Taste-test

Adventures of a Gringo

applecrazy — Fri, 25 Jan 2008 05:00:00 GMT

Well one interesting thing is that I´m now a university student again. I just signed up at the University of Zaragoza to take a month long class that studies the scripts of some classic movies. I think they are all from the same writer, but I don´t remember the name. One is the Midnight Cowboy, the Serpent.. and some others. Anyway, I´m pretty excited about it actually because I think it will be fun and good for my Spanish skills, and I will get to interact with the University students and activities there. Hopefully I´ll at least generally understand the material.. probably depends a lot on how fast the professor speaks.

To give a general update, I´m pretty happy with how things have been working out in Zaragoza. The city has not been a disappointment, as it is a good size, but very walkable, and there´s a suprising amount of historical buildings and monuments here. I guess its overlooked a lot because its not a coastal city in Spain, but it really is an interesting place for visitors. The nice thing is that because there´s so few tourists here, I feel special! But actually that just means that very few people speak English, but that´s what I wanted so I could learn faster. As proof there are few tourists, there are NO hostels here, which made it difficult for me when I arrived. I was forced to stay in an expensive hotel until I was saved by a couchsurfer named Maria. Maria has been a godsend. She allowed me to stay in her flat while she helped me look for other permanent places to stay here, such as renting a room with a couple other people in an apartment. As it turns out, after a few fruitless days of search, she offered that I could stay with her for the entire time! For rent of course, but still quite cheap. It´s really pretty amazing. She speaks English fluently and his helping me practice, although she insists on speaking Spanish at full speed and more often than not she loses me. I suppose its good for me, but sometimes I wonder. Anyway, after the last 3 weeks of trying to get things sorted out, finally I´ve got some things rolling.

After focusing on trying to find somewhere to stay the first week, since then I´ve been searching around the city for volunteer work, with the intent that it would force me to interact with people and speak Spanish. Well, this has not been as easy as I thought. I have been to numerous organizations, and it seems like many of them can´t occupy enough of my time, or they don´t think it would work out since I´m not fluent enough, or the one place that offered to take me on was for the terminally ill. A bit depressing, so I put that option on the backburner. I´m still looking, and the whole experience of looking has been good experience here in itself. Although I have to say it is a bit scary to approach people for work when your language skills are poor. Countless times I have to ask them to repeat what they said, and slow down. Its embarrassing when they finish explaining something at length and I´m staring blankly. And the worst is when people have called me on the cell phone. I had one lady hang up on me because I couldn´t make out what she was saying and I was stuttering and it was just a total disaster… uuugh. Well, that being said, I am making progress, especially in my vocabulary and ability to speak, but I am still dreadfully slow, and my listening comprehension is really poor. I think I can generally say that languages are not a strong point for me… I speak English pretty slow to begin with. Anyhow, I am still sticking with it and think that by the end of my stay I will be much more capable.

Another cool thing is that I am pretty much an expert on cultural events in the City of Zaragoza. I now have every brochure from every organization in the city. There are festivals, symphonies, piano concerts, cooking workshops, theatrical workshops, and of course the class I´m taking at the university.. right now I´m trying to get a sort of schedule together. Most of these things are either free by the way, or close too, offered by the university or city of Zaragoza. I´m also working out some weekend train trips to see some other places in Spain. Anyhow, I´m pretty pumped up about all the prospects, and I really just feel like Karma is going my way right now. The language is really difficult, and it drags me down a bit, but I´m getting more used to feeling like a complete retard. Some of the more embarrassing moments are when someone on the bus, or in the checkout stand asks you a question or tells you to do something, and having absolutely no clue what they are saying. Then everyone around you stares at you and they start talking to you like you have brain damage.. boy oh boy. Anyway, its all an experience. Thankfully I can come back for refuge in the apartment and read a book or something in English to take a break.

Its weird that I have actually started researching flights home.. wow can´t believe its almost been a complete year. That blows me away. Well, not there yet, and much more to do, so will get there when I get there. Thinking more about Portland though, and mostly positive thoughts. If you´d like to see some photos don´t forget to check out this link and look for Zaragoza at the bottom. Try to ignore the architectural shots since they are probably boring.. but gives me something more to do and its an interest. Well that’s bye for now, but thinking of you guys.. take care.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/aaronray/collections/72157600190609970/

Gallery: Luxembourg

applecrazy — Mon, 24 Dec 2007 10:17:00 GMT

A Chinese Christmas

applecrazy — Mon, 24 Dec 2007 10:10:00 GMT

It is really strange to be so out of reach this Christmas. If I think about it though, when I started my gap-year, I had thought I would actually be in Vietnam at this time. I had read stories in my gap-year guide book about how travelers had spent their Christmas abroad, alone in a 10-person dorm room at a hostel, crying in their bowl of Top Ramen noodles. It didn’t sound appealing, and at the time, I thought that I would certainly figure out something a bit more comforting than that. Well, after a twist and turn of events, I did in fact figure out something different, and even though I’d love to be home with you guys, this won’t be too bad of a deal… at least I think it won’t. In fact, Christmas hasn’t arrived yet so technically the word is out, but things are going reasonably well so far.

How I ended up in Luxembourg instead of Vietnam for Christmas represents a “slight” change of plans in my gap-year agenda. I had originally envisioned spending the last 3 months in the summery south of Vietnam, not far from nice beaches, and having found something semi-productive to do with myself like drawing fake tattoos on people causing chemical infections, or making snow cones or something. There was a point, though, when I happen to be completely alone in a dormitory on a nearly frozen lake in Siberia, when it became clear to me that I wanted to change my plans. I have always had my aim on making this gap-year as meaningful as possible, and with that in mind, I decided to spend my last 3 months in Spain. I’m sure I would have loved Vietnam, but I felt that if I could come away from this year knowing a language significantly better, then I would really have something tangible to be happy with. It also greatly broadens my ability to find some sort of job or volunteer work if people know I can at least stumble through a few sentences.

So, that in mind, I still wanted to make sure I could experience Asian culture, which, I think I probably even got more than I bargained for while being in China. I was quite exhausted after being in China 5 weeks. Walking through a touristy area almost feels like your walking through a three ring circus where there are 10 acts going on simultaneously all around you, and people are flashing things, yelling things, grabbing and pulling you in different directions, music is blaring, and always there is the intent of ripping you off somehow. Of course, this is an exaggeration, but this is really how you start to feel after a while. It takes all of your energy to protect yourself from overpaying for everything, and to ignore all of the sales antics. Wow… a real downside to visiting China. Now you see why I wasted as little time as possible to get to a tiny village where there was some refuge from all of that. Once you do that, then you will see there is something magnificent about Chinese life and culture. They are so resourceful and self sufficient, just living off a small farm and some livestock, and probably just pennies for income. This is evident, as Kari also saw, in how they just use every single part of the chicken or whatever animal for cooking. I can’t remember having one solid piece of meat in China, besides chicken liver <ugh>, and I’m actually really surprised I didn’t choke to death on a chicken or fish bone at some point. Other than the bony meat, the rest of the food was actually quite good; most fresh from the ground it seemed.

I have been trying to keep track of some of the funny or profound things that have happened to me on my journey, which all in all doesn’t feel like a ton of things, but I think I will tell you just for entertainment value one of the first experiences I had in China, which in a way symbolizes what it is like to travel there.

