The third phase of my travels has begun. A month spent in Brazil for Carnaval was great. Backpacking through Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East was unforgettable. But that was just the beginning.
The latest leg of the journey brings me to Southern Africa where I will be spending over a month in Malawi working for Coaches Across Continents, a non-profit organization that uses the beautiful game of soccer/football as a vehicle for education and health awareness for children. But before I get down to that real work, I'm spending a few days in South Africa to enjoy the Confederations Cup in South Africa, an international football/soccer tournament that is basically a precursor to next summer's World Cup.
Right now I'm in Pretoria, South Africa, about to head out to watch a match between the US and Egypt. We Yanks need to redeem ourselves after a very poor showing against Brazil.
More updates soon! And if you have a chance, definitely check out more information about the work I will be doing at coachesacrosscontinents.com
Sunday, June 21, 2009
Sunday, June 7, 2009
Random Observations and Anecdotes (2)
If you ever find yourself in Egypt, climb Mt. Sinai at midnight to reach the summit before sunrise. If you are feeling like a true champion, try and make it to the top in under one hour and thirty minutes.
Also, there's a reason why the pyramids are world famous. Believe the hype. And don't forget your camera.
Finding references to the small island nation of Jamaica is extremely easy in any and all countries - even in the most remote of places.
If you find yourself in Jerusalem and in need of a good line up, head to the Arab quarter in the old city. Quality barbershops full of history abound.
If you're hostel hopping and know that you snore, be aware. Some people get irrationally angry when they can't get a good night's rest. Also, if you're a light sleeper - invest in earplugs.
The main square in Marrakech, Morocco (the Djemaa El Fna) looks like a scene straight out of Arabian Nights - monkeys on chains, snake charmers, cross-dressing story tellers, music and smoke emanating from the evening food stands. But if you take a picture, someone's probably going to ask you for some dirhams (money.) If you are looking for good value for money in the city, check out the three dirham orange juice stands (delicious) and the scarves sold by market vendors (quality.)
I saw an incredible amount of University of Michigan paraphernalia while traveling throughout Israel.
While traveling, always make an effort to be aware of local customs, especially religious observances and holidays. For example - arriving to a small town in Israel at the beginning of Shabat (Friday evening) on an empty stomach and without pre-arranged accommodations is not a great idea.
Also, there's a reason why the pyramids are world famous. Believe the hype. And don't forget your camera.
Finding references to the small island nation of Jamaica is extremely easy in any and all countries - even in the most remote of places.
If you find yourself in Jerusalem and in need of a good line up, head to the Arab quarter in the old city. Quality barbershops full of history abound.
If you're hostel hopping and know that you snore, be aware. Some people get irrationally angry when they can't get a good night's rest. Also, if you're a light sleeper - invest in earplugs.
The main square in Marrakech, Morocco (the Djemaa El Fna) looks like a scene straight out of Arabian Nights - monkeys on chains, snake charmers, cross-dressing story tellers, music and smoke emanating from the evening food stands. But if you take a picture, someone's probably going to ask you for some dirhams (money.) If you are looking for good value for money in the city, check out the three dirham orange juice stands (delicious) and the scarves sold by market vendors (quality.)
I saw an incredible amount of University of Michigan paraphernalia while traveling throughout Israel.
While traveling, always make an effort to be aware of local customs, especially religious observances and holidays. For example - arriving to a small town in Israel at the beginning of Shabat (Friday evening) on an empty stomach and without pre-arranged accommodations is not a great idea.
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
Random Observations and Anecdotes (1)
I was not overly impressed by women in Spain. I was particularly unimpressed by Spanish fashion. Mullets and flood pants? Really?
If you arrive in the port town of Tangier, Morocco after taking a ferry from Spain and find yourself in an "art school," being offered the "best" panoramic view of the city, a glass of mint tea, and being pressured into buying a rug for 600 euro and various other souvenirs and trinkets within your first 15 minutes in the country...don't worry. You are not alone.
Quote from a hustler in Tangier after I declined his services as a guide: "F*ck you. You are a Jew" Welcome to Norther Africa.
Radio stations in Portugal are obsessed with hilarious American 80s music.
If you arrive in the port town of Tangier, Morocco after taking a ferry from Spain and find yourself in an "art school," being offered the "best" panoramic view of the city, a glass of mint tea, and being pressured into buying a rug for 600 euro and various other souvenirs and trinkets within your first 15 minutes in the country...don't worry. You are not alone.
