so - how can you see the world thru my eyes in 1 minute? you cant but a good approximation would be to take your current reality and angst and happiness and (in)security and know that this exists in everyone, all over the world. this makes you rather impatient with the idiots who are nationalist/racist/sexist/spiritualist in terms of their us vs them attitudes. you are fighting your brother, what are you doing? why are you so weak that you have to attack someone else to prove that you can affect them? try to feel secure w/in and there is nothing but sharing and exploring left in your external relations...

interesting - comments?

BUDAPEST was fab and KOSICE (slovakia) was interesting (kmart, 2 tier pricing and nebucco - verdi for $2. i left with $0.015 in my pocket).

KRAKOW was excellent, especially for the pizza (i ate 5 in 3 days) and several excellent cafes (daja vu budapest). prices were good but the 2300 hostel curfew was stupid (no common room as well). when josh and jens left me to go to auschwitz (amazing - not to be missed. really incredible insanity and still happening w/ racism and rwanda/serbia - fucked up, how people can be...), i got to talking with a jp gautier leather- clad ukranian woman in a cafe (and in italian). it was surreal. she had just dumped a long-term lover who arrived with ring, told her it was not for marriage and then said they were to stay friends and marry others. she was depressed bc she was 27 and over-the-hill; she was going to marry this guy bc momma had the pressure on even tho she didnt like him. i told her to relax abt the former and that she was crazy abt the latter. she got revenge on him by spending his zlotys on lunch for me and a coffee. not bad, this amateur counseling, but she reminded me of a scary lebanese from long ago and i was quick to stay uninvolved...

had a train ride from hell, overnight and full scorching heaters, combined with a full compartment and customs for 1 hr. the joy and luxury of travel.

BERLIN is good - everything works and costs 3x as much. im impatient to see the friends and get back to czech....

e berlin is definitely better still for friendly people (some wessies look as if they have stepped from the 21st century with their mod fashon..)

8 days for 1 year anniversary! send kisses and net-flowers!!!

ciao
d
15 apr/berlin

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26 April 1996 [TOP]

subject: just a quickie!

hey, actual quotes!

machore snorts and vanishes back into the site dust. wanjiru, the nail girl, would not let him rape her this morning. And when he tried to use force, she screamed and attracted every hand to the dark corner on the first floor. Youssef threatened to fire him next time he tried to rape any of the nail women without his prior consent.

and, from a drunk and discontent at a bar:
'You see, I had a lot of friends when i had a job. men, women, all. when I lost my job the women vanished with the boys who could afford to take them to the joints I used to. Women are no good to anybody. Only good for screwing, and screwing,' he pauses, his dark face getting twisted, ugly and bitter. 'I hate indians too. I hate white people too. They all fuck you up with something.' Then, after a thoughtful pause, 'Africans are the worst screws on earth. They want discount on shoeshine, newspapers, carwash, the whole bloody shit. They almost want a tip when they give money to a beggar - bastards'

- meja mwangi, going down river road (about the working underclass in nairobi)

just in case you were interested (too late anyway), here is the list of what remains in my sack (also original and holding up well) after 1 yr:

2 swimsuits (and goggles)
tevas (hey - can i be a poster boy?)
tye-dye shorts
silk long underwear (gone home and came back)
2 swiss knives, flashlight, wine opener
computer and case (whew!)
papers (unused resume ;-), servas, med info)
sewing kit (less thread)
passport wallet and belt
keys and good lucky charms (works!)
toilet kit bag/hard case, shavebrush and nail cutters, h20 pure/bandaids (never when you need them)
a lot less $$ on the credit cards (abt $12,000)
me!

BREMEN and friends frank and jan were cool. when the weather is good, n europe turns into a big and lovely outdoor cafe. clothes disappear (esp at the naturalist beaches!) and people smile. bought a camera (zenit b w 35/2) and 135/2.8 and meter (none on the camera) for 110 dm (abt $75) at a flohmarkt for africa.

yes - going there for +/- 6 months. egypt-s africa and back half way. decided to follow my own advice... ;-)

ciao for now
d
26 apr koebenhavn/copenhagen (haagen daaz does not come from here. it comes from ohio!)

