NEW PICS!!!
HI ALL! I can't figure out how to upload video clips... sorry to disappoint... but I have posted a few pics to the online photo gallery: Check them out!
Hope all's well at home!
Thursday, November 30, 2006
Monday, November 27, 2006
Poisonous Sea Urchins: A Nasty Encounter
I wandered down to the docks after a celebration in another island community. All the children from the entire village were gathered there, swimming and playing in the super-clear water. Of course, I couldn't help but jump in and join them... After getting over their initial shyness of this strange new creature, the kids swarmed me. We played a bit in the water, but when I went to get out, the fun was over. In order to climb back up to the dock, I chose the wrong footing on the wooden uprights... I didn't know what, but SOMETHING pierced my leg... OUCH! When I got out of the water (by way of a different route), I had the venemous black tips of 10 or more sea urchin spines in my shin! YIKES! I've heard stories about people that've been stuck by this particular variety of sea urchin and they're never very nice... as a result I'm always super careful not to touch or even go near them... uuuggghhh....
Well, everyone seemed to have a different take on the best method to 'cure' me, but I decided to go with the advice of the elder who was actually from the village... he didn't have any teeth, but he was still going (at age 70+!)... seems like a reliable source of local knowledge. So, he whisked me off to a nearby hut and ordered some hot water... meanwhile he pounded the embedded spines with a blunt piece of bamboo... o.k....? He explained that if you splinter the tips into bits, then apply a VERY hot compress, supposedly the poison comes out on its own and the shards are dissolved and absorbed by the body... o.k...? I was somewhat skeptical of this magic, but ok... what choice did I have? What do you know... within moments the pain had subsided, over a few hours some of the black spots began to disappear, and less than a day later, there is no sign that I had ever been through the trauma!~
I wandered down to the docks after a celebration in another island community. All the children from the entire village were gathered there, swimming and playing in the super-clear water. Of course, I couldn't help but jump in and join them... After getting over their initial shyness of this strange new creature, the kids swarmed me. We played a bit in the water, but when I went to get out, the fun was over. In order to climb back up to the dock, I chose the wrong footing on the wooden uprights... I didn't know what, but SOMETHING pierced my leg... OUCH! When I got out of the water (by way of a different route), I had the venemous black tips of 10 or more sea urchin spines in my shin! YIKES! I've heard stories about people that've been stuck by this particular variety of sea urchin and they're never very nice... as a result I'm always super careful not to touch or even go near them... uuuggghhh....
Well, everyone seemed to have a different take on the best method to 'cure' me, but I decided to go with the advice of the elder who was actually from the village... he didn't have any teeth, but he was still going (at age 70+!)... seems like a reliable source of local knowledge. So, he whisked me off to a nearby hut and ordered some hot water... meanwhile he pounded the embedded spines with a blunt piece of bamboo... o.k....? He explained that if you splinter the tips into bits, then apply a VERY hot compress, supposedly the poison comes out on its own and the shards are dissolved and absorbed by the body... o.k...? I was somewhat skeptical of this magic, but ok... what choice did I have? What do you know... within moments the pain had subsided, over a few hours some of the black spots began to disappear, and less than a day later, there is no sign that I had ever been through the trauma!~
Monday, November 20, 2006
Beetlenut
I have yet to actually try it myself... luckily I have yet to be formally offered (as it would be a true social no-no to refuse)! Pinang, or beetlenut, might be the South-East Asian equivalent to chewing tobacco, but natural and untreated. It is a reddish-brown slimy nut encased in a green husk. The villagers rip off the husk with their teeth to get to the inner-goodness which inevetibly turns their mouth and teeth bright orange! There isn't much funnier than the men of the village looking like they're wearing lipstick! Chewing this 'nut' into a pulp produces a natural high, although it is said to have the added bonus of strengthening teeth... HOWEVER, every elder I see chewing it has a mouthfull of awfully stained, rotted out teeth!
I have yet to actually try it myself... luckily I have yet to be formally offered (as it would be a true social no-no to refuse)! Pinang, or beetlenut, might be the South-East Asian equivalent to chewing tobacco, but natural and untreated. It is a reddish-brown slimy nut encased in a green husk. The villagers rip off the husk with their teeth to get to the inner-goodness which inevetibly turns their mouth and teeth bright orange! There isn't much funnier than the men of the village looking like they're wearing lipstick! Chewing this 'nut' into a pulp produces a natural high, although it is said to have the added bonus of strengthening teeth... HOWEVER, every elder I see chewing it has a mouthfull of awfully stained, rotted out teeth!
