Defining technology advancement

On the topic of technology, Japan usually comes to mind. They came up
with smart toilets, robots that run like humans, bullet trains, and
Honda. Despite these accomplishments, I noticed two things I
considered "backwards:"

1) Paper Books - On the train, most people either look down at their
phone or a book.... with real paper! On a rare occasion, I spotted an
iPad but not a single eReader (except mine). A bookstore in the train
station is not an uncommon sight. In the US, mortar and brick Barnes
and Noble stores are becoming obsolete since we buy our books online
or read them on our Nooks and Kindles.

2) CDs - In the US we listen to our music using our favorite Apple
product or Android phone. In Japan, however, Tower Records still
exists! People still buy CDs rather than download it.

While Japan paves the way for new technology or improves existing
technologies, the US appears to incorporate technology in the day to
day.

Masked

Traveling around Japan I noticed A LOT of people wearing surgical masks in public. Obviously the sick wear them to prevent spreading their germs. Then there are the germaphobes who wear them to prevent from getting sick. This still leaves too many.

In an article I read, it listed other reasons:

- Prevent/reduce allergy symptoms
- Cover bad breath
- Hide a pimple
- Women wanting to appear mysterious to men (similar to wearing oversized sunglasses)
- Hiding emotions or facial expressions

The last item is interesting. In Japanese culture they say the nail that sticks out gets hammered down. By wearing a mask, they can hide their emotion and/or facial reaction to reduce attention to themselves.

The phrase also explains why everyone wears white surgical masks rather than something colorful or printed with a cute design. In 2007 I went to Ho Chi Minh and observed everyone wearing masks; however, it was out of necessity. The air is extremely polluted and after walking around a few hours my eyes stung. Back at the hotel, I noticed my nostrils were black. Gross! The masks in Vietnam are colorful and come in a variety of patterns. I am not as familiar with Vietnamese culture, but individuality was not discouraged. It rather seemed capitalistic and encouraged people to stand out in order for their business to thrive.

Before signing off, I would like to clarify that Japanese people are accepting of individuality and cultural differences. On this trip, I met and spoke with a lot of natives who were genuinely interested in my background. They enjoy learning about the differences in cultures throughout the world. In the school and work environment, individuals may be required to fit in with certain norms, but their free time is spent exploring their own interests. The surgical mask is just one visual reminder of our difference in values.

Carbo-loading

Maintaining a "healthy" diet by American standards has been challenge. The meals in Japan highly favor simple carbs - noodles (ramen, Okinawa soba), white rice, and white bread. At home, I try to eat lean proteins and vegetables, but the salad craze hasn't reached Japan. I will be headed to Akita soon where I will have access to a kitchen and supermarkets so I'm looking forward to that.

Avoiding carbs has not only been a challenge, it has been a test of will power. I love LOVE noodles and they are so good in Japan. Okinawa soba is chewy and delicious. Ramen is flavorful and cheap - 800 yen for a bowl of ramen, fried rice, and 2 shrimp tempura. The bread is fluffy, even at McDonald's. I'm surprised people here aren't fatter.

Tipping

Japan isn't a tipping country. Traveling around, I wonder why we tip in US when service is inconsistent and often poor when compared to a country like Japan.

When I set snorkeling, the operators were extremely professional and explained everything in such depth I have never experienced. They explained how to wear the wetsuit, how to put the snorkel in your mouth, how to bite down, and how to put on the mask.

My experience with the dive operator was similar as well. There is definitely no worry about being left out in the ocean (like that terrible movie).

After service like that, it's difficult to justify NOT tipping in Japan. If you try to tip, they will refuse. It is actually more trouble for them if they accept it since they don't know what to do with the money.

Don't walk and drink...

...or smoke or eat 

Every time I come to Japan, there are subtle differences I notice about our cultures. This trip made we realize how little oral restraint we have. 

