It was dusk by the lake. We sat on an unremarkable bench, shaded by trees, hiding us from some jealous stars. The Alps on the horizon, covered with stracciatella snow, and the quicksilver surface of the lake, reflecting the fancy lights of this elegant city.
His green eyes gazed at the horizon. His frown-wrinkles seemed to dissolve in the evening, and I saw him place his heart on the bench beside him. He handed me a Cuban cigar and a matchbox from Manuel’s. A couple of hours of co-solitude, in the center of the city, or the universe, but very far from all. He unleashed his mind with a hurricane of passion, for creating footsteps, for changing things, and for glory.
I lent him my attention, thankful for all the butterflies that had led to this effect. I felt richer and wiser, and far from the center. Thankful for the clarity of the moment, and the purity of the bond.
After exchanging gratitude, we embraced a comfortable silence. The noise of streetcars, mixed with nearby salsa tunes. We promised more than just words. “See you on Wednesday,” he said softly, Our journey was just beginning.
Three nights in Okinawa. Sometimes you go to a tropical island hoping for sun and enjoying the white sands and transparent turquoise water but find a clouded sky and a strong wind. This was the case in Okinawa. I was already warned by Kate, that a cyclone is approaching and that a typhoon is possible. The predictions said that it is approaching on the day I leave the island. I hesitated only a little before flying to Okinawa, since most of our fears are exaggerated, and since it is a regular event in the region. I assumed that the island is prepared to face such events. It is Japan after all and what I have seen so far makes me trust this country in many things. Things simply work here. Sometimes when I see organised societies, it seems all natural and self-explanatory: There is no garbage in the street because there is a garbage man whose job is to collect the garbage, and people don’t throw garbage in the street. Why would anyone throw garbage on the street? This all sounds very logical but most of the world does not function like this. Most of the world is dirty and dysfunctional, or at least does not function using the same logic. The check-in process in most of the Japanese hotels I stayed in was done by a machine and a hotel employee is hovering around the machines to assist those with less digital competence. The machine scans your passport, finds your reservation, collects your payment and then spits out your room key along with a small paper with your room number. I checked in to the nice room and rushed to explore the features of the toilet 🤣. This is a thing here. This toilette would open the toilet lid once you approach it. By a click of a button you can also control the toilet seat. The usual other functions include controlling water flow to clean you, control water temperature, a funny function oscillates the water so that you increase the area covered 😁. A button for music covers up for the auditory pollution that you might create, and sometimes there is even a button for drying your sparkling clean rear. Most of Europe still needs this kind of evolution, instead of this strange habit of wiping with papers! Living in Europe, one can sense the feeling of “superiority” of the west. Because of the industrial and economic dominance of western countries, as well as the higher quality of life, many people there assume that they are the top of human civilisation and that this welfare is an indicator of an advanced society. Unfortunately, some people generalise this into thinking that the western way of living is the best and the rest of the world has just to “catch up”. Specially in topics like social interactions and morality. A lot of this is justified by its affiliation to science, which is also mostly coming from the west. Here I borrow Tanizaki’s question: how would the world have looked like, given that Japan (I add: or other non-western societies), were at the front of scientific and industrial innovation? Let’s remember that science is the product of scientists, which are always biased human beings. Humanity would have probably advanced in a different way, other than changing the last name of women after marriage or just wiping our rears with papers, and other countless examples of things that don’t make sense to me. The trip to Japan was a milestone for me. Here I saw a top society with totally different culture than the west. An example of how things can be done differently and still function with excellence. Specially on the social level. This gives me hope that globalisation does not necessarily mean westernisation or Americanisation of all countries, but rather on taking the best feature from each culture around the globe.
I spent my time in Okinawa chilling, eating, getting massages daily and dancing. I visited one beach but that was below average. The best Hawaii-like beaches are either more than an hour drive or an hour of ferry ride. Since my driving license is suspended at the moment and I didn’t want to get stranded on a remote Japanese island while the typhoon hits shortly before my return-flight, I relaxed myself by meeting travellers and locals on the island and enjoy lazy and schedule-free 2 days.
