A word on Venice (all i can or will spare it). Venice is a dying city, in every sense of the word. The buildings are sinking or falling apart or both. Everything costs 2 to 3 times what it costs in Paris (which already costs 2 to 3 times what it would cost in Calgary) it is noisy, smelly, and hot. (a dry heat, which seems unusual given that half the city is in fact under water). The noise was not the usual city noise, but rather was an amalgamation of drills, hammers, and saws, half hidden and echoing out of half closed doorways and boarded up windows as the men and women of this city frantically repair and restore and rebuild their home even as it falls apart around them. They say Venice is the city of romance, but i didn’t see much or any of that. The men seemed melancholy and resigned and the women wore dark sunglasses, $400 pumps and walked straight ahead without so much as glancing at the people they passed. Venice too has pay toilets but they are twice as expensive half as numerous and hidden in dark corners with poor signage. I’m quite certain that we were ripped off every where we ate. The entire day we were there i had a sore throat and stuffed up nose from the air in the train the night before. Venice may once have been beautiful, and it still clings to a corner of its former beauty desperately, but it is no longer a gem, and one day soon it will likely be gone forever. Reclaimed by the sea that wore it for so many hundreds of years as a crown. To those reading i will say this: everyone should visit Venice. See it now while it is still with us, for soon it will be gone. Visit it for a day, and then leave it forever.
Saturday, September 8, 2007
Joel in Paris
The night-time flight to Paris was less enjoyable. I have never meshed well with air-travel, and found it difficult to sleep even with the aid of the potent relaxant mother fed me before boarding (which took the edge off my vivid visions of mid-air collision, but did little to rock me to sleep as it were)
Paris was an altogether new experience for me. We were met at the airport by Emmanuelle who showed us around town and got our bags stored away and fed us and kept us entertained. She also navigated for us, which was essential considering that every destination seemed to require no less than 5 different transfers on the metro and innumerable flights of confusing and identical looking hallways and staircases. There is another rather curious aspect to the Parisian metro system that i will mention briefly before i continue on. You have to pay to use the washrooms. The first time i saw this phenomenon i almost shit myself. (and its a good thing i didn’t because i didn’t have exact change) Now, i’m as open minded as the next guy, but i simply cannot wrap my head around the concept of the pay toilet. I can think of nothing more maliciously cruel than forcing people to pay 2 dollars to piss out the 8 dollar late you just sold them. But that’s just me, and this is just Paris.
Getting on with the tale, we spent probably a good hour or so on various trains in the metro before finally climbing up to the surface. The sun was shining menacingly overhead so i slipped my sunglasses down over my eyes as i emerged into the daylight. I then proceeded to take them right off again as soon as i took a look around. Paris is beautiful. And it is worth having to squint to be able to see this city with un-tinted eyes. I had thought that the buildings in Ney York looked old (a 30s and 40s sort of old with a lot of red brick and cast iron fire escapes) but the buildings in Paris are OLD. Statues and gargoyles and stone carvings that would have a safe home in a museum were they in Calgary hang from the side of it seems every building in Paris. Down any road you can find a piece of history. The roads themselves are cobbled, uneven, and narrow. The biggest cars i saw were compacts, the smallest little more than golf carts. Lunch was a chef’s salad at a local cafe(delicious), and then on to the tour bus. The sites were great: the arc du triumph, the Eiffel tower, etc, etc. It’s hard to focus on one specific monument as a point of attention and praise when the whole city is so spectacular. I have something to confess. I actually fell asleep on the tour bus and missed a lot of the sites. The truth is that after only one night of trying to sleep on the airplane i am exhausted. It’s only going to get worse from here on out.
