Costa Rica Dec 2012

Costa Rica

(Morris)  This trip started out badly.  Air Canada lost Irene's luggage.  5 days later Air Canada still does not even know where it is.  You'd think that either it is still in Toronto, in which case they should know about it, or that they put out on a plane, again, in which case they should know about it.  No such luck.  We have sort of given up on even getting it back.  Irene has been a trouper, putting up with the inconvenience with grace.  We bought a few things, and she is managing.  Fortunately, none of the photographic equipment was in the luggage. 

Then the rain forest lived up to its name.  I think it has rained for about as many hours as not.  Things are very wet here.  This led to the next near calamity.  My computer stopped working.  I thought it was a hard drive crash.  The computer switched on, but the screen remained blank.  It was probably just the humidity, which was severe, and condensation,. Fortunately it dried out by sunday evening as we are in a drier environment, band has been working since.  Hence out usual blog is late.  

(Irene) Out first night was in a beautiful hotel in San Jose.  Beautiful gardens. Then we moved to a lodge called Salva Verde in an area of the rainforest called SARAPIQUI.   I finally understand what rainforest really means. It is supposed to be the beginning of the dry season but as weather is not really predictable the wet season persists. What does this mean for the unsuspecting tourist you may well ask. Well one sweats a lot which means frequent changes of clothing. Therein lies the trick! If perchance you come with a limited wardrobe or better still if the airline loses your luggage and cannot find a single trace of it it becomes even trickier. Ah, wash your clothes. Only one problem- it's the rainforest and it even rains indoors. Well maybe not but it feels like it. Just can't get away from the dampness. Two days later and your clothes are still wet, smelly even, from the dampness and need to be rewashed.

In spite of the rain and dampness, we are still having a great time. Our travel companions from India and Ontario are all very nice and gracious. They (the guys) spend a good amount of time talking about and comparing notes on photography and photographic equipment, pros and cons and the next must have toy. 

It seems that we are all learning   about photography from our tour guide David Hemmings. The range is quite wide. One of the men has won a good number of awards and had his photos printed in various places. We saw a few samples of his work and he deservedly won his awards. He has a lot of practice-55 days a year devoted to photography. However, he has a natural artistic talent which sets him apart.

I, of course, am the very bottom of the photographing totem pole. The good news is that I have learned a lot and am trying to remember to apply the theories to the picture taking. I am also the slowest one to set up. By the time I figure it all out they have already shot and compared pictures. Of course, they also have way better equipment than I do and some of it is easier to set up. The bottom line though is that they are all better than I am so it gives me more time with our teacher and that is good for me!

The birds we have seen are spectacular- the colours are so beautiful. We have seen many species and Morris happily adds new species to his list on a daily basis. One of the places we went to take pictures was a National Geographic accredited site for bird watching. They had a great set up and our hosts there were most accommodating. 

On a completely different note, I am the only female in a group of six, seven if you count the driver, who is always late but very clever. He buys us little chocolates so we cannot stay annoyed with him for more than 30 seconds. Would you complain if someone brought you chocolates!

So here is one of the differences between the guys and moi- we go out for a walk and our shoes get muddy. At the entrance to the communal building, dining room, bar.... They walk in with only one thought and that is where to get their well deserved beer. It's hard work carrying a heavy backpack with lenses weighing more than a bowling ball. I, on the other hand carefully remove as much mud as possible from my shoes, feeling sorry for the cleaners who have just only washed the floors!

We are now in another location- rancho naturalista. All I can say is WOW! We most definitely have a room with a view- overlooking a valley with a mountain range on the other side. The front wall of the room has 5 glass doors. There are two hummingbird feeders within 10-15 feet in either direction with more hummingbirds than you can count. We are each having a 45 minute lesson on the art of photographing these gorgeous creatures. 

(Morris) To make up for all the inconvenience the birding and the photography has been wonderful.  I learned a great deal about how to get better pictures, how to use flash properly, etc.  This afternoon out guide set up to show us how to photograph hummingbirds in flight and to stop wing motion.  For the photographer it is simple, but the set up is time consuming.  It requires strobe flash, multiple flashes and a background to ensure a clean shot.  I have some marvellous shots.  Irene too.  

