South Africa—soccer and safaris

Fun Animal Facts

World Cup football (soccer) fever will hit South Africa soon, and many fans will travel there to watch some (or all) of the games. Many people will also want to tour other parts of the country and lots will choose a wildlife safari, as the ultimate African experience.

Anouk Zijlma from About.com: Africa Travel has this fun list to help plan a safari:

http://goafrica.about.com/b/2010/02/08/africa-wildlife-fun-facts-fun-safari-facts.htm?nl=1

You can also look at some earlier articles of mine about the African animal experience. Enjoy reading them, even if you are not able to get to Africa for an actual animal adventure.

Another typical South African experience is a “braai” (barbecue), so take a look at article 4 below.

1. http://viviennemackie.wordpress.com/2008/11/19/intro-to-south-african-game-parks/

2. http://web.mac.com/vmackie/South_Africa/Call_of_the_Wild.html

3. http://web.mac.com/vmackie/South_Africa/Animal_Antics.html

4. http://web.mac.com/vmackie/South_Africa/Braai.html

5. http://web.mac.com/vmackie/South_Africa/SA_Game_Park.html

Walking the Samaria Gorge in Crete

The beginning was bad, the middle was better, and the end was great.

The only way to see the whole of the Samaria Gorge in Crete is on foot.  One of our travel goals for many years was to walk through this gorge, the longest in Europe. It is also interesting for the variety of vegetation types along its length, because of the change in altitude as one descends from the high valley to the sea.  On our second visit to Crete one July we decided to do it.  My husband and I bought the tickets for one of the excursions, which leave from the city of Hania on the northwest coast.

I am very excited about this trip, but also a little concerned as it’s a full day and I hadn’t previously walked that far in one day. Physically it could be a challenge for the unfit. We have to leave very early and go by bus to the trailhead, then walk 16 km through the gorge, and catch a boat to the bus to bring us back to Hania.  But, we are prepared with good shoes, a hat, and a day backpack with plenty of bottled water.

In the middle of the night before, I begin to feel extremely ill, with stomach cramps, headache, and many visits to the bathroom.  In the morning I’m tired, drained and still running to the bathroom.  Obviously something in the dinner the night before is affecting me.

What to do?  I still want to see the gorge and this is our only opportunity this trip.  But can I do it?  I waver a while, tempted to stay in my bed, but take some immodium tablets and add some spare clothes to the backpack.  This is not a good start to our adventure.

The bus leaves at 6am for Omalos, the village in the Omalos Valley at the head of the Samaria Gorge.  I’m concentrating so hard on not needing to go to the bathroom that it’s hard to appreciate the dawn beauty of the countryside.  It’s a strange high valley, so the bus makes quite a zig-zag trek to get up there, through pastures with herds of sheep and goats and some potato fields.

The bus stops at the Tourist Lodge at the trailhead.  This is my last chance to turn back.  The immodium seems to be working, though it’s making me light-headed with a pounding headache. I take two Tylenol tablets and say to my husband, “Let’s do it”.  He carries the backpack, so all I have to do is walk.

July is peak season and there are many people wanting to do this walk.  Many are older than I, many look less prepared, some don’t have proper footwear.  But I feel really miserable.

The walk through the gorge is 16km long, and the first part is very slow.  We begin by going carefully down the wooden “stairs” (wooden and stone steps and ramps), which get us off the valley onto the side of the gorge.  The rocky path then zig-zags steeply down.  None of the walk is particularly flat or easy, but there are definitely a few better parts where the path is fairly flat and meanders along.  Mostly it is very rocky and the rocks are worn shiny slippery, so it’s easy to lose your footing, especially if you’re tired.

It takes a while to actually get down to the river bed and then the walk continually crosses and re-crosses the rocky river, which doesn’t have much water now, but can be a torrent in the spring.  The day is hot and sunny but there’s plenty of shade, and it’s very dusty especially with all those feet pounding the path.

We pass the deserted village of Samaria, which was evacuated to make the Samaria Park, and the little chapel, Agios Nikolaus.  It’s a good place for a quick break and I stretch out gratefully on the grass with a wet hankie on my face.

