Missing Urubamba already...
I am a person who seldom makes promises to anyone. But Peru is a country so amazing that I have just promised my host family that I will definitely return to Peru in 2 years time. Saying goodbye to my family and the Sacred Valley was more difficult than I imagined it to be. My host dad says that I am forbidden to stay in hotels the next time I visit Urubamba. He says that my room will always be available whenever I come back and I am only allowed to stay in his casa and nowhere else. Peru has given me so much more than I was able to contribute during my short stint and volunteer work here. I am already missing everything in Urubamba and in Chicon. Give me 2 years and I'll definitely come back to Peru. This is my promise to my family and I will not break it unless something urgent crops up.
Meanwhile, this is my 9th week and also my final week in Peru. I've just come back from the Amazon and the Amazon Jungle is indeed the most amazing part of my entire trip in Peru. I'll probably update in more details when I've got the time. What I really feel like doing now is to cancel my internship at Zaobao and to extend my stay in South America for another 2 months. But unfortunately, I cannot do that. It's a shame that I haven't got the time to do Nasca lines this time round as well. But I'll definitely visit Nasca and Huaraz the next time I visit Peru.
At the same time, I'll make my two days in Lima memorable as well. Lima isn't as bad as I thought, although just now I almost got killed on the road again.
(I really cannot imagine starting work 1.5 days after returning to Singapore next week, and ending work 2 days before my final academic year commences.)
Sunday, July 17, 2005
The Amazon Jungle
Ok, just a note to say that my Amazon jungle tour is confirmed and I'm leaving tomorrow at 6 am from Cusco. I will be staying for 8 days 7 nights in the wilderness. Really looking forward to the Amazon Basin. I did not plan to stay for that long initially, so I might call off the Nasca Trip since I might have no time to go to Nasca from Lima. More updates soon...
Ok, just a note to say that my Amazon jungle tour is confirmed and I'm leaving tomorrow at 6 am from Cusco. I will be staying for 8 days 7 nights in the wilderness. Really looking forward to the Amazon Basin. I did not plan to stay for that long initially, so I might call off the Nasca Trip since I might have no time to go to Nasca from Lima. More updates soon...
Thursday, July 14, 2005
After Machu Picchu
Salkantay Trek was really difficult and I bet I can now do the Inca Trail easily. Anyway I'll post a detailed update on Salkantay and Machu Picchu when I've organised my thoughts better.
5 days on Salkantay Trek made me realise how wonderful nature can be and how much I really love Peru. Coming back from Machu Picchu walking towards my casa in Urubamba, I discovered I actually miss my Peruvian host family during the 5 days I was away in the Andes. When I was back, I overheard my host dad saying "Donde esta mi hijo?" which really warmed my heart for a long time. Yesterday at lunch, he said he would confiscate my passport so that I cannot leave Peru. It then struck me that time really flies and this week is my last week of volunteer work. I'm beginning to miss every single thing in Peru. I don't know how to say goodbye to this fantastic family and my wonderful Peruvian los ninos de Chicon. It's really hard to let go...
Of London
5 days away in the mountains means that I was being cut off totally from the outside world. It was only 3 days after the bomb blasts that I knew of this piece of breaking news, when I checked my email in Agus Calientes. London being attacked is actually not shocking for me, but what I did not expect is that the attack venues chosen were the places that I frequent almost everyday. Tavistock Street, on which the bus exploded, was the very street from which I take my bus back home every single day. And my Psychology university building is only one block away from Tavistock Street. My friend witnessed the bus explosion in front of his eyes and had a narrow escape. Another friend visiting from Singapore, was further away and heard the blast loud and clear. From now on, Tavistock Street will no longer be the same.
Salkantay Trek was really difficult and I bet I can now do the Inca Trail easily. Anyway I'll post a detailed update on Salkantay and Machu Picchu when I've organised my thoughts better.
5 days on Salkantay Trek made me realise how wonderful nature can be and how much I really love Peru. Coming back from Machu Picchu walking towards my casa in Urubamba, I discovered I actually miss my Peruvian host family during the 5 days I was away in the Andes. When I was back, I overheard my host dad saying "Donde esta mi hijo?" which really warmed my heart for a long time. Yesterday at lunch, he said he would confiscate my passport so that I cannot leave Peru. It then struck me that time really flies and this week is my last week of volunteer work. I'm beginning to miss every single thing in Peru. I don't know how to say goodbye to this fantastic family and my wonderful Peruvian los ninos de Chicon. It's really hard to let go...
Of London
5 days away in the mountains means that I was being cut off totally from the outside world. It was only 3 days after the bomb blasts that I knew of this piece of breaking news, when I checked my email in Agus Calientes. London being attacked is actually not shocking for me, but what I did not expect is that the attack venues chosen were the places that I frequent almost everyday. Tavistock Street, on which the bus exploded, was the very street from which I take my bus back home every single day. And my Psychology university building is only one block away from Tavistock Street. My friend witnessed the bus explosion in front of his eyes and had a narrow escape. Another friend visiting from Singapore, was further away and heard the blast loud and clear. From now on, Tavistock Street will no longer be the same.
Wednesday, July 06, 2005
Back from Arequipa
I had to walk 3 hours from the wilderness to the outskirts of Arequipa at 5 am in the morning last Friday. Why? More updates soon...
Tomorrow is the day
An hour ago, I just found out that the Salkantay Trek is 80 km long in 4 days 3 nights instead because the fifth day was a tour in Machu Picchu. Will I survive the 80-km trek? I'll find out in 5 days time...
I had to walk 3 hours from the wilderness to the outskirts of Arequipa at 5 am in the morning last Friday. Why? More updates soon...
Tomorrow is the day
An hour ago, I just found out that the Salkantay Trek is 80 km long in 4 days 3 nights instead because the fifth day was a tour in Machu Picchu. Will I survive the 80-km trek? I'll find out in 5 days time...
Tuesday, July 05, 2005
The Sacred Valley of the Incas
So, why am I so sure that Machu Picchu is definitely worth the five-days-four-nights-hike? Simply because Machu Picchu is only one of the many ancient archaeological sites in Peru. There are ruins everywhere in the Sacred Valley and my second weekend in Peru was spent exploring some of these ruins and they are simply magnificent.
Ollantaytambo was our first stop. This attractive little town is situated at the foot of some spectacular Inca ruins and terraces. There is a series of 16 massive, stepped terraces of the very finest stonework after crossing the great high-walled trapezoidal esplanade. These terraces are created in the form of a llama. We hiked up to the Temple of the Sun exactly where the rising sun's rays fall in on the solstices. The breathtaking view of the surrounding SacredValley is simply fascinating.
We then headed to Cusco, on the way visiting Tamboachay, Q'enqo and Sacsayhuaman. These are more ancient stones but the Inca stonework is hugely impressive, especially at Sacsayhuaman. Nobody really knows for sure the purposes of these ancient buildings and various theories exist. Peter Frost, for instance, suggested that Sacsayhuaman served as a kind of unofficial quarry of pre-cut stone for the inhabitants of Cusco. No matter what the precise functions of this site are, the Inca walls are truly magnificent.
The final stop, Pisac, is my favourite. Some say that Pisac is even better than Machu Picchu. The Inca ruins at Pisac are perched precariously on the mountain, above the town. This is one of the largest ruins in the vicinity of Cusco and it clearly had defensive, religious, and agricultural functions. The views of the Sacred Valley are once again magnificent and I seriously have no idea how else to describe Pisac.
Pisac's popular market is another sight to behold. Many souvenir stalls and fresh produce stalls make up this busy market. What's more, everything is cheaper than in Cusco, so we obviously bought lots of souvenirs and crap from the market. I think I'll come back to Pisac again before leaving Peru.
We did mountainbiking to the Salinas (salt pans) on that weekend as well. Mountainbiking through the Andes was superb and cool, but my bike broke down and the chain came off, so I had to walk half of the journey. I'm glad I suffered only a few bruises and cuts and not fall down the cliffs instead. Another friend's bike broke down as well. But the blood (literally) and sweat was worthwhile, simply because the Salinas are another wonderful sight. So, I've done trekking and mountainbiking; paragliding might be next if I have some cash to spare.
Having said so much about Peru, no words can really do justice to this fantastic country. Perhaps pictures will help a little which I will hopefully post in the next few months to come.
So, why am I so sure that Machu Picchu is definitely worth the five-days-four-nights-hike? Simply because Machu Picchu is only one of the many ancient archaeological sites in Peru. There are ruins everywhere in the Sacred Valley and my second weekend in Peru was spent exploring some of these ruins and they are simply magnificent.
Ollantaytambo was our first stop. This attractive little town is situated at the foot of some spectacular Inca ruins and terraces. There is a series of 16 massive, stepped terraces of the very finest stonework after crossing the great high-walled trapezoidal esplanade. These terraces are created in the form of a llama. We hiked up to the Temple of the Sun exactly where the rising sun's rays fall in on the solstices. The breathtaking view of the surrounding SacredValley is simply fascinating.
We then headed to Cusco, on the way visiting Tamboachay, Q'enqo and Sacsayhuaman. These are more ancient stones but the Inca stonework is hugely impressive, especially at Sacsayhuaman. Nobody really knows for sure the purposes of these ancient buildings and various theories exist. Peter Frost, for instance, suggested that Sacsayhuaman served as a kind of unofficial quarry of pre-cut stone for the inhabitants of Cusco. No matter what the precise functions of this site are, the Inca walls are truly magnificent.
The final stop, Pisac, is my favourite. Some say that Pisac is even better than Machu Picchu. The Inca ruins at Pisac are perched precariously on the mountain, above the town. This is one of the largest ruins in the vicinity of Cusco and it clearly had defensive, religious, and agricultural functions. The views of the Sacred Valley are once again magnificent and I seriously have no idea how else to describe Pisac.
Pisac's popular market is another sight to behold. Many souvenir stalls and fresh produce stalls make up this busy market. What's more, everything is cheaper than in Cusco, so we obviously bought lots of souvenirs and crap from the market. I think I'll come back to Pisac again before leaving Peru.
We did mountainbiking to the Salinas (salt pans) on that weekend as well. Mountainbiking through the Andes was superb and cool, but my bike broke down and the chain came off, so I had to walk half of the journey. I'm glad I suffered only a few bruises and cuts and not fall down the cliffs instead. Another friend's bike broke down as well. But the blood (literally) and sweat was worthwhile, simply because the Salinas are another wonderful sight. So, I've done trekking and mountainbiking; paragliding might be next if I have some cash to spare.
