I'm from America, BUT I'M SWEDISH!

Maybe you connect with me on this one, maybe you don't.
The great and weird thing about being from the States is that we are all mutts!  I get made fun of a lot on the road for my tendency to say things like...

"Oh!  I'm Swedish too!  I love Herring!  You're Norwegian?  Yaa!  Don' cha know!, Dutch?  My name is Dutch!  Scottish?  I went to Scottish fest when I was 15!"

This is fine and well until they start asking for details...and usually their is some smirking going on at my expense...oh....silly mutt girl...so cute...she thinks she's Swedish!  Aww...

Minnesotans tend to be of the Scandinavian variety, which is why after discovering where life began in Africa, I felt inspired to discover where my family began!  My true Lut'eran her'tage!

So Rodolfo booked us a flight to Norway and here we are!  ... for one more day!  (flying to Paris tomorrow!)

A few days in Norway (particularly Vestby and Oslo),

• Lots of naked man statues!  This is cool if you're from Europe, but considering even horse statues are anatomically "altered" in the States, it was quite an eye opener for this young Minnesotan!

One night in Sweden (a beautiful city called Goteborg on a hillside)

• Cafes with the most incredible baked goods I've ever had!  This pic was taken of Gotenborg on a hilltop at night.

A few days in Copenhagen Denmark (of which I am not genetically from but is freaking awesome!)

• Bikes, bikes, bikes, bikes! and extremely pricey food!

What have I learned about myself from this experience?

• I look waaaay Norwegian, and get mistaken for one on the street here!  Why I think this is cool?...I'm not sure, but it's SO COOL!...Perhaps after Africa, my craving to blend in has struck hard...
• My obsession with kitchen gitch and cleanliness is purely genetic!  I have an excuse!  
• My inability to dress stylishly, also GENETIC!  WHEW!  Although clothing styles here beat the heck out of a piece of cloth wrap around in Africa, it's not quite Paris.  Eddie Bauer is more the norm.
• There are about 100 dudes that look like my grandpa in Sweden!
• There is a reason why Scandinavians aren't known to be good cooks...there are not a lot of ways to spice up crackers and cheese with salty fish!  Locals tend to eat Kebabs, burgers and pizza as a source of nourishment.  
• Walking and biking!  Also TOTALLY GENETIC!  We took a walking path thru the forest to get to the train this morning for a few miles at 5am!  I felt right at home!

So, as you can tell, this trip has given me an excuse to cook poorly, dress badly and clean my future house like a paranoid freak for the rest of my life!!!!  I LOVE IT!!!!!
I guess that's about it for now!  Lots of awesome pictures to come!

We made it to Sweden. Yaaa!!!

Norwegian food!

Norwegian chocolate milk and kaviar fish paste!

Norwegian pate - that kid looks just like my brother!

Norwegian brown cheese on bread!  A sweet and rich cheese

Norwegian dinner!  Fish cakes and potatoes!

Knekkebroed - hard crispy crackers are a cheap and healthy snack!
Tonight at the Kiwi mini market, we purchased a box of Lefsa!
(Here, you buy it dry, moisten with water, wrap with plastic, wait 20 minutes, ta da!)
So much for hours of work with potatoes and flour!  I'm so in Norway!

Real English grub!

I had been trying to figure out...what do Londoners really eat?

Every day for three days, we discovered different random little communities of street food vendors.

Moroccan one day, Sri Lankan the next, we were in street food heaven and we weren't alone. We were always surrounded by local Londoners enjoying a Friday mid work day lunch/Sunday street lunch!  Indlian, Mexican, Asian, you can travel the world on your lunch break!

Costing 4 to 5 pounds, it also doesn't break the bank. Pretty healthy too! The only trick is finding the right curb to sit on with the least amount of smog!

London rawked!

The history of a hill in Richmond!

Two famous Chileans together in London!

Thinking

When you don't have a job and you're traveling, you have a lot
more time, which sometimes gets filled with things like transportation,
budget, finding food and lodging.. Maybe that's 80% of my life now...
Sometimes there is solitaire: 10% and sometimes there is just staring
into the abyss contemplating things like aliens...why stop signs are
red... why people wear pants...why coffee tastes oh so good. Ok.
Maybe that is more than 10%
This time is when it gets weird. Usually there are so many
thoughts, so many weird moments that just flash by, it is impossible
to remember them all and also impossible even to describe, so I
generally don't mention them...perhaps this is a good thing?

The guy who walked by and started squawking at me like a duck.
The lady on the bus who held my hand for balance.
The awkward silly signs I don't understand.
The russian nannies on the tube laughing hilariously while a little girl poops.
The way British people say words like: fabulous, brilliant, fantastic!

