Delhi is a beautiful assault on your senses.
We arrived last night without incident after a 7 hour flight from Frankfurt. After clearing customs, we walked down a rather narrow hallway full of anxious loved ones awaiting their arrivals. We were very happy to see the two smiling faces of our two wonderful friends, Patricia and Safeena, in the airport. Safeena had jasmine flower bracelets for us all which smelled beautiful and were very soft to play with between the fingers. The two of them had been waiting in the airport for about three hours since Trish's flight had arrived earlier that night.
The heat hit us as soon as we walked outside. Even though the airport was quite warm, the temperature outside was brutal. It was about 2 a.m. and the temperature was in the upper 90s! After being in the temperate climate of the Netherlands, this was quite shocking. The parking lot was crowded and we looked for our car and driver who had been waiting in his car all evening.
The car ride was quite an introduction to India. It was just like we imagined but instead of imagining it, we were living it! Cars and trucks, auto-rickshaws and bicycles were making all sorts of noises, weaving around one another in a chaos that can only be described as orderly. At one point we slowed to wait for a big, fat, happy, white cow to cross the street. Happy to be at our destination, we greeted the neighbourhood dogs Sweetie and Sweetie Spot (we named the second one and there was yet a third who does not have a name that Saf knows of- we'll give him a name tonight). They live on the street in front of the house and are fed and given water from locals. It is quite distressing for two dog lovers to see homeless dogs sleeping in the dirt but today we saw many other dogs that showed us that the dogs in Saf's neighbourhood are relatively taken care of. As there is not a big gene pool for street dogs, most of them look like small, beige greyhounds with long, narrow faces and thin, curled tails.
The apartment where we are staying is nothing short of luxurious with its high ceilings, dark wood walls, and white marble floors. We have our own bedroom and bathroom with airconditioning. For those who saw our apartment in NYC, we can compare it by saying this place is at least twice the size. It is on the top floor and there are two large patios where you can stand and look out on the dry, dusty, and exhilarating neighbourhood.
After a short sleep, we woke up and had a delicious breakfast prepared by Saf of many different fruits. The papaya was everyone's favourite. We sat and talked for hours, showered, and then went for coffee at a place that resembled Starbucks more than anything. It was so cold in there and we enjoyed our coffees and vegetarian snacks while delving deep into our guidebooks to plan our month here in India. Sadly, Saf is leaving on Sunday and Trish the following Sunday so we are going to make the most of our time here while we are all together. Saf is a wealth of knowledge having lived here for a year. She has been our guiding light. She showed us her neighbourhood and took us to the ruins of the first mosque in India dating to the b.c. 1193 (or thereabouts). We also visited a beautiful, marble Bahai temple that resembles a giant lotus flower. It is often compared to the Sydney Operahouse and it's clear why.
We ended the day at a restaurant overlooking a large park and more ruins. The meal was traditional Indian fare and as such, the flavours were incredibly rich but it was better than any Indian food we've tried. It was delicious. Fitting the four of us into an auto-rickshaw built for two (or, at most, three) wasn't too easy but we travelled this way all day. It is the best way to see the life in this city.
Back in the neighbourhood after dinner, we had paan. Designed as an after-dinner mint and digestive aid, it is a mix of fennel, seeds, lime paste and a whole bunch of other things wrapped in a leaf and drizzled with syrup. It fits in the palm of your hand and is to be eaten in one bite. Magi opted out of the experience (this time around) but I tried it. It was unlike anything I've ever had. It was spearminty, spicy, and sweet all at once... I enjoyed it but was also glad when I was done all the chewing.
One thing that we expected but didn't know how we would react is the staring. We saw maybe four people of European descent or other obvious tourists today. And let me tell you, people stare and sometimes children laugh with excitement. It is kind of fun to be such entertainment, just by walking around! They just don't see non-Indian people all that often so all of us are somewhat of a novelty- except for Saf. Saf is of Indian descent but she is Canadian. Because she passes as an Indian, she gets incredible discounts on tourist sites. For example, at the mosque, we had to pay Rs. 250 and Saf only had to pay Rs. 10!
I can't think of enough superlatives to describe this day. It was very thrilling, exhausting, somewhat terrifying, wonderful, and... so many other things.
