New Orleans

(or N'awlins as the locals call it. I love that.)

Just had a couple of days in Louisiana, visiting a salt mine, which was very cool. Before my flight home I had a few hours in New Orleans, which has a vibe unlike any other city I've been to. A friend told me that, if I only had a couple of hours, I should head straight for the French Quarter. I did and wasn't disappointed. First stop was Cafe du Monde which is famous for its coffee and beignets, a French doughnut with a liberal covering of powdered sugar. Delicious!

(This is not Cafe du Monde, just a guy enjoying a beer with his dog!)

The first thing I noticed about walking around the French Quarter was the music...it seems to come out of every pore of the city. You can't help but walk along with a spring in your step!
What else makes it great?...the street artists, psychics, funky restaurants, great bookshops and at least one house of voodoo. This is a definite candidate for the 'places to return to with Anna' -list (not because I think she's into voodoo, of course!).

Bourbon Street is a little tacky, but it was still good interesting to walk down it. It was there that I discovered zydeco - a Louisiana music style based on an accordion and washboard. A friend told me I should try and listen to it live and I confess that I wasn't too excited about that combination of instruments. However, I stumbled across a bar with a live band on and the modern, rock/funk take on zydeco was terrific. (It was very amusing watching the guy with the washboard, looking ridiculous, freak out like a lead guitarist.)

I didn't see any evidence of Hurricane Katrina. I guess they made sure that the tourist spots were cleaned up pretty quickly, rightly or wrongly. I would love go back for a weekend though and explore a little further afield.

Remembrance

This morning I spent a few moments remembering our war veterans; in particular my Granda Steve, who fought in WWII and my Great-Grandad, Frederick, whom my Grandma never met as she was born around the time that her father fell in Israel during WWI.

Anyway, this morning I read the following comment from someone suggesting why we should honor these people:

We all owe a debt to those who came before us in this world, and left it a better place than they found it.

It made me wonder...will future generations say the same about us?

Nicaragua

So, here are a few notes about Nicaragua that I've just got around to posting. In short, it’s one of the most beautiful, interesting and saddening countries that I’ve been too.

The drive from the airport to the hotel was a feast for the eyes, but not always for all the right reasons. There are too many shanty houses, too many children without shoes and too many people selling all kinds of junk on the roadside just to get by.

I read that 68% of the people in Nicaragua live on less than $1 per day so I found it pretty difficult to drive past many of them every day on the way to our four star hotel. It’s hard to write this stuff without sounding like Bob Geldof, but I do feel like I want to do more to help.

The Sunday after we arrived a couple of us took a tour around Managua and Lake Nicaragua. First stop was the Masaya Volcano, which is dormant but still has a constant cloud of sulphur dioxide over it (very cool). I climbed the steps up to the nearby cross at the top of the crater and I could really feel the smoke on my lungs. Denis, our driver, told us that the cross was put up to commemorate the first Spanish priests who discovered the volcano and thought it was the entrance to hell. Apparently one of them decided to ‘save humanity’ by sacrificing himself to the volcano. That worked!

After the volcano, we drove to Granada, another colonial town on the shore of Lake Nicaragua. The locals told us that, during Spanish rule, it was the most important city in Central America. Isn’t that what they told us about La Antigua Guatemala? Well, I guess it says something about national pride.

We only had a short time in the city but it was enough to see the central square, buzzing with traders and food stalls and surrounded by colourful colonial buildings. The presidential palace and cathedral (below) were particular highlights.

Later, we took a small motor boat trip around Las Isletas de Granada, an archipelago of 365 volcanic islands a few miles from Granada; one for every day of the year. It was a perfectly tranquil hour spent slowly cruising between the islands. Many of them have holiday homes on them (some of which are for sale, for anyone with a spare half a million) and one of them has a small colony of monkeys living on it. As we cruised along, I tested the lake water with my hand and it was the perfect temperature for a swim. I ditched that idea as soon as the boat owner told us that Lake Nicaragua contains the world’s only freshwater sharks!

There was a lot more to see and do but, as it was a work trip, we didn’t have time. I could easily see how you could spend a very pleasant couple of weeks in Nicaragua though. The locals told us that it has more natural beauty than its richer neighbour, Costa Rica, and I could believe it. I guess I’ll just have to find a reason to go to Costa Rica to prove the theory!

An airport security breach

Going through security in Guatemala, my rucksack caused the lady monitoring the x-ray machine to shout for a bag search. I was puzzled. I was pretty sure there were no guns, drugs or illegal immigrants in there. Anyway, to cut a long bag search short, she found a pair of tweezers that must have been at least two inches long, maybe more, and confiscated them.

