the state of things in russia

On the day when everybody was busy watching the opening ceremony of the Olympic games, Russia invaded Georgia.

I have visited St. Petersburg recently, and was astonished by the Kafkian bureaucracy that still reigns in Russia and the absolute power that authorities have over the population. But what it really surprised me was that people seem to agree with how Putin is conducting the country, even though nobody really looked happy.

Vladimir, our taxi driver, said not without a hint of melancholy: 'Russian people need a firm hand, they are not ready for freedom'

warriors

Thousands of people are expected to see the Terracotta Army at the British Museum from 13 September until 6 April.
I had the privilege to see China’s First Emperor, Qin Shihuangdi’s legacy two years ago when I visited Xian. And I am delighted that many people will take the chance to see it now that it is coming to London.
Given the heavy carbon footprint that flights inflict upon the environment, travelling exhibitions may well be the solution for the future.

Power and the instrument to legitimise it: soldiers (2200 years later)

my dog and the metric system

they think he's guilty, he thinks they see the pint before they see the beer!

The European Commission has tired of waiting for the UK to give up imperial measurements, and now says it can use some of them. In that light, English people can continue to confuse visitors with the pound, the ounce and the mile for as long as they want. Although some experts claim that the metric system was originally invented in England before being adopted by the French, English people have barricaded behind the imperial measurements, absurdly making it a question of national pride.

Some people say that that’s exactly why we love the English, because they are different.

I am not so sure I enjoyed their inclination towards peculiarity when we tried to board the ferry that was going to take us from Spain back to England this summer though. We were travelling with our dog Tim, which had to be treated against worms and ticks before what we understood was 48 hours. Having visited the vet in Santander the morning before embarking, we innocently queued on the pier until they singled us out. The dog’s Dutch passport was incomplete, and the worm treatment had to be given after 48 hours before embarking but before 24 hours before embarking. Confused? So were we. Any alternatives? Yes, you can either wait in Santander for the next ferry which will depart in a week’s time or drive 1000 kilometres to France and take the next one tomorrow, by then the treatment will be in the right time window.

Sorry, how many miles to France did you say?

mensenzoo

Last Sunday I saw one of the best examples of the famous Dutch tolerance in action at the cultural festival and day-without-cars in Utrecht. I am talking of Mensenzoo (people zoo) installed in the post office square, one of the hot spots in the city. Consists basically of a group of stalls in which a ‘specimen’ of the human race is ‘exhibited’ (farmers, homeless, homos, children, immigrants, and almost all the groups in the human family were represented). You could talk to the people in the stalls, ask them questions and, as in any other zoo, take photos of you and your favourite creature.
The idea behind it is to promote a society which does full justice to each individual irrespective of religion, age, social status or sexual preference.
And the way to achieve that? By improving communication and respect for each other’s differences in a funny, provocative way!
















Meet one another, exchange views and learn from one another.

first webcam

The first image ever broadcasted by a webcam was a black and white live picture of the Trojan room coffee pot in the computer science department at Cambridge University in 1991.
Fellow academics working in other parts of the building could check the state of the coffee pot and thus avoid pointless trips to the coffee room.

See below an image of how Cambridge students spend their time nowadays!

watching the Spaniards

the above image belongs to the upper paleolithic period and it is believed it was painted by Magdelenean artists in the UNESCO World Heritage, Altamira

the image below is the well known and much loved/hated Toro de Osborne which advertised brandy until in the early 90's were to be taken down for Spain outlawed billboards on national roads, the Spaniards protested, the bulls were painted black and left to guard the hillsides becoming a national symbol

circa 18.500 years separate these two bulls

what I saw in Cambodia

what I saw in Picos de Europa

el sol se pone en el fin del mundo

Finisterre derives from Finisterrae in Latin which means "Land's End", and it had been, indeed, the end of the world for many centuries until Columbus altered things. I read in the Confraternity of Saint James’ website http://www.csj.org.uk/ that there are various explanations as to how Finisterre became a continuation of the pilgrimage, one such is that is was based on a pre-Christian route to the pagan temple of Ara Solis, erected there to honour the sun.
In any case this photo, taken literally at the end of the world, does it justice.

