Here are the 2 travelogs I sent out from my Caribbean trip. Hope you enjoy them.

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Originally sent March 2005

Howdy~
So here I am in the Dominican Republic. Finally got it together to get the hell outa Dodge to tour my Fireshow in the Caribbean in my continued quest to experience the world in a way from which America is well sequestered.
You are on this list because I consider you to be a part of my larger family and in whom I trust and am glad to have in my life.
I came to the D.R. first because my great friend Santiago from LA is back here now and is very well connected. As a director and acting coach hes now my manager and quite a talker. In just 3 weeks of being here I have been featured on 3 talk/entertainment shows, performed on stage at Carnivale, at the ruins of the first church built in the new world, several niteclubs, beach resorts, private parties, and have done countless free shows for poor kids and at key locations to generate the buzz that worked me into the paying gigs. cool. I will even be doin a private party for the vice-president and his colonels in a few weeks.
Yet, lest you believe that this has been a lovely vacacion de Caribe, I must quickly concede that it has not. The language barrier of espaniol is a slow relearning curve. This city of Santo Domingo is ugly,trashy,grey,congested reeking spew of black exhaust and is completly over born by the worst of modern civilization without the benefit any real culture of its own. Kinda like LA. We spent 2 busy weeks running around doin meetings and errands for things I cant quite remember(kinda like LA) before we even got to a resort area. And the all-inclusives that put me up + pay felt like vacation factory farms. The food is basically Cuban; greasy fried shit thats tasty for sure but I cant eat it. Eating raw meat here is outa the question if you ever want to eat again. The fruit is amazing tho and Im hot on the trail of raw goats milk and raw honey. This very conservative catholic city sucks but it is his home and my base for now. (His sweet family has been VERY gracious).

The most unusual experience(possibly ever) was on Carnival nite when I wore my G-string Dragonslayer digs with fangs, horns & serious makeup and marched thru the crowd w Santi to the stages. I was met with literally 1000s of howling laughing people screaming(in spanish) freak loco sexy baby faggot etc and ¡DIABLO! with a mix of fear and elation to see such a brazen thing as they never have. Some even threw oranges at this Devil even tho its the Carnival mascot. I continued to walk tall and proud. I reckon I looked much more like the archetypical One who would do anything than their elaborate but pretty costumes did.
Anyhow once I hit the stage with my fire all the bullshit stopped. Silence. I could here only faint music inthe background and my fire. IT WAS QUITE A MOMENT.
Somewhere between total power and wondering what they were really thinking. As I finished and jumped off the stage there was a roar and suddenly I was not only cool-and-unusual but acceptable. Now there were 100s of kids and whoever following behind as we marched on to the next stages. The fact that I was "on stage", particularly with a crazy fireshow, changed everything. This went on for over an hour before the thing was over. Being surrounded by so many people screaming and beaming love is like nothing else. ´Specially after a concern for my safety with the screaming beaming oranges. Two distinct and powerful circumstances.
This dramatic experience taught me an invaluable lesson, among several. MOST PEOPLE ARE WAITING TO BE TOLD WHAT TO THINK ABOUT EVERYTHING! Even with the most ingrained ideas of religion and descency(513 yrs now since the catholics destroyed their culture and told them what to think) they are willing -eager perhaps-to see things differently. Although it would take considerable time and reconditioning before one could look any such way as he wished on a normal buisness day, There is still hope, I believe, for the humanrace.

My future here is uncertain. I want to see many more islands but Santi thinks I can make alot of money here over the next few months once he gets me hooked into the rest of the resorts and several other organizations. There ARE a few big pluses in this 2nd1/2 world country; It is very free. The people overthrew the last lame government and set up a real democracy(not a US puppet) so things are growing fast with alot money pouring in here in what looks like a safe and highly profitable place to invest in land etc. (Santiago knows all the right folks.) Also the banks are offering 26% federally backed interest on your accounts and the people are basically nonviolent friendly and happy - rich and poor alike. And they certainly like what Im doin.
HMmmm. My horses are always antsy to move but Im gonna hang here a bit and see what other trouble I can stir up. Besides Im going to see the most beautiful part of the island this weekend with a show and maybe can set up camp there. Oh, btw, the women are quite beautiful. A dark mix of spanish/african/indian with skinny waists and bubblebutts. HMmmm again. I reckon Ill be ok here for awhile.
Hell i havent even put my fins on yet. Im gonna find a tank and get in the water......

