The awesome black white and red wristband I got in Jujuy, Argentina broke today. That and the fact that I've started work as an engineer means the end of my hippy traveling days...for now...
p.s. I've been wearing that thing since April and it had just started to be enriched with its own odor so I guess it was a good thing that it broke.
Friday, August 22, 2008
Monday, July 21, 2008
Back in the U S of A
So much time, so few friends to visit...wait reverse that. In addition my cousins have come to visit so I've been showing them around. One day I took them to Santa Monica and it just happened there was a free event called Pinkapalooza...and there was a stage. At an Amoeba stand I asked who was the band that was going to play and to great surprise it was Fall Out Boy!!!
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
Iglesias Guitars
Today I got to meet Ramon Iglesias. In his younger hippy days he traveled to 
In addition, he took a microscope used for checking eyes and now uses it to make sure his fretboard is lined up correctly. 
At this interview I realized that I was asking less “how do you do that” type questions and instead asked more specific question about what materials he uses to accomplish such and such. This was a confirmation that hey, I actually learned something on this trip!
Friday, June 6, 2008
Winter in Summer
Last weekend I went to the Pacific Ocean, this time from the Guatemalan coordinates. The beach was volcanic black sand and the water was way warm. The downside was the rain. No one told me that June was winter in Guatemala, it rains all the darn time.
We went to Puli's dad's casa del puerto to celebrate Ixmuy and Yu Tzu's bdays. Of course there was a piñata! And we sure did surprise Ixmuy. Good times.
Thursday, June 5, 2008
Interview with Joaquín Orellana
Wednesday a group of us from INDIS went to meet with Orellana. He had been sick the last few weeks so this was the first time I got to meet him. We clicked, something that I was hoping for especially since we are both violinists and studying in Buenos Aires at some point. Besides the interview, some highlights are...
I told him that I had built a guitar in BsAs and then he mentioned the vihuela at which point we both begain to recite Martin Fierro, "Aquí me pongo a cantar, al compas de la vihuela...."
We went to lunch afterwards where he told mexican joke. Half of them I didn't get because of the vocab, but man does he do a great accent.
I'll be working on a grant proposal involving his instruments. The Canadian Langlois foundation gives supports science art projects in developing countries. The entry date isnt until next january, but it doesn't hurt to start now. Plus, this has been a great way to end my Watson year...after studying traditional regional instruments, to study innovations.
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Joaquín Orellana conversa con Gustavo Berganza
GB: Carlos Chaclán y Ranferí Aguilar han intentado recrear los sonidos precolombinos, partiendo de dibujos de instrumentos que muestran los códices mayas.
JO: Si, conozco El hacedor de lluvia, de Ranferí Agular. Creo que tratar de "extraer" una música de tipo precolombino utilizando los instrumentos que ellos usaban no puede dar un resultado muy autentico, porque no sabemos en qué forma ejecutaban los mayas esos instrumentos y tampoco sabemos como manejaban ritmicamente la intervalica tonal, porque los pitos precolombinos no muestran ninguna escala.
No hay vestigios que permitan saber como era la musica maya precolombina. El problema de la musica es que esta no tiene imagenes. Por otra parte, no hay que olvidar que nuestros indigenas son de origen asiatico y lo mas problable es que al asentarse en este territorio, su expresion musical no haya buscado el diatonismo, porque este es de origen europeo. Ya ve que el pentafonismo de los asiaticos es de una vigencia constante por el hecho de carecer de centros de gravitacion, como sucede con la musica europea. Es una musica tan tonal... El pentafonismo asiatico es flotante y cualquier mezcla intervalica suena bien, con la caracteristica especial que cada creador pueda desarrollar dentro de ese pentafonismo. Una persona con ingenio musical con solo dos notas puede hacer una serie infinita de variantes ritmicas. Si nosotros remontamos la imaginacion para especular acerca de las nociones musicales de los antiguos pobladores de este continente, lo mas probable es que usaran pentafonismo y musica con intervalos no determinados, lo menos occidental que uno puede imaginarse. El vistigio de los pitos, las trompetas, los tambores, el atabal sumado a lo que puede darnos la imaginacion, remontandonos hasta el tiempo de los antiguos mayas, es una musica indeterminada. Lo unico que podemos aventurarnos a decir es que esa expresion era mas que todo ritual, porque la musica como hecho autonomo tardo mucho tiempo en producirse. la musica estaba integralmente asociada a espiritu ceremonial del ser humano.