Quote from a hustler in Tangier after I declined his services as a guide: "F*ck you. You are a Jew" Welcome to Norther Africa.
Radio stations in Portugal are obsessed with hilarious American 80s music.
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Casablanca to Cairo
Dodging hustlers and rug merchants in Tangiers; befriending Australians in Fez; avoiding snake charmers and monkeys on leashes at the DJemaa El Fna in Marrakech.
Riding camels to the Pyramids in Giza; Relaxing by the Red Sea; climbing in the footsteps of Moses to the summit of Mt. Sinai - and getting it all done because of the hospitality of friends in Cairo...actually, getting everything so far on this trip done because of the kindness of friends, both old and new.
Much thanks to Tommy Digital and Alex in London, Becky and the auxiliares in Jaen, and Josslyn and the AUC crew in Egypt. Hopefully Israeli hospitality will exceed my expectations as well.
Riding camels to the Pyramids in Giza; Relaxing by the Red Sea; climbing in the footsteps of Moses to the summit of Mt. Sinai - and getting it all done because of the hospitality of friends in Cairo...actually, getting everything so far on this trip done because of the kindness of friends, both old and new.
Much thanks to Tommy Digital and Alex in London, Becky and the auxiliares in Jaen, and Josslyn and the AUC crew in Egypt. Hopefully Israeli hospitality will exceed my expectations as well.
Sunday, May 10, 2009
Lisbon Nights
So I find myself in a cab with my two female friends and one extremely helpful driver. We had just pulled away from Lux, the most exclusive club in the city because the line was around the block and I had no intentions of paying big money to get in. It is about 3am and our driver offers to drive us to another happening spot in town where all the other late night clubs are located. We all agree and soon we are on our way.
We are all talking on the way over, having a good time, and our driver jovially announces that he might just join us at the club. I was obviously a bit skeptical at first - being the only male in the group you always have to be aware of the potential intentions of any random guys that show up. But when traveling I like to remain optimistic and give people the benefit of the doubt. And he seemed like a good guy. On the initial drive to Lux he told us about his previous work showing British tourists around Portugal and how he really hated when some locals would prey on young female visitors. That and a few other anecdotes gave me the sense that he was a standup guy.
We get to our destination and our driver parks. At this point we just start to follow him, really having no idea what to expect. We pass a few places that all seem pretty lively but all the lines seem very substantial. We follow our driver to one of these clubs and he proceeds to walk towards the front of the line. He nonchalantly walks past everyone standing in line, shakes the bouncers hand, and walks straight in. My two friends looked back at me with slightly confused expressions. I had no idea what was going on but at this point did not need to ask any questions. We all followed closely behind our driver. No line, no questions, no hassle, no cover.
The club was first rate. A very good crowd, neon-green lazer lights, bumping techno (or house, or trance...whatever is big in Europe right now) An overall great atmosphere. But before we can get our bearings we find ourselves being led by the driver to the back of the club. Again he shakes the hand of a bouncer and we are suddenly getting escorted into the VIP section. Unbelievable.
To show a bit of gratitude I offer to buy the driver drinks. He told us that he was still on the clock so he would just take a Coke. The rest of the night we just danced and hung out in the VIP section. At around 4 or 5 the driver annonced that he was leaving to work a bit more but that we should stay and enjoy ourselves. He never hit on any of the girls or wanted anything in return. We stayed at the club until dawn and finally made our way back to the hostel as the morning bustle of Lisbon was starting to come to life. The rising sun made everything even more surreal - did that really just happen.
My travels so far have taught me that for every hustler and crook there are dozens of honest, open hearted people who are after nothing more than a good conversation and a good time. If you keep yourself open to new people and experiences good things will happen. And I suppose a little bit of luck doesnt hurt as well
(Sorry this post was a bit rushed. The keyboards in Morocco are adjusted for French and Arabic and make writing anything substantial an extremely frustrating effort.)
We are all talking on the way over, having a good time, and our driver jovially announces that he might just join us at the club. I was obviously a bit skeptical at first - being the only male in the group you always have to be aware of the potential intentions of any random guys that show up. But when traveling I like to remain optimistic and give people the benefit of the doubt. And he seemed like a good guy. On the initial drive to Lux he told us about his previous work showing British tourists around Portugal and how he really hated when some locals would prey on young female visitors. That and a few other anecdotes gave me the sense that he was a standup guy.
