Pictures!?

Arie has sent some pictures. The captions aren't very detailed, so I've dismissed them.
They're from Mngalor, Goa and Om Beach.
Dad, looks like you're having fun, aren'tcha.

J.B.

Om Beach to Cochin

God am I sorry I left Om beach (mind you Im not completely sure because Ronit told me that all the garass has dried up - which of course I dont believe) the beach was great and the living was easy. but I did leave Om Beach and now, after 6 days on the road I am in Cochin.

The first day from Om beach to mangalore was easy, good road and not too much traffic, using my trusty "lonely Planet " I ended up in a truly middle class hotel in the an obviously middle class town - from Mangalore to here I began to see the presence of an Indian middle class. After checking into the hotel I decided to go outside and check out the town and ran smack bang into the middle of some sort of fancy dress parade, very coulorful and musical and photogenic though I have no idea what it was in aid of.
What struck me most about Mangalore was the fact that for the first time since arriving in India I did not have to worry about stepping in cow shit, it seems to me that that makes a hell of a difference, I find it difficult to move into the 21st century if I am forced to manouvre around cow shit and have to stop on the highway, literal and figurative to wait for the cows to move. I dont wait for them to decide to move because they are cows and dont make decisions, they just move or dont.

Mangalore is biggish with many modern 'conveniences' such as a mall and.......oops, thats about it but still more madern than most. I did manage to get little boxes for my bike rack made by hand from scratch - perfect 18th centuary hi-tech. But beautiful work and fascinating to watch in the creating.

From Mangalore to Calicut where I spent christmas and ate shwarma, beefr shwarma, not up to israeli standards but beef shwarma nevertheless. Nothing to add about another large coeless city.

From Calicut to Thrussir, on the way, almost blocking the road i came upon a huge cattle market. I stopped the bike to take pictures and all around friendly farmers made way to let me through to get the best view. I esked whether the market was for racing bulls, due to the huge crowd, excited interest and good looks of the beast. But no, they were all going to be eaten! And indeed im many places in Kerala beef is on the menu though not always available. Thrissur itself nothing special (okay there is a chapter on culture in the town in the Lonely Planet but that is a bullshit book anyway) except for a beautiful church and an important temple off limits to forigners (shit, how do you spell that?).

from Thrissur to Cochin - Of course I looked it up in my trusty (ha!) lonely and they say that Fort Cochi is the coolest place in this city more than 1.3 miilion but only give the names of about 3 budget level guest houses and warn about the narrow winding streets etc.. So of course i took a room outside the fort. Then I went to the main area and was stunned, a roomy friendly town with guesthouses and homestays at reasonable prices all over town. I also bumped into Gali (from Hampi) who told me that Efrat and Yitzhaki (also from Hampi) were in town and I then took a room in there guest house/homestay and we are planning a new years eve BBQ (I have offered to make mashed potatoes - surprise!).

Cochin, for those who dont know was home to several tens of thousands of Jews who all emigrated to Israel in the 50s and 60s and they can now be found there playing cricket every weekend. There is a "Jew Town" here and a few synagogues so I am doing the jewish connection thing.

As soon asIi arrived here a young guy with a baby in his arms struck up a conversation with me and 20 minutes later I had grass in my pocket and a smile on my lips. I like Cochin and will spend a few days here waiting for my sister who arrives on the first for a 2 week holiday with me. Thank goodness she is bringing me de-caffe and shoresh sandals.

