Vivicittà

On April 6th we ran the 12k race, Vivicittà. The course started in Piazza Transalpina, a place which commemorates the last place where the "Iron Curtain" fell. The race was half in Italy and half in Slovenia, and it was Nora's second race ever and Peter's first race in over two years. We made many papers before and after the race since we came all the way from California to run!! Not exactly true, but details get lost in translation. We were called up during the ceremony and received a medal for our journey! Great day all around.

Austro-Hungarian Prison

Here in Ljubljana we are spending our nights in a hostel which was once a prison. The building has been re-done by local artists and the entire complex is now a community space as well as a living piece of art. 20 of the rooms here are still cells, bars and everything. They have been designed by artists and some are still cell like while others verge into creepy. It is quite a sight. Check out their website to see all the cells.
over and out
n and p
www.souhostel.com/en/index.html

Valley of the Kings

While in Luxor it is hard not to journey to one of Egypt's most visited sites: the valley of the kings. The boys, Peter, Terje, Doug, Matt and myself. Took a ferry across the Nile to the West Bank and rented bikes for the day. The roads are paved but quite small, the many tour buses proved to be a tad death defying. The ride to the Valley is all up hill, Peter earned his red and white king of the mountain jersey in a last minute sprint against me and reached the parking lot first. When you get your ticket to the valley you are able to visit three of the tombs there. If you want to see Tut then you have to pay extra, needless to say we did not. We ventured down into Ramses IV, one tombs with the best preserved paintings and carvings. It is also called the Harper's tomb in reference to a scene painted on the wall. We then climbed up into the cliffs to find the tomb of Thuthmosis III. Once up on the cliff we headed down into the stairs and into the rock.Terje and Nora decending into Tuthomis III

We traveled to one room and then another lower one. The heat down here was overwhelming and it was hard to take in a full breath. The paintings on the wall however were the most unique we had scene. They were not carved like other hieroglyphics but drawn in a crude manner. I found this style more attractive then the perfection of other hieroglyphics I had seen.

Hieroglyphics inside Ththmosis III

Our last pick was Ramses III. A shorter tomb then the other two but had some Coptic graffiti in it from the 1800's. It is strange how the defacement of this ancient tomb has become a historical marker in its self.

We spent over 4 hours exploring the tombs and were happy that the way home was down hill!

Trekking

Trekking outside of Al Qusar, in the Dakhla Oasis. Nora, Peter and Doug.

We stopped in a garden and picked some fresh dates off the palms to sustain our journey.

The edge of the Oasis garden. Full of Date Palms. They are best when they fall off into your hand. The sun was melting and our progress constant. Our only company was a farmer tending to his clover fields at the edge of the garden, a lizard who scurried up the dunes and a lone dog marching towards his mysterious destination. Peter and Doug.

The views were breathtaking and we all slept well that night. Our dinner was much earned.

Life on the Oasis

After the hecticness of Luxor and Cairo we needed some calm. We headed out to the Western Desert with Doug and his i-pod. After a train, a bus, a police caravan, a bad hotel (with actual fleas in my bed), a mini bus and another police caravan, a town named Mut and a shared taxi we landed in Al Qasr. The town itself is a sleepy oasis village in the Daklah Oasis. The gardens all around are fed by a hot spring, and produce dates, oranges, lemons, bananas and other beautiful things. Most of the farmers travel to and fro in carts pulled by donkeys and the local people still seem surpried to see outsiders. Life is calm and traditional. The old town is something out of this world. While standing on the roof of our hotel and looking over the old town Doug commented that it looked like some place out of Star Wars. It is a desert village built completely out of mud bricks. There are a few people who still reside in the old section so the Egyptian goverment can't yet make it into a living museam and you are still able to wander though it all with out a fee. We wandered the steets and were surpriesed by the coolness inside the covered walkways. It keeps the heat out in the summer. The mud bricks that hold it all intact seem are crumbling before your eyes. Peter had to pee and almost took out a supporting wall of one house. But the town is constatly rebuilding and you can see where the new mud bricks are being made and dryed to repalce thouse that wayard tourists piss on. Many of the old houses have intricatly carved acacia wood lintels abouve the door. The lintels state the name of the inhabitants, the name of the builder and a verse from the Koran. The oldest we saw datetd back to 924 AD.

