A night out on the town

We spent a couple of nights out on the town with former and/or current students of M. It was a lot of fun. We got to see what they do in Singapore, instead of what our “usual” was.

Before we made it out to the students, we stopped in M’s favorite place in Singapore, Little Inida. This isn’t necessarily my favorite place, as there is actually quite  a bit of chauvinism. For instance, I feel uncomfortable in that part of town wearing shorts or a sundress. However, the food is really good – M enjoys Chicken Tikka, and I like Dosai (a pancake filled with different stuff like mashed potatoes. 

The look on M’s face is priceless. He may have eaten all that food in less than 5 minutes – lol!

Afterwards we had to make a brief stop at the Money Changer. 

I thought this was a super cool picture with a monk exchanging money at the same time as M.

Mahatma Gandhi Library in Little India

We meet the students at a fancy waffle place, but we decided to go with them back to hawker center in Chinatown that had a couple of craft beer stalls.

It’s awesome to see the craft beer culture in a hawker center – prices are much more reasonable than at “western” style restaurants. Also, I loved this Uncle in charge of the stand.

The students and M also split claypot chicken and rice. 

All in all a fun night!

We are going to do this backwards....

I am sitting in the Changi Singapore Airport lounge - it's four hours before my flight. I am going to begin the 2016 SouthEast Asia series from the end and with some mild cursing - What an END it was...

So, how did I come to be at the airport so early you might ask yourself??? There's a story involving 24 hour times, tears, hundreds of dollars, my stupidity, and bar trivia with an Aussie - so let's get right to it. 

Being from the US, I don't understand, nor ever use, a 24 hour clock, or as I refer to it - military time. Several questions about a 24 hour clock: WHY???? No, seriously, why?? (I guess it is slightly more efficient with the lack of AM and PM); Why do people in countries using a 24 hour clock still wear watches?? Doesn't that cause problems? Watches are on a 12 hour clock. Anyhoo, I digress. 

Turns out, this person with a Phd right here, didn't realize her flight was at 2:30AM and showed up the next day for her flight at 2:30PM. Yup - That's right folks - a full 12 hours too late for my flight. Oh the tears that were shed, the mortifying embarrassment that was felt, the SHAME!!! I've been here six times. I know that flights routinely leave in the middle of the damn night, yet, there I was blubbering in the terminal to a person who has nothing to do with my airline realizing that I was going to be in Singapore a least another 15 hours. Best yet, I really have no reason to blubber about - I am still on vacation - nothing super pressing I am missing. Yet, when you psych yourself up for a 30 hour flight, it really really really is upsetting when the whole thing goes sideways. Plus, I miss my furbabies (and family and friends - of course). 

In case you are unfamiliar, these are my furbabies:

 
Missing there sweet snuggles!! 

I am flying Qatar airlines, which is a pretty damn fancy airline - every seat has it's own TV, top notch movies, tons of food served throughout flight, free booze- the works. However, if you happen to miss your flight in Singapore, there are no in-airport agents. You have to call them locally (the very kind women I was blubbering to earlier - again having nothing to do with Qatar - gave me the phone number). I call (yes everyone - I was still crying - what can I say I'm a cryer). I wait on hold for 10 minutes. The Qatar rep finally answers, gets my details, and says she has to look at the flights and call me back - what!!?!? 

I (im)patiently wait (yes, knowing full damn well  this is all my fault) for the rep to call me back. Amazingly, she does - 30 minutes later. She tells me I can have my same flight but leaving the next day. Now, I really don't have much of a choice at this point. She tells me there is a no show fee and a rebooking fee, and it's going to cost me $450 bucks. Again, no choices here. But WAIT, that's not the best part. She says I have to take a taxi to her office in downtown Singapore, which is 40 minutes away and a $30 cab ride, in order to pay by credit card. I discover, after another hang up and call back (add another hour to my wait time - as if it matters) that if I want to pay at the airport, I have to go to some subterranean office and can only use cash (you know, because I always roll with $500 in cash). Long story short, I find an ATM, get the cash, and pay the stupid fees. I feel Singapore Airlines would never do this to me (they are my usual carrier), and I miss them greatly at this point.  