At the end of my trip, I will take back with me a new affection for Japan and Japanese people. The way they bowed to welcome you or to bid you farewell was always heart warming. Sometimes a business owner or worker will come and bid you farewell and wait until you take the lift. Their smile can be felt behind their masks. Always polite, always courteous and always eager to help you. I observed that this is how they treat each other in general. When the flight from Okinawa to Tokyo landed in the rain, and the airport bus came to pick us up, there were two meters from the stairs till the bus where you could get some rain on you. But no! two gentlemen stood there carrying two umbrellas so that the passengers don’t get uncomfortable. The flight attendant came down the stairs of the plane and kept on waving bye-bye to passengers and specially children. I ask myself, is this a job? Is this in the job description? or do they add an extra humane touch? or is it the ”natural” thing to do for them?
So, that’s it. My time in this trip has come to an end and it is time to go back and serve. Thankful and privileged I am to have the time and means to go on this trip. I appreciate your time reading my words and sharing the trip with me. This is one way of fighting the traveler’s loneliness. I am now excited to see how this trip will influence me in the future. I am also excited to come back to Japan one day.
Okinawa! I bought my fl0ral island shirt 😁
A few friends that followed this trip expressed that it would be nice to travel with me. I would gladly disappoint you 😄 having a companion changes the dynamics completely and strips your time of the priceless freedom. Then there is often he conflict of interests and the need of compromise. Unless you are immensely lucky to have the perfect travel partner, I would mostly choose to travel solo. I guess an exception of that would be going to nature-filled destinations like Iceland or camping, then i believe that a loved and like-minded soul is essential to share what you see and what you feel with. Until the next trip, I give you a kiss and a hug.
AI generated art using the following text: Japanese samurai fighter meditating on a rocky formation at sunset with cherry blossoming far in the horizon. Intensive, high details, 8k image quality
I did not plan my stay in Tokyo to last for a week! But Tokyo kept on seducing me with things to be seen and things to be done like a skilled lover.
Not lucky enough to catch the cherry blossoming season in Japan, but lucky enough to visit during the grand sumo tournament. Even luckier to manage to buy a ticket from the black market and get it delivered to the hotel. Today, Monday the 22nd of May is the Sumo day.
The day of the sumo competition starts at 8:30 in the morning and lasts until around 6:30 pm in the afternoon. It’s divided into three divisions where the beginners level takes place in the morning until around 2 PM where the intermediate level takes place, followed by the advanced professional level. I read online that many people start going in the early afternoon, when the games are more interesting and the wrestlers are more famous. Luckily there was an old Japanese lady who speaks English sitting in front of me and eager to explain everything without sparing any details. I also had no shame in bombarding her with questions about the game and the competition.
There I was sitting, surrounded by a sea of passionate spectators. The roar of the crowd signaled the next match. Before the wrestlers even stepped onto the ring, a series of captivating rituals took place. The rhythmic stomping of the wrestlers’ feet during the ritual and the throwing salt through the air added add an air of mystique to the event.
As the matches started, I thought I would be there just to enjoy the event without much interest. But slowly, I got involved with the matchs, checking the record of the players of the upcoming match and asking my new Japanese old lady friend about why that wrestler is popular. For example, one was much lighter than the rest of the wrestlers, another was climbing the victory ladder very fast, while Asanoyama was just good :). The wrestlers displayed different technique, ranging from brute force to agility and trying to trick the opponent. You lose if you go out of the ring or if you touch the ground with your hand. The lady told me, this is why in the arena they sell only chicken meat, since it stands on two legs and never walks on 4 legs, which would be a loss in sumo! The explosive moments when one wrestler forced the other out of the ring or made them touch the ground were met with thunderous applause, igniting an electrifying energy in the crowd.
You can watch the highlights of the day’s matches here.
Leaving the grand tournament, I felt an overwhelming sense of gratitude for having witnessed this spectacle. This concluded my visit to Tokyo and I then took the direct bullet train to Kyoto, my next destination.