Hampi

I have just spent 8 days in Hampi. How I got there and away to where I now am (Om Beach) is irrelavant. Hampi was amazing, a tiny village nested up in the eastern plateau of Karnataka is one of the most beautiful sceneries (can I write that?) I have ever seen. The village, actually there are two but they are usually lumped together, sit on the two banks of a large, filthy river which has to be crossed by a dirty leaking about to die and sink motorboat which is about 3 meters long and can carry 20 people, 3 goats and 2 motorcycles (and of course the fervent prayers of all the occupants, including the goats (and they know they're going to be eaten that evening). The boatman is silent but his assistant, a boy of about 12 is loud enough for both and totally obnoxious, he has a squeaky voice and whines for money and in a couple of years will be squeezing the T and A of the girls crossing in the boat. You can also get across in coracles (look that up if you need to know) but they are out of the way - though they charge less for motorbikes.
Because of the scenery Hampi is full of tourists, in Hampi proper you will find tavellers and tourists from all over the world but no Israelis, on the other side, in you will find travellers and tourists from all over Israel but very few, and those only the very brave, from anywher else. The Israeli side is, like Arambol, geared for Israelis, all the guest houses and restaurants serve Israeli favourites, the computers are all geared for Hebrew and many of the locals have adopted Hebrew names to make us feel more at home (and thus willing to part more easily with our untold riches (all tourists are by definition millionaires!). Little Israel, just like "The Valley" in LA. And for a while it worked, every day I ate 'shipuddim" (Shishlik) or Israeli breakfast or borekkas at a different place but after 5 days it all blurred into one and I had to leave (Thats why I'm in Om Beach now). Also because of the neverending satla brought on by what I personally consider Primo grass. If you do get to Hampi dont pay more than 500 rhupees for a 10 gram packet!
In Hampi ther are the ruins (huge) of an old temple site and I did the right thing and walked around the complex for about 2 hours and was then "templed out". There is also another temple which has an elephent which blesses you, by patting your head with its trunk for a rhupee, and 50 more to take a picture. Of course I did that.
On the Israeli side you can rent a bike or motorbike and ride through magnificent rock formations to visit the nearby lake, which may or may not have crocodiles in it, whatever, when I was there a numbe of tourists (Okay, Israelis) were swimming despite the rumours. there is also the Hanoman (or Monkey) temple to which I had to climb 600 steps (Thanks Jeremy, for getting me into shape). The view from the top is amazing and the Baba who lives there has a sattelite dish and a chillum. You can see forever in every direction and the ground is covered with huge piles of cacked rocks that look like they were put ther by a 5 year old playing with blocks. And all around green fields and palm trees and little hovels for the locals.

Moving around

Hi Guys. I have left Hampi (which I havent yet written about) and am now on the coast again at a beautiful place called Om Beach in Karnataka (if you are looking at a map of India, which I'm sure you not).

Still doing good and riding my bike - mind you with all the crappy roads, and yu cannt imagine just how crappy they can be - I am now , right now, at this moment putting i into a garage for servicing and tomorrow I'll get it back so I can move on to my next stop which will be Mysore for major book aquisitions, I'm running out of reading material and the book shops here are awesome.

Planet Arambol

Last night, my last night in Arambol, yes, I have escaped from "The Land Of The Lotus Eaters" and I am now somewhere else.

Anyway, last night i was invited to a party that some people were having at a house that some of them had rented, many people who plan to spend a long time in Arambol rent houses, its cheaper over time and you have extra amenities like TV and kitchen, so there I was at this party.

There were about 25 people there and I have no idea who most of them were or who lived there or whatever but in that room was the biggest collection of drug smoking parephernalia I have ever seen and I have seen quite a few rooms in my time, there were bongs and chillums and joints and a pitero (I think thats what its called). And the various instruments were in all shapes and colours and sizes and some had names and special cases and whatever and WAS I impressed! And they all knew exactly what to do and how to prepare the different implements and they all shared the work and the bongs and chillum and piteros and joints went marching endlessly around the room. Then the hosts brought out the 'piece de resistance' - 'space cookies' and after about an hour everybody was totally stoned. People were either sitting down nodding to the loud techno(?) music or wandering aimlessly about and I looked around at these 23 - 24 - 25 year olds and thought to myself what great kids they are, real salt of the earth. Done their time, paid their dues and now they want to go out and taste as much of life as they can till the mortgage hangs heavy round their necks.

they worked hard to get here and they upped and left their safe secure homes to spend 40 hours on the train with 30000 wild Indians to get from Delhi to Goa and they didnt moan or complain. they planned and worked out and bargained and priced and made friendships and developed caring and trust - Awesome young people.

And most of them dont drink or smoke cigerettes and before India they didnt smoke drugs either and when they go home they either will or they wont but they will - to paraphrase Bogie "Always have India" So Adi and Yakov and Ariel and Yafit and Ronit and Omri and Shpitz and Chen and Adi, just go on having fun till you decide its time.

Getting to Goa is easy, but getting out is another story.

