IT IS OUR DUTY TO PROTECT FRENCH CITIZENS, ERUDITE DISCOURSE BY PRESIDENT MACRON JULY 2021

Few days ago President Macron had a televised speech to the nation in which he touched on many aspects especially the control of Covid 19 and its restrictions and relaxations.

 Leaving the USA and being in France one realizes that the low general standard  of knowledge and easily manipulated population that exists in the USA. In the social media videos are circulated to prove that Covid 19 vaccines are a method of population reduction and that the usual culprits (Microsoft, Soros) have some hidden agenda. The fact that the videos are so blatantly false with grand pronouncements which even a high school student here would know to be false, but they are popular in the usa and circulated ad nauseam. 

Currently, the polemic discussions about Vaccination in the USA, fired and fumed by right wing media commentators (who refuse to disclose whether or not they have been vaccinated?) who talk about liberty and freedom .. but they do not take into account the liberty and freedom of others. 

In Miami, the right wing Cuban Americans talk about their fight for freedom as long as they can deny others who also would like to taste that freedom. 

something Macron said stood out in my mind.  WE ARE NOT FORCING YOU TO TAKE THE VACCINE, BUT WE HAVE THE RESPONSIBILITY TO PROTECT THE HEALTH OF FRENCH CITIZENS. 

Starting very soon, in places where there is a possibility of spread of the virus, supermarkets, cafes, concert venues, a health passport would be required which would be issued free of charge to french citizens. Those without these health certificates are those who refuse to get them, then they would have to find their venues elsewhere. Thus the health of the french citizens would be protected.

The day after his speech there were more than one million appointments made for vaccines. The French government hopes to vaccinate 90 per cent of the elderly, 70 per cent of the middle aged and 30 per cent of the adolescents. 

Congratulations to France..

My heart goes out to millions of people around the world so desperate for vaccines.. willing to risk to travel to other countries in the hope of getting vaccines..

I was told by a friend in the Rental Car business that the demand for rental cars are so high by the vaccine tourists in Miami that his business is booming ..

BASTILLE DAY IN FRANCE. LE GRANDEUR DE FRANCE. CONGRATULATIONS TO PRESIDENT MACRON

 CONGRATULATIONS TO THE PEOPLE OF FRANCE ON THIS BASTILLE DAY 2021

It was nice to watch the pomp and elegance of the Bastille Day parade along the Champs des  Elysees in Paris. 

A proud moment for all French people, celebrating a revolution that they celebrate to this day, presided over by a President who seems to be popular. 

If you have worked or lived among the Indians of Plains in the USA as well as the First Nations of Canada, you can understand the connection they had with the French. Many of the tribespeople speak fondly of the French and also many of them carry French names: Archambeau, Duseneux, Provost, among the many names of French Origin. In the HoCank tribe of Nebrask, DeCora, St. Cyr are common names and once I was told that the name St.Cyr was given to one of their war chiefs by the French who was impressed with his military skill. St Cyr is a prestigious academy in France where they prepare the officers for the French Defense Forces. Above the students from St Cyr academy in parade today.

The pomp and ceremony and elegance were impressive. also watching the parade one also got the historical legacy of France in the world.

In the New World, both Australia and USA as well as Canada could have been under the French! Bourgainvillea arrived just a couple days after Cook!! French sold half of the territories to the fledgling nation of USA (alors, kept Haiti!). Canada still has a strong French element. Emperor Maximillian tried his luck in Mexico. There are some incongruous french possession in the America: St Pierre et Michelon, so close to Canadian mainland, Guadeloupe and Martinique and half of St. Martin, St Barthelemy and the huge chunk of Guyane Francaise! They also have claims in the Antartica.. who can forget Clipperton Island, 1000 km west of Mexico?

French overseas territories are part of France in that the a citizen of French Guyana has the same rights as a person who lives in Paris and comes under the very same rules and regulations and is protected by French Laws. 

