Chinese New Year

After a smooth trip back from Taipei to Shanghai, a good night's rest, and a vegetarian hot pot New Year's Eve dinner with Sun-Ling's parents, we hopped on the metro and headed over to Sun-Ling's sister's 25th floor apartment in Pudong to watch the fireworks. We were not disappointed.

As we arrived at the complex entrance around 9:30PM, we paused for several minutes to watch some fireworks being shot off the gate - no fireworks allowed inside the complex. From the 25th floor we had great views both north and south. Although we could not see the official display in People's Park, we could see hundreds of "personal pyrotechnics" which increased in number and volume as midnight approached.

The show at midnight was awesome. One neighbor, just outside our window, to the south set off a 25 minute long display that easily equaled what most cities in the US do for July 4th. Wow!

The next morning we caught the metro back to Sun-Ling's parent's apartment, arriving just in time for a family lunch - two big tables - at a local restaurant. Everyone was in a good mood with a sunny although cold day for the holiday. After lunch we had Sun-Ling-made tiramisu for her mother's birthday, and took the remainder next door to her Great Aunt's place for more visiting. It was great to visit with relatives we had not seen in the lat four years.

Happy Year of the Dragon to all our families, friends, and readers!!

A short unedited video of the fireworks looking to the northeast.

Tomb Sweeping

In China, the period around the winter solstice is a traditional time for interment and tomb sweeping, so last week we hopped in a rented bus with 10 other relatives and headed off in the Shanghai AM rush hour towards Suzhou to visit the graves of Sun-Ling's grandfather and her grandmother's nephew. The nephew was buried during last year's solstice period and his grave was easy to find and well maintained. Offerings were made, respects were paid by bowing three times, paper money was burned by Sun-Ling's nephews, and then we were off to Grandfather's grave.

We first visited Grandfather's grave 20 years ago in a hired car. The cemetery was located "off the map" on a dirt road and we had to stop several times and ask directions. Today the cemetery is in a busy suburb with an expressway cutting it in half. Our bus driver had to stop and ask directions once, and on arriving, the new parking lot was disorienting and we had to look up the plot number and location at the cemetery office. Located on the other side of the new expressway, and up the hill, Grandfather's grave needed some small trees removed and the inscription needed fresh paint. That done, we made offerings of flowers and fruit, bowed three times, Sun-Ling's nephews burned paper money, and we headed back down the hill, over the expressway, back to the bus and on to a late lunch.

After lunch we visited an uncle and aunt in Suzhou then returned to Shanghai during the PM rush hour - a long but rewarding day.

On the expressway to Suzhou.

Grandmother's nephew's tomb.

Grandfather's grave all cleaned up.

Sun-Ling's parents bowing.

Ian and Ethan burn paper money to be used by their great-grandfather in the afterlife.

Back in Shanghai.

Semana Santa in Cusco

Semana Santa kept us two atheists real busy. The elaborate rituals fascinated us. Their deep faith confounded us. Nevertheless, there were various processions to gawk at, church open houses to circulate through, a market to wander about, and special foods to try.

Sunday: we did not arrive early enough to catch enough action.

Monday highlight of the entire week: 2pm procession of Senor de Los Temblores (Lord of the Earthquakes) from the Cathedral, 7pm return.




Tuesday rest day

Wednesday
7pm procession of Virgin Dolorosa and Señor de la Justicia from Santo Domingo
7:30pm procession of Señor de la Justicia from Santa Catalina







Thursday
Around 5pm procession of Santísimo Sacramento inside the Cathedral
From 7-8pm on, open house at all major churches.





Friday
All day: special herb market around San Pedro Market
5pm procession of Señor del Santo Sepulcro from La Merced.
From 7-8pm on, procession of Señor del Santo Sepulcro from various churches.







Saturday
We left for Cusco for Ollantaytambo right after lunch. In Cuzco there was supposed to be a 6pm process of Virgen Dolorosa from San Fransisco.
In Ollantaytambo, there was a procession in the evening.

Sunday
In Ollantaytambo there was a 8am procession of the resurrected Jesus.