The gorge proper only begins about half-way down, and later we reach the Sidheresportes (Iron Gates) where the rock walls are so close it’s like passing through huge gates.  I begin to feel a little better, to relax, to look around me.  I’m here, walking this famous gorge. Soaring mountains, pine trees, and cicadas chirping, slowly become stronger images in my mind than the need to control my stomach.  I look around and begin to enjoy the sheer rock faces and amazing rock formations rather than just concentrate on putting one foot in front of the other.  We turn around and look back up along the gorge, a spectacular sight, impressive in its size.

At the end of the park is old Ayia Roumeli village, which was also moved to make the park.  The new Ayia Roumeli is on the southwest coast, where people catch the boats back to the next town along the coast, where the buses wait. The last few kilometers from the old village are extremely hot and dusty, and we begin to have visions of a beer and a shower.  We arrive at the end of the trail, a little footsore, flushed with heat and achievement.

“I did it, I did it” is the refrain in my head.  We walked almost six hours.  We sink down into a chair in a shady taverna with a glass of lemonade, feet up, the moment so perfect.  THIS is what makes travel so worthwhile.  If I did it in my condition that day, so can many others, and therefore people should try, and not be limited by fears of failure.

And many others did do it that day, hobbling, sunburnt, some cut because they’d fallen, but they came, and we heard so many comments about a sense of accomplishment.  I’m glad I didn’t stay in my bed and my discomfort today was far outweighed by the stunning scenery, and the tiring, dusty, wonderful walk.

(this article was previously published in DivineCaroline at

http://www.divinecaroline.com/22244/83627-walking-samaria-gorge–crete )

2010 International Year of Biodiversity

2010 International Year of Biodiversity (IYB)

Even if you’re not a biologist, a naturalist, an environmentalist, or a conservationist (or any other ..ist), this is a fascinating and critical topic. We’ve all been bombarded with heartbreaking photos of polar bears struggling as the Arctic ice pack decreases, or pictures of tigers killed in Asia, elephants endangered in Africa or panthers in Florida, for example. How can one not be moved by these images, or by the fact that in some countries certain crops are endangered because the bees that pollinate them are in trouble?

The United Nations declared 2010 to be the International Year of Biodiversity (IYB). As the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) introduces on their Welcome page: “It is a celebration of life on earth and of the value of biodiversity for our lives. The world is invited to take action in 2010 to safeguard the variety of life on earth: biodiversity.”

http://www.cbd.int/2010/welcome/

In late January the International Year of Biodiversity was launched in Paris at the UNESCO Headquarters. At the same time, Brussels held another big event, while Spain and other countries have identified biodiversity priorities.

http://www.countdown2010.net/

Countdown 2010 is a key player in mobilizing a huge network of supporters around the world, from small local authorities and businesses, to social groups, to governments.

IUCN together with Natureparif launched a competition to reward European cities for innovation and excellence in preserving the wealth of nature. See more on the “European Capitals of Biodiversity” competition here http://www.countdown2010.net/partners/local-authorities/projects

Find out what you can do in “Moving from Words to Action” here”:

http://www.countdown2010.net/year-biodiversity/action-plan-for-iyb

We can all do something, and every little bit helps—really.

Countdown will have a special closing ceremony in Japan on 20/10/2010 (October 20) at exactly 20h10, and another celebration will be held in Europe in December (details still to come).

In later posts, I’ll try to spotlight biodiversity issues in certain countries in different parts of the world.

Orlando beyond Mickey Mouse

Orange County Regional History Center

Many visitors to Orlando never get beyond Disney and Mickey Mouse, which is a shame as the area has lots more to offer besides all the theme parks.

One example is the Orange County Regional History Center.

The Center’s in a lovely building in downtown Orlando, originally built as a courthouse in 1927. The original town of Orlando was platted (incorporated) in a square with the courthouse as its center. It now has 4 floors of exhibition space, with wide, grand staircases linking them. We did go once before but, like most museums, you can’t take in everything at once. There’s usually a special exhibition (last time on Stamps, this time National Geographic Greatest Portraits) but the rest is given over to Florida history with a focus on local events, which is nice. One should go often and focus on one section and slowly get to know and understand the area, as it’s a “colorful” history.

