Monday, August 6, 2007
Marimba!
My day chasing Marimbas in Puntarenas with ethno-musicologist Max Brandt (a Maynard by the way) was perhaps the most fun I've had shooting a story on this entire trip. Wish we could be following him back in his early days in Venezuela.
C.R. Redux
Time’s flying. Hard to believe this adventure has been going on for more than 3 weeks.
A little trip south to Manuel Antonio Beach and National Park and were able to check one-thing off the list of 1,000 places you need to see before you die.
So far we have followed some of the more adventurous Lifelong Learners into the rain forest, trekked through the canopy on a skywalk, and ventured about 3 hours south to Manuel Antonio Beach with Lillian (our most senior Lifelong Learner). It’s very different from Chile and Peru, which offered us a metropolitan base of operations amidst huge cargo ships and tons of activity 24/7.
Here we are nestled against a quiet dock in the town of Punterenas. And while the cuisine and architecture are much more limited than our previous ports, the culture, color, and peacefulness of beach life is being welcomed by all.
Each morning welcomes us with sunshine, but by mid-afternoon tall thunderheads soar across the mountains, threatening the late afternoon and evening hours. We have been witness to some torrential rains and fairly good lightning shows.
Costa Rica is the closest we’ve come to a “vacation” setting. We are the only ship docked in Putanrenas and finally are in a port where you can just walk off the ship and get a bite to eat or sit and read by the beach.
Of course, we’re doing none of that.. Today, our final day in port before setting sail for Nicaragua, we’re off to follow Ethno-Musicologist Max Brandt on his search for a local Marimba player to see what the status of the music and people who play it are. More on this later.
A little trip south to Manuel Antonio Beach and National Park and were able to check one-thing off the list of 1,000 places you need to see before you die.
So far we have followed some of the more adventurous Lifelong Learners into the rain forest, trekked through the canopy on a skywalk, and ventured about 3 hours south to Manuel Antonio Beach with Lillian (our most senior Lifelong Learner). It’s very different from Chile and Peru, which offered us a metropolitan base of operations amidst huge cargo ships and tons of activity 24/7.
Here we are nestled against a quiet dock in the town of Punterenas. And while the cuisine and architecture are much more limited than our previous ports, the culture, color, and peacefulness of beach life is being welcomed by all.
Each morning welcomes us with sunshine, but by mid-afternoon tall thunderheads soar across the mountains, threatening the late afternoon and evening hours. We have been witness to some torrential rains and fairly good lightning shows.
Costa Rica is the closest we’ve come to a “vacation” setting. We are the only ship docked in Putanrenas and finally are in a port where you can just walk off the ship and get a bite to eat or sit and read by the beach.
Of course, we’re doing none of that.. Today, our final day in port before setting sail for Nicaragua, we’re off to follow Ethno-Musicologist Max Brandt on his search for a local Marimba player to see what the status of the music and people who play it are. More on this later.
Hit & Run
All my life, I’ve wanted to see a whale. Ever since my first National Geographic Kids, their grace and the baffling contradiction of a mammal swimming the oceans for millions of years, glimpsing a whale has hovered at or near the top of my life’s goals. Being at sea these last 3 weeks, I searched the horizon for any sign of the mighty peaceful giants every chance I got. No Luck.
Then, on a relatively calm day, we were in middle of an interview, “Thud!” My cameraman, Marlin Darrah, joked that we had just gone over the speed bump at the Equator. Funny stuff, until our utility guy John Nichols, who had been sleeping on the aft deck trying to rid himself of the nasty bug that hit half the ship in Peru, told us that he had been jarred awake only to see a whale fin turn over in the water surrounded by lots of blood.
I don’t know how, but we managed to hit one of the most gentle, graceful animals in the world in the middle of the freaking ocean. I can’t help but feel responsible, having prayed to the ocean gods to catch a glimpse of my childhood fantasy.
Almost as sad – I still haven’t seen a whale.
Then, on a relatively calm day, we were in middle of an interview, “Thud!” My cameraman, Marlin Darrah, joked that we had just gone over the speed bump at the Equator. Funny stuff, until our utility guy John Nichols, who had been sleeping on the aft deck trying to rid himself of the nasty bug that hit half the ship in Peru, told us that he had been jarred awake only to see a whale fin turn over in the water surrounded by lots of blood.
I don’t know how, but we managed to hit one of the most gentle, graceful animals in the world in the middle of the freaking ocean. I can’t help but feel responsible, having prayed to the ocean gods to catch a glimpse of my childhood fantasy.
Almost as sad – I still haven’t seen a whale.
Thursday, August 2, 2007
Costa Rica!
Somewhere between Peru and Costa Rica, we shook off winter and instead welcomed in the heat and humidity of rainy season. A little trip south to Manuel Antonio Beach and National Park and I was able to check one-thing off the list of 1,000 places you need to see before you die. Pretty tremendous, but very unsatisfactory when you can't really hang out and veg for a few days.
The shoots still going well, but the last few days have been sullied by lawyers in the states. Finally worked it out today and hope to never actually need one of these rats ever again.
The shoots still going well, but the last few days have been sullied by lawyers in the states. Finally worked it out today and hope to never actually need one of these rats ever again.
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