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October 02 2013

A Tale of Two Mesopotamian Cities

I remember having heard about the Rivers Tigris and Euphrates, and the land between them called Mesopotamia, endless times at school, but, when I finally visited the region in 2011, I had no idea it would make such an impression. Glued to the bus window, I took in the scenery along the river Tigris, running via Baghdad all the way to the Persian Gulf, as we were approaching Hasankeyf, in Southeastern Turkey. Sometimes school history books seem to get it right: this ancient region is worth every mention.

River Tigris at sunset

River Tigris at sunset

Hasankeyf immediately charmed me with its simultaneous calmness and the tangible presence of history, while it also made me feel as if I had been there before.  Not a firm believer in past lives, I still couldn’t help but think that maybe I had lived there before: Hasankeyf is supposed to be one of the earliest places where people lived together in organized settlements. There are cliffs with carved cave dwellings and steps, there is the river with water even in the driest months, a beautiful historic bridge and Islamic architecture. The hot summer sun seemed to be color everything in beautiful shades of white and beige.

Not really an overnight place, my friend, Danny, and I still decided to stay and immediately met, as if by magic, a charismatic young man, oozing inner peace — a native of Hasankeyf, who had recently returned to his economically deprived hometown after working in Istanbul for years.  He seemed like someone whose disciple one might easily volunteer to become, but with all humbleness he helped set us up at his friend’s place, an unemployed man in need of some extra cash. Next thing we knew, we had our luggage stored in the ticket seller’s booth so we could go explore the ancient cave castle.

Hasankeyf's cave castle

Hasankeyf’s cave castle

As soon as I fell in love with Hasankeyf, I found out about its fate: it’s to be buried under an artificial lake. Preparations are already under way and apartments are being built for the residents up the hill from the historic center.  A group of activists working to save the town invited us for an afternoon tea and pointed out that while Hasankeyf fulfills 9 out of 10 requirements for the UNESCO World Heritage List, one of the few in the world to do so, it’s not on the list because the government would have to endorse it for that honor. And they need it for the lake.

With bittersweet feelings about all we had seen and learned, we had some tasty Tigris trout for dinner and had tea on the main street with our new friends, before going to sleep under the stars in the garden of our host, a Tom Waits look-a-like.  In these parts of the world, elevated beds on wooden platforms are common.  The arid summers with no mosquitoes or dangerous animals provide a perfect setting for a sleep outside. I can’t claim I slept particularly well on the thin mattress, but the experience was well worth it, as if by sleeping outside, we were a step closer to history.

Before leaving for Mardin, our next Mesopotamian city, we had morning tea and a walk with our host, who charmed us with his curiosity and intelligence: we managed to talk about religious beliefs and Turkey joining the EU with only a few shared words of English, German, Arabic and Turkish between us. We paid as agreed, “according to our conscience,” which we decided should be as much as we would have paid for a room in a decent guesthouse.

Morning tea with our host

Morning tea with our host

I felt a bit melancholic but also enlightened sitting yet again in a bus, this time from Hasankeyf to Mardin, another ancient town but on a hilltop, close to the Syrian border. Was it the historically famed setting that made me feel a bit elevated? Or the awe-inspiring, white washed scenery? Or the encounters with the people I can best describe as wise?

The bus dropped us off at the foot of the hill on which Mardin stands, and even though the walk would have been short, the June heat demanded us to take a taxi. An old Arab trading town, Mardin turned out to be completely different from Hasankeyf, but equally impressive.  It was bigger with a selection of excellent hotels and restaurants, more affluent and modern, but only a bit, as if from a different phase in the history of Mesopotamia.

Mardin with a view over the Mesopotamian planes

Mardin with a view over the Mesopotamian planes

Tired from the previous star lit night and the bus ride, we again lucked out and found the perfect place, even if the polar opposite of our outdoors platform bed: a stunning old Arab merchant house transformed into a luxurious hotel.  Complete with Arab fairy tale style, the hotel reminded me—as did much of Mardin—of Aleppo in Syria, which used to be one of my favorite places in the world. The hotel was in the middle of a small but bustling souk, where fruit vendors passed free cherries and apricots to us as a welcome. Resting on huge pillows on one of the hotel’s courtyard nooks, sipping mint tea, it seemed no wonder this place was a honeymoon destination for the Turks.

Lunch at the women's collective

Lunch at the women’s collective

The next day we had a delicious lunch at an organization helping women recover from domestic abuse, tasted locally produced wine with our dinner, and just before moving on, encountered a little boy I gave a kite I was going to mail to my godson. The look on his face, flying his Superman kite in the narrow streets, was one of the happiest I’ve ever seen. To provide more merriment, Danny, an expert map-reader, who never gets lost even in the biggest cities, kept losing his sense of direction on the one street on top of the hill! I suspect his pleasant confusion and letting go were due to the dizzying effect of the two different Mesopotamian cities.

Locally produced wine out of tin cups

Locally produced wine out of tin cups

September 27 2013

“I don’t wanna go to Mexico!”

