Malta salt

 Malta is certainly worth its salt. Didn't you know Malta produced salt? Well, here is the proof. Every morning sea water is pumped into the flats and every afternoon dry salt gathered. Must have cost some effort to cut these flats in rock but obviously it was worth its salt.

MAXIMO LAURA

Nobody goes to Cusco to look for modern Peruvian art, which is not famous after all. A possibility that a Gringo visitor will go to a museum of not even a painter, but a weaver who produces tapestries in a traditional manner but with modern designs - is slim indeed.

However, a choice of Cusco for a place where a museum of a modern weaver is - is a rational one, if it is to attract Gringo viewers. There is a chance that somebody may stay in Cusco half a day too long and will wonder where to go one afternoon. Perhaps to a museum of Maximo Laura, who must be somehow important if there is a museum of his works in Cusco. 

This is exactly what happened to me when I was in Cusco half a day too long. 

 Not a bad stuff but it won't be anybody's first impression to share after a journey to Peru. 

Peruvian cuisine

Peru is supposedly famous for its cuisine. The flagship dish is cuy, which is baked guinea pig. They say it tastes a bit like a rat, which I cannot confirm as I have never tasted one (a rat I mean, a guinea pig tasted pretty good). An ordinary pig is apparently also popular here. And maize is amazing, it comes in just about any colour. 

Calligraphy in Hagia Sophia

Here are some pictures from Hagia Sophia in Istanbul. The building was constructed in Byzantine times as an Orthodox church, became a mosque in the Ottoman era, now it is a museum. The Muslims don't believe in hanging images in mosques but they can hang pictures with calligraphy, properly framed, as pictures should be. This is what we see in Hagia Sophia, huge pictures in exquisite calligraphy in Arabic thuluth style. This was the style that was considered right for monumental inscription at the time of Ottomans.

Icons in Istanbul

Istanbul is the centre of the Orthodox Church. There is a Patriarchal Cathedral, very pretty. There I took some pictures of icons. They are Greek icons, as opposed to better known Russian ones. They were around what looked to me as a lectern. They are apparently considered precious, as they are all behind glass.

Maya sculpture

We all know that the press jumps to fashionable subjects ignoring other subjects that might be related. It is not only the press actually, book publishers behave the same way. Here is an example: Maya sculpture. Everybody knows about Maya pyramids but not many people know anything about Maya sculpture. An exhibition in the Museum of Anthropology in Mexico City suggests that ancient Maya sculpture was very interesting (to say the least). However, even the museum shop doesn't have any publication on the subject, either in English or in Spanish.

You can also check my entry about Maya vase painting

Ashaninka Indians

     Ashaninka, also known as Kampa, are a fierce tribe of Indians from the Peruvian Amazon jungle, who have never been conquered either by the Inkas or by the Spaniards. More recently they sent packing the communist guerrillas of Sendero Luminoso. Apparently the communist agents sent to persuade them to join the guerilla war were shot with bows and arrows. Even today we were told that it is better not to visit their villages without the prior introduction. 
    Well, I visited them, having of course been introduced. Here are a few portraits for anybody who would like to know what fierce Indians look like. They live in the Amazon jungle, which they burn regularly and plant manioc in the burned-out spot. Thanks to that manioc and fish in rivers they don't need to worry about lack of supermarkets in the vicinity (I guess the nearest one is some 500 miles away). They live in thatched houses that traditionally had no walls, although recently they build some walls with planks. Traditionally they wore self-made tunics called "kuchma", although recent fashion is to wear shop bought stuff. There is no supermarket nearby but there is a school in the village and the kids learn there more or less the same stuff that our kids do. Some of Ashaninka kids have high ambitions, for example one girl told us that she aims to be a doctor.