South Africa in Senegal

For the non-mutual friends, rather than me trying to reinvent the wheel, it makes a lot more sense to simply direct you to a blog entry written better than I could ever do - Walking with Lions in Senegal.

Out of Africa

Despite everyone still speaking French, Brussels, even if just for 60 hours, was a very pleasant change from Senegal. Although I thought I was getting away from the touts, the cheats, and the average person who simply wants to get your money - case in point, being cheated at the airport on the way out when I thought I was being nice by taking some Euros off a woman who I thought was given them as charity by arriving passengers and giving her CFA, only to find out later that she had substituted some Euro coins for similar looking worthless CFA coins – may be people like that burn in hell! – but back to the story. I was reminded, upon arrival in Brussels, that capitalism simply results in large, organised companies being evil and trying to rip you off rather than individuals doing it in a non-organised way. A coffee in a large cup at the coffee shop chain at the airport results in them taking it a little too literally – the cup is large, but the volume of coffee is slightly less than what would have fitted in the small cup. May that company suffer the wrath of the European financial crisis!

Saly - not quite Scarborough Beach

The local 'Picaso' taking my purchase (bargained from 60,000
down to 20,000 CFA) off the frame.

Saly is one of the resort towns of Senegal (the other one being Cap Skirring). It is a around 80km South of Dakar (which means anywhere from 50 minutes to 2.5 hours driving) and serves weekend holiday makers as well as Europeans on package holidays. It has sun, beaches, and clubs. My reason for going: the beaches. I wanted to get away from Dakar for a weekend, relax on the beach which would hopefully be nicer than the ones in Dakar, and just enjoy a quite weekend. Well, on Senegalese standards, it lived up to these expectations. Therefore, if you're in Senegal, it makes for a nice getaway - though I certainly couldn't recommend making an effort to specifically come here from another country - that, is something I don't get...

Oh, and don't watch the video below if you're planning on having fish for dinner...

258km in 6 hours - The Road to Saint Louis

One restored building, and its mirror image across the street, 'about' to be restored

No, I haven't made it over to Missouri, USA. I have just headed up to a town which provides a strong reminder of the French presence in the area. Both because the town was named after the French king at the time (but seriously, to add 'Saint' in front, does seem a little obnoxious), and also because of the fact that Saint Louis served as the capital of French West Africa for over 2 centuries. The town, another one of Senegal's UNESCO World Heritage Listed sites is part crumbling to bits, and part remnants of its colonial past.

Above: Silting from the artificial break in the sand banks is very evident.
Below: the locals enjoying some colonial shade.

Going Colonial in Gorée

I have quickly realised that my blog entries about touristy things are going to be extremely different to what I'm used to writing. Primarily because tourism (which for me - is more or less doing or seeing something new in a different place) is totally different to what it is in Europe. Essentially, it is a lot more limited by that definition. There aren't that many places in Senegal that I would say I would want to go to from a tourist point of view (of course, this is solely my opinion). Either that, or my enthusiasm for travelling has waned a bit (possible, but less likely). Within Dakar, I don't have that much enthusiasm to go and 'see' things, but I guess that's because the few cultural sites are all in French, and there isn't really a heck of a lot of 'beauty' around. Nice architecture is lacking, as is places of natural beauty.

Enter two things to do. SCUBA diving, and visiting Gorée Island...

Musings on Dakar - Part 1 (most likely...)

Welcome to Léopold Sédar Senghor  (Dakar) International Airport 

I have only been here a short time, but I have already noticed so many things that stick out to me. Some of them stick out because I have simply been transformed to a different climate, different culture, different language and different life. Others though, simply do not have explanations because in any context, they simply do not make sense. In no particular order, this is my list of impressions of this hot country of which I have only touched upon...

• The unofficial taxi driver coalition in Dakar believes that if enough of their members honk at you, you will eventually get in one of their taxis and pay for a ride.

• In terms of equal standards, accommodation costs are slightly higher than Scadinavia, yet taxi rides are about one-twentieth the cost, even though the cost of fuel is roughly the same (on the other hand, the standard of the taxis themselves, can't really be compared...)

