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Reel Wanderer
  • Home
  • My Wanderings
    • Belgium >
      • Antwerp
      • Brugge
      • Ostend
    • Chile >
      • Valaparaiso
      • Santiago
      • Puerto Montt and Chloe Island
    • Ecuador >
      • Cuenca
      • Loja
      • Vilcabamba
    • England >
      • Bath
      • Brighton
      • Camden Locks
      • Stonehenge
      • Windsor
    • Greece and Turkey
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      • Ajijic
      • Lake Chapala
      • Jocotepec
      • Tequila
      • Mazamitla
    • Panama >
      • Casco Viejo
      • Old Panama City
    • Thailand - 2019
  • Reel Wanderer Blog
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Blogging.

KINDNESS OF STRANGERS IN THE LONDON UNDERGROUND

4/27/2018

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By Deb Zulawski

Blogger, artist, photographer, global traveler and soon to be expat currently living in the Pacific Northwest

LONDON, ENGLAND - Following a three week safari through Kenya, Uganda and Rwanda, I had planned an overnight stay in London to rest and regroup before flying back to Seattle. I arranged for a nice hotel about 15 minutes from the airport by  the Underground, so it would be quick and easy to get to the airport in the morning for my flight back to the states. 

I enjoyed a wonderful relaxing dinner in the hotel restaurant and then returned to my room to settle in for the evening. It was so wonderful to soak in a hot tub and climb into a cushy bed with crisp white linens after being on a hot and dusty safari and riding in an open air truck throughout the Serengeti for weeks.

Climbing under the covers, I set the alarm in time to get up, have a quick cup of coffee and a bit of breakfast, before heading to the airport. I wanted to be well rested and ready for the upcoming long hours of travel before arriving home to Seattle, collecting the dog from the boarder and continuing north by car for another hour. It was going to be a long travel day.

It had been a wonderful trip. Seeing the animals in their natural habit was a lifetime dream and hiking up to the high altitude mountain gorillas in the Virunga mountain jungles of Rwanda was beyond my expectations and more exciting than I could have ever imagined. I was, as I always am after a vacation, exhausted and energized, full of renewed enthusiasm for travel and appreciative for being able to see the world.

The next morning I collected my bags, checked out of the hotel and headed to the underground which wasn’t more than a block away. I could see that it was going to be a beautiful day by the light of the dawn, as the sun rose over the horizon.  I was refreshed.


I had taken the underground to the hotel from the airport, so no problem getting back. The route is simply backwards from where I had come from yesterday. Easy. Or so I thought.

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Antigua's Carpets of Flower

4/13/2018

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By Deb Zulawski

Blogger, artist, photographer, and soon to be expat, currently living in the Pacific Northwest.
ANTIGUA, GUATEMALA - I love the little surprises that come with travel. You know, the kinds where you turn a corner and see a street artist performing, a small neighborhood festival in action, or you walk in to the middle of an angry protest in full swing with police in full riot gear. Yes, that happened in Paris. And then there was the day I came across streets covered in flowers and people in purple robes in the small colonial town in Guatemala. That, without a doubt, is one of my favorite travel surprises.

I was teaching at a private bilingual school just outside of Guatemala City and on the weekends I liked to head over to Antiqua, a charming, little colonial village outside the city.

I had a regular place that I liked to stay at that was dirt cheap. It was very basic, just a single bed and bathroom, but it was secure, and over time I had come to know the owners and they me. A lot of young people would stay there long term when attending the local Spanish language school, so I would often see someone I recognized on return visits.

I stuffed my backpack with a few things that I would need for the weekend and left my apartment for a short walk to catch the chicken bus. 

The bus was filled with locals who had come into the city on business and were headed home to towns and villages on the outskirts of the city.

Large plaid plastic bags and bundles wrapped in plastic or cloth and tied with string where carried on board and shoved wherever one could find space.

The seats were metal and when we would hit rough road there was always a slide and a bump that could leave a good sized bruise on the backside. Passengers held onto poles, the backs of seats and each other as we raced down the road, around curves and out of town.