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16 May 1996 [TOP]

subject: wheee

some real quotes:
making a decision was only the beginning of things. when someone makes a decision, he is really diving into a strong current that will carry him to places he never dreamed of when he first made the decision.

when you really want something, all the universe conspires to help you achieve it.

the old man pointed at a baker standing in his shop window. "when he was a child, that man wanted to travel too. but he decided first to buy his bakery and put some money aside. when he's an old man, he's going to spend a month in africa. he never realized that people are capable, at any time in their lives, of doing what they dream of.

- the alchemist, paulo coelho

hope you liked those.

im too lazy to provide much color now but here are the basics:

ive been in STOCKHOLM (expensive but go in the summer when the parties begin - 21 june is the peak).

tried to hitch to stock but the persian guy who gave me a ride stopped for "2 min" to see his thai girlfriend, who was living w/ 2 sri- lankans (all adopted) - swedes are getting multi- national by taking the refugees of the world.

then to praha via flug (airline!), my 1st trip since starting and highlighted by czech beer w/ your meal! i spent us$165 vs approx. $80 and 2 days to traverse poland. tough choice.

almost got converted by church of christ at airport by avoided that trap ;-)

PRAHA wasnt to my taste bc there were too many tourists, many americans (loss of novelty, lots of guys w/baseball caps and usa today sports sections in back pockets...)

high/low lights:

*globe coffee haus: bowl o soul & mocha - best coffee ive had in months (n europe is sheit!) plus good atmosphere/cheap books.

*leaving las vegas: got very upset at rape scene. drunk stuff was normal. drank a bottle of champagne/sekt with my co-watcher and we ate lots of indian food to get back on track (seemed to work...)

*night trams: salvation, even if every 40 minutes.

*architecture: beautiful. tourist $ does help.

*charles bridge and devil autoportrait man: too many tourists and that guy is cert. crazy.

*sports bar: america import. gee - let's avoid culture altogether

*pancakes: good news @ sports bar. ok - a ate them but the globe muesli was better.

*boathaus: god place but i got bad moms. avoid the fried surprise breakfast but the veggie dinners are great. quiet location to get away from city (but not 100% anglophiles, incl scandinavians)

romance of the week: the same movie companion above met a canadian guy in paris. they tried again in frankfurt (how romantic?!) and now she's going to canada (he works for aircanada) to "see what will happen". love can rise on the road and get quite significant.

CESKY KRUMLOV: delivered gotan's message and stayed a few days. beautiful, tranquil town with prices in dm, os and kc's message?

WIEN: beautiful, expensive. skip it and goto budapest (back again!). klimt was an eroticist and did excellent work.

my shorts gave at the zipper (not bc of un- authorized activities!) and pants are going too. it's 22 deg at night - comes spring!

over and out!
d
17 may/budapest

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26 May 1996 [TOP]

subject: quickie...

from wall of back pack guest house, budapest:
before you tell someone not to go there, ask yourself if you have been there.

ill be outa touch for a month or so but write me anyway ;-)

ciao
d
26 may/budapest

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13 June 1996  [TOP]

subj: from Romania

just checking in with a few quotes from the mega of all megas – war and peace. lots of long train rides in romania....

the day was so lovely, the sun so bright, everything around him so gay, and that slim and pretty girl knew nothing of his existence, and cared to know nothing, and was content and happy in her own life- foolish no doubt- but gay and happy and remote from him...

[keep that clear dave - they can get along...]

pfuhl was one of those hopelessly, immutably conceited men, ready to face martyrdom for their own ideas, conceited as only germans can be, just bc it is only a german's conceit that is based on an abstract idea - science, ie, the supposed possession of absolute truth. the frenchman is conceited from supposing himself to be mentally and physically inordinately fascinating to both men and women. an englishman is conceited on the ground of being a citizen of the best-constituted state in the world, and also bc he as an englishman always knows what is the correct thing to do, and knows that everything that he, as an englishman, does do is indisputably the correct thing. an italian is conceited form being easily excitable and forgetting himself and other people. a russian is conceited precisely bc he knows nothing and cares to know nothing, since he does not believe it is possible to know a thing fully. a conceited german is worst of all, and the most hardened of all, and the most repulsive of all; for he imagines that he possesses the truth in a science of his own invention, which is to him absolute truth.
[wow - no americans??]