These little moments though, they all add up and make me wonder if I'm
going a little bit crazy. Perhaps this is why people have jobs?
Hmmmm...
I'll have to think about that!

top 10 travel essentials!

Here's my top 10 items that I would never travel without.  It's always true that less is more and whatever you forget you can buy on the road, but these things particularly can be difficult to come by in many countries, especially if you want good quality items that won't fall apart!

This is a list I wish someone would have given me before we traveled!

• sunscreen:  SPF 50! Your face will thank you!
• travel undies: Exifficio all the way!  Don't leave home without two pairs!!  They're great!
• pocket knife: scissors, toothpick, knife, can opener all in one - perfect in a city or on an island!
• bug spray: because bugs are EVERYWHERE!  and they get BIG and MEAN!!
• set of utensils: so you can eat anywhere you want!  Fruit stands are awesome everywhere!
• light weight clothing:  They dry fast, they're cool in hot weather, easy to carry and sometimes, you look ok!
• laundry detergent: something small and strong with a lot of punch!  It makes life a little less smelly!
• camera:  this is the one item we would run off of a plane with!  Well...and our passports.
• comfy shoes/sandals:  This is a must or life is hell!   One pair of each only though, or backs will hurt!  Make sure your shoes look all right with all your outfits though, or you'll just look laaame.  People have more style in Yogyakarta, Lampang, Lusaka, Mbeya and Zanzibar and Cairo then I ever will!
• Charles Schwab debit card:  Or any kind of VISA debit card with no ATM fees and interest on checking!  This saves a LOT of money and takes the stress off of taking out as much as you can in a transaction.  Do you really want to carry $400 around with you at once?

Other items we've learned to love:

•  beach sarongs - good for more then beaches!
•  sleep saks - good for skanky-ish motels
•  small sized laptops - good for typing blogs/photos!  ;)
•  black ball point pens - great for emergencies/entry forms into countries and sudoku puzzles on planes!
•  baby towels - unlike the special travel towels - they're soft, they wrap all the way around and they dry in the same week!  Plus, they won't start smelling funny!  Grr....evil travel towels!

Girl things I've learned to love:

•  the Diva cup - saves space, money and time trying to find lady products in other countries!
• arm cloth bracelet wallet - it has made me feel beyond safe carrying money in any country and disappears under your shirt!
• nail polish - it's silly, but it's sometimes the most relaxing/girly thing I can do in the middle of nowhere!  

A day in Cairo

A day in Cairo

First stop: The pyramids!

After a 30 minute taxi ride thru the hugest city I have ever been in, suddenly the driver yells out, “Pyramid!  Giza!” and all I could think and say was… “whoa”….  They are HUGE!  Then came the hassling….sir!  This way!  No entrance that way!  Camel ride?  Donkey ride?  Taxi ride?  Which continued the entire visit….”sir!  You can’t walk!  I give you good deal!  What you want to pay?  Come on!  It’s slow day!  What you pay?  30!  30?  Ok.  15!  FIFTEEEEEEEEEN!  Sir?  SIR!!!!!!” Every stereotype you hear about of Egyptians…they are all true at the pyramids!!  

We walked.  It was a long walk.  A hot walk.  We were waaaaaay thirsty, but!  It was awesome!  There is nothing like burning sand on your feet and scorching heat on your head to make you really appreciate the pyramids and respect the desert.  How people must have suffered to move those giant boulders into place…I can’t even imagine! 

The sphinx?  A lot smaller than I anticipated in comparison to the giant goliaths behind it!  They really are mind blowing, and even with the giant tourist buses, annoying camel riders and the hoards of pictures being snapped all around you, there is a reason why so many people come.  It’s amazing!!!

Second stop: The Egyptian museum!

After a quick Fanta drink on the street, we were off to find the Egyptian museum! 

Although photos are not allowed, the wonders that are stored in wooden/glass boxes with typed index cards that are 30 years old in 3 different languages taped to a corner are incredible!!!!  Although, when you are looking at an ancient Egyptian mummy that is way old and all it says in typewriter print on the 3 x 5 card is: mummy

Well……I could do with a few more descriptives!

We did get to see mummified: crocodile, dog, baboon and goose!  (in case the mummies get hungry in their after life!)

Next to the mummified mammals?  Why, King Tut’s (Tutankhamen’s) spare closet!!!  Complete with the King Tut tomb, the tomb inside the tomb and all his special hats and candy cane cane’s, jewels, gems etc!  (I didn’t know who Tutankhamen was…in the States, I only heard of King Tut!)