The chickens that were being transported loudly expressed their displeasure with the driver’s skills, as a young man made his way through the packed aisle, pushing between people and climbing over feet and market bags. Hand reaching out, he called for the fare to be paid. He pushed and shoved until he had reached the back of the bus with all fares in hand. He then turned around, making his way back to the front, as he gave change to passengers who didn’t have the exact fare. I was always amazed not only at his skill of maneuvering the crowded bus, but also how well he remembered who was expecting change and exactly how much.

At each stop, one or two passengers would push through the crowd to get off and a few more would cram on. Think sardines in a can, with a bunch of chickens and plastic bundles, and you have a general idea. Windows were wide open which invited dust from the dry roads to enter. I always enjoyed this ride. Always.
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The Bird Men of Tequila

4/1/2018

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By Deb Zulawski

Blogger, artist, photographer, and soon-to-be expat,
currently living in the Pacific Northwest
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The flute player plays music while the other four men climb to the top of the 30 meter pole and position themselves on a narrow platform.
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After safely positioned, the voladores rotate the platform in order to wrap the rope around the top of the pole, as if a spool.

Watch the voladores in flight.

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Imagine sipping a few tequila shots at the Jose Cuervo Distillery in Tequila, Jalisco, Mexico and then heading out to the square only to look up and see four men flying through the air, circling a tall pole. We weren't sure if we actually seeing what we thought we were seeing or if the tequila we had just tasted was stronger than we thought!
After a moment and getting a handle on reality, we realized that were actually seeing a Mesoamerican ceremony/ritual called Danza de los Voladores (Dance of the Flyers) or Palo Volador (Flying Pole). This ceremony is performed to bring an end to the drought and is at least 450 years old. It is thought to have originated in the mountain areas of Veracruz.

Four men climb the 30 meter pole, position themselves on a platform and spin the platform to wrap the rope around the top of the pole. They then tie the end around their waist. Next the flute player climbs to the top and positions himself at the pinnacle. As he plays the flute and dances...yes...dances, the four lean back, with one leg wrapped around the rope and as the rope unwinds the circle as birds on a slow and graceful descent to the ground, representing the regeneration of life. Today's voladores generally circle the pole 13 times each totaling 52 or the number of years on the Aztec calendar.

The men were dressed in red pants with a white shirt with a colorful and heavily embroidered chest cloth. The headpiece is has multicolored ribbons symbolizing the rainbow, flowers representing fertility and mirrors, the sun. The pole is a connection between the sky and the earth...the world tree. 

It was quite a sight to see and I must admit I held my breath a bit as they made their descent. It was quite an amazing sight. It was beautiful, delicate, graceful and dangerous all at the same time. As I watched them circling close to the ground I hoped silently that they hadn't done the distillery tour before the ceremony! It appeared no tequila was involved, as they made it to the ground without a hitch.

Have you ever seen the voladores in flight? What other cultural traditions have you seen as you have traveled?

Please leave your comment below.

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    Patiently waiting for my time to retire abroad with my little white dog, Maggie Mae, and to live life as a global citizen.
    *fingers tapping*
    *foot tapping*
    Is it time yet?

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  • Home
  • My Wanderings
    • Belgium >
      • Antwerp
      • Brugge
      • Ostend
    • Chile >
      • Valaparaiso
      • Santiago
      • Puerto Montt and Chloe Island
    • Ecuador >
      • Cuenca
      • Loja
      • Vilcabamba
    • England >
      • Bath
      • Brighton
      • Camden Locks
      • Stonehenge
      • Windsor
    • Greece and Turkey
    • Mexico >
      • Ajijic
      • Lake Chapala
      • Jocotepec
      • Tequila
      • Mazamitla
    • Panama >
      • Casco Viejo
      • Old Panama City
    • Thailand - 2019
  • Reel Wanderer Blog
  • Expat Series Blog
  • Maggie's On The Move
  • Budget Retirement Blog