Having said so much about Peru, no words can really do justice to this fantastic country. Perhaps pictures will help a little which I will hopefully post in the next few months to come.
Tuesday, June 28, 2005
Inti Raymi 2005
The festival of Inti Raymi was celebrated for the 61st time in Cusco last Friday. This was the only occasion on which locals outnumber tourists. A little background about this festival: "Inti" means "sun" in Quechua and "Raymi" means "festival." The Incas honoured the solar deity with that festival at the winter solstice because the sun was the principal object of Inca worship. However, the Spanish suppressed the Inca religion and the last royal Inti Raymi was celebrated in 1535. In 1944, a group of Cusco intellectuals revived the old ceremony and it has been celebrated every year since then on June 24, now a Cusco public holiday.
Being the best festival of the year, Cusco went wild before, during and after Inti Raymi. By wild, I mean really wild. I've never seen a party like this in my life. We arrived in Cusco on the eve of Inti Raymi to do some work, and celebrations had already commenced. There were parades all around the city. The city was practically bustling from the whole afternoon till early morning. The atmosphere was fantastic and something was always going on somewhere around the city. Almost all the locals (90%) dressed up traditionally for the occasion and it was very colourful indeed.
However, not everything was pleasant throughout the entire city. That day had to be the only day on which rain visited Cusco for a little while. People urinated everywhere, even on the main Plaza de Armas and some even urinated in the fountain. Litter was omnipresent as well. But I actually felt safe walking alone from the disco back to our hostel at 130 am, while my friends were still dancing. Cusco has a wonderful night life by the way. Moreover, the efficiency of the local authorities really left a deep impression on me. Everywhere was clean and free of litter and urine smell a few hours later at 730am.
Having heard how crowded Sacsayhuaman would be, we left central Cusco and walked to Sacsayhuaman, reaching at about 845am, when the actual program was scheduled to begin at 2 pm in the afternoon. So we basically waited and sat at Sacsayhuaman for the whole 5 hours or so, and we were indeed glad that the wait was worthwhile. We got the best seats on the ancient stones, while many locals and tourists who arrived much later struggled to catch a glimpse of the ceremony. Everything was in Quechua though, so we understood nothing.
And so we missed lunch naturally and we must have looked famished because the Peruvians sitting next to us actually offered us cuys and papas free of charge. But I dare not eat them in fear of diarrhoea, which I got it eventually somehow from somewhere. Diarrhoea has taken its toll on me. But I'm relieved that I'm feeling better now. This is my third diarrhoea episode in Peru.
Towards the end of Inti Raymi, a little incident happened. i got separated from my other volunteer friends and every resident in Cusco must have been at Sacsayhuaman that it was impossible to locate my friends. Thank goodness I know Cusco rather well, so I walked from Sacsayhuaman to the bus terminal for Urubamba and caught a bus back home to my home in Peru...
The festival of Inti Raymi was celebrated for the 61st time in Cusco last Friday. This was the only occasion on which locals outnumber tourists. A little background about this festival: "Inti" means "sun" in Quechua and "Raymi" means "festival." The Incas honoured the solar deity with that festival at the winter solstice because the sun was the principal object of Inca worship. However, the Spanish suppressed the Inca religion and the last royal Inti Raymi was celebrated in 1535. In 1944, a group of Cusco intellectuals revived the old ceremony and it has been celebrated every year since then on June 24, now a Cusco public holiday.
Being the best festival of the year, Cusco went wild before, during and after Inti Raymi. By wild, I mean really wild. I've never seen a party like this in my life. We arrived in Cusco on the eve of Inti Raymi to do some work, and celebrations had already commenced. There were parades all around the city. The city was practically bustling from the whole afternoon till early morning. The atmosphere was fantastic and something was always going on somewhere around the city. Almost all the locals (90%) dressed up traditionally for the occasion and it was very colourful indeed.
However, not everything was pleasant throughout the entire city. That day had to be the only day on which rain visited Cusco for a little while. People urinated everywhere, even on the main Plaza de Armas and some even urinated in the fountain. Litter was omnipresent as well. But I actually felt safe walking alone from the disco back to our hostel at 130 am, while my friends were still dancing. Cusco has a wonderful night life by the way. Moreover, the efficiency of the local authorities really left a deep impression on me. Everywhere was clean and free of litter and urine smell a few hours later at 730am.
Having heard how crowded Sacsayhuaman would be, we left central Cusco and walked to Sacsayhuaman, reaching at about 845am, when the actual program was scheduled to begin at 2 pm in the afternoon. So we basically waited and sat at Sacsayhuaman for the whole 5 hours or so, and we were indeed glad that the wait was worthwhile. We got the best seats on the ancient stones, while many locals and tourists who arrived much later struggled to catch a glimpse of the ceremony. Everything was in Quechua though, so we understood nothing.
And so we missed lunch naturally and we must have looked famished because the Peruvians sitting next to us actually offered us cuys and papas free of charge. But I dare not eat them in fear of diarrhoea, which I got it eventually somehow from somewhere. Diarrhoea has taken its toll on me. But I'm relieved that I'm feeling better now. This is my third diarrhoea episode in Peru.
Towards the end of Inti Raymi, a little incident happened. i got separated from my other volunteer friends and every resident in Cusco must have been at Sacsayhuaman that it was impossible to locate my friends. Thank goodness I know Cusco rather well, so I walked from Sacsayhuaman to the bus terminal for Urubamba and caught a bus back home to my home in Peru...
Wednesday, June 22, 2005
Brief Update and Travel Plans
I just came back from my independent weekend trip to Puno and Lake Titicaca. Lake Titicaca was truly awesome and unexpected events like diarrhoea and altitude sickness occurred to me again, and it should deserve a separate entry. Many other things have taken place as well since my previous update. So I?ll be posting 4 separate updates in the next week to come: (1) the Sacred Valley Trip on the weekend before last; (2) my volunteer work; (3) Peruvians & my host family; and (4) Lake Titicaca. I tried to sum up everything in one post, but it was impossible. I feel I can write an encyclopedia on my Peruvian trip.
I?ve also acquired enough Spanish to converse with a local for 20 minutes in Spanish, and enough Quechua to converse in Quechua for 3 minutes. I?ve also managed to survive Puno and Lake Titicaca alone with only 2 weeks of Spanish lessons. In fact I feel I?ve learnt more Spanish in 2 weeks than German in 2 years.
In the mean time, here?s my travel plans for my remaining 5 weeks in Peru.
Inti Raymi in Cusco this Friday
This is the Inca festival of the winter solstice, the festival of the year. It is enacted at the fortress of Sacsayhuaman. A group of us is heading to Cusco tomorrow to work on our project and then party with the locals till Friday evening. Looking forward to loads of chichas and cuys!
Arequipa and Cola Canyon and Cotahuasi Canyon
Tentatively this is fixed on July 1st to July 3rd. Arequipa, nicknamed the "White City," was built by the distinctive volcanic sillar. The city?s most famous colonial jewel, the Santa Catalina Convent, is a city within a city, and is the most enchanting colonial structure on the entire South American continent.
Two famous canyons - Colca and Cotahuasi - are within easy reach. Twice as deep as the Grand Canyon and once thought to be the deepest canyon in the world, Colca Canyon is an area of astounding beauty. On the other hand, the nearby Cotahuasi Canyon was recently found to be all of 163 metres deeper and is the world?s deepest canyon. I might just go to Colca Canyon since Cotahuasi Canyon is 12 hours away by bus from Arequipa and Arequipa is 10 hours away by bus from Cusco.
Machu Picchu & Salkantay Trek
Ever since Hiram Bingham discovered Machu Picchu in July 1911, the legendary Inca city has become one of the most recognised images in the world. So much so that Machu Picchu virtually represents Peru, and what was once a lost city for centuries is no longer so. Every visitor to Machu Picchu I?ve talked to says that there is a tremendous feeling of awe on first witnessing this incredible sight. In addition, the original Inca Trail to Machu Picchu is essentially a true Incan pilgrimage, though the 4-day Inca Trail is a difficult and treacherous one. What makes this tough hike, which totals more than 50 km of uphill and downhill in 4 days, so extraordinary is the stunning combination of Inca ruins, magnificent views, spectacular Andes, exotic vegetation and special ecological variety. The bad news is that all Inca trails have been fully booked till September and I will not have the opportunity to hike this original Inca Trail during my stay in Peru.
But how can a visit to Peru not include Machu Picchu? After serious contemplation, I?ve decided to do an even more treacherous alternative Inca Trail to Machu Picchu. On July 6th, I will be hiking from Mount Salkantay (6270 metres) to Machu Picchu. This hike takes 5 days 4 nights and is an extra day longer than the classic Inca Trail. I seriously don?t know how I am going to make it to Mount Salkantay, not to say Machu Picchu. But I?m definite that the effort is worthwhile when I see Machu Picchu in all its reflective glory. The guidebooks says, "Your aching muscles will be quickly forgotten and even the presence of the functional hotel building cannot detract from one of the most magical sights in all the Americas." July 6th to July 10th will be one of my most memorable times in my life.
The Amazon Basin
Yes, the Amazon Basin! I?ve spent so much time, money and effort in getting my Yellow Fever vaccination and malaria pills that I will definitely venture into the jungle regardless its cost. The cheapest tour I can find costs a staggering US$500 and is only 4 days 3 nights long. But then this is going to be another once-in-a-lifetime experience. The Amazon Basin is home to 10,000,000 living species, including 2000 species of fish and 300 mammals. Hopefully, I can head into the jungle after my volunteer work on July 17th.
Nasca
The enigmatic Nasca lines, whose origin and function continue to puzzle scientists, puts Nasca on the world map, otherwise Nasca would be just like any other anonymous desert oasis. My plan is to take a small plane to take a god?s eye view of the lines etched in the desert, after the Amazon Basin trip.
*****
The above basically sums up my travel plans for the next month to come. Even though Peruvian food is fantastic and Peruvian scenery spectacular, I am beginning to crave for my Hampstead crepes (strangely I don?t miss Singaporean food after a year away from home). I miss London and the diverse activities that I can engage in London. 5 weeks more before I head back to London, and I will make every single day in Peru an unforgettable one.
