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Work 4 Peace,Hold All Life Sacred,Eliminate Violence! I am on my mobile version of the door-to-door, going town-to-town holding readings/gatherings/discussions of my book "But What Can I Do?" This is my often neglected blog mostly about my travels since 9/11 as I engage in dialogue and actions. It is steaming with my opinions, insights, analyses toward that end of holding all life sacred, dismantling the empire and eliminating violence while creating the society we want ALL to thrive in

Tuesday, October 06, 2015

Mayan healing center and chocolate

After putting the kayaks away, we head north this time to Aurora and her healing center where we eat an abundant and delicious lunch of fruit, fish, rice and beans, and hot corn tortillas. Tessie consults briefly with Aurora and then we head a little down the road to tour an organic cacao factory and farm.



The gathering, processing and growing of chocolate originated with the Mayan people from the part of the continent that was designated by conquerors as Central America. Today, most of the workers on chocolate farms, plantations and factories are Mayans.

And most of the land is owned and/or controlled by u.s. or european individuals and/or chocolate corporations as Hershey’s, Cadbury,etc.

After our tour was complete, my grandchild, eyes twinkling as we share a deep love addiction to dark organic chocolate, enviously asked our guide how many times a day or a week does he eat chocolate? We were told that early Mayans ate chocolate perhaps several times a day.

Our friendly informative guide became instantly sober, turning solemn dull eyes on us stating flatly he can’t afford to ever eat the chocolate the farming collective produces.

We are all abruptly silent and deeply saddened: these people for whom chocolate was both nourishing and sacred for thousands of years, cannot afford the chocolate they work hard to produce, harvest and process for the u.s.ofa. and european markets.
 

Jelly Fish sting!

Mujasi and I are up again at the crack of dawn. We swim in the salt water pool next to the house we are staying at. Then we head over to the sea with kayaks and snorkeling paraphernalia Mujasi is not happy.

We kayak about 1.6 miles out toward a little island and find coral reefs close by. As I'm floating on the surface looking down at the amazing coral and little fishes of all sizes swimming busily in, out and around the coral community, I suddenly feel a little electric shock above my wrist, that first I ignore but as it starts burning, I look up and see a little jelly fish suspended a foot from my arm. I hightail it away from that coral reef.

It is not as bad as my fears and although I get about a 4" by 2" swath of red bumps and rash, by the next day it is gone!