[during the war vs the french, french is forbidden in society conversation:]
oh, she is well, but very sad. but do you know who rescued her? it's quite a romance... you know, i really do believe she's un petit peu amoreuse du jeune homme forfeit!forfeit!forfeit! but how is one to say that in russian?
[indeed]

[tolstoy on war:]
if there were none of this generosity at playing at warfare, we should never go to war, except for something worth facing death for, as now. there would not be wars bc pavel i. had insulted mihail i. but if there is war as now, let it be really war. and then the intensity of warfare would be quite different. all these westphalians and hessians napoleon is leading against us would not have come to fight us in russia, and we should not have gone ot war in austria and prussia without knowing what for. war is not a polite recreation, but the most vile thing in life, and we ought to understand that and not play at war. we ought to accept it sternly and solemnly as as a fearful necessity. it all comes to this: have done with lying, and if it's war , then it's war and not a game, or else warfare is simply the favorite pastime of the idle and frivolous... the military is the most honored calling. and what is war, what is needed for success in war, what are the morals of the military world? the object of warfare is murder; the means employed in warfare - spying, treachery, and the encouragement of it, the ruin of a country, the plundering of the inhabitants and robbery for the maintenance of the army, trickery and lying, which are called military strategy; the morals of the military class - absence of all independence, ie, discipline, idleness, ignorance, cruelty, debauchery, and drunkeness. and in spite of all that, it is the highest class, respected by everyone. all sovereigns, except the chinese, wear a military uniform, and give the greatest rewards to the man who succeeds in killing most people... they meet together to murder on another, as we shall do tomorrow; they slaughter and mutilate tens of thousands of men, and then offer up thanksgiving services for the number of men they have killed(and even add to it in the telling), and glorify the victory, supposing that the more men they have slaughtered, the greater the achievement.
[gee - that's scary true, but they have prop/agit]

'o women! women!' and the captain, gazing with moist eyes at pierre, began talking of love and his adventures with the fair sex. they were very numerous, as might readily be believed, judging from the officer's conceited, handsome face and the eager enthusiasm with which he talked of women. although all ramballe's [no comment] accounts of his love affairs were characterized by that particular nastiness in which the french find the unique charm and poetry of love, the captain told his stories with such genuine conviction that he was the only man who had tasted and known all the sweets of love, and he described the women he had known in such an alluring fashion the pierre listened to him with curiosity.
[familiar feeling]

in the old days, he had seemed a good-hearted man, but unhappy. and people had unconsciously held aloof from him. now a smile of joy in life was continually playing about his mouth, and his eyes were bright with sympathy for others, and the question: were they all as happy as he? and people felt at ease in his presence. in the old days, he talked a great deal, and had got hot when he talked, and he had listened very little. now he was rarely carried away in conversation, and knew how to listen, so that people were very ready to tell him the inmost secrets of their hearts.
[ditto above comment]

there was a new feature in him that gained the goodwill of all. this was the recognition of the freedom of everyman to think, to feel, to look at things his own way; the recognition of the impossibility of altering man's conviction by words. this legitimate individuality of everyman's views, which had in old days troubled and irritated pierre, now formed the basis of the sympathetic interest he felt in people. the inconsistency, sometimes the complete antagonism of men's views with their own life or with one another, delighted pierre, and drew from him a gentle and mocking smile.
[tolstoy was also an anarchist/libertarian]

pierre's madness showed itself in not waiting, as in the old days, for those personal grounds, which he called the good qualities in people, in order to love them; but as love was brimming over in his heart he loved men without cause, and never failed to discover incontestable reasons that made them worth loving.
[he had a crisis as well....]

when we give up all claim to a knowledge of the final end, we shall clearly perceive that just as we cannot invent any flower or seed more truly appropriate to a plant than those it produces, so we cannot imagine any two persons, with all their past in complete congruity, down to the smallest details, with the part they were destined to play.
[shit happens...]

excellent book but he spends the last 50 pages (of 1300) ranting about historians on their high horses. worthy subject - wrong place.

and for a little change of pace, dashiell hammett:
nora could not sleep that night. she read chaplin's memoirs until i began to doze and then woke me up by saying: 'are you asleep?'
i said i was
....
i kissed her. 'dont you think maybe a drink would help you sleep?'
'no thanks'
'maybe it would help if i took one.'

