two currencies in circulation in Cuba. On the left is Moneda Nacional or Pesos Cubanos, which the locals get paid in and use to buy basic goods and services. On the right are Pesos Convertibles or Dólares, tourist money, though increasingly the lucky Cubans who make a living off tourists (such as the people who run the casas particulares I stayed in) have a steady income denominated in these, and so can procure a wider selection of quality goods and entertainment.

The exchange rate is about 25 Cuban pesos to 1 convertible peso, which is about 1 euro! Whilst a different range of goods is available in each currency, it became apparent sometime during my week there that going for cheap things sold in Cuban pesos was the key to making my money go further, in what can be a very expensive country for the budget traveller. For instance, a (sort of) ham and cheese sandwich will cost 10 Cuban pesos on the street in Habana, whilst touristy places will sell a slightly higher-quality version for between 2 and 3 convertible pesos, about 5 times more!

2005-11-14T13:22:00.000-08:00

Una tienda de viveres, a shop (state-owned like all the rest) where locals buy basic food and household goods in Cuban pesos. This is the equivalent of your local corner shop or Tesco Express, though I think their merchandising style is definitely quite distinct! The thumbnail links to a high-res version so you can peruse the goods and prices on offer.

2005-11-14T13:21:00.000-08:00

And finally here is the most stunning setting yet for my journal-writing, atop the Palacio de Valle on the Punta Gorda, a tiny sliver of the city of Cienfuegos that extends into the Bahía de Jagua. The sun is low in the sky, my journal entry is done, and my Mojito awaits (though it turned out not to be particularly distinguished).

2005-11-14T13:19:00.000-08:00

Back in San Pedro in October. Receiving my diploma in tortilla-making from the family -- from right, Paulina (la profesora de tortillar), Francisco and Elvira.

2005-11-14T10:18:00.000-08:00

This will be the last of the disaster updates, I think. First off, photo here on the left shows the village of Panabaj in Santiago Atitlán... it's there under the mud. Current situation in San Pedro La Laguna is good -- water, food, sanitation and health all good -- and tourists are returning and the whole place is buzzing again, which is good news for the locals. If anyone would like further information or find out how you could make a contribution, have a look at http://www.headout.net/index.html

2005-11-01T12:28:00.000-08:00

Some reflections on Guatemala now that I am in México... in both Spanish and English:

Los Guatemaltecos

No es dudoso que la vida en México es más cómodo que en Guatemala por lo general... mucho (incluso los caminos y los autobuses) parece funcionar mejor y hay un poco más organización. Pero yo echo de menos a Guatemala y a la gente extraordinario que conocí allá.

Las indígenas extraordinarias llevando el mundo sobre sus cabezas, sirviendo las comidas calientes completas y refrescos para los pasajeros mientras el autobús atestado bota por el camino.

Las niñas de pan vendiendo su pan en San Pedro que muestran mucho habilidad comercial impresionante y resolución, a pesar de estar jóvenes.

La familia extraordinaria Mendoza-Samul con su fascinación con el mundo más allá de Guatemala aunque por ahora ellos no pueden explorarlo por viajar. Su amabilidad y generosidad durante estos tiempos 'interesantes' -- siempre recuerdo su bienvenida cuando nosotros regresamos de San Marcos después de la inundación... como regresar a hogar después de una experiencia terrible.

La gente extraordinaria trabajando por el país para reconstruir y recuperar y ganar una vida mejor para ellos y sus niños, pero siempre está optimista y bastante alegre que es probablemente necesario después de tanta calamidad -- inundaciónes, derrumbes, terremotos, erupciones de volcán, guerras civiles, golpes de estado etc. Es un contraste fuerte con algunos extranjeros (quizas algunos americanos) que dicen que la área del lago era un desastre total, que todos moríamos, que lo peor no había pasado. Parece que ellos son incorectos, pero yo confieso que muchos de nosotros disfrutábamos un poco el drama en Guatemala, porque no tenemos este drama en nuestros países. Pero la gente en Guatemala no tiene esta necesidad -- para ellos, así es la vida, y los desafíos y las recompensas por vivir en su tierra natal bonita.