La conversacion tambien tiene muy buenos ejemplos con la musica mexicana:
(hablando de la audencia): Por ejemplo, veamos el ritmo de un corrido mejicano, es tan obvio y tan elemental que lo captarian hasta las hormigas. En cambio, cuando hay una obra en donde hay elaboracion del pensamiento musical, un oyente comun ya no la puede seguir.
GB: ¿Como evalua usted los productos de la cultura de masas?
JO: Tienen un valor artístico. Al igual que sucede con el arte académico, hay categorías de calidad. Por ejemplo, a mi que viajo tanto en atuobus urbano, me toca escuchar lo que oyen los chóferes en la radio. En un recorrido largo me doy cuenta como en diez canciones hay una que tal vez tenia un poquito de chispa y nueve que son una repetición banal, la peor escoria. Sin embargo, gracias a los adornitos del sonido digital, que ahora son tan accesibles, cualquier berrido se arregla para que resulte bonito. Un chófer que seguramente era un poco mas avezado, me decía: "Fijese usted que yo fui al concierto de los Tigres del Norte y en vivo no suenan tan de a huevo como en las grabaciones" Es decir, existe una escala de valores general de lo académico y lo masivo...
(sobre la expresión musical): Es lo mismo que si un músico situado solo en el pensamiento musical le dijera a un mexicano: "A usted le gusta esa música para borrachazos que están en el rincón de una cantina, llorando por el amor de la Lupita?" Lo que pasa es que la sensibilidad debe experimentar con otros campos sensoriales. Y lo mismo sucede con el mexicano amante de la música ranchera y el chófer de taxi aficionado a la música de los Tigres del Norte: cuando escuchen una variación de Bach, se quedaran perplejos de que a alguien pueda gustarle lo que para ambos no es mas que una música de saltitos. La cultura musical de esos individuos esta fincada en las canciones rancheras. Es un problema cuya responsabilidad recae sobre las autoridades encargadas de regir el sector cultura, que no han encauzado la formación cultural con criterios globales.
JO: Si, conozco El hacedor de lluvia, de Ranferí Agular. Creo que tratar de "extraer" una música de tipo precolombino utilizando los instrumentos que ellos usaban no puede dar un resultado muy autentico, porque no sabemos en qué forma ejecutaban los mayas esos instrumentos y tampoco sabemos como manejaban ritmicamente la intervalica tonal, porque los pitos precolombinos no muestran ninguna escala.
No hay vestigios que permitan saber como era la musica maya precolombina. El problema de la musica es que esta no tiene imagenes. Por otra parte, no hay que olvidar que nuestros indigenas son de origen asiatico y lo mas problable es que al asentarse en este territorio, su expresion musical no haya buscado el diatonismo, porque este es de origen europeo. Ya ve que el pentafonismo de los asiaticos es de una vigencia constante por el hecho de carecer de centros de gravitacion, como sucede con la musica europea. Es una musica tan tonal... El pentafonismo asiatico es flotante y cualquier mezcla intervalica suena bien, con la caracteristica especial que cada creador pueda desarrollar dentro de ese pentafonismo. Una persona con ingenio musical con solo dos notas puede hacer una serie infinita de variantes ritmicas. Si nosotros remontamos la imaginacion para especular acerca de las nociones musicales de los antiguos pobladores de este continente, lo mas probable es que usaran pentafonismo y musica con intervalos no determinados, lo menos occidental que uno puede imaginarse. El vistigio de los pitos, las trompetas, los tambores, el atabal sumado a lo que puede darnos la imaginacion, remontandonos hasta el tiempo de los antiguos mayas, es una musica indeterminada. Lo unico que podemos aventurarnos a decir es que esa expresion era mas que todo ritual, porque la musica como hecho autonomo tardo mucho tiempo en producirse. la musica estaba integralmente asociada a espiritu ceremonial del ser humano.