Now, I am at the airport a full 15 hours before my flight. If you are going to be stuck at an airport for this long - Changi is the place to be stuck (think movie theaters, a full shopping mall, tons of restaurants). But, I had money to burn on my MRT card, so I took the train back into downtown Singapore. Maybe it was serendipitous (remember that my little cucumbers ***inside joke***). Because I made it back to Chinatown, which I wanted to do before I left but just couldn't find the time. 

There was a lovely local artist, very whimsical. She had a print I wanted to buy at an earlier trip, but when I went back to show M - the store was close. Well, this time it was open, and the artist was there (she wasn't there prior). She signed my print and took a picture with me!! Plus, I got a really cool phone case.

Might have grabbed a beer in Chinatown as well, can you blame me? It was smoking hot outide! 

Still with an awful lot of time to burn, I decided to hit Boat Quay (this is a strip of bars/restaurants) for a quick pint. I sat next to an Aussie who was supposed to be hanging out with his best mate, but as it happens, the best mate's parents sprung a surprise visit. It wound up being trivia night and true to my earlier form (remember, I don't know how to use a 24 hour clock), our two person team came in dead last. Hahaha! That's okay, it was fun and helped pass a couple of hours out of the heat and sun. 

We sucked at this bar trivia!! 

Here's hoping I make this flight (and the hand written receipt given to me in the subterranean "office" of Qatar Airlines actually works). Before I take off, I am going to shower at the lounge because no one wants to see or smell me without a shower in over 48 hours....

Here's my fancy lounge shower...

And my veggie curry that came with the $40 lounge access...

Stay tuned for the earlier adventures of Robyn in SE Asia - including Japan and Thailand.  I promise, I am generally not this dumb :) 

The heartbreaking but strong and hopeful Guatemala - Part 8

One of the most spiritual experiences we participated in during our trip was a traditional Mayan ceremony. The ceremony was performed in a Mayan language. There are 23 different Mayan language, and I am not sure which one she was speaking.

The ceremony begins with the shaman preparing the fire. She put aromatics, sweets, chocolate, bread, honey, sugar, cinnamon, and herbs. The spirits like sweets, which makes me feel better about the fact that I have sweet teeth (not just one sweet tooth - but a whole set of sweet teeth). Those offerings were covered with colored candles.  

The first part of the ceremony was for gratitude, and in the second part, she prayed for us to be successful - to achieve our goals. We began the ceremony kneeling and kissing the earth. She blessed us by touching our heads and feet. We then got three candles each to throw in the fire.  She anointed us liquid sprayed from a bunch of herbs. The fire was mesmerizing - so beautiful - the color, the shapes. I know this sounds weird, but it was the most beautiful fire I have ever seen. We were given sesame and sugar to rub between our hands over the fire, and later we prayed and threw sugar in the fire.  It was a really moving ceremony. The students really enjoyed, as did I.  

I thought it would be rude to take pictures during the ceremony, and I wanted to be present and involved in the ceremony itself. However, I did get a picture of the alter beforehand. Some of the students said they saw faces in the stones on the alters. Delores, our guide, said they were our spirit animals or ancestors. 

The next day we had free time to go to the market. Josh, Felicia, and I also decided to hike back up to the Mayan ceremonial site. There were two. Our ceremony was at the lower site, so we went up to the top site.  I didn't think we had enough time, but Felicia really pushed us. She wanted to see it, and I am glad she did. It was beautiful and peaceful up there. In fact, peaceful is what I felt at the Mayan temple ruins as well. 

Our last day we made our way to Antigua, which is probably the most famous tourist spot in Guatemala. We had the night there and then the next day it was off to the airport. During our stay, we stopped and visited a chocolate museum, which was yummy!! I got chocolate tea with cardamom - so very good! 