The Guatemaltecos

There is no doubt that life in general is a good deal more comfortable here on the Mexican side of the border... things seem to be in better nick (including the roads and the buses) and there just seems to be a tad more organisation about the place. But I do miss Guatemala and the amazing people I got to know there.

The amazing indigenous women carrying the world on their heads, dishing up complete hot meals and drinks for passengers as the crowded bus bounces its way down the mountain roads.

The amazing 'pan' girls selling their bread in San Pedro who display such impressive commercial ability and determination at such a young age.

The amazing Mendoza-Samul family with their great fascination with the world beyond Guatemala even though at present they lack the means to explore it by travelling themselves. Their kindness and generosity as we have been with them through these 'interesting' times -- I will always remember the way they welcomed us so warmly into their house upon our return from San Marcos after the floods... it was like returning home after a terrible ordeal.

The amazing people working hard across the country to rebuild and recover, and achieve a better life for themselves and their children, but always so sanguine as I think they probably need to be after so many calamities -- floods, landslides, earthquakes, volcano eruptions, civil wars, coups etc. A stark contrast to some foreigners (some would single out a certain segment of Americans) who kept saying how the lake area was a total disaster, that we would all die, that the worst was still ahead. It now looks like they are being proved wrong, but I have to admit that many of us foreigners rather enjoyed the drama, so starved of such drama back home, obviously relishing being at the centre of things in Guatemala. But the locals here have no such drive, no such need -- for them this is just life, and the challenges and rewards of living in the beautiful place they know as their home.

2005-11-01T12:24:00.000-08:00

Israeli Tourists

Until recently I never really thought of myself as being racist -- well I think we all have tendencies but I guess we learn to manage them and overcome them. However, I have to report a new-found aversion to Israeli backpackers in Guatemala, on account of a terrible tendency towards arrogance, miserliness, indiscriminate distrust of local people, disregard for the welfare of non-Israelis or people they otherwise are not familiar with, and a rather gruff manner to top it all off.

The first case in point, and still the best one, is that of the Israeli couple who were holed up in the church in San Marcos with us and the village when the disaster struck -- as the rest of us were trying to haul supplies up the hill from the village and keep spirits up and make sure everyone was well, this couple looked in their insurance policy and apparently found that they were covered for emergency mountain rescue by helicopter and so called the rescue helpline and demanded a helicopter! They even managed to convince a few other similarly deranged foreigners to join them... and so they were all sitting there in the hope that a chopper would turn up imminently to spirit them away from the mess, presumably as the villagers just looked on haplessly.

Then the couple accused one local youth who had been so helpful to us all morning (he was part of the evacuation crew) and who had risked his life to head back down to the Piramides site to rescue the Israeli girl's rucksack, of trying to nick the rucksack -- I tried reasoning with her that he didn't really need to tell her beforehand that he was heading down to get it if he had intended to steal it, but she was less than convinced.

On the other hand, we have also found some really lovely Israeli tourists -- notably the gentle soul who led us to El Retiro (who remarked that the hotel was a good deal and he couldn't complain... which those in the know will recognise as an atypical comment) and the group who returned with us from Finca El Paraíso -- but I regret that these are a small minority.

2005-10-24T17:40:00.000-07:00

Volví a San Pedro La Laguna hoy... a la escuela y a casa. Back in San Pedro in Atitlán just a few hours ago and have just had an amazing reunion with Chico & Paulina whom I surprised by just pitching up on their doorstep! It's really good to be back albeit not for long -- I am planning to have four more days of lessons (6 hrs/day this time!) before beginning the long road trip up to Pátzcuaro in México to get there in time for the Day of the Dead (1st Nov).

Things appear to be just fine in San Pedro except that there are hardly any tourists or students about, and this is really the last thing this place needs after a terrible disaster... so I intend to be out buying beer and pan and stuff, and spending money on school and homestay until I leave on Saturday. Even managed to divert two tourists to San Pedro today who were on the bus with me from Guate... though it wasn't really difficult as they were intending to travel to Santiago Atitlán (where the 1,400 people died in the mudslide and remain buried in the mud) which is still pretty much a quarantined disaster zone -- we are now pretty sure that there is a significant outbreak of hepatitis there.

