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.

Tuesday, July 10, 2012

Bucharest, Romania


Daniela, a young 20s something Bulgarian with a degree in economics and statistics, fluent in English, sat next to me on the flight from Frankfurt to Bucharest. Here’s my account of what she had to say:

Daniela: "I’m returning from Norway for some vacation time at home. It’s always raining in Norway. I was there looking for a job in the Government, but they told me my Norwegian wasn’t good enough so I need to work on it some more. I need to find a job in Norway because the pay is better there. In Bulgaria, the pay is terrible and there aren’t as many job opportunities. Since the wall came down, the situation in Bulgaria has gotten worse. There’s no respect for authority. People feel they can do whatever they want. There’s a lot of corruption. We have a dog problem. Actually it’s not a dog problem; it’s a people problem. People get dogs that they can’t take care of, let them loose, and then they run wild. I volunteer to get dogs fixed, but it’s an uphill battle because more and more people are letting their dogs free."

Peter, a young man in his 30s, speaking halting English and looking like he hadn’t taken a bath in a month, helped me get from the airport into the city, a trip that exposed the sad and backward conditions of this country. Here’s my account of what he had to say:

Stray Dog in Bucharest
Peter: "I’m returning from Scotland. I got a job there picking up used clothing, but didn’t get paid. The agency that got me the job said they couldn’t do anything about it. The only reason I’m able to get home is because I have a credit card. There are some jobs in Romania but they don’t pay anything. The situation here isn’t any better now than it was before Nicolae Ceauşescu. I come from a town 400 kilometers from Bucharest. I’m actually Hungarian. I have a Hungarian passport and a Romanian ID. A Hungarian passport is better than a Romanian one. It gets you into far more countries. There are two million Hungarians living in Romania. We should be a part of Hungary as we were before 1945. Like Bulgaria we have a dog problem too. A few years ago they tried to get rid of the dogs, but Brigit Bardot stepped in with her animal rights group and put a halt to it. Now we have dogs everywhere." 
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