My first Thanksgiving in Copenhagen

I know, you guys are all probably wondering what gives with my love affair with Denmark? Well, let's just say that when I said this would be at the top of my list for places I'd come back to and live, Copenhagen fits the bill. I flew into Denmark to see snow cover everywhere, which was a nice and welcome contrast to the desert sands of Egypt. The cool, fresh air made me miss my snowboard as it reminded me of Mammoth, my winter stomping grounds back home.

I also wanted to spend Thanksgiving with my buddy Ron, who is from California, and I knew he'd be up for hosting a feast with some of our friends. We invited a few other Danish friends of ours, which made it even more exciting because it was their first Thanksgiving dinner. With Kia's tremendous help in the kitchen, and Ron's uncanny ability to uncan one can of cranberry sauce (what would we have done without you?) we managed to serve up a spread consisting of:

1) One 8-pound turkey and gravy (couldn't quite match Grandpas, but I probably never will!)
2) Two slabs of ribbensteg (traditional Danish roast pork)
3) Kia's Hand-Mashed potatoes (They were supposed to be Ron's Hand-Mashed potatoes but somehow that sneaky bastard managed to shirk that responsibility!)
4) Spinach salad with carmelized onions, bacon, and pinenuts
5) Grandma's veggie mix (carrots, onions, corn, peas and celery)
6) And of course, my favorite desserts from Lagkagehuset, the best Danish bakery.... YUMMM!

All in all, it was a great time, and we had more than enough food for everybody (I am a Lew, after all-- we ALWAYS fret about not having enough food.) There were plenty of leftovers and thankfully, no younger sister to have our traditional annual fight over them! :)

Speaking of thanks, some other things I'm thankful for:

1) My health. If there's anything that can put a damper on travel, it's getting sick. Thankfully, I've only had one minor case of stomach flu, and that was just a very recent deal in Egypt. I blame the beetle god for that, actually, and not the cheeseburger.

2) My waterproof pants and jacket. One day when it was raining cats and dogs in Istanbul, I was walking along a flooded street thinking happy thoughts in anticipation of putting some kebap and baklava in my stomach. All of a sudden, a huge truck mows down a lake-sized reservoir of water right next to me and I get completely splashed in what felt like a 10-foot tidal wave. You'd think a sad song would have ensued in the background with nothing but a melancholic demeanor about me. Yet in reality, I actually laughed to myself (like the looney bin I am) because I've NEVER been splashed like that before (and stayed completely dry inside.) I thought it only happened in cartoons!

3) My Mom and Dad, for raising me to be who I am today. Granted, I'm still holding a couple of grudges-- Dad, for not buying me a race car bed when I was young; and Mom, for only buying me one pair of shoes per year during my prime feet growing stage. My hammer toes will never forgive you.

4) All my clients who ever bought anything from me-- without your trust and excellent decisions (translation: commission checks!) I probably wouldn't be here living my dream.

5) Truly understanding and learning the difference between want and need, for example: "I only WANT to pay for just one beer but I really just NEED twelve."

6) Every stranger who has come up to me when I was completely lost and offered to help me, especially all you hotties! There's nothing more comforting than to have a pretty woman approach a confused and lost idiot like me. Next time it happens, instead of thanking you profusely, I'm just going to kiss you profusely. Consider yourselves warned.

7) All the potential muggers, henchmen, hitmen, mafiosi, and shady bad guy bastards who have not robbed and/or beaten me up yet-- thanks for staying away from me so far. Although I do have to say that I expect to see more of you in Latin America, so the next time you decide to target me, let's just grab a beer or two instead. It's more fun that way and nobody gets hurt.

8) Wine O' Clock *hiccup* and *hiccup* Beer O' Clock. Nuff, said. *hiccup*

9) McDonald's and Starbucks' being everywhere. While most people think Big Macs and Frappucinos, I think free bathrooms and napkins. Thanks to you two, I haven't spent a single penny on napkins, and plan to keep it that way for the rest of my trip. See, there is actually something good about them, even if they're tucked inside a pyramid or 12th century cathedral!