We are leaving on Thursday to take a trip out of town for a few days. We will try to write again before then.
tothesea.. indeed
love k&m
Tuesday, July 30, 2002
Sunday, July 28, 2002
pass the dutchie
Last night Magi and I were sitting by a canal eating "puur" chocolate pastilles. We had just left a coffeeshop where we had some steins of deliciously Dutch white beer. The game was to try and think of a city that surpassed Amsterdam in its charm, quietude, efficiency, and overall personality. We could think of none. Amsterdam is a city that you can fall in love with immediately. Once you get away from the area around the train station, you can't help but notice the distinct architecture of the canalhouses and that the light bring bring of bike bells is heard instead of honking cars. Really, the only thing we would change about this city is how you have to pay to use bathrooms no matter where you go! Men have it a little easier since in alleyways and parks, there are freestanding chest-high plastic structures that four can use at once (free of charge).
When we arrived on Friday morning, we had just stepped off the plane with no more than two winks of sleep. It was very difficult to nap when there was so much to think about! Everytime I (Krishna) closed my eyes, I would think of different cities we are about to visit and I would feel a small rush of adrenaline. The flight was very enjoyable and the food served was delicious. A flight attendant even brought me two cups with hot cloths in them to put over my ears when she saw the discomfort I was in before landing (thanks to my poor sinuses). Magi and I got quite a laugh out of how silly I looked with the cups over my ears!
Our hotel room was ready when we arrived there shortly after 9 a.m. We showered and went out again quickly since we were going to try and stay up all day in order to offset the jetlag. We walked to a market and looked around, we passed by Rembrandt's home and strolled through the old Jewish quarter. We had some fries and then groggily snaked back to the hotel to get a quick power nap (ha!). About four hours later we emerged and spent the rest of the day wandering the streets.
On Saturday, we visited an organic food market for breakfast and then did a self-guided walking tour through some of the more interesting neighbourhoods in town to admire the historic landmarks. That ate up our whole day! The city is arranged around a series of semi-circle canals and with street names like Oudezijds Voorburgwal and Nieuwezijds Armsteeg, you can understand the temporary confusion. For supper, we had some delicious food and enjoyed the art at a vegetarian restaurant called Bolhoed.
Today we had great plans to go to a town about 25 minutes away by train and rent bikes to take through the countryside. By the time we arrived in Castricum the bikes were already all rented out! Instead, we came back to Amsterdam to rent bikes and rode them to Vondelpark for a picnic. The park was very crowded and we actually enjoyed the ride down the street to and from the park more than the park itself. Riding on main streets in Amsterdam is so wonderfully relaxing and the time we spend on our one-speed cruisers was the highlight of our time here in Amsterdam. Our rental bikes stuck out like sore thumbs since they are bright red, very new, and have big round disks on the front of the handlebars that identify them as rentals. But we figured the locals would be more forgiving if they knew we weren't from the area and this seemed to work since I didn't get cursed at too loudly when I turned right and almost knocked a fellow cyclist off his bike (oops).
Tomorrow morning we need to be at the airport by 7 a.m. to catch our first flight to Frankfurt to connect there for Delhi. How are we going to wake up in time? We have slept through our alarm clock twice now and wake up calls are "not possible" in our hotel.
Maybe we will just have to stay up all night.
"Girls Just Wanna Have Fun" is playing on the radio in this internet cafe. How fitting.
tothesea,
k&m
When we arrived on Friday morning, we had just stepped off the plane with no more than two winks of sleep. It was very difficult to nap when there was so much to think about! Everytime I (Krishna) closed my eyes, I would think of different cities we are about to visit and I would feel a small rush of adrenaline. The flight was very enjoyable and the food served was delicious. A flight attendant even brought me two cups with hot cloths in them to put over my ears when she saw the discomfort I was in before landing (thanks to my poor sinuses). Magi and I got quite a laugh out of how silly I looked with the cups over my ears!
Our hotel room was ready when we arrived there shortly after 9 a.m. We showered and went out again quickly since we were going to try and stay up all day in order to offset the jetlag. We walked to a market and looked around, we passed by Rembrandt's home and strolled through the old Jewish quarter. We had some fries and then groggily snaked back to the hotel to get a quick power nap (ha!). About four hours later we emerged and spent the rest of the day wandering the streets.
