Smiley Culture - Saxon - Cockney translation

Famed 80s reggae star, Smiley Culture passed away this week. His death is shrouded with some pretty strange details that make no sense but instead of mulling over that, I'm going to spend the day swaying to his music.

A Beachside Feast in the City

A Beachside Feast in the City a photo by mothershiester on Flickr.

This is one of the first meals I had with D in Lima. For 12 soles, you could eat all of this...cebiche, sopa de mariscos, sopa de algo, agua fresca...etc etc etc. I think I wrote down the name of the restaurant somewhere in my journals. It was only 3 blocks down from me on the street that i lived in but i only visited twice. Benign regrets catch up with me occasionally.

papas a la huancaina...finalmente

papas a la huancaina...finalmente a photo by mothershiester on Flickr.

Right now, I'm in an emo mood...listening to "aqui estoy" por Elefante, over and over again. Hungry but not moved enough by food to do anything about it. Though, I will admit that D chowing down on this plate of papas a la huancaina is giving me ideas.

laundromat love

laundromat love a photo by mothershiester on Flickr.

It's been a year since D came down to visit me and JC in Peru. This weekend he and his boo are coming up to D.C. and I want to travel back in time and rehash our adventures together. Including a highlight at the laundromat in my temporary neighborhood, Jesus Maria. There are many cleaners in Lima but not that many laundromats. I love this spot because it reminds me of the best of my family moments.

Africa is Big...So what?!

So what, if a new map shows Africa bigger than life on a page.  What does it mean? How does it change our idea of africa? What is the power of mapping?....

Most global maps give us a skewed idea of the size of the earth's continents.  Some maps give us the impression that north america takes up most of the globe.....But yeah the making of maps is politically driven---based on who is in power and who is not. But with new methods of mapping and the changing modes of communication that aim to break down the barriers of how we see each other, maps like this below are kind of revolutionary.

check out this link
http://www.good.is/post/what-is-the-true-size-of-africa/

Final Pick: Villa Calendaria Hostal

Hey socias,

Found a place to stay...thanks to the on the ground help of MXL.  At first, we were torn in different directions due to endless internet searches and all that jazz.

Kind of settled on a place that Lunabee and Gomex stayed at...the cranky crock
or the Platypus Hotel a spot that Rat stayed at once. 


Both are an online hotel finder staple but since MXL is in Bogota for Ladyfest, she found a spot, still in La Calendaria called Villa Calendaria Hostal.  Cheaper than the above and in her opinion, mas lindo.

With that task out of the way, what is left to do?

1. Pick up Passport with visa, sin problemas
2. Pack underwear
3. Pack recorders
4. Deposit money into my travel credit card account aka if i get robbed, I don't have to worry about my savings being jacked account
5. Pack my green card in my travel pouch
6. Take my travel pouch
7. Pack 4 shirts
8. Pack a change of clothes
9. Pack umbrella (maybe)
10. Pack a dress
11. Straighten out my room so that my girlfriend can be left with a state of peace and not my chaos
12. Pack journal
13. Pack book en espaNol

THE END!!

Denied Entry?

Less than 4 months back in the U.S. and I'm planning a border crossing.  This time to Colombia.  Birth of good friends, good music, good food, and undiscovered personal adventures.  I will spend all of my time in Bogota, another spot that so much of the tourist discourse discourages stepping foot in.

I'm flying spirit meaning that the tickets were cheap but if i want to bring a carryon, it will cost me. And I'm on a mad internet wading craze to find the hostel of my dreams to stay at, not because I care where I ultimately lay my head once I get there but because I can't get my freakin' visa unless I have a hotel/hostel reservation or a notarized note from a friend saying I'm going to stay with them but you know that was not on consulate's website. Usually I just put an address, and I'm good to go. So judgement day is Wednesday.  My flight is Thursday.  Decisions must be made and I'm not in the right state of mind to sludge out of the quicksand of indecision.  But socias I'm getting to Bogota no matter what. 

 It sucks that I'm in this position so late in the game because I actually tried to find out information about the visa application process. i went on-line...not helpful.  I called the consulate...the phones haven't been working for the past couple of weeks.  So yeah I'm a bit frustrated.  My only consolations are that the visa for Kenyan citizens is less than most visas (not sure why but I must ask) and the intake guy at the consulate was soo damn nice...and ended up chatting me up about the second book in the Stieg Larsson series of the girl who played with the dragon tatoo (which I carried and set it in front of him).

wish me good luck folks because i have to meet czarina, mxl,, and mafe in town that is churning music that makes my booty bounce bounce.