Our group is small, 5 people,the guide and the driver.  One member is from Welland, the other two are from India.  Vikram is young, about 40, and spends about 55 days a year travelling to take photos.  He has great equipment, he knows how to use it, and he has a good sense of composition.  As a result his photos are terrific.  I wish I was that good.  My best shots are full of drama, vivid colours, beautiful birds, etc.  He has that, but he also has the ability to make a beautiful shot out of soft colours and less contrasty, less dramatic material.  He is travelling with a close friend.  both of them have very expensive equipment.  One has a 500 mm lens (about $8,000) the other has a 600 mm lens, (about $10,000), They both have top of the line cameras.  In fact, everyone has better cameras than I do.  (Do I sound envious?)  One big lesson that I am learning is that the tripod and head are very important.  Mine are inferior for big heavy lenses and for rapid movement,  I think I am going to have to upgrade.  

Our second stop was at a place called Rancho Naturalista, and a no, it is not a  nudist colony.  It is a beautifully done up small lodge with feeders,  very pleasant.  That's where we did the hummingbird photography.   They have about 5 hummingbird feeders up and boy is it ever busy there.  It's hummingbird Grand Central Station.  There must have been between 30-50 at the really busy times.

Currently we are at the next destination, called Sevegre Lodge, again in a beautiful setting.  Here is where we look for the most sought after bird in Cost Rica (and elsewhere), the resplendent Quetzel.  We'll let you know if we get them.

Here are some pictures

Barcelona-September 2012

Barcelona- Sept 7- 11

We are writing this jointly.  I hope you will be able to tell whose voice is telling the story.  Not that it really matters

Park Guell

 Day1- We arrived in Barcelona bright and early in the morning and Jordi. Our host was at the airport to pick us up. He drove us to his apartment, showed us around and went off to work. After a short nap Morris and I walked to Park Guell where we had been on the last trip but enjoyed very much just the same.  Park Guell was designed by Antonio Gaudi, about whom you will hear more later.  He is famous in these parts, but his buildings are all strange.  He hated straight lines, so everything is curvy, wavy and very unusual.  We both like his work very much. 

On our second day, Morris and I decided to visit the Sagrada Famillia, a church started by Gaudi in the late 1800’s, and left unfinished for many decades after his untimely death in 1926.  More recently work resumed, but in a more modern idiom, although still according to Gaudi’s original plans.  The structure is Gaudi’s but the decorations are 21^st century.  It is not yet finished on the outside but the inside is and is open to viewing and what a sight it is. When we were there 5 years ago and walked through the construction site inside, it seemed as if they would never finish. It is scheduled to be finished by the middle of this century. That’s right!  Another 38 odd years.  It’s hard to understand what is taking so long, and I can’t say that I know the answer, but I think that some of it has to do with the intricacies of the decorations, and the small number of artisans capable of making those decorations.   Gaudi, of course, was an absolute genius and the Sagrada Famillia is a beautiful, bright, architectural wonder- so glad we decided to revisit! Later in the day we visited the Joan Miro museum and Las Ramblas, a beautiful pedestrian street closed off to traffic.

Inside the Sagrada Famillia- not a typical cathedral!

Day 2.  We have only been in Barcelona for 2 days but it feels like we have been here for far longer. We hit the jackpot- our hosts, Jordi and Teresa- are exceptional hosts and have made our visit to Barcelona an unforgettable experience. Not only are they great tour guides but they are also gourmet cooks- such deliciously consistent food! We have had to record this otherwise there would be a confused memory of churches, galleries, restaurants and unfamiliar foods!

Here we are eating some kind of clam prepared by Jordi- delicious!

Jordi is a walking encyclopedia when it comes to the history and politics of Barcelona, Catalonia and their relationship to Spain.  It has been quite an education. Teresa and Jordi took us into the center of the city last night where we had dinner at a fabulous restaurant. We enjoyed familiar foods prepared differently and a variety of food groups never eaten before. Now we can safely say we have eaten tripe, head of sheep, salt cod- all of which are delicious- who knew! Without their introduction to these foods, we never would have known to try them. After dinner we walked around a very old and funky neighbourhood. Jordi took us to a bar- a remnant of the 50’s I think where we had cocktails and enjoyed the atmosphere.

Rooftop dining- excellent food prepared by Teresa and Jordi and more cava and wine than we're used to.

We had a good start Saturday morning. After a lovely breakfast of traditional goat’s cheese, fruit and toast, along with coffee- European style, we drove back to the center of the city where we had been the night before. We got the guided tour- a Jordi special- of the old city including the Barcelona cathedral, King’s Square, various shops popular with the residents of Barcelona and finally a beautiful market far enough from Las Ramblas to be popular with the residents but not the tourists.

