Semana Santa starts on Palm Sunday and runs through Easter Sunday and the folks in Antigua, Guatemala cram a lot into that week with dozens of processions at all hours of the day and night and thousands of participants of all ages. The processions often overlap so you have to make hard choices about which ones to focus on.

Women selling special Palm Sunday decorations in front of the La Merced church in Antigua, Guatemala as Semana Santa begins.

The whole week is about telling the story of Jesus’ crucifixion which is symbolically re-enacted on Good Friday. During the processions between Palm Sunday and Good Friday (shown in this post) Jesus is everywhere and many people wear purple. Processions after Good Friday (which we’ll tell you all about in our next post) are more somber–Jesus is nowhere to be seen (until Easter Sunday) and purple clothing has been replaced by black.

The images in this slides show were taken during various processions in Antigua, Guatemala from Palm Sunday until the start of Good Friday.

One of the first Semana Santa processions we saw was a children's procession--everyone gets in on the Easter action in Antigua.

A Semana Santa procession from the San Felipe church begins inside the Santuario del Apóstol where 80 men carry a...

...huge float over a handmade alfombra "carpet" made of colored sawdust and out onto the streets of Antigua, Guatemala.

We were lucky to find some space inside the San Felipe church on the fringes of Antigua where we got to see the very first moments of their procession as the enormous float, called an anda, was carried out of the church by 80 men. They’re walking over an elaborate carpet called an alfombra which the faithful created using colored wood chips, precise stencils and a lot of patience.

During most processions a float carrying the Virgin follows the float carrying Jesus. The Virgin's float is always carried by women.

Everyone knows an army marches on its stomach. Men portraying Roman centurions take a break for lunch during a Semana Santa procession in Antigua, Guatemala.

The video, below, shows a procession leading up to Good Friday during Semana Santa in Antigua, Guatemala.

Click here to view the embedded video.

The enormous floats carried through Antigua during Semana Santa processions are awkward and heavy. Making it around tight corners as the processions move through town requires team work and exact choreography, as this slide show demonstrates.

Related posts:

1. Photo of the Day: Reflecting on Semana Santa – Antigua, Guatemala
2. Holy Street Art! The Alfombras of Semana Santa – Antigua, Guatemala
3. Cortés the Settler (welcome to the first town in the New World) – Veracruz State, Mexico

I’ve grown up in a wine-friendly family. My grandfather was a wine connoisseur who wrote an annual catalog of recommendations for colleagues, friends and family. My mom and grandma swear by one glass of wine a night—although my mom prefers white and Mimi won’t touch anything but red (and the occasional glass of pink champagne).

Even so, I’ve never been even close to a wine snob. My parents let me drink wine with my meals since I was in middle school, but I refused more often than not (in that truly American way of preferring to slam cheap beers instead of drinking nice wine responsibly). Somehow, I grew up two hours from Napa Valley without ever going wine tasting. I sip two-buck Chuck and price-is-no-object bottles with the same gusto. I admit that not only do I not have a “nose,” I don’t know much.

I’ve always been a bit embarrassed by my complete lack of wine knowledge, so when it came time to explore Victoria with my Sydney-raised friend Renee, I was quite keen to explore the Yarra Valley wine region—and cross #6 off my Australia bucket list.

There are myriad choices when it comes to wine tasting in Yarra Valley: the region boasts more than 80 wineries. To keep it simple, we decided to go on a tour with Australian Wine Tour Co., which took us to four different wineries.

Yering Farm: The brief introduction on wine tasting was the most valuable part of the day for me. The only problem is I then tasted every single wine possible and promptly forgot all I learned.

Just kidding. Kind of. The only thing I really remember is that the lighter in color a white wine is, the drier it is—and for the rest of the day, I did remember to check the color of every white I tried. To what purpose, I’m not exactly sure.

Rochford Wines: Lunch was much needed after the massive taste test at Yering Farm on an empty stomach. There were four different mains to choose from, including one vegetarian option. There was a tasting session before sitting down so that you could choose what you wanted your one full glass of the day to be.

Yering Station: I fell in love with the Tawny at Yering Station—and despite being somewhat drunk and very broke, I decided to make my first grown-up purchase: a bottle of wine from a winery (opposed to the cheapest bottle in the liquor store). I’ve been sipping a tiny glass of port every night before bed since then, and feeling very restrained and mature.

