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18 juillet 2006 2 18 /07 /juillet /2006 22:52
Hello everyone!
How are you?

Here finally some news from Vancouver, because yes, I am still there.
I could not leave this city without trying to understand why it would be one of the most pleasant cities in the world. Here are some issues.

Seattle

Without report with the beginning, but more in one chronological order now, I went spent a small week at Seattle : back in Mexico. I slept in a Mexican friend, and in the condo live as another Mexican, Chilean and Péruvienne…Que bueno! Leaving one hour away of the downtown, I also spent a night at Mandy’s place. She lives an small house in full center. Just to enjoy night life.
The city still got old buildings out of bricks, and an old center, more cordial than the dowtown full with large buildings.
Arriving the national yankee day, we went to see fireworks on a hill overhanging the city. And yeah, they are strong these yankees. Sometimes the beautiful blue one, was a cube  or a smiley, that there excactly this one J, with green eyes, a quite red mouth and a yellow face…
only for The Experiment Music Project, the city is worth a tour. A terrible gallery of guitars, the one dedicated to Jimmy H., full with remembering, and for the architecture, it is Frank Gehry (Gugenheim in Bilbao).


Return In Vancouver

Back in my tent, I benefit from my days to walk along the immense avenues of the city, looking the galleries, reading here and there, playing of the guitar on the beach, meeting Jean and Jennifer, his friend! Incredible. J met Jean in World Urban Festival, and since, to each time I ballade or will listen to music, we sow each other.
Here all is determined per block, or angle. To live the 3th which occurred, wants nothing to say, puisqu’it crosses the city.
Each district has its commercial street, with restaurants, bars, store etc…a mini city in fact, and often the boxes are green. And if, like my hosts, you live at 10 minutes of the beach, and that you like sport,  it is true that the quality of life is incredible.

Moreover, this cutting of the city develops the Community feeling. In fact, the homeless, which are more of the « vagabonds ? », have for the majority a carriage filled. Here, recycling brings money, all is consigned. In short in the "specialized" dustbins (all be sorted) offer a source of income for many of them. And thus, if no head exceeds, nobody has it under water. The head.

And so much better, because here, the Pacific is straightforwardly cold! I tested this weekend! indeed, there was Folk Festival, which is held in a park sticking the beach. Therefore, without paying, you benefit from the music. And Sunday, Jennifer could make me enter for the last concerts. A good fort week end, therefore. Like all those last since the beginning, because each time: full with music.


Don’t

« Do not » is one of the key words of the city. In a coach of Skytrain (subway), the words being referred to the "security and safety" appear about thirty times, the red rounds fiften times! !
The sale of cigarette is completely illegal under 19 years. But if you look like  19 and 30 years, and Ba, one requires your chart D identity’of you. Even with a good week of barb! !
With the folk festival: no beers! ! No the voice’raising in crowd, not bursts of laughter sound…
The city lives in a kind of bubulle, or everyone is free to be, to make anything without never going too far. A city without taking risk, smooth.

You’ll have understood my feelings are mitigated towards this ity. The modern architecture, without style, nor charms, plays –in what relates to me much in discredit of the city.

However, everyone should come here, to see, how nice is black, the yellow, the white, the chestnut, tattooed, piercé, the young rappor, the old man hippy living all together, in peace and the respect! !

Epilogue

I leave the 20th for Montreal. I found a guy which drive east.
The photo album is update, and below, two vidéos of the folk festival.

Cheers, besos !
toma

The videoooos
www.youtube.com/watch?v=_-fD1tGyJys
and here also
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1 juillet 2006 6 01 /07 /juillet /2006 07:42
Hy, hola, Guten Tag ! ! !

Here is my first international message, from Vancouver, Canada.
How are you all ?

I arrived here on June 15thh, and spent the first two nights at Maité, a trully sympathetic girl, who makes research on brain cancer. It may help me one day por mi pequeno cerebro.
Then move to the west of the town at Alex, Akram, and Wes house.. Here, the population varies between 2 into 5 The other stages of the house are  independents, and in something like 10 people live in this a little bit destoyed house of a nice district. And we are 10 minutes walking of the beach.
For my part, I sleep in the garden, a tent with Internet access : que rico ! !

Serious

From 19 to the 26, I was working. I spent three days to World Urban Forum. Some meetings were interesting, especially those regarding the place of the young people in the city, our role to change the world.
After that it was a lot of : "bla bla bla… ", thus  I moved my way to the Worl Urban Festival. The official and cultural part of the Forum.
And I was right. A la carte : how the culture can improve the life in the cities!
During 4 days, I spent my days to see contemporary  dance, modern theatre. Without forgetting the  music, the installations, engaged discution with engaging artists! ! My brain was happy ! Nourished  well!

Unfortunately, it seems that these questions : urbanity, , better living downtown hardly not interest France. I was one of the only French: no ONG, nor sector private, public, or artist…And no newspaper, magazine  seem to interest by what happened to Vancouver. However, with regard to the young people, their stigmatization,  the life in the underprivileged districts it seems to me that in France, there is job to do…
This week was devoted to sailing part  of the job, and  many walks in the city.

Likes, do not like?

While arriving from Mexico, the change is radical. It is clean, there are trees everywhere everywhere  everywhere, the broad pavements are bordered with on grass. Parks punctuate the inordinately long streets..
Then, on one side the city is protected by the  mountains, and on the other we are foot in the Pacific.
The largest shock also comes from incredible diversity of the  population living here. And the majority is tattooed, pierced,  both, and sometimes more. It’s make a long time I hadn’t seen so many creazy looking people, and also homeless.
 

Regularly, the city is elected "the most pleasant city of the  world". Admittedly, but! !
As far as I’m concerned, all those perpendicular, ultra clean streets, the grass without never a bit which exceeds (except on our  premises! !), a city and its perfectly oiled life, without surprise, glossy…One smells oneself a little in a video  game, or in a perfect world…A little too much for me. Not enough rock'n'roll. It is similar with the  population, a little bit too smooth.
Oula the small man will be red in two seconds, one will not cross…grrrr.
Everyone beautiful and nice, but is polished a little too much,  which quickly poses a kind of individualistic barrier. Then the life is expensive!
But on the other hand, bio, organic stuff , the sorting of waste, transport in commun runs  elctric, the everyday life sustainable development is already largely anchored in the culture.
The large positive point, is that nowadays there are full of festivals and a lot of the music everywhere.

As you may read, Vancouver  surprises me by its population, but I do not think of returning there. Lastly, it is never known but that will surprise me that it is one of my first choices.

In the next days, I will go me around, will go to  see a friend in Seattle.


I hope that all occurs well for you, be relaxe, the holidays….

Take care, asta pronto
Tomatito

Ps : onthe right, you can click for picture of actual and previous trip.


PS2 : hope there are not too many mistakes.
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