Just got back today.
The fridgy smell of a 7-11, the view of the north shore mountains still with a bit of snow, the sun setting over the downtown, the funny coloured money that is so narrow it actually fits in my wallet... some re-integration impressions.
Friday, May 13, 2005
Saturday, May 07, 2005
Finding the beach and back
I wasn't exactly lost, yet. I had gone to go find this beach which after a walk, a ferry ride, two longish bus rides and another 45 minute walk. By the time I got there I was able to take a few sunset pictures and watch someone parasailing off the adjacent cliff.
But it got dark. And it is a 45 minute walk to the bus stop. So I decided to try hitchhiking. The reason is that there are no buses from this beach to the next city and it took me about 45 minutes to walk there before. I asked a guy who was leaving, but he said he was going the other way. So I started walking anyway. The guy later passed me, but didn't give me a lift.
Later another guy did pick me up and dropped me off at the bus stop. It was really cool - like I had hyperspaced 30 minutes of space. He spoke Portugese but nothing else. Portugese and Spanish are not the same language, but I try some Spanish words, just in case they overlap.
While at the bus stop I went to buy something to drink. The lady owner - through an interpretive dance circling, jesturing and counting fingers towards the clock on the wall - told me that I had missed the last bus.
As I was over 100 km from Lisbon so I did not really want to wait and then see if I could get a taxi there. I expected that taxis might not want to do that run and/or it would be expensive.
So I started walking. A bus passed me! The dancing lady/soda vendor was wrong!
I chased the bus for awhile, hoping the bus driver would stop. He wasn't stopping so I kept running in a silly way, hoping the bus driver would think I was really crazy/desperate and that would somehow further motivate him to stop. That doesn't seem to work.
I was actually lost in the sense that I did not know where I was on a map. But there was a road sign for Lisboa so I wasn't lost in the sense that I knew which direction to go. If I knew where I was on a map, then maybe I could choose a larger town that might have later busses.
Anyway, I just kept walking on the trail to Lisboa, out of this small town and towards a forest. At this point the street lights stopped and if I continued further I would be in complete darkness.
So it was around 9. I thought I would stand near this lampost and see if someone would give me a ride to Lisbon. I figured I would wait until around 9:30 and then head back.
There weren't that many cars actually. Maybe one or two every five minutes. Some slowed down, some sped up. All went by. I have never hitchhiked before, so I wasn't sure what the best technique was to look pickupable or other techniques to pass the time.
I threw rocks to pass the time. I considered throwing rocks at cars, actually. I imagine alot of hitchhikers think about throwing rocks at cars. But this is probably a bad karma idea.
I walked around in circles too.
I threw out my thumb in some arbitrary way when I saw a car coming.
In anycase I wasn't paying much attention. Then as I was making another round in my circle dancing, I noticed that a big truck had actually stopped and was reversing!
A girl had the window half undone and asked where I was going. I said Lisbon (in English). They invited me in for the trip! All the way to Lisbon!
Turns out Jr (from Portugal) and Jessica (from France) are a camera crew and had just finished a long day filming a surfer and a fake Mauri for a cell phone commercial for an East European provider. In anycase they could speak Portugese, French and English. We spoke mostly English, because their English is better than my French.
So I got back to Lisbon! And I felt really lucky. Jr. thought it was really cool that this was the day that he found a Canadian in the forest.
But it got dark. And it is a 45 minute walk to the bus stop. So I decided to try hitchhiking. The reason is that there are no buses from this beach to the next city and it took me about 45 minutes to walk there before. I asked a guy who was leaving, but he said he was going the other way. So I started walking anyway. The guy later passed me, but didn't give me a lift.
Later another guy did pick me up and dropped me off at the bus stop. It was really cool - like I had hyperspaced 30 minutes of space. He spoke Portugese but nothing else. Portugese and Spanish are not the same language, but I try some Spanish words, just in case they overlap.
While at the bus stop I went to buy something to drink. The lady owner - through an interpretive dance circling, jesturing and counting fingers towards the clock on the wall - told me that I had missed the last bus.
As I was over 100 km from Lisbon so I did not really want to wait and then see if I could get a taxi there. I expected that taxis might not want to do that run and/or it would be expensive.
So I started walking. A bus passed me! The dancing lady/soda vendor was wrong!
I chased the bus for awhile, hoping the bus driver would stop. He wasn't stopping so I kept running in a silly way, hoping the bus driver would think I was really crazy/desperate and that would somehow further motivate him to stop. That doesn't seem to work.
I was actually lost in the sense that I did not know where I was on a map. But there was a road sign for Lisboa so I wasn't lost in the sense that I knew which direction to go. If I knew where I was on a map, then maybe I could choose a larger town that might have later busses.
Anyway, I just kept walking on the trail to Lisboa, out of this small town and towards a forest. At this point the street lights stopped and if I continued further I would be in complete darkness.
So it was around 9. I thought I would stand near this lampost and see if someone would give me a ride to Lisbon. I figured I would wait until around 9:30 and then head back.
There weren't that many cars actually. Maybe one or two every five minutes. Some slowed down, some sped up. All went by. I have never hitchhiked before, so I wasn't sure what the best technique was to look pickupable or other techniques to pass the time.
I threw rocks to pass the time. I considered throwing rocks at cars, actually. I imagine alot of hitchhikers think about throwing rocks at cars. But this is probably a bad karma idea.
I walked around in circles too.
I threw out my thumb in some arbitrary way when I saw a car coming.
In anycase I wasn't paying much attention. Then as I was making another round in my circle dancing, I noticed that a big truck had actually stopped and was reversing!
A girl had the window half undone and asked where I was going. I said Lisbon (in English). They invited me in for the trip! All the way to Lisbon!
Turns out Jr (from Portugal) and Jessica (from France) are a camera crew and had just finished a long day filming a surfer and a fake Mauri for a cell phone commercial for an East European provider. In anycase they could speak Portugese, French and English. We spoke mostly English, because their English is better than my French.
So I got back to Lisbon! And I felt really lucky. Jr. thought it was really cool that this was the day that he found a Canadian in the forest.
Friday, May 06, 2005
Portugal Quiz
Is Portugal part of the EU?
What currency does Portugal use?
What major sports event was hosted here last year?
Is Lisbon on the Ocean?
What currency does Portugal use?
What major sports event was hosted here last year?
Is Lisbon on the Ocean?
Lisbon so far
Just got into Lisbon and I have been walking around for a couple hours.
So far it is a very very nice day, the city itself seems laid back and has wide pedestrian only paths and plaças (plazas) which makes it nice to explore.
The overnight train was ok. The bed was too narrow for me to sleep the way I normally do, so I kept getting pain in my right shoulder.
I shared the compartment with someone from China who is doing some marble business, a Portugese Ph.D student studying environmental economics and an American psych. major who is doing an exchange year in Barcelona. The Chinese guy had his baggage stolen the day before by a group of people at the train station. One guy dropped his (empty) wallet and while the Chinese guy picked it up and got thanked over and over, the other guys took his bag (with sim cards, his id card and a chinese visa card). The Portugese guy made him feel better by describing how he had his bag stolen a week before while on a train (I think): he said he got up to look at the fiesta and left his (non urgent) bag on the seat, when he got back it was gone.
So far it is a very very nice day, the city itself seems laid back and has wide pedestrian only paths and plaças (plazas) which makes it nice to explore.
The overnight train was ok. The bed was too narrow for me to sleep the way I normally do, so I kept getting pain in my right shoulder.
I shared the compartment with someone from China who is doing some marble business, a Portugese Ph.D student studying environmental economics and an American psych. major who is doing an exchange year in Barcelona. The Chinese guy had his baggage stolen the day before by a group of people at the train station. One guy dropped his (empty) wallet and while the Chinese guy picked it up and got thanked over and over, the other guys took his bag (with sim cards, his id card and a chinese visa card). The Portugese guy made him feel better by describing how he had his bag stolen a week before while on a train (I think): he said he got up to look at the fiesta and left his (non urgent) bag on the seat, when he got back it was gone.
Thursday, May 05, 2005
going to portugal
on my way to portugal. two nights ago in casa, last night in ageciras, now in Madrid to take overnight train to lisbon.
Met some americans and a brazian/american couple who we think got sold expired ferry tickets to spain.
Madrid is much nicer than i remember. Possibly the change of season, that I know more spanish, and that it is the first wester city I have seen in a few weeks and that it is familiar.
Met some americans and a brazian/american couple who we think got sold expired ferry tickets to spain.
Madrid is much nicer than i remember. Possibly the change of season, that I know more spanish, and that it is the first wester city I have seen in a few weeks and that it is familiar.
Tuesday, May 03, 2005
Coming home May 13th
Not because of any big bad reason... I thought that things might end because of a big reason - say I got sick, hurt or destitute. But I'm not. I don't really have a big reason; other than to see my family, friends and city. That is the big reason.
So I am flying home May 13th from London. As I am currently in Rabat, Morocco now I will make my way up through Morocco, Spain, probably Portugal and then to London between now and then. Right now I am shocked - by how quick the decision came - and excited to return.
So I am flying home May 13th from London. As I am currently in Rabat, Morocco now I will make my way up through Morocco, Spain, probably Portugal and then to London between now and then. Right now I am shocked - by how quick the decision came - and excited to return.
Monday, April 25, 2005
In Marrakesh
Kim has come and met me in Casablanca. We spent the last couple days in Marrakesh which was very cool.
The centrepiece of Marrakesh is an open plaza called Djemma el-Fina which at night is packed with thousands of people. Stalls are selling freshly squeezed orange juice, other stalls have sit down barbeques, street entertainers include dancing displays, music displays, monkeys, colourful water vendors, snake charmers, children boxers. My main image of Marrakesh is that of the smoke, the thousands of people, the bicycles, and motorized scooters somehow pushing and prying themselves through this square.
Marrakesh was very busy. I called at least 20 hotels which were all booked up. So... guess what... we ended up using a tout to find us a hotel! So touts can be useful in certain situations. The first night we were able to find a room. The second night we could not find a room so slept on the terrace of the Hotel Ali.
Sleeping on the terrace was pretty cool, some other travellers offered us their little tent shelter that they had built the night before and did not need anymore. It was mostly a blanket, strung up between chairs. I don't know if it was actually useful, but it was nice to accept the gift anyway.
Marrakesh was very busy because it is a 4 day weekend in Morrocco. The birth of Mohammed was on Thursday (Awashar Mabrooka!) and there was a free rock concert in the square on Saturday night. We tried to push our way into the concert on Saturday, but it was just impossible. It was a big mosh pit and I caught a young boy grabbing the zipper of my backpack. Kim caught a young boy grabbing her.
We are now in Fes and have been wandering around lost today. I have found the answer to the question I had before coming here... Do people in Fes wear feses?
Tomorrow we will go have a look at the tanneries.
The centrepiece of Marrakesh is an open plaza called Djemma el-Fina which at night is packed with thousands of people. Stalls are selling freshly squeezed orange juice, other stalls have sit down barbeques, street entertainers include dancing displays, music displays, monkeys, colourful water vendors, snake charmers, children boxers. My main image of Marrakesh is that of the smoke, the thousands of people, the bicycles, and motorized scooters somehow pushing and prying themselves through this square.
Marrakesh was very busy. I called at least 20 hotels which were all booked up. So... guess what... we ended up using a tout to find us a hotel! So touts can be useful in certain situations. The first night we were able to find a room. The second night we could not find a room so slept on the terrace of the Hotel Ali.
Sleeping on the terrace was pretty cool, some other travellers offered us their little tent shelter that they had built the night before and did not need anymore. It was mostly a blanket, strung up between chairs. I don't know if it was actually useful, but it was nice to accept the gift anyway.
Marrakesh was very busy because it is a 4 day weekend in Morrocco. The birth of Mohammed was on Thursday (Awashar Mabrooka!) and there was a free rock concert in the square on Saturday night. We tried to push our way into the concert on Saturday, but it was just impossible. It was a big mosh pit and I caught a young boy grabbing the zipper of my backpack. Kim caught a young boy grabbing her.
We are now in Fes and have been wandering around lost today. I have found the answer to the question I had before coming here... Do people in Fes wear feses?
Tomorrow we will go have a look at the tanneries.
Thursday, April 21, 2005
Robbed in Casablanca
I met these two guys in the park...
Though I should say that I have been meeting alot of very sincerly friendly Moroccans lately. Yesterday I spoke with a couple University students for about an hour and a half and if I go to back to Tetuoan I will go visit one of them. On the bus I met a friendly couple of teachers who teach in a rural school who gave me their addresses to go visit them. Last night I met a couple nice guys in Casablanca who also invited me to their home.
The day before I was invited twice to people's homes in Chefchaoen.
So last night after politely declining the invitation to the guys place, I started to ask myself if maybe I am being a bit too closed. Perhaps I should open myself up a bit more and experience more people and share more experiences. What do you think? Maybe our culture is too suspicious? Maybe it is just me?
With that in mind, I met a couple guys in the park I decided to really engage more. I talked for awhile with one guy and accompanied him to a cafe down some back streets. We talked about religion, philosophy and travel. He kept calling me his brother. His philosophy seemed very down to earth and more like Buddist than what I imagine Islam is about.
When I went up to use the bathroom I felt strange about taking my backpack with me. My backpack has my passport and camera inside. I figured that if he said something I would explain that I had toilet paper in the backpack and that I might need it (they don't use tp here).
Anyway, I finished my tea and he finished his cigarette and went to pay. He came back saying that there was a problem and wanted to know if I had change for 200 dirham. I didn't - I only had 120 dirhams. He insisted that I give it to him and he would sort things out.
As we left the cafe, I still had no sight of my 120 dirhams. When I asked him about it in the street he said not to worry. When pushed a little more he said he had already spent it on hash and alcohol.
So what do you do? You are in an empty street with this guy?
Shake him down?
Brow beat him?
Call the police?
How about philosophy. I said that if he was that desperate to compromise all of his personal principles - which we had discussed for the last hour - for 120 dirhams he could take it.
So we parted ways, me with empty wallet. Him with bad karma (maybe).
Then, as I am walking down the street, his friend from the park approaches me and starts trying to sell me hash! I explain to him that his friend had just stolen all my cash, but I don't think this guy's french is very good because he then starts offering to find me some Moroccan women or even some genuine Moroccan entertainment.
I keep walking. He keeps pestering.
What do I want?
Women? Hash? What do I want?
So I say I want the Gendarme, the Surete, the Police.
