:: naazita ::

Monday, April 24, 2006 at 02:07

Laying Over In London

Since the back-tracking has begun, let me linger ever-so-slightly on the 6 days spent in London last month. (Was my first time there, after-all).

London lives up to every grey-cold-wet stereotype that precedes it. At first it's all very quaint to turn your collar up to the cold & damp, and feel like being in a Sting black & white video for 'The Hounds of Winter' and mutter-hum 'mercury falling...' as you go along (I don't even know if it has a video, but if it does, I'll bet it's b&w). After a while, when you have ice cubes (formerly known as ears) stuck to the sides of your head, it all gets a tad bothersome. I had to remind myself towards the end of my short stay, that is world is not indeed grey. I had to force mid-day fantasies of the tropics, of blue-skies and green-leaves. Look at me go, I'm actually so good at being crabby about the weather, I think I have Londoner-potential.

The natural sequence of things would require me to now complain about London prices. But why don't I surprise you, and skip that (besides, nowhere is too expensive if you'll make-do with buttered toast or dodgy shawarmas).

Some views of/from the London Eye:

Having come straight out of a year of (highly enjoyable) confinement in Colombia, it was difficult not to hold London in awe, given it's appropriate world-city stature. The diversity really hit me. Public transportation was the most entertaining experience, looking around in child-like wonder at the plethora of ethnic variations, as people of every conceivable skin colour hopped on and off. What really blew my mind was being on a bus (for example), and hearing 6 or 7 (or more) languages around me. Now compare that to being in relatively homogenous Bogotá, where I, just like the locals, would actually turn around if I heard English being spoken (thinking, 'now, who is this foreign person'?)

Another obvious thing that goes with the world-city stature, is a level of political consciousness that is impressive, and even amusing sometimes. You can hardly walk a few blocks in Central London without having a flyer flung at you about human rights in China, or run into a bunch of protesters outside a tube station, harping about how the US should leave Iran alone, or some such thing. At Trafalgar Square, we even stumbled across what seemed like an Anti-War political rally, complete with stoned hippies and all.

All in all, London was cool. After-all, you can't not enjoy London, if you grew up playing Monopoly :). Notting Hill was appropriately cute. Hyde Park was immense and pretty (and grey-green). Soho was well fun, and Chinatown grub was well genuine. The Tate Museum of Modert Art was trippy. The Indian Food onslaught was impressive (even went to a hole-in-the-wall restaurant that Mahatma Gandhi frequented, thanks to KC). The Big Ben, etc is O.K, really. Fabric, on the other hand, was every bit magical.

The friends really made the trip worth every podgy pound spent. Krishna & Soddy are just the best mates. Also met Saki, Sac, Kokie, Srini, Amit and a whole of AIESEC alumni. The 'friendship futon' reunion was smashing – hanging out with Holly, Helen & Chris again was easily the highlight! (Love you guys). I guess some things will never change. Ain't that swell?

Saturday, April 22, 2006 at 12:16

Incoherant Reminiscing

It's been 36 days since I left Colombia. Sometimes I feel like I never left. Because Colombia hasn't left me; the experience lives with me, and I continue to be enriched and inspired by it. It's difficult not to be moved by a country as intriguing and endearing as Colombia, with it's warm people, enchanting culture, dramatic beauty and mind-boggling biodiversity.

The memories linger on with an almost dream-like quality. I still struggle to assimilate and recapture it all, it's all so overwhelming. I try to write something, but coherance eludes me, and it comes out like it is in my head. Fleeting Images. Like flashes. Necessitating Spanish and a temporary junking of the sentence as we know it. Here goes. (Warning: Low Readability)