The museum is spacious and nicely set out, with plenty of visuals and props, like old wagons, dummies in costumes, old orange crate labels etc. Some of the sections, such as African American Heritage, have lots of posters and writing, so there’s a lot to read and absorb. [Perhaps one also needs a book to read at leisure, such as: “Florida. A Short History”. Revised ed by Michael Gannon. University Press of Florida, 2003].

When the History Center was the courthouse, the jail was on the top floor, with quarters for the jailor and his wife, an infirmary, and separate cellblocks for white women, white men, black women, and black men. That space is now occupied by administration offices and a research center.

Courtroom B on the 3^rd floor has been restored, but has the original cork floors, installed so lawyers, defendants and spectators entering the gallery wouldn’t make a noise when entering. The defendants’ benches in the courtroom still show scratches and marks left by prisoners’ handcuffs in times past. Courtroom B is famous because the first case using DNA in the USA to get a conviction was tried here.

Start on the 4^th floor with the Natural Environment section, which explains what Florida is in terms of geology and geography. Then move to the human sections, starting with the First Peoples section showcasing Native American life in Pre-European Florida. These early indigenous people arrived about 12,000 years ago over the Bering Strait-Alaska Bridge. The history then moves to European First Contact; Florida Seminoles (Native Americans) who arrived in the 1700s; and Pioneers, covering the early permanent settlers here, including an interesting group known as the “Crackers”.

Possible origins of the term “cracker” are linked to early Florida cattle herders who traditionally used whips to herd wild Spanish cattle. The crack of their whips could be heard for great distances when they were used to round cattle into pens. The word “cracker” was also used to refer to people in the low-paying job of cracking pecans and other nuts in Georgia and other parts of southeast U.S. Others say that “cracker” is a term of contempt for the “poor whites” especially of Georgia and Florida, dating back to the American Revolution when cracked corn was the staple food of poor folk.

Juan Ponce de Leon from Spain happened on the peninsula in 1513 and called it La Florida (the Flowery Land). So, Florida was Europe’s first frontier in North America. When people landed at Plymouth Rock in 1621, the Spanish city of St Augustine was already 55 years old (founded by Admiral Pedro Menendez de Aviles). So, actually, the Pilgrims were not the first settlers in the New World.

There’s interesting information on the Seminoles and the Seminole Wars, the arrival of Blacks in Florida and the special relationship that developed between the Blacks and Seminoles, leading to a new group, the Black Seminoles.

One of the main points that comes through clearly is that settlement and development in Florida was hard, mainly due to the terrain and geographic features such as swamps with alligators lurking, plus mosquitoes and other insects caused many illnesses. Many different peoples came and it’s a complicated history with all the peoples interwoven, and in ways the character of Florida is different to other southern states (doesn’t have the linguistic drawl, and is not as conservative, for example), even though the KKK was pretty active down here.

The 4^th floor also has a section on Cattle, and Citrus, two of the main prongs of the agricultural economy—the information on Citrus is especially interesting and well documented.

On the 3^rd floor is Courtroom B. On the other side of the Grand Staircase is the section showing Florida’s tourism before Disney, moving on to the importance of Disney today, as well as aviation and the Kennedy Space Center in the modern development of the state.

The 2^nd floor holds special exhibits, and the section on African American Heritage, which reflects on the triumphs and tragedies of Florida’s African American communities. I learn that the first incorporated (platted) black town in the USA was near here: Eatonville, in ca 1885. The Black, feminist writer Zora Neale Hurston was born here and writes about it in “Their Eyes Were Watching God”.

Other famous authors linked to Florida are Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings (after whom Rawlins College is named) and Ernest Hemingway.