La conversacion tambien tiene muy buenos ejemplos con la musica mexicana:
(hablando de la audencia): Por ejemplo, veamos el ritmo de un corrido mejicano, es tan obvio y tan elemental que lo captarian hasta las hormigas. En cambio, cuando hay una obra en donde hay elaboracion del pensamiento musical, un oyente comun ya no la puede seguir.
GB: ¿Como evalua usted los productos de la cultura de masas?
JO: Tienen un valor artístico. Al igual que sucede con el arte académico, hay categorías de calidad. Por ejemplo, a mi que viajo tanto en atuobus urbano, me toca escuchar lo que oyen los chóferes en la radio. En un recorrido largo me doy cuenta como en diez canciones hay una que tal vez tenia un poquito de chispa y nueve que son una repetición banal, la peor escoria. Sin embargo, gracias a los adornitos del sonido digital, que ahora son tan accesibles, cualquier berrido se arregla para que resulte bonito. Un chófer que seguramente era un poco mas avezado, me decía: "Fijese usted que yo fui al concierto de los Tigres del Norte y en vivo no suenan tan de a huevo como en las grabaciones" Es decir, existe una escala de valores general de lo académico y lo masivo...
(sobre la expresión musical): Es lo mismo que si un músico situado solo en el pensamiento musical le dijera a un mexicano: "A usted le gusta esa música para borrachazos que están en el rincón de una cantina, llorando por el amor de la Lupita?" Lo que pasa es que la sensibilidad debe experimentar con otros campos sensoriales. Y lo mismo sucede con el mexicano amante de la música ranchera y el chófer de taxi aficionado a la música de los Tigres del Norte: cuando escuchen una variación de Bach, se quedaran perplejos de que a alguien pueda gustarle lo que para ambos no es mas que una música de saltitos. La cultura musical de esos individuos esta fincada en las canciones rancheras. Es un problema cuya responsabilidad recae sobre las autoridades encargadas de regir el sector cultura, que no han encauzado la formación cultural con criterios globales.
Monday, May 26, 2008
Tacos!
Last weekend I went back to the lake to hang out in Panajachel...good times! On the way back we stopped by a town called Chichi (jeje) to check out their Sunday market. I got to eat tortillas negras, tostadas. This reminds me, I feel like I'm playing Russian roulet every time I eat street food (especially when its at 2am on a taco stand).
I spoke spanish like a gringo
Today I found a recording on my interview with a Valencian guitar constructor that I thought I had lost...I had just named it incorrectly. The way I found it was random on itunes and recognizing the voice of the artisan.
Thats also when I realized that I spoke spanish like a gringo. I've gotten better, but I still stumble at certain phrases that don't have literal translations.
Also, when I made the interview I didn't really fully understand the answers he gave, but now after building my own guitar I understood exactly what he was saying...NBC the more you know.
Thats also when I realized that I spoke spanish like a gringo. I've gotten better, but I still stumble at certain phrases that don't have literal translations.
Also, when I made the interview I didn't really fully understand the answers he gave, but now after building my own guitar I understood exactly what he was saying...NBC the more you know.
I: Este es el la herramienta que se calienta a 180?
V: Si, el problema es doblarlo. Entonces yo tengo una técnica diferente donde tengo dos aros pegados para que no se rompan cuando se doblan. Cada uno es menos de un milímetro.
I: Como busca el diseño para las barras armónicas?
V: Tome una de la guitarra Western. Pero entonces me daba mucha potencia pero no con medios profundos, ni sustain. Puse otras barras para compensar. Y también pongo fibra de carbono para que tenga mas resistencia aun siendo flexible. Cuando la tapa es muy blanda tienes que reforzarla. Si hiciéramos una tapa sin barras sonaría mucho mas pero el puente no aguantaría la tensión de las cuerdas.
I: Mi guitarra de Ricardo Quiles no tiene esos tacones adentro.
V: Es que solo están del lado de la tapa…se pueden ver con un espejo.
I: Cuales son las diferencias entre las guitarras flamencas y clásicas?
V: Se busca calibres muchos mas finos. Se empieza trabajando palo santos ciprés que pesan menos. Yo las ago con los mismos planos del body pero las grosuras mas pequeñas. Los tiros de las cuerdas no tienes por que ser mas cortos. Si son mas pequeñas el sonido va ser mas acampanado.
