PHOTO LINK: http://theadog.smugmug.com
December 28, 2006: Well, I was able to make it to Portland, afterall. I have been having a great time catching up with family and friends and enjoying lots of familiar foods. So much, in fact, that I had forgotten to update my website. I will be back here until January 11th and then it is back to China. I think that this will be the perfect amount of time to recharge my batteries before I have to put my focus back on learning Chinese. It is really a hard language, but I have a small foundation to work with when I get back there. One of my classmates (Rhodes Scholar) has really started to get it. The times that we've been out it seems that he is able to communicate in Chinese pretty well. I asked him how, in just a few months, he is able to get by so well. He explained that he basically started over from the beginning three times in a row, and after that he had a foundation to build on. So, when I go back I will also make sure to start from the very beginning once again.
December 16, 2006: Just got some bad news that my plans to go back to Portland fell through. I am really bummed about it. This has happened many times around this time of year. So, to any of you that I had plans with I apologize for not being able to make it. Things work out for the best, and I will probably make my move to Qingdao in the next few days and use the extra month to improve my Chinese. I think this is going to be home for awhile. There are lots of good opportunities out here and there is no real reason to go back any time soon. Merry Christmas.
December 14, 2006: I am still in Shijiazhuang and the honeymoon is over! I cant wait to get back home for the holidays. I can't even remember the last time I had a sandwich. I had been away from Portland for much longer periods of time than this last nine months of travelling, but I am more excited to go home than I can ever remember being. These last months have been filled with adventure, interesting people and experiences, but going home will be a nice break.
I just got my visa extended for another six months, so I will be coming back to China. I think that I will live in Qingdao aka TsingTao (where the Chinese beer is produced) when I come back. I have every intention of learning Chinese before I do anything else.
Chinese is very hard, I got a bit frustrated trying to buy deoderant last Friday and decided I was finished with this place. I relaxed a little bit, but I will always respect the difficulty of someone going to a foreign land and having the experience of struggling with a new language.
China is very cool though. I used to have an idea that it was a bit backwards and that America was so much cooler and contemporary, but that is just not true. Chinese culture goes back so far. My teacher and I were watching a great movie today. It was a Kung Fu movie, and watching it with him gave it a much deeper meaning than I would have come up with watching it on my own. Most of these Chinese movies, he tells me, are based on the Tao Te Ching. I was interested in this when I was younger and have an OK understanding, but a few of these ideas (Toaism, Confucianism, the I-Ching, etc) are woven so deeply within this culture. It is so much more interesting learning and understanding these things in the context within which they were created.
I have begun to learn a bit about the culture here. A lot things are unsaid and just under the surface. There are rules about "face" and "Guanxi." "Guanxi" means relationship and that is how things get done around here. It is quite interesting.
"Quanxi
Quanxi, Quanxi, Quanxi. It is undoubtedly the most important factor in doing business in China. Tomes have been written on the subject of Quangxi, or relationship in Chinese. The right guanxi can make or break your venture in China. With the right guanxi, you have much better chances in getting into opportunities or closing the deals.
It doesn't matter how good or inexpensive your product is, if you don't have the right guanxi, you will not be getting in at all. However, if you have the right guanxi, sometimes it doesn't matter how bad or expensive your product is, you will still be able to get into many opportunities."
* A little side note. One thing that continues to interest me is that people are really excited to see a foreigner. I was just sitting here in this Internet cafe and the guy next to me asked me to pose in a picture with him. I wish it was a girl, but it is still pretty cool.
December 4, 2006: So, I am in China and I have finished my second week of classes. It was a bit more difficult this week! I didn't have a great week. I have eaten the same three things; dumplings, kung pao chicken, and a chinese breakfast burrito, almost entirely for the last month. Those are the only things that I can say in Chinese and I am getting sick of them. Today I woke up early and studied, then I decided to go to the shopping center so I could practice Chinese. I got to a restaurant and decided that would be a good place to practice. I said the word for Chicken.............no idea what I was talking about. Then I started pointing to things........still no idea. Fortunately there were some kids there that spoke some English, so they helped me.
I am not sure if I mentioned this story already, but the first few days I was here I thought I was going to starve before I leaned how to order anything. I went to a restaurant near my apartment and the lady came up to me. I said "Chicken"........she just stared at me and shrugged her shoulders. Again, I said "Chicken.".........Same response. Then I got an idea. I figured I would just make like a chicken, so I started flapping my arms and yelling out "Bock Bock." At that point she still didnt know what I was trying to say, everybody was staring, and I think she just thought I was crazy. I just got up and left. They still look at me strangely when I walk by, though.
Tonight I went out with one of my classmates to a nice dinner at a cool restaurant. This kid is pretty cool. He has been here for a year and comes from California. His Mom is a best-selling author that now writes for Oprah's magazine and for Reader's digest.
We had some good food tonight. Beef, pears soaked in grape soda, and Kung Pao Shrimp. Thank god it wasn't Chicken!
November 24, 2006: I finished my first week of Chinese classes. In this first week, I have learned the tones and most pronuciations, to read and write 50 characters, to count to 100, and to speak about 20 sentences. Most of it has been just memorization, though. I will really need to work on the practical application part. My teacher has been doing this for about five years and says that this is the first time he has had a student complete 7 lessons in one week. He said the fastest usually complete one a day and some complete one every two or three days..........alright, I'm bragging a bit.
I met a nice Chinese girl before I headed up to Beijing. She doesn't speak English, but my teacher called her for me today and she is coming over at 3pm tomorrow. That should provide some incentive to learn Chinese, and also have someone that I can practice with outside of class.
Yesterday was Thanksgiving. It did kind of suck not being home to have my Mom's delicious Thanksgiving dinner. I did take my teacher out for lunch. We went to a nice Duck restaurant. I have always liked Thanksgiving. It is great to think about the things that I am Thankful about. It makes feel rich when I do that.
November 17, 2006: Alright. I am back in Beijing. There have been some mishaps with the program down in Shijiazhuang. They have not have not been able to come up with an apartment for the last two weeks. They have had three, but all have fallen through, and they waited until the night before I was supposed to move in (each time) to tell me this. So, I was able to get out of my contract and said that I would take a mini-vacation back to Beijing while they figured it out (second mini-vacation I've take to allow them more time.) I will go back Monday, check it out and if it is up to snuff I will do another contract. Only for a month though, because this seems like they are Bush-League to me.
Either way, it always works out. My first day back in Beijing I saw my friend Mr. Kim. Mr. Kim owns the hostel that I stayed at in Mongolia (the most successful one there) and he was in Beijing on a PR trip with his fellow hostel owners here in Beijing (they refer lots of business back and forth as you can imagine.) I got the opportuntiy to go visit several of the hostels in Beijing with Mr. Kim and see how the business works. He has been running it for 8 years and it seems to be a great business. In the evening, Mr. Kim, myself, and Leo (owner of the hostel that I am staying at in Beijing - also very popular) all went out on the town last night. Leo started as a cleaner in a hostel 12 years ago and worked his way up to the top, he now owns three hostels in Beijing and also a restaurant! We had a feast at a great Chinese restaurant that was filled with locals (always a good sign.) I got several interested stares from woman and children alike.
I love this. I now have new connections and have gotten advice from successful folks on how to do this type of thing if ever I choose to do it. I continue to meet the folks that are the best at what they do, whether they be website developers, adventurers, business owners, etc.
I am still going back to Shijiazhuang to check out the apartment, and also to pick up my passport. They are renewing my VISA down there (which is one of the tools the company uses to keep you locked into their program.) I have realized that there price is quit a bit more than it should be, but I am going to give them another opportunity to come correct, because I really like my teacher and feel that it is the right thing to do. Otherwise, I am going to find a different city, and negotiate the hurdles with the help of some new local connections.
Things continue to go well and I feel that my godfather's advice that this trip around the world could turn out to be a "million-dollar experience" is coming true.
Thanks again for keeping your eye on me. Peace and Love.
November 3, 2006: Nothing really new to report. I am really trying to decide the best course of action. I am leaning towards staying here in Shijiazhuang, but there are a couple other things to consider regarding the timing. I will do some more observing today and make a decision tomorrow. It is really cool to see all these non-Chinese speaking together and with the locals in Mandarin. I may go down to SE asia for a couple months and wait for the winter to pass (it gets very cold here) and then come up with the class in Febuary or March. The picture thing has really been a pain, I have so many great pictures that I would love to post. I have had a hard time finding a good connection. If I stay here, I will buy a computer, and the apartment includes Broadband and I will be able to spend time refining things.
November 2, 2006: I am in Shijiazhuang. I had my first lesson in Mandarin today. It was hard, but interesting. We just practiced tones, of which there are 4 (5 counting the nuetral tone.) The people are quite friendly and have taken good care of me. I continue to meet some very interesting people. Today, I met a few of the people in the class. One guy, JB, is a grad of MIT and will go on to become a fighter-pilot in the Marines starting November. Another guy, James, is a graduate of Oxford and was also a Rhodes scholar. It is great to be doing something along with such interesting backgrounds.
I think that I will probably stay here for a while, which kind of sucks in that I will be off my endless winter tour. Things are pretty cheap here and I think that, if I can learn the language, I will be looking pretty good in the future.
November 1, 2006: I know, I know. I have been a bit negligent in my updates. Over the past week and a half I have been all over Beijing and over to the Great Wall. Right now I am in a town about three hours train south of Beijing, Shijiazhuang. I came down here this afternoon to check out a language school that provided Mandarin Immersion. They took me out to dinner and I am not typing this from an apartment that they put me up in for the night. The cost of living is quite low down here compared to Beijing, and the Mandarin they speak down here is also "standard." I have really enjoyed China so far and have met some interesting people. There is a lot of enthusiasm in the air, as the economy is booming and the Olympics are coming.
I need to make a decision over the next couple of days as to what I am going to do next. I may just delay my plans for a year so that I can post up here and learn a great language that will help me in many ways, i am sure. I also just found out that the university that I graduated from, The University of Maryland, has a satellite for their business school located in Beijing. Maybe I can get a handle on the language and then get my MBA in China.....who knows?
October 21, 2006: Hello Friends and Family! I am in Beijing right now. I arrived yesterday afternoon and we came right through the Great Wall of China. It was really cool. It is one of the things that I was most looking forward to seeing when I was planning my trip. The people here have been really friendly, especially for such a big city (15 million.)
It has been a pretty interesting week or so, so let me update you. I spent several days in Mongolia, mainly in the capital city, Ulan Bator. I did have an opportunity to take a short excursion to the countryside where I got to stay in a ger camp. A ger is a felt tent that nomads use to live in as they move from place to place. For a small price, I got to have three meals, horse-riding around a beautiful national park, and the night-stay in the ger. I was the only one staying in the camp at the time (besides the family that lives there.) This turned out to be an opportunity, as I was able to take the local family out to a dinner in town and we had a great time. There was a language barrier, but we were still able to spend several hours laughing and having fun. The bill for the 8 of us came to $25.
