February 9. Consumerism.

We spend a lazy day writing our memoirs in Beira and take in some of the refreshing sea breeze of the long Mocambiquean coast. Such days, spent in the spirit of happy absent-mindedness commonly known as relaxing, give me the strength to go on and on. The Africa part of Charity Travel is nearing its end and I know now that this journey will be a success. Sure, there is a lot of work to be done, a lot of people to be convinced of this concept, of the illusion that is is an outstanding, flashy, brilliant concept. And I will have to address the issue of rewardingness. Doing, anything, should be re-war-ding for the individual. That’s the law of our culture, deeper rooted than the incest tabu. Many people have told me, “o and a it it must be so rewarding for you.” I’ve heard “you are an individual, so you are doing this just for your own personal happiness. Organizations on the other hand, with statutes and bureaucracies, are able to look beyond this.” Whatever you answer, however subtle you are in reminding them that it is somethin’ good you wanne do, something that is about others and leaves but an ephemeral role for “the self”, that answer is eaten alive by this typical distasteful smile. “Of course”. Does anyone understand the yearning for an existance beyond consumerism?

February 9. Consumerism.

We spend a lazy day writing our memoirs in Beira and take in some of the refreshing sea breeze of the long Mocambiquean coast. Such days, spent in the spirit of happy absent-mindedness commonly known as relaxing, give me the strength to go on and on. The Africa part of Charity Travel is nearing its end and I know now that this journey will be a success. Sure, there is a lot of work to be done, a lot of people to be convinced of this concept, of the illusion that is is an outstanding, flashy, brilliant concept. And I will have to address the issue of rewardingness.
Doing, anything, should be re-war-ding for the individual. That’s the law of our culture, deeper rooted than the incest tabu. Many people have told me, “o and a it it must be so rewarding for you.” I’ve heard “you are an individual, so you are doing this just for your own personal happiness. Organizations on the other hand, with statutes and bureaucracies, are able to look beyond this.” Whatever you answer, however subtle you are in reminding them that it is somethin’ good you wanne do, something that is about others and leaves but an ephemeral role for “the self”, that answer is eaten alive by this typical distasteful smile. “Of course”. Does anyone understand the yearning for an existance beyond consumerism?

July 31. Seven Trips.

I go out when my couch surfer goes to work and get back home when she is back too. I write in my favorite coffee place, caffeine doesn’t make up for flawed inspiration, then I buy myself a cellphone and call my friend Ann. We meet in front of a shopping mall and I am sorry I am too late. I must have lost a lot of weight because she immediately notices my straw appearance. It’s no big deal: on our next meeting I will have lost a lot of hair. We hang out in a park and talk about the past year. I learn we’ve not changed much, from the outset. Change still in the phase of enzymes. Ann surprises me by taking me to a genuine German beer place for dinner. I’ve seen a “Bierhalle” in Irkutsk, the Russians seem to like it. We share a plate of Bratwurst and three glasses of good draft beer.

My fantasy wandered off at night, before I crash in the hallway out of empathy with her flatmate who might have to get up early.

Seven Enticing Trips You Should Not Take Because Of Their Large Carbon Footprint

You are short of ideas about where to travel? Here are seven options that require only the smile – the grin – of Mammon. I want to go.

1. Manaus, the Amazon, Ecuador and Galapagos. Fly to Rio and continue to Manaus, take the boat ride over the Amazon and then go to Ecuador. Explore Quito and the coast. Book a one week Galapagos tour.
2. Hiking Patagonia and experiencing Antarctica. Tango in Buenos Aires before you bus down to the famous glaciers where you hike for a week. Then take the ship to Antarctica and swim with the penguins.
3. Through the Stan’s to China and Nepal. Fly to some city in the Stan-Republics and find your way overland to China, following essentially the old silk road. Make your way up to Nepal and enjoy Kathmandu. Return from India.
4. Hiking Kamchatka, Alaska and Canada. On this trip, see the vast pristine nature on both sides of the Pacific. Fly to Kamchatka and hike there for a week. Then make your way to Canada via Japan. Travel up to Anchorage and beyond.
5. The Middle East to the Sahara or Gobi. Fly to Tbilisi and make your way down through Turkey, Syria, Jordan, Lebanon, Israel, Egypt. Ride a camel. Either continue towards Morocco or down to Ethiopia.
6. Awesome Africa. Kilimanjaro, Heart of Africa. Start in Ethiopia, then go to Sudan, Kenya, Tanzania, Mozambique, South Africa and Namibia and up towards to Congo in a 4 by 4.
7. Polynesian Pleasure. Fly to Australia and explore the east coast from Brisbane to Melbourne. Then hop over to Tasmania. Spend some time New Zealand before you fly to Fiji and Hawai. Connecting flight home via New York.