(Tilt your head)-Morris and Irene standing on the top of the Barcelona Cathedral

Hmmm- which tomatoes should we buy?

These are all tomatoes- we bought several varieties- all excellent!

We had lunch at the market at a beautiful and friendly restaurant where we sat family style at long harvest tables and spoke (Jordi and Teresa) to other patrons. We managed to have yet another superb meal. Morris and I barely glanced at our menus leaving the ordering entirely up to Teresa and Jordi who had distinguished themselves so well the previous night with their choices for our dinners. Yet again we were not disappointed.

The biggest tomato weighed in at over 850g- just under 2 pounds!

After buying a few items for future consumption, Jordi drove us around Barcelona giving us the scenic tour of the old city, the harbour, beach and various interesting neighbourhoods. By mid afternoon we were exhausted and opted to return to their home for a chance to recharge before continuing with our tourism. (Being a tourist is very exhausting). Toward evening we strolled around the neighbourhood- very vibrant to say the least. We bought our wine, breads and a few other items before returning home to cook dinner where we were introduced to yet more previously unknown species of food prepared by our foodie hosts.

Another one of Gaudi's buildings- a private home a few minutes walk from Teresa and Jordi's

On Sunday morning we left town for Jordi and Teresa’s beach house south of Sitges.  We stopped in Sitges for lunch in the middle of a festival.  There was a wine pressing competition (barefoot) and a parade of people wearing large funny heads.  It was a hot day and those poor people in the masks were soaked when they took them off.  Later that day, at the beach house we went swimming in the Mediterranean- what a treat! The water was crystal clear and just the right temperature.   

Sitges- wine festival parade

Moaning and groaning quietly, on Monday morning we all got up well before the crack of dawn to go birding with a guide.  About an hour south of where we were staying.  For me it was good birding, about 70 species including flamingoes and kingfishers.  I was the only one who had done serious birding before, but Jordi is starting to get into it.

 After the birding we visited a coastal town, Tarragona, where we walked around, bought a souvenir and continued back to the apartment.  (Well actually not really a souvenir, but a piece of pottery that I think Irene would have bought even if we were in Toronto).

Teresa posing in the doorway of a remnant of a medieval building left as a permanent sculpture

Relaxing after a swim in the Mediterranean. Jordi and Teresa's apt is behind Morris' head with the yellow and red flag hanging from the balcony. Location, location, location!

Monday morning we all went down to the beach, about 50 feet from the apartment, had another swim and went back to Barcelona. We had lunch at an outdoor café away from the tourists and got a glimpse of life in Barcelona- very different from our city life. They are very family oriented and appear very friendly and welcoming.

Lunch at an outdoor cafe- more wine, more food!

You may have read about the march for Catalonian independence.  Jordi had been briefing us on why Catalonia wants independence, and of course we could not help comparing to Quebec.  However, the major difference is that Catalonia sends about 9% of it’s GDP to the rest of Spain, and appears to be continually get the shaft from Spain.  In contrast, Quebec seems to get more than its fair share of GDP, and are still not happy.  So this march organized by non-governmental group surprised the politicians by its size.  The papers said there were about 1.5 million people there (which is about 20% of the population)(and two Canadians).  Politicians who were against independence now seem to changing their tune.  The Catalans are hopeful that independence will come.   Jordi, who is a fervent Catalan and Teresa attended the march, and so did we.  The last time I was in a protest march was in University, protesting against apartheid.  Since it was a holiday- Catalonian Independence (they want independence from Spain as they are unfairly treated) they had a march. There were forests of Catalonian lags and people chanting In- Inde- Independacion (probably got the spelling wrong). Anyway, I chanted along with them and enjoyed the people watching.

Can you guess who the real Catalans are!

We had a great time in Barcelona.  The company was excellent.  The food was spectacular.  I don’t think we have ever had such a prolonged period of excellent easting, all kinds of strange foods.  Irene has already mentioned the tripe and some others, but add to that list sea snails, regular snails, various clams, langoustine, a variety of fish that we do not get or eat regularly, including fresh anchovies, sardines, whiting, barnacles, and some delicious melons. 

This is being written now from Berlin, where we arrived to day.  Our meal tonight was a great disappointment.  In comparison to what we have been eating the meal was overly salty, stodgy and not very tasty.  Well, we wanted typical German food, and that’s what we got.  Our bad!

Tomorrow my work starts, in the late afternoon, so I will be a tourist for a little while longer, but Irene will continue the tourist thing.