I came back to UB and got a bit of a cold. I purposely missed my train that was to leave last Sunday, as I felt pretty crappy and didnt want to endure a 40 hour train/bus journey to China feeling sick. This, of course, worked out for the best and I ended up meeting some very cool people over the next four days in UB. The French guy, Cyril, that had the car-dealership in Afghanistan and I became friends. The way this happened is that I had picked up a pulitzer prize-winning book in Moscow about the GULAG and it so happened that Cyril is doing a documentary walking in the footsteps of GULAG escapees. He is working with the lady that wrote the book that I have....strange but true. The guy that introduced me to Cyril, Mark, was on the train from Irkutsk to Mongolia with me and he is a photographer (worked for National Geographic, Forbes, etc.) He is a great guy and is working on this documentary with Cyril.....hope that it takes off.
I also met some nice girls from Sweden, Sandra and Linn, and we took the same train to Beijing. I am meeting with them tonight to have some Peking Duck. One night at the hostel (in Mongolia) I was bored and asked Linn if she played chess. She said, "Yep" to which I kind of chuckled...."Oh Yeah." There was a French guy in our room who happened to have a small chess set, so Linn and I went into the kitchen to play.....and she kicked my ass three times in a row. I did get my revenge on the train though and peeled off four consecutive victories. (The French guy was really cool and gave us the chessboard to take on the train.)
So, I am about to go to the Forbidden City and Tianimen Square. I need to find a fast connection so I can upload my photos from Mongolia and China. I have some new ones up from Russia.
October 13, 2006: I have been pretty busy lately so I have not been able to update my site as regularly as I would like. I got into Ulan-Bataar yesterday morning. It was a 40-hour train ride and it went by pretty fast, as there were lots of travelers on the train that I had met in Irkutsk. On my last day in Irkutsk I was able to go to Lake Baikal and see the worlds largest lake. It is larger than the five great lakes put together. There was a museum there that had an aquarium and in it were two of the only fresh-water seals in the world, Nerpa. One of them had given up long ago and was the fattest creature I have ever seen. He was so fat, that his fat pushed the skin all the way up his body and practically covered his eyes.
Last night I went to Mongolian BBQ with some friends, and it happened to be the first American chain restaurant in Mongolia.....I dont think that Mongolians even eat Mongolian BBQ, Ironic. It was good, and I ate there again for lunch today.
Tomorrow, I take an excursion to a national park here and will stay with a mongolian family in a ger, which is a traditional nomadic tent. I will also have an opportunity to camp and to ride horses.
When I got to the hostel yesterday I met an interesting Frenchman named Cyrel, he just returned from Kabul, Afghanistan where he was a car-dealer. Crazy. He said that he mainly sold to expats and that there wasnt much competition.....I guess it pays pretty well, although he said that he had to move his shop a couple of times because it kept getting blown up. The hazards of having a car dealership in Kabul, I guess.
I leave to Beijing on Sunday and I am looking forward to that.
October 7, 2006: I just made it to Irkutsk, Siberia this morning....after a 76-hour train-ride. Talk about character building! I was the one and only American on the journey. Most of the folks were Russian and Mongolian and hardly anyone spoke English. I did share a cabin with some nice folks. There were four of us in total; Me, an older couple heading back home to Vladivostok (the end of the trans-siberian,) and a sailor also heading to Vladivostok. The sailor spoke some English, so that helped, and the three of them watched out for me. To be honest, there isn't a whole lot to say about the trip, except that it was long! I did almost get the police called on me this morning by "Bride of Stalin." I was provided with a hand-towel along with my linen at the beginning of the journey, and, the day before I had left it in the bathroom, thinking I was done with it. I guess this is a big No-No and people have been sent to Gulag for less! In the end, we worked it out with a 100 Ruble payment (about $4.)
I have been very blessed so far, in terms of being in the right place at the right time. This time I chose the wrong train. If you ever take this trip, take the #10 (I took the #2.) The #10 is supposed to be a lot more fun and has more back-packers on it.....it is also a bit less expensive. In the end, the trip was not all that bad, I just had a lot of time to myself with no Ipod. This provided me with some good time for introspection and thought; about my life, about my future. This is not such a bad thing (although it felt like it at first.) We are constantly engaged....with television, music, reading, work, people, etc. It is easy to become uncomfortable and unaccustomed to "real" silent time. In fact, given the choice, I will do almost anything to avoid being totally disconnected. I am just so not used to it, and it feels very uncomfortable....at first. But, after a little while, and with no choice to step out of it, I started to break through to the other side of it and became inspired with interesting thoughts and ideas. Last night, I had seven hours until arriving at my destination. I was not tired, and had nowhere to read (the dining car was closed and my roommates were sleeping.) After lying there and thinking about the passing time...minute by minute, I started to think about some really cool things; my past, what I am going to do when I get back, etc. It turned out to be a rare blessing indeed.
October 3, 2006: I am in Moscow right now and head off to Irkutsk this evening. I have been here for the last four days and have enjoyed this city. I had some friends that I made while in Turkey show me around and their hospitality was great. The hostel that I have been staying at has a good group of folks and I have been mostly hanging out with a Peruvian guy and an Italian guy. I will update more later.
September 28, 2006: I am still in St. Petersburg. I wanted to stay for a special ceremony in which the Mother of the last Russian Tsar was brought back to Russia after escaping to Denmark in 1919. The Romanovs were the Royal Family of Russia and she was the Matriarch. After the Bolshevik Revolution, almost all of the Romanovs were murdered or they fled the country. Maria Fedorova (sp?) escaped to Denmark, where she lived until 1928. One of her final wishes was to be brought back to St. Petersburg to be buried next to her family when politics would permit it. Well, today is exactly 140 years to the day from when she got married to Nicholas II. This is a huge event. The hotel where I am staying is right near the Church (St. Isaacs Cathedral) where they held the ceremony. I was able to walk right in and watch the whole thing. The head of the Russian Orthodox Church conducted the ceremony and the Romanov family was there, as were the Crown Prince and Princess of Denmark. Speaking of whom.......
Yesterday, some friends and I went to see the Hermitage. We were walking around the Museum with our guide yesterday and it just so happened that the Crown Prince and Princess of Denmark were getting a tour as well. It seems that I always show up at the right place at the right time....I feel like Forrest Gump sometimes. We were standing in front of this intricate clock room when they came in. This ended up being the best place since, due to their presence, they activated this peacock clock. Really Cool!
I meet up with a friend tonight and he is going to help me get my tickets for Trans-Siberian and Moscow. I have met several people that have returned from the Trans-Siberian, including this goofy young British couple. They remind me of a 23 year-old version of Howells (from Gilligans Island.) They are both lawyers and they have a very proper British accent. The guy likes to use the word "debaucherous" quite a bit and he follows that with a corny half-laugh. For example, he was telling me about Laos, and said "If you are really feelng debaucherous" which, of course, peaked my interest, being the debaucherous kinda guy I am. "You can get in these inter-tubes, and float down the river.....in the inter-tubes." Then he turns to his girlfriend and says" Can you believe it?...In the inter-tubes......debaucherous, I tell you, pure debauchery, ha ha, ha." What a jerk!
September 26, 2006: I love this Country! I have been here in St. Petersburg for just about a week and I really love it. There are so many interesting things to see and do. I have also realized that the Russian language is not all that difficult. Many of the words are familiar to English and the Russian alphabet is quite easy to pick up. I was on a train in Germany/Italy with a wonderful lady, Winni, a couple of months ago. Winni has a PhD in Russian studies. She told me I could learn the alphabet in an afternoon! She obviously didnt know who she was dealing with. But I was able to get one of those letters down in a day.
My all-time favorite author is Fyodor Dostoyevsky. I read his book, Crime and Punishment, shortly after leaving Oregon for Michigan. He is an interesting guy from a couple of perspectives. He had a very interesting life, he was sentenced to death by the Czar (which was later commuted,) He was sent to Siberia where he developed epilepsy, he had a huge gambling problem which kept him from every fulling realizing economic success from his writing. His style was, no doubt, molded by all of these things and he produced some of literary histories best works; Crime and Punishment, The Idiot, The Gambler, Brothers Karamozov. I went to see the house that he spent his final years. It was very moving.
Tomorrow, I will go to the Hermitage, which is one of the world's great museums. I thought I was done with the World's great Museums for a little while, but it seems every place has one. I will also try and see Pushkins house which contains a the famous "Amber Room."
September 23, 2006: I am still in St. Petersburg. I met some guys in my hostel a couple of nights ago and we all went out on the town. I have never seen so many beautiful women in one place in my entire life. One of the guys that I was out with had been in a program with a local and so he met up with us. His name is Nikolay and he is a cool guy. The other two guys ended up going home early and Nickolay and I ended up staying at the club talking to a couple of girls. They didnt speak any English, but fortunately Nickolay was a good translator. So good in fact that he arranged for me to go out with one of the girls the next day. I met her at a specified location. She speaks exactly no English and I speak exactly no Russian, so you can imagine how that went. I had an epiphany about a half hour into the date, that the translation book that she had was in Russian so the appendix was useless. I decided to bring her to an internet cafe where we were able to use a translation program to communicate. We hung out for a couple of hours. I would type something and hit translate, she would type something and hit translate, etc. That was a first experience for me.
This is a cool place and has a lot of interesting history. The Russian Mafia was pretty big here back in the 90's and it was interesting speaking to some locals about what it was like going through that transitionary time.
I have a bit of head cold so this is hemming me up a bit and I hope to feel better in a couple of days. The weather changed quite a bit from Turkey to here and I guess my body is adjusting. I am thinking about going back to school when I get back to American and I hope to get an MBA. Maybe I will be able to arrange a semester abroad and come back to Russia. This is a very interesting place and I would like to learn to speak Russian.
September 21, 2006: Hello from St. Petersburg, Russia. I have been pretty busy over the last couple of weeks and have not had an opportunity to update my site. Since I last wrote, I have been all over Turkey. I started in the South in a beach resort area called Marmaris. I made some interesting friends while I was there. They were a mix of Kurds and Turks and I really enjoyed the time I spent getting to know them. According to them, very few Americans go through there.
After Marmaris I headed North to some beautiful Salt fountains in Pammukale and then to Ephesus. Ephesus was very special because that is where the Virgin Mary, Saint Peter, and Saint John spent significant time developing the early Christian Church. I actually went to the house that Mary is supposed to have lived. I also went to a famous theatre where John preached. It is actually written in Acts. John wrote his Gospel and also parts of Acts and Revalations while in Ephesus. Really amazing.
After Ephesus I went North to Istanbul. This was a very beautiful place. I saw all the amazing Mosques, the Cistern, the Sophia, etc. I bumped into a roommate of mine from when I first got to Greece. I saw him in one of the Mosques. I am glad that I did because he was a cool guy and we left Greece without exchanging contact info. Funny how life works out. Two nights ago, Alan and his buddy from Dublin, Shane, Myself, and a Turkish friend of mine, Murat, all hit the town. It was great.
Yesterday, I arrived in St. Petersburg and I love it so far. I will write more later, as I had quite the adventure getting here last night. The city is great and I am excited to explore.
September 6, 2006: I really apprecate all of you that have kept up with my blog and pictures. I have heard from probably 60-70 of you that you check in a few times a week and this means a great deal to me. I know that people have jobs, families, etc. and it makes it difficult to stay in touch.
The past few days have been great. I headed down to Crete with a friend that I made while in Santorini. Her name is Shelley from NYC (originally from Idaho) and she spent the summer in Santorini working as a massage therapist. It was great spending time with someone like-minded and we had a blast. Good friends are one of our greatest blessings, as you can really learn a lot about yourself through your relationships with others.
