Back on track?
First of all there is no track, just a broad path. Today was already the second Monday back at work. Am I comfortable, am I truly happy? The answer to these questions is not Yes – to be honest. I am having difficulties 1.) getting used to the cold 2.) sit in an office for (at least) 8.24h a day 3.) get used to the idea of having my own apartment in the Sargans/Trubbach area and settle down. The moment I look up flats for rent I picture myself going to Asia, work there, expose myself to something completely different. It is nice to have a good salary, having family and friends close by, having a more or less secure job and a good team to work with. But does me make this supposedly comfortable life happier? NO!
Monday, February 22, 2010
Sunday, February 07, 2010
A country consisting of 7'104 islands – the Philippines
The journey from Amman to Kuwait and Bankok did not end in Manila. Armed with 48kg of luggage we crossed Manila by train to look for a nightbus to Banaue in North Luzon, famous for its rice terraces.
The first impression of the Philippines: It is warm, humid and GREEN! The porosities open under my 25kg heavy backpack and the sweat flowed like water. A wide range of trees, bushes and palm trees shows that the volcanic scenery is fertile and full of animal and plant life. (After seeing so much desert things like this are noticed)
After a rather uncomfortable and freezing night in the bus (seems the U.S. Is not the only country having difficulties to regulate its air-cons to a comfortable temperature) we arrived in little Banaue and caught up with sleep, first of all.
Banaue itself is a cute little town with Asian charm, surrounded by some nice rice terraces, but it is rather a starting point to explore various sites in the surroundings. We decided to go for astonishing Batad and despite of its remote location, only accessed by a bumpy road and a 1.5h hike, it is worth the trip. I would describe it as a canyon full of rice terraces, all being flooded and about to be planted by time of our visit. The waterfall just next to it awards the climbing efforts and welcomes the sweat.
The peaceful and tranquil atmosphere invites to sit down, breathe and reflect a second on this 8th wonder of the world. I would have liked to stay in Batad village for the night, watching sunset and sunrise, but our tight travel schedule did not allow it.
Two hours before we arrived back in Manila, we decided not to go to Dunsol (one of the rare places to swim with gentle whale sharks), but travel south of Manila to Mindoro island, enjoy beach life and tourist comfort in Boracay and head further south east through the Visayas to Negros Oriental.
Boracay is probably the most famous and touristy beach in the Philippines. White sand as fine as flour, turquoise water and palm trees are offering some shade for sun sensitive cheesy skin, providing access to the sea. The beach is free of cars and trycicle, instead there is a walkway underneath the palm trees locating restaurants, café's, room for massage and street vendors on one side, hostels, hotels, resorts, souvenir shops and anything else the vacationers may need, on the other side. I would say the urban planners have successfully created a good mix of room for leisure, relaxation, entertainment, water activities and shopping (after all).
Until Boracay it was a lot of traveling and I have to admit that I became tired of moving every night, or every second night. Pack and unpack, carry my heavy backpack, change cities, buses and beds more often than my clothes made me want to stay at one place for a bit longer. It will come, it will come.
The journey from Amman to Kuwait and Bankok did not end in Manila. Armed with 48kg of luggage we crossed Manila by train to look for a nightbus to Banaue in North Luzon, famous for its rice terraces.
The first impression of the Philippines: It is warm, humid and GREEN! The porosities open under my 25kg heavy backpack and the sweat flowed like water. A wide range of trees, bushes and palm trees shows that the volcanic scenery is fertile and full of animal and plant life. (After seeing so much desert things like this are noticed)
After a rather uncomfortable and freezing night in the bus (seems the U.S. Is not the only country having difficulties to regulate its air-cons to a comfortable temperature) we arrived in little Banaue and caught up with sleep, first of all.
Banaue itself is a cute little town with Asian charm, surrounded by some nice rice terraces, but it is rather a starting point to explore various sites in the surroundings. We decided to go for astonishing Batad and despite of its remote location, only accessed by a bumpy road and a 1.5h hike, it is worth the trip. I would describe it as a canyon full of rice terraces, all being flooded and about to be planted by time of our visit. The waterfall just next to it awards the climbing efforts and welcomes the sweat.
The peaceful and tranquil atmosphere invites to sit down, breathe and reflect a second on this 8th wonder of the world. I would have liked to stay in Batad village for the night, watching sunset and sunrise, but our tight travel schedule did not allow it.Two hours before we arrived back in Manila, we decided not to go to Dunsol (one of the rare places to swim with gentle whale sharks), but travel south of Manila to Mindoro island, enjoy beach life and tourist comfort in Boracay and head further south east through the Visayas to Negros Oriental.