Morris and Irene

Some additional impressions of Malaysia:

This is a Muslim country.  One tends to forget that, but I am reminded by the sight of women in the full black dress with mask and only the eyes showing.  In  contrast there are also women dressed in short skirts, apparently without comment or evidence of disapproval.  I believe that the Muslim women in their abaya's are mostly tourists from Arab countries, who come here because it is easy to get halaal food.  There is a "religious police" here, but they seem to spend their time looking for books to disapprove of.  Books can be banned here.  There are probably other functions that the religious police perform, but I didn't come across any.  There are however, no bikinis at the hotel swimming pool. 

The local cuisine is a particular blend of Chinese and Indian that is not found anywhere else in Malaysia.  This was our special treat at the faculty dinner last night.  It wasn't too inspiring.  To give us a local flavor we were driven to he hotel in the Malay equivalent of a tuk-tuk.  This is a man-powered tricycle with a side car, a kind of rickshaw.  These are decorated with artificial flowers and multi-coloured lights, like Christmas lights. 

My hosts here have been very solicitious, and if I was a demanding guest I am sure they would have catered to my every whim.  I got up to go to the loo and they wanted to know if I needed anything.  I told them I could manage by myself.  I had had plenty of practice. 

My flight tonight is at 8.00, but I have a 2 hour drive to get to the airport, so I will be leaving soon.  I'll give you my impressions of Vietnam, as much as I can glean from a short visit in the next blog

July 1.

Hope everyone is enjoying Canada Day.  I am in Vietnam

I gave my talk this morning and then my hosts took me around the city this afternoon.  Ho Chi Minh City is like a mixture of India and Thailand, mixed in with a bit of Japan.  There are masses of electrical wires strung between unsteady-looking poles, just as we saw in India. The are wealthy areas, looking much like many of the places we saw in Japan, cheek by jowl with poorer areas, where the shops are all holes in the walls, with no storefront and no counter.  The goods are stacked inside and out, and the vendors sit in the street waiting for custom.  My hotel is in the central business district, adjacent to several big and modern-looking hotels, Sheraton, Sofitel, etc, and adjacent to a few tall modern glass towers.  But in the morning there is a rooster crowing outside my window.  This is reminiscent of India and Thailand.  The traffic is also different.  The have different rules here, but everyone seems to obey the rules.  Everyone travels slowly.  Scooters by the thousands weave in and out of traffic.  Cars and scooters cut across lanes at will, but nothing bumps into anything.  The rules seem to be - go slow, avoid collisions, otherwise anything goes.  Traffic lights are obeyed, sort of, and unlike India, people respect the direction that traffic is supposed to flow in.  No-one going against the stream. 

The most preferred form of transportation here is the scooter.  There are more scooters than pedestrians.  At a red light a line-up of scooters waiting for the green looks like a solid phalanx.  The line-up is 20 yards deep an perhaps 20 feet across.  In traffic they weave in and out of the stream, and at intersections without lights (the majority) the streams mingle and intermix like columns of ants going in different directions, some merging with one of the several streams, and some leaving their stream and joining others.  Very different from what we are used to.  They tell me there are 10 million inhabitants in Ho Chi Minh City, and 5 million scooters.  I think they are all going my way.  Apparently 80% come from China, Honda knock off's, down to the logo, that cost 1/10 of what the real thing costs

All the big box stores and designer labels are here, suggesting wealth, but apparently about 40% of this wealth has been obtained by corruption.  There are many billionaires here, who, I am told, gained their wealth just as they did in Russia, and in China and South Africa, and no doubt many other places as well.  My host took me to meet a friend of his, and internist at a private hospital, who enlightened me as to the economy of Vietnam.  The increase in GDP last year was 5%.  However, according to him the was mostly due to sale of resources, including the mines that produce the resources, to China.  Vietnam is very much a client state of China.  Despite this in the last few days China invaded an island belonging to Vietnam, apparently it has oil.  Of course the Vietnamese government did not protest.  However, there was a "large" street protest.  About 1000 people.  I guess that is large for Vietnam, where any form of street protest is illegal.  Apparently there were more police than protestors.

We went to a market.  You how I love that sort of thing -  not!.  It stank.  Apparently durian was the cause.  For those of you who don't know, durian is a fruit about the size of a very large pineapple.  It looks like one of those spiky medieval maces that are swung on a chain.  when opened it stinks to high heaven.  Apparently the taste is delicious, if you can get past the smell.  I was not prepared to try it.  Some places have banned durian because of the smell.  The smell permeated the whole market

My host took me for dinner to a local restaurant, one where Vietnamese eat.  There was nothing fancy about this place.  The tables were metal topped, no table cloths, the paint peeling and everything looking shabby.  There was nothing shabby about the food.  Fried soft shell crabs, from tank to table accompanied by "vegetables".  These were actually leaves of various sorts, including peppermint and other herbs that I did not recognize.  Very good. 

