Last year I trekked into the Moroccan Sahara desert on a very trusty camel named Aszu. In the evening, my guide, Jusef, a sixth grade educated Berber nomad, surprisingly fluent in six languages, fixed me a tantalizing chicken tangine. All that it lacked was a glass of wine, unfortunately verboten for Muslims just days before Ramadan. At night we slept under the incredible desert night skies. Never before had I seen so many stars, stretching from one horizon to the other – the stars so bright and numerous, it was difficult to make out the constellations. That was Morocco, a kaleidoscope of sights, sounds, smells, and experiences. From Morocco I traveled on through much of Europe, Russia, Mongolia, China, and finally concluding my trip in Japan. This year's trip will take me to Romania, Ukraine, Georgia, Central Asia, India, Nepal, Southwest China, and Indochina. At times I hope to report back on my experiences and observations, perhaps posting a few pictures and videos that may be of interest. I've posted below a few pictures and videos from some past trips. For my blog on my travels through East Europe check out my blog at http://tallinntovarna.blogspot.com.

I’ve been asking myself lately, is there a theme to all this? Maybe not, but one thing I can say that piques my interest, is the dangerous nexus between religion and politics that engulfs the world today. In Morocco, where the King is both the head of Mosque and State, a Muslim, during Ramadan, can end up in jail for doing nothing more than drinking a glass of water under the scorching daytime heat – his crime, the thirsty Muslim broke the fast. Imams in Morocco claim that such an abhorrent act defies the teachings of God, infringes on the religious liberties of practicing Muslims, and is deserving of serious sanction. Of course, such a violation of an individual’s personal freedom could never happen in America. Or could it? As I write this, the U.S. Catholic Bishops are ferociously attacking President Obama’s Affordable Care Act for requiring institutions to provide birth control under their insurance policies. Like the Imams, the Bishops consider it not just an affront, but an existential threat, to their religious liberties. A poor woman, without the means to support a family, let alone a brutally raped woman, should not expect any sympathy from these Catholic institutions, as they, like their Muslim brothers, are scripturally bound to impose their beliefs on others. Does it matter that no one is telling Muslims that they cannot fast or Catholics that they cannot abstain from sex?

Now that I think of it, I’d like to dedicate this blog to Americans United, a terrific nonpartisan educational organization dedicated to preserving the principle of church-state separation as the only way to ensure religious freedom. Before I move on though, I’d like to share with you this political satire piece I wrote a few months ago when Senator Rick Santorum had a chance of being the Republican nominee. It pretty much sums up my take on what a large segment of the American population would like to see should their wildest dreams come true. Finally, I begin this blog with three postings from last year’s trip just to give you an idea of who I am and what you may or may not come to expect as I embark on this year's trip. If you have something nice to say, I'd love to hear from you.

Sunday, July 29, 2012

Batumi, Georgia


Maria
No Internet connection in my room at the Bakuri Hotel, so I sat in the lobby as guests came and went. Maria, the hotel manager, asked me where I was from and we started talking. “I don’t really like Americans,” she said. “They only think of themselves. We don’t mean anything to them. How many Americans even know where Georgia is? I manage two hotels; this one with 28 rooms and another one with 48 rooms. I make 600 Lari (about $375) per month. My assistant makes 250 Lari (about $156) I’m single so it’s enough for me to live on. Everyone in my family has a job so we’re doing okay. But we don’t have any money, or time, to travel anywhere. Our president, Saakashvili, is doing a good job. I plan to vote for him in a couple of months. You see a lot of construction in Batumi, some very interesting buildings, right? Saakashvili is very smart. He’s working hard try to make Georgia more attractive, but his presidency is really about reclaiming South Ossetia region for Georgia. The 2008 war was devastating for a lot of people in Gori [Stalin’s birthplace] but not here the war didn’t really affect us. Saakashvili is right, South Ossetia belongs to Georgia. There are only three million people in Georgia, but we have our own language that is completely unique from any other language in the world. Some say it’s the most difficult language in the world to learn. We were interrupted by a group of guests (four men and four women) who seemed anxious to join the conversation. Although they all contributed, I’ll summarize as though one person was speaking. “We’re from Iran — on vacation here. We can drink in Georgia, which we can’t do in Iran. In Iran, we must wear the hijab, but here we don’t have to. If we had a choice we wouldn’t wear the hijab in Iran either. People should be free to dress as they like. When we’re abroad the government doesn’t care if we drink or if we dress like westerners, but it’s dangerous for us to talk about politics. My effort to engage them on the nuclear standoff was futile. They then left to enjoy the freedom they don’t have in Iran.
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