Small Indignities

Gecko Egg

There are plenty of indignities in life; we just try and ignore them,endure them ......and hopefully laugh out loud about them.
Traveling really has its share, as one is out of ones element,and the specificity of place often eludes us.

All throughout out SE Asia geckos small and large live
"amongst" us.  In Bali, there was not only many many geckos who lived in my cottage, but a larger "tokay"  (male)
who did his dance of seduction regularly above me.... especially in the bath. I named him "Don".
It was a regular occurrence to get "peed" upon....as most geckos live up on the ceiling (and walls and shelves) and well we are below.  Buona Fortuna!
In Bali, there was a mosquito netting canopy over my bed, therefore  I was usually spared receiving the other thing that comes out of geckos.  I was Lucky.


Now, I am not using my mosquito netting (even though I should....the dreaded dengue) but i am too claustrophobic in this tiny bed.  Therefore I am getting peed upon.( and the other)... kinda regularly.  Last night around 10pm I am reading a really really good book, "A Gate at the Stairs" by Lorrie Moore and regularly looking above me to keep an eye on the gecko perched there.  Sometimes you Just Know.  Well- all of a sudden.... she turns upside down and I see something white....and I Jump Out Of Bed.........not knowing.... but knowing Enough.
PLOP!
An egg drops on my bed.

I call MinJoo (Korean student writing her dissertation next to me (on the "peace" opportunities as the country transitions)
and she comes running.  We cannot believe it.  We take pictures. (She's from Seoul, and the things from the "country" really freak her out)  And of course I try and move the egg, which is both Sticky+ Gooey and Soft.  We scream.
I then Google gestation periods of the gecko egg.  4-8 weeks.  Don't move it (it will drown in yolk).  All very interesting things: I think it was unsurvivable from the twisting fall.  None the less..... the egg remains in the room.


What small indignity have you suffered from recently?????

How often do you say.....isn't Google amazing?.

(we all remember trudging down to the library to utilize the periodical index).

sometime i do love technology

travelin' woman

Peacock up a Tree?

"If you give me a fish, you have fed me for a day. If you teach me to fish, you have fed me until the water is polluted and the beach is taken for hotel development.

But if you teach me to organize, then whatever the challenge, I can join together with my community and we will develop our own solution."

the lotus ponds surround Islander

Monshusri- resident monk; yesterday he was on a motorcycle....but he did not want me to take his photo like this

 

The above is the credo for Sewalanka Foundation. (it is actually a 3 part organization, part micro- lending, part social entrepreneurship and then the above is the heart of the organization).  I am currently at Islander, the Neutral Center , in the north, adjacent to Wilpattu National Park.  It is considered neutral because it is the "safe haven" for the different factions to come, meet, discuss and learn. This 30 year civil war just ended in 2009; Sewalanka has been doing its work since 1992.
Currently, there are students from both Sinha and Tamil, ages 17 or so having their first chance to mingle and also to learn leadership skills to take back to their villages and be pro-active citizens in their lives. It's a 3 month program. It's all part of capacity building, the buzz-word of rural economic development in the parlance of the NGO world for the past 8 years or so.  CBO (community based organizations) are what they strive to create.  Leadership is shared.
From my perch, it is well run and extremely progressive; the vision central, but flexible to negotiate a country in transition.
At this point, 5 days into my stay at Islander I have been
working with the new "Eco Tourist"  director who is attempting to create a plan for this extraordinary place.
I am attempting to identify the strengths of this concept,
direct my knowledge of resources for partnerships, and brainstorm what is feasible.  The range also includes volunteerism for their 50 acre organic farm as well as "spiritual tourism" as there is Buddhist monk in residence  and a visiting Hindu priest.  (the civil war conflict was mostly fomented around these two religions; geographically and politically, dividing the country)
This would include meditation, yoga and religious discourse.
The center itself is Magnificent, built on the ashram concept.
More on the work that I am doing later.

So, what has this got to do with the "peacock up a tree" title?

dusk - the scale is deceiving; this guy is HUGE!