He says fine! We will go find them. As we approach a building that is guarded by an Army guy - I think he is Army as he is dressed in brown while the police are in blue. we go over there and start talking to him. I explain in french, but the Army guy doesn't know french. I wasn't even sure why I was talking to this guy actually, I was still a bit in shock about the whole 120 dirham thing but I think that this guy had the gall to continue hassling me pissed me off.
So the Army guy doesn't know french, but my hash pimp is translating something to him in Arabic. The Army guy motions for us to follow him back to the entrance of the building he is guarding. As I am following him, the Army guy turns around and starts running towards me!
My hash dealer had fled behind me! He was taking off around the building running as fast as he could with only an occasional glance backwards: Running so that his feet and legs were ahead of his body. Picture that!
The Army guy then calls out four other Army guys and by now two police guys guarding the other building across the street join the chase to the park.
Ok. wait. 120 dirhams is only 12 euros. And the guy they are chasing is just a pimp/hash dealer and only a friend of the guy that took my money. And now there is an armed - really! -squad of seven guys loose in the park! I don't know what they are thinking because the only thing I know the Army guy knows for sure is that the guy fled.
So I made sure that I explained the whole situation to the police guys who did speak french and they said I was lucky that I did not have my papers stolen. They were very sincere and apologized for the whole thing. They gave me directions to the Mosque and the beach. The Army guys eventually returned to their posts.
So on the way to the Mosque...
Guess what?
I met another guy.
We start talking.
He invites me to tea at his mother's house.
What do you do? Get back on the horse? Run away like a hash dealer chased by the Moroccan army?
So I went to tea. Everything turned out ok, but this even this guy was also a bit shady. He insisted that after our visit, I not speak to any more Moroccans and that he was a Saudi by birth and that there are lots of problems with tourists here. He also did not want to go all the way to the Mosque with me because of the Tourist Police. To me he was a bit too insistent and paranoid. Almost confessional actually. Like the idea that the people most fearful of being robbed are theives.
In the end, I am happy that this because it affirms that I should trust my instincts to be cautious if I want to. What I mean is that I had been cautious, but decided to override that instict with a desire for more engagement. I think I can still get more engagement and continue to be cautious. It's not a dichotomy, though I guess in my clumsy-learning-experential way, I made it one.
Though I should say that I have been meeting alot of very sincerly friendly Moroccans lately. Yesterday I spoke with a couple University students for about an hour and a half and if I go to back to Tetuoan I will go visit one of them. On the bus I met a friendly couple of teachers who teach in a rural school who gave me their addresses to go visit them. Last night I met a couple nice guys in Casablanca who also invited me to their home.
The day before I was invited twice to people's homes in Chefchaoen.
So last night after politely declining the invitation to the guys place, I started to ask myself if maybe I am being a bit too closed. Perhaps I should open myself up a bit more and experience more people and share more experiences. What do you think? Maybe our culture is too suspicious? Maybe it is just me?
With that in mind, I met a couple guys in the park I decided to really engage more. I talked for awhile with one guy and accompanied him to a cafe down some back streets. We talked about religion, philosophy and travel. He kept calling me his brother. His philosophy seemed very down to earth and more like Buddist than what I imagine Islam is about.
When I went up to use the bathroom I felt strange about taking my backpack with me. My backpack has my passport and camera inside. I figured that if he said something I would explain that I had toilet paper in the backpack and that I might need it (they don't use tp here).
Anyway, I finished my tea and he finished his cigarette and went to pay. He came back saying that there was a problem and wanted to know if I had change for 200 dirham. I didn't - I only had 120 dirhams. He insisted that I give it to him and he would sort things out.
As we left the cafe, I still had no sight of my 120 dirhams. When I asked him about it in the street he said not to worry. When pushed a little more he said he had already spent it on hash and alcohol.
So what do you do? You are in an empty street with this guy?
Shake him down?
Brow beat him?
Call the police?
How about philosophy. I said that if he was that desperate to compromise all of his personal principles - which we had discussed for the last hour - for 120 dirhams he could take it.
So we parted ways, me with empty wallet. Him with bad karma (maybe).
Then, as I am walking down the street, his friend from the park approaches me and starts trying to sell me hash! I explain to him that his friend had just stolen all my cash, but I don't think this guy's french is very good because he then starts offering to find me some Moroccan women or even some genuine Moroccan entertainment.
I keep walking. He keeps pestering.
What do I want?
Women? Hash? What do I want?
So I say I want the Gendarme, the Surete, the Police.
He says fine! We will go find them. As we approach a building that is guarded by an Army guy - I think he is Army as he is dressed in brown while the police are in blue. we go over there and start talking to him. I explain in french, but the Army guy doesn't know french. I wasn't even sure why I was talking to this guy actually, I was still a bit in shock about the whole 120 dirham thing but I think that this guy had the gall to continue hassling me pissed me off.
So the Army guy doesn't know french, but my hash pimp is translating something to him in Arabic. The Army guy motions for us to follow him back to the entrance of the building he is guarding. As I am following him, the Army guy turns around and starts running towards me!
My hash dealer had fled behind me! He was taking off around the building running as fast as he could with only an occasional glance backwards: Running so that his feet and legs were ahead of his body. Picture that!
The Army guy then calls out four other Army guys and by now two police guys guarding the other building across the street join the chase to the park.
Ok. wait. 120 dirhams is only 12 euros. And the guy they are chasing is just a pimp/hash dealer and only a friend of the guy that took my money. And now there is an armed - really! -squad of seven guys loose in the park! I don't know what they are thinking because the only thing I know the Army guy knows for sure is that the guy fled.
So I made sure that I explained the whole situation to the police guys who did speak french and they said I was lucky that I did not have my papers stolen. They were very sincere and apologized for the whole thing. They gave me directions to the Mosque and the beach. The Army guys eventually returned to their posts.
So on the way to the Mosque...
Guess what?
I met another guy.
We start talking.
He invites me to tea at his mother's house.
What do you do? Get back on the horse? Run away like a hash dealer chased by the Moroccan army?
So I went to tea. Everything turned out ok, but this even this guy was also a bit shady. He insisted that after our visit, I not speak to any more Moroccans and that he was a Saudi by birth and that there are lots of problems with tourists here. He also did not want to go all the way to the Mosque with me because of the Tourist Police. To me he was a bit too insistent and paranoid. Almost confessional actually. Like the idea that the people most fearful of being robbed are theives.
In the end, I am happy that this because it affirms that I should trust my instincts to be cautious if I want to. What I mean is that I had been cautious, but decided to override that instict with a desire for more engagement. I think I can still get more engagement and continue to be cautious. It's not a dichotomy, though I guess in my clumsy-learning-experential way, I made it one.
Monday, April 18, 2005
Starting to understand Chefchaouen
I am starting to understand Chefchaouen today. Sure there is a touristy area, which has it's pros and cons as a visitor, but it also has a genuine souq, market area, living areas which are very accessible from the touristy area. The market area, the alley ways and call to prayers reminds me alot of the Moslem area in Jerusalem. The souq, town reminds me a bit of Hebron. Of course I have not been to that many souqs - but it is interesting that the appearance and culture spans that distance from Palestine/Israel to here.
Anyway, I bought some green peas and some oranges from the souq. 5 Oranges were about 25 cents, half a kilo of green peas cost about 35 cents. I have been having fun with the big bag of green peas... When people were offering me kif or hash today, I tell them I have some really big bag of good, high quality stuff and try to sell them a pea pod. Presumably, The Surete Nationale won't have a problem with my peas.
This morning I went for a walk in the mountains and met a few shepherds. I just missed a goat calf - if that is what you call a baby goat - being born, but did get to see the shepard (probably 14 or 15 years old) try and encourage the goatee to feed from the mother. I walked across some plowed areas which are probably the kif fields. I did not take pictures - though - because I am a bit paranoid. Ok, I took a picture of the goat. But that's it!
All of the boys play soccer here. Constantly. I think they probably get up in the morning, play soccer, go to school, play soccer at recess, come home and play some more. Every flat place in the city (and in the beaches in Assilah) gets used for soccer fields. What is kinda funny is that they also play it in the steep alleyways and ramparts of the medina - getting in the way and getting in trouble. I have no transition for this - sorry - but their balls are all flat and soft.
The passeo is also a tradition here, as it was in Assilah: Everyone goes out for a walk between 5:30 and 9 to find out what is happening in the city. According to the Lonely Planet, this tradition is a carry over/import from Spain. What is funny is I spent over a month in Spain and did not see it there... Perhaps it is one of those old fashioned rituals that gets modifed at the source (say into tapas crawls) but doesn't change in the colonies.
Anyway, I bought some green peas and some oranges from the souq. 5 Oranges were about 25 cents, half a kilo of green peas cost about 35 cents. I have been having fun with the big bag of green peas... When people were offering me kif or hash today, I tell them I have some really big bag of good, high quality stuff and try to sell them a pea pod. Presumably, The Surete Nationale won't have a problem with my peas.
This morning I went for a walk in the mountains and met a few shepherds. I just missed a goat calf - if that is what you call a baby goat - being born, but did get to see the shepard (probably 14 or 15 years old) try and encourage the goatee to feed from the mother. I walked across some plowed areas which are probably the kif fields. I did not take pictures - though - because I am a bit paranoid. Ok, I took a picture of the goat. But that's it!
All of the boys play soccer here. Constantly. I think they probably get up in the morning, play soccer, go to school, play soccer at recess, come home and play some more. Every flat place in the city (and in the beaches in Assilah) gets used for soccer fields. What is kinda funny is that they also play it in the steep alleyways and ramparts of the medina - getting in the way and getting in trouble. I have no transition for this - sorry - but their balls are all flat and soft.
The passeo is also a tradition here, as it was in Assilah: Everyone goes out for a walk between 5:30 and 9 to find out what is happening in the city. According to the Lonely Planet, this tradition is a carry over/import from Spain. What is funny is I spent over a month in Spain and did not see it there... Perhaps it is one of those old fashioned rituals that gets modifed at the source (say into tapas crawls) but doesn't change in the colonies.
Sunday, April 17, 2005
from Asilah to Chefchaouen
I spent yesterday in Asilah again. Walked to the beach again and met some of the people I met the day before - One fellow kissed me on the cheeks. Besides that surprise, walking to the beach is always a relaxing activity.
Asilah is in the very north east corner of Africa. I can picture myself as a little stick figure on the corner of the continent. This image is helped - in my head - by memories of the video game Heart of Africa (and Seven Cities of Gold) which I used to play on the old Commodore 64. In Heart of Africa it would occasionally zoom in and out of the pixelly versions of Africa and African villages. As I was jumping into the Atlantic ocean (and bouncing back quickly because it is cold) I could just picture my video game equivalent doing the same.
But enough obscure video game references that maybe my brothers can relate to...
Along the trail to the beach (along the Atlantic Ocean) there are little military tents spaced out about every half kilometre. At first I thought they might be for people smuggling but a couple guys I ran into told me they were looking for hash trafficers. The couple guys I ran into were Morroccan and I walked with them for awhile, speaking Spanish because one guy did not know French.
Today I spent a couple hours speaking french with a guy named Abdazizi on the bus ride from Asilah to Tetuoan. He said he made the trip alot these days and invited me to visit him in Tetuoan if I returned there. Or in Casablanca which is where his mom lives. My french wasn't good enough to figure out what he does.
In Chefchaouen they do hashish. I am not going to mention touts anymore, but I will kinda mention that I ran into 4 very friendly people who were offering me only the best accommodations, grass and hashish. According to the Lonely Planet guide, Chefchaouen is marijuana country and it is therefore difficult to rent a donkey from August to October when the 'Kif' harvest comes around.
The cafes play Led Zeppelin and Bob Marley and the medina reminds me a bit of a typical mountain tourist town (like Whistler say). So I can see why it might be a place to have a good time.
Either way, I am not really interested in hash right now. I am thinking of either treking a bit in the mountains for a couple days or moving on. I have not decided. Chefchaouen has a really positive reputation for a place to visit - but so far I would rather be closer to the ocean. Though Chefchaouen also has a reputation for people coming for one day and staying a week...
There is a river somewhere nearby... maybe I should go find it.
Asilah is in the very north east corner of Africa. I can picture myself as a little stick figure on the corner of the continent. This image is helped - in my head - by memories of the video game Heart of Africa (and Seven Cities of Gold) which I used to play on the old Commodore 64. In Heart of Africa it would occasionally zoom in and out of the pixelly versions of Africa and African villages. As I was jumping into the Atlantic ocean (and bouncing back quickly because it is cold) I could just picture my video game equivalent doing the same.
But enough obscure video game references that maybe my brothers can relate to...
Along the trail to the beach (along the Atlantic Ocean) there are little military tents spaced out about every half kilometre. At first I thought they might be for people smuggling but a couple guys I ran into told me they were looking for hash trafficers. The couple guys I ran into were Morroccan and I walked with them for awhile, speaking Spanish because one guy did not know French.
Today I spent a couple hours speaking french with a guy named Abdazizi on the bus ride from Asilah to Tetuoan. He said he made the trip alot these days and invited me to visit him in Tetuoan if I returned there. Or in Casablanca which is where his mom lives. My french wasn't good enough to figure out what he does.
In Chefchaouen they do hashish. I am not going to mention touts anymore, but I will kinda mention that I ran into 4 very friendly people who were offering me only the best accommodations, grass and hashish. According to the Lonely Planet guide, Chefchaouen is marijuana country and it is therefore difficult to rent a donkey from August to October when the 'Kif' harvest comes around.
The cafes play Led Zeppelin and Bob Marley and the medina reminds me a bit of a typical mountain tourist town (like Whistler say). So I can see why it might be a place to have a good time.
Either way, I am not really interested in hash right now. I am thinking of either treking a bit in the mountains for a couple days or moving on. I have not decided. Chefchaouen has a really positive reputation for a place to visit - but so far I would rather be closer to the ocean. Though Chefchaouen also has a reputation for people coming for one day and staying a week...
There is a river somewhere nearby... maybe I should go find it.
Friday, April 15, 2005
Asilah
I am in Asilah now and spent the day walking to Paradise Beach and back.
After my last post I thought that maybe I should not have brought up the touts. I was thinking that they might overshadow the perception of Morocco as they are pretty much the first thing I wrote about. On the other hand they are the first thing you encounter when you get here. On the other hand they are just to be expected.
Anyway while on the walk I came across a German guy and we ended up walking together. We went for tea at a small stand and a local guy started talking to us. Eventually the local guy kept following us and wanted us to go to his hotel...And wouldn't go away.
I know, I know. It is the third tout today. And I wasn't even going to bring them up anymore. Ok that is it....