First Day in Papua
First Day in Papua
Although it's true, we'd been in Sorong a couple of days prior, the following is a story from what I feel I can really call my first day in Papua.
I should preface this little tale with some context: We arrived in Sorong, W. Papua for our 1st site visit in the middle of a very busy and very exciting time. The areas in which we will be working with Conservation International (CI) are in the process of becoming Marine Protected Areas (MPA). The region has long been identified as extrememly rich in biological diversity and a target for protection... however only now is it receiving official designation. We were invited, as part of the CI team, on the inaugural celebratory tour of this achievement.
At 11:30 pm the siren sounded and we lumbered out of port.
As small groups played raucous games of dominoes, a couple of guys strummed their guitars and belted out tunes ranging from english classic rock (including Tiffany! and of course Brian Adams) to traditional Papuan songs. At this point the whole ship came alive with voice - gorgeous harmonies sprang from various groups from bow to stern and our tour came to life.
As we chugged along, things settled down and most people tried to find a quiet corner in which to curl up and hunker down for the night.
Our vessel, called the KLM (not the Dutch airline, but instead Kapal Layar Motor (motorized sailing ship)) Nur Alif is, or was, a 30 m fishing boat, charted by CI for this most special event. The official crew are a group of about 6 swarthy young seamen, and everything one would expect them to be. The unofficial compliment are ~40 CI staff, other NGO staff, reporters, politicians and us, 2 lone CUSO cooperants, set for the adventure of a lifetime. Most of our cohorts haven't even ever been to some of these remote areas on the agenda, so our tour of Raja Ampat is truly feeling more and more special.
The decks are scattered with ropes of various thicknesses, the chains all rusted and the wooden planks of the deck are set apart at varying widths and in various states of disrepair... the captain with his yellowing eyes couldn't be a more fitting character to pilot this ship.
This first night aboard was nothing if not eventful.
As we trundled along through the blackness of night at sea, my lullaby became the chugging and sputtering of the engine and the waves slapping against the hull as we sliced through it. I was almost asleep in my cramped berth (tastefully decorated with posters of cheap women) when there were alarmed shouts, a grinding, popping and BOOM! I, of course, wonder if we've hit one of the numerous small rocky islands which may or may not be on the map. Did the lookout fall asleep?; Are we going to sink? How far away is help?... "Martin, que paso?", I asked... figuring he is the ocean guy, he should know. He ineffectively tries to reassure me and goes to investigate. Well, it turns out that in an effort not to hit a smaller boat, the captain veered hard and in doing so, broke the steering mechanism! Clink, clank, hammer, bang.... no, I'm pretty sure I didn't get much sleep after that! After repairs were complete, we were back on course... but it was getting really hot inside and to make matters worse, I had to pee!
So, my trip to the WC is a story in and of itself! I finally decided there was no holding off until dawn and made the perilous journey... Martin and I were sharing a very tight berth and it happened to be an upper one, and I was on the inside! I carefully tried not to disturb him as I crawled over him in the 1 ft of head space above our wooden nest, I spidered down from the top bunk, also taking care not to step on the sleeping figure below. As I go out the portal I realize this is to be the greatest challenge: not to step, or fall, on people as the boat rocks and sways! Luckily there is only one body on the narrow walkway to the back of the boat. In the open area there are more, many more... on sleeping mats on the floor and on benches (not comfy enough to sit on!). Tangles of limbs loll from hammocks and I try to avoid all of this as I clamber down rickety steps to the bowels of the ship.
When I finally find the bathroom... it's a hole in one of the wooden floor planks. Below, looking into it, you can see the beautiful aquamarine water in the daytime... this 1st experience though, was just accompanied by darkness, the sound of water rushing by and cockroaches crawling from the cracks.
I ran the gauntlet of bodies and limbs back to the captains bridge, and just before ducking back into our closet, a shimmer in the water caught my eye. This is one of my absolutely favourite phenomenon; I was put into a trance by the dancing lights of what looks like millions of fireflies underwater, but is in fact phosphorescent plankton. Not 30 seconds later I was brought out of my trance by a dolphin leaping at the bow of the ship... then another. As they play in the bow wake, they stir up the phosphorescent plankton and leave trails of light in the water -- absolutely mesmorizing! To heighten my dreamlike state, I see that this glow in the water below is mirrored by the brilliance of a night sky saturated with stars.