10) My aunt Bev and my buddy Calvin, for taking care of all my mail, random bills, notices, and all the stuff that I couldn't possibly take care of while away. Many million thanks!

11) The ability to say cheers in 13 different languages!

12) My iPod... for providing a soundtrack to my wonderful journey.

13) All the friends I've made on this trip so far. With friends all over the world, my quest for world domination will be that much easier *muhahahaha... MUHAHAHAHAHAHA.... MUHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHA*

Excellent video montage of Egypt from Scott!

"Walk Like An Egyptian...."

Before I took off for Cairo I had a layover in London for a couple of days to sort out a few things. After having flown into London 6 times already during this trip I've found that its been like a second home or me-- I even have a few favorite restaurants and cafés I go to as well as a nice place to get my haircut! I was able to check in to the British Airways lounge where I was pretty overwhelmed... All the other times I flew in and out of London I never really had much time to use it. What a pity, as the lounge offers free (unlimited) 15-minute spa treatments of facials, massages, etc. Add in free food and booze and I was tempted to just stay and forget about my trip to Egypt! But alas, the show must go on...

Flew into Cairo late around midnight and found a cab to my hotel, Caesars Palace. I booked the place ahead of time just because I thought it'd be cool to stay at a place called Caesars Palace in Egypt, plus it was only $35 for the night (sidenote to my foreign friends: Caesars Palace is a luxurious casino resort in Las Vegas, Nevada.) Just like the one back in Vegas, they tried to take more money from me than I was willing to part with. They refused the reservation I had for $35 and wanted $65 for the night. They gambled that I'd cough up the dough and wouldn't venture out to look for another hotel in the middle of the night in a foreign country and I'm happy to report that they lost! I walked out into the dark streets of Cairo at 1:30am determined to find another place to stay.

Luckily, I ran into a couple of cops dozing off in their car and they helped me get a legitimate taxi to the only other hotel that I could think of, the Victoria Hotel (it was to be our meeting point for the tour group the next day) Arrived there but the place was full. Took another cab to another hotel and that was also full. Hopped into another cab and finally got to the Atlas hotel where they thankfully had a room for $35. Done deal, I emerged victorious!

Throughout the situation that night, I offered cigars to every stranger, cab driver, security guard and police officer I came across who helped me, and made a concerted effort to crack as many jokes as possible. I figured, at the very least, if I was going to get kidnapped or something at least one of the guys would vouch for me and maybe buy some time before I show up on Al-Jazeera with a bag over my head and two swords across my neck!

I do have to say how friendly everybody was right away. Everybody I met, they would ask me where I was from, I would say, "America....(pause for befuddled look of confusion) yes, I'm really from America-- but I'm Chinese..." and every single one would always say, "Welcome to Egypt." I wonder, would we as Americans exhibit the same type of friendliness to Arabic visitors from Egypt or the Middle East? I hope so.

Highlights: (editorial note-- normally I don't do day-to-day accounts of my travels but there was just too much stuff not to mention on this trip)

Day 1: Our tour began with the introductory meeting-- there was Adele, a nurse from Essex, UK, Jenn, a personal trainer from Seattle, Sue, (Australia) a school administrator, Penie (Australia) also a nurse, and Chris and Scott (Park City, Utah) the only married couple on our trip. Small group, but I was the only single guy so I always got my own room! Definite highlight after having stayed in dorms for the past 6 months.

Day 2: Went to visit the ancient pyramids in Giza-- and learned that they are exactly 1 million kilometers away from the sun. How did they figure that out???!! It was strange to travel around Cairo, as kids would literally just come up to me and ask to take pictures with me. I felt like a celebrity... little did they know that the only thing I would be famous for in Egypt is my ability to clean up everybody's leftovers. I would be crowned the "family dog" for the rest of the trip. "RUF!!"

