A bit tipsy...but...

I just came back from a day/night out with Marte and Ingvill, really nice to meet UWCs again...and so in Buenos Aires. Yesterday I did power-sight-seeing, which meant, Cafe Tortoni, Plaza Mayo, Casa Rosana, Plaza Congresso, Teatro Colon, the cemetery, and Bella Artes....Until now, I really like BsAs, but it is also very europeanen.....

Book Reviews

I have had a plan for a long time to write down small reviews of the books that I have been reading, while traveling around the last 4 months. I am only writing about the books that I have read from start to end, even though there are many “half unread” books as well.

Nordkraft : A Danish book, which got really popular in Denmark 2 years ago. It’s about the Life of drug addicts in a middle-sized Danish city. I like the story for the fact that it is a new environment which is described and he managed to provoke. Nevertheless, he wrote some short-stories that I really don’t like and Nordkraft becomes a bit boring in the end; so, he will get 3 mate cups out of 5 possible.
Mountains beyond Mountains: Do I have to write more? The “big” Bryan book which the English class studied. I actually like the book, especially because the author also thinks that Paul Farmer is too much sometimes. However, there are parts of the book where Farmer is simply “too good a person”; can’t take that. Gets 4 angles out of 5.
Kraka: The boat I was on was build by one man, Lars, and he had been sailing around the world before that in another of his own boats. Kraka is about his travel, and about how the boat sank, after almost making it all around the world. Gets 2 fish out of 5.
Papillion: I read this one for the third time, and I still Love the book. It is supposedly a true story, and it is written in the best language ever. Like a sailor telling a story on a bar. 5 bottles of rum out of 5.
Voyage of the Narwhale: This book is half fiction, and half non-fiction, and it is taking place in the artic region; which led my thoughts on my trip to Iceland, Greenland and Canada. The way it describes the nature is superb, however the Love story part is too much. 4 narwhales out of 5.
The Kite Runner: READ IT! What more can I say. A story about the cruelties in Afghanistan and about friendship. I got wet eyes when I read this story. 5 US Marines out of 5.
Nynnes dagbog: A crap girl book like Bridgets Jones Diary. Not worth reading, even though it only takes four hours. 0 pieces of shit out of 100.
Islam for beginners: A bad book trying to be young and smart with the design, which makes it a mess. I learned a bit from it, but not a lot more than what I already knew. 2 months in the Sahara with a muslim family is better in understanding Islam – nonetheless, this book should might be given to all Danes these days. 2 Korans out of 5.
A Fine Balance: A story about India, poverty, friendship and most importantly of all, a story about loss. A must read book. 5 rice corns out of 5.
Harry Potter and the goblet of fire: I am actually not a fan of Harry Potter, and this is only the third book of his than I am reading. Again, I think the story is too simple and I feel like eating a McD. Meal when I read the book. 2 wizards out of 5.
Wild Swans: The second time I am reading this one. A good book about three generations in China, one of the best history books on China. 4 Yun-Fengs out of 5.
One hundred Years of Solitude: Probably one of the most famous books from the continent, and I Love this book. The way that he creates a magic world, and catches the spirit of Latin-America is amazing. A must-read if you want to travel in the region. 6 Buendia´s out of 5.
Togroeverne, Det store kup set indefra: A story about the big train-robbery there was in England many years ago. This is a story about a group of small robbers, who end up getting extremely rich. One of them even moving to Argentina after a plastic operation. An amazing story, which also have connections to the neo-Nazis. 4 gold bars out of 5.
A short History of Nearly Everything: I didn’t like sciences….but then I read this book. Describes evolution, how nature developed, why water is so special, the Big Bang, Einstein and much more. All of is with a wonderful twist of humor. This book is great fun, and you can learn a lot from it. 5 theories out of 5.
The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency: About a lady detective in Africa. The story itself is boring, but has some great quotes. I would like to read more from this author; because he has some good ideas and he is only writing about Africa. 3 lions out of 5.
Jeg har hoert et stjerneskud og jeg set verden begynde: Two good books about a Danish journalist who travels from Moscow, through Asia and end up in South America. It is mostly good because I have seen the same things as he has, and I would like to be that kind of a journalist that he is. Very honest about his own mistakes, and very well-read.
Selected Poems by Pablo Neruda: I read his poems, and I loved them. I saw his house and I Loved it. This guy is amazing, and I am looking forward to study him more. 6 hearts out of 5.
Che Guevara, The Motorcycle Diaries: “Let the world change you and you will change the world”. Another book that you have to read if you are traveling in Latin America. I read a bad translation, which destroyed the book; nevertheless, it was interesting to read about the places that Che and I have visited. Only with 50 years difference. Actually, not much have changed. 3 revolutions out of 5.