Carnival is still not over

Our very first day in Argentina, we received a sharp lesson in the extent that Argentinians travel for their summer holidays. We started to look forward to the start of school on Feb 28, only to find out that Carnival is a four-day weekend which falls on March 5-8 - unusually late this year - our typical luck. But the national tourist office in BsAs assured us that most carnival traffic is to the northeast towards Brazil, since we were headed northwest, it should be no big deal.

We edged by the four-day weekend with only one night in a dump though private ensuite. When Ash Wednesday finally came, I felt like celebrating -- all the good Catholics should be retreating for Lent. Was I wrong! Here in the Quebrada de Humahuaca (unremarkable for a UNESCO WHS), this is the time they celebrate their indigenous tradition of Pachamama (Mother Earth).

The first town we visited, Tilcara, was full of tourists and overpriced lodging, yet the town is dusty and the streets are mostly unpaved. On our second day electricity was out for a large part of the day. The Pachamama celebration seemed erratic; random costumes, spraying of foam, throwing of flour, and general drunkenness. Instead of being drawn to it, we avoided. We made the obligatory visit to the reconstructed Pre-Columbian ruin of Pucara and had a hot walk in the canyon.

When we arrived in Humahuaca, 40 minutes north of Tilcara by bus, on Sunday 3/13, the final day of Pachamama, the streets were full of costumed and masked kids, small and big, each carrying around a wire ring about a foot in diameter threaded with fruits and vegetables, going from door to door, occasionally making scary sounds. We immediately related to it -- this is like Halloween.

Later in the afternoon in the courtyard next door to our guesthouse, we watched a ceremony where the fruits and vegetables that were gathered by the kids from the community were buried into a hole in the ground -- feed the Mother Earth that blesses us with such harvests. Not everyday one comes across rituals that are rooted in such simple yet profound ideas.

We spent the rest of the afternoon walking around town, watching a few comparsa (costumed groups or clubs followed by a band consisting of drums and brass) parading through the streets, munching on street food, e.g. empanadas, grilled tortillas, and soaking in the holiday atmosphere. We were surprised how the same celebration in two different towns can appeal so differently to us -- that's why we are traveling.

P.S. With no TV and little or no Internet, we were unaware of the extent of the Japanese disaster for several days.

Some photos from Pachamama in Huhahuaca, Argentina.

The parading comparsa.






Children burying gifts for Mother Earth. That's flour and confetti in their hair.

Christmas in Arequipa

This is the first time we spent Christmas away from home in a predominately Christian country. We have been seeing Christmas paraphernalia in the stores and houses for months now. They don't let Halloween or Thanksgiving (which they don´t do of course) get in the way.

Nativity scenes are really big here and so are Panettones, a traditional bread. The same Chinese made lights, decorations, and stuff are here.

We woke up Christmas morning at 6:00 AM to clear skies so right after breakfast we set off on a short hike to view the snow-capped volcanic peaks that ¨loom over Arequipa¨ as the guides books say. We were rewarded with pretty good views and an invigorating start to the day.

All of the photos below are from Arequipa, the second largest city in Peru, unless noted.

Plasz de Armas on Christmas Eve.

Nativity scene in Igelsia La Merced in Lima. The most elaborate I've ever scene. This photo does not do it justice.

Display of Pantonnes.


Christmas Eve Lunch.


Strolling the streets on Christmas Eve doing some last minute shopping perhaps or buying fireworks.


Brass band in Plaza de Armas on Dec 23rd.


Our hotel is about 100 meters down on the right-hand side of the street.


El Misti Volcano on Christmas morning.

The day of the dead

Today (Nov 2) is Dia del Difuntos in Ecuador. It's a national holiday. The tradition is to visit tombs and bring colada morada (hot spiced fruity drink) and guagua (bread) to share with the deceased. This tradition is almost identical to Qingming in China, except the food is different.

Weeks before, seems like every bakery/cafe starts to sell these special offerings. The locals enjoy them in the cafes and buy sacks of guagua to take home. In the cities, people no longer take food and drink to graves, only flowers, something we read and observed first hand.

We tried guagua and colada morada at La Union bakery and pastry shop.