Orange County Regional History Center,

65 East Central Blvd, Orlando FL 32801

407-836-8500, or 800-965-2030

www.thehistorycenter.org

Entrance $9 per adult, but $4.50 with AAA

A Blessed Double Journey

1/1/2010: Orlando, FL, birth of Eva Naledi Mackie

This is a different kind of posting to my usual—part travel and part personal journey—but seems fitting as the first post for a new year, as we were blessed with the most wonderful New Year’s gift: our first baby grand-daughter (we already have an amazing 14-year-old grandson from our daughter).

Rod and I are in Oviedo, Florida—that’s the travel part. We flew down here to celebrate a late Christmas with son Kevin and daughter-in-law Joanna, and to be here to help them with the birth of their first baby—that’s the personal journey part.

We were very honored and privileged to be part of the long, hard labor process, which ended with a C-section, and then to be present for the recovery time and be able to help at home after the home-coming. We witnessed two sunrises at the hospital before Eva arrived, so everyone (especially the new mommy) had serious sleep deprivation, even before getting back to the house 3 days later.

Anyway, we’re all working through the new routine and it’s great to find that this Grammie can still get up and do night shifts!

The new baby’s names are significant too: Eva means “Life”, and “Naledi” is a Sotho name from South Africa that means “Bright Star”. Kev and Joanna’s baby is certainly both, and this new little life is a bright star for all of us for the New Year.

Our Highest Coffee

More Coffee With a View, 1,000 feet up in Chicago’s John Hancock Center

One recent frigid but sunny December day—temperatures way below freezing and an icy wind—we decided to go up the famous 100-storey Hancock Tower in Chicago. We’ve never been up this tower before, in all the years we’ve visited Chicago, which is strange—perhaps because we’ve always been up the Sears Tower (except recently it’s been renamed the Willis Tower).

Anyway, we rectified that and it was a good experience. We approached the Observatory ticket office and lifts from the basement level, past the Cheesecake Factory (another Chicago institution) on the lower plaza on Michigan Avenue, now decorated with a huge Salvation Army Christmas tree.

A lift whisked us very quickly to the Observatory on the 94^th floor. The Observatory occupies the whole floor, and floor-to-ceiling windows all round, including the south-facing Skywalk open-air viewing deck, give a wonderful 360-degree panoramic view. From up here one sees the city from a different perspective, as there’s a better view down onto the Lake Michigan and Navy Pier than from Sears Tower, and one can peer right down to Michigan Avenue’s Magnificent Mile, and the Water Tower more than 1,000 feet directly below. And, of course, take in a different view of the Sears Tower. A wall with information boards gives excerpts of the history of the city, highlighting some of its famous events, people, buildings—think fire, exhibition, railroads, stockyards, music, crime, labor protests, change in river flow, for example.

The John Hancock Center, known affectionately as “Big John” locally, is famous for its distinctive cross-beam construction. The building relies on a revolutionary technique in which tubular (as opposed to solid) steel forms a tapered obelisk structure. This design, developed by Bruce Graham and Fazlur Khan of Skidmore, Owings and Merrill, reduced the cost of construction by half.

A small café, with tables and chairs strategically set out to enjoy the view out over the city skyline, is in the south-east corner. We had a coffee and enjoyed it in the sunshine, warm behind the glass, while savoring the view. The highest espresso we’ve ever had, I’d say!

Observatory Hours: 9am-11pm daily.

Entrance fees (tax will be added): $15 adults, $14 seniors, $10 youth 4-11 years.

Address: 875 N. Michigan Avenue, Chicago.

More information: www.hancockobservatory.com

Fun Facts about construction: http://www.hancockobservatory.com/en/Building_an_icon/construction.html

Newseum—a Museum with a Twist

News from the Newseum

This museum in Washington DC is not one of the free museums in the capital, but I think it’s worth the ticket price: You could spend all day in there and still not see everything, plus your ticket gives you entrance the following day too.

This is a huge museum, on 6 levels above a basement concourse. Level I has an open atrium to the roof, and each level runs off the atrium corridors and connecting walkways. The basement concourse has a large café, plus changing special exhibits and a number of movie theaters. I watched a movie on the reason for and history of the First Amendment to the US Constitution—the importance of the 5 Freedoms, including Freedom of the Press.

