Monday, October 29, 2012

Japan

     I have arrived in Keijokyo once again. It hasn't changed much since the last time I arrived besides its struggles growth. Though through its many struggles it always seems to com through with great inventions.

     As I arrive in Keijokyo it has the same old vibe. Strong in religion, weak in succession. The people here as as nice as any. As fact i think they are some of the best people in the world. Theses are the people who are credited for introducing Buddhism to Japan. These people that i converse with here center their lives around God and reincarnation.  They believe that they have to do good deeds in order to reach a higher level of life. This is why the treat you so well.

     Throughout my journey i notice its struggle for succession. More and more people are living on the streets and begging for goods. When i have previously come, no-one seems to beg or need anything. Ever since they had a terrible storm that destroyed most of the empire, they have never been able to fully recover and gain back power.




     The most amazing part of my trip was going to visit the Buddha Dainich. It is a 16 meter high bronze statue of Buddha. As i was here i saw many people pass through this area to worship it. This is considered an idol of worship in Japan. People come here as often as possible to worship it.

Sunday, October 21, 2012

tang dynasty

     It was a hot musty day in the north east coast of South America. I was bound for the Tang Dynasty, where I would spend 13 days exploring the silk road. As i boarded the fishing vessel that would take me over to the coast of Asia, I noticed that there were many different cultural differences via the staff on the ship. The trip took 33 days total, including the route we took. Our route followed the migration patterns of tarpon, which were a big profit fish in northern Asia.
     When I arrived in Asia i was shocked at the amount of salesman and village women trying to sell clothes and food on the road side. The deeper into the village I traveled the more and more cultural variety there was. I traveled for the next two days via camel in the desert. As I made my way into the start of the silk road is was somewhat desolate. Though the farther I got into the silk road the more people i saw. these people varied from men, women, children, families, merchants, military, obvious thieves and so on.
     One of the most surprising things to me was the amount of poetry being sold by booth merchants and roadside salesman. Though this should of been no surprise to me given the fact that poetry was so popular in Asia. The biggest discovery that I made was all the families and merchants were heading north where the trade was booming. While all of the farmers and older people were heading south to escape all of the commotion. They were looking for some property to settle down on. Though all of the people on the silk road had one of two goals: to make money or to reach a destination.





Monday, October 15, 2012

African City: Kumbi Saleh

     It was a hot day during a drought in the 9th century. I was waiting at the port for the Iron Star. She was a cargo ship used for transporting goods from the booming Kumbi Saleh, to the eastern boarders of North America. As I boarded the boat, I looked back at the shore one last time because it would be the last time i saw land in 43 days.
     My trip over wasn't that bad, we saw a variety of climates and weather; good and bad. I met some very interesting people on the ship and grew very fond of one. He was a 68 year old doctor named Roland. He wasn't any doctor though, he was the doctor that delivered and cared for the greatest warrior of all time, The Ghana. Dr. Roland cared for the Ghana as he grew up. He told me stories of The Ghana training and preparing to take his fathers position as the military commander. 
     On the 38th day of our journey over to the coast of Africa, we had an unpleasant surprise. A group of soldiers from the Sosso's army attacked our ship. They took our rare purple dyes and our water. After that the rest of the trip went smoothly. I still remember the morning we could see land on the horizon. I sat for 7 hours watching that coastline grow and grow. Till finally the smell of spices and camels and burning food hit my nose. As we got within 100 meters of the port we could here the commotion and noises of the busy port. Our captain weaving in and out of boats, still found the right size slot to park in. As i got off the ship and onto the docks i was bombarded with merchant children trying to sell me cheap gizmos and such. I worked my way through the busy port and into the port side tavern. That is where i spent the night before i started my land journey to Kumbi Saleh.
     The next 3 weeks I spent on the back of a camel. When I arrived in Kumbi Saleh I went to some of the merchant stands and bought some food and water along with some small jewelry. As I walked through the main streets of Kumbi Saleh, I heard a loud trumpet blairing. All of the sudden people started kneeling and praying. This lasted for about 4 minutes and happened twice a day. That night i spent in a small tavern on the outskirts of the city. 
     The next morning I visited the garden of trees. Throughout the day dozens of people come here to meditate and pray. One thing that I noticed as I traveled through the city was that the streets were heavily guarded by soldiers. Though this shouldn't have caught me off guard, since the military leader was the most powerful man alive. 
     On my last day, I went and visited with Dr. Roland for lunch. Amazingly enough he had invited The Ghana to come eat with us and he did. I asked him questions of what it was like to be in so much control and how he attained the control. Unfortunately my conversation was cut short by the sound of the captain shouting ALL ABOARD. This was the start of my 43 day journey back to North America.


SOURCES:
Wikipedia 
Mr.Kash.com
Google

Wednesday, October 3, 2012

Aleppo destruction

In Aleppo historical buildings are being destroyed by bombs and fire. The wooden gates at Aleppo's mid evil citadel are gone along with a stone engraving above it. Now the only thing there is a bomb crater. Also famous buildings all around Aleppo have rocket damage and bullet holes. This is becoming a problem because it is threatening to disturb the fragile historical site.