Riding along today through the winding mountain roads of Colombia past the dozens of road side fruit stands... Each of them crowded with a dozen sorts of ripe fruit of which I only recognise half... Bananas, Mangos, Pineapples, Grapes, Papaya, Passion-fruit... and the rest I just dont know the names of.
Yes, its very pleasant country here with all the little ridge-top villages and the hillsides covered in coffee plantations with lots of banana palms in amongst the coffee bushes (they use them as shade for the coffee unlike in Guatemala where they mostly use Avocado trees) Its the "Cafetera" region and its very popular with the tourists :)
Anyway, as I was slowly winding my way through the hills, and as I came around one corner, and before I went into the next one, I had a couple of seconds of view of what was happening in that little spot...
And my attention was drawn toward a pretty normal local guy on a grassy hillock just to the side of the road and maybe 10-15m from what I assume was his home along the highway. And he was bending down and doing something with a sack... You know, the kind that farmers always have about the place. And as I rode closer I could see that there was a little puppy at his feet of maybe a month or two old (with the pot belly and the little short legs).
And then the man was reaching and gathering up the puppy with one hand, which was all wiggly and waggy and happy but didnt really want to be picked up...just wanted to be with the man...
And then the man was trying to put the puppy in the sack... but the puppy didnt want to go, and wanted his head out and was using his little paws to try to get away over the edge of the sack... But the man was big and the puppy was small, and my last view in the rear view mirror as I went into the next bend was that the puppy had gone into the sack...
...
... And I rode on...
...
I guess there are a thousand reasons why the man could have been putting the puppy in the sack, and I have no clue which reason it actually was. But it seems to me that by far the most likely reason is that the puppy was unwanted and that it was a "one way trip" for the little dog... I expect the sack was to be discarded or disposed of in some convenient fashion - puppy and all !
Its very very sad but its also very very normal all the world over... There are way more puppies than there are guardians for them. And I thought to myself... Yes, its just one more aspect of human "waste" !
And of course its totally avoidable and in fact, is successfully avoided by many caring pet guardians the world over too. Its not like a dog getting pregnant is an unpredictable or unavoidable event you know... There is a week or so "warning" period where its quite visible to anyone that the female dog is coming into season. And the guardian has the choice of being proactive and getting the dog "neutered" (which of course costs money that many people in the world cant afford) or they can restrict the female dogs access to other dogs for about the next two weeks... Shouldnt really be that hard...
But, for the most part, we lazy humans cant be bothered with being observant and putting some effort in... So the female dog usually gets pregnant... and in due course there are a bunch of little puppies around.
And now because of earlier negligence the puppies have to be "dealt with"... And some few get found homes for, some others are allowed to live but are dropped somewhere along a roadside after they are big enough to start being a nuisance and are no longer cute and entertaining for the people... But many more are "dealt with" in a more permanent fashion... Sometimes more humanely and other times more cruelly...And thats where the "sack" comes in!
But, I reflected, good old "mother nature" would deal with "excess puppies" in her own ways and they are almost universally very cruel as far as our human sensibilities are concerned.
Its true... If wild animals produce excessive young then they either starve or are eaten by other predators... without exception!... No waste there :)
So then, Why is it that when a human treats puppies in this way it is often viewed as immoral behaviour ?
Well, my answer to that is limited but it requires a bit of a pre-amble:
Firstly Id like to point out the blatantly obvious point that most people choose not to see, that "mother nature" is not the wonderful loving nurturing "mother" figure of popular conception... "She" is in fact not a "moral concept" at all... She is an absolutely iron handed and blind balancer of scales... To my mind a better image than the conceptual "Nymph prancing through the forest making flowers bloom and doe dear become pregnant and grain crops bountiful" is instead, the image we have of "Justice"... The blindfolded woman standing impassively with a scale in one hand and a sword in the other... For that is what nature does.... (but most people prefer to think of that "nasty" stuff as being some other "entity")
As far as I can tell, nature cares not a jot for her off-spring! They/We are given life but then all are left to fend for them selves. Mother nature hesitates not a moment in erasing life and lives absolutely and in vast numbers if that is what is called for in the name of "balancing those scales".
Its not an instant or mirror balance that is called for though; There is time and versatility in the way the balancing can be made...
But when "the account falls due", Made it will be!; And Nature cares not at the cost of life.
And we humans are only just starting to learn the mirriad complex ways in which those "natural balances" can be made. And neither is it clear to our puny human conceptions of things, at what point "mother nature" will decide that "the account has fallen due" on many aspects of "natures balance".
And so, she is "The Queen of Swords" our dear old "mother nature"; And has no conception of "moral" as we humans conceive it... Yes, nature is cruel!... but always "fair" as measured by her scales.
Which brings us back to the human problem of what is "moral" when it comes to dealing with animals (and people too of course), and in this case, that means dealing with unwanted puppies...
Well, my thoughts are that while nature is cruel and emotionless and has no moral virtues, We humans are not...
In fact, as far as I can so far tell, we humans are the ONLY creatures that even have the capacity for "moral" actions... I think animals like dogs and cats etc. clearly have emotions but I think they fall short of morals no matter how much we like to anthropomorphise their behaviours in our own minds.
And for me, thats I guess, the point...
We have the "capacity" and so we should use it as best we can!
Its not much of an argument, but thats what it comes down to for me...
... And its a struggle indeed! As our societies slowly change over time to adapt to our current concepts of "moral"... The old standards often falling by the wayside and viewed in retrospect as primitive, uncivilised, and bigoted etc.... And one society changing in different ways to another and the two groups then finding themselves at "moral odds" ... And we argue about it and often we fight and kill over it too; And our societies have committed untold atrocities against each other that are immoral from virtually all views... All in the name of upholding "Gods Law"...ahh, so sad...
And so we humans grow... individually and as societies. We slowly change and learn through the centuries of repetition. Sometimes we take a "wrong turn" and later we have to change again. And sometimes what may well have been a good path is on the losing side of one of those wars and is "lost" only to be slowly rediscovered and re-adopted centuries later...
But, I guess I like to think that on the whole, we humans are making progress... :))
But the trick of course is that while we may be making progress and getting wiser and more powerful... We are still absolutely "accountable" as far as "mother nature" and her sword and scales are concerned!... There are no exceptions... We are not "above the law".
And so it seems to me that the human struggle is to keep BOTH balances level... The Moral one as well as Natures one...
... But, to be clear, thats only to do with our human affairs... I do not think it is our place to usurp natures rule with our own ... (not that we could) Nature will always hold the higher power and will use that "sword" when we fail to meet her requirements!
... And as pertaining to puppies?...
Well, I think its a good example of how we can be "more than just animals", and "more than just greedy, selfish people"...
We have the capacity to see whats going to happen and we can balance those scales in a different way than "mother nature" would... And we can do it thoughtfully and gently... and by doing so, I think we realise more of our "potential"...
But thats just the way I see it at present, and I too have a VERY long way to go in achieving my potential... And though I could have intervened in some way with the man and the puppy, I didnt, and I rode on...
... It seems that my "action" has been to "think about it" a bit, and "write about it a bit", and otherwise "let things be" as I ride on and try to "grow my understanding of things" so that I get closer ever so slowly to that latent potential I think we all have.
... and thats enough for me ... for now... :))
Friday, April 30, 2010
Back to the Way of One
... and my friend I-Fan has now flown off back to the North somewhere...
And Im up here on the North coast of Colombia... but I left a pile of stuff back in Quito, so now Im riding back the way I just came for a few days...
Im really a bit of a bozzo when it comes to being efficient with the distance on this trip... But as Ive said before, Im not here to be efficient or fast or profitable or economic etc. "The journey is the destination" as they say, and the distance I travel or to where is really quite incidental...
Not the usually recommended riding attire... but its REALLY hot here!...So I figure its OK for a short ride in town :))
So, for the moment I am repeating some long highway miles through the mountains and valleys of Colombia, along the rivers and past all the highway road work... back through the dust and the rain...