Domaine Chandon: Easily the most beautiful winery we visited, Domaine Chandon indulged my inner Francophile: the typical Jardins green chairs, the glasses of bubbly, the cheese and chutney plate. Perfect way to end the day.

Australian Wine Tour Co. was the cheapest option I found for a daylong tour, and was promoted at Base Hostel in St Kilda. Our group skewed to the young boozer side, although there were a few middle-aged couples.

The $110 price tag includes wine tasting at three wineries, lunch at Rochford winery with a full glass of wine and a glass of bubbly and shared cheese and chutney at Domaine Chandon. Its greatest value comes in the Wine 101 introduction course at the first winery, transportation to and from Melbourne and the chance to meet other people–a bunch of us went out for drinks after the tour ended!

Have you been wine tasting in Yarra Valley? What did you think?

Really quickly: here’s the extended footage of our chat with U-Kiss, from our Jeju Inkigayo experience. It’s really impossible for us to post the entire thing, because we talked with them for a really long time. We cut out some of the dead moments, and tried to keep the video as true to the chat as possible. Problem is, our camera has some limitations in that 1) It gets overheated if it records for too long, so we have to stop recording, and 2) It can’t record clips for longer than 12 minutes before you have to stop and start again.

By the end of it, we just turned off the camera and kept on talking with them. It’s amazing how down to earth everyone was. We also like to think that they were just bored in their tents, and they had lots of time to kill. Seriously! The insides of their tents had nothing but lawn chairs. BO-RING. We think that if they had Xboxes in there, we’d be screwed. Ha!

Thanks again to Todd Thacker and the Jeju Weekly for the pics and for flying us out to Jeju for the event

For the original post on Backstage Chat with U-Kiss, or for our kpop and Korean Food videos, check out our Korea blog!

Facing Truths

“How long has this been going on?”

I couldn’t see the doctor from my position, on my back, as light pierced my eyes.  The only visible shape was the outline of her body, a white aura bleeding around her face.  Just a disembodied voice tinged with disapproval.

“Six days.”

I lied.  Maybe I just didn’t want to face the truth myself.  It had really been seven days of spotting on and off.

I knew it was stupid to leave the problem so long.  You prolong knowing. I drank too much in my early thirties, smoked a heap of cigarettes.  My age is a factor.  Even my sexual choices cast a shadow.

Somewhere in the recesses of my memories, I kept wondering if this was happening well before my last intimate encounter, and I chose to ignore it.

I had just got in from Udaipur that morning, threw my bags at Mystique Moments, and rushed out again for this dreaded appointment.

The rickshaw driver had no idea where Fortis La Femme was; I was late, then barreled in sweating and exhausted.

With barely time to breathe in the stifling 40-degree weather, she uttered something that woke me from any travel anxiety.

“We need to do some tests, probably an ultrasound to see what might be going on.”

I gulped.

Everything Flashes

As she prepared me for the ultrasound, instructing me to lie down, placing a towel across my stomach, everything rushed at me.

Staph definitely rattled me.  Yet, that can be annihilated with strong antibiotics.

This could be much worse.  I knew it, could not ask her out loud.

This could be the big C.

The specter of my past and future slid in full view.

Have I done everything I’ve wanted to?  Absolutely not. Am I happy?  I’m starting to be.

Then, I thought about all the people I regretted. The lovers I was never fully honest with.  Faces of friends or family appeared to me, how I forgot to express how much I love them. Or forgive those who slighted me.

Buddhists believe that death is always present.  That you should live everyday on the basis that you could die.  Sounds morbid, but what that signifies is opening your world to risk, spontaneity and an untethered existence.  Feeling free, essentially.

Make the most of your earthly time.

Now, Hindus staunchly stick to reincarnation.  There’s a difference between the inner soul and the outer body.   The outer body is viewed as the ‘container’, so upon death, the inner soul will inhabit another body.  After a few reincarnations, and that last container are ashes in a funeral pyre, the soul will rest or join the ultimate soul, known as Para-Athma.

This nudged me into questioning how we live our lives.  Would you squander it if you knew next time you’ll be a whole new human being?

I was a douchebag in this life, body number two I’ll get right.  Plenty of containers for me.

The technician rubbed gel on my abdomen, and then worked the applicator in a circular motion to generate a visual on the screen.