We finish Paris with a night-time train ride to Venice. The sleeper car we have booked fits 6 people (sort of) and we end up sharing our evening with a nice family from Oregon and a building restoration engineer from Egypt. Trying to fit our over-sized bags under and between and around the bunks in our cramped cabin is a trying task and after a minute or two of red-faced swearing and wasted exertion mother calmly informs me that if i don’t calm down she’s shipping me home on the next available flight. I chain-smoke 3 cigarettes and feel much better. I sleep well on the train, mother does not. We wake up in the strangest place i have ever seen. This is Venice.Joel in New York
Visiting four wonderful and unique cities in only four days is both a blessing and a sin. Each of the cities we visited would be worth a lifetime (or more) of exploration and experiences. Alas, fate (and flight arrangements) had allotted us only four days in which to absorb the sites sounds and smells we were immersed in so we were forced to use them as expediently as possible. New York. New York reminds me of a watering hole in the savannah; every type of animal imaginable crowded together and bumping in to one another as they take their turn drinking. If there is any way in the world to make a living, someone in New York is doing it. There are simply so many people in that city that every economic nook and cranny – every niche and occupation imaginable – is filled to the brim and overflowing with entrepreneurial energy. The moment we arrived in Manhattan i found myself instantly overwhelmed and awestruck by how this many people could possibly survive and make a living in such close proximity to one another. The streets are filled with vendors, buskers, black-marketeers, and above all else: shoppers! Shoppers! Shoppers! Above the streets and the back-and-forth in-and-out hustle-and-bustle of getting and going and eating and selling, apartments and office buildings brimming with productive humanity tower higher into the sky than I have ever before seen with my own eyes. I found it all rather overwhelming to be honest.
The people were friendly, the subway was noisy, and i could not for the life of me find west 81st street or Monk’s cafe (though i highly doubt that Jerry and George would have been sitting there waiting for me even if i did.) We took a bus tour which was nice and let us see the major sites without having to wait in line. The 3 tour guides we had (a fast talking quick-witted youngster of Ecuadorian descent, an incredibly loud and unintelligible middle-aged Asian man, and a laid-back wise-cracking “no-bullshit” brooklynite) were as good a three slice cross-section of New York life and culture as anyone could ask for.
After a few short hours in that incredible metropolis, it was already time to leave. We arrived at the airport many hours early upon my insistence (visions of 8 hour security line-ups swimming in my mind) only to find that our terminal was more or less completely empty. All for the best, as we ended up bathing and changing right there in the terminal with our gear spread out over 5 of the 6 chairs lined up against the back wall. The 6th chair was occupied by a slightly overweight and noticeably surly looking gentleman with a suit and a tie and a laptop who could have chosen any one of a hundred unoccupied and thoroughly empty places to park his enormous bottom, but instead chose to sit next to two half-naked slightly dishevelled strangers. Why i will never know, but that’s New York for you.
Corrie's 4 Day Recap:
Finding time to post to this blog is much harder than I thought. Since I planned for us to travel from place to place at night (on trains and planes), waking up in a different place each day (only a type A could travel this way), I neglected to factor in time for things like – say – eating, writing, and showers! Yes, indeed day one saw us washing between our toes in JFK airport with Wet Ones. Day two saw us drinking red wine for breakfast on a train (after only a few morsels of cheese for supper). Day three, I say to myself, “Self, slow down, take time for a decent meal”. So we did. We stopped at a non -descript little restaurant in Venice (cool place – more later) and had a small plate of spaghetti and a glass of red wine (home-made I am pretty sure). The bill was 60 Euros! Yup...120 dollars for lunch. Gadzooks! As beautiful as Venice was – the epitome of romance, the quintessential Martha Stewart town (there buildings look like that faux finish I tried to do in my last kitchen (you know, the peeling plaster over brick look), it is not a place I would recommend you spend any time if you do not have a lot of money and a good sense of humour. Actually I plan to go back there...because I DO have a lot of money and a good sense of humour (I cannot say the same for Joel, who thinks Venice is a city that is sinking into the sea and likely deserves to be).
