Thursday, August 29, 2013

Vacation Photo Dump

Good Evening,

After months of neglect, I'll be loading more stories and photos onto this web-log.  But first, a barrage of photos from Sydney, Singapore, and Thailand.  After finishing my term of service and leaving Vanuatu last November, I toured some neighboring countries for bit, wandering the Earth, and seeing what I could see.  On with the show.



 
Finally.  For years I've wanted to see the Sydney Opera House.  It's even more impressive in person.  It's a gleaming cross between a house, a beached crustacean, and flapping sails.  And I'm not exaggerating when I say it's gleaming.  You had to squint to look at it sometimes.
 



Sydney does coffee well.  I suspected the Australian influence was the reason you could get great cappuccinos in Port Vila even if you couldn't buy marshmallows or toothpaste that didn't taste like pearl or ginseng.


If you look carefully, you'll see a series of white glass tires making an artificial ceiling above the practicing orchestra.  We were told that this disperses the sound evenly throughout the hall.

 
The outside of the Opera House is covered in alternating matte and glossy ceramic tiles.  Supposedly, they never need to be cleaned.
 
 
And now, the big event.  After two years on a mostly dry island, a frosty Guinness with a guitar playing at a touristy art market in downtown Sydney.  And no tipping!
 

I spent two years living on an island known for it's dugongs and never once saw one until visiting the Sydney Aquarium.

Okay, onto the next country.

 

 
Where else but Singapore will you hear four languages spoken on a given day and still be able to communicate with nothing but hand signs and cash?

 
 
Where else do you find Little Baghdad...

 
a short walk away from the a major, incense filled Chinese temple....

 
Which is down the street from a large Hindu temple?
 

 
I think this corner store in Little India sums it up nicely.




A man waiting on a street corner told me "you're the tallest man in Singapore!"  Seemed true at the time.  Diwali was coming up and the street markets in Little India were selling flower garlands and trinkets, all hanging right at the level of my face.




Singapore is more than a nation of banks, temples, and shopping malls.  Every night, the street stalls opened and the area seemed to be perpetually bathed in the scents of incense and Chines five spice.




Frogs are delicious.


 
On to Thailand!  On my first morning, I hopped in the back of a waiting tuk tuk and set off for the Grand Palace and Temple of the Emerald Buddha.





 
After that, it was on to Wat Pho, the temple of the Reclining Buddha.


 
The gates on the temple grounds are often guarded by carved giants.  This fellow looked rather fierce and dapper at the same time.

 
 
Thailand is said to be the land of a million (billion? trillion?) Buddhas.  I believe it.


Onto some music theory that I found fascinating, but I'll just let the sign speak for itself.










And it wouldn't be a trip to Bangkok without Wednesday night Kickboxing.  These guys were surprisingly vicious.

 
 
And Surprisingly young.  The man in red is the coach who was hurling what sounded like a string of Thai invective at his trained fighter.


The big goal of my trip was to get to Chiang Mai and ride the elephants.  First, you have to get to know each other.


This is the baby training elephant.

 
Then they let you ride the real thing.  The young Polish women behind me spoke just enough English to let me know how terrified she was.  The claw marks she left in my sides helped get the point across.


After an a few hours, elephant and human alike were filthy.  Time for a bath.

And that's it for now.  I have two thousand photos to go through and two and a half years of stories. It can't all go on here so if you have questions, let me know. Next time I hope to be a little more organized and maybe say a few things about Vanuatu.  Enjoy the photos.


-- Daniel --

Saturday, October 27, 2012

Leaving Epi

Sunday, October 28, 2012

Good Afternoon,

Yesterday, at noon, I left Epi.

Epi island had been my home for two years. The people there had been my friends, my community, and my family. As hard as it was to adapt and change when I first arrived, it may have been harder to leave. During my last days on the island, I shook many hands, there were farewell feasts, presents exchanged, promises given, and tears shed. Perhaps I’ll tell some of you about that, but not right now and not here.