I've really enjoyed the Greek Islands. I have always been fascinated by the ocean, especially this clear water with its lighter shades of green and blue. Yesterday, I took a trip to a remote part of Crete and saw some really beautiful things (the pictures are posted.) I took a boat to a small Island called Bilos (gorgeous lagoon with emerald colored water) and then over to a penninsula called Gramvousa, where, atop one of the mountains, stood an old (15th C.) Venetian castle. I hiked up top and the view was amazing!
This has been a great five months. I look back to when I was sitting in the JFK airport getting ready to board that plane to Morocco. There was a lot going through my head. I once read that the Space Shuttle spends 90% of its fuel just getting out of the atmosphere, and the remaining 10% lasts the rest of the journey. This is a great metaphor. I remember sitting around my apartment in Maryland for much longer than I needed to. I am sure that this procrastination had multiple roots, but I know that the two biggest were fear and inertia.
Sometimes, we just have to take that leap of faith and jump off with both feet.....I'm grateful that I did. It seems to me that, more often than not, it is that which we DONT do that we end up regretting most. I guess, instinctively, our brain wants to keep us safe, and thus it often convinces us not to take risks. In the end, when we go ahead and take that jump, we always end up finding a way. Sometimes we have to burn that boat behind us, so we don't have the option to turn back when doubt creeps in (as it inevitably does)............and this is precisely when we find out what we're made of. (I'm also happy that I have a big mouth and told so many people about my around the world trip.....I pretty much had to go, or risk looking like a sucker ;)
September 1, 2006: I am watching the World Basketball Championships and Greece is doing really well. I have been pulling for them the whole time and have watched all their games here in Greece. They are playing the US right now, so I am a bit torn, but I like the underdog. It would be fun to still be here if Greece wins it all. Think about it, it is a country of only 10 million people and they love basketball. I predict that with in the next two years there are going to be 3 Greek players in the NBA; Papadopolous, Spanoulis (already signed with the Rockets) and Schortsanitisis (aka Baby Shaq.)
I have been in Crete for the last couple of days. I came down here with a friend that I made while in Santorini. It has been a nice time. We went over to Knosos yesterday, which is an ancient palace/settlement that is over 5000 years old. Crete is where the former Minoan culture thrived. This civilization was wiped out after the Volcano (which is Santorini) erupted in 17 BC. The Minoan is where the myth of the Minotaur comes from.
Crete has really been great. It is beautiful, the people are friendly, the food is delicious and it is relatively cheap. This afternoon we are taking the bus over to the western side of the Island. It is a pretty big place and there is a lot to see. I think we are going to a place called Loutro which is supposed to be one of the most beautiful beaches in the area. Tomorrow we will hike the Samari Gorge which is also supposed to be one to the best and most beautiful parts of Europe. I should be able to post some pictures here in the next few days.
August 30, 2006: I am in Santorini. I have been here for the last two days and today I will head over to Crete. Crete is a big Island so I will probably spend four or five days there. There is a famous Gorge there with I would like to trek through. It is supposed to be one of the most beautuful places in Europe.
Yesterday, I did a tour through the Volcano (which is what Santorini is) with a group tour via boat. We explored the center of the Volcano (also said to be the genesis of the Lost City of Atlantic myth) and the went swimming in thermal springs and finally we did a sunset cruise to take in the beautiful Santorini sunset. Today I went to the Red Beach, which is exactly that. I will post pictures in the next couple of days. Greece has been quite interesting. I have kept it pretty low key and have not really indulged in the famous nightlife that is known here in the Islands. I have been very interested in the History. For example, Ios is said to the be the place that Homer is buried. Most of these Islands have some relevance in terms of birth places of the various Gods, or locations that the myths took place in. I might get a copy of The Odyssey and re-read that over the next few days to get a bit more out of the experience. I am just about finished with The Name of the Rose, which is relevant to Italian history, but now I need to focus on Greek stories. I will be flying to St. Petersburg at the end of September and will pick up a copy of War and Peace to read on my seven day train ride to Beijing.
August 28, 2006: Hello. I am in Ios, getting ready for my ferry to Santorini. The last two days have been nice and relaxing. I went to a cool beach yesterday and did some snorkeling, etc. The boat ride to the beach was a highlight. I was up front at the stern, or the bow, or whatever the hell the front of a boat is called. It was great, I held out my arms and pretended I was Leonardo Di Capprio in Titanic, singng "I can Fly." Just kidding about he last parts. But, I did stay up front and it was great. The beach was cool, I also got lunch at a local spot and watched Greece kick China's butt in the World Basketball Championships. Greece has a great team and I bet there will be atleast three of the players on this team playing in the NBA in the next two years (if not sooner.) They are great. I think they are going to give the US a run for their money (assuming they get past France in the next round.) I love speaking and hanging out with Greek people, they are very warm and generous. One lady that I was watching the game with is an English teacher up in Athens and she gave me a great synopsis of the ancient history of Greece. I familiar with a lot of what she was telling me, but she was able to put it all in chronilogical order for me. Excellent.
The water is very blue. In the evening I got a bite to eat with an Aussie that I met. I headed back to my hotel to get a nap before going out, and ended up waking up this morning. I have been pretty chill for the last several days. The place that I stayed at was great, the people that run it were excellent and very friendly. I have some pictures over the last few days that I will post soon. Today, I headed up to the top of the Island and had a nice view....after that, I hoofed it down to the main beach here and bumped into some cool English guys I had met yesterday, so we all hung out for about an hour and then I had to take the bus back to the port so that I could catch the Ferry in time. It was good talking to them, they gave me some good ideas for this website. I think that I will start to gather information, best places to stay and go, etc. and post it on on a page here, so that any readers can use that info when they travel. No need re-inventing the wheel, right?
August 26, 2006: Yesterday I was able to get my Visa for China. I am very proud of myself for being able to get these so quickly. It is recommended to give yourself between six and eight weeks to get those two. I think I was blessed again by getting my inspiration here in Greece, as there was no line in either Consulate. Each one was just a one day turn-around (which I also heard could run up to $400....for me it was only $45 and $35 additional for Russia and China, respectively.) Tonight I head over to Ios and will cool out in the Islands for the next few days. Then I will cruise over to Turkey and will plan on flying to Moscow in the middle of September.
August 24, 2006: Got my Visa for Russia today. Yippee! It takes most people atleast a month to get this thing, not the Adog.........two days from thought to finish. I guess this is what makes me so cool. Yeah I had to pay a little extra, but not that much extra. I think it was good to get it in Greece where the economy is a little bit weaker than the rest of Europe.
After I picked that I up, I headed over to the Chinese Embassy. It wasn't very easy, because I don't understand any of the street names, so I have to go on faith that people are giving me the right directions and/or they even know where it is that I am going.
Today I had two wonderful experiences on my journey. First, I asked this older couple where to go, they didn't know the street but they knew the neighborhood (that is how addresses go around here; Neighborhood then Street.) The guy even fished into his shirt pocket and gave me a free bus ticket! Second time in two days that I asked someone directions and they gave me a free bus ticket! Then when I got to the neighborhood, I asked this pretty lady where the Chinese Embassy was. She wasn't exactly sure, but thought it was in one particular direction. As I approached the area she thought it was located (about a 1/2 mile walk) I heard a honk that almost gave me a heart attack, and it was her and her friend coming back to tell me she made a mistake.....it was in the opposite direction. They told me to hop on in and gave me a lift just where I needed to go. I am telling you, Greek folks have been as kind as could be..... Across the board.
August 22, 2006: I am still in Athens, I decided to post up here so that I can take care of my Visa's for Russia and China, as this will be the last big city I'll be in before I head up North. I am going to spend some time in Greece and Turkey and then move quickly to get up there before it gets too cold. I want to take the Trans-Siberian before October, so that I will be able to do some hiking around Siberia's Lake Bikail. The more I think about, the more excited I get. St. Petersburg, Moscow, Siberia, Mongolia, China. I pray that all goes well, because this is a big deal. The train even goes through the Great Wall on the way to Beijing. So far, things have been pretty much going as planned.
This is the most interesting part of traveling. It is not easy to figure your way around city after city, where the signs and streets are in different languages, etc. I will say that I continue to blessed by the kindness of people. I can count on one hand the times I have met someone that has been overtly rude in the last four months.....I would even chalk those up to misunderstandings. I have found people in Greece to be especially kind. A good majority speak fluent English and seem generally curious to meet and interact with an open-minded American. I get so many smiles and goodwill as I travel about. Today for example, I trekked to the Russian embassy only to find out that it closed at 1pm (I had no idea, Ironically, I got there about 1:10) and the security guard was as friendly as could be. Even though I was sweating like a pig in the 100 degree weather and spent a good hour or so trying to find the place, I walked away with a big grin on my face. If people only knew how far a little bit of kindness and understanding go, there would be much less tension in the world. This is something that I can and hope to hold in my heart.
The World Basketball Championships are going on right now. Basketball is enormous over here, and they are showing all the games. It looks like the US finally has a decent team again, but dont sleep on the rest of the world. When I was in Prague, I had a friend from Serbia and he was quick to remind me that they were the current Champs from 2002.
August 19, 2006: Today I am in Athens. I took the ferry here from Corfu last night. We left Corfu at 9:00 PM and arrived in Athens at about 7:30 this morning. It wasn't all that bad, and the time went by fairly quickly. I got to hang out with some nice people. The funnest for me was playing a new card game with this Finnish couple. They were very nice. I am at a mall in Athens right now, and that is a good way to get a feel for the locals. Tomorrow I will take a tour of Athens and in the evening I think that I will take a ferry to one of the islands....I am not sure what one though. I met some British guys and Canadian girls on the trip here last night, so it looks like we are going to check out the scene tonight.
August 17, 2006: The last three days have been some of the best of my whole trip. Three days ago I arrived in Sorrento, which is on the Amalfi coast of Southern Italy. The first night started out pretty uneventfully. I went down to the Ocean and ate an excellent meal above the rocky cliffs. It was really a great meal; seafood pasta, smoked Mozzarella, etc. After that I went to a viewing point and watched the sunset. Unfortunately, I did not have my camera because it is one of the best I have ever seen. I sat there and reflected about a lot of things for a good hour or so. Literally, every color was represented in this sunset. I played a little game that I made up called "name that color." Sure enough, there weren't any that I could name that didnt appear in that sunset. I was getting pretty creative as well; Burnt Sienna, Brick Red, Cornfield Blue, every Crayola I could think of.
After that I went back to the Hostel and checked the internet. There were two girls from Denmark that invited me to drink with them. We were sitting around talking, when three girls from California came in. They were cool and had spunky personalities. We all hung out for the rest of the evening. The next day the three California girls and I went to Positano (a beach town east of Sorrento.) It was a bit precarious getting there, because the first bus that was supposed to come didnt show, so we were way overcrowded. The route we took is considered one of the best bus rides that you can take traveling because you take these tight roads that are way up in the cliffs overlooking the sea.....and trust me, you are looking right over the sea. It was scary because the bus would sway from side to side, and I was a little bit worried because of the extra weight. People started getting a little bit tense at the beginning because of the overcrowding, but a little old Italian woman broke off a Lemon peel and everyone took a peice of that....both the smell and the sharing had a soothing effect on the bus and we made it just fine. The girls and I went swimming and sunbathing and it was great. After that we went back to Sorrento and had a great meal at a restaurant they had become regulars at. They were very earthy, easy going, intelligent, etc. I enjoyed most that they were very real and didnt seem the least bit pretentious.
