Frankfurt, Germany
Saturday, June 10th, 2006Trying to catch up… Headed to the Jo’Burg airport in a few minutes to go to Zanzibar, Tanzania, but I have a few thoughts on Frankfurt. Last weekend the city was decked out for the World Cup. A large ceremony was set up on the river banks presumably for that evening. I found the city to be much nicer than I expected (generally, I am not a big fan of large European cities). I walked around the old section and the shopping district. The weather was overcast and drizzly – what else would one expect in Northern Europe. I did the chocolate scene eating ice cream, cake and coffee and chocolates followed by some bratwurst and beer. OK, not a well-balanced meal day, but my clock was all screwed up. Found the street-side cafes to be very nice. The shopping was very high-end. The highlights being a watch store where Cartier and Rolex were very low-end and The Mercedes Spot where folks eat inside the showroom. The most expensive watch in the store window only went for 96,000 Euros and I didn’t see much gold or diamonds if any on it. Hundreds of Swiss watches with names I have never heard for more than 10,000 Euros. I thought a $15,000 Rolex is extremely ridiculous! The Mercedes cars being shown all looked fairly normal to me except they had price tags between 75,000 and 150,000 Euros. I only make note of these outrageous items because of the comparison between the Haves in the north and the Have-Nots that I have seen already in Africa. With all the smiling faces I saw in Mozambique (more later), I wonder if all the wealth that we are accustomed to (actaully, I’m not sure I know anyone accustomed to $150,000 watches) has made us just as happy and easy-going. Wil I trade in my former and future life to be a Have-Not? No. But I will continue to report back about the amount of spirit in the folks that we may think of as “the poor chaps”. Considering I am on a totally HAVE trip to Africa, I will do my best to try to see beyond my wealthy prism. I look very much forward now to my three weeks working with the Ugandans to get a more accurate picture on things. I am already learning a lot about the situation in South Africa as well as other African countries and I can only say now that is very complicated. Much more so than I think we understand in our comfortable digs. As the saying goes, don’t believe everything you read (including what is reported by me!). Off to the Jo’Burg airport in a few minutes for Zanzibar – the island of sultans and spices.
vagabondrick