I had barely arrived into Beijing, traveling by train for about 30 hours from the capital city of Mongolia, Ulaan Baatar. I was actually amazed that I easily found my hostel by following all of the English signs in the metro and on the street in Beijing… no problems. I was fairly pooped and smelly from the train ride so that afternoon and evening I just stayed at the hostel and relaxed. They had a restaurant there as well, so I just ordered from the menu and had a beer, then read for a bit and fell asleep. The next day I really just wasn’t feeling all that motivated to hit the city and explore, as someone had already warned me that Beijing can be a lot like Moscow.. Just big, ugly, and difficult. As it turned out, that wasn’t the case at all, but anyhow, I just didn’t feel like going anywhere. I was also feeling a bit daunted since I had yet to formulate a plan for what I was doing in China, and I knew it was going to take a lot of concentration and research. This seemed to happen to me every time I left a country and arrived in a new one.

Anyway, I doted around and read my book and killed time on the internet, and by about 2pm I was really hungry and I told myself I really needed to leave the hostel and start experiencing China. I asked the hostel reception where I could eat cheaply and they said to just go two storefronts down from there and there was a tiny restaurant for cheap. Trying to be as helpful as possible, and knowing these tiny places don’t speak English, she asked me what sort of food I like to eat, which I said something to the affect of chicken and vegetables, and she wrote it down on Chinese on a piece of paper for me to give to the restaurant waiter.

So finally I’m out the door into the wide world of China and I find this little restaurant, more like a one car garage size place, which actually was the size of most of the places that the local people eat at. I stood outside the restaurant and started digging in my backpack for the piece of paper with the food I wanted, and a middle aged Chinese lady, instantaneously noticing my possible interest in the restaurant, came out with a look of concentration and started talking to me in Chinese. She was very curious what I was digging for in my backpack and generally what I was doing, and she also started to try and look in my back pack, practically sticking her face in it, to see what I was looking for, which I thought was a bit pushy and intrusive. So, after turning my shoulder and scowling at her to protect my bag, I find the note and she leads me in to sit down at a really basic wooden table, and I hand her the note. With a hurried look of consternation she nods and immediately goes to the little opening in the wall, which is evidently the little closet where the kitchen is, and says something to the cook. Great, I think. Everything is going ok so far, and I‘m just sitting and being observant. Being it the first place I’ve been in china, I was a bit overly conscious that I would have the right manners while waiting and eating, and wasn’t sure if I would do something offensive like sticking my chopsticks in the rice (evidently meaning death to all or something).

As I waited, I just looked around. I was the only one there besides what appeared to be her grandfather, who sat a table away from me, smoking, and seemed to be staring at me and my silly looking earrings. Always a comfortable feeling to be watched. Anyhow, it wasn’t long before my dish was ready, and I was actually pleasantly surprised to see that there appeared to be real cubes of chicken (no bones!) mixed with chopped cucumber. Not exactly stir fry, but I was happy, between that, and my cup of white rice.

As I said, trying to mind my P’s and Q’s, and use my chopsticks properly when I noticed a middle aged Chinese man stride in and he immediately started talking to the woman who served me. He was semi professionally dressed in slacks, jacket, and white collar shirt, and he stopped about a step away from where I was sitting to speak to the woman. Oh, I thought, maybe that’s her husband. I continued trying to work my chopsticks, and was fairly engaged in my meal, when the man, with his back directly to me, let out a gigantic, verberating and echoing fart. I am not kidding, my plate of chicken and cucumbers was no less than 2 feet from his ass!! I just about choked on the food in my mouth, and I immediately looked up to see what the reaction was to this. Evidently, I was the only person who happen to take exception to someone letting a huge fart in a restaurant, let alone in my plate. His wife, and the grandfather, didn’t even blink, as if it was, and now I know for sure it was, totally commonplace. I sat there, as I was trying to hold my breathe until the methane cloud dissipated, in total shock at this. They didn’t bat an EYE!! Unreal. Here I thought the Chinese were always so prim, proper, and clean. This was the first big tip-off.

Well, fortunately, it didn’t stink too bad, and I was able to continue eating my meal after a few minutes. It didn’t take long for me to finish up, and I made the signal of money with my hand to the woman, the universal rubbing your thumb and index and middle finger, and she hurriedly grabbed the ticket pad to write up my bill. Despite the fart incident, I thought, well, so no big deal, this is obviously a very laid back place where the local people eat. That means this meal will probably cost me virtually nothing. She appeared to figure out the cost very studiously and confidently laid it in front of me on the table. Hmm, I thought, 59 yuen. I thought for a few more minutes… 59 divided by 7 equals just under 9 US dollars. My eyes got really wide. What?? I thought. Could this place really have meals this expensive?? Since this was my first purchase outside of the confines of the hostel, I really didn’t have a grasp yet of how prices work, but I knew there was no way on the planet that bowl of cucumber and chicken cubes could be 9 US dollars. I had a full meal at the hostel the night before for 15 yuen, which is 2 dollars, and that is a tourist price. I started to feel a bit panicked that I was about to be totally ripped off. I then addressed the woman, shaking my head no, and I wrote down 35 Yuen on the ticket as a compromise, which was still outrageous for that dish. She looked at me in disgust and then turned to her grandfather yelling and complaining that I would dare try to negotiate the price of this meal, and then turned back to me and pointed at 59 as if it was the final word. I suddenly realized I would have to cave. All I did was give her the name of the meal on the paper, without even looking at prices on a menu. Other than just walking out, I did not have the option to negotiate since I had already eaten! So, after, having my privacy violated as she inspected my pack, being stared at like a zoo animal, having a ONE vegetable stir fry, and some guy blowing a massive fart in my food, I then had the joy of being ripped off to the tune of about 8 times the normal price. I walked back to my hostel with my tail between my legs.

Little did I know, that this was actually a proper introduction to my travel experience in China.

So, that is my little Christmas story. I’m sure it will be retold for generations :) I do have to say that overall, I really value my experience in China, and that not everywhere is as bad as I make it sound. As I’m sure Aaron and his family, Kari, and Carol would also attest, you just have to have a lot of energy to get from here to there, but at the end of the day, its still part of the culture, and the history, landscape, and personalities in China, really are captivating.

I was happy though to finally be leaving China, at the end of a fruitful but tiring 5 weeks. In essence, it represented the end of the exotic part of my gap year. Because I was planning to go back to Spain for January, February, and March, I was now heading back in the direction of western Europe. That is when it struck me that I could actually devise a plan to be with friends over the December holidays. You may recall from my pictures from Skiathos, but I made good friends with a couple, Steve and Ian, from the UK, and they had invited me to their place in Bristol in the UK. So from Hong Kong I flew to London, back to civilization it seemed, and wow what a difference. I suddenly had my own room with a double bed and shower. I’m surprised I didn’t get a bill for hot water usage by the end. I also have a friend, Bill, that just moved from Portland to Luxembourg last summer for a music teacher position. So it just seemed a perfect fit, with a short skip over the English Channel, that I could spend Christmas with an old friend after-all. No Top Ramen; no sobbing alone in a dormitory. So, for those that have been wondering where on earth I have been lately, which is probably almost everyone since I’m not updating my journal at all, that is my story of how I am spending Christmas in Luxembourg. It actually feels very Christmasy here, as the frost is so heavy on the trees and grass that it looks like snow. And these towns are just like old looking Germanic villages with old style mom and pop shops and and coffee houses, and huts outside selling Christmas things. It’s really very nice. That’s not to say I won’t miss you guys and Oregon, but it will make for a good experience I think.