Day 3: Shopped in Aswan with Jenn and Adele, and everywhere we went the store vendors would yell out whatever English they knew. From the common, "Hello, American!" to the outrageous, "Yakuza" to whatever American city they knew, "Ahhh, Chicago... New York... Kentucky! (Kentucky?!! I mean, really now...) to my personal favorite, "Ahhh, two wives, Casanova, lucky man!!" Jenn and Adele just smiled and indulged me, allowing me a rare moment of glory. Thanks ladies!!

Day 4: While everybody else woke up at 3am to take a 3 hour bus to see Abu Simbel, I decided to 'simbel'y sleep in and skip the optional (read: additional expense) day trip. Ya see one temple, you've seen em all, right?!! :) I just mosied on around town, had lunch at a local joint for $3, caught up on my blog and really appreciated having some alone time on this tour. Besides, with two full days trapped on a felluca coming up, I needed all the solitude I could get. Or rather, the rest of the group would need all the time away from me as possible!

Day 5: Sailing up the Nile was extremely relaxing -- something about lying around on a sailboat with nothing but a book and the sound of water splashing around was incredibly idyllic. I, along with Adele, Jenn and Sue, decided to go for a swim, despite Lonely Planet's warning that certain fish can crawl up your ass. Esam, our wonderful guide, thinks Lonely Planet is actually a bad word, and repeatedly assured us that the area we were swimming in was perfectly fine. I'll take his word over any guide book any day of the week:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/travelnews/3128830/Paul-Morrison-Guide-Award-winner.html

Anyway, swimming in the Nile was cool and refreshing, especially after I decided to warm up the surrounding groinal area with some good ole fashioned piss. How often do you get the chance to say you swam AND pissed in the Nile? (Don't worry, ladies, I was downstream from you!) And just for the record, no fish swam up my bungholio.

We docked later that night next to a few other groups, and asked a few Australian guys to help me forage for some wood in the desert to build a bonfire on the beach. There was something very primal and caveman-like about bringing wood back to where everybody else was. I think I grew some hair on my chest that evening. Ok, fine, maybe just one. So what if it was on my nipple? We sang and danced to Nubian songs the rest of the evening, which was a definite highlight for me.

Day 6: I ran out of beer today (surprise, surprise) and was a bit dismayed that I didn't order more before the trip. You see, we had this little sign up sheet where we had to detail how many beers we needed for the boat ride. When this sheet came to me, I looked at everybody's entries-- 1 beer, 2 beers.... 4 beers. So in my head, I thought, well, I really would like 24, but that would just kinda make me seem.....odd. So I put down 8, thinking 4 per night would do the job. Who was I trying to kid?!!

Day 7: Saw Luxor and couldn't find a single slot machine or blackjack table. No huge light beaming into outer space either. (What were the Vegas developers thinking???) Sue and Penie "shouted" me 2 beers, more Aussie mumbo jumbo that just means they paid for my drinks. A taxi driver outside the bar shouted at me, saying "Shellfish man, two wives!!" Love it....

Day 8: Valley of the Kings. I rode a donkey for the first time ever (hereinafter referred to as my ass, for simplicity's sake.) My ass was a bit smelly, and was able to poop and walk at the same time. Talk about multitasking! On the way up to the valley, Jenn's ass bit my ass and a donkey rodeo ensued, starring yours truly. It wasn't fun for me, as I was trying to hang on to my ass, as well as two cameras, while my stupid ass kept getting bit by Jenn's. Jenn was in tears the whole time and I can't say I blame her. I'm sure the whole scene seemed pretty funny from the outside, but man, I was pretty freaked out. I will forever remember the Valley of the Kings as the Valley Where My Ass Got Bit.

Day 9: Nothing really eventful here, as far as highlights are concerned. We did visit Karnake Temple, where I walked around a beetle stone once for good health. Coincidentally enough, later that evening, I would eat a bad cheeseburger and get the runs.