The different levels have all kinds of exhibits, all relating to the news industry in all its various forms, with many videos and movies, interactive activities, visual information boards, huge monitors etc.

What grabs your attention most? What is most interesting? Most enjoyable? Well, it depends on your interest I think. For me, the idea of truth in the media is very important, and the examples of times when reporters have tried (and succeeded) in adhering to that principle are really interesting. This is linked to the history of journalism and news reporting, to graphic—and often heart-rending—photojournalism, and the memorial to those journalists who’ve lost their lives while doing their jobs and what they needed to do. Also interesting is the history of the news industry with many examples of old newspapers, front pages, and old TV news footage.

Many exhibits in the museum stand out. The Berlin Wall—actual pieces of it—is a sobering reminder of what life can be like if one is not free. This concept is linked to the huge map, on another level, showing which countries have freedom of the press and which don’t.

The 9/11 exhibit is gut-wrenching, especially for all those who watched that footage on that fateful day, watched it over, and over. For me, it was interesting to see the top piece of the North Tower of the World Trade Center—the piece that was part of a satellite transmitter—in such a tangled mess. Unknown to me before, are the amazing pictures taken by the photographer—Bill Biggart— who ran TOWARD the collapsing buildings when everyone else was running away and who lost his life in the process. His cameras were later found in the rubble and most of the photographs were salvaged.

Also note the exhibit on the changing face of the news industry. People still want and need the news, but it is being delivered in different ways. Right now, paper newspapers seem to be in the most trouble, in the biggest state of flux. Internet and mobile phones, plus social networks such as Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube, have changed the way many people think and act, so those delivering the news have to change accordingly.

I also loved the exhibit on the top outside balcony-terrace overlooking Pennsylvania Avenue about Pennsylvania Avenue, America’s “Main Street”: its importance in American history and the history of Washington DC; its development and change over time; the buildings along it and how they have changed and/or changed owners; special events along it, including marches, parades, processions, protests; and special “firsts”, such as the first presidential funeral procession, the first president to walk along it after Inauguration.

It’s also a great idea that the Newseum puts up copies of many newspaper front pages every day—some outside the museum for all to see and share, and others inside. So, the idea of keeping the world informed is strong.

A fun exhibit on at the moment is on the First Dogs! Also interesting is one on Woodstock and the role of music media in covering that event 40 years ago, and another on the importance of comics and cartoons as a way of passing on certain information. In the basement level there was a special exhibit on Sports Photography and coverage, and one on the history of the FBI, neither of which I had time to go to.

The day I was there many school groups were visiting (they get in free), but it also seemed busy generally, so I guess people still visit even though they have to pay.

A large shop offers many interesting items. I bought a fun book on newspaper headline bloopers, some absolutely hilarious and almost unbelievable.

Newseum, 555 Pennsylvania Ave., NW, Washington DC 20001.

Tel: 1-888-NEWSEUM, www.newseum.org

Adult entrance was $21.15 ($19.95+tax)

Space for Wildlife near Space Shuttle

Florida’s Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge

This is a lovely wildlife refuge, approached from the small town of Titusville over a causeway across the Indian River Lagoon, mid way on Florida’s east coast. This 43-mile long barrier island system is managed by three federal agencies. In the late 1950s it was set aside as a buffer zone for nearby NASA and shares a common boundary with the John F. Kennedy Space Center. The Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge is managed by the US Fish and Wildlife Service, and the Canaveral National Seashore by the National Park Service. The refuge is very happy with that fact that nature and technology (NASA) can coexist.

Its coastal location and wide variety of habitat types allow for a large and diverse bird population. In addition, it’s one of the best birding spots in the country as it’s “migration central” on the Atlantic Flyway.  Your best bet is between October and May as that’s the height of the migratory bird season and when the climate is most comfortable. (Pick up a Birding Check List at the Visitors’ Center).