With only one person and light luggage, the bike is much lighter. I dont really ride any faster like this, but the bike suspension is much happier and the brakes are far more effective... And the roads are all familiar too.
It feels like easy riding :))
And Im up here on the North coast of Colombia... but I left a pile of stuff back in Quito, so now Im riding back the way I just came for a few days...
Im really a bit of a bozzo when it comes to being efficient with the distance on this trip... But as Ive said before, Im not here to be efficient or fast or profitable or economic etc. "The journey is the destination" as they say, and the distance I travel or to where is really quite incidental...
Not the usually recommended riding attire... but its REALLY hot here!...So I figure its OK for a short ride in town :))
So, for the moment I am repeating some long highway miles through the mountains and valleys of Colombia, along the rivers and past all the highway road work... back through the dust and the rain...
With only one person and light luggage, the bike is much lighter. I dont really ride any faster like this, but the bike suspension is much happier and the brakes are far more effective... And the roads are all familiar too.
It feels like easy riding :))
Sunday, April 25, 2010
Two Up
Ive been quiet for a few days here :)
Well, I had been riding quickly North through the Peruvian deserts for a reason... I was going to Quito Ecuador in order to meet a friend.
My friend I-Fan had decided to take a couple of weeks vacation and come see Colombia. So, the plan was for us to meet in Quito, and then ride North through Colombia for about a week to Cartegena. Then from there to either ride back to Bogota or for I-Fan to fly there and catch a flight back to North America...
So, thats what Ive been doing.
We are now resting up in Cartagena after about five days of riding... quite hard riding.
Ive never ridden long distances with a passenger on the bike before, and its not that bad for normal riding, but in the really windy mountain roads of Colombia (Id forgotten how windy they really are) it is quite tiring. Its honestly all I you can do to cover 500Km of highway in a full day of nine or ten hours on the road! (Yep thats averaging about 50Kmh!!!). And I have to say that its quite hard on the bike ... particularly the suspension and the brakes... And Im trying to go easy on the brakes cos they have to make it back to Canada and they are getting very tired these days :))
But, we did OK and weve made it all the way to the North coast of Colombia without any issues :)
Along the way we´ve had the full range of driving and touristing experiences...
Riding in mountains and plains; through cities and small villages; through rain and blazing sun; through desert, jungle and farm land. Stayimg in hotels and hostels ranging from very nice to really dingy... Weve seen traffic accidents with literally miles of backed up trucks (which we just scoot by on the motorbike and then sqeeeeze past the obstruction and continue on our way).
And weve had plenty of "exciting moments" with the "all inclusive" traffic that they have here... But, Id have to say though, that if you were a cautious driver and just stayed in your lane and kept your distance from the car in front then you'd probably have no problems here... Itd take you twice as long to get anywhere but I think youd probably be pretty safe. So, the "close calls" are pretty much all "self created" in that I prefer not to wait around that much and I feel comfortable with less "safety distance" and paying more close attention to "everything"... And it seems to be a compromise that works OK so far :)
We've also been through numerous military check points with no issues other than having to spend fifteen minutes or so chatting with the boys in their fatigues about where weve been and where we are going, and how very nice their country is etc :)... Oh, and in one town, we did get hauled into the military office and "talked at" for a while cos one of the soldiers on the street saw I-Fan´s big SLR camera pointed in his direction...They are VERY sensitive about that stuff, and I dont really blame them, so we had some explaining to do but it all worked out OK.
What else? Well, I finally lost one of my runners that wasnt tied on well enough (they were old smelly and broken anyway so no great loss), so I now only have my boots and some Teva sandals... And I managed to leave a fleece and my toothbrush somewhere along the way too, so my "normal" self-check systems are clearly being "messed with" by traveling with another person after so long traveling alone... But the company has been very nice :))
So, I think weve had enough long days on the bike for the time being so we will stay put here in Cartegena for a couple more days.
Then when I-Fan flys back to the western world, Ill ride back South to Ecuador... I left a bunch of stuff there to make room on the bike (spare tires, tent, sleeping bag etc). And I think Ill go down to the Amazonian jungle for a few days while Im there to "see what there is to see"... And then Ill ride back North again :)
So thats the plan for now :)))
Sunday, April 18, 2010
The Dance of a Thousand Veils
... And it turned out that I was invited to the ball...
It wasnt just any ball though, it was "The Grand Ball" and it was the biggest event I knew of. But I had no real idea about who it was that hosted the event or who those "powers that be" were... Id never even met anyone that moved in those elevated circles, so I was more than a little surprised to find that Id been invited!
This was truly a great honour and I felt humbled and proud at the same time because I thought I was fairly insignificant in the scheme of things and yet somehow I had come to the attention of "the Powers that Be" and more; Id been deemed worthy of attendance at this special event!
And so I found myself at the ball... And as expected, there were many many people there and I knew very few of them. In fact there were so many people there that it took me quite a while to find anyone that I had any sort of connection with.
Id expected there to be lots of people but this was so much bigger than my limited imagination had allowed...
And the people...Well, at first I was a bit surprised at the types of people there... There were so many and all so different to me... In fact, initially I was not at all impressed... Some of the other attendees "personalities" seemed downright offensive to me and I decided I didnt like them at all and wanted nothing to do with most of the people there.
But then, I got to thinking about it a bit and I thought well, "The Powers that Be" invited them too, so they must be special in some way... Who am I to judge the choices of "The Powers that Be"... I mean, after all, I made the list, so why not them... Just because I dont have the "vision" or "perception" to appreciate others for their worth... So, perhaps I should not be quite so judgemental of the other people here...They must have their value even though its hard for me to see.
So, after that things were a bit easier for me... I still didnt necessarily want to hang around at the ball with many of the other guests but Id decided that they all deserved my respect and deference none the less.
And besides, there was the Great Hall to distract me happily enough from the "challenges" of interacting with many of the other guests...
The Great Hall was of course the venue for this grand event... And I have to say that it was an absolutely magnificent venue! The place was enormous, and as far as I could tell, absolutely no expense or effort had been spared in preparing it with decorations and furniture and the catering and "all the trappings"!. Everywhere I looked there were amazing details and features, and there were so many different themes going on that it was dazzling... But nothing clashed!... It was a master-work with everything fitting together perfectly and one theme blending with the next...
The harmony and complexity was incredible and yet it wasnt dominating or intrusive to the mingling of the guests, rather it provided a perfect "space" for us all to meet and interact and enjoy ourselves.
And for someone like me who is a bit less sociable than many, the Great Hall provided plenty of interest for me to spend my time on so that I didnt feel lonely or left out when I couldnt find a group of other guests that I wanted to chat with...
Truly an amazing place... Did I mention that the place was huge? Of course it had to be to accommodate all these guests, but the scale of it was staggering to my little imagination... There was just no way that I was going to get around to seeing most of it before I left... Initially I started out like many of the guests and I was going from space to space in wonderment just trying to see as much of it as I could...it was such a wonderful place! But after a while I accepted that I couldnt see it all and that was fine because it was privilege enough to spend the time I had seeing just the few parts that I got around to...Honestly there was just so much to see and do!
But, again I was a bit disappointed by the behaviour of some of the other guests with regard to how they treated the Great Hall... They were partying away and not caring what damage they did to the place with their antics... really not showing much respect I thought... I felt it was a real privilege to be here and that I should respect the place... Im fine with everyone enjoying them selves in their way, but I dont think its fine for some people to have their fun and then leave the place all damaged and messed up for everyone else while they go party somewhere else cos this spot is all messed up! But, again, thats just my opinion... But rather than dwelling on the few negative aspects, Ill move on to some of the other amazing stuff :))
And the event its self didnt really seem to have a schedule either... It was a bit unusual in that it was a sort of an ongoing event! Some people had got there early and were in fact leaving when I was just showing up, and Im sure there were still others who would just be arriving when I was leaving... There was a continuous stream of people coming and going throughout my visit, and actually it made it all that much more interesting. There was always someone new to meet and get acquainted with, and there were always other people there who had been there longer than you and who'd been to some of the other spaces, so you could get all sorts of ideas from them on where to go and what to see or do next if you wanted... Or you could hang out with your group of friends that you'd recently made and do your thing and figure it out yourself if you wanted to.