    -the thin man (1932) and now for some real news:

it's a week or more later and im in the inter continental (just to use the phone; it's 100dm+ to stay here! this place was the site of the 1989 revolution and this country is still crazy (as well as controlled by the people just under ceaususcu - oh great!)

i havent had much news for a few weeks (since hungary) but got an economist and found out that all's the same.

decided to cut the snail mailings to 2x year bc it's such a hassle. you guys are sooo lucky to get my email spiels ;-)

ROMANIA really is crazy and calm at the same time. for travelers, it can be dangerous, since they are targets for money scams. ive had 2 good ones and ended up losing 30.000 lei (<$10us) in a quick escape. just keeps you on your toes. it is also sad bc the number of women who sell themselves by the trick ($25 - not by experience) or for a lifetime to a german seeking a submissive type is terrible. professional people make abt$100us/month and the cost of living isnt that cheap (tho, besides sleeping, other things cost very little: opera for $1, bread for $0.16, metro pass (10 rides) for $0.60, coffee for $0.30, etc.)

the calm part is that once you are in the people you meet are very nice and interested to spend time with you. i have never had the experience where children come to you to speak english and actually want to. it happened here but out of the big city, as normal.

TRANSYLVANIA, dracland, is ok, but not for the blood stuff - just the small, pretty towns...

all else is well. im a bit "behind" schedule but it's mine to break. should get to yugoslavia on wednesday am and then get to turkey by mid- july. blah blah blah...

the language here is another latin-tongue and it mixes words (rather uses words that are in these languages as well but not all in one or another) from spanish (casa), italian (aspetare) and french (merci). very weird and now i speak a blob romance language ;-)

ok - well ill check again in sophia and 2x more here (assuming i connect!)

ciao
d
13 june/bucharest

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1 July 1996  [TOP]

subject: quicker quickie

hey everyone!

life's good. real probs with long msgs tho so ill keep this one short. keep sending and ill try to reply asap ROMANIA is gr8, YUGOSLAVIA (SERBIA) is falling apart and the people in KOSLOVO hate the "occupation"), ALBANIA is the 3rd world from the isolation but the people are the most friendly. no govt, just mafia and many mbz' stolen and sold to drug runners. MACEDONIA is like w europe and so far, BULGARIA is nice ;-) health intact, lots of adventures and getting ready for turkey. hope all is well out there. i should check here again in 2 days and in 2 weeks when i get to turkey (post black sea - tough life!)

ciao
d
1 jul sofia, bulgaria

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6 July 1996  [TOP]

subject: 2ns d quickie - im moving again!

just another quickie.... :-(

SOFIA and BULGARIA are in the midst of hyperinflation: the leva gets weaker by abt 5-7%/day (shades of brazil and post wwI germany. the wages dont change and people are squeezed. the rich are getting richer (hrd-currency savings) and the rest are in a posn of no power. since jobs are scarce and food must be bought, ive seen house- wives begging for the 1st time and the options of young girls, 17/18, finished with school, incl working the street (this according to a hotel front desk woman) - the insult to add to injury is that the govt sold the dom flour (there is a dist. monopoly) and there wasnt enough for bread production - queues... they then imported indian flour that was poor quality and more expensive :-( (and rumor has it that the govt continues to send out flour in bags marked "cement").... the govt here is the ex-communists and mafia in one and the people are not happy. "let them eat cake" seems to operate. another paradox which fits is that sofia appears to be the most prosperous e eur city but is only so bc it is the home of the pols, mafia and hard currency types. ill be seeing more later and drop some notes from istanbul (inshaallah)

ciao..d
6 july, sofia
ps - this conecrtion cost 20 leva ($0.11) and in the biz ctr, it cost 1000 leva - still a local call but - damn - i hate that ;-)

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6 August 1996 [TOP]

subject: where have you been all my life?

hell all (whoops - hello...)

Im in istambul. been in turkey 3 weeks so far bad phone, mail and internet connections have patience with me and ill try to get back 2u.

