Singapore...

Is so clean and pretty and efficient-- like Vienna, but nothing like Vienna. Said to be the only shopping mall with a seat at the UN, Singapore can now add Universal Studios Theme Park to its attractions. For us, a walk to the iconic Merlion was more attractive. Raph's dance group was truly honoured here, with the president of Singapore in attendence, they gave a feature-length performance in the beautiful Jubilee Hall Theatre, and gave all the money for the tickets to a local Hindu Temple. Between temple visits and performances, Raph and I managed to squeeze in a harp-accompanied High Tea at Raffles, famed to be one of the best in the world. Singapore directly following India is a pretty drastic, though common, juxtapostion;)

See http://picasaweb.google.com/raphandmichela for pictures

India

I believe my friend said it best: "India is an assault on your senses". Your vision is taken with bright colors and bright sunlight, your nose consumed by offensive odours of defecation and enticing odours of spices and flowers, your lungs infiltrated with dirt and dust, your taste buds pillaged by hot and spicy flavours, your feelings lost in empathy and disgust and most of all, your ears are attacked by horns, bells, hammering and yelling. I get why people say Delhi is a little bit like New York. A little bit.

The contradictions bare themselves openly here. While is socially unacceptable for men and women to hold hands, the Kajaraho temples are covered in depictions I have not yet seen in the raciest German magazines. Though it may be considered one of the most unhygenic places on Earth, no one is interested in using silverware. Animals are worshiped and neglected (or exploited). The most stunning Islamic architecture rises out of absolute rubble and tent towns full of Hindus. Everyone wants to be your friend but few really trust you. I was stared at openly like an unbelievable museum piece, and yet the following still occurred: A man who had never seen me before of obvious low stature and little English was counting his money behind me, and I put out my hand and asked, "Oh, is that for me? Thank you!" And without missing a beat, he replied, "Yes, it's for you, here," and handed me his money without batting an eyelid. He was so attuned to my wave-length, so in on my personal joke, that he trusted completely the handing over his money to me, a complete stranger. I resisted the urge to take the money and run, just to see what he would do.

Of course, touring as part of Raph's dance company, I had my fair share of cultural performances, temple visits and crazy Western "I-will-never-find-these-prices-anywhere-else" shopping sprees. I did not experience an overhelmence from poverty and begging that perhaps I had been over prepared for.

See http://picasaweb.google.com/raphandmichela for pictures

All these Caribbean Mouths…

Ok, Bocas del Toro gets its own entry. We want to move here. Seriously, Raph is checking out real estate as I write, and trying to convince me that buying an island is a good investment. The first night we flew into this small Hispanic Caribbean town, a group of local men were in full Carnival form, sporting Afro-Latino rhythms on various percussive objects while dancing to the beat—they were fantastic. Then we checked in to a gorgeous “budget” accommodation, complete with orthopedic beds, hardwood floors and ceilings, wireless, hammocks, and al a carte breakfast, and tasted the owner’s home-made pizza downstairs. We then headed to town to check out the local wares and took in the Caribbean sea while tasting the “killing me man” rum at Lili’s waterfront Cafe.

The following day we perplexed the locals by walking the 5 hrs across the Island of Colon to Bocas del Drago, instead of taking the $2.50 bus. On the other side, was the prettiest little stretch of abandoned, palm-dotted, ice-cream ad snorkeling beach you could ask for. I found a nice hammock to fall out of while Raph snorkeled up a storm. Finished up the evening with some brilliantly cheap Mediterranean food and Raph drank his Pina Colada out of an actual pineapple, and I became addicted to something called a Vanilla Avalanche (Baileys, Frangelico, Vanilla Ice Cream...you get the idea).

Day three we took a snorkeling boat tour to 2 of the better snorkeling spots, spotted some Dolphins and actual Sloths (did not know they existed until now…) and then frolicked upon Red Frog Beach on Bastimentos Island. Red Frog is quite similar to Australia’s Northern Beaches, except for these gorgeous tiny red frogs, which could pass for painted china , which the local kids collect in order to show you for tips. We then moved our digs to a retreat on Bluff Beach—“off the grid” on endless miles of (mostly unswimmable but) gorgeous beach. The owners gave us a bottle of Chilean champagne as Congratulations and we met this great and interesting family from the US/Canada who constantly insisted on inviting us to dinner, asking us a million questions and practicing their brilliant language skills on us.

Day four we biked back into town (45 mins one way) to luncheon on the waterfront again at Buena Vista, where the local organic chocolate farm docks its desserts. Then a leisurely bike to the second hand books store, whose owner gave me a Cajun dictionary for free, and when asked for directions, claimed that no one looking for the Bocas Butterfly Farm has ever returned…we gave up searching quickly and headed back to our lovely adopted family to share our bottle of champagne.

Day five Raph went kayaking, while I lucked out with the best and cheapest private yoga class ever, followed by a massage, and a facial. We both got a taste of the Valentine’s Day chocolate contest entries before running off to the airport (5 min walk from town) to catch our plane back to Panama City. Finally, the honey part of the moon!!!

Panamanian Girl

Flushing toilets, running water, hot water, U.S. products, insane Carnivale costumes, and everyone's bodyshape looks like mine-- I must be in Panama! Am finally off antibiotics, and feeling fully recovered in the Panama heat! We our staying with my lovely Aunt Carmen, who has already seen to it that we visited The Panama Canal (at Miraflores locks), The Panama Canal Museum, Ft. Clayton (where my father was born), The Panama Viejo Ruins, Casco Viejo, Mis Pueblitos (a collection of re-enactment villages consisting of the Spanish, Jamaican and Indigenous villages around Panama), and a number of family reunions held everywhere from local pubs to top brunch clubs! It's nice to know you like your family...and we all look like each other-- freaky. Carmen also took us to "Pelyhe's Place", her sprawling beach home in Santa Clara, and I got to see where Margot Fonteyn lived with her Panamanian husband!!! On Wednesday we are heading to the the Carribbean archipelgo, Bocas del Toro, to see the most famous beaches, wildlife and jungle islands Panama has to offer. It is one of the few times Raph and I will be alone on this trip and it intersects with both Valentine's Day and main Carnivale days (South America's excuse to party 24/7)!

Good-bye Peru!

For those who have not heard, the final two weeks in Peru were difficult to say the least. First, the floods started and our running water stopped. Then, a state of emergency was declared in Cuzco, with 2,500 some tourists trapped at Macchu Picchu (where we were headed on the Inca trail that weekend) and several dead, homes & crops throughout Cuzco destroyed, and so on. Needless to say, we were all disappointed that we would not be seeing Macchu Picchu, (as all has been closed down for 2 months), but extremely grateful we were not among the above-mentioned.

Then, due to the general disease frequency and lack of hygiene in Cuzco exacerbated by the floods, plus our contact in our volunteer work, I managed to contract a lung infection, a urinary tract infection, giardia and salmonella all at once! So instead of my first time viewing the ancient Inca mecca, I experienced my first "third world" hospitalization and IV drip. No, it was a really nice traveller's clinic, and the doctor spoke English and let Raph sleep in the room with me:)

Good-bye to Peru was very bitter-sweet: part of me couldn't wait to get out of there, but saying good-bye to the kids (oh yeah, and you guys Tom, Linds, Helena, Cindy & Virginia) and the thank-you ceremony they gave us (flowers, singing, every single one hugged us several times over) was touching to say the least.

Centre of the Incan Empire

Our first two weeks in Cuzco have flown by. Within hours of landing I felt the effects of altitude sickness and after throwing up my beautiful welcome lunch they called the doctor in to confirm that it was my oxygen levels and not something else. Now washing and cooking everything in boiling water, our little electric teapot is now our new best friend. We are staying in a little known suburb (even by the taxi drivers) called La Rapa. Every morning, we take the van 30 mins upward to the community of Puma Marca, where some 100 filthy but gorgeous kids await us. So far, I have been teaching English, Computer classes and P.E. (mostly dancing).

We have also sanded and painted what will be a new classroom and a cafeteria, and worked on a self-sustaining vege garden for the school. Evenings we have Spanish classes, Peruvian cooking classes and home visits with the local social worker. On my last home visit, we helped dig a trench and put in pipes so a local woman and her son could access running water. Despite my best efforts (such as donning a plastic poncho), I return every evening covered in dirt and mud, but to the breathtaking surroundings of the Andes.

We squeezed in tours of the Sacred Valley, Sachsaywuman, Pusaq, and overwhelming markets and pan-pipe performances on the weekend as a warm-up for Macchu Piccu and the Inca Trail. Been too tired to go out and salsa in the evenings, but that is next on the list.

La, la, la Lima Beans...