Day 10: Spent the entire day in my hotel room doing all kinds of stuff I didn't know my ass was capable of.

Day 11: Hiked up to Mt. Sinai, where I broke one of the Ten Commandments and said the Lord's name in vain for my flatulence and diarrhea. (Come on, you would too!!)

Day 12/13: Arrived at our beach resort, where every one of us had our own beach hut. I luckily got one facing directly out to the Red Sea, (small penance for my recent bowel issues, I thought) It was nice just to relax out on the beach all day and evening with nobody around but our group.

In summary, the trip was an absolute blast and glad that I decided to join a tour group, especially with such an excellent tour guide (even though my neck is still sore from all the times I got slapped!) and great travelling buddies to a destination filled with so much history and sights to see.

Capadochian caves, and my last night in Istanbul

After my trip to Sofia, I decided to hop on a tour to Cappadocia, about an hours flight away from Istanbul. I was extremely reluctant to hop on a guided tour, but given my time constraints, I really had no choice.

The tour itself was alright, but it was the same kind of hop-on, hop-off type deal where they shuttle you from one sight to another. Granted, we covered alot of ground, but it just didn't feel right. What DID feel right was the ultimate highlight, staying in a my own hotel room with my own bathroom. To top it all off, I even had a king size bed! After about 5 months of bunking in hostels, this was an absolute highlight for me. I met some cool people on the tour, including Gil, from New York, who was with his girlfriend and travels quite a bit to South America for business. Hopefully, we'll get a chance to meet up when I get there. I also met a couple ladies from Amsterdam in my hotel who are BIKING from Holland to China, through Iran and Iraq. Ladies and gentlemen, further proof of how smoking weed can affect your better judgement.

I had to take a 12 hour bus back to Istanbul from Cappadocia and was not looking forward to it. I arrived at the bus station and asked which bus to Istanbul and the guy at the office pointed me to a small minibus, the kind that seats about 10 people and was pretty disappointed. I mean, 12 hours in THIS freakin thing? "What happened to the big buses??!!," I thought. One of the locals probably saw my freaked-out demeanor and reassured me that it was just a shuttle bus to the actual bus! I ended up chatting with him and a bunch of his friends on the journey back to Istanbul. We made a stop at Ankara, and there was one empty seat left in the bus, and it happened to be next to me. I told my Turkish friends that with my luck, my seat will be taken by a huge fat man. Well, sure enough, a huge fat man shows up and all my friends start laughing. The huge fat man wonders what's so funny and one of the guys mentions to him what I had predicted. He laughs a bit and I was glad he took this in a good way, as we sat together (rather uncomfortably) for the next hour or so. Luckily, a few other passengers got off on the next stop and he was able to find a seat to himself. Phew....

My last night in Istanbul was spent with my good friends Chris and Kadri, as well as my friend Jack, whom I met on the plane ride from Paris to Istanbul. A few others joined us as well that night, including a married couple, Dianna from Denmark and Terry from Portland, and Jon from the UK. Dianna and Terry are doing a round-the-world trip, and Jon, crazy Brit, was trying to BIKE around the world. http://www.smallwheelsbigworld.com/ So, our poker night consisted of Dianna, Terry, and me, doing a round-the-world trip, Chris and Kadri, motorcycling around the world, Jon, biking around the world, hanging out in Istanbul, with Jack, our local friend. It was a great time, except for the fact that Kadri, the so-called, "River Queen" kept beating me, even though I had to teach her how to play a week ago! I really hope to see everybody again one day, after we complete our respective journeys, if not sooner.

6 month mark-- thoughts and FAQ

On several occasions, whether I've just eaten the most fantastic meal, or laughed so hard my cheeks hurt the next day, or just being totally relaxed and at peace-- I've thought that when I buy the farm I will be the happiest farmer with a full harvest of wonderful memories. Not that I want to bring up the idea of kicking the bucket or anything but hey, we're all mortal and I just wanted to reinforce how much fun I'm having. This trip is the best reward I've done for myself, and highly encourage everybody to do the same if possible.

