Nov

The Awe-Inspiring Monterey Bay Aquarium

by Eva Boynton on November 28, 2016

Silhouettes of people visiting the Monterey Bay Aquarium, showing the awe-inspiring experiences from two sides of the glass (image © Sam Anaya A.).

Travelers embark on a journey to another world.
© Sam Anaya A.

Worlds Connect Through a Sheet of Glass

The sea is as near as we come to another world.*

Imagine entering a forest of moons, alien ellipses all floating and pulsing with color in a dark blue environment. Their long arms extend, overlapping like tangled branches in a floating forest. Welcome to the world of jellies, one that seems light-years away from our own.

Sea nettle Jellies swimming at the Monterey Bay Aquarium, showing awe-inspiring experiences that connect travelers to different worlds (image © Sam Anaya A.).

Watch these jellies long enough, and you will be transported to another world.
© Sam Anaya A.

We often travel to discover a world different, distant, and new. We search for surprise, intrigue, and awe from foreign landscapes. But here at the Monterey Bay Aquarium, an awe-inspiring world is just on the opposite side of the glass.

Plunge Right In

In travel, jumping right in to a new place often reveals immediate and eye-opening surprises.

I start my travels in the Monterey Bay Aquarium that way. Walking past the entrance, underneath goliath sculptures of grey whales and orcas, I check my map. It says I can stay to the shoreline and work my way gradually to the deep canyon exhibit. But I decide to plunge right in, and head first to the giant tank that captures a piece of the open ocean.

Pacific sardines swimming in a ceiling tank at the Monterey Bay Aquarium, illustrating awe-inspiring worlds (image © Sam Anaya A.).

Silver lights swirl above, Pacific Sardines mimic a whirlpool.
© Sam Anaya A.

The environment in the aquarium changes and a deep blue quiets all travelers. Space opens up, and the tank’s wall of windows reveals another world. Though my feet are on terra firma, all senses tell me I’ve been submerged into the open ocean.

An open ocean exhibit with the silhouettes of visitors in front at the Monterey Bay Aquarium, showing what kind of awe-inspiring connections made to an underwater world (image © Sam Anaya A.).

Travelers pause to take in the destination.
© Sam Anaya A.

My legs and arms are dappled with light from above, just like the sea life I see in front of me. A Green Sea Turtle slowly glides to my left, and a school of Pacific Mackerel swims toward me as if they will cross the glass border and pass me by. Plunging right into the aquarium at these deep-water tanks struck me with awe and inspired me to keep traveling.

Explore the Depths

Traveling gives us an opportunity to explore the depths of life in another place. Looking past the glass barriers, I let the open ocean take me on a journey into a deep blue that resembles a world of zero gravity. I press my face against the glass to get a better look at a Cross Jelly.

A tiny jelly at the Monterey Bay Aquarium, showing the awe-inspiring moments from a world that resembles outer space (image © Sam Anaya A.).

In this world, aliens and UFOs are real.
© Sam Anaya A.

This little spaceship, lit by a bioluminescent band around its edge, floats through the stars. Its muscles contract and relax to pulse through the water, as if sending a Morse code to us humans on the other side of the glass.

A moon jelly at the Monterey Bay Aquarium, showing how awe-inspiring moments can be collected when visiting another world (image © Sam Anaya A.).

This moon rises and sets with a skirt of tentacles.
© Sam Anaya A.

I let go of my footing on Earth and let the ebb and flow of the ocean current carry me. To my right, Moon Jellies drift by like lunar dancers suspended in time. Suddenly they pulse their translucent bodies to change direction. I feel that same sense of awe that travelers feel when they immerse themselves in a new world.

Appreciate the Unknown

When we travel with an open perspective, a foreign environment can be beautiful, elegant and, extraordinary, allowing us to appreciate differences, make connections, and learn something new. My trip to the aquarium was just that.

