The World of Nickolândia

Medieval Mailboxes

2012-02-13T22:50:00.001Z

Proud to say I mailed something in this monolithic mailbox recently. There are a few of them around Gent. I think I'll drop all of my mail in here in the future, just for fun. When you look forward to dropping something off in the mailbox just to see the box, life must be good (...or maybe you're just a weirdo with a penchant for mailboxes that look incredibly old...).

Church or Cathedral?

2012-02-12T15:00:00.000Z

I was reminded recently by a Belgian friend on the distinction of a church and a cathedral. It should be a no-brainer, shouldn't it? It seems that since I've been here in Gent, with all the massive and impressive churches, I'd just taken to calling them all cathedrals. On the other hand, I can't name a single cathedral in the bay area off the top of my head. They just all seem all relatively simple plain structures, so why not call them a church? I mean, you need at least a few gargoyles and cool arches to elevate it to cathedral status, right? I'm just religiously challenged. Complicated stuff (highly important, as well).

There is a church less than 2 blocks from me, which towers over a massive plaza. Nobody seems to ever be coming or going. The bells ring, and ring, and ring, and ring. The plaza is always buzzing with events, but the church seems ever so static. For that reason, I never decided to go inside this massive domed thing in 4 months of last year. I recently made the effort and walked the two blocks to check it out. And if this is only a church, it just makes me wonder how filthy rich the Catholic Church has been over the centuries to create structures so detailed and impressive which still were not even considered the regional centers of church life. This is essentially a neighborhood church. Check it.


Clergy Approved.

Nice backdrop for a festival.

Nice backdrop for some sitting action.

And so it goes...

2012-02-04T21:00:00.000Z

It's always tough to see good friends leave. Especially in this international program, you spend so much time with people in what feels like such a short time; countless of hours over classes, studying, dinners, drinks, etc; become good friends, then time seems to expire and people must go their different ways. Such a mix of different people coming together quite closely probably wouldn't be so possible in many other ways except an Erasmus program like this. Today, Netsanet had to leave for Edinburgh. Dennis and Mark left a few weeks back also to Edinburgh. Laura is leaving to Germany. Andrej was here for a few weeks and now moved back to Lund. And while it is a bit sad to see everyone go, especially after spending one to one and a half years with each, I know that I'll see them again, hopefully in Costa Rica, Canada, Germany, Ethiopia, Slovenia, etc... (and at the very least, for graduation). In any case, I look forward to new experiences and better friendships with all the fire students, oceanography students, and others who are staying in Gent.

Me, Andrej, Brecht, and Mark on the Slovenian coast.

Hands down, challenger for photo of the year. Funny Germans. Laura & Monika.

Some coffee with Nets this summer in Addis Ababa

Well, my beard is hilariously huge. Mark, Helene, Hernan, Dennis, Rita.

Purchasing Beer Belgian style with Dennis.

Light Festival

2012-02-01T20:28:00.000Z

Things like this are part of what makes Gent such a unique and fun city to live in. They are always putting on creative events and festivals which use the amazing space and landscape of the city so effectively. From the floating string orchestra accompanied by a laser light show on the canal in the middle of the city last October, to this 4 day light festival, which transformed the entire city center into a showcase of artist designed light shows melted into the city's incredible architecture.

Thats the main building in the city center.

The castle

One of the city's churches.

Mission Sonoma

2012-01-18T19:20:00.000Z

Time for a domestic travel blog! And sheer boredom for anyone reading this from the bay area!

Took a trip to one of California's old missions while I was home, only an hour or so out of the bay area in Napa Valley. The mission was created by the Mexican army in the 1820s to defend against Russia, who was coming down the coast of California (up to Fort Ross). It was the northernmost mission in a line of missions extending all the way down the California coast making up the El Camino Real (at the time Alta and Baja California were either Mexican or Spanish owned depending upon the year you look at). They say that the missions were spaced at a distance from one another such that one could travel between two of them in a day. It comes across as a pretty simple adobe like building with ranch-style architecture. Small places like this remind me that there are really a ton of things in California to discover, from mountains, parks and deserts to tiny towns of interesting historical significance.

The back area of the soldiers barracks next to the mission


The small chapel

Paris?

2012-01-09T06:12:00.000Z

Here are a few pictures from my trip to Paris in November. I am feel awfully spoiled in saying this, but, I really wasn't that impressed. It must be because 99% of Americans are immensely enthralled by the place (probably owing to the fact that it is one of the only places they been, and the amount of movies it has been in is innumerable), and I just think that there are plenty of other fabulous cities throughout Europe that get less credit that do certain things better. Vienna has better architecture. Spain has fabulous food. Copenhagen is more quaint. Stockholm has wider streets and great cafes. Koln cathedral is more impressive than Notre Dame. Belgrade has great nightlife. Amsterdam and Gent have more beautiful canals & rivers. All of the above are cleaner...... nonetheless, it is still a very nice city (brownie points for a fantastic subway system?). Like with any city, though, I would need to spend more time to get a good feel for it. The food, I must say, definitely lived up to the reputation. I stayed at my friend Aurelien's place, whom I met when he was living in Chicago. He has a friend who reviews restaurants, and thus recommended to us to a place with a great trade off of price/quality. Although my entree was about 23 euros, one of my priciest meals this past year, the duck was simply amazing. The escargot, also, was phenomenal. I guess my Paris-upset could have been easily predicted, as I seem to have a particular penchant for seeing places that nobody else really wants to go to (like..... Skopje, Macedonia....or Qatar!).

There it is folks.

Ah, hijacking monoliths from Egypt always makes for a much more beautiful plaza.

Mmm Crepes.

Requisite Eiffel photo.

IMFSE, Semester 3!

2012-01-06T04:04:00.001Z

Per the usual, I must give a recap of my thoughts on each University in the program so far. Since I've finally lived in all three cities and attended all three Universities, I have been able to compare each place and University for the positives and negatives.

The first semester in Edinburgh still in ways was the hardest and most trying semester. Not only coming from not being a student for almost 4 years, but also taking classes in civil engineering of which I had a very poor background in, and being catapulted into a class requiring a higher level of prior understanding. Between the all classes so far in the program, finite element method in Edinburgh was definitely the most challenging and most stressful. But the professors in Edinburgh were great, and the availability and willingness of PhD students to discuss things was also very beneficial in taking your learning further. Of the three Universities it seems as if the most contact (and engagement and desire to engage) was from some PhD students at Edinburgh. In the extra tutorial sessions they really asked a lot of questions of use and engaged us in discussion. There weren't any labs (although I heard this year they went to fire fighting school...I am envious!), but I suppose that can be expected for first semester and needing to get the basics in f irst. Unfortunately, in Edinburgh, the semester was really short and tough, so in 3+ months I barely made it any other parts of Scotland! Not even Glasgow!

I must say, I think I enjoyed my time at Lund University the best. That is a culture and a University that really cares about their students and their well being, which definitely does in the end have an affect on how people learn, absorb, and study. From professors going out of way to pick students up at the train station, to being flexible and dynamic with schedule changes, to professor availability and variation in the learning methods. We had consultants, projects, labs, homeworks, company visits, and laboratory site visits. The professors were also very good for the most part. I miss being able to place my coffee cup in the lobby of V-Building and not having to worry about anyone stealing it. And having good facilities for studying. And they have the most practical final exams. Edinburgh had 1.5 (or 2 maybe) hours exams that seemed to test your ability to write as fast as humanly possible (i.e you read a problem, know instantly exactly what to do, and simply do it...not good for people who take their time with things but still have a similar intellectual capacity, or just do things slowly). Lund had 4 hour exams that were pretty much geared to be difficult and completed in that time. Gent also had good exams this semester, that lasted 3-4 hours, usually with an oral exam. That was my first experience with oral exams. A pretty good idea, in fact, to get a general idea if the student has a clue of the bigger picture and the general concepts. Though, I have heard the exams in Gent the first semester were a mental endurance test.

So far in Gent, I am really loving the city the most. So much to do here. Beautiful city. And when not studying, there is an unlimited amount of delicious beers to sample! And fries to eat. And cities and places to visit nearby. It is also the first place I really have felt like I was part of a University again, which for me is an important part of studying and living in Europe. In Edinburgh I lived in a private apartment in a residential neighborhood and was pretty disconnected, in addition to being swamped with classes. In Lund we lived in student residences which was great, but many Swedish students were very reticent to accept new people as friends in their groups or to try to socialize a bit out of their bubble. But here in Gent, everyone is pretty inviting and friendly, from Belgians to the international students living in the student housing. Classes also are, for me, probably the most interesting & varied thus far. There are several really great professors (they really just get the skill that is teaching, in addition to knowing their stuff), and a few that are mediocre, one simply was not good (i.e I learned more watching paint dry in class and then reading the notes at home or googling the subject ...though it was evident this professor was incredibly smart). Also a good job has been done to have company and laboratory visits, and to incorporate various types of teachers, a mix of academics and consultants, which really is beneficial in order to get a better overall perspective of things. Lund also had a good mix of teaching methods and a practical trip to a company, fire station, and a laboratory (an overnight trip! nice!). One thing that they don't do much of here in Gent is give assignments as the class is taught (out of 5 classes, 2 had exercises to be handed in). It's a catch 22, you feel like you have free time for 2 out of 3 months but then if you don't spend enough of it studying (or studying the right thing for that matter) then it all piles up until right before the exams.

Honestly I want to compare my experiences here with my University in the US, but I don't think it is possible. Comparing a masters and bachelors program is like comparing apples with oranges. Especially when you factor in student mentality and expectations. What can I say. Exams at my University were something in between Edinburgh & Lund. One thing I still don't really believe in is this re-exam system they have in Lund and Gent, which I never saw in the US or Edinburgh. It is a product of the cost of education in the US and the impending repercussions of failing a class which you then have to repeat (and pay for), but when you take an exam, you should prepare and be ready. Which is not necessarily cramming the last day or week to study before tests. In so many discussions with people used to the re-exam system here, everyone seems to just accept that they have such a fall back as a re-test. In some places, 3 or even 4 re-exams are possible. That simply is not the right attitude in my opinion. I can understand one re-exam, but there needs to be some pressure to learn and study. With the IMFSE program, things are a bit different due to the internationalness of things and moving around alot, but otherwise, I'm not a big fan. If you have to spend another 5 months in class, pay for the extra class, and possibly delay graduation, I think most people will take their studies seriously the first time around. My humble opinion :)

As always, I am quite thankful and yet still excited to be part of such a great program, the education, the opportunity to live in different places, be surrounded by such an international and friendly group of people, and being able to learn from some of the best in the field. And amongst the studying here in Gent, it has been a really good base to meet a lot of new people. And of course, the point of this whole dang blog for 2+ years, to travel! Some trips have been made around Belgium, and even a few to France and the Netherlands!

With classes officially done, thesis tackling is officially underway!

The group with Prof Saedeleer

Reputation for best beer in the world? Certified!

Beautiful City

Only in Belgium. No Fries in the church!

They rolled out the red carpet for us (hey, we can at least pretend)

Exploring a new city

An undeniable staple of Belgian cuisine. Yet miraculously thinness perserveres in the Belgian population.

Class trip to Somati to learn about fire detection & suppression. Smoke screens (fascinating, eh?)

Dennis has the unwavering concentration of a Jedi Yoga Ninja master in class. Studies say it takes 20 minutes for that coffee booster to kick in:

Celebrating after completing all exams!

Novec fire suppressant. Not recommended for use with french fries.

Bicycle traffic jams on the way to class

Explosion flow diverter

Demonstrating minimum ignition energies for suspended dusts & powders

Prof Verplaetsen, our walking/living encyclopedia, explainins and demonstrates flammability limits and how a dense region of gas will not ignite:

Explosion detection devices. These respond quicker than it takes to blink (which is about 100 milliseconds vs 5-60 ms for these systems). They also respond quicker than it took for me to understand what an explosion is.

Demonstrating flame speeds and how a flame arrestor works. See, first you have to handcuff the flame. Then you read it it's rights, then...

20 Liter explosion test cell. You never know with Prof. Verplaetsen, he might just be finding new ways to concoct Belgium's latest ground shaking explosion with just the meagerst of items, from Pringles cans to coffee powder and sugar.

Trip to Warrington Fire. Fire test of a wall.

We designed the smoke ventilation for a supermarket.

Belgians Sit

2011-12-31T05:29:00.000Z

Can't say I've seen this phenomenon anywhere else, but when the weather is nice Belgian students really seem to just enjoy sitting together on the concrete in circles before, after, and in between classes. I think it's great.

Nice People!

2011-12-29T00:19:00.000Z

Time has flown! That the program is already 75% over, that classes are officially finished, that I have lived in 3 countries and studied at 3 universities over the last year and a half, and that soon I'll have a masters degree and get a job, it's all a bit amazing and exciting! Seems like just yesterday I was heading to Scotland to start the program.

I've really enjoyed my time at each University, in each city and each country in different and distinct ways. It's been a privilege and joy to get to know and become friends with so many great people from so many different places in the program. And in each city to also meet so many other people from those places and others. My perceptions on so many small things have changed as result of the simple exchange of ideas, ways, and daily life with such a varied and genuine group of people.

It's fairly cheesy, but I've never been with group of people that seems to care and share so much with each other. There really is very little selfishness. When people are sick, it seems there is always someone there bringing them lunch, dinner or making them a soup (like 3 weeks ago when Claudia made me potato soup!). Dinners are often cooked and shared with whatever is left in everyone's fridge, or when someone has a recipe or wants to cook something from home, they prepare it for more than people is necessary and invite whoever is around, and nobody is ever really hesitant to give up what they have for the group or to someone who needs it. Like a second family in some ways.

It is a dynamic and trait that I can't say I experienced very much in college at home or thereafter. In the fraternity in college and we helped each other out which I have plenty of good memories from, but that was in some ways a mutually exclusive endeavor and the service/volunteering was organizationally driven (like when you work for the company and they say they need to 'Give Back', you know it's just a load of self-driven marketing crap). I did a lot of volunteer work after college which was much certainly more genuine, but I still felt my stuff was my stuff most of the time and my time was my time. However, in regards to simple small things like sharing and helping amongst friends, acquaintances, and strangers, I'm not sure that was there as much. At the very least, it wasn't so evident or well expressed.