Top ten things I've learned over the last six months:
1) I talk really fast. Many times I run into people who speak English quite well, but would often ask me to repeat myself. Reminds me of my buddy Mike's fiancé, Taka, who is from Japan. I've known Taka for well over five years and when Mike lets her out of the cave twice a year I'd usually have some pretty one-sided conversations with her. I'd say something, she'd nod and smile, look at Mike and nod and smile back to me. I just figured she was Japanese and was being polite and her English wasn't good at all so I didn't really expect her to say much. Nodding and smiling was good enough for me. Well, of course Mike doesn't tell me until recently at Oktoberfest that Taka doesn't understand a single word I say. In fact, she hasn't understood a single thing I've told her over the past five years!! Why Mike decided to wait so long to tell me this is just yet another clear example that with friends like these, who needs enemies?

2) Visa is NOT everywhere you want to be. Apparently the brilliant ad execs who created that ad have not travelled much.

3) I still can't tell the difference between how New Zealanders and Aussies talk. Kiwis say the Aussies pronounce their "e's" like "i's" and Aussies say their "a's" like "i's." I'd always get a kick out of having one of my Australian friends, Cameron, say, "I like going to the lake later, mate," because it really just sounds like "I like going to the like lighter, might."

4) You can't smoke cigarettes inside restaurants in Holland but you sure as hell can light up a fat blunt. Go figure.

5) It's not that bears can climb trees it's the fact that they can and will shake you out of it.

6) If you ever intrude on moose territory during mating season you better plug your bungholio real tight. Or be able to run faster than a horny moose.

7) There is not one single thing that all countries in the world have in common. I thought maybe all cabs are yellow but London screws that up. Then I thought nodding meant yes. Except Greece and Bulgaria (and apparently East India, thanks Yvonne) don't buy into that system. Oh wait, actually there is one thing.... All postal employees are a disgruntled lot.

8) Trying to do yoga in Polish is pretty confusing, even for me.

9) I have to add Danish women to my bikini calendar of beauties from around the world, and will make ten times as much money than I originally thought.

10) What matters most is not where I've been, or where I'm going, but where I am.

Frequently asked questions:

1) "Where are you from?" Except for large cosmopolitan cities throughout Europe, the one question I get the most is this by a huge margin. I'd always answer, "America." To which they would always ask, "No, but where are you REALLY from?" And then I would repeat, "I'm REALLY from America!" Of course, most of the time I know they want to know what ethnicity I am, but it's always interesting to me to see their disbelief when I tell them I'm American. Hopefully having Obama as president will change the perception that we all look like Clint Eastwood or Paris Hilton.

2) "Where's your favorite place?" Everywhere I go, there's always something interesting and cool so I can't say there is one place that I would say is my favorite. But if there was a place I'd live for awhile, I'd say Copenhagen would be at the top of my list.

3) "What do you miss the most from back home?" In no particular order, my bed, pastrami sandwiches from The Hat, Western Bacon Cheeseburgers from Carl's Jr., Diamond Jim Brady Prime Rib from Lawry's, and my family's home cooking. Of course, the first thing I'm going to do when I get home is to have a Western Bacon Cheeseburger in one hand, a pastrami sandwich in the other, while on my way to my family's place for lunch, then head over to Lawry's for a slab of prime rib, where I will of course pass out on my bed for 15 hours. That would be my ideal and perfect first day back home.

4) "Do you get lonely travelling solo?" Honestly, there aren't many times when I am alone. Staying in hostels is a great place to meet travelers from all over the world. Traveling via public transportation is a great way to meet locals who may have some spare time to sit and have a coffee or beer later on. Even when I am alone, it's good to catch up on my blog (!) email, read a book (yes, can you believe it?) or just zone out in a park somewhere.