So I arrived in Goa last Saturday, or was it the Saturday before that, or the one before that. It seems like I have been here for years or at least forever.
The journey from Kalhapur was horrific, one part of the road was so unroad that it took me 4 hours to cover 40kms and in fact I didnt stop or get off the bike for five bloody hours! And the dust and the huge trucks aimed directly at little me! But they all love seeing a mad white guy on a motorcycle in the middle of nowhere and try their best not to hit me! Sorry about all the exclamation marks (!) but everything causes me to exclaim!
And trhen as the song says "The bear came over the mountain" and there were waves of bright green mountains floating away into the distance and scattered clouds scattered lightly and birds singing and I was in Goa and it was a different India, like Israel before 1967. So I toddled off to find my cousin Ariel and Tali You see, I do have a cousin everywhere! And when I found him they welcomed me and I spent the night there and most important, I had a shower there.
The next day I set off to find Arambol and I did and now I am stuck. And the fucking place is not even marked on the map!!! I was going along this green winding jungle road and suddenly I was in Arambol and it was like all the othe villages I'd been through on my way here but this one did look different, well there were lots of white faces for one thing. So anyway I met a girl and she needed petrol but wasnt sure how to ride the moped and asked me, in English to go with her to the petrol station which I did but they didnt have any petrol, I told you this is all about India. At that she spat out a Kus Emak so we continued in Hebrew and she showed me the center af town where I was kidnapped by an enterprising young Indian gentleman who showed me a great room where I have happily settled in. That evening my upstairs Israeli neighbours introduced me to the joys of "Garras" and I am totally happy and content.
This is Homers" Land of the Lotus Eaters from The Odyssy" - for those who dont know what I am talking about read the Odyssy or ask me. Any way in the Land of the Lotus Eaters, if you eat of the lotus flower you lose all desire to ever move again and this is what happens here, in the little town of Arambol. You take a hit or a puff and you are lost, you become an Archi-Satlan, a high priest of garrras, a rabbi of bongs. And you never want to leave.
Of course there are many important decisions to be made each day. First of course is do we have enough garras, then where do we eat breakfast, lunch, dinner and what do we eat and whose going to be there and...Take another hit..and just one more before we leave ..and one more!!
And I love the cows. Its not like the big city where you see a cow here or there, here they share the roads and narrow lanes wiyh you and sometimes walk into the restaurant where you are just starting your steak. They fight in the streets and send the basta (stall) owners into hysterics and they poke the bulls with sticks to chase them away from their basta. And they crap all over and they stink up everything and I love them. In Denver I visited a mall that had a display of cow statues but these are the real macoy, not painted.
Anyway, under the circumstances it has not been easy actually sitting down and writing this thing but this is all I could manage (need another hit!) . I will eventually escape from here but if you dont hear from me for a couple of weeks, dont worry, just take another toke or hit or whatever.

Pensive Moment

Hi guys, here i am safely esconced in Arambol, nothern Goa and except for the "barchashim" this is what I imagine paradise lost was like. blue skies, blus seas, white sands, beachside cafes and restaurants, beautiful people and cheap. Not to even mention the "jarash".
I have lost several kilos and now no longer look like ganesh the elephant god, I still have a paunch and love handles (oops, no love at the moment so I will call them "spare tyres"). I think I told you that I have hardly been eating and I feel great, even my right shoulder which has been giving me terrible pauin for the last 15 months has eased up and much more usable.
Also I walk a helluva lot, I try to avoid riding the bike in the big cities, too scary.
There was just a commotion in the street, two bulls were fighting and everyone was hystereical with woryy that they would knock there stall over! great excitement and I took several photos. I love all the cows in the streets, I have even seen them walk into retaurants. Yhats a little slice of India.