Now it's getting late (for me), 9.30 pm.  Time for bed, with an early start tomorrow

July 2

Leaving Vietnam is more hassle than it should be.  Just as well I left plenty of time to get through the departure formalities. Spent 30 minutes in passport control.  Not that they were that busy, just painfully slow.   In addition, as always I chose the slowest line.  We were progressing nicely when in front of us there was a Vietnamese couple whose papers were not in order.  That took 20 minutes of discussion before they were allowed to leave.  I waited in line for a while, and then in frustration moved to another shorter line, only to have another hold-up, who knows why.  I would have done better to stay in the original line.  But I am getting used to this.  Apparently it is my karma to always chose the slowest line.  So if we have to line up together somewhere, do not join my line. 

Nice hotel room here in Bangkok in one of the glass towers of the city.  Nice trip in from the airport as well, in a new, spotless expensive Mercedes.  They are treating me well on this trip. 

I am here now for a few days.  I've already done some washing, and I will be doing some catching up with work.  With a little luck I will be up to date when by the time I get home. 

Had dinner tonight at a restaurant in the mall attached to the hotel.  I had a red duck curry, which was delicious, but much less spicy than I had expected.  There were these things floating in the broth that looked like peas, green and round and pea-sized, but they had a tougher exterior, and when you bit into them the squirted out a flavoured juiced.  Not sure what they were, but they were good. 

Tomorrow I give another talk at lunch time.  think I will just stay in the hotel and work in the morning.  It's hot and steamy outside. 

This comes to you from Malaysia, specifically from a city called Melaka, about 2 hours south of Kuala Lumpur.  I've never been to Malaysia before.  It's an interesting place.  It's rather intimidating when there is an announcement on the flight coming that drug smuggling is punishable with death in Malaysia.  Not sure why the airline feels they have to make that comment.  If you were planning on smuggling drugs what should you do -  leave it on the plane?  Maybe declare it?  Take your chances?  Seems a bit late to be giving out that warning.  Maybe when you buy your ticket it should come with a warning.

The population here is about 40% ethnic Malay, 40% ethnic Chinese and the rest from South India (Tamils) or indigenous people (mainly in Borneo).  The Malays look a little like the Philippino's, but are darker skinned.  Almost everyone speaks English.  It's the second language here, taught in schools.  The Malay language has the same cadence as the Philippino language, although I am told that it is different.  The characters are the same as in English, so I can now read Malay, although I don't have much idea what I am reading.  There are many words borrowed from English.  Here are some examples

Universiti
Seksjun
teksi, etc.

The food is a mix of Chinese and Indian, spicy and very flavourful.  In keeping with the English tradition the morning refreshment break is called "Tea", rather than the "coffee break" that we are used to.  They serve very different things with the tea or coffee -  spicy fried cookies, flavoured rice, a samosa-like pastry.  Very tasty.

The weather here is warm to hot, and humid.  Apparently it's like this all year round.  They don't have seasons here.  I guess I have become used to the change in seasons, for I find it strange not go go from summer to fall to winter etc.  With one season all year round it removes the weather as a topic of conversation.

The hotel is on the coast, but it's not very attractive.  The beach is under development, there are unattractive mud flats at low tide.  Doesn't have the same attraction as beaches elsewhere usually do.  The water is not enticing, nor is the sand.

The meeting here is a typical Asian meeting.  Much emphasis on how individual doctors treat patients and their own septic approaches, rather than doing what the evidence suggests is best.  I think it must be cultural.  These are intelligent people, yet they don't get it.  Even when it's spelled out, when the evidence is listed study by study the prevailing attitude seems to be to ignore the evidence, or perhaps more usually to undertake treatments for which there is no evidence of benefit, and the potential for harm.

We have seen this now time and time again in the meetings in Asia.  Oh well!  not sure why they keep asking me to talk if they disagree so profoundly with my approach.

I have now given two of the three talks I am due to give here in Malaysia.  The last is tomorrow, and tomorrow evening I leave for Vietnam.  Only one talk there on Sunday. and on Monday I go to Bangkok. Next instalment will probably be from Bangkok