I: Hablemos de las diferencias entre las guitarras artesanas y las de fabrica.
V: No puedo entrar en la política de esto. Garantizo que si la guitarra esta de bajo de 2000 euros va ser echa mucho con maquina. Para los muebles en Valencia usan muchas maquinas de CNC pero nosotros no hacemos las guitarra automatizadas así. Tambien los artesanos hacen “trampas” con enchapados.
I: El reforcé de tras del diapasón también se ve del mango?
V: Es mas artesano que no se vea. Si no se ve es mas lujoso saber que no se va doblar el mango sin tener que se vea la barra de reforcé.
I: Como le gustan que le llamen, constructor o luthier?
V: Yo prefiero constructor.
I: Como empezaste con este oficio?
V: En la época de la post guerra civil tenía 9 años y tenia que trabajar. No soy de familia de luthier. Encontré una puerta donde hacían guitarras y empecé a trabajar trayendo agua, barriendo…haciendo cosas de niño. Después empecé a estudiar música y estar en un grupo. Yo creo que la música me escogió a mi.
Thursday, May 22, 2008
When will NFG become "old school"?
This band takes me back to a time of innocence and purity...or was it just puberty. In addition...CRB 4 ever.
In other news I went from huevoneando to working on multiple projects at a time. Either I'm getting better at making business connections and forming proposals and/or Guatemala has more oportunities than I expected.
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
New City, Different MTV Latino, Different Music Videos
For example:
Amandititita-Metrosexual
She's my comadre from DF that has a cumbianchera style of music with a great sense of humor. Here are some more quality videos:
La Muy Muy
"eres mas fea que chupacabras, mas mala que bush"
Mata Viejitas
Mechanico
Amandititita-Metrosexual
She's my comadre from DF that has a cumbianchera style of music with a great sense of humor. Here are some more quality videos:
La Muy Muy
"eres mas fea que chupacabras, mas mala que bush"
Mata Viejitas
Mechanico
Monday, May 19, 2008
100th Entry! Woohoo
And to think that 11 months ago I had a thing against blogs.
So these last two months in Guatemala are all about coming up with new ideas for musical instruments, so here's one. I had bought electric drum sticks that are activated by shaking them in the air. I didn't like them because the don't work just by hitting them againt a surface. I also have these checkered Vans wannabes that are torn to pieces but I didn't want to throw them away...so I combined these two things and am working on making beats with my feet:
So these last two months in Guatemala are all about coming up with new ideas for musical instruments, so here's one. I had bought electric drum sticks that are activated by shaking them in the air. I didn't like them because the don't work just by hitting them againt a surface. I also have these checkered Vans wannabes that are torn to pieces but I didn't want to throw them away...so I combined these two things and am working on making beats with my feet:
Saturday, May 17, 2008
The Fountain is so symbolic
Hey party peoplez, I just watched The Fountain, a trippy movie about the circle of life including christian, buddhist and Mayan religions, with Ferro, Puly and Guillermo Muñoz (my cousin, but not really). What's sweet is that the movie centers around Guatemala and as Guillermo put it...it's symbolic.
Afterwards at midnight we head over to the taco stand on the corner of a 24hr minimart. Btw, the minimarts here have like a walk-through window at night. As I'm buying a juice, two huge trucks pull up and out come four armed men. Ferro almost sh#ts his pants as he's waiting for his tacos talking to Puly. Well it turns out that these are the bodyguards of the President of Guatemala's son, Antonio Colom Szarata. It also turns out that he's pretty famous because he plays bass in a band, Viento en Contra. He still keeps it real by getting ishfaced at local bars and calming the munchies at streetside taco stands. But dang, those bodyguards really made me paranoid something was going to go down cuz of the way they kept looking around.
Btw, last night after going to a Euro cine festival where we saw the Spanish/Catalan movie Salvador Puig, we went over to 100 puertas bar. Hanging out there was also a famous bohemian cartoonist Telcoco. Guatemala is a small place.