Traveling (outside of the program), in fact, for 3 months this summer and 6 last year, also helped a lot. Staying with many friends from the program and many random couchsurfers, I learned that, although a valuable use of time, you don't necessarily need to go to a homeless shelter to feel good about helping out. Instead you can learn a lot about just being a good, genuine person by experiencing others selflessly give to you their time, space, thoughts, and belongings in exchange for simple intangibles like knowledge, ideas, and friendship (as opposed to the bullet point volunteering gives you in an interview). It is the mentality that is the hardest part to acquire I believe. And that mentality translates to small things, like trying not to stare at the ground and pretend to ignore someone asking for money with your headphones in (guilty myself).... maybe even actually look at them. Or, realize it's okay to share and give up some things if it is a bit of an inconvenience. Or, being less selfish with your time and spending that extra little time helping a stranger out getting to their destination and even talking or trying to get to know them. I know first hand many many times, when a random person is unusually friendly or helpful, it can brighten your day and change your perception, and motivate you to do the same.

In the end, I am really glad I have met and became friends the last 3 semesters with such positive people who have such big hearts and have been a bit of a role model while helping me see things in new ways. And the people and hosts I have had while traveling, as I always say, give me confidence that there is still plenty of good people out there. I try to always remember this when I see people in public that get aggravated over tiny things. The world would be better if everyone was a little less cold, stressed, scared of changing, and seriously self-motivated (however idealistic that statement may be).

Time for Sleep

2011-12-22T15:52:00.000Z

Last week, while rushing to finish a group report whose due date was moved forward several weeks on us in the midst of very full exam period, in a midnight attemp to squeeze at least an hour or more of work in, I went for the English tea. Pouring some milk in, I jumped when I realized the milk was orange. Yup, I poured orange juice into my tea. Time to go to sleep...

The Hugo

2011-12-19T13:44:00.000Z

Frituurs (French fry stands) in Belgium are generally filled with heart attack inducing mystery foods. The Hugo might just be the epiphany of junk food. Dennis, Netsanet, & I purchased burgers and split a Hugo between the three of us. We were easily defeated by Sir Hugo. Fries topped with mayonnaise, fried sausage chunks, cripsy fried onions, a brown sauce, and god knows what else.

The first step in eating a Hugo is to push aside all your morals, ethics, and any previous concern for the welfare of your body. Then, after tasting it, you can actually say "Wow, although it looks like crap, the taste is surprisingly decent!" After that, you must give your arteries at least a 1 year vacation from further Hugo consumption.

Maybe The Hugo is Belgium's attempt to match Scotland for food inferiority?

The Hugo - Junk food pinnacle.

Ethiopian Food Huzzahh!!!!!

2011-12-17T17:59:00.000Z

One of the things I was most looking forward to in visiting Ethiopia was the FOOD. I tried it in the US, and as a result all I knew about it was there was some spongy like bread (Injera), communal style eating, strong coffee, and maybe some raw meat involved. However it was really amazing to experience non-Americanized Ethiopian food first hand. Let me say, I successfully endured the notorious fire-like spice that is dumped on everything, called berbere, albeit with only a little burn. And all the while never had to use silverware to eat in 2 weeks, a first for me!

In Addis Ababa I got to experience eating out at restaurants of varying quality for a week, the best being in an unfinished, uninsulated building with poker games going on in the majority of the room and with welding and steel cutting operations taking place nearly within spitting distance (luckily the sparks didn't make it into the food)...the price was accordingly dirt cheap but the taste was unexpectedly high. While in Bahir Dar and Gondar I experienced real, traditional cooking from Netsanet's wife (Sanit), and Sanit's aunt. I must admit, although amazingly delicious, it did get a bit tiring to eat injera 3 times a day for two straight weeks. Product of a melting pot society in the US with a simply amazing variety of choice. However, it does not detract from the fact that Ethiopia definitely has food deeply rooted in it's culture. From sharing off of the same plate (I had to learn to eat fast so I kept up with everyone and wasn't left with just a few bites), to feeding each other, to preparing very particular foods which are lovingly prepared and having a coffee ceremony when guests are invited over. I also experienced a kindness not seen in so many other places, always being urged to eat more and really make sure I was full. In my opinion we don't really treat guests like that, at least to such an extent, in the US.

And aside from the meals, they have a fairly limited but phenomenal selection of fruits. I mean, the bananas I tasted there blew any bananas out of the water that I have ever tasted by a nearly a googoleplex (an official number, by the way). The mangoes, papayas, and a maracuya like fruit were all full of flavor (probably thanks in part to the fact that what we call 'organic' fruit is miraculously actually just 'normal' food here) The only fruit they seemed to import was apples, which were priced at 5 times any other fruit (even higher than European or US prices for apples!). It is in part to tasting such great and natural fruit in Ethiopia and places like Serbia that I have started to move away from buying the bland, seemingly perfect yet chemically laden garbage that fills most supermarkets, gravitating toward a great Sunday market in Gent with a guy who grows his produce and vegetables just outside the city and tastes fabulous. Also, since many people do not have refrigeration, they use a butter that can be stored at room temps. It has a rancid smell to it but once cooked is great. Oh, and I don't know where this reputation of Ethiopians being skinnier than everyone else comes from, but I must say I didn't see anything out of the norm.

PS. Average price of meal out for 3 people: $2-4!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berbere

On to the pictures of yumminess:

Sanit cooks shiro. Bet you can't say you've ever had that setup as your main means of cooking (and cooked a bad ass meal at the same time!). Time to be slightly humbled.

I already blogged on this...but here we are with our recently purchased goat.

MAAANNNNGO

Sanit barraged by the goat herd being shuttled to the market

This guy is showing me Khat directly from the source. It basically has a similar effect as a jolt of coffee. Guess what, it is banned in the US, Canada, and some places in Europe. Fairly common here though http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Khat

You are officially a winner if you cook a spectacular meal in this kitchen.

A market in Bahir Dar. Spice & Beans section.

Unroasted coffee beans (the only way it's sold)

injera with some fried chicken and rice. Dang, that was a good meal

A spice stall at the market.

Chuchu's mom makes injera in this every 3 or 4 days, which takes 3 days and last about the same amount of time. If you don't make it yourself, most people seem to buy it fresh every day or two.

Basket for storing injera.

Another spread of things.

Freshly made juice! Banana, Mango, and Avocado mixture.

The liquidy stuff is shiro, a staple made from ground beans.

Another good one.

Sanit buying some fruits.

Forget what this was...Looks cool though.

I think this is Bayanet - a tray with a mix of prepared foods on it served over (and with!) injera

Chicken Wat - A traditional recipe (made by Sanit's friend's family when the invited me over as as a guest). They had to buy a live chicken that day to make this, so it was a big deal. Lots of preparation goes into it. Hours of boiling. DELICIOUS.

Roasting coffee beans

First Meal in Ethiopia!

Firfir (chopped up and cooked injera, or what I jokingly refer to as eating Injera with more Injera)

Tibs, I think?

My first coffee! Roasting the beans, like usual. Let's just say neither instant coffee nor Starbucks exists or is sufficient here.

Brilliant Coffee. 3 cups for coffee ceremony

Netsanet debates whether to buy one of this guys chickens

Dinner is Served


This is a very common grain/snack. The runners eat it. So do the monks.

500000000000

2011-12-12T10:15:00.000Z

I picked this gem up in Belgrade. 500 billion Serbian Dinars, from 1993. The world's second highest inflation rate ever after Zimbabwe. At 3 euros, I'm sure I overpaid for it. The bill says Yugoslavia on it but this must have been printed right around or just after the breakup occurred.

Hooray for Stupidity!

2011-12-04T14:53:00.000Z

Clearly, these guys are not accustomed to exercising their brain power in rationale ways, and neither are the people who are subjecting them to this. I saw them around lunch time the first time while bicycling to the city center. They were in droopy bed-sheet sized diapers and there was an ineffable stench eminating even as they were on the sidewalk and I was bicycling by in the street. Later that afternoon, I passed them again at another location in the city. This time, on the sidewalk kneeling on the ground with some bros standing in front them pondering like Pinky and the Brain what to do to them with a big grocery cart full of beer. Then, that evening, the pinnacle of stupidity:

Good to know that there are people of equal stupidity elsewhere in the world to match the morons in some fraternities and sororities in the US that do similar things. Hooray!

Belgian Cuisine

2011-12-02T13:17:00.000Z

Once you get past all the french fry stands and student cafeterias, Belgian/Flemish food is pretty simple and sturdy, while still managing to be quite delicious at times. Nothing too crazy or scintillating, but definitely in my opinion a step above the comfort food capitals of Scotland and Sweden.

Mystery foods at a frituur (french fry place). It's like one big science experiment. Barf.

Gent Waffle.

Probably made by Kraft, but hey, it's a funny name for a candy bar (I don't think it would fly in the US)

Ah, a brown beer, fries with stew sauce, and a pincha (belgian code word for Jupiler).

Stewed escargot with some spices in Oostend.

Gent escargot. Defintely chewy in comparison to the French escargot.

A Oostende waffle with speculoos sauce. Yum.

En klein frite met andalus saus. The most famous thing outside the beer and waffles.

There aren't many fresh food markets, but Belgians do seem to avoid the preservative loaded sliced breads, even at the supermarket.

Gentse Stoverij. Steak stewed with brown beer and spices. Best dish in Gent.

Peter enjoys a Gent dish, Gentse waterzooi, a creamy chicken & carrot/celery soup dish

A Brugge waffle. Much softer and preferable to the Gent waffle imo.

It is now pumpkin season, time for pumpkin soup!

My favorite bakery in Gent

Lille

2011-11-29T18:00:00.001Z

My first trip to France came in the form of Lille, in then northern part of the country. Merely an hour from Gent. A lovely fall day. Full of cliche decisions such as croissant sampling and crepe eating. Though only 1 hour away, a remarkable difference appeared between Gent, mainly in the form of bigger roads, more cars and motorcycles, and more congestion. Still, however, like Gent, full of upscale outdoor shopping streets, plazas, and fine restaurants and coffee shops. Sans canals and good beer.

Ah, a Frenchman painting. Yup, a Frenchman painting.

Map Check:

Fall is here:

I strongly recommend bringing your own French person along to France. It helps. With Helene:

The best source of cheap coffee when you don't want to pay 3 euros for a cup. And you can get le double cheese while your ate it. (zing!)

Being cliche again and sampling some upscale French crepes:

Entrepeneurs

2011-11-27T16:01:00.006Z

Ethiopia is full of entrepreneurs. From the guys lined up on the streets shining your shoes (they are usually merely kids or young men, often living in groups in shanties and saving money to hopefully open a business some day), to those placing their weigh scales on the street. Unless you are rich, it is not practical to buy a scale for your personal use. That attitude seems sensible enough. We passed 3 or 4 scales in a couple blocks, choosing the one that appeared to have the best combination of actually being calibrated and having a low price. That's the difference between weighing yourself for the equivalent of 1 cent to 2 cents!

Belgian Thanksgiving!

2011-11-21T21:15:00.010Z

Mark & I wanted to celebrate Thanksgiving this year, Canadian and American style. So last night, we hosted a dinner to show everyone what it was all about. Without no ovens to cook in, and things like turkey, pumpkin pie, and cranberries pretty difficult to locate here in Belgium, the traditional idea was tossed out the door. So we decided to have one big potluck amongst all the international students in our fire program and also in our residence. The variety of food people cooked was pretty unbelievable, and rightly so I left stuffed, along with everyone else. We had food made from at least Colombia, Iran, US, Canada, France, Brazil, Spain, Serbia, Belgium, Germany, Netherlands, Portugal, and Argentina. And damn, it was all delicious!. I think everyone left with a good impression of what Thanksgiving is for. Good time.

Olives wrapped in proscuitto and tossed with pistachios and bacon:

One guy brought home made mac and cheese. I was in heaven!

One loaded plate. Check out that deviled egg, side by side with an empanada! Oh yeah.

Not turkey, but it will suffice:

All 3 members of NAFTA getting along:

Sweet Rice:

Tiramisu:

These days kids are dressing up in their evening best for Thanksgiving:

And not just the guys:

Mesmerized by the desserts:

Funny faces at the kids table:

Family Time!

2011-11-19T20:23:00.009Z

Katie spent a cool 2 weeks with me here in Gent! It was a bit cozy sharing a room for that long, but nonetheless was nice to have some family around. It was also great, as I made four trips in Belgium and France in two weeks that I probably otherwise would not have made. Brugge, Kortrijk, Lille, and Paris! Also, some really fantastic meals were had. Gent waterzooi, some Turkish dish that I have no clue what it was, and plenty of frites, crepes, and escargots. And of course many student dinners consisting of rices and pastas (always enhanced with a little Ethiopian berbere powder zing!).

With Monika and Helene in Lille, France:

Pariiii:

Locating a mattress and carrying it across town on our heads:

With Dennis & Mark:

Out in Gent at night:

With Nadya and Hooi for Indian & Pakistan fire food night:

Checking out the Gent flea markets:

Sampling a Gent waffle! With chocolate:

Bumming around Brugge:
A lesser known Belgian city, but nonetheless still beautiful, Kortrijk:

Breathtaking

2011-11-12T16:02:00.005Z

I’ve been on a lot of pretty spectacular bus rides the past few years, and some of them are pretty hard to compare with each other with such varying geography, but the 10 hour bus ride in Ethiopia from Addis-Ababa to Bahir Dar just might have been the most impressive of all, not only for the jaw dropping scenery almost the entire journey, but also the small towns, villages, and glimpses of rural life through which the route took.