A squid swimming in an exhibit at the Monterey Bay Aquarium, showing what kind of awe-inspiring moments that take place in a different kind of world (image © Sam Anaya A.).

Life underwater dances, glides, swirls, swims, and sways.
© Sam Anaya A.

When I met a Big Fin Reef Squid, it was hard to make a personal connection. These alien ballerinas, translucent dancers all, ripple their tutus and shoot air to propel them backwards.

While I try to make sense of these unbelievable creatures, a five-year-old boy approached the glass and said, “Aw, look at these little cuties!” This little traveler’s sense of wonder and curiosity surpassed barriers, seeing another species just as worthy as his own.

A pacific octopus changes colors in the Monterey Bay Aquarium, showing an awe-inspiring creature from another world (image © Sam Anaya A.).

Can you recognize the creature in the dark?
© Sam Anaya A.

I move on to the dark realm of the Giant Pacific Octopus. A master of disguise, this octopus transforms its color to match its surroundings.

I’m in awe. Right before my eyes, I see colors change from a silver grey to a dark maroon red. With the color change complete, the octopus lifts off the rocks and descends like a red parachute to the glass that separates our worlds. I put my hands to the hard surface, hoping to feel the suction cups that unfurl across the glass.

These two creatures move, look, and live so differently than me, but still I can find a connection and appreciate the ocean’s infinite variations.

Oh, I See the Travel Connections

Traveling is about making awe-inspiring connections with different worlds. The Monterey Bay Aquarium transports us as travelers to an underwater world while still breathing our own air. Though separated from that world by glass, travelers feel a part of it.

In front of the towering kelp forest, volunteer Christine clarifies for us another important connection: “Just remember, everything ends up at the beach.”

Just as new worlds affect us (and we are often never the same), the people and places we meet on our travels are equally affected by us. As travelers we must acknowledge that effect—the “glass” that separates our worlds is actually much thinner than we think.

Visitors in front of the kelp forest exhibit at the Monterey Bay Aquarium, showing an awe-inspiring interaction between worlds (image © Sam Anaya A.).

When worlds connect, neither is the same thereafter.
© Sam Anaya A.

*These apt words appear at the entrance of the Open Ocean exhibit at the Monterey Bay Aquarium, whom we thank for its constant efforts to connect our worlds. And thank you, Scott Stratton, for connecting me with the aquarium.

Comment on this post below, or inspire insight with your own OIC Moment here.

Eva Boynton 3 Comments

Art of Travel/Nature Discovery

Nov

The Pull of Pushkar

by Meredith Mullins on November 22, 2016

Camel cart at the Pushkar Camel Fair in Rajasthan, India, a place for travel adventures in the desert. (Image © Meredith Mullins.)

The Pushkar Camel Fair
© Meredith Mullins

Travel Adventures in Rajasthan

The naïve traveler might say that if you’ve seen one camel fair, you’ve seen them all.

Not true.

Those looking for real travel adventures know that there is no such thing as too many camel fairs, especially when it comes to one of the largest camel fairs in the world. The Pushkar ka Mela is different.

Livestock food sellers at the Pushkar Camel Fair in Rajasthan, India, a place for travel adventures. (Image © Meredith Mullins.)

A bounty of color
© Meredith Mullins

The annual Pushkar festival in Rajasthan, India, is the ultimate blend of camels, dust, color, cattle, horses, music, smoke and spice, camel bling, acrobats, more dust, snake charmers, dancers, temple bells, more camels, carnival rides, competitions, and endless market stalls.

The mela has the added layer, however, of also being a sacred pilgrimage site.

Camp at the Pushkar Camel Fair in Rajasthan, India, a place for travel adventures. (Image © Meredith Mullins.)

The dusty camps of the camel traders
© Meredith Mullins

Entering an Ancient and Timeless Land

Tales of Pushkar are legendary. The name alone has the magic of another era—the land of the ancient Silk Road, when the wandering trade routes brought multiple civilizations together.