On Saturday, we visited an organic food market for breakfast and then did a self-guided walking tour through some of the more interesting neighbourhoods in town to admire the historic landmarks. That ate up our whole day! The city is arranged around a series of semi-circle canals and with street names like Oudezijds Voorburgwal and Nieuwezijds Armsteeg, you can understand the temporary confusion. For supper, we had some delicious food and enjoyed the art at a vegetarian restaurant called Bolhoed.
Today we had great plans to go to a town about 25 minutes away by train and rent bikes to take through the countryside. By the time we arrived in Castricum the bikes were already all rented out! Instead, we came back to Amsterdam to rent bikes and rode them to Vondelpark for a picnic. The park was very crowded and we actually enjoyed the ride down the street to and from the park more than the park itself. Riding on main streets in Amsterdam is so wonderfully relaxing and the time we spend on our one-speed cruisers was the highlight of our time here in Amsterdam. Our rental bikes stuck out like sore thumbs since they are bright red, very new, and have big round disks on the front of the handlebars that identify them as rentals. But we figured the locals would be more forgiving if they knew we weren't from the area and this seemed to work since I didn't get cursed at too loudly when I turned right and almost knocked a fellow cyclist off his bike (oops).
Tomorrow morning we need to be at the airport by 7 a.m. to catch our first flight to Frankfurt to connect there for Delhi. How are we going to wake up in time? We have slept through our alarm clock twice now and wake up calls are "not possible" in our hotel.
Maybe we will just have to stay up all night.
"Girls Just Wanna Have Fun" is playing on the radio in this internet cafe. How fitting.
tothesea,
k&m
Thursday, July 25, 2002
time to fly
Last night was the one night this month when we really needed to get a good night sleep. We needed to go to bed early and wake up early in order to try and adjust our bodies to our time clock as of tomorrow. It didn't work. It was like Christmas eve, or the night before a big job interview or first date. It was made worse by our packed bags sitting over there on the floor watching us sleep, waiting for their adventures to begin. We tried to go to sleep around 10 but ended up tossing and turning for an hour. Frustrated, we turned on Comedy Central to watch The Daily Show with Jon Stewart for some comic relief (it was a particularly good episode). Then a rereun of Saturday Night Live came on and we watched most of that. In the end, we didn't end up sleeping until after midnight. We slept in until 8.30 (Magi) and 9.30 (Krishna). So much for adjusting our schedule!
Anyway, our flight leaves tonight at 6. We have a 7 hour flight and arrive in Amsterdam tomorrow morning around 7.30. There are no emotions now except excitement. We're very anxious to get going!
See you back on this continent next year! Until then, take care of yourselves and your animals.
tothesea,
k&m
Anyway, our flight leaves tonight at 6. We have a 7 hour flight and arrive in Amsterdam tomorrow morning around 7.30. There are no emotions now except excitement. We're very anxious to get going!
See you back on this continent next year! Until then, take care of yourselves and your animals.
tothesea,
k&m
Monday, July 22, 2002
amazing and lovely
It was so nice to have company last weekend! And the company consisted of two of our best friends- Rebecca and Tara- so it was extra nice. The best thing was just hanging out on the patio and catching up. We went to see a film called Lovely and Amazing. It was more lovely than amazing but we all enjoyed it very much. After that, we went out for the best all vegetarian chinese food (Yuan Fu in Rockville, MD) and filled our bellies on spring rolls, steamed dumplings, orange beef, cashew chicken, fried eggplant, and Kung Pao chicken. Though we expected to have leftovers, we managed to finish each and every morsel. Yum!
Over the course of those two short days, Rebecca, in particular, fell in love with Punkin and the two were inseparable. Punkin has been listless and depressed all day. I wouldn't doubt if the same is true for Rebecca. Meanwhile, Tara fell in love with the dish soap and wouldn't let a dish go dirty for more than a few minutes (we love you for that Tara!).
Our last few days in Washington are upon us. Tomorrow we head to the airport but we're not going anywhere, it's just time to pick up Magi's parents. We called today to reconfirm our flight to Amsterdam for Thursday night. We think it's weird to have to reconfirm a flight 72 hours in advance to ensure you don't lose your seat! Shouldn't paying big bucks for the ticket suffice?
Sleep tight.
tothesea,
k&m
Over the course of those two short days, Rebecca, in particular, fell in love with Punkin and the two were inseparable. Punkin has been listless and depressed all day. I wouldn't doubt if the same is true for Rebecca. Meanwhile, Tara fell in love with the dish soap and wouldn't let a dish go dirty for more than a few minutes (we love you for that Tara!).