It’s wonderful to find such a large stretch of conserved nature, with no buildings or seawalls, and in the center of the refuge it feels very quiet and isolated, even though all along the Florida coast round here is pretty built-up and developed. The refuge is notable because its mangrove swamps, salt marshes, mud flats, coastal dunes, pine flatwoods, and hardwood hammocks are home to more endangered and threatened species than any other refuge in the USA—including sea turtles, West Indian manatees, wood storks, peregrine falcons, eastern indigo snakes and Florida scrub jays. This unique space also supports over 500 different species of wildlife, 1,045 species of plants and 310 species of birds.

Stop first at the Merritt Island Visitors’ Center (follow signs), with wildlife displays and good information boards inside and a small shop. Human occupation of the island has varied over the years. Archeological evidence suggests that at least 7 different Indian cultures lived here, from as early as 7,000 BC. Spanish explorers, British colonists, early citrus farmers, and Civil War troops have all passed through more recently. There’s also a boardwalk loop—about ¼ mile long—from which you’ll probably see a ‘gator and turtles, lizards large and small, perhaps snakes in the rushes, and plenty of birds.  Saw palmetto and Sabal palms (state tree of Florida), as well as oaks dripping with grey Spanish moss, line the boardwalk. Look out over the pond, the marshes and wetlands, with gorgeous reflections of the trees and vegetation in the still water, especially later in the day. It’s very peaceful, green and pretty. The Visitors’ Center is named after two guys (Scott Jay Maness and Beau William Sauselein) who died of burns while fighting a fire out here in June 1981, which makes it a more special place.

If you’re lucky you’ll see an armadillo in the grass outside, scuffling and rooting with his nose for insects.

Pick up the self-guiding brochure and do the 7-mile, one-way loop of Black Point Wildlife Drive, which is beautiful just for the scenery in this special place—salt and freshwater marshes, with pools, lagoons, shallow waterways, all interconnected. A dirt road, with various stopping points and a couple of walks (such as the Wild Bird Trail at Stop #4, and an observation tower at Stop #9), goes along next to the water and the low vegetation—pine flatwoods, scrubby trees, rushes, cord grass, small round bushes in the shallow water, all reflected in the water later in the afternoon, creating a dream-like double-image world. It’s a different kind of landscape to where we live, half earth, half water, simultaneously stark and lush, a haven for wading birds, shore birds, and waterfowl. You’ll likely see ‘gators, grey herons wading, bright white egrets, anhingas drying their wings in the sun, pelicans roosting or strutting around, ospreys in a nest, black eagles soaring, or even a bald eagle.  If you’re lucky (as we were one time) you may see a raccoon fishing with its paws, and perhaps roseate spoonbills—they really are pink, and their bills do look like spoons!

One section of the refuge has manatees at certain times of the year. Manatees, called “Mermaids of the New World”, are large seal-shaped animals with flippers that have evolved from elephants. We love them. More can be seen at Blue Spring State Park a little northwest from here.

This is a fun half-day trip from Orlando, but you need your own transport. The Visitors Center has water, sodas and limited snacks, and there is a café on the Titusville side of the causeway that sells reasonable fast food with a great view, and an almost guaranteed sighting of a brown pelican walking around. Toilets are at the Visitors’ Center and Stop #9.

This is a wonderful place any time of year although summer can be rather too hot. One of the brochures has a Wildlife Calendar that lists what sightings can be expected each month of the year.

The refuge closes 24 hours before a shuttle launch, and the day of a space shuttle landing. Information on hours etc at www.fws.gov/merrittisland

Click on each picture below for a larger view. Note the huge ‘gator we saw.

American Indian Heritage Month, and the National Museum of the American Indian

November is American Indian Heritage Month, so a great way to learn more about these peoples is to visit the National Museum of the American Indian in Washington DC.

This is the 18^th of the Smithsonian’s famous museums and opened on the National Mall in 2004. It features the lifeways, history and art of Native Americans throughout the Western Hemisphere (North America, Canada, Mexico, and some from South America, such as Quechua), partly as a major exhibition space, and partly as a center for performances, films, events, and educational activities.