At one time, they had a peculiar arrangements with the British and had the only condominium governement in the south pacific, New Hebrides/Nouvelle Hebrides. It was strange in that French ruled for six months and the British ruled the other six !

One the outlying french territories that I have a great desire to visit (apart from St Pierre et Michelon, Mayotte and Reunion) is Wallis et Futuna.

ah.. it is nice to be in France

ah.. it is nice to think what to eat..

Cidre Breton and Crepe Nordique, obviament..

HOW IT FEELS SO GOOD TO TRAVEL AGAIN.. A SENSE OF FREEDOM WITH SLIGHT ANXIETY ABOUT BORDER CROSSINGS

My sister from Cuba wrote, dont forget to wear manga larga/large sleeve shirts and make sure that once you get to your destination, immediately wash them.

That was to be my least of the worries.

The sensation of calling for an Uber driver to take me to the airport, the last time was at the end of November and it was for a short flight. This is my first long haul international journey in 18 months. 

The approach to the MIA Miami International Airport looked so welcoming. David, the Uber Driver had been in Miami for five years, we had a pleasant chat about our lives in Cuba.

The airport was not at all crowded. I had come few hours early expecting delays in checking in, security etc. A confident AA agent checked me in within a few minutes, even though there was a long line waiting at the Special Check in section. He asked do you have the Spanish Health clearance, he barely glanced at it, issued me my boarding passes. and TSA Pre Check was so quick that i was surprised. 

That set the tone for the journey. Relaxed and without anxiety and also enjoying the excitement to the full.

I walked quickly to the Centurion Club and recognized the person at the desk and also a lady who just joined: they both said, how nice to see you. I blurted out: It feels so good to be traveling again. 

A nice glass of Sauvignon Blanc, tasted californian not New Zealander.. one of my favourite servers at the Cluba, Linda from Pinar del Rio, greeted me with the warmth of a sister.. we chatted for a little while while she went to get me something to eat and drink.

 

whether people realize it or not, living in the United States adds unnecessary kind of mental emotions and when covid came, these worries (a pity for people who believe in microsoft putting data collection or magnets by aliens or just plain people who refuse to see the science) were multiplied and all the pleasures that USA can afford to give you disappeared as well. If you were not involved in some human projects helping others, the past year would have been a hell for those living in the United States in addition to the pronouncements of the Imbecile in Chief with whose departure country quietened down a little with improved survival of patients with Covid.

At the Centurion lounge, seeing people, who may not mean much in your every day life, but with their appearance and the feelings that they give you, make you realize that they do mean, and they are capable of eliciting and donating certain emotions to you .. was the beginning of the reclamation of a normal life of a traveller I had led ever since graduating as a Medical Anthropologist.

In the USA, appearance count as I took my seat IL, on this 777-200, one is impressed but the onboard service was nowhere a match: it is much like a Mexican restaurant looking like a lovely adobe house from Mexico but inside serving mediocre Tex-Mex cuisine.

This is what was served for a reapas on this flight. Ah well.. glad I had a nice small meal at the Centurion Club

On arrival at JFK, I would have preferred the Flagship Lounge but it is incredible that almost all the lounges at JFK a premier airport was closed. JFK terminal 8 American Lounge at least offered a little Hummous and French Onion Soup to make up for their meagre throwaway from Miami to JFK

Terminal 7 was a reminder of the poorer countries in Africa and their airports. There was nothing about the airport that welcome a recommendation. Please avoid terminal 7 if possible, unfortunately used by Qatar British Airways Iberia and other One World Airlines. The security agents were ignorant and rude and the agent who checked me into my Iberia flight would have not been able to get a job as a janitor in his native south american country, perfectly ignorant .. and I was flying IBERIA and I would have expected slightly better attention. It is possible that all of a sudden rush for travel and inexperienced personnel working are not up to steam. Both flights from Miami as well as the one to Madrid was full to the hilt

The aircraft was an older model and like the aeromozas working this flight, looked tired and haggard. They were very busy and the flight was a very quick six hours plus a few minutes to Madrid, and in the excitement of travel, one was willing to forgive 

The flight left promptly and flew over what looked like the Hamptons and off to the Atlantic Ocean.