The historic minaret next to the modern day

There is water falling from the sky

While in Cairo we decide to take the train down to Aswan and then hire a felucca and sail up the Nile for a few days. This trip is better with some friends so we head down with Terje our Norwegian couchsurfing host who decided to skip the first month of school to come see the world with us. (We must be the best house guests ever!!!) We recruit two super cool American lads, Matt from Texas and Doug from Tennessee along with Luke an Australian living in England.

We gather on the first day of the trip, (There is also a whole story about how we got screwed over here and threw a fit, but I wont go into that) at the docks, board our little boat and meet our two man crew; Captain Cool and his first mate Fatty.

Fatty

We sail up the river. All is calm and well although it is a bit cold, we snuggle down on the mattress lined deck and blankets which will in a few hours become our bed under the stars. It is in the back of all our minds that the stars might not be too great tonight since it seems a bit cloudy. We enjoy the company of the other felluca guests, our books and our journals.

Terje lost in his book, Matt looking on and Robin contemplating his newest book characters

The boat docks, a fire on the beach is enjoyed by all and sleep time rolls around. Fatty, who does most of the work on the boat, cleans up dinner. To do so he washes our dishes in the river water. We all chose not to think about the problems this may cause our intestines in the future. To protect us and the sleeping deck from the wind and the cold he puts up a windscreen and a roof, both made of bedsheets. The bed sheet that was our roof had two small strange mice like cartoon characters and the saying "Hello Brother's. We wish you both much happiness together" Some thought provoking words and images to fall asleep to, since the starts were not visible though the thick clouds.

Our boat

The first drops of rain were felt around 2:30 am. Even in our half awake states we knew that the Hello Brother's would not keep us dry. We tried to wake up Captain Cool in his small room below deck. He would not have it, "It has not rained here in 10 years" Was his only response, if some how by stating that fact would stop the water from falling from the sky. It did not and the rain came harder. Matt, in an attempt to save his down sleeping bag, was the first to make a move and join our valiant captain below decks. Peter, myself, Treje, Luke, and Marco (from Italy) soon followed carrying all the blankets we could save. The room would sleep two people in semi comfort, 7 was pushing it. There were still 7 people on deck who could not fit and they took shelter in a nearby boat which thankfully had a tin roof. It rained all morning. The remaining blankets, the mattresses and pillows covering the deck and most of our bags under became soaked. Since they had not seen rain for 10 years Captain Cool and Fatty were not prepared for it. Captain Cool stayed below and was soon snoring, not a drop hit is face. It was Fatty who tried to save everything and make sure that all had shelter. When the rain stopped we sailed up river a bit and docked for some drying off. All the blankets and mattress were hung in trees along the river and the wind and sun made quick work of it. We calculated the odds of being out in that rain storm were 1 in 3652. Lucky us! The remainder of the trip was calm sailing, and consisted of intellectual conversations, history lessons from Robin, rum drinking and dreaming.

Giza

"The pyramids are overrated, trash filled and overrun by modernity"

- Peter Maksimow, January 4, 2008

The Pyramids of Giza are the last remaining wonder of the ancient world. You hear about them from a young age, read books and see PBS documentaries about them. Some of us even get to teach about them, the pyramids being one subject that students actually get excited about. Some how in real life, they are just not that great...I hate to say it.

So from down town Talaat Harb Square, the center of Cairo, you take bus 357 to Giza. Tickets run you 2 LE, or 36 cents. The trip takes about 20 min.

So easy! So close! This should have made us worried not excited.
Our vision of the pyramids is that they are dropped down in the vastness of the desert, when in reality due to the need for more housing the city has been silently creeping up. And now BAM! you can get a great view of wonder #7 from the Pizza Hut window.

Yes, they were large. When you walked into the complex and stood with the city to your back, it did seem as though you were lost in the desert. But this vision was soon cut short by some kid, who should be in school in my opinion but that is another story, tries to force you to buy a crappy pyramid statue. Or the antiquity guard who freely tells you he is open to letting you cross the velvet gates and touch the ancient stones, for a price. Or even worse your eyes are not focused on the greatness in front of you, but are distracted by the pyramids of trash forming all around you. Maybe that is how they got built!!!!