Now, one thing to get out of the way, is that I hope you will accept this letter as a rain check for when I return. I do have gifts for everyone, mostly from Russia, Mongolia, and especially China. After I figured out how to negotiate I did buy copius amount of things. I really hope you all have a great Christmas, and I am very much looking forward to seeing you next April. By the way, by a process of elimination, I somehow decided that I would go to Zaragoza Spain for my last 3 months. If you look on a map, it is between Madrid in the center and the French Border. It sounds like a nice medium size city where I can find some volunteer work. Anyhow, best wishes, and also have a Happy New Year!

Much Love,
Daniel

Coasting Ahead

applecrazy — Wed, 3 Oct 2007 03:23:00 GMT

***************** Pictures are at :

http://www.flickr.com/photos/aaronray/collections/72157600190609970/

It seems that my blog is slipping in priority, but I will try not to let it go to far. To make it a bit more interesting I'm going to just sort of hit highlights and thoughts versus running through the sequence of my travels.

In general : Im really doing quite well. Coming out of Bulgaria I was feeling some weariness of my travels as far as site seeing and the continuous movement bit, but I think Romania just turned out to be a real quality experience, primarily with the people, and now I just feel like I'm coasting through a lot of interesting locations and people, and enjoying it. I continue to feel humbled by the other travelers and local people. Many of them are just so comfortable with themselves and have such genuine respect for other people. I still haven't been anywhere that I felt like the people have such different lives than us. My general suprise has been that no matter where I'm at, we all think about the same things, and generally have similar lifestyles. The exception might be the Maramures area in Romania where the people completely live off the land. I've seen little desperation. I'm also generally impressed with how social the people are, especially in Bulgaria and Romania. Gatherings occur any and several days of the week. I guess part of what I'm saying is be careful about thinking we have great lives just because we live in america. Having new kitchen appliances is nice, but in the long run doesn't add too much real quality. It also seems to be a well known fact that Americans are shallow and smile way too much, even when we don't mean it. I have to agree that one of the reasons i like eastern europe so much is that people are generally very direct and say what they think. If it sounds like I'm american bashing I am!! :) No actually I still love where I live and the family and people, but there's certainly lessons that can be learned.

Well I'm one day from heading off into Siberia. I'm stopping in 3 places before I get to Beijing. One is Tomsk, a small university town right at about the midpoint, Lake Baikal, which is the deepest lake in the world, and actually it holds I think a third of the worlds fresh water if you don't count the ice caps. Finally I'll stop in Ulan Bataar in Mongolia which maybe I'll try riding some camels or something :) I was a bit nervous about this train trip at first because there were alot of naysayers saying that if you don't know Russian than you'll just end up abandon along side the train tracks somewhere in Siberia. One thing I've learned is that everytime someone has said "beware of this or that" it hasn't come to fruition. Its much more reliable to use your intuition that usually tells you its really not that difficult. Plus, as a guy from Brazil that I met here in Moscow told me, this is your one chance and just make the most of it. This trip is very safe, and I have a guidebook that takes me the whole journey telling me what to do. I'm a little disappointed because my couchsurf host from Tomsk said he couldn't host anymore so thats a bummer, but it will still be good.

I'm trying to think of an interesting story to tell. I would say one of the best experiences I had was the 2 days I hitchhiked in Romania. I was in the Marmures area, which can be likened to the lifestyle of the Omish, and I had been walking with my pack in between villages. The night before was great because when I was tired of walking i just left the road and found a wooded area to camp out. I built a fire and had roasted wild apples. I wish I had Chelsea with me though, because i feel a lot safer when I'm hearing strange noises. Anyhow the next morning it was raining and I couldn't leave until after noon. I walked to another village and sure enough it started raining again. I was trying to hitch to a further village but was now getting weary with the weather. After about 20 minutes of being rejected by what seemed to be mostly other tourists driving by car, a Romanian guy picked me up and said he was on his way to find his girlfriend. Evidently he just had a fight with her in the car and she demanded he stop and let her out at a random location. As we drove along we finally spotted her, drenched, looking like an angry wet cat. The driver, who was thrilled to practice his english, just kept talking to me, completely ignoring his girlfriend. He had learned english on his own by paying attention to subtitles while watching movies and television.

He was probably late 30s, a salesman for medical products, and really tall. His legs bowed outward in this little economy car we were in. Anyhow, we talked about how much he thought about living in the US and how difficult it was for Romanians just to even get a tourist VISA. Its funny because at one point he completely stopped the car and told me to watch what happens. The car slowlsy started to roll backward.. nothing too interesting I thought. He then told me that this was one of the strangest spots in the world. He said that because of the extreme magnetism at that exact location, the car would roll backward on its own, when actually it was a downhill. At first I thought he was being silly but he was very serious about this. He said that it wasn't yet well known in the science community. I was pretty sure it was just an optical illusion because of the way the road looked, but there was no reason for me to submit any thoughts to the contrary. We moved on and he asked me where exactly I wanted to be dropped off.

It was still raining so hard and I started to think that I just needed to find a real place to stay. He and his girlfiriend just so happen to live in Baia Mara which was the next place on my list after the village I wanted to go to. So I told him screw it, I will go all the way to Baia Mara, I'm tired of this rain. He was happy about this because we could talk more. As we went along, he said he was inviting me to his house for lunch (pretty sure he meant dinner because it was 6pm). He said he would be honored to feed me and he had some fish and homemade soup that he wanted me to try. I couldn't refuse. When we got to his house, which was actually an apartment on the first floor, it was fairly meager place. It had everything you need but was very outdated and needed some cosmetic repairs etc. Still it felt quite homey and they didn't think twice about the condition.

The chicken soup was fantastic after being in the rain all day. He then poured me a glass of homemade tomato juice, which was real thick like ketchup, but was cold and tangy, not sweet. He then poured me a glass of homemade Tsuica. Score!!!!!! I had been waiting for this to happen. Tsuica is the classic homemade plum brandy that it seems almost everyone in the Balkans make. It is super strong and has really high alcohol content. It burns all the way down, and they are proud of this fact. I found out that they make this brandy from not just plums, but usually all sorts of fruits such as apples and pears. Basically use whatever you have. He showed me how to throw back the brandy, then chase it with the fresh tomato juice. The cold tomato juice was perfect for erasing the burn. It was really a fantastic combination. We continued to talk about American things such as movies and how he has a friend thats trying to get a VISA. Meanwhile, I keep getting more fish and more Tsuica and more bread and more of everything they had. I didn't dare refuse these offerings because number one I hadn't had a good meal in a while, and two, they are so flattered to have someone enjoy their food. Finally his girlfriend, who actually knew english pretty good, started joining more in the conversation. More often than not, she would just jump in to correct her boyfriends grammar when she found the opportunity.

Fortunately for me, he had actually watered down this Tsuica because he had an ulcer, so even though I had about 4 tall shots, I wasn't drunk, just a solid buzz. He said something sort of strange, I thought, that I have a good opportunity to use the fact that I'm american to make friends and contancts in Romania. That is paraphrased, but I think he was saying that also in a business slant. He then asked if I could go meet his friend who was trying to get the VISA just to briefly meet, and exchange emails, so that I could help him with his itinerary. He was extremely greatful I was willing to do this. Before we left the house, he started raiding his cupboards and refridgerator for things to give me. To my dismay, he pulled a large 2 inch thick slab of pure pig fat from the refridgerator and cut me a huge chunk of it to take with me. Evidently you cut off thin slices and eat it with bread etc. I feel bad that I had to fiegn that I liked it, but I didn't want to show that I was seriously afraid of this. He then gave me a huge jar of naturally collected honey, some onions, tomatos, and some other things from his mothers garden. It was so much more than I could really efficiently carry, but again I didn't want to refuse this generosity. I was really flattered by this.