Lots of precautions about Covid, and we were offered fresh towlettes to wash our hands an encouraged not to use the bathroom often and in fact, most of the bathrooms were closed, causing quite a bit of confusion and inconvenience

I enjoyed my fish dish, a drop of VIlla Conchi Cava which was described by the French vinotheque as 

Accords mets

Riz / Salades et crudités / Poisson / Comme apéritif / Plats légers

Dégustation

• Robe :Bulle fine et persistante / Cerise
• Nez :Fruit mûr / Intensité haute / Net / Arômes fruités
• Bouche :Structuré / Frais / Fruité / Agréable / Arome intense

As the plane was descending into the Madrileno skies, we were treated to coffee and fruits.. ah Well.  Qatar Airways, I miss you very much..

I was connecting to a flight to a regional airport in France and all EU flights left from the Satellite which has no services whatsoever. Fortunately a security agent let me into the main terminal and a pleasant agent at the Iberia Dali Lounge allowed me to use the Lounge.

In the future, the airlines wont give you any food but you can get catered meals at the Lounge?

I enjoyed the breakfast .. savouring the croissant and the mushrooms .

As I was in the lounge for quite a few hours, i enjoyed the lunch offering of Curry with cashews and chicken as well as rice . I am not in the habit of drinking wine at Lunch time , so a good cup of coffee was sufficient. The regional flight to a regional airport was on a regional airline, at least i had the seats next to me vacant and I dozed off the entire short flight before entering France 

For the first time in this journey the French Police asked me for my vaccine certificate and I knew this small airport well and within minutes was at the quay to catch the navette to town. One had to pay with credit cards as they do not wish to handle cash, and the lady was patient and got my credit card working, the system in France slightly different, with usage of Pin numbers

This is the street where my hotel for the night was situated, just a short walk from the Railway Station and all the coffee shops and bistros offering the public drinks and food and snacks .

I talked to quite a few people. Bangladeshis afraid of their status refused to speak English with me, but they couldnt speak French either and they softened when they realized I was not from the Immigration...A moroccan receptionist with whom i regaled about the food of Morocco..a half drunk french man who commented on my french skills..

I am travelling once again..

FERNANDO PESSOA.. CAFE CUBANO CASAVANA. HERMAN HESSE. THE JOURNEY TO THE EAST. A TOUCH OF SAUDADE

There books that are found in the libraries of all well read people and they change from generation to generation but some are eternal

Kahlil Gibran.  The Prophet

Herman Hesse   The Journey to the East 

I will add Fernando Pessoa.  The Book of Disquiet

and there are other books, obviously..

Fernando Pessoa, that great Portuguese writer, well known for his personal insecurities had written:

“If one of the faces that I pass daily on the streets disappear, I feel sad, yet they mean nothing to me, other than being a symbol of all life.”

For me, a great pleasure is being able to recognize faces in faraway places, as I enter a hotel, a restaurant or a common place. Nothing gives me greater pleasure than greeting the receptionist by name, at Double Tree at Kuala Lumpur (12 time zones away from my habitual residences) or at the AVIS rent a car counter at Omaha Airport or the waitress with the sonorous name, Ochun, at La Burrito Habanera along the Rampa across from the Riviera cine in La Habana or look for a familiar place along the streets of Palermo in Buenos Aires.

