Curiosity as a lifestyle

The blog is moved

Sat, 10 Nov 2007 09:06:16 +0200

Finally, I am back in the blogosphere.
After having far to many things to do (I now have four jobs), I found time to move my blog to here. This blog worked fine, except when I wanted to update it while traveling. That took ages at slow internet cafés. And considering I am traveling all the time, that was not a good solution. So let's try this one instead.

The addrss to the new blog is:
http://waterglobe.blogspot.com

Weird heroes

Sat, 27 Oct 2007 05:06:39 +0200

On the way from Sinjel to another clinic in Arora, we passed this memorial stone. Raised by Fatah, it glorifies “the great martyr Saddam Hussein”. On the other side of it is a portrait of “the other great martyr, Chairman Arafat”.

For a westerner, it seems very weird to glorify a cruel dictator. But for some Palestinians, he is a hero. Not only did he dare to challenge the US, a country widely unpopular in the region, Iraq also provided free university education and well paid jobs to many Palestinians. Nevertheless, I find it rather tasteless.

Ramadan time, but no cannon

Sun, 30 Sep 2007 05:11:01 +0200

If anybody missed it, it is Ramadan right now. That means that all faithful Muslims fast from sunrise to sunset. Supposedly, a cannon signals when you can start to eat in the evening, and also when you have to stop eating in the morning. Between these loud booms, very audible in our home, Muslims should neither eat, drink, smoke or have sex.

This afternoon, I went for a stroll to try to take a photo of the cannon here in Jerusalem. When I finally found the place, and the person who operated it, it turned out that they stopped using a cannon and instead used very powerful fireworks. Probably a lot easier to handle, but not at all as picturesque.

Afterwards, I continued to walk through the old city, which was almost spooky, everyone at home, finally allowed to eat again. But the many light decorations are nice, almost providing a feeling of Christmas, despite that the temperature was something like 20-22°C.

Back on the West Bank

Thu, 27 Sep 2007 05:01:07 +0200

It felt wonderful to back in Jerusalem. Not so much because it is a wonderful place (although it is very fascinating), but I really missed Femke.
As always when I have been out traveling, there is lots of work to do. Today I traveled on the West Bank together with ANERA’s pharmacist, Hani. First stop was Sinjel, a former crusader stronghold high up on a hill north of Ramallah. Here we visited a charitable health clinic (see photo) to do a story about a medicine for high cholesterol we have been distributing. In many cases, the doctors and clinics know exactly what the patient’s need, but the patient’s cannot afford to buy the prescribed drug, and hence miss out on the treatment. Thanks to donation programs like ANERA’s. many poor people receive treatment after all.

In Istanbul again

Sun, 23 Sep 2007 04:43:17 +0200

The day before yesterday was the last day at sea. And what a nice day it was. We had some comfortable sailing from Karacaören to Göcel, with the wind coming in from behind. On the way, we swimmed and had lunch. A pod of dolphins passed by – always a beautiful sight. In the evening we all had dinner in Göcek, then a few of us had a glass of wine at the wine bar Grape Vine.
02.45, I was picked up by a taxi and went to the Dalaman airport. I had to wait quite a while there, before catching a plane to Istanbul. Then wait again for a plane to Stockholm. Finally there, I had a tasty dinner with Lotta and Per (meatballs made of moose with mashed potatoes and fresh lingonberries), then a glass of wine at their place.

Today, I had to repack all of my stuff, so that my new sexy Apple iMac computer could somehow fit in. In the end, I carried it as hand luggage (thank you Lotta, for lending me the flak jacket-bag, it was a perfect fit!).

Once again in Istanbul in between flights, I had time enough to go downtown. The guy on the photo is one of hundreds fishing from the Galata bridge. As you can see in the background, many of the mosques had special Ramadan decorations. After strolling around, I had a (not so nice) fish sandwich ar one of the many cafés situated under the bridge. Luckily, the view was better than the fish, with mosques, minarets, boats and the bridge over to Asia – all of them nicely lit.

Last night out

Thu, 20 Sep 2007 04:44:56 +0200

This was our last night out at sea. We had some leisurely sailing from Göcek towards Öludeniz. Here we anchored in the bay of Karacaören, but first we sailed around the area to have a good look. This was definitely the most beautiful place we stopped at during the trip. Small islands filled with ruins and goats. Clear blue water. And above it all loomed the mountain of Babadag, 2000 meter high, and a paradise for paragliding.
You, who know me, know that this is one of my great passions. I actually flew from this mountain this spring, albeit only once.

The guy on the photo is one of several ice cream boat drivers that approached us. He didn’t play a melody, but was very urgent nevertheless.

A morning dip

Tue, 18 Sep 2007 20:38:16 +0200

I have quickly settled in a comfortable routine. Breakfast in the boat, a refreshing dip, then out sailing. More swimming, prefferably hanging in a rope behind the boat while sailing, then a fresh salad as lunch. In the afternoon, some beautiful bay wityh a restaurant and a common dinner with the rest of the group. Not too bad... :-)

The photo is from the bay Sarsala Skelesi.

