One More Time - Watch the Language

I just couldn´t stop myself from writing another entry about Iraq. I hope I don´t do this very often. You probably are reading enough about it. I was reading through a list of "Coalition Force" casualties on cnn.com. It noted that some US Marines were killed by an Iraqi ambush. Ambush is a pretty dirty word in my book. If it is related to the Iraqis who pretended to surrender then actually started shooting -- it is pretty sick.

But, let me roll back the clock for a moment. There was a time (Most famously in the US Wild West) where shooting someone in the back was considered disgraceful and dishonorable. You faced your opponent head on. You lived and died with honor. Whether with a gun or in a time further back, with swords.

Now, is an ambush by Iraqi forces any different than getting killed by a Hellfire missle launched by a computerized drone? Or getting bombed by a pilot from thousands of feet above in the air? Or getting killed by a Cruise missle launched from hundreds of miles away in a ship? Those are ambushes too. Whether it happened now or in previous wars, the result is the same. Getting attacked with little warning and by the cunning of the opponent. Yet, how do most people view modern weaponry, especially on the winning side? I´m glad the US has modern weapons, but let´s refer to them as what they really are. Let´s not sugarcoat them with technical jargon. They are weapons of ambush and deceit.

Without being there I´m going to speculate that for those who aren´t on the ground or sea face to face with the enemy, it must be almost like a video game. Do they see the face of death? No. They are so far removed from death that I find it sad. Sad that it is another example of how technology (war related or not) is removing us from feeling the full effects of our actions. I have a better idea, why don´t the politicians and people who decide to wage war meet face to face with guns drawn to settle disputes? Like the Wild West. Hahaha.

On the travel front I am heading to Brazil tomorrow. I have lots of updates to the website sitting on my computer but I am unable to upload them at the moment cost effectively. Hopefully in Curitiba, Brazil. I will be staying with my first Servas host there too. I spent sometime with a Servas dayhost during my last time in Buenos Aires. A great experience.

My parting words -- turn off the TV and learn to think for yourself. Or try watching it without sound if you must.

My Greatest Adventure

Today, is an important day in my life. It is the 2 year anniversary of my mom´s departure from her physical body. 2 years ago was the start of the greatest adventure in my life. No adventure I go on this trip will top it. It was an adventure that gave me the strength to be here now. It was an adventure where any fears I had about living ran away and hid in a little corner of my brain, afraid to confront my new powerful vision. I will share this adventure with you when I upload a journal I have been writing about it.

What is all the fuss about again?

I can´t seem to escape this Iraq thing. Right now, I am near the tip of South America in Puerto Natales, Chile. I am here to see some mountain scenery (Torres del Paine) before I head up on a cruise through the Chilean straits. Yesterday, I saw a large glacier called Perito Moreno. Quite scenic. Largest piece of ice not coming down a mountain that I have ever seen. It made me really think about the Ice Age that the world was supposedly under many moons ago. I´ve read about it, but really believing the world was once covered in ice is another story. I´m alot closer to believing it now.

Anyways -- about this Iraq thing. A few days ago in Buenos Aires I walked into a cell phone store. After a few questions the salesman started asking me about Bush and Iraq. I gave him my opinion. It happened in Paraguay too, the city tour guide asked me (I was the only tourist). In El Calafate, my first stop in Patagonia, Argentina, there were signs on stores saying in Spanish - No War. As I walked in a store here in Puerto Natales offering Shiatsu massage the masseuse said in a combination of Spanish and English (Mostly Spanish) that today was a big day - referring to the Bush ultimatum, which I have only read a little about. I´ve seen one too many snippets on CNN and BBC in hotel rooms that I´d rather ignore it now. So, I signed up for a 1.5 hour massage. She playfully commented that a massage is relaxing and can promote peace. I laughed. 15,000 Chilean pesos / $20US. Maybe our friends in the US government need a massage? If they flew down here they could get alot of them, without putting the US too much further into debt. It´s so easy to get caught up in a one track mindset....

The first thing I think about is -- why do people down here care about a war so far away from them that doesn´t directly involve them? Media hype? Oil prices? The war´s effect on the US economy which affects them? I don´t know...probably a combination of things. Maybe they just pay too much attention to American politics in Chile and Argentina. While in Brazil for Carnaval, everyone was so happy having fun, war was the last thing anyone was thinking about. It was the furthest thing from my mind. Amazing, the different atmosphere that one can be under going from place to place, country to country.