In the mornings, the streets of Tokyo are busy with business men and women. Despite the volume of traffic, I have not spotted a single person walk around drinking a cup of coffee, eating breakfast, or smoking cigarettes. (The last one may be against the law). I stopped at Starbucks but I couldn't resist the urge to walk back to my hotel and drink my tiny cup of coffee. I felt like a deviant. 

In Japan, there is an overwhelming feeling of citizen's patrol - everyone is watching each other. If someone acts in an errant manner, they get dirty looks. No one needs to say anything because the look is enough. It's similar to mom shutting you up with her look of death in the museum or at the movies. 

I saw one woman eating a typical fast food meal on the train - fries, burger, and a soft drink. She started discreetly by popping fries in her mouth once every few minutes. Then she proceeded with her burger. She unwrapped it just enough that she could take a bite with the wrapper covering her face while she did it. Metaphorically the wrapper seemed to shield her actions and emotions. Throughout the meal, her neighbor would occasionally side glance a dirty look at her.

In New York, it's a regular occurrence to see people walking around with coffee or a cigarette their hand. On subway in NY, people are always eating - fries, a leftover pork chop from dinner, a sandwich, or just chewing gum. You're probably saying, "Our commute is longer," but it's probably about the same. Those who live within the city have about a 30 min commute. Those living in the outskirts, spend over an hour each way. Instead of eating, the Japanese usually sleep or read. Breakfast is usually consumed at home or a quick bowl of noodles before catching their train.

The only time you see public eating is on the Shinkansen. At the Shinkansen station and during the ride, bento boxes are sold. The boxes often usually contain rice with accompaniments like pickled or stewed vegetables, fish, or meat. They also have sandwiches with the crust cut off.

From an American point of view, the Japanese appear to have great self-restraint. From childhood, they endure rigid structure - school 6 days a week with tutoring on Sundays. An athlete, would require additional training. With so much structure, refraining from eating and drinking on the commute is probably a cinch.

Back in Tokyo

It's been a while since I last wrote.  I'm currently back in Japan and really happy to have internet access.  Finding free wi-ri is nearly impossible in Japan so I brought my laptop with me.  From what a friend told me, it was available at one point, but concerns of privacy no longer made it widely to the public.

As soon as I step foot outside of the airport, I felt a wave of nostalgia pass over me: clean buses with polite drivers, handles so low they hit MY head @ 5'4", paying my fare in paper bills, machines that provide change.... I will spare you the remainder of my mundane list.

The best part is, coming to a business hotel and reading awesome signs like this on my bathroom door:

"Thank you fire alarm for working when steam leaves the bathroom."  I was worried that I would no longer find awkward sentences like this anymore but am happy to know that is not true!

Blackbeard's Cruises

Just came back from a dive trip where I lived on a 65' sailboat which was converted into a liveaboard for 20+ people. The rooms were tiny. When you enter the room, you face the beds (4 people per room) and when you turn around, your nose practically hits the wall. It's very tight. The bathrooms were just as tight and you can't flush paper down or else you will jam the toilet. We had one very rough day at sea and someone threw up in the middle of the night and reupholstered the walls.

The diving was great. Spotted some awesome creatures: Carribean reef sharks, octopus, scorpion fish, trumpet fish, spiny lobster, arrowhead crabs, coral banded crabs, sea cucumber, electric ray, etc. Sharks were my favorite! It's so humbling to sit on the ocean floor while the sharks circle around you. Unless you're facing them, you don't even know they're close to you until you see them right behind you or over you.

Aside from the lodging, the temperatures were very, very chilly. At one point it was 43F and 39F with the wind chill. It was not appropriate to be standing around wet in a bathing suit on a ship without protection from the wind.

Boriqua

Went to PR for a short weekend getaway -- Friday to Sunday. The schedule was very tight and a lot was squeezed into the short time frame but it was fun. Sleep can wait!