The bus went through deep gorges along the blue Nile, valleys, massive high plateaus, rolling hills, and mountains, all which were extremely lush and green, almost jungle-like at times, with the occasional towering cliff covered in trees and shrubs. What was not covered in greens showed up as dark oranges and coppers in the bright soil. At one point in the trip we were miraculously looking at the clouds from above, then after a windy descent, looking up at them. Hundreds, even thousands of types of trees dot the landscape, some types of which I’ve certainly never encountered before. A seemingly endless of supply of rivers cutting through the land along the way plus a plethora of waterfalls, most likely all feeding the Nile. In the plateaus, with lots of farming, the irrigation channels these people have built look like they’ve been honed with expertise to efficiently catch and direct all the rain water (all of course made with simple hand tools). And the bus driver must have spent at least half of the 10 hour trip honking, as the entire journey was rural and thus filled with donkeys, ox, goats, and cows and their herders shepherding them along the road. I even saw baboons sitting on the side of the road a few times!

Blue Nile:

Women with massive woven baskets on their backs on the road or meandering amongst plants and trees in the hills, carrying things on their head, everyone with a huge walking stick, thatch buildings, this is true rural life that seems in many ways to have remained changed for hundreds of years. Some of the villages had electrical lines, but some didn’t. At one point, I saw about 15 guys putting up giant electrical pole (with no machines!). 7 or 8 of them were in a line on one side, pushing it above their heads as high as they could, then 6 or 7 on the other side with ropes tied to the end of the pole, pulling. Just like that show on the discovery channel where they are simulating erecting the blocks at Stonehenge. Plenty of men and women just standing there or sitting on a rock, with their sticks, passing the day by observing the occasional traffic and the beautiful mountain scenery. Of course, if they were wearing jeans and t-shirts, it wouldn’t be as eye-opening, but everyone wears traditional clothes. Mostly which amounts to (for men) a giant blanket wrapped over the shoulders, covering most of their arms, and coming down below their waist and a pair of shorts, often in greens and browns, with either sandals or no shoes.

Watching us:

Our two stops included first a bathroom break, in which the bus simply stopped in the middle of the road and everyone proceeded to go into the bushes to do their business. The second was in a small town for lunch. Needless to stay I stuck out like nobody's business in this town, like an alien from Mars. After lunch, I followed my bus-seat neighbor (ironically an Ethiopian who was a taxi driver in Las Vegas the last 6 years, really really nice & friendly guy), and bought a branch of a tree to clean my teeth from a little boy for a few cents.

Time for a bathroom break:

Purchasing my tooth cleaning apparatus:

In summary, outside of the capital, Ethiopia immediately becomes a stunning explosion of colors, plants, animals, people, mountains, rock formations, gushing rivers, and tranquil earthen cut streams. Incredible.

Sanit & Netsanet at lunch:

Herding the cows across the water:

Turning from mountains into an incredible plateau:

Houses:

Orthodox Churches amongst the trees:

Passing a village:

Squatting, passing the day:

Above the clouds:

Heavenly Snails

2011-11-10T10:21:00.004Z

This weekend in Paris, my friend Aurelien got a restaurant recommendation from one of his friends who is a restaurant reviewer in the city. Hence, we ended up going to an incredible yet reasonably affordable restaurant (at about $30/plate). The escargot here is one of the best dishes I have ever tried. The sauce, called Persillade (or beurre d'ail), was simple but unbelievable. The texture of the escargot was like a perfect shrimp with even less crunch. All for a cool 1 euro per snail. Stewed snails here in Gent just don't compare. Chalk one up for the inflated reputation of French food.

Amsterdam

2011-11-07T21:41:00.005Z

I met Dennis and his brother in Amsterdam in September for a few days before classes began. Pretty much, it seems like Gent on steroids. More canals, more bicycles and bicycle lanes, more small bridges, more flowers, more red lights, more cafes, and less laws. But also less good beer. Only a cool 2 hours from Gent with the high speed link from Antwerp-Amsterdam. Definitely a very beautiful city.

Warning: Renter must enjoy claustrophobia:

Bicycle dominos:

A car small enough to use the bicycle lanes. Enough space to fit your foldable grocery cart outside the vehicle on the storage rack:

Can't pass through Amsterdam without people watching in the red light district:

Belgian Practicality

2011-11-04T20:03:00.002Z

When you are a country that drinks a LOT of beer, it requires practical solutions to letting go of all that liquid in places other than the closest wall or gutter. Behold, the quick-access public male urinals, scattered in discrete locations all over Gent. No longer must you get a whiff of yellow whilst on your Sunday stroll. The best part: you musn't suspend your conversation while you conduct your business. Women may try to use them, but alas, it is not advisable.

The approach applies equally for festivals. Except they go for super quick access, with no barriers surrounding the urinals. Efficiency:

Kortrijk

2011-11-02T12:18:00.005Z

This is a small city (75k) 30 minutes by train from Gent near the border with France. Very close to where Brecht grew up. Still, it manages to have 3 impressive cathedrals, a canal with ancient bridges and towers, a pedestrianized center, and enough medieval and historic things to see for a few hours walk. Known for being the site of a battle in 1302 when the Flemish rose up successfully against annexation by the French.

Fall is here, Mark plays with leaves:

Just your average furnishing for the interior of a church:

A Secular Catholic Church

2011-10-31T18:44:00.005Z

France is a secular state. Here is a Catholic church we went to in Lille. At first thought, it seemed like a typical old Western European Catholic church. Then, a few things were encountered that I have not seen before in churches. Though, not necessarily in bad ways:

Guy Sleeping on floor:

Children's play area in church:

Not so typical Catholic art, let alone for a church:

Looks like a typical European church at first glance:

Large art exhibition in the church seemingly not so religious oriented:

Awesome City!

2011-10-21T17:38:00.007+01:00

I've been taking some time to try to put my opinion of Gent into words. When I first arrived, it didn't take more than a few days though to really begin to understand some of the truth to all the amazing things I had heard about it before I arrived.

Although fairly small at 250,000, the city has a much bigger feel to it. Around each corner in the city seems to open up a new plaza, a new canal, or a new impressive row of buildings or houses with fascades hundreds of years old and each unique in their own way.

And although the city has unique history, impressive architecture, and an incredibly beautiful setting with many canals, boats, alleys, and cobbled streets (making me wonder why movies are not shot here), it is the addition of the life of the city to the already amazing setting that makes it a really great place to live.

Recently I met a couple of Belgians from Brugge. Brugge is a famous tourist city in Belgium that is known for it's impeccably amazing historical center. Tourists flock here. But this couple said it pretty well in that Gent has most all that Brugge does, but it is more of a living city. Around every corner in different neighborhoods are bakeries, frituurs, coffee shops, flea markets, restaurants, pubs, and shops. There are 50,000 or so students, but the rest of the population is working. It feels young, and students live in all parts of the city, but it does not feel like necessarily a student city. There is much more too it which is why many Belgians choose to live here.

The city is proud for being the first city in Europe to declare Thursdays as 'vegetarian' day. So no meat served in schools that day. They prohibited cars in the city center, so walking or bicycling is easy(the best forms of transport since it is a fairly small city). On top of that they have a fantastic tram and bus system. They have free wi-fi outdoors in 20 places in the city, so you can sit on a dock by a canal or in a park and surf the web. They regularly have unique festivals taking place in the city center. The best of course, so far, was a big symphonic orchestra playing on a floating stage in the central canal, accompanied by a light show! There is a big music scene, and you can find lots of venues to watch live music, which is one reason that they say Gent has the best rock scene in Belgium.

And although the weather is often drizzly or overcast, I'll sure take that over the snow and long winters of Sweden and the crazy weather in Edinburgh.

Oh, and the beer is unbelievably great...the reputation has certainly stood its ground. Plus, from Gent, you can get to about 4 countries each within 2 hours or less :)

Take your pick, they're all going to be delicious (just watch out for the high alcohol content!):

Not a bad place for free wi-fi:

My favorite bakery:

Just one of the many regular flea markets:

Going through antiques at another flea market:

Gent By Night

2011-10-15T18:19:00.004+01:00

Gent is absolutely beautiful at night. I have heard that they hired special engineers and designers to illuminate the city in a unique way. The combination of old buildings, fascades, and canals with the lighting make it fun to just wander around town at night.

Belgian Hazing

2011-10-13T20:09:00.004+01:00

The Belgians like to haze new students in their social clubs (which are similar to fraternities as I understand but not really) and from my outside perspective society seems to accept it as perfectly normal. It is a common occurrence these days to bicycle down the main student street in the city(which is also a fairly decent auto artery through the city) and see random acts of hazing. People painting each other, people offering strangers to pay 50 cents or a euro to smash an egg onto their head, and even the following gem. Let's just say these knuckleheads are lined up in diapers and white t-shirts, on their knees on the edge of the sidewalk, with a beer in front of them. Then someone tells them to chug the beer and when they finish they have to place the empty can on their head. I guess being subjected to public humiliation makes you cooler? Like I said, knuckleheads. The entertainment value, however, is an added bonus on the way to class.

Eating with Style

2011-10-09T17:05:00.003+01:00

Netsanet jokes that if you have a really good friend in Ethiopia, you may never need to do any of the work to feed yourself.

I experienced this one evening when going out to dinner with Netsi, Sanit, and one of their friends in Bahir Dar. As a guest, she decided to feed me, making huge scoops of injera and placing them into my gaping and patiently awaiting mouth. Just sit tight and wait for them to do all the work!

Spanish Food Coma

2011-10-07T14:27:00.001+01:00

One can't go to Spain, and particularly the southern coast, and not try as many tapas as possible. It is simply and explosion of tastes in every dish. And when you go to the right ones, the ingredients are meticulously selected, and the menu incredibly varied over the food spectrum. Luckily, a funny Spanish guy working at the hostel, and food nut himself (he's Spanish...could be in his blood :) ), took us to one of his favorite local tapas restaurant for a proper deliciousness to price ratio, tucked nicely away from the more touristy tapas places.

While I couldn't try EVERYTHING as I would have preferred, my favorites remain the classic patatas bravas, Gambas (big ass shrimp!), and squid in whatever amazing sauce they serve it in. But, the type and variety of tapas in Spain is simply too narrow and restricting to reduce it to such a small list. Guess I gotta go back and try more!

These are probably the tastiest potatoes I have ever had my entire life. The sauce is a dream. I think I had to take oxygen breaks eating this:

Gaudi

2011-10-06T20:49:00.004+01:00

Well, I'm not exactly and architectural guru, but I guess Barcelona's Gaudi was pretty innovative even for today's standards:

Super Tomatoes

2011-10-06T14:22:00.007+01:00

Some years ago I remember seeing a TV show about truly ridiculous events and festivals around the world. One festival, a massive tomato fight, look completely absurd, so I told myself, I must make it to that some day.

Fast forward some years...the day I arrived in Barcelona last month I discovered that La Tomatina was to take place that week, my only week in Spain! Although near Valencia and about 5 hours away, I held no reservations and made and immediate reservation on a bus from Barcelona to the festival.

I met a guy from Sacramento and two Canadians on the bus who would be my La Tomatina partners for the day. I was told to expect everything to get ruined by tomatoes, so I purchased the cheapest t-shirt and shorts I could find. I debated over the no shoes or sandals option, but someone told me you would just lose the sandals, so I went with my tennis shoes and hoped they would be wearable again some day.

After arriving in the tiny town of Bunol, we walked a few kilometers down a big hill amongst the thousands of other potential tomato throwers to the central area of Bunol, filled with tiny streets lined with 3 story apartment buildings.

The fight was to start at 11. As we entered the center area into even narrower streets, the residents of the town, from their roofs, poured buckets of water and hosed down everyone entering. Final chance to get clean before getting completely tomatoed.

We waited nervously but excited in the crowd on this long, narrow street, not really knowing what to expect, except that trucks would come through with all the tomatoes. A horn sounded, and it marked the start time. We looked in the distance 2 or 3 blocks, over the sea of people, and saw the first truck beginning to enter the street. Everyone's first reaction at seeing the truck was simply "How the HELL is THAT truck going to fit in THIS street!". When there's a will, there's a way.

Going at a steady 1 or 2 miles per hour, the first truck pushed its way down the street through the people. Rather, the people got smashed against each other and into the buildings, enough to be uncomfortable but not hurt. As in, my face in smeones oarmpit, butt on a butt, arms to arms, unable to move anything except possibly your head up and down.

The first dump truck passes and as it went, helpers inside tossed tomatoes into the street. Within 5 seconds of the first truck passing me, I jumped into the clearing created behind the truck for more space, and I was instantly nailed in the face by a semi-crushed tomato from somewhere. My most nervous thought already came to realization, because my glasses fell off! I was hoping for at least 5 or 10 minutes of clear vision! Nope, I got merely 10 seconds!

I picked them up quickly and clinged to them for the next hour. Four more trucks passed slowly, people chucking tomatoes every which way. When I could occupy enough space, I would grab a handful of juicy, seedy, tomatoes, and pick a direction and hurl it. Forget about specific targets in the crowd of thousands of people. Tomatoes were had in the head, plus plenty of tomato juice in the hair, ears, eyes, eyebrows, and any region or crevice of the body imagineable. By the end, the tomatoes were all crushed and the height of the juice in the street was above the ankle. My clothes were 100% red and wet, like I had jumped into a bathtub, and my feet and fingers had become prune-like. After the last truck passed and the sound to stop came, some people just decided to simply swim in the leftover tomato river!

And although the tomato juice stung in my eyes and I couldn't see crap without my glasses, there was not a second of that hour where I was not laughing at the ridiculousness of the whole thing. One of those situations which is something so strange and unusual that you talk to and make/break quick bonds with random strangers around you, cause you are all in the same boat experiencing the same strange thing.

I didn't dare take my camera into that tomato sea, so here are a few shots from someone I met on the bus:

Random people with my Sacramento bus acquaintance...You can see how covered in tomatoes everyone gets:

Belgium has Beaches?