Our last few days in Washington are upon us. Tomorrow we head to the airport but we're not going anywhere, it's just time to pick up Magi's parents. We called today to reconfirm our flight to Amsterdam for Thursday night. We think it's weird to have to reconfirm a flight 72 hours in advance to ensure you don't lose your seat! Shouldn't paying big bucks for the ticket suffice?
Sleep tight.
tothesea,
k&m
Thursday, July 18, 2002
seven days, seven nights
We leave in one week.
As it stands now, we have just about everything ready to go. We've packed and unpacked and repacked our backpacks a few times now (try saying that five times) and have discovered that we only have about 45 lbs. of stuff to cart around with us. That's probably about 1/2 of what we had when we travelled through Europe in 1998 so we're doing pretty good!
Since we have our travel guides read, our bags ready, our traveller's cheques and Euros bought, our crisp US dollar bills sorted from the worn ones (which we will leave behind), and our website ready, the biggest task we have left to do is to choose the music that will be, in essence, the soundtrack of our trip. We have four cards for our MP3 player and estimate that will give us room for approximately 135 songs. We have a lot of picking and choosing to do. It's very difficult, for a couple of music fanatics, to go through song lists and decide what songs you will want to listen to while travelling and those you will not have the opportunity to listen to for months and months.
But that's just something to keep our minds occupied while somehow covering up the excited feelings and anxiousness we have about leaving!
Some of you know what our first stop is and others have no idea. So we'll even out the playing field and keep everyone one step ahead.
Our first stop is Amsterdam. We arrive there early next Friday morning and spend the weekend there. We stayed in Amsterdam back in June of 1998 on our trip through Europe and it remains one of our favourite cities. Last time we were there, we arrived at night with hostel reservations that were not held for us and let's just say, Amsterdam is FULL in June and July. A man in the train station said he rented out rooms in his apartment to backpackers. Our only other option was to stay at a severely overpriced hotel which went way over our $50/day budget (Canadian dollars, I might add). So, against our better judgement, we took the stranger up on his offer and he drove us to his apartment. There were three American guys staying there too but we had our own room. It ended up being safe, quiet, and a great place to stay. We drank Heineken, ordered pizza, and watched the World Cup with our roommates.
Learning from this lesson, we booked a budget hotel in Amsterdam way in advance (with a credit card) this time around. The sad thing is we'll probably spend less money on accomodations the entire time we're in Asia than for these three night in Amsterdam! Such is the drawback to European travel.
One final note. Some people refer to the Netherlands as "Holland" because historically, this region of the Netherlands has been where the majority of people have settled and where the most economic activity has occurred. However, Zuid- (South) and Noord- (North) Holland are only two of the twelve provinces in the Netherlands! So, it's akin to calling Canada "Ontario" or the US "New York" which would, no doubt, annoy a lot of people. So, next time you think of the Netherlands, for goodness sakes, don't forget the other wonderful provinces like Zeeland and Flevopolder! :)
tothesea,
k&m
As it stands now, we have just about everything ready to go. We've packed and unpacked and repacked our backpacks a few times now (try saying that five times) and have discovered that we only have about 45 lbs. of stuff to cart around with us. That's probably about 1/2 of what we had when we travelled through Europe in 1998 so we're doing pretty good!
Since we have our travel guides read, our bags ready, our traveller's cheques and Euros bought, our crisp US dollar bills sorted from the worn ones (which we will leave behind), and our website ready, the biggest task we have left to do is to choose the music that will be, in essence, the soundtrack of our trip. We have four cards for our MP3 player and estimate that will give us room for approximately 135 songs. We have a lot of picking and choosing to do. It's very difficult, for a couple of music fanatics, to go through song lists and decide what songs you will want to listen to while travelling and those you will not have the opportunity to listen to for months and months.
But that's just something to keep our minds occupied while somehow covering up the excited feelings and anxiousness we have about leaving!
Some of you know what our first stop is and others have no idea. So we'll even out the playing field and keep everyone one step ahead.