The museum is filled with two floors of unending priceless incredible artifacts…it’s almost too much to take in in one day.  I had no idea that the Greeks had taken over Egypt!  To see an ancient looking Egyptian statue with a Greek looking face and curly hair was quite a trip!  I'd never imagined!  We also got to see a painting of the king of midgets!!!!  How cool is that?!?

There were plenty of groups of tourists walking thru with their earpieces and their mini skirts each with their own special guide walking them thru the top ten must sees of the museum…it just gets tough when they block off the entire hallway and there is no way around...
... but seriously, one of the coolest museums I’ve even seen!

Last African pics!

We're leaving Egypt -and Africa in a few hours. We got some wifi here in Cairo so... let's call it a day!
Pics... here they are! Click here!

Street life in Cairo

We spent the day in Cairo!
Taking the 2 am bus, we walked from the bus station to our
hostel,watching business men have their shoes polished before work
while reading the morning paper.

We took a taxi to the pyramids, another taxi to the Egypt museum
(more about those soon!) and then spent another few hours wandering
the streets, drinking fresh juice and trying to avoid getting killed
by cars! Tricky stuff when they don't turn their lights on in dark
allies!

Muslims all over Egypt are celebrating Ramadan at the moment, which
means that after a day of no food or water, the streets really come
alive when the sun goes down! Most food shops don't even bother
opening until dusk. ( it also explains why people seem so cranky all
day!)

Crossing the street is a challenge! If a car sees you, they will most
likely aim for you, so run!

There are a lot of cars!
There are a lot of motorcycles!
There are a lot of people!

I haven't been wearing a wedding ring on the trip because I didn't
want to lose it, and this is the first place where I really wish that
I'd had one. Even with Rodolfo right next me, the stares, smiles and
greetings kept coming! According to all Egyptian met we've met,
Rodolfo is a "very lucky man".

The large speakers blaring out prayer calls can be lovely in the
distance, but a little intense right next to your ear.

The streets are a bit dirty and I want to wash my feet all the time
due to the dust, but that is a very small price to pay for the awesome
lingerie/burka window shopping all in one store! As Rodolfo
said...inside and out! How handy!

Cairo is kind of laid out like Paris. If you want to buy a light bulb,
you'll need to go to the light bulb block of the city. Mechanic? Same
deal! Everything has a street!

Tomorrow it is off to London one more time! I'm excited to not think
about whether or not my knees are showing and after 2 months in
Africa, the color of skin I have under my
clothes....ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh..to blend in!!

Ghost town

When we first arrived in Hurghada, you notice a difference immediately.
This small tourist town, famous for its location next to some of the most beautiful sea life in the world is.....spooky.

In other areas of Africa that we've visited...like Lusaka in Zambia, city buildings strike you as odd because they are all left decaying from the 70's, as if time had stopped, which in the sense of the city having a working infrastructure and educated civil engineers....it did stop. You walk on the side walk until it falls apart, and then....well, you walk in the dirt.

Hurghada is special because at least 85% of the buildings standing are incomplete. Nobody lives in them and perhaps nobody will. Locals start building with the money they have and when they run out of funds, they simply stop building and start up again in a few years when they do. Sometimes you'll see an entirely empty building with just one store lit up and open in the dark of the night, or perhaps a single apartment unit with the lights on. Our friends explained that as long as the building hasn't been finished, they don't have to pay taxes! Interesting.....

It's just kind of odd to be in a ghost town that has never been lived in! An entire city that is yet to exist!!! Sort of backwards and upside down in a sense that doesn't really work in my Western brain. Just like the decaying sidewalks of Zambia dont' make much sense either.
Dr. Seuss would love it!

The Red Sea

Diving!

Rodolfo's first great big step into diving!

We had an incredible day diving in the Red Sea with our friend Marjin guiding us along the corals and showing us some incredible fish!!!

We both got to dive twice.  Once in the morning and once in the afternoon, which was great, since the first dive I spent most of the time trying to remember to breathe!  Marjin had to carry me around under water because I was too afraid to move!  That first step into the water from the boat with 100 pounds of diving gear on was definitely the most terrifying, but also the most exhilarating....kind of like Bungee Jumping, but heavier.   You have to trust that everything will work!  I was lucky our friend was there for us every step of the way!  

The experience under the water was just like a National Geographic special!  Giant rainbow colored parrot fish, beautiful little Nemo fish, a gigantic 10 foot long Morel Eel and the most beautiful corals that I've ever seen in my life going on and on forever!  Plus, 100's more fish that I don't know the names of and can't quite explain in words.  It was such a special experience that I will never forget or watch a PBS special the same way!