I just finished reading the news, almost a civilwar in Iraq, 2000 people killed in Nigeria, millons of pounds stolen from a bank in London, the bird flu is spreading, and much more worse thing...and no one talks about this in the countries I have been in in South-America. It is the same with Europe, things happens in Latin America, but it only gets a small notice. No one cares.....And no one cares at all about the thounds of Saharawies who has lost their houses in the worse floods in Western Sahara.

In the middle of all these world news, I am still travelling; trying to experiences this continent that no one talks about in Denmark. My trip from Mendoza to Viña del Mar in Chile was a night-mare.... The bus I was on broke down 3 times, which meant that we were 4 hours delayed, and I arrived at shit-o´clock in Viña, on a saturday night! Anyway, I had a nice time in Valparariso with one of my friends from Denmark who found a girl there a year ago, and is now studying at the university in Valparariso. I really like the town, all its hills, and the view to the sea makes it into a spetacular walks in the maze that the streets are.
Santiago on the other hand was a big disappoinment; the only posetive I can say is that it was nice to see Kamila, that I stayed with a funny group of hippies in a house outside down-town, and that they have nice parks. The rest of the city is pretty boring, and reminds me of the main shopping street in Denmark (Stroeget).....If you go there, then just go to the parks and chill out - because there is nothing else to do.
I am leaving Mendoza tomorrow, and then I will be going to Buenos Aires, the city that everyone in South America is talking so nice about...damn, I am looking forward to it. I might go to Montevideo as well, but lets see if I get time to do that!
Today has been spent on sleeping my hang-overs away, and then I went to Marianos brothers wine-yard.....

A Tribute to Argentinian Girls

I went clubbing with Marianos brother and all his friends (know in Mendoza as the "Mafia Sicilana) on saturday night. We went to a place called Ishka, a nice big club with Live Music and dance music. I must say that I was rather surprise to see that 65% of the people were girls; and not just girls - but HOT girls. The Argentinian girls have something special over them; their brown eyes has a fire in them that I have only seen close to comparison in Venezuela. The way they dance is as hot as the temperature here; so Argentina is a country which has the good food, the perfect wine, and the excelent women.
I am in Valparariso right now, a little "tourist paradise" 2 hours outside Santiago. I have been visiting a friend from Dk, Pablo nerudas house, and else just walked around the maze of the city... Tomorrow I will go to Santiago, and might see Kamila there.
I have less than 3 weeks left...and so much I want to see.........

Mendoza

I was a bit nervous for my 30 hours long bus-ride that I was going on from the borders to Marianos hometown, Mendoza; however, I realized that Argentina is a VERY different country from Bolivia. A lot more rich, which means paved roads, busses which leaves on time, and a semi-cama which is like a cama bus in Peru...WONDERFUL!! And even better, they show the movies in english in the busses here!! It was like paradise....
So, I arrived at 21:00 in Mendoza, ready to hit the bed...or to eat something (had not been eating for 25 hours :-S....) Marianos brother came to pick me up, and he looks EXACTLY like Mariano himself! He drove me to the house where I met Papa Pedro and Mommy, and I was served the best pizza ever - the Italian genes I guess!
I have only walked around down-town for 1 hour, but I can already see the different. The country has big clean parks, wide avenues, and half of them are "semi-blonds", which reminds that so many Germans went here under Perons regime....Feel like being in a nice, warm, cosy Germany!
Btw, did I mention that Marianos brother has a wine-yard? I got a nice white-wine from his farm yesterday....so looonnggg time without wine, so it was like paradise!!