The spinx keeping an eye on Cairo

But I digress. Even though they disappointed us on some level, I guess we went to see them simply because they are still there. We went, we saw...took some pictures, said hi to the Spinx and took bus 357 back to the city.

FTM

The acronym "FTM" came from a journal that we found in at the No Name Hostel in Tallinn, Estonia. A British fellow (name kept anonymous, although there are probably 7 million James' in the world), who had studiously written three entries into his journal before losing it at the hostel, wrote an FTM for each day of entries. One of his FTMs talked of his encouter with large amounts of vodka and a late night and attempting to visit the loo at 5:30 a.m. through a door-sized mirror in the hostel. It seemed to be his advice to others (or to remind himself) NOT to try to walk through mirrors in the early morning hours after drinking too much vodka. So the acronyn could possibly mean For The Masses. Whatever it means, we have kept daily FTM's in memeory of the Brit attmepting to walk through walls and his own reflection, in the form of quotes, epiphanies or complete nonsense.

So, for your own sake, keep updated on the FTM's!

FTM #1: "Thank you for existing!"
-Filipe, saying to himself about the waitress at the French Bar

More FTMs

Camel illegally parked on the street.
-self explanitory, Hurghada, Egypt, Nov. 23, 2007

Never eat at a place with the word "foul" in the name.
-After eating at a place called Foul Falafel, Nov. 25, 2007

"'gypt" = Egyptian for being cheated out of money
-Nov. 28, 2007

Chew softly when you eat at falafel stand.
-Nora acquired more than the shits, a chipped tooth, after finding a pebble in her falafel, Dec. 9, 2007

"I'll try anything once, with he exception of incest and Morris Dance."
-Paul the Brit, Dec. 12, 2007

"Fly with the Eagles! for tomorrow we shit with the crows."
-Quote from a RUSH flyer, a cheesy club in Dahab, Egypt, Dec. 15, 2007

"Food poisoning is good practice for child birth."
-Peter, on the pain of Nora's food poisioning, Dec. 16, 2007

"Very bold Gato added yogurt and bee honey to the above kick.:
-Description of a drink from Gato Restaurant menu, Dahab, Dec. 18, 2007

3 out of 5 male Egyptians are named Mohammad
-It's true!!!, Dec. 18, 2007

Nora learned a lesson: Don't eat the Turkish coffee grounds.
-"but they are sooo good." -N, Dec. 21, 2007

"Don't try to fart when you are getting over the shits! Seriously!"
-Peter, Dec. 24, 2007

"I had an Egyptian man's fingers in my mouth."
-Terje, after being fed by Omar Master of Sheesha, Dec. 26, 2007

"I gave birth to Omar's baby."
-Terje, the day after being fed by Omar Master of Sheesha, Dec. 27, 2007

Nora: "I'm craving crappy food!"
Peter: Why? You'll just poop it out your butt!"
-Nora on craving crappy food and Peter persuating her it's pointless, Dec. 30, 2007

Egyptians must be immune to headaches.
-On the loud noise in Cairo, Jan. 3, 2008

Beach House

Downtown Dahab, one of the many restaurants on the "strip"

While in Dahab, we decided to upgrade our housing. We moved out of the three dollar a day hut. The thin foam "mattress" on the concrete slab is really only quaint for a short while. We moved down the strip, our friend Brian called it the 'burbs since it was a good 10 min walk, everything else in Dahab is usually under 5 min. Sunsplash hotel was our new home.

Our beach cabin, the water is 15 meters to the left

It has been updated over the years but two of the original funky cabins are still standing and facing the water. It was a bit pricier, 6 dollars a day...but we had a loft a real mattress, a small table and a mouse who liked to eat my chocolate covered cookies at 3 am.

View of sunsplah hotel from the roof deck, our cabin is to the right of this picture

We fell asleep every night to the wind and the waves and woke every morning to amazing sunrises. It was our first, and possibly, only beach house.

The Night (In Dahab) Before Christmas

T'was the night before Christmas and all through Dahab,
Not a creature was stirring, not even the mouse Peter caught with his bare hands and set free a half kilometer down the beach and who then came back to eat a package of non-hydrogenated choco biscuits.