I just came back from my independent weekend trip to Puno and Lake Titicaca. Lake Titicaca was truly awesome and unexpected events like diarrhoea and altitude sickness occurred to me again, and it should deserve a separate entry. Many other things have taken place as well since my previous update. So I?ll be posting 4 separate updates in the next week to come: (1) the Sacred Valley Trip on the weekend before last; (2) my volunteer work; (3) Peruvians & my host family; and (4) Lake Titicaca. I tried to sum up everything in one post, but it was impossible. I feel I can write an encyclopedia on my Peruvian trip.
I?ve also acquired enough Spanish to converse with a local for 20 minutes in Spanish, and enough Quechua to converse in Quechua for 3 minutes. I?ve also managed to survive Puno and Lake Titicaca alone with only 2 weeks of Spanish lessons. In fact I feel I?ve learnt more Spanish in 2 weeks than German in 2 years.
In the mean time, here?s my travel plans for my remaining 5 weeks in Peru.
Inti Raymi in Cusco this Friday
This is the Inca festival of the winter solstice, the festival of the year. It is enacted at the fortress of Sacsayhuaman. A group of us is heading to Cusco tomorrow to work on our project and then party with the locals till Friday evening. Looking forward to loads of chichas and cuys!
Arequipa and Cola Canyon and Cotahuasi Canyon
Tentatively this is fixed on July 1st to July 3rd. Arequipa, nicknamed the "White City," was built by the distinctive volcanic sillar. The city?s most famous colonial jewel, the Santa Catalina Convent, is a city within a city, and is the most enchanting colonial structure on the entire South American continent.
Two famous canyons - Colca and Cotahuasi - are within easy reach. Twice as deep as the Grand Canyon and once thought to be the deepest canyon in the world, Colca Canyon is an area of astounding beauty. On the other hand, the nearby Cotahuasi Canyon was recently found to be all of 163 metres deeper and is the world?s deepest canyon. I might just go to Colca Canyon since Cotahuasi Canyon is 12 hours away by bus from Arequipa and Arequipa is 10 hours away by bus from Cusco.
Machu Picchu & Salkantay Trek
Ever since Hiram Bingham discovered Machu Picchu in July 1911, the legendary Inca city has become one of the most recognised images in the world. So much so that Machu Picchu virtually represents Peru, and what was once a lost city for centuries is no longer so. Every visitor to Machu Picchu I?ve talked to says that there is a tremendous feeling of awe on first witnessing this incredible sight. In addition, the original Inca Trail to Machu Picchu is essentially a true Incan pilgrimage, though the 4-day Inca Trail is a difficult and treacherous one. What makes this tough hike, which totals more than 50 km of uphill and downhill in 4 days, so extraordinary is the stunning combination of Inca ruins, magnificent views, spectacular Andes, exotic vegetation and special ecological variety. The bad news is that all Inca trails have been fully booked till September and I will not have the opportunity to hike this original Inca Trail during my stay in Peru.
But how can a visit to Peru not include Machu Picchu? After serious contemplation, I?ve decided to do an even more treacherous alternative Inca Trail to Machu Picchu. On July 6th, I will be hiking from Mount Salkantay (6270 metres) to Machu Picchu. This hike takes 5 days 4 nights and is an extra day longer than the classic Inca Trail. I seriously don?t know how I am going to make it to Mount Salkantay, not to say Machu Picchu. But I?m definite that the effort is worthwhile when I see Machu Picchu in all its reflective glory. The guidebooks says, "Your aching muscles will be quickly forgotten and even the presence of the functional hotel building cannot detract from one of the most magical sights in all the Americas." July 6th to July 10th will be one of my most memorable times in my life.
The Amazon Basin
Yes, the Amazon Basin! I?ve spent so much time, money and effort in getting my Yellow Fever vaccination and malaria pills that I will definitely venture into the jungle regardless its cost. The cheapest tour I can find costs a staggering US$500 and is only 4 days 3 nights long. But then this is going to be another once-in-a-lifetime experience. The Amazon Basin is home to 10,000,000 living species, including 2000 species of fish and 300 mammals. Hopefully, I can head into the jungle after my volunteer work on July 17th.
Nasca
The enigmatic Nasca lines, whose origin and function continue to puzzle scientists, puts Nasca on the world map, otherwise Nasca would be just like any other anonymous desert oasis. My plan is to take a small plane to take a god?s eye view of the lines etched in the desert, after the Amazon Basin trip.
*****
The above basically sums up my travel plans for the next month to come. Even though Peruvian food is fantastic and Peruvian scenery spectacular, I am beginning to crave for my Hampstead crepes (strangely I don?t miss Singaporean food after a year away from home). I miss London and the diverse activities that I can engage in London. 5 weeks more before I head back to London, and I will make every single day in Peru an unforgettable one.
Wednesday, June 08, 2005
Can I stay in Urubamba for the rest of my life?
Ten days have passed since I stepped foot on the South American continent. Time simply zoomed past when life is laidback, insouciant and without worries. Each and every day is novel and challenging and this experience is definitely much more enriching than SIF?s YEP.
The Cusco region, i.e. the Sacred Valley of the Incas, is the most beautiful place I?ve ever been to in my entire life. Even Venice and Florence in Italy, Salzburg and Vienna in Austria, Kinderdijk and Amsterdam in the Netherlands, or Bath and London in the United Kingdom cannot compare to Cusco, Urubamba and Calca. Sure, comparisons like these are unfair as every place is unique, but the Sacred Valley is truly the most magnificent and spectacular place I?ve ever been to. And moreover, this place just gets prettier and prettier every day and all of us (24 volunteers) think so.
When the domestic plane first flew from Lima to Cusco, the view of the Andes mountain range from the plane just mesmerised me throughout the whole 60-minute flight. When the plane landed at Cusco airport, my one and only reaction was "Oh my God!" and the close encounter with death and everything else negative and unpleasant in Lima seemed all worthwhile suddenly. Driving through the Andes from Cusco to Urubamba and Calca was even more spectacular. I mean I read and study the Andes in Geography textbooks, I see the Andes on television, but nothing is comparable to the real thing right before my eyes. The Andes are truly awesome!
Cusco stands at the head of the Sacred Valley of the Incas. What was once an ancient Inca capital is, in fact now, the capital of the entire continent. Cusco and Urubamba are surrounded by the Andes with aplenty Inca ruins and stunning scenery. The Quechua people bring the city to life with a combination of prehistoric and Christian beliefs and may I mention this, the Quechua language is absolutely beautiful.
The shortage of oxygen at this high altitude of 3310 metres (I made a mistake in my previous entry) easily and definitely induces altitude sickness and this affects every traveller somehow or another. It took me a few days to acclimatise but what really almost killed me was the jet lag. I slept at 5 pm and woke up at 7 am - a total of 14 hours - on the second day in Cusco. But everything is fine now and I?ve adapted to the Peruvian lifestyle of sleeping at 10 pm every night and waking up at 6 am every morning.
With high altitudes (though Urubamba is slightly lower at 2900 metres) come naturally large daily temperature ranges. The sun shines ferociously in the day and temperatures can hit a maximum of 20 degrees Celsius. Once the sun sets, temperatures start to drop rapidly to 10 degrees Celsius in a matter of minutes and it continues to plummet to 0 degrees Celsius at night. Even so, the scenery at night is still marvellous. The night sky is the most beautiful I?ve ever seen in my entire life. The sky is completely cloudless every single day and hence, all the stars and galaxies can be seen. They seem to appear brighter and larger too, perhaps because of the fact that I?m nearer to the stars? Up till now, I still can?t locate the supposedly-conspicuous Orion Belt, so you can imagine how many stars can be seen in Urubamba?s night sky.
Everything in Urubamba seems so perfect that I wish I can stay here forever. Peruvian people are friendly (they kiss everytime they greet one another), Peruvian scenery is stunning (no adjectives can do the Andes justice), Peruvian food is delicious (for instance Peruvians have 5000 different kinds of potatoes that cannot be found elsewhere in the world and each of them is damn tasty, the British should learn from the Peruvians), Peruvian drinks are awesome (Peruvian coffee is the best I had so far; the national drink, Pisco Sour, is freaking damn good and I got a bit drunk only after 2 glasses, maybe because of rapid intoxication due to high altitude; Peruvian tea is also incredible, I have to drink at least 2 cups of mata de coca - coca tea made from coca leaves - everyday now.)
So, what more can I ask for? I already have plans to come back to Peru some time soon and maybe work here after my bond at SPH...
Can I stay in Urubamba for the rest of my life?
Ten days have passed since I stepped foot on the South American continent. Time simply zoomed past when life is laidback, insouciant and without worries. Each and every day is novel and challenging and this experience is definitely much more enriching than SIF?s YEP.
The Cusco region, i.e. the Sacred Valley of the Incas, is the most beautiful place I?ve ever been to in my entire life. Even Venice and Florence in Italy, Salzburg and Vienna in Austria, Kinderdijk and Amsterdam in the Netherlands, or Bath and London in the United Kingdom cannot compare to Cusco, Urubamba and Calca. Sure, comparisons like these are unfair as every place is unique, but the Sacred Valley is truly the most magnificent and spectacular place I?ve ever been to. And moreover, this place just gets prettier and prettier every day and all of us (24 volunteers) think so.
When the domestic plane first flew from Lima to Cusco, the view of the Andes mountain range from the plane just mesmerised me throughout the whole 60-minute flight. When the plane landed at Cusco airport, my one and only reaction was "Oh my God!" and the close encounter with death and everything else negative and unpleasant in Lima seemed all worthwhile suddenly. Driving through the Andes from Cusco to Urubamba and Calca was even more spectacular. I mean I read and study the Andes in Geography textbooks, I see the Andes on television, but nothing is comparable to the real thing right before my eyes. The Andes are truly awesome!
Cusco stands at the head of the Sacred Valley of the Incas. What was once an ancient Inca capital is, in fact now, the capital of the entire continent. Cusco and Urubamba are surrounded by the Andes with aplenty Inca ruins and stunning scenery. The Quechua people bring the city to life with a combination of prehistoric and Christian beliefs and may I mention this, the Quechua language is absolutely beautiful.
The shortage of oxygen at this high altitude of 3310 metres (I made a mistake in my previous entry) easily and definitely induces altitude sickness and this affects every traveller somehow or another. It took me a few days to acclimatise but what really almost killed me was the jet lag. I slept at 5 pm and woke up at 7 am - a total of 14 hours - on the second day in Cusco. But everything is fine now and I?ve adapted to the Peruvian lifestyle of sleeping at 10 pm every night and waking up at 6 am every morning.
