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My plan to post daily (or more) did not happen, unfortunately; so I want to take a minute and give you my general thoughts of Mahahual.

I loved it.

There are definitely two faces to Mahahual–the Book and the Cover. For me, it is the first that is most appealing. It is the dig-a-little-deeper to experience the people who live there and whose daily lives are affected by what happens (or doesn’t happen) in this small Mexican village. I met some truly unique individuals whom I can best describe as “brave”. Brave for having a vision of a life they want to live. Brave for choosing to face daily adversity in a way that most of us would run from. Brave for looking beyond themselves to the community as a whole. Brave for living together in what can only be described as one large, extended family that encompasses many nationalities, personalities, cultures, beliefs, backgrounds, etc.  I am in awe.

In upcoming posts, I hope to share some of these people and their experiences with you. It is, to me, what makes Mahahual so beautiful and captivating.

I’m starting that “it’s a few days before leaving what do I need to get” pre-trip thought process.  As I’m going through my list of to-do’s vs. how much time I have (or don’t have), I stop and smile.  Because, really, there’s only one thing I need (and I’m talking that’s not your credit card or your passport or your driver’s license, etc.).  It is the one thing that if I got to my destination (which for me is usually Mexico) and my luggage was lost and all I had was my carry-on–I’d still be okay.  What is it?  A bikini.  Because, let’s face it — you can lose my luggage, but do not mess with my beach time.

So, besides the essentials (passport, driver’s license, wallet, credit card, etc.), what do you pack in your carry-on?

What do you most enjoy seeing on a travel blog post? 

The Food?

The People?

(via orcagirl.com)

The Geography & Scenery?

The History?

The Attractions?

The Accomodations?

The Blog-Owner (Me)?

I really want to hear your thoughts.  I know I have my preferences–I want yours.

Upon waking this morning, the first email I read was the following from a friend who is currently serving in Iraq:

“Today someone I work with died.  He is an Iraqi.  He is a part of a militia the American’s started a while ago called the Sons of Iraq aka: SOI.

Some background: The Americans established these concerned citizens to take back their country and used to pay the SOI about $200/mo[nth], but hasn’t since the security agreement.  Now the Iraqi government pays them less, irregularly.  They were last paid in March for February.  If you ask the people on the street who they credit for the improved security, they will tell you , “The SOI.”  They want the Americans to continue to take care of them – we can’t.  Elements in the Gov. of Iraq see them as a threat.  I think they are Iraqi patriots who saved their country from chaos and are still loyal to the Americans.

I didn’t know him well, but he was diligent and always respectful.  He was 55 and the father of 12.  His family lived in a humble mud structure.  He hadn’t been paid in months.  He guarded his check point and did his duty.  He did it even when it was cold and hot – its warming now, today it is 100 to 105.  About a month ago he asked me for a job.  He said he’d do anything – and I’m sure he would.  I had no jobs for him.  I could do little more than send him home with a few cases of water and a soccer ball for his sons.  He smiled though and thanked me graciously, praising God.

Last night his body gave out.  He just couldn’t take any more I guess.  He dosed off to sleep for a moment in the middle of the night and didn’t wake back up.  No bomb or assassination – just alone at a check point on a road in the middle of rural Iraq.  Today his wife is a widow and his children are [fatherless].  No pension or life insurance.  The market stopped giving them credit a while ago with the irregular payments from the Iraqi government.  All I can comfort them with is a case of clean water.  I can’t do a thing for them.  I can build a road for some corrupt district council that will steal thousands for themselves and produce a poor example of a road at a premium, but I can do nothing for this humble man who loved his family.

I feel silly and insignificant.  I think of my children and ache to always be near them.  To protect them and provide for them.  I feel worthless and exhausted.

As I got the news [of] this tragedy it was all I could do to maintain composure in front of my Iraqi partners.  I wanted to run away and find somewhere to hide and never come out.  Even now this hurts and I don’t understand it.  In a moment I’ll be out again, continuing with my mission and our operations.  Emotionless. This is what I deal with daily in one form or another and it wears upon me.”

I’ve thought about this email all day.  I’ve thought about the experiences I have had while traveling around the world that are very similar to this, and it made me think about the reason I do my blog–to promote “traveling” in lieu of “vacationing”.  I think that’s the best way I can put it.  What’s the difference between the two?  Ask yourself.  I am confident you will come up with your own answer.  And whatever that answer is, I encourage you to implement it.  Travel to make a difference.  Travel to learn.  Travel to educate your mind and be a witness to others.