Morocco is very beautiful and inexpensive. My single room in my hotel costs about 7 Euros per night. My pizza and orange juice dinner cost 3.50 euros. Though my suntan lotion cost me 15 euros! My suntan lotion cost me the same as two nights accomodation!!!! (everything is in Morocco Dirhams, but Euros are what I am used to).
I have had a bit too much sun, and I don't know if my fancy suntan lotion is working (or maybe I put it on too late) so I might hit the sack early tonight.
After my last post I thought that maybe I should not have brought up the touts. I was thinking that they might overshadow the perception of Morocco as they are pretty much the first thing I wrote about. On the other hand they are the first thing you encounter when you get here. On the other hand they are just to be expected.
Anyway while on the walk I came across a German guy and we ended up walking together. We went for tea at a small stand and a local guy started talking to us. Eventually the local guy kept following us and wanted us to go to his hotel...And wouldn't go away.
I know, I know. It is the third tout today. And I wasn't even going to bring them up anymore. Ok that is it....
Morocco is very beautiful and inexpensive. My single room in my hotel costs about 7 Euros per night. My pizza and orange juice dinner cost 3.50 euros. Though my suntan lotion cost me 15 euros! My suntan lotion cost me the same as two nights accomodation!!!! (everything is in Morocco Dirhams, but Euros are what I am used to).
I have had a bit too much sun, and I don't know if my fancy suntan lotion is working (or maybe I put it on too late) so I might hit the sack early tonight.
Back in Africa
Or back in Muslim country, or in the gateway to Africa, or just Morocco.
I am in Asilah, Morocco on the Atlantic coast. I have only been here an hour so far, but so far so good. I like how green things are near the coast. It looked like there were some cool parks and fountains in Tangier. Also the Moroccan flag is pretty cool - solid red with a big green criss-cross star in the centre.
There were touts but so far don't seem as bad as those from Egypt. One followed me for a bit when I got off the ferry, until I got to the police checkpoint. Another pair followed me from the bus to my Hostel in Asilah.
I am in Asilah, Morocco on the Atlantic coast. I have only been here an hour so far, but so far so good. I like how green things are near the coast. It looked like there were some cool parks and fountains in Tangier. Also the Moroccan flag is pretty cool - solid red with a big green criss-cross star in the centre.
There were touts but so far don't seem as bad as those from Egypt. One followed me for a bit when I got off the ferry, until I got to the police checkpoint. Another pair followed me from the bus to my Hostel in Asilah.
Thursday, April 14, 2005
In Tarifa
I am now in Tarifa. The southern most city in Spain and closest to Morrocco. The ferry to Morrocco takes 35 minutes from here.
When I arrived to Tarifa, while I was getting my bearings, I was approached by an older/elderly lady from Italy looking for a Hostel as well. The place she found was charging 35 euros and she wanted something for around 15. I offered for her to accompany me to the hostel (like a pension which is like a hotel, but with a shared bathroom) I was looking for. Unfortunately when we got there there was only a single room or a twin room available... what is the right thing to do in this case???....
So anyway, I am now sharing a twin room with a complete stranger tonight. Should not really be a big deal, but it is a bit different than from normal shared accomodation where it is less personal because the structure is set by the youth hostal.
The Tarifa beaches are long, windy and there are about 200 kite surfers out there practicing or surfing. There are a few windsurfers (10ish) as well. On the hills there are hundreds of windmills (those white modern ones).
I did an intro to kitesurfing in Vancouver and I think it takes a while before becoming useful or safe in the water. So I don´t think I will do any here and will be heading to Morrocco soon instead.
When I arrived to Tarifa, while I was getting my bearings, I was approached by an older/elderly lady from Italy looking for a Hostel as well. The place she found was charging 35 euros and she wanted something for around 15. I offered for her to accompany me to the hostel (like a pension which is like a hotel, but with a shared bathroom) I was looking for. Unfortunately when we got there there was only a single room or a twin room available... what is the right thing to do in this case???....
So anyway, I am now sharing a twin room with a complete stranger tonight. Should not really be a big deal, but it is a bit different than from normal shared accomodation where it is less personal because the structure is set by the youth hostal.
The Tarifa beaches are long, windy and there are about 200 kite surfers out there practicing or surfing. There are a few windsurfers (10ish) as well. On the hills there are hundreds of windmills (those white modern ones).
I did an intro to kitesurfing in Vancouver and I think it takes a while before becoming useful or safe in the water. So I don´t think I will do any here and will be heading to Morrocco soon instead.
Wednesday, April 13, 2005
Back in the U.K. (technically)
I am back in the U.K.!
Well I am in Gilbraltar which is a U.K. town at the bottom of this huge rock. I got here yesterday - it is my first visit to the South Coast of Spain and of course this place is English. I had heard that Spain was full of fish and chip shops etc. but that is definitely not true of Barcelona, Madrid or Granada. I saw zero fish and chip shops there.
Gilbraltar does have fish and chip shops, police dressed as bobbies and the back machines only dispense British Pounds (though I keep getting Gilbraltar pounds as change - so they must be coming from somewhere). According to my guidebook about 80 percent of the population was born here. Based on my experience, Spanish is definately the first language, but everyone seems to know English as well.
Gilbraltar is an interesting visit. I thought the city was going to be at the top of the rock. But it is actually crammed into all of the available flat land at the base of the rock. On the rock there is a wildlife refuge which is full of birds and monkeys. Apparently this is the only place for wild monkeys in Europe. The customs back and forth between here and Spain is very lax. They seem to be mostly concerned about cigarettes going into Spain as everything in Gilbraltar is duty free. The monkeys were not as exciting as I had hoped. I actually did not want them to be anywhere near me because they smelled funny. They were jumping on lots of people though and could be coaxed onto your shoulders (for a peanut).
Gilbraltar is also very green. Most Spanish hills and mountains (including what I saw of the Sierra Nevadas) is very brown and dusty. However, being on the coast and having the rock as a cloud magnet keeps everything much more lush than elsewhere in the south.
It is pretty small and self contained too. The airport landing strip crosses the roadway into the city... So what they do is close the road for the 3 flights a day that land and take off here. It is pretty strange to cross customs, then walk across an airport runway to get to the city.
After Gilbraltar I am thinking of visiting Tarifa (windsurf capital of Europe) or seeing if I have time to go up to Lisbon before heading down to Morrocco.
Well I am in Gilbraltar which is a U.K. town at the bottom of this huge rock. I got here yesterday - it is my first visit to the South Coast of Spain and of course this place is English. I had heard that Spain was full of fish and chip shops etc. but that is definitely not true of Barcelona, Madrid or Granada. I saw zero fish and chip shops there.
Gilbraltar does have fish and chip shops, police dressed as bobbies and the back machines only dispense British Pounds (though I keep getting Gilbraltar pounds as change - so they must be coming from somewhere). According to my guidebook about 80 percent of the population was born here. Based on my experience, Spanish is definately the first language, but everyone seems to know English as well.
Gilbraltar is an interesting visit. I thought the city was going to be at the top of the rock. But it is actually crammed into all of the available flat land at the base of the rock. On the rock there is a wildlife refuge which is full of birds and monkeys. Apparently this is the only place for wild monkeys in Europe. The customs back and forth between here and Spain is very lax. They seem to be mostly concerned about cigarettes going into Spain as everything in Gilbraltar is duty free. The monkeys were not as exciting as I had hoped. I actually did not want them to be anywhere near me because they smelled funny. They were jumping on lots of people though and could be coaxed onto your shoulders (for a peanut).
Gilbraltar is also very green. Most Spanish hills and mountains (including what I saw of the Sierra Nevadas) is very brown and dusty. However, being on the coast and having the rock as a cloud magnet keeps everything much more lush than elsewhere in the south.
It is pretty small and self contained too. The airport landing strip crosses the roadway into the city... So what they do is close the road for the 3 flights a day that land and take off here. It is pretty strange to cross customs, then walk across an airport runway to get to the city.
After Gilbraltar I am thinking of visiting Tarifa (windsurf capital of Europe) or seeing if I have time to go up to Lisbon before heading down to Morrocco.
Wednesday, April 06, 2005
Living in Granada
Well I have not posted for awhile...
I have pretty much been living in Granada for the last month. I am taking Spanish lessons at a school here in town and I am learning more and more Spanish each day. That said, these (human) languages are BIG! And I have the worst memory for new words. It takes me a few times using a word in a real situation before it sticks.
I am living in a small room in a Spanish lady´s apartment. Carmen and her daughter live together here and rent out two rooms. Last week there was an American here as well. I am not really touring so much as living here... I have been to the doctor and to the dentist. I am running out of contact lenses so I might need to go to see the optomotrist. Paying the bills and going to ´work´. Though no taxes yet :)
My daily routine looks like this...
7:45AM wake up. Hopefully not hungover, or still inebriated, or without having done my homework.
8:00AM Have breakfast (desayuno) with Carmen. Always have coffee and tostadas con tomate. The tostadas con tomate is a Andalucian standard. It is grated tomato, spread on toast then drizzled with olive oil, finished with salt.
8:20 AM Take shower, make bed. If necessary do my homework.
9:00 AM Grammar class with Pepe. Technicalities of the language. Over the last few weeks we have been going through the present, past and future tenses. Regular verbs, irregular verbs. When and how to use Me Gusta vs Paracen. How to use Hacer.
10:30 AM Break. Usually check the internet or go for a coffee with the rest of the class at the local cafe. Carmen makes a very strong coffee because they normally water it down with milk - but because I don´t water down mine I cannot handle more than one per day.
11:00 Conversation class. Sometimes discuss vocabulary, sometimes play games.
12:30-2:30 School is done for the day. Usually check the internet and run some errands.
2:30-345 Comida (lunch) with Carmen. This is the big meal of the day. Vegetable, starch, meat dishes. Carmen makes a very good Comida and I am lucky to be able to have non-restaurant or ´real´ Spanish cooking. Paella, Ham, Tortillas, Eggs and Bacon, Pasta, Mushroom thing are some of the dishes I can remember.
345-530 Siesta.
530-900. Some times homework, sometimes school activities (like watching videos) etc.
900-2AM Usually ´La marcha´ or going for Tapas. Basically it is like a pub crawl with free food. Anytime you order a drink in Granada you get some free food. For example last night when ordering beers we got bagels with ham and cheese. The next round of beer came with small hamburgusas. I forget if I described tapas already, but they are a unique and important part of going out in Granada. Spanish people normally say they are going for Tapas when they mean they are going drinking. I and probably other students say we are going for drinks. And when the rounds start, the next round is triggered by a shortage of food or beer and not just beer as it happens everywhere else. Free tapas and the siesta are classical parts of Spanish culture which are still alive in Granada but less so in Madrid and Barcelona.
12, 2, 4 AM Go to bed.
I have pretty much been living in Granada for the last month. I am taking Spanish lessons at a school here in town and I am learning more and more Spanish each day. That said, these (human) languages are BIG! And I have the worst memory for new words. It takes me a few times using a word in a real situation before it sticks.
I am living in a small room in a Spanish lady´s apartment. Carmen and her daughter live together here and rent out two rooms. Last week there was an American here as well. I am not really touring so much as living here... I have been to the doctor and to the dentist. I am running out of contact lenses so I might need to go to see the optomotrist. Paying the bills and going to ´work´. Though no taxes yet :)
My daily routine looks like this...
7:45AM wake up. Hopefully not hungover, or still inebriated, or without having done my homework.
8:00AM Have breakfast (desayuno) with Carmen. Always have coffee and tostadas con tomate. The tostadas con tomate is a Andalucian standard. It is grated tomato, spread on toast then drizzled with olive oil, finished with salt.
8:20 AM Take shower, make bed. If necessary do my homework.
9:00 AM Grammar class with Pepe. Technicalities of the language. Over the last few weeks we have been going through the present, past and future tenses. Regular verbs, irregular verbs. When and how to use Me Gusta vs Paracen. How to use Hacer.
10:30 AM Break. Usually check the internet or go for a coffee with the rest of the class at the local cafe. Carmen makes a very strong coffee because they normally water it down with milk - but because I don´t water down mine I cannot handle more than one per day.
11:00 Conversation class. Sometimes discuss vocabulary, sometimes play games.
12:30-2:30 School is done for the day. Usually check the internet and run some errands.
2:30-345 Comida (lunch) with Carmen. This is the big meal of the day. Vegetable, starch, meat dishes. Carmen makes a very good Comida and I am lucky to be able to have non-restaurant or ´real´ Spanish cooking. Paella, Ham, Tortillas, Eggs and Bacon, Pasta, Mushroom thing are some of the dishes I can remember.
345-530 Siesta.
530-900. Some times homework, sometimes school activities (like watching videos) etc.
900-2AM Usually ´La marcha´ or going for Tapas. Basically it is like a pub crawl with free food. Anytime you order a drink in Granada you get some free food. For example last night when ordering beers we got bagels with ham and cheese. The next round of beer came with small hamburgusas. I forget if I described tapas already, but they are a unique and important part of going out in Granada. Spanish people normally say they are going for Tapas when they mean they are going drinking. I and probably other students say we are going for drinks. And when the rounds start, the next round is triggered by a shortage of food or beer and not just beer as it happens everywhere else. Free tapas and the siesta are classical parts of Spanish culture which are still alive in Granada but less so in Madrid and Barcelona.
12, 2, 4 AM Go to bed.
Monday, March 28, 2005
Semana Santa Processions
Last week has been crazy here. Every single day from last Saturday, until yesterday there have been religious processions to celebrate the ressurection of Jesus.
Every day there was about 6 or 7 processions of 100s of people dressed up in pointy hats and cloaks (the same outfits used by the K.K.K.) holding candles the size of baseball bats, people swining incents, people carrying crosses, carrying big floats, large musical bands, some military (only once that I saw) and women dressed for and actively mourning.
The freaky thing is to see the hundreds of adults and children (the penitents or nazarones) marching down the street dressed like they are in the K.K.K. Here is an example from the local media: http://servicios.ideal.es/especiales/semanasanta/album2005/universitaria.html. They have pictures from all of the processions on all of the days at http://servicios.ideal.es/especiales/semanasanta/fotografias.html.
The processions shut the city down for the whole week. The main streets are blocked. It becomes impossible sometimes to move through the city. To walk home from my class one evening, I had to walk through and sometimes next to and along the people dressed in these outfits.
Even if you cannot see the processions, you can always here them march as the patriotic/religious music fills the city.