Colombia. Complejidad. Inquietud. Aún Tranquilidad. Alegría. Optimismo. Pasión. Locura. Belleza Increíble. Las Montañas. Las Costas. Los Llanos. El Desierto. Selva Húmeda. Lagunas, Ríos, Mares. El mundo desde la ventana de un Bolivariano. Vive Colombia, Viaja Por Ella. Maridol, alguien? Paisajes Impresionantes. Carreteras. 10 Cambios de Clima en solo un Día. Vuelos. Aterrizando. Nevados cubiertos en Nieve. 5 minutos después, el Mar Caribe. Emoción. Aventura. Paseos. Melgar. Fushi en la Piscina. Manizales. Rollercoaster Calles. Armenia. El Valle de Cocora. Caballos. Caídas. Cartagena. Leyendas. Castillos. Santa Marta. La Playa. Pueblitos Caribes. Donde te llaman 'Mi Vida' en la Calle. Parques Naturales. Paz. Picaduras. Villa De Levya. Encanto. Barichara. Romance. San Gil. Deportes. Más Caídas. Tunja. Iglesias. Casinos? Cali. Peligro: Chivas Locas que te llevan a Juanchito. Raquira. Chiquinquira. Chicha enfrente de la Iglesia. Villavicencio. Borrachera en Los Capachos. Periera. Poker por 900 en El Pavo. Medellín. Gritando en Trilogía. Hablando Paisa, Pues. Guatavita. Laguna magica. Cultura. Cortesía. Amabilidad. Cohesión. Diferencias. Idiosincrasias. Identidad. Optimismo. Educación. Política. Positivismo. Uribismo. Amarillo-Azul-Rojo. Historia. Colores. Magia. Realismo. Gabriel García Márquez. Arte. Museos. Theatro. Chismes. Quien? Que Cosa? Fútbol en el parque. Fútbol en las conversaciones. Fútbol en las noticias por (solo?) 15 minutos. Farándula, otro 15 minutos. Billares y Las Chicas Aguila. Navidad. Novenas. Ven... Ven, Ven! Risa. Más risa. Risa. Aguardiente. Vallenato. Las Chivas. Bailando. Chichones en la Cabeza. Guayabo. Refajo, pa' quitar el guayabo. Bonfiest, alguien? Películas aburridas. Películas fantásticas. Tele-novelas. Yo Soy Farina. Como no? Los Reyes. Comedía. La Pelota de Letras. Deje así! Planes. Peguele! Fines de Semanas. Entre Semana. Puentes. Viajes Por Tierra. Música de Las 80s. Postres en el Camino. Leche Asada. Otra, por favor. No me digas 'Marrana'. Rumba. Música. Salsa. Merengue. Reggaeton. Blue-Jeaneada. Crossover. Pa Las Que Sea. Conciertos. Carlos Vives, doble-conciertos. Energia. Carnavales. Ferias (en cada esquina). Sombreros, Ponchos, Botas. Antioqueño. Ron Viejo de Caldas. Limón, alguien? Las Fondas. Flores. Desfiles. Farra Loca. Más Farra Loca. La Farra Loca y HASTA Más. Andrés Carnes de Res. Hasta La Manecer. Remate (Cedritos?) 411 1111. El Salto del Angel. San Sebastian (y el baterista favorito). El Bombonera. Los Miércoles. Quiebra Canto. Invitro. Bogotá. La Otra Casa. 2700m más cerca las estrellas. No tiene mar, pero tiene ciclo-via. Si hay lluvia. Si hay llamas en el centro. Si hay trancon. La Ciudad. Descubrimiento. Calles. Carreras. Barrios. Mercados. Artesanías. Pintura en la 85. Cuentistas de la Calle. Mercados de Pulgas. Chuzos. Esquinas. Bulla. Semaforos. El Payaso. El Jugador de Manos. El parque cuando sale el sol. Caminatas en Candelaria. Comidita en La Macarena. El Circunvalar con el Tardecer. La Sabana por la Tarde un Domingo. Entre Pues? Ladrillos de color de melocotón. Orden. Desorden. Transmilenio. 'Ejecutivos'. El Negro que Canta. El Flaco que Vende Mani. Vendedores. En la Calle. En un Carrito Viejo con Panela o un balde de Mandarinas por 2 mil. Comida. Carne. Más Carne. Bandeja Paisa. Mondongo y Cazuela de Frijoles en Medallo. Ceviche de Camarones en Santa Marta. Muy delicioso. Deliciosisimo. Sancocho en la Finca. Tamal, en Monserrate. Ajiaco. Con muchas Alcaparras. Pescado, con Arroz con Coco y Patacones. Mazorca desgranada en el Chuzo Costeño (Cohteño?). Con Salsa de Piña. Chatarra. Churros. Churasco. Chorizo. Chicharron (los que se comen, y los que no se comen). Chontaduro, con Miel y Sal. Perros Calientes con 20 salsas y Papas. Salpicon. Frutas exoticas. Jugos Naturales. Lulo o Curuba? Lulo, gracias. Maracuya o Guanábana? Maracuya gracias. Fresa o Piña? La variedad sin fin. La única Ensalada de Frutas del mundo con 2000 calorías (gracias a la crema, queso y las salsas dulces). Bon Bon Boom. Nucita. Chocorama. Mantecada. Estoy gorda, &#!%#!!! Achiras. Con Tinto. Empanadas. Con Ají. Platanos. Con Queso y Bocadillo. (Otro?). Obleas, con Arequipe, Mora & Crema De Leche, mejor dicho, con *Todo*. Arepas. Con Guacamole, con Hogao, con Sal & Mantequilla, con lo que sea. Chocolate. Con Queso. Almohabanas. Pan de Yuca. Pero comete alguito! Almuerzo Corriente. Menú del día. Media sopa, por favor. Más ensalada, por favor. No papa a la francesa, papa salada, por favor. No carne, pollo por favor. Asado, no broaster, por favor. Vanidad. Silicona. Bueno, Bonito, Barato. Compre una cirugía plástica, la otra es gratis! (Ave María!) Maquillaje. Re-toque las pestañas cuando pare el taxi. No hay tiempo pa perder. Moda. Peluquerías. Me esta cogiendo la tarde. Señorita Yuca. Señorita Café. Señorita Quien Sabe Que. Pensamientos. Diparidad. Raíces. Religión. Democracía. Oportunidad. Justicía. Derechos. El Futuro. Memorias. La Primera 'MECHA!!!!!!!' La Primera Cita. La Gripa. Otra Vez. Agua Panela, Limón y Jengibre. Conexiones. Entrevistas. Indio o Hindú? Coversaciones. Miles. Sonrisas. Papas. Abuelos. Tios. Primos. Sobrinos. Vecinos. Audio-Porno Gratis. Taxistas Habladores. Empleadas habladores. Porteros habladores. Todos habladores. Todo el tiempo. Fresas Cortadas. Amor. Amistad. Personas Inolvidables. Cayita. Javi. Sandra. Enano. Las Hermanas Gates. Edo. Cosa. Ribon. Juanita. Diana y sus Micoltas. Bobby. Peña. Paito. Ivan M. Mauricio M. Taty. J-Lo. Chiqui. German. Amit. Tiago. Ozan. Eda. Alexa. Felix. Thad. King Wong. AIESECos. Mauricio, el dueño del mejor chuzo de la Castellana. Maria Ema, mi empleada querida. Orlando, el portero más bacano. Ranghy, mi peluquero gay. Marcela, mi manicurista. Juan Díaz, mi 'shoe-shine' señor. Todos los taxistas. Todos los meseros. Todos que han tocado mi vida en ese país hermoso. Todo. Yo Creo En Colombia. Punto Com. Punto Co? No tengo minutos. Pensame. Llamame. Sorpréndeme.