But if anyone out there is thinking of coming to San Pedro or knows someone who might be, rest assured the lake is as stunningly beautiful as ever and San Pedro is very secure. It's not even raining (much) :-)

There will be more blog entries later this week... I have much to write about :-)

2005-10-17T13:07:00.000-07:00

My 29th birthday party... in the bar of the El Retiro Lodge in Lanquin... with champagne and music courtesy of Karin, Inge (not in the photo for some reason), Maurice and [what's his name?], and excellent drinking assistance from Callum and Jill (on the right).

2005-10-17T13:02:00.000-07:00

Second stage of the evacuation from Atitlan, in the back of a Guatemalan Army truck!

2005-10-17T12:51:00.000-07:00

Just a few hours before this photo, a torrent of water had washed away part of this cobblestone path in San Marcos -- a relatively minor example of the damage done by the flood. We decided it would have been quite offensive to have taken pictures of the damage done to homes, churches and schools.

2005-10-17T12:40:00.000-07:00

Elvira holds up one of my less presentable tortillas

2005-10-14T11:07:00.000-07:00

Thanks to everyone who sent me birthday wishes. I turned 29 yesterday. Feeling old :-p

Pero qué cumpleaño tan estupendo... what an AMAZING birthday!! It started at midnight on Wednesday when Callum decided to tell the bar staff that it was my birthday... which was a BAD move! ;-) Then, incredibly hung-over yesterday morning, we went to Semuc Champey, an absolutely astounding natural formation... essentially a huge platform (they call it a "natural bridge" but that doesn't quite capture the size of this thing) of cascading pools with a crazy raging river flowing UNDER it... it's totally mad! We did this seemingly death-defying free climb down the waterfall and swung under the bridge into the underground cavern where the river flows, water crashing all around us... though the really scary bit for me was trying to get back up -- imagine this:

You are perched on a bit of rock with the river raging around you, tumbling out of the cavern and dropping below you quite a long way, and what you have to do is hop up onto the seemingly smooth rock face hanging above your head and climb back up using the few niches available in the rock, except all this time water is gushing down from above and smashing into your face... your guide is yelling "Mire! Mire!" / "Watch (me carefully and follow)!" as he demonstrates how to do all this but you can't see a thing for all the water in your eyes...

Needless to say, my adrenaline, endorphine, serotonin, dopamine -- EVERYTHING -- levels were just OFF THE SCALE!!!

Back at the hotel in the evening, the Dutch contingent I had kind of met the day before surprised me with a bottle of champagne and some local sweets as a birthday present, and sang 'Happy Birthday' to me in Dutch! They were intending to make me a little crown -- apparently that's what they do back home -- as well but they didn't quite managed that so this morning they just gave me the roll of card they were going to use to make it! Really sweet.

Unfortunately I am having trouble posting pictures to my blog so for now you can look at Callum's website to see some pictures of us at the house in San Pedro and more recently pictures from Semuc Champey:
http://callumg.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk

If that site is too slow to load and/or you want more pictures of Semuc, see
http://www.guate360.com/galeria/categories.php?cat_id=18

I hope you guys enjoy this return to standard traveller blogging... though I think we are all still processing what's happened in recent weeks and I hope to write a little more about it soon. Also hoping to return to San Pedro for a few days before I go to Mexico as I feel I didn't get a chance to say my goodbyes properly at the time of the evacuation.

take care
h

2005-10-11T10:42:00.000-07:00

Español en primer lugar, and an English version below.

Hola a todos. Mis amigos y yo salimos de San Pedro / Atitlán anteayer despues de hablar con la oficial de INGUAT (el instituto turismo de Guatemala). Ella dijo que los extranjeros debió salir de Atitlán porque agua pura y comida y gasolina estuvieron escasas, y que los habitantes tuvieron que conservar estos recursos. Creí que tiene sentido entonces decidí a salir. Eso fue una decisión más difícil porque va a afectar la economía en Atitlán -- pero mi dinero no es util para los habitantes si no queda comida o agua en las tiendas. Deciendo "adiós" a nuestra familia y explicando por qué debemos salir fue increiblemente duro.

