Bruges Brussels... the place that time forgot and Ralph Lauren remebers

 

A Sunny Day Reliving Medieval History

My great friend Goksenin is rarely wrong about anything!! Possessing enviable globe -trotting experience and equally large doses of smarts and common sense, I unhesitating agreed to visit Bruges when she enthusiastically recommended it. What better way to spend a Sunday afternoon than listening to these 12 hipsters rocking out in the middle of Bruges! These bad boys of Belgian Rock and roll entertained a surprisingly large crowd who made their way to the coast to enjoy what is described a a museum without walls. Also known as "Venice of the North", this canal city is a walker's paradise on sunny days. Each turn in the cobbled streets revealing another Idyllic scene and cause to wonder what it must have been like in the 13th century when Bruges was one of the most important cities in the world. It's hard to imagine that this was the commercial hub of the world.






But it's now a place visit and live. There's about 20,000 living in the city and below is a backyard garden that I thought was pretty cool. Note the canal meandering by at the right. No room for badminton or Footie - but you make your choices in life.

I've always loved bikes and think everyone should have several. I was instantly attracted to the still and simple view of bikes so casually resting and at the same time so ready. There is a peaceful easy feeling about village life in Europe that I though I captured well in the photos beside. A bike and a home and sufficient income to support both.  That's it......

What did surprise me about Bruges was the proliferation of shops within the city. I like knick knack shops as much as the next person thinking it cool that people express their passion for where  they live through a creative process.

What I'm not as big a fan of is the Zara, Ralph Lauren shops that fill space with often overpriced goods that few can afford and as often, reflect trends in clothing and goods that have a remarkably short home shelf-life. Many if these items will end up discarded and unused eventually adding to the clutter and garbage that threatens to drown us all. :)

Ok ok  that's a bit rich - but the point is that we are financing the long - term preservation of one of the humanity's great sites through the marketing of goods representing disposable short term hedonistic interests. Am I the only one that sees a contradiction here? I wonder if this is all part of the UNESCO grand plan. They're pretty smart fuckers...so maybe...

The shot beside is not a great one but shows two men of the cloth comforting one another and weeping in front of a church. Clearly a tragedy of epic proportion, I think it's because they can't afford that new Hugo Boss shirt and tie combo that came in just down the street. Someone has to get low-priced affordable goods into Bruges before it's too damned late!!!

Above is one of the meeting rooms at Medecins Sans Frontiers in Belgium moments before people arrive for my presentation. I was in Belgium and later France to share my ideas (and get support) on a number of strategic initiatives in Supply and Logistics for Central Africa. I am indeed privileged to get to work with quite a number of super smart, experienced, unflappable and dedicated  colleagues. We get shit done!!!
  

Thanks for reading .........Layno

Egypt: Sand Surf and Summits

Mt Sinai and the Red Sea

 

 

Perched precariously on various slabs and outcroppings our group of 7 delighted in Mother Nature's early morning light show from the top of Mount Sinai. We started our ascent at midnight and arrived just in time to see the first lightening of the sky and the fantastic display that followed. It's as barren and rocky a place as I've ever seen, but as my hiking boots found each step in the glow of my headlamp, I thought deeply about those who had, and those who had reportedly climbed the mountain before my attempt. I guess Moses was probably the hiker with the most notoriety and little did he know that just a simple day hike would turn into something much bigger. And I wonder if he properly noted the 10 commandments when they were given to him. Did he take notes? I can't remember 5 items for the grocery mart but I'll grant that he must have got it right as they are still around after a fair amount of time.  Pictured to the left is Fredrick who I'd met in Abu Simbel and reunited with at Dahab (The village where we based). I love his look of thoughtful contemplation as the 7 of us shared the morning sunrise together. A really cool character out to see the world and at a young age, a surprising amount of it already seen.

 

The sunrise was perhaps the most spectacular I've ever seen. The first shot is looking East where the sun was rising in magnificent orange yellow and blue....and at the same time lighting the West with delicate shades of pink, purple and blue. Now I see why Moses tramped up here in the first place. It's definitely worth the hike!