We awake in a whole new world. The sun rises slowly and gently, matching our pace, both of waking and cruising. As the sun bathes the surrounding islands, I begin to really underatnd the term remote: We are surrounded by lush, tropical jungle... green dripping from the shoreline. There is not a sound of civilization; no busses, trucks, horns, crowds... no "Hey Mister"!
We enter a channel only three times the width of our boat and wind our way along white coral fossil cliffs. Eventually they open up to become a huge bay, the ecology of which is incredibly unique due to it's formation which is more of a saltwater lake. It's the only place in Raja Ampat where white dolphins are found, among other interesting critters. We don't happen upond any of them this time, but we do watch flying fish skip along the water, the sun shining off their long slender bodies... we also see birds swooping and skimming the water's surface.
The pace of the day picked up from this lazy, surreal existence when a longboat bearing a musical welcoming committee motored into sight. They were a stunning sight: dressed in traditional outfits, their black skin contrasted with their dried grass skirts, they played guitars and drums, belting out rhythmic Papuan songs.
This was merely the beginning of what turned out to be an incredible celebration. We were greeted at the docks by another welcoming party -- more music and dance and a ceremonial blessing... a few of us had wreaths of intricately-woven exotic flowers and plants put over our heads and were guided arm in arm in a lively dancing procession to the main area of the village. There were speeches and signings, the symbolic exchange of beetlenut, and then a delicious seafood feast. It couldn't have been a more fabulous day... and the rest of the tour was just as fabulous - a great start to what promises to be an incredible adventure.
Although it's true, we'd been in Sorong a couple of days prior, the following is a story from what I feel I can really call my first day in Papua.
I should preface this little tale with some context: We arrived in Sorong, W. Papua for our 1st site visit in the middle of a very busy and very exciting time. The areas in which we will be working with Conservation International (CI) are in the process of becoming Marine Protected Areas (MPA). The region has long been identified as extrememly rich in biological diversity and a target for protection... however only now is it receiving official designation. We were invited, as part of the CI team, on the inaugural celebratory tour of this achievement.
At 11:30 pm the siren sounded and we lumbered out of port.
As small groups played raucous games of dominoes, a couple of guys strummed their guitars and belted out tunes ranging from english classic rock (including Tiffany! and of course Brian Adams) to traditional Papuan songs. At this point the whole ship came alive with voice - gorgeous harmonies sprang from various groups from bow to stern and our tour came to life.
As we chugged along, things settled down and most people tried to find a quiet corner in which to curl up and hunker down for the night.
Our vessel, called the KLM (not the Dutch airline, but instead Kapal Layar Motor (motorized sailing ship)) Nur Alif is, or was, a 30 m fishing boat, charted by CI for this most special event. The official crew are a group of about 6 swarthy young seamen, and everything one would expect them to be. The unofficial compliment are ~40 CI staff, other NGO staff, reporters, politicians and us, 2 lone CUSO cooperants, set for the adventure of a lifetime. Most of our cohorts haven't even ever been to some of these remote areas on the agenda, so our tour of Raja Ampat is truly feeling more and more special.
The decks are scattered with ropes of various thicknesses, the chains all rusted and the wooden planks of the deck are set apart at varying widths and in various states of disrepair... the captain with his yellowing eyes couldn't be a more fitting character to pilot this ship.
This first night aboard was nothing if not eventful.
As we trundled along through the blackness of night at sea, my lullaby became the chugging and sputtering of the engine and the waves slapping against the hull as we sliced through it. I was almost asleep in my cramped berth (tastefully decorated with posters of cheap women) when there were alarmed shouts, a grinding, popping and BOOM! I, of course, wonder if we've hit one of the numerous small rocky islands which may or may not be on the map. Did the lookout fall asleep?; Are we going to sink? How far away is help?... "Martin, que paso?", I asked... figuring he is the ocean guy, he should know. He ineffectively tries to reassure me and goes to investigate. Well, it turns out that in an effort not to hit a smaller boat, the captain veered hard and in doing so, broke the steering mechanism! Clink, clank, hammer, bang.... no, I'm pretty sure I didn't get much sleep after that! After repairs were complete, we were back on course... but it was getting really hot inside and to make matters worse, I had to pee!