With high altitudes (though Urubamba is slightly lower at 2900 metres) come naturally large daily temperature ranges. The sun shines ferociously in the day and temperatures can hit a maximum of 20 degrees Celsius. Once the sun sets, temperatures start to drop rapidly to 10 degrees Celsius in a matter of minutes and it continues to plummet to 0 degrees Celsius at night. Even so, the scenery at night is still marvellous. The night sky is the most beautiful I?ve ever seen in my entire life. The sky is completely cloudless every single day and hence, all the stars and galaxies can be seen. They seem to appear brighter and larger too, perhaps because of the fact that I?m nearer to the stars? Up till now, I still can?t locate the supposedly-conspicuous Orion Belt, so you can imagine how many stars can be seen in Urubamba?s night sky.
Everything in Urubamba seems so perfect that I wish I can stay here forever. Peruvian people are friendly (they kiss everytime they greet one another), Peruvian scenery is stunning (no adjectives can do the Andes justice), Peruvian food is delicious (for instance Peruvians have 5000 different kinds of potatoes that cannot be found elsewhere in the world and each of them is damn tasty, the British should learn from the Peruvians), Peruvian drinks are awesome (Peruvian coffee is the best I had so far; the national drink, Pisco Sour, is freaking damn good and I got a bit drunk only after 2 glasses, maybe because of rapid intoxication due to high altitude; Peruvian tea is also incredible, I have to drink at least 2 cups of mata de coca - coca tea made from coca leaves - everyday now.)
So, what more can I ask for? I already have plans to come back to Peru some time soon and maybe work here after my bond at SPH...
Can I stay in Urubamba for the rest of my life?
Thursday, June 02, 2005
In Peru!!!
Hola! I just want to say that I?m safe and sound in Peru... after so many adventures in just 1 day! Finally after 18 hours of flight from London to Lima via Madrid, and then a domestic flight from Lima to Cusco, and after all the lugging of my 24-kg-luggage, I have finally reached my destination! The car that I was in ALMOST got hit by another car in Lima (only 2 cm away and emergency brake), I?m really lucky to have survived!
I can?t really say much now... because with all the jet lag and stuff... The altitude sickness is kicking in now... I?m feeling really dizzy now... Or was it the Peruvian guinea pig I had for lunch? By the way, coca tea is fantastic.
But I promise there will be more detailed updates when my body is coping better with everything in Peru!
Cusco is really amazing! In contrast, Lima is crazy.
Until then!
Hola! I just want to say that I?m safe and sound in Peru... after so many adventures in just 1 day! Finally after 18 hours of flight from London to Lima via Madrid, and then a domestic flight from Lima to Cusco, and after all the lugging of my 24-kg-luggage, I have finally reached my destination! The car that I was in ALMOST got hit by another car in Lima (only 2 cm away and emergency brake), I?m really lucky to have survived!
I can?t really say much now... because with all the jet lag and stuff... The altitude sickness is kicking in now... I?m feeling really dizzy now... Or was it the Peruvian guinea pig I had for lunch? By the way, coca tea is fantastic.
But I promise there will be more detailed updates when my body is coping better with everything in Peru!
Cusco is really amazing! In contrast, Lima is crazy.
Until then!
Monday, May 30, 2005
Before Peru
Jet lag has seriously taken its toll on me. Before recovering from the lag back to Singapore, here I am back in London. Maybe I’m suffering from double jet lag now. Oh yah, I’m flying to Peru tomorrow, it’ll be another lag once I’m there. (Peru is 5 hours behind London.) My circadian rhythms mediated by the PER, TIM, CRY and BMAL1 proteins have seriously been disrupted never like before (Oh, I still remember my neuropsychology exam material). How fun is that?
Anyway, I’ve sorted out most of my stuff in London and in Peru. Packing 2 years of London stuff and rubbish in 3 hours wasn’t that easy. Moving them to my new place wasn’t any better either. But somehow I’m glad I was back in Singapore, since everything was so cheap back home. E.g. I got my six malaria pills for only S$24+ (they cost 30 pounds in London).
While I’m in Peru, I’ll be posting regular updates, most probably every fortnight, or every week if possible. Hope everything goes smoothly. I’ll see all of you in 2 months time.
Jet lag has seriously taken its toll on me. Before recovering from the lag back to Singapore, here I am back in London. Maybe I’m suffering from double jet lag now. Oh yah, I’m flying to Peru tomorrow, it’ll be another lag once I’m there. (Peru is 5 hours behind London.) My circadian rhythms mediated by the PER, TIM, CRY and BMAL1 proteins have seriously been disrupted never like before (Oh, I still remember my neuropsychology exam material). How fun is that?
Anyway, I’ve sorted out most of my stuff in London and in Peru. Packing 2 years of London stuff and rubbish in 3 hours wasn’t that easy. Moving them to my new place wasn’t any better either. But somehow I’m glad I was back in Singapore, since everything was so cheap back home. E.g. I got my six malaria pills for only S$24+ (they cost 30 pounds in London).
While I’m in Peru, I’ll be posting regular updates, most probably every fortnight, or every week if possible. Hope everything goes smoothly. I’ll see all of you in 2 months time.
Saturday, May 28, 2005
等不到
上星期一考完第三张试卷，我打电话回家，她叫我别关电话，因为她随时会打给我。
可是，到我考完为止，电话一直没有响。
上星期五考完最后一张试卷(第七张)，我在 Four Seasons 吃我的烧鸭。然后电话响了。
她没说什么，只是说他们刚从医院回来，情况危急，叫我赶快订机票回来就是了。她说他在等我。
等了半年。半年里，他还跟他们说他看到我去看他。
然后是赶着去找机票订机票，然后同一天下午打电话回家告知行程。她说医院又刚打电话来，然后一些人又赶去医院了。
这时，我大概已经感觉到了。
只是，他们始终没有对我说。我还无知地抱着所谓的希望。
然后，前几天在 Heathrow 登机前，我又打了回家，我直接问了。
她先说：“等你回来再讲。”
我已经 100% 肯定了。
回家后才发现，星期五订了机票放下电话后的几分钟，他已经断气了。
阿嬷说他念着我，断气前断气时断气后，眼睛始终没有关上。
结果，他等不到，我也赶不回……
上星期一考完第三张试卷，我打电话回家，她叫我别关电话，因为她随时会打给我。
可是，到我考完为止，电话一直没有响。
上星期五考完最后一张试卷(第七张)，我在 Four Seasons 吃我的烧鸭。然后电话响了。
她没说什么，只是说他们刚从医院回来，情况危急，叫我赶快订机票回来就是了。她说他在等我。
等了半年。半年里，他还跟他们说他看到我去看他。
然后是赶着去找机票订机票，然后同一天下午打电话回家告知行程。她说医院又刚打电话来，然后一些人又赶去医院了。
这时，我大概已经感觉到了。
只是，他们始终没有对我说。我还无知地抱着所谓的希望。
然后，前几天在 Heathrow 登机前，我又打了回家，我直接问了。
她先说：“等你回来再讲。”
我已经 100% 肯定了。
回家后才发现，星期五订了机票放下电话后的几分钟，他已经断气了。
阿嬷说他念着我，断气前断气时断气后，眼睛始终没有关上。
结果，他等不到，我也赶不回……
Monday, May 23, 2005
Hysterical and hectic weeks coming…
Everybody was shocked when I said I am going back to Singapore tomorrow. I was shocked myself by the way. Henry commented I have a crazy schedule ahead of me. Yeah, indeed, the next 2 weeks is going to be hysterical and hectic. Actually it all started after my last paper on Friday. Something cropped up back home and I had to book my air tickets to Singapore right after my exams. So the whole afternoon after exams was spent talking to my tutor about my 3rd year research project and searching for the earliest available tickets back home. And it turned out the cheapest ticket I can get is NOT cheap at all (I could have flown to Paris 10 times and back). Moreover, I am only going to stay in Singapore for 5 days. But whatever, I had no choice since it was a last minute decision.
Anyway, after booking the air tickets, I went to watch Star Wars with Eugene and Max, which took up the whole night. Then the whole weekend was spent in Bath, and I missed my 8 am coach at Victoria on Saturday. But Bath was nice, but what I did not expect was I missed my coach back to London today as well. So, I actually missed BOTH my coaches to AND from Bath. How unlucky can one get? When something wrong cropped up, everything else went wrong. Or was this the agency effect described by Byrne?
And now, I have to start packing a bit of my stuff and luggage for tomorrow’s evening flight. And I’m getting a haircut tomorrow morning and then I have a medical appointment at noon at the travel clinic, getting my Yellow Fever vaccination. Then I have to leave for Heathrow at 2 pm. So basically, I have no time to stop and breathe.
And then, I will stay in Singapore till Saturday morning, will reach London in the evening. Then I have to pack my stuff and store them in my new place on Sunday (last year I had 4 boxes, this year I think I will need 6 boxes), because I am staying over at the airport on Monday night as my flight to Peru is on Tuesday early morning and I have to check in at Heathrow at 530 am.
My schedule sounds really ridiculous, even to myself. I really don’t know how I am going to cope with what’s going to happen in the next 2 weeks. Especially because I am flying over so many time zones in 1 week and that Cusco is about 2700 meters above sea level. I think I am going to be so jet lagged from all the flying about, since it usually takes 3-5 days for me to recover after each long flight. Maybe the high altitude will make it worse. I really wonder how long I will take to recover from jet lag and get acclimatized to the altitude this time round.
Bless me.
Everybody was shocked when I said I am going back to Singapore tomorrow. I was shocked myself by the way. Henry commented I have a crazy schedule ahead of me. Yeah, indeed, the next 2 weeks is going to be hysterical and hectic. Actually it all started after my last paper on Friday. Something cropped up back home and I had to book my air tickets to Singapore right after my exams. So the whole afternoon after exams was spent talking to my tutor about my 3rd year research project and searching for the earliest available tickets back home. And it turned out the cheapest ticket I can get is NOT cheap at all (I could have flown to Paris 10 times and back). Moreover, I am only going to stay in Singapore for 5 days. But whatever, I had no choice since it was a last minute decision.
Anyway, after booking the air tickets, I went to watch Star Wars with Eugene and Max, which took up the whole night. Then the whole weekend was spent in Bath, and I missed my 8 am coach at Victoria on Saturday. But Bath was nice, but what I did not expect was I missed my coach back to London today as well. So, I actually missed BOTH my coaches to AND from Bath. How unlucky can one get? When something wrong cropped up, everything else went wrong. Or was this the agency effect described by Byrne?
