In and out

Coming back from the beach the train was jam-packed.

And it was interesting to notice how people’s attitude was changing after they got inside the wagon.

While on the platform, they were (we were) emphasising our right to go in and return home the soonest.

But, the moment they (we) were inside, the appreciation of the situation changed dramatically. Now the most usual comments were : no more place or wait for the following and no words were spent for passengers’ rights anymore.

There is something instructive about this story I need to chew on further.

Robbed

We were robbed coming back from the airport (another useless pilgrimage to Brussels).

As a start, one guy on a motorbike informed us that our pneumatic was punched. Then another one insisted that we use the services of a 24 hours mechanic. We declined the offer but the truck arrived anyway, the driver looking at us as a vulture.
I left my jacket on the car seat to change the wheel and had the impression of some fancy movement.
Finished the job, we went home, and when I was looking for my jacket, it was gone, together with my Belgian telephone.
Then, revising the happenings, we realised that it was an ambush; that our pneu was punched on purpose and the boys were part of some criminal machinery.
Welcome home!

Napoli on the Caribbeans

Yesterday night I heard some blasts and I thought “they play fireworks”.

I realised soon that most probably there were some gangs shooting each other.

The situation remains calm, though, and I have also hired a moto-taxi (a big, black chopper) for a short drive through the town.

Port au Prince remind me of Napoli, the sea, the chaos, nice people, streets climbing up to the mountains, colours and noise.

In front of the city, on the water, is plenty of ghost-boats, going rusty among the general indifference.

From the sky, the helicopters patrol continuosly the center.

napoli

Colibree and Brasilian flag

I saw a colibree.

It is quite an emotion to see such a bird, acting as an insect and with similar dimension, too.
He was going from flower to flower agitating the wings frenetically.

On the street and hanging from several cars I also saw some Brasilian flags.
I am not sure if the point was celebrating the football team victory over Argentina or the arrival of the Brazilian peacekeepers. Just in case

Port au Prince overview

The first impression is not bad.
The atmosphere is quiet enough, peolpe are friendly or indifferent, I did not noticed any puppets around.
The place is scenic, the city going from the sea to the mountains. It’s quite hot, but with a refreshing wind.
We were staying at an old hotel (today we moved), plenty of ancient photos, a bit forgotten but with nice paintings on the walls.
Not many armed people around. Airport procedures calm and simple.
A country of black people speaking French in the middle of America; what are they doing there?

HAITI

I am at Paris Orly waiting for my flight to Port au Prince.
Haiti has never been my preferred destination, but let’s wait to know something more.
I wear a striped shirt and heavy boots, ready to adventure.
Bye bye

Don’t feed the pigeons!

Today, in a small park near the Cibernarium, I have seen two seagulls devouring the remains of a pigeon.
I couldn’t restrain from a sight of satisfaction.

I like nature, I like animals, I loved the dog that was living with us and I regularly visit the almond-tree we planted on her burial place.

But I don’t stand pigeons. I did celebrate the decree of Venezia municipality establishing the decapitation of hundreds of such beasts.

And I always try to dissuade parents, and especially grandparents, to accustom children to give food to those birds. It’s an unhealthy behaviour bringing disorder, filthiness and above all, more pigeons.

News for free

Also Barcelona has its own free-paper.
It?s called ?20 minutes? and it?s not bad, quite complete.
They distribute it through little boxes on the street. In my part of Rambla Prim you could find it at the photo shop. But you had to be fast, as gangs of pensioners were waiting for it, in more or less ordered way, and every edition run out almost immediately.
All this was happening until the Forum 2004 opened. At present, an El Pais promotion distributes free copy of the tabloid to the visitors. The flocks of pensioners now migrate daily to the forum?s entrance to get their fresh newspaper.
And we join the cue.

Troy on the beach

We knew that a Hollywoodian version of Iliade assured disappointment.
But reducing a history of years to a week end on the beach is too much.
Where is the gods? influence that decides and determines everything? And what about Cassandra, the most cinematographic character of the myth? And those faces, coming from Braveheart, the Lord of Rings and Mc Donald, what have they to do with the ancient Greeks and their enemies?

Please, don’t go.