We are sitting Miami, expectantly for the Tropical Storm Elsa to arrive.  I was eager for my Cortadito estilo Habana and I hurried to the Cafe Casavana.. and to my horror.. everything was shuttered up and a printed paper was affixed to the window

As Pessoa had written.  It is about Life 

who will now pour mi cortadito estilo la habana

few moments of banter about how i prefer my cuban coffee 

to be made by Cubans especially Habaneros

in a city full of venozalanos y colombianos ..

when she saw me , she would ask. queres tu cortadito

estilo de la habana ?  even before i opened my mouth..

she now has disappeared into the multitudes of the cuban 

migrants to this city of migrants..

there was also a colombian lady who used to greet me very affectionately and we briefed talked about my travels in Colombia

where am I going to find them ? 

Herman Hesse in his book also said something similar

when you no longer no the person is present, you begin to 

miss them more and you begin to look for them 

everywhere ..

There are three other branches of this Cafe.. Tomorrow I will go to one of them, to order a cup of coffee.. but with sorrow in my heart, i will drink it and will not tell anyone

why I am sad ..

with my luck, i may run into one of my erstwhile cortadito makers?  OJALA ..

MINSK. BYELORUSSIA. BELARUS. RUSSIA. PUTIN.LUKACHENKO THE LAST DICTATOR OF EUROPE . JOIN THE CLUB BOLSANARO, ERDOGAN.

If you were growing up in Melbourne, among friends whose parents or grandparents had emigrated to avoid persecution in face of Nazi tyranny, there are many countries, duchies, towns that are etched in your memory, like the numbers tattooed on the forearms of some of them.

Minsk. Bialystock. Olsztyn. Gdansk. Lowicz, Kalisz.. many of them bearing a history going back centuries of Duchy of Lithuania, Poland, Russia ..

For us, Minsk was on our lips. As children we heard stories about its great jewish past.

Minsk in 1772.

Professor Shaul Liberman of Jerusalem had written:

I arrived in Minsk in 1915, during the war. I had never seen such a Jewish city before. I was still young, but I looked around and saw that this city of Minsk was different than other cities that I had seen in my life. It was a city that was all Jewish. I barely saw any gentiles there.

Lately my heart has filled with sorrow for Minsk the largest city in Belarus. As I became interested in geography and Politics and began my own wondering in the world, one name became unforgettable, especially after the dissolution of the USSR..

Alexander Lukachenko

The last dictator of Europe.

The stories coming out of Belarus were not pretty. Each day another tragedy. You do have to read or listen to the truly International News sites (none in the USA) such as BBC World Service or the magazine The Economist to know what was happening in Belarus.

Everyone heard about the RyanAir incident when Lukachenko forced a flight to land in Minsk to arrest one of the dissident journalist and his russian girlfriend.

That news boiled the minds of the West Europeans and one by one many restrictions were placed on the leadership of Belarus. One thing the RyanAir incident did was to bring attention to Belarus and the rule of absolute dictatorship.

I wanted to write to someone in Belarus to add my sympathy for the Belarussian people and moral support for their struggle.

I found an email of a person and wrote a letter.

hello there ..
this morning on BBC world service there was a documentary about Lukashenko and how difficult it would be for him to be dislodged, now that he has got his buddy Putin. and also the end would be a violent one, as he would not go down without a fight.
we are thinking of you, struggling with so many things
remember, even though we are not in a position to help you , we are thinking of you and in discussions bring the plight of your people to the world.

Thank you for your wishes! We are really in a trying situation here. I never thought that I would be held in confinement for 15 days just for my opinion. Hope and desperation replace each other almost every day. I don't know what to expect but we haven't given up yet.

all of us in the western world are watching what is happening in Belarus and hope you are well and that dealing well with the pandemic as well as the turmoil in your country.
My best wishes to you during this difficult time

