The Shaman

I attended a healing ceremony while in South America and was blessed by a Shaman.
They take this very seriously and it's considered an honor.
Before leaving the country, I was also allowed to feast on a Guinea Pig.
They only share this meal with the best of friends...
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A lot of people in South America consider the Shamans to be the leaders in the community. They are the doctors, psychologists, counselors, and therapists in small towns.

Life is not always what it seems to be and we saw many things that were unexplainable and many things I didn’t understand.

The Shamans believe cats have the ability to absorb harmful energy, without being harmed themselves. They pass it off without any danger to themselves or anyone.
That explains why you get such a nice feeling while petting a cat sitting on your lap.

One of the strangest things I saw in South America was the SKULLS of their ancestors sitting on the mantle of a small hut. It was much like placing the pictures of our relatives and loved ones on the fireplace of our homes.
Life is SO simple here and SO primitive at times.

I’ve camped and hiked most of my life in West Virginia and have been accustomed to cooking on an open fire, sleeping on the ground, and filtering my water before drinking from a stream.

This is the daily life for many people in Peru and Ecuador.

Istanbul Turkey

A few months ago, I spent a few days in Istanbul Turkey.
I felt privileged to experience their hospitality.

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I was a little apprehensive about traveling to this new part of the world. A few weeks before we arrived in Turkey, several tourists were killed in a crowded restaurant from a bomb blast planted by dissident Kurds. As we arrived at the hotel, our car was stopped by a nail barrier, pushed before the wheels, inspected underneath with mirrors, and searched for explosives. The government was taking no chances but I was beginning to wonder if we had made a mistake by traveling here.

Our customs are quite different and in the short time we will be here, it will be difficult not to show our western traits. Crossing your arms, sticking your hands in your pockets or showing the soles of your feet is considered rude. As we drifted off to sleep that night, I noticed a compass rose etched into the table top. The morning call to worship requires Muslim followers to pray towards Mecca.

We decided to arrive in Turkey a few days early to see the city and spend some time wandering around before sailing towards the Greek Islands. The Turks are VERY aggressive when they drive in busy traffic. Traveling from the airport to the hotel, a Mercedes Taxi will lumber along comfortably at 160 km, and people drive like this all the time.

Istanbul is a city of 10 million people and I wondered how they lived in a culture where religion permeates the society. As we ate breakfast we could see the sun glistening off the domes of the Sultans Palaces. It seemed only a short walking distance to one of the most famous Mosques in Istanbul and we wondered if we could walk there safely. I could sense the difference between the responses of the hotel staff and servants as Marilyn or I asked directions from the Hilton Hotel.

Turkey is a very male dominated society. The males kiss each other on the cheek and hug each other in public. As we walked downtown, I saw two men walking together arm in arm. Make no mistake about it, the men in Turkey are very masculine and there was nothing “funny” about this. It was only a sign of friendship. Istanbul is a city where even our basic words, unintentionally, can come into conflict. I began to think about everything before speaking or posturing.

But like most things you fear while reading the papers, Marilyn and I found Turkey to be a warm and friendly place. We (or I should say me) got up our courage to take a walk downtown the next morning. The more I visit different parts of the world, the more I realize people are the same everywhere we visit.

We felt very comfortable walking around and often sat down on a bench and watched people. (one of my favorite sports). It’s true about showing your feet and I noticed when sitting on the benches, the men would cross their legs in a way not to offend others with their soles. There is still a big difference between the young and old people also. I would notice a young couple embracing and holding hands occasionally but also older women dressed in the traditional “head to toe” covering. I never noticed anyone wearing shorts. For the most part, they are very modest.

Because we are from West Virginia, and this is a city of 10 million people, and the chances of meeting someone from your own home town are about 10 million to one, we were both shocked to find ourselves standing across from our neighbors after exiting the Topkapi Palace.

I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw our friends that we regularly practice Yoga with in Charleston. They had been on tour for a few weeks earlier and were here the same day and time. We didn’t know they were going to be here and they didn’t know we were going to be here.


Perhaps Allah was granting us a special memory?

That evening we had a meal at one of the local restaurants, with local music, and Turkish Belly Dancers. They have amazing muscle control and are the best in the world. We were also introduced to the local drink. It’s called Raki and has a licorice taste. It’s 45% alcohol and mixed half and half with an equal shot of water. It’s VERY strong and popular with the Turks.

I was impressed with Istanbul and found it to be a fascinating place to visit and I wish we could spend more time here and mingle with the people. Don’t expect to leave Turkey without being shown their famous hand made rugs and I could have spent days at the Grand Bazaar. It’s one of the oldest trading places in the world and something not to miss.

The people are warm, friendly, and polite.
We could learn a lot from them.
I’d come back here in a heart beat.
We loved this place!

Windmills

I couldn't get the Bob Dylan lyrics out of my head as I watched the windmill blades whirling round on these mammoth steel beams.

How many times must a man look up, before he can see the sky?
How many years can a mountain exist, before it's washed to the sea?
The white dove sails and the hawks fly as we shake our heads and wonder how many roads we must all walk down before we can hear the answer blowing in the wind.

I've got mixed feelings as I frightfully view the colossal structures before me.
Our dependence on fossil fuel is becoming more dangerous every day, and in order to keep the Cannonballs from flying, we MUST become more responsible users of our energy. How many times can a man turn his head, pretending he just doesn't see?