My blind date with Sofia

Over the past week I spent in Turkey, I told several people I met I was going to see Sofia, (Bulgaria) for the weekend and a common question I got was, "Why do you want to go there??!" Even the travel agent asked me that, which was a bit of a concern and quite distressing to me. The truth is, I met three Bulgarian women in Athens a few weeks ago who didn't necessarily have a high opinion of Sofia either. Naturally, I decided to go anyway, despite not knowing
anything about the place! I figured at the very least I knew some people who could show me around.

Of course given that Bulgaria's a NATO member and the newest country admitted to the European Union, I figured it couldn't be THAT bad. I also want to point out here that this trip isn't always about seeing the Great Wall or the Vatican (though important) but to visit, learn,
embrace, and experience different things. If anything, I've tended to be disappointed by the big "must see" cathedral/monument/tourist trap (See my post http://danielstriparoundtheworld.blogspot.com/2008/08/denmark-and-little-mermaid-part-i.html ) and have found that some of my experiences at the local food stand, random encounters
at the bus stop, and hangin' with locals in their dive bar has proven to be more memorable and lasting of an impression. Ok enough deep thoughts for the day. "Boli me glavata!" (I have a headache!)

I took the 10 hour bus ride into Bulgaria and throughout the trip I'd look outside the window and see some pretty dreary areas. Small and poorly lit towns with a couple of fluorescent lights here and there. Pretty depressing stuff-- and I thought to myself what the heck am I doing??! I should have listened to everybody else! It didn't help that my passport was checked four times throughout my journey (yes Bus Lady, I'm the same American tourist you saw just a little while ago in seat 11, in this very same bus... Now leave me alone to check out this wonderful scenery!)

I arrived late at night and walked to my hostel, which was also in a very poorly lit side street. At this point I thought to myself this is the part in that horror movie we've all seen, when the stupid guy goes into the haunted house to see where the monster is hiding. "No, don't go in there you stupid guy!" Well, this stupid guy went down the street anyway and just hoped to make it the three blocks without incident. I did just fine (no monsters) and found my cozy hostel-- arms, legs, and head intact.

Turns out, the city is actually quite nice. I mean it's not the cleanest city in the world but certainly not the ugliest or dirtiest. Strange thing I noticed was that despite the sunny, dare I say, California-like weather of 75-78 degrees, everybody I saw was wearing a thick overcoat or jacket and rather bundled up. I was the only one wearing shorts and a tshirt. So much for trying to fit in with the locals, eh?

I met up with Radi, whom I met in Athens, later that evening and one of the first questions she asked me was what I thought about Sofia. A few other people I met that day asked me the same thing. I told Radi, as well as everybody else, that I thought it was quite nice (especially given what I saw on my bus ride in!) I think the prevailing perception amongst Bulgarians (as confirmed by Radi) is that they still feel like the red-headed stepchild, a bit unsure of her new place in the EU and what the rest of the world thinks of her.

Radi was a great host throughout the short weekend. Checked out some local restaurants, ate typical dishes like cow tongue, Bulgarian stew, (forgot the name) and drank some pretty good Bulgarian wine. Apparently, wine is one of the things the Bulgarians are confident and sure of. As a two-buck chuck connoisieur I may be overreaching here, but I have to agree!

The weird thing about Bulgaria is that they have celebrated Halloween for a few years now. I don't understand it and is yet another indication of the worlds' inexplicable embrace of American and Western culture.

The other strange and very different thing I encountered is how Bulgarians say yes and no. Nodding up and down means no and shaking your head from side to side means yes. In other words, Bulgarians are a bit schizo and a confused lot! "Halloween, Levi's and McDonalds- you
name it, we'll take it. But we will never conform to how the rest of the world (besides Greece, actually) says yes and no!"

Anyway, after a short weekend of seeing Sofia, I'd say my first date went well. Will I call her back for a second date? Not sure if she's marriage material at this point (we'd have a hard time communicating with that whole yes means no and no means yes thing anyway) but hopefully she'll blossom into her full potential in a few years!