The galabia were hung in ElAsalah Village with care,
In hopes that Mohammad soon would be there.
The little Bedouin girls who sold bracelets were nestled snug in their beds,
While visions of rich tourists and their money danced in their heads.

And Nora in her sarong and I in my Mizuno,
had just settled down for long winter snuzo.
When out in the beach there arose such a clatter,
I sprang from the mattress on the floor to see what was the matter.

Away from the cabin I flew like a Central Mass Strider,
Tore open the mosquito net and the door besid'er.
The moon on the edge of the Red Sea did behold,
The luster of mid-day to the plastic bottles scattered to and fro.

When what to my wondering eyes should appear,
but a pick-up truck taxi and eight mangy goats, my dear!
With a Bedouin driver, O in his fancy horned "Geep,"
I knew in a moment that this ride wouldn't be cheap.
More rapid than camels his promises came,
"Best Prices, Best Fabric!!"
No, dude, they're all the same!

Now Ahmed, now Sala, Peter and Shahla,
On Brian and Josh, on Jason, on Sam and Carmella.
Salam Alaikum, Salam Alaikum, Salam Alaikum to the rest of the crew at Yalla.

Now Riga, now Hamburg, now Buda and Pest.
On to Krakow, to Oslo, to Chamonix and the rest.
To the top of the Baltics, where the snow did fall,
We've seen it, we've done it, we've loved them all!

As dry leaves in Europe did fall to the ground,
We met with Arnuad and Emile and their advice was so sound!
So, up to the atmosphere our backpacks they flew,
"To Egypt!" we said, "Warmth, and pyramids, too!"

And then in a thud I heard on the plywood roof,
The clumsy clunking of camel toe hooves.
As I drew back my Kalashnikov and turned it around,
I was struck by the vision now staring me down!

He was dressed all in Egyptian cotton, from his sandals to his Arafat,
And there was soot on his lips from where his sheesha pipe had sat.
A bundle of memories he soon flung in my face,
And he appeared like a magician when he made me look back on this sojourn and each place.

My eyes how they twinkled! My memories so Merry!
Our new friends are like roses! The adventures sweet as guava!
More exotic than cherry.
Our trip, little in September, was drawn into more,
And exploring Egypt made it worthwhile, we are sure.
We had no set plans to hold tight while we wander,
But relied on new friends and their information of yonder.

We came to Hurghada, shop owners all yellie.
We found the resort town yucky and smelly.
It was Sinai and Dahab our destination or bust,
The snorkeling, the desert, the mountain all a must.

A glimpse of the beach, our small bungalow,
Gave us a calm from our head to our toe.
We spend many a night among our mates so wise,
Laughing and enjoying the world though their eyes.

And laying to rest with the sea as our song we give
Thanks to the many who have dared to come along.
To everyone everywhere.
At home and far from sight,

Merry Holidays!
Happy Solstice!
And to all a goodnight!

Love,
Peter and Nora

Baltic Sea in Latvia

Tallinn, Estonia at night

Boat Ride in Hurghada

Egyptian Red Sea Reefs from the air

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM!!!

We hope you have a wonderful birthday!
Here is your present from Egypt (it may take a while to get to you).


Love Peter and Nora

THIS BLOGSITE IS CURRENTLY UNDER STORY TELLING CONSTRUCTION!!!!!!

So, we are way behind, but it will come....

After our time watching a prostitute bash a man over the head with a chair in Vilnius, Lithuania, hanging out at the French Bar (La Belle Epoch) with a lot of Spaniards and one Brazilian in Riga, Latvia, working at a Hostel with No Name as chefs and cleaners in Tallinn, Estonia, getting great deals on thrift store clothes in Helsinki, Finland and getting sick of the cold weather we found an inexpensive ticket to Hurghada, Egypt. Saw the Suez Canal, and are currently working at a bar as bartenders and making Egyptian wages (don't even ask! enough to cover our $3 a day bungallow on the beach) in Dahab, Sinai. The weather is amazing and the snorkeling and diving in the Red Sea is considered the best in the world.

More adventures and photos to come!