A hell of a day

Bolivia is a LDC (less develop Country) which means that only 10% of the roads are paved; that gives a bit of spice to the adventure it is to take a bus. We left Sarah yesterday (she is going to Lima, and then Guatemala), and Mette and I went for Tarija.
The bus was surprisingly only one hour delayed when we started, so it looked good. However, we had been warned, by our guidebooks, to travel by bus around Bolivia in Feb. and March, because of the rainy-season.
Nevertheless, the first.....1 hour went fine, until the bus stoped for 30 min., because they drive felt like going around the bus and knock on different parts. Nevertheless, we got to go again, and it was not before 06:00 in the morning that we ran into new problems. As I wrote, most roads in Bolivia is not paved, so when big trucks gets stucked on the middle of a dirt-road, it often makes obstacles for small innocent busses like ours; we (all the men) had to start moving stones on the side of the roads, to make it bigger, so the bus could cross. At the meantime, Mette was sitting in the bus (together with all the other women). It happenend a second time that we have to "increase the side of the road", this time I got some cheap points for carrying all the heavy stones, and Mette got even more popular when all the "locals" discovered that she spoke Spanish..... From being the "unpolite, smelly, ignorant Americans", we turned into being the "hardworking, spanish-speaking and friendly gringos". The rest of the trip was followed by a drive through a small river (in a overloaded bus), and driving up and down the Andes mountains in a thick fog.
Driving through the countryside in Bolivia for sure makes you a socialist, all this poverty and people living in the most remote and poor conditions makes you hate "right-wings"....nevertheless, comming to Tarija (after 23 hours) and discovered that it is impossible for you to leave the city as planned, because of a strike, made me go back on my "old political track"..... We are lucky if we get our bus at 03:00 in the night to the border at Aguas Blancas, and then I hope I can get to Salta or Mendoza from there...somehow...... I just hope that San Cristobal (the saints of travellers) will take care of me...or to quote my EE book:
"Dear Lord, you better take care of me now, or else you are going to have me on your hands".

Bolivia was great, I am quite sure that I will come back - I still have a lot to do there!
Hasta Luego!

VIP

Yesterday we wild....really wild! We met up with two of the UWC volunteers from La Isla del Sol in La Paz downtown, then we went eating and decided to go out clubbing later that night. I was damn tired, but I thought that I night in La Paz might could be worth trying. We ended up squezing 8 people into a taxi (Mette convinced the taxi driver that it was okay, hurray for blond hair)....and then we went to Ram Jam, the popular in-place in town. We spent 15 min. in the entrance, trying to convince the bouncers that we were all above 21, and it didnt work before we asked to talk with the manager; all this ended up with all of us getting the VIP area at the most popular club in La Paz. We enjoyed the good music, the nice girls, and the cheap drinks.....Rock Start for a Night.....and the hangovers are okay....so I might go out again tonight!
Chau from a VERY important person...

Still in La Paz

Mette and Sarah went to Potosi in the south, a place that I really would like to visit, but cant afford. I was planning to go back to Copacabana and La Isla del Sol, but I missed the last ferry, so I am in La Paz city....again. However, I really enjoy to walk around with my Ipod and Grateful Dead in my ears in downtown La Paz...and just to watch and observe.
I have recieved many mails (nice and evil once) the last couple of days about the Cartoon crisis, and I must say that I am disappointed by the knowledge that people have about the situation. Nevertheless, I think that the whole world can agree that it was stupid what the newspaper did, I dont know if you have seen the cartoons, but some (not all!) of them are way over the line....
Anyway, I am waiting for the war to come...because I really think that this will have serious consequenses.
I am leaving La Paz on monday, and will then go to the south of Bolivia, before I enter Argentina and Mendoza. From there I will make trips to Santiago, Valpariso, and maybe a wineyard or two.....chau!

In La Paz

I have so much to catch up with, and so little time to write. My thoughts has been occupied by the bad news in the newspapers about the conflict between "Danes and muslims" (to put it really black and white)...
We saw a Machu Picchu, a place that everyone MUST see in South-America, even though I was a bit disappointed....We paid 110 dollars to see a bunch of tourists - especially Japanese! We hiked up the "young mountain" from where you get the best Kodak moments, and I suffered big time under the altitude....4000 METERS above sea level....(the highest mountain in DK is 177 M).
We went to Copacabana near Lake Titicaca the day after MP, and it was just like arriving to a new cusco, so many Gringos and shops...Lukily there was a carnival there, so we saw ALL the locals getting wasted in beers....one big Roskilde Festival!
La Isla del Sol was the most fantastic place I have seen in my Life, even though I only saw a little part of it. We met up with 3 UWCs from Pearson college, and totally forgot to do the "famous" hike across the island....I think I will go back to that place very soon.
We are in La Paz now, staying with Alita in her house. It is a wonderfull place to be, after all the hostals the last week....especially to be waked up by the words of Alitas mom: "buenos Dias babies...."

Cartoons and freedom of speech

Please everyone, go to BBC or CNN´s homepage and read about the problems that Danes has with Muslims these days....Please, study the history, and then write me a comment about it.
This is a about democracy, freedom of speech, respect of other people, and how hate to other culture can grow really fast in some few days. The danish right-wing party is most likely going to win the next election, due to the way that some few(?) muslims are reacting to this.

I know what I think about this whole issue, but I would like to know YOUR oppion.

/Mads