2011-10-02T14:55:00.006+01:00

As the weather is unusually nice in Belgium these days, yesterday I took a quick 35 minute train trip to the West Flanders coastal city of Oostende. Known for it's crowded beaches, we decided to then opt for a quieter beach and took the tram 20 minutes or so outside the city to a small town called De Haan. 'Cute' or 'fairytale' might appropriately describe this tiny town. The beach itself was quite nice. The Belgians, being comical in their beachgoing nuances, erect large partitions to shield themselves from the wind, making the beach look like a maze. The October water was borderline swimmable...you just have to jump in at this point or it is a bit of a cold and painful process.

De Haan:

The social hilarity of this beach for me is seen in the the sellers. In contrast to Barcelona, with it's thai massages and guys making mojitos out of backpacks (immigrants in both cases just trying to make some money), here you get a definitively Belgian baker in a full on white bakers suit with whistle selling rolls! In the summer, reportedly they are even selling Belgian style fries. I'm not sure if it says something about the amount of immigrants or available jobs in Belgium, or maybe just the high expectations the Belgians have to seem for what is socially acceptable in their society, but a funny sight nonetheless.

In contrast to De Haan, Oostende is a city of some size. The waterfront is full of seafood sellers. Not to mention escargot stews! Yum. And good waffles. A nice water promenade, and even a sizable center area with a big cathedral. You know you've been in Europe too long when you see this cathedral and you say 'Meh...just another cathedral...'

Lovely wind blocking partitions:

Laura and Monika, enjoying a mix of lobster, shrimp, and crab:

Fish row:

Stewed snails! My first time trying snails...chewy...

Oostende sunset:

My Friend Istanbul

2011-09-30T16:38:00.004+01:00

“My friend, how are you?” “My friend, how was your day?” “My friend, can I offer you some shisha?” “My friend, good morning!” "My friend, what time is it?"

I guess you are everyone’s friend in Turkey!

After a week it subconsciously caught on with me: “My friend! I am good” “My friend, two dolmas please!” “My friend, will Kobe Bryant play in Istanbul?” “My friend, 14 too much for this, give me two for 13, final offer.”

My friends aside, the energy and life in Istanbul is amazing like nowhere else. It feels like there is a buzz in every nook and cranny of the city, day and night. Sellers in the bazaars, fishermen going for a catch, old men sitting on stools chatting, drinking tea, and playing backgammon, someone welding, weaving, selling, or cooking something just about anywhere you look, music playing on a busy, lit up Istiklal street at night....the list goes on.

You’d need months to get to explore this massive city properly. Felt like I barely touched it, making it to the massive Asian side of the city only once.

Quite possibly my favorite city.

Blue Nile Orthodox Monasteries

2011-09-24T10:05:00.006+01:00

The Nile River begins in Lake Tana in Ethiopia, one of the largest fresh water lakes in Africa. In Lake Tana there are four islands, all containing Orthodox monasteries. These are very important historical sites in Ethiopia’s history, and many of the kings have visited them or have stayed on the islands at times in history. The people living in these monasteries have dedicated their lives to God and there is no looking back. I took a boat ride with Netsanet to check them out.

The first one was a female monastery. There are only a few men living on this island, as they must administer the services. This monastery has been here since the 1300s, and it doesn’t seem like life has changed much at all, save that they have more income in the last 10 years due to tourism (which probably has altered their lifestyle). The island is beautiful and more or less is what the landscape should look like. On this island there is a structure that leads to a cave, and during Easter a bunch of them go in and for 50 days they stay, without light, and eat once a day a handful of what amount to some nuts. Otherwise, the rest of the year, they eat one meal per day at 4pm, containing no meat products. Mostly just injera, and maybe some fruits.

Being guided by a female monk up the island:

The view you get when you become a monk on this island:

The second monastery was the neighboring island which is all male. Females today are still not allowed to enter pass the dock. The monks consider it impure to view females. This monastery was founded in 1313. We were guided by one of the monks, who was actually quite friendly and even smiled (another Ethiopian on the tour explained that most monks don’t want to talk to tourists at all, but this one has adjusted as he accommodates the tourists asking lots of questions and being friendly). On the way down, we passed one monk who lowered his head and hid himself as he walked by, indicating he did not want to talk. They have built a tiny museum on the island, filled with all the original texts (written on goat skin), and even the original cross of the founding monk from 1313. Many kings throughout time have also given crowns as gifts to the monastery. On this island, there are about 80 monks. Some of them actually go to the mainland during the day to work. They consider all the property of the island, and any income generated by tourism, as property of the Orthodox Church (communism eh?). On the island I saw monks amongst the trees in various places studying the Bible or other religious texts. Others, just sitting and passing the day.

Approaching the male monastery by boat:

Massive doors on the church!

Ringing the bells from the 1600s. Different rings give the monks different cues:

The original cross from the founder of the male monastery, from the 1300s.

Waters were rough enough to have to wait 30 minutes before heading back out!:

The third island was a flat one, very marsh like. This island is essentially at the inlet between Lake Tana and the beginning of the Nile river. By this time, I was monked out and decided not to enter the monastery (the tourist price is 5x the Ethiopian price). But here, there are also normal people living on the island. They are growing fruit and selling it back on the main land. Bananas, papayas, mangos, etc. Plus chat, coffee, cabbage, corn and other. They also fish still in traditional style boats. We tried some bananas, they were incredible, no comparison to the bananas we get in the US or here in Europe. And picked a few coffee beans to try, as well as some chat, which is bitter and disgusting (and basically is just like coffee but closer to espresso).

Spotted this guy, look at his canoe!

A coffee bean (with the skin still on):

Massive mangoes!

Our new friend from Addis picking some chat for us to try:

Barcelona Beaches

2011-09-23T19:19:00.003+01:00

I went to the beach in Barcelona with three Australians from the hostel. These two pictures pretty much sum up the hilarity of the beaches there. This is a place where you can get a mojito from a guy making it out of his backpack, beer from random guys selling it, and a 20 minute Thai leg massage for 5 euros (the latter which I capitalized on after a long day of walking around!)

Guy standing for at least 20 minutes in full suit and briefcase on cell phone before changing into his speedo:

Old guy air drying his trunks and looking like a statue for at least 30 minutes:

Cappadocia, Turkey

2011-09-18T12:46:00.005+01:00

In central Turkey, this place looks like a scene out of one of those strange desert Star Wars planets. I’m pretty sure Jabba the Hut may have grown up in Cappadocia.

The limestone in this region is easily carveable, and thus over thousands of years people created rooms, houses, churches, etc in the sides of these hills and mountains. It was one of the best ways to escape the hot summer climate. When taken with the many natural chimney rock formations and the array of reds, yellows, and whites, it becomes quite a spectacle.

There are also underground cities here that are massive. The cities were built over the course of 5,000 years by many civilizations, starting with Hittites then Assyrians, and changing frequently until the Romans in the 300s, then Turks starting sometime in the 1000s.

Nobody lived in the underground cities, rather, they were built as a place to retreat to during invasions, and could hold over 25,000 people! The city we visited had 7 levels, all of which were added gradually over the course of the 5,000 years, and aside from rooms to live in there are also churches, wineries, stables, and even a 9 km tunnel to the neighboring town. However, hardly the place for the claustrophobic or Shaq sized basketball player.

Hallways in an underground city:

Just outside Goreme:

Hot air balloon's fill the sky every day at sunrise. Amazing:

UAE & Oman Desert & Mountains

2011-09-13T14:11:00.007+01:00

I set out from Dubai with Anshu from India and Sarah from Spain in Anshu's car. Due to the extreme temperatures in Dubai and the desert of over 100F/40C, we left later in the afternoon. I was quite excited to actually see something in the UAE that wasn't Dubai and wasn't a massive city (Abu Dhabi), so a trip through the desert and the Hajjar mountains with fresh springs sounded great.

Only 45 minutes outside of Dubai and after passing the largest dune in the UAE, we came to the first border check with Oman. Fortunately, I remembered we needed to drive through a bit of Oman so I brought my passport. Unfortunately, Sarah did not. We were also with another vehicle and two of the guys in that car were working in Dubai. So that led to an hour of discussions with the border guys, trying to explain we were just passing through and that they should just let us through. Eventually they relented.

The great part about the delay was that it began to downpour during their discussions. It doesn't rain very often in Dubai, let alone in the UAE desert, so it was a pretty rare occasion and definitely a very cool experience.

45 minutes later we had reached Hatta, a city on a plateau surrounded by date palms and the mountains. We climbed up to the top of a park for a view of the valley. Check out the amount of rules you must obey! Honestly some of these gulf countries are crazy about rules.

We proceeded to go up to a nearby dam in the mountains, just to check it out. Since it is the summer, it was completely dry on one side (not much to dam up!).

Finally, the coolest part, was we switched to the other car, a 4x4. A 4x4 is absolutely necessary to reach the springs as it is on very rough roads that go up and down through the mountains. The driver had been out here before so he knew the roads. And, he quite enjoyed utilizing his 4x4 capabilities, so essentially, he went crazy, and it was like a roller coaster. Honestly it was actually a bit scary, though more so thrilling. After 20 or 30 minutes off-road, we reached the biggest spring, but by this time it had become completely dark. We could hear some others swimming in the pool below, so for safety we moved on and didn't disturb them. The second place we found we got out and began to eat our dinner, then heard a group of animals in the distance... being so perfectly dark, it was difficult to decide what they were, so we moved on. Finally, we just gave up on finding a spring, and ate some food on the side of the road.

You might not even think beforehand that there are any big mountains near a place like Dubai, as it is in the middle of a desert. But discovering these mountains was the most worthwhile part about the trip to Dubai.

Addis Ababa: Chaos

2011-09-11T13:31:00.007+01:00

My first trip to Africa and hadn’t a clue what to expect except the hammered out visions from movies and documentaries about AIDS and poverty. Addis Ababa is definitely the most chaotic place I have been. I have seen no working stop lights or stop signs in the entire city. The few intersections that physically have stop lights, they look like they have been off for a few years. Somehow, traffic moves on in spite of this. The minibuses have guys hanging out the side window (or door open occasionally) yelling the destination to everyone walking by. Most roads don’t have lane lines on them, so just try to find an open space or gap and drive in it. That includes humans, and sometimes donkeys or goats, all mixed in the roads. Cross the street anywhere you please like everyone does, but be a little cautious. Well, some people just walk in between the vehicles. Some streets have no or broken street lamps, which at night makes a dangerous mix of too many people and cars. The taxis, minibuses (and occasional full size bus), are definitely mostly Russian Ladas from the 60s-80s, struggling to make it through each day and full of squeaks and loud noises. They pack those things in too. Usually they have a legitimate 12 seats, but you’ll mostly find 17 or 18 including the guy that stands in the doorway and yells at people. My favorite seat is on top of the wheel-well, on which is placed a piece of plywood that you squat on, which I have enjoyed several times. Better yet was a plastic gas can with a pillow on top of it in the middle of the aisle. You must be a joker if you mention the word seatbelt. On the plus side, you’ll get to cross town for around 15 to 50 cents, which might amount to 30 minutes to 1 hour of driving depending upon traffic.

My view on the 5 cent bus atop the plastic gas can seat:

Guy hanging out window yelling. Note the nice wooden bench seat mounted to the wheel well, good for at least 2-3 people:

And forget about any modern looking buildings. Everything looks worn or has age. Buildings on main streets are fine (not for those who are into upscale, posh, or new things), but step onto the side roads and you’ll find shantier looking businesses and houses with steel corrugated roofs and dirt roads. Many sidewalks might be dirt or at least have patches of dirt of broken pavement (creating a nice demand for shoe shiners!). Every once in awhile, the main roads have some construction areas and it turns into a dirt road and traffic grinds to a halt (the amount of honking and the different sounds the horns make are hilarious). It’s like a cartoon of sounds. Or, if the road has a center divider (filled with dirt) look out, because you’ll probably see people sleeping in it. Maybe washing their feet and legs or face with a water bottle. And for the most part, boil your water from the regular tap before you drink it. Restaurants have good tap water, though, it must be filtered, and I drank it plenty of times. You can see people carrying just about anything on their shoulders or heads. And guys lined up on the sidewalk with their wooden stools and water buckets ready to shine people shoes. Why wouldn’t they though, a necessary profession with all the dirt around. Also, please pee anywhere if you are a guy. In short, it feels like anything goes in this city. But I quite enjoy it.

There are at least 10 people in the back of that truck, loaded up top, and a guy standing on the roof (in Mercato):

A guy carrying something in Mercato, the biggest market in Africa:

In contrast with Sweden, where everything is easy, drivers stop 5 feet before the line when they see you, and nobody would touch you with a 10 foot pole, here, you must pay attention. If not, chances are you will bump into someone or something on the street, or get hit by a vehicle (or a donkey, or a dude carrying something really, really heavy really fast that just won’t stop because he’s got all his momentum going). As chaotic as the city is, it is the only African capital built as they say completely by the hands and with the money of only Ethiopians. And internet access isn’t the best here. Forget about wireless in a hotel unless it is the Sheraton (or possibly a hostel geared for westerners), or the majority of coffee shops. But for 5 dollars or less a night, who can expect internet. It’s mostly dial-up or broadband internet cafes. However, one day, for example, the internet was out in an entire part of the city, leaving all internet cafes without access. And for prices, you can eat a meal for three for only a few dollars! Shine your shoes for 10 cents. Pure leather hand made dress shoes for 12 dollars (minimum $100 in US). And nothing goes without negotiating! Being a foreigner, they triple or quadruple the price. So just impressively lowball their first offer by about 75% and they’ll settle for 50% the original offer.