We get to our destination and our driver parks. At this point we just start to follow him, really having no idea what to expect. We pass a few places that all seem pretty lively but all the lines seem very substantial. We follow our driver to one of these clubs and he proceeds to walk towards the front of the line. He nonchalantly walks past everyone standing in line, shakes the bouncers hand, and walks straight in. My two friends looked back at me with slightly confused expressions. I had no idea what was going on but at this point did not need to ask any questions. We all followed closely behind our driver. No line, no questions, no hassle, no cover.
The club was first rate. A very good crowd, neon-green lazer lights, bumping techno (or house, or trance...whatever is big in Europe right now) An overall great atmosphere. But before we can get our bearings we find ourselves being led by the driver to the back of the club. Again he shakes the hand of a bouncer and we are suddenly getting escorted into the VIP section. Unbelievable.
To show a bit of gratitude I offer to buy the driver drinks. He told us that he was still on the clock so he would just take a Coke. The rest of the night we just danced and hung out in the VIP section. At around 4 or 5 the driver annonced that he was leaving to work a bit more but that we should stay and enjoy ourselves. He never hit on any of the girls or wanted anything in return. We stayed at the club until dawn and finally made our way back to the hostel as the morning bustle of Lisbon was starting to come to life. The rising sun made everything even more surreal - did that really just happen.
My travels so far have taught me that for every hustler and crook there are dozens of honest, open hearted people who are after nothing more than a good conversation and a good time. If you keep yourself open to new people and experiences good things will happen. And I suppose a little bit of luck doesnt hurt as well
(Sorry this post was a bit rushed. The keyboards in Morocco are adjusted for French and Arabic and make writing anything substantial an extremely frustrating effort.)
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
Portugal
My final night in Europe has arrived. And I´m leaving the continent in style. En route to Tarifa and a short ferry ride to Morocco, I´ve made a quick stop in Malaga. And due to my laid back, last minute style, I´m going to truly experience a night under the stars in Spain. I showed up my hostel here and it was booked solid. So I have the pleasure in sleeping in a hammock on the terrace. It´s actually quite nice, my cheapest stop in Europe so far, and provides quite a bit of privacy. I just sincerely hope that it doesn´t rain tonight.
Anyways, I spent the past weekend in Portugal with an old friend from high school and her lovely roomates. They are all finishing up a year spent working as English teachers in Spain and decided to take a long weekend to go on a road trip to Portugal. They were gracious enough to let me tag along and we had a great four days in the far side of Iberia - Lagos and Lisbon, and a few other stops along the way.
Lagos was hilarious. The entire Algarve seems to be overrun by English and American tourists and renters, but the beaches are beautiful and nightlife is decent as well. Our hostel was a tad unorganized but I was in a room with my lovely travelmates, and about a dozen other female guests - so I wasn´t complaining.
We made a stop by Sagres, the Westernmost point of Europe, once thought to literally be the end of the world. The sunset and views in general there were breathtaking.
Once we got to Lisbon I actually had the opportunity to practice my Portuguese. The city has a very quiet, calm atmosphere, but there is plenty to do. The streets of Bairro Alto are great and filled with throngs of friendly Lisboans. Beers are cheap and can be bought at one establishment and drank at another. At 230am the bars close and everyone moves on to the city´s clubs. We took a cab to Lisbon´s premier late-night hot spot, Lux, but arrived to a line that wrapped around the block. Our cabby was a very interesting guy that spoke English (even though I was trying to practice my Portuguese) and informed my friends and me that even if we waited in line the bouncers would probably try and charge me (the one male in the group) well over a hundred dollars to get in. That wasn´t going to happen. Our cabby told us of another district filled with clubs where he could take us. He seemed like a pretty good guy, so we took his advice and moved on. We all got along so well on the ride that he announced that he was going to take a quick break and actually come out and party with us...
To be continued (I have to get off the internet at my hostel)
Anyways, I spent the past weekend in Portugal with an old friend from high school and her lovely roomates. They are all finishing up a year spent working as English teachers in Spain and decided to take a long weekend to go on a road trip to Portugal. They were gracious enough to let me tag along and we had a great four days in the far side of Iberia - Lagos and Lisbon, and a few other stops along the way.
Lagos was hilarious. The entire Algarve seems to be overrun by English and American tourists and renters, but the beaches are beautiful and nightlife is decent as well. Our hostel was a tad unorganized but I was in a room with my lovely travelmates, and about a dozen other female guests - so I wasn´t complaining.