Boracay is probably the most famous and touristy beach in the Philippines. White sand as fine as flour, turquoise water and palm trees are offering some shade for sun sensitive cheesy skin, providing access to the sea. The beach is free of cars and trycicle, instead there is a walkway underneath the palm trees locating restaurants, café's, room for massage and street vendors on one side, hostels, hotels, resorts, souvenir shops and anything else the vacationers may need, on the other side. I would say the urban planners have successfully created a good mix of room for leisure, relaxation, entertainment, water activities and shopping (after all).
Until Boracay it was a lot of traveling and I have to admit that I became tired of moving every night, or every second night. Pack and unpack, carry my heavy backpack, change cities, buses and beds more often than my clothes made me want to stay at one place for a bit longer. It will come, it will come.
Cold and empty Jordan!
The arrival in the most expensive country in the Middle East was tough. On the boat coming from Sinai the passports were collected and only handed over after arrival in a small office in the harbor area, after sitting five minutes in front of an officer typing some details in the computer, stamp the passport and finally hand it over. This is officially called “Capacity building of migration in Jordan”, funded by the European Union, amongst others. This procedure could also be entitled how European bureaucracy is imported to a developing country or how to annoy powerless tourists crossing boarders.
Nevertheless, we got our passports, a smile from the officer and found our way to Rum village. The area of Wadi Rum is famous for its desert landscapes and Bedouin safaris. The prices for a safari was not in our gusto and we therefore decided to go on a daylong hike. Still really impressive.
Having made the remark in Egypt about fresh temperatures, it became colder and windier. After being offered a luxury tent (having some mattresses, sheets and thick blankets in the tent), our camping plans faded a second time. 
That was alright – or am I getting old?
After three nights and a failed attempt to hitch in Jordan, we went to Wadi Mousa and its famous site Petra. Really nice, but over priced.
A definite highlight was to be on the lowest point on earth (about 400m below sea level) and to swim in the dead sea. 
Soooo funny to almost float on the water, great to rub the skin with natural mud that is just on the beach and interesting to see how the skin changes. After a bottled shower (we brought fresh water to avoid a salty crust and itching, we went for some hot springs. I feared the little dirty sneaking fingers (although my swimsuit consisted of a dress) may show up again in this men's only spot and therefore stayed outside of the wet.
Overall, I would recommend to see Jordan for Petra, a swim in the dead see, a glimpse of a nice desert landscape and Amman. I forgot to mention Amman: I heard people saying that there is nothing special to see. Because I have been there just for a night and half day I can not qualify its sights and tourist activities.
However, contrary to the rest of Jordan, Amman is alive. Driving on Jordan's excellent highways and passing through smaller cities one can hardly see any people, especially of course women and kids! Amman is different and it was good to see that Jordan IS actually populated, at least in the city of Amman.
The days in Jordan came to an end with serious excitement, since I have been looking forward to change the continent. Against the original plan of returning to Switzerland by the end of January, I was granted an additional two weeks of vacation. And where is the bird flying to this time? The Philippines! :-)
The arrival in the most expensive country in the Middle East was tough. On the boat coming from Sinai the passports were collected and only handed over after arrival in a small office in the harbor area, after sitting five minutes in front of an officer typing some details in the computer, stamp the passport and finally hand it over. This is officially called “Capacity building of migration in Jordan”, funded by the European Union, amongst others. This procedure could also be entitled how European bureaucracy is imported to a developing country or how to annoy powerless tourists crossing boarders.
Nevertheless, we got our passports, a smile from the officer and found our way to Rum village. The area of Wadi Rum is famous for its desert landscapes and Bedouin safaris. The prices for a safari was not in our gusto and we therefore decided to go on a daylong hike. Still really impressive.
Having made the remark in Egypt about fresh temperatures, it became colder and windier. After being offered a luxury tent (having some mattresses, sheets and thick blankets in the tent), our camping plans faded a second time. 
That was alright – or am I getting old?After three nights and a failed attempt to hitch in Jordan, we went to Wadi Mousa and its famous site Petra. Really nice, but over priced.
A definite highlight was to be on the lowest point on earth (about 400m below sea level) and to swim in the dead sea. 
Soooo funny to almost float on the water, great to rub the skin with natural mud that is just on the beach and interesting to see how the skin changes. After a bottled shower (we brought fresh water to avoid a salty crust and itching, we went for some hot springs. I feared the little dirty sneaking fingers (although my swimsuit consisted of a dress) may show up again in this men's only spot and therefore stayed outside of the wet.
Overall, I would recommend to see Jordan for Petra, a swim in the dead see, a glimpse of a nice desert landscape and Amman. I forgot to mention Amman: I heard people saying that there is nothing special to see. Because I have been there just for a night and half day I can not qualify its sights and tourist activities.