Every day there was about 6 or 7 processions of 100s of people dressed up in pointy hats and cloaks (the same outfits used by the K.K.K.) holding candles the size of baseball bats, people swining incents, people carrying crosses, carrying big floats, large musical bands, some military (only once that I saw) and women dressed for and actively mourning.
The freaky thing is to see the hundreds of adults and children (the penitents or nazarones) marching down the street dressed like they are in the K.K.K. Here is an example from the local media: http://servicios.ideal.es/especiales/semanasanta/album2005/universitaria.html. They have pictures from all of the processions on all of the days at http://servicios.ideal.es/especiales/semanasanta/fotografias.html.
The processions shut the city down for the whole week. The main streets are blocked. It becomes impossible sometimes to move through the city. To walk home from my class one evening, I had to walk through and sometimes next to and along the people dressed in these outfits.
Even if you cannot see the processions, you can always here them march as the patriotic/religious music fills the city.
Siesta in Granada
In Granada, they take the siestas. Apparently in Madrid they are not doing it as much.
What this means is that the normal store hours are from 10-2 and then from 5-8 and almost always closed on Sundays and Holidays.
What this means for me is that there is little point in doing things between these hours. The stores are all shuttered, so you cannot even look in the windows during this time. You cannot even tell what the store is because everything is behind steel roll-up doors.
I have lunch, take a nap and then get up around 5. I am very used to it - I am surprised it did not take very long at all. In fact, if I miss my siesta, I feel like I am hungover.
This means that the day is long here. Or that there are two days per day. One mini day, and one bigger day that goes on until very late at night. Lots of people are out on the streets at 2AM every night.
What this means is that the normal store hours are from 10-2 and then from 5-8 and almost always closed on Sundays and Holidays.
What this means for me is that there is little point in doing things between these hours. The stores are all shuttered, so you cannot even look in the windows during this time. You cannot even tell what the store is because everything is behind steel roll-up doors.
I have lunch, take a nap and then get up around 5. I am very used to it - I am surprised it did not take very long at all. In fact, if I miss my siesta, I feel like I am hungover.
This means that the day is long here. Or that there are two days per day. One mini day, and one bigger day that goes on until very late at night. Lots of people are out on the streets at 2AM every night.
Saturday, March 19, 2005
Learning Spanish in Spain
I spent last week and will spend next week learning to speak Spanish here in Granada.
I have about 3 hours of courses a day. Last week, I would get up in the morning, have breakfast, do some homework then review and then go to class until 6 or 7 in the evening. I am not doing much else during the day as it was pretty overwhelming - especially at first.
I expected that the classes would introduce the language slowly, build a minimum vocabulary and then build from there. Instead the instructors teach grammar and vocabulary almost completly in Spanish. So alot of the time I dont know exactly what the grammar teacher is saying - but I get enough to get the general idea and also get to practice undertanding the language.
Anyway here is how to ask someone their name, how to answer, ask where he is from and how to answer...
¿Como te llamas? (my pronounciation: komo tay yamaz)
Soy Sean
¿De donde eres? (day donday airez)
Soy canadiense
More likely though you might also ask someone their information by asking "¿Y tu?"...
Often I forget what language I am speaking and try and pronounce things in french. For example instead of pronouncing "te" as "tay" I say "te". I also want to not pronounce the trailing ´s´es for some reason.
I have about 3 hours of courses a day. Last week, I would get up in the morning, have breakfast, do some homework then review and then go to class until 6 or 7 in the evening. I am not doing much else during the day as it was pretty overwhelming - especially at first.
I expected that the classes would introduce the language slowly, build a minimum vocabulary and then build from there. Instead the instructors teach grammar and vocabulary almost completly in Spanish. So alot of the time I dont know exactly what the grammar teacher is saying - but I get enough to get the general idea and also get to practice undertanding the language.
Anyway here is how to ask someone their name, how to answer, ask where he is from and how to answer...
¿Como te llamas? (my pronounciation: komo tay yamaz)
Soy Sean
¿De donde eres? (day donday airez)
Soy canadiense
More likely though you might also ask someone their information by asking "¿Y tu?"...
Often I forget what language I am speaking and try and pronounce things in french. For example instead of pronouncing "te" as "tay" I say "te". I also want to not pronounce the trailing ´s´es for some reason.
Thursday, March 10, 2005
Out of Madrid...
I´m out of Madrid now. I am in Granada which is in the south of Spain. I was going to spend more time in Madrid, but I actually stopped liking it so much. This is a bit of a surprise because I had such high expectations for Madrid - but maybe those expectations are what did it in.
The city is still very cool. The best parts of it are the nightlife - which I experienced only from the periphery last Saturday night. The nightlife is not that crazy every night. I went out on Sunday and Monday and there wasn´t really much going on. I am presuming things only really get going on the typical Thursday to Saturday night weekends.
The other big thing to see in Madrid are the Art Galleries (aka as the ¨big three¨). The Prado has cool Spanish artists like Picasso, Goya, Velazquez and El Greco. The Tyssen has tons of Manet, Monet, Van Goghs, Dali and Picasso in a very comfortable (airy) setting. The Reina Sofia has Picasso´s Guernica. At the Reina Sofia, I noticed some cool art which repeatedly was by Joan Miro. Cool enough so I have added him to my list of favourites. I just did some research and it turns out he is from Barcelona... And he has a painting called Bleu II. (I did not know any of this until just now, btw) Check out this thing: http://hirshhorn.si.edu/education/animals/animals3.html Here are some prints (warning it´s a poster selling site, but at least you can get the idea)
http://www.allposters.com/gallery.asp?aid=999354&c=&search=MIRO
For me though Madrid was less cultural or exciting as Barcelona which has it´s own language, architectural style and beachfront access to the ocean. Pedro Almodovar has set most if not all? of his movies in Madrid so my cultural expecations were high. I will admit though - by not knowing Spanish (yet) my ability to experience Madrid culture was limited.
The city is still very cool. The best parts of it are the nightlife - which I experienced only from the periphery last Saturday night. The nightlife is not that crazy every night. I went out on Sunday and Monday and there wasn´t really much going on. I am presuming things only really get going on the typical Thursday to Saturday night weekends.
The other big thing to see in Madrid are the Art Galleries (aka as the ¨big three¨). The Prado has cool Spanish artists like Picasso, Goya, Velazquez and El Greco. The Tyssen has tons of Manet, Monet, Van Goghs, Dali and Picasso in a very comfortable (airy) setting. The Reina Sofia has Picasso´s Guernica. At the Reina Sofia, I noticed some cool art which repeatedly was by Joan Miro. Cool enough so I have added him to my list of favourites. I just did some research and it turns out he is from Barcelona... And he has a painting called Bleu II. (I did not know any of this until just now, btw) Check out this thing: http://hirshhorn.si.edu/education/animals/animals3.html Here are some prints (warning it´s a poster selling site, but at least you can get the idea)
http://www.allposters.com/gallery.asp?aid=999354&c=&search=MIRO
For me though Madrid was less cultural or exciting as Barcelona which has it´s own language, architectural style and beachfront access to the ocean. Pedro Almodovar has set most if not all? of his movies in Madrid so my cultural expecations were high. I will admit though - by not knowing Spanish (yet) my ability to experience Madrid culture was limited.
Saturday, March 05, 2005
230 AM in Madrid
It´s 230 in the morning here and the streets are crowded. Not crowded with screaming drunkards, but rather a mix of people. Sure there are drukards out there (and one guy puking) but there are young people, old people and one or two families wandering around as well.
I have been wandering around trying to find a bank machine that will work with my ATM card. No luck so far and I have tried 9 different types of bank. In the meantime I´ve converted some leftover Hungarian money to Euros.
My initial impression of Madrid is that it is big. It has at least one highway through the centre of town so it reminds me of American cities (like Seattle). But has alot of squares which remind me of piazzas in Rome.
What impresses me is the energy on the street at this time in the morning. People aren´t ending their day - except me! I´m soo tired, I missed the snack cart on the plane while napping - The mix of young and old was a surprise as well. Sure most people are late teens or early twenties, but there are 50s and 60s year old up as well.
I have been wandering around trying to find a bank machine that will work with my ATM card. No luck so far and I have tried 9 different types of bank. In the meantime I´ve converted some leftover Hungarian money to Euros.
My initial impression of Madrid is that it is big. It has at least one highway through the centre of town so it reminds me of American cities (like Seattle). But has alot of squares which remind me of piazzas in Rome.
What impresses me is the energy on the street at this time in the morning. People aren´t ending their day - except me! I´m soo tired, I missed the snack cart on the plane while napping - The mix of young and old was a surprise as well. Sure most people are late teens or early twenties, but there are 50s and 60s year old up as well.
Friday, March 04, 2005
Really snowing in Budapest
It is snowing pretty heavily now. I think there are about 2cm of new snow on the sidewalks this morning. Pretty slippery walking around, so I am hiding right now in this web cafe listening to top-10 and euro-pop-endless-remixes (which aren't all that bad).
I guess I should get some courage and walk down to the river and see if there is a good picture of the Buda side...
Unfortunately, I did not get a night picture of the Buda side on my visit. I did not have my camera with me when I was down there the first night.
So instead I found a good one of the chain bridge online: http://www.treklens.com/gallery/Europe/Hungary/photo25602.htm
It looked the same when I was there :)
Actually, what is missing from the picture is a sense of the cliffs on the other side. I could not find another picture of that.
I guess I should get some courage and walk down to the river and see if there is a good picture of the Buda side...
Unfortunately, I did not get a night picture of the Buda side on my visit. I did not have my camera with me when I was down there the first night.
So instead I found a good one of the chain bridge online: http://www.treklens.com/gallery/Europe/Hungary/photo25602.htm
It looked the same when I was there :)
Actually, what is missing from the picture is a sense of the cliffs on the other side. I could not find another picture of that.
Thursday, March 03, 2005
Daytripping to Bratislava
Budapest was a bit overcast and because I didn't feel like going into any museums, I decided to go visit Bratislava. I am in Bratislava now and I will take the train back tonight.
Slovakia reminds me alot of Czech. Everything is cheaper (Cappuchinos are $1CDN, hot dogs about $.50), there are lots of street kiosks selling food and newspapers. Like in Prague, 'Prosim' works as a hello, thank you and goodbye.
The historical centre looks like a typical medieval town centre like Chesky Krumlov, Villenus or Tallin. Maybe not as steep as Tallin. It just gently slopes down to the river.
Want to guess which river is at the bottom of the town?
Slovakia reminds me alot of Czech. Everything is cheaper (Cappuchinos are $1CDN, hot dogs about $.50), there are lots of street kiosks selling food and newspapers. Like in Prague, 'Prosim' works as a hello, thank you and goodbye.
The historical centre looks like a typical medieval town centre like Chesky Krumlov, Villenus or Tallin. Maybe not as steep as Tallin. It just gently slopes down to the river.
Want to guess which river is at the bottom of the town?
Wednesday, March 02, 2005
Bright and Sunny in Budapest
Ironically enough, one of the best things about Budapest is the weather. It has been very bright and very clear the last couple days. This is ironic because I was really unsure about coming here because I had heard that it was very cold and the wind made walking around unbearable.
However I have been walking all around the city the last couple days. It is cold enough so that you want to wear a hat, but warm enough that you want to take the hat off every once in awhile. Yesterday I walked up to the Buda Castle and the Citatel and today I walked down to the Danube and I am now on my way to Heroes' Square.
People say that Budapest is really cheap. I don't think it is. I think it is a bit cheaper than the rest of Europe - but not 'really' cheap. A Cappuchino costs about 1 Euro (1.60 CDN) the hostel costs about 16 Euros (25 CDN), two bottles of beer from the hostel cost 4 euros (about 6CDN). They don't use Euros - they use Forints - but it is pretty common to talk in terms of Euros with other people from other countries here.
Last night I had dinner with a Mexican (Gabriel) and a German guy (Christopher). We went to a Hungarian restaurant called 'Restaurant' (but in Hungarian). I had a Goulash and then some sort of meat dish with egg gnoccis. Very filling. The Goulash was surprisingly good and very paprika-y.
Christopher told me yesterday the Hungary is famous for its cakes and pastries. This was a surprise, but as a result I have been looking out for cake shops today. So far I have had a Chocolate Moose Cake. Very Moosey.
However I have been walking all around the city the last couple days. It is cold enough so that you want to wear a hat, but warm enough that you want to take the hat off every once in awhile. Yesterday I walked up to the Buda Castle and the Citatel and today I walked down to the Danube and I am now on my way to Heroes' Square.
People say that Budapest is really cheap. I don't think it is. I think it is a bit cheaper than the rest of Europe - but not 'really' cheap. A Cappuchino costs about 1 Euro (1.60 CDN) the hostel costs about 16 Euros (25 CDN), two bottles of beer from the hostel cost 4 euros (about 6CDN). They don't use Euros - they use Forints - but it is pretty common to talk in terms of Euros with other people from other countries here.
Last night I had dinner with a Mexican (Gabriel) and a German guy (Christopher). We went to a Hungarian restaurant called 'Restaurant' (but in Hungarian). I had a Goulash and then some sort of meat dish with egg gnoccis. Very filling. The Goulash was surprisingly good and very paprika-y.
Christopher told me yesterday the Hungary is famous for its cakes and pastries. This was a surprise, but as a result I have been looking out for cake shops today. So far I have had a Chocolate Moose Cake. Very Moosey.
Tuesday, March 01, 2005
It's not snowing in Budapest
But it is sunny and cold. A dry kind of cold that makes your face hurt. A bright kind of sun that doesn't warm.
I just got here yesterday, walked to the Danube river in the dark. The view across the river to the Buda side was really stunning. The combination of a series of impressive buildings and statues separated by green spaces lit up at night on top of a steep hill across a river laced with bridges is - like I said - stunning. A good setting for a spy novel or a romance.
I have not learned much about the history yet... but on the ride over and English man pointed out that the Austrian-Hungarian Empire was in power longer than the Roman Empire.
Today, I am going to walk back down there and do some more exploring...
I just got here yesterday, walked to the Danube river in the dark. The view across the river to the Buda side was really stunning. The combination of a series of impressive buildings and statues separated by green spaces lit up at night on top of a steep hill across a river laced with bridges is - like I said - stunning. A good setting for a spy novel or a romance.
I have not learned much about the history yet... but on the ride over and English man pointed out that the Austrian-Hungarian Empire was in power longer than the Roman Empire.
Today, I am going to walk back down there and do some more exploring...
Monday, February 21, 2005
Thursday, February 17, 2005
Tate Modern
Visited the Tate Modern Museum today to attend two more of their free tours. So I have now seen all four. I like Modern Art because of how the artists are trying to come up with new ways to communicate ideas. And I have a growing interest in communication.