Arie at the Ashram

Well I couldnt come to India and not do the Ashram scene, could I? I had to look for enlightenment somewhere, right? it is not enough to know myself, I had to meditate, right?
So I arrived in Pune and after a bit of regular touristing, I decided to head for the Rolls-Royce of Ashrams (and it is fitting that I should call it the Rolls-Royce of Ashrams since when he was kicked out of the US old Osho had either 19 or 90 of those rather expensive motor cars).
So off I went to the Osho Meditation Center, paid my penny, did my AIDS test, bought my robes and went in to meditate. the center is magnificent, beautiful gardens, beautiful buildings (all black), swimming pool, retaurants, an auditorium to die for, meditation halls, shady plazas, the works. All around you see calm people dressed in purple robes (yes, me too!) walking slowly or quickly but all with a sense of calm and peace about them. Its like being in Club Med - in fact like Club Med you dont use money, you use coupons.
The place is full of people from all over the world, of course Israelis, but Russians, Rumanians, Norwegians, Brits, Australians, many Italians and Germans, lots of Indians and who knows what else.
With a group of others I was taken off for an introductory session where we did loud meditations, then I went off for a silent meditation followed by meditation with drums and others which I caanot describe. I have to tell you all that I am lousy at meditating, my mind seems to wander all over the planet and I cannot empty it. I tried a" breathe in - breathe out" sort of mantra (shades of the blonde haircut joke) but even that didnt work. I guess I am not cut out for that, or maybe, just maybe I am relaxed enough to know my place in life and not worry too much. Of course I do have a problem or two with the meaning of life but dont we all, nothing that a shrink or a chillum cant fix.
The evening sessions were amazing, at about 6:30 in the evening everybody would appear at the main auditorium, showered and dressed now in white robes and to see a couple of hundred white-robed figures climbing the steps in the dark under muted light was quite impressive - even I was moved. We all found a place to park, most of the people had little chairs or rugs and for 15 minutes everyone danced to wild(ish) music, last night ironically enough, it was Hassidic music - the Lubavicher must be turning over in his grave! Then Osho himself would come onscreen and begin his talk (actually he died a few years ago and what we got was a recording but nobody seemed to mind). I enjoyed the talks, he was smart, knowledgable on many religious, social, scientific and philosophical matters and cerainly new how to hold his audience. he was by turns serious, sarcastic and humourous and the speeches alwas end with a dirty joke or two. And the audience is riveted to the spot, you are not allowed to cough or sneeze and when people did they were quietly escorted out. For myself, I was more worried about farting but fortunately I have a strong spincter!
After the daily lecture it is fun time with parties, variety shows or chillouts by the pool. But what can I say? I just didnt connect. I am a sceptic and cynic of the first order. I have a problem with people who ask me to forgo the material world and end up owning 19 (or maybe 90) luxury cars.
I am now in Goa - wait for more!!

Me and my bike: Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Riding (in India)

Well as I told you in my last my bike was delivered but as it was late afternoon and traffic was heavy I decided not to try and ride it until the early morning when there was less risk of my crashing it even before i had started my travels.
I woke up on time, 5am, went down and my bike was still there. Yay, after battling with the kick-starter I finally managed to get it started and took a couple of spins around the block. Easier said than done as the Royal Enfield is based on a 1950s British bike and for me its all ass-backwards, the gears are on the right and the clutch is on the left, the gears are 1 up and 3 down instead of the other way round and it takes some getting used too. But I managed without falling off, loaded my bags on the bike took a last look at the map (and what I hoped would be a last look at my hotel) and set off to find my way out of Mumbai, a huge city of 16 million people speading for miles in every direction.
I dont know if I found the way out or the way out found me, after all, this is India so I guess it is a Zen thing and 25 kms and 1 hour later there was no city aroud me and I saw a sign "To Pune" and I was truly on my way. Outside the city I was still surrounded by vehicles of every description but no buildings, few slums and very little garbage. As I continued the countryside turned green and the city was left behind.
After driving for about 30 mins on a beautiful (relatively) highway I pulled up at a tool booth to be informed that 2 wheelers were not allowed on it. I was even told that I would have to pay a penelty but after a short consultation I was forgiven but told to leave the expressway, which i did.
When I got off I saw 2 roads, 1 paved and 1 unpaved. Of course I chose the paved road - BIG mistake. 20 minutes later after negotiating sheep, goats, oxen, donkeys and cows I was in the middle of nowhere. I stopped at a tiny cafe in a tiny village and asked the tiny owner if he had a large coke, he did. as I sat there people gathered round to see the westerner on an Enfield. I took some pictures and the kids there loved it and kept asking me to take more, I did, and when I showed them on my digital how they looked they were thrilled. That seems to happen with kids everywhere I go.
So back I went 15 or so kms, again passing all the anomals until I reached the unpaved road and took it (again a Zen thing) and believe it or not it took me all the way to Pune, on the way I again passed a largw collection of domestic animals, which I have already described and in addition I met an elephant coming the other way, I swear! Also a caravan of camels going in my direction. Amost interesting ride, what can I say.
On the outskirts of Pune, while stopped at a traffic light my engine stopped - low revs - no biggie, and as I was already stopped I decided to have a smoke and a short rest. As I was standing there a guy came up to me and asked if I needed help, I told him I was having trouble with the revs and he offered to fix it, which he did. Then he said that he wanted to take it for a drive to check it, he looked at my face (you can imagine) and asked me if I was worried and I said what the hell, take it. Off he went, the wrong way into crazy traffic and I sort of waved goodbye to my "junk". But 10 minutes later, or was it 10 years? he was back, gave me instructions how to get where I was going and refused payment. Zen again.Tired but exausted I finally found my hotel and settled in.
Driving in India can only be a Zen thing, people ride where they want, how they want and when they want. There seems to be no rhyme or rythm and red lights are of course only a reccomendation. There is however a pecking order: busses are top of the hill because they are biggest, then come trucks (unless it is a huge truck then it comes before the busses), then come pickups followed by cars, autirickshaws and then motorcycles though because they are quicker than autorickshaws can sometimes out rank them. At the bottom of the heap are bicycles and then, only then, pedestrians - you dont want to be one of them!
Thus ends the lesson for today. Wait for the further adventures of Arie in Pune.

