First Time Auditions Blog

The Chronique de Dan: Part 7

For Dan, Sergio was in many ways, both the incarnation of a Cuban form of wandering and also the heir unworthy of a share of the soul of this island. He was speaking easy, we also discerned in him a great wit, a warm first, and sometimes who are not careful, a trap around the corner ... Sergio is a "Palestinian" as is baptize themselves landed all his alter ego of San Luis - a small town near Santiago de Cuba, at eight or nine hundred miles east of Havana.
Dan had observed many times, those who fared best in Havana, differ by a very special talent. Sergio was the perfect example. He shares with his co-religionists that same strength of character, the same tenacity, combined with a special gift for conversation, there is something Machiavellian ... and this is also the guarantee of membership in this elite singular. His conversation is not a virtual monologue with some abuse, selfishly love their barren verbiage. On the contrary, no one is more attentive to her words of another ... certainly better for the later use, by calculation. The finesse of the game involves recognizing and feeling the aspirations of the other for use to his advantage. This corresponded to the idea that much was done in the art of Dan fortune tellers, clairvoyants and other marabouts. Insiders could equate it to NLP, why not?
- By cons, beware of those who are not equipped with such a gift or have a personality too low! ... Dan told himself as he recalls his earlier passage in Havana. He saw himself installed on a bench of white marble of the "central park" where some thick trees on the flanks of providing instead a divine freshness. The central island is covered with a blackish-brown stone and the middle parry the inevitable statue of José Martí. Further, aligned to either side of the statue in the same row of very tall palm trees and the same row of benches interspersed with wide armrests. Behind us, some benches, arranged in a unit space geometry most sought after, are perpetually in the shade of palm trees smaller. At the edge, the narrow curved paths are lost in the middle of a lawn scrawny darker than green but still reflects poorly rewarded work of a gardener's tenacious. There were somewhere around here shot dead seven students, he had spoken of here without him locate the graves. They were perhaps, in her buttocks, who knows ...
One evening when Dan was in place, surrounded by companions, one of them pointed his finger at a young guy:
- Look at the one, he said one of them, he went crazy ... and then ending on a sententious tone: that's life we lead here that made him like that!
... Another night, same place, Leydi had shown him a girl, tall and rather heavy going that is a not nervous.
- You see that girl? She was a dancer at the Copacabana. Some time ago it was still very beautiful. Since they have toned it became the cabaret crazy ... "Leydi said.
Dan does not comment, he doubted that she could simply be attractive, shortly before. Painfully, he tried to escape the vagaries which his imagination Manichean scaffold. In vain. In his heart, he began to categorize a little too schematically, a side Sergio Leydi and a majority of his band ... on the other those who "go crazy just" those who resist cracking ... not the daily pain of the dollar ...? Anyway, good for them, they had so far escaped the truck that takes care of cleaning the streets of lunatics, tramps and drunks ... Some former sanitation workers, recruited for the occasion by the authorities and who walk in the evening, dressed in gray coveralls.

Fotos Comprometedoras Lorena Herrera

Makara 2008

Back in town for the new year. In Khmer, January and Makara says it is also the name of one of our Cambodian friends who introduced us to his hometown in Battambang, but I will. First, I tells you how we have welcomed the new year with our new friends. After drinks at qqs Majid, some leave for the famous Elsewhere (I will come back too) and our little group headed to Guest house # 10 located on the lake side . A corner charming but not very popular with travelers to mount for the casual atmosphere prevails and the low price rooms (2-5 USD). This applies to the area of the qualifier backpacker ghetto where the various shops and guesthouse s' stack around Lake Boen Kak. Not bad, despite the brown color of its water, green islands are grown and children walk about giving you a ride in a canoe, sometimes asking for a Coke. Joe told me one day, a father and his little moved onto a boat and suddenly, the child fell into the water. Two strangers jumped to try to save the boy but all three were killed, imprisoned by the maze of vegetation. Even if he happens to eat people, the lake contains water that flows during the rainy season in addition to offering freshness to some of this city that is hot and suffocating Phnom Penh. Never mind! There is not much time before it is dried and turned into the mall. There is a mosque near a mosque with his sheep at the entrance that can be crossed only by Muslims. The pagodas are visited by believers and even unbelievers will set foot-Warning! Barefoot eh, barefoot please! But the mosques, mosques Asian entoutcas, impenetrable by all those who profess not Islam. Well, I'm lost. I told you in early January 2008, our New Year's Western course since the Chinese New Year is in February and Khmer him in April. So, the bar's Guest House # 10, on the large two-story pier at the lake will be dry out, we threw firecrackers into the sky (and water) and then danced on songs Khmer and American . Then we headed to the Heart of Darkness, bar frequented by foreigners and Cambodian, where New Year or not, a crowd on fire vibrates and sways amid intoxicating fumes and heat ettouffante. After this short visit to the disco, we return to rebuild energy for tomorrow!

