#traveljournaling — BLOG

Peru: Finding Connection & Community in the Andean Village of Huilloc

“Now is the time to know that all that you do is sacred… now is the time for you to deeply compute the impossibility that there is anything but grace” – Hafiz

Huilloc is specifically outstanding for its charming textiles with genuine designs. It sits at 11,480 feet above sea level and is part of the network of weaving communities in the region of Cusco. From their ancestors, the people of Huilloc inherited a rich tradition of textiles that they still carry on. They continue to weave a range of textiles following the knowledge, techniques and usages of their ancestors. The women have preserved this unique and ancestral tradition of weaving by hand colorful designs. On their looms, they make some of the most beautiful and exquisite weavings in Peru. In the textiles, they depict images of the world in which they live including the flora and fauna of the place. They weave into the cloth images of cougars, condors and the huallata (wall-ya’h-tah) birds that are typical of the place. The bird is so important that people perform a dance in their honor that is much celebrated in Cusco in its different festivities. The dance, like the bird, is called huallata. In contrast, men dedicate themselves to helping Mother Earth produce.

Part of what we wanted from our Peruvian adventure was to have authentic, immersive experiences with the indigenous people. Opportunities to meet people who have lived there for 100’s of years, to ask questions about their lifestyle, their culture and their beliefs, have conversations and experience unique moments and travel to places beyond the typical tourist attractions & monuments.

This is not uncommon for me. I’ve done this my whole life. If you’ve read some of my other posts, you’ve spent a night with me on the streets of Kuala Lumpur interviewing people and taking photographs. Or spent the day with me as I drove around with a devout Muslim taxi driver in Kuala Lumpur showing me the sights while having conversations about life, politics and our beliefs in God. You’ve visited a fishing village in the middle of Tonle Lake in Cambodia to see an elementary school and what real-life refugee living is like. I have hundreds of these experiences written down in my journal, big & small.

Peru would be no different. It’s how we ended up in the small village of Huilloc. A small community of Peruvians who speak Quechua, 12,000’ up the Andean mountains at the end of a narrow, dead-end dirt road. They decided to open up their homes and their hearts to people around the world, like us, who are willing to come and learn more about their culture and their way of life. My goal is to share my adventure with them in hopes that other people will look for their own connections with different people around the world too…

Nicaragua: Chasing Birds, Butterflies & Howler Monkeys through the Coffee Fields & Mountains of Selva Negra

“So we’ve successfully arrived in Selva Negra, Nicaragua and we’ve already had quite the adventure. Bizarre, interesting, surreal, these are words I would use to describe the adventure so far. Highlights, as I am getting very sleepy after 12 hours of traveling and will need to shut off the light VERY SOON. Managua airport reminded me of other Central American airports… or the Puerto Rico airport. Lots of people, a sea of humanity actually, crammed up against every glass window space, looking into the baggage claim area for their loved ones… and in they’re in large family groups, on average, 10+ people or more, per group. The scene is surreal. Inside the terminal, almost eerily quiet. Tired travelers wait impatiently for their bags in silence, the elevator music plays softly over the speakers. But every time the sliding door open… the white noise of the crowds and chaos storms the building.

Once on the street… mildly chaotic to say the least with several hundred people all milling around. The kids, (9 years and younger) descend on us like no one’s business looking for handouts and like the guidebook warned, they are EXTREMELY persistent. I still have this image of three little kid’s faces pushed up against the window of our taxi as we drive away begging for money.

The drive from Managua to Selva Negra took a little more than two hours. In that time, the drive can only be described as harrowing… I don’t know if our driver was just feeling sleepy or maybe a little drunk, but he kept taking his glasses on & off and drifting all over the road… and I can tell you, the roads in the mountain are very narrow and windy at night, and with no lights, very dangerous. At one point I think we saw a dead guy who had been hit accidentally by a car and left for dead…

England, Ireland & Scotland: My Two-Week Tour Adventure with emetrex

Since I’ve been travel writing over the last couple of weeks, I thought I would commemorate the 20th anniversary of my band’s tour through the British Isles, by sharing some stories from my tour journal.

Exactly 20 years ago today, as I write this post, I was with emetrex on a two-week tour (2/19 – 3/3) through England, Ireland & Scotland promoting our first full-length release, Metacomet.

We had signed a record deal in June 2000 with Seriously Groovy Records, an independent London-based label. After promoting an EP, entitled “Birds Your Brothers” back in July, our pre-release single, “King of Animals” got reviewed in NME and Melody Maker twice in October:

“…like laconic Yank lo-fi that just sort of burrows its way into your skull, like demon possessed and badly bloodrusted farm machinery. And then sits there throbbing” – Steve Wells, NME

“Gloriously loose-grooved indie rock…fantastic.” – Melody Maker’s ‘This Issue’s Soundtrack’ section

“a fuzzed-up, clunkily melodic Pavement relive their Sonic Youth.” – Melody Maker’s ‘This Issue’s Soundtrack’ section.