After stopping at the minimart to meet his friend, he then drove me around to about 5 different hotels just to find me the cheapest rate. He walked me up to the receptionist and negotiated the cost to make sure I didn't get the tourist price. We shook hands and I thanked him as heartily as I could, and basically after that I took a long hot shower and rested comfortably in my dry, but really awkward, hotel room. Didn't matter. It was such a great experience though. He and his girlfriend were so genuine and humble. This will definitely be one of my great memories on this trip.

OK well this is probably enough writing for now. I think i will keep more to this type of writing to keep it a bit more interesting. Don't forget, I'm keeping all my pictures in a new location so make sure you go to http://www.flickr.com/photos/aaronray/collections/72157600190609970/

Catching Up

applecrazy — Wed, 29 Aug 2007 05:17:00 GMT

**********Update : Go to http://www.flickr.com/photos/aaronray/collections/72157600190609970/ to see the latest photos *****************************

I know... it has been way too long since my last blog entry. Partly due to unforseen circumstances and partly because I haven't been able to sit still long enough. Basically I haven't updated my blog since the second half of Bulgaria and the first half of Romania. Perhaps this just means you have been spared all of the tedious details because I'm sure not to remember as much now. You will also notice there are very few photos for Bucurest because just before I left Bulgaria, my camera started going on the fritz (my old Sony camera).

So basically now I'm in Brasov Romania which is this super distinguished village up in the Carpathian mountains toward the center of Romania. It's neat because I'm staying with my friend Laura's Aunt and Uncle, in the house that she grew up in. Laura is my former coworker at ABAM who moved up to Washington a couple years ago. Anyhow, I'm pretty lucky because they are feeding me everyday and letting me stay in this gigantic bedroom for free. The language barrier is a challenge, but we are managing through gestures, my pocket dictionary, and some of my spanish vocabulary comes in handy as well. She makes me strawberry tea every morning which is REALLY addictive.

Anyhow, before I go further about Romania, let me recap Bulgaria. I hate to be brief about my misadventures in Bulgaria, but I think I must due to the large span of coverage for this blog. In short, the latter 2 weeks in Bulgaria turned out to be my first real challenges on my gapyear. As I was sleeping in a hostel in Sofia the capital, a girl in the dorm room we were in was coughing all night, and I thought to myself as I was inhaling the unventilated stuffy air, I'm doomed to get her cold. Sure enough, one day after arriving in Plovdiv and meeting my couchsurfing host Stella, the cold attacked. For a full week I was essentially bed-ridden with a sore throat and sinus. Were it not for a very compassionate host, this could have been 10 times worse. Stella fed me as much fruit and vegetables and tea as I could stand, and finally I started coming around and was able to move on. She gave up her couch and living room that whole time, no charge... quite generous. As a sidenote, Stella has never had a cold in her life, so this is the girl you want to stay close to when the bird flu hits.

Something was trying to keep me in Bulgaria because as I was on my way out, I got a mild level of food poisoning from some soft cheese I had and ended up having to stay at the bordertown Ruse for 2 more days before I felt good enough to leave. SO, finally, I was able to cross into Romania and head for Bucurest. Check the photos for some more detail of my travels. I sort of skipped narrative of the Plovdiv I saw, and of the medieval city of Veliko Tarnovo.

I found Bucrest to be interesting, although I see why a lot of people are happy to skip it. It has all the characteristics of a lot of the capitol cities in eastern europe in that it's not well maintained and doesn't have the more friendly environment you'd find in the smaller cities and villages. Regardless, it still has grand architecture, and it is quite lively. The museums and government buildings are also immaculate usually on the inside and out. The highlight was probably seeing Ceasescu's last tribute to himself in the Palace of Parliament, the 2nd largest building on the planet next to the Pentagon. He nearly bankrupt the country with its construction in the 1980s with almost all surfaces being either native marble, oak, gold leafing, or crystal. It really was stunning, but it also seems to be an incredibly inefficient use of space.

Over just under two weeks I balanced seeing sites, planning my travel in Romania, arranging my Russian and Chinese VISAs, and trying to figure out how to mail my laptop back to Portland. I'm suprised I didn't pop a blood vessel or get shot by an embassy gaurd or something, but somehow I managed to work it out. Typically simple tasks become monumental when there is a language barrier.

Next I was off to a change of scenery in the Danube Delta on the Black Sea Coast. Supposedly this was an ecological disaster area due to Ceasescu's efforts to convert the area to agriculture, but for the most part it seemed fairly intact. The river and adjacent wetlands were beautiful, as well as some exotic birds such as swans and pelicans. The neatest thing about going here was it is only accessible by a 5 hour boat, no roads whatsoever, and you feel like you're very isolated from everything... but in a good way. Sfintu Georghe is a genuine fishing village, and we actually got to have fresh fish almost every day. Check out the pics for the boat tour. The only bad thing was we got cooked in the sun during the day, and I slept terribly on the hard ground as this was my first attempt at camping.

I think I explained some about Brasov. It would really be a fantastic place to live I think, nestled in the mountains. I went mountain biking in a smaller village called Sinai with a couchsurfing friend, which, even though we couldn't do the route we wanted, we ended up seeing the palace of King Carol and running into some hungry brown bears. These bears look a little too much like grizzlies for me to get too cozy with them. Big jaws. Of course, we were the only ones on bikes and everyone else was in cars feeding them and taunting them. We were pedaling quite fast needless to say.

I'll stop there and talk about where I am now in the next blog. Just an FYI I'm going to start posting all my pictures to a different website because this one is just taking too long. There's still a lot of new pictures here so be sure to check them out, but next time I'll give you a website for my new pics. OK, until next time.

Gallery: Danube Delta

applecrazy — Mon, 20 Aug 2007 03:13:00 GMT

Gallery: Plovdiv and Veliko Tarnovo

applecrazy — Mon, 20 Aug 2007 02:56:00 GMT

Time Out

applecrazy — Sun, 12 Aug 2007 23:34:00 GMT

Just when you start to get too wrapped up in your own existance, life throws a bucket of cold water over your head. As most of my family knows, two of my grandparents passed away this last week. I thought I could use this forum to write about my favorite memories of each of them as a tribute. Feel free to write about your favorite memories too.