Sailing is so relaxing

Mon, 17 Sep 2007 21:30:19 +0200

Nothing beats the sea when it comes to relaxing, at least for me. The quietness, interrupted by soothing sounds from sea and wind, makes me wind down. Add nice company and a good book (right now, Snabba Cash by Jens Lapidus) and you have a good time.

First night in Ekincik

Mon, 17 Sep 2007 20:33:20 +0200

We spent the first night in the little bay of Ekincik. In a beautiful setting with green mountains, a little pier and a restaurant tempted numerous sailing boats to stay here.

Sailing in Turkey

Sun, 16 Sep 2007 20:30:20 +0200

Today, I joined a group of Swedes for an organized one week sailing trip from Marmaris to Göcek, all in Southwestern Turkey.
the crew on my boat (Miss Behave) consisted of (from the left on the photo) Elvis, Birger, Torbjörn, Åke (not on the photo) and me.

It feels so good to be sailing again, and in the Mediterranean no less!

Ramadan in Istanbul

Sat, 15 Sep 2007 22:21:11 +0300

Yesterday evening, I met old friends in Stockholm over a beer at the very nice Czech pub Soldaten Svejk. I know both Krister and Dag from the University of Journalism in Gothenburg, 16 years ago. Wow, time flies. I also met Anna, a friend from Brussels.
And, on my way to the airport this morning, after having had breakfast with Lotta and Per (their hospitality knows no limits), I stopped by Lena and Ulrik in Sollentuna. They moved to a new house with their little son Alexander. It was great to meet them and get an update on their and our mutual Swedish friends lives.

Right now, I am sitting on the airport in Istanbul, and it is 22.30. I am dead tired. I arrived here already 18.30, local time, so I took the train into the city to kill some time. I arrived to the Sultanhamet district when the prayer call started, and since it is Ramadan, a lot of people where having a picnic in the grass close to the Blue Mosque, having their first meal since early morning. I joined in with some take away food, a stuffed aubergine. Very nice.

Now, I just have to kill another 90 minutes, before my flight to Dalaman leaves. There, I have to wait another hour for the rest of the sailing crew to arrive from Sweden. Then we will check into our sailing boats and finally get some sleep. Who said being a travel journalist was easy-going?

Meeting with Tetra Pak

Fri, 14 Sep 2007 16:41:44 +0300

This morning, I had a meeting with Mrs. Ulla Holm, Global Director at Tetra Pak’s Food for Development Office. Mrs. Holm and Tetra Pak is involved in feeding programs with milk in close to 50 countries world wide, so she knows the game. I was there to try to convince Tetra Pak to support ANERA’s Milk for Preschoolers (MfP) program, where we distribute fortified milk and fortified biscuits to 20,000 children in Gaza.
It was a good meeting and Mrs. Holm was very supportive.

Later on, I bought a 2 GB RAM memory module to my new gorgeous iMac. In the shop, I managed to lay my hands on an iPhone for a minute. Now, that’s a phone I wouldn’t mind owning. We’ll see when it comes to Europe later this year (there might be some news about this already next week).

I also changed my camera housing for a new one at Scandinavian Photo and bought a new lens. Tonight, I am meeting with some old friend from University of Journalism – that is going to be great fun. A pity Femke isn’t here, I really miss her.

Tomorrow I am off to Turkey for a week of sailing. It is going to be hard work which will result in a travel story for a Swedish magazine.

Oh, and the photo above is from the vegetable market at Hötorget in Stockholm. They had beautiful lingonberries as well.

Belgian déjà vu in Stockholm

Thu, 13 Sep 2007 18:32:37 +0300

Arriving in Stockholm, I walked over to the International Press Club and ordered a Westmalle. The Press Club is one of the most well stocked bars in Scandinavia when it comes to Belgian beer. It was a true déjà vu from my time in Brussels. Ah, what a lovely life I lived there.

But this is not bad either. Lotta and Susann, both Swedish friends from Jerusalem, came over as well, and together we enjoyed some food and several great beers, including La Chouffe and St Feuillen.

Internet on the train

Thu, 13 Sep 2007 18:00:18 +0300

Right now, I am sitting on the Swedish high-speed train X2000, on my way from Malmö to Stockholm. I had a great time in Malmö, having dinner with my sister and mother, meeting lots of friends and doing quite a bit of work as well. Earlier today, I handed in the last pages of Hypoxia to the print shop. Hypoxia is the Swedish paragliding magazine I have the pleasure to produce.
Sweden is truly a high tech country. The Internet on this train (speeding through the country in 200 km/h) is almost as fast as the Internet connection I have at home in Israel – and it is the fastest you can get in that country. Here, this is just a “slow” connection on the train. Great!

Within 40 minutes I will arrive to Stockholm, where I will meet Lotta and hopefully Susann, both Swedish friends from Jerusalem. Life is good, isn’t it?

