floating islands of peru--and the song from amantaní

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8. a fairy tale
here´s the song I promised, that I was inspired to write on a small island of peru. I sang it for some friends on the boat on the way back.


so long ago, a baby cryin
down below while I'm up on mt zion
flyin on eagles wings from babylon
see you all later peace out I'm gone
lady brings up food hot from the fire
steamin in my face satisfying desire
couldn't stand the smoke of the kitchen, had to leave
sonya cooks without any chimney
she's 23, lives on an island so fine
that she left last year for her first time
living life satisfied with no other wishes
maybe that's why her food's so delicious
married 4 years, and she has 2 kids
no electricity, what a lovely way to live
candles lit, so peaceful and quiet
not a dog for miles, they don't have em on the island


chorus
it was a long time ago, in a land far away
it was a long time ago, it was yesterday
it was a long time ago, in a land far away
it was a long time ago, it was yesterday

I'm walkin backwards towards tomorrow, facin yesterday
trippin over things I don't see in my way
that's today, every day, watch what you say
cause for every word you will pay or be paid
I was made this way grew up into myself
enjoying privilege from being handed wealth
I'm makin my way halfway round the world
sometimes I fall in love with wonderful girls
a long time ago in a place far away
I wasn't the same man as I am today
yesterday--everything happened so fast
we wait for tomorrow to come at last
amantaní--an island frozen in time
nothing changes, except my own mind
who I was who I am is so hard to find
but searching's over rated, cause we're all blind

it was a long time ago so far away
in a land of today and yesterday

I've come a long way just to see the candel light
it's the only thing that breaks the darkness of night
here it's so peaceful, relax a little
there's nothing else to do anyway exept widdle
fiddle with time, play with your mind
hope you discover something so divine
nobody can tell where my journey will lead
hopefully to generosity, away from greed
people here lead a life so simple, it's humbling
to think with all our money and things, we're stumbling
that's because material isn't what life's about
I'm gunna take the other route
get away from posessions holding you down
your stuff owns you so you can't get around
you can't see looking out from the light
you only see looking in from the night
you can't see looking out from the light
you only see looking in from the night

it was a long time ago, in a land far away
it was a long time ago, it was yesterday
it was a long time ago, in a land far away
it was a long time ago, it was yesterday


man, lake titicaca. What can I say. At first, I was going to the islands, thinking, I'm not too impressed with peru. I mean, it's just one giant desert. (that's not true for your info) anyway, the parts I saw were pretty arid, except the cloud forest. And yeah there is jungle. Anyway...
this part was pretty dry. But then we got the the floating islands. There is a cool concept man! These people built islands that just float around the lake. They ancor them though. We went onto a couple of them. They're all built of reeds. This guy sounded the bottom with a rock--man, it was like 50 meters down there, and the island is only about 2 meters I think. There are 37 of these floating islands. I bought myself an inca symbol necklace, same one I gave to my sis, and I^m rockin it, and she likes it, so she is too maybe, so she's my sis man.

Then, we went to this island, amataní, now that was cool! I wrote a song about it, I´ll prolly put up. I stayed with this family, a mom, two kids, and a dad. The mom was 23, she cooked me up the tasty meals. No electricity, only over fire. I stayed in the kitchen, but at dinner got smoked out. The kids would strum my guitar while I held chords. The boy was 2, his name was elvis, The girl, 5, and she was delilah.

Sonya, the mom, cooked the tasty stuff. I asked her if she'd ever left the island--I had a suspicion not, or not much. She had been to puno, the town near, once, last year. That was her first time off the island. Man, these people just live the life. They don't know of anything else, and they're satisfied with what they have.

Humbling to see how we're stumbling with all we have, still fumbling.

So, simplify!

Peru, I have some mixed feelings. Sometimes I like it a lot, sometimes I don't like it so much. I´m not in love with peru, and I like to fall in love everywhere I go, with every place, That's when travel is best.

Tomorrow, i'm off to bolivia.

Had a blast with the parents. They wore me out and drove me crazy, while amusing me all the while. Man! I'm still recovering, and I have to admit, after sleeping quite a bit, worried that hiking miles and miles while sick wasn't what the doctor ordered. Well...what can you do. I made it and survived. Maybe pneumonia isn't so bad the second time!

I'm almost to rio, just lookin forward to the day I can stop all this mad travelling!

That's the curse of travel, when you've seen so much, that you're very hard to impress. Yet I surprise myself sometimes by still feeling awe. Sadly, that that feeling should fade. But lao tzu said, colors blind the eye, sounds deafen the ear.

Travel to see how that literally works! A simple illustration.

so check this out,
I take pride in not reading while i travel, cause I don't have time, too busy living. But after my parents left, I bought some books, in spanish. I got some chaung tsu in spanish, it's great.

I hate to say this here, because maybe it's not the time or place, but I need a shower and I stink. Ha ha ha!

Anyway, reading some taoist philosophy, man that's great, the best stuff.
Also, I got a bible from the great people of Cali, and read ecclesiastes--which i recommend to anyone, and everyone, religious or not. Now I'm working on genesis.

See, the thing was, once my parents left, well first, they left me exhausted. They always joke that I^m trying to kill them, but I said, no you're trying to kill me! Then it wasn't so funny was it! Because I found them out! ha ha ha! Anyway, to be perfectly honest, I´m taking antibiotics now and relaxing, because it feels like before when I had pneumonia. Not so great.
I'm on a mission, and so close to my goal, rio, and i have to make it! I will foil their evil plot! he he he.

so, I kinda missed my parents, because walking around peru, cuzco, I realized, peru is mad! man, I went a few blocks off the tourist track and it's mad shops, and just a whole other world. Crazy man. I wasn't ready for it. My parents made me feel at home in a weird way, so I felt real strange being in the middle of peru after that. Now I^m also looking forward to getting home and the things I will do there. But it's so far away. Anyway, I gotta go now get to bed, it's almost 9.

OK, peace and love my friends.

Colin

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