Yesterday we said our goodbyes and I headed down to Naples so that I could figure out how to get to Brindisi (Eastern Shore, where I had to catch my Ferry to Corfu, Greece....where I am now.) I got a city train to a remote train station about an hour outside of Naples. Then I was to take a train from there to Brindisi. On my first leg, I was nostalgically thinking about what a great time I had with the three girls and that it was a bit sad to say goodbye. I was waiting in the information line of this desolate and remote train station to see where I could find a bathroom. I looked out the doorway and guess who I saw?......The Girls! I have mentioned these serendipities many times and some of you might think that I am making this up. It certainly seems strange to me that this kind of thing keeps happening. They weren't even supposed to go that way. In fact, they couldn't get a train ticket and had to sweet talk some guy into giving them one for the following day, but they had to commit to stand if need be. I guess it was just meant to be. We all hung out for the next three hours in the dining car (they were going to a different town than I was to catch a plane to London.) It was wonderful. I will post pictures of them as soon as I get a chance.
So, know I am in Greece and am staying at a place called the Pink Palace. I havent checked my room yet, so I am not sure what to expect. For 25 Euro you get breakfast, dinner, a room, and lots of entertainment. I met some Australian and English girls and we went to the beach this afternoon, I went snorkeling and it was pretty nice.
August 14, 2006: Wow. I have been very busy over the last few days and have not had a chance to update my website. There has been so much that has happened over the last eleven days, I dont know where to begin. I will try and keep it concise. First Rome. Rome was excellent and I had a great time. The second night I was there I met some guys in the center square area. They first gave me a hard time because I was American, but I won them over after a little bit of discussion and they took me to an after hours place. While I was there a met a couple interesting people that had a big impact on the rest of my trip. One Guy, Jim, own the largest pubcrawl in Rome, with his partner Dmitry. They have run this thing for six years and get up to 200 people a night to join them for festivities in front of the Colosseum and then they take them to various bars throughout Rome. Jim is from Michigan and came out here seven years ago and started giving tours at the Vatican. He was also the first and largest operator of English tours in Rome. It was great hanging out with these guys because they had their finger on the pulse of the city and really made it a great experience for me. I have been very blessed in the people that I have met. Their organization has been written up in USA Today and the Wallstreet journal.
I met another cool guy through them, Tim. Tim and I hit it off because he was a boxer and I was too. He has a very interesting story. He was born in America to Philipino and Hawaiian parents, but was then adopted by an English family....an Asian guy that speaks the Queens English. He went to Northwestern Univeristy. He speaks fluent French and Italian and also owns a restaurant in Paris. He knows the Roman restaurant scene pretty well, so we all went out for a nice dinner in Rome one of the nights I was there, and it was the best meal that I have had in ages. The best story that Tim told me was that he played a role of a Philipino Pirate in a movie called Life Aquatic, which starred Bill Murray.
The city is so filled with history. It really amazes me that I can be walking around a city that is 2800 years old and was in control of the entire known world at a time, and played such a significant role in history. I was able to see all of the sites; Colosseum, Pantheon, Sistine Chapel, St. Peters Cathedral. I met some great folks and had some good food as well.
After Rome I headed down to Naples. Over the last couple of days I was able to go to Pompeii and see the ancient ruins that were preserved after the eruption of Vesuvius. That was amazing. It is another window into Roman life 2000 thousand years ago. I was even able to go to the top of Mt. Vesuvius. You feel like you are on the top of the World up there. Yesterday I was able to go to Capri. I spent the night there last night and this morning I met some cool kids from California and we were able to go all over Capri. I was really lucky I met them, because it was raining this morning and the one thing that I wanted to do was see the Blue Grotto and it was closed. So, I was just going to head back to Naples and scratch Capri. That would have been a great waste time. The coolest part was this beach that we went too. They are surfers back there in California and have an interest in the water, and because of this I was able to go in the Ocean for the first time in probably ten years. We found a apot on the Southeastern tip of Capri and it was locals only. It was a cove with very beatuful, crystal clear, blue water. The surf was really quite strong and we hung out there for a couple of hours and then I came back to Naples. Tomorrow I will go to a museum here and then head over to Sorrento and the rest of the Amalfi coast and then head over to Brindisi, which will be my jump off for Greece. I am ready to spend some time at the Beach. I have really enjoyed seeing the sites, ruins, and art work over the last four months, but I am now ready to chill out in the beautiful, crystal clear water that has 50 different shades of green and blue. I still have not had much of an opportunity to update the photos. I will soon.
One more trippy small world story. I came back to Naples tonight and was thinking about getting a place close to the city center, but I then decided to come back to the same hostel that I stayed at my first night here. I saw a couple of Japanese kids that I had met before. They were sitting with a girl that looked familiar and after a bit of converasation I realized that she was on the tour of Berlin that I took a month or so back. The four of us chatted a bit, but I am quite tired from my journey and wanted to update my blog before I go to bed.
August 3, 2006: Hello from Roma. I got here late last night and the hostel had given my room away (I got there at 10pm.) As always, it ended up working out for the best. After about a half hour of back and forth, he gave me a better room (much better -private, AC, TV vs. a dorm with none of that) for only ?? more. I gave him and his hostel a stellar review on the booking site in appreciation for that.
In the last two days I have bumped into two groups of people that I met elsewhere. Yesterday I did a group tour combo in Florence; the Academia and Uffizi museums. While in the Uffizi I saw this Japanese guy that I met on the train from Munich to Venice. The funny thing about that is we didnt even share the same compartment and he didnt speak any English, nor I Japanese. I happened to be rocking my Argentina jersey which is his favorite team...so he walked by the compartment and gave me a thumbs up. I then bumped into him in Venice briefly, and again yesterday. It was quite the scene. I went up to shake his hand and he started bowing and busting out in Japanese with his two companions. It is a small world and It is such a blessing to connect with people in such a sincere and genuine way when we cannot communicate verbally.
Today, I bumped into two girls and their Aunt that I met on the way to Pisa. I was speaking with my companion and another couple in our four person area and these girls were interested in what we were talking about. I saw them listening intently so I introduced myself. Anyway, this morning I was walking through the train station from one hotel to the next, and I saw them. They are from Pheonix and have been traveling through the US and Europe. I know that we are all on the same circuit, but I could have easily never met either of these people, and then of course not bumped into them subsequently. I have to say, there is too much of this to say that it is just coincidence.
Yesterday was great. The museums were fantastic. Seeing David up close reminded me of looking in the mirror.....kidding. The statue is 17 ft tall, and really amazing. You are not supposed to take pictures, but I did anyway and got caught. They take it pretty seriously. I think that it is because they want you to buy items in the giftshop afterwards. The next museum I saw yesterday was the Uffizi, which was also wonderful. They had the Birth of Venus by Bottecelli and other great works from Da Vinci, Michelangelo, Titian, etc. I snuck a couple of shots of those as well and will post in a couple of days.
The night before I had a great wine tasting and met some nice people; From Canada, Norway, and India. The food and wine were wonderful and the scenery and company were even better. The Chianti section of Tuscany is breathtaking. The colors, the flora, the hills....all lovely.
I am about to head off to the Colosseum and explore that area. I have a good game plan mapped out for the day and am justing waiting for people to take their siesta so I can check out the sites sans crowd.
August 1, 2006: I have to keep it short because I am off to the Chianti region in about a half hour. I am going for an all day wine tasting and then to a special dinner. I am excited. Florence has been great. The other day, I went to the Leaning Tower of Pisa with a nice Chinese, Malaysian, Australian girl that I met, Seih.
Tomorrow I have a busy day as well. I will tour the Academia and see Michelangelo's David (among other great works) and in the afternoon I have booked a tour of the Uffizi, which contains the best works from the Renaissance. Then, in the evening, I will go down to Rome. I have to prepare mentally for that one. There is lots to see. I think that I am finally getting the hang of travelling. I have been moving at a nice clip and seeing lots of great things. I have been getting relevant books for the places that I am at or going to. For example, I am reading a great book right now called "Michelangelo and the Pope's Ceiling." It is the NY Times best selling story behing the creation of the Sistine Chapel. This should give me a good framework from which I can better appreciate my visit to Rome.
I also hope to see some of the Medici sites (between tours tomorrow) while I am still here. They are who Machiavelli wrote about and they were a powerful banking family, largely responsible for the Renaissance.
July 29, 2006: Hello Friends! Since I last wrote I have been up to lots of good and interesting things. I was in Munich for a couple of days and made friends with a nice young lady from California, Marina. She was fun and cool. Her family owns a large winery in NY and they even sponser the Buffalo Bills. She had a travel bag from the ProBowl, which she went to with her Mom this year. We hung out most of the time that I was in Munich. She even treated me to a very nice dinner the last night at a place called the Marionplatz right in the center of Munich. It is an old cathedral and we had dinner right in the center of it.
After that I headed down to Venice where I spent the last four days. Venice was an interesting place. The waterways were nice and there was a pretty cool square, St. Marks, that was pretty amazing as well. I didnt take the gondola, because it was 70 Euros and I didnt have anyone to go on it with. I stayed at a very cool campsite for the time that I was there and made lots of great friends. It generally takes me about three days to set up a nice social network and I really enjoyed the people that I got to know. Last night was especially fun, I hung out with some really cool Ozzies from Melbourne and also some of the Italians that work at the campsite. It started out as a pretty interesting night. I went into Venice so that I could get a nice bite to eat (the camp was about 15 minutes away.) As soon I got there I realized that I made a mistake. There were black clouds, lightening in the near distance, and everyone was closing up there shops and heading out of town. So, I was lucky enough to get back to the bus before it left and we ended up getting stuck on a bridge for about 1 1/2 hours, as a fallen tree (gigantic one at that) was blocking the street on the other side of the bridge. When I finally made it back, the electricity was out in the entire campsite. It came on shortly after I met up with some friends in the bar area. There were some other cool highlights while I was there. One of which was these brazillian capiora (sp?) dancers that came to do a demonstration at the campsite. They were great and I will post the pictures up tomorrow morning.
This afternoon I came down the Florence, the heart of the Renaissance. I plan to see Michelangelo's David. Also there are some good museums to see while I am here and tomorrow I think I will take a day trip to Pisa to see the tower. It is just about 30 minutes away and several people have told me that is all there is to see. I guess I'll spend a half day or so there. I met a cool American guy this evening who told me about some night festival going on close to my hostel, so I think that I may check that out. The same guy told me that on this upcoming Wendesday the guitarist from Pink Floyd is going to be having a concert here. Anyway, Im at a cool hostel and I should be able to post some pictures on my site tomorrow. Best wishes to all of you.
July 21, 2006: Well, I´ve been staying in hostels for the last couple of weeks and have not had very good access to update my blog. I was able to post a few pictures from Prague the other day. I feel bad that I have not updated the site as frequently as I intended, but on the plus side this allows me to distill me experiences, first. I think that it is important to stay connected, and at the same time it is important to allow my experience to gestate on its own.
