Travel

Let’s inspire not impress each other

November 10. Filipino household workers.
This is another rewarding day at work. I visit the Philippine embassy, because this is my cause in Jordan: helping distressed Filipino household workers that had fled their mentally and physically abusive employers. I have made myself ready to visit the shelter and as I go out the door I bump into Tönis from Estonia, ...
November 9. Driving around in circles, then to Amman.


Taking a taxi to Amman requires some patience if you are on a budget. The driver will drive seven times around the block to pick up more passengers, sticking his head out of the window and shouting to the yellow city limit cabs "Amman! Amman!". He offers me a more timely departure for ...
November 8. Three good brothers.
Do you like my tone? Or does it sound too much like atonement? Well, you can switch me off, just like a television, you know, the old ones, that still had a big button on them. I wake up today in a four people dormitory and decide to walk around Damascus.

The National Museum ...
November 7: Those little treasures

A bright sun wakes me at 8:30, I do some dishes, play some music on my little computer and continue writing about my beautiful experience. I look at the pharmacy receipts they gave me yesterday and they are so valuable for me. My little treasures. Not that I need proof of my being good ...
November 6. A memorable day.

This is a memorable day. I wake up on the couch of Mona's apartment, and we have a short breakfast together. She explains me how to get to the Al-Manar television - the Hezbollah news station. I walk out that sunny morning and ask for the way a couple of times. A billboard is ...
November 5. Bus to Beirut.

The other charities I was to support in Aleppo need bureaucracy, and that makes me sad. A friendly couchsurfer knew a couple of them but this is what they needed. They need some official writing of my government telling them that is has an agreement with Syria. My government! The government of the country ...
November 4. Just look at the photos.

I have some sandwich from the fridge with cheese and pepper before I head out to the lively maze of old Aleppo and onto the dusty main road. At 11am I meet Murdoch and the clock tower and we spend a few good hours together. It turns out our interests are to a great ...
November 3. Very dangerous. But perhaps a good believer.
A healthy breakfast in the attic. I don't understand the French guys on the table next to me, although I have said of myself that I speak that language. Don't worry, better focus on the real things, you have a mission now dearest one. The sun stands already high as I walk out and capture ...
November 2. Move it! On to Syria.
I can't make it back to Adana in time, so I won't visit an ACEV meeting myself. I kindly ask them for some photographs to publish on my website, along with their contact information because there might be visitors - occasional internet surfers - who would want to make a donation. They will provide me ...