Day 1:

Head to Old San Juan. We were lucky enough to find street parking. Visited El Morro fort which is on the tip of the island with a great view of the ocean. Lunch at Jibralito -- pernil, delicioso mofongo, langostines with garlic, and rice and beans (of course). Headed over to
San Lornenzo to drop off Peter at his baseball game. Drove to Humacao but nothing there so I headed back and watched some baseball. I had a driving mishap. It was dark and accidentally ended up on the off ramp of a highway. There were red signs a few feet past the exit with sentence written on it which I couldn't read. Wasn't sure but it felt wrong so I did a 180. Luckily, cars started coming down the ramp just as I had turned around.



Day 2:

Left for Fajardo for the ferry to Vieques at 3am thinking the ferry was at 6am and people would be waiting early to go. Not only was Vieques not as popular a destination as we thought it would be, the ferry was at 9am. We could have had several extra hours of sleep. Oh well. Slept in the car instead.


In Vieques, we rented another car -- Tracker with scratches and dents all over, cracked signal, passenger window could not roll down and no radio. Checked into our hotel, The Great Escape. A hidden hotel with a crazy steep and rocky driveway.

Our biolumicent bay tour was amazing. Thought of switching operators because there were 20+ people but he was so well organized it felt like it was a small group. The operator's name was Abe's Snorkeling. He told us what cause the water to glow, how we can help maintain it, etc.

After driving around, we decided you definitely need to rent a jeep to get around Vieques. The roads are totally ridiculous -- rocky dirt roads. Apparently Culebra is more popular b/c it's cheaper and you can camp out there.


Day 3:

Headed back on the 1pm ferry to Fajardo. We drove around looking for Peter's game in Ponce. The directions we received we terrible: drive along this road, turn right, keep going until you pass two government buildings, go under a highway, pass a hotdog vendor, etc etc. Haha. Through some divine miracle we found it. I went my own way and drove to El Yunque. It was beautiful and lush and green. The roads were fun to drive on. They were windy all through out. It was pouring rain when I got to the top so I dropped in the souvenior shop and bought some coquis (frogs). They're so cute.

Trip was short but fun. It was my first taste of PR and I thought people were friendly and a beautiful state/country/island. What is this place? Food is good but it's heavy. I tried the icies from a couple of vendors but the best one was by El Morro. So light and smooth. Mmmm. They can't really drive which is quite annoying. They like to sit in the left lane. They also have some of their own alcohol that they ferment with roots and fruit underground. I think it's ron cana. I tried some with tamarind which was sour and sweet at the same time. It was strong but good.

Exploring New York

It's been a while since I last write. I've slowly been exploring New York and trying to catch up on things I should have done or discovering new gems. I got to ride the Cyclone before it shut down for the rest of year. I also caught myself some fresh whiplash as a souvenir.

I also had some friends from Holland visit so I got to see some places I haven't been to like Govenor's Island and Harlem. I was really disappointed by Govenor's island. It's tiny, the ferry ride is only about 10 min, and it's not as luscious and green as I imagined it to be. We did a self guided walking tour of Harlem which was nice. We visited the famous Abyssinian Baptist Church and visited some houses with old wooden porches. I was also able to score some Yankee tickets and checked out the stadium before they tear it down. I think it's the first time I've been there. To me, since I don't have any memories tied to the sport, it was like visiting any other place. It doesn't hold any sentimental value, but I was glad to have had a chance to visit a place where history was made.

I've also been exploring little holes in the walls and discovering new places with great food. There is a great falafel place near Katz's deli where they make fresh pitas and tasty falafels. The guy working there was Moroccan. He seems to really love his country. I also found this delicious taco place in Hells Kitchen. Outside it's a bodega but there is a small window inside with 2 mexican ladies making tacos. I think they make their own tortillas. The tacos come out looking like the ones I had in Mexico. They had my favorite lenguas (tongue). They also had other meats like ear, chicarron (pork skin), salted beef, etc. I definitely want to go back. The place reminds me of my times in Mexico. Niquoa and I would get two tacos for $1 off the cart. Of course the tacos here cost more -- $2.50 and up. I saved on the price of airfare though.