Since I am discovering artificial intelligence a bit more, here is a photo of two ancient Egyptians playing Sumo
AI-generated image of two ancient egyptians wrestling Sumo
Now if you merge the photo with one of my photos from this trip:
“I rushed from the bed to the shower to the street, determined to make it on time for the dance class I had reserved two days ago. The perks of the internet knowing everything about me are the precise advertisements and suggestions 😂. Two days ago, my Instagram feed reminded me of a dance video I had liked a few weeks ago. I remembered that the dancer was based in Tokyo, so I followed him on Instagram. Yesterday, I saw his story announcing a dance lesson, so I immediately signed up. I arrived a few minutes late because I got lost in the famous busy Shibuya square. The instructor, nicknamed “Boxer,” was already leading the class. There were some Japanese regular dancing students, as well as tourists from the USA and Germany. Boxer began the lesson with easy steps, gradually increasing the difficulty level until only a few could keep up. As the lesson progressed, I realized what made his dance style so special: he could move his hips to one rhythm, his steps followed another rhythm, and his head seemed to beat to a third rhythm. There I was, in the corner, trying to forge a new path in my brain called “multitasking,” a concept I had never excelled at.
Dancing is an incredibly social activity that allows you to connect with other passionate individuals. After the lesson, I joined Boxer, another Japanese dancer, and a group of tourists at a nearby traditional restaurant for lunch. The tourists happened to be two kind-hearted American ladies, who were art professors on a work trip, and a dancer from Germany. We engaged in a lively conversation filled with travel advice from Boxer, creating a light-hearted atmosphere full of fun and laughter.
During our conversation, I mentioned my plan to visit Okinawa. At this point, Boxer warned me about the presence of dangerous sea snakes that occasionally come to the surface to breathe. I responded by expressing concern not about their visibility on the surface, but rather about encountering them while swimming around my lower body. Boxer explained that these snakes pose a threat when they feel attacked while breathing, as their bite can be lethal within a matter of seconds. Naturally, his words left me feeling a bit worried.
A few seconds later, Boxer added, “Also, be careful of the snakes on land; they can also kill you.” I paused, contemplating his words. He then mentioned an interesting addition: “But if you manage to catch one and bring it to the police station, they’ll reward you with 5000 Yens.” I jokingly replied that risking my life for a little more than 30 dollars didn’t sound quite appealing, and besides, I had no clue how to casually catch a snake and deliver it to a police station. Our conversation continued, playfully exploring various hypothetical ways one could die in Okinawa, ironically known as one of the places on Earth where people live the longest (over 100 years). So why meeee?
In the midst of our conversation, Boxer recommended some intriguing dishes for me to try, such as sparrow or turtle! Curious, I inquired about the infamous deadly fish dish called “Fugo.” Boxer’s response was rather blunt: “That can also kill you!” Fugo is a highly toxic fish that, if prepared improperly, can be fatal. Only licensed chefs are allowed to handle it. Boxer shared that, around 200 years ago, many Japanese people lost their lives due to this fish. I couldn’t help but wonder about the determination it took to persistently search for a proper way to cook a toxic fish. How did they test it all those years ago? For example:
“I think I found a way that maybe less toxic, guys do you want to try it?”, then they all die. — “Ops, maybe we should prepare it in another way!”
After this nice encounter, I headed to Asakusa, a neighborhood in Tokyo where one of the biggest religious festivals, called “Sanja Matsuri,” was taking place over the weekend. You can learn more about it here: Sanja Matsuri Wikipedia page. The festival, rooted in the Shinto religion, attracted a multitude of Japanese locals and tourists alike. I couldn’t help but admire the Japanese people wearing traditional kimonos; full of elegance and grace. While I knew I would probably feel out of place wearing one myself, it was a joy to witness the locals embracing their cultural attire.
The focal point of the festival was the procession of moving shrines throughout the neighborhood, eventually making their way to the temple. The shrines were carried by enthusiastic participants who rhythmically shouted and were accompanied by claps from the crowd, creating a lively and energetic atmosphere. As I strolled through the streets, I was amazed by the number of street food stalls, small businesses, and skilled craftsmanship on display. The hustle and bustle of people engaged in various activities added to the charm of the event. It reminded me of the general beauty of large gatherings of people, be it at the cinema, stadium, concert, or even religious ceremonies, where the collective energy and shared experiences contribute to the enjoyment.