• It is nigh on impossible to find a self-service laundrette. But there are plenty of "pressing" shops that will clean your clothes (I have a feeling they actually dry-clean...) at a handsome cost per item (a load of basic washing just cost me 16,800 CFA / $33)

A busy round-a-bout with 3 Nescafe vendors (2 seen here, partly
blocked by a ubiquitous yellow taxi)

• Instant Nescafe from a street-seller in a tiny plastic cup is the height of coffee culture, and can be found on every street corner.

• Forget Japanese, European and American cars, Iranian and Indian cars rule the roads here!

• Forget BP or Caltex, here we have OilLibya!

• Like most non Anglo-Saxon Western coutries, the people are some of the most warm, welcoming and genuinely friendly people ever. Spend a day driving a new colleague aroundn to help him find an apartment? No problems. Invite a relative stranger into your house for a meal? Of ourse. Whilst overfriendliness tends to raise alarm bells with me, the worst thing that is likely to happen here as a result is daylight robbery by the street-seller or taxi driver.

A Divided City No Longer

Pariser Platz - named so many years ago to piss off the French

I have always been amazed by the concept of war, especially, past wars. Mostly, because they don't make sense, but also because countries tend to behave in such ways which make even less sense. Even equating countries with toddlers doesn't quite explain things. The results of WWII are evident throughout Germany,  and although Berlin nowadays acts like one city, it is quite clear from how it looks that there are two sides to the coin.

Lounging Around Lubeck

Why Lubeck? Why not?

How much is that doggy in the window?
Woof woof. Woof woof.

White Out

Our village of Val d'Isere can be seen at the bottom of the valley.

Rather than waste precious electrons on the 'printed' word, I will let the photos do the talking here. One week snowboarding in the French Alps, right near the Italian border, with a good friend of mine from Australia, equals an awesome time, great boarding (for me, as an Australian, but I'm sure more fresh snow wouldn't have gone amiss), awesome food, lots of pains, and best of all, no fractured scaphoid!

Hamburgers

The engineer in me was totally fascinated
by the train being able to roll onto the ferry
for the crossing to Germany.

As every intelligent person knows, Hamburger refers not only to the delicious meal, but to a person who comes from the German city of Hamburg. In fact, in adjective form, it also refers to anything of Hamburg origin. Unfortunately, when one does not understand German and therefore cannot understand the words that follow 'Hamburger' on a restaurant menu, it is only natural to assume the item is something along the lines of two all beef patties special cheese lettuce onions on a sesame seed bun. Well, one is wrong.

Dear Denmark

Dear Denmark,

It is time to be 100% open with you - I'm not sure this relationship is for life. That's the short, blunt, story. The long story though, is that I have not given up yet, and I want you to understand what might happen and why...

Diving the Red Sea

The Negev - like the Australian outback, but with hills and cliffs!

My three day trip to Eilat was as much about relaxing at home, as it was finally getting to dive in the Red Sea. With 3 other countries in clear sight, one still feels as if one is clearly in Israel, and not necessarily some international resort. Of course there is no shortage of foreign languages being spoken, but Hebrew still dominates (and Russian isn't that far behind). I don't remember Eilat that much from my previous visit around 20 years ago, just bits and pieces. But I'm sure it has grown and changed quite a lot - the bits I do remember, were the same.

Silence is Golden

I have just returned from a weekend trip with a bunch of friends to Helsinki. We went over there for a birthday party and an all 'round good time. We stayed at one of the Omena Hotels - a chain renowned for the sex trade due to the lack of reception and therefore lack of witnesses. Apart from getting punched in the eye by the guy sleeping next to me in the middle of the night, our hotel stay was rather uneventful. The weekend itself was filled up a really great party, a few hours walking around a city which I don't think has changed that much since last time I was there 8 years ago and a visit to the island fortress of Soumenlinna - a 20 minutes ferry ride from downtown. Of course, there was also an evening in a sauna thanks to our local Finnish hosts. The sauna involved a 20m (literally) ferry ride to the island on which it is located, a lot of sweating and relaxing, and then feeling like my feet were going to fall off my legs after going for a dip in the ice cold (well, not literally, but it felt this way). All in the spirit of good health!