Kebab Cafe!

I went to eat at Kebab Cafe! in Astoria today. The restaurant was featured on Anthony Bourdain's show. Although he comes off as an opionated jerk on the show, apparently he's really friendly and nice. Who knew?! Anyway, this restaurant is narrow and has large glass windows. The building number is not on the outside of the restaurant and the name of the restaurant is at the top not within eye level. My friend and I almost walked past it. Once you walk inside, it's a narrow restaurant with the kitchen immediately to the right. Ali, the chef/owner, tells you the menu and brings the food out for you. He prepares traditional Egyptian dishes composed mainly of lamb. He serves all parts of the animal including brain, tongue, testicles, and cheek. Everything is prepared differently. My favorite was the brain which had the texture of tofu. It was seasoned with a lot of lime or lemon. The kushary was different from the ones I had in Egypt but it was still good. At Kebab, he uses more rice than pasta and tops it off with sauteed onions rather overfried crispy garlic bits. The testicles were soft and sauteed with green peppers and onions with a sauce that tasted like oyster sauce. I didn't really like the sauce and the texture of the balls was really soft and mushy. I will definitely be back to this restaurant. It has a nice friendly atmosphere. You feel as though you're sitting in someone's living room. The food is a bit pricey but I guess it's the price you pay for good food.

Astoria is an interesting neighborhood with ethnic fusion. You will find a Greek restaurant next to a Spanish tapas restaurant which is next to an Italian cafe. There were also a ton of hookah bars in the neighborhood as well. Most of them seem to be occupied by men which is typical of Egypt since local women do not smoke. Smoking shisha is a nice way to sit and relax and catch up with friends.

Habitat for Humanity Newark

Last weekend, I went to Newark to help build homes with Habitat for Humanity. The commute there was really blurry at 6 AM. I took the subway to the PATH to the bus. It really was quite a hike. Once I got there, I watched a brief safety video and debriefed about the do's and don'ts... like don't wear sneakers. Of course I wore sneakers. Luckily, they had a pair of oversized boots for me to borrow.

I felt as though I was in a foreign country. We were told never walk between the sites alone. Once the people in the neighborhood get to know us, then you can start walking around on your own. Walk in groups with a minimum of 2 people. Don't bring your wallet. Put a $5 in your pocket before going to the store. I made it there and back to the Middle East unharmed and now I might not make it out of Newark alive? Jeez. How ironic. Maybe this is related to the fact that people get into car accidents when they are close to home.

What did we do? First we started by discarding extra pieces of drywall into a dump box (?). Then we brought the extra wood to another site being built. Next we all got to use power tools!! We used the power screwdriver to tick (?) the screws. The screws were all in the drywall securing it to the posts, but our job was to make sure the screws were below the surface. If the screw missed the post, we had to take it out and re-screw it. It was laborious and frustrating work. I either didn't have enough strength to screw the screw in or couldn't find the post. After lunch, luckily we were able to do something else. We changed occupations and became electricians. Don't worry, there was no electricity running through the house. We installed outlets. We learned the difference between 12 and 14 gauge wires, and we learned to indentify which is the ground wire. I was much better at this so naturally it was fun.

We had a nice group of people. I've been volunteering a lot these days and I've found that you generally meet nice people. I have yet to meet a jerk on an assignment. The people for Habitat were really chatty and friendly. I didn't have time to get lunch ready so I brought a Dunkin' breakfast sandwich. One guy felt bad for my super unhealthy lunch that he gave me a yogurt.

Habitat is a great organization. They careful choose who will receive a house. The recipient must put in at least 400 hours of sweat time. Joy, who will receive one of the houses we worked on, has worked more than 400 hours. She intends to keep coming until her hours is done. She will be moving in with her two sons. It feels good knowing that work that you do is helping someone. It's definitely more gratifying than producing a headcount or a turnover report.