On the way to the museum, someone asked me if I knew how to speak English. Kind of a strange question to ask someone in the middle of London. But anyway, he wanted to know what the word 'decoy' meant. I said 'a wooden duck'. I am sure there is a more witty answer to this question.
Anyway from the tours I learned some trivia.
A painting called 'Lilith' was done by Anselm Keifer to show the overgrowth and decay of San Paolo of Brazil. Does anyone know who Lilith is? We have the Lilith Fair concerts at home...
Turns out Lilith is, in ancient mythology, Adam's first wife who refused to be subjugated by Adam and was therefore forced to cavort with the devil and give birth to 100 babies a day who died each night. I did a brief search on the internet and found more on this at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lilith .
I also learned that Monet is said to be the inspiration to both the modernist movement and Rodin's sculptures. True? Is it just name dropping? Does it matter?
On the way to the museum, someone asked me if I knew how to speak English. Kind of a strange question to ask someone in the middle of London. But anyway, he wanted to know what the word 'decoy' meant. I said 'a wooden duck'. I am sure there is a more witty answer to this question.
Anyway from the tours I learned some trivia.
A painting called 'Lilith' was done by Anselm Keifer to show the overgrowth and decay of San Paolo of Brazil. Does anyone know who Lilith is? We have the Lilith Fair concerts at home...
Turns out Lilith is, in ancient mythology, Adam's first wife who refused to be subjugated by Adam and was therefore forced to cavort with the devil and give birth to 100 babies a day who died each night. I did a brief search on the internet and found more on this at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lilith .
I also learned that Monet is said to be the inspiration to both the modernist movement and Rodin's sculptures. True? Is it just name dropping? Does it matter?
Wednesday, February 16, 2005
Back in London - Grey skies
Just got back into London. Skies are grey again. I forgot, but remembered again as travelling on the train - I could not tell if it was morning,noon, or evening... no sun!
I am staying in a big, but fairly quiet and very cheap hostel outside of London. Because it is a pretty good deal there are many people here who are looking for work. People looking for work are from the U.K., Brazil, Sweden, Denmark etc. Alot are hoping to improve their English skills. This was also the case in Ireland.
Anyway there are also quite a few older people as well. When I got into my room today I met a guy with an English accent in his 50s who was going for a nap. He had spent the day trying to find a 'fng' job. Going to lots of 'fng' places, but you cannot get an 'fng' job when you get to my age.
He said there were lots of jobs on construction sites, but he was too old for that.
He was going to the office tomorrow to see if he can get on the Dole and register for some IT training.
The best job idea he has right now is to sign up for medical experiments. This is what he was saying. He was keen on the idea as he did one for 4 weeks before and made alot of money in a medical trial taking anti-depressants and then reporting on side effects. Here room and board was also included in the hospital or university where he did it.
I am staying in a big, but fairly quiet and very cheap hostel outside of London. Because it is a pretty good deal there are many people here who are looking for work. People looking for work are from the U.K., Brazil, Sweden, Denmark etc. Alot are hoping to improve their English skills. This was also the case in Ireland.
Anyway there are also quite a few older people as well. When I got into my room today I met a guy with an English accent in his 50s who was going for a nap. He had spent the day trying to find a 'fng' job. Going to lots of 'fng' places, but you cannot get an 'fng' job when you get to my age.
He said there were lots of jobs on construction sites, but he was too old for that.
He was going to the office tomorrow to see if he can get on the Dole and register for some IT training.
The best job idea he has right now is to sign up for medical experiments. This is what he was saying. He was keen on the idea as he did one for 4 weeks before and made alot of money in a medical trial taking anti-depressants and then reporting on side effects. Here room and board was also included in the hospital or university where he did it.
Tuesday, February 15, 2005
Guinness Storehouse Visit
The main reason for me coming to Dublin was of course to visit the brewery. They don't really have brewery tours but they do have a sort of museum called the Storehouse.
The museum was a bit weird in that it was set like a post-modern-Yaletown dream house with dark lighting, steel, projection displays, glass, exposed infrastructure and waterfalls.
Here are some interesting facts:
* Guiness uses 90K tonnes of Irish Barley a year.
* 18th century beer drinkers used to order beer mixed to their taste. This was called 'three-threads'. Presumably you would go and ask for three different beers mixed together!
* The word beer comes from the Anglo-Saxon word 'baere'
* The tour had a big kettle and vat you could walk into
* Fermentation generates alot of heat. I have made alot of beer. I knew this, but forgot. I wonder if you could use it to heat your house.
* They had a display about Cooperage - making the barrels. At first I thought it was a bit much - I just wanted my beer at this point. Who care about the barrels!!!
But the Cooperage film was pretty interesting and something I had not seen on other brewery tours. It showed how the master coopers carved the wooden barrels mostly by sight and very quickly.
* Coopers used a steam bell and wire rope to shape the barrels
* The wood use to make the barrels was much thicker than I expected - looked like 2x4s
* Barrels lasted a long time - some over 10 years.#
* Coopers would smell the barrels to see if they needed repair
* Irish pubs need to get a license from Guinness. I don't know the details - but I suppose it makes sense. You cannot open an 'Irish bar' and not serve Guinness can you? (Actually the Irish Bar in Luxor does not serve anything but the state beers!)
* Guinness does brew different beers for different countries. Called FES - Foreign Extra Stout they are brewed at higher percentages (7.5%) and are brewed in 40 different countries and available in 85.
* One of the last sections before getting to the free beer was a video display called it is your choice. It was a series of films talking about the pros and cons of drinking. I saw two. In the first film the guy was talking about how it reduced his inhibitions and how it really let him connect with this girl he met. In the second film it was about a drinking driving accident involving a motorcycle.
* Finally I got my free beer. It was very fresh, cold and very good. I was surprised how cold the beer was - but now I think that maybe they are serving their new 'Extra Cold' product they are marketing.
* I also had lunch in their restaurant and had a very nice seafood chowder. The people next to me had a nice looking salmon salad.
So in summary... I have seen better brewery tours. But I enjoyed the cooperage film, the Guinness at the top and their restaurant.
The museum was a bit weird in that it was set like a post-modern-Yaletown dream house with dark lighting, steel, projection displays, glass, exposed infrastructure and waterfalls.
Here are some interesting facts:
* Guiness uses 90K tonnes of Irish Barley a year.
* 18th century beer drinkers used to order beer mixed to their taste. This was called 'three-threads'. Presumably you would go and ask for three different beers mixed together!
* The word beer comes from the Anglo-Saxon word 'baere'
* The tour had a big kettle and vat you could walk into
* Fermentation generates alot of heat. I have made alot of beer. I knew this, but forgot. I wonder if you could use it to heat your house.
* They had a display about Cooperage - making the barrels. At first I thought it was a bit much - I just wanted my beer at this point. Who care about the barrels!!!
But the Cooperage film was pretty interesting and something I had not seen on other brewery tours. It showed how the master coopers carved the wooden barrels mostly by sight and very quickly.
* Coopers used a steam bell and wire rope to shape the barrels
* The wood use to make the barrels was much thicker than I expected - looked like 2x4s
* Barrels lasted a long time - some over 10 years.#
* Coopers would smell the barrels to see if they needed repair
* Irish pubs need to get a license from Guinness. I don't know the details - but I suppose it makes sense. You cannot open an 'Irish bar' and not serve Guinness can you? (Actually the Irish Bar in Luxor does not serve anything but the state beers!)
* Guinness does brew different beers for different countries. Called FES - Foreign Extra Stout they are brewed at higher percentages (7.5%) and are brewed in 40 different countries and available in 85.
* One of the last sections before getting to the free beer was a video display called it is your choice. It was a series of films talking about the pros and cons of drinking. I saw two. In the first film the guy was talking about how it reduced his inhibitions and how it really let him connect with this girl he met. In the second film it was about a drinking driving accident involving a motorcycle.
* Finally I got my free beer. It was very fresh, cold and very good. I was surprised how cold the beer was - but now I think that maybe they are serving their new 'Extra Cold' product they are marketing.
* I also had lunch in their restaurant and had a very nice seafood chowder. The people next to me had a nice looking salmon salad.
So in summary... I have seen better brewery tours. But I enjoyed the cooperage film, the Guinness at the top and their restaurant.
Monday, February 14, 2005
What is Dublin like
Well Dublin is cleaner than I expected. According to travel books it is a growing city with very successfull IT exports (I only know of Iona that are here... but I have not done much research in this area).
There is a big university in the centre of town. There are alot of pubs. There are alot of bookstores. I think actually that there might be the most bookstores per square measure than I have encountered yet.
I think Dublin is a great place to start a drinking-writing or drinking-singing career. Use Guinness, Baileys or Irish Whisky to fuel your intellectual courage...
On another topic, I love the Irish accent. Half the time - or more - I don't know what they are saying. This is silly, but it gives me a rush to hear it. It was funny to hear the radio announcer also using the accent.
Back onto drinking and pubs. Men sing in the pubs. Loud. Last night there were two brothers standing on opposite sides of a woman facing her and really singing loud and deep with the band. (with a deep voice I mean).
There is a big university in the centre of town. There are alot of pubs. There are alot of bookstores. I think actually that there might be the most bookstores per square measure than I have encountered yet.
I think Dublin is a great place to start a drinking-writing or drinking-singing career. Use Guinness, Baileys or Irish Whisky to fuel your intellectual courage...
On another topic, I love the Irish accent. Half the time - or more - I don't know what they are saying. This is silly, but it gives me a rush to hear it. It was funny to hear the radio announcer also using the accent.
Back onto drinking and pubs. Men sing in the pubs. Loud. Last night there were two brothers standing on opposite sides of a woman facing her and really singing loud and deep with the band. (with a deep voice I mean).
Dublin Quiz
Quiz!
1. Does Ireland use the Euro or the Pound?
2. What colour are the Postboxes in Ireland?
3. What is the Celtic word for 'fiction' (in a bookstore, say)
4. Why is the central pub district called 'Temple Bar'?
1. Does Ireland use the Euro or the Pound?
2. What colour are the Postboxes in Ireland?
3. What is the Celtic word for 'fiction' (in a bookstore, say)
4. Why is the central pub district called 'Temple Bar'?
Sunday, February 13, 2005
Yay Ireland
Just got into Dublin today. I am temporarily changing my favourite colour to Green. There is alot of Green here.
Also had my first Irish Guiness - of course. And yes it does taste different. You can taste more of the malt - ie the taste is of the malted barley - how it tastes before you ferment it. People say that it tastes different depending on the distance from Ireland... Which I guess I agree with. Guiness in England tastes more bitter to me. Guiness in Ireland tastes more malty to me. Guiness in Canada tastes more smooth to me. Tomorrow I should be going to the brewery/museum to have one there.
Going to have a Guiness at the brewery is my only real goal for Ireland/Dublin. I bought a book though so I will see a couple other things before flying back to London on Wednesday.
BTW, I missed my flight this morning to Ireland. I am getting good at moving through the underground - but made a couple mistakes and did not leave early enough... doh! I got there 30 minutes before - but they had closed the checkin. Cost me an extra 40 pounds to fly this afternoon.
So far I have had one guiness.
It cost 4.50 euro. About 7.00 CDN
Plane cost 120 pounds (return) about 240 CDN
So my beer cost $247 dollars...I will need to do some 'averaging down' over the next couple days :)
Also had my first Irish Guiness - of course. And yes it does taste different. You can taste more of the malt - ie the taste is of the malted barley - how it tastes before you ferment it. People say that it tastes different depending on the distance from Ireland... Which I guess I agree with. Guiness in England tastes more bitter to me. Guiness in Ireland tastes more malty to me. Guiness in Canada tastes more smooth to me. Tomorrow I should be going to the brewery/museum to have one there.
Going to have a Guiness at the brewery is my only real goal for Ireland/Dublin. I bought a book though so I will see a couple other things before flying back to London on Wednesday.
BTW, I missed my flight this morning to Ireland. I am getting good at moving through the underground - but made a couple mistakes and did not leave early enough... doh! I got there 30 minutes before - but they had closed the checkin. Cost me an extra 40 pounds to fly this afternoon.
So far I have had one guiness.
It cost 4.50 euro. About 7.00 CDN
Plane cost 120 pounds (return) about 240 CDN
So my beer cost $247 dollars...I will need to do some 'averaging down' over the next couple days :)
London is cool - Dangers of Champagne
But I am enjoying London alot. Alot more than I thought. For some reason I had thought London was small. London was boring. London was stuffy.
But it is not. The fact that museums are free makes visiting them and the city a pretty cool place to be. I like to go down to Tate Modern and see some of their exhibits. I have also been to the Natural History museum twice and the the gift shop of the Design Museum twice. The design museum charges - so I have only been going to the gift shop.
However, Kevin got into town yesterday and we went to the Design Museum. I figured that on my third visit to the gift shop, maybe I should actually go see the museum part. It was pretty interesting. The museum had alot of displays and identified the role of the designer as someone who builds visual representations of problems - or something like that. Anyway I think design is really cool (Doesn't everyone??). But me - I am now interested in taking a design course.
Kev and I also went to a pub and then went and saw the Spongebob Square Pants movie. The movie cost 12 pounds each. I am used to spending alot in London - so when Kev pointed out it was 25 dollars Canadian to see SpongeBob - it was a lot of money - I initially thought nothing of it. But after thinking about it... Actually 25 dollars is alot to see a movie. Anyway - London is expensive - I don't really need to say that because everyone else says London is expensive. But it doesn't really matter - it was a nice thing to do together.
A funny crazy thing happened when we got back to the hotel. Because Valentines day is on Monday there is a special promotion for couples where they get free champagne.
Well you might be thinking because Kevin and I are sharing a room that we would be able to get the Valentine's special. And that would be a funny story. But that did not happen.
What is funny/crazy is that there was this very very drunk girl on champagne telling everyone on Saturday to cheer up and party because it is Valentines. We were trying to get into the elevator. It was full and we were all telling the guy closest to the panel to 'PRESS THE BUTTON!!! PRESS THE BUTTON!!' before she could get into the elevator. It is not that the idea of being happy and celebrating isn't a bad one. It is just that when you are stone cold sober - you don't really want to interact with loud mouth drunkards.
Anyway she got into the elevator. Somehow figured out that we were not holding the door for her. But did give us a celebration lecture. Fortunately we were only on the fifth floor.
But that is just background. After we watched Spongebob SquarePants we came back to the hotel to have a couple pints to discuss character development, story telling dynamics and art direction in modern film. That and girls.