African food

Having come from the spicey chili sauce and cheap and delicious noodles of Asia previous to this, I was not prepared for Africa!  Rodolfo and I agree on one thing...for the most part, as amazing as Africa is, you do not come to Africa to eat!

The most popular entree in Southern Africa goes by many different names, but remains about the same:
A serving of cooked porridge style corn meal/maize meal called:

pap (S.A.)
papa (Botswana)
Nshima (Zambia)
Nsima (Malawi)
Ugali (Tanzania)

You receive a plate with a large portion of this substance and you eat it with your right hand and mold it into small balls for dipping into other small bowls of:

fried mustard greens cooked to mush
stewed beans - if you're lucky!!  yum!
watery beef broth with a small chunk of extremely chewy beef on the bone, tomatoes and onions

Look out for small stones and pieces of bone!

If you try to eat what locals eat, you can eat quite cheaply, but you also get a little bored!  There were however, special ocassions every once in a while that stood out as some of our favorite meals of the trip! 


South Africa:  Boer wurst!
This is a ring of herbed sausage looped into a sprial and cooked outside on a grill..rrrr....I mean Braii!
This sausage is purchased at a local Butchery...not butcher, and each Butchery uses a secret mix of spices a South African will drive far and wide to find!  Let me tell you, it's worth!  This meat is perfect with a 'sundowner' beer and chilling with good friends!

Botswana: Fried chicken and fries on the local bus
You sit on the bus and while waiting for it to leave..hours of my life gone by forever... you can purchase a small portion of cold chips and breaded chicken on the bone.  It's small, cold, oily and absolutely delicious sitting on a bus for ages!  The perfect dessert would be a nice big juicy orange that are also sold by people walking down the aisles, or perhaps a ball of fried dough!  mmm...mmm..

Zambia: Grilled t-bone steak
You purchase your meat at the local butchery, where they also supply you with a grill right outside the front door where you grill your own!  Need a beer while your steak cooks?  There's a bar next door with beers for $1!  No need for plates, just carve your meat right off the grill!!  Street food brought to a whole new level!


Malawi: Bus bananas and flying cabbages
Malawi hasn't caught on to the idea of cans or preserving food so they have to sell their produce as quickly as possible before it goes bad.  If something is in season, you eat a lot of it!  The favored way to buy food is on your way home thru the bus window!  I watched a man throw a huge head of cabbage into the window and the women purchasing, simply threw her money out into the wind while the bus drove off with the cabbage man chasing after!  This particular bus trip also marked the first time I've seen a child chew on the peels of a banana before eating the banana itself with a look of pure pleasure.  At first I thought it was a cultural thing, but then I realized, no....she was just that hungry.

Tanzania:  Guac in the park
On our way from Malawi to Mbeya Tanzania, Rodolfo thought he had bargained for one giant avacado out the bus window for $1, to have the entire bowl of 6 thrown onto his lap bowl and all - we gave her back the bowl..well, more like threw it out the window in her direction.... 
In a small town called Iringa, we bought some plastic plates, garlic, tomato and salt and had ourselves a GUAC FEST in the local city park with some very tall and hungry British boys we'd been traveling with.  To the stares of locals, we ate masses of guac with a loaf of bread while listening to an ipod and drinking glass bottles of Fonta....a little piece of Western home on the road...or as close as we could get.

Zanzibar: spiced coffee
Now, contrary to the rest of the trip, Zanzibar IS the place to come to eat for weeks and weeks in between laying out on the perfect beaches and getting lost in the maze of Stone towns streets!
The air is filled with spices and it's intoxicating just to breathe it in!
Our favorite end to the day was at the street corner a few blocks from our hotel where old men would come and sip espressos in little cups!  You ask for a coffee and they immediately pour you a piping hot little cup of pure love out of a giant metal kettle they keep hot on coals next to your feet.  You sip your coffee while nibbling on a crunchy, sugary candy you pull out of a giant jug.  We would sit and watch the locals watch us.  It's also a great spot to see people walking with suitcases on their heads to catch the slow night ferry to Dar.  It was a perfect culinary end to the perfect day of eating.

Horghada Egypt

Egypt!  We made it!  We get to enjoy a whole week visiting some great friends whom we met in Malaysia back in the spring!  It's amazing how life works out, where you can end up next, not to mention how great it is to spend time with friends!!  (The puppy in the picture is their dog Lucky, the sweetest of sweet dogs.)

Our friends are diving instructors here, and they've asked us to come out with them tomorrow on the boat and try diving for our first time on the Red Sea!  AHHHH!!!!!  I'm a little nervous..I get nervous snorkeling!!  So hopefully the beauty of the coral will inspire me to be brave!