Successful negotiation in Mercato :

With all that said, it would be wrong to say this place doesn’t have incredibly rich culture. Over 80 languages are spoken. An incredible food culture is here, partly due to Ethiopian having never been colonized. They say coffee was first made here, in the southeast, and the coffee is damn good (and normally they are roasting the beans in a pan and grinding it by hand). There is an incredible coffee ceremony always for guests and friends, consisting of a long drawn out roasting of the beans over charcoal and making the coffee and drinking three cups.The world’s oldest skeleton was found here. Still there are plenty of indigenous cultures. The clothes you see people wearing vary incredibly in colors and style and are sometimes just cultural, sometimes religious. Speaking of religion, it seems that most people are believers. 46% Christian, 35% Muslim, a Jewish population, plus local religions. Culturally, like in India, it is common for men to walk down the street holding hands or with their arms around each other. Most things are still done by hand. Farming also…. 80% is done the old school way (ox and plow and manual hand tools) and without pesticides and chemicals (which is why I believe the bananas I have had here, smaller than the ‘average’ banana, are the most incredible tasting bananas I have ever eaten. Even if it’s brown on the outside, it’s probably still perfect on the inside). Anyways, it’s an awesome place (and I can’t say I feel that unsafe even if I am stared at by everyone that I walk by like a tourist attraction for having white skin!).

Hand washing:
Netsanet tries his hand at roasting the beans (though not considered much of a man's thing here...)

Grinding the roasted beans by hand:

Coffee Ceremony:

My lovely hotel phone:

Coffeeeeeee time:

My first Ethiopian coffee:
Getting shoes cleaned:

Donkey traffic:

The tailors of Istanbul & Ethiopia

2011-09-07T18:15:00.009+01:00

I got a hole in my jeans in Istanbul, and needless to say, I didn't feel like purchasing a new pair as I have a few in storage in the Netherlands.

That kicked off a great 30 minute hunt through the old bazaar in Istanbul to find a tailor. After visiting several wedding shops and getting turned down, we were lead (after asking 5 or 6 people) through some narrow side street clothes stalls and then through some even narrower shops, to a passageway leading to a stairwell, up 3 or 4 narrow anonymous flights of stairs, and a to a small corner shop with a tailor. 5 minutes and 1 dollar later, brand new jeans!

I got another hole in my jeans in Ethiopia. Being a bum, I fixed them again. for 5 cents!

Ethiopian tailor in a muddy, outdoor market, fixing it on the spot:

Looking for a tailor in Istanbul:

Modelling my Turkish replacement pants:

On the job:

Minivan Corn

2011-09-05T13:27:00.003+01:00

During a 30 second stop on the trip from Bahir Dar to Gondar in a very tiny town, Nestanet's wife cracked open the back window of the van to buy a piece of grilled corn. About 6 or 7 children's hands immediately pushed their way into the tiny opening, all placing their corn into the window, vying for their chance to sell a piece.

The corn? In general, grilled so long that it was chewy enough to make my jaw sore from only eating 1/3 of a whole ear of corn.

Religious Ethiopia

2011-09-02T13:53:00.003+01:00

One thing I was not expecting to experience in Ethiopia was the devotion and dediction to religions here.

My friend lives a few blocks from an Orthodox church in Bahir Dar. Every morning people come flooding out of it for at least half an hour, all dressed in white, like an exodus.

They live on the 5th floor of an apartment building. Every day, individual men from the church come by. They stop at each apartment on each floor and just wait outside, saying/singing some religious thing, until the people tell them to go away. This can happen 5 or 10 times a day. Picture a kid or man with a big walking stick, wearing his green blanket over his shoulders, in shorts and sandals, and kind of monotonously singing/talking like a zombie on the balcony some religious stuff until you acknowledge them at the doorway and tell them to get lost. They are even speaking in another language that nobody understands (kind of like if Latin was still used instead of English in the Catholic Church in US). And they come back EVERY day, making the trek up 5 flights of stairs to stand outside the door. I don’t understand the persistence of these people. If you get a no 100 times, how is the 101st time going to work? If I was the converter dude, with my brain as it functions now, at that point I would logically focus my efforts on bugging new people.

30 minute exodus from church:

This part of Ethiopia is Coptic Orthodox, but another region is Protestant, and another Muslim. Though, a different type of Orthodox from Russian/Greek/Serbian etc. If you take the Protestants & Orthodox then Christians have a majority in Ethiopia, around 45%. Here, all the taxi drivers and bus drivers have crosses and pictures of Jesus and Mary in their dashboards. Speaking of crosses, it is interesting that each city/region has a different design of the cross. Many times they are molded of metal and very intricate. And a few houses I have been into, the basic decorations on each wall were crosses, photos of Mary and Jesus, and phrases about Jesus and God, etc. With most people for sure there is a prayer before each meal (I got used to it haha, it is fine thoughm, I just thought nice thoughts for a bit). Though I can't close my eyes as hard as some of these people when they pray. And in several situations I have been present amongst conversations about how great God is and how God has saved and provided etc. These were in Amaric but Netsanet gave me the gist of the conversations. And then they ask me about my religion, and I just say I’m Catholic which appeases them, and try to end it there so I don’t have to actually talk about it because they’d probably think I’m a freak.

A common room(whole house in this case) with several images of Jesus and Mary on one wall:

This is actually a massive migration of people going to the local Orthodox Church for a funeral. Popular guy?

I do recall one conversation with a very nice Ethiopian business man I met on a day trip to the monasteries in Lake Tana. He was actually liberal by Ethiopian standards and definitely a motor mouth. We spoke about politics in the US and things such as Libya and Syria, and I can say we agreed in most areas. When we visited the monasteries, although a practicing Orthodox, he concluded that the people holed up on these islands were living a hellish lifestyle, devoting themselves to God and living with literally absolutely nothing but some religious texts for the rest of their lives. Now, when we got to talking about religion, he asked why many people in the West don’t believe in anything. A question that is not easy to answer I guess. And then he started asking me about marriage, and why it is ok in the West for people to get married, which he proclaimed was like working for the devil. Not being one to enjoy arguments about these kinds of sensitive things, I just kind of said I don’t really agree and changed the topic.

There is also a city called Harar in the eastern part of Ethiopia. It is a very historical site which I did not get to visit. However, within this walled city, there are something like over 80 or 90 mosques. The south of Ethiopia is primarily Protestant. In the capital, however, you can find a big mix of everyone. For example on a minibus will see people wearing traditional Coptic clergy garb next to a lady in which only here eyes are visible.

Another interesting thing I saw was that it is extremely common for Orthodox Christians here to fast Wednesdays and Fridays until the mid-afternoon. And sometimes, on these days, it is common to not eat any meat for dinner. So at restaurants there are particular entrees for those that are fasting, most commonly a dish with mashed lentils called Shiro, taken with injera bread.

In summary, the Ethiopia I observed seemed to be quite religious when compared with Western countries.

Blue Nile Falls & 1950s Bus Breakdowns

2011-08-31T19:53:00.006+01:00

We headed out on a bus that easily must have been from the 1950s, beginning the most hilarious bus ride ever. This thing was decked out on in the front with fake flowers and curtain trimmings, but otherwise was gutted. It needed to be push started by about 10 guys to get going. As the bus left the lot some of the push starters laughed, caught my eye, and gave me a thumbs up, probably because I was the only non-Ethiopian on the bus. After only a few minutes, the road turned into a rural dirt road the rest of the way, full of massive bumps and ruts. The whole bus was rattling, earplugs would have come in handy here. Even some of the Ethiopians thought it was kind of funny. This bus must have been one of the first buses ever in Ethiopia.

Stylish interior:

That's a bus on its last legs:

The pavement ceases:

Breakdown:

Nowhere:

Halfway through, there was a smell of petrol inside, the driver pulled up the cover on top of the shifter gear box to begin the investigation, and everyone piled out on the side of the road in the middle of nowhere with only a few horses and donkeys in sight. A seemingly regular occurrence, less than 10 minutes later, we piled back in and the bus rumbled onwards.

After getting the Blue Nile village and being harassed per usual by people wanting to give a tour, Netsanet & I walk off with 4 other Ethiopian tourists on the path to the falls. A few of these tour people were persistent as hell, and basically just followed us as we walked, so I relented. They guided us for about 30 minutes to the falls, which was mostly through grassy/swampy/marshy area and not really on any trail, stepping on small rocks half of the time to avoid the water. The hike to the falls included a quick traverse across the Nile in a dingy. The falls were incredibly beautiful, the scenery in general was a lush green and very mountainous. Luckily it is the rainy season here, which makes the falls much more impressive. On the way back, of course, even though we didn’t want them to guide us, they did, and I tipped them a whopping $2, which was actually too much by Ethiopian standards (the Ethiopians tipped even less). However, they are used to foreigners giving at least 5 or 6 dollars, so the guide made sure to complain, ask for more money, and tried to make me feel guilty. I didn’t buy his pitch.

A shot from the dingy:

Nester is laughing cause he can't swim!

The falls:

Beautiful:

The real fun began on the way back. Basically, we missed the last bus back to Bahir Dar at 530 by about 10 or 15 minutes and were thus stranded in this podunk town. We were walking along the main dirt road of the town trying to decide how to get home, when it began to rain. Then one of the four other Ethiopians (three girls and one guy) began to talk to me. She was a really beautiful girl from Addis Ababa and so she offered to share her umbrella with me and was being really friendly and talkative. When all of us went under the shelter of some tin can roadside shop to try to find out a solution on getting a ride home, she offered to sit at a table. Not being able to take a hint, I declined and instead proceeded to talk to 5 or 6 10-15 year old Ethiopian kids! Netsanet and his wife made fun of me a lot for this after. Actually anyways, it was quite entertaining talking to these kids cause they had pretty good English, and I was making some jokes, letting them wear my hat, and stuff like that, so they were also having fun. They liked to make Obama jokes. And then we practiced our Spanish/Chinese/Japanese/French/Swedish as the next hour passed while the others tried all possible ways to avoid having to be stranded for the night.

Beginning to rain on the towns main road:

New friends:

After failing to get a hitch with some Spanish tourists who had a rental vehicle, our last option was to pay a driver for a ride in the bus owned by the park. But not for cheap of course, since they were going out of their way to do this for us. The offer price was 250 apiece for Netsanet & I, which is around 15 dollars each. Consider that on the way there, we paid 13 birr each, less than a dollar! Netsanet had a friend in the town that he was thinking of calling, but I didn’t really feel like staying there (it was thunderstorming, the houses were made of sticks with tin roofs and dirt floors, and I was already a bit cold/wet). So I took their outrageous offer up. The 4 Ethiopians got the usual Ethiopian price of half or less of tourist price.

After driving about 10 minutes in this rickety bus, and with the sun setting, the driver passed a tuk-tuk that was broken down and so it stopped. There were 3 italian tourists inside. So we offered them to get in the bus and have a ride home. That began a huge 20 minute ordeal, though. There was a dad, a mom, and a son. And the mom was a real honest to god bargainer and screamer. The driver of the tuk-tuk was demanding 250 birr from the tourists, and they really only owed somewhere between 150 & 200 (like a measley 2 euro difference for these Italians). But the mom would not relent and pay 250, and a shouting match broke out. I think the dad was embarrassed for his wife. She was screaming and refusing to pay (which is good, he wanted to rip them off, but she was going nuts). Then, the 4 ethiopians in the bus were also going to charge the Italians 100 birr each to get on the bus, which was fair since we all paid a lot more than that in the first place to even get the bus. But the Italians argued like hell on that one too. Which is ridiculous, because basically they were stranded and doing them a favor by stopping in the first place. In reality, the truth is that the tuk-tuk driver could have been faking the break-down of his vehicle to rob the Italians. Sometimes a driver of these tuk-tuks will fake a breakdown, ask the passengers to get out to help push start the vehicle, then zoom off with all their possessions inside leaving them stranded. The Ethiopians knew that and wanted the Italians to get in the bus so they wouldn’t get robbed. But the tuk-tuk driver also jumped into the bus and wouldn’t get off until he got his money. One of the Ethiopian girls started screaming at him after awhile, and finally he got only 150 birr (which was about right), and actually she spit on him as he jumped out of the bus!

After all this, it had now become completely dark, the rain had stopped, but there was lightning to be seen in all directions and it seemed like a huge storm was coming. So the driver turned the interior lights off and it was time to head home on this bumpy, lightless road. But, 20 minutes later, we heard the screech of a cow, and then the bus abruptly stopped and engine shut off. The bus hit a cow! Two guys jumped out the door to analyze the situation. They looked underneath the bus, then the bus started up again, re-reversed over the cow to free it or something like that, then the driver quickly put it back in forward and the guys hopped in as the bus sped off, leaving the owner of the cow running and waving his walking stick at the bus. Cows are expensive and cost a lot of money, so I guess the driver sped off. But the owner can probably sue the driver if he finds him, and get a lot of money out of him, since the government is a big supporter of farmers.

An awesome adventure.

A toothbrush

2011-08-30T17:22:00.004+01:00

The bus stopped in a town on the journey from Addis Ababa to Bahir Dar. I bought a toothbrush from this little boy for 5 cents, which he cut to length on the spot and carved the bark off with his knife. Many people here clean their teeth with the end of this plant.

Women carrying things on their heads

2011-08-29T18:53:00.004+01:00

Here in Bahir Dar, Ethiopa, the women are quite admirable. STRONG people. The quantity and variety of things they are carrying on their heads is mind-boggling. Without a doubt, the Ethiopian women can probably give the men a nice ass kicking.

That is a lady who had to put her stuff down to re-adjust the baby on her back!

Buying a Goat, Ethiopian Style

2011-08-28T00:58:00.008+01:00

1. Go to goat market.
2. Browse herds of goats brought by rural people to the market. Feel how fat or sturdy each goat is before deciding by placing your hand on the back and patting the side and bottom. For good assistance, the guy in the red jacket will find you. He is a butcher which you will pay, but will also help you find the right size for the right price. Find goat. Negotiate. Buy.

3. Give goat to butcher. Butcher loops rope around goats neck as a leash and brings him several blocks.

4. Goat resists, knowing it has been separated from the herd, makes lots of noises, even sits down a few times, but butcher persists and drags him until he gets up and continues.
5. On the corner, goat lies down. Butcher places the four legs together then ties the legs together with a rope.
6. Butcher picks up goat by legs/rope, loads it on its back in front of his feet on a minibus (filled with people).
7. Head home with the butcher/goat.
8. In front of the apartment building there is a spot which is regularly used for the butcherings.