Anyway between our first and second round. The girl we had met earlier in the elevator was in a sunken area about 30 or 50ft away started yelling at her boyfriend. She then took the champagne bottle and threw it at him with all her might!
It missed the boyfriend,but hit someone in the arm behind him!
Undeterred: She then took her drink glass and threw that too! It shattered and sprayed glass all over the bar. Up the sunken area, over the banister and the table next to it - leaving glass in Kevin's hair!
The bouncers eventually got rid of her (She walked away, head up, putting her arm into the bouncer's arm). There were police involved. No one was hurt - but someone could have seriously been (glass in eye, maybe).
Clearly this should serve as a warning about serving champagne on Valentines.
But it is not. The fact that museums are free makes visiting them and the city a pretty cool place to be. I like to go down to Tate Modern and see some of their exhibits. I have also been to the Natural History museum twice and the the gift shop of the Design Museum twice. The design museum charges - so I have only been going to the gift shop.
However, Kevin got into town yesterday and we went to the Design Museum. I figured that on my third visit to the gift shop, maybe I should actually go see the museum part. It was pretty interesting. The museum had alot of displays and identified the role of the designer as someone who builds visual representations of problems - or something like that. Anyway I think design is really cool (Doesn't everyone??). But me - I am now interested in taking a design course.
Kev and I also went to a pub and then went and saw the Spongebob Square Pants movie. The movie cost 12 pounds each. I am used to spending alot in London - so when Kev pointed out it was 25 dollars Canadian to see SpongeBob - it was a lot of money - I initially thought nothing of it. But after thinking about it... Actually 25 dollars is alot to see a movie. Anyway - London is expensive - I don't really need to say that because everyone else says London is expensive. But it doesn't really matter - it was a nice thing to do together.
A funny crazy thing happened when we got back to the hotel. Because Valentines day is on Monday there is a special promotion for couples where they get free champagne.
Well you might be thinking because Kevin and I are sharing a room that we would be able to get the Valentine's special. And that would be a funny story. But that did not happen.
What is funny/crazy is that there was this very very drunk girl on champagne telling everyone on Saturday to cheer up and party because it is Valentines. We were trying to get into the elevator. It was full and we were all telling the guy closest to the panel to 'PRESS THE BUTTON!!! PRESS THE BUTTON!!' before she could get into the elevator. It is not that the idea of being happy and celebrating isn't a bad one. It is just that when you are stone cold sober - you don't really want to interact with loud mouth drunkards.
Anyway she got into the elevator. Somehow figured out that we were not holding the door for her. But did give us a celebration lecture. Fortunately we were only on the fifth floor.
But that is just background. After we watched Spongebob SquarePants we came back to the hotel to have a couple pints to discuss character development, story telling dynamics and art direction in modern film. That and girls.
Anyway between our first and second round. The girl we had met earlier in the elevator was in a sunken area about 30 or 50ft away started yelling at her boyfriend. She then took the champagne bottle and threw it at him with all her might!
It missed the boyfriend,but hit someone in the arm behind him!
Undeterred: She then took her drink glass and threw that too! It shattered and sprayed glass all over the bar. Up the sunken area, over the banister and the table next to it - leaving glass in Kevin's hair!
The bouncers eventually got rid of her (She walked away, head up, putting her arm into the bouncer's arm). There were police involved. No one was hurt - but someone could have seriously been (glass in eye, maybe).
Clearly this should serve as a warning about serving champagne on Valentines.
Limbo in London
Ok. A few people probably have noticed. Actually I know they noticed because they have 'mentioned' that I have not been updating my blog. It used to be that people thought I was dead. I am not dead. I am lazy. There is a difference. Though that distinction is just relative.
Actually I am not lazy. More in limbo.
Alot of my time has been trying to decide what to do when I return. I only have one month left before I am scheduled to go back. One month used to sound like alot of time, but right now it feel pretty imminent. I know I feel really different now than I did during my travels.
But I have not figured out what that feeling is yet. So there is a bit of suspense and limbo right now.
Actually I am not lazy. More in limbo.
Alot of my time has been trying to decide what to do when I return. I only have one month left before I am scheduled to go back. One month used to sound like alot of time, but right now it feel pretty imminent. I know I feel really different now than I did during my travels.
But I have not figured out what that feeling is yet. So there is a bit of suspense and limbo right now.
Monday, February 07, 2005
Next week preview
Kevin might be in town!
SpongeBob SquarePants movie is opening in London!
I am going to Ireland to visit the Guinness Brewery! (Sunday)
SpongeBob SquarePants movie is opening in London!
I am going to Ireland to visit the Guinness Brewery! (Sunday)
Things I have actually done in London
Well today I was back in London.
I visited the Science Museum which was mostly closed, so I went to the V&A museum and the Nature museum. The Nature museum closed up before I could really look around, but it is really cool so I will definately go back. London museaums all (so far) free, so it is no big deal to go and revisit.
I saw 'Les Misreables' in Soho. It was ok. I like the funny parts, but some of the heart wrenching (misreable?) parts were a bit long.
If I go to Soho tonight, I might go see Mama Mia or We Will Rock You (a queen tribute).
I visited the Science Museum which was mostly closed, so I went to the V&A museum and the Nature museum. The Nature museum closed up before I could really look around, but it is really cool so I will definately go back. London museaums all (so far) free, so it is no big deal to go and revisit.
I saw 'Les Misreables' in Soho. It was ok. I like the funny parts, but some of the heart wrenching (misreable?) parts were a bit long.
If I go to Soho tonight, I might go see Mama Mia or We Will Rock You (a queen tribute).
Saturday, February 05, 2005
Stuff to do in London
London is bigger than I expected.
I have not done anything there yet. Well except for buy a book which described the five neighbourhoods and gave ideas about what to do...
Ideas for me to do are:
* See the Mama Mia play (playing in all big European cities)
* See a football game (Arsenal?)
* Visit Picadilly circus (Did that already - looks like Times Square)
* See St. Pauls Cathedral
* Visit Tate Modern
* West Minster Abbey
* The Thames
* Visit the London Aquarium
* Vinopolis (some sort of wine tasting museum)
* Science Museum
* National History Museaum
* Victoria and Albert Museum
* SOHO (Did that - lots of theatres, shopping)
* Kings Cross (Did that - nothing really. A big train station, tho)
* British Museum
* British Library
* The Tea House <-> convent (Not sure what that is)
Also I need to find a nicer place to stay. The hostel I stayed at the first couple of nights was the biggest and loudest places I have stayed in Europe. Called 'the generator', they can hold up to 1000 people. Not a good place to meet people.
I have not done anything there yet. Well except for buy a book which described the five neighbourhoods and gave ideas about what to do...
Ideas for me to do are:
* See the Mama Mia play (playing in all big European cities)
* See a football game (Arsenal?)
* Visit Picadilly circus (Did that already - looks like Times Square)
* See St. Pauls Cathedral
* Visit Tate Modern
* West Minster Abbey
* The Thames
* Visit the London Aquarium
* Vinopolis (some sort of wine tasting museum)
* Science Museum
* National History Museaum
* Victoria and Albert Museum
* SOHO (Did that - lots of theatres, shopping)
* Kings Cross (Did that - nothing really. A big train station, tho)
* British Museum
* British Library
* The Tea House <-> convent (Not sure what that is)
Also I need to find a nicer place to stay. The hostel I stayed at the first couple of nights was the biggest and loudest places I have stayed in Europe. Called 'the generator', they can hold up to 1000 people. Not a good place to meet people.
London
So London is happening.
I was surprised to see so many men running around in the rain in their expensive looking suits without coats. London is a place to dress up apparently (be 'posh' perhaps). Yes, people riding the tube are in fact wearing cuff links. (CUFF LINKS!)
There are people running around just for exercise too. I haven't seen that for awhile and it was strange to see it in one of the most urban places I have been.
When I first arrived and was travelling throught the underground during rush hour, you get the sense that people are not just trying to catch trains, but are part of some sort of large scale evacuation.
I was surprised to see so many men running around in the rain in their expensive looking suits without coats. London is a place to dress up apparently (be 'posh' perhaps). Yes, people riding the tube are in fact wearing cuff links. (CUFF LINKS!)
There are people running around just for exercise too. I haven't seen that for awhile and it was strange to see it in one of the most urban places I have been.
When I first arrived and was travelling throught the underground during rush hour, you get the sense that people are not just trying to catch trains, but are part of some sort of large scale evacuation.
Friday, February 04, 2005
not dead - visiting relatives
I have been in London and then visiting my uncle, aunt and cousin up in Kenilworth and then my Grandma in Kent.
London is far bigger than I imagined. For some reason, I took London for granted, but it is far bigger and more interesting than I thought it was. It was a bit overwhelming for the first couple days that I was there and I will be going back later.
London is far bigger than I imagined. For some reason, I took London for granted, but it is far bigger and more interesting than I thought it was. It was a bit overwhelming for the first couple days that I was there and I will be going back later.
Wednesday, January 26, 2005
Going to London tomorrow (and NOT Budapest)
Tomorrow I am going to fly to London. Will do some sightseeing and visit some relatives.
Actually I was going to fly to Budapest tomorrow, but it turns out it is cheaper to fly to London, then to Budapest. Or if not Budapest, it is still cheaper to fly anywhere.
I have seen some of the highlights of Greece: Athens ruins, Delphi ruins, Archeological museum and an Island to give me a taste of this country but I think really I cannot experience the Greek islands properly in the winter. So I will put some summer time on a greek island on my todo list... I like Greece.
Actually I was going to fly to Budapest tomorrow, but it turns out it is cheaper to fly to London, then to Budapest. Or if not Budapest, it is still cheaper to fly anywhere.
I have seen some of the highlights of Greece: Athens ruins, Delphi ruins, Archeological museum and an Island to give me a taste of this country but I think really I cannot experience the Greek islands properly in the winter. So I will put some summer time on a greek island on my todo list... I like Greece.
Visited Aegina (Greek Island)
Visited my first greek island today with Tony, Jeremiah and Natalie. It was pretty windy and cold though. The highlight of the trip was having lunch in a fish market with freshly grilled octopus. We wandered around the town a bit and then one dog started to follow us around. By the time we got to the ferry we had about 5 dogs wanting to go home with us.
Tuesday, January 25, 2005
Visited Delphi and Greek Restaurant
Tony (guy from Australia) and I from the hostel did a day trip to Delphi to visit the Oracle. I cannot remember what she said. There was a one eye cat that was really giving Tony a hard time there.
Afterwards we went for greek food in my first 'real' greek restaurant. I had mousakka, Greek salad, Red wine, calamari, Tzatziki (sp?). What stood out is how really great the olives were. Firm on the outside, very soft and clean tasting on the inside. Tzatziki was too garlicy for my taste though. Calamari was very big, meaty and a bit tough. I got to tell the story about my calamari/burned hand.
Afterwards we went for greek food in my first 'real' greek restaurant. I had mousakka, Greek salad, Red wine, calamari, Tzatziki (sp?). What stood out is how really great the olives were. Firm on the outside, very soft and clean tasting on the inside. Tzatziki was too garlicy for my taste though. Calamari was very big, meaty and a bit tough. I got to tell the story about my calamari/burned hand.
Monday, January 24, 2005
Middle East versus the West
Well I heard a bell ring today and waited for the Call to Prayer to start...
...
...
... la la la
The call did not start. Wrong country. I had got used to hearing it in Egypt and Turkey - so much so that any loud amplified sound makes me anticipate it. It is a pretty cool sound. Can sometimes be annoying - but it is the anticipation that is the point here.
So what I expect now is theft. There is no theft - none that I know of directly or indirectly in the middle east. Harassment - sure. Theft - no.
There is some bargaining here, though. I was able to get my 30 euro travel guide bartered down to 15 euros. Pretty happy about that little experiment and lesson from the middle east.
...
...
... la la la
The call did not start. Wrong country. I had got used to hearing it in Egypt and Turkey - so much so that any loud amplified sound makes me anticipate it. It is a pretty cool sound. Can sometimes be annoying - but it is the anticipation that is the point here.
So what I expect now is theft. There is no theft - none that I know of directly or indirectly in the middle east. Harassment - sure. Theft - no.
There is some bargaining here, though. I was able to get my 30 euro travel guide bartered down to 15 euros. Pretty happy about that little experiment and lesson from the middle east.
Greece
Today I went to see the Panthenon at the Acropolis, Zeus' Temple, the Agora and Athens University.
I also got soaking wet because it was pouring all afternoon.
So I had low expectations of Greece. These expectations were set by reading some of Rick Steeves books where he suggests that too often travellers stretch themselves and to some degree - regret the visit from Greece from Europe (I am going the otherway in case you have lost track). Also I have heard from many travellers that Turkey is a better visit than Greece. So - long story long - I had low expectations.
Turns out, Greece is exceeding my expectations. Looking at symbols and relics of Greece helps feed my imagination about classical greece, the progress they made in fostering mind through university, body through olympics and attitude and society through the senate and government.
That is pretty cool. The renaissance was 'just' the sequel...
On the other hand I am finding hard to connect with these actual ideals. The buildings look so cool. But they arrre empty.
Getting back to the positive And the present: What I do know though is that Greek people are very friendly and helpful. I have had alot of genuine offers for assistance while travelling which I appreciate.
I also got soaking wet because it was pouring all afternoon.
So I had low expectations of Greece. These expectations were set by reading some of Rick Steeves books where he suggests that too often travellers stretch themselves and to some degree - regret the visit from Greece from Europe (I am going the otherway in case you have lost track). Also I have heard from many travellers that Turkey is a better visit than Greece. So - long story long - I had low expectations.
Turns out, Greece is exceeding my expectations. Looking at symbols and relics of Greece helps feed my imagination about classical greece, the progress they made in fostering mind through university, body through olympics and attitude and society through the senate and government.
That is pretty cool. The renaissance was 'just' the sequel...
On the other hand I am finding hard to connect with these actual ideals. The buildings look so cool. But they arrre empty.
Getting back to the positive And the present: What I do know though is that Greek people are very friendly and helpful. I have had alot of genuine offers for assistance while travelling which I appreciate.
Sunday, January 23, 2005
I will never take a night bus again
I hate night busses. I don't know why I allowed myself to take another one. I spent the whole of last night next to a guy with broad shoulders and a gaping crotch on one side, while pressed against an overactive heater on the other. Within this 12 hour adventure I slept probably 30 minutes - twice. I felt like 'decking' this guy about 3 times, but resorted only to defensive moves when he brought his elbows up against my face. It is not his fault, but when sleep deprived eventually my patience wore thin. I was literally sweating in my T-shirt while trying to hold my body diagonally to give myself the maximum space with the best amount of circulation. The bus was packed.
