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Nowhere too exciting, unfortunately.
This is my daughter’s 3rd Christmas, and as such, it’s the first one that she’s really been able to understand; therefore, I’m spending it at home with my two favourite girls.
Looking seriously at where the next adventure is going to take me. I have mid-march earmarked for some time away and am considering places such as Afghanistan with the Kuchi, Sudan with the Dinka, Eritrea or Ethiopia, or a return to N Iraq – Erbil perhaps.
Have a good one James.
Cheers,
Lee.
@ROB wrote:
Very quiet one with the GF here in Sydney. Will eat too much and drink too much.
Maybe go to the beach this afternoon.
That sounds absolutely horrible Rob… I’m sure glad I’m not in your shoes…
Going to see the GF in NYC for New Years and some fun.. I buoght her your whacky Australian shoes–UGGs. Expensive things…
My GF has really small feet. 4, 4-1/2 in American sizing, and I got a deal on them: $70. I think they regularly go for $125 or thereabout. I bought her a nice hat too. Not to mention Russian water, but that’s for me too!!
Yeh, mostly the rich, upper-echelons of New England, urban/cosmopolitan elite wear them. Plenty at my school.
They’re in vogue now mon ami. She’s a New Yorker anyway.
And, no, Kilroy, we don’t do TImberlands…. at least, I sure as hell don’t. I gotta maintain the clean cut New England prep look for the girl and her fam… ha! Except, when I where my Palestinian jihadi kafiyah… well, I can’t really where that too much around her. She gets pissed but then we have to talk about Israel’s right to exist, Palistinian statehood, etc., in which case I am forced to make sense and then make her even more flustered. Perhaps my style is unique: rugby shirt, kafiyah, Stormy Kromer hat, or black special forces beanie, typically jeans nowadays unless I’m splitting wood, in which case I wear wool pants, circa WWII (Swedish baby).
Lee,
Have you ever been to Indonesia? There are still some DP’s and there and a bunch of pretty cool places to go to. I have been living in Jakarta for the past few years when I’m not working or traveling, it is a wild city and still pretty cheap, the traffic is pretty bad but you get used to it. Lots of places to party, some of the famous places are Tanamors or JJ’s. Bali is still pretty happening I was there about 4 months ago, people don’t seem to be on edge because of the past bombings. I’ll be back in February and im going to go to Ache to see what’s up with the rebels there since the tsunami. If you ever decide to go I could probably give you some suggestions or a place to crash.
That’s very kind of you James.
I quite fancy checking out East Timor at some point, but other than that, I never considered Indonesia. The Maliau Basin in Borneo would be pretty cool too if it’s not overrun with tourists yet.
I love this period of indecision I go through every time before I choose my destination and book my flights. Such as wonderful dilema to be faced with.
Erring back towards Afghanistan again now. Just need to set myself a few realistic expectations.Home with the family for the Holidays for the first time in several years. Christmas here was indeed much whiter than what I am accustomed to, on account of both the snow and the people. I feel homesick for quirky Asian queries like “What you do this year for Merry Christmas?” and “Where you go this year for Happy New Year?”
Last year I wrote a local version of “The Night Before Christmas” that began..
Twas the night before Christmas
And all through Phnom Penh,
Not a creature was stirring,
Not even Hun Sen…@Kurt wrote:
I just got back from Wausau Wisconsin.
I enjoyed it but really there is nothing to write about.
shit, wausau, i pass through every now and again. through, mind you, never hang out longer than it takes to gas up and take a few drags from a smoke. it’s just off 39 between my college town and my folks’ current home. you got family there?
Spent 12/24 night on the sleeper car from Luxor to Cairo, with my daughter and niece, arriving the morning of Christmas. In Egypt was my first train ride, loved it.
Luxor was very good. Rented a flat from an Irish woman named Mara. Pretty neat lady. She just up and moved there 3 years ago, without a clue, and built a 9 suite apartment dwelling with intentions of opening some sort of metaphysical institute. She is pleasantly eccentric, tough as nails and respected in the area she built in, which was away from the town center. Refer to: http://www.egyptwithmara.com. People in Luxor very nice. Horses everywhere. Tombs and temples amazing and profound but the relentness shadowing by museum guards with their incessant pleas for baksheesh was a buzz killer.
Hated Cairo. Polluted and uncomfortable with astonishing slums. They don’t take care of their people there. Not a pretty place. Seems like a bad news kind of town. If I ever go back to Egypt I wouldn’t spend a minute longer in Cairo then I had to.
Happy New Year, ya’ll!Awww c’mon Char, Cairo aint so bad it’s like the NYC of the ME. The city that never sleeps. After kicking around in Ethiopia for a few weeks it was like coming home when we flew in there.
It takes some getting used to though. The Khan el Kahlili bazarre is ok but compared to some in Syria, Iran and Turkey it’s only so so.
Best,
StivMany years since I was last in Cairo but one place that made it worthwhile was the amazing Windsor hotel on 19 Alfi Bei Street, off the top end of Talaat Harb street. A wonderful throw back to an earlier age and full of character and characters. Cairo can be mind-numbing, especially the traffic but places like the Windsor make it worthwhile.
Spent Christmas at home as it was my daughter’s first Christmas and we wanted to make it a family event and then New Year in Ireland with my parents. The Guinness went down a treat and the Irish hospitality always excels itself.
@Stiv wrote:
Awww c’mon Char, Cairo aint so bad it’s like the NYC of the ME. The city that never sleeps. After kicking around in Ethiopia for a few weeks it was like coming home when we flew in there.
It takes some getting used to though. The Khan el Kahlili bazarre is ok but compared to some in Syria, Iran and Turkey it’s only so so.
Best,
StivI agree with you about the souks. The best I’ve seen, in my admittedly limited travels (compared w/some here) is in Sanliurfa, Turkey. The Alleppo souk is amazing as well …. narrow twisting lanes that go on forever. The Damascus souk as it segues into the Omayyad (sp) Mosque also is stellar. Even the tried and true Grand Bazaar in Istanbul, once you begin to explore it’s nooks and crannies, contains serendipitous charms and pleasures, particularly “Afghan Street” and the out of the way antique & curiousity vendors, hidden in various courtyards and upstairs shops.
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