After immersing myself in the festivity, I decided to take a lazy walk along the riverside, on my way to one of the tallest towers in the world, the Tokyo Skytree. There, I indulged in a panoramic 360-degree view of Tokyo, hoping to catch a glimpse of Mount Fuji. Unfortunately, the weather wasn’t ideal, but I found a plan B. I savored a small snack in the sky bar, while admiring at the sunset casting its warm blanket over Tokyo.
As the evening unfolded, it was time for El Cafe Latino, a perfect way to cap off the day’s adventures.
Today I wanted solitude. I went for a good breakfast (the coffee was exquisit) and then decided to checkout some of the food recommendations from Kate. I went to some matcha tea salon. There I had a great matcha desert made of different layers. Many of these good businesses have a line to enter and they even have seats for the line because there is always a line. I then went to a book store nearby and bought 2 books that were recommended by Kate and another book that attracted my attention. The first book is “In Praise of Shadows” by Junichiro Tanizaki. This book is a treasure for me and for anyone interested in design and aesthetic. It is a small book and I am already halfway through it at the time of writing these words. The second book is a book about ”Haiku”. Haiku is a Japanese poetic form that consists of three lines, with five syllables in the first line, seven in the second, and five in the third. The third book, which got my attention from the shelf was about “Wabi Sabi”, which is a Japanese expression/concept of the wisdom in imperfection. I took the books and went to a close by ramen-restaurant for an early dinner. Again, the food looks great, tastes great but I am still struggling with those damn chopsticks. I thought I am well versed in physics and used Archimedes lever-law but without much success. I even had cramps in my hand muscles by the time I finished my dinner. I started reading the Praise of Shadows and it got my attention. I enjoyed the first few pages until I reached a lengthy segment with a poetic description of Japanese toilets. The book in general, discusses the importance of darkness and imperfection in designing Japanese life!
That evening, I went to a bachata lesson. I take regular weekly lessons in Zurich and it has become one my passions in the last couple of years. So I added that to my collection of travel activities. I try to take dance lessons in general when I am traveling. The lesson today was in Japanese. The teacher was super excited but also very didactic. Since I didn’t understand a word she said, I tried to follow the choreography as much as I could, well it is dancing, so words are not that essential. After the lesson, there was the social. This is the beauty of latin-dances. They are now so wide-spread, that you could dance and meet people around the world.
Motivated by Donny, I decided to go to the hotel earlier this night and read.
***
In Tokyo’s vast expanse, I seek solitude, With a book in hand, and a mind serene and shrewd. Amidst concrete towers, stretching towards the skies, I find solace in stillness, where tranquility lies.
***
I always wonder about the consequences of a simple insignificant decision. You take that particular bus at the suburb of a foreign country to meet someone you know. Or to decide to stop for an ice cream on your way home then meet a friend close to the ice cream store. This happens all the time, but I am most aware of it when I am not sure if I am not sure between two options. Should I take that bus? Should I actually go for an ice cream? When this happens a lot in one’s life, every single small decision could lead to a significant life-changing event. However, most of this happens only when you leave your home. I like to think of this as exposing self to the universe and let the apparent chaos include me in the story. I mention all of this, because a series of small insignificant decisions lead to big moments for me in this trip.
On Friday, I went to teamLab Planets digital immersion museum, went for a wagyu-beef dinner and then went dancing in two places. A day of many emotions and twists in the plan. I will write about it tomorrow but leave you with a video about the teamLab Planets and other photos from Thursday:
In contrast to the day before, I woke up after 4 hours of sleep, yet equally energetic. Breakfast, writing, then off to a tour organised by Donny from couchsurfing. Today we will be in Ginza luxury shopping district but visiting other kinds of stores. We were a small group including Donny, a Canadian gentleman who used to develop websites and invested a lot of his income in stocks 15 years ago. Then he discovered that the income from the dividends was enough for him to live comfortably. So he retired at the end of his thirties. Now he spends the year divided between Tokyo, Mexico City, Poland, Hungary and finally Montreal. He speaks 7 languages comfortably and reads around 10 books a month. Accompanying us on the tour were a young German lady, a French lad, and a Thai guy. On the top of Ginza Six building they made a nice garden overlooking the poch shopping district and embraced by Tokyo skyscrapers.