Iraq could be another planet for all I know. You might think so too if you were down here, far away from the rest of the world. In fact, alot of things could be like this if you aren´t DIRECTLY impacted (Like a spouse-son-daughter over there, your job directly involves the war, etc...) in a significant manner or have first hand knowledge. Do you think it is a big deal personally? I don´t mean that it is insignificant - it is notable, but not as much as you might be led to believe. Ask yourself -- have you changed your long term behavior or even just your everyday routine because of it?

Was September 11th a big deal personally? It almost could have been on another planet for me if I didn´t go see it for myself exactly 2 months after (Heck, I was in Australia when it happened). After all, most of the events around that time were on the US East Coast. The US is a big country. Waiting in an airport security line a little longer doesn´t count, nor does losing money in the stock market -- it would have dropped anyway, all the corporate scandals putting emphasis on this point. So, I ask if your behavior has changed, not your reactions to ripple effects, but your proactive behavior. I hope I make sense. Or was it just another story (Perhaps a little more notable) like the dozens of stories that cross our minds everyday on television and newspapers? Maybe an easier question now that it has passed quite some time ago -- did you change your behavior after the "war in Kuwait to liberate the democracies (Monarchies?) of the Middle East?" Why do America and other nations care so much about the Middle East in the first place? I didn´t change my behavior then because I was too ignorant of why the Kuwait war happened. I´m changing now though.

Live with conviction.

Navimag cruise line - Chilean straits (W)

I wrote a short little journal on my experience at Iguacu Falls. I also embedded 3 pictures. You can find it in the WRITINGS section of this website. I'm struggling with how to properly present pictures that I take, to you. On one hand I'm hopeful that someday you will visit many of these places - I don't want to spoil your experience by showing you too much. On the other hand I know some of you won't make it to some of the places I go - so a picture is the next best thing. And lastly, in order to convey what I'm learning and feeling I need to show you some of the best pictures. This mostly applies to landscapes and certain museums / attractions / events - not everyday life shots.
Any ideas? Drop me a line.

I just posted the 21 Days to Washington slideshow. It is a 4.7MB EXE file. Please let me know if there are any errors, as it is a large file transfer going wirelessly. You can only download it from this link at the moment. Later you will be able to download it from the appropriate DESTINATIONS section of this site. I am currently in the process of converting all my web pages from a special editing format / Java program that Yahoo! uses that allows web page creation online without a computer, into a more standard web page / HTML format. I'm doing this since I now carry a computer with me. This way I can edit pages as much as I like offline, then when I do have the right connection (Not often enough) I can publish all the changes at once. The appearance, functionality, and professional look of the site should improve as I complete this transition. The Yahoo! program is limited in many ways. If you want to know -- I am using a program called Namo Webeditor 5. Very good reviews at CNET.

Welcome to Paraguay....

cockroach style! Apparently it isn't just the human denizens of this area who throw out the welcome mat. Let me get you in the right mindset. I am staying in a 4-star hotel in a well-to-do suburban area of Asuncion. This place is run by Germans. This hotel is spotless, the lawns are manicured (I'll take a picture for you), everything is clean. They even have high quality German shower heads, I know the brand from traveling in Germany. Everything is orderly - in the proper German way.

Since it was Sunday yesterday I decided to stay in my hotel room the whole day to work on the website and just rest. As I was going about my business, nearly ready to go to bed for the evening at 10PM I turned toward the small desk and practically jumped out of my skin! In a glass I had been drinking out of earlier was the largest cockroach I had ever seen. It's main body is equivalent in size to (3) average sized middle fingers. Side to side and from the tips to the knuckles -- not including the antennae. I couldn't believe my eyes. Where did it come from? Clearly it was thirsty for it must have been drinking whatever few drops of beer were left in the glass.

I promptly covered it with a small tissue box and took every empty bottle and glass to a small table outside of my room. Later, I crammed a plastic bottle in the glass - suffocating the cockroach. Upon further inspection it turned out there were 2 large cockroaches. Mating? I don't know. Each was about the size of 2.5 fingers. Crawling on top of each other they must have appeared larger. At this point I was spooked. Were there other roaches around? As I started lifting items off the floor, a couple smaller ones scurried from beneath one of my bags - disappearing under my bed. Kids?