My impressions of Helsinki: well, some of the stereotypes definitely have validity...

• Most people in the street look like they are going either to or from a funeral - smiling at strangers or being talkative (when sober) is possibly frowned upon.

• 

  Looking down the barrel of a canon on Soumenlinna Island
  

  Finns like drinking. I thought Danes liked it, but Finns really like it. Walking through downtown Helsinki after midnight, you struggle to find someone who isn't drunk.
• There are lots of crazies about.
• Food isn't their strong-point. This is perhaps a common theme in the Nordic Countries, and Finland isn't any different.
• The more the same vowel can be repeated consecutively in a word, the better. Bonus points if the vowel has dots on top of it.
• Finnish is impossible to understand, even a little bit.
• Turning the traffic lights off during the night at the less major intersections in the capital is an acceptable way to save the planet.
• The Finns are a damn friendly bunch of people who are very hospitable - it's worth your while getting to know one! (or more...)

The Most Beautiful Voyage in the World

Kristiansund - one of the last Hurtigruten stops before Bergen

Or so goes the tagline for the Hurtigruten. Although I can't say I have been on every possible worldly voyage, I can quite comfortably say that it can't be far from the truth. However, I have to admit, that it has some very good competition from the land based transport from Bergen to Oslo - or at least, the first 3 hours of it.


Although we had some super cheap (NOK 199) train fares booked for the 7 hour train ride from Bergen to Oslo, much of the first half of the journey was by bus due to track-works that were taking place. A bit annoying I thought, but in actual fact, the ride really was so absolutely beautiful that I can't say any of us cared too much. The journey along the fjord just outside of Bergen, right up to the point near Geilo provides some of the most spectacular views I can possibly imagine one can see from a bus or a train. Huge mountains dropping sharply into crystal blue ocean, beautiful small villages perched amongst green pastures at the foot of mountains, rocky cliffs, unbelievable waterfalls, and pure, green, clean landscapes. Unfortunately the dirty windows and the constant movement made good photos almost impossible - I guess this is something you will have to do for yourself...


Bergen itself is also a gorgeous city. It is famous for being rainy around 2 out of every 3 days (the statistics vary depending on the source, but no source quotes less than that...) True to form, we were not disappointed and although we had a couple of hours of dry weather, the clouds lowered onto the mountains and the heavens opened up.
Thankfully, we did indeed get to see Bergen in a great light. After arriving in town we quickly dropped our gear off at the hotel and then took the funicular up the Fløyen mountain for a great view of the city. We then embarked on one of our walking tours and despite getting a little wet, saw some interesting sights around Bergen. The inner city has a great little harbour, and this one fantastic little neighbourhood with really narrow cobble-stone streets, old houses, tiny gardens out the front, and like the rest of Norway, lots and lots of bright colours

On The Top of The World

Trondheim - our last major stop

The Coastal Steamer has been running along the Norwegian coast for over 100 years. For the past few years, it has also been known as the Hurtigruten - the name of the most recent company to run the route. Every day, a ship calls in at each of the 34 ports. Each ship takes 11.5 days to sail the return trip from Bergen to Kirkenes. Whilst not designed as a tourist experience, tourists have become an integral part of the journey, I think, primarily, to keep the business afloat. The traditional role of delivering mail and goods, and ferrying locals is apparently not that lucrative. Anyway, we hopped on board the MS Richard With in Kirkenes for a 5 night journey down to Bergen. We didn't really know what to expect - apart from a lot of peace and quiet and some beautiful sights. What we got was so much more...