Afterwards at midnight we head over to the taco stand on the corner of a 24hr minimart. Btw, the minimarts here have like a walk-through window at night. As I'm buying a juice, two huge trucks pull up and out come four armed men. Ferro almost sh#ts his pants as he's waiting for his tacos talking to Puly. Well it turns out that these are the bodyguards of the President of Guatemala's son, Antonio Colom Szarata. It also turns out that he's pretty famous because he plays bass in a band, Viento en Contra. He still keeps it real by getting ishfaced at local bars and calming the munchies at streetside taco stands. But dang, those bodyguards really made me paranoid something was going to go down cuz of the way they kept looking around.
Btw, last night after going to a Euro cine festival where we saw the Spanish/Catalan movie Salvador Puig, we went over to 100 puertas bar. Hanging out there was also a famous bohemian cartoonist Telcoco. Guatemala is a small place.
Friday, May 16, 2008
Musical Instrument Automatization
That's my current project so I've been looking up past works such as this sweet Hupfeld Phonoliszt Violina from the Music Box Society Insternational:
I also found a new instrument by grad students at Virginia which is kinda tight, but not that impressive: http://youtube.com/watch?v=A0iounRCJzk&feature=related
Then I found something that was really sweet, Toyota's new music playing robot: http://youtube.com/watch?v=FcZ2NcCEC0o&feature=related
Thursday, May 15, 2008
I heart tamarindo
The closer I get to mexico the more I realize the differences with south america. I am now back in the land of tamarindo! And for more mixture of cultures...I bought a tamarindo powder that is used to make liters of the drink and started putting it in my mate!
That reminds me, on the beach of El Salvador I had shaved ice (minuta in el salva, but raspado in mex). One of the toppings was tamarindo honey.
That reminds me, on the beach of El Salvador I had shaved ice (minuta in el salva, but raspado in mex). One of the toppings was tamarindo honey.
Monday, May 12, 2008
Yuka frita con mojito
That's yuka (a root that tastes like potato) with chicharron.
Dude, I didn't know intense until I came to a place where every security guard packs a shotgun. The place is called Central America.
Also, it felt really good to feel warm Pacific Ocean waters.
Thursday, May 8, 2008
Guatemala Vanguard Musician
http://www.prensalibre.com/pl/domingo/archivo/revistad/2004/noviembre04/141104/dfrente.shtml
I was surprised to find out about Joaquin Orellana, a very modern compositor and vanguard instrument maker.
He derived sound devices from the marimba. I'm thinking about jumping in an continuing his cause while in Guate.
To get me started I'm reading "Tradiciones de Guatemala No. 66 Etnomusicologia en Guatemala"
I was surprised to find out about Joaquin Orellana, a very modern compositor and vanguard instrument maker.
He derived sound devices from the marimba. I'm thinking about jumping in an continuing his cause while in Guate.
To get me started I'm reading "Tradiciones de Guatemala No. 66 Etnomusicologia en Guatemala"
Monday, May 5, 2008
Martin Fierro
While in Cordoba I was pretty freakin tired and a bit sick so I picked up the ultimate gaucho book: Martin Fierro. Here are some phrases I liked:
Aquí me pongo a cantar
al compás de la viguela,
que al hombre que lo desvela
una pena estrordinaria,
como la ave solitaria
con el cantar se consuela.
Famous opening phrase. Its true, music me consuela.
Con la guitarra en la mano
ni las moscas se me arriman;
naides me pone el pie encima,
y, cuando el pecho se entona,
hago gemir a la prima
y llorar a la bordona.
...
(I also started circleing words that I didn't understand but then got lazy. Reading gauchesco spanish is a bit rough.)
Tuve en mi pago en un tiempo
hijos, hacienda y mujer,
pero empecé a padecer,
me echaron a la frontera,
¡y qué iba a hallar al volver!
tan sólo hallé la tapera.
...
Mi gala en las pulperías
era, cuando había más gente,
ponerme medio caliente,
pues cuando puntiao (borracho) me encuentro
me salen coplas de adentro
como agua de la virtiente.
...
Y la pobre mi mujer,
¡Dios sabve cuánto sufrío!
Me dicen que se voló
con no sé qué gavilán:
sin duda a buscar el pan
que no podía darle yo.