Thank you for the moral support! We are having a rollercoaster here! We hope, then we lose hope, then we hope again! A few weeks ago a 17-year-old committed suicide because he couldn't bear the pressure of interrogation. A little earlier a political prisoner died in prison. Noone believes he died a natural death. The absurdity and injustice go overboard. A 78-year-old pensioner got a heavy fine because she put a flower at the place where a man was shot during the protest in August. If someone says something bad to a policeman, they can go to prison for an insult. If policemen do something bad, they get away with it, even if there is evidence. We get arrested, beaten, fined, humiliated for flowers, red-and-white clothes, the victory sign, just for our opinion. The other day I watched an interview with a girl who told about the conditions in prison where she spent 15 days. She was freezing there, slept on the floor. After that she had to undergo an operation for the removal of an ovary. Some people say this interview is fake, but to me the story sounds believable. I was kept in confinement for 15 days because I was in the woods with a poster in my hands which was designed to remind the police of conscience. Some men, who were there as well, were violently beaten. I was hit on the head. The stroke wasn't too violent, but strong enough to make me fall. A couple of nights I had to sleep with an open window (not on the floor, of course), but I was cold even with all my clothes on. I took ill, they didn't care. (They said they didn't have any medications). I had a cough for a month after that. On the first day they just gave me a filthy mattress, no bedclothes at all. A woman, who was a couple of days in the same cell with me, took pity on me and gave me hers when she was discharged. She was there for hard drinking and she showed me more humanity than the police (not all of them were bad (some even tried to show some kind of compassion), but...). The first 3 days I wasn't allowed any parcels. I didn't have anything, not even a piece of soap, for 3 days. The court was a sheer circus: sham witnesses - 2 policemen, whose evidence wasn't always in accord, a judge, who had a ready verdict before the court. 15 days without fresh air, hot water, decent food. 15 days of cold, dusk, smoke from cigarettes of other prisoners (I wonder that I didn't suffocate as I don't smoke), desperation and hopelessness. We are fed up with this lawlessness, violence, disrespect.

But hope dies last, as they say. So we continue fighting, extremely cautiously, more like partisans, though.

Thanks again for your words!

the letter touches my heart , makes me feel guilty of this life in the USA where our worries are so small and distant compared to what you and your compatriots are going through.

Wherever there is hope there is life.. so it is not time yet to lose hope. It is incredible that Belarus is under such tight soviet style control. You see by 1991 , the soviet style was already falling apart but the infrastructure persisted in Russia, Belarus and some other Central Asian republics such as Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan etc.

This time I think he has bit off more than he can chew, with the diversion of Ryanair. He will try to hold on a little longer but with more and more restrictions put on him and his economy, there will be a descent first and then an ascent. we can only hope that Minsk once again will celebrate democracy.

I have a blog www.medicoanthropologist.blogspot.com
I would love to put your letter in my blog.. just a letter from Belarus. with no names or references to you . If that is okay let me know .
In the meantime, these wounds are very deep, the trauma long lasting. During the past year I have been able to comfort people with psychological problems because of the fears they had created themselves. But in your case, everything is real and not imagined.

My best wishes to you and I am glad you wrote to me
My best wishes to you and your struggle is not alone, many of us are part of your struggle as well

this is the last note I received from Belarus

Thank you for your letter. Every time, when somebody lets us know that we are not alone in our struggle, gives some comfort. We are so grateful to all the people abroad who support us and sympathize with us.

As for putting my letter into your blog, I find it a great idea. I am not sure how it can help us, but the more people know about the situation here, the more they can learn to avoid it in their own society.

It's difficult to travel now, not impossible, though. Quite a few people have already fled the country. But, as far I as I know, a lot of them would love to come back if we win.


Thanks a million for all your wishes! We all need it!

WHY ARE SINGLE INDIVIDUALS 

LUKACHENKO IN BELARUS

PUTIN. IN RUSSIA 

BOLSANARO IN BRASIL 

ERDOGAN IN TURKEY 

given so much concentrated power that they can field so much control over he lives and dreams of people. One cannot compare one evil to another, but Lukachenko stands out..

I think of all the people whose dreams have been put on hold by these dictators, especially the young and aspiring Belarus people.