From Berlin, I headed over to Prague. It was a very interesting city with lots of great sites and people. I met some really interesting folks and had some good times. I met cigarette smugglers from Belfast, a Belarusian whose dad leads the opposition party there, a Serbian kid who it took three visas just to get to Czech so he could work at an ecological camp. The city is very old. Very Medieval. There is a old cathedral in the middle of the old town that looks like Batman should be in. There were so many great people that I can hardly remember them all. This is one place that I could see myself living someday.
When I left Prague, I decided to come to Vienna, Austria (where I am at now.) On the train, I was sitting next to a nice lady from Bratislava, Slovakia. I told her where my transfer stop was, but I think she had the hots for the Adog, and conveniently forgot to tell me when that arrived. So, I ended up in Bratislava. The guy who checks tickets had a problem with this. I was thinking that I was in the right place, he was trying to take away my ticket to Vienna, and I wasn´t having that, so we had a bit of a comical back and forth. He took the ticket out of my hand and started walking away. I then ran after him, took my ticket, and started walking the other way. The mistake was mine, of course, and we got it all worked out. I payed ten Euro for the extended trip, but was able to get back to Vienna. Lucia (the Slovakian) bought me a coke and hung out with me for a half-hour until my train back to Vienna came. They let me go back for free. It was all pretty funny. It did lead to another small world story, though. On the way back to Vienna, I was talking to these Brazillian Girls and this guy walked by and patted me on the head. I looked up and it was Dave, who had been a roommate of mine in Amsterdam. He has been staying in Vienna with his Austrian girlfriend, and the two of them took a day trip to Bratislava that same day..........again, had I not overshot my stop or even chose that particular car, etc. I would not have bumped into him. It was cool. They helped me get situated, and also told me about a free concert in Vienna, Sean Paul, which I went to last night. I was supposed to meet up with them, but the place was too packed, and I couldnt find a pay phone to call them. It was a cool concert. Some girl walked by me and she was wacked out of her mind on some type of substance and I dont think that it was alchohol. She kept falling out and was in the middle of this big concert. I was standing near several African guys and we were all trying to figure out how to help her. I guess I drew the short straw so I ended up escorting her through the crowd to the periphery, where I tried to get someone at the beerstand to help her. They didnt. I got her out of the center, and figured that I had done my part, so I went back into the concert. This is the first city that I have been where people are not very friendly or helpful. This is just my experience of course, but I have had five or so incidences where people were rude.
I have been in Vienna for the last two days, and, besides some rude people, it is also a cool place. The first night I got here I had a couple of roommates from Sweden and the three of us went to the center area of town and took in a bit of a film festival. The one kid, who is only 23, has already been around the world and was able to give me great advice on where to go. He has taken the Trans-Siberian and told me the best way to do it. He also went into Mongolia and Tibet and has been all through SE Asia as well. It is great to hear about these things first hand.
I am just about finished re-reading Anne Frank's Diary. I got it at the house in Amsterdam where she and her family hid. It is such a sad story and she was a very strong person. I am amazed that she could have such profound thoughts at her young age. She was only 15 when she died. It really is an amazing diary, and I would recommend that anyone read it again. I like picking up books in the various places. Kafka is from Prague, so I may get Metamorphisis. I am constantly on the go, but I wish that I could prepare a little bit more for each place that I go. Such as reading up on the history or the great books that come from these places.
I am going to Bratislava just for the day to have Lucia show me around. It should be fun. I'll try and upload some pictures from Vienna and the concert last night. The good thing about this photo link is that it puts the newest pictures up on the top. I am trying just to post the 10 best from each place so that you checking it dont get overburdened.
Thanks again for keeping your eye on me. It should only get more interesting from here. I am planning on going through Italy and Greece over the next month and from there, I'll work my way up Eastern Europe into Russia and then I'll head over to Asia. Everyone tells me that this an "in your face kinda place."
July 7, 2006: Hello Folks. I have not been at a connection fast enough to post my photos of the World Cup match, but I will soon enough. I am still in Berlin and have another small world story for you. I dont know what it is, but I am eternally connected to the universe. It is really uncanny. In the last two days I have been on a couple of tours. Two days ago was a free tour of Berlin; The Berlin Wall, Brandenburg Gate, etc. Yesterday, I went on a paid tour with the same company. It was to the first Concentration camp that Germany created. It was very sad and scary. Hitler came to power in the early 1930's because of a strange loophole. Originally, He had been named Chancellor of Germany, but it was just a figurehead position and he had no real power. There was a fire that was set in the Reichstaug, and he was able to convince the German government to give him unbridled authority to round up the "subversives," but just for thirty day. With that, he locked up all his potential political opponents and this was the concentration camp where they were held. After locking up his opposition, there was nobody to stand in his way, and thus he made himself the dictator of the country, and you guys know the rest of that story.
The Small World Story:: During the tour, I met a couple of guys from Portland, Sean and Mika. What makes this story most interesting is that Sean is the founder, President, and CEO of a website called Bootsnall.com and this is the website that I used to do about 70% of my travel research before leaving the states. This is one of the largest travel websites in the world and is viewed by over 1.2 million unique visitors every month. It has been written up in USAtoday and the Wall St. Journal, among others. How cool is that? I got to throw back some cold ones with the guys that largely inspired me to take my trip in the first place? We got pretty lit up and I ended up crashing at the apartment they had rented here for World Cup. I was able to ask lots of travel questions and I had a great time.
July 1, 2006: What a small world it is. If you have read the "about the Adog section" then you know that I have a lot of faith in the universe and I have had the most unusual things happen in my life. It seems that I have been very blessed and that things always happen just as they are supposed to. I recently had another experience that illustrates this. The first night I was in Berlin I kicked around the area where my hostel is located. I went to a little city beachparty, checked out this sculptors studio.....basically I was just wondering around getting familiar with the area. I had a hard time figuring out what to eat, but I finally settled on this outdoor shwarma place. There were just three stand up tables outside and I looked over as I was ordering and I saw my buddy Claudio from Argentina. Who is Claudio you ask? Claudio was my roommate in Madrid for a couple of days. In fact he is in a couple of the Madrid pictures (the one where we are dancing with the four girls.) I planned on meeting back up with him in Barcelona, but I stayed in Madrid longer and just lost touch. Anyway, in the last month or so he has been all over and so have I. I never really intended on coming to Berlin in the first place, I just thought about if over the last couple of days and thought it might be fun to check out the hype. I never thought that I would be able to get a ticket to the game. Well, Claudio has been to all the games that Argentina has played in and he was able to get me a ticket to yesterdays match between Germany and Argentina here in Berlin. How lucky is that? I had to pay just about double the face price, but I could have sold it for 10 times that. This was a great game. I was disappointed that Argentina lost, as I thought they should have won. But, I still had the adventure of a lifetime. I must be the most blessed person in the World.
It makes me think that everything does happen as it is supposed to. I was actually going to stay an extra day in Amsterdam. I stayed there for ten days and had a blast, as you can imagine. Had I left a day later or sooner or eaten five minutes before or after or chose any other of the hundred places to eat on that street, on and on, I would have not had that incredible experience. Not only did I get to see the game, I got to have the Argentinian experience. The land of Diego Maradona and the Hand of God. We first went to the hotel where Maradona and all the players were staying..... we didnt have any sitings other than the bus that came to pick up the players, but it was fun nonetheless. We sang songs and I learned much about the Argentinian team and the history. I would have to say that Argentina is one of the most passionate places in the world when it comes to this sport. It is really tied into the national identity.
June 29, 2006: Hello Folks. I am now in Berlin. I just got here about an hour ago and it is exciting. I am going to watch a couple of soccer matches here over the next couple of days and take in the atmosphere. Amsterdam was great, but I had a tough time updating my site from there. I met a lot of really great people and saw the Van Gogh Museum, the Anne Frank House, and Amsterdam from a Canal boat tour. I stayed in a pretty cool hostel while I was there. It was pretty much in the middle of everything. The trainride up to Berlin was great as well. I met some cool guys from Southern California and will probably catch tomorrows game with them. There was also a couple from New Jersey in our cabin and the 6 hour train ride went by very quickly. I will probably check out Eastern Europe after this. I enjoyed Western Europe so far, but not too much. It was too expensive and there were too many travelers from the Western World. I guess German keyboards are different as well, so I am going to keep it short.
June 22, 2006: I've been in Amsterdam for the last four days and it has been interesting. Paris was nice and I enjoyed seeing the many sites. Amsterdam has been fun and interesting in its own way. It is a beautiful town, with canals running all through it. There are hardly any cars. People mainly get by on bicycle or through the tram or canal systems. Most of the bicycles here are atleast 20 years old. The seem to be only one speed as well. You see thousands of them. I have really enjoyed it. Ironically, the infrastructure here doesnt seemed to be as well developed for the traveler as one might expect. There arent many internet cafes and the hostels are fewer than Ive seen in other places and they get filled up pretty quickly. In fact, I have to arrange a place for tomprrpw if I am going to stay in Amsterdam. I did try and go see the Anne Frank house yesterday, but there was a line outside atleast two blocks long. It was also raining outside and the area that people were waiting in was uncovered. I hope to see that and the Van Gogh Museum before I go.
June 12, 2006: Happy Birthday Mom.
The last few weeks have been interesting. Madrid and Barcelona were much different than Morocco. I spent a lot of time socializing and meeting different people from all around the world. In the last three weeks I have had atleast one positive experience with a person(s) from the following countries: Mexico, Morocco, Algeria, Israel, Gambia, Senegal, Spain, France, England, Ireland, Romania, Bulgaria, Phillipines, China, Venezuela, Ecuador, Argentina, Brasil, Canada, The US, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, The Netherlands, Scotland, Bolivia, Australia, Cuba, Jamaica, Nigeria, Germany, Russia, Greece, Chile, Hungary, Portugal, Georgia, Poland, South Africa, Guatamala, and one Aborigine from Australia. That is 40 different countries of origin from which I was able learn, and I may have forgotten some. Most of the folks spoke English, but not all of them. The communication was interesting, sometimes through a third party and sometimes with just hand signals and basic words that either I or they knew, but there were lots of smiles and good energy. I didnt see as much of Barcelona as I would have liked. But, that makes me realize that I have one opportunity to see each country and if I am to get the most out of it, balance and moderation are required...otherwise I will have regrets. I got an excellent email from a good friend and it said: "Every moment contains where you're coming from and where you're going to. Only death releases us from the present moment to become our whole lives. At every other moment we're contributing to what that whole life will have been.....Fill it up."
The last two days have been a good break. I've been in Paris since Friday. I spent the weekend with my little Sisters best friend, Kelly. She speaks French and is like family. It was good to get that fix of something familiar. It is easy to lose yourself when you are travelling from place to place and I really appreciated spending time with her.
We went all over Paris; The Notre Dame, The Louvre, Montemarte, The Musee D'Orsey. I've seen the Mona Lisa, Venus De Milo, Van Gogh, Renoir, Monet, Cezanne, Rodin, etc. It has been really cool. Art first hand is such an uplifting experience, especially when you are standing a foot away from the World's most famous works. I found a fast connection and have uploaded some photos. I have the DVD back in my hotel with the Madrid and Barcelona photos so I will organize those in the next couple of days. There are some cool photos of France on the site right now.
Thanks to you all who have been checking the site and checking on me. You are great friends.
June 9, 2006: I am now in Paris......having to get used to the French keyboards again. I came to visit my little sisters best friend, Kelly. She speaks French, so that should enhance my experience. We are going to visit the Louvre tomorrow, which I am excited about. Barcelona was a blast.....I had a great time, but the only sight I really saw outside of the nightlife was the Picasso museum.