Traveling truly sets the stage for everyone to share their life stories. Throughout my own travels, I’ve heard countless fascinating tales that have inspired me to shape my own path thus far. Today was certainly no exception!
We wandered around town, visited Sony-store where they exhibited latest technologies that sometimes never made it to the market.
We also explored an 8-story stationary shop filled with all sorts of paper, writing materials, and office supplies, as well as a 4-story toy store. Tokyo is like a vertical wonderland! Many businesses and shops are located on the 2nd, 3rd, or even higher floors, without any presence on the ground floor. I guess it’s easier since most people discover these establishments through Google anyway. As the tour came to an end, I bid the group a “hasta luego” and headed off to meet Tomogo, a local couchsurfer who had promised to show me more of Tokyo.
Tomogo works in the marketing of a healthcare app. Initially, she planned to take me to visit some temples, but we arrived after closing time. So instead, we ventured into the vibrant Harajuku area and ended up in Shibuye, home to the world’s busiest crossing, complete with its iconic diagonal zebras.
We went on top of a tower for a nice Sushi dinner and a view of Tokyo from above. I am in general not a Sushi person but this one was good. Well, not good enough to convince me to take you out for Sushi, but yalla, no problem.
Tomogo is wise. We discussed a lot about life, relationships and modern society. I learned a lot about Japanese relationships between men and women. After dinner we went to the game arcade, which is a usual activity here. We played old style video games by inserting coins and for example racing in Super Mario, racing in motor bikes and playing shooting games. I lost in almost all the games against Tomogo which is strange hehe. After the video games we went karaoke where Tomogo sang Japanese love songs and I tried my luck with Frank Sinatra and 50 Cent :D. Karaoke, for me like bowling, is an activity designed to fill you with shame and disappointment. I wonder what is the percentage of people that feel great after terribly singing in front of others. I added karaoke to my “Sushi-List”, of things I would need to be convinced to do.
Wednesday 14.05.2023
I had to change hotels today since my first booking comes to an end. I moved to another Hotel in the buzzing area of Roppongi. The new hotel has a swemming pool and its own “Onsen”, which is a traditional public hot bath. After leaving my luggage, I wanted to go see the sumo competition sinece luckily there is a grand sumo championship going on. But unluckily all the tickets are sold out. My plan was to go in front of the arena and hold a sign ”I need tickets” and hope that someone might have an extra one to spare. As fate would have it, while riding the tram towards the arena, I managed to secure a ticket from a black market website and decided to disembark at the next station. I found myself in a street that has many shops for music instruments and suddenly I found a university hospital in front of me. Sine I had no other plans, I went in and asked if I can have a tour in the hospital as a doctor. The answer was ”not without an appointment”. So I asked if I could make an appointment and the answer was ”no”. I took that as a clear rejection with ”get out of here” as a virtual subtitle.
I wandered more the streets of that neighbourhood and ended up having a massage and a hair cut :D, which is one of the experience I collect from different countries. For dinner, I went to a restaurant that didn’t look very remarkable but the food there was delicious. The minimum of the quality here is high. It seemed to me that there is no wrong choice, except of my incapability to use chopsticks. Donny said that around 1/3 of the world uses chopsticks and I wonder why. For me it is a terrible tool that can easily be replaced with better inventions.
In the evening, I decided to visit the “English Only Cafe,” a café where locals primarily gather to practice their English skills. I believed it would be an excellent opportunity to meet and engage with the local community. To my pleasant surprise, both Donny and Miriam, the German lady I met earlier, were also present. I moved from table to table, striking up conversations and sharing jokes about life with the predominantly young Japanese crowd. It was yet another enriching experience of cultural exchange. After the event, Donny, Miriam, and I headed to an Izakaya, a traditional Japanese pub known for its drinks and finger-food snacks. Our conversations continued late into the night. Donny amazed us by reading Patrick Süskind’s “Perfume” in just one day, inspired by Miriam’s mention of the book the previous day. Truly impressive, don’t you think?