Have Bike -- Will Travel

Thats it, my Royal Enfield 350 has been deliverd and if it is still there in the morning and if I can kick-start it and if I can find my way out of Mumbai I will be headig south early tomorrow morning in search of adventure.
Well hotmail wouldnt let me send this when I wanted to and now it is 48 hours later and I found my way out of Mumbai, or maybe the way out found me. And after a very interesting ride I am now in Pune where there is not nearly as much crowding (Well as much but not right on top of me) and I feel very comfortable and relaxed.
More will eventually follow.
Guys, Please tell me if and when the postcards I sent arrive, I have sent 2 to each of you so far but this is India and I have been warned that sometimes they take the stamps off and throw the cards away. For 8 ruphees with 10 ruphees to the shekel - but there are many poor people here I have been given to understand.

Mr. Bollywood

So three days ago the hotel clerk asked me if I want to be in a Bollywood movie and of course I agreed, maybe i would be discovered, right?
The next morning I was up bright and early and climbed aboard a rickety old bus with about 50 other travellers of all ages and descriptions and we trundeled through the streets of Mumbai for about an hour till we reached what was the newest and cleanest building I have seen in the city. (Most of the city looks as if it hasnt been cleaned or painted in at least 50 years, even the brand new buildings look run down).
We were herded off the bus and taken up some stairs and stuck in a large room where nothing happened for the next couple of hours - it wasnt too bad, we chatted, swapped stories and of course compared prices - very amusing and informative.
Then a wardrobe mistress appeared (easily the hardest working person of the entire adventure) and handed out medical staff type uniforms to about half the people. Then a couple more hours of hanging around. I never found out why they were dressed as medics and none of them knew either. I'm not even sure they were used for a shot. By that time it was about 1 oclock and we were all marched of to the commisary (canteen) for quite a decent Indian lunch (Yes! I do eat some Indian food!) I kept hoping the cast of Blazing Saddles would come roaring through but that didnt happen.
We sat around for a couple more ours and then my big chance came! While some of the girls were dressed in what the Indian audience imagine western women wear with hair done in a way they imagine western women do there hair (there was some resemlance but I dont believe any of the girls would be caught dead looking like that!) the guys were dressed in "standard" western clothes. I was given slacks that were too short and a shirt that was too short and they couldnt find shoes to fit me - naturally when filming started I was pushed to the back. My big moment in cinema lasted about 2 seconds as part of the crowd in a museum. I was not singled out, I was not discovered, I was not given a big fat 5 year contract in Bollywood! I was not even in the really big scene with an actual Indian film star with fireworks and baloons and champagne. Oh the frustration.
We had to hang around till 12 that night, fortunately at about 7:30 they handed out beers which calmed most of the people down (if you remeber I dont drink beer) but by 12:00 we had all had enough and some of the kids started a mini riot and strike so the bus was brought around again and as we climbed aboard we were each handed 5 crisp new 100 ruphee notes, fair pay for a fair days work. I dont believe I'll make a career of it, I dont think it would give me a living.
But it was without a doubt my best day in Mumbai, far from the maddening crowd, in a pleasant parklike area with shade and grass and benches and of course very few people. We could sit in the shade, doze, chat, read and relax. And even if I did not achieve stardom it was a fun experience.
But I dont think I'll do it again in this lifetime.