We made a stop by Sagres, the Westernmost point of Europe, once thought to literally be the end of the world. The sunset and views in general there were breathtaking.
Once we got to Lisbon I actually had the opportunity to practice my Portuguese. The city has a very quiet, calm atmosphere, but there is plenty to do. The streets of Bairro Alto are great and filled with throngs of friendly Lisboans. Beers are cheap and can be bought at one establishment and drank at another. At 230am the bars close and everyone moves on to the city´s clubs. We took a cab to Lisbon´s premier late-night hot spot, Lux, but arrived to a line that wrapped around the block. Our cabby was a very interesting guy that spoke English (even though I was trying to practice my Portuguese) and informed my friends and me that even if we waited in line the bouncers would probably try and charge me (the one male in the group) well over a hundred dollars to get in. That wasn´t going to happen. Our cabby told us of another district filled with clubs where he could take us. He seemed like a pretty good guy, so we took his advice and moved on. We all got along so well on the ride that he announced that he was going to take a quick break and actually come out and party with us...
To be continued (I have to get off the internet at my hostel)
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Salutations from Spain
The past week has been a whirlwind. I stole off into the dead of night after being hosted by another good friend currently living in London. I caught a late night / early morning flight to the beautiful city of Barcelona and thus began the next phase of my journey. Spain was unknown territory. I was finally out from under the safety net of family and friends and ready to try out "hostel living." I was a bit tentative at first but my wanderer spirit soon took hold.
To kick things off I caught Football Club Barcelona utterly destroy Sevilla in a Spanish La Liga match my first day in the city. It was incredible watching such high quality soccer, especially in a stadium like the Camp Nou. 80,000 Spaniards chanted and cheered on their home club for the full 90 minutes, taking extreme joy and delight in not just every goal scored, but in every well conceived combination of passes, displays of defense grit and determination, and any moments of creative brilliance or ingenuity. The fans in Barcelona truly appreciate beautiful football and I feel blessed to have been able to watch a match in their stadium.
In my hostel I was very lucky to be roomed with several other independent travelers from throughout the English speaking Diaspora. We all go on extremely well immediately - there was the Irishman looking to find work in Spain, the university student from Leeds, an American girl working as an au pair in France, a guy on vacation from work in Kansas City, and the New Zealander studying marine biology. We found great restaurants and tapas bars on quiet city side streets and sampled the Barcelona night life. It was sad to bode them all farewell...but the whole point of backpacking is to keep on the move.
After a very relaxing two days in the beautiful city of Valencia, I now find myself in Granada, a small town steeped in the history of the Christian and Moorish battles of the Medieval Period. I actually just got back from touring the Alhambra, an incredible palace/fortress built almost 1000 years ago by Muslim sultans. Both here and in Valencia I have crossed paths with very interesting people from all over the world.
But tomorrow is a new day, new people, and hopefully new adventure. Next stop: Portugal
To kick things off I caught Football Club Barcelona utterly destroy Sevilla in a Spanish La Liga match my first day in the city. It was incredible watching such high quality soccer, especially in a stadium like the Camp Nou. 80,000 Spaniards chanted and cheered on their home club for the full 90 minutes, taking extreme joy and delight in not just every goal scored, but in every well conceived combination of passes, displays of defense grit and determination, and any moments of creative brilliance or ingenuity. The fans in Barcelona truly appreciate beautiful football and I feel blessed to have been able to watch a match in their stadium.
In my hostel I was very lucky to be roomed with several other independent travelers from throughout the English speaking Diaspora. We all go on extremely well immediately - there was the Irishman looking to find work in Spain, the university student from Leeds, an American girl working as an au pair in France, a guy on vacation from work in Kansas City, and the New Zealander studying marine biology. We found great restaurants and tapas bars on quiet city side streets and sampled the Barcelona night life. It was sad to bode them all farewell...but the whole point of backpacking is to keep on the move.
After a very relaxing two days in the beautiful city of Valencia, I now find myself in Granada, a small town steeped in the history of the Christian and Moorish battles of the Medieval Period. I actually just got back from touring the Alhambra, an incredible palace/fortress built almost 1000 years ago by Muslim sultans. Both here and in Valencia I have crossed paths with very interesting people from all over the world.
But tomorrow is a new day, new people, and hopefully new adventure. Next stop: Portugal
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