One of the most interesting conversations was about the ”blue zones”, where are regions in the world with the highest number of people aged more than 100! There has been a research and a book about them trying to understand what these regions have in common and what makes humans live that long and, above all, they lived with few diseases and not just survived that long.
The evening was not over, one more meeting with Najat, a tunisian model living in Tokyo. We have a mutual connection and we were in touch before my trip. We met in Roppongi and went for drinks in a not-so-busy club. More conversations and more about living in Japan, this time rather from a slightly middle eastern perspective. These two days were very rich with encounters with locals and travellers. I thought tomorrow I should spend more time alone, in nature or with art.
I flew in the morning to Tuxtla Gutierrez with a layover in Mexico City. I didn’t visit Tuxtla but rather took a direct microbus to San Cristóbal de las Casas, an old city with colonial flair and cubblestone roads. The one-hour drive there was curvy through beautiful mountains. Nature is gradually changing from hot desert to more green and forests. I was adviced to visit it by some friends due to its nice atmosphere. It reminds me of Risihkesh, India and slightly of Bali, Indonesia. It has the most number of tourists I saw so far. Besides, it is full of hippies, barefeet white guys and girls who have rasta hair, probably vegan and give you the impression that shower is not accessible. I have the feeling we have very little in common and often think it is a reaction to growing up in previleged societies. I rarely see this from people who were once forced into minimalism by poverty.
The town is colourful and like many places in Mexico abundant of beautiful corners. This is a nation that likes colours and making things look nice.
Looks like Cuba but it is Mexico I have never been to Cuba anywayI like the pavement
In the evening, I met Ivar, a local couchsurfer who took me for a walk around San Cristobal. Ivar was very interesting. He studies his Masters studying obesity in Indiginous communities and its relationship with gut flora. He hosts couchsurfers to be able to see the world untill he manges to travel outside of Mexico. Well, talking about our experiences in couchsurfing, we figure out that he hosted my friend Nenad. Nenad seems to be everywhere. We met first in Venice in 2010 and then he hosted me in Jakarta, Indonesia in 2014 and finally in Quito, Ecuador in 2019. He has been travelling the world for years and everywhere I go, i find his footprints somehow. You can read about our encounter in Jakarta here.
I have planned a visit to the Sumidero Canyon for tomorrow. It is supposed to be a marvel of nature and a must visit while in Chiapas.
You need to sanitize your shoes
****
Friday 19.02.2021
Eggs with mushrooms, toast and marmelade for breakfast. With eggs they always serve you some hot sauce. They also typically eat enchiladas for breakfast. I have no idea how they can tolerate such spicy sauces in the morning. I tasted with caution thinking about later consequences.
A morning walk at 8:00 am is always peaceful. It is dropping very small drops of rain making it in general a very pleasant atmosphere. I went back to the hotel to get to know that the Canyon tour was cancelled because of the weather. I didn’t have plan B. So Marika recommended I take a cooking class. Which I was lucky enough to find in the same day. I booked “cooking with Sofia” experience on Airbnb for the afternoon. Till then I went around the streets strolling and looking for inspiration.
Sofia welcomed me in her kitchen in her cafe/workshop place. Over two hours, she guided me in a culinary trip on preparing chicken tacos as well as her recipes for guacamole and smoked sauce. We cut the ingredients together and she gave me tips on how to choose different ingredients and how to chop or prepare them. Between the steps we exchanged some thoughts and conversations about our lives. She is a very energetic and kind person with passion for food and connecting with people. She also introduces me to pinolillo, a drink based on corn and cocoa. The evening was both enriching and entertaining.
Afterwards I went to meet Blanca and her boyfriend Marco. Blanca is a friend of my friend Aldo and he connected us today. She is a local who loved more than half of her life abroad and now working on a project building a house and hoping to sell it. She is doing it herself. Hiring workers, electricians etc. and telling the what to do. Well, she is originally a psychologist and has a PhD in history. While Marco her boyfriend is Italian who arrived here 9 years ago after other 10 years in London. He opened a coffee shop and also fixes coffee machines and gives Barista courses. We had a few drinks while we got to know each other. Lovely people with kind hearts. We discussed a lot about the pandemic and how each of us coped with it. I believe we have the conclusion that life somehow needs to go on.