 I am in a place of indescribable beauty ....... but I will try to give you a sense of it.
This is the dry plains of Sri Lanka.  Islander is in the middle of a sacred "tank" ; a waterway /reservoir system built perhaps 1000 years ago by the resident King.  The chairman Harsha's vision encompassed this neglected place and transformed it into a natural paradise where birds, reptiles, amphibians, elephants, INSECTS and of course humans intersect. It is a safe place for all.

outside of my window

heron and egret waiting for their breakfast to swim by over the dam

monitor lizard outside my window; i hope i can get a photo of the one i saw the first day: he was 10' long (this one is about 6-7)

Indian Pitta which I must have caught migrating

black hooded oriole- bigger than our Baltimore, He is the Color of Sri Lanka

 

the shy and quick Asian paradise flycatcher

It's not a jungle, it's more wide open plains with water ,foliage and dead trees, perfect for viewing the wildlife.  I cannot believe how close I can get to the birds. (I'll leave my small nikon binoculars here so that others can enjoy this experience).
The sounds are endless and amazing.  The peacock goes on all DAY.  He sounds like a combination of Tom Keith's (from Prairie Home Companion) version of a hawk + cat's mewling.  It is astonishingly LOUD.  They are so Funny.  Not great flyers (although they were the first thing I saw as i entered the area; my mouth agape seeing this HUGE unknown thing in a tree) they are the FASTEST runners, waddling with this gigantic long tail reaching 12 feet behind them.  Then there are the parrots, hundreds of green flying through the sky at
very low altitude.  And the diving kingfishers; fast and turquoise.  Then the hornbills.  And drongos and trogons.
I hope to be able to photograph some more for your delight.

SO, what isn't working very well here for me is only one thing.
Absence of sleep.  I am unable to sleep in the little bed, with the little rock hard mattress and the little pillow in the excruciating heat (but there is a fan) and the MOSQUITOES!
(yep, can no longer sleep in the Afghan desert- those days are long gone)
I just put two mattresses together and I hope this will work........
stay tuned................


 






travelin' woman

The Red Ant and the Green Caterpillar

The Red Ant and the Green Caterpillar


Death comes to us all
And for those, many
It will be a struggle


Is it a meal time pastime
To harvest ones dinner by a duel to the end
That crucial deadly will to eat/be eaten.

Who will survive
The sting of the red ant?

The thrashing scamper
The eternal twist
Of a green caterpillar.

And I
Who has my meal placed upon the table
Harvested by others

Prepared for me
Of living green things; but not caterpillars.

Cannot move
Cannot move the insects
But must in my own struggle
To just observe
Observe

My own lusty appetite
Turns green

The sweet pineapple becomes cloying
The crunchy salad becomes hard to digest
The carrots scream an orange scream of rage

And the killer ant is forced askew/askance into a pugilistic misapprehension.

And this is the hows and the whys of the red ant and green caterpillar.

Does it matter how it ends?

From my table I arise, and walk assertively away.
Being eyed, or not

As I succumb to my own will
To have ingested enough.



Mirissa, Sri Lanka - March 2012
 

p.s. Apologies to WCW: the tautology may resemble his famous poem but obviously This is not That.

travelin' woman

it was bound to happen: Injury

sunset in Hikkaduwa

 Well, I was caught surprised by a large wave, that I dove into and tumbled me like a piece of rock trying to smoothe its edges.
It was a rogue double wave, (full moon- very high + low tides) and I don't know whether I hit the bottom or just the brutal force of the wave twisted my ankle, but when I finally emerged to take a breath,
the pain was immediate.  I hobbled out of the water, and got myself to the hotel where I immediately applied ice, ibuprofen and traumeel ointment with an elevated leg.(it's my ankle and achilles tendon)


Only twice in my life of perpetual swimming have I been really been tossed in the seas; Fire Island and Costa Rica. Usually just a lot of scraping.  But this was different.
I always choose a beach location for its lack of turbulence (lack of  high rise hotels, lack of pollution, lack of people and of course beauty ).
The hotel i choose in Mirissa  is all of this in a secluded,quiet + calm cove of great interest. Adjacent is the long stretch of beach with small hotels and great surf.  Every morning after breakfast i take off for a glorious walk and a big smile.  The first morning, the coast guard was releasing 52 small baby turtles into the sea . ( I think they were hawksbills, but it's difficult to determine at 45 days old) [actually i was surprised at the age as most hatcheries i 've been to release at 90 days].  It was a great scene...... but as you can imagine a lot of "mothers" (both sexes) were "helping" the turtles.  No, let them find there own way + do it themselves.  Diandra you would have been proud of me.  They had to crawl over the sand about 75 feet to the surf.