...
Yo he sido manso primero,
y seré gaucho matrero,
en mi triste circunstancia,
aunque es mi mal tan projundo;
nací y me he criao en estancia,
pero ya conozco el mundo.
...
"A los blancos hizo Dios,
a los mulatos San Pedro,
a los negro hizo el diablo
para tizón del infierno."
(some harsh racisim there)
...
No hay cosa como el peligro
pa refrescar un mamao;
hasta la vista se aclara
por mucho que haiga chupao.
(That's what people tell me about driving drunk and seeing a policeman pass by)
...
Y al campo me iba solito,
más matrero que el venao,
como perro abandonao
a buscar una tapera,
o en alguna bizcachera
pasar la noche tirao.
Sin punto ni rumbo fijo
en aquella inmensidá,
entre tanta escuridá
anda el gaucho como duende;
allí jamás lo sorpriende
dormido, la autoridá.
Su esperanza es el coraje,
su guarida es la precaución,
su pingo es la salvación,
y pasa uno en su desvelo,
sin más amparo que el cielo
ni otro amigo que el facón.
(how I felt traveling alone)
...
Yo me voy le dije, amigo,
donde la suerte me lleve,
y si es que alguno se atreve,
a ponerse en mi camino,
yo seguiré mi destino,
que el hombre hace lo que debe.
...
Es triste a no poder más
el hombre en su padecer,
si no tiene una mujer
que lo ampare y lo consuele:
mas pa que otro se la pele
lo mejor es no tener.
...
Las mujeres, dende entonces,
conocí a todas en una.
Ya no he de probar fortuna
con carta tan conocida:
mujer y perra parida,
no se me acerca ninguna.
...
Y son tantas las miserias
en que me he sabido ver,
que con tanto padecer
y sufrir tanta aflición,
malicio que he de tener
un callo en el corazón.
...
Tampoco a la sé le temo,
yo la aguanto muy contento;
busco agua olfatiando el viento,
y dende que no soy manco,
ande hay duraznillo blanco
cavo y la saco al momento.
...
Aquí me pongo a cantar
al compás de la viguela,
que al hombre que lo desvela
una pena estrordinaria,
como la ave solitaria
con el cantar se consuela.
Famous opening phrase. Its true, music me consuela.
Con la guitarra en la mano
ni las moscas se me arriman;
naides me pone el pie encima,
y, cuando el pecho se entona,
hago gemir a la prima
y llorar a la bordona.
...
(I also started circleing words that I didn't understand but then got lazy. Reading gauchesco spanish is a bit rough.)
Tuve en mi pago en un tiempo
hijos, hacienda y mujer,
pero empecé a padecer,
me echaron a la frontera,
¡y qué iba a hallar al volver!
tan sólo hallé la tapera.
...
Mi gala en las pulperías
era, cuando había más gente,
ponerme medio caliente,
pues cuando puntiao (borracho) me encuentro
me salen coplas de adentro
como agua de la virtiente.
...
Y la pobre mi mujer,
¡Dios sabve cuánto sufrío!
Me dicen que se voló
con no sé qué gavilán:
sin duda a buscar el pan
que no podía darle yo.
...
Yo he sido manso primero,
y seré gaucho matrero,
en mi triste circunstancia,
aunque es mi mal tan projundo;
nací y me he criao en estancia,
pero ya conozco el mundo.
...
"A los blancos hizo Dios,
a los mulatos San Pedro,
a los negro hizo el diablo
para tizón del infierno."
(some harsh racisim there)
...
No hay cosa como el peligro
pa refrescar un mamao;
hasta la vista se aclara
por mucho que haiga chupao.
(That's what people tell me about driving drunk and seeing a policeman pass by)
...
Y al campo me iba solito,
más matrero que el venao,
como perro abandonao
a buscar una tapera,
o en alguna bizcachera
pasar la noche tirao.
Sin punto ni rumbo fijo
en aquella inmensidá,
entre tanta escuridá
anda el gaucho como duende;
allí jamás lo sorpriende
dormido, la autoridá.
Su esperanza es el coraje,
su guarida es la precaución,
su pingo es la salvación,
y pasa uno en su desvelo,
sin más amparo que el cielo
ni otro amigo que el facón.
