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Stardate 20230916

Arrecife de Lanzarote

We disembarked at Lanzarote, and this time I did a walking tour of Arrecife’s old town and old port, instead of the usual “360” excursions I tend to do. Which means that, even though Lanzarote has a lot of forests that grow both tropical fruits and temperate climate fruits, I was not able to experience it firsthand. I hear though that, similar to Puerto Rico, the fruits are gigantic and delicious. The avocados, the size of your head. Unfortunately, imports of smaller and lesser-quality avocados are preferred by local merchants… just like in Puerto Rico.

The area I explored was Arrecife, which shared a similar climate to the Sahara Desert, only 80 miles off the coast of Africa, I breathed the air of excitement from being so close to a frontier. It had that clean desert light and monotone colors from volcanic rocks, that laid at the feet of several large black volcanos. I’m used to deserts in California and Nevada, but this town’s porous rocky spirit was certainly unique. I felt like I was entering another dimension. The water was so clear and still, it formed mirrors of the sky all around me, portals to different worlds.

Even though Lanzarote is a Spanish territory, and part of the Canary Islands, it is heavily influenced by its African roots. For example, it still has a white paint color code for its buildings’ exteriors, just like Morocco does. Also, there’s a lot of artwork that romanticizes the Canary aborigines, similar to how Puerto Rico celebrates original native populations too. I never pictured the Canary Islands as colonized, but they certainly were the first in line to suffer the wave of invasions. I even saw several graffitis with variations of “Canarias Libre!”

Lanzarote is the oldest Canary Island, formed by 300+ dancing volcanos. Visited by early Romans for its salt, this island is rich in history. 350 years ago there was a huge eruption, so large that the lava flowed for 6 days (the longest in recorded history). These atmospheric phenomena tends to get blown by heavy wind currents straight into the Americas. My grandfather always used to say that Sahara storms reached Puerto Rico, I would think he was kidding. My grandpa knew a lot. For a while, Lanzarote was also known for its fishing industry, but now its economy is based mostly on tourism and wine. The food and restaurant culture seemed wonderful too, and the vibe seemed relaxed.

What made me feel the most at home was seeing so many flamboyan trees with flowers, I haven’t seen them in years. I hugged one and we said a prayer together. This African tree has made a home in all of the Canary Islands and I’m assuming in all of the Caribbean too. Its spirit is juguetón and it can grow quite tall.

One last anecdote from Lanzarote for the road, a few hundred years ago, people living in the island were quite worried that they didn’t really have the appropriate vegetation to survive. After the last volcano eruption, a fertile and wonderful forest was formed out of red porous volcanic red stones. It turned out that the pores helped the morning due accumulate and have the perfect little ecosystem for plants to grow, shaping up a wonderful agricultural industry. The tiny red (iron) pebbles that covered the island were their salvation. No “rain” needed. They found hope in a hopeless place.

Thank you Lanzarote for your mirrors and your cafecito.

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Stardate: 20240915

At Sea

Dance little dolphin

Be wild

Even if you are perverts

Right now I don’t mind

We never domesticated you,

or taught you to do tricks,

You just did you,

You always do you,

We just didn’t want to know

You were someone whole

outside of our gaze.

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Stardate: 20230914

Morocco (Rabat & Casablanca)

We arrived at Morocco and changed our timezone once more. As a queer woman who left Latin America trying to avoid infrastructural collapse, this country left conflictive notes in me; feelings of both high and low surrounded me. The richness of the experience and how much contrasting I felt, the ensuing sensory overload makes writing this entry quite difficult.

The first thing, was the slightly stressful part of the preparation, not knowing what to expect. The recommended dress code for women, the weather, and the unfamiliar ways of Africa caused mild anxiety.

As we disembarked, I quickly observed the port was taken over by seagulls, their estelas, and machinery with old chimneys that released serious quantities of smoke and contaminated at levels I’ve only seen in media. I knew this existed, and likely influenced by foreign interests, but to see it firsthand is a completely different story. I also noticed how women’s participation in public life was minimal, and how there was a lot of focus in gender… from the jokes our wonderful tour guide shared, to how people related to each other.

We were transported to Rabat by our guide, and passed by a lot of barrios with no roofs and likely no running water. I observed lots of debris along the way and soil rich in iron, until we reached the royal city of Rabat. 2,000 people live inside the walled area, and work for a dynasty of kings that has been ruling the country since the 17th century. No queens yet. The royal palace and nearby mausoleum were certainly beautiful, but what truly took my breath away was the Udaya Kasbah, which has been standing since the 12th Century. This citadel has been inherited by local residents throughout the centuries, and has turned into a dynasty itself. The amount of cats and beautiful doors and windows make the sight quite picturesque, but the lack of sanitation can certainly kill one’s appetite. In several occasions I witnessed naked bread being handled by bare hands and a constellation of flies that unfortunately made the bread look like raisin bread.