 

 

First, walk all around the outside of this museum to look at the interesting architecture—warm, honey-colored and cream sandstone blocks built to resemble a cliff, with gardens on three sides, demonstrating the types of plant environments many of the Indians had in their lives and what natural resources they had to work with, such as marshes, ponds, hardwood forests. There’s a small area of cultivated crops—corn, cotton, beans, and rows of bright green leaves that museum staff were picking.

They looked a little like kale, but the color was more emerald green than blue-green. I stopped to ask and it turns out that they are mustard greens, which have done very well this year, and the leaves are going to the café’s kitchen to be prepared as some dish tomorrow. What fun. The Mitsitam Café has foods from different regions, served at different stations, for example Great Plains and Meso-America. The food looked very good and interesting, but some were a little pricey for the serving size, I thought. I had a cup of wild fowl and rice soup, which was delicious.

The entrance to the museum is a huge, roughly-circular atrium bedecked with strings of flags from various Indian tribes. The displays are on three levels around the entrance level, and the exhibition and display spaces seem to continue largely with the circular theme: in the main exhibition, each Indian tribe that’s featured has a circular space that’s mostly self-contained, that then flows to another similar space. It’s nicely done and seems a good way of fitting a lot into a given area, probably much more efficient than the traditional square or rectangular open space.

 

On the 4^th level you find permanent exhibits, “Our Universe” and “Our Peoples”, which aim to tell about the lives, culture, and history of the different tribes and groups. Part of this history includes how these people were affected by the arrival of those from Europe and what these people brought with them, such as guns, diseases and horses. On the 3^rd level is “Our Lives”, which focuses on contemporary Indian life and how it’s affected by other cultures and ideas. The 2^nd level has a smaller permanent exhibit on the local Indians from the Chesapeake area.  

The museum also has changing exhibitions, the larger one on the 3^rd level. When I was there, it was the works of Brian Jungen, whose father was Swiss and his mother a Canadian Indian. He makes objects that look almost traditional Indian, but are made from modern items; for example, a totem pole made of backpacks and a mask made of sports mitts. Some are interesting, some a little strange but all have a story to tell.

The other, smaller, exhibition when I was there was called “Indivisible”, on those people of African-Indian mix. It consists mostly of informational boards, with lots of quotes and pictures, but was amazingly well-attended and was generating quite a buzz, especially among the largely dark-skinned visitors. It makes me wonder how many of these people of this mix there are, and just how isolated they have been and felt. Is this country finally starting to come to terms with some of its racial issues? At least an exhibit like this does bring the subject up for discussion, does open up new areas of thinking, which can only be good. I, for one, had never really thought about an Africa-Indian mix, but now I will. I can only imagine some of the isolation and discrimination they must have been through, and the feelings of “being different” they must have had, because this country hasn’t had a good track record on racial issues (still doesn’t in some ways—but let’s not go there!). Anyway, this exhibit was interesting and thought-provoking, so has achieved something.

All the displays show plenty of movies and videos, and have interactive features. Many school groups visit, so hopefully multi-cultural awareness will slowly grow. All in all, it’s a great museum and a wonderful addition to the already wonderful assortment of museums in the city. Situated between the National Botanic Garden and the Air and Space Museum, it is free and open daily (except December 25).

 

In Front of the White House

I’ve just returned from a trip to Washington DC, and will post more info soon.

For now, I (along with millions of other visitors) had the obligatory picture taken outside the gates of the famous White House. Unfortunately, President Obama was not in the capital at that time, but still I’m glad my picture was taken during his presidency.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Also outside the White House is a semi-permanent, rather makeshift, tent with many boards and signs adorning it. This is the White House 24 Hour-A-Day Antinuclear-Peace-Vigil, which says it’s been there since 1981. If that’s true, hats off to them! When we passed by there was always a person sitting outside—or inside, depending on the weather. When it was dark, when it was raining.

On the other side of the White House, on the Elipse facing the Washington Monument, workers are busy setting up the National Christmas Tree, which is slated to be lit on December 3rd. What fun.