Frankly - I wasn't quite sure how to proceed. I've lived with ants, spiders running around my home in California before. They didn't really bother me. Use the vacuum, spray a little, set out a few traps, they disappear for several months - except for a few spider webs in distant ceiling areas. Not a problem, spiders eat ants. I've encountered cockroaches before while traveling - usually outside - but NEVER this big. If I was in a dingy room - ok, but I'm not. I ventured outside to the front desk, which was closed, but I ran into a security guard. He brought along a small iron handle broom. With me moving furniture, we killed one small one. Another one got away behind a dresser before disappearing. He offered to put me up in the room next door. I gladly accepted.

Right now the room I was in is being fumigated. I wonder if they think I trapped the large cockroaches in the glass? Yea -- I lured them there. It was sheer luck that the 2 big ones were in there. Before I moved any of my bags to my new room I emptied them out in the hallway and examined every crevice. I also turned my clothes inside out. Hopefully I didn't miss anything. If I did - maybe you'll hear my scream echoing.

Maybe they crawled through the window I had opened earlier? A crack somewhere? Maybe thery were lying under the bed all this time? Don't be jealous that you are not in Paraguay. When do I go to Buenos Aires?

PS: I could have taken a picture but I don't want to sicken myself any further. Anyone who knows me - knows I don't exaggerate. In fact - when you read what I write, I tend to be pretty precise. So find a picture of a cockroach on the web, and put your fingers together and let your imagination wander.

I'm the kind of person who does their best writing (Web editing now too) in silence without too many distractions. The environment around me is very important. This is why I am willing to spend more on lodging frequently. Writing anything in a cramped or "dingier" room with a noisy air conditioner or heater is difficult. Writing journal entries in an Internet cafe is ok - but even for such simple things I am prone to make more mistakes. I discovered that the link to the organization of Samba schools below wasn't working (March 3rd entry), it's fixed now. I've also updated the text to more accurately reflect my experience. You should consider re-reading it.

A few more updates on our Rio Carnaval experience - We did bump into a group of Americans on the way to the parade who paid good money to be in a Samba School parade, but considering that they were simply people wearing costumes in a "filler" section of the school's parade, I don't see much harm in offering a limited # of foreigners to participate more intimately. With the elaborate costumes and viewing distances - most wouldn't even be able to tell they were foreigners. The money they bring will help build better floats, etc...

Watching the awards ceremony on TV to determine the best schools, I was struck by just how serious the Brazlians take every aspect of the Samba parade. Every judges score in every judging category is announced separately. It's a several hour affair. The 3 schools we watched all placed in the top 7 (out of 14), with the highest - Grande Rio in 3rd. Not bad! Grande Rio was the best we saw - we judged that correctly. I also caught a glimpse on TV of Carnaval in other cities in Brazil. It definitely looked like more of a participative affair than watching from the sidelines. If I visit during Carnaval time again, I would likely go to another city -- just as the NY Times article mentions what many Brazilians are doing. For the first timer - going to Rio is just fine I feel.

Lastly -- as you can tell from my first journal entry in Paraguay - having high speed wireless net access in my room definitely helps in the amount I write and the # of Internet links I provide.

When I started to think about world traveling a couple of years ago the thought of visiting Paraguay never entered my mind. This adventure started out as being a trip only for a few months. Based on the advice of friends, I didn't think it should or needed to be any longer. (Obviously, I changed my mind) I would not have spent any time in Paraguay. If you told me I would be in Paraguay 2 years later I would not have believed it. Yet, here I am. And if you told me I would be accessing the Internet wirelessly at high speed from my hotel room in Paraguay on my Tablet PC, just a month or two ago, I would have thought you would be joking. Yet, here I am doing that very thing. Amazing....

Surfing the Internet Wirelessly

Asuncion, Paraguay in the heart of South America will forever hold the distinction as the first international place (Outside of the USA) I accessed the Internet wirelessly. Crazy! I'm still in shock. Not many tourists visit Paraguay, it is a tourist backwater, partly due to a violent past. The 6 hour bus ride from Foz do Iguacu went a long way in confirming my cloudy, not so positive initial impressions for touring and visiting places that might stand out on a world circuit. The only things I saw were agricultural lands until we entered in the city. We passed a truck full of cotton along the way among other sights. According to Lonely Planet, agriculture accounts for 25% of the GNP here, and nearly ALL of its export earnings. I don't find this hard to believe. They probably spend a large majority of it on cars, if my observation on the high # of car dealerships and car repair shops has any merit - relative to the money spent on other parts of building and maintaining a city's infrastructure.