For me, making the journey to Pushkar for last week’s mela transported heart and mind quickly into another world—primitive and exotic.

More than 50,000 camels arrive in this small town each autumn for trade and show, timed with the October/November full moon.

Camel trader with camels at sunset in Pushkar, Rajasthan, India, a place for travel adventures. (Image © Meredith Mullins.)

Pushkar camels strutting their stuff at sunset
© Meredith Mullins

More than 300,000 visitors—villagers, desert dwellers, westerners, pilgrims, and sadhus (Hindu ascetics)—come to Pushkar for the festival. They walk for days from remote corners of the desert, ride their animals, or squeeze themselves into overcrowded vehicles to reach their destination.

Truck full of travelers to Pushkar in Rajasthan, India, a place for travel adventures. (Image © Meredith Mullins.)

The more the merrier . . . on to Pushkar.
© Meredith Mullins

The flow of people into town is almost as interesting as the festival itself. You can feel the excitement building as these disparate currents converge.

The Sacred Lake

The lake at the center of the city was said to have been formed in the 4^th century B.C. (or even earlier) in this barren region when a lotus flower petal fell from the hand of Lord Brahma, the god of creation.

Pushkar lake in Rajasthan, India, a place for travel adventures. (Image © Meredith Mullins.)

The sacred Pushkar lake, surrounded by temples and pilgrims paying homage to this holy site.
© Meredith Mullins

This legendary event makes the lake not only a miracle in religious lore but also a sacred destination for devout Hindus. They come to pray at any of the 500 temples (including one of the few temples in India dedicated solely to Brahma). And they come to purify themselves in the sacred waters.

According to Hindu tradition, bathing in the holy lake during the full moon (called the Kartik Poornima) washes away all sins. And for the men who can’t make it, if their wife bathes, the purification extends to them as well.

Weaving Faith and Trade Together

For nearly two weeks, faith and trading come together in one lively festival. The fair begins with the livestock trading. The tents and evening fires of the traders reach into the edges of the desert.

At night, you hear the murmur of the camps and the low moans of the camels as the dust of the day settles and the cold air moves in from the Aravalli hills.

Camel with colorful decorations at the Pushkar Camel Fair in Rajasthan, India, a place for travel adventures. (Image © Meredith Mullins.)

Camel haute couture
© Meredith Mullins

By day, the camels show off their haute camel couture. Woven and beaded saddles and jackets, necklaces that seem to go on forever (well-suited for those long camel necks), and the traditional red nose ball that makes them look even more comical than they already do.

Camel at watering hole at the Pushkar Camel Fair in Rajasthan, India, a place for travel adventures. (Image © Meredith Mullins.)

The traditional red nose ball (kept dry at the ole watering hole)
© Meredith Mullins

These bizarre divas are reminiscent of Star Wars creatures, with a dash of dinosaur and giraffe. As you wander through the maze of humps, you quickly come to realize that these exotic characters are averse to doing anything that isn’t their own idea (or anything that isn’t related to chewing).

As the livestock fair gains momentum, the pilgrims begin to flow into town. Their earthtone clothes, with highlights of orange and yellow bring life to the dusty brown of the fair. And their steady, silent gazes penetrate deeply, linking soul to soul.

Hindu pilgrims at the Pushkar Lake in Rajasthan, India, during the travel adventures of the Pushkar Camel Fair. (Image © Meredith Mullins.)

Hindu pilgrims walking to the sacred Pushkar Lake for morning prayer and bathing
© Meredith Mullins

The pilgrims gather around the lake every morning to bathe and pray, as the carnival noise rises in the distance. Their joy at being at this sacred site rivals the fairground fun, in a different way.

Camel Races, Turban Tying, and Mustaches (Oh My!)

Amidst the sacred atmosphere, the fairgrounds offer a variety of events—camel races, cricket matches, and the turban tying and mustache competitions.

Four entrants in the Pushkar Camel Fair mustache competition in Rajasthan, India, a place for travel adventures. (Image © Meredith Mullins.)