(how I felt traveling alone)
...
Yo me voy le dije, amigo,
donde la suerte me lleve,
y si es que alguno se atreve,
a ponerse en mi camino,
yo seguiré mi destino,
que el hombre hace lo que debe.
...
Es triste a no poder más
el hombre en su padecer,
si no tiene una mujer
que lo ampare y lo consuele:
mas pa que otro se la pele
lo mejor es no tener.
...
Las mujeres, dende entonces,
conocí a todas en una.
Ya no he de probar fortuna
con carta tan conocida:
mujer y perra parida,
no se me acerca ninguna.
...
Y son tantas las miserias
en que me he sabido ver,
que con tanto padecer
y sufrir tanta aflición,
malicio que he de tener
un callo en el corazón.
...
Tampoco a la sé le temo,
yo la aguanto muy contento;
busco agua olfatiando el viento,
y dende que no soy manco,
ande hay duraznillo blanco
cavo y la saco al momento.
...
Chapin
Now that I've been traveling so much I feel it payed off to watch Where in the World is Carmen San Diego, lol.
Also, reading my fellow Watson Fellow, Marlon's blog (http://marloniousthunk.blogspot.com/) I got inspired to be more descriptive.
Well, I've made it to the last country of my crazy trip; Guatemala. I'm so glad I have my friend Puli to help me out here. What would have taken me at least a week to find a place and set meetings with musicians/luthiers, she and her friends had already done before I even got to the airport.
I got to see the city as I landed. It reminded me of Bolivia with ravines and houses clinging to the hillsides. Landing through the clouds I saw that at the end of the runway was a steep cliff!!! No wonder people told me that this airport was hard to reach.
There was no time to unpack because we were off to party in Antigua that same night. I got to meet Puli's friends. Luis "Kalimba" with whom I'm staying. Ferro "El Turko" and Ishma. Btw, I have to say that I am Issac "El Mex." Another aside is that I'm growing a slight panic at the sight of mosquitos because of a recent dengue outbreak. Also, man am I happy to be back in the land of tortillas and tacos!!! Guatemala food is different but at least those two things are the same. Ishma feels my pain because she is also from Mexico so we both miss our chile and tortas. There's choripan (bread and sausage) here in Guate which is good but completely different fromt he argentine choripan. Oh, there's also tamarindo and did I already mention tortillas. I didn't know I would be so homesick for food.
Antigua was way chill, and as colonial as everyone says. The story goes that there was the founding city of Guatemala beneath the volcano Aguas which held water in its crater. One side of the crater broke and covered the city. Thus the city moved further to what is now Antigua. And its called Antigua Guatemala because after I think an earthquake, the capital was moved to its current location. I should really just have looked this up on wikipedia, but the story was told to me yesterday as I was coming back from Lake Atitlán.
The place was crazy hard to reach and yet there were swarms of tourists at the city of Pana and on the other side San Pedro. SP is where Puli has uncles who are artesans by day and musicians by night. Luckily I got to meet them and when they brought out the pastel (cake) I busted out my mate. Hurray for mixture of cultures! On our way to their house we took a Tru Tru taxi which is just a moto with a carriage. The streets are so narrow, hilly and there are secret alleywas to different bars and hotels. We talked music with one uncle and then Charlie Chaplin with another...good times. San Pedro has a very chill, free attitude.
Then I found myself at a Reggae festival on a dock behind Casa Elena. Unfortunately it was raining so there was only DJ music. We were about to leave when a live cd of Daft Punk came on and then the dancing in the rain began (I'm still waiting to see when I get sick because of gettting drenched). The other reason for coming to the lake was to see her uncles play latin music at Buddah bar. They only had a guitar and percussion but dang did they get people dancing. Then at intermission when it stopped raining we went back to check out the performance and chilled on the dock while listening to some Guatemalan reggae.
Also, reading my fellow Watson Fellow, Marlon's blog (http://marloniousthunk.blogspot.com/) I got inspired to be more descriptive.
Well, I've made it to the last country of my crazy trip; Guatemala. I'm so glad I have my friend Puli to help me out here. What would have taken me at least a week to find a place and set meetings with musicians/luthiers, she and her friends had already done before I even got to the airport.