I see the similarity of Bob Dylan's thoughts and fears of industrial mechanization in today's life. How many times have you seen hundreds of cars, in rush hour traffic, with ONE person behind the wheel? How many gas guzzling speedsters at 80 miles an hour in a 60 mile zone? Where is it going to end my friend?
Forests are madcap, uncultivated, and disorderly. That's why symmetrical, orderly windmills seem so out of balance in nature.

I certainly don't have all the answers but coal burning power plants ruffle a lot of feathers too.

I don't like to see windmills OR power plant columns but they're a necessity and they are here to stay. You have to make a choice.

I'd much rather see these than strip mines and clear cut forests...

The Frog Game

This entry is a continuation of a story about a trip to South America last year. You can read the other entries by scrolling down below:

One of the BEST things about traveling with a small group is having the time to meet local people and learn about their culture. Many times we would stop on the side of the road to see interesting things.

The Peruvians make a BEER out of corn that is VERY good.
It’s cheap, easy to make, and available everywhere in the country.

We HAD to stop and sample some of it on the way back from Macchu Pichu.

You know where BEER is sold when you see a long pole with a red plastic bag attached to it on the highway. You also learn about a local game they play while they’re drinking and having a good time.

It’s Called FROG….

FROG is played with a handful of gold coins, which are tossed through the air towards a box, with (what else) but a “GOLD FROG” in the middle of it.

One coin down the frog’s throat is a thousand points. Coins missing the frog but landing in the other holes on the back and sides of the box are worth five hundred or a hundred points.

Needless to say, my experience “pitching quarters” in my reckless youth hit the jackpot!

After the first couple of tosses, I had the same feeling a good basketball player has when he shoots the ball from half court. The bells were ringing as coin after coin found the GOLD FROG and I racked up an impressive score of ten thousand points.

The Peruvians sure have a fun time playing this game.
Sometimes….. Even people from West Virginia have fun playing this game!

The Equator

I’ve told people many times to only believe half of what they see, and even less of what they read.

You will have to make up your own mind when you view the next few pictures.

I can only tell you what I saw….

I’ve heard of this phenomenon but never EVER expected to be at the right place, at the right, time to view it.

After flying to Quito for the last leg of our journey to the Galapagos Islands, we drove to the equator.

Not the OFFICIAL TOURIST SITE, although it was within walking distance, but to a little museum owned and operated by a private family.

We watched in amazement, as our guide poured water into a wash basin, calmed the water, added some leaves for clarity and to observe the flow out the bottom, and then pulled the plug. We watched it empty onto the ground.

I expected it to drain counter clockwise when it emptied.

BUT it ran straight down ….Yep, no movement at all …..Just STRAIGHT down.

After all, we were standing on the Equator and neither in the Northern or Southern Hemisphere.

I should have known…

What was REALLY remarkable, was when we re- filled the basin, and moved it three feet to the right, and then pulled the plug again.

This time it ran beautifully, CLOCKWISE onto the ground.

My eyeballs nearly popped out of my head!

We tried the same thing on the left but it wouldn’t spin the opposite direction. He said it worked sometimes but not always ….this just wasn’t the day. Well….win a few and loose a few…. but this was still an amazing sight to view.

Our visit was also spectacular because, as I’ve heard it said before, on ONE day in West Virginia, you can balance an egg on a table top.

On the equator, you can always balance an egg this way.

And get this….you can do it EVERY day!

You can even balance it on the head of a nail!!

I watched in amazement as the guide placed the egg and walked away from it.

Not withstanding an earthquake and this definitely happens from time to time, it would balance there all day.

The Inca Trail

When you meet Llama’s on the edge of the trail, the best course of action is NO action at all.

It’s best to just stand still and shut up.

They seemed passive, but I hear, if provoked, they could spit in your eye, and being on the edge of a cliff, I didn’t think it was a good idea to cause problems....

So I yielded the right of way and waited for them to pass.

Llamas were the last thing I expected to see after an hour and a half hike to the top of the mountain near Machu Picchu.

I had watched them in the ruins below, before starting the hike, and was impressed with their steps and stability, but a mistake here could be fatal. Especially if you were wiping spit out of your eyes while tumbling blindly down the mountainside.
Yep…the best thing to do in this situation is just wait it out and be polite.

After all, I was in their territory.

The Inca had built this place as a resort for their leaders. The Spaniards intended to loot and plunder it, but before they had the opportunity, the Inca moved all the gold and silver to another location. There was no need to destroy it now….

It wasn’t re-discovered until 1911 because it’s so inaccessible. It’s on top of a mountain, in the bend of a raging river, and the kind of a place that no one would DREAM of building a city.
Except the Inca….they are NOT ordinary people.
It brings tears to my eyes to think of the care they used to fit these rocks together. To them, ROCKS had a magical quality, and the ability to focus the earth’s energy. Some of them have 30 cuts in them and fit as precisely together as the floor in a modern day home. When you see an Inca structure, just one look tells you who the builders were. They are near perfect and built to stand the frequent earthquakes in Peru.

We spent two days here, got our passports stamped, and then rode a train back to Cusco before leaving for Ecuador. In Quito, we would spend another couple of days before our final voyage to the Galapagos Islands, and we would stand on the Equator and wonder at water spinning, the opposite direction, down a drain, and stand an egg on the head of a nail.

I’ll send a few pictures of this on the next entry.