TURKEY has changed alot in 5 years. ISTAMBUL is twice the prior size and the biz is going strong. real horror stories abt rip-offs, turkish men (visa, sex or money - which one?) and everything is twice the 1991 cost ... big :-( some cool travelers among the pikers but i hate the tourist season (as usual...). i may have a dive job but dont know. will tell later... seems as if a package containing mar 15-jun 15 mail is lost. i am major pissed abt that... this is life and part of travel and i am trying to learn with a little grace ;-)

keep me in your thoughts as i do you.
love d
6 aug istambul

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30 September 1996 [TOP]

subject: hello from david (at last)

hey everyone

sorry that i have been so long outa the loop i have 45 msgs to read and will try to get them answered before i get disconnected...

i am in GEORGIA just now and its very nice. trying to go to armenia but there seems to have been a coup so uncertain... turkey in the east was very beautiful and deep in history, etc the place is crazy with the kurd situation and this place is crazy with mafia and a recovery but nobody knows what will happen etc etc...

big news:
i will be in the us from 5 nov to 27 nov for a "vacation" arrive in lax and 12-22 nov will be in sfo area. if you want to see me i hope to see you and "will be in touch..." planning to go to syria after this break with a new kit of gear and more vaccinations.

big news #2:
for sale - psion 3a plus modem (2400 baud) std software (database, word, sheet, agenda) plus compuserve software. great for europe and us but outa place where im going cost $535, going for $300 pls contact me :-)

little news:
all goes well for me. i am currently trapped here waiting for my visa but glad i stayed as i have "plugged" into the local expat community (oil) and they are quite nice. planning to make several passes thru turkey before i go and that country is nice but stuck bet. europe and the mid east. i dont see either coming about.. paradoxical that women are treated better in the east than the west b/c in the east they are still possessions and in the west they are whore and "available and lusty" foreign women, that is. locals are very confused and rebellious in the west but this is a very long discussion... needless to say watch your behind ;-)

georgia is bet. europe and the 3rd world with people that can see the destination and the mafia and infrastructure and poverty that prevents. tear and rip... gonna get to your msgs and thanks for you patience...

2 hours later...

ok - ive gotten to all your messages. thanks to those of you that sent them (and \hellfire to those that didnt :-( )

to repeat: ill be in lax from 5 nov to 12 nov and 22 nov to 27 nov and sfo 12-22 nov. hope to see you if you are in the area...

still 30 sept - tbilisi

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11 October 1996 [TOP]

subject: armenia calliing...

well well well... i actually have a semi-good connection, so i can elaborate on my hurried scribbles (typples?) to y'all abt what's going on chez mon sac. i am currently in YEREVAN, ARMENIA of the former ussr. this place is very beautiful now but i am assured by residents that 1/ it wasnt so good 3 mos. ago and this is propaganda for te recent (very fraudulent) elections and the 32nd chess congress (you would never have guessed.) [sorry - sticky keyboard...] i am staying with a peace corps volunteer. they have been coming here for 4 yrs and are doing a good job with eng. teaching and widening people's experiences (people actually laugh and point at me, long hair (shoulder) and shorts - a car cruised me last night until it realized that i was not even the right sex ;-) i read abt the 1915 massacre by the turks which was the model for the nazis. the germans actually had a hand in the deaths and deportations of 1.1million (of 2 million) people and the experience here of the diaspora and rebuilding is the same as the jews with 2 (at least) mgr diffs: the turks still deny the holocaust the armenians have only gotten a true independent homeland 5 yrs ago the people are really gr8 here. the us presence is huge in the capital (#2 in world in per capita aid behind israel) and generally good (I am in the American Uni where i am tutoring students for the gre/gmat exams...). this is the 1st time i have gotten involved in the expat community and the peace corps and it's interesting. the expats get paid a fortune ($100k+ plus housing and extras) and the pc's get paid $5/day. the avg armenian makes $30-50/month so it's very disproportionate when the expats "feel their pain". you cant get them here otherwise but the number pf them is too gr8vs jobs armenians could do (the old send aid to employ your own. a real idiot here makes $12/hr watching arm workers making $0.90 (huge!) so they dont steal. not good, usaid. need a bit o refining... (ie, sad to see aid workers with bmw's when their charges have donkeys. closer to the mafia...) the arm people in the diaspora are in and out and it is the factor that will rebuild here . big communities in glendale, ca and boston as well as international... the soviet system remains in the bad politics, bureaucracy and services. everyone is bi or tri-lingual but eng is the lang of choice to learn now... the diplomatic sit is harsh, with 3 muslim countries on the boarders