I got to see the city as I landed. It reminded me of Bolivia with ravines and houses clinging to the hillsides. Landing through the clouds I saw that at the end of the runway was a steep cliff!!! No wonder people told me that this airport was hard to reach.
There was no time to unpack because we were off to party in Antigua that same night. I got to meet Puli's friends. Luis "Kalimba" with whom I'm staying. Ferro "El Turko" and Ishma. Btw, I have to say that I am Issac "El Mex." Another aside is that I'm growing a slight panic at the sight of mosquitos because of a recent dengue outbreak. Also, man am I happy to be back in the land of tortillas and tacos!!! Guatemala food is different but at least those two things are the same. Ishma feels my pain because she is also from Mexico so we both miss our chile and tortas. There's choripan (bread and sausage) here in Guate which is good but completely different fromt he argentine choripan. Oh, there's also tamarindo and did I already mention tortillas. I didn't know I would be so homesick for food.
Antigua was way chill, and as colonial as everyone says. The story goes that there was the founding city of Guatemala beneath the volcano Aguas which held water in its crater. One side of the crater broke and covered the city. Thus the city moved further to what is now Antigua. And its called Antigua Guatemala because after I think an earthquake, the capital was moved to its current location. I should really just have looked this up on wikipedia, but the story was told to me yesterday as I was coming back from Lake Atitlán.
The place was crazy hard to reach and yet there were swarms of tourists at the city of Pana and on the other side San Pedro. SP is where Puli has uncles who are artesans by day and musicians by night. Luckily I got to meet them and when they brought out the pastel (cake) I busted out my mate. Hurray for mixture of cultures! On our way to their house we took a Tru Tru taxi which is just a moto with a carriage. The streets are so narrow, hilly and there are secret alleywas to different bars and hotels. We talked music with one uncle and then Charlie Chaplin with another...good times. San Pedro has a very chill, free attitude.
Then I found myself at a Reggae festival on a dock behind Casa Elena. Unfortunately it was raining so there was only DJ music. We were about to leave when a live cd of Daft Punk came on and then the dancing in the rain began (I'm still waiting to see when I get sick because of gettting drenched). The other reason for coming to the lake was to see her uncles play latin music at Buddah bar. They only had a guitar and percussion but dang did they get people dancing. Then at intermission when it stopped raining we went back to check out the performance and chilled on the dock while listening to some Guatemalan reggae.
Thursday, April 24, 2008
I feel loved
Shout outs go to team Bethany (including bride to be Stacy).
I was traveling through northern argentina the last three weeks having some pretty amazing experiences, but I found that there is something comforting about returning to something you're familiar with. The girls really warmed my heart as I read their letters. In addition, there was a t-shirt...gotta tell them that even thought the UCLA t-shirt Jennie gave me used to fit, my shoulders have grown a bit since then, but its all good...I'll just look even more fit, jaja.
Sad to miss my stand partner's wedding, but such are the sacrifices of being a Watson Fellow.
If anything these letters have told me that even thought I may not have a job or school waiting for me when i get back, at least I'll have friends waiting for me.
I was traveling through northern argentina the last three weeks having some pretty amazing experiences, but I found that there is something comforting about returning to something you're familiar with. The girls really warmed my heart as I read their letters. In addition, there was a t-shirt...gotta tell them that even thought the UCLA t-shirt Jennie gave me used to fit, my shoulders have grown a bit since then, but its all good...I'll just look even more fit, jaja.
Sad to miss my stand partner's wedding, but such are the sacrifices of being a Watson Fellow.
If anything these letters have told me that even thought I may not have a job or school waiting for me when i get back, at least I'll have friends waiting for me.
Sunday, April 13, 2008
Tranquilo
Here's a song I wrote in the Chacarera style:
Valle tan lindo, valle re-tranqui
Al paso del queso corren aquí.
Ratón de ciudad, ratón del campo
Se mezclan acá un poco tiempo.
El avión ha sido mi caballo
A ver si esta vez no me caigo.
Ando pa’ merecer mis hebillas
Espero no terminar en silla.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