One of my favorite quotes/sayings is:  “I am not the same for having seen the moon shine on the other side of the world.”  I have had this hanging on my wall for about 25 years now, and without fail, it brings to mind my first trip to India.  I arrived in Bombay in the early evening and by the time I checked in to my hotel and got to my room it was dark outside.  As I dropped my suitcase I felt compelled to go look out the window of my high-rise, luxury accomodation.  As I drew the curtains aside, I literally ached.  There were thousands of people sleeping on the streets right below me.  Thousands.  It was truly a sea of people.  It was the first time I knew, without a doubt, that I would never be the same “for having seen the moon shine on the opposite side of the world.”

Since I don’t get to live in Latin America, I like to highlight ways that my everyday life is influenced by Spanish language and culture.  Yesterday, in my Advanced Spanish Controversy class we had a debate on the Legalization de Marijuana (Legalization of Marijuana).  It was pretty darn interesting.  And you know what? I can tell you that the college kids of today are more interested in legalizing marijuana than they are concerned about immigration issues.  And they know their stuff, too.

Our final class debate is next week and the topic is La Pena Capital (Capital Punishment).

Side note:  Try going from three straight hours of speaking and debating in Spanish to Ancient Egyptian–in English. :/

Gabriela Mistral

Gabriela Mistral is the penname for the Chilean poet Lucila de María del Perpetuo Socorro Godoy Alcayaga.   Gabriela was born in Vicuna, Chile, in 1889, and died in Hempstead, New York, in 1957.  As a young teacher in Chile, she fell in love with a railway worker whose suicide effected her thoughts and views for the rest of her life.  She never married and her son committed suicide at the age of 17 in 1943.  A deep love for children and the downtrodden were recurring themes in her work,  and were a large part of her efforts as a diplomat and an educator. 

On November 15, 1945, Gabriela was the first woman to receive the Nobel Prize for Literature.

(Photo from brittanica.com)

Recently, I spent some time studying the life of Juan Pablo Duarte of the Dominican Republic.  He was born in Santo Domingo in January 1813, where he was raised and educated until he went to Europe in 1828 (at the age of 15), to finish his education.  In 1833, he returned to the Dominican Republic a changed man.  Having seen the light of the Ilustracion and the liberal freedoms enjoyed by Europeans, he felt a deep sense of duty to free his own countrymen from Haitian dominance.  

Juan Pablo Duarte

La Trinitaria

On July 16, 1838, during the festival of La Senora del Carmen, he met with eight other men and formed La Trinitaria–a secret society whose sole purpose was to bring about the independence of the Dominicans and form a free republic.  In reading historical accounts of this night, it is amazing to me how one person can inspire and ignite such belief and dedication-to-purpose in others.  Duarte “spoke as if from heaven” and each man took the oath to give all he had, even his life, to the cause–sealing the oath with “blood from [his] vein”.  

La Bandera

Another thing that I find fascinating about this night is the clear and precise vision that Duarte had of the future flag of the Republica Dominicana.  He described the flag as blue and red (opposing colors AND the colors of the Haitian flag) with a white cross in the middle which represented peace and redemption. 

Dominican Republic Flag

Revolutionary Minds 
The idea of people who come up with “new” ideas that go against the grain is a fascinating one for me.  The American Revolution is inspiring on many levels, but Latin America and it’s revolutionaries like Juan Pablo Duarte, Simon Bolivar, and Jose San Martin offer views into other revolutionary minds.  And it’s not only the men that are “revered” that I find fascinating, but others, especially Che Guevara, whose psyche interests me.   

In the end, something that I see in all the great revolutionary minds is intelligence (or enlightenment), an intense inner-drive, and grand-scale self-bravado.  Interesting. 

I was recently led to this Mahahual trip report on InTheRoo.com written by “Libby” in August 2008.  What I really love about this trip report are the details!  From the pictures of the drive down to Mahahual to the public bathrooms in-town, Libby’s trip report is very informative and especially helpful for those of us planning a trip to Mahahual.  Thank you, Libby, for sharing your Mahahual experience.

(Photo from Libby's trip report on intheroo.com)

I want to introduce everyone to Ariana!  She is coming to Mahahual with me in May.  (YAY!)  Ariana is a kindred spirit — even though we are a couple of generations apart, we are spirit-twins.   I am so excited to be traveling with her, again.  She makes me laugh and keeps me young. 

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From the 16th to the 18th centuries, two types of architectural design dominated the New World (Latinoamerica):  Renaissance and Baroque.

Renaissance
This type of architecture was sensual and exhibited elements of harmony and equilibrium.  It was also very symmetric and proportional which translated into a type of peaceful serenity.

Baroque
The Baroque architecture in the New World was extravagant, ornamental, and full of contrasts and oppositions.  This was a period in time when there was a definite tension exhibited between worldly things and religious things.

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