Modern pilgrimage

A woman prays in ecstasy in front of a statue of Buddha


Pilgrimage is widely considered a ritual journey of purification. Whether taken in a metaphorical sense or not, modern pilgrims agree that peregrination is inherently different from other types of travel. Placing its meaning in the actual walking, for the modern pilgrim there is not just one end, but rather there are many. These are attempts to make a visible manifestation of contact between the human and the divine, where personal transformation lies at its centre.
This summer I had the privilege of seeing two apparently different pilgrimages, one in Cambodia, the other in Camino de Santiago, Spain.

A statue of Saint James is being embraced from behind by pilgrims

understanding The Other, Cambodia

In Ta Prohm, a Buddhist monastery built around 1186, nature holds the ruins together with massive tree roots, framing doorways and covering stones in velvety algae

In Cambodia pigs are transported on motorbikes to be sold in the market

One is expected to become a monk (to 'enter the Sangha' or monkhood) for a short period in one's life. Monks practise meditation and chanting, study Buddhist scripture and philosophy, do not wear personal adornments neither do they eat after noon. They need to go out into the community daily and it is common to see monks collecting food in their bowls or bags

Decades of war and intense poverty have left Cambodian people and their environment in a fragile state. Although tourism has grown dramatically in recent years, very few tourists venture into wider Cambodia. For some ideas for a richer travel experience visit http://www.stay-another-day.org/

understanding The Other, Thailand

Would you say that you 'go to the market' or rather 'the market comes to you'?





Does Buddha have fingerprint on his toes?




How can one play draughts without pieces?

watching the English

Cambridge is celebrating the Town Bumps this week, in which, unlike the College Bumps, local rowing clubs compete.




In a bump race a number of boats chase each other in single file, each boat attempts to catch ("bump") the boat in front without being caught by the boat behind. The race last several days and each day the boats line up bow-to-stern with a set distance of one and a half boat lenghts' between each boat. At the start signal each crew starts to row, attempting to catch the boat in front while simultaneously being chased by the one behind.

As the name suggests, damage to boats and equipment is indeed common during bumps racing!

Once a bump has occurred both crews pull over to the riverbank and take no further part in that race, it is easy to tell which is which as there is a certain gloomy air in the boat which got the bump whereas the ones who bumped show off their newly acquired status by sticking tree leaves in their hair or around their necks.



Now, honestly, is there a better way of spending your long summer days?

Morris Dance

Last Saturday on our way to a concert at Ely Cathedral we bumped into a sight of 'middle-aged men bedecked in ribbons and bells, capering and jigging and clacking sticks in the air' or, in other words, Morris Dancing aficionados. As Jemima Lewis claims from the pages of The Independent, 'Morris Dancing is not like other hobbies. It inspires a unique mixture of horror, hilarity and bewilderment. Why aren't they embarrassed? Don't they know how mad they look? All the characteristics that we now think of as typically English (self consciousness, irony, a certain cool) are subverted by this least beloved of national traditions.' But then in a stroke of genius she turns 180 degrees as she goes on saying 'Yet Morris dancers have much to teach us, not at least about ourselves' and as we read on we learn that the English were once, before bureaucrats rationalised and modernised the country, a nation of 'prancing yokels' and that Morris dancers are to be regarded as 'fifth columnists, defending English eccentricity from within, heroes of the ancient and anomalous, in the citadel of the bland.'

I did enjoy watching them and their display of awkwardness, they gave our daughter a badge and explained to her that with such a badge she could be naughty all day. She was delighted.

I wonder whether we, Spanish people, would have the same courage when it comes to analysing our traditions with a critical eye.

What do you think?

From idealist.org (action without borders) Newsletter Dec 2006:

'Seminar for INFO Nepal Volunteer program in UK Marina Velez has taken her INFO Nepal volunteer experience to the next level. After her return to the UK, she did not forget the lessons learned here, but rather has chosen to share them with other tourists and volunteers. Marina has developed a thought-provoking presentation, “Understand the ‘Other’”, in which she details the concept of ethical tourism. Through a vivid display in PowerPoint, she demonstrates how unsuspecting travellers affect and are affected by cultural relativism, climate change, cultural loss and local economies. Tourists do not have an inherent right to other cultures – it is a privilege. Travellers should always be mindful of the consequences (both direct and indirect) of their actions in addition to making the effort to understand local customs rather than condemn. “Ashirna wa akhabirna” Live with us and then judge us. We applaud her efforts to demonstrate the cultural and environmental costs behind package holidays and supply information about new ways of travelling.'