Nesfe Jahan, pt 8

Well, actually I failed to hitch worse than ever before, for many scorching hours. The only upshot was that I didn’t get anywhere at all, so I was able to take a bus straight back into the city. And now, I’m hanging out in a bus station waiting to catch one to the Montenegrean coast. And frankly, I don’t give a damn. I did have a loose plan to hitch all the way  (where?),but I’m not a fascist. And I’ve been invited to spend some time on a double masted yacht, which is way more of a priority for me. Big sloppy grins all around.

Nesfe Jahan, pt 7

I should be on the way South-Westish right now. At the time of writing I don’t know where or when.

Memories of a road between Budapest and Belgrade. A border checkpoint in the middle of nowhere. A highway that simply ends. Single lane turn into 2, getting out of this place is an emergency so it’s allright. Not a mountain in sight for hours. A surprising amount of abandoned cars in the ditch. Their vehicles sure look like dinosaurs. Everywhere there are tons of improvised fruit stands in the back of a van, but not a single permanent building. Who stops for them, anyway? Are they mirages? Is this road even going somewhere? I would be scared to get out. To die of thirst. Nobody would notice, my corpse would be covered in dust in a matter of minutes.

Nesfe jahan, pt 6

Belgrade. A walking city, mainly by virtue of it’s complete lack of subways. Run-down in a good way. Marseille without a sea. Cyrillic shenanigans. A smell of queer bashing hangs in the air. You can almost hear the concrete creak as it expands in the heat. A touch of recent bombing. A lot of walking. Cheap beer, and the art of making sandwiches. I think I really like Belgrade, but only time will tell.

Nesfe Jahan, pt 6

Today, Belgrade.

Monday, Adriatic coast. No idea where. Life is good.

Nesfe Jahan, pt 5

As a counterpoint to the assault and battery experiences on the water recently, I indulged and spend about 4 hours in a Hungarian bath. Well, I spend about 4 hours in a Turkish bath in Hungary to be precise. After a couple of hours, all present worries are processed in your head. And you only have the easy choices to make in life. 18, 22, 32, 36 or 42 degrees? Steam bath or sauna? Rinse with a bucket, shower, or freezing pool? It’s been a long while since I’ve so been in touch with my body , and it feels great. It’s also very funny to see all the experts at work. Hungary is such a great country, that some retirees get free access for medical reasons. And go there every day for 4 hours. Tell me another civilized country where this is possible.

Nesfe Jahan, pt 4

I made it to Budapest faster than it would have taken by train. But this is not what matters. I was actually not what matters. I originally wanted to go to Pecs, in the south of Hungary. Perhaps in an attempt to avoid a capital city, perhaps because it’s description reminded me a lot of Leuven. But in the end, a combination of gas-station-missing snoozing and faulty navigation computers caused my Ukranian driver to take the most direct route East, straight through the city centre. So, I bit the bullet, and hopped off. And immediately found very good hospitality at a friend I made only a couple of days before.

A couple of hours later. I see a couple taking pictures. Afterwards, a couple making out. And I wonder who’s right. They notice, and I quickly continue, embarrassed to have disturbed their reverie. And I keep on walking. This city looks like a neglected Vienna. A tomb of a Turkish poet, wonderfully restored.. Hungarians are friendly people with no desire for revenge. Random big city problems. The street plan is so predictable it’s not fun anymore. I smoke, and I wish the river would smell like the sea. I have to hustle if I want to see the Adriatic. I’ve got a date with Istanbul on the 16th. And I’m going to go nuts if  I stay in cities like this. I would live here if  it’s placidity wasn’t so damn familiar. And I keep on walking.

My whole brain was out of tune (x2) I don’t know how to tune a brain, do you? I went into a brain shop They said they’d have to rebuild the whole head I said well, do what you got to do When I got my brain back It didn’t work right I didn’t have as many good ideas I haven’t had a good idea since I got it fixed Morphine, interlude during the Bootleg Detroit concert

Nesfe Jahan pt 3

I’m still in Prague, but I’m leaving tomorrow for Hungary. I don’t have any pictures to show, as I’ve mostly been hanging out with old and new friends, cooking, discussing and partying. We had a really nice crowd going, it’s as always amazing that it happens, and bad because it dissolves after a couple of days. The only real photo opportunity I had, canoeing on the Sazaka river slightly south of Praha. And, considering that I wiped out badly four or five times during 16 kilometers, I’m happy I didn’t bring my camera. I’m bloody, bruised, and -insult to injury- I lost my favorite hat. But it’s all alright.