Our first stop is Amsterdam. We arrive there early next Friday morning and spend the weekend there. We stayed in Amsterdam back in June of 1998 on our trip through Europe and it remains one of our favourite cities. Last time we were there, we arrived at night with hostel reservations that were not held for us and let's just say, Amsterdam is FULL in June and July. A man in the train station said he rented out rooms in his apartment to backpackers. Our only other option was to stay at a severely overpriced hotel which went way over our $50/day budget (Canadian dollars, I might add). So, against our better judgement, we took the stranger up on his offer and he drove us to his apartment. There were three American guys staying there too but we had our own room. It ended up being safe, quiet, and a great place to stay. We drank Heineken, ordered pizza, and watched the World Cup with our roommates.
Learning from this lesson, we booked a budget hotel in Amsterdam way in advance (with a credit card) this time around. The sad thing is we'll probably spend less money on accomodations the entire time we're in Asia than for these three night in Amsterdam! Such is the drawback to European travel.
One final note. Some people refer to the Netherlands as "Holland" because historically, this region of the Netherlands has been where the majority of people have settled and where the most economic activity has occurred. However, Zuid- (South) and Noord- (North) Holland are only two of the twelve provinces in the Netherlands! So, it's akin to calling Canada "Ontario" or the US "New York" which would, no doubt, annoy a lot of people. So, next time you think of the Netherlands, for goodness sakes, don't forget the other wonderful provinces like Zeeland and Flevopolder! :)
tothesea,
k&m
Friday, July 12, 2002
a week without a watch
Today we made some additions to our photos page. You haven't missed anything if you didn't look at the page before, but now there are much more than four pictures on there. After reading recently about the excruciatingly slow connections in Internet cafes overseas, we really don't expect to change that page until we get back. Maybe we'll all be surprised though.
Over the course of this week, we taught Punkin how to shake a paw and shake the other paw. She pretty much has it down pat now but will only oblige us when we are holding a treat in front of her nose. She much prefers that we throw the ball for her or chase her around the dining room table. We also watched Gandhi (for some historical insight on the relationship between Pakistan and India), and Brokedown Palace (for shameless entertainment about two American girls who wind up in a Thai prison). We walked for miles in appropriately steamy weather to pick up Magi's visa for India. We've also been doing some conditioning of our bodies for the trip by spending more time outside and more time on the treadmill. We do this knowing that once we meet Trish and Saf in Delhi we are going to have to be able to keep up with them!
We have also been taking it easy. Our days ususally begin around 10 or 11 a.m. and end at about 1 a.m. We have succumbed to watching Judge Judy and the incessantly repetitive programming on VH1 without shame, we indulge in our favourite delicious vegan foods like Soy Dream, Tofutti cheese slices, Better Than Cream Cheese, Yves sausages, and Boca burgers (just to name a few) while we still have them at our fingertips, and we revel in the joys of life without a schedule. Note: we do have a minor amount of intellectual capacity left and we will be going out to a performance tomorrow night called Glory Box.
We hope everyone gets to have at least one day without a schedule this week.
tothesea,
k&m
Over the course of this week, we taught Punkin how to shake a paw and shake the other paw. She pretty much has it down pat now but will only oblige us when we are holding a treat in front of her nose. She much prefers that we throw the ball for her or chase her around the dining room table. We also watched Gandhi (for some historical insight on the relationship between Pakistan and India), and Brokedown Palace (for shameless entertainment about two American girls who wind up in a Thai prison). We walked for miles in appropriately steamy weather to pick up Magi's visa for India. We've also been doing some conditioning of our bodies for the trip by spending more time outside and more time on the treadmill. We do this knowing that once we meet Trish and Saf in Delhi we are going to have to be able to keep up with them!
We have also been taking it easy. Our days ususally begin around 10 or 11 a.m. and end at about 1 a.m. We have succumbed to watching Judge Judy and the incessantly repetitive programming on VH1 without shame, we indulge in our favourite delicious vegan foods like Soy Dream, Tofutti cheese slices, Better Than Cream Cheese, Yves sausages, and Boca burgers (just to name a few) while we still have them at our fingertips, and we revel in the joys of life without a schedule. Note: we do have a minor amount of intellectual capacity left and we will be going out to a performance tomorrow night called Glory Box.
We hope everyone gets to have at least one day without a schedule this week.
tothesea,
k&m
Sunday, July 07, 2002
memories of new york city
It’s Sunday afternoon. Magi’s gone out shopping with her sister so it’s just Krishna writing today. I’m just catching up on emails and doing some channel surfing.
