What Did I Say?

Thought it'd be interesting to list the languages I've found myself speaking along the trip....it's been helpful to learn a few words in local tongue everywhere...not just for communication, but for inciting amazingly deep smiles!

Hindi (Indian national language), Urdu (Pakistan national language), Burushaski (middle Hunza Valley, Pak autonomous region), Ughyur (used by locals such as our taxi driver when we crossed the border on the KKH in
Xinjiang autonomous region, China), Chinese (used in Xinjiang by non-Ughyurs), Arabic (Oman), Malayalam (Kerala, Indian language used in Oman - thanks to Sam in Muscat for teaching me), Turkish (first night in Oman happened to sit next to a man from Konya, go figure...), Sindhi (in the remote village of my 8 year old friend, Erum), Italian (9hours stop in Roma), French (bruxelles), Dutch (I haven't actually spoken in Dutch yet, but it's all around as I'm in the Flemish part of the Brussels outskirts), Malagache (also in Bruxelles, staying in an American/Madagascar household!)

my PHOTOS from the SILK ROAD!!!

My pal Joe has been kind enough to put a bunch of my photos from my 1st 2 weeks (I'm on my 11th week away now) on his flikr site.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/musicandlight/sets/72157602879867189/

malagasy eucalyptus balm and strong song

Hello from Linkebeek, a 'suburb' of Brussels/Bruxelles, where I'm in the home of the greatest musical stars of Madagascar, N'Java. The sun is straining to peek out of the clouds, the trees are swaying in the cool wind, the house is quiet with the sisters at their boutique, D'Ame D'Amour, singing their hearts out as they arrange the traditional items in the shop for the holiday rush we all hope for.

The ladies, Monika (wife of Daniel, my friend and 'producer') and her sister Lala - both with deliciously wild hair and temperaments, have been asking me to join their accapella ensemble which is about to break into the limelight of the World Music scene. I'm a bit awed that they would even joke about asking me...though I have to admit that their brother Maximin (with even more amazing and wild hair) did recording wonders with a red-wine induced session I sang on a few summers back when I was visiting - the match of the chathartic, open-throat, heel stamping and soulful belting of African voices, and my silky, Indian-inspired rifts weaving in.

The clouds have succumb to the power of the sun and there's a heavenly moment that seems like it will last forever, like it won't actually start to get dark at 3pm ever again, like Belgium is bright and lively with a wonderful and balanced music scene where I could come to live afterall....

Roma through Pakistani eyes for 9 hours

24 hours after leaving down the bamboo ladder at Pilu's house, piling my bag and sarangi into a cycle rickshaw and then into a taxi, waiting in an endless and chaotically unstructured line first for boarding passes then for security (one elderly couple waiting behind me had been at the airport for 8 hours, their flight was running 6 hours late due to the security check line suffering from the airport remodelling effort restrictions), a flight to Milan and then another to Rome....I called to the Pakistani Export shop of a friend I met in Korea about 5 years ago. It happened that this friend, Fayyaz Bhai was actually again in Korea with Qadus Bhai (my very first friend in Korea, aside from my roommate and co-saving grace, Brad), but Fayyaz's brother gave me directions to take a train from the airport and his other brother met me on the platform. They gave me a take-out plate of the best Indian food to be found in all of Rome, and then the younger brother journeyed with me out to the Colloseum and a walk along ancient sites, and then for the best cappacino I have had in many, many years. A half hour more sitting around at the shop as the older brother internet-ed his life away and the younger brother hid in the back, then I was dropped back at the train, and got to the airport for the flight on to Brussels where a tired and somewhat sick Daniel was awaiting.
My Pakistani friends and their random shops around the world really are wonderful in these times of urgent need to both pass some time and eat well. What a blessing!