I am in Port Vila and will be leaving the country next Sunday, November 4. During these eight days in the capital, there is work to take care of at the Peace Corps office as well as details to attend to before leaving the country. Some of my fellow volunteers are here, but many are from the new group and I don’t know them as well and their perspective is, of course, different. Four of us are leaving this week. The rest of my own group have either left already or will be staying for another year. So, there will be much to do and more goodbyes, but I suspect leaving Port Vila won’t be the same as leaving my little village.

Over the next few days, I plan to put a few more stories here and let you know about what I will be doing after Peace Corps. If you have any questions you’ve wanted to ask or something you’d like to know more about, please put that in the comments section. For now, know that I’m well, if a bit drained, and I’ll be coming back to America soon enough. I hope to see you there.


-- Daniel --

Tuesday, April 3, 2012

Trip to Santo

Good Morning,

After Ambae, Andrew and I went to Santo to spend a week with the local volunteers there and to celebrate Kathy's birthday. Andrew is a fellow business volunteer stationed on Malekula. Kathy is a teacher stationed on Epi

Santo, like Efate, Epi, and other big islands, has a few small islands nearby. A group of us took a day trip to nearby Aori island. Pictured above from left to right are Kathy (Epi), Andrew (Malekula), Gene (Santo), and Michael (Santo).


Before we could leave, though, the boat driver had to wake up. Here he is taking a mid-day nap.

This is Luganville as seen from the water. Luganville is Vanuatu's second biggest town. There is a paved main road running from the airport, past a copra mill, and along the coast right through town. Luganville seemed to be about a kilometer or two long and two or three blocks wide and had the feel of a small midwestern town where nearby farmers come to resupply and socialize.

Aori island on the other hand has a small tourist area and not much else.

As you get off the boat to Aori, you will pass this tiny turtle tank made of concrete and shells. That little guy must get tired going around in circles all day.

This is a tam-tam, a traditional drum and statue that some villages in Vanuatu use to call meetings. They are now also used as decorative items. Tam-tams seem to usually have enlarged faces though they don't look very human. Some even have extra eyes and noses. This one looks rather stereotypical. Notice the necklace with two curved pig tusks around the neck. The pig tusk is a traditional as well as national symbol here. A man wearing two curved tusks like this would probably be a chief of some sort.

Some villages on Epi have tam-tams while others use a bubu shell, or conk shell, for calling meetings. My village just uses a big, loud metal gas can that you can bang with a hammer.

My idea of a vacation has changed over the past year and I'm satisfied with a well made cup of coffee at a cafe with a few friends. Being one of Vanuatu's urban centers, Luganville offers rare delicacies like hamburgers, cold beer, cake, and well made cappuccinos. That's Andrew, Kathy, and Michael above.

Did you notice the protective umbrella above our heads and the white notice on the tree in the back?

This is a real hazard.

This a painted tam-tam on the streets of Luganville. He stands just outside the town liquor store so I half expected him to be a typical cigar store Indian.

On my last night in Santo, I had an obligatory last shell of kava with Gene. Gene is a teacher at the local high school and was a terrific host, showing us around Santo and even letting me sleep at his house for two nights. Being a fully integrated local now, Gene brings his own cleaned out coconut shell to the kava bar.

I left Santo for Efate via the Santo International Airport. As I boarded the plane I noticed a yellow fire engine that looks suspiciously North Dakotan. Any ideas as to how that got here?

Back in Port Vila, I passed by the mama's market. Here are the flowers for sale right next to the sidewalk.

And here is another view of the market. Women from several islands will set up shop here for days at a time and some are regular representatives of their villages or areas. There is even a table that continuously sells roasted Epi peanuts.

In the photo above, you'll see lots of green bananas, brown coconuts, and since they're in season, yellow and green grapefruits.

Also chickens, 1000 Vatu (about $10) a piece.

So, my first day back in Port Vila ended with another beautiful sunset. After one week in Ambae, one week in Santo, and a few days in Port Vila, I'm ready to go back to Epi. I've been delayed the past few days because of a passing storm that prevented ships from leaving, but I'm told that today is the big day. At four o'clock I'll board the Big Sista (pictured yesterday) and leave for my own island. This recent trip to the capitol was unexpected, but pleasant. Until next time, farewell and may your travels be just as memorable and colorful as lovely Vanuatu.


-- Daniel --