Costa Rica: Experiencing Wildlife in the Jungles of Arenal, Monteverde Manuel Antonio

“We travel, some of us forever, to seek other places, other lives other souls” – Anais Nin

Monteverde Cloud Forest Biological Reserve & Selvatura Park

3/17 – Friday

“I essentially fell in love with Monteverde. I want to move here actually. I would love to get 10 acres, build a nice house, be part of the community. Hangout. Lead a life more connected to nature. A bit more simple + focused. Less swirling around me. Maybe train to become a naturalist guide around the area, off the beaten path kind of stuff. Leave my current life behind & try something completely different.”

The Jungle Beach Mountaintop of Manual Antonio

3/17 – Friday

“Surreal, beautiful, out of this world. Our hotel sits on a cliff, in a jungle, overlooking the ocean… As it states on La Mariposa’s website, ‘Located in one of the most magnificent settings in the world, Hotel La Mariposa stands majestically on the coastal heights of Manuel Antonio, and is known above all for its unbeatable 360 degree views of the deep blue waters of the Pacific Ocean, the city of Quepos, and the Manuel Antonio National Park.’ Perfectly captured. I enjoyed many caipirinhas on their deck overlooking the ocean, musing life.”

Peru: Retracing the Steps of the Incas To The Cloud City of Machu Picchu

“It’s an irritating reality that many places and events defy description. Angkor Wat and Machu Picchu, for instance, seem to demand silence, like a love affair you can never talk about. For a while after, you fumble for words, trying vainly to assemble a private narrative, an explanation, a comfortable way to frame where you’ve been and what’s happened. In the end, you’re just happy you were there – with your eyes open – and lived to see it.” - Anthony Bourdain

To say I was excited & filled with anticipation on the day we waited in that bus line to take the final leg of our long journey to arrive at the entrance of Machu Picchu would be an understatement. My excitement was palpable. My excitement was sheer joy. JOY. WONDER.

…I felt like a 10-year-old boy walking through the crowds, wanting to push my way through the crowd in excitement, the way you feel on Christmas morning as child when you tear the wrapping paper off the gifts Santa has brought.

Around the first few corners, up tight staircases, to finally catch my first few glimpse of the world-famous site was magical… and it took my breath away. I just kept taking pictures, in a sea of people… at first, really, really bad pictures… and almost missing the moment, witnessing it through my camera lens and not right in front of me. I had to stop. Breathe. Focus. And be present in the moment.

Malaysia: My 24 Hour Adventure in Kuala Lumpur

…last night I decided to leave the bar and wander around the city for a couple of hours by myself… from like 11:30 PM to 1:30 AM… to take pictures. 24 hours in Malaysia. Literally one day of my life – so relatively short when I think of all of the days I’ve spent sitting alone in my apartment, doing nothing; I decided to get the most out of my night by walking around to take pictures of the city and talk to people. I had a lot of fun and always felt safe. I talked to a bunch of food hawkers.

They were all outgoing and very happy for me to take their picture. One set of four brothers even let me walk behind the counter. They showed me how they cook, gave me a live demonstration [& even let me cook with them!]. Others were also very outgoing with me. It’s always encouraging to see how open and willing people are to let you into their lives when you show a little interest in what they do and who they are.

I also go to take some pictures of some teenagers on bikes. They were quite friendly, even “hammed it up” when I talked to them. Later I saw them all trying to sneak into a club... clearly, they were all underage. It’s funny what you can see, when you take the time to look.”

“At least for one night I really felt I had gotten a sense of one street in Kuala Lumpur; it’s rhythm so to speak. It’s interesting how every street in the world has the same type of “ebb & flow” to it. How many nights have I spent out on streets just like this one in different cities trying to capture their feel? From New Orleans to Washington, D.C. From London to San Juan?”

Cambodia: The Mystery & Magnetism of Angkor Wat

5/30 3:43 PM IT (Indochine Time) – Sunday

“Sitting at the bar in Cambodia, Siem Reap – at the Heritage Suite Hotel. I desperately need to write down my adventures since leaving Singapore! My brother & I have had a wonderful adventure exploring the temples of Angkor Wat.

Ta Prohm has been my favorite… there is such a peaceful quality to the whole place. I was thinking I would make a real connection with some part of the temple complex [as I have literally been drawn to this place my entire life] and Ta Prohm was definitely it. It’s literally located in the middle of the jungle. Vegetation has overrun the temple. It’s exactly what I thought all of the temples would be here. The temples have been taken over by two major trees… the ceiba pentandra – a silk cotton tree & a ficus gibbosa – a strangler fig. The strangler figs are huge and give the whole area a very surreal feel to the place. But I still go back to it, it has a very peaceful, tranquil vibe to it. Incredibly inviting! I really felt at home there. I would have liked to stay there all afternoon, listening to the birds call, the trees blowing in the slight wind, in the distance, Cambodian music… as I said, very tranquil. It took my breath away…”