Anyway I made it back from Cappaduchia and decided to fly to Athens right away. I considered visiting the Turkish coast - but I was honestly done with busses for awhile.
So I got to Athens this afternoon. The airport and tram system was very impressive. Things are still very much still cleaned up from the Olympics. In fact the transit map makes all of these references to where to see the different events and gives tips on how to use your tickets for the game to take transit.
This morning I was 'smelly zombie boy' after having been on the night bus. A form of physical torture. Wearing my glasses and bleary eyed and feeling at the bottom emotionally and physically, the coffee barrista at the airport told me I looked like Brad Pitt. I thought that was pretty funny/embarassing. Those barristas are not to be trusted.
Anyway. Don't take night busses. Take a day bus. Take a train. Rent a car. Take a plane.
Ok. Last reminder: Don't take night busses.
Anyway I made it back from Cappaduchia and decided to fly to Athens right away. I considered visiting the Turkish coast - but I was honestly done with busses for awhile.
So I got to Athens this afternoon. The airport and tram system was very impressive. Things are still very much still cleaned up from the Olympics. In fact the transit map makes all of these references to where to see the different events and gives tips on how to use your tickets for the game to take transit.
This morning I was 'smelly zombie boy' after having been on the night bus. A form of physical torture. Wearing my glasses and bleary eyed and feeling at the bottom emotionally and physically, the coffee barrista at the airport told me I looked like Brad Pitt. I thought that was pretty funny/embarassing. Those barristas are not to be trusted.
Anyway. Don't take night busses. Take a day bus. Take a train. Rent a car. Take a plane.
Ok. Last reminder: Don't take night busses.
Cappaducia
I went on a two day tour of Cappaducia. The tour was excellent: I don't think I could have seen so much in such a short time on my own.
What I saw were all of these volcanic formations which look like chimmneys in some areas and just caves in others. What is neat is how the early Christians built their own sophisticated housing, stables and church complexes in these caves.
It is like these cool little forts that when you are a kid you dream of building.
From the outside the houses that look like they are in the chimmneys look the coolest. But inside the most interesting thing are the underground caves where they carved out their own ventilation systems, wineries, chapels, stables etc.
What I saw were all of these volcanic formations which look like chimmneys in some areas and just caves in others. What is neat is how the early Christians built their own sophisticated housing, stables and church complexes in these caves.
It is like these cool little forts that when you are a kid you dream of building.
From the outside the houses that look like they are in the chimmneys look the coolest. But inside the most interesting thing are the underground caves where they carved out their own ventilation systems, wineries, chapels, stables etc.
Friday, January 21, 2005
Turkey ıs pretty cool
I thınk I understand why lots of people lıke Turkey. It ıs dıfferent because of the geography and the ıslamıc culture. But ıt ıs by far the most westernızed Islamıc country I have been too (ıe other than Egypt and Israel/Palestıne) whıch makes doıng thıngs much easıer and more comfortable. I am thınkıng of lıttle thıngs lıke Taxıs havıng meters, thıngs havıng prıces ın stores, less people starıng, etc.
Thursday, January 20, 2005
Trying to get to Cappadocia..
Kim is on her way back to Egypt :(
I am now waiting around to find out if I can get on the bus trip to Cappadocia which is pretty much booked up. Cappadocia should be pretty cool: It is where there are these volcanic chimmneys have been carved out by early Christians to make homes and churches.
Useless trivia...In Turkey they put the pepper in the shaker with the single hole and salt in the shaker with three holes.
I am now waiting around to find out if I can get on the bus trip to Cappadocia which is pretty much booked up. Cappadocia should be pretty cool: It is where there are these volcanic chimmneys have been carved out by early Christians to make homes and churches.
Useless trivia...In Turkey they put the pepper in the shaker with the single hole and salt in the shaker with three holes.
Tuesday, January 18, 2005
Turkish Hammam Experience
Kim and I went to a Turkish Hammam (bath) last night. Separately... men and women bathe seperately here.
We were not sure where to go so we asked the hostel clerk to recommend a place. He offered a couple touristy/westernized places but recommended a place that was very authentic.
We chose the authentic and I think the place we ended up was authentic.
On arrival we knocked on the door. The guy answering the door spoke very little English but quickly ushered Kim further down the street to the other entrance to the other Hammam.
I went in and was taken to a little private individual change room and told to strip down and put on a stiff towel. I was then lead downstairs and put into a dry sauna.
And I was left there.
No one else was down stairs.
Like. How long am I supposed to stay in this sauna? Am I supposed to tell someone when I am done or do they come and get me?
Doo. Doo. Doo. Lots of time on my hands. I started trying to relax, but ended up counting and wondering how long I was supposed to be in here. I tried counting to 50. And then 20. And then 30. I was going to get up, but someone else came in. He did not speak English either. I thought I should count quietly to at least 10 before leaving to be polite. I forget how high I got.
So outside the hot sauna was a large circular area with a high concrete domed roof. I saw pictures of five or six men laying on this same large circular table in the brochure and wondered if I should just lay there.
But arranged around the centre were small rooms with small concrete tubs and taps with frisbee shaped plastic scoops. In Finland they often dump buckets of cold water on themselves after the sauna, so I tried doing that for a bit. I used warmish cold water which was very refreshing.
So I then tried laying on the big table in the middle of the huge room. And eventually the guy who showed me to the sauna showed up and motioned for me to sit next to one of the concrete tubs. He then poured hot water over me and started to massage my back with a black glove that he was wearing to exfoliate my skin.
I might point out that I have had lots of massages before and I prefer to be massaged by female masseuses. I just find that more relaxing.
This fellow was not very relaxing. It was a rough but not painful scrub down. He did my whole body twice separated with a hot water rinse in between. He then had me lay down on the large table and then gave me a massage.
The massage was painful. He really poked hard at my pecs and back muscles. I then got another scrub down and rinse.
I think I had another scrub down and rinse again. To be honest I lost track. Let's just say I got scrubbed alot.
The masseur then told me to go upstairs and the guy upstairs told me to sleep for 5 minutes in the change room.
Once Kim arrived at the Men's area, I was done.
I felt a bit worked over. But yet, very very clean.
We were not sure where to go so we asked the hostel clerk to recommend a place. He offered a couple touristy/westernized places but recommended a place that was very authentic.
We chose the authentic and I think the place we ended up was authentic.
On arrival we knocked on the door. The guy answering the door spoke very little English but quickly ushered Kim further down the street to the other entrance to the other Hammam.
I went in and was taken to a little private individual change room and told to strip down and put on a stiff towel. I was then lead downstairs and put into a dry sauna.
And I was left there.
No one else was down stairs.
Like. How long am I supposed to stay in this sauna? Am I supposed to tell someone when I am done or do they come and get me?
Doo. Doo. Doo. Lots of time on my hands. I started trying to relax, but ended up counting and wondering how long I was supposed to be in here. I tried counting to 50. And then 20. And then 30. I was going to get up, but someone else came in. He did not speak English either. I thought I should count quietly to at least 10 before leaving to be polite. I forget how high I got.
So outside the hot sauna was a large circular area with a high concrete domed roof. I saw pictures of five or six men laying on this same large circular table in the brochure and wondered if I should just lay there.
But arranged around the centre were small rooms with small concrete tubs and taps with frisbee shaped plastic scoops. In Finland they often dump buckets of cold water on themselves after the sauna, so I tried doing that for a bit. I used warmish cold water which was very refreshing.
So I then tried laying on the big table in the middle of the huge room. And eventually the guy who showed me to the sauna showed up and motioned for me to sit next to one of the concrete tubs. He then poured hot water over me and started to massage my back with a black glove that he was wearing to exfoliate my skin.
I might point out that I have had lots of massages before and I prefer to be massaged by female masseuses. I just find that more relaxing.
This fellow was not very relaxing. It was a rough but not painful scrub down. He did my whole body twice separated with a hot water rinse in between. He then had me lay down on the large table and then gave me a massage.
The massage was painful. He really poked hard at my pecs and back muscles. I then got another scrub down and rinse.
I think I had another scrub down and rinse again. To be honest I lost track. Let's just say I got scrubbed alot.
The masseur then told me to go upstairs and the guy upstairs told me to sleep for 5 minutes in the change room.
Once Kim arrived at the Men's area, I was done.
I felt a bit worked over. But yet, very very clean.
Blue Mosque
There is a blue Mosque in Istanbul! This Mosque is very stunning and can be seen from a distance because it is encircled with no less than six narrow towers. The Mosque itself is also interesting because instead of a single dome, the huge roof is made of cascading domes.
I took a few pictures for my blue collection. I don't know if the pictures will be really any good. I just think it is funny that we are staying 5 minutes away from the "Blue Mosque".
BTW, there is also a blue circumsicion room at the Topkapi palace. I did not go in though.
I took a few pictures for my blue collection. I don't know if the pictures will be really any good. I just think it is funny that we are staying 5 minutes away from the "Blue Mosque".
BTW, there is also a blue circumsicion room at the Topkapi palace. I did not go in though.
Topkapi Palace
Near our hostel is the Topkapi Palace. I had not heard of it before but it is apparently quite famous and was very impressive.
On display were some Talisman Shirts which were supposed to protect the wearer. What is neat is that these shirts are completely covered in delicate caligraphy presumably quoting religion or magic to make this shield.
Within the treasure rooms there were the biggest and the most emeralds I have ever seen. There was one large Emerald throne from India which was encrusted with 25,000 pearls!
One strange surprise was to find the actual arm and skull of St. John the baptist on display.
There was also a huge 86 carat diamond on display... Pretty big!
There was an Islamic area as well in the Palace. I did not know much about the palace at all - so imagine my surprise when we encoutered Mohammed the Prophet's shoes, sword, teeth, foot prints, tomb dust, hair, letter to the Copts on display!
Finally the last part of the palace was the Harem. I expected the Harem to be quite luxurious but it was pretty cold and barren. Two things from the Harem visit stood out: 1. There was between 300 and 500 women there (I expected maybe... 20!) and 2. They had a small pool where dwarves would engage in mock battles on small boats.
On display were some Talisman Shirts which were supposed to protect the wearer. What is neat is that these shirts are completely covered in delicate caligraphy presumably quoting religion or magic to make this shield.
Within the treasure rooms there were the biggest and the most emeralds I have ever seen. There was one large Emerald throne from India which was encrusted with 25,000 pearls!
One strange surprise was to find the actual arm and skull of St. John the baptist on display.
There was also a huge 86 carat diamond on display... Pretty big!
There was an Islamic area as well in the Palace. I did not know much about the palace at all - so imagine my surprise when we encoutered Mohammed the Prophet's shoes, sword, teeth, foot prints, tomb dust, hair, letter to the Copts on display!
Finally the last part of the palace was the Harem. I expected the Harem to be quite luxurious but it was pretty cold and barren. Two things from the Harem visit stood out: 1. There was between 300 and 500 women there (I expected maybe... 20!) and 2. They had a small pool where dwarves would engage in mock battles on small boats.
Sunday, January 16, 2005
In Istanbul, Turkey
Today...
Istanbul is rainy...
Istanbul is windy...
Istanbul is very cold compared to Egypt...
Istanbul is very western compared to Israel and Egypt...
Istanbul is like...Vancouver!
Just got here today. Not much else to say, other than my feet are soaked. My jacket is soaked.
Istanbul is rainy...
Istanbul is windy...
Istanbul is very cold compared to Egypt...
Istanbul is very western compared to Israel and Egypt...
Istanbul is like...Vancouver!
Just got here today. Not much else to say, other than my feet are soaked. My jacket is soaked.
Aswan and Luxor
We went to Aswan and Luxor and spent a few days at each place. What stands out for me is the amount of hassling we got to buy stuff, go to hotels or rent a camel/felucca/horse/taxi.
The west bank of Luxor was really bad for pressure sales.
On the ferry boat over a fellow started talking to us - at the start he said he was going over to pray at the Mosque. This changed though and it turns out he is a hotel 'tout' who gets paid a comission to take us to hotels. We tried to get rid of him, but he kept following us (by leading in a way) to the hotel we were going to. We tried to get rid of him, but he would still keep following and would interfere with conversations we would have with other Egyptians. In the meantime we were being followed at the same time by two other 'touts'. So we had three people following us. I eventually yelled at them to stop following us. They said they were not following us so I basically 'snapped' and 'forcefully' suggested I did not want to have any of them within my sight.
So we walked away on our own to find a cab. As a cab started to come down the street I noticed one of the touts, stop the cab and tell him something before the cab came to us! After all that! We ended up walking 5 minutes out of town and had to get rid of one last guy before walking another 5 minutes to find a neutral ride out of the town.
We also saw some cool temples (lots of basksheesh guides), met a nice French couple (Johnathan and Samantha from Paris) and spent some time with Uni and Graham whom I met in Cairo and who were still in Luxor.
The west bank of Luxor was really bad for pressure sales.
On the ferry boat over a fellow started talking to us - at the start he said he was going over to pray at the Mosque. This changed though and it turns out he is a hotel 'tout' who gets paid a comission to take us to hotels. We tried to get rid of him, but he kept following us (by leading in a way) to the hotel we were going to. We tried to get rid of him, but he would still keep following and would interfere with conversations we would have with other Egyptians. In the meantime we were being followed at the same time by two other 'touts'. So we had three people following us. I eventually yelled at them to stop following us. They said they were not following us so I basically 'snapped' and 'forcefully' suggested I did not want to have any of them within my sight.
So we walked away on our own to find a cab. As a cab started to come down the street I noticed one of the touts, stop the cab and tell him something before the cab came to us! After all that! We ended up walking 5 minutes out of town and had to get rid of one last guy before walking another 5 minutes to find a neutral ride out of the town.
We also saw some cool temples (lots of basksheesh guides), met a nice French couple (Johnathan and Samantha from Paris) and spent some time with Uni and Graham whom I met in Cairo and who were still in Luxor.
Wednesday, January 12, 2005
Cairo and Pyramids
I visited the Pyramids with Kim. The pyramids are on the border of the city. It is pretty much high-density urban neighbourhoods and then suddenly a barren desert marked only by the pyramids.
To me the pyramids were smaller than expected. Especially the Sphyinx which is only a third - maybe - the height of the pyramids. The typical photos of the Sphinx distort the size by composing the photo in such a way to show it as big as a pyramid.