Mmmmmm.....chocolate! 

You can just make out the volcano looming over Antigua. Apparently it is not active. At night we even saw lights on the volcano of villages or houses, so it must be fine. 

The town square...

There were a lot of tourists around and about. It was a beautiful, colonial style town. 

Delores took us to a textile museum and shop. In the shop they had a Mayan ceremonial site and a shrine to Maximón, who is somewhat of a folk saint. Delores' hometown of Santiago Atitlan, also has a shrine to  Maximón. She told us that he is known for healing people. In return, the people hang colorful ties around his neck. He also likes expensive liquor and cigarettes. In my research on him, I discovered that there is a lot of conflicting information about him. He is a mix of Christianity and Mayan religions. He is seen as the devil, a saint, or a god depending on who you ask. Here's an article if you would like to read more about him: Link. 

Night scene, Antigua. 

Well, that concludes my series on Guatemala. I learned so much during this trip, and honestly, I am still processing a great deal of it. Not only did I learn from our speakers, but I also learned a great deal from our guides, Ali and Delores, as well as the other faculty leader, Josh. I learned from the students as well. Every night we had a guided reflection led in turn by each of the students during which time we were posed with a question and each of us answered it. That time was really beneficial for processing what we heard, learned and saw during the day. 

I kept a journal during the trip, and it is filled with wisdom and quotes from each and everyone of those that I travelled with. I look forward to reading through it again. 

The heartbreaking but strong and hopeful Guatemala - Part 7

Our next stop was to more of a tourist town on Lake Atitlan, Panajachel. We had two talks that day. The first was really moving, Willie. I've mentioned him already, he was a former guerrilla warrior and political refugee in the US, where he trained to be a sous chef. He shared a lot about his struggles and life. He said he was forced to learn English, but he nows sees it as a weapon of self-defense. 

He left the US because, in our guide Delores words, "he wasn't taking his medicine there" or in other words he wasn't doing what he was born to do in the US. He was pursing the American Dream - all about getting stuff - houses, cars, new gadgets. In the US, we want everything right away. We are slaves to the clock. He realized he needed to pursue the Guatemalan dream. He returned to Guatemala to help his people - to fight against the corporations that are polluting the land - to help his people find their medicine. 

He started Cafe Red- a place where people can gather and support organic farming and the local economy. He works with Desgua, which works with returned Guatemalans to create economic and educational opportunities. Today there are over 1.5 million Guatemalans living in the US. 

Another interesting thing we learned is that the farming in Guatemala was largely organic until companies like Wal-Mart came in and asked (forced?) them to grow foods for export. But in the US, we want our fruit to look perfect, and our tomatoes to be perfectly round, and our bananas to be huge. To do that, the farmers had to resort to using pesticides and other means to make "pretty produce."

Our last talk of the trip was the CCDA, which is somewhat of a union. They fight for labour and land rights.  They help people recover their land and provide legal counsel. When people fight for their land, they are jailed or worse- killed! Just the other day, I came across an article: Latin American Environmental Activists are Paying for Protests with Their Lives.  The government uses bullying and intimidation to get people to quietly let companies take their land. They violently evict the people from their land - burning down their houses and crops. The leader of the CCDA has even had to go into exile three times. 

We then had some free time to explore the town. 

I thought these roasted nuts were pretty...granted we couldn't eat them. 

Aren't these just the cutest street pups!! Those eyes!! 

On our way to to our next stop, Chichicastenango, we stopped at a Widow's Cooperative, which was a group of women who banded together to survive after their husbands were murdered during the genocide. They learned to weave and sell their products to support their families. This was hard. We heard about how her husband was murdered. I imagine it must be awful to tell that story to groups of students, tourists, whenever they come by. I really hope she wanted to tell the story and didn't feel like she had to because she wanted us to buy the weavings. I did buy a lovely blanket here. 

Last post coming soon....