Once down and back at Dahab, the group went for lunch in a restaurant by the sea. None of the restaurants have walls...just a roof to keep the sun out... rain never being a problem. As usual, we sat on cushions on the ground while we ate and chatted. Afterward... most just laid out on the cushions and had a sleep. While a bit unusual in North American, not at all uncommon where the temperatures are almost always 30 or more and life more casual. How very civilized I thought...... Pictured here is a typical  "Egyptian breakfast"of beans, pita bread, goat cheese, falafels, babaganouche, an egg, fries...and a couple veggies just for he hell of it. All for about $2. Sadly and feeling slightly foolish I recalled a breakfast in New York once where I spent over $30 for less.....hmmmmmm.

I had come to Dahab to relax a bit and enjoy the last days of my vacation. Mmmmm -  reading, eating fresh fish, drinking cold beer and swimming in the sun-drenched Red Sea. It's located on the East side of the Sinai pizza slice and looks across to Saudi Arabia and just north Jordan and Israel. The village more than kept up with it's reputation of being cheap, laid back and beautiful. And if that's not enough, nearby is the famous blue hole, arguably one of the top diving sites in the world.

Again and unfortunately, there were few tourists here to enjoy the endless sun and sand. All of Egypt is suffering from traveler's concerns about safety and understandably so. Sharm el-Sheikh only 75 kms south was the site where in 2005, 88 people died as the result of politically motivated bombing. Abdullah Azzam Brigades, an Al Qaeda affiliated terrorist group claimed responsibility and reported their goal was to disrupt tourism. They were aided by the local Bedouin which will likely divide that community for many many years to come. Disrupt they did indeed!

Clearly, they were very effective. Sharm el-Sheikh is a more "refined" destination with more 5-start hotels and far fewer hostels than Dahab, but does not have the Blue hole. I stayed in a hostel for $10 per night and shared a bathroom with other travelers.Not a large price to pay for a fun spirited lively experience. 7th Heaven as it's called and is close to - was busy with perhaps 75 people hanging around. It offers the PADI dive school and many other water sports related activities. For $5 per day, you can rent quality snorkeling gear and literally hit the reef right across the street. I started my snorkeling adventure there but headed for the Blue Hole the following day.

I caught a pickup truck out to the Blue hole which you can quite clearly see in the photo above. That's it! From above the water, the landscape it unremarkable. Nothing is growing, it's fucking hot hot hot and sand is everywhere. But once you dip under the waves - well my friends - that is something entirely different. The world explodes in color and motion. Everywhere you look there are more and more fishies! The color size and variety limitless. At times I thought I could see 5000 fish in my view and of course the water is clear for 30 meters or more...and because of the salty Red Sea you bob on top like a barrel...allowing you to just float along and be part of this amazing underwater garden. I was in the water for hours that day...never tiring of a scene that refreshed constantly. The coral, mostly in sgades of blue.. from navy to turquoise is a perfect back drop for dish that are so magnificently colored they defy imagination.

I shared a pickup with Sherif and his friends on the way to the hole. Sherif reminds me of a Prince or royalty of some kind. He immediately made me feel comfortable with the group and was generous and thoughtful for that day and the one's that followed as well ran into one another from time to time. If the future of Egypt is young men like Sherif - Egypt is in good hands indeed.

I came away with the realization that coral reefs and the variety and abundance of sea life  are incredibly important to humanity. Snorkeling the Blue hole is like coming across Mother Nature's hidden stash of treasures. It needs to be protected and given our attention. I saw a group of people walking on the top of coral taking selfies.... while breaking off chunks as they walked and searched for another position to pose. Their lack of awareness was puzzling and frustrating at the same time. They really didn't understand the damage they are doing though in my view they clearly should. Maybe installation of a common sense meter at the entrance to the region would help.... though I wonder if I would have made it through having selected August as the time to visit Egypt!!!

The two girls pictured above jumped into the pickup as we made our way back to the village. I had seen them during the day selling wrist bracelets to tourists and doing so with smiles and giggles for no additional charge. Their incessant giggling continued all the way to the village and I suspect well into the evening. They are happy and while likely have few material goods, I found myself envious of their free spirit and careless joy. It was a  moment to ponder the  "struggles" we face in North America.

And above  - yet another character who I enjoyed talking with. Astride his pride and joy...he is the man! Cool confident and pride of ownership obvious in his eagerness to pose for a shot and explain the details of his Jawa 350 2 stroke.We shared a love of motorcycles which broke through the Arabic/English language barrier as we talked easily enough about this beautiful machine. 

Thanks for reading Layno

Egypt: Dessert in the Desert

Sand & sun for days!!!!!