Most people know grandma as being a little rough around the edges. Put it this way, she's never one to mince words. If her arm gets tired while she's talking to you on the phone, get ready for a sudden dial tone midst coversation (ask Dad about this). I was telling Dad though, that I think one of the reasons she was fighting so hard to stay alive is that she wanted every opportunity she could get to show people the love and affection she had on the inside. And she really was like this on the inside. Towards the end, her tough exterior was very fragile, and I saw her get emotional very easily as she would share stories about her past, and express her gratitude that we were with her. My favorite memory is the last visit to her hospital room in San Fransisco. The third day, Kari and Dad had left, and it was just Lindsey and I. We managed to arrive about at lunchtime, and we found grandma happily eating her green grapes. Lindsey and I tried to get settled in the room, wanting to make this a good hour or two of quality time. We were being more brave this time, asking more complex questions about her past, much about Dad and Art as kids. I noticed after about 20 minutes she started to get fidgity and uncomfortable, and I thought to myself, "wow, I must have really provoked some deep and emotional memories with my questions." I was a bit suprised though when she suddenly turned to us with quite purpose and said, "Well kids, its time for me to go to bingo, so here, you guys finish off these grapes, and have these Cheese-Its that someone left for me." Before Lindsey and I could think of a touching farewell to say to her, we got hugged and kissed, then she was in her wheelchair and out the door, leaving us in silence with grapes and Cheese-Its in hand. Lindsey and I had one of those moments where we turned to each other with incredulous looks on our faces, and then broke out in gut wrenching laughter. We never for once thought this was rude or mean, its just, Grandma. You have to love that about her.

It's hard to believe that I'm writing about two relatives that have died. Its a very strange twist of fate. It's probably no coincidence that my favorite memory of grandpa is also my last visit. I was visiting Roseburg just before my departure on my gap year and my Dad came and asked if I would take him down to southern Oregon to see grandpa. Of course, my immediate response was being a poophead, and I didn't feel like going. About an hour later though, a voice in my head told me that I needed to go. Thankfully I did, because it was special. We arrived to his house and my first thought was that the house was so fitting for grandpa. It was a perfectly square one story ranch house, from the 50s I believe, with much of the original siding and windows. It fits the image of Grandpa in his brown polyester stretch pants that snuggly hug his butt and thighs, with his white Latin looking cotton collar shirt, always with a concert of retro colored stitchings of swirls and paislies. Of course I have to mention the gigantic steel belt buckles and cowboy boots. As we pulled into the back of the house, I was stunned by how picturesque the landscape was. It was about 4pm and the sun cast so beautifully over his endless green pasture. Grandpa was thrilled to see Dad and I and show us his horses. He invited us inside and offered us a Pepsi. After about an hour of discussing most of Grandpa's ribbons and trophies that adorned every square inch of his living room, we started to make our way back outside. Grandpa suddenly switched gears and started asking me pointed questions about what I was doing in life. I told him briefly about the gap year I was about to take and how I was going alone and quit my job. After saying this, I was expecting to look up to see a disapproving expression on his face. I figured its not something that a true cowboy living in rural Oregon would advocate. When I looked at Grandpa, his face was frozen with an expression of pure intrigue. After about five seconds staring at me, eyes twinkling, he said softly, "I'll be damned. Daniel you have one helluva time on your trip. You'll never forget it." I was totally shocked at his genuine enthusiasm for what I was doing. It is a great memory for me.

Finally the Beer is Cheap!

applecrazy — Sun, 22 Jul 2007 23:09:00 GMT

I’ve been moving around so much I kind of feel like I don’t have any focused thoughts to talk about, but overall very positive since coming to Bulgaria. I’ve seen a lot of western Bulgaria already, mostly mountainous and quite beautiful. It actually reminds me a lot of southern Oregon with the tall hills and mix of dry brown grass and pine trees. I have been surprised that it seems most people have a decent standard of living here. They say the country is somewhat poor, and the average salary is so low, but on the other hand, food and supplies are cheap, so the low salaries can go along way. It is fantastic that I’m finally in a country where the dollar stretches so well. I’ve been eating like a king!

Greece feels like a long way away already, but I'll start with a recap from there. I was a bit somber as I left Skiathos on the ferry, unsure if I was going to have enough energy for the next leg in Bulgaria, but I have risen to the occasion I think and am loving the quicker pace and daily adventures. I had my first experience with www.couchsurfing.com, in Thessaloniki Greece, just before I crossed the border to Bulgaria. If you’re not familiar with this, it’s a network of people who like traveling, and are willing to host travelers at their place, and many times its on the couch, hence the name. I’ve found most the people to be in their early 20’s and students. Anyhow, I stayed for free at a fantastic flat in Thessaloniki for four nights, and we had full use of the kitchen, bathroom, patio… everything you need. The hosts actually had to leave on their own vacation but they left the keys to me and two other couchsurfers, one of which was semi-living there. Check out the pictures of the flat… not bad. The highlight of Thessaloniki was that the other two couchsurfers I was with were anarchists. The one showed us around the city and we went to an abandon building where he sometimes lived called a squat. It sounds really sketchy, but its more like a commune of young people that share everything. They all seemed clean and friendly and educated. Really interesting.

I crossed into Bulgaria and was immediately in the Pirin mountains, which was really refreshing after being on the beach for so long. I stayed in two places, Sandanski and Melnink, which are a small town and village respectively. It was here I started jumping for joy at the prices. In Skiathos I was paying 2.50 euros for a half liter beer, which is about $3.50 US. In Melnink I was now paying 1.50 Leva or $1.00 US for the same beer. After being forced to cook all my meals, now I was having 3 course meals for $6 dollars US. Fantastic. Everything else is cheap as well, taxis, supermarket food, buses, trains, whatever. When you don’t have to worry about the money, you can really enjoy yourself. And even better, it will probably only get cheaper as I move East. Hallelujah!

I won’t go through everything, but check out some of the photos of me hiking to the Monastery in Melnink. Melnink is known for their wine cellars in caves in the side of the mountains. When I got to the Monastery in Melnink, after a stunning 3km hike, I was able to witness a baptism in the church.

The second monestary, the Rila Monestary, was the highlight. They allow you to sleep in the old rooms that used to house the Monks. They are very stark, completely whitewashed walls, with one window, and shabby beds that sink about 6 inches when you lay on them. I thought of shipping one to Roseburg for Dad. It’s a strange feeling sleeping inside what is essentially a fortress. You have to be back inside the gates by 10pm or you’re out of luck. The priests, or monks that are there, are also very serious, and have an intimidating look. I was telling a friend that they look like Saudi mafia hitmen when they have their black robes, sunglasses, and are often talking on a cell phone. Outside the outer walls, there are two restaurants. The first night I saw on the menu that a 1 liter mug of Bulgarian beer was 2.20 Leva ($1.50 US). Yes I said 1 Liter. I couldn’t resist. They brought me this gigantic German size mug. Everyone else at the restaurant watched me out of the corner of their eye to see if I was really going to drink all of it. I didn’t disappoint ☺ And I slept quite soundly the first night. The setting of the Rila Monestary is georgous, tucked into a valley of super steep mountains. On my last day I hiked two of the trails, but unfortunately didn’t have enough time and energy to get to any real destination point. Still worthwhile though.

I forgot to mention that while I was at the first monestary, I met this young girl named Ditka, who snagged me as I got off the bus to show me a room in her grandparents house. She was only 14, but she was fluent in English, and her awareness and understanding of global politics was astounding. I had a hard time matching her intellect. She said that the education here is quite good, and that she gets this from the public schools. I think she was probably a step ahead the others. Anyway, a digression.

After Rila Monestary I made my way to Sofia, the capital, staying one night in Blagoevgrad, a smaller town along the route of about 100,000 people. Most notable here is that I got utterly lost, as I thought I had good directrions from a taxi driver, and didn’t have a map. Carrying my huge crushing pack, and about to collapse, for the first time I gave up, hailed a taxi, and just told them to take me to any hotel. It was actually quite a nice reprieve and still only $20 US a night, which is very expensive for Bulgaria.