That was my first reaction when I discussed a potential winter destination with my travel buddy. I’ve always been excited about the Middle East and Asia, so something in me said ‘No’ to the Mexico plan. I had quite some stereotypes in my mind, probably shaped by American movies, in which the bad guys invariably tend to escape to Mexico, crossing the border illegally. The country is often portrayed as dry and dusty, with men hanging out in front of dodgy looking motels and uninviting roadside bars. But since my travel partner had just started to study Spanish, I agreed with a Spanish speaking country. Also my landlords had made countless attempts to invite me to their new home on the coast of Oaxaca, making it sound like the ultimate hippie heaven. The hippie part was not a real draw card, but who says no to a potential relaxing holiday spot at the beach? By the time we had bought the tickets, the Spanish classes were dropped. But no complaints since I wouldn’t have agreed to go without them.

Night markets on the Zocalo

Night markets on the Zocalo

Awesome colonial architecture

Awesome colonial architecture

The trip started a bit troubled with a snowstorm in New York, creating a total chaos at JFK. So I arrived a day late, and originally I had only planned to stay two nights in Mexico City, a bit frightened by its reputation of pollution and crime. Even for a seasoned traveller, certain stereotypes stick. I had arranged to stay with friends of friends for 2 nights. What happened next was that I completely fell in love with Mexico City, and got invited to stay longer and celebrate Christmas together with my hosts. I stayed in Zona Rosa, the gay neighborhood. What surprised me most about Mexico City, and also other places in Mexico, was the creativity, the artistic attitude many people have. It’s so colorful and vibrant. I had a lovely studio for myself for a week, full of artwork. The windows didn’t close very well, but with the balmy weather it was not an issue. And the air smelled surprisingly fresher than in Antwerp where I live.

My two hosts became friends and we decided to go together to my friends’ place at the beach in Oaxaca. I had a more than relaxing time in Mazunte, in a smartly designed hut on a cliff overlooking the sea. I can’t wait to go back. But the highlight still had to come. On a sunny morning we left with some more friends I had made in meantime, direction Oaxaca City, across the mountains. I’ve never seen such a colorful, pretty, pedestrian friendly, lovely, old colonial city, full of creativity, great food, cool bars and good vibes.

We stayed a week. It might sound a lot for a city, but actually it was not. We did so many things: visiting markets full of exotic ingredients such as grasshoppers and endless varieties of chilies, learning how to cook moles from a local chef, venturing into the local art scene, visiting some fabulous archeological sites like Monte Alban, bathing at the petrified waterfalls of Hierve del Agua.

Mezcalleria Los Amantes

Mezcalleria Los Amantes

I discovered Mezcal, which is like Tequila, made from the agave plant. Tequila is actually a Mezcal made from the blue agave. There is a saying attributed to Oaxaca regarding the drink: “para todo mal, mezcal, y para todo bien también” (“for all bad, mezcal, for all good, as well”). I’d never been crazy about Tequila, but maybe it was the setting where I had my first Mezcal that really did the trick. It was a stylish little, pastel green painted place, called Mezcalleria Los Amantes, stocked with huge bottles of Mezcal and a young humorous girl as bar tender, dim light in the place.  It might have been new, done by a smart person, but it looked like it had been there for ages. Ever since, I try to get good Mezcal in liquor stores in Belgium, but it never tastes like in that place. I regret not having gone back the next year already, not just for the Mezcal, but for all the creative energy. It’s one of the places where I hope to stay for a longer period. When is the next flight?

Hierve del agua

Hierve del Agua

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August 19 2013

Gay Beirut, an oxymoron?

An interesting blog on the #gay scene in #Beirut.  Yes, it exists.

June 18 2013

We have started a new blog on our site, called Nomad Stories. Follow the link below. The first one is about Finland and about being a nomad. We’ll be posting a new one each week.

1001WORLDS: NOMAD STORIES

A new blog: A Nomad’s Homecoming

November 18 2012

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Not sure of the gender bias in this Ugandan beer ad, but cannot wait to have a Nile Special again after 3 years.

October 31 2012

Who do you think wins, the cat or the dog? 

October 21 2012

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Lazy day at Lake Victoria from 3 years ago.  Our travel dates to Uganda are finalized: Dec 29th to Jan 12th.  Wanna join?  Check details at www.1001worlds.com.

September 27 2012

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Can’t decide whether we’ll do Kampala or Kolkata for end of December - January trip.  Which one would you be more interested in traveling to?

September 23 2012

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A door stopper, real New York style.

April 20 2011

April 19 2011

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stein.zeit (von visual.rebellion)

5739 6d0b

.mappschiedsparty. (von visual.rebellion)

April 17 2011

6856 804f

Sonne (von Ruben Neugebauer)

April 15 2011

April 13 2011

1702 3f81

stein.zeit (von visual.rebellion)

1704 cb65

. (von visual.rebellion)

»there’s no certainty - only opportunity.«
(V)

life isn’t about finding yourself…
life is about creating yourself.

April 12 2011

Play fullscreen

Meet 2011 TED Prize Winner: JR (von theTEDprize)

Play fullscreen

Chris Jordan on The Midway Project 

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