Hopeful mustache competition contenders
© Meredith Mullins

It’s hard not to be drawn in by the mustache competition. The staches look elegant and dignified and then the unfurling begins. Guinness World Records, here we come.

Indian man with long mustache at the Pushkar Camel Fair in Rajasthan, India, a place for travel adventures. (Image © Meredith Mullins.)

A mustache victory
© Meredith Mullins

“Oh, I See” Moments: Too Many To Count

The sensory stimulation of the Pushkar mela is overwhelming . . . not to mention the pressure of trying to decide which camel to take home.

More importantly, the spiritual feeling from the pilgrims seems to bring the world a bit closer together.

Three Hindu pilgrims at Pushkar Lake in Rajasthan, India, a place for travel adventures. (Image © Meredith Mullins.)

Pilgrim blessings
© Meredith Mullins

The daytime desert heat and dust is brutal. After a few days, it was time to move on to the more travel adventures.

I was disappointed to miss the pilgrims’ mass bathing, which takes place at the end of the festival during the full moon. I can only imagine the visual and spiritual impact of thousands of pilgrims swimming in the lake, lit only by moonlight.

I was, however, filled with the beauty of the desert—the sounds and smells of an ancient time and the joy of a festival where faith and community prevail.

And I know I will return . . . because I did not yet select my camel.

Comment on this post below, or inspire insight with your own OIC Moment here.

Meredith Mullins 12 Comments

Adventure Travel/India

Nov

Have You a Party Piece?

by Joyce McGreevy on November 14, 2016

Kiaran O'Donnell and Rick Chelew play guitar at a small gathering, carrying on the Irish tradition of the party piece, sharing songs, stories, and poems. (Image © Joyce McGreevy)

Sharing our gifts turns strangers into friends; Kiaran O’Donnell and Rick Chelew had just met.
© Joyce McGreevy

What an Irish Tradition
Can Teach Us Today

It was known as the party piece, a “bit of an auld song” or spoken word. Would we have called it an Irish tradition? Probably not. As students in Galway, sharing songs, stories, and poems was just something we did on Saturday nights.

But the tradition goes back centuries, notes Irish historian P.W. Joyce. Ancient Irish sagas depict hospitality to travelers as a social virtue, and guests reciprocated with music or spoken word. “Like the Homeric Greeks, the Irish were excessively fond of hearing tales and poetry recited . . . Every intelligent person was expected to know a reasonable number.”

Thus it continued, into my “ancient” college days. Go on now, give us your party piece, friends would say as we lingered after one-burner suppers served on coffee tables. “Mountains of Mourne” was a favorite.

Musicians at a jam session in pub in Galway, Ireland reflect the Irish tradition of the party piece, sharing songs, stories, and poems. (Image by Damián Bakarcic)

If you visit Ireland, bring along a song or a story to share.
“Jam Session in Galway Pub, Ireland” by Damián Bakarcic, CC-BY-NC-4.0

A Poem

Reciting a poem went over well, too. Back then, practically everyone I knew, student or not, had a few verses filed away in the old memory bank. Had I the heavens embroidered cloths . . .

It wasn’t like you hunkered down at a desk to memorize them, mind. You’d simply hear something and if it touched a chord, you’d hold onto it, the way a magpie works shiny foil into its bower.

Hikers on a scenic road in Ireland become a metaphor for the Irish tradition of sharing stories, songs, and poems. (Image © Joyce McGreevy)

A Story

Some party pieces were stories. The best were scraps of real experience that had been well embellished. Lace-edged in mystery. Beribboned with bright hyperbole. The beadwork of everyday dialogue polished into priceless gems with every retelling.

Oh, you could cut yourself on that wit, someone would say. It’s the way he tells ’em, someone would chime in.

Three women taking tea and trading stories at Glebe Gardens Café, Co. Cork, reflect the Irish tradition of the party piece, sharing stories, songs, and poems. (Image © Rick Chelew)

A Moment

Here’s what a party piece was not about: Narcissism.