My introduction to the Capital Sofia was getting nabbed on the tram by city transportation inspectors within the first 30 minutes of arriving. After much effort to find a tram ticket, and then figure out which tram to take, I was grabbed by the arm and pulled off the tram after two stops of getting on. Completely confused and alarmed, they explained to me that because I didn’t get my ticket punched on the tram, and because I didn’t get a second ticket for my luggage, I had to pay a fine. I was immediately skeptical of a scam, and very upset that this was happening because I worked so hard to figure out the system already. They flashed their badges and demanded that I pay a 14 Leva fine ($10). It’s not much, but I was surprised how angry I was at this situation, and I created a big scene. I accused them of stealing from tourists, who they were obviously targeting, and I almost can’t believe I did this, but I refused to pay them. They then said they were calling the police, which I then started to reconsider. But, whether foolish or not, I stood my ground and I told them that if they police arrived, and they told me to pay the fine, I would pay it. So I waited as they were evidently faking phone calls to the police. They eventually got frustrated by how long this was carrying on, and left. They did get 7 leva from me for the first violation, but at least I wasn’t completely taken, and I spoke my mind. I do plan on reporting their badge numbers to some sort of government agency…. Probably won’t make a difference but it will make me feel better.

Sofia is an energetic city, with tons of good restaraunts, cafes, and nightlife. The infrastructure is not maintained well, but it feels like it is a good life here. There is more park space than I’ve ever seen in a large city, and it seems very safe. The people seem happy, they dress well, and they do all the things that we do in the US it seems. I’ll keep this short and just say that I met tons of interesting people at the hostel I was at, and am generally just impressed with peoples lives here. I spoke to one Bulgarian guy that was actually living in South Africa now, that described the people here in a critical but poignant way I thought. He said that after 500 years of Turkish occupation, then years of Soviet occupation, the people here have a slave mentality, and are willing to “bend over” for anything/anybody that wants to control them. Now, he says, it is the American culture that they are bending over for. He was very adamant that the people here need to take charge of their future for once, now that they are finally free. He says communism has made them lazy and complicit. I do see what he is talking about, as they have a long way to go before they would be considered a “modernized” or westernized country. It is no doubt that eventually this country will be, but I think the question is whether the people will define the fashion in which they modernize, and make it their own, or will they allow western culture and aberrant commercialism to drag them aimlessly along.

Oh, one quick anecdote. I believe Bulgaria is the only country on the planet in which nodding your head yes, means no, and vice versa. I have found it is physically impossible for me to switch to these meanings. The people here are dumfounded when they ask if you want a light (diet) coke and you say “da” (yes) while nodding your head (no) at the same time. It seems trivial but it’s a major mind bender.

I’m jumping on a train and heading to Plovdiv, a smaller city with much of its original architecture and rich culture. Here I have another couchsurfer host which I think will be interesting.

Until next time. Cheers! PS. I added about 4 galleries of pictures

PPS Another anecdote if you care to read this far. My first experience truly feeling homeless. When I was trying to leave Thessaloniki Greece for Bulgaria, I went down to take a night train, leaving at 12pm. The ticket agent mentioned that I'd be arriving in Sandanski Bulgaria at about 3am and gave me a concerned look. I sat down with the ticket and I started imagining myself arriving at a small, closed trainstop in the middle of the night. Begrudgingly, I decided this would be a bad decision and went back to the ticket agent and asked to take the earliest train in that would get me there in daylight. The next train left at 6:45am. I sat back down on the bench in the train station and got ready to lay out and try to get some sleep. At about 130am, security started kicking everyone out saying they were closed until 530am. I had absolutely nowhere to go. I walked around the neighborhoods around the train station and I saw that there was a building under renovation, and they had left the entrance open. I discreetly snuck inside, as it was chilly outside, ended up finding some rolled up cardboard to lay down on, set my alarm for 430am and fell asleep. Besides a couple abandon cats that scared the crap out of me as I was sleeping, it was warm and comfortable. Yes it was a bit sketchy to do this, but I didn't really see an alternative at this time of night. I walked out of the building with a big smile on my face, chalking it up to another new experience.

Gallery: Rila Monestary

applecrazy — Sun, 22 Jul 2007 22:48:00 GMT

Gallery: Melnink

applecrazy — Sun, 22 Jul 2007 22:39:00 GMT

Gallery: Thessaloniki

applecrazy — Sun, 22 Jul 2007 22:28:00 GMT

Looking Ahead

applecrazy — Sat, 7 Jul 2007 00:36:00 GMT

The first chapter of my gap year comes to a close in a few days. I’ve got my ferry ticket to Thessolaniki for Monday, and I’m coming to terms with the prospect of being chained to my huge backpack again. I’m very excited for the next leg in eastern Europe though, because I think this will be one of my best opportunities to see unspoiled culture and history. Of course, the further east I go, the less English is spoken it seems, so I think that will be a challenge for me.

I had one of the best days yet on my trip a couple days ago. Finally I got around to renting a motor scooter for the day, and I would definitely say I got my money’s worth. I probably took at least a year off the life of the scooter with all the crappy roads that I went on. I was actually out the door by 9am which is not my typical time, but I wanted to see as much as I could. There’s also something just really fun and free spirited about riding a scooter that I don’t think you get in a car. Anyway, my goal was to see virtually all of the island, so I started on the east end near the airport. I don’t think I’ll bore you with all the details, but I was able to get down to some remote beaches, and at least for a bit I had them all to myself. I may have scared some people at the first beach because they came as I was swimming, and ALL my clothes were laying on the shore. No matter. I then stopped at a really interesting monastery here, which you can see in the pictures, is very well taken care of. Most interesting I thought was that the people that live there make all their own fruit liquor, olives, figs, wine, and a bunch of little crafts. I think the fruit liquor is similar to the homemade plum brandy that so many people have lived on out here for hundreds of years. I bought a small bottle and then shared it with some friends later that evening, and it was really good. Brandy is usually a bit strong for me but this was more fruity and light. I’m sure I’ll be tasting much more of it as I move east. I then went to the ruins of the original settlement on Skiathos. You can see in the photos that there wasn’t much to it other than a few homes, and a chapel. The location of it though is georgous, and just below it is perhaps the best beach I found on the island. I finished out the day visiting another smaller monastery, a dog shelter, and then met two friends at my favorite beach on the west end of the island, which is where we cracked open the brandy, and drank through the sunset. A most excellent day.

I’m ready to move on to Bulgaria, but I will miss the friends I’ve made on the island. Some of them I did the tattoo art for which I did post in the photo section if you want to take a look. Christina was my drinking buddy at Destiny Bar, a gay friendly bar here, which I spent loads of time at and met a lot of people. After complaining to her that my throat was sore from smoking so much, she said to me, “ Dan, you just have to smoke through the pain and press on.” The Greek are notorious smokers… not a good influence. Niko and George are two locals that were always fun to hang out with. George loved singing Eurovision songs and I could always count on getting pistachios and bacon biscuits from him at the beach. Niko has to be the most honest and sincere and polite person I’ve ever met… he’d give away his last piece of bread to a stranger. Alison was my friend who worked at the internet shop. She was a big help when I first got here and was trying to sort everything out. We had a lot of fun chats just killing time as she worked behind the café bar. We were both constantly amazed at how quick information moves around in a small village; gossip central. She moved to Skiathos a couple years ago and is in a serious relationship with a local Greek guy named Yorgo. The last two weeks I was befriended by a really fun couple from the UK, Steven and Ian, who are the two that I shared the brandy with. They live near Bristol, which now that I’ve heard so much about it, I want to visit. After several hours at the beach and at Destiny Bar you really have an opportunity to get to know people here which has been fantastic. I really hope to stay in touch.