Magi’s parents have one of these massive televisions where everyone looks close to lifesize. I just turned the channel to HBO and am now watching a Bjork concert and this is what has inspired me to write this afternoon.
This concert took place on September 5th, 2001 in NYC at a tiny chapel on the upper west side right on the edge of Central Park. The crowd consisted of only 100 fans. You can’t imagine a more intimate setting.
Magi and I can because we were there.
When an edited version of the concert aired on HBO a few months later we had to wait to watch it later on a video because we didn't have HBO. We watched it on our crummy little television immediately after we got the tape. But now, to see it on this big television, with this stereo sound, and this quality of colour, well, it feels like we're there again. It is especially exciting to see Magi and myself on the big screen as the cameras show close-ups of the audience. We were in one of the first rows.
I wrote a review of the show for a friend’s zine. Here’s a much-edited tidbit:
The last time I was this enchanted was the day I climbed up the side of a waterfall on the southeast coast of Iceland. It was March. The sky was painted blue- the shade of blue that pierces your eyes and makes you squint. The only sounds were the wind and the waterfall working in harmony with one another. The landscape was vast, smooth, and crisp(…)
A man approached one of the music boxes on the stage and turned its crank. It was long and squat and read “Porter”. As he walked away, the soft, clear plucking sounds of Aurora began churning out from the seemingly unnecessary speakers. A silence fell over the crowd (…)
We spent the next half-hour waiting and looking at the stage, smiling at the pigeons playing outside in the rose window above, staring up at the tall nave, and making mental notes of the odd range of instruments on stage: a harp, two Mac computers, two music boxes- the Porter and a taller, more typical one with long and winding glass icicles dripping off it’s sides, a large shallow tray with small white rocks, a banjo, a guitar, a bell, and a keyboard. Many more instruments, including a deck of cards, an accordian, and a cymbal would appear later. “The Truth Shall Set You Free” was carved in the white stone above the altar. We listened to conversations, had a few brief ones of our own, but mostly just sat there with our hearts racing (…)
The sixteen choir girls from Greenland entered. All were clad in red or white long satin dresses with beadwork. Some wore headpieces… they were all barefoot. Their glowing skin and smiles were enchanting and their faces reflected varying stages of confidence (...)
Moments later, Bjork walked in from the left. She tiptoed down the aisle. Her small body was wrapped in a swan made of black and blue sequins ending with a crinoline skirt. She was barefoot though she wore striped tights. The makeup painted up to her eyebrow was a rich peacock blue. Her clammy hands and wide eyes reflected what I interpreted as nervousness. It was one of the first times she would be playing her new songs in front of strangers (…)
The remainder of the show is somewhat of a blur. I remember precise, precious moments but cannot form them into a logical sequence. Such are feelings, wilting and flowering without control (…)
Bjork’s voice, one word, can draw out tears. It is so powerful and feels like she is capable of harnessing all the energy and strength in her body and releasing it through these sounds. She is St. Theresa in ecstasy. And I wondered how she was able to stand after the release without wavering, collapsing into the side of the harp, through its strings (…)
If you’re still with me, thanks. I am completely wrapped up in that night, forgive me. But my emotions are about more than this one concert, it is all the memories of living in NYC and having opportunities to be a part of things like this. It makes me really miss the vibrant energy of NYC and our time there.
It also reminds me that six days later, NYC was hit by two airplanes.
And then, everything was different.
I guess that’s a big part of what makes that night so incredibly honest, innocent, and special.
cheers to NYC,
k~*
Magi’s parents have one of these massive televisions where everyone looks close to lifesize. I just turned the channel to HBO and am now watching a Bjork concert and this is what has inspired me to write this afternoon.
This concert took place on September 5th, 2001 in NYC at a tiny chapel on the upper west side right on the edge of Central Park. The crowd consisted of only 100 fans. You can’t imagine a more intimate setting.
Magi and I can because we were there.
When an edited version of the concert aired on HBO a few months later we had to wait to watch it later on a video because we didn't have HBO. We watched it on our crummy little television immediately after we got the tape. But now, to see it on this big television, with this stereo sound, and this quality of colour, well, it feels like we're there again. It is especially exciting to see Magi and myself on the big screen as the cameras show close-ups of the audience. We were in one of the first rows.