Ooga~
Karlo del Fuego



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this next one's long, you may want to read it later...

sent june 05 -

War and Peace within-

Howdy-
What a long strange trip its been and its time again to tell you a bit about it. Lotsa good and bad but it seems so far like a bad trip overall and worse lately. Theres been insufficient work in this last month 1/2 slow season that I suddenly got trapped in and have experienced poverty in a 3rd world country. And i dont really like it here any way. Im gonna give you the shit first cuz thats whats eatin me now. Rather than hide it or pretend alls well, I want to simply share my experience.

First off ive never felt at home here, in the Dominican Republic, which is important for a vagabond wherever he goes. The cities and architecture are ugly trashy,smogy. The food is greasy heavy overcooked and the culture is rather empty. The diving is a bit disappointing. Local entertainment is basically limited to sitting around drinking beer to merengue on excessively loud poor soundsystems in flourescent bars.
Outside of some very cool fireshows, Im not particularly having fun either. A few erotic encounters, but havent found any that I really clic with. The girls are either sleazy easy, or classy that dont like my dark "devil" look in this catholic world. Conversation is difficult as dominican spanish is hard even for some spaniards. They do love the fire but I literally scare the hell outa them. This place has never seen anything like me here and I am watched every where I go. Kinduv fun and kinduv a pain in the ass too.
There was alot of work for a while till the slow rainy season caught me by surprise and I couldnt afford to fly out. Its not cheap here. Theres been some work in the capital where i stay with my friend, and lots of promises of it in the big resort area of Bavaro that I have spent alot of time and money(local calls are 25c permin) connecting with the directors of 30+ resorts all telling me to wait and call when it gets busy again.
On any level higher than waiting for the possibility of some good money, and some obscure feeling that I need to be in this country, Im not sure why the hell Im here. I went flat broke at one point in Bavaro and had to sleep on cardboard in the jungle. That truly fucked with my sense of power and worth. I spent the next night on a resort beach chez lounge under a palm umbrella in the rain. That was actually kinda funny even to me. But the security punks with nothin to do didnt think so(I could easilyve taken these sweatthesmallstuff dipshits out as I so wanted to but I am far too recognizable even in the dark to get away with it). So off to the police station we went. After wasting a few hours, the Polytur national police just laughed "now get outa here and dont do it again."
Of course it wasnt 2 days later that i was stayin at a 5-star resort for a show and eatin like a king. I do appreciate the extremes that travel brings.

My life here is yet another chapter of the battle in my head between what I SHOULD do and what I WANT to do. Id rather say fuck it here and go to St Thomas for way more fun but likely way less $ payoff. But Im bein a good boy and stickin hard to something I think will payoff. I do feel that alot of valuable time has been wasted,waiting with nothin to do. In St Domingo I do the internet, go to golds gym, see movies and play with Santiagos cute lil 7mo old sometimes. Not bad, just routine.
In Bavaro Ive wandrered back and forth for days and days with a puerto rican street hustler kid tryin to meet diff club owners and tour promoters he knows. He idolizes me abit and would never steal from me. But he'd cheat and steal FOR me. I have to remind him that, as much as I appreciate that sentiment, its not what I need from him. I have at times had to stay with him in some of his lil safe sleep spots hes found. Wow. A very humbling experience of non resisting and trying to just go with whatever life is offering me at the moment. A surrender of will. Why not, my current attempt at MAKING things happen isnt happening.

Life as a wandering minstrel is insecure indeed and I am forced to find that stability within myself. I do feel that somehow,all this shit is gonna pay off in ways i cant yet imagine. Just payin spiritual dues. At other times, I feel that my life is degrading fast and will never redeem itself as something really worthwhile other than a better option than death.


