Protaras - Blue Spice

From left: Dafni, David, Zara, me.

This was where it all lead up to: our first ever debut performance of the syrtaki at the open-air restaurant and pool bar of the Blue Spice hotel. When Dafni's old dance coach heard that we'd been (trying) to learn the syrtaki, she suggested that we perform after her own dance school's show at the hotel.

We weren't sure at first but we did turn up just to watch the show and have a good night out. Well, when I say we, I meant David was uncomfortable with dancing a Greek folk dance in front of Cypriots who obviously know the dance well. But word got around the hotel, and I don't think the locals would have let a bunch of tourists (let alone tourists who dance) leave without dancing the syrtaki for them.

Note to readers:

1. Please excuse the bits of fudging at the start - apparently there are many different variations to the structure of the dance.
2. Please also excuse random people in the shootage - there wasn't a good vantage point (or at least, there wasn't enough time to secure a good vantage point).
3. Please also excuse the loud whistling which would have probably blown your eardrums by now - Cypriots like to do this during their dances.

All in all, please excuse the poor quality of the video although the camerawoman did a pretty darn good job of it, I have to say.

Note to self:

The syrtaki is not a Latin American dance; fast spins, hips moving from the core, as well as kicks with good preparation and recovery are not appreciated. :p Although I'm sure my coach would still tell me to watch out for my posture and timing. ;)

We spent the rest of the night having impromptu dance lessons on traditional Greek/Cypriot dances. What can I say? All in all, it was quite Fun!

Protaras - Fig Tree Bay II

Yeah, so apparently it's Fig Tree Bay. We've all been calling it Victory Bay since the night we spent on it counting shooting stars. I didn't get a close-up shot but the signs all said 'Fig Tree Bay' in large bold uppercase letters.

Larnaka - Steph's bar

Alcohol. Karaoke. Enough said.

Lefkosia - lunch @ Shiantris

One of Lefkosia's hidden delights, Shiantris is named after its memorable owner who cooks up a fantastic array of seasonal beans with lemon, parsley and olive oil, and for carnivores, some meat dishes such as afelia (pork stewed in wine) or baked lamb. He greets everyone vociferously, pats people on the back and brings out fruit and Turkish delight after lunch. The restaurant was moving to a bigger space across the road, so it should be able to accommodate a few more hungry lunchers. A great place to immerse yourself in local life and cuisine.

Lonely Planet - Cyprus

I was greeted (albeit not vociferously) and we did get fruit after lunch. BUT we didn't get Turkish delight AND I didn't get my pat on the back. Humph!

***

When Dafni was in secondary school, she joined - aside from her other geeky interests such as the Ecology Club where she planted trees and cleaned up swamps - some sort of peacekeeping corp which aimed to reunify the divided island of Cyprus. During her membership with the society, she participated in conferences held in the States where both Greek and Turkish Cypriot students discussed (I presume) ways and means to bring the two parts of the island together. She also apparently organised a football match that had been postponed mid-match due to the 1974 invasion at the Green Line where both teams finished off the long-overdue match. Zara - who used to be on the basketball team, the netball team and the volleyball team in secondary school - says that she used to beat up girls from the Ecology Club. And Dafni thinks I'm taking the mickey whenever I mention the peackeeping corp but we all love her though, really.

North Nicosia - Buyuk Han

North Nicosia - Library of Sultan Mahmut II

North Nicosia - Selimiye Mosque

Lefkosia - Ledra Crossing

As we walked through the Dead Zone, the azan is sounded and I am transported through time and space back to the land where my blood hath spilled. The call to the Muslim brothers to perform their Zohor prayers in a place where Cypriots once fought one another was surreal.


Lefkosia, the last divided capital in the world, is partitioned by the Green Line into north Nicosia of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus and Lefkosia of the Republic of Cyprus.


At the Ledra Crossing, they are merely two minutes walk apart (minus customs) and yet are two distinctly different entitites. One, a thriving city of congested roads with people bustling in and out of shops, restaurants, cafes, bistros etc. The other, an abandoned, dilapidated town where the only people to be seen are scattered tourists perusing the odd souvenir and antique shops or performing their prayers in the mosques as part of their pilgrimage.


Picture the city you live in, with your friend's house just down the road. Now imagine having to show your passport at the crossing checkpoints before crossing a haunted strip of rubble and ruin - the Dead Zone, remnant of the 1974 Turkish invasion - patrolled by Greek and Turkish Cypriot as well as UN peacekeeping forces. Finally, flashing your 'visa' - a mere piece of paper with the unrecognized stamp of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus to the sour-looking guard on the other side of the crossing just to hang out with your friend. The very thought of it just makes me sick with sadness.

Paralimni - syrtaki

A lesson on the Greek folk dance syrtaki

Yes, that was me going 'Awww' in the background - I'm such a big fat gay.