Pa arriba, pa abajo, pa fuera, pa dentro. Salud. Nos vemos.

Sunday, April 16, 2006 at 00:18

They Took My Papaya

I am an idiot. Yesterday I failed myself and I failed Colombia, having made the stupidest mistake possible, putting all my Colombian training to shame:

*I gave papaya*

Si señor, soy una boba. I gave papaya.

I can see the Colombians & quasi-Colombians amongst us smiling, and I can see the rest of you looking blank. For the benefit of the clueless, I will attempt to explain the papaya concept, tricky as that might be.

It was my very first lesson in Colombia and a near sacred commandment for anyone who lives there or passes through: 'No se puede dar papaya', metaphorical for - don't let your guard down, be naive or ask for trouble. Because when you give payaya, someone's gonna take it, get it?

So what's my papaya story from yesterday? I let down my guard for 10 minutes and had my phone stolen. 10 minutes in an upmarket, well-located, sparsely inhabited home store in the middle of the afternoon. Stolen, dammit!!! And here I am thinking that doesn't happen in India! Worse still, it was my mother's phone. And this is the second time I've done this. I feel like such an idiot.

While in Colombia I was so totally jiggy with the papaya concept, I had mastered the art of being 'papaya savvy'. I would even pride myself on having given papaya on many occasion, but I always got lucky. Much to the amusement and dismay of my Colombian friends, I would leave my phone behind in restaurants, buses, offices, just about anywhere. And it always came back to me. Either I kept running into wonderful, honest human beings or my phone was so crappy & old that no one would want to take it. I think it might be a combination of both factors.

Day 4 in India, went off into la-la land for 10 minutes, and WHOOSH, phone's been whacked. India is overrated on the whole people-being-nice thing sometimes. Inhale. Exhale. Repeat.

Thursday, April 13, 2006 at 12:05

Coming back to life

(Everyone needs a kick up the arse once in a while; thanks Nida)

So I fell off the blogosphere for a (considerable) bit. I could blame it on my suck-the-juice-out-of-life, action-packed, continent-hopping, whirlwind lifestyle. But I'll be honest. I've been lazy, I've been procrastinating and if I was to be really honest, I've struggled a bit myself to keep up with what's been going on in my world, and thus broadcasting to unknown audiences had begun to seem a tad daunting.

But life goes on, and so shall this blog.

I did indeed leave Colombia on March 16. 28 days, 7 flights and much adventure has transpired since, and now I find myself on home turf again. Back in India after 14 months. 14 spectacular months of madness and magic, 12 of which were spent in Colombia, a country I fell passionately in love with, to say the least (and you haven't heard the last of it yet). There is awareness of an intense personal growth that I cannot help but feel infinitely blessed for. I'm still largely overwhelmed, so don't expect much coherence over the words (or days) that follow. Now that things have finally slowed down (well, relatively, at least), some reflection and assimilation is in order, and it will come, in it's own way, in it's own time.

Of course, as much time/space as India will allow me, when she's not assaulting my senses, taking me on a rollercoaster ride or just throwing me in a tizzy. Did I say how much I love being back? :)

India's being good to me, and reintegration has been much smoother than I expected, and definitely much smoother than after my year in Hong Kong. I feel completely at home and at peace with everything, and look ahead in a strange, eager, fascinated kind of way. Surely this must be a sign of nomadic nirvana. Famous last words?

Stay tuned.