(and christian geo isnt so friendly, either) and small countries in big powers' games is a topic. the election fraud was a big blow and some people are very disillusioned. seems like they will just struggle on, tho. i see a good future vs the cis neighbors since the people are bright and finally have independence (longest period in centuries (1100's?) going to moscow and petersburg bc aeroflot has the cheapest fare to buda and looking fwd. given the visa hassles ($40 plus $0 for invite plus $04 expedite t o merely 4 work days!), it should be a bit of a bother but im jumping at htte chance, however brief (8days) will be cruising thru bulg to isti and 5 nov flight. i will be sure and look up those "in range" when i get back.

all else is good
ciao
d
yerevan, armenia 11 oct

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26 October 1996 [TOP]

subject: heavy duty quotes....

ok - i made it from armenia to russia and then on to zagreb (visit friend and cheaper - crazy!) and here. some highlights:

*aeroflot caught fire on the tarmac in EREVAN. glad to see that they evac'd but it was a "minor technical problem"...

*MOSCOW is so expensive! cheapest hotel is $35 and the hostel is $20. trains was $40 to st. petes (overnight) these prices arnt that bad, actually, but the normal/business market is crazy. $200/ night is normal, bar and restaurant prices are on par with manhattan and the suits just walk on with amex corp in hand.

*lots of prostitution. i actually sat next to the pimp while i was watching his charge solicit.

*the situation for women is interesting to say the least. there was one woman i met who was being beaten by her bfriend but had few options. another was quite content and happy bc she wanted to be and another did what she wanted and if her bfriend cheated on her she would on him or she would be proactive if a better guy came along - dump the old and in with the new. marriage was a different matter, tho. there's a mix of sexual revolution, summer of love and the dark ages. the days of mail order brides are ending (since the new russians can afford their own women now...) and the women are advancing their place quickly...

*ru is a powerhouse;a culture that rivals ger and fra and will explode back into europe. It is as if the last 70 years have been tossed. there are remnants but the soc mode is changing quite quickly. there is a dif with ru and the e europe and cis countries - they are minority or buffer cultures but the ru are a people who had power in their own right in culture, hist, etc etc. this will come back and is developing on the st pete/ moscow axis...

*ST PETES is beautiful. the hermitage and the puskin (mos) are gr8 museums. the metros are the most belle ive seen ever (and, as a guide said: "if the russians had run the communist expansion like they do their metro, they would have kicked ass!")

*i got lots of stares (continue the tradition...) from my shorts in 6-12 deg weather. it wasnt so bad - "just like sf", i said...

*spent more money than ever ($100/day, amortizing the visa, tickets and daily exp.) - ouch...

*capitalism is booming. gum - across from lenin - is full of boutiques and goods - the energy is boom (in pete, it's raging culture...)

passed the 550 day/18 month anniversary. still truckin but the break in the states will be welcomed.

hope to make it to russia again to see the rural exp but i bet it's not so diff from geo/arm - an expat of 3 yrs said that the place was falling apart at the seams as all the wealth rushed to moscow. he was a bit conservative but the phenom cannot be denied...

ok - ciao for now
d
26 oct/budapest - still the best city in europe.

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22 November 1996 [TOP]

subject: official change of address/xmas ltr /

dear family and friends (and other people who arent supposed to be reading this...):

welcome to my generic christmas, solstice, hanukkah letter. happy all of the aforementioned!

this is, as you will see, primarily a logistical letter, so i will apologize for the lack of personal content

first: my permanent address for post/snail mail has changed to: 26030 highland way los gatos, california 95030 usa

in addition, you can send faxes to: + 1/408/353 6001 in addition, my email remains unchanged and the best way to communicate (we are talking about a round trip of days instead of months in addition to reliability and low cost): 76373.127@ compuserve.com. now - if you want to send me a xmas letter, a reply to this letter, chocolate or anything at all before 15 jan, 1997, send it (no parcels - just letters) to: david zetland do american express 112 hayarkon tel aviv, israel

now for the juicy stuff...

i am here now but leaving in one week to return to traveling. i have covered 30 countries in east and west europe, russia, armenia, georgia, tunisia, morocco and turkey. i am now done with the “easy part” and starting one of the tougher legs, ie, the middle east and africa (actually, the mid east - syria, lebanon, jordan, israel and egypt - should be easy, the africa part is the challenge...). ill be spending the better part of 12-14 months before i arrive in central asia and head for india (nope - not getting easier) and then asia (all of it, including australia and new zealand) before returning to california.