Likewise, there were always plenty of new arrivals who didnt really know what it was all about and you could see that they were just like you had been when you first got here... All excited and frenetically trying to "take in" as much of the place and the activities as they could... Quite cute really :) Sometimes they asked your advice, but mostly they wanted to "discover it all for themselves"... Yes just like I had been and in many ways still was.
And then there was the orchestra... Wow!... I can barely describe it. It was nothing like Id ever experienced before... Now of course it was huge too but it was not just a big group of musicians all in the one place all playing the same tune as directed by a single conductor with the audience silently paying wrapped attention... No no, This was completely different...
Firstly, yes there were a huge number of musicians there but they were distributed throughout the venue (which actually made perfect sense because the Hall was so enormous and there were so many people there that it would have been impossible (and quite dull to set it up in such a limited way). So, the musicians of the orchestra were distributed throughout and their music permeated the whole place... And they didnt just play a single tune or even a single theme, and there was no conductor at all... At least not one that I could see.
But, all the musicians knew what they were doing, and it was very complex and very clever!... Each little group of them seemed to be playing their own little tune in their own little style for the group of guests that were near them...
And of course this meant that there were many many different musical themes in progress all at the one time... And youd think that would clash horribly and wouldnt work at all, but actually it did work very well. When I stopped and paid careful attention from time to time and tried to here what "the orchestra" was playing (listening to more than just the nearby tune) it was amazing, all the themes seemed to work together in a sort of a big operatic theme... it was too hard to get the full picture because I just couldnt hear all of it at once, but there did seem to be some overall theme to it and it was progressing in some direction or other, so perhaps there was some sort of "conductor" involved... Hard to tell really but undoubtedly part of the overall intent and concept for the event!
Oh, and the local musical themes were not at all fixed!... They responded to the mood and style of the guests in that space... And yet it all still seemed to stay in harmony with the rest of the orchestra and all the other local themes... Amazing! And so, as the mood of the guests would change so would the local music (or maybe it was the changing music that altered the local mood?) and as new people arrived on the scene and changed the conversation so too the music would change... And this was actually really quite helpfull for me as I moved about the place because I could sort of tell what the local groups of guests were like by the style and tempo of the music in the area and I could decide if I wanted to hang around and chat with them, or if Id rather move on and listen to something different so to speak... again, very clever!
Now, of course there would be times when one group of guests were right next to another group of guests who were very different, and you could definitely hear the disharmony in the local music but it seemed to self correct in that either the groups would polarize and move apart or harmonise and move together... It was like the music was manipulating the guests and the guests were in turn manipulating the music...I dont know how it all worked or was controled, but it didnt mater that I understood or not, it just worked :)
Ahh, and another thing about the music and the guests is that we were all sort of moving with the music... sort of dancing if you will... You couldnt help it... It was that manipulated/manipulating effect that I mentioned... Every ones body language and movement seemed to be in rhythm with the music... Maybe the music right in the place where you were at the time was not "your style", but there were always other musical themes nearby that were different and it seemed that I could always find some sort of rhythm to follow, and again, when I was "in rhythm" with the local music, I was happier and I liked the local group of guests more, and I was inclined to stay in that space and "dance", but if I wasnt really liking the "local beat", then I wouldnt really want to hang around and Id drift on to another space and find a "beat" that I did like.
And so, everyone was sort of dancing in their way. Some people were dancing alone, and some in couples and some in really large groups that looked more like a rave or a mob to me... But they were having fun and I didnt have to stay and dance there if I didnt want to, so it was all all right really.
And some people of course seemed to be absolutely natural dancers and put on magnificent performances (as individuals or as couples), but other people, like me, found it much harder and we'd stumble and sometimes even fall when we tried something more complex! And then Id feel really embarrassed and not want to dance any more... And Id then go find a corner to stand in or some other peple to talk to... But really I was just being silly because evrey one stumbled from time to time and it was just part of the event. In fact, I eventually figured out that I was mostly causing myself to have problems by trying to fit in too much! I was trying to dance to tunes that I didnt really connect with, and I was doing that because other people in that spot were dancing really well with that style of music, and I just wanted to "fit in" and make some friends... All quite normal really!
... But after quite a while of that, and with not much success, I eventually figured out what I was doing wrong, and I decided that what I really needed to do was to find my own rhythm in the multitude of music and not worry about what other people were doing...(Yeah yeah, I know, Obvious really!)
So, it took me a while but I slowly tuned in my ear and I was able to pick out a subtle theme in all the combined music that I really started to "connect" with, and that made all the difference!; And then I kind of already knew how I wanted to move with this music, and now I was dancing!, And not stumbling nearly so much (gotta switch off that brain and not think about it, and switch on that heart and FEEL the music instead!)... And now, I didnt care so much about fitting in with others and dancing like them... I was dancing my dance and it felt good, and I wanted to keep doing it... It almost seemed that this little rhythm was buried in amongst all this other music and people just for me :)
And I danced away happily, and if others wanted to dance their own special little tunes too, then that was fine by me...
Actually, Im starting to think that the purpose of this whole event is really for each of us guests to try to find our own musical theme and dance our special little dance...
... And so thats what Im doing here now... Im dancing my dance....
And I think if I had to give it a name, I might well call it "The Dance of a Thousand Veils"
... And while the orchestra plays on, Im gonna keep dancing :)))
It wasnt just any ball though, it was "The Grand Ball" and it was the biggest event I knew of. But I had no real idea about who it was that hosted the event or who those "powers that be" were... Id never even met anyone that moved in those elevated circles, so I was more than a little surprised to find that Id been invited!
This was truly a great honour and I felt humbled and proud at the same time because I thought I was fairly insignificant in the scheme of things and yet somehow I had come to the attention of "the Powers that Be" and more; Id been deemed worthy of attendance at this special event!
And so I found myself at the ball... And as expected, there were many many people there and I knew very few of them. In fact there were so many people there that it took me quite a while to find anyone that I had any sort of connection with.
Id expected there to be lots of people but this was so much bigger than my limited imagination had allowed...
And the people...Well, at first I was a bit surprised at the types of people there... There were so many and all so different to me... In fact, initially I was not at all impressed... Some of the other attendees "personalities" seemed downright offensive to me and I decided I didnt like them at all and wanted nothing to do with most of the people there.
But then, I got to thinking about it a bit and I thought well, "The Powers that Be" invited them too, so they must be special in some way... Who am I to judge the choices of "The Powers that Be"... I mean, after all, I made the list, so why not them... Just because I dont have the "vision" or "perception" to appreciate others for their worth... So, perhaps I should not be quite so judgemental of the other people here...They must have their value even though its hard for me to see.
So, after that things were a bit easier for me... I still didnt necessarily want to hang around at the ball with many of the other guests but Id decided that they all deserved my respect and deference none the less.
And besides, there was the Great Hall to distract me happily enough from the "challenges" of interacting with many of the other guests...
The Great Hall was of course the venue for this grand event... And I have to say that it was an absolutely magnificent venue! The place was enormous, and as far as I could tell, absolutely no expense or effort had been spared in preparing it with decorations and furniture and the catering and "all the trappings"!. Everywhere I looked there were amazing details and features, and there were so many different themes going on that it was dazzling... But nothing clashed!... It was a master-work with everything fitting together perfectly and one theme blending with the next...
The harmony and complexity was incredible and yet it wasnt dominating or intrusive to the mingling of the guests, rather it provided a perfect "space" for us all to meet and interact and enjoy ourselves.
And for someone like me who is a bit less sociable than many, the Great Hall provided plenty of interest for me to spend my time on so that I didnt feel lonely or left out when I couldnt find a group of other guests that I wanted to chat with...
Truly an amazing place... Did I mention that the place was huge? Of course it had to be to accommodate all these guests, but the scale of it was staggering to my little imagination... There was just no way that I was going to get around to seeing most of it before I left... Initially I started out like many of the guests and I was going from space to space in wonderment just trying to see as much of it as I could...it was such a wonderful place! But after a while I accepted that I couldnt see it all and that was fine because it was privilege enough to spend the time I had seeing just the few parts that I got around to...Honestly there was just so much to see and do!
But, again I was a bit disappointed by the behaviour of some of the other guests with regard to how they treated the Great Hall... They were partying away and not caring what damage they did to the place with their antics... really not showing much respect I thought... I felt it was a real privilege to be here and that I should respect the place... Im fine with everyone enjoying them selves in their way, but I dont think its fine for some people to have their fun and then leave the place all damaged and messed up for everyone else while they go party somewhere else cos this spot is all messed up! But, again, thats just my opinion... But rather than dwelling on the few negative aspects, Ill move on to some of the other amazing stuff :))
And the event its self didnt really seem to have a schedule either... It was a bit unusual in that it was a sort of an ongoing event! Some people had got there early and were in fact leaving when I was just showing up, and Im sure there were still others who would just be arriving when I was leaving... There was a continuous stream of people coming and going throughout my visit, and actually it made it all that much more interesting. There was always someone new to meet and get acquainted with, and there were always other people there who had been there longer than you and who'd been to some of the other spaces, so you could get all sorts of ideas from them on where to go and what to see or do next if you wanted... Or you could hang out with your group of friends that you'd recently made and do your thing and figure it out yourself if you wanted to.
Likewise, there were always plenty of new arrivals who didnt really know what it was all about and you could see that they were just like you had been when you first got here... All excited and frenetically trying to "take in" as much of the place and the activities as they could... Quite cute really :) Sometimes they asked your advice, but mostly they wanted to "discover it all for themselves"... Yes just like I had been and in many ways still was.
And then there was the orchestra... Wow!... I can barely describe it. It was nothing like Id ever experienced before... Now of course it was huge too but it was not just a big group of musicians all in the one place all playing the same tune as directed by a single conductor with the audience silently paying wrapped attention... No no, This was completely different...
Firstly, yes there were a huge number of musicians there but they were distributed throughout the venue (which actually made perfect sense because the Hall was so enormous and there were so many people there that it would have been impossible (and quite dull to set it up in such a limited way). So, the musicians of the orchestra were distributed throughout and their music permeated the whole place... And they didnt just play a single tune or even a single theme, and there was no conductor at all... At least not one that I could see.
But, all the musicians knew what they were doing, and it was very complex and very clever!... Each little group of them seemed to be playing their own little tune in their own little style for the group of guests that were near them...
And of course this meant that there were many many different musical themes in progress all at the one time... And youd think that would clash horribly and wouldnt work at all, but actually it did work very well. When I stopped and paid careful attention from time to time and tried to here what "the orchestra" was playing (listening to more than just the nearby tune) it was amazing, all the themes seemed to work together in a sort of a big operatic theme... it was too hard to get the full picture because I just couldnt hear all of it at once, but there did seem to be some overall theme to it and it was progressing in some direction or other, so perhaps there was some sort of "conductor" involved... Hard to tell really but undoubtedly part of the overall intent and concept for the event!
Oh, and the local musical themes were not at all fixed!... They responded to the mood and style of the guests in that space... And yet it all still seemed to stay in harmony with the rest of the orchestra and all the other local themes... Amazing! And so, as the mood of the guests would change so would the local music (or maybe it was the changing music that altered the local mood?) and as new people arrived on the scene and changed the conversation so too the music would change... And this was actually really quite helpfull for me as I moved about the place because I could sort of tell what the local groups of guests were like by the style and tempo of the music in the area and I could decide if I wanted to hang around and chat with them, or if Id rather move on and listen to something different so to speak... again, very clever!
Now, of course there would be times when one group of guests were right next to another group of guests who were very different, and you could definitely hear the disharmony in the local music but it seemed to self correct in that either the groups would polarize and move apart or harmonise and move together... It was like the music was manipulating the guests and the guests were in turn manipulating the music...I dont know how it all worked or was controled, but it didnt mater that I understood or not, it just worked :)
Ahh, and another thing about the music and the guests is that we were all sort of moving with the music... sort of dancing if you will... You couldnt help it... It was that manipulated/manipulating effect that I mentioned... Every ones body language and movement seemed to be in rhythm with the music... Maybe the music right in the place where you were at the time was not "your style", but there were always other musical themes nearby that were different and it seemed that I could always find some sort of rhythm to follow, and again, when I was "in rhythm" with the local music, I was happier and I liked the local group of guests more, and I was inclined to stay in that space and "dance", but if I wasnt really liking the "local beat", then I wouldnt really want to hang around and Id drift on to another space and find a "beat" that I did like.
And so, everyone was sort of dancing in their way. Some people were dancing alone, and some in couples and some in really large groups that looked more like a rave or a mob to me... But they were having fun and I didnt have to stay and dance there if I didnt want to, so it was all all right really.
And some people of course seemed to be absolutely natural dancers and put on magnificent performances (as individuals or as couples), but other people, like me, found it much harder and we'd stumble and sometimes even fall when we tried something more complex! And then Id feel really embarrassed and not want to dance any more... And Id then go find a corner to stand in or some other peple to talk to... But really I was just being silly because evrey one stumbled from time to time and it was just part of the event. In fact, I eventually figured out that I was mostly causing myself to have problems by trying to fit in too much! I was trying to dance to tunes that I didnt really connect with, and I was doing that because other people in that spot were dancing really well with that style of music, and I just wanted to "fit in" and make some friends... All quite normal really!
... But after quite a while of that, and with not much success, I eventually figured out what I was doing wrong, and I decided that what I really needed to do was to find my own rhythm in the multitude of music and not worry about what other people were doing...(Yeah yeah, I know, Obvious really!)
So, it took me a while but I slowly tuned in my ear and I was able to pick out a subtle theme in all the combined music that I really started to "connect" with, and that made all the difference!; And then I kind of already knew how I wanted to move with this music, and now I was dancing!, And not stumbling nearly so much (gotta switch off that brain and not think about it, and switch on that heart and FEEL the music instead!)... And now, I didnt care so much about fitting in with others and dancing like them... I was dancing my dance and it felt good, and I wanted to keep doing it... It almost seemed that this little rhythm was buried in amongst all this other music and people just for me :)
And I danced away happily, and if others wanted to dance their own special little tunes too, then that was fine by me...
Actually, Im starting to think that the purpose of this whole event is really for each of us guests to try to find our own musical theme and dance our special little dance...
... And so thats what Im doing here now... Im dancing my dance....
And I think if I had to give it a name, I might well call it "The Dance of a Thousand Veils"
... And while the orchestra plays on, Im gonna keep dancing :)))
Saturday, April 17, 2010
Run Rabbit Run
After Machu Picchu, I headed back down to the coast of Peru... Away from the mountains and the rain and down to Arequipa again... Back to the desert coast...
I wanted to have another look at the architecture there and in particular at one of the churches that has the largest and nicest barrel vaulted brick ceiling... I dont know why I like it so much but I do :)
Im afraid that with the low light, my little camera doesnt do it much justice, but the scale of it has a lot to do with it :)
After that, I hit the road again and headed North along the PanAmericana Highway... Slowly eating up the seemingly endless miles of "nothing".
They really know how to "do" desert here!
Im not kidding at all when I say its quite possible to ride at highway speed for hours in this area without seeing a single living thing... Not even so much as a blade of dry grass! It is absolutely stark....No other word for it, and again, its something that a camera really has a hard time capturing... again because of the scale involved.
And over the next few days heading North as I slowly pulled in the distance, I had the occasional little thought about that "police issue" that I mentioned in the previous post. And I thought to my self... "Run Rabbit Run"...Lets see if there is a little surprise waiting for me at the boarder :)
But it also lead me to thinking about "running" in a broader way... You know, the avoidance of things that we humans are so adept at. I thought about my own avoidance of "work" for the past three years, and my attempt at evading the aspects of modern lifestyle that I didnt like by "opting out" and living in Guatemala, and how thats really what almost all the expats there are trying to do... In fact most expats in most developing world locations are really just trying to avoid their old lives... They still want the western income though as Ive mentioned before, Ive only ever met one person who derived their income in these places from locals rather than from tourists!...
And then, as I rode along past the ever present and oh-so abundant litter strewn along every road side in South America (and no doubt most of the roads of the rest of the world too), I thought that this was really just another aspect of Human avoidance...
And with that, I realised that we humans seem to have developed the absurd idea of "Waste"!
I mean, really it just doesnt happen in a world without humans... Nothing is ever wasted in nature. Its all put to good use, and it all feeds back into the system to be reused and recycled... Not 90% or even 99%... Its absolute! Its 100% without exception... There is no such thing as waste! I guess when you are as old as "Mother Nature", youve had time to learn that as far as matter is concerned, the Earth is a closed system (OK, a few gas molecules do escape the atmosphere, and a few meteorites do come in, but its a minute quantity and its NOT waste) and if you produce something that is "toxic" then you cant hide from it... It will come back and bite you... EVERY TIME!
So, as a life form, if you do produce something that is toxic to yourself, then you better hope that there is another life form (or chain of life) that transforms that toxic stuff back into a non-toxic form and then back into the materials that you started with before it was toxic... If not, then you are headed down a one-way road to extinction! It may be a long slow journey there, but its destination is inevitable!
Its really that simple.
... And it seems that we humans have not yet figured that simple fact out.
It was fine when we lived simple lives and worked with earth, wind, fire, and water, grew our crops and raised our animals, and reproduced at a rate barely greater than the mortality rate. ... It was all organic, and mother natures recycling systems were already there to "process" and recycle the resulting "used" materials... All good stuff :)
But we humans became industrialised and we started playing with chemicals (not to mention atoms!)... And we produced some really cool and useful ones that we could make all sorts of neat things with... But in doing so we produced some others that were really not so cool and that we had no use for... And even the ones that were useful to us were only useful in the short term, and then they too became "not useful".
... And thus the human concept of "Waste" was born
But we didnt develop a new strategy for these not-useful things, we just dumped them where ever they happened to fall like we had for aeons before, and thought no more about it.
But, unfortunately, mother nature does not have the systems in place for dealing with all these synthesised, non-organic chemicals. So, they dont get recycled and returned back to their useful forms (well, not on anything like the time scales of the organic system cycles)... They just accumulate!
And after a while, we humans started to notice that this "waste" was a bit of a problem when we just left it where it was....
So, we figured the best solution was to put it somewhere that "we were not" and then it wouldnt be a problem any more. So, we did that for a while, and it seemed OK.
But then, there were more and more of us humans about and we produced more and more of this bad stuff, and what one group of people discarded in a place they were not using, effected the group of humans down stream etc... And pretty soon, everyone was effecting everyone, And again, we were all living in our own waste!...
So we figured, Well, we need to be a bit more careful about this and we really need to put all that waste where we are not (Well, "we" being the humans that we care about... Our people!) and also where Our food and drinking water are not...
And so, when we had to, we would carefully bury the bad stuff or we would dump it in a river or the ocean where it all got washed away... Whatever was the easiest solution :)
And thats about where we are now... Still dumping our "waste" only as far away from ourselves as we absolutely have to... Minimum effort always.
But. It will never work!
And, as there are now more humans than ever on the planet, and as we are producing more synthetic "wastes" than ever before, its becoming harder and harder to find places where we can dump this bad stuff without it coming back on us. And the supplies of fresh water and clean air that have in the past seemed endless, are now turning out to be rather more limited than we had hoped... And we are starting to see the problem... Just starting mind you... It hasnt really hit home yet... But it will... It will!...
But, "We" seem to be steadfastly refusing to learn the blatantly obvious lesson that nature has been patiently trying to teach us for centuries....
You can run but you cant hide!... You are just running from yourself!
And, it struck me that thats where "We" are as a whole, and that even though some people do see the "lesson" and would be willing to sacrifice the convenience and ease of our disposable lifestyles for one that is sustainable instead... Its not enough...
The days of the idea of "Save Yourself" are long past... Its no longer an option!
We will all "go down together" (even the ones who see the lesson) unless we ALL change together !...
It doesnt matter that some of us "get it"... We can run, but we cant hide from the effects of those of us who dont get it! We are all in it together... There is nowhere left for the rich ones or the smart ones or the peaceful ones to run to in this world... We are stuck sharing it with the poor ones and the stupid ones and the violent ones!
And no matter how much we as individuals, care for the "commonwealth", there is nowhere that is free from those that would turn it into the "individual-wealth" of themselves and the "common-poverty" for everyone else!
So, while as individuals we may be willing to "face the music", As a whole, We humans are still very much "Running from Ourselves"... Run Rabbit Run!!
But lets face it, even as individuals, thats what we ALL do (myself included)... We dont want to be around the loud ones or the dirty ones or the ugly ones or the uneducated ones or the obnoxious ones... or whatever... We all use the "avoidance" tactic every day in almost all aspects of our lives...
And avoidance works in its way, but only ever temporarily!... Ultimately, as it gets harder and harder to avoid the unpleasantness of others, we will have to turn and face the problems of the greater "Us" and find Real solutions...
... And so, the ONLY solution for our problems as individuals and as a whole that can ever possibly work in the long run is that we have to stop running!
We have to all sit down together and help each other grow!...
And you cant FORCE those other ones to "do the right thing"... It wont work that way!
If we do that then the lesson is not learned... The undesirable behaviour that we force others to stop is only temporarily stopped... As soon as the force is removed, or the vigilance of the enforcers falters, or the force ceases to be enough of a threat... The undesirable behaviours will return... The lesson has to be learned willingly by the student!
Note: Mother nature is the only one who can use Force with impunity- When we humans use it, the results are flawed... Just as our human understandings are flawed :)
Force or coercion by people can ONLY be effective in the short term!
It can be used to gain a respite but in that respite, Teaching and learning must be happening without force or its all a wasted effort...
And IF force is used to gain that respite, then its virtually guaranteed that there will be a negative back-lash against it in some form... No one likes being forced to do anything!... And we humans have a proven track record of "holding grudges" for generations!...
So, if we want to use force to solve a problem then we need to be willing to accept that large and unpredictable back-lash... and using force against that will just lead to a perpetual struggle of escalating forces... Sound familiar? :)
It seems to me that we MUST avoid force unless there is absolutely no other choice!!!
It seems to me also that as far as changing or collective attitude toward "waste" is concerned, the changes must happen gently by our own hands or they will be enforced on us cruelly by the hand of nature... and the clock is definitely ticking!
... And I suspect ultimately that it will be a combination of both effects that will eventually prevail...
And so it seems clear to me... Running will not work....
Avoidance is doomed...
We must face our problems TOGETHER!
And so I accept the bigger picture and then I reflect it back down onto myself as an individual...
I need to find a way I can live in "the world that is"... With all the poor ones and the greedy ones and the stupid ones and the obnoxious ones and the sad ones and the angry ones and violent ones... And all of it!... It means that I need to try to use the "avoidance" tactics much less.
And I need to find a way to contribute to Us all Growing and reducing, in some small way, some of those negative human behaviours that are so abundant in our societies...
... It doesnt have to be big or important, I dont need accolades or recognition for my efforts, but I need to feel that Im helping in some way.
But I also know that I am often wrong myself and that I too need to grow and learn and be more gentle with our "commonwealth"... With our collective future!
How then should I contribute? What efforts of mine can I be sure are not flawed and making things worse rather than better?
...Im not sure... But I think Ill figure it out as I go... And I hope my "contribution" will avoid the use of force, and I hope it will involve teaching and learning... with a gentle hand :)
At this stage, my best guess about how to do it are to not "Tell people how to lead their lives" ... That almost always leads to resistance and anger.. and the "doors" close!
And so evangelising and crusading will I think not be my style...
But perhaps, rather to "Lead by example of how I live my life" and then others can see and make their own choices... A slower, gentler way... Seemingly less effective; But in the long run, I think actually More effective :)
And, neither do I believe I should "follow" others doctrines or ideas like an acolyte!.. For everyone else is flawed in their ways and ideas too... For me I believe that the only following I should do is to "Follow my own heart"...and again with a gentle hand.
And Im certainly no saint... Im just as flawed in my thinking and understandings as you or as the person down the road, or over the ocean. And my view of whats right and wrong is just my view... It is not law and it is not righteous! All I can do is try my best and try to learn and grow as I go.
I expect that the changes in my life-style will not be that dramatic and that I wont have big effects on the rest of the people in the world... But Ill try to do my bit... In my way
So, Im not sure about much of the detail but I am definitely starting to feel ready to "re-engage" with "the world that is" again and to cease this game of Rabbits!
... and beyond that, my future is Open :)))
And that, was what crystallised out of the long and not so empty miles of the Peruvian desert for me :)))
I wanted to have another look at the architecture there and in particular at one of the churches that has the largest and nicest barrel vaulted brick ceiling... I dont know why I like it so much but I do :)
Im afraid that with the low light, my little camera doesnt do it much justice, but the scale of it has a lot to do with it :)
After that, I hit the road again and headed North along the PanAmericana Highway... Slowly eating up the seemingly endless miles of "nothing".
They really know how to "do" desert here!
Im not kidding at all when I say its quite possible to ride at highway speed for hours in this area without seeing a single living thing... Not even so much as a blade of dry grass! It is absolutely stark....No other word for it, and again, its something that a camera really has a hard time capturing... again because of the scale involved.
And over the next few days heading North as I slowly pulled in the distance, I had the occasional little thought about that "police issue" that I mentioned in the previous post. And I thought to my self... "Run Rabbit Run"...Lets see if there is a little surprise waiting for me at the boarder :)
But it also lead me to thinking about "running" in a broader way... You know, the avoidance of things that we humans are so adept at. I thought about my own avoidance of "work" for the past three years, and my attempt at evading the aspects of modern lifestyle that I didnt like by "opting out" and living in Guatemala, and how thats really what almost all the expats there are trying to do... In fact most expats in most developing world locations are really just trying to avoid their old lives... They still want the western income though as Ive mentioned before, Ive only ever met one person who derived their income in these places from locals rather than from tourists!...
And then, as I rode along past the ever present and oh-so abundant litter strewn along every road side in South America (and no doubt most of the roads of the rest of the world too), I thought that this was really just another aspect of Human avoidance...
And with that, I realised that we humans seem to have developed the absurd idea of "Waste"!
I mean, really it just doesnt happen in a world without humans... Nothing is ever wasted in nature. Its all put to good use, and it all feeds back into the system to be reused and recycled... Not 90% or even 99%... Its absolute! Its 100% without exception... There is no such thing as waste! I guess when you are as old as "Mother Nature", youve had time to learn that as far as matter is concerned, the Earth is a closed system (OK, a few gas molecules do escape the atmosphere, and a few meteorites do come in, but its a minute quantity and its NOT waste) and if you produce something that is "toxic" then you cant hide from it... It will come back and bite you... EVERY TIME!
So, as a life form, if you do produce something that is toxic to yourself, then you better hope that there is another life form (or chain of life) that transforms that toxic stuff back into a non-toxic form and then back into the materials that you started with before it was toxic... If not, then you are headed down a one-way road to extinction! It may be a long slow journey there, but its destination is inevitable!
Its really that simple.
... And it seems that we humans have not yet figured that simple fact out.
It was fine when we lived simple lives and worked with earth, wind, fire, and water, grew our crops and raised our animals, and reproduced at a rate barely greater than the mortality rate. ... It was all organic, and mother natures recycling systems were already there to "process" and recycle the resulting "used" materials... All good stuff :)
But we humans became industrialised and we started playing with chemicals (not to mention atoms!)... And we produced some really cool and useful ones that we could make all sorts of neat things with... But in doing so we produced some others that were really not so cool and that we had no use for... And even the ones that were useful to us were only useful in the short term, and then they too became "not useful".
... And thus the human concept of "Waste" was born
But we didnt develop a new strategy for these not-useful things, we just dumped them where ever they happened to fall like we had for aeons before, and thought no more about it.
But, unfortunately, mother nature does not have the systems in place for dealing with all these synthesised, non-organic chemicals. So, they dont get recycled and returned back to their useful forms (well, not on anything like the time scales of the organic system cycles)... They just accumulate!
And after a while, we humans started to notice that this "waste" was a bit of a problem when we just left it where it was....
So, we figured the best solution was to put it somewhere that "we were not" and then it wouldnt be a problem any more. So, we did that for a while, and it seemed OK.
But then, there were more and more of us humans about and we produced more and more of this bad stuff, and what one group of people discarded in a place they were not using, effected the group of humans down stream etc... And pretty soon, everyone was effecting everyone, And again, we were all living in our own waste!...
So we figured, Well, we need to be a bit more careful about this and we really need to put all that waste where we are not (Well, "we" being the humans that we care about... Our people!) and also where Our food and drinking water are not...
And so, when we had to, we would carefully bury the bad stuff or we would dump it in a river or the ocean where it all got washed away... Whatever was the easiest solution :)
And thats about where we are now... Still dumping our "waste" only as far away from ourselves as we absolutely have to... Minimum effort always.
But. It will never work!
And, as there are now more humans than ever on the planet, and as we are producing more synthetic "wastes" than ever before, its becoming harder and harder to find places where we can dump this bad stuff without it coming back on us. And the supplies of fresh water and clean air that have in the past seemed endless, are now turning out to be rather more limited than we had hoped... And we are starting to see the problem... Just starting mind you... It hasnt really hit home yet... But it will... It will!...
But, "We" seem to be steadfastly refusing to learn the blatantly obvious lesson that nature has been patiently trying to teach us for centuries....
You can run but you cant hide!... You are just running from yourself!
And, it struck me that thats where "We" are as a whole, and that even though some people do see the "lesson" and would be willing to sacrifice the convenience and ease of our disposable lifestyles for one that is sustainable instead... Its not enough...
The days of the idea of "Save Yourself" are long past... Its no longer an option!
We will all "go down together" (even the ones who see the lesson) unless we ALL change together !...
It doesnt matter that some of us "get it"... We can run, but we cant hide from the effects of those of us who dont get it! We are all in it together... There is nowhere left for the rich ones or the smart ones or the peaceful ones to run to in this world... We are stuck sharing it with the poor ones and the stupid ones and the violent ones!
And no matter how much we as individuals, care for the "commonwealth", there is nowhere that is free from those that would turn it into the "individual-wealth" of themselves and the "common-poverty" for everyone else!
So, while as individuals we may be willing to "face the music", As a whole, We humans are still very much "Running from Ourselves"... Run Rabbit Run!!
But lets face it, even as individuals, thats what we ALL do (myself included)... We dont want to be around the loud ones or the dirty ones or the ugly ones or the uneducated ones or the obnoxious ones... or whatever... We all use the "avoidance" tactic every day in almost all aspects of our lives...
And avoidance works in its way, but only ever temporarily!... Ultimately, as it gets harder and harder to avoid the unpleasantness of others, we will have to turn and face the problems of the greater "Us" and find Real solutions...
... And so, the ONLY solution for our problems as individuals and as a whole that can ever possibly work in the long run is that we have to stop running!
We have to all sit down together and help each other grow!...
And you cant FORCE those other ones to "do the right thing"... It wont work that way!
If we do that then the lesson is not learned... The undesirable behaviour that we force others to stop is only temporarily stopped... As soon as the force is removed, or the vigilance of the enforcers falters, or the force ceases to be enough of a threat... The undesirable behaviours will return... The lesson has to be learned willingly by the student!
Note: Mother nature is the only one who can use Force with impunity- When we humans use it, the results are flawed... Just as our human understandings are flawed :)
Force or coercion by people can ONLY be effective in the short term!
It can be used to gain a respite but in that respite, Teaching and learning must be happening without force or its all a wasted effort...
And IF force is used to gain that respite, then its virtually guaranteed that there will be a negative back-lash against it in some form... No one likes being forced to do anything!... And we humans have a proven track record of "holding grudges" for generations!...
So, if we want to use force to solve a problem then we need to be willing to accept that large and unpredictable back-lash... and using force against that will just lead to a perpetual struggle of escalating forces... Sound familiar? :)
It seems to me that we MUST avoid force unless there is absolutely no other choice!!!
It seems to me also that as far as changing or collective attitude toward "waste" is concerned, the changes must happen gently by our own hands or they will be enforced on us cruelly by the hand of nature... and the clock is definitely ticking!
... And I suspect ultimately that it will be a combination of both effects that will eventually prevail...
And so it seems clear to me... Running will not work....
Avoidance is doomed...
We must face our problems TOGETHER!
And so I accept the bigger picture and then I reflect it back down onto myself as an individual...
I need to find a way I can live in "the world that is"... With all the poor ones and the greedy ones and the stupid ones and the obnoxious ones and the sad ones and the angry ones and violent ones... And all of it!... It means that I need to try to use the "avoidance" tactics much less.
And I need to find a way to contribute to Us all Growing and reducing, in some small way, some of those negative human behaviours that are so abundant in our societies...
... It doesnt have to be big or important, I dont need accolades or recognition for my efforts, but I need to feel that Im helping in some way.
But I also know that I am often wrong myself and that I too need to grow and learn and be more gentle with our "commonwealth"... With our collective future!
How then should I contribute? What efforts of mine can I be sure are not flawed and making things worse rather than better?
...Im not sure... But I think Ill figure it out as I go... And I hope my "contribution" will avoid the use of force, and I hope it will involve teaching and learning... with a gentle hand :)
At this stage, my best guess about how to do it are to not "Tell people how to lead their lives" ... That almost always leads to resistance and anger.. and the "doors" close!
And so evangelising and crusading will I think not be my style...
But perhaps, rather to "Lead by example of how I live my life" and then others can see and make their own choices... A slower, gentler way... Seemingly less effective; But in the long run, I think actually More effective :)
And, neither do I believe I should "follow" others doctrines or ideas like an acolyte!.. For everyone else is flawed in their ways and ideas too... For me I believe that the only following I should do is to "Follow my own heart"...and again with a gentle hand.
And Im certainly no saint... Im just as flawed in my thinking and understandings as you or as the person down the road, or over the ocean. And my view of whats right and wrong is just my view... It is not law and it is not righteous! All I can do is try my best and try to learn and grow as I go.
I expect that the changes in my life-style will not be that dramatic and that I wont have big effects on the rest of the people in the world... But Ill try to do my bit... In my way
So, Im not sure about much of the detail but I am definitely starting to feel ready to "re-engage" with "the world that is" again and to cease this game of Rabbits!
... and beyond that, my future is Open :)))
And that, was what crystallised out of the long and not so empty miles of the Peruvian desert for me :)))
Thursday, April 15, 2010
Fled
On the way to Cuzco, I rode through a large Peruvian town and I managed to not see that an intersection that I was approaching was not like most of the others that I get to ride through.
This town was big enough to have both traffic lights (which I see plenty of) as well as intersections controlled the old fashioned way... By a police officer waving their white cotton covered hands around at the traffic and tooting on a whistle.
But the officer was not in the middle of the intersection (which I would have immediately seen)... In this case, the officer was mounted up in a little box on one corner of the intersection (Weather protection and safer I assume). Anyway, this meant that I didnt see the officer till I was well out into the empty intersection... At which time the officer in the box came to my attention because of the shrill tooting and the energetic waving of hands... The hands and whistle that were telling me to STOP and "What the heck was I doing in the middle of their intersection when they were clearly saying STOP!"
Now, I wasnt going very fast and I promptly did come to a complete stop!. It took me about a second to figure out what was going on and give an acknowledging nod to the officer, and then a couple more seconds to get my bike moving again and headed immediately out of the intersection by the shortest route and in the direction the officer in the box pointed...
But, standing on the side of the road in that direction was another police officer (I assume there as both relief and backup for just such events), and this second officer was indicating quite clearly that I should pull over, and that we would then be "having a talk!"
Now, this was not what I wanted, and I have to admit that I figured I was definitely going to get a ticket for an "infraction" of some sort and in fact that I was very likely going to get "hit up for a bribe"...
Thats very possibly completely inaccurate of course, but in my defence, at the Peruvian boarder just the day before, Id had "every Policeman and his dog" try to get bribes from me, including Federal and municipal police!...(Though the customs and immigration were fine)
So, with these thoughts in my head, I decided that I was not going to stop and let them get their hands on me, my bike, or my drivers license... I decided that Id use the old "Hes just waving at me, so Ill wave back" routine and thus, we "waved" at each other and I rode quickly on down the street and out of town.
But, I noted in my rear view mirror that the second officer had pulled out his note pad and was writing down my plate number... Fair enough :)
So, I "fled the scene" as they say!
I rode on and there was no pursuit (It wasnt a particularly sinister crime I committed, so Id have been amazed if there was a pursuit) and no consequences for the time being.
But, I have to admit that I did commit the infraction in the first place, and then I did disobey the officers pretty clear instructions to pull over after that... So, if I do have troubles with it later then its my own fault... Cant go blaming anyone else :)
But, I now had the nagging thought that this was going to catch up with me at some point... The most likely being when I cross the boarder out of the country.
You always have to get checked off at Customs and Immigration, but quite often also by the police. Now, if it were Canada, I would not be at all surprised if the services were all interconnected and the police could put a "hold" or restriction on my bike plate number with the customs group. This would be very unlikely down here in latin america since they are often only barely computerised... But you never know... Yep, I may be in for some "explaining" when I get to the other end of Peru!
And so, Ive occasionally had little nagging thoughts about that for the last week or two as Ive been riding along.
And today was "judgement day"... Well on that little point anyway.
Today I crossed over into Ecuador way over at the completely opposite end of Peru.
I chose the same smaller crossing that I used on the way South because it was easy, quick, and quiet (definitely things to be desired at boarder crossings).
... and it went without a hitch. :))
No infringement notice to be paid or attempts at eliciting bribes etc... Just friendly and easy like last time :)))
So, it seems that the Peruvian systems are not that integrated ... Yet.
But it wont be too long before they are Im sure...
Note to self: Pay more attention for policemen with white cotton gloves in intersections!
This town was big enough to have both traffic lights (which I see plenty of) as well as intersections controlled the old fashioned way... By a police officer waving their white cotton covered hands around at the traffic and tooting on a whistle.
But the officer was not in the middle of the intersection (which I would have immediately seen)... In this case, the officer was mounted up in a little box on one corner of the intersection (Weather protection and safer I assume). Anyway, this meant that I didnt see the officer till I was well out into the empty intersection... At which time the officer in the box came to my attention because of the shrill tooting and the energetic waving of hands... The hands and whistle that were telling me to STOP and "What the heck was I doing in the middle of their intersection when they were clearly saying STOP!"
Now, I wasnt going very fast and I promptly did come to a complete stop!. It took me about a second to figure out what was going on and give an acknowledging nod to the officer, and then a couple more seconds to get my bike moving again and headed immediately out of the intersection by the shortest route and in the direction the officer in the box pointed...
But, standing on the side of the road in that direction was another police officer (I assume there as both relief and backup for just such events), and this second officer was indicating quite clearly that I should pull over, and that we would then be "having a talk!"
Now, this was not what I wanted, and I have to admit that I figured I was definitely going to get a ticket for an "infraction" of some sort and in fact that I was very likely going to get "hit up for a bribe"...
Thats very possibly completely inaccurate of course, but in my defence, at the Peruvian boarder just the day before, Id had "every Policeman and his dog" try to get bribes from me, including Federal and municipal police!...(Though the customs and immigration were fine)
So, with these thoughts in my head, I decided that I was not going to stop and let them get their hands on me, my bike, or my drivers license... I decided that Id use the old "Hes just waving at me, so Ill wave back" routine and thus, we "waved" at each other and I rode quickly on down the street and out of town.
But, I noted in my rear view mirror that the second officer had pulled out his note pad and was writing down my plate number... Fair enough :)
So, I "fled the scene" as they say!
I rode on and there was no pursuit (It wasnt a particularly sinister crime I committed, so Id have been amazed if there was a pursuit) and no consequences for the time being.
But, I have to admit that I did commit the infraction in the first place, and then I did disobey the officers pretty clear instructions to pull over after that... So, if I do have troubles with it later then its my own fault... Cant go blaming anyone else :)
But, I now had the nagging thought that this was going to catch up with me at some point... The most likely being when I cross the boarder out of the country.
You always have to get checked off at Customs and Immigration, but quite often also by the police. Now, if it were Canada, I would not be at all surprised if the services were all interconnected and the police could put a "hold" or restriction on my bike plate number with the customs group. This would be very unlikely down here in latin america since they are often only barely computerised... But you never know... Yep, I may be in for some "explaining" when I get to the other end of Peru!
And so, Ive occasionally had little nagging thoughts about that for the last week or two as Ive been riding along.
And today was "judgement day"... Well on that little point anyway.
Today I crossed over into Ecuador way over at the completely opposite end of Peru.
I chose the same smaller crossing that I used on the way South because it was easy, quick, and quiet (definitely things to be desired at boarder crossings).
... and it went without a hitch. :))
No infringement notice to be paid or attempts at eliciting bribes etc... Just friendly and easy like last time :)))
So, it seems that the Peruvian systems are not that integrated ... Yet.
But it wont be too long before they are Im sure...
Note to self: Pay more attention for policemen with white cotton gloves in intersections!
Sunday, April 11, 2010
High Harvest
I think Ive mentioned before that I really dont feel much "connection" with farming country. For me it seems that its either the high mountain country or the coast-line that makes me feel at home.
But for the last couple of weeks as Ive been riding through the South Eastern areas of the South American continent, its been pretty much exclusively either Jungle, or more often, pastoral country... And its harvest season.
And now as I ride along through the higher ground of Bolivia and Peru, Im again in the midst of the harvest.
Everywhere I look, there are little patches of crops that are either already fully ripe in golds and yellows and even rust reds, or in some cases the crop is still green but starting to turn yellow. And likewise, everywhere I look, the local farming folk are gathering in the seasons harvest...
But they are not doing it the way Ive seen it done for decades in the countries where Im from... With large automated machines that bring in tonnes of grain every hour... No, they are doing it the way it has been done for centuries... If not millennia.... By Hand!
In ones and twos I see them out in there small crop lots of maybe 50m square. They are out there harvesting before Im on the bike in the mornings at 7am, and they are still out there after Ive finished riding, and only head for their homes at about 7pm when the sun has set and the cold of the Altiplano night has started to bite again.
And even though Ive never seen these harvest methods in my life, they are still quite familiar to me... They use little hand sickles and and they cut the grain stalks right at the base. Then when they have a good double sized arm-full of grain stalks, they take a small hand-full of them and use them to tie a cinch around the bundle of grain... and voile! They have a stook... Thats a word I have never had cause to use before because Ive never seen a stook of grain in my life till now... But I know the word... From way back as a kid... I think from very old kids stories!
But, here in the high country of Bolivia and Peru, there are stooks everywhere :)
And there are fields of all sorts of grains...I recognise the wheat and the oats and barley, but there are also others less familiar like quinoa. Regardless of what type, they are all being harvested as I ride along. The stooks are standing neatly in the fields and I assume they will stay there till the whole field has been cut and then they will get moved to the houses where they will be hand threshed.
Ive only seen a couple of people ding this so far, but its the next stage where a bundle of the sun-dried grain stalks is picked up and swung down against a largish solid object (a rock or a log or some such) with the grain head outer-most. It knocks the grain out of the heads and onto the ground. Then the grain is collected off the ground (or mats) and the last stage is to get rid of the husks by winnowing... Another word Ive never had cause to use, but its the right word Im sure... I have no idea how I know this or even if all of it is right... Again, its in my head from long long ago... Maybe its in every ones heads from long long ago...Like a race memory ??
And, while I said that farming country holds little attraction for me; I must admit though that seeing the little mud houses nestled in amongst these golden fields of ripe grain with the heads all nodding in the wind and the harvest going on... I do feel the "connection"... There is something deeply satisfying seeing these crops so heavy with seed and ripe and being brought in at the seasons end... Its from down deep... generations old... but its there, familiar and comfortable and it brings a smile to my face as I ride along...
... The old ways; The true ways :)))
And there are a few other things that catch my eye and attract my camera lens, but its the harvest that occupies most of every ones attention for the time being :)
A few other pictures attached ...
But for the last couple of weeks as Ive been riding through the South Eastern areas of the South American continent, its been pretty much exclusively either Jungle, or more often, pastoral country... And its harvest season.
And now as I ride along through the higher ground of Bolivia and Peru, Im again in the midst of the harvest.
Everywhere I look, there are little patches of crops that are either already fully ripe in golds and yellows and even rust reds, or in some cases the crop is still green but starting to turn yellow. And likewise, everywhere I look, the local farming folk are gathering in the seasons harvest...
But they are not doing it the way Ive seen it done for decades in the countries where Im from... With large automated machines that bring in tonnes of grain every hour... No, they are doing it the way it has been done for centuries... If not millennia.... By Hand!
In ones and twos I see them out in there small crop lots of maybe 50m square. They are out there harvesting before Im on the bike in the mornings at 7am, and they are still out there after Ive finished riding, and only head for their homes at about 7pm when the sun has set and the cold of the Altiplano night has started to bite again.
And even though Ive never seen these harvest methods in my life, they are still quite familiar to me... They use little hand sickles and and they cut the grain stalks right at the base. Then when they have a good double sized arm-full of grain stalks, they take a small hand-full of them and use them to tie a cinch around the bundle of grain... and voile! They have a stook... Thats a word I have never had cause to use before because Ive never seen a stook of grain in my life till now... But I know the word... From way back as a kid... I think from very old kids stories!
But, here in the high country of Bolivia and Peru, there are stooks everywhere :)
And there are fields of all sorts of grains...I recognise the wheat and the oats and barley, but there are also others less familiar like quinoa. Regardless of what type, they are all being harvested as I ride along. The stooks are standing neatly in the fields and I assume they will stay there till the whole field has been cut and then they will get moved to the houses where they will be hand threshed.
Ive only seen a couple of people ding this so far, but its the next stage where a bundle of the sun-dried grain stalks is picked up and swung down against a largish solid object (a rock or a log or some such) with the grain head outer-most. It knocks the grain out of the heads and onto the ground. Then the grain is collected off the ground (or mats) and the last stage is to get rid of the husks by winnowing... Another word Ive never had cause to use, but its the right word Im sure... I have no idea how I know this or even if all of it is right... Again, its in my head from long long ago... Maybe its in every ones heads from long long ago...Like a race memory ??
And, while I said that farming country holds little attraction for me; I must admit though that seeing the little mud houses nestled in amongst these golden fields of ripe grain with the heads all nodding in the wind and the harvest going on... I do feel the "connection"... There is something deeply satisfying seeing these crops so heavy with seed and ripe and being brought in at the seasons end... Its from down deep... generations old... but its there, familiar and comfortable and it brings a smile to my face as I ride along...
... The old ways; The true ways :)))
And there are a few other things that catch my eye and attract my camera lens, but its the harvest that occupies most of every ones attention for the time being :)
A few other pictures attached ...
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