I have been really looking forward  to a desert experience but the transport to and from was not an experience I enjoyed or would like to repeat. 15 people stuffed a 14 passenger van and a driver who ignored my requests to please stop texting instead (not while) of driving... while we continued to careen along at120 kph. The road across the Western Dessert -  is relatively good....and very straight...tempting many drivers to "do other things" while they travel. In frustration I called the man who had arranged for the transport and he agreed to call and ask that Fernando Alonso slow down and pay more attention... which he did...thank Allah in this case.

Also a bit disconcerting is the windows covered in black material to try to keep the sun out and help the overworked air conditioner compete against the intensity of the 40+ degree heat. It was something to be endured... like a root canal. The scenery changes little. Sand sand sand....and then sand. Best not to have a mechanical breakdown at this point.... while there is traffic I have the sense it's bit lawless and each person is on their own in the event of trouble. It's  a harsh land.

We arrived at the  Bahariya Oasis after traveling west half the distance across Egypt toward the Libyan border. It's a fascinating experience to go from dusty dry and hot to water gushing from the earth providing trees and all important shade. It's green everywhere you look. Agriculture is the the main industry and as you can see dates figure largely in the region. My first great date. hehe

We stopped for a dip at the water collection point shown here on the left. The water then travels throughout the Oasis in ditches or troughs along the way. The water is cool and refreshing. Imagine trekking across the hot desert and coming up to the Oasis. On the right we stopped to pick a few dates. While traditionally I have never been a big fan of dates... I loved them fresh off the tree. Once ripe - they are available for months dry on the tree. The season was early so they were only partially ripe but there are thousands and thousands. Fig Newton anyone? My first dessert in the desert. :)

The black desert interesting in black and tan but uninspiring. No charisma or pizazz!

We had lunch with a Bedouin family at the Oasis and talked and ate for a couple hours. Sitting on the floor (on cushions) and eating very basic food...great chunks of camel meat and boiled vegetables with rice. A simple but delicious offering from a family who had lived in the desert forever. They have descended from their nomadic forefathers and knew little of the outside world until the 1970's when paved roads connected this odd part of the world. Electricity and Facebook followed shortly after that. I have learned that I like sitting on the floor and eating...then lounging... very civilized and something I can definitely get used to....we then had a snooze kidogo (small) hehe.

Cyrus in the black VX Land Cruiser pictured here now took responsibility for the journey out into the desert off-road style. The trip would take us another 100 kms over the desert where we would then sleep overnight under the stars. The Land Cruiser is well equipped and capable of  handling the harsh demands of the journey ahead. I have done my fair share of  off-road adventure in a Land Cruiser and as I ran an appraising eye over the unit, I was very impressed with the effort that had gone into ensuring the vehicle was properly prepared.







We visited the black desert first which is about what you would expect... It's pretty, windy and stark. I found it a bit disturbing. There was nothing inspiring or inviting about the landscape. It reminded me of a what a visit to Mars or some other fanciful intergalactic adventure might be like.

I was glad to leave it behind and forge on the the white desert.  The picture at the beginning of the blog is sunset on the white desert. The air is warm and breeze steady. The smell is sweet with a scent that you can't quite define. It's familiar and pleasant but remains unidentifiable.  The temperature quickly fell from about 40c to 25c making life perfectly pleasant. And as dark fell, the desert stayed lit. The moon reflects off the white sand casting a pleasant light all round us. Cyrus set up a wind break and built a fire to cook our dinner of chicken vegetables and rice. Dinner complete and thoroughly enjoyed, he prepared a pot of thick black tea and mint with enough sugar to stand up your spoon.  My teeth still ache! This we sipped for hours and talked about the desert, the history, the way of life and life in general.

Soon a number of desert foxes came to visit though more likely for the chicken bones to which they helped themselves. The size of a medium house cat, they were skittish but fairly brave as they came in close and sniffed us... one layed down on my sleeping bag I think finding it a welcome change from sand.

I asked Cyrus about the possibility of snakes and scorpions to which he scoffed anf vehemently denied the existence of.... hmm it didn't explain the tracks in the morning but I didn't wake up with company in my sleeping bag.....and that's the main thing.

Even though the day was long, and we had sat around the fire until very late ruining our teeth, sleep didn't come easily. And as the moon finally slipped away, it was replaced by a billion and 14 stars. I highly recommend a trip to the desert. It's an easy place to think where it's  quiet, peaceful and comfortable. Dessert in the desert.

Thanks for reading - Layno