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From: "c marshall" cmakabruno@hotmail.com
Subject: Fwd: Manuscript
Date: Sun, 21 Nov 1999 15:10:55 PST
WORLD CITIZEN TOUR 1999
by Craig (Bruno) Marshall
I first had an idea to go around the world 25 years ago. A friend and
myself were going by sailboat someday. In about 1992, after re-entry
into the bachelor world, I seriously decide to take Elvis’ advice and
follow that dream. After 20 years of working on urchin boats, I was
content to fly. Although I had traveled to Australia, New Zealand, S.E.
Asia, China, Indonesia, Europe, Mexico, Canada, the Caribbean, thru the
Panama Canal, and most of the U.S., I had an unfulfilled desire to go
around the world.
I did not have a particular itinerary except to see India and Brazil. My
most excellent travel agent, Craig, arranged an India, Mauritius, So.
Africa, Brazil, Argentina and Ecuador agenda. A few changes came later.
I managed to get debt-free, save enough, and finally do it. I decided to
depart after my annual Super Bowl 10k Run in Redondo Beach. I could have
one last party, and feel I was in reasonable physical condition.
I flew Malaysian Air, the one airline with good food the entire trip,
and landed in Chennai (Madras, India) This was the only major city in
India in which I stayed more than one day. One day I took a 12 hour
temple tour by bus to Mamalla Puram. India is so cheap, it cost $5. I
had my first taste of India bureaucracy trying to buy a train ticket for
Calcutta, the Foreign Tourist Quota was booked so I was sent to find
the assistant railroad commissioner to plead for a spot on the
emergency list. India is famous for Bakjeesh or extra money to get
anything done. The train system is pretty efficient, except for a
transportation strike which caused the train to stop for 24 hours about
100 miles from Calcutta. No big deal. in India.
By now I realized my coping skills will be severely tested, so I bypass
Calcutta. I taxi through dark slums at about 2am, being transported from
one train station to another. The station was like a scene out of a bad
movie. When the ticket window opens, a mini-riot begins. I was glad to
an XL male to force my way through. One more train and a wild jeep ride,
the Indians stand on the back bumper, I made it to Darjeeling. This is a
small scenic city at 8,000 ft, with a view of the Himalayas. The weather
was warm.
I head for Katmandu, Nepal very trippy town. My highlights were smoking
hash (everybody does) and a one hour airplane flight over the Himalayas
and past Everest. I attended a Hindu festival. A snake charmer put a
cobra on my head, another cobra in front of me, and a long python around
my neck. I had no idea this would happen when I first sat next to him.
It was quite a rush! My two Aussie friends and I sat with a Hindu
Holyman for about 2 hours, in his ashram. He was 70 years old and had
dreadlocks to the floor. We also saw bodies being cremated on stacks of
wood next to the river. Their affluence determines the type of wood used.
I return to India to see the Taj Majal in Agra. This is during the
Monica-Gate period and enroute I read a newspaper article saying they
sell 10,000 Monica-Cigars daily in the Phillipines. I also met a Swedish
girl who had done 6 months volunteer work in Mother Theresa’s program in
Calcutta. I arrive in Agra at sunrise and see the Taj Majal. I was
impressed, but I met several people during my trip who were not. By now
I’ve done almost 3 weeks of steady travel, so I’m ready to unwind in Goa.
Goa is an old Portuguese colony on the West Coast, of which India took
possession in 1961. It is famous for the beautiful beaches and many
hippy types from around the world. The highlights, of Goa, were the
hundreds of beautiful Euro-women and the Anjuna flea market. Here you
can find everything India has to offer and the largest assembly of
freaks on the planet. Definitely a cultural experience not to be missed
if one is in Goa. One day I had a try at sand-sailing this is
windsurfing on hard packed beach sand. Much easier than wind-surfing.
Some final thought about India .
It is true this country is rampant with disease, filth, and poverty.
Statistics say of the approximate one billion people, 70-75% live at the
poverty level. I spent $700 on vaccinations and pills pre-travel. This
included three rabies shots, as well as tetanus, typhoid, yellow fever,
Hepatitis and Malaria medication. I spent another $200 on travel
insurance.
The people are very curious. They were surprised I’m not a family man
Family arranged marriage is the norm in India. The caste system is still
predominant. I had many requests for a photo with them, I’m not sure
why. Somebody is constantly begging or trying to sell something it can
be quite exasperating. I lost my camera in Agra. What a drag I had
fantastic shots of the Himalayas, the Hindu festival, etc. The Hindu
religion is very strict. The women know their place. They wear
intensely colored saris which cover the whole body except the head. All
women and some men have the dot on the forehead. Heavy labor is done by
both sexes. On train trips past rural villages, ponds would be shared by
cows as well as by people bathing and filling their water containers.