Mumbai Arrival

Well for all of you who care here I am in Mumbai (Bombay for those who remember the Raj. For some reason Israelis tend to avoid this like the plague and for the life of me I cannot understand why. True, I have only been here for about 6 hours and I have only walked around this one particular area for 4 hours but already I like it. Of course since I am going to spend a few days here - it takes at least a week to buy and register a motorcycle - and I only start that tomorrow, I will have plenty o time to wander around and see the sights, and according to my guidebook there is plenty to see.

The flight was easy, the plane was half empty, or half full, you decide and everyone had plenty of room to spread out. I only had carry on luggage so my lie was that much easier. Of course I stocked up at the duty free and have now discovered that I can get my smokes for less than half of what I paid. Fuck it, I love buying in general and at the duty free in particular.

I am not sure where exactly I am headed after this, probably south and east. Lets see where the wind and the roads take me.

As I got out of the plane I was struck full in the face (actuallu full in the nose) by the smell but now I am aclimatised and I dont notice anything unpleasant, just something exotic. O course on the road in from the airport you see what poverty means as all along the road there are a variety of hovels and in the city there are large numbers of beggars but it is far better than I expected - of course tomorrow in daylight I may see that it is actually as bad as I expected. Hopefully not.

To all those who I saw and played with while I was in Israel, thanks! And to those I didnt see, Shit, I'm sorry, I'll see you when I get back.

Be well, work hard and think o me suering out here.

Home again, home again

Arie is back in Israel.
As soon as he deals with his photos, I'll try to put them up, on flickr or picasa, not sure yet.

Stay tuned. grab the RSS feed to keep up to date.

JB.

Montreal Summary

So here I am back in LA with Shani and Mitch and the little ones. You have
read my experiences in Denver and now it is time for me to tell you all
about what I did in Montreal. Actually I'm not sure what I did in Montreal.

I arrived in Montreal on Monday the 28th (I think that was the date) and was
picked up at the airport by Kai and Tara who took me to their home and
filled me with weed (Lots of weed!) and vodka and at some stage I just
passed out. Good times. The next couple of days Kai and I spent running
around the city like regular tourists (Except we were very,very full of
weed). I really enjoyed Montreal which has a very french flavour and it is a
really pretty town. And the weed is awesome.

Then I got in touch with Gabrielle, who I last met (and first met) in
Auckland in 2001, we got together and shared another joint and had a fun
evening (and thats all for you dirty minded buggers) I hope you're having fun
in Mach Pichu, Gabrielle, and I loved the "poutine".

After Labour Day, a very important North American holiday, yes my friends,
Canada is in North America, Kai and Tara took me off to a lake (sorry, I
really dont know what its called) but we stayed at a place called Sandbanks
- we were real "trailer trash" and loving it. We walked, smoked,visited the
local village, smoked. looked for a shop called "Dead Peoples Stuff" which
was closed when we found it, smoked, sailed on the lake in a metal dingy
(and smoked) and when it rained and Tara and I quit, Kai continued to sail
(and smoked), went back to "Dead Peoples Stuff" and found that it was not
very interesting stuff and then returned to Montreal.

What can I say, you have probably understood by now what I did in Montreal.
I had a great time and will do my best to return there again as soon as I
can. Thank you Kai and Tara!

Thus ends my Montreal saga. Soon I will be back in Israel, for a while at
least and then India - I plan and Hope.

May you all continue to flourish!