It's The End of The World As We Know It, and I Feel Fine

Not in the sense of time or epoch, but if the earth was flat, this would be pretty close to the edge. Kirkenes isn't quite the northernmost town in Norway, but I think it could be described as the most remote on the mainland. Past the 'hump' of the northern bit of Europe, north of Finland, and only a handful of kilometres from the Russian border lies a a very sleep, yet seemingly industrial town of around 7,000 inhabitants. This is the last stop of the Hurtigruten ferry - a transport which has been the lifeblood of many of the 34 towns and villages it stops at along its journey from Bergen right up here into the Arctic Circle. At times, especially in years gone by, when roads became impassable and planes had no chance of landing - the Hurtigruten ferries made there way here to deliver goods, deliver mail, and ferry passengers. Today, although still working boats with a practical purpose, passenger cabins have been created for those 'tourists' who want to simply experience the beauty of the Norwegian coastline. This is where my parents and I start our voyage.

Fantastic panorama of Kirkenes thanks to the wall outside the local shopping centre.

Where Two Seas Meet

A not uncommon sight in Denmark, but always beautiful!

Nearly 15 years ago, my uncle took me to the meeting point of the Indian Ocean and the Atlantic and tried to use the "Mayer sense of humour" to convince me that I should be able to see the different shades of blue, and that is precisely where the oceans meet.

After being in Denmark for nearly a year, I figured it was time to go to the place the Danes refer to so lovingly as the where the North Sea and the Baltic Sea meet. Many think (or so they say) that you can see the oceans meet. People say that you can see the oceans meeting because of the way the 2 currents meet - now I'm not oceanographic expert, but basic laws of physics tell me that it doesn't really make sense for there to permanently be 2 opposing currents which happen to meet up at a certain location in the ocean - the tides alone should put an end to that. Lastly, there is the famed light of Skagen. The special luminous effects which have brought many Danish painters and photographers to the location to capture the special lights. Now given that this isn't the only location with a beach at the given latitude, I was a bit sceptical about this too. None-the-less, I'll use anything as an excuse to travel and see something new...

Viva la Revolucion

Traditional dress

Koprivshtitsa a beautiful historic town in Central Bulgaria and was the scene for our second day trip. As there was also going to be a kind of folk festival happening in town, we thought it would be a good time to visit. Although the town was in fact rather beautiful and a fascinating place from an historical perspective, the performances at the festival left a little to be desired. Unfortunately, the singing, which was very poorly amplified by the loudspeakers was pretty ear piercing. The dancing though, at least was something a bit different and got my attention for a few minutes!

Popping Over to Plovdiv

I managed to fit in two lovely day trips during my short stay in Bulgaria (or rather, two day trips were fitted in for me).

The first was to a city in the centre of the country called Plovdiv - described as one of the most beautiful cities in Bulgaria. Well, to be perfectly blunt, with Sofia as my reference point, it wasn't going to be hard to beat. Turns out, Plovdiv really is a rather beautiful city with its own special character, and an amazing old city that has a well preserved Roman and Turkish influenced architectural side to it. Enough for a day trip, perhaps even an overnight trip - but definitely a city you can spend a few hours wandering around aimlessly in...

 

Making A Jewish Mother Proud - Bulgarian Style

This typical train station is indicative of my overall impression of
Communist buildings in Bulgaria...

Well, it seems like Jewish mothers have some competition - Bulgarians! Never would my mother be so proud of the way someone extended hospitality towards me and worried about me so much more than one would think possible, than with my friend and guide in Bulgaria.

Mineral water springs in the centre of the city - the locals are constantly
filling up water bottles to take home so they can enjoy the good minerals.

The warnings I got prior to and during my trip made me think I was entering the third world: Don't cross the street when the green man appears without first checking for cars (only to have my guide cross at a red light instead). Don't go north of this street, it's very dangerous. I wasn't allowed to walk around by myself at night. Warned about getting ripped off left, right and centre. Concerned that there were lots of ugly buildings around. Worried that I would be too busy and get tired. Concerned that there was more to see and do. Very tiring. But wow, what an absolute pleasure! My experience in Bulgaria could not have been better, and despite all the bad things I had heard from my friend, the country was a pleasant surprise for me.

Yet another great photo, thanks to my guide & photographer. This is the old mineral bath house