Both 11/2 and 11/3 are national holidays and very few things are open. We went to the Quito Botanical Garden and the cemetery at Igelsia de San Gabriel. This trip we always seem to be visiting the obligatory cemeteries. Normally I do not mind visiting cemeteries. But these cemeteries have very closely clustered above-ground vaults. I walk through them as fast as I can. John doesn't mind as they are good photo ops.

The Cementerio at Igelsia de San Gabriel - lots of vaults. There was a steady stream of folks stopping in to pay respects, leave flowers, and spruce up the tombs.


Guagua display at Mall El Jardin. The mall was open on Nov 2 and doing brisk business.


Sun-Ling among the huge calla lilies at the Botanic Gardens.


Hanging carnivorous plants in the greenhouse.

Happy Holidays from Myitkyina, Myanmar (Burma)

Arrived in Burma on Dec 18th and after a long car ride to Bhamo, a super long boat trip down the Ayerwaddy River to Katha, and an overnight train, we are now relaxing in Myitkyina in Kachin State.

At one time in 1944/45 the airport here in Myitikyina was the busiest in the world, flying supplies over The Hump to China.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Myitkyina

Many Christians here in town and I had a chance today to sing "Oh Come All Ye Faithful" with a local Baptist congregation but esacped just in time. haha

We are staying at the New Light Hotel, owned by a nice Sikh family. The showers are hot and the included b-fast is tasty.

Happy Holidays to all and the best 2009.

-john and sun-ling

May Day

To celebrate the May 1st National Holiday, John got his first haircut of 2008. The locals here in Rongjiang County, Guizhou Province were celebrating by buying TV's and satellite dishes. It's only 100 days until the Beijing Olympics you know. These folks below got on the ferry with us to Baji Village.

Qingming

Last weekend we were in Yangshuo during Qingming, the traditional Tomb Sweeping season. This year, Qingming was a national holiday for the first time, and on Saturday the muddy roads and waters around Yangshuo were packed with tombsweeping locals and biking, hiking, and floating Chinese tourists enjoying the 3-day holiday weekend.

Both Sun-Ling and I had never seen real tomb sweeping. In Yangshuo, we obseerved the locals go as a 3 generation family unit to the hillside tomb(s). They walk, motorcycle, or drive. Usally one of the older men carrys a shovel, hoe, or machette. The others carry a cooked chicken and other food, a few hundred small incense sticks, 2 red candles, paper money, red paper, and a string of fire crackers.

After the tomb is cleaned up (weeds removed and stones straightened) incense is lit and food is offered. The more affluent may pay for a Lion Dance. Some burn paper money, others attach it to a flag atop the tomb. Rectangular red papers are pasted on the front of the tomb. Finally, the offerings - including cooked chicken - are taken away, and everyone leaves as the string or three of firecrackers is lit.

In addition, the locals make and eat zongzi, sticky rice squares wrapped in bammboo leaves.

Cleaning the tombs.


A cleaned tomb.


Floating tourists. Checkout their footgear.


Zongzi at lower left.

We are paying for CNY

Knowing that Chinese New Year would be a busy season for Chinese to
travel, we stayed in Shanghai for the past two CNY's, and enjoyed the
tranquility during the exodus. It did not occur to us that CNY travel
woes would catch us in the back waters of northern Laos. We spent the
first five days of the New Year in Vang Vieng which was once a small
farming village. It seemed like Kao San Road in the mountains by the
river. We met a guy there who got a week off for CNY from his
English-teaching job in Malaysia! Not to mention all the people who
have driven in cars from China! We arrived in Luang Prabang on the
12th and that found rooms are tight and prices high.

Chinese New Year

Happy Chinese New Year!!!

Here in Vientiane, the local Chinese are marking the new year with offerings to the ancestors - food, paper money, incense, candles - and Lion Dances to drive away evil spirits. But no fireworks. One family had a whole roasted pig set out on the sidewalk in front of their small store.

Yesterday, we spent an hour at the largest Chinese temple watching the young men and boys practice their lion dancing, martial arts routines, drumming, and flag bearing. This morning, they all piled into three large trucks and are going around to businesses and temples to perform the rituals.

The.local Vietnamese are also celebrating Tet, their Lunar New Year.