Fun pics from Egypt

Jordan to Israel

I'm sitting in front of a computer in Israel on my last day because it's too hot, I'm lazy and feeling unmotivated to step out the door into that beautiful Red Sea. Stupid? Yes. I'll take a dip after writing this. I'm running out of pages in my journal and need to just put some thoughts down. Also to give myself some humanitarian credit, my friend is sick and vomiting fairly regularly since last night. I'm hoping it's not my cooking.... I ate the same thing. =/

So my main goal for going to Jordan was to see Petra. I want to witness for myself the image of the Treasury in the Indian Jones movie. By the way, does anybody have the movie and want to watch it with me when I get back? I didn't realize (because I did zero research) that Petra is a large city all carved out of the mountains in the surrounding area. It's really incredible. To reach the city, depending on how verbose your damn tour guide is, you need to walk about 20-30 min. You will then reach the canyon pictured in the movie and it opens up to the first building -- the Treasury. While walking through the canyon, you can't help but hum the Indiana Jones theme song. EVERYONE was doing it. There is everything in the city: palace, homes, movie theatre, chuch, etc. People lived here until fairly recently when the government convinced them to move out to Little Petra, an adjacent city. If you walk away from the main tourist areas, you can still find bedouins living in some homes. When I went to climb Mt Aaron, I received several invitations to have tea with them. It's the bedouin culture to invite people for tea. You are allowed to stay in a stranger's home up to 3 days without being questioned. Incredibly friendly and gracious people. An observation I think all the women made in my group made was that Jordanians have beautiful eyes. They have tan skin offset by their hazel green eyes. Some also have blue eyes.

We spent the night in Wadi Rum desert with a sheik which was a lot of fun. We had a traditional bedouin meal where the meat was cooked in the sand with the combination of charcoal and the heat of the sand. The meat was so tender! At night, we went to check out the stars but it was difficult because it was a full moon. I saw a dipper, scorpion and the southern cross.

After some thought I decided to push my return flight and tag along with a friend to visit Israel. We heard some horror stories about the overland boarder crossing taking 5 hours so we were worried but we made it across in less than 2 hours. It was much smoother than the Egypt - Jordan crossing.

We started in Jersalem which I really loved. Yes it's touristy but there are some incredible sights and the people are amazing. It's my misconception of the country but I thought the main religion would be Judiasm. Israel a melting pot of Judiasm, Muslim and Catholic. If you park yourself by a window in a cafe and watch the crowd go by on Dolorosa street, you will see religious figures from all three within a 5 min time span. It's incredible. The people are extraorinarily friendly and have gone out of their way to help point directions or take a photo. We did the rampart walk and walked on the wall of the Old City and had a nice arial view. We stumbled across the Virgin Mary's birthplace which was not on the map. In the basement, there was a damp grotto which labeled the tombs of Mary's parents. We walked the underground tunnel of the Western wall and visited the Wailing Wall. We also visited the City of David where we walked through a water tunnel of Hezekiah. The water is crisp and cold and you have to wonder how anyone could carve this extensive tunnel out of the mountain. We were worried about passing the armed security guards to enter the Temple Mount (or the Dome of the Rock) but it was worth the anxiety. It's covered in beautiful mosaic tiles and topped with a huge gold dome. I was particularly impressed with the nightlife on Ben Yahuda street. On a Monday night, there were different types of street performers puttting NYC to shame. At 8pm, drummers, a harp and recorder duo, guitar trio and a magician were begining their performances.

I am in Tel Aviv right now. Yesterday, I had a great swim in the Red Sea which was warm and clear green. I visited the market where I bought fresh vegetables and pasta for dinner. I will be cabbing it to the airport tomorrow at 5am. This never happens, but I'm actually looking forward to going home. I miss my friends and family. What I'm not looking forward to is having to find a new job and returning to the daily grind. Since I don't have any interviews lined up, I don't think I have to worry about that for a while.