Nora and Peter in El Salam Camp, Dahab, Egypt

Taken from "its not rocket science" Vol 1 Estonia

"today we trudge through tourists and taxis with black plastic and boxes full of bottles. everyone is staring at the strange girl with the badly mended pants, until we pass over the train tracked class line, and no one is paying attention. we are following the well trod path to the bottle return place. green privacy fence, junkies teetering out front, and old ladies filling the grungy blue shopping baskets with someone else's good time. the junkies, toothless and grinning, remain in their circle rolling cigarettes and getting sideways glances from the other bottle collectors. one guy sits and stands, sits and stands, as we are all lining up, sorting our bounty, sizing up our piles, a little over two kroons for one woman ahead of us. stale beer hovers over the room in a fog of sweat and piss. the sounds of plastic crackling, cans crunching, and bottles clanking together. cutting waves though the stench. waiting."
-Mel '06

Halloween Party

Pumpkins. Witches. Frenchmen. Pie. Riga Hostel 2007

http://central-hostel.com/Riga%20hostel/Halloween07/album/

nose rings

What to do on a rainy day in Riga, Latvia?! Get your nose pierced!

Get Ready....

Set...

Pierce....

This is where I tear up...

All Done!

Maksimov

When we check into the Krakow hostel, we are greeted by Martain, the manager. He takes an immediate notice of Peter's last name. Peter's father was born in Breast which is now part of Belarus but has been controlled by Poland in the past. So their last name Maksimow, or Makismov as it was pronounced by all eastern europeans, got a lot of attention. Martain asked Peter if he knew of the author Vladmir Maksimov. Well Peter had in fact heard of that name, since it is his father's. The two began talking. Peter was excited to have a connection to his roots and Martain was excited that he had found someone so intrested in his love of history. Then next morning Peter got up before me and I went looking for him. I found Martain in the lobby. He asked if he could help me. I said I was looking for Peter. His responce "Oh, Peter Maksimov. Peter Maksimov is on the 4th floor having his breakfast" I felt like I was traveling with royality.

Waiting

A day was spent walking around the old Jewish Ghetto. This is where the Jewish population of Krakow was forced to before and during WWII. The walls have been taken down, and it now has blended back into the city. You can see the outline of Schindler's factory behind the train bridge as you walk over the river. On our way back to the old town we stopped in the square that would have been the last spot of home many people saw before they were shipped off to a concentration camp. Here in the square there are now empty chairs that represent waiting. Buses pass, rain falls, pizza express has opened across the street, children run down the sidewalk, and the chairs sit waiting.

Ben the Funny Australian

Said goodbye to b!tch hat Daniel and the Golden Hostel. Ben, Peter and I check into the Krakow Hostel right in the town square and 10 zloty less. The three of us spend the day

bonding over some Pivo in the streets of Krakow.

Ben watching out for the local police

Hiding our drinks in Ben's jacket he got at the second hand store where you buy things according to weight. A Polish woman costs a lot.

Peter is considering trading in the Volvo for this ride.

B!tch Hat Daniel

A long 15 hour bus ride later we are in Poland. The houses and building we pass though in the early night are missing paint and care. The people look a bit hard, you can tell we have traveled east. This is a different beauty.

We check into the Golden Hostel and meet our Nigerian roommate Daniel. He was laying in bed with all his clothing on under his covers. I think that the weather was not agreeing with him. We invited Daniel out to explore with us as he had not left his bed since he had arrived. As he suited up in his winter gear we realized that he had a black beanie hat with the word BITCH written in bright red on the front. We secretly wondered if he knew what his hat meant. We did not have the heart to tell him...

Out to see the main square. Peter was also dressed up in his winter gear, his tevas with socks, large Norwegian sweater over an argyle purchased at a flea market in Amsterdam, and jeans covered in patches and pins. His outfit was so unique that he was stopped and interviewed and photographed by a fashion website. This site crazylooks.org will be up soon or so we are told. They had a hard time believing he was an American. I am not sure what American are supposed to look like, but I guess we are not it.

Back to the hostel, we meet Ben our other roommate Ben from Australia.

The four of us go out that night to a local brewpub, but not before Ben and Peter remind Daniel "Don't forget your bitch hat". We order the big glass...

The beer is good, the company is funny.