The Museum was excellent. I had an impression of Picasso only painting fat women and other abstract shapes, but he was an incredibly excellent artist across the board. He was only 15 when he painted First Communion. Seeing his earlier works, as well as his transition into different styles, has given me a new appreciation of his more abstract work. I see that he earned his salt early enough that it allowed him to evolve into different applications. His later work is very symbolic and I like him;
He had several different phases and did everything from sketches, oil paintings, portraits, cubism, abstract. He had several different periods, including the Blue period and the Pink period.
It seemed that it was later in life that he painted that more abstract stuff that I had come to associate with him. When I was in the Prado I saw the original, Melinas, which was one of the worlds best paintings be Velasquez and is a scene in which the canvas back is in the right side of the painting and Vasquez is painting the subjects, Philip II and , in the foreground are .....and you can only see the subjects in a
mirror in the background. It is very detailed and very well done. It had a very large impact on Picasso, as he created 55 painting based on it, mostly all of them in that abstract. I came to realize that he would highlight different aspects of the subject to make a further expression in his works. I feel that I was very lucky to see the original inspiration for these works, as it gave me an even greater impression of Picasso. The one regret that I have about the other Museum in Madrid that I saw, was that the
Guernica was closed. This was Picassos impression of war, based on the Spanish Civil War. It was being restored or something, so it wasnt open to the public. I guess I will have to see it if I go back to Madrid.
June 2, 2006: I´ve been having fun.....too much fun, so I´m pulling back the reins a bit, otherwise I wont be enjoying the sights. I am in Barcelona and today I'll catch up on laundry, this blog, and picture uploading (which takes a long time unless I have a superfast connection...I have 1.5 Gb´s of pics to upload.)
I´ve met lots of great people and right now I am at a backpackers hostel in Barcelona called Gothic Point in the Gothic Quarter of Barcelona. I want to upload these pics so I can clear some space on my memory cards, because there is so much to see here. Yesterday I was walking around Las Ramblas (the main throughway in Barcelona) and watching the various street performers and artists. The Ramblas is about a mile long and is filled with various things of interest. There are human statues, breakdancers, street entertainers, this Jamaican guy who balances a bicycle on his head, etc. According to Rick Steves, this is the pickpocket capital of Europe. I can see how, as so many people congegrate around these sights and are probably easier marks because of it. I have tried to be super aware and have been fortunate so far, but I have met a couple of people that have become victims.
It has been a little while since I updated my site. I have so much to write about, but I´ll keep it concise. After Granada, I went to Madrid. There I stayed in my first backpackers hostel. It is a different experience altogether. You meet so many great people from all over the World. I made atleast ten great friends that I hope to stay in touch with. You get such a range of characters that you can really find a companion(s) for just about any activity.
I did get to see some great sites while I was there as well. The Royal Palace.....including the Armory where they have lots of Medieval weapons and armor, including that of El Cid. I got to see some great Picasso's and Dali's at the Reina Sofia. I went to the Prado museum, which is one of the best classical art museums in the world. There were works of El Greco, Velasquez, De Goya, Rafael, Ruben, etc. Really some of the best and most famous works of art ever produced.
I plan on going to the Dali museum and a Picasso museum and also seeing some of the works of Gaudi. He is a genius designer/architect that built many of the buildings in Barcelona. The word "gaudi" comes from him, as his designs were quite ostentatious. One of them is a cathedral that he never completed, The Sagrada Familia, and the only place that he kept his designs were in his head. He died before completion and nobody has been able to figure out how to finish it. He started it in the early 1900´s and they say it should be completed by 2020.
May 22, 2006: I am now in Granada and will be heading to Madrid tomorrow. I really enjoyed my last day in Sevilla, in which I got to see the Cathedral. It is the third largest in the World (behind the Vatican and St. Peters in London) and is where they keep the tomb of Christopher Columbus.
I met a couple of students from U of Michigan on the train ride to Granada, and we went and found a hostel together. They had tickets to the Alhambra (famous Moorish palace) so they went to see that and I went to see Barcelona play against Arsenal for some big cup. It was a good game and Barcelona came back from a first half deficit (0-1) to win 2-1. The best thing about Barcelona is their best player, Ronaldinho, from Brazil. He is very fun to watch...they say he is the best in the world. After that, I went to a Reggae club to listen to some music and hung out with some guys from Senegal. I have several good friends from Gambia-Senegal in DC, and they taught me some words in Wolof. This came in handy last Thursday. There is a very large Senegalese population here in Spain and I assume most of them came over the same way as the guys from Mauritania (recently in the news) tried to come, by boat. It reminds me of those boat people from Vietnam and from Cuba. It sounds like a very treacherous journey and many people die in the attempt to make it to Europe. A lot of these guys sell CDs on the street here to make ends meet.
The rest of my time here has been just as interesting. As I mentioned, I befriended a guy from Senegal so he and I went to the Disco a couple of nights. I met a nice girl from Denmark while there, Mia, and she and I became friends. It is great to have connections in various parts of the world and be able to learn, first hand, about the many cultures of this beautiful planet.
This morning, I woke up pretty early to go see the Alhambra. This was the grandest of the Moorish palaces and the last Arab stronghold in Europe. They had entered Andalucia (the name of this region, including Sevilla and Granada) in 717 and dominated until the mid 13th C. when the Christian Crusaders (El Cid) began to push them back and they finally relinquished the Alhambra in 1492. The technology of the stronghold and intricacy of the design was really amazing. I´ll post some pictures in the next couple of days. As was much of the captured real estate, Alhambra was then converted and built over with Christian structures. There is such a rebuild in the center, a palace named after Charles V. Another interesting section was the Hall of the Ambassadors where Columbus got permission from Ferdinand and Isabella to sail to the New World. I really enjoyed the tour, but it was with this handheld device and I found it to be difficult to follow and coordinate with the numbers around Alhambra, so I ended up missing the best part for a photo and that was the view of the stronghold from the Generalife (a 13th C. Moorish Garden) so I guess I will try and get guided tours from here on out.
I am staying in my first backpackers hostel tonight and I am curious to see how it works out. I have been staying at 2 star hotels for the most part on this trip and it has been inexpensive enough, but I have not gotten into the mix as much, I´m sure. One of the great things about the backpacker hostels is that there are some extra amenities intended to cater to this type of travel, such as laundry service and free internet, plus it is less expensive and I´m sure that you meet more people this way too. Tomorrow I´ll head up to Madrid.
May 16, 2006: It's been an interesting few days. I arrived in Sevilla 5 days ago, and have seen some cool things. Sevilla had won the UEFA Cup the night before I got here, which is a pretty big deal in soccer/futbol. The streets were filled with people, and I was able to get right up to the bus where the players were parading the cup through the city on. There are a couple of players that will be playing in World Cup this year.....one from Brazil and one from Italy. The parade was right in front of the Cathedral, which is the largest in the World based on area. It has the tomb of Christopher Columbus located in side. It is very cool from the outside, it is Gothic architecture and looks like something out of a Batman movie. I'll tour that before I leave and also try and see the Alcazar, which was a Moorish Palace from the 10th C. and then the Catholics built a church on top of that in the 14th C.
After the Soccer parade, I stopped into an Irish Pub, where I met two older American guys, Ted and Frank, who gave me lots of great info about Spain and Bullfighting. They have known each other from way back in the Peace Corp. Frank had been close friends with James Michener, and had some interesting stories to tell. Michener was in Spain to research his book, "Iberia," and then stayed with Frank when he wrote "Texas." Frank recommended that I read a Hemingway book about bullfighting called "Death in the Afternoon."
Yesterday was my Birthday, but I didn't do much as I was worn out from the three days before that. I had met lots of interesting people at this Irish Pub. The same night that I met Frank and Ted, I met some students that were studying Spanish here from various parts of the World. They were pretty well connected to the city. There was Eva from Frankfurt, Clive from Malta, and Sheila from Australia. They showed me a nice time. The next day, I met four guys from London and we all hung out. They were quite generous and taught me lots about London, Soccer, and Cricket. I had been invited to Eva's going away BBQ that night, so I brought them along too.
On Sunday I went to see a bullfight. It was an interesting experience, but pretty graphic.....and the bulls don't stand much of a chance in this sport. I heard that only 30 times in the history of the sport has the bull won, in which case they kill both the bull and the bull's mother (they have a superstition that the bull is evil and the evil comes from the mother.) The best bull fighters were up in Madrid this last week for their big championships, so I got to see the novadillos (rookies.) The fights were entertaining and one of the bullfighters got gored pretty badly.....it was a pretty tense moment as he was not able to get up immediately and the bull was ready to go after him again. He did get up and finished the fight.
It is hot as heck here, yesterday was just over 90 degrees. Unfortunately, I didnt get much sleep so I am pretty tired right now. I still need to see those couple of things and then I´ll head off to other parts of Spain, probably Granada and then Madrid. I posted some new pictures.
May 11, 2006: Hey Folks. I´m in Sevilla, Spain right now. I just got here a couple of hours ago from Gibratar. I only have a half hour until this cafe closes, so I´ll update more tomorrow. From Tangier I took the highspeed ferry across the Strait of Gibrlatar. Gibraltar was great, as it is a British territory and I was able to spend some time paying about $20 and hour trying to get used to English keyboards again.
May 10, 2006: I'm in Gibraltar right now. It has been an interesting time over the last couple of days. I've met some more great people and have been treated well. This is a very interesting place from both a modern and historical perspective. Currently they operate as a highly regulated tax haven and a lot of internet gambling sites operate here. I met a lady that is an expert horse handicapper. I was out the other night with an Isreali who is marketing director for a very large internet gaming site, 888. He offered to show me Israel if I make it there. I also met a nice kid from Liverpool, England who is in the Royal Navy. I was having breakfast at a pub and he was there visiting his girlfriend. He and I shot some pool, and then I got to go to the British Navy Base, where I got to eat in the mess hall, got some songs for my Ipod and even a plastic watch. Very nice. Gibraltar is a coveted station for the British troops, as it equals 300 days of sunshine a year on the Mediteranean. I've really enjoyed the Brits that I've met, generally speaking they have a very quick wit and excellent sense of humor.
I just got back today from the top of the Rock. I took a cable car up there this morning and visited the caves and the monkeys. Gibraltar is a British territory and has played significant roles in Roman, Moorish, Spanish, British, and WWII History. There is an extensive network of tunnels and caves built in the Rock and was used during the great seige of 1782.
I made a friend from Arkansas, Kelsey, that was staying in my hostel and I went with her to the bus station is Spain today. I left my passport in my hostel and it seemed that I didn't need it. I didn't have any problem getting over there, but they almost didn't let me back. Finally, the border guard let me pass, but I thought I was going to be like Tom Hanks in the movie, The Terminal and I would be stuck in between Spain and this British territory.
May 5, 2006: I am in Tangier right now. Tangier is right across the Ocean (it is where
the Atlantic meets the Mediteranean) from Spain. In fact, it is just near the rock for Gibraltar (named after an early Islamic conquestor named Tariq....Gibral means mountain in Arabic.)