Paris is also a place I would like to return to. It is a city full of charm. The Eiffel Tower was way cooler than I thought (and bigger too) and the Arch of Triumph was stunning. The architecture everywhere was beautiful. I found myself snapping photos of light poles (even they were breathtaking). However, the highlight of my day in Paris was actually the gourmet food market my roommate Emmanuelle took us to. My God in heaven – I thought I had died and gone there!! They had whole aisles of yogurt...not rows...AILES...aisles and aisles full of rows and rows of yogurt in all shapes and colours and textures and flavours. The tomatoes – gadzooks...an entire display of tomatoes – maybe 40 different kinds – also in various shapes, sizes and colours...stunning really...then there as the water...yup...gourmet water....rows and rows and rows of incredibly beautiful bottles of water...water with jewels, water with bubbles...35Euro bottles of water! Then there was the sugar cube aisle...honest! An entire aisle of sugar cubes, all shaped into fancy designs, and beautiful flowers. I actually had a box of 20 Euro sugar cubes in my basket before I slapped myself up the side of the head and put them back.
Let’s see, day one New York. Day two Paris. Day three Venice. Ah yes...it is day four now, and we are in Rome, and although things are also expensive here, I was delighted to get off the tourist path and find a small cafe that served cappuccinos for 1 Euro. I was giddy in fact since everywhere else my lattes were costing me up to $14 each. But Rome did not let me down... I drank 2 faster that you can say cappuccino (without thought to the time of day and I am now paying the price as it is 1:30 am and I am wide awake). Not only was the coffee great, the foam on the top was pure art – Michael Angelo style - a thing of beauty that only Kelvin and Brian would appreciate. Kelvin and Brian have been attempting to learn the art of – yes – foam art, and would have been green with envy if they could see what this young fellow created on the top of my espresso...oh yeah...Rome, ancient history, gorgeous architecture. Today we saw a castle that was so old, it dated back to the time of Christ...underwent major renovations in the 16th or 15th century...Michael Angelo did the work. It was awesome – I mean it...incredible. Standing up on top (on the sentries’ walk) and viewing the skyline of Rome was like nothing else I have experienced. It made time stand still. It made history real. Suddenly, I did not feel so old.
After castles and coffee we wondered the incredible streets of Rome in search of a grocery store and I cooked up a meal of fresh pasta, zucchini, mushrooms, and garlic and we drank a bottle of red wine. We are staying at a hostel in downtown, right next to Vatican City. We had a nice visit with some kids from Ireland and England, and shared some lemon liquor together (personally I think it tastes like Pine Sol – but Joel liked it). Rome must be seen slowly (something very difficult for me), so I vow to return.
Sunday, September 2, 2007
On the eve of departure...
Tomorrow we leave for New York and begin the first part of our journey. Excitement is pronounced; anxiety is being nullified by activity. As I write this i am enjoying a cup of ginger tea (for my stomach) and a cigarette (for my sanity) and going through the last minute preparations. Thanks to mother's expert packing we have managed to somehow fit all of our gear into a carry-on sized bag and a smaller personal bag. I am 78% convinced that we will thus be able to fly without hassle. However, there is always the possibility of security people rummaging or bags popping open and clothes and camping gear flying all over the plane at 30,000 feet... someone has to foresee the unforeseen, and it shall be I!
Unfortunately, one of the inevitable effects of a good pack job is the increase in density of the bag and its contents, resulting in a "heavy ass bag". We estimate mother will be able to carry her bag for approximately 15 minutes before her spine snaps in two like a wooden kabob skewer. Adjustments are being made.
I brought all the wrong stuff, and as a result will end up leaving a significant quantity of clothes, electronics, and miscellaneous personal effects in Montreal, to be shipped back to Calgary at a later date. I am confident that the supplies we are bringing will sustain us. And now for the top5 countdown on "Joel's Travel Terror List".