I wrote a review of the show for a friend’s zine. Here’s a much-edited tidbit:
The last time I was this enchanted was the day I climbed up the side of a waterfall on the southeast coast of Iceland. It was March. The sky was painted blue- the shade of blue that pierces your eyes and makes you squint. The only sounds were the wind and the waterfall working in harmony with one another. The landscape was vast, smooth, and crisp(…)
A man approached one of the music boxes on the stage and turned its crank. It was long and squat and read “Porter”. As he walked away, the soft, clear plucking sounds of Aurora began churning out from the seemingly unnecessary speakers. A silence fell over the crowd (…)
We spent the next half-hour waiting and looking at the stage, smiling at the pigeons playing outside in the rose window above, staring up at the tall nave, and making mental notes of the odd range of instruments on stage: a harp, two Mac computers, two music boxes- the Porter and a taller, more typical one with long and winding glass icicles dripping off it’s sides, a large shallow tray with small white rocks, a banjo, a guitar, a bell, and a keyboard. Many more instruments, including a deck of cards, an accordian, and a cymbal would appear later. “The Truth Shall Set You Free” was carved in the white stone above the altar. We listened to conversations, had a few brief ones of our own, but mostly just sat there with our hearts racing (…)
The sixteen choir girls from Greenland entered. All were clad in red or white long satin dresses with beadwork. Some wore headpieces… they were all barefoot. Their glowing skin and smiles were enchanting and their faces reflected varying stages of confidence (...)
Moments later, Bjork walked in from the left. She tiptoed down the aisle. Her small body was wrapped in a swan made of black and blue sequins ending with a crinoline skirt. She was barefoot though she wore striped tights. The makeup painted up to her eyebrow was a rich peacock blue. Her clammy hands and wide eyes reflected what I interpreted as nervousness. It was one of the first times she would be playing her new songs in front of strangers (…)
The remainder of the show is somewhat of a blur. I remember precise, precious moments but cannot form them into a logical sequence. Such are feelings, wilting and flowering without control (…)
Bjork’s voice, one word, can draw out tears. It is so powerful and feels like she is capable of harnessing all the energy and strength in her body and releasing it through these sounds. She is St. Theresa in ecstasy. And I wondered how she was able to stand after the release without wavering, collapsing into the side of the harp, through its strings (…)
If you’re still with me, thanks. I am completely wrapped up in that night, forgive me. But my emotions are about more than this one concert, it is all the memories of living in NYC and having opportunities to be a part of things like this. It makes me really miss the vibrant energy of NYC and our time there.
It also reminds me that six days later, NYC was hit by two airplanes.
And then, everything was different.
I guess that’s a big part of what makes that night so incredibly honest, innocent, and special.
cheers to NYC,
k~*
Friday, July 05, 2002
extra! extra! change of email is now official
Our email has now been officially changed to tothesea@asia.com.
If you send emails to our old addresses you'll receive an auto-reply asking you to forward the email to our new address.
That's it for today!
Thanks,
k&m
If you send emails to our old addresses you'll receive an auto-reply asking you to forward the email to our new address.
That's it for today!
Thanks,
k&m
Thursday, July 04, 2002
feels like mumbai
Happy Fourth of July!
Now that we are in D.C., we’ve been staying in the air-conditioned house and going out only as necessary. The heat is really oppressive here. Knowing that India is going to be the same or worse, we know we should go outside and get used to it. Maybe we’ll wait a little later in the month for that or maybe we’ll just enjoy the cool air while we have it.
That gives us a good segue to discuss India. We're still going since the problems there have not escalated and we're meeting two great friends there. Patricia, an old friend from McGill, is going to be in Delhi the same night as us. We're still waiting for details from Safeena (who lived in India for the last year) and who is also an old McGill friend. There have also been warnings about going to the Philippines. Krishna is going by what Magi and her family think about it (there are plenty of safe islands to travel to), and Magi is keeping her plans to lure Krishna there and then sell her a secret.
She wanted short hair for the trip overseas, so Magi took the scissors to Krishna’s head. Krishna doesn’t have much hair left now and it’s perfect.
We’ve added a photos page to our site and we’ll update you when we make further changes. The pictures up there now are from our latest trip to the east coast and we’re making no promises about when or how often we’ll be making additions.