See you all soon. Cheers!

Europe to the Middle East

I've been around the world and I I I... can't seem to catch up on my blog. Since the last post, I visited Skandinavia. All the countries here started to look the same after a while. They had churches, palaces, fountains, plazas, etc. The Danish danishes were soooo good. I ate too many. Of course I had to try the local beers in each of the countries which were okay. In Tallin, Estonia, I tried medieval beer which was... not so good to say it nicely. It was like drinking water soaked with herbs and medicine. St. Peterburg was excellent. I loved St. Catherine's palace and the Hermitage. The palace was so elaborately decorated with gold leafs, mirrors, paintings and chandeliers. The Hermitage had a great collection of painting from famous artists such as Monet and Picasso as well as a statue by Michelangelo.

After the cruise I sent a few days in sunny England checking out Stonehenge, Bath (again because I forgot I went there), Stratford Upon Avon, Windsor Castle and London. The landscape in England is really beautiful. Drove along picturesque windy roads through green tunnels enveloped by trees.

I am in Jordan now but I was in Egypt visiting Cairo, Aswan, Luxor, and Neweiba. Hands down, traffic in Cairo is the messiest, craziest place I have ever been. Because of it, I would say some of the best drivers are probably here. If you drive along the highway, you never know what will pop out from the side -- kids, donkeys, elderly, a car coming in your direction. Just incredible. The dress code isn't much fun. Shoulders to knees must be covered at all times. It gives you a great excuse to work on that T-shirt tan. Temperatures are pretty hot, especially in Aswan and Luxor where it reached up to 50 degrees Celcius or 120F. I didn't think it was possible to get that hot. I have seen some really amazing sights though. Of course I saw the pyramids and sphynx. I lucky enough to see them in the day time as well as night when they have the laser and light now. Climbed down into the chamber of the 2nd pyramid and admired at the craftsmanship and wondered how in the world did they build this? Abu Simbel is a temple carved into the mountain with multiple chambers. That is probably one of the most memorable sights. I did 2 dives in the Red Sea and got to see some really color fish but the coral seemed a bit damaged which was unfortunate. Just spent 2 nights in a beach hut by the Red Sea without electricity. It was a well deserved relaxing break from all the running around.

I am in Aqaba, Jordan right now. Getting here was incredibly challenging. We took a ferry to come here but arrived 5 or 6 hours behind schedule. The officials at the port allowed tour groups to get onto the boat but individuals were made to wait in a dirty waiting room which had scrappy looking cats patrolling the building. Our boat was scheduled to leave around 14:30 but were told it's running late for about 4 or 5 hours. We found out later that the boat had already arrived and been sitting in the dock since 15:00. I still haven't figured out exactly why they let the big group load first when everyone waiting had a valid and paid ticket in their hand. I can only assume that it has to do with money. These groups must have paid some baksheesh to get on the boat. I don't want to speak badly, but I've had cops ask for a tip for giving me directions. You figure it out. *sigh* Anyway, in the end, our trainee group leader threatened to call the Australian embassy (as well as the British and American) which lit a fire under everyone's ass. We got on the boat, survived all the evil stares for being foreign, and checked into our hotel.

All in all this has been an amazing trip so far. Full of drama, camels, donkey poo, oceans, long pants and sleeves, tombs, and haggling. Oh I had sushi in Cairo and I lived to tell about it. =) Salam!

Antwerp

Antwerp was nice. Cute town. I didn't think I would like it because supposidly it's the shopping mecca but I found some interesting sites by walking around. There are lots of cute little streets with tiny shops. I found an area where graffitti is legal, a candy shop with chocolates in the shapes of private parts, checked out the photo museum, old town, churches, etc. The frites were good. I had some with the curry sauce which was excellent. Belgian frites are good because they use a different type of potatoe and triple fry them. I also had a chance to speak to this lovely gentleman who was missing his front teeth and had BO. He insisted on walking around with me to show me the city. Charming. Yes there is some sarcasm in that statement. I tried a piece of chocolate but I couldn't really appreciate it since I'm not a chocoholic. I did buy some chocolate liquor which I'm saving for later.