I watch the surfers and walk and walk.  What is more delightful than walking on soft beach sand at the water's edge, the palms' swaying, the waves crashing and the sun shining..... and of course the dogs frolicking? 

Yesterday, it was Very windy.  I saw the surf was up, but there were others in the water. As I was entering the water a large double wave arrived and I dove into it.
Now I am limping...... and more importantly..... wondering whether I will be able to leave in 2 days to climb the spine of Sri Lanka to visit all the sacred ancient sites???????????  This is what I have been waiting for!
What is traveling without walking, discovering and wandering?
(i may be finding out)


Food Glorious Food!

two of our young intrepid photographers for the festival

Ashanti, my very capable contact at Sewalanka

will i eat with my hands......i think not..... I' m wearing White (+all that turmeric)

Sri Lankan curry and Rice:coconut + chilies hot sambol (raw), potato curry, fish, yellow dhal, and cooked vegetables

It was a hole in the wall..... but we "foreigners" were complaining that we'd not had the Real Thing yet.

So, first day at the festival our tuk tuk driver took us to  the perfect hole in the wall restaurant in Galle.

I eat vegetarian/vegan therefore I do feel safe(r) eating anywhere.  We sat on wobbly plastic

stools and yes there were flies everywhere.... and Ashanti and I were the only women in the place but

it was Delicious!  The sambol is very hot and everything is very flavorful.   It is similar to Keralan cooking except it is Sri Lankan ....and that

component is enough to make it unique!

travelin' woman

Live! from Galle Music Festival 2012

Chhayanaut Baouls- Outrageously Great from Bangladesh-the drummer danced around the stage: he was a rubber band

 What an opportunity!  Not only did I get to attend this music festival but because of the volunteer work assigned to me (interview attendees of their response to the festival with an in- depth questionnaire) I had to engage with all kinds of people..... and that's what made it rare for me.  The festival was sponsored by a number of public/private affiliations, most notably by Sewalanka Foundation (www.sewalanka.org) who I worked for and US AID, where I
can report your tax dollars were Well Spent, on the ground,promoting interactivity /"bridge" to the different factions that separated the country of Sri Lanka for 30 years during their civil war. (ended 2009) It was an occasion that I felt good about being an American for the Right Reason. It doesn't happen often enough for me.

hangin' out on top of the fort

 Held in part of the Galle, surrounded by ramparts (which saved this part of Galle from the 2004 tsunami) the setting was truly magnificent. The Indian Ocean on one side of the Samanala Grounds and the architecture of the fort on the other. The fort was built in the 17th c. by the Portuguese, and augmented several times in later centuries by the Dutch and British. (Exact history repeated on the western coast of India  Kerala etc. has the same resources (ie:spices).

the ramparts offer beautiful views of the harbor and sea

The objective of the music festival was not just to bring a diverse cultural musical and dance event but to bring the current generation together': north and south, Sinhalese and Tamil.... for healing and optimism. (the warring factions was another left- over colonial legacy) It was a brutal war, terrorism and many attacks of bombing occurred not just in the north but in Colombo.  The road to peace has faltered several times, and it is just now that the country is trying to catch up from a 30 year delay. (more on that in a later blog)

the festival grounds looking down from the fort- the main stage

the view of the Indian Ocean from the fort

the young beautiful students arriving in anticipation

 The daytime festivities and workshops were for students and children.Young people in tee-shirts provided  by USAID  (orange for the northern Tamils, navy for the southern Sinhalese) were bussed in for the festival..... they were thrilled to be there, to try and communicate in the  the "other" language.  Performances were given in huts surrounding the grounds. Mostly Sri Lankan, but there were groups from Bangladesh, India, Palestine and Norway. (Norwegian Embassy was a sponsor).