So, my trip to the WC is a story in and of itself! I finally decided there was no holding off until dawn and made the perilous journey... Martin and I were sharing a very tight berth and it happened to be an upper one, and I was on the inside! I carefully tried not to disturb him as I crawled over him in the 1 ft of head space above our wooden nest, I spidered down from the top bunk, also taking care not to step on the sleeping figure below. As I go out the portal I realize this is to be the greatest challenge: not to step, or fall, on people as the boat rocks and sways! Luckily there is only one body on the narrow walkway to the back of the boat. In the open area there are more, many more... on sleeping mats on the floor and on benches (not comfy enough to sit on!). Tangles of limbs loll from hammocks and I try to avoid all of this as I clamber down rickety steps to the bowels of the ship.
When I finally find the bathroom... it's a hole in one of the wooden floor planks. Below, looking into it, you can see the beautiful aquamarine water in the daytime... this 1st experience though, was just accompanied by darkness, the sound of water rushing by and cockroaches crawling from the cracks.
I ran the gauntlet of bodies and limbs back to the captains bridge, and just before ducking back into our closet, a shimmer in the water caught my eye. This is one of my absolutely favourite phenomenon; I was put into a trance by the dancing lights of what looks like millions of fireflies underwater, but is in fact phosphorescent plankton. Not 30 seconds later I was brought out of my trance by a dolphin leaping at the bow of the ship... then another. As they play in the bow wake, they stir up the phosphorescent plankton and leave trails of light in the water -- absolutely mesmorizing! To heighten my dreamlike state, I see that this glow in the water below is mirrored by the brilliance of a night sky saturated with stars.
We awake in a whole new world. The sun rises slowly and gently, matching our pace, both of waking and cruising. As the sun bathes the surrounding islands, I begin to really underatnd the term remote: We are surrounded by lush, tropical jungle... green dripping from the shoreline. There is not a sound of civilization; no busses, trucks, horns, crowds... no "Hey Mister"!
We enter a channel only three times the width of our boat and wind our way along white coral fossil cliffs. Eventually they open up to become a huge bay, the ecology of which is incredibly unique due to it's formation which is more of a saltwater lake. It's the only place in Raja Ampat where white dolphins are found, among other interesting critters. We don't happen upond any of them this time, but we do watch flying fish skip along the water, the sun shining off their long slender bodies... we also see birds swooping and skimming the water's surface.
The pace of the day picked up from this lazy, surreal existence when a longboat bearing a musical welcoming committee motored into sight. They were a stunning sight: dressed in traditional outfits, their black skin contrasted with their dried grass skirts, they played guitars and drums, belting out rhythmic Papuan songs.
This was merely the beginning of what turned out to be an incredible celebration. We were greeted at the docks by another welcoming party -- more music and dance and a ceremonial blessing... a few of us had wreaths of intricately-woven exotic flowers and plants put over our heads and were guided arm in arm in a lively dancing procession to the main area of the village. There were speeches and signings, the symbolic exchange of beetlenut, and then a delicious seafood feast. It couldn't have been a more fabulous day... and the rest of the tour was just as fabulous - a great start to what promises to be an incredible adventure.
Tuesday, November 14, 2006
It's mid-November... Thanksgiving, 'fall colours' AND Hallowe'en have all blown by without my realizing that it's FALL in Canada. Because here, it's all the same. Although the rainy season apparently 'wants to start', it has yet to darken our doorstep.
That is not to say that big things are happening with us here! I am writing to you from PAPUA!? So, to say that in itself is not enough... I should mention that we are on the "Bird's Head", Raja Ampat, in the province of West Irian Jaya, on the west half of Papua New Guinea. We're still in Indonesia... but it's truly another world.
The last few weeks have been incredible. The culminating celebration of fasting month (puasa) in the Muslim faith is called Idul Fitri, and this year it fell at the end of October a short time before the CUSO Conference in Bali. It denotes the biggest time of year for Indonesian holidays... so we took off early from Manado. We first visited our friend Cecilia in her swank (if temporary) home in Makasasar (also on the island of Sulawesi, but at the Southern tip). We spent a lovely 4 days there... lazing in breezy pools, tripping into a cool hillstation called Malino, and even a day-trip to a nearby island!