Gracias para las autoridades... no encontramos qualquier dificulta durante nuestro viaje ayer de Panajachel por Sololá hacia La Ciudad. Pero todavía hay muchos problemas en Atitlán -- supongo que más de un mil personas han muerto solamente en el pueblo de Santiago Atitlán y hay miedo de enfermedad cuando los cadáveres en el lodo descompuestan, y todavía es muy difícil traer agua pura, comida y gasolina hacia los pueblos afectados por el camino de montaña. Estamos en Cobán hoy donde hace buen tiempo y la gente está viviendo casí normalmente... pienso que es un poco extraño porque parece muy lejos de la situación en Atitlán.

Hello all. My friends and I left San Pedro / Atitlán day before yesterday after speaking to an official from INGUAT, the Guatemalan tourism agency. She tolds us that foreigners should leave Atitlán as water, food and fuel were scarce, and that the locals had to conserve these resources. I thought that made sense so I decided to leave. That was one of the hardest decisions I have had to make in a long while, as obviously this means that the local economy in Atitlán will suffer though it is also clear that our money will do the locals no good if there is no food or water left in the shops because we have consumed everything. Saying goodbye to our family and explaining why we had to leave was incredibly painful.

Thanks to the authorities we had no difficulty getting out of Panajachel, via Sololá, to Guatemala City. However there are still huge problems in Atitlán -- I reckon there are over a thousand dead in the town of Santiago Atitlán alone and there are fears that disease will spread as bodies buried in the mud decompose, and it is still extremely difficult to get potable water, food and fuel into the affected villages via the mountain access road. We are now in Cobán where the weather is fine and the people are living almost normally... it is all a bit strange as it seems so distant from the situation in Atitlán.

2005-10-08T13:07:00.000-07:00

Another short post, this time from Panajachel, where part of the town has been wiped out and the main road bridge leading into town has collapsed. Fortunately though they have electricity and phones... and vehicular traffic with surrounding areas resumed yesterday evening. San Pedro is expected to be without electricity, water or phones for another week, which will be tough -- not least for the thousands of refugees from surrounding villages holed up by the Catholic church -- but Callum and I are just feeling incredibly lucky to be with the family we're with and to have been pretty successful at getting some cash out here today as everyone is now running out of money. Food supplies are low but still sufficient -- some things (e.g. eggs and meat) have just about run out but there should be enough beans and maize for a little while.

Yesterday we were in Santiago Atitlan where hundreds, possibly more than a thousand, are dead, buried under huge mudslides. We could barely see any houses in the affected neighbourhood as most of them were completely submerged or swept away. Bodies are being recovered. Slowly.

We are intending to go help in San Marcos tomorrow. This is the small and astonishingly beautiful village we were in when the storm hit earlier this week. On Tuesday morning at 3am, the villagers came round to our cabins crying "Vamos! Vamos!" and we were evacuated up to the church up the hill (an AoG church, for those of you who know what that is!) and we spent the night there with the rest of the villagers as the wind howled and torrential downpour continued. As day broke, we found new 'rivers' raging through the centre of the village, sweeping away houses and shops and schools. We helped move supplies from various shops up the hill, alongside locals who were moving wardrobes, tables, machines, books... everything they were able to save from the waters. By midday, the centre was a no-go zone -- the force of the water was such that anyone wading in would have been swept right down the hill and into the lake. The ground in many parts was so saturated with water that it seemed we were walking on a spring mattress.

We were fortunate enough to have been evacuated early up to the church on the hill, which appears to be in a secure position. We were also fortunate enough (and fortunately rich enough) to be able to check into a small hotel that evening, and incredibly fortunate to have caught a launch the next day to San Pedro. We now know that the main school and the main Catholic church in the centre of San Marcos have been severely damaged. The villages of Tzununa and Jaibalito have fared even worse, apparently, with most people from those places either 'missing' or seeking refuge in San Pedro.

We have been INCREDIBLY FORTUNATE. Although it's interesting how we're now worrying about how much longer the electricity in San Pedro will be out, from worrying about having enough money (yesterday)... worrying about whether there would be enough food and water for everyone (two days ago)... and wondering if we were about to be crushed in a mudslide (three days ago). Amazing how quickly we adapt to all the great things we have and start demanding more!!

Right... that's all for now. No idea when I'll be able to post again but please don't take radio silence for anything bad as San Pedro will just be a little bit cut-off from the rest of civilisation for another week or so.

You can see another view on the disaster at http://www.atitlan.com/ and of course you can get information from any decent news website / channel / feed.

PS - On a slightly more amusing note, I think the people of Santiago found it quite funny that a random Chinese man wearing a traditional sombrero turned up to help them yesterday but instead of being particularly helpful just kept walking into the mud-banks and sinking in, sometimes up to his hips before being pulled out by the locals! This happened about 4 or 5 times before I finally got the plot and started walking on the rocks! Oh well... at least I provided some light entertainment. Bumped into a local chap in San Pedro later who said something along the lines of "Working in Santiago again tomorrow yes?!" with an enthusiasm that could not have been purely about the work!

2005-10-07T12:44:00.000-07:00

hola a todos. very short post to say things are bad in guatemala -- the tropical storm has flooded many parts of the country, power is out in most parts of the country, over a thousand people have died by my estimate, and communications are poor with most roads shut but thankfully there is power and phone connections here in some places. i am absolutely fine and am staying put in san pedro with the family until things get better, the roads open up etc. am in santiago atitlan where they appear to have power and phone lines up and running. not so lucky in san pedro just yet, but much better than in san marcos where we were evacuated from and where half the town has probably been ruined.

2005-10-01T11:26:00.000-07:00

ok... an English version... with a little more detail on the civil war.

I'm at the San Pedro Spanish School, right beside the lake of Atitlán in Guatemala. I've got classes every weekday afternoon with my teacher Lorenzo, who's not just a great teacher but also someone who's keen to improve himself and his English, so there's a lot of two-way learning/teaching going on! We are covering a LOT of ground VERY quickly... so there tends to be a fair bit of homework and revision to do even when I'm not at school.

I'm living with a family here and my local 'parents' are Francisco (or Chico) and Paulina, who are lovely. There are two other students in the house, Lars (from Sweden) and Callum (a Scouser!). We generally eat together at each meal. Paulina cooks really yummy food and it's pretty varied too -- excepting breakfast, we haven't had the same thing twice in over two weeks! Quite an achievement in these parts! She also makes the best tortillas we've come across and Callum thinks they're the best he's had since travelling in Central America. Our other school friends do think we're a bit odd in that we actually look forward to every meal at home as they generally hate the food in their homes.

I get loads of opportunities to practice my Spanish at home with my 'parents' and with Elvira, their daughter, who often eats with us. They are great at helping us with our Spanish and they've also taught us a few words in the local Maya language (it's called Tz'utujil) -- they sound VERY different from Spanish... more glottal stops and guttural sounds... quite interesting. We've also been learning to make tortillas and we've become quite good though I can always recognise mine as the small misshapen ones!!

We also discovered las week that Chico is a bit of a politician and is standing as a mayoral candidate for San Pedro! I'd been wondering why we had all those visitors in the evenings to his home office! The elections are in 2007... and the candid opinion of my teacher is that he will win... so Lars, Callum and I have been talking about coming back to celebrate when he gets in!

Every week the school tends to do some kind of talk or event about the civil war in Guatemala, which tragically scarred many communities here. This place is so beautiful that it's really hard to imagine that the war only ended 9 years ago. The 'disappearances' and the killings, and the extreme fear faced by people like Chico and Paulina every day and every night, especially as it was unsafe to sleep in your own home or anywhere else consistently as that would make it pretty straightforward for the security forces to come get you -- all that seems incredibly far removed from the idyllic present. The fact that almost all the trouble was caused by the security forces rather than the guerillas, at least in San Pedro and Santiago Atitlán, recalls the 'prisoner experiment' (of the 50s??) and is a reminder of how untramelled powers can corrupt and turn otherwise gentle folk into crazy murderers.

Anyway, it's much better now and things are looking good for the good people here, thankfully.
I'm realising every day how great it is to have a much more active lifestyle than the one I had in London... and a fun one too! As you can see from the photos, we've been out kayaking and swimming, and horse-riding, which is SO MUCH FUN, flying past the fields and through forests, with great views at every turn -- though I've learnt that it can be a bit painful after too! Callum had a bit of crazy horse that kept going off into the fields, which was hilarious! It happened twice and both times our guide, Salvador, had to go help him get back out onto the road!

Right... that's all for now... so look for more in about a week maybe!

2005-09-30T17:58:00.000-07:00

Apologies to those of you who don't read Spanish as this is only available en español for now -- I will post a translation soon!

Todos amigos, tengo aquí mi escritura en español sobre mis experiencias en San Pedro. Lo siento por mis errores -- ¡solamente ustedes recuerdan que mi escribiendo es mejor que mi hablando!

Yo estoy estudiando español en San Pedro La Laguna en Guatemala, en la Escuela Español de San Pedro que queda al lado del Lago de Atitlán. Asisto a las clases en las tardes cada día except el fin de semana. Mi maestro se llama Lorenzo. Él es un buen maestro y es humilde también -- él ya habla inglés muy bien pero todavía quiere que se ayudo. En las noches después de cenar y en las mañanas tengo que hacer mis tareas y repasar que me enseña -- si no, no puedo recordar nada, por supuesto.

Estoy quedándome en la casa de la familia Mendoza. 'Mis padres' se llaman Francisco y Paulina. Ellos son muy amables y simpáticos. Hay otros estudiantes en la casa, Lars (de Suecia) y Callum (de Liverpool en Inglaterra). Por lo general, nosotros comemos juntos por cada comida. La comida que Paulina cocina es muy sabroso y diverso -- ¡ella no nos sirve la misma comida otra vez! Nuestros amigos piensan que nosotros estamos extraño por desear comer en la casa todos los días.

Tengo muchas oportunidades para practicar mi español con mis padres y con Elvira, su hija, quien come junto con nosotros a menudo. Además de ayudar a sus 'hijos extranjeros' con hablar español, mis padres nos enseñan unas palabras del idioma local (se llama Tz'utujil) también -- esas palabras suenan muy diferente que español y son más dificil para pronunciar. Estoy aprendiendo hacer tortillas además pero yo siempre reconozco mis tortillas -- ¡las feas y las pequeñas!

La semana pasada descubrimos que Chico, nuestro padre, es un político también. ¡El va a ser un candidato a alcalde de San Pedro! Estuve preguntando por qué hay muchos visitas a la casa en las noches. Las elecciónes van a ser en el 2007, y mis hermanos y yo quizas vamos a regresar aquí ¡para su celebración!

Cada semana tenemos una conferencia en la escuela sobre la guerra civil. Este lugar es demasiado bonito para imaginar que el fin de la guerra civil fue solamente hace nueve años. Las 'desapariciónes' y las matanzas, y el miedo extremo todos los días y todas las noches, parecen muy lejano del presente idílico. Me recuerda que el poder puede cambiar a unas personas normales... a locas.

*suspiro*

Está bien ahora.

Me doy cuenta de ¡qué bueno! que yo tengo aquí una vida activa y muy divertida también. El martes, mis amigos y yo fuimos en kayak por el lago a la Playa Dorada donde nadamos y tomamos el sol. El miércoles, anduvimos a caballo alrededor de la montaña. Me diverté mucho cuando mi caballo galopeó por las orillas de las milpas de maís y por el bosque -- ¡hubo buena vista en cada curva! Pero tengo dolor en mis nalgas y en mis piernas ahora. Creo que el caballo de Callum estuvo un poco loco -- cuando estuvo galopeando su caballo se salió de la calle ¡a las milpas! Hizo eso dos veces y nuestro guia, Salvador, tuvo que rescatarlo en cada momento.

Bueno, es todo por ahora... voy a escribir más la próxima semana.

- harviño

2005-09-29T18:01:00.000-07:00

The house of Chico & Paulina Mendoza

It's almost impossible to capture what the lake really looks like but this is a good attempt (thank you Sophie) showing me kayaking from San Pedro to La Playa Dorada.

On La Playa Dorada -- from left, Ben, Josh, Callum (my house 'brother') and Sophie seated.