I've been here for the last couple of days. I have been chilling out a bit, because the room I'm in shows American movies on TV. It is a nice clean room and is just $20 a day. On the train ride up from Fes, I met Fernando from Italy (Sardinia) - so I had a buddy to hang out with for the last couple days. We had dinner together both nights and checked out the Tangier nightlife. He headed back down to Meknes yesterday for work. It was good times hanging out with him, even though his languages are Italian
and Spanish....and I only speak English. But, we made do. It is interesting how, with just a little bit of effort, you can find words that come close enough with the Latin based languages. So, even though I have interacted with people that speak Italian, French, and Spanish, we have been able to communicate pretty well. I've now got about 5 languages that I can say 15 words in.....I just try and arrange them in different combinations and look for a good response ;)
Mission Impossible II was on TV last night. Part of it took place in Sevilla, Spain. It looks very nice. I think I'll go there next.
May 1, 2006: Today is Workers Day throughout Europe and N. Africa. It is really interesting being in Morocco for this event. It is essentially what we would call Labor Day, but they take it much more seriously here than we do......maybe it is because the urban unemployment rate in Morocco is just under 20%. HUGE from a macroeconomic perspective. So, where Labor Day is just a day off work for us, it is a big deal in places such as this. It is easy to forget about the importance of the labor movement in American history. We definitely take a lot of things for granted in America, and things that we consider basic rights; universal suffrage, labor rights, freedom of expression, etc. were all fought for very hard and with lots of lives.
Fes has been really interesting. It is a large city, and about half the population lives in that Medina that I visited the other day. In fact, yesterday evening I was able to have a drink on the terrace of a 5-star Hotel and overlook the entire Medina. It was beautiful watching the shadows fade into the panorama. There are about 500,000 people that live in this walled city (wall is 16km in circumfrence) that is filled with a labyrinth of narrow streets. It is pretty dilapidated and, although there is electricity and satellite TV, the conditions are pretty different than most of the people reading this are used to.
April 30, 2006: I've gotten more Hugs and Kisses in the last three days than I had in the last three years :) You want to know who gives good Hugs? Moroccan Mothers and Italian Girls. I've really been around some of the warmest and kindest people from many different cultures. We've got it all wrong over there in the US.....we should Hug each other more. I also like the French/Italian greeting - a kiss on each cheek. It looks a bit corny at first, but it really can be quite warm and genuine. So, when you see me next and I am wearing a scarf and try and kiss you on the cheek, it's not because I'm funny, it's because of the European influence.
Yesterday, I rendevous'd with the Italian girls, Francesca and Isabella, at about 1pm. They were with two excellent friends, Marta and Chicho. We hired a guide and toured the Medina in Fes. It is quite vast, and very old. We visted schools (8000 students in the early 14th C.) and Mosques, Tanneries and Libraries. Very ancient and very interesting. After the sightseeing we all went to a great restaurant and broke bread together.....such an important experience. They had just come here for the day, as the girls are heading back to Italia today. I hope you made it home safely, and I really, really enjoyed the time we spent together. You were excellent ambassadors for Italia!
I've really been blessed over the last three weeks to have been able to really get to know some special people from lots of different cultures. I've been surrounded by beautiful, kind, intelligent, and well-educated folks since I've been here. I've learned a lot (first hand) about English, French, Italian, and Moroccan cultures. Really amazing when you think about it.
I look back on my life and, although the reasons weren't always immediately clear, I see that my experiences up to this point have really prepared me for an adventure such as this. If you want to read a good book, get a copy of SI Hayakawa's, Thought in Language and Action. In it, he speaks about the importance of a good educational foundation in order to be able to fully appreciate one's experience. Essentially, the broader one's education and knowledge base, the more they can gain from their experience. In my life, starting from about the 4th grade (when I started going by my middle name, Adam....pretty good move in the Muslim World) I have followed a different path than most. I've had many diverse experiences with many different people and cultures. I've associated with various ethnic groups/subgroups, including some pretty rough characters, in which I was often the single minority. This taught me lots of things about cultural relativity and being able to see things from a different perspective. I've also associated with top Corporate Executives, US Congressman, high-powered Lobbyists, Union Leaders, etc. This taught me never to be intimidated by anyone because of status. My ten years waiting tables, living in a homeless shelter in Boston for a summer, getting a degree from and living on campus at a prestigious University, losing my Dad at a relatively young age. I feel, all of these experiences, especially the most difficult, have added in many ways to my fundamental preparation for this trip. God truly does work in some mysterious ways, but in the end it all seems so perfect.
PS. I understand the photo files I uploaded have been too large for many. I am working on creating a link to a clearinghouse, where photos can be viewed more quickly and at your leisure. Thank you to all who are sharing this adventure with me :)
April 29, 2006: I spent my first night in Fes last night. It is a pretty big city (pop: about 1million) and it is separated into the new city and the old city, similiar to Marrakech. I stayed in the new city. Last night I walked around town. I had dinner at Mcdonalds. I ordered the McArabia (Lamb in a Pita) combo. I got it Maxied.
Right now, I'm in an internet cafe near the Auberge De Juenesse. This is the hostel where I will be meeting my favorite Italians at 11am. It was selected as a rendevous a few days ago, prior to either of us ever being in Fes. It should be fun, I'm excited to see Francesca and Rosella.....and they are bringing two friends. I think we are going to get a guide and tour the Medina. It is a vast complex of shops, etc. with lots of history. This place is considered the spiritual and intellectual center of Morocco. It was, in fact, once the country's capitol city as well. It is well over 1000 years old, and one of the few remaining medieval cities in the world.
Yesterday, I had breakfast with the Ouzzine's and then took some pictures of them to send back to Amine. After that, Saddia took me to the train station and told me not to trust anyone. I think the trick to travelling is public transportation. In Marrakech I heard a tip.....buy a first class ticket when taking the train. It has cost about $5 more on the two trips that I have taken, and been well worth it. First of all you have an assigned seat (on the way down to Marrakech the first time, I had to stand for about an hour before a seat opened up.) Secondly, the people that I've met on first class have been: Tahzi, a former Economist w/ the World Bank that worked directly for Robert McNamara - Edress, A gentlemen that had been an English Teacher in France and very knowledgable on lots of subjects.....very kind and interesting - Saad, A world class athlete - he now coaches the Saudi long distance national team (he came in 4th in the Atlanta Olympics) - Angharad, A Columbia grad from NYC who is out here studying Arabic (and, according to Edress,she already speaks it pretty well.) A very enlightening way to travel.
Today, as I was looking for the hostel (often a challenge when you don't speak the language) I asked this older gentleman. He was wearing the traditional muslim clothes, the long hooded robe (sherwani) and fez hat. He was quite gracious and from the address and name on the paper, he took me all around Fes to look for it. In fact, we asked several people along the way and ended up walking for about an hour and came back to almost where we started. He spoke exactly as much english as I spoke Arabic....about 5 words. It was wonderful hospitality and in the end I think he invited me to have breakfast with he and his family. It was a bit of a predicament because I could not say anything to him. I certainly didn't want to offend his kindness, so I just kept following and we never made it to the address (he did get me pretty close, though.) Afterwards, I just asked a cab-driver.
April 27, 2006: You know that feeling you get when you're in love? Where you feel warm all over and your heart is so filled that it could burst out of your chest? That's how I've been feeling lately.......not towards any particular person, but with life in general. I'm in love with life. The last few days have been low key, but good. After returning to Marrakech from Essouaria, I took it easy. It rained for two days straight which was somewhat restrictive. I did meet some cool people in the internet cafe; One very nice and interesting Polish couple from Montreal (just returning from four months in Burkina Faso) and a young Jewish girl from LA. We grabbed dinner together, and had a nice time hanging out and sharing some laughs. We all met for breakfast the next morning and one of them called Amine's Mom for me to let her know that I was doing well. It's been great making friends with people who speak French. It also seems that everything has been happening right on schedule. The hard part is not having a copy of this schedule and having faith that the next day will be even better (is it possible?)
The next day I was feeling a little bit bored, and I pretty much just walked around town. I almost went to a nightclub, but thought not. It started to get late and I remembered telling my friend Yunesse that I would meet him up at his Riad (it's one of the nicer ones in Marrakech.) He was happy to see me and invited me into the Courtyard where there were two lovely Italian girls, Francesca and Rosella, sitting at a candlelit table. The four of us had dinner, and then went up to the terrace for tea and conversation. The next morning, I met them all back at the Riad for breakfast. After that, the girls and I went sightseeing and caught the same train up North (I came to Casablanca and they went a little bit further to see friends in Rabat.)
Once again, all my great adventures have been based purely on serendipity......Meeting the British girls, which led to both the Sahara/Atlas adventure and meeting Yunesse. Then having that lady in my seat led me to meet my Favorite French Friends; Frederique, Carole, and Armand, who made Essouaria that much more special. Also, if I hadn't met Faye and Anouska I would not have met Yunesse. If I hadn't of met Yunesse I wouldn't have met the lovely Italian girls. Each fork in the road brings all of these new possibilities. I guess that is one of the great things about a trip like this......I am constantly faced with making new decisions.....there are lots of crossroads and lots of opportunities to learn about myself and others, and each decision, especially early on, creates an entirely different path.
I had already booked a first class ticket for the trip so we sat separately, but were able to hang out a bit on the train. Francesca came up to bring me some lunch, which was very sweet of her. I had made some new friends in the first class coach, including a very interesting older Moroccan couple that lived in Georgetown for several years, as he was an economist for the World Bank. He worked for Robert McNamara (one of my heroes) and the three of us had a great conversation on the way up to Casablanca. They even helped me contact Saddia (my friend Amine's mother)....who picked me up at the train station when I arrived.
Last night, Saadia, Nahil, Hatima and I had dinner and caught up. Amine's Sister, Nahil, speaks perfect English, so she really helped make it easier to catch up with the rest of the family. This morning Saadia, Nahil, and I all went to the market where we bought lots of incredibly fresh vegetables, fruits, lambchops, and even a rooster (that was soon dispatched, feathered, and washed.) Quite an experience. This family is wonderful, they have treated me as a son and I feel very grateful. I think it was St. Augustine that said gratitude was the basis for all other virtues. I had a hard time understanding it when I first read it, but I think I get it now.
I'm looking forward to going up to Fes this weekend, where I'll meet up with the Italian girls and check out one of the World's Ancient cities (founded in 808 AD.) There are some Roman ruins outside of Fes that I would like to see also.
April 23, 2006: The last couple of days have been fairly low key. I've spent a lot of time working on this website. I've tried to upload photos, but they were not stored in the proper place. As soon as I settle down somewhere I am going to switch-over to a different company, I think. I am back in Marrakech. I left Essouaria yesterday afternoon. I made a friend, Younisse, when I was hanging out at the Riad that Faye was staying in. He is a good kid. What really amazes me is that the 4-5 times I've seen him (anytime of day) he's been working. I asked him how much he works and he said about 17-18 hours a day. I believe him one hundred percent. He speaks several languages and comes off as very sincere and genuine. I said I'll try to hook him up with a nice American woman, so he can come to the States and put that focus to good work. He has a very pleasant disposition, likes to tell jokes, and enjoys long walks on the beach. Any of you ladies interested :)..................Nush?