Cairo is very dirty. The air is really dirty and sometimes you just cough for no apparent reason - just that you inhaled something stronger than you are used to. The interior walls of buildings (hotels etc.) all have a build up of soot. I expected the air at the Nile to be cleaner, but it was like a toxic wind. The atmosphere of Cairo is comparable to an underground bus station. I often had the urge to wash my hands and brush my teeth during the day.
I get stared at alot - more than I am used to - but that is nothing when compared to the number of stares Kim gets while walking down the street. The majority of Egyptian men seem to lose all sense of self control when they see western women. Kim and other women from the program often get grabbed while walking down the street. Some cab drivers have been known to 'pull it out' while driving. It is really crass and really common: Say every 5th or 4th man leers while walking down the street...
Cairo is very noisy. There is truly a 'cacophony' of horns. I counted and the largest interval I got to before hearing another horn sound is 6 seconds. The drivers are crazy as they do not follow lanes so much as just to drive into any available space and honk their horn as they approach other cars.
Crossing the street is tricky in Cairo. Rarely to cars stop for traffic lights, so most times crossing the street is like playing 'frogger' or crazy taxi (as a pedestrian). You can be stuck half way in a 6 lane street waiting for the chance to step into traffic. The traffic is usually streams of taxis, but there is also donkeys pulling carts on the side.
Picture 3 lanes of beeping traffic in a dirty high density city with the far lane being held up by a donkey cart. The donkey is half on the ground because it's hips are underneath it. Men dressed in traditional clothes are pushing and pulling the donkey to try and get it up...
To me the pyramids were smaller than expected. Especially the Sphyinx which is only a third - maybe - the height of the pyramids. The typical photos of the Sphinx distort the size by composing the photo in such a way to show it as big as a pyramid.
Cairo is very dirty. The air is really dirty and sometimes you just cough for no apparent reason - just that you inhaled something stronger than you are used to. The interior walls of buildings (hotels etc.) all have a build up of soot. I expected the air at the Nile to be cleaner, but it was like a toxic wind. The atmosphere of Cairo is comparable to an underground bus station. I often had the urge to wash my hands and brush my teeth during the day.
I get stared at alot - more than I am used to - but that is nothing when compared to the number of stares Kim gets while walking down the street. The majority of Egyptian men seem to lose all sense of self control when they see western women. Kim and other women from the program often get grabbed while walking down the street. Some cab drivers have been known to 'pull it out' while driving. It is really crass and really common: Say every 5th or 4th man leers while walking down the street...
Cairo is very noisy. There is truly a 'cacophony' of horns. I counted and the largest interval I got to before hearing another horn sound is 6 seconds. The drivers are crazy as they do not follow lanes so much as just to drive into any available space and honk their horn as they approach other cars.
Crossing the street is tricky in Cairo. Rarely to cars stop for traffic lights, so most times crossing the street is like playing 'frogger' or crazy taxi (as a pedestrian). You can be stuck half way in a 6 lane street waiting for the chance to step into traffic. The traffic is usually streams of taxis, but there is also donkeys pulling carts on the side.
Picture 3 lanes of beeping traffic in a dirty high density city with the far lane being held up by a donkey cart. The donkey is half on the ground because it's hips are underneath it. Men dressed in traditional clothes are pushing and pulling the donkey to try and get it up...
Monday, January 10, 2005
Graham and Uni in Cairo
When I got to Cairo, I met Graham and his wife Uni at breakfast at Pension Roma. They are both from England - Uni is originally from Korea. They are both "sexy pumpkins". They are 5 days into a 2 year trip! Pretty cool!
Uni has been in Cairo before. She is a very outgoing Korean girl who can speak Arabic. I was always a little surprised when she spoke Arabic - and I think alot of the people on the street were surprised too!
I hung out with Graham and Uni and visited the Citadel and the mosque of Ahmed Ibn Tulun. The mosque was a big outdoors mosque that was built in 895 AD and as the main mosque had to be big enough to house the entire male population of Cairo.
Uni has been in Cairo before. She is a very outgoing Korean girl who can speak Arabic. I was always a little surprised when she spoke Arabic - and I think alot of the people on the street were surprised too!
I hung out with Graham and Uni and visited the Citadel and the mosque of Ahmed Ibn Tulun. The mosque was a big outdoors mosque that was built in 895 AD and as the main mosque had to be big enough to house the entire male population of Cairo.
Sunday, January 09, 2005
Going to Cairo for Christmas (Christmas II)
When I was in Jerusalem I met some Christian missionaries (Kim, Rachel and Matt) who are working in Cairo. They were also in town to go to Bethlehem for Christmas. They invited me to spend Christmas with them on the Coptic Christmas date which is January 7th. I did not think I would be in Cairo by then, but when I found out that the ferry from Sharm to Hurgada was not running on the day I wanted to leave Dahab, I thought it might be nice to have Christmas in Cairo too!
It was about a 9 hour bus ride from Dahab to Cairo (bus goes under the Suez canal).
A few observations:
* Egypt has alot of desert. Which is mostly just sandy mountains with plastic bags flying in the wind
* Checkpoints. There are checkpoints scattered through Egypt. I believe these checkpoints are run by the 'tourist' police and appear to me to be a sort of counter attack against fundamentalist violence or perhaps they are a form of internal border control to track people moving within the country.
The typical checkpoint has a road block with a few gates and barriers, with about 6 soldiers. One or two are stopping each car and visually checking out the passengers and occasionally checking each passport. Two more are behind thick shields which are each just big enough to protect one person. Then there are two or more behind machine guns on towers or on the back of a truck.
Now, after seeing checkpoints in both Israel and now Egypt, I think that checkpoints are just a common part of living in the Middle East.
BTW, they had dogs check all of the luggage before going under the Suez canal.
* Rain in Egypt! There was rain while we were on the bus. Everyone in the bus got really excited when it started to rain and were looking out the windows at the streets that were flooding. It was dark, but in the city I could see a few kids playing with the rain as it fell illuminated by a street light. Kinda like how we might try and catch snowflakes on a first snow.
* Arab movies on the bus. They showed three movies on the bus. All in Arabic and all featuring the same hero: A man in his 40s with slick hair and bulging eyes. A couple comedies and an action/adventure type movie from what I could tell.
It was about a 9 hour bus ride from Dahab to Cairo (bus goes under the Suez canal).
A few observations:
* Egypt has alot of desert. Which is mostly just sandy mountains with plastic bags flying in the wind
* Checkpoints. There are checkpoints scattered through Egypt. I believe these checkpoints are run by the 'tourist' police and appear to me to be a sort of counter attack against fundamentalist violence or perhaps they are a form of internal border control to track people moving within the country.
The typical checkpoint has a road block with a few gates and barriers, with about 6 soldiers. One or two are stopping each car and visually checking out the passengers and occasionally checking each passport. Two more are behind thick shields which are each just big enough to protect one person. Then there are two or more behind machine guns on towers or on the back of a truck.
Now, after seeing checkpoints in both Israel and now Egypt, I think that checkpoints are just a common part of living in the Middle East.
BTW, they had dogs check all of the luggage before going under the Suez canal.
* Rain in Egypt! There was rain while we were on the bus. Everyone in the bus got really excited when it started to rain and were looking out the windows at the streets that were flooding. It was dark, but in the city I could see a few kids playing with the rain as it fell illuminated by a street light. Kinda like how we might try and catch snowflakes on a first snow.
* Arab movies on the bus. They showed three movies on the bus. All in Arabic and all featuring the same hero: A man in his 40s with slick hair and bulging eyes. A couple comedies and an action/adventure type movie from what I could tell.
Sahleb description
While in Dahab, I accidentally ordered a Sahleb because I thought it was a hot chocolate. Both options were next to each other on the menu and I thought that Sahleb was the Arabic translation and not something else.
Anyway I was pleasantly surprised. It is a hot white pudding topped with shaved coconut, peanuts, yellow raisins, sliced apple or sliced oranges, drizzled with chocolate and a strawberry in the middle. Yum!
Anyway I was pleasantly surprised. It is a hot white pudding topped with shaved coconut, peanuts, yellow raisins, sliced apple or sliced oranges, drizzled with chocolate and a strawberry in the middle. Yum!
Monday, January 03, 2005
Twisted Ankle!
Twisted my ankle while descending from Mt. Sinai this evening.
It was very cold and very dark on the way down. I heard something pop or crack and it is swollen now above my ankle... Hopefully it won't be too bad otherwise I don't know if I will be able to travel. Michael lent me some tape and a bandage. I'll know more tomorrow...
It was very cold and very dark on the way down. I heard something pop or crack and it is swollen now above my ankle... Hopefully it won't be too bad otherwise I don't know if I will be able to travel. Michael lent me some tape and a bandage. I'll know more tomorrow...
Sunday, January 02, 2005
Enjoying Dahab - Snorkeling and Motorcycling
I am really enjoying Dahab. I had a really fun day today snorkelling on the reef outside of the main strip about 2 minutes away from my camp. I also rented an enduro 125 motorbike and rode it around for an hour this afternoon in the desert. Very fun and I am pretty tired now (it is not even 6 in the evening yet).
Yesterday I met a very nice couple: Mike and Ulrika from Sweden. We had dinner together last night and will be going to Mt. Sinai and St. Katherine's Monastary tomorrow morning.
As I mentioned above, I am living in a 'camp'. What this means for me is that I have my own little straw hut on the top of a hotel type building. It looks alot like a hut that Gilligan and the Skipper might live in (no hammocks though! I sleep on a mattress on the floor). There is a big hole in the ceiling to let air and maybe smoke out. I don't think they get much rain. There is an electric light though. If I look out to the left from my hut I can see the ocean. To the right is a desert mountain range. In front of the range are a couple bedouin renting camel rides. One of the best things is that it costs 5 dollars CDN a night. This is the cheapest I have paid so far as European hostels cost between 25 and 30 dollars a night for a bunk in a shared room.
There are alot of flies here. It is just normal for there to be about four that start to circle you while having lunch. The other pest are CATS. There are tons of cats in these warm countries... There were cats all over the relics in Rome, there were cats all over Jerusalem and there are Cats all over the place here in Dahab. The sandy area of the beach is not so wide... so often there is a smell... I wonder if the cats see this place as their own little um...sandbox.
Along the main strip/boardwalk there are tons of hustlers that try and get you into their restaurant or souvenier shop: "You speak English?" "Where are you From?". I get asked these questions about 100 times a day...or..150 times if you include people asking if I need a "Taxi?".
Aurally, the big thing is the call to prayer that goes on during the day. I don't know how to describe it (Aaaaoooooaoaoaoaooooo is not sufficient). On the way from Taba to Dahab our Bedouin driver picked up a young Egyptian police officer (a fater of two children) who was very friendly and excited to meet us. He explained that when he heard that sound it resonated in his heart.
The big discovery today for me was the - now obivous - scuba diving culture here. It was amazing to be within 5 minutes walk and wade to be able to swim through a tropical fish environment that looked like it was straight out of a National Geographic spread. I saw lots of small colourful fish, an eel (scary!), some bigger (1 foot circular) fish and tons of coral. I just missed seeing a milk shark apparently... I did see a nurse shark in Mexico so I now wonder if a milk shark is the same as a 'nurse shark'....
Riding around on the little enduro was just plain fun. While you can argue that I am free to go wherever I want - so I am free - I always have to deal with busses, taxis and trains. It was very cool to just drive around on my own and get a little dirty in the process.
The wind is really picking up today. I don't know if this is normal here or not. I hope the weather is good for tomorrow. That. And I hope my hut doesn't fly away.
Yesterday I met a very nice couple: Mike and Ulrika from Sweden. We had dinner together last night and will be going to Mt. Sinai and St. Katherine's Monastary tomorrow morning.
As I mentioned above, I am living in a 'camp'. What this means for me is that I have my own little straw hut on the top of a hotel type building. It looks alot like a hut that Gilligan and the Skipper might live in (no hammocks though! I sleep on a mattress on the floor). There is a big hole in the ceiling to let air and maybe smoke out. I don't think they get much rain. There is an electric light though. If I look out to the left from my hut I can see the ocean. To the right is a desert mountain range. In front of the range are a couple bedouin renting camel rides. One of the best things is that it costs 5 dollars CDN a night. This is the cheapest I have paid so far as European hostels cost between 25 and 30 dollars a night for a bunk in a shared room.
There are alot of flies here. It is just normal for there to be about four that start to circle you while having lunch. The other pest are CATS. There are tons of cats in these warm countries... There were cats all over the relics in Rome, there were cats all over Jerusalem and there are Cats all over the place here in Dahab. The sandy area of the beach is not so wide... so often there is a smell... I wonder if the cats see this place as their own little um...sandbox.
Along the main strip/boardwalk there are tons of hustlers that try and get you into their restaurant or souvenier shop: "You speak English?" "Where are you From?". I get asked these questions about 100 times a day...or..150 times if you include people asking if I need a "Taxi?".
Aurally, the big thing is the call to prayer that goes on during the day. I don't know how to describe it (Aaaaoooooaoaoaoaooooo is not sufficient). On the way from Taba to Dahab our Bedouin driver picked up a young Egyptian police officer (a fater of two children) who was very friendly and excited to meet us. He explained that when he heard that sound it resonated in his heart.
The big discovery today for me was the - now obivous - scuba diving culture here. It was amazing to be within 5 minutes walk and wade to be able to swim through a tropical fish environment that looked like it was straight out of a National Geographic spread. I saw lots of small colourful fish, an eel (scary!), some bigger (1 foot circular) fish and tons of coral. I just missed seeing a milk shark apparently... I did see a nurse shark in Mexico so I now wonder if a milk shark is the same as a 'nurse shark'....
Riding around on the little enduro was just plain fun. While you can argue that I am free to go wherever I want - so I am free - I always have to deal with busses, taxis and trains. It was very cool to just drive around on my own and get a little dirty in the process.
The wind is really picking up today. I don't know if this is normal here or not. I hope the weather is good for tomorrow. That. And I hope my hut doesn't fly away.
Saturday, January 01, 2005
More in Dahab
I found out today that the exchange rate posted in my guidebook was out of date.
The guidebook said that the exchange rate was 2 Egyptian pounds per CDN dollar. Checking the internet I found out the exchange rate is actually 5 to 1.
Everything is now half the price it was yesterday! Horray! Happy New Year!
The guidebook said that the exchange rate was 2 Egyptian pounds per CDN dollar. Checking the internet I found out the exchange rate is actually 5 to 1.
Everything is now half the price it was yesterday! Horray! Happy New Year!
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