07-08.01.2010

Lima airport is a bit of a mess, but we were soon whisked away to a nice hotel on the water, aptly named “El Faro” (the lighthouse). After a sleep and receiving 2 bread rolls for breakfast, we walked along the parks overlooking the beach to Miraflores Shopping Centre, which is pretty indistinguishable from a Western shopping mall (and its prices). Bought some comfortable walking shoes, and had lunch over-looking the beach. The painted cows that have been traveling the world now dot the Lima parks, including the Parque D’Amor which also houses a mosaic wall reminiscent of Barcelona and a giant sculpture, “The Kiss”, not remotely reminiscent of Klimt.

Then a 4 hour city tour of Lima, which included an archeological adobe brick site, the main squares celebrating the Argentine and Venezualan generals who “liberated” Peru, Christopher Columbus, and the Franciscan and Dominican branches of the Catholic church (including the catacombs), a Pre-Columbian tribal artifact museum (some as old as 1000-200 B.C.), and the famous Lima wooden balconies. We are told the weather is in a permanent gray, cloudy, feels-like-its-going-to-rain-but-doesnt state, apparently due to the Andes, hence the wooden and bright coloured structures here. The architecture is stunning really, and reminds me of Brussels-- if it weren’t for the fact that I suddenly feel very tall, clearly afflicted with a skin pigmentation disorder and fully convinced of the need to buy “worry people”, I could very easily believe I was in Europe.

I wanna be a part of B.A.:

Buenos Aires, Big Flower?

04.01.2010

It's also harbourside city, but that’s where any similarity to Sydney ends. For me, Buenos Aires is all New York: the extra layer of humidity and grime you carry home with you, the garbage on the streets, the people too busy to notice (except for the ones going through the garbage), and the atmosphere and soul that other cities so completely lack.

On the taxi drive from the airport, we passed tenement block after tenement block-- run down, dilapidated, free-standing lego towers interspersed with fields of unbridled horses. Our hotel was central and nice, though the staff were hardly bilingual as advertised! Hard to believe I am able to understand so much, especially when I keep thinking “oh shit, oh shit” while people are talking to me as I realize we are relying completely on my Spanish.

I soon gave up on trying to avoid meat, as this is the cattle capital of the world, and the best beef I have ever tasted I must say. We tasted some empanadas (carne picante, cheese tomato & parsley, ham and Roquefort) and promptly fell alseep. Then wandered to San Telmo, past the Casa Rosada and Plaza de 25 de Mayo. Dinner at a parrilla (grill), La Brigado, included Argentina’s style of smazeny syr or mozzarella sticks, truly excellent steak that lived up to its reputation every bit, Malbec wine, which Raph enjoyed (and which even smelled less distasteful than other wines to me), “deliciously antisocial” garlic fries and greens. Dessert at Nonna Bianca’s banana split with dulce de leche ice cream, yummmm...no wonder everyone here is so, ahem, robust.

05.01.2010

9am city tour included el Caminito, the “Charles Bridge” of Buenos Aires, with paintings, photographs, sculptures, and photos with tango dancers for sale. Apparently portenos (locals) have only 2 passions: football and tango. CD of tour, tango CD, with the famous Carlos Gardel (whom three women in 3 different countries tried to commit suicide over after hearing of the famous singer’s death), and superimposed photo of Raph and I as tango dancers. This time by day, 25 de Mayo Square where all the protests are held (and riot police were gearing up) and the Casa Rosada where Eva Peron delivered her famous "Don't Cry For Me Argentina".

Thank goodness this is a 24 hour city, as we seem to continually fall into an inescapable sleep around 1pm, and don’t wake up again until 9pm…

Dinner at La Bolsa with a professional tango singer and two professional dancers. Even though I avoided meat this time, the portions here are huge! Twice what they ought to be according to Raphael, and 4x what they ought to be according to me (think the Spanish Club portions). Dulce de leche chocolate stop at the “25-hour” mini-mart for dessert and off to a martes milonga at La Confiteria Ideal where all the real people come to tango socially in the ideal setting of a dance hall from another era.

06.01.2010

8am visit to Floralis Generica, a giant mechanical flower which opens with the sun, and closes at dusk, just like a real flower. Walked through the Cemetary Recoleta, an above ground burial labrynth, where Evita is buried with the Duarte family. Toured around Palermo Viejo guided by Diana, a beautiful lovely lady, dance therapist and friend of Sara & Jos, and final luncheon at Café Tortoni, where atmosphere is very New York old school celebrity (I think they were filming an interview while we were there) and the hot chocolate is literally melted chocolate.