I would be very happy to wave the flag of peace and tranquility for the people of Belarus

(above protest against the dictator)

THE STOLEN GENERATION/THE LOST GENERATION/THE FORGOTTEN GENERATION: THE GENOCIDE OF NATIVE CHILDREN BY SETTLERS FROM EUROPE

 I have worked with Indigenous people in many parts of the world but Indians of North America are especially closer to my heart. I have gotten to know them better, they made me realize that just a medical degree alone was insufficient to take care of their HEALTH and made me an Anthropologist. I have always worked with traditional tribes in various parts of this country, they call the Turtle Island.

During my early days with them, in one tribe or another, I would come across tribal members who had been taken from their home while young and returned if lucky alive, stripped of their culture and language. These people, of various ages, lived in a liminal suspension as they lived surrounded by their relatives who were still traditional and knowledgeable in their ways and they while looking Indian having their soul stripped in the Boarding Schools of the Government and Catholic Institutions.

While they lived a life of "social death", at least they were alive. But hundreds and perhaps thousands of children all across the "new world" countries colonized by settlers, died, some perhaps of sheer homesickness. Skeletal remains found in the mass graveyards in churches in British Columbia and Saskatchewan has revealed children as young as three..

In Australia they are referred to as the Stolen Generation and a beautiful movie RABBIT FENCE depicted a true story of two sisters. 

Lost Generation.  Loss of Culture. Loss of Language. Loss of Life. Loss of their position in the society 

Forgotten Generation. Many of the stories are not known to the majority of Australians, North Americans.

With the same tenacity of cruelty that took these children away from their homes and parents and landscape, the rubber barons of the Amazon and also along the Putamayo river in Colombia brutally murdered hundreds and hundreds of Indians in search for Rubber and Wealth.

In a beautifully written Anthropological text, The Australian psychiatrist, Michael Taussig, desribed the history of terror for the Indians.

SHAMANISM COLONIALISM AND THE WILD MAN A STUDY IN TERROR AND HEALING

I had the chance to visit some of these areas of RUBBER exploitation along the Peru and Brasilian Amazon. 

In a beautiful poem about the exploitation of the Americas by the Settlers, Pablo Neruda cries out the agony of the Indian who is buried while the Dictator Flies swarm around the wealth of Americas.

from United Fruit Company

Among the blood-thirsty flies
the Fruit Company lands its ships,
taking off the coffee and the fruit;
the treasure of our submerged
territories flow as though
on plates into the ships.

Meanwhile Indians are falling
into the sugared chasms
of the harbours, wrapped
for burials in the mist of the dawn:
a body rolls, a thing
that has no name, a fallen cipher,
a cluster of the dead fruit
thrown down on the dump.

The Settlers with their greedy mouths continue the torture of the Indians, just yesterday many fires were burning in the Amazonia and many settlers had illegally occupied the Yanomami territory.

July 1 had been chosen as the day of mourning for the children laid down on unmarked graves in the church cemeteries in various parts of this north american continent. Orange is the colour. A space and time to mourn.

we remember the innocent indian children sacrificed in the name of civilization.

Who is the one who is civilized ?

ENDOCRINOLOGIST/ANTHROPOLOGIST: A MORNING IN THE OFFICE ..

 I am not sure which one of my professors at the University of Melbourne teaching hospital told me: Choose a specialty that suits your personality. I had observed the various Internal Medicine specialties while I was a student in London, England and Miami, Florida and took note of the various restrictions the lack of time their specialty placed on their lifestyles.

It was Professor TJ Jack Martin who welcomed me into the world of Endocrinology, later Professor Richard Gordon.

As I rotated through various Specialties, I liked Cardiology, Gastroenterology, General Medicine, Rheumatology, Nephrology. I wanted a specialty where I would be allowed to think to solve a problem and make the diagnosis and I was not interested too much in the invasion of the body of the patient.

at the Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami, I rounded up my education as an Endocrinologist under the watchful eyes of Drs. Reese, Fishman, Cleveland and a long list of mentors.