Have a great holiday every(American)one! Being that we’re in D.C. amidst the current world climate, we’re going to stay home, watch a movie, eat canned peaches, and listen to the fireworks from the safety of the fallout shelter in the basement.
tothesea,
k&m
Now that we are in D.C., we’ve been staying in the air-conditioned house and going out only as necessary. The heat is really oppressive here. Knowing that India is going to be the same or worse, we know we should go outside and get used to it. Maybe we’ll wait a little later in the month for that or maybe we’ll just enjoy the cool air while we have it.
That gives us a good segue to discuss India. We're still going since the problems there have not escalated and we're meeting two great friends there. Patricia, an old friend from McGill, is going to be in Delhi the same night as us. We're still waiting for details from Safeena (who lived in India for the last year) and who is also an old McGill friend. There have also been warnings about going to the Philippines. Krishna is going by what Magi and her family think about it (there are plenty of safe islands to travel to), and Magi is keeping her plans to lure Krishna there and then sell her a secret.
She wanted short hair for the trip overseas, so Magi took the scissors to Krishna’s head. Krishna doesn’t have much hair left now and it’s perfect.
We’ve added a photos page to our site and we’ll update you when we make further changes. The pictures up there now are from our latest trip to the east coast and we’re making no promises about when or how often we’ll be making additions.
Have a great holiday every(American)one! Being that we’re in D.C. amidst the current world climate, we’re going to stay home, watch a movie, eat canned peaches, and listen to the fireworks from the safety of the fallout shelter in the basement.
tothesea,
k&m
Monday, July 01, 2002
chasing the horizon
Happy Canada Day!
Last night at 3 a.m. we ended our 32 day stint of chasing the horizon. During that time to the north and east and back we clocked 6,482 miles. We estimate that Magi drove about 482 of those (most of those being last night). Krishna won’t be sad if she doesn’t have to sit behind a steering wheel for a while.
We’re finally settled in D.C. We have about 24 days to enjoy being in one place. In these few upcoming weeks, we don’t need to travel to reach our next bed or wonder where our next meal is coming from. We’re going to revel in the comforts of having grocery stores full of food made just for our kind and the joy of napping on a whim.
Our month in Canada was really fun. We enjoyed some unusually clear weather. It never really reached a temperature where we could take off our sweaters but we didn’t mind that. We’ll have plenty of heat in the months ahead.
After we take a few days to relax and spending time with Magi’s family, we’re going to take care of all the last minute details of our trip overseas though we have yet to figure out what those are. Magi has to get her visa for India, we need to stock up on traveller’s cheques, and there must be a dozen other little things we need to take care of. We also have some good friends of ours coming down for a visit later this month and we’re really looking forward to that!
We continue to use our personal emails but will let you know when we switch to the tothesea address that you can link from this page. We also wanted to mention that the problem with seeing this text as green (on green) seems to be Netscape-specific. We recommend you view this site in Internet Explorer which is the browser it is designed for (sorry we can't be of more help).
tothesea,
k&m
Last night at 3 a.m. we ended our 32 day stint of chasing the horizon. During that time to the north and east and back we clocked 6,482 miles. We estimate that Magi drove about 482 of those (most of those being last night). Krishna won’t be sad if she doesn’t have to sit behind a steering wheel for a while.
We’re finally settled in D.C. We have about 24 days to enjoy being in one place. In these few upcoming weeks, we don’t need to travel to reach our next bed or wonder where our next meal is coming from. We’re going to revel in the comforts of having grocery stores full of food made just for our kind and the joy of napping on a whim.
Our month in Canada was really fun. We enjoyed some unusually clear weather. It never really reached a temperature where we could take off our sweaters but we didn’t mind that. We’ll have plenty of heat in the months ahead.
After we take a few days to relax and spending time with Magi’s family, we’re going to take care of all the last minute details of our trip overseas though we have yet to figure out what those are. Magi has to get her visa for India, we need to stock up on traveller’s cheques, and there must be a dozen other little things we need to take care of. We also have some good friends of ours coming down for a visit later this month and we’re really looking forward to that!
We continue to use our personal emails but will let you know when we switch to the tothesea address that you can link from this page. We also wanted to mention that the problem with seeing this text as green (on green) seems to be Netscape-specific. We recommend you view this site in Internet Explorer which is the browser it is designed for (sorry we can't be of more help).
tothesea,
k&m