So, with almost two weeks to go before the upcoming CUSO Cooperant Conference, the three of us headed from Makassar to Bali. The days flew by... and although we had plans to go island-hopping throughout NTT (Lombok, Komodo and Flores), given that the friends with whom we wanted to meet up there were off galavanting in other parts, we decided to hold off on exploring that part of Indonesia for a time when they will be there to provide us free accomodation (!)... so we constrained our trip to Bali.
We went back to Ubud, enjoying the rich cultural scene there, including attending a kchek performance... The awesome power of this dance is overwhelming. There was a national kchek with over 5000 participants held at the end of September to send a message of peace to the world. After seeing the small-scale version we did I can imagine it was an effective message! There is no musical accompanyment in the kchek -- bare-chested men sitting in a circle around a firey candalabra provide the momentum to the dance and the story... the rhythmic chants of chek, chek drive the dancers. I am going to try to upload a video which you will be able to download and watch if you'd like to see a snippet. The culmination of the evening was a fire dance/fire walker... a man in a trance so deep that he didn't feel the searing coals as he danced over them!
Lots of beach time and a few novels later, Cecilia and I decided that we would leave Martin playing in the waves (remember, he is a die-hard surfer and waves are truly non-existent in Manado) and see more of the island. We rented a motorcycle and hit the road. But of course, the roads here... well, it's not like driving in Canada. 1) Indonesia falls into that half the world that drives on the LEFT 2) there are no apparent 'road rules'... and 3) it's PACKED! Anyway, we overcame all these obstacles, and more, and had a fabulous tour. We wove our way throught hte mountains, and got to see what we felt was more f the 'real bali'.
After that it was off to the Cooperant Conference which hopefully I'll get a chance to write a bit more about later! Now, I'm consumed by Papua!
That is not to say that big things are happening with us here! I am writing to you from PAPUA!? So, to say that in itself is not enough... I should mention that we are on the "Bird's Head", Raja Ampat, in the province of West Irian Jaya, on the west half of Papua New Guinea. We're still in Indonesia... but it's truly another world.
The last few weeks have been incredible. The culminating celebration of fasting month (puasa) in the Muslim faith is called Idul Fitri, and this year it fell at the end of October a short time before the CUSO Conference in Bali. It denotes the biggest time of year for Indonesian holidays... so we took off early from Manado. We first visited our friend Cecilia in her swank (if temporary) home in Makasasar (also on the island of Sulawesi, but at the Southern tip). We spent a lovely 4 days there... lazing in breezy pools, tripping into a cool hillstation called Malino, and even a day-trip to a nearby island!
So, with almost two weeks to go before the upcoming CUSO Cooperant Conference, the three of us headed from Makassar to Bali. The days flew by... and although we had plans to go island-hopping throughout NTT (Lombok, Komodo and Flores), given that the friends with whom we wanted to meet up there were off galavanting in other parts, we decided to hold off on exploring that part of Indonesia for a time when they will be there to provide us free accomodation (!)... so we constrained our trip to Bali.
We went back to Ubud, enjoying the rich cultural scene there, including attending a kchek performance... The awesome power of this dance is overwhelming. There was a national kchek with over 5000 participants held at the end of September to send a message of peace to the world. After seeing the small-scale version we did I can imagine it was an effective message! There is no musical accompanyment in the kchek -- bare-chested men sitting in a circle around a firey candalabra provide the momentum to the dance and the story... the rhythmic chants of chek, chek drive the dancers. I am going to try to upload a video which you will be able to download and watch if you'd like to see a snippet. The culmination of the evening was a fire dance/fire walker... a man in a trance so deep that he didn't feel the searing coals as he danced over them!
Lots of beach time and a few novels later, Cecilia and I decided that we would leave Martin playing in the waves (remember, he is a die-hard surfer and waves are truly non-existent in Manado) and see more of the island. We rented a motorcycle and hit the road. But of course, the roads here... well, it's not like driving in Canada. 1) Indonesia falls into that half the world that drives on the LEFT 2) there are no apparent 'road rules'... and 3) it's PACKED! Anyway, we overcame all these obstacles, and more, and had a fabulous tour. We wove our way throught hte mountains, and got to see what we felt was more f the 'real bali'.
After that it was off to the Cooperant Conference which hopefully I'll get a chance to write a bit more about later! Now, I'm consumed by Papua!
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