Denver over, begin Montreal

So here I am in beautiful Montreal - Yes, despite being spoiled rotten by the Tarlies, Carol Lyons and Jeremy, I had to move on. But not before some more Denver news.
Carol invited me to a party she was holding at her home for her environmentalists and that was fun, especially because she gave us all name tags and I didnt have to make a fool of myself forgetting people all the time. Then Berne took me to Red Rock amphitheatre, amazing - that night at a rock concert some drunk fell and killed himself - I hope I'm not a jinx.

Then it was off to Yves house in the mountains, it was fantastic - I cant describe it, eventually I will send photos, please be patient.

Saturday night was family night, dinner with Berne Aunsch, Carol and Eves. If you can make it to Denver - Do. They are great.

RSS feed for Arie's Travels

I've added an RSS feed, for those of you who know how to use it.
Grab it here, or the link on the sidebar.

--JB

Denver

So here I am in Denver and the youngest woman I have met is about 65. Oh, woe is me.

On the other hand I am resting, eating over-well and reading book after book, broadening my mind and gaining wisdom (Yeah, right!). I arrived here a week ago and since then Have been spoilt rotten by my relatives and despite the fact that it is almost impossible to find a place to smoke here (and that is cigarettes only, no weed) I am keeping up a fairly decent intake of nicotine.

It is very beautiful up here, it is about 1.5 km above sea level and at times difficult for us lowlanders to breathe when doing physical activity. I think it is in the Rocky Mountains, they are all around but I'm not exactly sure of that, you gotta trust me on this.

The day after I arrived I was whisked off by a cousin for a day trip to Royal Gorge which is an old mining area and we went on a train trip through the gorge which is long and narrow and you dont want to have been one of the convicts who had to work on the construction - it is in the center of what is known as the "Prison capital of the world" -- 9 prisons in and around the town and all along the highways there are signs warning you not to stop for hitch-hikers - we didn't.

Since then I have been lounging around in the lap of luxury.

Last Friday I went into the mountains again to join my gay cousin and his "friend" in his cabin in the mountains. 'Cabin' is what he calls it, but I'm not sure that that is the correct term for a 500 sqm luxury home with not one, but two, living rooms, each about as big as my own humble abode and including about 6 bathrooms and a wine cellar. The only thing lacking was a hot tub and that is apparently being ordered. Of course the whole thing is situated right on the lake! Ah, the way these yanks suffer. While there I was taken to climb a 400 meter high mountain, now this might not sound like much but when you start at 3.5 kms above sea level it is no picnic. Well, it wasn't for me, okay? So I'm not as young as I once was. I did eventually make it to the top with much huffing and puffing and many stops and moans and groans but when I finally got there it was worth the suffering. The view was magnificent - almost straight down for 400 meters. Getting down was easier.

I am staying in a suburb of Denver which is hard to imagine - the small houses around here are about 500 sq meters and all on plots of at least an acre (4 dunams). Those are the small ones, some of the houses are as big as the average mall. And noone seems impressed, they are just homes. Mind you, I would not like to live in one, I like my little patio with its walls that hide me from the world and allow me to do as I please when I please and with whoever I please.

I cannot imagine myself having any adventures here so I am just reporting on the American dream fulfilled.

Beware of falling pianos!

This is an email post!

Now, jono is showing me how to post from my EMAIL..

This is too cool!

non illegitemi carborandum

Arie

Whoopsie!

Thing is, I spell my dad's name "Aryeh", which is probably the correct transliteration of אריה, the way his name is spelled in hebrew. But hey, doens't matter how right I am, if the Man Himself doesn't spell his own name that way.

So the blog will henceforth be named, "ARIE's Travels", and the corresponding domain name will be www.ArieTravels.com, so it's easy to remember.

I'll put up some pics from the send-off party last weekend.
I'm still not sure where to store them, because I need to collaberate with dad on uploading them -- there's no point in paying for a flickr Pro account unless I know I'm actually going to make use of it, right? If dad is sending me Shutterfly or KodakGallery images, then they'll all be lo-res... Hmmm.
Any advice, people?

Ready, steady, go!

Aryeh's leaving Eilat soon. Next Sunday, he's coming up to Tel Aviv for two weeks, saying goodbye to his kids, his grandchildren, family and friends, and heads off for New York, L.A., and India for a year.

Follow his travels at this blog, where I'll post his far-from-regular reports, and upload some of his best pictures.

Have a safe trip, Dad.