I guess since there hasn't been much going on I can tell you my Star Wars theory: George Lucas must have been here before he made the original Star Wars. First of all, there are lots of people that walk around here looking like Jawas (they wear a long, brown robe with a pointed hood that goes all the way down to their feet.) Secondly, there is a city in Northern Morocco called Tatoun (Tatooine).... coincidence, I think not. Thirdly, the landscape in many parts of Morocco is very earthy, sandy, dusty, with homes made from the earth, etc. Finally, the donkeys sound exactly like Sandpeople when they get riled up. I'll try to get a picture of one of the Jawas before I head out.
Today, I moved to a new place for about $9 bucks a day. It has been raining and I have some errands to run. I think that I will go get my train ticket back to Casablanca today. Oh yeah, another highlight here is the fresh squeezed OJ, it's everywhere and only costs about $.35 for a tall glass, and it's delicious.
April 20, 2006: Last night, Myself and my new French friends; Carole, Armand, and the lovely Frederique, all went out for dinner. How did I get so lucky to meet three of the coolest French teachers around? I learned a ton, and really enjoyed the sharing. The two ladies both speak English well, and Armand's English is limited, but we were able to communicate out of genuine affinity and respect. After dinner, Frederique and I went to my place to drink some wine on the terrace. It was nice to get to know her better. I walked her back to her place after that. Today the three of us walked around town, had lunch, etc. They are heading off to do some Mountain trekking in the same places I recently returned from. I'm going to miss them, but it's nice to know that I now have some connections in Marseilles (Southern France - on the Mediteranean.)
I came to a new hotel today, and got a room for about $10. There is a terrace that is right over the Ocean - really, a most incredible Coast. It was especially windy today, which made for some very dramatic surf. The sunset and the view were incredible. I have some excellent pictures and you should be able to check them out soon. This is a sweet beachtown, I heard that Jimmy Hendrix's lived out here in 1968. There are lots of old fortifications w/ cannons, etc - Interesting to think of the history of this part of the world. When I was up on the terrace there were lots of younger people chiling as well. There were some Cool cats up there from California. I haven't introduced myself yet.....I'm a little bit whooped socially, and maybe just want to keep it low key for a minute. It' funny to write this stuff ahead of time. I was reading my journal and there was a brief little spot about the French girl sitting next to me on the bus (written probable five minutes into the ride) and, in the end, that had a big impact on the next two days. This is such a trip!
April 19, 2006: Wow. I've only been away from the States for the past 10 days and have had an unbelievable time so far. Each day has brought new sights, experiences, and friends. Some for a day, some for a season, and some for a lifetime.
From where we left off, my English friend and I took that tour through the Atlas Mountains and into the Sahara Desert. It was a great experience for two reasons; One, The sights and, two, the learning experiences that I had while there. What I saw was amazing. The Atlas Mountains (4500 meters) were beautiful, I'm waiting on some software to be able to upload my photos (otherwise you all are going to start thinking that I'm making all of this up.) We went through some amazing Gorges and Valleys. The colors were incredible; the lush green of the Valley contrasted by the earthy reds and oranges of the Kasbahs, creamy sedimented water running through the Gorges, Blue sky. This was Berber Country. (Nomadic tribes that are famed for their Magic Carpets, Kasbahs, and Camels....Also called the Blue Men......they wear a wrap around head scarf that is pretty distinct to this desert region.) When we got to the end of the road, we hopped on Camelback and trekked into the desert. It's like the movies; enormous golden dunes, rolling and wind-blown. We wound up about 5 miles from the Algerian border. We stayed in tents with a Berber family, ate, listened to their music, and watched the stars.
There were twelve of us of various nationalities (English, Australian, Latvian, Dutch, Spanish, French, and, one A-dog.) It was a very quiet group, so you can imagine that I stood out a bit (....stop laughing.) This did help me to learn some valuable things about cultural relativity, etc. I tried to liven the group up the first night which was nice. But, the second night was torture, I felt uncomfortable and bowed out early to sleep under the stars, but I did have a chance to genuinely reflect on the experience.
One of the primary reasons that I took this trip was for personal growth and development. Many cultures (although, it can be argued that I am much more inquisitive/talkative than most Americans) take a little while to warm up. I accept this inquisitive aspect of my personality, because it is based on a genuine interest to build rapport, find commonalities, make people feel comfortable, and because I really am interested in hearing about other people and their experiences. But, I can also see that I can overdo it a bit at times and, in the end, really defeat my intended purpose. I'm afraid that I may have overdone it a bit on this trip and made some people feel uncomfortable by asking too many questions - which, in-turn, made me feel uncomfortable. I've had some time to reflect, and hope to be more mindful of this as I move forward. I could benefit by slowing it down a bit and in letting each unique social dynamic evolve on it's own, especially in groups.
My favorite people on the trip were a couple from England, Andy and Kirstie (She is originally from Australia.) They were interesting and nice. Both are avid mountain climbers, in fact, we dropped them off at the Todra Gorge on the way back so they could do their climbing. The night we got to our camp in the Sahara, Andy and I scaled the largest dune in our area. It was very hard, but the view from the top was amazing. The stars appeared so close you cold almost reach out and grab them. At one point we saw a cluster of about 50 shooting stars move slowly across the night sky. Our Berber hosts said that this was quite unusual to see this many clustered together at one time. The girl that I went with ended up being a bit of a pain, but it was all good, and I learned a lot from her about her travels.
Yesterday I came down to Essouaria, a lovely beachtown on the Atlantic Ocean. Most of the buildings are whitewashed and it creates a very nice ambiance. Interesting how this journey has worked out so far. All of the noteworthy experiences have occured through meeting the right people at the right time. There were assigned seats on the bus we took, but a lady was sitting in mine in order to be next to her husband. I ended up sitting in her seat across the aisle, and next to me sat the nicest French lady I have met so far. She is quite nice, and pretty hot. She helped me look through her guidebook (in french) and secure a place. After I got situated in my room, I met her and her two friends (a couple) and we had dinner together. It was wonderful, they are all school teachers in Marseilles and their warmth and kindness really made me happy. This has been just what the Doctor ordered. Being so new at this, each day brings very new experiences - so when I met these nice, gregarious, sharing, and joyful French folks it really lifted my spirits....especially after feeling socially deprived from the last group.
April 13, 2006: On Tuesday I was walking around and saw a girl that had a shirt on with English lettering on it. I turned around and introduced myself. Her name is Faye, and she is a school teacher in London. She and I paired up and toured the city together. We went into the center square where, because of this holiday going on (the biggest of the year) there were all types exciting things happening; snakecharmers, carpet vendors, acrobats, monkey trainers, etc. It was very cool and I got some interesting pictures, one of which was with a monkey sitting on top of my head. As soon as I have some time I am going to figure out how to upload them. After that we took a horse carriage around the Medina and the Royal Palace. During dinner, we met another girl, Anouska, who is also from London (of Indian descent.) The three of us have been hanging out ever since. The second girl is pretty interesting, she has traveled all over (China, Laos, Cambodia, Kenya Safari, Mountain Gorilla trekking in Rwanda, Australia, New Zealand, etc.) It's been good hearing about her experiences. After the first two nights in Rip-off Riad I moved my accomodation to where Anouska was staying (about 1/3rd the price of the other place) and stayed I there last night. Yesterday, Anouska and I did some more walking/sightseeing (my calves are very sore right now) and went to this place (Minara) where the Sultan used to chill. It is an interesting building with a large pool in front. Lots of locals were there, and I got a cool picture atop a camel. Today, the three of us were planning on going to a beach town, Essouaria, but the bus was sold-out, so we pretty much just hung out. Anouska and I decided to share a room tonight and have booked a tour into the desert for tomorrow (3 days/2 nights) that was recommended by some folks in the Riad we stayed in last night. It is going to be a lot of time on the bus going through some famous desert cities where lots of movies had been filmed; Gladiator, Sahara, etc. The trip also consists of a camel trek and night spent in the Sahara. Should be fun.
April 11, 2006: Last night was nice, I was able to tour downtown and make it back to my place by memory (a good two miles in an ancient city (just the Medina section is ancient - the downtown is very modern) with narrow streets) with no signs in English. The people have been wonderful and, while the language barrier is significant, we are able to communicate via hand signals and limited vocab. The brain is amazing; I have already picked up about 20 words in both Arabic and French (the most important being "Thank You" - "Shu Cron" in Arabic and, of course, "Merci" in French and "Hello" Salaam/Savah, respectively.) There are two Riads where I am staying (petit and grand.) I'm staying at the small one, but I had breakfast at the Grand. It's awesome - there is a large pool in the center of this open air building and they brought out all types of pastries, jams, honey, fresh coffee, warm milk, etc. I awoke this morning to the Prayer Call. I'm staying close to the large Mosque (I'm sure that makes my Mom feel comfortable, I'm sure.) First, I heard some voices praying, presumably, in Arabic and then, over the loud speaker, more Arabic. Very interesting and reminiscent of something I've seen in a movie. I went for a walk in this central enclosed park called a cyber park. It is beautiful and makes the Boston Common look like a elementary school playground. There were a couple of small computer terminals, but there was a lot more emphasis on environmental conservation, etc. It was very large and was filled with beautiful trees, plants, and birds (One that has a call that resembles the sound an elephant makes.) I may go some place with the Frenchies today. Nasser (family friend) suggested I go with them. He said it would be very interesting. Au revoir!
April 10, 2006: The train ride was nice and I got here about 6 hours ago. This seems to be quintessential Morocco; Riads, Kasbahs, and the Medina (the old city.) The keyboards are a pain in the ass, as the letters are placed differently.........in this case, apparently, so are the keys. I guess this is part of the fun of travelling. This morning, myself and the French students went to the Mosque in Casablanca (Hassan II; the third largest in the world and the only one open to non Muslims.) Unfortunately, the inside was closed today for the beginning of a very big Muslim holiday; Fet. The outside was very cool though. I guess this holiday makes Marrakesh a very popular destination, which nobody told me until I got here.......nice trick (I would have put an exclamation point on that, but there isn't one.........atleast there is an aposrophe........the dollar sign.) I was able to get a riad in the Medina.......It's nice but pricey. It's on the top floor (3rd) and opens to a small courtyard in the center of the building. They brought me some delicious Morrocan Tea (Mint tea.....very sweet) and recharged my SIM card. It is too expensive for my budget though (.....i just found the $ sign.......the parenthesis) and if i cannot find a cheaper hostel/hotel tomorrow I'll probably have to go back to Casablanca. A friend of the family I'm staying with in Morocco referred me to his daughter here to get me this room and told me it would be 700 dirham per night (about $75) but it was 70 euro's ($85.) I told the lady it was too much for my budget and she hooked me up for the first night. But, then I got a call from her Dad and he was upset? A misunderstanding, I'm sure.
April 9, 2006: I made it to Morocco. Today was amazing. A close friend of mine had his Mother pick me up at the airport. The hospitality of this family is amazing. I came back to the house, took a nap, had lunch, etc. There was a bit of a language barrier, as the lingua franca here is French and Arabic. (in fact, this is a French keyboard - so i'll keep it short.) We (my friend's Mom, Aunt, family friend, and three Parisians went downtown to the souq (market/bazaar) etc. It's been incredible - but, I'm too tired to type any more. Tomorrow, I am going to Marrakesh (3 hour train ride) with the 3 students from France and will stay there for a couple days.
April 5, 2006: Alright folks, we finally got this thing started. I'm heading to Africa next week and will make updating this a priority. Please check in next week to find out how Morocco goes.
