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Moments (Again) by Luis Jorge Borges

March 31st, 2008

 It was about a year ago that I met Nogah from Israel in Argentina.  I received an email from her today and I am sure we will get together in Jerusalem in May.  In the meantime, I remembered the great poem by Borges called Moments that Nogah showed me and that I had put on this site a year ago.  I have been struggling a bit on this leg of the trip mainly because I keep wondering about what I am doing and going to do with my future and I keep wondering if I am suppose to be back in Africa with Pamela and worrying about a future there.  So, it was good to re-read the following and try to stop all the damn worrying!!!  Along with me there are so many people in my life worrying themselves silly so I decided to re-print this one because we can all use a little dose of it even if just for a little chuckle over the ice cream and beans bit…

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Dubai Shock

March 31st, 2008

I must have been settling into Yemen because I was shocked coming back to Dubai by two things.  Yemen is a very interesting country because it contains a unique and interesting culture and heritage.  Dubai’s heritage and cultural uniqueness are minimal.  Dubai is basically Las Vegas at the Beach… minus the casinos, plus more shopping.  It is pristine except for the building going on.  Yemen is anything but pristine.  I can see women’s faces in Dubai and they actually are prevalent, out at night and they work outside the home.  In Yemen, women are in full burqas – many with full veils, gloves and socks – and they’re not real common in public.  Along with many other differences, I’m not sure you can find two more different cultures and lands especially so close to each other. Read the rest of this entry »

Posted in United Arab Emirates, yemen | 1 Comment »

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Burj Dubai

March 31st, 2008

The air in Dubai is much clearer than it was two weeks ago when I could barely see the world’s largest building, Burj Dubai – http://www.burjdubai.com.  Oddly, when I saw it today from the same place as last time (near the creek), it looked much taller and closer than last time.  Must be an optical illusion.  What I thought were antennas on its top last time turn out to be cranes still lifting construction materials.  This building is much larger than I thought (604 meters and 159 floors or about 50% higher than the Sears Building), but there is nothing around it of height so the scale is difficult to judge.  Although the advertisements around town show wonderful landscaping in the area including water and fountains, the reality is that it is in one big sand box of construction at this time far from anything.  Build it and they will come… I guess. 

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Yemen Update

March 29th, 2008

Tomorrow I leave Yemen for Dubai where I will leave the following day for Oman.  Yemen has been fantastic except for having a bit of a chest cold which I believe was caused by all of the particles I sucked in driving across the desert.  I should have some time in the air to write some stories from my notes so I’ll let you know why Yemen qualifies as an excellent part of my trip by Monday.  I’ve had some difficulties getting used to being on my own again after over two months of being with a group or Pamela.  Yemen is an odd place and it could have used someone else along to discuss all of the oddities.  Oman should be an easy country for travel compared to Yemen and I am looking for some sea time.  Although I have enjoyed Yemen’s beautiful scenery (when I can see it!), I have missed wildlife in general so seeing some dolphins and reefs in Oman should be a good remedy.  Missing Socotra was an issue in this area, but I was able to see places I would have missed and if Oman does not make up for it then I am planning to go to Sharm el Sheikh, Egypt (Rick… with all of your complaints about Egyptians, why on earth would you go back six months later!!!!!!!!!!) where the best diving and hopefully snorkeling may exist.  I try to stay fluid on this adventure with plans and recently enough hiccups have come up to keep me on my toes and keep my backup list actively fed.  For instance, I have unfortunately given up for now on Iran (yes, Mom, I know this makes you happy!).  The problem comes down to their government needing forty days to issue my visa and they want proof of employment and, no, my free-lancing as a World Traveler does not seem to qualify.  I think the second issue can be dealt with by showing bank records, but the forty days puts things too far out and I can spend the time in other places.  I now have the right contact for the trip I want to do in Iran so I will try again in a year (maybe) assuming we still have not blown them to pieces or they are not invading Iraq to help us quell the unrest… now that would be a SURGE!  After some easy travel in Oman, I am looking at the other axis of evil nation to the west a little… also assuming we have not blown them to pieces and they are not joining in on the surge.

My favorite line in Yemen repeated to me MANY, MANY times… “America… good, George Bush… bad!!!!”  Preaching to the choir, Yemenis!  There is no translation for “preaching to the choir” so I just smile.  OK, so now I have visited two Middle Eastern countries and we have a score:  Love Americans 2, Hate Americans 0.  When I rap this tour up and it is a perfect score where I find the Muslim world likes Americans and treats me with upmost respect (yes, that is the prediction being tested), I hope you, too, will start questioning everything being dribbled into your brains on TV “news” and from USA government (just check out the State Dept warnings… yikes!) and consider turning it all OFF.  And as far as telling people that I am Canadian (oh, that seems so silly to me nowadays), I am sure the normal reply would be “is that STATE on the East or West coast of America?”  hahahahahahaha!!!!!!!!!!