Nesfe Jahan pt 2

Right now, somewhere between Berlin and Prague.

EDIT: or Prague, actually. Despite a Czech truck driver who really tried  hard to get me stuck for the night.

Friends, pt 2

I lived with Christina for several months in Berlin, and she has been a great friend. I’m still amazed that she could cope wtih me for so long.

• How to do the dishes properly (The German way) What you need: sponge (with one rough side for pots), soap; cloth

Preparation: After using pots for cooking, fill them with hot water and soap immediately to make it easier later to clean them.

Main act:

“After the meal, empty the above mentioned pots. After the meal, empty the above mentioned pots.* Put some soap in the sink and fill it half with hot water.Put some soap in the sink and fill it half with hot water.* Start with the less dirty things: glasses, cups, etc.Start with the less dirty things: glasses, cups, etc.* Take the sponge and wipe the entire thing smoothly; keep an eye on visible dirt and wipe there extra diligently.Take the sponge and wipe the entire thing smoothly; keep an eye on visible dirt and wipe there extra diligently.* Remove the soap with tap water.Remove the soap with tap water.* Double-check if all visible di is gone.Double-check if all visible di is gone.* Put dish on the rack/counter to let it dry.Put dish on the rack/counter to let it dry.* Continue now with the other dishes in the same procedure, according to the level of dirt.Continue now with the other dishes in the same procedure, according to the level of dirt.* Make sure that the water is still hot. The colder the water, the harder it is to remove fat. If necessary, add new hot water or change the water completely according to point 2 if it’s a longer dish washing session.Make sure that the water is still hot. The colder the water, the harder it is to remove fat. If necessary, add new hot water or change the water completely according to point 2 if it’s a longer dish washing session.* Finish with the really dirty stuff: Fill pots 5 cm with new hot water, add soap here and remove loose dirt with either the soft side of sponge or even with a spatula to avoid contaminating the sponge too much.Finish with the really dirty stuff: Fill pots 5 cm with new hot water, add soap here and remove loose dirt with either the soft side of sponge or even with a spatula to avoid contaminating the sponge too much.* Remove the now dirty water from the pot and refill the pot with 2-3 cm of new hot water and soap.Remove the now dirty water from the pot and refill the pot with 2-3 cm of new hot water and soap.* Now use the rough side of the sponge to clean the inveterate dirt. Be careful with Teflon-coated pans and pots and also with plastic items. The rough side of the sponge can easily damage them!Now use the rough side of the sponge to clean the inveterate dirt. Be careful with Teflon-coated pans and pots and also with plastic items. The rough side of the sponge can easily damage them!* Repeat until done. Repeat until done.”

Post-processing:

Done.

Fireflies

She smiled apologetically at me, indicating that my backpack doesn’t really need to occupy 2 seats on the metro, and, at the same time, that she regrets interrupting my light musical trance. And she’s right, it’s the first time in a couple of days I have the luxury of listening to my music, and I’m blissfully unaware of my surroundings, completely tuned in. I listen to Mohammad Reza Sajaranian, or more precisely his orchestra with one of his disciples singing a heartbreaking song about…. love? for god, a woman, or wine? Tragedy?  I chose to play this album because it never fails to get me into touch with myself, and clear emotions. Something which I was craving for after a whole day of gas station patience and conversation. A moment for myself.

The girl settles in in front of me, immediately grabbing her music player and deciding what input to receive. And I’m out of my moment, I can’t help wonder what she is playing, and why. It’s not the first time either, from time to time I meet this crowd on public transportation. They never fail to fascinate me, and I’m one of them. Switching music every 2 minutes. Frantic glances at the names of stops, fully aware they are totally absorbed to the music.

When the girl started to bob her head, I couldn’t help but smile. She couldn’t help but notice, and was sucked out of her moment. Embarrassed, I looked at the window instead. And wondered what she was playing, and wondering if she wondered what I was playing. In the end, do we really now what someone else is listening to?