I didn’t think India was especially scenic except for the Himalayas and
beaches. I heard the South of India was tropical and lush. Despite the
constant grind of India’s energy, this country is like nowhere else. The
sights, the culture, and the history are fascinating. My in-depth
reading and personal experience made for a worthwhile visit.
Would I go back? I think so, because of what I know I missed and would
be worth seeing, in this land of contrast and contradictions.
My next stop was Mauritius. This is a former french Colony, so of course
this means more communication problems. It’s about 20x60 miles, so I had
a rental car. Well used economy cars are $50 a day. It’s a beautiful
island with many expensive resorts, but also some affordable hotels for
$15-$25 a night. I contacted a severe heat rash on my butt in India,
from constant perspiration. I got a lotion prescription from a female
British physician. She was quite informative about the people and the
politics of Mauritius. The 30 minute session cost $10. I met people with
some interesting stories. My hotel proprietor Tino was a former
fisherman with a squid ink tattoo. One day I was at a local surf spot an
met a guy from Santa Barbara. An Aussie woman, Linda, told me that
kangaroos can bound along as fast as a train and the males are known for
their carrot-shaped units. She is a waitress at a casino. She once
served an $1800 bottle of cognac to twin 65 year old brothers. Soon
after, they committed simultaneous suicide by poison at her table. Many
years ago, I witnessed a guy open a beer bottle off of his eye socket.
I’ve told this story hundreds of times and no one else has ever seen
this, but Linda had. Aussies probably invented the idea!
I arrived in Mauritius a few days after their first everriots. Burned
out buildings and cars were a common site in certain areas. The lower
economic black population was primarily responsible. It was sparked by
the death of a local reggae hero. He died in jail and the police were
blamed. It was an overnight riot and a few people died, although
everyday life seemed normal when I was there. This is not to portray
Mauritius as a dangerous destination. I’m sure it’s the opposite. After
one week of observing and associating with the Mauritius locals, i found
them very friendly and helpful. Mother Nature had a going away p[arty
given by Cyclone Davina. I had been 4 days on the West Coast and
relocated to the southeast side, which happened to be where Davina made
landfall. My room had a view overlooking a huge bay. The brunt of the
storm began in mid-afternoon, so I had several daylight hours to enjoy
the experience. It was a force four with winds of 80-100 m.p.h. I had
candles, food and beer, so no serious problems until the next morning. I
was due to fly to South Africa and the minimal communications were in
French, so this created a big time dilemma. Was the airport open? could
I drive my rental car or were the roads closed? The news said flights
were departing and road clearance was under way. I set out and had many
stops as the local military was removing debris. I returned the car and
was on my way to Johannesburg.
South Africa was a quick one week. I hooked up with Monrey, who did
discount tours for backpacker-types at $40-$50 per day, including
everything. Our group of six stayed at a private home next to Krueger
Park. This is all open African plains where wildlife roams free. We
could only go from our campfire at night to our bed. Lions were a real
threat to attack. It’s awesome to hear them roar! The maids would feed
warthogs grain in the morning. We did not pet them, but it was cool to
observe the sow and piglets up close. We had extraordinary luck in
Krueger Park. We saw the big five: lion, hippo, leopard, elephant, and
buffalo.
In the past, big-game hunters considered these as the most outstanding
trophies. In addition, we saw giraffes, baboons, monkeys with blue
balls, crocodiles, many beautiful birds, zebras, kudus, impalas,
gazelles, etc. Watching a lion walk by your car or consume fresh-killed
antelope from 30’ gives you a real perspective why they are king of the
Jungle. We saw the bull elephant with the worst reputation. He had a
broken tusk from charging a vehicle. We certainly waited until he
decided to get off the road. The next day we explored the Sudawala
limestone caves, reputed to be the oldest on the planet. Fantastic
stalactite formations. There is a chamber with such perfect acoustics, a
symphony orchestra once played here. Since I was in this cave in Africa,
this was the ideal time for my tarzan cry. I impressed myself, I don’t
know about the others. Monrey was an ex-cop from Johannesburg who had
taken a bullet in the neck during a shoot-out, leaving him partially
paralyzed. He claimed he killed 11 blacks and shot 21 the few years he
was a cop in Johannesburg. He was 27. We also met a black park ranger
who survived a lion attack. He dropped his pants to show us the scars.
KNARLY.
We returned to Johannesburg and the next morning began a 20 hour bus
ride to Zimbabwe to see Victoria Falls. This was during the heaviest
water flow, so there was massive billowing mist clouds. I had to cross
the border to Zambezi for the best view. Truly a master piece of natural
beauty. I found South Africa to be a beautiful country. I wish I could
have stayed to see Cape Town, and surf, but my airline schedule dictated
my departure for Brazil.
I landed in Sao Paolo where I stayed for 2 days at the International
Hostel, finally able to make use of my membership. I met a schoolteacher
form L.A. who was the cousin of an urchin diver I know in Santa Barbara.
Indeed, it is a small world! I took a 12 hour bus ride to Florinopolis,
an island bridge-connected to the mainland. A buddy of mine from Santa
Barbara was on holiday here. Florinopolis is a 20x60 mile resort island.
Jeff was at a small fishing village, Barra De LaGoa. I was here about a
month. It was a fine time. I first lodged at a hotel in the village, but
Jeff’s cabin-by-the-sea became mine when he left. Communicating with the
locals was difficult. Portuguese only English is rare. Fortunately I had
British and American neighbors. Daily chores included surfing, hammock
time, and girl-watching. Brazil babes are extraordinary! My agenda was
to fly from Rio to Argentina. Life was good in Florinopolis, but new
plans formulated. My friends Dave, from Britain, Lisa, from Texas, and
Cedric from Montreal, and I decided to check out Iguazu Falls. This was
a 2 day bus trip to the borders of Brazil, Argentina, and Paraguay. This
was one of several unique days on my journey. The walk-way construction
was such that one could be next to the falls above and below and really
feel the power and exhilaration.
We travelled 2 days by bus and train to Sucre, Bolivia. One segment was
a rough 18 hour bus ride - and I saw a guy ride below in the luggage
compartment. It was so damn dirty and bumpy above, I was surprised he
did not choke to death on dust. Bolivia was not as poor and dirty as I
expected. Bolivians were friendly and minimal beggars. Everywhere seemed
peaceful enough for a country that’s had 163 changes in government in
180 years. Sucre was about 8,000’ but we left for Potosi at 12,000’.
Nobody escaped altitude sickness, meaning headache, short of breath,
weakness, and nausea for a few days. I didn’t get to the silver mine
tour. The workers extract the ore the same as they have for over 200
years. They have short life span due to respiratory complications. The
tour flyers say you can buy coca leaves or dynamite as gratuities. We
made it to Uyuni. Along the way a woman got on board the bus for one
hour. She had a fresh cooked pig in a plastic bag. She was hacking off
hunks of pork with a cleaver. The stench was unreal. I’m a vegetarian,
but I swear the other dozen gringo carnivores were gagging too. We were
happy to see her go. In Uyuni, we began a 4-day wilderness tour in a
toyota land cruiser. This cost $75, all inclusive. Our first day we
drove across a 12,000 sq.km salt flat. It was white 360 degrees as far
as you could see, with the Andes popping up on the horizon. We stopped
at a hotel made entirely of salt blocks; you would have to see it to
believe it. It was warm enough for my three friends to ride on top
awhile. Everybody was awestruck with the scenery this day. That night we
stayed in San Juan, a small village, and went to the local disco and
danced, fueled by cerveza and coca leaves, which are legal in Bolivia
and Ecuador. The next day was driving through valley’s between 18,000’
peaks. The terrain was very barren but the mountain lakes were like
massive mirrors, reflecting the snow-capped peaks and blue-skies. The
only wildlife we saw were herds of Llamas and hundreds of pink flamingos
at the lakes. I always thought of them as warm weather birds. After a
night at another remote village, we arose at 4:30 am to drive up to 4885
meters, or about 16,000’. We saw some bubbling sulphur pools and geyser
blowing out hot water 50’ high. The highlight was a hot springs soak for
2 hours. This was the highest altitude I have ever been to. Nigel, one
of our tour group, had done a 10 day /$2,500 trip on a ship from
Southern Argentina to Antarctica. These waters are thought, by many
mariners, to be the most hazardous on earth to navigate. I was astounded
to learn there are 5-week sailboat charters for the same excursion. Our
last day, we stopped at a train graveyard. Being a former hobo, it was
quite fascinating to see all the shapes and designs of these old
monsters. I would guess many were from the 1930’s-1940’s era.
Unfortunately, the pictures did not develop.