Life is a journey where we breath, eat, move and do other things that make us human like love, connect and interact. I see no beauty in extending life per se without all the beautiful things that we can experience in it. What is the point of having a society eating, sleeping and breathing but having no pleasure, no movement and no experiences? A short full life is in my opinion superior to a long boring and depressing life.
He overfilled my plate with an exaggerated portion of meat and salad. He was generous, for no reason other than sympathy for another dark-skinned foreigner who had experienced the unwelcoming looks of the locals on the first walk in town. – “How much?” thinking that was worth a bit more than the usual 5 euros. – “Let’s make it 3 euros”. I raised an eyebrow and wondered “Thanks!” – “Good for you that you are leaving this town tomorrow” He wasn’t allowed to leave for some years. – “Hopefully you will leave soon, too!” **** A great amount of peace.. I am happy I have left that town.. Spreads of green fields with lines of almost perfectly spaced trees.. forests of half naked tall and thin trees crowded with their bare knees to yield black darkness.. and my mind wondering in this train about the point where the east gives way to the west.. where civilization and tolerance are more..
Morad and I were satisfied with our time in Cambodia so far. Well, rather full of it! Following Daniel’s (the swiss bar manager in Phnom Penh) advice, was our decision to skip Sihanoukville. He said “it is nice. But it is like Mallorca.. instad of the drunk Germans, you will see drunk Chinese”. We took the night bus to Phnom Penh and chilled our last day in a jacuzzi on a hotel roof, more walking and at the end a nice restaurant with creative Cambodian cuisine. Morad ordered a strange dish with red tree ants followed by another dish of Tarantulas (fried giant spiders). I ordered some duck breasts and wondered why does Morad eat such strange things!? He says “why not?” but he wouldn’t eat crickets for example (cucaracha in Español, one of my favorite words phonetically). Somewhere, each of us draws a line of what he considers disgusting. Disgust is supposed to be a primitive feeling to protect you from unhealthy things that might tamper with your health. However, it could be also disturbance of the sense of beauty, which with some elaboration, could be also referred to an inner compass guiding us to what is healthy or helps our well being. I often think about “beauty”.. it is not extremely necessary for survival.. which makes me question its primitive explanations.
Davide taught me how to look sexy in photos
Does not look so excited, no? 😀
We walked more and more and spontaneously entered a building that seemed to be a mall and turned out to be a casino. Another side of Cambodia with well dressed people and in general rich-looking people. We couldn’t really tell if they were cambodian or chinese. We stopped there for an “award-winning cake” which turned to be almost tasteless. Nonetheless it was entertaining to observe a different aspect of the country. We flew back to Hong Kong airport and from there we took the ferry to Macau, our third and last destination in this trip. The ferry is around one hour from the airport. At the customs (which is almost always the case) we were both sent with a special officer to a special room. It was not complicated or impolite, it is just the usual treatment. As soon as you arrive at immigration window, the officer looks strangely at your passport and calls someone else to accompany you to the VIP room (:D).In Macau city we got lost a bit, our electronic devices are out of charge and we didn’t manage to find anyone who understand the words “hote” in English. It was impressive the lack of basic English knowledge here. At least this was our impression. After a lot of walking and asking, we managed to arrived to the nice hotel that had a wonderful view over the Macau Tower and a nice lake.
Hello Macau
A nice good morning
***
Good morning Macau, a former Portuguese colony but they drive on the other side of the road (reference being the majority of the world). our first impression was positive. We liked the city and the general atmosphere. We started our day by a long walk to the national art museum. The museum was less impressive than the walk.. It is a city of 5-star hotels and casinos.. Las Vegas of china they said.