9. After getting situated, first, he cuts the neck. After about 10 seconds of movement, it is done.
10. Then, he ties the goat up on a rope so it is hanging in the air.
11. He begins to remove the skin and makes extremely quick work of it. He will keep the hide as a tip, which he can sell and it will be turned into leather. This is why sometimes around the city you will see a horse-drawn cart full of tens or hundreds of goat/sheep skins.

Halfway:

Just about there:

12. After removing the skin and cutting the head off, he butchers the rest of the goat. Removing the insides (stomach, liver, intestines, etc), then chopping into various pieces ribs, legs, backbone, etc.
Carving:
There goes everything inside:

13. That’s about it, the whole goat is butchered in about 10-15 minutes. This guy is a real pro. Then cleans out the stomach, which smells like hell, and washes it with water.
Cleaning the inside parts:

He's cutting out the eyeballs and removing the skin from the head.

14. We bring the pan of goat parts upstairs and within 15 minutes Netsanet’s wife has some tibs prepared. Must be the soonest I've eaten something after it has been killed.

Making a dish with liver and kidney:
Preparing the head for a soup dish by removing the nose:

This way is much better. At least you see the process instead of just buying a steak in plastic wrap from the supermarket, which takes all the sensitivity away. It is good to know where your food comes from. And here, you know these goats have not been fed some crap to make them huge. They are living with rural people and when they are not at the goat market up for sale are probably foraging for grass and have space to move around, not living in a shoebox with 100 other goats.

Oh, and some people enjoy the head of the goat. Netsanet’s wife placed it in soup. The meat on the jaw is really tender. And, it was my first time eating brain. I’m not sure I am a fan of it, it is a soft texture. I compare it to eating crab, fishing the brain out of the skull with a fork instead of picking crab meat out of the legs. Regrettably, eating brain doesn’t actually increase your IQ.

From Dubai to Ethiopia

2011-08-19T08:53:00.001+01:00

Going from Dubai to Ethiopia is probably the biggest change in wealth and most contrasting thing one could ever see.

In Dubai, I seriously felt like I was part of a problem. Dubai (plus the rest of the UAE, and Qatar) are wreckless. The spending in Dubai is unchecked. The wealth is insane. The place is simply unsustainable. All buildings and malls are massively air conditioned from 100 to 60 degrees (40 to 19 C). The things that they create are beyond anything one could ever deem necessary in imagination and size. The malls contain things like aquariums, four story waterfalls, ski slopes, ice rinks, and whatever else you could imagine that serves no useful function except to simply drop your jaw. Water is desalinated. Petrol is 30 cents/liter or 1.20 per gallon. Food is imported because nothing except dates grows. 3 million people simply should not be living in a desert under such conditions. I don’t care if you are here on a 1 year contract to work for some bank or an engineering firm and you will be making 100,000+ tax-free and rent free dollars, or if you will be building the world’s fastest elevator or most technologically advanced amusement park. The migrant workers are treated like crap only to contribute to the Sheik’s game of building a city worthy of The SIMS computer game. They don’t even give them any reasonable exceptions to allow them to eat or drink during the government imposed Ramadan while they are busy working on the 60th floor of some new building in 100 degree heat. This place only shows slivers of real culture which evaporated after they discovered oil in the 60s. A manifestation of capitalism in a more or less dictatorship (they say everyone is happy with the Sheik and he provides to all which is crap… they gave up all their rights when they crossed the border…beggars even get arrested here..) taken to some extreme with blatant disregard for many basic, common ethical and moral principles. After a few days, I was simply looking forward to leaving. Spending any more of my money and time there simply made me feel like I was a part of something that should not exist, period.

Then, in Addis Ababa, I got sick to my stomach. The poverty there makes the poverty I saw in Brazil, Paraguay, or simply anything in Eastern Europe look like the people are kings and their living conditions are palaces. One day, in the big market, I saw a boy about 8 years old, hunched over on a piece of cardboard in the middle of the street with no shirt on, with boils of all sizes covering his entire body. And hundreds of people walking by like its status quo. It is the most horrific thing I have ever seen and without a doubt it may give me nightmares…I can’t rid of the image from my head. Guys with no legs walking along the road with their hands, sans wheelchair. One guy with his left foot bent at a perfect 90 degrees pointed directly at the center of his right food. The list goes on. The faces here you see walking the streets show wear and hardship. People sleeping in dirt in the sidewalk or center dividers in many parts of the city. Washing themselves in pooled rainwater or cleaning their face and feet with the remainder of a plastic bottle of water. Plenty of rickety bundled up old blind people hunched over wooden canes begging, coming up to the minibuses and sticking their hand inside while it is stopped, or simply just standing in one spot for hours. I don’t usually give money out to homeless people (especially in US/Europe) unless they are doing something or at least trying to sell something (for example, the 10 year old girls here selling gum), but here, it almost feels like these people are completely helpless. The system is completely screwed, and most likely nothing can save them from begging at this stage. Any external initiative to help seems as if it would not put a dent in the sheer mass of poverty here. After seeing some of those people, then I even feel ok for the guy carrying 15 mattresses (for real!) on his back or 9 coffee tables on his neck or 5 televisions on the top of his head, or 100 pounds of onions on left shoulder and 50 on his right, cause at least he is working and getting paid by someone, somewhere. So I’ve given some change to those blind people and children gum sellers here and there, because they are probably just f-d for life anyways and a noble effort of ‘not contributing’ to the horrible system seems useless.

So what do I recommend. One, never go to Dubai or any of those Sheik-dom oil producing countries. I plan on discouraging people from now on from not visiting this wreckless place and being a part of what it is, or at least letting everyone know what the true story is. Two, either be grateful that the stars aligned and you were born in a first world country (instantly making you a millionaire in Ethiopia), or two, maybe donate something (ok, that is extremely cliché haha…). I gave only 10 bucks to UNICEF the other day for the ridiculous famine in Somalia. They say that 1 dollar can feed 1 person/day (consider that one can buy a goat here in Ethiopia for 10 to 15 dollars, which can feed a ton of people), so even if half of that $10 is siphoned off by some cronies maybe some of it will make it through.

Seeing this stuff in person, hearing the sounds, and feeling it first hand, is a heck of a lot different that witnessing it in a BBC or Discovery Channel documentary. How about them apples?

A Genuine Ending

2011-08-12T09:05:00.004+01:00

Here in Dubai I am staying with a doctor from Panama, working at the American Hospital. Last night, we went out for Yemeni food (a first), and joining us was one of his co-workers, Ron, who is an American.

Ron has an interesting story. Probably in his mid to late 40s, he grew up in Chicago, lived and worked as a doctor in Seattle, Virginia, Arizona, a few other places in the US, then lived in Saudi Arabia for 2 years (from which he has some fascinating stories), and has been in Dubai now for 6 years.

So over a bottle of wine our discussion gravitated mainly to negative things such as problems in the US, discrimination here in Dubai, and other things that are quite easy to sit back and criticize while doing the whole sitting at a dinner table and drinking wine thing. Fed up with all the negative talk, I had the discussion switched to more positive things, and so Ron busts out the most feel good story I've probably ever heard.

Ron's parents are from a small island in the Philippines. When he was working at the University of Chicago in the 80s, by some miniscule chance, he met a girl from the same island that was also living in Chicago. They dated for awhile, he had to move to Seattle, so it ended there and he never really looked back.

Early this year, his mom passed away, so he went to the funeral which was on his home island in the Philippines. Low and behold, and unbeknown to him previously, when he showed up, his girlfriend from 18 years ago was also at the funeral. He said when they saw each other they embraced and it felt like 18 years ago (people from this small community were staring uncomfortably at their hug, as he said).

Anyways, he went on to tell how a few years after they broke up in Chicago, that she went back to the Phillipines due to a death in her family, and for various reasons, she never returned to the US. She ended up opening a shop on the island. Since it is such a small island, this girl was actually a good acquaintance with Ron's mom, but Ron's mom did not know that they had ever dated or even knew each other. In fact, in several trips Ron made to the island in the 2000's, Ron's mom took him to the girl's shop twice in an effort to introduce the two (since she knew they were both single) but both times her shop was closed so the connection was never re-established. So, however, in the end, his mom did succeeded in re-uniting the two, but at her funeral.

Anyways, it gets even cheesier. She goes on to tell him how she never really loved anyone since 18 years ago, and had been thinking about him. He brushes it off a bit, goes back to Dubai, but then they start communicating by email for about 4 months after the funeral. I guess they hit it off again, and so he proposed to her and they are getting married soon. He even extended an invitation to me to the wedding in the Philippines in September (guess I won't be going haha).

Now there is a positive story worthy of telling.

That crazy place called Qatar

2011-08-10T15:28:00.003+01:00

Doha (which pretty much IS Qatar) quite a strange place. Normally not the most interesting place in the world, Ramadan truly makes it a real bore. Otherwise, there are tons of cultural and social oddities in this tiny peninsula country:

Predictably, most money comes from natural gas and oil. Oil will probably run out within 50-100 years.

All Qataris can get educated in the US or UK. Qataris choose from a list of about 400 Universities in about 40 countries. Students apply to those Universities, and if they are accepted, the government pays. If it is in a country with a foreign language, the government will pay for 2 years of hanging out in that country before school to learn the language properly. Also travel tickets and food expenses are covered. Last year about 450 students went abroad (small Qatari society).

Everyone is employed here (which is why you can see security guards walking around primped parks full of joggers at night sitting on their lawn chairs patrolling nada).

Even today most marriages between Qataris are arranged. First, due to tradition, second, because the society believes parents best know who suits their child (and often the spouse is found through networking through the Qatari society) (ugh….). So thus they believe in love coming after marriage, not before. Marriage between cousins is acceptable. The man must give the woman a sum of money (say average $30,000 or more) and an expensive jewelry set as a gift the woman. Weddings are separate, men have their own celebration, all the women have their own as well. For just a few hours, they can spend up to $150,000 for only a few hours (not even including a meal!).
The Muslims here are Sunni and it doesn’t appear they take so nicely Shia’s (or Iran for that matter). At least the few Qataris I talked to.

There are plenty of websites that are blocked here.

If you go 30 km/h over it is at least an $8,000 ticket!!

Parking ticket is 135 dollars.

Red light ticket is 8000 dollars!

Loading a vehicle (including not closing trunk properly or being in wrong place) in dangerous manner is also 135 dollars.

The high ticket prices are because tons of people have died due to reckless driving in the past. They say Qatar previously had the highest rate of accidents in the world. Someone I met who manages a Toyota service center said business is always booming.
There is no crime. You could probably leave your wallet on the street and it would be ok.
There are zero taxes. No business, not personal, no sales.

I must say there might actually be a higher rate of SUV usage here than in the US. Most Qataris own a Land Cruiser. They are everywhere. And definitely a few Ferraris and Bentley’s here and there.

Plenty of Nepalese come here to work as laborers for $300/month. They live 4-6 in a room.

Qatar is more conservative than Dubai but less conservative than Saudi. It is also very traditional. You can see this in the high number of people wearing traditional clothing here.

Music is ‘impure’ so during Ramadan there is not much music on the radio. Some stations from Bahrain come in here, since Bahrain is more liberal.

At the Carrefour grocery store the Koran is sung during Ramadan instead of elevator music.

This place is incredibly clean. Palm trees and public green space is manicured perfectly. Probably the pigeons on the front lawn of the state building were put there for show since pigeons don’t actually live here (though the pigeon is actually revered here)

All the buildings are made in the color of sand. If they weren’t I am sure they would look like sand pretty quick.

People are wreckless with energy use. Supposedly the highest per capita consumption in the world. Which goes hand in hand with the highest per capita income in the world. Guess that’s what happens when you hop from AC mall to AC mall to AC house.
40 years ago this society was entirely different and one street in Qatar had electricity.

Don’t find yourself in the Qatari jail. Probably you will be in a really tiny cell.

Surprisingly, execution is illegal here. Though, I heard there are some sorts of agreements with Saudi Arabia and people can get sent to Saudi to be executed. For example, in the following story that was told to me by a Qatari: Guy drives car at 100 mph, crashes into something, flips a bunch of times. Catches fire. Guy is still alive. Some laborers just stand there and don’t try to help, even though the guy is actually ok. Guy burns alive. Laborers are charged as criminals and may be sent to Saudi for execution.

People (Qataris) seem to look down on the immigrants, such as Nepalese, Filipinos, etc.

The government pretty much monitors all phone conversation. It is not legal to say bad things about the Sheikh (ruler). Though everyone does actually seem to like him because everyone has a place to live, no violence, and things are provided to the people in general. Rules are strict but life is decent (works withstanding I suppose…)

It is quite a diverse place in comparison to many countries in the middle east. Going to the supermarket you easily see Americans, British, Europeans (all the former probably here for business..), Indian, Nepalese, Philipinos (workers for the most part), people from around the gulf (business..), and lots of people from Sudan.
My clothes air dry within an hour or two when I put them outside. It’s great.

Alcohol is served only in hotel bars. There is one liquor store, but you need to buy a license (therefore you must be an expat and not a Muslim).

Men and women are segregated in Universities here, high schools, etc. Plus you can get a ticket for walking in public with a woman who is not your relative or spouse if you are a man (if you are a Qatari).

7 years ago satellites were banned.

Here I have seen more American chains than anywhere ever. Dairy Queen, Chilis, Toys r Us, Burger King, Baskin Robbins, Pizza Hut, McDs, etc.

Most public places gotta have a mosque. Like the mall, for example. I think a prayer room suffices.

To me Qatari society seems quite closed, you really must be born into it unless you are a man who has taken a foreign wife. There are plenty of expats & workers, certainly they intermingle and are friends, but they still are not exactly part of this society.

Straaaange place.

Nessebar, Bulgaria

2011-08-08T12:23:00.000+01:00

Here is a place I can say I went to, didn't like, and don't plan on returning.

During the summer tons of Bulgarians flock to the Black Sea.

I didn't know they all went to the same place.

The beach was so mobbed that I could barely see the sand. The town is known for having some very nice old churches, however people were selling junk everywhere leading to a highly unpleasant experience.