However, contrary to the rest of Jordan, Amman is alive. Driving on Jordan's excellent highways and passing through smaller cities one can hardly see any people, especially of course women and kids! Amman is different and it was good to see that Jordan IS actually populated, at least in the city of Amman.The days in Jordan came to an end with serious excitement, since I have been looking forward to change the continent. Against the original plan of returning to Switzerland by the end of January, I was granted an additional two weeks of vacation. And where is the bird flying to this time? The Philippines! :-)
A few tales about a country with ancient treasures, today: Egypt
My stay in Egypt belongs to the past, since 5 days I am already in Jordan – different country, slightly different people. While reflecting on Egypt, amazing sights pop up in my memory but there are also some “but”s.
Dahab – touristy, a good starting point (because of the cheap easyjet flights from Geneva to Sharm el Sheik) and for a dive. One of the best eggplant sandwiches are found there.
Abu Simbel – a true surprise and astonishing. The size and the beautiful stone work, but especially the colored and well preserved carvings are truly impressive. Despite the hazel of going there, being escorted by the police and asked to spend 18CHF on a hotel room providing fresh animal supply for a soup, it was still worth the trip.
Of course the pyramids, but since all pictures are so familiar, my excitement stayed within the borders. However, the horse ride and sunset was truly amazing.
Felucca trip: The simple thought of being on the Nile, main source of life and living in Egypt makes the trip valuable. But it was more the presence of my company anchoring these three days in my memory.
Traveling through the desert we experienced Egypt's concern about the safety of its tourists. Police escort everywhere. Our camping plans faded and were finally postponed to Jordan.
Shopping and negotiating prices in Cairo's bazaar Khan el Khalili was a big pleasure and fun, but after half a day I could not stand their slogans anymore.
Cairo, I really like Cairo. It is full of life: Busy, good and bad smells, clean and dirty, ugly and nice, friendly and harsh, noisy and calm, rich and poor etc. – highlighting various contrasts of a big bustling city in a developing country.
I will always associate Egypt with numerous backgammon sessions accompanied with some tea or coffee. After a learning phase I was facing an experienced and merciless counterpart, who triggered the stroppy side out of me.
Always an important point when traveling is food. I never had so many and good Falafels and eggplant sandwiches in my life. Along with some Humus, Tahina and cucumber/tomato salad a few good eggplant sandwiches (coming in pita bread) made half of my day. And not to forget a new discovery for my list of “simple delicacies of the world” : Steemed sweet potato, to be found with street vendors at a few corners in Cairo.
Traveling in Egypt also meant to meet other backpackers from all over the world, listen to their stories and their lives. Most of the time our ways parted, but a few contacts will remain and hopefully give a basis for a “Wiedersehen”.
Now coming to the “but's”:
Traveling as a woman with male company means to accept a certain role in the society here. First of all, when it comes to commercial issues, men is approached since he is viewed as the decision makers. It happened we had a conversation with three, where I was neither greeted nor considered before during and after the conversation. I was the thing standing next to it, what follows when someone important is walking by or what comes with the main actor, the luggage for instance. To my surprise I gave up pretty quickly to be the emancipated, to take things in my hands, to show them that I am an equally worth conversation partner that I can also take sound decisions on where to go and how to spend the money. Most of you reader may be surprised about my passiveness and yes, this is contrary to my usual temper, but it also shows that I felt secure and comfortable enough to simply go with the flow. So, not only the environment is to blame because I allowed it to happen, far away from being proud of it, though. Still I learned the sacred character of being independent and capable of doing things.
Another song of Egypt is about tourist prices. Here and there, old people, young people, people looking trustworthy and the suspicious: Egypt is used to tourists and many Egyptian men (because women are not dedicated to do this type of work anyway) just mistake it for a “treasury of free access”. It is not only annoying to ask for the price before having a small thing such as a tea or coffee for instance, but even worse to see what multiples and fantastic amounts they may have in mind! The prices sometimes quadruple or more, causing from our side stupefaction and big disappointment.
Also in Egypt, as my travel customs ask for, I had my fresh corn from the grill. However, it was so dry, chewy and loose in taste that I was glad a seller on the street asked me for the half of it. For record, number one corn is still the baby corn from Cambodia, found on a little grill alongside a dirty road, with some kind of vinegar with herbes.
No longer in Egypt mean also not to see the quick and dirty little fingers sneaking out between the bus seats from behind, looking for some physical contact.
To my surprise it was colder than I thought. Grrr, I do not like to think about the nights I woke up and looked for the blankets or an additional jacket.
Considering all these points I definitely recommend to go to Egypt. If the time allows, do not travel with an organized tour, but make the effort to go by yourself, take the public buses, have some tea in a men's only place, smile at an old, happy but tootheless Egyptian men. Wander around in the city or village and ask yourself the question: “Where did all the woman go?” and think about how it must feel like to wear gloves when there are comfortable 28degrees outside and to constantly pluck on the clothes so they won't totally cover the eyes. See also, how Egypt, despite of its very poor areas, has an uprising middle class, that can more and more afford fashion which goes beyond a black scarf, giving at least some women a few more choices in their lives.