Posted in Mideast, yemen | No Comments »

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Well, I Thought…

March 21st, 2008

I was flying to Socotra, but some weirdness happened and I was not on the plane.  I had to buy first class tickets because the flight was so full or so they told me in Dubai.  So, after checking in early, I went to the first class lounge (sounds better than it is).  A half hour before the flight I was instructed to go downstairs.  I sat in a group of mostly women who looked Somalia so I assumed they were headed to Socotra (oddly, I have only seen three women with their faces showing yet here I found about twenty not only without headdress, but some were also wearing jeans… where on earth did they come from???).  I was at a gate – the only gate as far as I can tell – until when my flight was suppose to leave.  During that half hour I only heard “Dubai” called, I never saw another group of people and I never heard “Socotra” called.  Then a guy comes up to me and says “Socotora” and I pick up my carry-on.  He frowns and tells me that the flight has left.  What?  He scolds me for just sitting there and tells me they had called it ten times.  I am not sure where the planeful of passengers was ever located, how I could miss hearing the yelled announcements or how a bus left the gate to go to the plane without me seeing it fill and depart.  Very weird.  Also, they had yanked my bag already and handed it to me yet it was still two minutes before takeoff.  All I can think is that when they told me to go downstairs, the plane had already been loaded and the announcements were already over!  So, Plan B… Yemenia Air issued me new tickets to the eastern part of the country and I will go enjoy the desert and oases instead.  Another flight tomorrow morning and you bet I will skip the first class lounge.  Socotra will have to wait until another year.

Posted in Mideast, yemen | 1 Comment »

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Welcome to Yemen

March 20th, 2008

Just a quick update to say that I am flying to Socotra Island (you’ve never heard of it so look it up!) from Sanaa this morning.  Yemen is fantastic because the Yemeni are so warm, friendly and hospitable.  I’ll write more about my first two days, but I can tell you now that both days included being invited by total strangers to lunch – the first time sitting down in a souq alley to join some shopkeepers and the second time into someone’s home.  Have you ever been walking down the street and a complete stranger walks up to you and tells you that they are headed for lunch and asks if you would like to join them?  Although most of our impressions of the Middle East are skewed with images of fanatics, I have been prepared for almost two years to accept whatever these famously hospitable people offer and I did not hesitate to say yes to both offers.  And both experiences are highlights of this whole adventure.  Next time you are watching CNN and the like and they are showing you some crazy scene in the Middle East, please remember that you are seeing a small minority of people and don’t judge the whole people based on what CNN considers to be news-worthy clips.  I wish all of the “civilized world” could be as civil and gracious and friendly as my first two days of experiences in Yemen.  I’m in Yemen…  Think about what comes to your mind first and then ask yourself why you have a negative opinion when you likely have never had an experience with a single person from Yemen and your only knowledge of the country has been spoon fed to you via the boob tube.  What the Yemeni say to me when greeting… “Hello… What is your name… Where are you from… Ah, America/California!!!… Welcome to Yemen… Americans are good… George Bush is bad…” (although most people don’t bring up Bush).

Posted in Mideast, yemen | 1 Comment »

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Shop Til You Drop in Dubai

March 18th, 2008

I have not been to another place which displays the excesses of Capitalism as much as Dubai.  Lucky for me I had spent a week in Nairobi and not in Bushville, Africa so the shock was not as great as it could have been.  I’ve heard a bit about Dubai from fellow travelers.  Heard enough to say “not if I can help it” when answering the common “are you going to Dubai” question.  Well, I could not avoid Dubai or at least it makes sense to use it because of the transportation connections so in a way I could not help it.  I spent two nights in between my flight from Nairobi and my flight to Sanaa, Yemen giving me two days to explore.  I wasn’t too excited about buildup from fellow travelers (all of which I believe are big shoppers), but what little excitement I had for going to a new country was totally shot up when I could not find a hotel room for less than $100!