Luckily, our tour included lunch in a more sanitized and heavily guarded restaurant in Casablanca near the port with a great assortment of local cuisine, wines, desserts, and Moroccan tea. The eggplant in particular made me smile, along with just its’ beautiful “palace-like” decor. Even though it was a tourist trap, it was a good way for someone like me to get a taste of the culture. Our experience in general included a lot of people taking care of us in multiple venues, which makes me wonder about how “unescorted” circumstances would feel like. I must say though, between the employees who worked at the visited establishments and our tour guide, I’ve never seen people work harder. This is the inner conflict that, even though Morocco in general felt a little uneasy, the people who shaped our experience felt like they cared and would fight nail and tooth for us. Even if this was part of the “fantasy,” I was really into it lol

Our tour guide Ali was quite the comedian. This older gentleman with a distinctive mustache would say jokes to put us with delicate western sensitivities at ease with the contrasting. His quips even had amusing callbacks. He was talking at some point about women slowly gaining more rights in Morocco. One of these examples was that now husbands need to ask for their wives’ permission in order to get another wife. He then proceeded to make this universal joke: “The problem of course, it doesn’t tend to be with 4 wives, the problem is that man now has 4 mother-in-laws to deal with.” The bus roared in laughter. Later in the afternoon, the tour was interrupted by what appeared to be a frenemy of our tour guide. Ali was in the middle of one of his carefully planned speeches (which he gave in 3 languages), and this random young-ish guy just came to rudely chat with him, not stopping until Ali acknowledged him. After exchanging “pleasantries,” Ali directs himself to our group and annoyedly says: “Ladies and gentlemen, this man is my father-in-law.”

Lastly, the jewel of this visit is the splendor of a multimillion dollar mosque called Hassan II after Morocco’s former king (and the current king’s father). This work of art has no rival as far as I know. This mosque is the second biggest in the world, and it borrows elements from multiple heritages: Muslim, Christian, and Jewish. I personally thought I had walked into a fantasy palace, something out of a dream. I’ve never visited such an evocative and healing building. It is large, hand carved by artisans, with angles that match the heavens, filled with sacred geometry details, imperceptible technology (hidden speakers, rooftops that open to heavens), and a much envied location over the ocean, providing cool breezes that relieve the soul from the heat and from whatever that might trouble you. If you were to only do one thing in Morocco, visiting this mosque should be on top of your list.

Now, a general and more sadder commentary: this “together yet separate” vibe for the genders was hard to watch, although I respect of course that we all have different ways of seeing. I couldn’t help but think that this country would be more beautiful and maybe even cleaner if more feminine energy came in to bring balance to things. This vibe was quite triggering, since it reminded me of the heavy dose of machismo I experienced in Puerto Rico growing up as well. In Morocco, outside of holy places like the mosques, most of the landscape felt like the punch line of the common standup jokes we hear in the US of how bad things turn when “men take shortcuts.” This tension is such a common trope in North American television, and it felt like basically the kens took over the public spaces, reducing the virility of the collective energy.

This is not fact, but a likely unpopular opinion and generalization: At this point in human history, what we’ll call “traditionally-masculine” energy creates public monuments and works to impress the “traditionally-feminine” energy, and this tension shapes a lot of things. While ignoring the complex history of the region, and the foreign oppressive influences at hand here, the amount of unfinished construction, debris, and lack of sanitation makes me think that this world could use more visible women in the public sphere. The balanced tension of all genders likely makes the world better, and advance us into whatever’s next. To learn more, a great book to read is Robert Greeny’s Laws of Human Nature. https://www.amazon.com/Laws-Human-Nature-Robert-Greene/dp/0525428143

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Stardate 20230912

Lisboa (Lisbon), Portugal

Lisbon, Portugal. We disembarked to find a city that appears to be San Francisco’s sister city. In a curious way, both cities share hills, wine, an International Orange bridge, and a legendary story of how an earthquake reshaped the city.

Visited Azeitão (Jose Maria da Fonseca Winery), el Parque Natural da Arrabida, Setúbal (Mercado do Livramento, Rua Oriental do Mercado), and Almada to cross the 25 of April Bridge, sister to the Golden Gate Bridge… into Santa Maria Maior port.

Notably, the layout of the main city is similar to San Francisco, but upside down. The Golden Gate Bridge takes us to the vineyards and the parks up north, while the 25 of April Bridge takes us south.

As we tried the local flavors, I enjoyed coffee, bacalao, moscatel wine (aperitif), and red wine. I also learned that a few of the local wineries provide cathedral-inspired environments to age their alcohol. Not only architecturally, but musically with the inclusion of speakers that only play Gregorian chants in order to help the fermentation. Music of course is vibration, and this literally a way to bring good vibrations that create a better tasting wine.

During this trip, I’ve come to understand better the relationship of alcohol and holiness that’s so common in this side of the world. Californian wine (although advanced and delicious) lacks this type of symbolism, which as we speak, feels unfortunate to me.

The people I’ve met during this trip, although liberal they are proud of their Christian and magical roots. For example, one might meet someone from the United States and they just say their name, and maybe what they do for work. Here one of the people I’ve met shared their name, and included an anecdote that described in a magical realism / poetic / apocryphal way her actual birth, and how that moment influenced her parents’ name choice for her. You see, what I often jokingly call “lesbian latina proclamations” is not as unique or “from another time” as I often think. Through contrasting, I have become more aware of cynicism in America, and my normalization of that way of communication.

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Cadiz & Jerez

Stardate: 20230913

A few fun facts about Cadiz and Jerez…

Aside from being crazy about horses, and being the oldest city in Western Europe, I visited a vineyard with a special room with twelve barrels of sherry wine and brandy. Why 12 barrels? It represents the 12 apostles. Not just that, the collection they created for those barrels was named “El Cristo” because they aged the alcohol 33 years.

Cádiz is the oldest city in Western Europe. The ancient Romans settled there and started making wine there too. As usual, there were a lot of wars that mark history. When it was the turn of the Moors to settle, even though their religion wasn’t crazy about alcohol, when they tasted the Andalucía wine upon the conquest… they kept the wineries open because they were like “oh, this is not alcohol, this is medicine” 😅

Flamenco music also comes from this region, and I saw plenty of flamingos there hanging out by the salt creeks. Unsure if they are related, but I did learn a bit about the etymology of the word salt: “salary” comes from this ancient practice of paying others in “salt.” Salt was extremely precious in that era, because having access to it was the equivalent of having a refrigerator.

This city seems to have had a lot of “liberal” or “frontier” spirit that I appreciate. The first women in Spain who worked outside of the house, were recruited to work at the cigar factory in the old port. I’m unsure if this relates, but they are also very into restaurant and coffee shop culture… which really makes it easier for women in general to participate in the public life, without stigma. Additionally, many famous military stars who opposed Spain’s colonial hold in the Americas came to Cádiz, because of the ideas of independence that were quite common there. After Cadiz galvanized them, many left to fight Spain in favor of the independence of América Latina. In contrast, 2 out of 4 of Christopher Columbus’ voyages came out of Cádiz as well. Fun fact from Christopher Columbus and Cádiz, a duke in the region wanted to promote his port “Santa María” and convinced Columbus to change the name of his ship to this, in exchange of sherry wine barrels. Columbus of course agreed, and the rest is history. #influencerlife #tecolonizo

Interestingly, Jerez is a horse crazy town, and they even have lots of festivals and monuments dedicated to the horses. A popular breed there is the Carthusian horse, and historically they were trained by monks who only lived for God and taking care of horses. The horses are known to be good dancers, and they are part of the weekly public parties. Spending most seasons in silence, these monks seemed to have a pretty cool gig. Many people forget how the rise of the Church in many regions historically offered an alternative way of life for people who didn’t want to get married or raise a family. This sounds quite “liberal” to me. When I think of the old mystics, I think of them as friends who found their freedom in a place and time with limited options.

As a Puerto Rican, visiting Cádiz felt like being at home. The designs of several of those ancient Spanish cities were repeated in multiple places in the colonies, and the old town is the same as Old San Juan, Puerto Rico and Havana, Cuba. This familiarity is shakes my spirit to the core, and I feel like this region will be part of my eternal return. The song Habaneras de Cadiz speaks of these similarities and recommend you to listen, so you can experience as well some of the ecstasy this city offers. I listened to this song several times during my stay in this port, along with a few others Flamenco tunes.

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Cadiz left an estela in us.

Estelas de Cádiz

Set the time forward. Arriving to a new city is like saying hello to an old friend you’ve never met. Cadiz, I’m afraid of loving you.

I heard your song in the distance. You kept me company with your echos, I thought they were ambiance. But now I’m near you, your songs hit differently. The volume rises like the tides. I didn’t know I was broken-hearted because I didn’t know you were alive.

We found a home away from home. Our DNA and view of life was taken by winds and anchored into another land 500 years ago. The odds of “las estelas de Cadiz” making it back seem low now, but here we are. After emerging out of dry cold lands, I arrived. Touched your holy celestial body, received your chaste cherry kiss, only to part again.

My heart is with you now, Cadiz, even as I go. Napoleon couldn’t take you, and legendary Phoenicians birthed you. You are flaming gold against a deep blue September sky. As I drink your holiness, I’ve never felt more alive. Your carnal stars reverse-baptized me and pulled all water out of me

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Stardate: 20230909

The day has arrived to board the boat.

Woke up at 6am, with sunrise. I like sleeping with the curtains open. No need for a dramatic alarm disrupting my heart into being awake.

After an exhausting process of getting in the cruise, and sorting through the To-Do’s, we made it into the MSC Virtuosa. We are staying in deck 10. IKEA mazes pull us in, and I realize how tethered I’ve been to sending and receiving images and videos from the community via “text.” Now that I’m at sea, I’m on airplane mode due potentially vulgar overseas charges; I might as well feel like a monk on a silent retreat. I rediscover in-person conversation, obsessive playlist creation, and my old blog app: which allow for better and more affordable content syndication.

I got an account in Blue Sky as well, and I’m determined to create a body of work of poems. Mix of old and new inspired in the ports and cities I’m about to explore.

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Stardate: 20230908

I witnessed 3 sunsets, and 3 sunrises in the last 24 hours. Or at least I think I did. It has left me with the peculiar feeling that I’ve traveled for 3 long days when it fact it has really been 1. Because I lost the sleep of US Wednesday night and US Thursday night… I arrive to a UK Friday that has already passed. 2 airplane rides, 3 train rides, 7 bags, 1 fatality in Paddington. A jumper caused a multi-hour delay of trains there, creating a scene that can only vaguely remind me of the train scenes described in Eichmann in Jerusalem, where thousands of passengers rush past each other in a carefully orchestrated stampede. What has followed then in me is a sense of docility and evenness of temper that will likely inhibit my palette for a while. Looking forward to 2 days at sea, with no land to set foot to. I board the ship tomorrow, and will be in Lisbon Portugal by Tuesday.

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Forget to Remember

The world spins

We dance

Sometimes we are deaf

Sometimes we are blind

But there are moments

when we are awake

And we sense

with the intensity of a newborn

We have to forget

for us to remember

together

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Celestineando…

Quien eres tú estela?

Hermoso y efímero rastro que deja un cuerpo en movimiento

La estela del mar balbucea

La estela del avión se congela

La estela de las estrellas titiritean

La estela de tu cuerpo se bambonea

Me pierdo en una estela de palabras

Células muertas de tu cuerpo en la almohada

Eco de tu voz rayado en la piedra

Una pista que va forjando un disco de luz

Estela, estela, estelaaaa… pero que tal “tela”? Serás algún sufijo de estela? Quiero imaginar que “tela” y “tejer” se asemejan. Me hacen pensar en un revolú de partículas entrelazadas. Una manta de firmamento entre nuestros diminutos dedos. Partículas de dioses terrestres.

And now, an etymologic break beat and bridge:

Nos fuimos. La “Estela” y el “Firmamento” están ligados a conceptos celestes. El firmamento es fijo e incambiable. Sabiendo esto, ahora cuando uno “firma” un documento, se dá cuenta de la gravedad del asunto. Tu firma es la manifestación del fundamento de tu ethos. El sufijo de “firmamento” en latin es “mento,” que significa medio o instrumento. “Firmamento” entonces es un medio de fuerza que es incambiable: la cúpula del universo, la catedral eterna.

En el análisis del modelo ptolemaico de la división de las esferas, este firmamento y las otras esferas internas están energizados por una esfera “primaria” en el décimo nivel del universo, energizando las esferas internas en cuyo centro está la Tierra.

Pero qué viaje mas viaje! Lo que mas me vuela la cabeza es que los modelos de física actual ven el núcleo como el centro de fuerza, así que estos amigos del medievo que ponían la fuerza en la décima esfera veían la razón de las cosas viniendo de afuera para adentro, no de adentro para fuera.

A la Mortal Kombat, Finish it:

Hago fuego de tu humo

Hago tortuga de tu zagazo

Hago agua de tu espuma

Creo estrellas de tu coronas

Vivo derramándote en mis pensamientos,

pues yo realmente he sido el vaso vacío.

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Repensando a las briscas. Memorias tiernas de niñez perdida.

Baraja española by Laura Cárdenas

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Energize

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Across the Universe, Teresa Freitas

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Remember the Game Genie? It was an add-on that would attach to your NES cartridges and give you amazing powers. Perfect for an era before YouTube, when it was harder to see the ending scene of a video game.

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Say no revisionism. Let your old cartoons smoke their fictional lungs away. Let the David exist without sporting a leaf on his crotch. Don't rewrite the past; learn from it, evolve, move on. 

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And then just like that, you suddenly remember who you are... after being asleep for years... after having forgotten. You are the truest version of yourself.

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Pootie Tang, I am your father.