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July 30 summer reviewsSo in the quiet spaces of my time here in Colombia.. which are now much more prevalent since returning from Cartagena, being the brokest I have been since I started earning my own income (6 years).. I have been occupying with a variety of sees and reads and listens.
Just finished Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafón... Loved the story, and the fluidity of the prose, an amazing translation. Fermín Romero de Torres was one of the most entertaining people in books I have come across in a long time. But no Gabriel García Marquez, as one of the blurbs on the back of the book compares, in terms of themes. If anything, in the way the story is made up of so many smaller stories to make up the larger one. I only have half 100 Years of Solitude reading experience from which to speak, but I just want to clarify that anyway in spite of the transparent marketing purposes of the blurb. Regardless, it was still a delicious read.
Saw The Constant Gardener and Munich, both of which reinforced my growing conviction that I am not missing much in Hollywood these days. Not that either of them were awful. I expected more from The Constant Gardener as it had won an Academy Award but I didn´t know for what. Munich was probably better, but I didn´t feel that much for it. Distracted as I was by the disgracefully translated Spanish subtitles while I watched the movie in English, I did not come away feeling that it warranted another screening.
Found myself a big fan of Les Miserables. I am not one to cheer for movies before books, but the truth is the movie got to me first, and resurrected my fanship of Liam Neeson since I cried over his defeat in Star Wars. I cried over Les Miserables.
This was later followed up by Kinsey. Maybe Liam Neeson seems more of a fatherly figure, at least after Les Miserables, so his lead role as a sex scientist had a potential to feel a little awkward. But most of that was dissolved in his performance, and the story which surpassed my expectations. Some parts left me going.. wow thats scandalous. This movie was definitely worth the view, if at least for the virgin sex scene... It´s about time they recognized, that´s all I have to say.
The highlight film wise so far is called Va, Vis et Diviens, or in English, Live and Become, directed by Jewish Romanian Radu Mihaileanu. In a 1980s project in which Israel opened its borders to Jewish Ethiopians, an Ethiopian mother forces her son to adopt a Jewish identity to have a chance at life in Israel. The story follows the main character as he grows up and faces the prevalent racism against which his adpoted mother fervently protects him, while he struggles to discern who he really is in the Land for those who claim they have nowhere else to go. I loved the dialogue (What color was Adam?)... the sensitivity of the issues presented (the Occupation). Having watched the Spanish dubbed version, this one more than deserves another view when I can get my hands on a copy with English subtitles.
Notched another Paulo Coelho book, By the River Piedra I Sat Down and Wept, which makes book 6 of his that I´ve knocked off. Not his best, at least if you´ve read the others. As I would rank the ones I have read, I would do this way: The Alchemist, The Zahir, 11 Minutes, Veronica Decides to Die, the 5th Mountain, and By the River Piedra... which actually looks like the order I read them. Even if they all have the same basic message, Paulo Coelho´s books are always inspiring. You can always count on that. But as character diversity goes, Coelho seems to divide his characters into 2 groups: suckers to the status quo, and the ones that give it the finger, and his books are almost always about those who go from the former to the latter, if not only the latter. His most diverse characters are found in the Zahir, the attachment to which crept up on me over time. I didn´t think I felt so much for until afterward I had found myself referring to it or recalling it in conversation.
Also earlier in the summer, I found myself as a fan of Neil Gaiman after reading Anansi Boys, and having read American Gods over a year ago. So far as I have read, Gaiman has a way of writing serious stories but making me laugh out loud through the idiosyncratic thoughts and dialogues of his characters, as well as through his own fascination with mythologies and folk tales, inspiring one to discover them for oneself within and without his books. He also has an awkward preoccupation with crucifixion.
I had tried to get into Haunted by Chuck Pasomethingorother... please excuse my disgraces to the author, it´s a matter of pure laziness rather than disrespect. I hear he´s well read, but I just couldn´t get into it. For me it was just too raw... I don´t mind theworldsgoingtohell literature, and although I recognize that many parts might be pure satire, I saw little hope for a hopeforredemption theme so that the hopeless romantic in me became disenchanted with the read. Or maybe I am just becoming too dumb, lazy, or old to appreciate raw and dirty satire (it´s that high school rebellious misanthropic vibe that makes me feel that somehow I´ve outgrown it).
Listening wise.. U2 has continued to grow on me. I downloaded Fairuz´s Ya Tayr.. no clue as to what its saying but love the sound. The soundtrack of most of my days, as you can imagine, has been dominated by salsa, merengue, and the reggaeton that creeps in from the taxi cabs passing by. Marc Anthony, Niche, Guayacan, Eddy Herrera mark off the most recognized tunes. My newest musical fix that is quickly becoming outdated for the fault of my playing it repeatedly is a song called No Niegues que Te Amo by Los Inquietos del Vallenato.