Not my cup of tea (but otherwise a very beautiful place).

The Ultimate Food Compliation

2011-08-07T12:44:00.014+01:00

I've had a lot of amazing food over the last few months. Hands down Turkish food wins with the widest variety and richest of food flavors, smells, and ingredients, and spices, but nonetheless every place had some pretty good stuff in one form or another (haven't made it to Ethiopia, which may just take the crown...if I escape with my internals intact).

Delicious pistachio baklava. So rich and sweet tasting:
Love dolmas:
I forget what this is called, but it was filled with some ground meat and pretty good:

The corn carts of Istanbul selling grilled and boiled corn (loaded up with salt):
Pottery kebap in Cappadocia, Turkey. They cook it in sealed clay pots and break it after. Very stew like with lots of onions, tomatoes, spices, and small chunks of shredded meat:

A cappy orange soda and the salty yogurt drink which I really don't like:

Well it's not food but definitely a part of Turkish culture and accompanies tea and snacks likes dates and fruits quite well. Cappuccino flavored was the best:

Purchasing a nice kofte sandwich from a cart in Istanbul:
One of the best dishes of my entire life in Istanbul. Literally. Something similar to baba ganoush. Mashed eggplant which was so incredibly rich with flavor that the small amount served was just perfect. And the meat was simply perfect. Only 10 bucks for this plate.

Spice Market, Istanbul:

Sesame seed pretzels in Istanbul:

Kofte sandwich. $2. Stuffed also with paprika, chili, tomatoes, onions. Yum.

Nut assortment and tea seasonings, Istanbul:
Really really love Turkish tea:

Figs from the backyard and marinated in some thick sweet sauce, Nis, Serbia:

A trip to Serbia would not be complete with some home made Rakia for breakfast (50% alcohol!), that puts some hair on your chest!

Fish market for fish sandwiches, Istanbul:

Serbian grillables:

Cream and a cream stuffed sweet yellow pepper (Nis, Serbia):

Going to the butcher in Nis, Serbia

Cevap in Belgrade (meat, some carbs, and a sliver of onion)

Fried and super salted anchovies, good with beer (Bulgaria & Serbia):

Cevap Sarajevo. Kebap. Macedonia. Again, they know how to cook this stuff perfectly.

Freshly boiled milk in Slovenia:

Seafood platter on Slovenian mediterannean:

Tender chicken wrapped in bacon in Bulgaria. A bit of an overload but damn was it good(the bacon wasn't covering up poor performing chicken either, it was simply an excessively delicious complement):

Polish pierogis from Warsaw!

Polish bigos, stewed meat, sauerkraut, potatoes:

Dad enjoying some German beer in Berlin:

Currywurst (somewhere underneath the fries):

Lastly, delicious summer fruits everywhere:

Notables without photos are spectacular Sri Lankan, Egyptian, and Pakistani food in Qatar.

Thobe

2011-08-07T11:26:00.006+01:00

Proud owner of a custom made Qatari thobe. Still good enough for exercising and dancing. And with plenty of air circulation. This thing is ingenious. Plus you don't even need to decide on your favorite shirt and pants combination when you wake up.

The resemblance is uncanny:

Little Things

2011-08-05T22:09:00.005+01:00

Sometimes I really like little experiences in foreign countries.

For example, today, my friend Waseem (from Bradley) and I drove out into the Qatari desert on the Persian gulf. It was a cool 118 degrees. I think it was a bit hard on the car.

Because on the way back we stopped to meet a friend, and then after the car wouldn't start.

That night, Waseem's co-worker, from India, drove us back to pick up the car. We picked up a mechanic (I guess you couldn't find a mechanic in the US working at 10pm on a Friday), and drove him to the car. The mechanic was from Bangladesh. The Indian guy explained that he was talking to the mechanic in Hindi, though his native language is Tamil, and Hindi is the second language for the Bangladesh guy. Then, Waseem is Sri Lankan, so all the while he is talking to someone on the phone in one of his native languages Sinhalese. Meanwhile I sit like a doofus in the back seat watching these guys communicate about car batteries in English, Hindi, and Tamil. I found it quite comical yet all the while unique and interesting.

Later, something really aggravated me. Waseem took his car to a car wash. Which here is driving into a covered area where like 10 Indian guys in blue auto jumpsuits come out and clean the heck out of your car, power wash it, and soap it down, and clean the interior. Then, while his car is getting washed, a Bentley drives into this crappy car wash. This is a car that starts at $200,000 and goes up to half a million. And this dude is getting a 7 dollar power car wash next to some beat up Toyota trucks. Now, my gripe is, if you are gonna blow that much money on a silly car, please treat it nicely and get a better wash than getting the paint demolished by this power wash.

Finally, a nice sign outside a mall here, follow Qatari traditions:

Rila Monastery

2011-08-04T15:06:00.005+01:00

A 2.5 hour bus ride into the mountains outside of Sofia in Bulgaria, Rila monastery dates back to the 10th century. It is credited as having helped save the Bulgarian language and spirituality during the 500 years of Ottoman rule. The church has the most detailed and impressive frescoes I’ve ever seen, though they date back to the 1850s (geez, practically brand new). In these mountains St. John of Rila founded Bulgarian monasticism (he went into the mountains to be a hermit and do his religious thing), and nowadays is considered the patron saint of Bulgarians. Google just told me there is even a Bulgarian Orthodox church in Chicago named after him.

My Syrian Airplane Friend

2011-08-03T06:29:00.002+01:00

I have to take a few minutes here to write and remember about the guy I just met at the airport in Istanbul and sat next to on the plane to Dubai.

He is basically the same age as me and from Syria. He has been living in Istanbul for 2 years while studying. He pays about $5,000 a year for school. Since he knows Arabic and English and thus can talk to most tourists, he works as a salesman at the famous Egyptian/Spice bazaar to pay his way through University (he just finished his degree in International relations).

But the most interesting part of our discussion was learning about how things really are in Syria right now. He hasn’t seen his family since last year, and not exactly by choice. His father, until things get better, is telling him not to come back to Syria. If he goes back, he could be arrested. The government believes that everyone that has been living abroad and that is coming back could be against the interests of the government. Therefore, he is scared of being arrested if he returns and anything else that might happen thereafter.

His dad owned a construction shop but basically closed it about 4 months ago. He lives in his house now and doesn’t go out much. In fact, since he is not working, he is being sent money from his son working in Istanbul.

He said it is all about religion. He is Muslim but extremely open to everything. He was fasting on the plane for Ramadan, but did not mind when I ate lunch (in fact offering me some dates that the airline gave him to break his fast). I even asked him for awhile what he accomplishes out of fasting himself and it was really interesting… But back to their government, which are people who are followers of a particular type of Islam that I don’t think I have heard of, which represents about 10% of the population. 80% of the population is Sunni. The last 10% are Christians.

So that 10% that is in power believes their way is correct and is ruling with military rule. He said they have killed about 2,000 protestors since it began earlier this year. Just yesterday, on the first day of Ramadan, he said they killed 100 people. But he said every time someone is killed, more people join in on the protesting. When a family member dies, their close family and friends feel the pain and are inspired to join in. So thus the more people they kill, the more join in on the protests. He said these 10% in charge have most of the money in the country (goes without stating I suppose). They have kicked out most of the independent journalists, as well.

Then he went on to talk about how he met an Australian girl in Syria awhile back, and they dated for a few years (even a year or so after she went home), and got married in Jordan. But she went home to Australia, and he tried to move there. But the Australian government said no. Of course, he was going to work and was going there legitimately for his wife. So, after 2 years, they gave up, he couldn’t make it to Australia, and that was the end of their marriage.

And the whole reason this guy was on the plane was that 4 or 5 months ago he met a girl from Dubai. A real Emirate (she was actually born there). She was in Istanbul for 2 weeks and somehow they got along real well and when she left started communicating daily, and so she invited him to come to Dubai to get married. So 4 months later, after he received his degree, he was on the plane sitting next to me ready to start a completely new life. He had known this girl for 2 weeks in person (though he was also looking for a new job).

More interesting also is that if she chooses to marry him, in the UAE, she must give up her passport and accept a Syrian passport. Because she is a woman. However, an Emirate man can offer citizenship to a women. So maybe they will go to the UK or Jordan for the marriage. That is just screwed up. Male dominated society throughout the middle east to say the least (he agreed with me).

So in the end, I took a few things away. One, that we are damn privileged not to have to go through anything like this in our lives coming from our part of the world. I just can’t imagine really. But this guy takes it full on positively and makes the best of it. It pretty much makes me not want to complain about much. And two, this is the great perspective you can get travelling that BBC and CNN and Fox just don’t give you. Love it.

Firsts of Sofia

2011-08-01T15:49:00.005+01:00

Two new firsts for myself in Sofia, Bulgaria:

1) Went into mosque. Didn’t realize they were such relaxing places inside. When it is roasting outside, it is a nice place to go and rest, take a nap, have a chat, have some peace and quiet.

2) Saw a Russian Orthodox service. Filled of ritualistic shaking of medival looking metal box on a chain filled with incense and beautiful singing.

The main mosque in Sofia (turkish style):

Russian Orthodox:

Other than that, Sofia wasn’t really the prettiest or most touristy city you could imagine. I believe it has a lot to offer if you live there for awhile. Public transport isn’t great, and it certainly won’t wow you. But it was good to see. Definitely still very post communist looking with all the Soviet style block buildings. And massive neo-classical political buildings emphasizing the power over the people.

Also I had a really great and nice couchsurfing host in Sofia, who moved from Moldova 5 years ago, so that’s the first Moldovan I’ve met and it was really interesting to learn something about a place I know nothing about. A crazy French guy also stayed for a few nights (by crazy I mean he travelled through Pakistan, India, and Afganistan by hitchhiking the last few years and was now heading to Syria), and we had some nice home cooked meals.

Even for just the first two experiences though, it was well worth the trip.

My host Svetlana and her place (nice to stay in one of these blocks)::

No dogs, No guns:

The biiiiiig Orthodox church:

Orthodox Service:

Massive neo-classical style walkway outside a state building:

The Hamam

2011-07-31T15:35:00.003+01:00

Otherwise known as the Turkish Bath, the pictures sums is up pretty nicely:

First, you enter the building, which is really old and beautiful inside. Almost like a converted mosque.

Then, they instruct you to change. Strip down and put the towel around your waist.

You are directed to the sauna area by (in my case) a massive sumo sized Turkish guy speaking no English. Here, it was essentially one pretty decent sized domed room with a smaller domed room connected to it by a small doorway. In the middle of the big room is a massive square marble waist high altar. There are sinks lining the sides of the room, full of water. Pretty much instantly the sweat fest begins (…as if it wasn’t hot enough outside in regular 90 degree weather).

After sitting in this room for about 10 minutes and having no clue what the process is for this Turkish bath massage, the massive guy comes back into the room. This time, he has also changed into his towel. Needless to say, I was with a guy from DC and at this instant we both started laughing extremely hard, thinking ‘what the heck is going on here and what is sumo guy gonna do to us in that skimpy towel’.

He proceeds to give me a bucket and I scoop water from the sink and douse myself many times and am now drenched including my towel.

Next, he moves me to the altar and makes me lay down on my stomach. I have no clue what he wants me to do so he pretty much tosses me into the necessary position and moves me around (picture this while in my drenched towel). He starts by slamming his hands onto my back. Then, takes out a massive amount of extremely foamy soap. And starts rubbing the legs up and down (coming millimeters away from special region). But he is using some force with his grip on the legs, since the point is to really remove all the dirt and toxins out. Then, he flips me over, onto my back, and does the same on my legs and my arms and back. Then, he douses my head with shampoo and shampoos my head. Then, I am pulled up and brought back over to the sink where I douse myself with colder and colder water each time. Finally, I am brought over to an empty floor area and instructed to lay on the marble floor, which is extremely hot, where I rest for 10 or 15 minutes while the guy from DC gets his massage.

I don’t think this part of the massage was so relaxing, mainly because I had no clue what to expect and felt like a rag doll as I was being pushed around and maneuvered. But after leaving the sauna, you drink some cold water and then are served some awesome tasting Turkish tea, where we spent about 30 minutes in our towels in the lobby just relaxing. It kind of felt like I got run over by a truck, but in a good way. My skin felt really really clean and it was very relaxing in the end.

All in all a hilarious experience.

Skopje, Macedonia

2011-07-28T14:28:00.008+01:00

Okay, people, Macedonia is a country, let’s get this straight from the first sentence. Since 1991. Macedonia is also a state in the north of Greece. These countries don’t get along. Greece will probably prevent Macedonia from joining the EU for as long as it can (although as I understand there is plenty of trade between the two countries, guess Greece might be a little hypocritical here).

I arrived in Skopje (the capital), 2 days after the government erected a 9.5 million euro statue of Alexander the Great in the very center of the city. Now this is not just any other statue. This is a statue you build to define your city or even your country. Like Christ the Redeemer in Rio. And, to piss off the Greeks. So, they are officially pissed.

9.5 million euro statue of Alexander the Great:

Skopje is a massive mix of cultures and religions. Mosques, Catholic Churches, and Orthodox Churches all next to each other in a small area. The city has the largest bazaar in Eastern Europe, which was really awesome and cool to explore. There is an old town that was created by the Turks during their long rule in Eastern Europe, so it still retains a massive architectural influence from the Turks.

Other than that, there was a ton of construction on new bridges, statues, etc, in the center of the city. A few people I talked to aren’t sure where the money is coming from or what the purpose is. To me, nobody knows of Macedonia or Skopje, so, it may give it a slight reputation, let along at least give tourists a surprise when they arrive.

Another thing I noticed in Macedonia is there is tension with Albanians. Macedonia has 25% population of Albanians. On the train ride to Skopje, the Macedonian guy, although he spoke no English, managed to point out many of the Albanian rural villages on the way to Skopje. I didn’t get a necessarily positive vibe in his reason for pointing them all out. I’m not too well versed on the history between ethnic Albanians and Macedonians, however, I am sure that the rights of these minority groups have changed a lot over the last 20 years. Wikipedia has a massive page on the history of Albanians in

Fun fact: Mother Theresa was born in Skopje. Though she was Albanian.