I saw my insides.  It was actually kind of fascinating.  Grainy, grey pixels were fed back to me.  Maybe it was my breathing, but my internal self vibrated off the screen.

“Okay, looks normal here.”

One sigh of relief.

“Hmmm.. there are some fibroids though, will have to examine those under 3-D view.”

I gripped the sides of the examination table, spooked by what that could mean.

Throw the Dice of Life

She told me to relax.  I tried.

The technician captured several more close-ups in 3-D.  Two doctors consulted each other in Hindi, leaving me out of the conversation, this only served to make me panic more; they promised to explain in English.

I waited for the news, surprised at my calmness.

She said not to worry.  They found four fibroids, none of them potentially cancerous, none that were blocking anything significant.

“I’ve sourced the bleeding.  Will give you something to stop that and hopefully the irritation clears up.  I will know more once the rest of the results come in.”

I’m not overly religious, never have been.  Except a fevered reading bout of the bible at age ten.  Big words are hard at age ten.  You try saying Deuteronomy.

If I had to choose, I embrace the Buddha way.

Is everything finite and precious?  I honestly don’t know.  What I do know is the rest of my life, however long that will be, must be lived at full tilt.

That includes joy or pain, encompasses sickness and blushing health.  When I have those scary moments of traveling solo, processing the events I’ve been through.

It does seem like India is killing me.

Sarah MacDonald wrote a searingly funny memoir of her time in India.  I always remember the acknowledgments.  She thanks her husband, Jonathan, for taking her.  Normal enough.  It’s the second sentence that use to strike me as strange.

“And to India, for making me.”

I swim in emotions that were dormant from my former life.  I see so much, excited to discover more.  I understand things against my will.

I like to believe India is putting me back together again.

Photo: 28 misguided souls

Ok, now this is a bit of a long story. We’ll post a TL;DR at the bottom, if you’re impatient:

First off, big thanks go out to Todd Thacker and the Jeju Weekly. He contacted us a few weeks ago and flew us out to cover the Super Inkigayo concert that was being held in Jeju. It was going to be Simon’s first time in Jeju since Martina had already been to Jeju twice with her school. On Saturday we tried to absorb as much of Jeju as we could on a driving tour since Sunday was the big concert.

When we arrived at the concert the fans were lined up outside waiting to grab the best seats but the stadium was really tiny so everyone was amazingly close to the stage. Although we had tickets to the show we actually didn’t see anyone perform. Why? Because we spent all of our time backstage!

Backstage was really a parking lot filled with white tents. When we arrived, only the first few acts were there and all the remaning tents were empty. We thought we could easily get clear footage of everyone arriving, but within 20 minutes car loads and bus loads of kpop bands started pulling up out of nowhere! The entire lineup was absurdly large. There was Rania, 4Minute, U-Kiss, Infinite, Orange Caramel, Rainbow, CN Blue, SNSD, TVXQ, f(x), Big Bang, Wheesung, Tony Ahn, A Pink, ZE:A and I’m sure there are many more that we’ve forgotten. We couldn’t get a camera on everyone but we tried, oh we tried all right wildly swinging our camera with the squeal of the local fangirl alerting us. Martina’s Our goal, though, was clear from the start: we had to get some footage with Big Bang.

BUT OF COURSE, Big Bang was the very last band to arrive and because of that, things didn’t go as expected with Big Bang. We were lucky enough to pull GD aside for just a quick second to introduce himself but it was clear they were very busy signing shirts and preparing for stage. We couldn’t get a hold of TOP, who looked like a man on a mission at all times, but it was still super cool that I we got to be so close to the action.

Martina makes Kevin from U-Kiss laugh. Picture by Todd Thacker

What was completely and utterly unexpected is that not only did we know some of the kpop stars, but some of the kpop stars knew us. SERIOUSLY AMAZZZZING!!!!! We spoke with Amber from f(x) briefly, but she said that her management wouldn’t let her talk on camera. Bummer. But she said that she used our Washing Machine video when she first came to Korea. SHAZAM! Our most boring (but practical) video ever! Glad that’s what we’re known for: Eat Your Kimchi – training you how to not have stinky clothes. Lizzy from After School and currently Orange Caramel remembered us from Running Man a while ago. We got shoddy footage of her because she surprised us by approaching us and our lens couldn’t zoom out any further! Also Kevin, AJ, and the rest of U-Kiss were totally freaking nice. I mean, really really nice. They chatted with us for a long time and they are all really down to earth. AJ even laughed off our R Squared Pi joke and complimented Simon on his math poem. See, angry Kissme Fangirls? Kpop stars know how to take jokes, so don’t get all butthurt over our reviews! *Simon gets killed anyways* We’re posting the extended footage of our chat with them on our YouTube bonus channel, so check it out there

We gotta say, now that we had a chance to ask some questions to kpop some kpop bands, we feel a lot more respect for what kpop idols go through. We saw tons of exhausted looking kpop stars half asleep in their cars and being woken up to hop out, do interviews, smile for their fans, and perform with full energy. Wow. We asked some of them what they were doing after the show, if they were going to hang around Jeju for a bit. Nope. They gotta hop on a plane back immediately and go do other stuff. When do they have days off during the week? None. Month? Nada. The only real time they have off is during the major holidays, and that’s even debatable sometimes. Seriously! That’s crazy! Sure, being a celebrity has its perks, but at the cost of losing all your free time? Would you make that trade? Famous, but busy all the time (and we do mean ALL the time) or non-famous but able to relax? We’d choose relaxing, no matter how much money you paid us. So, yeah, even if you don’t like kpop music, you gotta respect those Kpop stars who never sleep but still give 110% on stage.

What most surprised us is how different people act backstage. A while ago, for our Heart to Heart interview, we angered some SNSD fans by saying that to those of use who are none-SNSD fans, the girls don’t seem to have much personality in their music videos. People argued that they’re loaded with personality in their interviews and TV shows, but we argued that it shouldn’t be necessary to do outside research in order to appreciate a music video. But, backstage at this super Inkigayo concert, we saw a fantastic side to them. Soooo much fun! They were outside, smiling and giggling, talking to other people, jumping and skipping, and just seemed so radiant with energy. Amber from f(x) was super fun and playful as well, and the girls from Orange Caramel were likewise very smiley and happy. It seemed that it was just the guys – with the exception of U-Kiss – that were very serious. CN Blue stayed in their tent most of the time but you could hear them practicing Bon Jovi’s Always. TVXQ looked super focused but they did go out and talk with some of the girl bands…all while looking super focused. Except for Taeyang, Big Bang spent most of their time in their cars.

So that’s it. We were super exhausted because it was really sunny and hot that day, but it was well worth it. Also, since we had such a great experience with U-Kiss, f(x), and Orange Caramel, we’re gonna tell you to support them and go buy their albums, because they were so nice and we like them a lot now

TL;DR – We managed to squeak in backstage somehow, talked to GD, Amber, U-Kiss, and Lizzy. Did not speak to TOP. Super mega stars were really busy and management didn’t let them speak on camera. Mordney was not present.

For the original post on Backstage with Kpop Idols, or for our kpop and Korean Food videos, check out our Korea blog!

One of my favorite things to do when I travel is to visit the local markets; the smells, the pace, the people, the colors and the food is always such a fun experience, and it gives a great insight into the daily life of the people and the culture of the country you’re in.

Related posts:

1. Daily Travel Photo – Colorful Bike In Thailand
2. Daily Travel Photo – Beauty Contest in Ayutthaya, Thailand
3. Daily Travel Photo – Golden Crown Overlooking Stockholm

Daily Travel Photo – Bustling Market In Thailand - As We Travel - Around The World Travel Blog

I didn’t think it would be right to leave Germany without visiting a concentration camp. On my last day in Berlin, I boarded an hour-long train ride to go to Sachsenhausen. It is probably the most accessible concentration camp from Berlin and very easy to do on your own. You can take the S1 from Friedrichstrasse to Oranienburg, and from there, it is a 20-minute walk to the former camp. Upon exiting the train station, you can simply follow the signs through town. Similar to the past few days in Germany, it was a dreary and cold day and the weather set the tone before I even made my way past the concrete barrier that acted as an entry to Sachsenhausen.

Walking up the street to Sachsenhausen

The visitor’s center staff was friendly, and I rented an audio tour for a couple of Euros. I was told the tour could take 2-3 hours, and it wasn’t hard to see why. However, I only lasted about 50 minutes because a.) it’s extremely depressing and b.) my hands were numb from the wind and cold.

Here is a very brief background on Sachsenhausen:

• It was built in 1936
• More than 200,000 people were imprisoned here by the Nazis
• Depending on which report you read, between 30,000 and 50,000 people died or were killed here
• Sachsenhausen became a model for other concentration camps and the administrative center for all German concentration camps
• Sachsenhausen was a work camp, not a death camp- it was initially home to political opponents, unlike Auschwitz which practiced racial genocide (later Sachsenhausen would also include ‘inferior’ groups such as Jews, homosexuals, and religious leaders).

To enter the camp, you must first walk along the outer wall. Here is where the audio tour gives you much of the background info. For quite sometime, you can’t see what is behind the wall, but it gives you the sense of space as you’re lead up to the gates and realize just how large of an area it is. The tour takes you past the barracks, the prison barracks, the infirmary, Station Z (which was where the gas chamber and a crematorium was located), and several memorials. Why was it called Station Z? Because Z is the last letter.. it’s the end. Most of the buildings are replicas of the originals.

Entry Gate meaning "Work will set you free." How misleading.

A glimpse at the memorial in the distance

BARRACKS:

The barracks

PRISON BARRACKS:

Memorial at the prison

Hanging site with memorial in the distance

MEMORIAL:

STATION Z:

Execution trench

Station Z memorial

Station Z memorial- people leave flowers

"I will not forget"

Visiting a concentration camp is not what many would deem as a tourist destination. However, as a tourist, I feel it is an educational obligation to visit sites such as these to make history on paper more of a reality. The camp experience and blustery weather left me in a melancholic mood. Since it is just outside of town, it’s literally set in the middle of a neighborhood. I walked past houses who saw the former concentration camp everyday. I imagine you grow accustomed to the site, but I think it’d be depressing to look out your window and see a former killing ground. I warmed up on the train back to Berlin, and while I’m glad I took the opportunity to visit Sachsenhausen, I was happy that it was behind me now. Like others, I will not forget.

Related posts:

1. Photo Essay of Kollerup: A Village in Northern Germany
2. Chobe River Cruise: A Photo Essay
3. Montage Monday: A Photo Essay of Nyiragongo Volcano

I’m about to escape on a weekend getaway to the Clarenville/Bonavista/Trinity area to be a tourist at home. Depending on the weather, itinerary may include iceberg sightings, and crashing a bay wedding. But here’s a new review, for a book that not only tells you how to meet European men, but how to do it in each country.

The Single Girl’s Guide to Meeting European Men” – The Single Girl’s Guide to Meeting European Men – Katherine Chloe Cahoon

Useful advice here for women who are clueless and/or ugly. Perfect for ladies whose lives revolve around men. Luckily, my luscious red locks secure romance whenever I travel, but I did find the advice on drinking etiquette very helpful. Been doing it wrong for years, turns out.

***/*****

The hills, sea, and sky are powerless to the blush of a setting sun. So am I, compelled as I am to stand and stare as it changes the way things look. We crawl through the midnight water to mountains in the northern sea: Shetland. The ferry is a gypsy ship overflowing with musicians on their way, like me, to the Shetland Folk Festival. Lively sessions spring up in the bars on deck six throughout the night.

The sunset is like a goodbye kiss that would hold even more power if we didn’t know better. How many woeful pleadings for the sun to return have been forgotten in the passing eons? Later, I stagger out on to the aft deck at 4am as the sky slowly drains of black. This brightening is like the knowledge of the impending arrival of a longed-for other. The sun rise itself, her appearance in the flesh, in front of you.

Warm.

As with most pictures on Traveling Savage, simply click the photo for an enlarged view. Take a look at more of my travel photos.

Picture This: North Sea Sunset is a post from Traveling Savage. Copyright 2011

This man is one of the people we met during our trip that I will remember the most. Every day he sat outside his home on a worn leather seat and watched the people pass by on this small side street in Bangkok. He was there when we went out in the morning, and there when we went home in the afternoon. And every time we passed he smiled with his toothless smile, waved his hands and said “Sa-waht dee-krap!” (hello)

The last day of our stay, we asked to take a picture of him.

Related posts:

1. Daily Travel Photo – Rare Buddha Statue In Ayutthaya
2. Daily Travel Photo – Bustling Market In Thailand
3. Daily Travel Photo – Holy Cow!

Daily Travel Photo – The Man In The Chair - As We Travel - Around The World Travel Blog