My stay in Egypt belongs to the past, since 5 days I am already in Jordan – different country, slightly different people. While reflecting on Egypt, amazing sights pop up in my memory but there are also some “but”s.
Dahab – touristy, a good starting point (because of the cheap easyjet flights from Geneva to Sharm el Sheik) and for a dive. One of the best eggplant sandwiches are found there.
Abu Simbel – a true surprise and astonishing. The size and the beautiful stone work, but especially the colored and well preserved carvings are truly impressive. Despite the hazel of going there, being escorted by the police and asked to spend 18CHF on a hotel room providing fresh animal supply for a soup, it was still worth the trip.
Of course the pyramids, but since all pictures are so familiar, my excitement stayed within the borders. However, the horse ride and sunset was truly amazing.
Felucca trip: The simple thought of being on the Nile, main source of life and living in Egypt makes the trip valuable. But it was more the presence of my company anchoring these three days in my memory.
Traveling through the desert we experienced Egypt's concern about the safety of its tourists. Police escort everywhere. Our camping plans faded and were finally postponed to Jordan.
Shopping and negotiating prices in Cairo's bazaar Khan el Khalili was a big pleasure and fun, but after half a day I could not stand their slogans anymore.
Cairo, I really like Cairo. It is full of life: Busy, good and bad smells, clean and dirty, ugly and nice, friendly and harsh, noisy and calm, rich and poor etc. – highlighting various contrasts of a big bustling city in a developing country.
I will always associate Egypt with numerous backgammon sessions accompanied with some tea or coffee. After a learning phase I was facing an experienced and merciless counterpart, who triggered the stroppy side out of me.
Always an important point when traveling is food. I never had so many and good Falafels and eggplant sandwiches in my life. Along with some Humus, Tahina and cucumber/tomato salad a few good eggplant sandwiches (coming in pita bread) made half of my day. And not to forget a new discovery for my list of “simple delicacies of the world” : Steemed sweet potato, to be found with street vendors at a few corners in Cairo.
Traveling in Egypt also meant to meet other backpackers from all over the world, listen to their stories and their lives. Most of the time our ways parted, but a few contacts will remain and hopefully give a basis for a “Wiedersehen”.
Now coming to the “but's”:
Traveling as a woman with male company means to accept a certain role in the society here. First of all, when it comes to commercial issues, men is approached since he is viewed as the decision makers. It happened we had a conversation with three, where I was neither greeted nor considered before during and after the conversation. I was the thing standing next to it, what follows when someone important is walking by or what comes with the main actor, the luggage for instance. To my surprise I gave up pretty quickly to be the emancipated, to take things in my hands, to show them that I am an equally worth conversation partner that I can also take sound decisions on where to go and how to spend the money. Most of you reader may be surprised about my passiveness and yes, this is contrary to my usual temper, but it also shows that I felt secure and comfortable enough to simply go with the flow. So, not only the environment is to blame because I allowed it to happen, far away from being proud of it, though. Still I learned the sacred character of being independent and capable of doing things.
Another song of Egypt is about tourist prices. Here and there, old people, young people, people looking trustworthy and the suspicious: Egypt is used to tourists and many Egyptian men (because women are not dedicated to do this type of work anyway) just mistake it for a “treasury of free access”. It is not only annoying to ask for the price before having a small thing such as a tea or coffee for instance, but even worse to see what multiples and fantastic amounts they may have in mind! The prices sometimes quadruple or more, causing from our side stupefaction and big disappointment.
Also in Egypt, as my travel customs ask for, I had my fresh corn from the grill. However, it was so dry, chewy and loose in taste that I was glad a seller on the street asked me for the half of it. For record, number one corn is still the baby corn from Cambodia, found on a little grill alongside a dirty road, with some kind of vinegar with herbes.
No longer in Egypt mean also not to see the quick and dirty little fingers sneaking out between the bus seats from behind, looking for some physical contact.
To my surprise it was colder than I thought. Grrr, I do not like to think about the nights I woke up and looked for the blankets or an additional jacket.
Considering all these points I definitely recommend to go to Egypt. If the time allows, do not travel with an organized tour, but make the effort to go by yourself, take the public buses, have some tea in a men's only place, smile at an old, happy but tootheless Egyptian men. Wander around in the city or village and ask yourself the question: “Where did all the woman go?” and think about how it must feel like to wear gloves when there are comfortable 28degrees outside and to constantly pluck on the clothes so they won't totally cover the eyes. See also, how Egypt, despite of its very poor areas, has an uprising middle class, that can more and more afford fashion which goes beyond a black scarf, giving at least some women a few more choices in their lives.
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