Hotel Westfalenhaus in Asuncion, Paraguay - German owned (W) (I would have never found this place without the Internet!) Very nice I might add - for US $35/night special - breakfast and high speed Internet included, expensive by local standards I am sure)

At first passing it doesn't look too "advanced" here. It's a bit of a shock coming from a more modern Brazil (Parts I saw). Horses towing carts still cross the city streets among the cars and numerous run down buildings. I'm in the capital, not a little out of the way town. (As I'm thinking about country capital impressions, I'm reminded of --- What do people think when they find out Washington DC, America's capital, is the murder capital of large cities in the United States and Europe? (BBC 1998 news link) -- murder only, not all violent crime, important distinction - but still shameful! ) I won't even go into detail about the Mercedes taxi, what's left of it anyway, that I got into on the way to my hotel. I know I'm sounding somewhat contradictory - not being advanced enough to have more modern cars, yet perhaps spending too much on cars.

Why are some cultures more advanced / cultured?

Perhaps this very brief explantion will help: I'm often fascinated by the ingenuity of people from countries that have small populations -- such as Switzerland or the Netherlands, and seeing how they live, then comparing it to a place like this. If people worked together to build a solid efficient transportation system for the masses (Like the train network in each of these countries) would that not free up resources / time / money to improve life in other ways? One could even have modern clean cars, you just wouldn't need as many of them. Less can be more. I hope this makes sense. A spirit of cooperation (not the only factor of course) doesn't just extend to building efficient transportation systems, but in every facet of life. Another example: if people shared and trusted each other more than they would spend less time and money on security (Alarms, guns, cameras, lighting, etc..) and more on some other way of improving society or making it more interesting. I hope I can talk about this concept more in the future by comparing and contrasting different countries more throughly. It gets at the heart of why some countries are more advanced / cultured than others - kilo for kilo, pound for pound of human brain matter.

Paraguay Impressions

I know some of the reasons why Paraguay is the way it is -- the history of government is a big clue. A city and regional tour the next few days will reveal more. Perhaps better weather will brighten my impressions. I'm sure I am being a little hasty in my judgements. I might have unreal expectations after traveling in nearby Brazil. Perhaps it is because I don't have a guidebook that I don't think there is much worth seeing. But, then again - I did cross nearly the whole country East - West to get to Asuncion. Regardless, these are my first impressions and thoughts.

Why am I in Paraguay? I'm here with no guidebook (Not many exist), no maps, and a command of the Spanish language that is lagging behind my knowledge of Brazilian Portugese now. Part of it is the mystery of the place. How many people can say they have been to Paraguay? (See link below) The other part is a challenge to myself. To see how I manage at exploring a place with no written detailed guide in my pack, in a place where I don't speak the language that well, and a place that is off the common tourist path. I think I can travel all over the USA without a guidebook and not "break a sweat." I did break a sweat today, however slight. If not physically, then in my mind.

How I got to Asuncion, Paraguay

Just getting to Paraguay started off interesting enough. In Brazil at Foz do Iguacu I learned that only recently - Aug 2002 - US citizens need a VISA in advance. All prior information I had read claimed I didn't need a visa. (At time of this writing - LonelyPlanet.com still claims no VISA is necessary) It cost me US $45! The tourist official at the airport told me it was US $65. Fortunately, I was able to get this in just a few hours yesterday. That was just the paperwork.

Shortly after the 7AM bus headed out towards Asuncion the driver stopped on the side of the road and proceeded to go to the back of the bus for some reason. An older scruffy gentleman sitting right behind the driver, grunted (one row in front and to the left of me). I just thought it was a strange sound from an old man.....until I realized what he was grunting about!! The bus was headed for a rear end collision with a small parked red truck! The driver didn't stop the bus properly! We both looked back, the driver had no idea. Without hesitating further, the scruffy man rose up, opened the door separating the driver compartment, and stopped the bus just a foot or two away from the truck! Phew! For a moment I felt like I was in the movie Speed (Speed movie review at mediacircus.net).
As if that wasn't enough, the bus stopped quite frequently at police stations along the road. There were many armed police / military along the route. A policeman / military man actually got on the bus and stood at the doorway for the final stretch into the city. Not exactly a welcome feeling in my book.