opening performance

action shot

the kids in the orange tee's were bussed in from the Jaffna (north- Tamil) to "bridge"

The opening ceremonies were long and tedious (hey, where's the music?) and o yes everything spoken was then repeated in 3 languages (during the entire festival).  Dig the Hindu Priest I was sitting close to. He did giggle a lot.

the country is mostly Buddhist (see orange Monk) and the north is a minority of Tamil (Hindu)

So, in the blazing Heat and humidity (i wrapped a duppatta around my head....prompting many to ask if i was Muslim) and wandered around for 2 days and nights....diggin' the music and Talking. (Was I born for that job or what?) Despite the great language barrier I spoke to over 100 people....need I add that students were my favorite? The groups of kids always wanted to exchange their language skills (and email addresses) and they were bubbling, excited and shy all at the same time.

Chari (my contact Ashanti from the foundation's cousin) has an MBA from Stanford and he's back in his country promoting sustainable and organic agriculture. Not just promoting, but working WITH  the farmers. Rice paddies CANNOT be sold for development.  It is state policy; to perpetually keep this land in production.  We can get this rice from Lotus Brands.  He represents the brightest and most humane in ANY country. 

students (local) watching the opening performances

sri lankan musicians- blending traditional and contemporary

rhythmic Cookin'

the music was  traditional and folk and contemporary. Diversity was the trope weaving sounds for the two days.

percussion from kitchen implements?

the students rapt attention

sunset at the grounds.....let the nighttime music Begin! (the orange tee-shirts at right are the young people from Jaffna -Hindu)

this group from Jaffna were very Dynamic

 The evening performances were held on the main stage.  Families would 
continually wander in, with children of all ages.  Everyone was having a great time as the music, each group showcasing another electrifying expression of music.

YES these are Men In Lunghi's playing contemporary Indian Rock

their terrific bamboo flute player

 So, what got me Really Boogeying..... the Raghu Dixit Project (pronounced the Ragu Dick-shit project..... i kid you not.... i thought someone had a very ironic-black sense of humor).
These guys are great.  They combine traditional Indian poetry and rhythms and add what they call the "new India" into the mix.... and what a mix it is. I was dancin' at first with the Tamil boys and then a group of Tamil girls pulled me into their group, then a Sinha mother pulled me into her family and then I was in front dancing up a storm with all the young people,and of course these people can dance .(yes, another dig at whitepeopledancing)...and we were sweating and movin' and smilin' and having a blast.
It was all very spontaneous as Raghu insisted that everyone get up ("come on Auntie") and that the song he was singing was from the 18th C and described then how we need to love and accept ourselves ........and it  

here is Raghu

 was a beautiful night in Galle and the band was cookin' and the love was 
exploding!  No one wanted it to stop....all that energy flowing from each individual, optimism and good will toward the person next to you, bouncing off the riffs of the guitars and smiles abounding.
All of the heat of the day dispersed, my achy body was released from the hours of just standing and talking, and I was set loose into the rhythms of the night!  YEAH!!!!!!
(the second night turned a bit Fascist as the cops were in attendance and killing everyone's buzz...... i don't have a clue why the overkill...... everyone was polite,no problems anywhere and there was no drinking\drugs and it is against the law to smoke in Public in Sri Lanka)

So full disclosure here: since I was with Sewalanka I did hang out back stage with the musicians....and since all the musicians were booked into the same erzatz  modern hip hotel as I was, it really was just two days of shmoozin' and 
laughin/relaxin' and getting to know the musicians and the French film maker who was documenting the event.It wasn't exactly like being on the bus with the Grateful Dead as believe it or not....... these guys Do Not do drugs or drink before performing (Boy have times changed)  but there was a bit of tribal family times as I experienced with the Dead (no, i am stretching this a bit)..... but all that doesn't matter.....as the music was Groovy & Great!

www.raghudixit. com- they are coming to NY in September..... Dee get a bunch of friends and I'll meet you there.......we'll dance the night away (and not with a bunch of Old People)

read about Raghu's collaborative ways on Wikipedia......