That´s all I have for now.. it will keep growing as I find things to keep myself occupied when I am alone in the waning time that I have, which, for as much as I miss home, I have no wish to pass by any faster. July 21 Hawa BeirutThey put up road-blocks
they dimmed all the signs they planted cannons they mined the squares where are you love? after you we became the love that screams we became the distances. For the happy days we longed the days of staying up on the road the long walks the rendezvous at the old restaurant. O love of Beirut O love of days They will come back Beirut the days will come back. It is the second summer the moon is broken is it true you may forget me? my defeated love I went back to my house my house I didn't find only smoke and twisted beams no rose and no fence. -Fairuz
July 20 backToday:
oatmeal --> laundry --> PBJ and bananas --> laundry --> read --> sleep --> salpicón --> movies
Yesterday: taxi --> plane --> bus --> bus --> taxi
Day before yesterday:
beach --> lunch --> nap --> artesanias --> dance
Commentary
* Beaches with waves are way more fun * La Olla de Cartagena is very nice, mix of Arabic and Colombian food, but Arabe Internacional is still better * I am getting used to midday naps * I am becoming a real sucker for artesanias.. Riki saved me 22,000 pesos haggle-style * Mister Babillas is an awesome spot in Cartagena, even on a Tuesday night * One of the sweetest things in life is being me, and dancing with this guy
Gracias, Riki, por dejarme compartir un viaje BACANISIMO contigo!! Ojala me recuerdes cuando veas donde el mar conoce el cielo. July 17 >:-|I just wanted to say that I´m not happy with this drama that I am reading about the Middle East....
if you haven´t read enough to the point where you already have the gist of what´s going on, where you are so numb that an analysis of one carnage is about as good as any other as all are derived from the same source, where reading becomes just as remedial to the situation as your hair turning gray in your 20s, here are some ZMag articles:
Israel in Gaza, Lebanon by Michael Lerner
The Real Aim by Uri Avnery
Interview with Noam Chomsky
checking inFriday We spent the whole day walking, thank God for the lack of sun. From our hotel we ventured to el Castillo de San Felipe, a huge historical castle. We caught on to one of the tours inside, and it´s darker than anything I have been contained within during the day. Saturday Got into a rhythm once we found Bocagrande. Much more touristy, a lot more restaurants, hotels, etc, very reminiscent of Florida. I sought out this restaurant simply enough called Arabé marked on La Avenida San Martin in Bocagrande. I wasn´t sure what to expect, but we ended up ambling into this quite comparably posh restaurant, and it was amazing. I was so happy with everything that I asked to talk to one of the owners, an elderly Lebanese woman named Georgette (as she called herself, who knows how she writes it) whom I was so relieved to find how amiable she was. She told me a bit about her family, I told her I loved the food and I was fascinated to find some Arabic culture here in Cartagena. Unfortunately, there are no mosques as I was hoping to find around here. In any case, I promised to come back before we left. At night we headed to Mister Babillas for some drinks and dancing, another place that hit the spot. The music was good, the piña colada (pretty much the only thing I drink, next to sweet liquers and milk...) was delicious, and if I haven´t told you before, Riki is the best dancer ever! Sunday Went to la Islas del Rosario. To tell you the truth, it wasn´t bad for $20 a pop, but it didn´t blow me away. What kills it is the boatride, which runs almost a good 2 hours both ways. Skip the aquarium if you can. The beach en la Isla de Barú is the most pleasing to the eye I´ve ever seen.. but the people on the beach trying to sell you live clams to eat, perlas, trensas, masajes, toda barato muy barato nena, are enough to dampen the experience as it is. In any case, if you put that beach where Bocagrande was, and with the same waves, it would be perfect. But I used to think Fort Lauderdale was a quiet ocean... las Islas are practically tranquil as a pool. There are some beautiful coral and tropical fish you can see under the water, also a new experience for me that helped to sweeten things. If I did it over, I would try venture further into the island, or towards the rocks and trees I got some good shots of from the boat as we were leaving. Monday (today) Today we´re checking out of el Hotel Viajero. There are lots of hotels in el centro, for which I can´t speak at all and I am sure most of them are decent. El Viajero was very nice, not over the top but just as much as you can ask for, especially the air conditioning. I don´t recommend trying to stay in Cartagena without it, especially when in this season. so I have 2 minutes on the countdown... will post the pics as soon as we get back so you have a clue as to what I am talking about. Love to everyone! July 15 CartagenaWe are on Day 3 in Cartagena, and doing fantastic now that we have our bearings. With just a few minutes to spare, I just want to scribble a few notes so far:
*it´s hot as hell, Miami style
*everyone talks like Caribbeans, i.e. puertorriqueños, domincanos, so that even my Valluno viajero has trouble understanding their accents
*the buildings in el Centro are very tall, and very old, and colonial looking
*don´t walk along the beach outside the walls of el Centro at night
*taxis should not cost more than 4000 pesos in local distances
*visited Castillo de San Felipe yesterday, and it really dark inside, que mello!
*we hit the pot of gold in Bocagrande today, it looks almost exactly like Florida, and its absolutely beautiful
*going to las Islas del Rosario tomorrow
GRACIAS MOM!!! (y tia <---- dice Riki)
Jehanzeb, escribeme please!
more later...
lots of love,
Autumn |
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