it was good to come back, visit friends and family (those who i could see on such a frantic schedule), see the 165 rolls of film (now in albums after 80 hours - whew!) and get my teeth cleaned. i was pleased to see that the world is doing just fine without me and that the wiz bang gizmos are even more wiz and more bang so i expect another 3 years (plus one in central and south america) means that the world will be a perfect place by the time i’m done (hear hear!)

lye learned quite a bit about life, myself and others, and, as i said to someone who asked what was the big truth, the world is full of people. it may be a stupid thing on the surface but we are all after the same thing and its encouraging to see that fact which will ultimately draw us closer. i thought it one of the great ironies that the people of eastern europe, besides their vibrant culture, are the friendliest lye met (to the point of not being able to walk down the street without someone grabbing me to join them for chai or champagne). just goes to show you what a farce the cold war was (a game by little boys).

so rather than bore you with lots of stories (and type my fingers raw), ill tell you that travel is extremely satisfying and interesting to me, and that i have no thought of cutting it short (actually, the mathematicians will have noticed that 5 years has grown to 5.5 and that 6 isnt far away.)

i will be in touch as i receive your letters but will not be sending out any more mass mailings (unless you are on email...). sony, but its very difficult to coordinate these things.

ok - i dont want to take any more time than this and will end with the important stuff:

you are on a short list of special people who have stayed in contact and supported me. you have no idea of how important that is as i struggle at the tough points to receive email and letters with the day-to-day trivia as well as philosophy. i look forward to a life of leisurely communications - phone, fax, etc as well as personal visits - but in the meantime, keep ‘em coming - a postcard is overwhelming compared to silence...

love you all!
palo alto, ca

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28 November 1996 [TOP]

Subject: last breath...

okay folks - manana is the big day. I will be in the friendly skies 17 hours from now and headed for istanbul.

the us has been a nice sop and it’s rather surrealistic to be leaving this regulated environment for the edge. i need a vacation! i actually have 10 more letters to type and then 1 be home free. irs pleased (refund!), letters send, album reviewed (20x!) and gear and bod renewed. ive been sleeping not so much so ill take it easy in turkey for a bit b4 syria...

i am leaving my computer (psion) in storage but will be checking email via others’ computers. do not hesitate to send me the news and gossip and all else; my account will still work.

san clemente ca

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26 December 1996 [TOP]

Subject: merry xmas!

hey all:

this is quick in case the computer crashes (like it did on xmas eve) sorry if i am slow in reply but email is difficult (as I said b4).

all goes well on leg#2 of the round the world.

SYRIA was very nice . the people are super friendly (esp. to americans - how do i get a visa?) and LEBANON is fantastic in a different way. total destruction from the civil war (1975-92) and the israelis (who are ironically like the lebanese in culture, looks, food, etc) but the people are marching on and the reconstruction promises a fantastic place. expensive ($20/day) vs syria (half) but you can get email and western mags, fashion, etc etc. so many cars it’s like la (but more congestion. amazing island of europe in the middle east in terms of values, lifestyle, etc. the leb are snooty like israelis but have to catch up b4 they can look down from “above” again.)

TURKEY at the end was nice. went to oldest cathedral in world (cave in antioch/antakya; st paul at 46ad) and the museum in antalya is the best. glad to be done and moving on. had to use brit pass for leb and syria b/c of us diplo. probs. the state dept is very infantile and unrealistic (cost me $120 , canadians $7 for syria) egads!

jordan and egypt next.

merry xmas and happy new year.
I will check from israel next (barring more stupid moves by the israeli govt on palestine, etc. ciao and virtual xmas presents to all (what you want, of course)
beirut, 26 dec 1996

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30 December 1996 [TOP]

subject: happy new years!

hey everyone!

just a quickie to tell you that i will be off-line until israel (target 15 jan) have a lovely new years and snuggle close to the one(s) you love - gotta keep the options open, eh?

departing lebanon will not be a problem.

too bad politics are so fucked in this part of the world (also balkans, n ireland and africa) hope that this sit will get better in 1997 (my resolution is to stay alive in 97)

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