We're going thru a bit of food shock here, in comparison to our time in Southern Africa.  We just enjoyed a lunch of hummus, olive spread, fresh tomato and goat cheese (for me) sandwiches!!!  The first stop off the plane was to the grocery store and we ran around in hysterics smiling like crazy at the quality and price of the foods!!!! 

So far, lovin' Egypt!  We'll hit the pyramids and the museum up the day before we leave in Cairo and stop by Luxor for a day before that.  Until then, we get to enjoy some rest and relaxation with our friends near the Red Sea!

Tanzanian pics!

We're only hours before leaving the cyberspace in Dar (first for a few sundowners, then to catch the plane to Egypt)... so pics, here they are!

Click here!

Traveling for a year...holiday?

When we meet new people, they always ask, so....what are you doing?

Getting this opportunity to wander around all over the world to our hearts content is definitely a gift and a huge opportunity!  Getting to meet new people, eat new food, travel in unusual vehicles....so cool!
But, vacation?

We've definitely had our fair share of perfect beaches, quality cappuccinos and delicious food...it isn't all suffering, however, traveling in general definitely has its moments of stress and frustration, so the term 'holiday' or 'vacation' doesn't really feel quite right while I'm walking along the side of the highway covered in dirt and sweat with a pak on my back at noon, not knowing where I'm going to sleep that night....I believe some people would connect that with homelessness, not a holiday!

This being said, we wake up every morning and think the same thing....wow!  I can't believe we are here!

Sometimes it feels a bit selfish...especially when the person cooking us breakfast in some places will never get to see the wonders we've seen that might just be around the corner for them.  Eating food that a local person might not be able to afford.  Getting a 1st class bus ticket, because we can.  Then, we are fully aware of how lucky we are to have so much access to so many places and the knowledge that we are choosing to be where we are. 

We are leaving Tanzania tonight for a flight to Egypt, which will leave one more week in Africa before heading to Europe.  Africa is not an easy place to be, see, eat or sleep.  It's expensive, it's dusty, you can't drink the water, and nothing works the way it should and of course, you are guaranteed to get ripped off with bright white skin, but for all of the hassle and all the times I swore all I wanted was to be back in the states with a job an apartment and a good book, the whole experience seeps into your heart and forces you to feel whether you like it or not.  I don't know if it's right or wrong to do what we are doing, but the education we are gaining from getting to be in all of these places....it forces my brain to grow and learn and be open to new cultures and foods every day!  Life long learning!

The bright colors, the great big smiles, the humor in finding a chicken under your bus seat and the sound of voices singing in the distance....I'll never forget it!

After Africa?  It's off to London, Norway, Paris, Madrid, the East Coast of the States, Montreal, Minnesota!, Chile....and then we'll be done and have babies!  (right Rodolfo?).  6 months down, 6 to 9 months to go!  We are so lucky!

The Doors

Stone Town in Zanzibar is full of mysterious streets and small paths that creep and turn every which way. The people of Stone Town pride themselves on their beautifully crafted wooden doors. I've always loved doors, and these inparticular captured our hearts. Unforgettable!

New pics of Zambia and Malawi!

Click here for Zambian pics!

And here for Malawi pics!

Tanzania!!!! Fun on buses!

We have spent the last 2 days traveling by bus.
I thought the bus rides in Malawi, Zambia and Botswana were nice and scrunched, but here, it's full to capacity, and then they add 20 more people....
literally...you're packed and then a person prepares themselves to sit inbetween two people pretending there is space...and literally wait for people to make it happen.

A man said to us on our way to Mbeya, very kindly, "Squish please!"  6 people in 3 seats is normal!
This is perhaps even more interesting for those with small butts....it is just expected that you don't mind sitting on 1/3 of a seat!

We were planning to take the Tazara train into Dar Es Salaam, but after a 30 minute wait at the counter watching the women doodle on her clipboard rather then look up, and another 10 minutes watching her look at the clipboard to find an "open cabin" it was announced the train had an accident in Zambia and wouldn't be coming for another 4 days.

This is transportation in Africa!  Delay is a word you need to learn in Swahili in the back of our Lonely Planet!

Tomorrow, however, we take our last of 3 days of 12 hours bus rides...tomorrow is supposed to be 7, I expect 10...to get to Dar Es Salaam!  From there, it will be a week in Zanzibar, a week in Egypt, a week in London, a week in Oslo Norway and then it is off to Spain for a while!  It's good to have a plan!  and it's very exciting to get to transportation that works!  YAY!!!