And now, I have to start packing a bit of my stuff and luggage for tomorrow’s evening flight. And I’m getting a haircut tomorrow morning and then I have a medical appointment at noon at the travel clinic, getting my Yellow Fever vaccination. Then I have to leave for Heathrow at 2 pm. So basically, I have no time to stop and breathe.
And then, I will stay in Singapore till Saturday morning, will reach London in the evening. Then I have to pack my stuff and store them in my new place on Sunday (last year I had 4 boxes, this year I think I will need 6 boxes), because I am staying over at the airport on Monday night as my flight to Peru is on Tuesday early morning and I have to check in at Heathrow at 530 am.
My schedule sounds really ridiculous, even to myself. I really don’t know how I am going to cope with what’s going to happen in the next 2 weeks. Especially because I am flying over so many time zones in 1 week and that Cusco is about 2700 meters above sea level. I think I am going to be so jet lagged from all the flying about, since it usually takes 3-5 days for me to recover after each long flight. Maybe the high altitude will make it worse. I really wonder how long I will take to recover from jet lag and get acclimatized to the altitude this time round.
Bless me.
Sunday, May 15, 2005
Yesterday
I thought “Mary Poppins” was my first and last musical of this academic year.
But I was wrong.
I went to the West End yesterday with my good friends.
Yes, I’m crazy. I went to watch “Phantom of the Opera” yet again, with 4 major exams ahead of me.
But I have to say, every time in Her Majesty’s theatre, it was a magical experience.
So magical that I feel it’s worth it not staying in my room cramming.
By the way, if you think the film version is fantastic, I can assure you the film version is really nothing compared to the stage version.
Well, if it is not phantastic, the musical wouldn’t have been running everyday for the past 18 years. And nobody would have thought to make a film version based on the stage one.
And I really enjoy the 谢幕 of Phantom. Simple yet elegant. Just like 黄城.
I really don’t mind watching Phantom again.
It turns out we’re going to watch another musical before I leave for Peru.
Maybe “The Producers”. Or “Billy Elliot” which just opened 4 days ago.
*****
“Hey EW you are really young!”
“How do you feel hanging out with a bunch of oldies?”
I was struck by these comments made by some friends yesterday after Phantom and dinner at Mandarin Kitchen at Bayswater.
By the way, I need to digress for a while. The lobster at Mandarin Kitchen which specialises in seafood was fantastic. We were so satisfied after dinner.
So after all, London has good food. It’s just the matter of willing to spend money.
For the past 3 months, I’ve been spending money as if my father prints them.
Well I’m sponsored. And hey, I’ve got the money!
Oh no, it’s really not me. And I know this is no good. But who cares?
I need to indulge and have pleasure sometimes. Oh yah, I went shopping a bit in Covent Garden as well before the musical.
We then went to a nice jazz bar after dinner and I had my most expensive Long Island Iced Tea in my life. I could have gotten two whole big jugs of Long Island back in Singapore. Now I know beer is dirt cheap in London, but not cocktails.
Anyway, I was insane yesterday and so, I had expensive alcohol at that cool bar after Phantom.
And so now I can’t study.
Partly because of the comments made by my friends.
Ok, back to the point I want to make.
It then occurred to me that for the past nine months, I’ve been hanging out with people much older my age. Some of them are at least a decade older than me. Neil is probably 4 decades older than me. Well, he always claims he is only 35. And he runs faster than me, I can’t believe it. He once joked, “The speed of running seems to be inversely proportional to the person’s age.”
And yet I don’t feel distant from them.
Not at all.
Although the conversation topics have mostly been really serious, like politics, investment, religion etc.
Yet, I don’t feel any gap between us.
And I really learnt a lot from them. Things and lessons you can never find in books and journal articles. Well, they have much much much more life experience than I do.
Am I growing old too fast?
(Well I guess maturing faster also has to do with my career choice as a journalist. Every internship every summer seems to add 5 years each to my mental age.)
I thought “Mary Poppins” was my first and last musical of this academic year.
But I was wrong.
I went to the West End yesterday with my good friends.
Yes, I’m crazy. I went to watch “Phantom of the Opera” yet again, with 4 major exams ahead of me.
But I have to say, every time in Her Majesty’s theatre, it was a magical experience.
So magical that I feel it’s worth it not staying in my room cramming.
By the way, if you think the film version is fantastic, I can assure you the film version is really nothing compared to the stage version.
Well, if it is not phantastic, the musical wouldn’t have been running everyday for the past 18 years. And nobody would have thought to make a film version based on the stage one.
And I really enjoy the 谢幕 of Phantom. Simple yet elegant. Just like 黄城.
I really don’t mind watching Phantom again.
It turns out we’re going to watch another musical before I leave for Peru.
Maybe “The Producers”. Or “Billy Elliot” which just opened 4 days ago.
*****
“Hey EW you are really young!”
“How do you feel hanging out with a bunch of oldies?”
I was struck by these comments made by some friends yesterday after Phantom and dinner at Mandarin Kitchen at Bayswater.
By the way, I need to digress for a while. The lobster at Mandarin Kitchen which specialises in seafood was fantastic. We were so satisfied after dinner.
So after all, London has good food. It’s just the matter of willing to spend money.
For the past 3 months, I’ve been spending money as if my father prints them.
Well I’m sponsored. And hey, I’ve got the money!
Oh no, it’s really not me. And I know this is no good. But who cares?
I need to indulge and have pleasure sometimes. Oh yah, I went shopping a bit in Covent Garden as well before the musical.
We then went to a nice jazz bar after dinner and I had my most expensive Long Island Iced Tea in my life. I could have gotten two whole big jugs of Long Island back in Singapore. Now I know beer is dirt cheap in London, but not cocktails.
Anyway, I was insane yesterday and so, I had expensive alcohol at that cool bar after Phantom.
And so now I can’t study.
Partly because of the comments made by my friends.
Ok, back to the point I want to make.
It then occurred to me that for the past nine months, I’ve been hanging out with people much older my age. Some of them are at least a decade older than me. Neil is probably 4 decades older than me. Well, he always claims he is only 35. And he runs faster than me, I can’t believe it. He once joked, “The speed of running seems to be inversely proportional to the person’s age.”
And yet I don’t feel distant from them.
Not at all.
Although the conversation topics have mostly been really serious, like politics, investment, religion etc.
Yet, I don’t feel any gap between us.
And I really learnt a lot from them. Things and lessons you can never find in books and journal articles. Well, they have much much much more life experience than I do.
Am I growing old too fast?
(Well I guess maturing faster also has to do with my career choice as a journalist. Every internship every summer seems to add 5 years each to my mental age.)
Friday, May 13, 2005
I AM FREAKING OUT!
Seriously, I am freaking out! Help me! Help me!
But not because of exams only; I’m experiencing much more stress about the preparations for Peru.
I got a 4-page email from Peru regarding my volunteer trip. Tonie opened the letter with “Greetings from Peru and welcome to the program! I would imagine by now you are starting to get excited and possibly a bit anxious about your upcoming travels to Peru.”
Yeah! I was VERY excited in January. And I was also a bit stressed and anxious in January. But just when I thought my preparations are on the right track, I just realised there ARE still so many other things to settle. I am freaking out despite having travelled independently to so many countries already! I am seriously freaking out this time round!
Ah well, I sort of miss Youth Expedition Project (YEP), where everything is sort of done for you. For YEP, a normal volunteer just has to do about 6 months of fundraising, learn some basic native language, decide the things to be done and how to execute the project in that country, have a few departure meetings with one’s fellow group mates, take the various vaccinations according to SIF’s guidelines and so on. Jobs are divided among the group members. But that’s it! No other worries. Everything in YEP is taken care for you by SIF.
This time it’s totally different. I have to do everything myself. No wonder there aren’t many volunteers around. Now I really admire true volunteers, and understand the true spirit of volunteerism. Simply put, YEP seems like a 2- or 3-week holiday trip more than a volunteer trip really. So being the pampered me, I am freaking out now!
Can’t the organisation I’m under help me a bit? No. They say “nothing ventured, nothing gained,” which I agreed with 100%. This is independent volunteerism. This is true volunteerism. I am a Non-Government-Organisation (NGO) Intern in Peru from June onwards. And for the rest of my life, I will be proud of it. This is THE trip of my life.
Okay, travel wise… I’ve booked my return international flights from London to Lima long ago. I’ve gotten my travel insurance long ago (1st time I actually decided to get insurance for travelling). And I just booked my domestic flight from Lima to Cusco. But I just realised I’ll reach Lima at night and my connecting flight to Cusco is on the next morning. So I need to stay over in Lima for one night…
Ok. Ok. I’ve been following the news in Peru for the past few months. Peru isn’t that stable, and Lima isn’t that safe after all, with the Shining Path rebels still VERY active, even though their chief is still imprisoned… Ah well, the President from Ecuador (Peru’s neighbour) just went into exile because of public pressure, and there was immense chaos in Quito for quite some time a few weeks ago. Hopefully this does not happen in Lima!
And then there is this fresh fierce row between Peru and Chile because of a stupid advertisement by Chile indirectly insulting Peru. Lan Peru and Lan Chile are the 2 major airlines owned by Chile, Lan Peru is under the management of Lan Chile actually and is ironically the major airline in Peru currently. The national Peruvian airline went bankrupt some years back. Well, I’m flying on Lan Peru from Lima to Cusco. So I better pray the dispute will be resolved soon and not snowball into some international dispute, and affect my travel plans. I don’t want to be stuck in Lima, and get mugged by the rebels.
Ok. So one thing I have to do is to arrange my plans for that night in Lima ASAP.
Now vaccinations… I just visited the travel clinic a few days ago. Gotten whatever vaccinations there are, but did not take the Yellow Fever one. Should I take the Yellow Fever one since I might go to Manu Natural Reserves? And I am still contemplating whether to get Malaria pills as well, since I might venture into the Amazon Basin. Ok, I kind of missed the times during BMT in Pulau Tekong, where you are readily given the pills and then forced to ingest them in front of the Platoon Commander. Now I have to decide whether I should take the pills and to source them down and purchase them myself. I wonder how much the pills will cost in London. And I will have to take the pills 2/3 weeks before I travel to the Amazon right? Or what? Ok… this is another thing to consider seriously. I am afraid of death.
Ok, these are just 2 minor issues I need to think about. I haven’t even started to think about my actual volunteer work yet. I can seriously rattle on forever on my other preparations for the trip. I better stop now and concentrate on my revision for the moment.