'Antwerp' means hand throwing. It's named that because there used to be a giant who chopped people hands and throw them in the river. When he was finally overthrown, his hand was cut off and thrown in the river as well. When you walk around, you see a lot of hands. Chocolates in the shape of hands or hand figurines in the stores.

I loved my hostel. I stayed at ABHostel. It has a full kitchen stocked with china, silverware, spices, and fridge. She provides breakfast with tea and coffee. The rooms and bath are clean. There is a living room with dvds and books for you to watch or read. I felt as though I was in someone's home. I would definitely recommend the place.

Netherlands

I've spent 4 days with friends here in the Netherlands and had a great time. I think you will be surprised to hear that I didn't do most people come here for which is to visit a coffee shop.

Day 1 - My friends gave me a tour of Amsterdam. We took a canal tour which was very nice and hand lunch at Vondel Park by some body of water. We then saw the National Monument, De Dam (plaza), Grote Kerk ("Big Church"), and the Royal Palace. I was curious about De Wallen, the Red Light District, so they took us there as well. I was so surprised to see that the women were quite unattractive and overweight or plump.

Day 2 - We visited the Japanese Garden which is only open for 3 months out of the year in Den Haag located inside Clingendael Park. We also had tea with the Queen at her royal palace. Then off to the beach for some sun and fresh hering. I really didn't know what to think of the hering. I had it with bread and raw onion. I was a real guy magnet after having one of these. It was a bit fishy so the onion killed that but then the onion was so strong it over powered your mouth. At night we had a nice BBQ in Bertine's garden.

Day 3 - We visited the horse market. We got a chance to photograph farmers with the wooden shoes! I had fresh stroopwaffel which was awesome. They are soft and really thin big waffels with syrup in the middle. They also sell these at the supermarket but they taste very different. There were different types of horses - big and small, young and old, beautiful and not so beautiful. Then in the afternoon, we headed to Brielse Maas for a picnic lunch and canoe ride. It was challenging canoeing with 3 people but it was nice. We then checked out Brielle which is historic town with an old harbour. Supposidly April Fools Day originated here. If you google it, let me know the result.

Day 4 - I went to Rotterdam to hit the bookstore to find information about my next destination, Belgium. It is a nice city with a harbour as well. There is a unversity there so I mostly heard English spoken here rather than Dutch. I checked out the really cool apartment buildings Kijkkubus. They look like cubes which have been stood up on their point. I can't describe it so check the website. I crossed Erasmusbrug (famous swan bridge) to meet Sandra on the other side who took me to Bertine's house. At night, Bertine made huge white asparagus for dinner since I kept asking about them. They are in season right now. It was so good. We had it with sauce, ham, potatoes and eggs.

Tomorrow I am headed to Antwerp, Belgium for 2 nights. I might check out some of the neighboring cities as well before heading to Calais, France where I will take a ferry to Dover.

Berlin

It has been a while since I last updated so I am forgetting what I have done. We spent one night in Berlin for a stopover before heading into the Netherlands. I wasn't sure what to expect but I was pleasantly surprised. I rather enjoyed my visit to Berlin. On the first night our hostel, Wombat, was located in the East which is close to the Berlin Domer (I'm not certain on the name) so after grabbing some dinner, we walked around to see that and the canal near our hostel.