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Posted in Mideast, yemen | 1 Comment »

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Goodbye Kenya… Hello Dubai, UAE

March 16th, 2008

This is a very sad day and a day of a new beginning.  I had to say goodbye to Pamela, Nairobi and Kenya today, but I get to start the Middle East portion of my trip.  Pamela and I had a spectacular seven weeks of travel and I will miss her more than I can even imagine today.  She will join me in May for Israel (shhh!  some of the countries I am about to visit will not let me in if they know I am going there – uggh!) before we both return to Kenya around June 8th.  This gives me twelve weeks to look into what seems to trouble everyone in the West.  I especially look forward to getting into Iran (keep your fingers crossed even if you think I am crazy), seeing Syria, sitting on the coast of Lebanon, visiting Osama’s ‘hood (Yemen), visiting Petra, following in the footsteps of TE Lawrence in Aqaba and beyond and following in the footsteps of Jesus through Israel.  It will be amazing and I bet I meet a lot of wonderful people.  I bet I hear a lot less about George Bush and a lot about Hillary and Gang because that seems to be the general pattern taking place everywhere… the king is dead… just need to have the funeral and annoint the next one. 

I have really fallen in love with Kenya.  Such an amazing place and great people.  I was really pissed off with the place in January when they were slaughtering.  One has to come to terms with a small minority of criminals messing up the reputation of a great country.  I certainly have no fears when I am in Kenya or Nairobi.  Nairobi is a world-class city and I have enjoyed seeing many of its great institutions and people.  I am only in the airport and I already miss Kenya.  A difficult day, but great things ahead… 

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Mango Madness

March 14th, 2008

Hi, my name is Rick and I am a mango addict.  My friend Mike claimed mangoes to be his favorite fruit to me more than 25 years ago.  I did not get it.  I had never had a real mango.  I’m not sure Mike had either.  You certainly don’t get the real thing in the north although expensive shipping from Mexico and south or even a more expensive trip to Hawaii at the right time can make that a reality.  My favorite fruits of the past were peaches and apples, but now mango is my favorite.  I started to really fall for the mango in Africa and then I knew I had a problem in Cartagena, Colombia where I ate them for all three meals and maybe in between.  I have to admit that I would make changes to my trip plans in order to catch a good mango season. 

Recently, my addiction has been more than satisfied especially compared to the cold turkey drought between Colombia and this latest trip to Africa.  First, Northern Cameroon mangoes were everywhere and they were very good ones.  The mangoes in the south were still ripening in the trees so I was cut off as soon as we left the north.  In Nairobi we were able to but mangoes of different varieties at the stands and that was good.  Anticipation was for Meru since its mango season is in full swing.  Pamela’s parents’ property has an older mango tree and some new ones.  The old one is a traditional local variety with smaller fruit that is fibrous, but very sweet.  The new ones are newer hybrids that taste incredible and are nice and fleshy.  Beckham is a fellow addict and I worry about him since he is only five.  We went down to the older mango tree and picked up the fruit that had fallen.  I taught him to use his shirt as a bucket so now I guess he will be making larger deliveries.  The mangoes were different than those in Cameroon, but maybe Meru’s were better because they were coming straight off the trees.

However, neither of these mangoes prepared us for the best mangoes of my life – those of Lamu.   I wish I could compare the Lamu and Cartagena mangoes.  Lamu had multiple seasons for mangoes.  Currently, they have two varieties – one that is yellow with a lot of red blush with a very delicate, flowery taste and the other with pure yellow flesh and very sweet bursting of flavor.  I missed their mangoes before I was on the plane.  I can get my fix in Nairobi although not as good as Lamu, but what am I going to do in Dubai?

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My Cameroon Hero

March 14th, 2008

Just getting us into and out of CAR was enough to wish Jean Pierre a thank you.  I was already impressed with him since August, 2006 when he guided us through Republic of Congo into CAR and out.  I went into Cameroon without any set plans and I asked Rod if he or JP knew of someone that could take us around part of the country.  Rod told me that JP is now doing that himself so I asked him to put together a Cameroon trip for two.  Rod speaks extremely highly of JP and what I have seen plus Rod’s glowing recommendation was enough for me to know he was the right person.  JP and his partner, Jude (also very competent, personal and excellent speaker of English), pulled us out of a few jams plus set us up with Abdou in Northern Cameroon.  I cannot give a higher recommendation or thanks to JP.  For trips to Cameroon or the Congo Basin, his contact information is the following:

 Jean Pierre (JP) Somon
Central African Safaris
B.P. 12166 Douala, Cameroon
+237 3341 1762
+237 9917 4922
jpsomon@yahoo.fr

To my friend and hero, JP, in Cameroon – VERY MUCH THANK YOU FROM PAM AND I!

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