Of course, excitement is nothing without humor. This experience was tempered by the playing on the TV screens of the movie Rush Hour 2 (W) (Rush Hour 2 official site). Which coincidentally is the exact same movie that was being shown on my last 1 hour+ bus ride in Taiwan. What are the odds? Do all the bus companies use the same movie distributors? I have so many little coincidences in my life that for me now - I find them humorous. I used to think there was some divine reason behind them - there may yet be one. But, the outcome of these coincidences hasn't always been positive - that is why I laugh them off now. Or at least my interpratation....


Where is Paraguay?

In case you don't know where Paraguay is I've added a couple of handy links on the left hand side of this journal. Especially interesting is the UpsideDown World Map page. Yet another example of looking at the world through new eyes. I bought one of these maps in Australia during Sept 2001.


More Related Links

Paraguay Global (W)
Organization of American States - Paraguay Tourism Statistics (15k/yr from US in Mid 90s - like I said, not alot)
Latin American Press (W)
Pluma Bus Company - Brazilian (W) [Bus company I used from Foz do Iguacu to Asuncion, Paraguay (Fortunately - I didn't have to "feel" the safety of their buses which they advertise!)]

USA Today Opinion - You Probably Won't Be Shot to Death
CNN story on Ballou Senior High School in Washington DC


--- Ok...I still need to tell you about the sexual attitudes in Brazil, and the beautiful waterfalls in Foz do Iguacu! I'm working on em' ---

What a place! The energy in this town is amazing. It is such a contrast with anywhere I´ve used to live. It might be more energetic than any place I´ve ever been. Jeff and I went to the Sambodromo yesterday - this is where the professional samba schools strut their stuff in a parade that lasts from 9AM to past sunrise - maybe about 7AM. We lasted until about 3AM. The colorful costumes and floats are electrifying. The music is groovy, but we found it to be repetitive by the time the parade reached our section of the Sambodromo. Watching the remaining parade happening in the daylight on TV was a bit odd.

As for the article about commercialism below,. I don´t feel as if commercialism had gone to an extreme. There is commercialism on the outside of the sambodromo (Which is huge - it takes 1 school about 1.5 hours to parade the entire length moving a steady rate) with large banners, but nothing else distracting. At least as far I could tell no school had any noticeable corporate logos or endorsements - in contrast to the famouse Rose Bowl Parade (W) in California, among others. They could be thinly disguised commercials, but to my untrained eye I couldn't tell. Since I don't know that many company names and logos in Brazil, maybe I missed seeing them. One thing is for sure - we had to fend off the calls from enterprising everyday people outside the stadium trying to sell cold mineral water or beer.

We sat in the grandstands, where finding a view and / or seat is first come first served. Looking below to the smaller area below at ground level with separate boxed areas and individual seating I could see that many were taken up by tourists (They had tourist company shirts on). I´ve also read that many of the best seats go to private corporate sponsors. But, I didn´t actually see any corporate banners. I paid a little more than what we should have for our tickets in section 11 - Sunday, 220R / $60US (I found them later for 120R / $33US through a tourist outfit), but in speaking to other travelers who paid 20R / $5US - Sunday, I have a hard time believing that all tickets are priced out of ordinary Brazilians. But, it should be noted - those tickets that are $5 US are for very bad seats. With a view far inferior to what we had. You can see why on the map in the website link below. Some of the grandstands are set back and are near the end of the parade route. So - yes, I could believe that good seats are priced out of some Brazilians range, especially if they come from a poor area where one of the Samba Schools is located.

But Carnaval isn´t just about watching others strut their stuff. While walking around after a day on the beach we bumped into a raucous street party. This is the Carnaval that really gets me going. Everyday people (Including me) participating at a festive time. The professional costumes are nice - but one´s Carnaval experience shouldn´t just be limited to this. Live it!

Liga Independente das Escolas de Samba do Rio de Janeiro (W) (Portugese only - but some Fotos of past Carnavals online, and maps of the Sambodromo)

- Maybe one of the translator links (Non-English Speakers link) at the beginning of my website can help decipher the text -

The stories about Carnaval could certainly be enough to write about, but they aren´t the only things we have experienced. The one thing that stands out in my mind that I haven´t mentioned yet are the sexual attitudes, and how I believe they shape the people´s behaviors here -- and increasingly - ours too! The world could definitely take some lessons from the Brazilians here. But, more on this later. It is time to eat dinner. The food selection here is outstanding! Oh yeah -- one more thing, the limited Portugese I learned before has helped immensly. That combined with a mini-dictionary I bought here has helped me / us blend in and get around much easier.