In wrapping up I would just say that it feels like I’m on the right track so far with my gap year, which makes me happy. These two months on the island were I think a very good way to start because even though, yes, I was basically a beach bum, I definitely reached new levels of being “relaxed”, and it has allowed me in a sense to push the reset button in my mind. I’m exercising my creative brain muscles through art and writing which has really been refreshing, and am learning things about myself that I never slowed down enough to see previously. One of my goals is to see what life is like outside of my “routine life” and I think I’ve got a good basis for that now. Of course, I do think about life in Portland all the time, and think fondly of Aaron, the pets, the house, friends, my co-workers, good restaurants. I know that it will be sweet to come home next April, but for now I am enjoying all the prospects of the rest of my gap year.

Gallery: Skiathos 4

applecrazy — Sat, 7 Jul 2007 00:18:00 GMT

Gallery: Tattoo Art

applecrazy — Sun, 1 Jul 2007 03:03:00 GMT

Coffee breaks over??

applecrazy — Wed, 20 Jun 2007 22:07:00 GMT

Since I haven’t been out and about traveling around, I don’t have any harrowing adventures to talk about, but nonetheless, my experiences here in Skiathos have been meaningful. It’s hard to believe that I’ve been on the island for just over a month… wow. It goes by slow and fast all at the same time. I have planned my departure date to be around 10 July, which gives me just under three weeks left here. My reactions to leaving are very mixed. I’ve been re-reading one of my favorite books of all time, Balkan Ghosts, which is an accounting of the amazing and brutal history in the Balkan countries (ie Croatia, Bosnia, Serbia, Romania, Macedonia, Bulgaria, Greece, Albania… I’m probably forgetting one or two). The history is explained through interesting interviews with people that have lived here through all the hard times. What makes it neat for me is that it is written as the journalist travels, so I also get a very real picture of the landscape and ambiance of the people, culture, and countryside. It’s an intellectual read, but you forget that you are learning so much because of the interesting writing. If you're at all interested in other cultures, I really recommend it. Anyhow, re-reading this book has been inspiring me to continue you my travels, but at the same time, I have just been so utterly chilled out here on the island the last couple weeks that I know it will be hard to muster the effort to leave. I think it will be similar to lying in bed, having such a warm, deep, comfortable sleep, and then the alarm goes off at 5am and somehow you have to force yourself to throw off the covers and step out into the freezing world. Ok don’t complain, it’s the best metaphor I could think of ☺

When I first got to the island, I was very anxious to figure out what I was going to do here. Was I going to find a job, would I try to get a VISA extension, will I get bored, will I get tired of the beach, will I be lonely? I got most of these figured out a couple weeks ago, so since then I have been able to let my mind totally drift and just enjoy the sun-soaked life here. Even though I fancied getting a job such as a bartender or fisherman or something, I realized after doing a lot of research on VISA restrictions and also talking to local people, that I didn’t want to risk getting caught. The other factor was there was something holding me back from wanting to work. I have been spending a few hours each day either writing, reading, and doing sketches, and I’m loving it. Between this, the beach, visiting with friends and tourists, and just the basics of living here like cooking/cleaning/laundry, my life has been relatively full here. I also devote a lot of time to researching the upcoming portions of my journey.

I’ve found a really interesting hobby. The sketches that I’m doing are what I consider a sort of tattoo art. It started a couple months ago with me figuring out a tattoo for myself, then drawing it. What I’m doing now is creating tattoo art for the people I meet. My intent is to draw something that metaphorically captures their spirit, or their essense. If I have just met them, I will interview them for about 10 minutes just trying to find out what their life is all about, and what their passionate about. I then go into hiding and develop the concepts and images and start drawing. The last one took me 7 hours so its no small task. I’ve done 4 so far and have gotten very meaningful responses, so I’m quite optimistic about this. I’m trying to figure out how to scan them so I can post them to this site. I might be able to make some money off this too…. We’ll see.

As to the next legs of my journey, I am still working this out, but I believe what I will do is spend a few weeks primarily in Bulgaria. It borders Greece to the north, and has very diverse landscape and history. I am thinking of spending much time in the mountains to do some biking, camping, and maybe rock climbing. It will also help beat the heat and crowds along the coastline. The cities also sound lively and interesting. After that, its onto Romania where I’d like to spend at least a month. From the first time I read Balkan Ghosts almost 10 years ago, I’ve wanted to travel here. Romania in particular has the most interesting past, where the people have just been so battered and abused. It was only in 1989 that a revolution released them from the tyranny of Caucescu and his wife, who were executed by firing squad. Causescu literally robbed the people for his own wealth, leaving them barely with food on the table. The people were also brutal to each other, slaughtering thousands of Jews during the Nazi occupation. There’s one quote from a woman from Romania that I love which she said,” It was as if the execution of Causescu wasn’t enough… I wanted to eat his flesh.” My coworker Andreia in Portland is also from Romania, so she is going to try and connect me with her cousins.

That summarizes my thoughts for now. I was checking the weather in Oregon and it looks like July heat is starting to come on… it’s a great time. It sounds like everyone’s got things going on… or if they haven’t, they better start e-mailing me!!! Lol. Until next time. Oh, I have a few photos to look at. Not that remarkable, but its of a sunrise on the harbor. Yes I did wake up at 5am one morning to do this believe it or not :)

Gallery: Skiathos 3

applecrazy — Wed, 20 Jun 2007 21:59:00 GMT

Sunrise on harbor

A Fold in Time

applecrazy — Fri, 1 Jun 2007 20:45:00 GMT

I think I’m actually getting a sense of what its like to live on the island now. Or perhaps a better way to put it is that I have successfully achieved not feeling like a tourist anymore. Whatever it is, its quite a nice feeling. I keep seeing people arrive here and leave, and I think about what that feels like to only have a week or two weeks on vacation. Mostly I feel like I have to pinch myself that I don’t have to leave. I can just keep going almost as if I’ve found some secret fold in the universe that I can hide and observe from. The people I meet give me a very puzzled look when I tell them I’m here for at least 2 months, almost as if I’m cheating somehow. It’s interesting though, as I’m sure most people can relate, there is a sense of comfort that you have when you know you are returning to your “everyday life” shortly. Being in a place like this can be very one-dimensional if you allow it, and after two weeks of lazy mornings, beaches in the afternoons, restaurant for dinner, and drinks at a club, this can even become routine and boring. So my challenge so far has been creating enough depth in daily life so that I don’t get listless and bored. I have to say though; I am not yet bored of the beach life in the afternoon, which in some ways is serving as my part time job right now. The beaches and water here are extraordinary. Here is a typical day for me so far :

Wake up at 10am, have my instant coffee and wheat-a-bix cereal
11am-1pm go into town, check my email, fill up my water jug, get some groceries, do some networking, make a ham sandwich
2pm-6pm Beach – I lay in the sun, write in my journal, swim, play paddleball and Frisbee, meet new people
7-8pm whip up some dinner, usually heating up leftovers from cooking in bulk, most vegetables are available here and I have mostly been making pasta dishes and potato dishes.. meat and fish is spendy so I have stuck to canned tuna, ham, and eggs
8pm-11pm I have been writing in this time, some articles and have started on some stories… haven’t checked into the publishing side yet ☺, watch tv or a dvd on the laptop if I tire of writing
12pm - ?? maybe every 2nd night or 3rd night go out into the village

Usually every 3rd day or so I’ll skip the beach and do things like laundry or cook up a batch of food to eat. I think that as time goes by, the frequency that I go to the beach and go out at night will decrease, so I believe I will need to find more things to do that will keep me feeling productive. I’ve decided not to try and find an “official” job here such as a bartender or waiter since I would be classified as illegal, and considering I'm only one of 2 Americans on the island that I'm aware of, I stick out a lot. I am meeting my budget so I don’t necessarily need the money, but it’s a bit disappointing because I do want to try some different kind of work, and it would be nice to have some extra beer money or money to do more recreational things. I will have to see what happens as time goes on. I’m thinking that I may run into a gig here and there or if not, maybe volunteer somewhere.