Don’t freak out! Don’t freak out! Think of Machu Picchu. Think of the Inca trail. Think of Lake Titicaca. Don’t freak out! I will learn a lot through the process! Don’t freak out! Don’t freak out!
Oh yah, perhaps the most pressing issue is I don’t know anything about the Spanish language even though I say I want to learn in January. I put off the Spanish learning since acquiring Spanish might interfere with my German course and exam. Well done! So now, I only know “hola,” “buenos dias,” “muy bien” and “gracias.” Well done!
So how to carry out volunteer work when I can’t even speak basic Spanish?
So how can I not freak out?
Maybe I’m freaking out more and more because I have 4 exams (all essays) next week everyday except Tuesday.
FREAKING OUT and looking forward to what will happen after freaking out...
Only 18 days to Peru and 7 days to the end of exams…
~~~~~
I got another nice surprise yesterday evening. My friend Neil, the man who seems to know everybody in the world from the Chancellor of Oxford University (he was the ex-governor of Hong Kong, I’m sure you know who) to the chief of HSBC, from the top barrister in Hong Kong to one of the top ministers in Japan’s government, called me yesterday evening to say that he has got a good friend from Peru visiting in London now.
Talking to this Peruvian friend of his, my worries are allayed a little. Peruvians are indeed friendly, sincere and truthful. This Peruvian’s hometown is in Lima and he readily admits that Lima isn’t safe. You just have to live with it yah, not all countries are as developed as Singapore and London. He offered me some practical advice and asked me to take a crash course in Spanish. He left me some contacts of his friends in Lima and Cusco as well, even though yesterday was the 1st time we met (on the phone). :)
I’m starting to love Peruvians already and I believe I’ll make some good Peruvian friends in the 60 days in Peru.
I’m glad I know resourceful Neil.
Seriously, I am freaking out! Help me! Help me!
But not because of exams only; I’m experiencing much more stress about the preparations for Peru.
I got a 4-page email from Peru regarding my volunteer trip. Tonie opened the letter with “Greetings from Peru and welcome to the program! I would imagine by now you are starting to get excited and possibly a bit anxious about your upcoming travels to Peru.”
Yeah! I was VERY excited in January. And I was also a bit stressed and anxious in January. But just when I thought my preparations are on the right track, I just realised there ARE still so many other things to settle. I am freaking out despite having travelled independently to so many countries already! I am seriously freaking out this time round!
Ah well, I sort of miss Youth Expedition Project (YEP), where everything is sort of done for you. For YEP, a normal volunteer just has to do about 6 months of fundraising, learn some basic native language, decide the things to be done and how to execute the project in that country, have a few departure meetings with one’s fellow group mates, take the various vaccinations according to SIF’s guidelines and so on. Jobs are divided among the group members. But that’s it! No other worries. Everything in YEP is taken care for you by SIF.
This time it’s totally different. I have to do everything myself. No wonder there aren’t many volunteers around. Now I really admire true volunteers, and understand the true spirit of volunteerism. Simply put, YEP seems like a 2- or 3-week holiday trip more than a volunteer trip really. So being the pampered me, I am freaking out now!
Can’t the organisation I’m under help me a bit? No. They say “nothing ventured, nothing gained,” which I agreed with 100%. This is independent volunteerism. This is true volunteerism. I am a Non-Government-Organisation (NGO) Intern in Peru from June onwards. And for the rest of my life, I will be proud of it. This is THE trip of my life.
Okay, travel wise… I’ve booked my return international flights from London to Lima long ago. I’ve gotten my travel insurance long ago (1st time I actually decided to get insurance for travelling). And I just booked my domestic flight from Lima to Cusco. But I just realised I’ll reach Lima at night and my connecting flight to Cusco is on the next morning. So I need to stay over in Lima for one night…
Ok. Ok. I’ve been following the news in Peru for the past few months. Peru isn’t that stable, and Lima isn’t that safe after all, with the Shining Path rebels still VERY active, even though their chief is still imprisoned… Ah well, the President from Ecuador (Peru’s neighbour) just went into exile because of public pressure, and there was immense chaos in Quito for quite some time a few weeks ago. Hopefully this does not happen in Lima!
And then there is this fresh fierce row between Peru and Chile because of a stupid advertisement by Chile indirectly insulting Peru. Lan Peru and Lan Chile are the 2 major airlines owned by Chile, Lan Peru is under the management of Lan Chile actually and is ironically the major airline in Peru currently. The national Peruvian airline went bankrupt some years back. Well, I’m flying on Lan Peru from Lima to Cusco. So I better pray the dispute will be resolved soon and not snowball into some international dispute, and affect my travel plans. I don’t want to be stuck in Lima, and get mugged by the rebels.
Ok. So one thing I have to do is to arrange my plans for that night in Lima ASAP.
Now vaccinations… I just visited the travel clinic a few days ago. Gotten whatever vaccinations there are, but did not take the Yellow Fever one. Should I take the Yellow Fever one since I might go to Manu Natural Reserves? And I am still contemplating whether to get Malaria pills as well, since I might venture into the Amazon Basin. Ok, I kind of missed the times during BMT in Pulau Tekong, where you are readily given the pills and then forced to ingest them in front of the Platoon Commander. Now I have to decide whether I should take the pills and to source them down and purchase them myself. I wonder how much the pills will cost in London. And I will have to take the pills 2/3 weeks before I travel to the Amazon right? Or what? Ok… this is another thing to consider seriously. I am afraid of death.
Ok, these are just 2 minor issues I need to think about. I haven’t even started to think about my actual volunteer work yet. I can seriously rattle on forever on my other preparations for the trip. I better stop now and concentrate on my revision for the moment.
Don’t freak out! Don’t freak out! Think of Machu Picchu. Think of the Inca trail. Think of Lake Titicaca. Don’t freak out! I will learn a lot through the process! Don’t freak out! Don’t freak out!
Oh yah, perhaps the most pressing issue is I don’t know anything about the Spanish language even though I say I want to learn in January. I put off the Spanish learning since acquiring Spanish might interfere with my German course and exam. Well done! So now, I only know “hola,” “buenos dias,” “muy bien” and “gracias.” Well done!
So how to carry out volunteer work when I can’t even speak basic Spanish?
So how can I not freak out?
Maybe I’m freaking out more and more because I have 4 exams (all essays) next week everyday except Tuesday.
FREAKING OUT and looking forward to what will happen after freaking out...
Only 18 days to Peru and 7 days to the end of exams…
~~~~~
I got another nice surprise yesterday evening. My friend Neil, the man who seems to know everybody in the world from the Chancellor of Oxford University (he was the ex-governor of Hong Kong, I’m sure you know who) to the chief of HSBC, from the top barrister in Hong Kong to one of the top ministers in Japan’s government, called me yesterday evening to say that he has got a good friend from Peru visiting in London now.
Talking to this Peruvian friend of his, my worries are allayed a little. Peruvians are indeed friendly, sincere and truthful. This Peruvian’s hometown is in Lima and he readily admits that Lima isn’t safe. You just have to live with it yah, not all countries are as developed as Singapore and London. He offered me some practical advice and asked me to take a crash course in Spanish. He left me some contacts of his friends in Lima and Cusco as well, even though yesterday was the 1st time we met (on the phone). :)
I’m starting to love Peruvians already and I believe I’ll make some good Peruvian friends in the 60 days in Peru.
I’m glad I know resourceful Neil.
Saturday, May 07, 2005
Insanity
I’m actually intrigued by the stuff I’m reading and revising now.
Just like how I’m intrigued by the many novels, plays, films and television programs exploring what many people see as the dark side of human nature. I’m sure you’ve read one of the many self-help books that flood the market.
This fascinating field is known as Abnormal Psychology.
Psychology can only become abnormal when a norm exists. People then deviate from this norm and culture. For instance, 10% of people believe they have seen a ghost (ghosts don’t drop by, if they do exist); 23% confess to not flushing the toilet all the time (flushing toilets is a social conduct); 39% confess to snooping in their hosts’ medicine cabinets (checking out friends’ medicines is deemed undesirable and sick)…
Psychology can also become abnormal when people develop mental dysfunctions. James Bond said in “Tomorrow Never Dies”, “The distance between insanity and genius is measured only by success.” Albert Einstein commented that insanity is “doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.”
So, let’s face it: nobody in this world is normal, including you and me.
Everybody has some mental disorders at some juncture in their lives, and it occurs in varying degrees. From obsessive compulsive behaviour like biting your fingernails or checking several times repeatedly that you’ve locked your door after leaving your apartment, to fears of spiders and heights and even sexual intercourse… from getting anxious when taking an exam that we are not confident in, to developing auditory hallucinations and persecutory delusions. All these behaviours are deemed to be not normal.
Ok… It’s kind of practical to study these in many ways. It’s sort of cool as well to study such topics as stress and anxiety when I’m actually feeling stressful and anxious. So most of the time, I’m actually evaluating myself… oh I seem to have this symptom as well, and that as well, does that mean I can be diagnosed with GAD? I’m getting severely depressed because that happened, I should engage in cognitive-behaviour therapy and maybe ingest some SSRIs or MAOIs so as to alleviate my depressive symptoms. I accidentally got a deep cut, and it’s damn painful, but hey, I can divert my attention to somewhere else, and this will close the gate hypothesised to be in the spinal cord, to prevent pain signals transmitted in the C-fibres from reaching the cerebral cortex, according to Melzack and Wall’s (1965) gate control theory...
Perhaps, the reason we get insane is because insanity is the only perfectly adjustment to an insane world.
~~~~~
*Damn it… There were a few surprises in the exam yesterday… Depression, which appeared every year, did not come out yesterday. The most common psychological disorder with 1 in 6 people possessing depression at some time in their lives, and my lecturers decided to surprise us. What the hell… But the getaway to Oxford was fantastic, and Mary Poppins on last Tuesday compensated for everything else. :)
I’m actually intrigued by the stuff I’m reading and revising now.
Just like how I’m intrigued by the many novels, plays, films and television programs exploring what many people see as the dark side of human nature. I’m sure you’ve read one of the many self-help books that flood the market.
This fascinating field is known as Abnormal Psychology.
Psychology can only become abnormal when a norm exists. People then deviate from this norm and culture. For instance, 10% of people believe they have seen a ghost (ghosts don’t drop by, if they do exist); 23% confess to not flushing the toilet all the time (flushing toilets is a social conduct); 39% confess to snooping in their hosts’ medicine cabinets (checking out friends’ medicines is deemed undesirable and sick)…
Psychology can also become abnormal when people develop mental dysfunctions. James Bond said in “Tomorrow Never Dies”, “The distance between insanity and genius is measured only by success.” Albert Einstein commented that insanity is “doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.”