Joel's Travel Terror List:
5. Mosquitoes and other flying insects/the diseases they carry
4. Foreign food and its effects on my gastrointestinal tract
3. The angry men and women at airport security around the world
2. Wild animals interested in my succulent flesh
and,
1. Wild animals interested in my succulent flesh
Stay Tuned!
Thursday, August 30, 2007
Corrie and Joel’s itinerary
Updated September 01, 2007
Sept
3 - New York City
4 – Paris
5 -6 – Venice
6 -7 - Rome
8-10 Nice, St. Maxime, St. Tropez
10-11 Barcelona
12 – Casablanca, Morroco
13-25 –Ghana
26-Oct 8 Kenya
Oct
9-17 – Calcutta, India
17-20 Nepal
21-29- Chennai, Madurai, India
329-31 Taiwan
31 Seattle
Nov
1 -4 – Victoria
5 -10 El Salvador, San Salvador
10-17 Atitlan Lake, Guatemala (Property on Lake with 3 houses...want to join us??)
17-18 Antigua, Guatemala
18-Dec 4 Guatemala, Nicaragua, Honduras, Costa Rica (tour)
5-12 Quepos, Costa Rica
13-15 Panama City, Panama
Friday, August 17, 2007
Volunteering Around the Globe
In Ghana, we will visit three projects, working with the Directors of each, on how they might better engage the volunteers that come from the west to help them, and on strategic communication and development programs.
The first is the Atorkor Development Foundation, a community-based charity organization in a village located in the south-eastern part of Ghana on the Atlantic Coast. I am told it has a beautiful sandy beach and is blessed with a calm and peaceful life, a wide variety of landscapes, a lagoon, and some of the warmest and friendliest people in all of Africa. ADF's vision is to transform Atorkor village from a deprived village into a self-sustaining one with basic amenities - a health center, clean drinking water for all, well-equipped schools, a vocational center, electricity, and affordable communication facilities for all.
The Kumasi Institute for Tropical Agriculture is a non-profit premier tropical agricultural college in Ghana for environmentally sustainable development, working to enhance the local economy and the quality of life for rural communities in Ghana. The Institute provides rural communities with tropical agriculture food research, conservation education, permaculture training, and they are a support system for village communities including public health and education. KITA has created a network with the express purpose of bettering the lives of rural farmers, unemployed youth, hungry and homeless families, women, AIDS victims and orphans, the aged, and the disabled. I hope to work with the organization on how to better focus their energies and concentrate on fewer, more strategic projects.
Learning Helping Living is a community-based organization which has branches all over the country, particularly the Greater Accra, Northern, Central, Volta, Asanti, Eastern, and Brong Ahafo regions. Their goal is to be a model indigenous Ghanaian development organization that combines a global outlook with local experience to create good basic food education, food security, good health, and sustainable development in rural Ghana.
In between projects in Ghana Joel and I hope to take in many of the tremendous sites Ghana has to offer.
In Kenya, I will be working with the Director of The Education for Leadership and Network Development (The ELAND). It is a community-based organization initiated by the Maasai Community members to address the urgent, pressing needs in the pastoralist Maasai communities and those of other indigenous people. The ELAND's vision is to create a just, progressive, and self-sustaining community and to serve as a vehicle for developing and implementing development projects for Maasai communities and their neighbours. ELAND develops and implements educational, health, and economic opportunities through the exchange of ideas, skills, and sharing of experiences with other villages and volunteers.
In Nepal, I will work with the Sustainable Agriculture Development Program which is committed to enhancing the livelihood of resource-poor farmers through research, development, and the promotion of a sustainable agricultural system in the country. SADP - Nepal emphasizes partnership and collaboration with farmers, farming communities, academia, and organizations that are committed to working together for community empowerment, adaptive research, and the development of sustainable agriculture.
While I am working, Joel will be engaged with the local villagers, helping out where needed, but mostly writing about what he sees, who he meets, and the deeper, more philosophical parts of world travel....as well as working on his book series (a project started many years ago). But I will let him tell you about that...