When I qualified as an Endocrinologist, it was time to go home to Australia. 

A chance meeting (no such thing as chance really) with a traditional tribe of Indians of North America, took away from an academic career to the world of the Indigenous people. 

What all I had learned through my medical education in London, Melbourne, Brisbane and Miami had not prepared me to deal successfully with the Indigenous peoples. Observing me working with the Lakota people of South Dakota, she suggested that the Medical Anthropology Programme at Brunel University of London would be so appropriate for my usefulness in the future. 

I was back in London

Covid 19 sees me back in the Americas.

I spent this morning with a group of traditional Indians, learning while providing some medical care. I am the one who is richer by the contact. 

We sat down around a table in the traditional hut and i checked their BP and Blood Sugar and also checked them for any cause of discomfort or anxiety, and answered their questions.

For the Indigenous people, what one has to get across, without words, is that you care for them genuinely and that their health is a common project: It will be cruel to tell them, Eat well, Exercise. 

One of them was proud to show me his Blood Sugar readings for the past two weeks.  Quite a good result, indeed.

I was traveling with a man beyond his age in traditional knowledge and also was going to help me get across health information, couched in terms and words, that make sense to his people.

The medicine man said: we are supposed to be in touch, literally, with the earth that we stand upon and also all others that share that earth, such as trees.

He said something very interesting. It is so important for us to touch the leaves and talk to the trees. He said, the trees and leaves like it and they would inform their neighbours that here is a good man and we must look after him. Normally when I am here I pray for three people, one in Brasil, one in Cuba and the other in France. But today, i concentrated on just one person, while i was talking to the palm tree. Royal Palm also represents the Spirit Xango for the Cubans in the Island.

I joined the others and we chatted a little while and it was time for a walk through the virgin forest surrounding their home. A path had been laid by the US Govt, so one can walk comfortably 

On my way over to the Parque National,I  was listening to the BBC World Service. It has a long section on Bears, their conflicts with humans and what to do when you do come across a bear on your path: Dont Run, stay still, if you have a claxton, which we carried, sound it, and the bear will avoid you. Believe it or not, they do not want to know you...what have we done for them?

A vulture was drying his wings high up in the tree. Vultures dont elicit the revulsion it does among the settler people. For the Indians, Vultures are seen as helpers as they tried to shield the Indians from the Sun when it was descending and thus lost all the hair in the head and neck.

I went counter clockwise around this tree and touched its trunk. Thus introducing myself.

While they look like stumps, they are extremely hard and damaging to your body if you are not careful.

After a walk, we came across a large natural pond, surrounded by vegetations native to this area. The elephant ear looking leaves are called Alligator Flags.

I had "befriended" some alligators in this area before, and had named them Francois the gentle one and Napoleão the fierce one. I called out BonJour and no one answered and I dared not say Bom Dia, afraid that the fierce and nasty Napoleão might be around

The health of the medicine people also matter, so in the company of the Indians we walked and chatted while observing the flora of the region. and not to forget insects such as Water bugs.

I had spoken far too soon, a movement in the water raised our alertness and who should appear, none other than the fierce, wicked, evil Napoleão!

Not knowing his intentions, we skirted around him, giving him wide berth, and went back to the camp.

We had spent a pleasant 37 minutes walking at the edge of the hammock, looking at something which must have been here for centuries.

The people in this camp are health conscious and it was a pleasure to talk to them about Food, activity couched in cultural idiom.

All of us felt good, the medicine man, me, the family at the camp. Later one of them wrote to me and said: I had a good day.

Satisfying work day for an Endocrinologist.

It was raining cats and dogs and when i got back to where I was staying, i had to wait out the pouring rain, but was good to watch the batch of 8 ducklings I have been following on a daily basis .. They were so happy to waddle in the rain water..