So, let’s face it: nobody in this world is normal, including you and me.
Everybody has some mental disorders at some juncture in their lives, and it occurs in varying degrees. From obsessive compulsive behaviour like biting your fingernails or checking several times repeatedly that you’ve locked your door after leaving your apartment, to fears of spiders and heights and even sexual intercourse… from getting anxious when taking an exam that we are not confident in, to developing auditory hallucinations and persecutory delusions. All these behaviours are deemed to be not normal.
Ok… It’s kind of practical to study these in many ways. It’s sort of cool as well to study such topics as stress and anxiety when I’m actually feeling stressful and anxious. So most of the time, I’m actually evaluating myself… oh I seem to have this symptom as well, and that as well, does that mean I can be diagnosed with GAD? I’m getting severely depressed because that happened, I should engage in cognitive-behaviour therapy and maybe ingest some SSRIs or MAOIs so as to alleviate my depressive symptoms. I accidentally got a deep cut, and it’s damn painful, but hey, I can divert my attention to somewhere else, and this will close the gate hypothesised to be in the spinal cord, to prevent pain signals transmitted in the C-fibres from reaching the cerebral cortex, according to Melzack and Wall’s (1965) gate control theory...
Perhaps, the reason we get insane is because insanity is the only perfectly adjustment to an insane world.
~~~~~
*Damn it… There were a few surprises in the exam yesterday… Depression, which appeared every year, did not come out yesterday. The most common psychological disorder with 1 in 6 people possessing depression at some time in their lives, and my lecturers decided to surprise us. What the hell… But the getaway to Oxford was fantastic, and Mary Poppins on last Tuesday compensated for everything else. :)
Tuesday, May 03, 2005
Excited!
Things have been getting on rather smoothly. Strangely I haven’t been revising much. Instead I have been going out more often despite the nearing exams. To pubs, to restaurants, to the Heath. In fact, I’m watching Mary Poppins the Musical tonight. Hmm… seriously looking forward to my 1st musical for this academic year, probably the last musical this year too, since I’ll be leaving London for Peru in 20 over days.
And I’ll be going to Oxford (again!!!) for a while after my 1st paper this Friday. Sounds crazy yah… especially I have 5 more papers to go in the next 2 weeks and I’m already going Oxford to have fun after my 1st paper. Whatever…
Another update… I’ve decided to make my final year in London count (well, its my final year if I don’t stay here for Masters). So, I’ve decided not to share any flats with any Singaporeans. And I also decided not to stay in halls of residences anymore. As much as I love Netherhall House, especially the environment and the facilities and the people, I seriously hate the food. Its potatoes every single day, in various forms e.g. chips, mashed, sauteed, baked, jacket etc. But I really love Hampstead and I definitely cannot live without the crepes and my beloved Hampstead Heath… But accommodation in Hampstead cost like twice or thrice the normal price in central London. A normal small single room would have cost about 200 pounds (S$600) per week. Well, I can’t afford that amount, but I got a really really really really pleasant surprise while surfing online for accommodation in Hampstead yesterday night!
So guess what? I’ll be staying alone with a very nice traditional English family from September onwards for the next whole academic year. And the house is in Hampstead, just opposite the Heath! Its 5 minutes to my Hampstead crepes! And just 30 seconds to the Heath. And my future room is triple the size of my current room, or about twice the size of my bedroom back in Singapore (normal bedroom of old HDB 3-room flat). I can probably set up a mini gym in my room. My future house has 4 storeys and my room is on the top of the house! I have my own bathroom and own kitchen! Oh yah, there is a REAL fireplace in my room as well! And the rent is cheaper than what I’m paying now, only 100 pounds per week! So it seems an incredibly good deal to be true that I immediately accept the landlady’s offer. So next year there will be no Singaporeans, no other students living around me. Only 100% British! And the landlady seems pretty nice! She offered me a television in my room and asked me if I need a microwave! So I guess I’ll learn more about the British culture and way of living better in my final year. Who knows I might stay in London for Masters just to continue staying in that apartment?
That’s about it for now! More updates when I’m free.
Things have been getting on rather smoothly. Strangely I haven’t been revising much. Instead I have been going out more often despite the nearing exams. To pubs, to restaurants, to the Heath. In fact, I’m watching Mary Poppins the Musical tonight. Hmm… seriously looking forward to my 1st musical for this academic year, probably the last musical this year too, since I’ll be leaving London for Peru in 20 over days.
And I’ll be going to Oxford (again!!!) for a while after my 1st paper this Friday. Sounds crazy yah… especially I have 5 more papers to go in the next 2 weeks and I’m already going Oxford to have fun after my 1st paper. Whatever…
Another update… I’ve decided to make my final year in London count (well, its my final year if I don’t stay here for Masters). So, I’ve decided not to share any flats with any Singaporeans. And I also decided not to stay in halls of residences anymore. As much as I love Netherhall House, especially the environment and the facilities and the people, I seriously hate the food. Its potatoes every single day, in various forms e.g. chips, mashed, sauteed, baked, jacket etc. But I really love Hampstead and I definitely cannot live without the crepes and my beloved Hampstead Heath… But accommodation in Hampstead cost like twice or thrice the normal price in central London. A normal small single room would have cost about 200 pounds (S$600) per week. Well, I can’t afford that amount, but I got a really really really really pleasant surprise while surfing online for accommodation in Hampstead yesterday night!
So guess what? I’ll be staying alone with a very nice traditional English family from September onwards for the next whole academic year. And the house is in Hampstead, just opposite the Heath! Its 5 minutes to my Hampstead crepes! And just 30 seconds to the Heath. And my future room is triple the size of my current room, or about twice the size of my bedroom back in Singapore (normal bedroom of old HDB 3-room flat). I can probably set up a mini gym in my room. My future house has 4 storeys and my room is on the top of the house! I have my own bathroom and own kitchen! Oh yah, there is a REAL fireplace in my room as well! And the rent is cheaper than what I’m paying now, only 100 pounds per week! So it seems an incredibly good deal to be true that I immediately accept the landlady’s offer. So next year there will be no Singaporeans, no other students living around me. Only 100% British! And the landlady seems pretty nice! She offered me a television in my room and asked me if I need a microwave! So I guess I’ll learn more about the British culture and way of living better in my final year. Who knows I might stay in London for Masters just to continue staying in that apartment?
That’s about it for now! More updates when I’m free.
Monday, April 25, 2005
I had one whole rabbit for dinner!
Ok. I’ve got to admit that I’m still a bit drunk while typing this. Since I can’t do any revision, I might as well crap something here.
It’s an amazing feat that we managed to get a table at Holly Bush for 3 hours tonight! Of course it’s through a prior reservation; else I doubt we’ll be able to get a place for the 6 of us. I mean, Holly Bush is always crowded every time we go there. And we’ll always get disappointed after discovering there’s not even standing space in the pub. So we were utterly glad that we got a nice cosy spot and a big table for 3 hours, eating dinner, drinking beer and nice talking.
I had a pint of London Pride and some chips for aperitif. London Pride is a kind of ale, somewhat stronger than lager and stout. Maybe this is the reason why I’m still a bit high now. After which was dinner in which I tried something new. I mean every time I go to London pubs, fish and chips is almost always on the menus. Since Holly Bush had an entirely different pub menu from other typical pubs (no fish and chips at all), I decided to excite my taste buds a little.
And guess what? I had one whole rabbit for dinner! Initially I was actually contemplating whether to have the rabbit. It sounds cruel to eat a rabbit in the first place. Especially so when the menu says coldly “Rabbit in mustard with sautéed potatoes,” it sounds even more inhuman to eat the rabbit. But Neil says just do whatever you want. Yah then I thought well, I only live once and how often do I get to eat a rabbit. I mean I ate exotic food before, like dogs, scorpions, snakes, worms, but never tame cute harmless little rabbits. And so I ordered the rabbit while other people had more normal food like lamb shanks and smoked salmon. And mind you, that rabbit wasn’t cheap. I could probably go to Four Seasons twice or even thrice with what I paid for tonight.
Luckily, the rabbit was fantastic and mouth-savouring. The meat was tenderer and softer than that of chicken. It was a bit spongy too, maybe from all the hopping around. It turned out that the rabbit on my plate was quite big; nevertheless I still finished everything, with just the bones left (rabbit bones are actually quite soft and flexible). I felt like I’m some cold-blooded eagle or wild animal savouring rabbits like what I usually see on documentary shows. I kept telling myself to stop imagining how a rabbit looks like, so that I can enjoy myself better. We had a bottle of red wine to go with our food as well, making it easier for me to forget that I was eating a rabbit. I couldn’t even be bothered to decide whether rabbit meat was red meat or white meat.
Then we sat for about an hour longer; I had another half a pint of Stella, which is a lager much lighter and fizzier than ale. Then was more talking and chatting. All of us simply love Holly Bush, the best pub I’ve been to in the whole of London, comparable to Trout Inn in Oxford. Nice location on the top of the hill in the old Hampstead Village. Charles Dickens and Keats probably were regular customers. Don’t think Sigmund Freud was though, most probably our old friend Freud would be too busy immersing himself with his sexual theories at Maresfield Gardens and too lazy to walk up the hill. Oh yah did I mention this before? Neil met Anna Freud before in person and had a conversation with her at Freud’s place. I thought it’s kind of cool to have a friend who talked to Freud before, anyway.
Yah that’s about all I want to crap about for now. I’m surprised that I’m still a bit tipsy after finishing typing this entry. I don’t think I can revise for my German Oral Exam on Wednesday. The only thing I can do now is probably sleep. Bis bald und auf wiedersehen!
(24-04-2005 0016 hrs)
Ok. I’ve got to admit that I’m still a bit drunk while typing this. Since I can’t do any revision, I might as well crap something here.
It’s an amazing feat that we managed to get a table at Holly Bush for 3 hours tonight! Of course it’s through a prior reservation; else I doubt we’ll be able to get a place for the 6 of us. I mean, Holly Bush is always crowded every time we go there. And we’ll always get disappointed after discovering there’s not even standing space in the pub. So we were utterly glad that we got a nice cosy spot and a big table for 3 hours, eating dinner, drinking beer and nice talking.