Sailing back to Malmo

Sun, 9 Sep 2007 17:51:50 +0300

As always, I was the first one to wake up. And what a day to wake up to! A deep blue sky and a smiling sun welcomed me when I climbed up on the pier and walked over to the bakery for some fresh bread. After breakfast, we readied the boat for the still strong winds, and then set sail. The sailing was magnificent, with the wind in our back, the sun in from the side and plenty of boats and airplanes to look at. Yet another terrific day at sea together with friends. Coming back to Malmö, we enjoyed some China food and Clint Eastwood’s film Iwo Jima.

Sailing to Copenhagen

Sat, 8 Sep 2007 17:35:15 +0300

Whenever I come home to Malmö in Sweden, I try to also go to Copenhagen (Denmark’s capital for those of you that are not Northern European) to drink beer and have fun.
This time, Lucas suggested doing it in a different way. And indeed we did – Micke, Bonen, Lucas and me sailed there in pretty hard winds. It is so refreshing to be out on the sea with friends. I thoroughly enjoyed it. I also found the weather great – winds, some rain, clouds and lots of fresh air. I am actually fed up with all the heat and smells of Israel.

It took us a bunch of hours, but that only made the entry into beautiful Copenhagen even more pleasant. Not to mention the first cold Tuborg Classic!
While Micke had to take the train back to Malmö, Lucas, Bonen and me stayed on, partying and then sleeping in the boat. What a great day and evening!

Sweden, glorious Sweden!

Fri, 7 Sep 2007 17:32:19 +0300

Sweden! I am in Sweden! My beautiful, wonderful and so peaceful home country. Where people are friendly and smiling, where nature is vast, wild and green, and where you can eat, drink and say whatever you want. Oh, glorious Freedom!

The photo is from the street in Malmö where I stay at a friends place. Nothing special, just an everyday, sunny and clean street in southern Sweden.

Leaving Gaza

Tue, 4 Sep 2007 19:55:08 +0300

The photo training continued this morning, but most of the time I spent writing and calling to TetraPak in Lund. ANERA has a great program in Gaza where 20,000 kids receives fortified milk and biscuits every day. This is to combat spreading malnourishment. Many families are living on sweet tea, bread and some potatoes, and thus the children are lacking in vitamins, minerals and many other things.
Unfortunately, the biggest donor to this program just told us at they cannot support it anymore, due to economic problems.

I immediately thought about TetraPak, a multinational Swedish company that is leading in the packaging industry. They produce the packages for the milk we distribute. My hope is that they might be interested in contributing to our program.
I did get a very quick reply, so with a bit of luck, I will be meeting them in Stockholm in a week.

Gaza, again

Mon, 3 Sep 2007 19:45:28 +0300

I am turning into a regular at the Eretz Crossing between Israel and Gaza. Today was the third time in little more than a month that I crossed into this besieged strip of desert. Together with Femke, I was carrying in new computers to our colleagues in Gaza City. There are no computers to be had in Gaza. In Ramallah, there are plenty, but the Israelis have so far not given us any permit to take them into Gaza.

So we packed one computer and flat screen each in suitcases and simply walked them over the border. Our friends in Gaza were delighted to see us again, and even more delighted when I installed the computers. If it weren’t for them being Muslims, it would have been a real Christmas feeling.

In the afternoon, I had private sessions with my Public Relations colleague Rania, training her in photography and camera technique. When the Gaza office closed at three, Femke and me continued to work at the hotel. We are both incredibly busy right now.

Tulkarem refugee camp

Sun, 2 Sep 2007 07:26:14 +0300

Today, I picked up Mahar, a colleague, in Ramallah and then drove all the way up to Tulkarem in the northern West Bank. Mahar works with a program that provides psychosocial support and activities for traumatized children all over the West Bank and Gaza. Today, they were going to hand out school kits that were donated to ANERA from USA. I was there to take photos of the adorable children, all living in the Tulkarem refugee camp, together with10,000 other persons.

On the way there, we were stopped in a Israeli checkpoint. There were already long lines of cars and trucks on both sides of it when we arrived. We are allowed to jump the line, and however sad it is to see all the people suffering and waiting, we save hours this way.
But when we reached the front of the line, we were stopped by the soldiers. They refused to let us through, which never happens. We waited in the car.

After a while, all the soldiers took on their helmets and raized their guns in their fortified positions. Not a good sign.
Suddenly, a taxi showed up, also jumping the line. A man stepped out and started to argue with the solider. Apparently he had a sick woman in the taxi (wife? mother?) that urgently needed to go to the hospital in Tulkarem. The soldiers forced him to leave at gunpoint.
The minutes passed by, then an ambulance drove up and the same guy jumped out. After a new argument with the soldiers, the ambulance was also forced to wait. But in the end, maybe after a total of 20 minutes, the man could pass with the sick woman.

Ten minutes later, another Israeli patrol showed up in a jeep. They started to search the vechicles waiting in line on the other side of the checkpoint. After a while, two soldiers came walking with a Palestinian man in a firm grip in between them. Probably, the Army was tipped off that a wanted Palestinian was on his way towards the checkpoint. By closing it, they could catch him. If he deserved it or not, I don’t know.
This intermezzo took us some 45 minutes. All the time, 60 excited children were waiting for us in the Youth Center of the refugee camp.