Germany: Munich

My time in Germany was eventful. After a few immediate plans changes I ended up spending most of my time in Munich where it was both cold and nice. Being in the "West" was wonderfully familiar. I loved that my friend Christian had a toaster, a hot shower, and a sofa. It was no surprise to me that I fell very sick within a day or so of my arrival. Seeing all that is familiar my body simply decided to unload the fatigue of 5 months of travel. I spent a few days moving very, very slowly and waking up in the middle of the night to change my clothes and bed sheets because I had night sweats that made me shiver. Christian was great and took care of me with tea, bread, juices and his clothes since I had only summer wear and all of that was sweated on after the second night.

The sick time allowed me some time to watch DVDs, listen to music and simply enjoy the wonderfulness of home - the warmth, the smells, the love and energy we all give to the places we create. Christian has a great apartment. As an opera director and set designer his sense of style is totally unique, minimalist, and in his case, with a great deal of budhist influence. He chants every day is a yoga devotee and someone who believes in following the energy that rushes through us all. This made for great conversations and also introduced me to some new outstanding ways to meditate, to chant and to enjoy life's energies.

He introduced me to his chanting group in Munich, a set of fabulous people who welcomed me into their home. Specifically, there was a couple that had spent a lot of time in Brazil, and this allowed for a great flow of conversation and cultural exchanges. Did you know that German's touch others at an average of 20 times per hour, while a Brazilian touches others at an average of 300? Interesting, no? HeHe.

As I recuperated we decided to go to a bath. Baths are popular in Munich. They were around before the war and continue to be a place where people gather to socialize, do sauna, and after eat food and drink beer. We stayed there for 6 hours and it was great. I think the most amusing thing was that women and men sauned together, and all naked. I was pretty impressed with the body liberation. And, in case you were wondering, this is not a gay sauna. In fact, "the gentleman behaved badly" is the buzz Christian told me was going around for why there were no longer male-only days. Ah, the gays!

My last day there we went to Dachau (http://www.ushmm.org/wlc/article.php?lang=en&ModuleId=10005214) the first and the model concentration camp for Nazi Germany. What can I say? It was horrible, awful, disgusting and another show of how humans can be animalistic. It was especially hard to be there after having been to the War Remembrance Museum in Vietnam and the Khmer Rouge Museum in Cambodia. It's amazing the horror human kind can create. We have so much potential to love and create, yet so much destruction occurs. Of course, this reality was made even more evident as we arrived back at Christian's metro stop and saw on the cover of TIME: GERMANY - AMERICA's SHAME with pictures of Abu Ghraib. And the madness continues. Are we participating if we are not in the streets about this? Christian and I spoke a lot about the national psyche of Germany and the post-Nazi world. Is there a national psyche of America? I don't know on most days.

Finally, Germany was also great because it allowed me another amazing friend in the world of travel. I have met so many people in my time out of the States. So many people have touched my heart in so many ways and have made me so happy. People I know I will know forever and whose life energy really affected mine. Atimati, Romina, Magda, Pancha and now Christian have all been amazing presents in my journey. I want to thank them all, and in this case, thank Christian from the bottom of my heart for all that he did for me while I was there.

Julio

"Into the Woods to Find the Giant..."
www.brazilbean.net

A Little Detour. Ok, Not So Little.

Tonight I leave for Germany. Germany? Yes, I said Germany. What can I say? This, a random act, is eactly what I wanted to do in my travels. It's how I got to my favorite place in India (Bodhgaya) and my favorite place in Thailand (Hatien Beach in Ko Phangan Island.) So, if I don't follow these moments what was the point of it all to begin with?

I wanted to do this trek because I wanted to prove to myself (and indirectly to us all) that we can do anything in life. A part of me wants to say, "we" the middle class, first world dwellers, etc, etc...but that would not be totally true as it is not where I came from. But, we the people whose big hearts and great minds allow us the freedom to be. So, I implore again - do as Tricia, Drew, Sarita, Eddie, Vicky, Mother and Nicole AND Jessica - have done and will do...come travel with me!!!

So, I was in a small unknown island when I decided I needed to go to the "big city." This meant Bangkok. One the way to the big city, Manolis, my greek-german friend said - why not Germany? I said, simple, it's COLD. It's -20 there. Well, needless to say I got carried away with the idea and since I am now going to be in Thailand for a total of 2 months after my mom's visit, and Nicole's departure, I thought I needed a break. I also needed to do a visa run as my Thai 30-day visa is running out. And, Manolis is a flight attendand and found me a VERY CHEAP ticket. I have since contacted my friend Christian and between them I should have places to stay in Frankfurt, Cologne and Munich. So, tonight I leave with my KEENs! (summer sandles) and my cute little summer clothes. LOLOLOL! I will be back here in a week so that I can lovingly welcome HURRICANE RENY to Thailand.

What else can I really say? I don't speak a word of German, but I loved the German bakery in Pune, India. And, Anston went to Germany last summer and said it was cool. And, what does it really matter? I will also get to stop by Dubai where my friend Atimati (from Australia via India) is now managing a restaurant.

Julio

"Into the Woods to Find the Giant..."
www.brazilbean.net

The Unknown Island Storms

Thought I would send you all a sign of life.