What was I going to do…threaten to pluck the pilot’s monobrow unless he let me fly the plane? Or perhaps I was going to hold up the passengers… “I want all your purses, wallets and watches or somebody gets nipped!”

Well, it’s all part of the fun of travel I suppose. (There was no need for her to wag her finger though!)

La Antigua, Guatemala

So eventually we did get to La Antigua Guatemala and it was absolutely stunning. A couple of the local team offered to take us to dinner with another colleague from Honduras. After a 40 minute drive from Guatemala City we arrived at the Santo Domingo convent, inaugurated in 1530, and now a unique hotel and restaurant. Before dinner we went for a short walk through the candle-lit grounds of the convent (below) which, although in ruins, were impressive all the same.

The guidebook I bought at the airport tells me that La Antigua Guatemala was the first planned capital on the American continent and remained the most important city in Central America for the next 200 years. In 1773 a series of earthquakes which lasted months left the city in ruins and in 1776 the Spanish Crown decided that Nueva Guatemala de la Asunción (now Guatemala City) would be the new capital. La Antigua is now a tourist destination with lots of cafes and restaurants but still has many of the beautiful colonial buildings. It’s a gorgeous city and has now been added to the ever-growing ‘places to visit with Anna’ list.

The next day flight to Nicaragua was spectacular as the plane wasn’t flying too high and we were able to see some of the volcanoes that form part of the ring of fire.
More on volcanoes later.

A lighter note...from Billy Connolly

After my last post I stumbled across Billy Connolly's Desiderata (as you do!) and thought it might make some of you smile. I particularly like the one about walking a mile in somebody else's shoes.

Tread gently on anyone who looks at you sideways.
Have lots of long lie-ins.
Wear sturdy socks, learn to grow out of medium underwear and if you must lie about your age, do it in the other direction: tell people you're ninety-seven and they'll think you look f****** great.
Try to catch a trout and experience the glorious feeling of letting it go and seeing it swimming away.
Never eat food that comes in a bucket.
If you don't know how to meditate at least try to spend some time every day just sitting. Boo joggers. Don't work out, work in.
Play the banjo.
Sleep with somebody you like.
Eat plenty of Liquorice Allsorts.
Try to live in a place you like.
Marry somebody you like.
Try to do a job you like.
Never turn down an opportunity to shout, 'F*** them all!' at the top of your voice.
Avoid bigots of all descriptions.
Let your own bed become to you what the Pole Star was to sailors of old ... look forward to it.
Don't wear tight underwear on aeroplanes.
Before you judge a man, walk a mile in his shoes. After that, who cares? ... He's a mile away and you've got his shoes.
Clean your teeth and keep the company of people who will tell you when there's spinach on them.
Avoid people who say they know the answer and keep the company of people who are trying to understand the question.
Don't pat animals with sneaky eyes.
If you haven't heard a good rumour by 11 a.m., start one.
Learn to feel sorry for music because, although it is the international language, it has no swearwords.
If you write a book, be sure it has exactly seventy-six 'fuck's in it.
Avoid giving LSD to guide dogs.
Don't be talked into wearing a uniform and salute nobody.
Never run with scissors or other pointy objects.
Campaign against blue Smarties.
Above all, go to Glasgow at least once in your life and have a roll and square sliced sausage and a cup of tea. When you feel the tea coursing over your spice-singed tongue, you'll know what I mean when I say: "It's good to be alive!".

Initial impressions - Guatemala

I don't think I'm going to see as much of Guatemala as I'd like to, as we only have one week on this project and on Saturday we'll fly to Nicaragua. It's a hard life, I know!
It's a pity though, as I'd love to see Antigua Guatemala or some of the Mayan ruins around here.
Even though I'm only going from the hotel to the plant and back and out to the local restaurants, I'm still enjoying being somewhere so different. Last night we went for dinner with one of the locals and enjoyed lots of discussion about cultural differences. (I'm on this project with two Brazilians.) I mentioned that I thought the Central Americans were generally very open, friendly and helpful. Our colleague said that this was probably true for most Central Americans except Costa Ricans - the common perception is that they think they're superior. I heard an interesting perspective on the UK too...that average salaries are the highest in Europe but the quality of life is one of the lowest. I'm not sure how true that is. What do you think?
I'm really enjoying the food here - lots of fresh guacamole, refried beans and meat dishes. And, like the Hungarians, they like to start a meal with soup - perfect! Maybe I'll set myself a new goal....to discover the world's best soup!
One thing that has really struck me, as it did in Mexico and Honduras, is the terrible traffic and the subsequent pollution. It seems that these major cities are so over-populated but still many people have cars and many more ride the bus. The trouble is that the cars are generally older and poorly maintained, creating a lot of noxious fumes, and the buses (yellow school buses imported from the US) are 20-30 years old and equally polluting. The roads are completely jammed during rush hours and the government probably doesn't have the funds to improve the infrastructure.