Your moment would not go viral. The technology that transformed selves into selfies was still decades away. We didn’t take photos or make recordings.

As student renters, we didn’t even have landline telephones.

Yet we always knew where the gatherings were. The “sociable” network functioned by way of knocks at the door, the tea kettle kept at the ready for impromptu visits and invitations.

A decorative teapot in Galway, Ireland symbolizes the Irish tradition of the party piece, sharing songs, stories, and poems. (Image © Joyce McGreevy)

A Welcome

Meanwhile, back at the party, a newcomer from the States might hesitate on being asked to sing.

Sure, it doesn’t matter if you’ve a voice like an old crow, someone would tell her. We’ll all join in, another might add encouragingly.

Oh, I see: Sharing a party piece wasn’t about competing to see who was the most talented. It was about willingness to participate, to add some ingredient of your own to the stone soup of the evening.

A "face in the crowd" in Dublin, Ireland and a gift-wrapped building evoke the need for the Irish tradition of the party piece, sharing songs, stories, and poems. (Image © Joyce McGreevy)

A Joy

So when someone began to sing “My Lagan Love” or “Bye, Bye, Blackbird,” it didn’t matter a whit if there was more rasp than lilt. The melody came through clearly via memories the singer stirred in us.

The greater joy was in being there together, none of us ready yet to call it a night.

A glowing fireplace in Dublin, Ireland sets the scene for the Irish tradition of the party piece, sharing songs, stories, and poems. (Image © Joyce McGreevy)

Your Presence Is Requested

Today, even amid the multi-modal distractions that are as ubiquitous in Ireland as everywhere else on the planet, the Irish tradition of the party piece lives on.

A lot of the sharing now finds its way online. But at heart it’s still about presence—passing the tokens of our shared humanity from person to person.

Not fame. Not showing off. Not monetizing an experience. But about giving whatever you’ve got and showing up to honor what others give, too, be it heartfelt or hilarious, wise or whimsical.

A dog eyeing treats in a Dublin parlor evokes the Irish tradition of the party piece, sharing songs, stories, and poems, including shaggy dog stories. (Image © Joyce McGreevy)

A Wish

So here is my wish for you: One evening may you find yourself in a home where musical instruments are as much a part of the furnishings as crockery and sofa cushions. May there be apple tart and good company.

A homemade apple tart in Galway goes well with the Irish tradition of the party piece, sharing songs, stories, and poems. (Image © Joyce McGreevy)

At some point, the piano or fiddle will sound, and the concertina and tin whistle will come out of their cases. But nobody’s forming a band, only forging a bond.

The tales begin telling themselves. The poems, memories, and songs emerge, like shy ponies crossing a field.

Two friendly Irish horses symbolize subtle aspects of the Irish tradition of the party piece, sharing songs, stories, and poems. (Image © Joyce McGreevy)

They have come gladly out of the willows/To welcome my friend and me…
From James Wright’s poem “A Blessing”
© Joyce McGreevy

Somebody volunteers a song about love, by turns joyful and poignant. When they falter—whether from forgetting the words, or remembering the past—a neighboring singer takes up the thread.

Kieran O'Donnell and Rick Chelew play guitar together, carrying on the Irish tradition of sharing songs, stories, and poems. (Image © Joyce McGreevy)

A Gathering

The song goes around and around, until every voice has been gathered in. There’s room for everyone.

Call it an Irish tradition, though we were never so formal as all that. We were just doing our party pieces. Finding our human commonalities by sharing songs, stories, and poems. What party piece might you share when next you gather with family, friends, and friends-to-be?

Read the cited poems in their entirety here and here.

Comment on this post below.

Joyce McGreevy 13 Comments

Cultural Heritage & Traditions/Ireland/Language & Culture

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Monthly Archives: November 2016

The Awe-Inspiring Monterey Bay Aquarium