We all agreed this had been one hellava great trip. We had another rough
overnight bus ride to La Paz. The view from the road above is quite a
site. The city is built on the sides of a steep valley over 10,000’, so
all walking is up or down. I thought la Paz was a fine city from a
tourist point of view, with the exception of a student riot disbanded
with tear gas. I had not had that pleasure since bootcamp. I said
good-bye to my friends, and bussed over the andes divide at 16,000’ down
to Coroico, only 4 hours away. His was a small tourist town at 6,000’
on the lush, semi-tropical side of a mountain, with a spectacular view
and comfortable climate the road to coroico is reputed to be one of the
most dangerous in the world. it was so narrow and dropped off 100’s of
feet. I was in awe the road could support the bus. i never foresaw I
would surpass the scary bus rides of India and Nepal, but his was the
winner. It was no comfort to know I had to come back, since about 35
buses a year take the plunge. Anyhow, it was nice to recuperate by the
pool in Coroico for a few days. Back in La Paz, I travelled 3 hours by
bus to Cocacabanca, on the shore of Lake Titicaca. Then a 2 hour boat
ride to Illa De Sol, a sacred Inca worship site at 12,000’. It was a
killer hike up to the hostel, carrying 40 pounds, but the view was also
breath-taking of the lake and mountains. The water was too cold to swim,
but the trout was tasty. It was very peaceful, no motor vehicles, only
bolivians tending the coca plants using burros and llamas. After
crossing into Peru, I end up in Cusco, the former capital of the Inca
empire. There is a lot of narrow cobblestone streets and spanish
architecture from the 1500’s, including some beautiful cathedrals. I
took a one day tour to see the sacred valley of the Inca. This was a
remote, fertile river valley. It was amazing to see th granite block
construction the Incas achieved on the steep mountainside. I met an
American living in Panama. He is investing in Railroad stock because he
says the canal will collapse economically when Panama assumes control
December 31, 1999. A railroad is, or will be, under construction to
move freight across the isthmus.
I next had a 4 hour train ride to Macchu Piccu, the only access other
than a 4-day trek on the inca Trail or by helicopter. I actually
stayed overnight in Aguas Calientes, then bussed 30 minutes up to Maccu
Piccu. This is a famous lost Incan city discovered about 1915. The
mountain top location is reminiscent of a fairytale because of the
surrounding green spires reaching above the clouds and the river snakes
its way through the jungle below. A must-see archeological wonder.
At this point, I had enough bus and train transportation . I flew from
Cusco to Lima for one night. The Peru capital is 7,000,000 population. I
had a 30 minute taxi ride to my hostel, so this was all I saw. Lima
reminded me of inland L.A., so it was nothing special in my mind. Next
morning, I flew to Quito, Ecuador. I had planned to see a few places via
bus during my 5 days I had before my Mexico jet. Alas, I had a
third-world bank predicament. My bank card had a 5-digit pin number, but
Ecuador ATM’s use a maximum of 4 digits. This was a frustrating
situation which left me with limited funds; therefore, I did not do much
except read and stay at the hostel. Quito is set in a beautiful valley,
but the tourist literature did not have much that interested me for
sightseeing. My plan for the final phase of the trip was a week in
Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, to see my buddy, Aussie Mark. I got out of
Quito with $1 and flew to Mexico City. This is a very modern airport
with at least 50 ATM’s. The bad luck continued and my bank card was
still rejected. So, after a night of airport floor for a bed, I flew to
LAX and on to Santa Barbara. I used my last dollar to catch a bus
downtown to my bank for an explanation. Come to find out, if your card
is rejected 3x’s in a row, it will automatically de-magnetize. I hope
some day to spit in the eye of the bank God of the universe.
Well, dear readers, there you have it. The highlights of my World
Citizen Tour.
Some final thoughts and comments:
The entire trip I noticed that the vast majority of backpackers out
there were under 35. I never considered this odessy at 50 as unusual,
but us middle-agers can still do it. I would say the important aspect
was I never had serious illness or real life-threatening moments.
Believe me, there was plenty of opportunity for both. Another bonus was
the consistent favorable weather. I loved the sunny, warm days in the
Andes and Himalayas. Cyclone-Davina was a trip. There was some rain in
Brazil but combined with fantastic lightning at times, the snow flurry
at 16,000’ in Bolivia was a bizarre contrast to the jungle 10,000’ below
in Coroica.
My best guess for all trip-related expenses is $8,000-$9,000 for 3-1/2
months. I got my money’s worth!
Certain people deserve recognition who lent me their financial and/or
spiritual assistance. My mother, Jacki, Ellen, Jane, A.J., Aunt Carmel,
and Craig. Thanx always, and thanx to everyone for your e-mail and being
with me in spirit. Although travel is not a stress-free passion my trip
around the world will always be a great memory.