For me, it's a real pity as all three of these countries are really beautiful (as I'm sure are countless more with the same problem). The cities are often surrounded by mountains, rain forests and lakes. I read somewhere that Guatemala has around 15 different eco-systems - swamps, mangrove forests, lagoons, ocean front etc. From just outside the plant we can see the Pacaya Volcano - it's beautiful and dominates the skyline.
I suppose that until these countries are better developed economically (difficult with corrupt governments etc.), protecting the environment isn't too high on the priority list. I think that the people, some of the warmest I've met on my travels, deserve better and I wonder what we can do.
Hmm...heavy stuff...I promise to end the next post on a more upbeat note. Hasta luego!

Berekfürdő and Budapest, Hungary

Wow! What a contrast. From a rural village of 1000 people to the so called ‘Pearl of the Danube’, I couldn’t have found two more extreme views of Hungary.

Berekfürdő seems to be a popular destination for Hungarian tourists, attracted by the series of thermal pools in the area. Apart from that, it’s a quiet village of modest bungalows along with a small store and a couple of bars. I went for a run one evening and couldn’t help noticing that many of the houses were painted in bright colours. Maybe it was just my imagination, but it looked like these fenced-in, uniform bungalows had been built during the communist era and the only way to cheer up this austere village after ’89 was to paint the houses in varying shades of yellow, peach and lime green.

The other thing I noticed was how quiet the place was. There were no neighbours talking across the fences, no youths on the street corners, nobody cutting the grass. It all seemed very bleak. On reflection, I think it was all a front…actually, everyone was inside drinking absinthe and playing strip poker.

As I suspected, the language barrier was pretty big, although it did give me two nights to play Hungarian menu lottery in the hotel restaurant. It’s amazing what great food can appear from stabbing hopefully at the menu and smiling sweetly. I’m now very much a fan of Hungarian food and I’ve promised Anna that I’ll cook something Hungarian when I get home. The soups are fantastic. Every meal starts with soup and in the six or seven meals I had while I was there, I never had the same soup twice.

I flew to Budapest on Friday evening and went straight out for a five hour wander around the city. Although a few people had told me what a great city it was, I was still unprepared for the sheer number of incredible buildings and the quiet beauty of the Danube and it’s bridges.

I started to look for a place to eat and, working on the theory that you have to be at least fifteen minutes walk from the main drag to get decent local food, I headed away from the centre. Going down some side streets that reminded me of the Gothic Quarter of Barcelona, I found a suitable-looking restaurant with an interesting menu. Any place that offers gizzard stew has to be worth a try, right? The soup, again, was a highlight – wild boar soup with myrtle. I’ve no idea what myrtle is but it tasted great.

As I walked off dinner, I stumbled across the stunning St. Stephen’s Basilica (below) and decided to come back the next day to see inside. On Saturday I returned and enjoyed fantastic views of the city from the top of the basilica. Probably the strangest sight I’ve seen on this trip was the mummified hand of Stephen, the first King of Hungary (975-1038), which is kept in a special shrine in the chapel and revered by the Hungarian people. Nice!

There’s so much more to say about Budapest but I’ve rambled on long enough and you probably need to sleep. I will just wrap it up with my favourite moment from Saturday’s daytime meander through the city. I came across a five-piece Hungarian folk band playing in one of the streets and a small group of ladies dancing what I presumed to be a typical folk dance. It was all going swimmingly until an American tourist (bum-bag – dead giveaway!) decided he was up to the task and broke into their circle. Top marks to the guy for effort but he couldn’t have got the steps more wrong. The pained expressions on the other dancers’ faces were priceless!

Ps. Hungarian trivia – the Rubik’s cube, invented by a Hungarian professor, has approximately 43 quintillion permutations. If you put each of them on a cube and lined them up end-to-end they would stretch for 261 light years.

Sibiu, Romania

Walking out onto one of the most beautiful plazas in Europe, I couldn’t believe I’d never heard of this place. When I arranged to visit one of our facilities, a little north of Bucharest, I was disappointed that I wasn’t going to see the capital and imagined Sibiu as some small, rural town in the middle of nowhere. How wrong I was.