The heartbreaking but strong and hopeful Guatemala - Part 6

Still on Lake Atitlan, we boarded a ferry and went 20 minutes down the lake to check out a missionary and its projects in San Lucas. Then back on the boat to visit a permaculture educational site. 

To tour the missionaries projects, we road in the back of a pick-up truck, but don't worry we were all safe. Our first stop was a center that teaches women how to sew and cook. I think it goes without saying that I bought several things there.

Next stop, a coffee roasters. 

The missionary also has a coffee roasting operation. They pay the local farmers a fair rate for coffee beans and make coffee. Here's a picture of some of the workers hand selecting the best beans for roasting. Also, goes without saying that I bought some coffee. I haven't had a chance to taste it yet, but I can't wait! 

It was a sunny beautiful day on the lake! 

Our next stop was to learn about permaculture and have lunch at IMAP (Mesoamerican Permaculture Institute).

The lunch was delicious. This is when I first learned about the Guatemalan squash, guicoy. The soup above is made with it. I love that squash so much! 

Here, we are learning about an alternative cooking stove that uses solar power. The cooking is primarily done in wood burning stoves around the lake, which is brutal to the lungs. Smoke fills the air day and night as people cook their meals. In fact, one of the most common diseases that the missionary hospital treats is asthma. 

This is a gray water banana tree circle. They use the water from the kitchen to water these banana trees. There is natural filtration in the soil to filter out the soap and what not. The bananas grow really high up and the tree also filters out any pollutants from the gray water, so the bananas are perfect to eat. 

Next up, we visited the seed bank. They exchange seeds and loan seeds to local farmers in return for seeds back. It is a really cool program. 

We learned a great deal about permaculture here. Since that is not really my field of expertise, it was especially interesting to me. It is a way of thinking and of seeing the world. It's ecocentric, biocentric, not anthropocentric (human centered). Humans are only one element - not the central element. We make a ton of waste and in nature there is no waste. 

For Mayans, corn is everything. Our guide told us, you could give a Mayan a huge steak dinner with potatoes, but if there wasn't a corn tortilla - it wouldn't be considered a full meal. 

A good example of how nature designs things to work in harmony is the holy triangle (the three sisters) - corn, beans, and squash.  The corn supports the beans, the beans grow up the corn stock, the beans give the corn nitrogen, which it needs to grow, and the squash needs shade, which the corn provides. The squash keeps in water for the corn and beans and helps stop erosion. Also, the squash attracts bees and encourages pollination. These three also make a complete meal! Love love love that the complete meal does not include meat!!!

 

We made our way back by boat to San Antonio and visited a ceramics shop. 

Everything was hand painted and simply gorgeous! We even saw ceramics made here in a shop in Antigua! 

To be continued....

The heartbreaking but strong and hopeful Guatemala - Part 5

Our next stop in Guatemala was our home stays on Lake Atitlan in San Antonio Palopo. The town is nestled right at the edge of Lake Atitlan and across the lake are three volcanos, although it was hazy for most of our stay there, so they were somewhat difficult to see.

These are the two guides and myself - Ali and Delores. We are standing on top of the school. 

The white house in the this picture was where my homestay was. We stayed with the principal of the school and his wife who is a teacher there. The house was very large, with a central courtyard (below). The room with those large windows was a large room for celebrations! It was at the top part of the town, so Ali, Delores and I got a work out every night :) The students were paired up in different houses across the town. 

The homestay was really lovely. Our hosts wouldn't let us help with chores, but on the second night, our host Dad, Vincente played guitar and sang us a song about San Antonio.  He's even got a video on youtube singing it: Es San Antonio - after that we sang La Bamba together. It was a blast! 

Our hosts also host other students, so they were really familiar with the process, and I had a nice room to myself. We were lucky in that they also had water and a heated shower. 

We got to visit the our hosts' school as they prepared to pick their representative for a big festival the following week. Eachclass sent a representative and a whole entourage to preform in front of the whole school. It was adorable - also they are dressed in traditional Mayan outfits.  

See!!! How cute are they!!