I had a pint of London Pride and some chips for aperitif. London Pride is a kind of ale, somewhat stronger than lager and stout. Maybe this is the reason why I’m still a bit high now. After which was dinner in which I tried something new. I mean every time I go to London pubs, fish and chips is almost always on the menus. Since Holly Bush had an entirely different pub menu from other typical pubs (no fish and chips at all), I decided to excite my taste buds a little.
And guess what? I had one whole rabbit for dinner! Initially I was actually contemplating whether to have the rabbit. It sounds cruel to eat a rabbit in the first place. Especially so when the menu says coldly “Rabbit in mustard with sautéed potatoes,” it sounds even more inhuman to eat the rabbit. But Neil says just do whatever you want. Yah then I thought well, I only live once and how often do I get to eat a rabbit. I mean I ate exotic food before, like dogs, scorpions, snakes, worms, but never tame cute harmless little rabbits. And so I ordered the rabbit while other people had more normal food like lamb shanks and smoked salmon. And mind you, that rabbit wasn’t cheap. I could probably go to Four Seasons twice or even thrice with what I paid for tonight.
Luckily, the rabbit was fantastic and mouth-savouring. The meat was tenderer and softer than that of chicken. It was a bit spongy too, maybe from all the hopping around. It turned out that the rabbit on my plate was quite big; nevertheless I still finished everything, with just the bones left (rabbit bones are actually quite soft and flexible). I felt like I’m some cold-blooded eagle or wild animal savouring rabbits like what I usually see on documentary shows. I kept telling myself to stop imagining how a rabbit looks like, so that I can enjoy myself better. We had a bottle of red wine to go with our food as well, making it easier for me to forget that I was eating a rabbit. I couldn’t even be bothered to decide whether rabbit meat was red meat or white meat.
Then we sat for about an hour longer; I had another half a pint of Stella, which is a lager much lighter and fizzier than ale. Then was more talking and chatting. All of us simply love Holly Bush, the best pub I’ve been to in the whole of London, comparable to Trout Inn in Oxford. Nice location on the top of the hill in the old Hampstead Village. Charles Dickens and Keats probably were regular customers. Don’t think Sigmund Freud was though, most probably our old friend Freud would be too busy immersing himself with his sexual theories at Maresfield Gardens and too lazy to walk up the hill. Oh yah did I mention this before? Neil met Anna Freud before in person and had a conversation with her at Freud’s place. I thought it’s kind of cool to have a friend who talked to Freud before, anyway.
Yah that’s about all I want to crap about for now. I’m surprised that I’m still a bit tipsy after finishing typing this entry. I don’t think I can revise for my German Oral Exam on Wednesday. The only thing I can do now is probably sleep. Bis bald und auf wiedersehen!
(24-04-2005 0016 hrs)
Thursday, April 21, 2005
Right or wrong?
One recurrent issue in Psychology that I haven’t managed to understand is why psychodynamic theories are still discussed even though they do not hold up to scientific scrutiny in these days. If psychodynamic therapies do not work effectively, why should people still revise psychodynamic theories to develop new theories based on psychoanalysis? Sure I agree with Sigmund Freud’s 1909 distinction between consciousness and unconsciousness. However Freud said the following to distinguish his theory from static theories, “We explain it dynamically, from the conflict of opposing mental forces, and recognise it as the outcome of an active struggling on the part of the two psychic groupings against each other.” (Five Lectures on Psychoanalysis, Standard Edition, XI, pp. 9-55 at pp.25-26) But how plausible is this?
Can we actually explain everything solely based on psychoanalysis, as Freud propounded? Definitely not. Freud’s theories are only based on the recollections of a relatively small number of emotionally disturbed adults whose experiences may not apply to most people. Yet we do not reject Freud’s theories simply because he was the first to proclaim that the vast majority of psychic experience lay below the level of conscious awareness.
Whatever it is, one thing for sure is that most of Freud’s theories have not been favoured by many contemporary psychologists. This is immediately evident from another recurrent debate between nature and nurture omnipresent in the whole field of Psychology. A good example will be the development of language. Is language an instinct, as proposed by Noam Chomsky and Steven Pinker? Or is language a “verbal behaviour”, as suggested by B. F. Skinner? Freud did not say much on language. And nobody is really able to give a definite answer, even up till today.
And this is what I like about the discipline of Psychology. For the most part of this vast field, there is simply no right or wrong. Is schizophrenia a biological disease or a mental illness or a social construction or something else? Do animals reason or not? Do human beings use cognitive maps to navigate? Is visual perception direct or indirect? Is cognition independent of language, according to Whorf? Do children and animals have theory of mind? Nobody can give definite answers to all these psychological questions (these questions happen to be my past exam questions as well).
So why do people still study something when there’s no right or wrong? Think about it and when you have arrived at the answer, maybe then, the money invested in your university education has not been wasted.
I’m still thinking.
One recurrent issue in Psychology that I haven’t managed to understand is why psychodynamic theories are still discussed even though they do not hold up to scientific scrutiny in these days. If psychodynamic therapies do not work effectively, why should people still revise psychodynamic theories to develop new theories based on psychoanalysis? Sure I agree with Sigmund Freud’s 1909 distinction between consciousness and unconsciousness. However Freud said the following to distinguish his theory from static theories, “We explain it dynamically, from the conflict of opposing mental forces, and recognise it as the outcome of an active struggling on the part of the two psychic groupings against each other.” (Five Lectures on Psychoanalysis, Standard Edition, XI, pp. 9-55 at pp.25-26) But how plausible is this?
Can we actually explain everything solely based on psychoanalysis, as Freud propounded? Definitely not. Freud’s theories are only based on the recollections of a relatively small number of emotionally disturbed adults whose experiences may not apply to most people. Yet we do not reject Freud’s theories simply because he was the first to proclaim that the vast majority of psychic experience lay below the level of conscious awareness.
Whatever it is, one thing for sure is that most of Freud’s theories have not been favoured by many contemporary psychologists. This is immediately evident from another recurrent debate between nature and nurture omnipresent in the whole field of Psychology. A good example will be the development of language. Is language an instinct, as proposed by Noam Chomsky and Steven Pinker? Or is language a “verbal behaviour”, as suggested by B. F. Skinner? Freud did not say much on language. And nobody is really able to give a definite answer, even up till today.
And this is what I like about the discipline of Psychology. For the most part of this vast field, there is simply no right or wrong. Is schizophrenia a biological disease or a mental illness or a social construction or something else? Do animals reason or not? Do human beings use cognitive maps to navigate? Is visual perception direct or indirect? Is cognition independent of language, according to Whorf? Do children and animals have theory of mind? Nobody can give definite answers to all these psychological questions (these questions happen to be my past exam questions as well).
So why do people still study something when there’s no right or wrong? Think about it and when you have arrived at the answer, maybe then, the money invested in your university education has not been wasted.
I’m still thinking.
Monday, April 18, 2005
Quick Update
Machu Picchu
Machu Picchu shrouded in mist
Just a quick update, I've been bogged down with tremendous amounts of stuff lately. As such, I won't be updating on my Scandinavian experiences, at least not in the next few weeks. But I'm glad that life isn't revolved around Psychology papers and books as yet. We still go to pubs, more often than in the past in fact (thrice per week... I think alcohol has the same effect as caffeine on me now). We still go jogging in the Heath. We still eat out on weekends (ooohh... eating at Four Seasons every 3-4 weeks is really a great incentive to compel me to finish my work). And I still have time to walk to my favourite crepes stall to have my crepes with bananas in dark chocolate and coconut and rum...
So life isn't that bad yet. Especially whenever I picture Machu Picchu in my mind. Isn't Machu Picchu just gorgeous and magnificent? I still can't believe I am heading to Peru in a month's time.
Machu Picchu
Machu Picchu shrouded in mist
Just a quick update, I've been bogged down with tremendous amounts of stuff lately. As such, I won't be updating on my Scandinavian experiences, at least not in the next few weeks. But I'm glad that life isn't revolved around Psychology papers and books as yet. We still go to pubs, more often than in the past in fact (thrice per week... I think alcohol has the same effect as caffeine on me now). We still go jogging in the Heath. We still eat out on weekends (ooohh... eating at Four Seasons every 3-4 weeks is really a great incentive to compel me to finish my work). And I still have time to walk to my favourite crepes stall to have my crepes with bananas in dark chocolate and coconut and rum...
So life isn't that bad yet. Especially whenever I picture Machu Picchu in my mind. Isn't Machu Picchu just gorgeous and magnificent? I still can't believe I am heading to Peru in a month's time.
Saturday, April 09, 2005
4月8日的梵蒂冈也下雪了吗？
今天傍晚竟然下起雪，在葬礼结束的六个小时后。
我以为我看错了，于是把手伸出窗外。
没有错，不是幻觉。是朵朵的雪花。的确。
四月的伦敦春天，竟然下起雪。
还下了两次。
虽然每次只有几分钟。
然后，乌云马上散去，天空又恢复一片晴朗。
雪花平静地覆盖着草地，像钻石般闪烁发亮，久久不肯消溶。
全球为他哀悼了整整一个星期。
身边的人有的也特地飞去梵蒂冈见他最后一次面，有的则目不转睛看了三个多小时的现场转播。
吊诡的是，查尔斯的皇家婚礼本来是今天举行的。
我在想此时此刻的梵蒂冈是否也下雪了？
＊到过这么多地方，梵蒂冈还是我较钟爱的一个。
＊今天在巴士上听到一个英国妇女说最近的天气因为他的离开越变越冷，回想后发觉真的是如此。
(2005-04-08 1949 hrs)
今天傍晚竟然下起雪，在葬礼结束的六个小时后。
我以为我看错了，于是把手伸出窗外。
没有错，不是幻觉。是朵朵的雪花。的确。
四月的伦敦春天，竟然下起雪。
还下了两次。
虽然每次只有几分钟。
然后，乌云马上散去，天空又恢复一片晴朗。
雪花平静地覆盖着草地，像钻石般闪烁发亮，久久不肯消溶。
全球为他哀悼了整整一个星期。
身边的人有的也特地飞去梵蒂冈见他最后一次面，有的则目不转睛看了三个多小时的现场转播。
吊诡的是，查尔斯的皇家婚礼本来是今天举行的。
我在想此时此刻的梵蒂冈是否也下雪了？
＊到过这么多地方，梵蒂冈还是我较钟爱的一个。
＊今天在巴士上听到一个英国妇女说最近的天气因为他的离开越变越冷，回想后发觉真的是如此。
(2005-04-08 1949 hrs)
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