Moonson

There are so many good restaurants in Phnom Penh. One of them is a wine bar which offers a menu of delicious Indian meals: The Moonson. This restaurant is owned by a couple met the previous day, Majid and Yvette. Eat and still eat ... I was thinking that Cambodia would be a good place to lose pounds qqs. We enjoy a hearty meal with Eric, Rhianna, Oliver and Reggie then go dancing at The lounge. We must celebrate all these new friends! On my next comment, I will discuss in Battambang ... lost the stick.

Ideas For Basketball Homecoming Shirts

Raiders are back! Phnom Penh

After two months of absence, vacation during the holidays, it resurfaced for updates as some of you, dear friends and associates of our trip, gentian have so claimed. Location

geo-tourism
In two months, bicycle, motorbike, tuk tuk, boat, bus, car and motocross, we almost went around Cambodia. We renewed our tourist visas 1x, then the time we are at Aranya Prathet (Thailand) border town Poipet (Cambodia) for a 3rd visa which will allow us to return to Phnom Penh (at this stage, we must leave the country to be able to return).

Sianoukville From Kho Kong, Kampot and Kep Phnom Penh, I take the stories from the capital. From there, follow our adventures to Kampong Cham, méMOTS, Battambang, Siem Reap, Phnom Penh and then to return to Kampong Cham, Kratie, Ratanakiri, Mondulkiri (...) So you guessed it, Laos and Viet Nam will for an upcoming trip. Cambodia has won our hearts. Started in the land of Khmer!

For what started? Necessarily made by the lovely gatherings in Phnom Penh who incidentally have their share of responsibility for the break of the blog, but oh so rewarding ... but good times! It all began in what has become for us the institution of breakfast: The Shop bakery, # 39, st 240. Sipping coffee and croissants, my darling and I read it. Me: Visions of Swedagon, a Burmese writer and Felix ended There will be no paradise. Eric attracted because he recognized the book Kapuscinsky , author he likes, ate at the table nearby. French, he lives in Shanghai has worked in Cambodia. He is back for holidays and we discuss all of Africa, Montreal, Haiti, etc.. The breakfast stretches, another coffee toh Som, som cafi Mouy. Suddenly he says with excitement in his voice:''You must meet
Reggie is a Haitian friend who lived in Montreal! "
- What? A Haitian Cambodia yes Oh, oh, but of course we want to meet him!
Phone call, rv later for dinner in a restaurant on the banks of the Tonle Sap Street Sisowath.
Happy meeting: Dr. Reginald is project manager for an NGO. Olivier is with him, a French who has been managing 16 months an Association for Rural Development in Kampong Cham (AMICA). These three friends have submitted their warm surroundings. Since we shared with them the pleasures of life in Cambodia. Youppi! It's fun to make new friends!

Kampong Cham ...
The same evening, we take a taxi to Kampong Cham with Eric, located 3hrsde
road east of PP Along the Mekong River, this city has few buildings of colonial architecture, charming, she welcomes us with a pleasant breeze caress our faces. We eat and make the party at the Mekong Crossing, the best restaurant bar in town. Oliver and Reggie are in the game, they both work at K C. The resto-bar is run by Joe, a Philadelphian who loves super friendly cause with American football ... you know who.

... and days
The bike is the preferred means of transport for Cambodia. We cross the bridge that connects the bamboo shore to an island. This bridge was rebuilt after the annual rainy season. From a distance, when compared with the monster concrete bridge built by the Japanese, its structure resembles a construction match girl! Nothing to fear, under the wheels of the bike you can feel the bamboo trunks lashed and nested by the thousands move like waves moving through solid desssus River. The sun sparkles on the water, a sense of freedom overwhelmed me. I think that the Mekong is the bearer of life for 50 million people. Is that this river is generous! From its birth in Tibet, he toured China, Thailand, Laos. In Cambodia, it is almost 500 km and then go through the south of Viet Nam and emptying into the South China Sea. Thus, it offers its water and its creatures to the people around him. More and more hydroelectric dams being built on its waters ... what are the consequences for those who live and survive every day with him?

Island on the bank of the Mekong
must pay a dollar or two to get to the island's peaceful across the bridge of bamboos. Here, the dry season does not affect the verdant rice fields. The villagers maintain their land very well and many fruit trees grow here and there. Species of giant cows (ébeus) all white and upper legs ruminate on before the simple wooden houses on stilts along the dirt road. The butterflies flutter around us, as if to welcome us. Some horses graze peacefully small, rather rare to see in Cambodia. What a beautiful ballad!