When I finished work on Monday night, I headed towards the centre of town and I could just feel the history as I walked through the city…cobbled streets, gothic doorways and medieval passageways. It was stunning. My first stop was a good book shop so that I could learn a little more about the place.

Sibiu was founded during the Saxon colonisation of Transylvania in the 12th century and became an important German settlement during the next couple of centuries. Massive fortifications and gates were built in the 13th-16th centuries, much of which can still be seen. Viennese Baroque style was added after Transylvania became part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire in 1699. Much of the city was given a facelift when Sibiu was selected as European Capital of Culture in 2007.

I loved walking around the imaginatively-named Large Square (below) with its pastel-coloured buildings, street-side cafes and kids playing in the fountain. From Large Square I continued down into Small Square which is broken up by a curving passageway and has the oldest cast iron bridge in Romania, the Bridge of Lies. Legend has it that it will collapse on the spot if you tell a lie. More beautiful buildings surround this square and it was here that I noticed the ‘eyes of the city’: small eye-like windows in the roofs of the tradesmen’s houses, apparently popular with Saxons.

I didn’t have time to explore the lower part of the city, leading down to the river, or to go inside the cathedral or climb the Town Council Tower. I’d like to get back here one day, hopefully with Anna, and soak up this ancient city for a while longer.

Last night I was taken by a Hungarian (so tempting to just leave that sentence hanging) to a traditional Romanian restaurant for a great meal of soup, grilled pork & polenta, doughnuts and plenty of Romanian red wine. It doesn’t sound that special but it tasted great and the restaurant was situated in an arched basement and filled with locals. It was fab. Lesson learned…always go to dinner with someone who knows the town.

Tonight I find myself in the small Hungarian village of Berekfürdő, two hours west of Budapest. The hotel is near Tisza Lake and has a thermal bath which Csaba, my new Hungarian friend, told me I had to try. It just looked like murky water to me, but I gave it a go in the belief that the minerals will do wonders for my…er…condition.

I haven’t found anyone at the hotel who speaks English and my Hungarian only kicks in after three whiskeys so I think it’s going to be a fun few days.

Zeitoun, Dave Eggers

I first discovered Dave Eggers when I bought ‘A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius’ purely on the strength of the great title. At once sad, funny and beautiful, this is a memoir of his life around the age of 21 when both of his parents died of cancer and he had to bring up his 8 year-old brother, Christopher. It was a stunning debut and Anna and I have been hooked on his work ever since.
Zeitoun, his latest work of non-fiction, tells the story of Abdulrahman Zeitoun, a Syrian-born builder and decorator who chose to stay in his home in New Orleans during and after Hurricane Katrina. A big mistake, as it turned out, but not for the reasons you might imagine.
His wife and four children went to stay with friends in Arizona and Zeitoun stayed behind to take care of their home, some rental properties they own, and to try and help out wherever he could. He travelled the city in a secondhand canoe, discovering people trapped in their homes as he silently slipped along, that the troops in powerboats might never have heard. He shared what supplies he had with friends and strangers alike. The reward for his efforts was arrest, without charge, for a crime he didn’t commit and a 3-week stay in a temporary jail without decent food or a bed to sleep on. Probably the greatest injustice was the daily denial of a phone call to his wife to let her know where he was. What starts off as a hero's tale of the good work done in the aftermath of the storm turns into a nightmare at the hands of an incompetent government and some nasty individuals.
It’s one of those books, like ‘The Shock Doctrine’ by Naomi Klein, which makes you feel so angry and so helpless at the same time. It’s a compelling read though and I think you’d rather know about these things than not.

First post

A few people have asked me if I've been keeping a record of the travels I've been doing lately and, lamentably, I haven't. Probably the best way to keep such a journal, with photographs, and be able to share it with friends and family is on a blog. I've wrestled with the idea of a blog for a couple of months...isn't it a little narcissistic? Who wants to hear what I have to say? I got the short answer to that on Facebook when I asked a similar question and only one person replied: not many! However, the friend that did reply said that it should add value to someone's life. So, in the hope that it will add value to Anna and the boys' lives, as they'll be able to see where I am in the world and what I think of the place, I'm going to go for it. It might also add value to my life when my grey matter starts (or continues?) to deteriorate and I can't remember where I've been! And, if others enjoy it too, then fan-tas-tic.
I imagine I'll write mostly about people and places I've visited, but I might also throw in the occasional book review or thought on the state of the world. That sounds deep...I'm sure it won't be.
With that said, here goes...I hope you enjoy it.