So, as life is a series of such unanswerable questions, here are a few of those that I deal with daily:
Fight? -or- surrender?
Let go let God -or- If it is to be,its up to me
I want in - No I want out
I cant do this anymore - Watch me kick some ass
God has a plan for me - Yeahright, God is a 5 yr old with an ant farm
Somethings wrong with this picture - appreciate what youve got
To be -or- not to be . no really
One day Ill figure this out - stop thinkin about this shit
Hmmm

I do know,however, that Hell prepares you for greater experiences in your Heaven. Just as there are truths in the darkness that cannot be found in the light.
As I sit here in a storm now, some bitchin lightning cracks are setting off all the car alarms.

~~~



Anyfuckinway howbout some goodnews. Much of this side of the story may yet be to come but some cool experiences have kept me alive here. I had a chance to travel along the prettiest coast and its quite beautiful. Like some awesome cliffs, caves to explore, quaint french expatriate towns and tropical jungle on the coast. The fullmoon parties attract the international crowd, play real music and give me a sense of the burningman party scene I so deeply miss and I feel at home. The men here are definately of a macho culture, but theyre very cool and most are hip to me. One area has even tagged me RamboMarley. I like it.
The best part tho is the shows. All done in some very cool spots like beautiful resort beach parties, way cool old ruins, a stage built just for me at raves, the fullmoon parties, tight risky niteclubs right in their face such that these fire virgins cringe from the heat(yes I am very fuckin careful and have to prescare my firesafeties so theyre ready). There are no real fire regulations here so I am the firemarshall, as I prefer it.
Last week I was in a show as a Haitian Voodou Fireshaman as part of a bigger resort showcase that included torchbearers and another firebreather. Their firehandling practices were so atrociously stupid that a fuel fire caught backstage and torched the walls smoking us all out. I got in the directors face and made him adopt strict simple policies that they now follow.

The best show, maybe ever, was at a big beautiful old colonial restaurant, cafe Murano, that we booked, promoted and created ourselves. The FyreGod ascended from a fiery spitting volcano on the roof to begin the show. I appeared on the ledge with a firebaall in my hands, then descended to the top of a big staircase(crowd below) with my doublestaffs in perhaps my smoothest set yet. Next to this staircase is a cool waterfall and pools which I proceeded to light on fire with a fuel that floats in the baddest display of a cascading Firefall youve ever seen. -intermission to buy more drinks.-
As the music fades in, I appear kneeling on the top of the dimlit staircase and a sexy dark watergoddess feeds me the 'water' to Fuel the fire with a kiss. She then dances down the stairs spewing fuel along the sides and down into a circle around the mainstage floor right in front of them. As the music climbs I spit that Firewater lighting my chains and then drag them running down towards the helpless humans thus lighting the whole fuckin staircase behind me and the circle around me as I dance out the finale in their face. Roar. WHEEE that was Fun.
Were gonna do it agin so I gotta one up it. Hmm any ideas? I can see developing a good show here.
In them all, Im certainly enjoying the reactions of those who have never seen this art before.

~~~

It occurs to me now, as Bush leads the NeoCons and the corporate New World Order into a long planned one World dictatorship using the US armed forces as unwitting pawns to force it forward, and thus the rest of us into Hell in a handbasket, that this very free, small, anti-american-control country(with no oil or other strategic reason for occupation)will be one of the safe havens for those wishing their privacy from bigbrothers eye. There may be more for me here someday than I anticipated. I do plan to travel much more to find such places whether it comes to that or not.

~~~

It seems now that thru all this yin and yang shit the one thing that keeps me going is the undying urge to be myself. Noble or not the purely selfish need/desire to be my unique, orginal badass beautiful self carries me thru the sorry ass piece o shit self and keeps my fire alive in the rain.

I would reckon then, that my higher purpose is to inspire others to break out of the mold and find their same such self, creating a society of free, rugged individuals delightfully working together. I know we have alot of that at Burningman, as well as other communities, but theres a big world out there, and countries such as this are ripe for the outrageous.
I plan to be back at the top of August to prepare for the Burn.
Anyway, thats my check in to let you know that Im gettin kicked but Im still kickin.
Just knowin you're there makes a difference.

Karl~~
Voudou Shaman Cowboy on sabbatical



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