I've also been horse-riding. Twice. And wondered both times why I'd never done it before! SO much fun. Especially as my horse -- aptly named 'China' -- is a bit of a keen galloper! Photo on the right shows China 'parked' in a public car-park in town as Callum and I arrived into town half an hour ahead of the rest of the group (including the guide who had to take the horses away). Fortunately for Alejandro (whoever he is), China didn't feel the need to defecate in his parking bay -- I was less fortunate, having been caught in a skirmish in the morning between China and another (very ill-tempered) horse which decided to dump a huge load of horse shit on my ankle. Was scrubbing my trousers pretty hard the next morning!

Fueling up on pollo dorado in the great market town of Chichicastenango before heading off to do friendly battle with the market vendors. Bought a sombrero at long last, as well as a CD of the greatest merengue hits of Juan Luis Guerra!

Scene in Chichi.

2005-09-17T13:34:00.000-07:00

Went for a refreshing swim in the lake yesterday morning, at La Playa Dorada though as you can see it might well be called La Playa Negra! Lars just managed to escape being caught on camera, but you can see Brandon (American) in the water and Mike (Aussie) on shore -- they're staying next door to us como los hijos de hermana de Francisco... so I guess that makes us cousins.

La fiesta luna llena es esta noche and there will apparently be full moon parties happening on various private beaches. I wasn't really expecting this kind of party scene out here but as it's here I think it would be rude not to go... :-)

2005-09-17T13:17:00.000-07:00

So here I am in San Pedro La Laguna on Lago de Atitlan. It's AMAZING. The scenery is absolutely stunning, the weather perfect, the language school excellent (with classes conducted in the gardens overlooking the lake) and the mochilero (i.e. backpacker) crowd very friendly indeed. I'm living with my fantastic local 'parents' -- Francisco y Paulina -- who are doing a great job housing and feeding Lars -- my 'brother' for a few weeks -- and me. I have learnt more Spanish in two days than I ever thought was possible, despite the fact that my maestro was taking no chances yesterday with the inaugural lesson, beginning as he did with 'El Alfabeto!' Aprendo mucho pero debo estudiar mucho tambien! Sorry guys I haven't worked out anything but the present tense for now!

2005-09-15T13:08:00.000-07:00

In the boat at Panajachel waiting to leave for San Pedro La Laguna.

2005-09-14T12:56:00.000-07:00

Subir el Volcán Pacaya, cerca La Antigua. A spectacular climb up an active volcano. As you can see, it's definitely SMO-KING at the top, and what you can't see (and what I couldn't really get good pictures of) is the spray of molten magma coming out of the top, just feet away from where we were perched on the edge of the crater when we got there! 7 of the 10 in our group were Israeli... which reflects their general domination of the travelling scene in this part of the world, as I've recently discovered from seeing not just lots of them but also loads of signs in Hebrew and meeting little local kids who speak Hebrew! Scary. One of the Israeli girls went so far as to describe my next stop after Antigua -- San Pedro La Laguna -- as 'Gaza!!'

2005-09-13T15:17:00.000-07:00

Day One. Antigua, Guatemala. Arrived dazed and confused early this morning after flying from SFO via LAX (where I engaged in a bit of recreational glass-breaking in the airport wine bar) to GUA -- thankfully the hotel let me check in at 6am for a little nap! I´ve also been reading V S Naipaul´s first book on his travels through the Islamic world (thank you Andre) so when I got up at noon I wasn´t quite sure if I was in Iran or Guatemala. Certainly enough Americanos wandering about the place to confuse you.

Antigua has been a delight to walk around with lots of ruins to take pictures of, quiet gardens to write the journal in (thank you Susan) and charming courtyard cafes to sip cappuccinos in, though it´s obviously very touristy and the scale of the invasion makes me feel constantly apologetic as I pass local residents on the street. That will get better as I get the hang of this, I´m sure.

OK my friends... time for me to get out of this internet cafe!

2005-09-09T12:46:00.000-07:00

Muchas gracias a mis amigos por la fiesta final antes de salir! :-) Pictures from my impromptu final leaving party the night before my flight to San Francisco