And yes, we did learn how to dance the syrtaki. Being dancers ourselves, it would've been unacceptable not to learn at least one traditional Cypriot dance during our holiday. Yes, we are just too cool (for school).

Larnaka - Salt Lake & Hala Sultan Tekkesi

Larnaka - Galu Beach Bar

This is why I am such a geek: I arrived with the book On Royalty by Jeremy Paxman and ended up buying The History of Cyprus and Bitter Lemons of Cyprus.

Larnaka - Town Hall

Larnaka - Grand Mosque II

Views from atop the minaret

Larnaka - fort II

Larnaka - beach II

Cape Greco - Konnos Beach I

Below the chalky white precipice, the sea is a kaleidoscope of blue, green and gold. With the wind singing in my ears and caressing my sun-kissed torso, I sit myself down and inevitably start thinking.

***

We had our own little beach party at Fig Tree Bay last night. It was, in my personal opinion, better than the one we had intended to go to but had gotten the date wrong.

Beneath the diamond-encrusted sky, we laid on sunbeds and counted the falling jewels. Over the soft chorus of waves, we held discourse on religion interrupted only by sips of chilled coffee.

I'm always very cautious on the topic of religion - even more so when with my friends (simply because one tends to be very opinionated when one is a student at Cambridge; whether it's a cause or effect is another matter altogether).

The problem is; people tend to take it personally - religious or not. And I guess it's not their fault because religion is a personal thing. But what really surprises me is how passionate atheists also tend to be on the subject matter: it's as if they are consumed by a fire not unlike that of religious fervour.

On my part, I agree that, like so many other things, religion has both its good and bad. No other factor has played so great a role in the division of mankind; the justified wars of God, the martyrs of saints and mujahideen, the suffering and oppression of those under the yoke of religious extremism.

And then there's the good that religion has brought to humanity: the art of Christiandom, the science of the Islamic empire, and the philosophy of Siddharta Gautama. Most architectural wonders of the historic world have been built to celebrate religion. There's so much I enjoy about religion: its symbolism and iconology, its rituals and traditions, the cathartic power of prayer and the brotherhood that unites all religions.

And just like so many other things, you have to accept the bad with the good. I personally think that we could all do without kleptocracy but I do see its merits. What I find terribly unhelpful is when people claim with absolute certainty that we'd be better off without religion. Absolute bollocks: there's no way to construct a control experiment with an almost exact replica of human civilization except for religion to test out the hypothesis. And people need to realize this before making such blaise statements.

Paralimni - meze

Three ice-creams yesterday:

I'm such a fatso. And that meze was a huge meal. Zara says it's not good to talk about food and weight and eating habits because it's apparently very easy to lapse into eating disorders. But just for the record, I'm neither anorexic or bulimic.

Three goals of Cyprus Summer 2009:

1. Appease my geeky side with history and archaeology
2. Get a tan
3. Get fat

Protaras - Fig Tree Bay I

Paralimni - churches

Churches of Agios Georgios (new and old)

New church of Agios Georgios

New church of Agios Georgios

Old church of Agios Georgios

Church of Agia Anna

Paralimni - Dafni's house

Larnaka - beach I

But srsly, what is with our obsession with sun and tan?!

Larnaka - Church of Agios Lazaros

Larnaka - Grand Mosque I

Larnaka - fort I

Agia Napa - Dafni's apartment

Protaras - Sunrise Beach

I figured that after the previous video, things would only get better. Funny how I'm this uncomfortable in front of the camera despite having starred and hosted two television series for kids when I was seven.

Cyprus Summer '09 - Intro

I hate my voice on camera. And people wonder why I don't vlog.

Li Phi falls

Travelling on your own, you're often left alone with your thoughts.

The river began in the distant past. It flows to the sea without ever stopping; gaining in size yet decreasing in speed. At certain points along the way, it meets with resistance - obstacles, like the boulders of rapids. And depending on chance, some of its waters crash into the rocks while the rest swirl turbulently around them. The river moves on; never stopping, never waiting.

My life began in the distant past. It has always been dependent on mere chance and circumstance. Any good that has ever come out of it has been due to being at the right places at the right times:

I was born into a Chinese family living in an Asian country. Today, I reside in the West whilst immersing myself in everything that is white - its quirky manerisms, posh inflection and novel culture. I've travelled the world with gweilo backpackers - witnessing double standards and experiencing preferential treatment. And yet, I've also seen the poverty of Southeast Asian children relative to my childhood experience.

And that's a fact: life is unfair. But the moot point is how you deal with it - that's what really matters. And having observed the disparity of the world that we live in, I see no better desire than to make life as fair as possible for those deprived of the opportunities I had - for better or worse.

Max once told me that he was searching for his answer to life. He hadn't found it yet. But I enviously thought, 'Well, you're pretty darn close.' Today, I've found mine.