Cevapi Sarajevo. Cevapi is a huge dish throughout Eastern Europe, but the Bosnians are considered to have the best. Thus you can find this 'Sarajevo' style everywhere. It is pretty much spiced meat (beef). Meat culture here is an understatement:
The fortress overlooking Skopje, also from the 6th century by Justinian:

A main street in the Turkish part of the city (of which many tiny streets come off of):

Entrance to the Bazaar:

This arched bridge is from the 6th century built by emperor Justinian:
Train stop near Serbia-Macedonia border. Patch of concrete with one run down 3 story building:

Tribute to Mother Teresa:

The People I've Met, Eastern Europe

2011-07-28T12:06:00.003+01:00

Last year I made a small blog on random people I met while I was traveling. This summer also, I have met quite a few random people outside of those I have met through couchsurfing or just staying in hostels. For me, these people all have really helped to re-affirm that there are nice people everywhere.

On the train from Nis(Serbia) to Skopje(Macedonia), my couchsurfers introduced me to a Macedonian guy who was going home to Skopje. He had horrible English, but we tried to talk as much as we could on the unbelievably slow 7 hour train ride. He was studying in Skopje and had been traveling for a week in Serbia visiting friends. He was so kind that after we left the train, he asked to grab a coffee, so we had a coffee at the train station. There I discovered he was nuts for sports so I threw out a bunch of sports names and it turned into a real conversation. Lots of head nodding and thumbs up and down. I wanted to pay for the coffee since he was being so nice, but he continually refused and insisted that he pay. Then since it was late at night, he wanted to ensure I found my hostel alright, so he even rode in the cab with me (after selecting the one that doesn't rip you off) to make sure I made it alright. Now that is a nice person trying to make sure a foreigner gets along ok in their country.

On that same train, I met a guy who was about 21 or so studying psychology in Nis, who had reasonable English. He was going home to a small town in eastern Serbia. He talked about how his dad only worked when he could get odd jobs, and other than that, his family grew all their own stuff and basically relied on friends and neighbors, a repeated theme I heard in Serbia.

On the bus from Macedonia to Sofia, I met an extremely friendly and nice girl from a small town near Skopje that was studying in Sofia. She spoke English, Spanish, German, and all the Slavic languages. When we arrived to Sofia, she made absolute sure I knew what tram to take to my couchsurfer’s place. In fact, she decided to take the same tram as me to show me the correct tram, and then she transferred to another one, which was completely out of her way.

At the bazaar in Skopje, I was buying peaches, and the seller began talking to me. One of his friends was living in Minnesota. He couldn’t understand why I wanted to go to Macedonia haha. Friendly guy, though.

In Veliko Turnovo, Bulgaria, I was walking around with another couchsurfer, and we sat down on a bench under a tree as it began to rain. An older guy sat down next to us. Having learned that sharing is a great way to be friendly, less selfish, and start a conversation at the same time, I offered a piece of watermelon which he readily accepted. Now, this guy may or may not have been a bum. The only words he knew we could understand were ‘Bulgaria’ ‘Macedonia’ and ‘America’ ‘Communist’ and ‘Albania’. But after a few handshakes he began to draw stuff with his hands on the ground, trying to explain something about the split of the states during Communism. Nice guy, possibly homeless, but nonetheless entertaining. Oh, and I don’t know what he was exactly trying to say, but he liked to say ‘America’ and while placing his two hands behind his head like he was getting arrested, then laugh, say ‘America OK’, and shake my hand.

I met a woman from Canada on the bus from Sofia to Veliko Turnovo. She had been living in Italy for 10 years and was working for the Atomic Energy Commission years as a journalist. But she had a massive motormouth, kept blabbering about socialism, and didn’t have too many positive things to say about the US. Anyways, after we arrived, I instructed her that she should always agree on a price before getting in a Bulgarian cab (as she was already once ripped off by a rigged taxi-meter from the airport), so she thanked me, we shared a cab, and she covered the whole bill . Now, the kicker of this story is that somehow, we had a Bulgarian, Canadian, and American in the cab and found out that all three of us spoke Spanish so it made for a magnificient cab ride. Maybe the simplest cab ride so far in Europe haha. When I arrived at my host’s place, my phone was not working, and the cab driver refused to just leave me there and so he called her from his phone! On top of this, the next day, I needed to take a cab to the bus station to get tickets, and bumped into him. So he took us to the station, and then even came into the station with us and helped us buy tickets! Such a nice and friendly cab driver. Lived in Spain for 4 years, drove trucks to Austria and Germany for 10 years, and had 20 and 26 year old children.

Then, while waiting for the midnight bus to Istanbul, it was just me and an old guy at the stop. So he started talking to me since the bus was late. He knew maybe 15 words of English, but it turned into a nice game of Charades. He was from Istanbul but living in Burgas, Bulgaria, and had two kids studying in Sofia. When the bus stopped for a coffee break he insisted on buying me a Coke. And then at the border when everyone had to pile out of the bus and go through passport control, he made sure I knew what was going on.

So in all these cases, it makes me happy that there really are friendly and genuine people willing to talk to bored strangers/foreigners and go out of their way to help out and give a great impression of their their country. Just need to be friendly back and it usually gets you a long way.

My Favorite Chuch

2011-07-27T17:26:00.005+01:00

This is a church in Veliko Turnovo, Bulgaria

Looks like a perfectly normal old looking church on the top of the hill:

When you go in you are hit with incredibly modern artistry covering every inch of the interior. It is as if they asked a really professional street graffiti artist to come in and decorate the place. It really might be the most amazing church I have ever been in, simply because it is so different and unexpected.

And to complete the theme, even the candles are electric and the candle holders look as if they are stainless steel.

Matka Canyon

2011-07-22T13:42:00.005+01:00

Matka Canyon is in a beautiful mountainous region outside of Skopje in Macedonia. It has a beautiful river running through it and the walls rise steeply from the water.

We (a negative Nancy Canadian guy and myself) tried to take a direct bus from the center, but being Macedonian buses, the 1130 bus was randomly cancelled. So, instead, after getting vague info from people on street, take a city bus to the end of its line, wait on a patch of dirt for 45 minutes hoping the minibus actually comes, when it does, proceed through windy roads and small villages to the Canyon. Ironically enough, some French girl hopped on the microbus in the middle of nowhere, so we hiked with her for a bit. A week later, in Veliko Turnovo, Bulgaria, I bumped into her walking around the city.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matka_Canyon

Canadian guy waits in patch of dirt bus stop and nearly turns back due to being an impatient Sally:
Minibus:

Hercules visits the canyon:

Germany guy from hostel decides to test the rapids (a little bit nutso):

There he goes:

Niš, Serbia

2011-07-21T20:17:00.007+01:00

Nis surprised me not because it was a better city than I expected, but because the people I stayed with made it worth it to stay three times longer than I had initially planned.

Nis is known as being next to the birthplace of Constantine. It has a nice fortress like Belgrade, and some other notable historical sites, such as a tower the Turks made out of the skinned skulls of their victims. But otherwise, I wouldn’t say there is a huge amount of touristy things to see here. A nice stopover on the main route to Bulgaria.

My couchsurfing host was out of town but he had arranged for a close friend and couchsurfer to meet me when I arrived. Shortly after meeting Mirko, who is 24, that I was only staying one evening, it was an immediate reply that I must stay at least one more. Without a schedule, I didn’t put up much of an argument and said why not.

The first evening Mirko and his crazy little 11 year old brother took me to a small butcher shop for dinner. We chose out the things we wanted. Skewers of chicken wrapped in bacon, some Serbian spiced sausage, and a hot yellow-green pepper stuffed with this amazing cream. We moved next door to the grill, and they cooked it for free. Then, we moved next door, and enjoyed an amazing Serbian meal, leaving the three of us full with extras for only 3.5 euros!!

Choosing some meats for dinner:

Stuffed Pepper with more of this amazing cream on the side:

Mirko was a true character. Quite opinionated, always willing to give his opinions in heavy doses (but at least able to take criticisms). He lived in the US for 6 months (on one of these worker programs I have heard about so much recently where 10 foreigners cram into a room and work 12 hours a day) in Miami so he had some further opinions to elaborate on regarding the US. Usually, it was nonstop about the environment or being clean. Meticulous about turning the lights off, using an absolute minimal amount of water for dishes, saving energy, washing my hands properly, not wasting any food, and these sorts of things. In truth, in some ways it was annoying, but most of it was very true. And coming from his background in a very poor country as Serbia, I can see that too many of us take these things for granted in the US. He was also a springboard of energy, up like a lightning rod in the morning and certainly a challenge for me to adapt to.

We stayed at my couchsurfers place (Bojan), in a typical communist era building at the end of the pedestrian street of Nis, and the next morning we went for shopping ingredients for his mom to make lunch for us. This was entertaining for two reasons. First, Mirko only slightly accompanied me to the locations at which we needed to pick up ingredients. Instead, he gave me his bicycle and his little brother, who rode standing up in the basket with his hands on my shoulders, and directed me to the places. The second interesting thing, which leads to a whole separate story, is that we went to a dedicated shop for everything. For example, we bought eggs at a tiny shop that only sells eggs (and we got the good ones, with some blood on them (white eggs don’t seem to exist in Nis, probably for a good reason) to ensure they were quite fresh). Then, we went to the shop that sold just milk and cheese and cream. Then the bread store. It was very easy to tell that all this food was very local and real, the only way it is in Nis.

Getting going:

Maneuvering traffic nicely with a bonkers 11 year old in the back:

We trekked up one of the massive hills overlooking Nis, where Mirko and his brother live with their mom. They are basically one of the last houses before the top. Think hiking up a steep San Francisco hill for about 15 minutes or more. I can see why Mirko bitched so much about the FDA in the US and asked what it actually does as an administration. Their family, like families with any space, is growing various fruit trees and vegetables in their yard, so they are almost always eating good, fresh food (and apples are half the size of supermarket apples in the US!). His main point about food in the US was that there are stores like Whole Foods, which claim to sell what should be considered real, normal food, but at 2 to 3 times the price of the regular supermarket. And that everything has corn syrup or some other unnatural ingredient in it. So why does an administration like the FDS exist if it doesn’t promote eating real, healthy foods, like whole foods says they sell. I agree, that eating these kind of foods that are not grown with tons of chemicals, would lead to healthier people in general.

Above Nis:

Mirko's families yard:

So his mom made an amazing lunch and served it with typical Serbian Rakia, which will really set fire to your belly and clear your stomach out. After, we went over to their neighbor’s house. They were incredibly nice. They spoke no English, but we sat for a couple hours just eating apples from their garden and drinking Turkish coffee (what they drink in Serbia). I talked with the dad about sports because Serbia is literally bonkers over sports. But the family couldn’t have been nicer and more hospitable. They even asked for my home address so they could send me a Christmas card! And this hospitality is something else Mirko commented on. In Miami, he missed the friendliness of the neighborhood. In Miami, he said his Cuban neighbors never said hi and just looked angry when he tried to talk to them. I suppose this could be true in many big cities in the US. Also, onto another subject, the neighborliness and friendliness is something that has, and still is, helping Serbian families survive. Unemployment is huge, and outside of Belgrade, when people don’t have money, many times they rely on friend or others to help them out. It is just normal. Even more so in the 90s, friends got friends through the really rough times. Even now, I couldn’t understand what Mirko’s neighbors did. They have 2 kids, and in 3 days, I never say the dad or mom working. Just hanging out, chatting, and relaxing. So it was a big ? as to where the money comes from. To pound this point into the ground, I met a Serbian guy on the train a few days later and he said the exact same thing. His dad only works when people call him for jobs occasionally, other than that, friends and families get each other through by relying on each other.

Starting the morning off with some rough rakia:

Lunch with Mirko's family:

Now, onto another interesting bit. When Milosevich was in power in the 90s, although Mirko was pretty young, but said he was involved in the political anti-Milosevich movements when he was about 12 or so. When NATO (otherwise known as the US as people have been telling me), was bombing places around Serbia, anti-aircraft guns were used on top of the hill where Mirko lives, literally a short 5 minute walk away. So during this time, Mirko said he has vivid memories of Serbian soldiers sleeping in his house because of its close proximity. Though they said the NATO planes flew so high that these anti-aircraft missles were virtually useless.

Mirko's 11 year old brother is a monkey. Jumping on trucks at the top of the hill:

The next morning I was convinced to stay one more day, so we did more grocery shopping and trekked again up to Mirko’s house and his mom made a ridiculously delicious Serbian breakfast. Again we started the day clearing our stomach with rakia. Nowadays mainly only grandparents are drinking rakia daily for good health as they claim, but when guests are present, it is always taken as a display of the culture and hospitality. Plus, this was home-made rakia, which every Serb re-iterated is way better than store bought. For breakfast, the mom and dad of the neighboring families joined us and we all ate on the patio. I then got the dad’s address so it looks like I’ll be sending a Christmas card to Serbia this year!

Another home cooked meal was for lunch, and this time, my host Bojan had returned from his trip and joined us, along with another of their friends. This other friend had an interesting story, as he was in the Serbian Orthodox choir. Recently he toured the US, mostly the Midwest, singing for various Serbian Orthodox Churches. He spent some time in Chicago, and it is impressive the things you can learn about your country from foreigners. I never knew there was a big Serbian community in Chicago but apparently there is.

That night I went for a drink with Bojan in a different part of the city, about a 30 minute walk from the center. Definitely not a place I would have ever found on my own, but a very busy area with lots of cafés and bars at a decent distance from the center. On the way back, Bojan wanted to show me some typical Serbian food (i.e grilled meat), so we stopped at a 24 hour meat grilling shop. Wow, these guys do meat almost as good as Brazilians.

Making some music with Mirko, Bojan, and another person I forget the name of:

Gotta take pictures of Yugos!

Mirko over Nis:

some of the city from the fortress: