Impress me, impress me more !

Culture shock No 1 : In Costa Rica when you want to rent a flat you are invited to an "interview" and you have to present a letter of recommendation written by a friend, family member, teacher, employer. This letter has to guarantee that you are a responsible and respectful person (???!!!). Its all fine but what kind of guarantee is a letter written from my boss in the Netherlands (who probably does not give a flying fart about my flat in CR, right) or by my parent in Bulgaria (!?!?!). As for the interview - invite me for a drink people, we will probably get to know each other faster and differences / similarities will quickly become obvious :)).

Culture shock No 2: I don't know if this is true for the whole country but in San Jose it makes me smile every day. So, you probably know those street stands where you can buy everything from condoms and snacks to T-shirts (even illegal substances sometimes). Well in this lovely Central American capital these stands are equipped with TV sets. All of them. "So what?" you'd say. Well, when you see a 60 year old lady who could barely speak and walk but has a TV in her kiosk and is watching American sit coms at 16:00 p.m. then you will probably have a laugh too. I have not had he chance to take a picture of these curious places but as soon as I start feeling local enough I will give you this chance.

Culture shock No 3: Streets in San Jose don’t have names. Horizontal streets have odd number and vertical have even numbers. Instead people use all kind of landmarks and weird (to me) explanations. So basically, when you ask for an address you get the following response:
" Go up Avenida 3, turn right at the butcher’s shop, walk 300 meters and you will see a parking lot, cross the parking lot and walk for 5 minutes direction north, turn left at the traffic light and walk straight, my house is the second to right".

"And which number is your flat?" - ask I totally confused.

"Just take the key under the cactus in front, unlock the door and go to the back yard. Knock on my window - is the second yellow one counting from the left"

"Fair enough" and where is the closest tree so I could hang myself -says Kamie while preparing the loop with her belt. :)

Maya

They are everywhere. When you walk down the steets of Tulum. When you buy icecream in Guatemala. When you wait for the bus. Their smiling faces greet you from cars, houses, supermarkets. It seemed so strange to me at the begining that these bold faces that used to belong to one of the mightiest civilizations that ever dwelled this planet now use cell phones, wear high heels and have commercial businesses. What the hell did I expect to see, right?- naked indigenous peoples that have 18 months a year with 20 days each. Well, no Kam, if you ask a Maya what day is today they will look at their Gregorian Calendar and say "It's Tuesday my friend,February 2009". :). However, there is something about their faces. The lost glory. The heirs of time. They look at us -stupid tourists with digital cameras - and smile carelessly, mockingly, patiently. This is their land and they know it. While being among them for 2 weeks I remembered an excerpt from one of my favourite books "On the road" by J. Kerouac. Sal Paradise's thoughts as he is passing throught the streets of Mexico- somehow very similar to my own :

"The boys were sleeping, and I was alone in my eternity at the wheel, and the road ran straight as an arrow. Not like driving across Carolina, or Texas, or Arizona, or Illinois; but like driving across the world and into the places where we would finally learn ourselves among the Fellaheen Indians of the world, the essential strain of the basic primitive, wailing humanity that stretches in a belt around the equatorial belly of the world from Malaya…to Morocco to the selfsame deserts and jungles of Mexico. These people were unmistakably Indians and were not at all like the Pedros and Panchos of silly civilized American lore – they had high cheekbones, and slanted eyes, and soft ways; they were not fools, they were not clowns; they were great, grave Indians and they were the source of mankind and the fathers of it. The waves are Chinese, but the earth is an Indian thing. As essential as rocks in the desert are they in the desert of ‘history.' And they knew this when we passed, ostensibly self-important moneybag Americans on a lark in their land; they knew who was the father and who was the son of antique life on earth, and made no comment."

Coconut is wet

So much tropical rain in the last 24 hours that I lost my ability to speak. Just sit and listen to the mighty nature. When its raining like that you cannot even hear the people speaking. I am in a hostel again in Puerto Viejo - the Eastern (Carribean ) coast of Coast Rica. After 4 days of laziness in Backpackers Hostel in San Jose I decided to make a move to the sunny coast in search for better skies. Well, better skies were not what I actually found. A downpour from la boca del cielo. As if the whole sky has opened up. Its not like a normal rain even - no drops, no softness. This tropical rain is like a curtain that covers everything around. But we do not seem to suit the landscape - we are out of place, unwanted, aliens. We cannot break the pact that has existed from the begining of time - sky, rain, rainforest, soil. And so it covers us- our voices, our faces and the only ones speaking are the singing hands of the sky.

Ozzy day

Yeah. I am stuck on an island. In Belize. After the huge storm last night we could not get any fresh water or electricity for a day. Lovely, isnt't? :). So..I am stuck on an island in Belize in a hostel with 27 monkeys from around the world. But today all the Australians celebrate and I had difficulties getting my turn on this computer :))). Cat Empire is on and we've been drinking since 13:00. What else could you do on a stormy day like today? Its hot, its very hot and there is.....something...in the air that turns you on. I've been walking 'round this island mentaly errected all day long, dancing wiht this tricky Carribean breeze, the bay is my dancefoor. Smells like fish and lobsters. I have lost probably 3 kg last few days with mainly a Cuba Libre in my hand.....

A Tribute To All Ozzies...!!!

Last

Here I am sitting in my room, sipping wine, observing my luggage. Two bags is all I am going to carry with me on this journey far from here. Two bags. When exactly did I stop caring about belongings, things, clothes? So easy to disconnect. So light for a new transition. It felt kinda sad today while packing the suitcases that I am not taking with me- how much is going to be left behind. Clothes soaked in human touch, over-washed, over-worn. Books- read, reread or untouched left for those who will have the chance to find them. Posters, flyers, documents, lecture notes, socks, bed sheets, towels. Yeah, my five month stay in Breda was all this and much more - all those faces downstairs discussing Obama, sex, drugs, music, religion, environment. The family. :). So, instead of sitting here in my room, sipping wine and observing my luggage ( : ) I am gonna get my white Eastern European ass downstairs and celebrate my last night in Europe (celebrate = get hammered = no mercy for the Europeans)

Yuil, Paradiso....

James Yuil. This long-legged South-Londoner was hosted by Noodlandig in Paradiso, Amsterdam last Thursday and I really cannot tell you how I ended up over there. Accompanied by a few wasted Finish and Bulgarians I danced hystericaly, watched the weirdos around me and tried to keep my special new vest, kindly presented to me by Ani, safe from harm (a.k.a. spilled bier). You can't really find much info about this James online but one is sure - from the first time I listened to No Surprise I tried to download whatever available on the net...well in vain. However, the party was enjoyable, the bier abundant and as the weekend progressed many new pleasurable and not-so-pleasurable events took place. I really regret not having my camera with me when I got lost in this hostel downtown hopelessly looking for the toilet. Nowhere to be found in this section of the building unlike the many "strange" faces and places that were to be found on the second and first floor. Simly Amsterdam. My last Amsterdam adventures this year probably. But great great stories are comming up! Firts shot- Tequillaland Fiday Night. See you there!

No Surprise?!

Sin techo

B1: Pst. Shut up, Kami is sleeping!
B2: No, she is not.
B1: But look- her eyes are closed, man!
B2: Oh, she is not sleeping, she’s traveling right now. Like last night for example she was back in Barcelona. Catching sunlight on top of Arco del Triumfo.
B1: Do you think she met Max at MACBA – they had an appointment. In their dreams.
B2: There was no time. She had to catch a flight. Again.
B1: Do you think she’s scared?
B2: Of what? Kami is a tough apple (giggling).
B1: Of leaving.
B2: Not right now. But she knows she will always have to be somewhere else, visit new lands and all the new people she meets she will be missing so much. It’s not scary. But it’s filling her hearth with sooo much emotion...
B1: Hm..And then sleep will come to mess her up, like that song... I think she is with them when she closes her eyes.
B2: Yes, indeed. But strong people choose their lives themselves and not the other way around. She told me one day that there is a whole world to be changed. I .. could not really get that. Do you know what she meant?
B1: Don’t look at me, dude, I am the stoner (giggling).
B2: Yeah, we’ll be in good hands I hope. Ciudadanos De La Tierra.
B1: Hey what was that – Mandarin?!!
B2: No man Spanish! But hey lets wake her up…Kami, wake up!!!
B1: Gotta go to Amsterdam. Do you remember? The flowers? There we go…..How was that in Spanish…Vamonos!!!

Le Le @ Mezz

Honestly, there are not that many Dutch artists that I would regret not seeing live (No offense). But the party animals from Le Le definitely deserve attention. This motley electro bomb consists of P. Fabergé (former member of De Jeugd van Tegenwoordig - we have to give them credit for the cool lyrics) , Piet Parra and Rimeroni Vuman (from Comtron) and have been keeping the smile on my face with tracks like Breakfast, Skinny Jeans and International Pants. Exclusively in the MEZZ podium Breda on 24. 01.2009. Well…guess what? Kami will be sitting on a plane across the Atlantic Ocean probably on a sleeping mode.
I wanna bite my nails and pick my hairs!!! I so much wanted to have an orriginal shirt with those weird creatures (TM Parra) and scream " You're the cheese on my baggette, the jelly on my bread... "
Well I will have to wait and hope that next year I will be able to have some of these Dutch tasty-looking.....

12 months

2008-a year of travelling, clashing cultures, red red wines and music.

1.Jose Gonzales Hearthbeats
2. Barrington Levy - Broader than Broadway
3. Beirut - Nantes
4. Fujiya & Miyagi - Ankle Injuries
5. Radiohead - The Reckoner
6. Seabear - I sing I swim
7. Alice Russell- All over now
8. Booka Shade- Night Falls
9. Quantic - Time is the enemy
10. Popnoname - ID card
11. Sufjan Stevens - Chicago
12. Good Shoes - All in my head

I'll keep on rollin' 'round

Happy new year peopleeeezzzz!