Then the next morning, we had a few hours to kill until our train left so we took the free tour of Berlin. http://www.newberlintours.com/nbt/content/view/1/2/lang,en/ It turned out to be really informative and had a good time. The guide had so much information, there were times when I tuned out. To name some of the sightes we visited: Brandenburg Gate, the remainder of the Berlin Wall, Checkpoint Charlie, churches, the location of Hitler's bunker if it were still standing, memorial to the Jews who were murdered during WW2, and much much more. We had to leave the tour early to catch our train, but if I had time, I would have liked to see the museum by the memorial. It contains artifacts found from the time period (i.e. journals, etc). They also offer a tour to Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp which sounded really interesting. Of course there is Pottersdam which is supposed to be beautiful with nice gardens. It's also listed in 1000 Places to See Before You Die. By the way, I definitely recommend this tour company. The guides make money through tips so they work hard to keep you entertained. They provide information in an animated and interesting way so you stay tuned in.

One thing that I find great about this trip is that I've really taken an interest in history which I didn't before. Growing up, it was always 'that subject' for guys. I am also a visual person and reading about events in a book is too removed for me. Now that I am here, I see and experience things which help me to retain information much better. I am not retaining everything, of course, because my bad memory is still bad. At least it is filled with some new information.

I see dead people

I just came back from the ghost tour. The original tour company didn't show up so we went with one that was already there. As usual, like the tours in NY, we found out about all the dead people in Prague. Tynska church has two towers and the two are of two different sizes. The smaller one represents the female. The architect decided that he didn't like how all churches looked symetrical so he decided the two towers different. If I understood the guide correctly, the smaller tower has or used to have a stone bell in it. There is/was a stone bell in it because a Czech queen decided to kill one of her twin daughters to prevent them from arguing over who will inherit the throne. Later on she regretted her decision and bought a stone bell. Makes complete sense to me. You? That was just one of the several stories I kind of, sort of got (or didn't get depending on how you look at it.)

Random Fact

I came across this a while ago... back in Thailand. There was an article about a homosexuals and how they cannot donate blood in Thailand. Sexual preference is a question on the form donors have to fill out. Of course they cannot verify it so it is based on an honor system. The author said he felt bad for lying but he does it to give back to the community. His sister required a lot of blood when she had surgery done. Apparently the same rule was in place in America at some point. It was originally set to prevent the spread of AIDS because it was thought that only homosexuals contracted it. Interesting eigh?

Prague

It is incredibly beautiful here... and charming. Again the customer service part is lacking. Today I tried to go to the salt cavern for a treatment and the woman sits back aloof speaking in Czech and making no effort to service me. She points to the monitors and tells me they are full. Meanwhile, I see several are empty chairs. That's fine. The salt caverns are nothing special. They are basically a room covered with salt. You sit in the room for about 45 min and calm music is streamed into the room. When you are through, you are supposed to feel relaxed and it improves the following ailments:

Upper and lower respiratory passages (nose, larynx, sinus, bronchus)
Reduced function of thyroid gland
Cardiac-vascular diseases (high blood pressure, after-treatment of heart attack, etc.)
Diseases of digestive tract (gastric and duodenal ulcer, Crohn’s disease, unspecified inflammation of large intestine)
Dermatological diseases (psoriasis, allergies, non-festering eczema)
Dysfunction of vegetative nervous system
Neurosis, stress, and states of exhaustions
It slows down processes of aging <--- maybe I can finally use that college ID

I read somewhere that it started in Poland so maybe I should go there. *Hint hint* Next trip? You know who you are. I'll be bugging you after I get back to know when we're going to visit Poland.

Back to Prague. We've walked past a ton of landmarks but unfortunately, I don't know what most of them are because I lost our guide book a while back. My favorite has be walking on Charles Bridge. When you come from the west and walk east, you get a great view of the statues with the room tops of all the churches behind them. There are a total of 30 statues standing on the edges. I think they all have a bit of gold embellishment on them.

Tonight, if it's not raining, we will do a ghost tour and find out all the gory facts about the city. On the 7th, we got tickets to see Swan Lake. I am so excited about it because I've been wanting to see it for a while and it never seems to be performed in NYC. Maybe it is and I just don't know about it. There were thoughts of going to see it in St, Petersburg but Russa makes it very difficult for tourist to visit and travel around. Basically, it sounds like you need to be baby sat by someone at all times.