About 10 days ago I was leaving Hadrin Beach to some other place up north. I bought a ticket and all. Then I saw a friend hanging out waiting for the taxi-boat. He needed more people to show up before the boat was to leave. He was with a Greek guy, Manolis, and I asked him what the beach was like. In the explanation I heard yoga and meditation. After a few moments I sold back my ticket to the other beach, ran to get my bag and joined them. Good decision.

I have been in Hatien Beach for 10 days now. It is a group of 3 beaches. One that is known for the Sanctuary, a meditation and massage center, one that is tiny and fun, and one that is larger with some surfing and a few sets of bungalows. I chose Bamboo Hut, a place with an amazing view of the sea and also where Manolis was staying. It was a good choice.

My time here has consisted of the following:

YOGA: There is a teacher training happening right now and they have 5 spots for students to come to class. Since they are training the spots are FREE. So, I am now the guest that never leaves. The group of 20+ teachers has taken me in and I have had an amazing time while practicing some wonderful body and heart yoga. Very different from Bikram, very wonderful. The teachers are taught by this amazing woman named Chatki. She is a guru of some kind. She is nice.

MANOLIS: I spend a lot of time with Manolis. He is a Greek guy who lives in Germany. We have a wonderful relationship. We see each other when we see each other. No commitments, no pressure and an all around wonderful time when we end up at the same restaurant. At the same time we are both good logistics people and have decided to get out of this island together since getting here together was easier as a duo. He also says Mikonos is amazing. Drew - I already told him it is a destination for us.

CHRISTIAN: I spent a lot of time with Christian before he left. He is a fabulous German guy who is the one that actually introduced me to the yoga class, as well as Marco and Ananda. Marco and Ananda are a beautiful French-Italian couple that do a lot of chanting. Christian is an opera director in Germany and has been practicing meditation for nearly 20 years. As a creative person Christian deals with a lot of the same questions that Drewzie deals with at work - telling one's own story in the context of the forces of capitalism and traditional TV, or in this case, opera. This made for really great conversations and gave me an eye into the world of arts in Germany. We also had some great talk about the Holocaust's lasting impact on Germany. Christian also exposed me to the meditation that he does, which has been a blessing since it has really helped me focus more and be able to meditate for 15-30 minutes - a good bit for me.

BRAZILIANS: I have met many Brazilians here. This has been great as I have had a chance to speak a lot of Portuguese. I always find it wonderful to exchange with Brazilians outside of Brazil since their perspective is both homegrown and worldly. I need to practice more Portuguese.

BEACHING: Most of the time that I have been here it has been cloudy. At first I was really unhappy, then I decided to just be with it. A good thing since we have not seen sun for a week. I realized that clouds allow me the space and freedom to do nothing. So, instead of beaching I have been doing a hell of a lot of nothing. Somedays I lay on the hammock on my varanda (of my bungalow) and do nothing. Other days I lay in bed and listen to my ipod, and other days I go to the restaurant that overlooks the water and sit there for 4-5 hours doing nothing. Nothing is fun.

NATURE: Today is day 1 of a 5 day tropical storm. It has been raining non-stop and the sea is definitely burping out its life. It's not actually cold, just very wet. It's amazing what the sky can look like when you sit for hours looking at clouds moving. The colors are intense grays and whites and other such shades. The moon is also full. This means that night time does not look too different from day time. I can actually walk around with out a flashlight. It is so amazing and the water and the whites waves look outstanding hitting the sea rocks.

DEPARTURE: Yesterday I woke up and decided I was done with this place. I was going to go to Bangkok to hang out, meet with groups and wait for my mother. It was nice. I just felt that it was time to go. But, the weather changed and so I am kinda of stuck here. Manolis and I will see what the boat drivers are saying tomorrow, but my sense is that we are not going anywhere! Don't worry, I am not about to get on a boat in a tropical storm. It would only happen if one of these crazy moments that happen sometimes, comes up. It's like this...the world is falling. The rain stop, the sun comes out, the sea responds by being totally quiet. This last several hours, then it starts all over again. I would go if these weather "commercial breaks" were to occur. Otherwise, I will stay in my unknown island wet.

Oh yes, how could I forget!!!!!

URINE: I went to this amazing Urine Therapy workshop. It was two hour presentation on the great effects of urine. Urine has our personal genetic make up in it (like a vaccine) and is wonderful for cuts, hair loss, and internal ailments. Urea, a key ingredient of urine, is also the number one item in very expensive face creams. Check your bottles out and you will sea. Anyhoo, I have been using my urine for lots of purposes - cuts, hair, pimples, and yes, are you ready - I have in fact drank my own urine several times now. It is not as gross as you'd think. WARNING: Do not take malaria pills then drink your urine. That tastes HORRIBLE!!!!

So there, that's the news from the rainy and exciting unknown island.

Some websites for your perusal:

The Sanctuary: http:a//www.thesanctuary-kpg.com/
Urine Therapy: http://skepdic.com/urine.html Also, put URINE THERAPY on google for more.
Kisses,
Julio

"Into the Woods to Find the Giant..."
www.brazilbean.net