Macau, funny looking Grand Lisboa Hotel
planning on robbing those
Morad posing in the art museum
Morad suggested we stop by the Macau tower. We decided to have lunch in the skybar which is a rotating restaurant in the 60th floor overlooking Macau and parts of china. An open buffet with lots and lots of varieties of asian and indian food and diverse choices of deserts. It was an unforgettable experience that we both agreed its worth exceeded both the time and money invested. If you ever go to Macau, have a meal in its 360 restaurant.
After lunch, with full stomachs, we headed to a huge shopping mall where a fashion event was being held. We started with a stroll in the huge mall. Asians are obsessed with expensive brands. They wear a lot of items that show the brand with big font or simply icon items that are quickly identified to be from Gucci or Channel. It seems that it gives them status and prestige. The mall was divided into sections that are themed after famous places. We visited the “Venetian” and the “Parisian” copying Venice and Paris. Having visited the cities themselves in Europe, we were impressed by the mall! A lot of effort was put into making this place a beautiful and luxurious place. It was nice to be there. We walked for almost 5 hours without having a seat. The fashion show was an interesting event featuring the works of probably local designers. The models were not that beautiful nor lively. They seemed to have freshly learned the catwalk and were not very into it. I mean, who am I to judge, but it didn’t look very appealing. The choice of music was excellent on the other hand.Impressed as we were, we decided to leave the mall and head for a place to have coffee and a small snack. Morad suggested the ritz-carlton cafe which was in a walking distance. We discovered that it was inside another mall+casino. We rested there from the day, had some conversations and arguments that didn’t reach a level of fighting and decided to go to the cinema. We watched the “First man” movie with Chinese subtitles (phewww!). The movie was good or Ok :). Annoyingly, on both of our sides, there were people checking their phones. Not even doing something particularly urgent, just checking some old photos or touring different smartphone apps. After the movie, we went home and rested from the full day before our departure in the next day. *** It is the bye-bye day.. you checkout and take different transportations till you arrive to the airport and fly home. You want to fast-forward it and end up in your bed or in your shower. They way home is usually not very spectacular until you are lined up in the immigration line to leave Macau and you reach the window, they call a guy and they refer us to another window for “Diplomats and handicapped” WTF? It is usually a semi walk-of-shame when you reach the line and they send you somewhere like some criminal or suspect. However, being sent to the “Diplomats and handicapped” window didn’t look that bad since we didn’t look very handicapped (Alhamdulillah). The officer in the Diplomats/Handicapped was a bit stupid (or retarded, I like this word. I am bad.. I know). He was checking our identity, Morad and I. So, he takes first passport, then compares the photo with Morad. OK.. match! Then he takes the 2nd passport and compares it AGAIN with Morad. WTF? I made a gesture that meant (it can’t be that Morad owns the two passports, no?). The officer nodded and gave us the passports with an OK-nodd.
The ferrys and then the flights back to Frankfurt marked the end of our trip. We then split in different directions carrying new memories and experiences. We both felt happy to be in Germany and Germans seemed like the warmest people compared to our experience in Hong Kong and Macau. Now it is time to go back to reality (not really) and jobs.. We hope that you enjoyed reading these blogs and joining us in this trip.. For me, this creates reference-points with many people and triggers nice conversations and reflections.. So, see you offline 🙂
On a day before today.. Early june or late in Mai.. I was walking on the way.. Where the angels used to stay..
She was there walking with me.. Many smiles in her pocket, and a poem in her wallet, and a lot of things to say..
Full of joy I saw her soul.. Walking, talking also joking.. Laughing louder than I do..
Curly curls in her hair.. Lovely earrings in her ear.. In her eyes there was a flare.. All the time I had to stare..
Then we wandered in the town.. Walking up and walking down.. Having many things to share.. Saying words to tell we care..
Then she pointed at the crowd.. People sitting in the garden.. Having fun and being loud..
“Wonder, how it is to be.. like the people that I see.. lame and boring little lives.. unlike you and unlike me..”
Well, of course my dear to-be.. We are pearls inside the sea.. Take my hands and walk with me.. Let’s go far let’s be free..
At this moment when we looked.. Both the hands and eyes are locked..
All the movements came to slow.. Scented breeze began to flow.. Lovely music in the show.. Just one thing I had to do.. Kiss those lips the way I know..