One thing that I’ve found remarkable about being here is that it is truly just a small village. I think there are only 16,000 Greeks on the whole island. There is only one main village, with one main street in the town where there are shops and restaurants, and there is only one main road on the island that spans 16 miles from east to west. If you meet someone at the beach or at a pub, you are bound to bump into them again within 24 hours. This has really been a wonderful thing because I have been able to develop friendships and acquaintances very quickly. When you’re traveling alone such as I am, this goes along way toward avoiding loneliness.

This last week was great because I met this nice guy from Milan, Ale (short for Alexandro), that I ended up doing some of the touristy things on the island that I had been meaning to do. He loved to take pictures so I was able to download his to my computer to share with you guys. One of the things we did was go on a boat tour around the island. At first it was disappointing because it was very cloudy and raining a bit, but we made it to what is considered one of the most beautiful beaches on the planet; Lalaria. It is only reachable by boat due to the terrain. What’s remarkable about it is that it is a pebbled beach, but the pebbles are all bleach white, and it makes for a very interesting aesthetic; almost like it was designed by a modern, minimalist style architect (very IKEA). Anyhow, shortly after a jaunt on Lalaria, the wind suddenly picked up to about 30 mph, and all the sudden we were in the midst of these huge rolling waves. At first I was like, wow this is pretty neat because the boat was really starting to rock… but, the waves kept getting bigger and then the crew starting running around the boat very nervously trying to secure everything. It was strong enough that they had to cut the tour short and return to port. I relaxed once we got close to the harbour… and actually thinking back it was quite a bit of fun. And somehow, I didn’t get sea-sick at all… odd. Check out some of the pictures from the boat trip, and some others that Ale took around town and at the beach. I’ll warn you in advance, I am wearing a very tight swimming suit. I think generally in Europe it is considered prude and sloppy to wear baggy swimming suits… best not to wear one at all ☺

I think that about covers my thoughts to date. Since things are slowing down a bit, my blog writing will probably be more on a two week schedule I think. As gorgeous as it is here, I do imagine Oregon coming into summer time and its such a wonderful time. The rivers, the beaches, warm(er) nights, the barbeques, wagging tails… very good times. I’m sure you guys are enjoying it and I’m thinking very fondly of you. Until next time!

Gallery: Skiathos 2

applecrazy — Fri, 1 Jun 2007 20:19:00 GMT

Settling in

Back to Plan Alpha

applecrazy — Tue, 15 May 2007 03:04:00 GMT

I’ve rarely come into circumstances where I actually wished there were more constraints to deal with. I spent the following week in Barcelona going through mental gymnastics trying to figure out if I really wanted to change my game plan and stay in Spain… quite exhausting really. (I think I’ve been talking to way too many British people because now I’m starting to write how they speak) Anyhow, it didn’t take me long to realize that I had briefly forgotten about one important constraint which is that I can only stay in what is essentially the European Union countries for a maximum of 90 days as a tourist. This would mean I could stay in Spain for about two and a half more months. After many headaches, I finally decided to stick with my game plan and head to Greece. As I’ve now confirmed (in my own mind at least), Greece is the jewel of the Mediterranean and it’s going to be worth it. Just over two months in Spain won’t get me fluent in Spanish unfortunately so it will just have to be another time perhaps.

So now I’m happy as a clam sitting on my private patio and writing this blog entry. My biggest worry was I’d get here, to the island of Skiathos, and wouldn’t be able to find anywhere cheap enough to live for two and half months. I’m still shaking my head in disbelief that I have this studio, 1 minute walk to the closest beach and 10 minute walk downtown. I took pictures so you could see, but basically it has a full bathroom, miniature kitchen with pans and dishes and silverware, two twin beds, tv, and a very private open air patio. I’m paying only 10 euros a night, which is about 14 dollars. The hostels I’ve been staying at have been averaging 20-25 euros a night.

Reflecting on the traveling I’ve done in Eastern Europe, I really do think that this island has the best of everything I’ve seen. The only thing that rivals it is the island of Hvar in Croatia, but the beaches here are leagues nicer with the soft sand. There are no franchise or chain hotels, restaurants, or supermarkets. The local people run all these places, and most are in the same old buildings that have been here for ages. The island is only 16 miles wide, so there is just one main road. I think someone said there are about 60 beaches around the perimeter. I have yet to meet another American here. There are loads of British people that come on package vacations. They are only 3 hours away by airplane and with Ryan Air and Easy Jet it’s amazingly cheap. Almost all younger people, probably 35 years and younger speak functional English. Many of the older also know English since they work in the tourist industry. This is definitely a relief because the Greek language is totally insane. It looks Egyptian to me.

One thing that I’ve been pretty amazed about so far is that that the town and beaches are only lightly sprinkled with tourists. May is very early in the season here and the stores and restaurants just barely opened up. This weekend it was 90 degrees and I shared the beach with about 10 other people. Most Europeans, especially the Italians, French, and Spanish, wait until July and August to go on holiday as they say. This has worked out good for me because I was able to find a room fairly easily and for a good price. I have also been able to meet a lot of the local people since they aren’t so distracted. All in all I’m very optimistic about staying here. It is matching up to what I was hoping. Late July I’m going to have to leave though due to the 90 day requirement so I’ll most likely go to Croatia or Romania… if I’m tired of the beach life by that time it will likely be Romania. I may consider trying to re-enter Greece after leaving to see if they will allow me in for another stretch, but not sure about that yet. I keep hearing different things about VISA requirements and unspoken rules. I’ll have to keep asking around.

Just as a wrap up on Barcelona, I would say that I really enjoyed being there, mostly because I was learning and speaking the language, and also the friends I made. The second week I spent 2/3 of my time; however, researching what my next steps were going to be. Once I made the decision I was ready to leave. Right now, the tourist season is full swing in Barcelona, and after a while you start having violent thoughts about the people who suddenly stop in front of you to talk on their cell phone, or look at their map, or who are just walking incredibly slow. Of course I was doing those things as well, but its very much survival of the fittest. My 1 day in Girona Spain to catch the flight to Milan was quite refreshing in that it was a small and very old city… not many people to fight through in the streets. There’s a couple pictures from there.

These are all my thoughts for now…. Thanks for the emails and the postings. I do read them all though I may not respond for some time. Also one note that I don’t have internet access in my room. I have to go into town to an internet café, so I may only be checking once a week or so. Talk to you soon! Oh one more thing -- Bibs -- your Chinese is impeccable I'm so impressed. Lets have a language fest on my website!!!! (lol)