Raw Octopus or Zwiebel mit Speck

After concert parties and receptions are a time to relax and get to know fellow organists and music-lovers--a time to sample the culture--a time to suspend language barriers--a time to laugh and make lasting memories--and a time to share unique and unimaginable foods.

I recall my first taste of caviar in an Austrian town hall;  raw eggs, fish and even octopus (no, it did not stick to my tongue but it sure was hard to swallow) in Tokyo; zwiebel mit speck (intense onion and barely cooked bacon) in a Hungarian village;  dried fish blood curry (a Sri Lankan specialty);  tea, strong tea and even stronger tea (a given in Zimbabwe--or was that Sri Lanka or England or Australia or New Zealand).

I remember my first and probably the best chai ever at a resort in Sigiriya, Sri Lanka, just after the boa constrictor and cobra show (were those snakes really crawling around under the chairs?);  cream, cream, and more cream (even the ice cream was covered in cream) in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe;  Kobe beef (the specialty of a French restaurant) in Tokyo where choosing which fork to use and how to use it was a challenge for our Japanese hosts.

Music, friends, food--life!

The Indian Ocean and The Elephant

Walking the pristine beach near Galle, Sri Lanka one hot sunny afternoon, my friends and I happened upon a man and his "working" elephant.  We managed to communicate with various signs and a few words that if I would buy several bananas for his elephant, he would let me ride this magnificent creature.

Eagerly I bought a huge bunch of bananas, ensuring a long ride on this gigantic but somehow contented and kind looking animal.  The elephant's owner patiently showed me how to climb aboard his charge.

Awkwardly and not the least bit gracefully, this very white woman in a brightly colored swimsuit made her way to the heights of the gentle elephant.  Sitting directly behind its ears and hanging on for dear life, the elephant and I, with encouragement from his keeper began our adventure.  We made our way down the beach and out into the ocean and back to the beach, stopping only when the rough trunk reached back to remind me that he was in the rather embarrassing situation (of having a gangly-legged woman perched on his back) for only one reason--another tasty banana.  Up close and personal with "my" elephant!

Monkeys On The Roof

Girls in white dresses lined up to enter Kandy Girl's School

The thumping and running of feet across the roof was a tattoo to our classical music being presented on the sloping stage of the Kandy Girl's School.

Temple of the Tooth

(The school is located very near the Temple of the Tooth Relic. 










The screeching that usually accompanied the wild rush of tiny feet was drowned out--for the moment--by the sound of the trumpet and piano.  You see, the added percussion came from the feet of monkeys scampering across the tin roof of the school auditorium.

Kandy, Sri Lanka

In this high mountain town of Kandy, Sri Lanka, monkeys were everywhere--charming, intriguing and cute--and an absolutely unique and rare accompaniment to our music.

Dreams of Slithering Things

A visit to Sri Lanka would not be complete without experiencing a cobra and python show, or so I was told.  I, for one, am not in the least fond of or enamored with reptiles of any kind, but snakes are lowest on my list.  I grew up in Western Kansas where the threat of rattlesnakes was real and a healthy fear for slithering creatures was imprinted on my mind.

Cobra Charmer

So when the host for my visit to Sri Lanka took us to the central province deep into the jungle area to visit Sigiriya and the Lion Fortress, and I learned that a reptile "show" was part of the entertainment at the posh hotel where we stayed, well, I was more than ready to forfeit the "show" for sipping a chai while lounging about at the pool.  However, that was not to be. The Cobra and Python Show was too important an event to be missed and I was soon presented with a front row chair for the "show".

Several baskets of varying sizes were set on the floor about six feet from my chair.  Near one of them was an interesting double reed flute-like instrument.  The rest of the "stage" was bare.  Instinctively, knowing the baskets probably contained snakes, since this was the Cobra and Python Show, I curled my feet and skirts up on the chair making sure nothing was touching the floor.  And, what a smart move that was!

Pungi

Soon the snake charmer entered the room, picked up the instrument (which I soon learned is called a pungi), and began to play.  The sound is at once wailing, piercing, and crying but obviously is one cobras respond to.  Why? Who knows how that fact was discovered, but thankfully the charmer did know the fact that cobras will "dance" to this sound and can be somewhat "controlled" by it.  Thus, the ability to show deadly cobras to the seriously concerned tourists with feet gathered onto their chairs. 

The turbaned snake charmer kicked the lid of first one basket allowing a slithering creature to emerge, then a second and eventually a third.  Each cobra responded differently to the sound of the pungi:  one standing straight up in its basket and puffing out its neck; a second slithering FAR too close to the legs of MY chair before being "halted" by the charmer; and the third lazily emerging somewhat from the basket and weaving in a trance-like dance.  Mesmerizing to be sure!  Danger lurked too close for my comfort.

But wait, just when the last cobra was finally back in its basket and the final simple straw basket lid was replaced (with no hasps or latches I noted) to cover the cobras once again, a second snake charmer arrived wrapped, and I mean wrapped from shoulder to foot, with the largest pythons I have ever seen.  (Not that I have closely looked at phythons in the past.  Those are the exhibits I quickly pass at the zoos I visit!) But, this slithering creature was HUGE.  It could have eaten a pig before in preparation for the show it was so large.  This creature was then allowed to entwine itself around not only its keeper, but several willing tourists as well.

I however, was still perched on my chair with skirts wrapped around my legs with absolutely nothing touching the floor.  My eyes were still glued to those baskets containing the deadly cobras!  Just why did those snakes stay inside those whimpy little baskets?

Sleep that night?  Impossible!  Dreams of slithering things slid through my head!

A Bottle for a Baby Elephant

I had the great privilege of performing as part of a cultural exchange program in the exotic country Sri Lanka several years ago, and while I was there my hosts were determined that I see their country and the places that brought joy to them.  We that in mind, one of the many places we visited was the Pinawela Elephant Orphanage.  And what an experience that was!

This elephant orphanage, one of the first in the world, was started to save the many baby elephants orphaned due to poaching in the jungles of Sri Lanka.  It is also a rehabilitation center for older elephants injured by hunters and left to die.  The orphanage at that time, consisted of a few rude buildings to give shelter to the elephants and their keepers, a covered area where we tourists could feed the babies, and acres and acres of land and crossed through by a river where the elephants could safely live.

Baby elephants at Pinawela Elephant Orphanage in Sri Lanka

Shortly after our arrival, a boisterous group of baby elephants came thundering up the hill from the river to the shelter looking for their bottles.  A more incredible sight of boundless uninhibited joy cannot be described.  These babies were free!  They were not behind bars and glass and more bars and moats and walls in a zoo.  These babies were not standing alone in horror as their mother died in the jungle.  These babies were happy, protected, and loved.  These babies had been saved and were being nutured in a loving caring place each with its own keeper who provided for their wants and needs.

And, I, with the help of a keeper, was able to provide for one moment in one day of one baby elephant's life--its breakfast.  A large baby bottle filled to the rim with nutritious milk.  As that baby elephant's trunk twisted around my bare leg and I petted its wiry haired back we were both transported!  For me, the smiles have never stopped when I think of that moment.  For that baby, I hope he is now safely returned to his jungle home--a free and fully grown elephant.