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See the World for Free

The idea here is to TRAVEL THE WORLD regardless of time or budget. It dawned on me one day that even if I had unlimited time and money (which I definitley do not), I still couldn't see everything in the world that I'd like to see--I'm simply not going to live long enough to do it.

But I had a bit of brain wave and soon after the travel envelope was born. This is an actual physical envelope. I typed the name of every country in the world, plus every state in the US on little slips of paper which I then put into the envelope. In the beginning we (myself, my husband, Dave and daugher Catherine) would draw out a slip at random at the beginning of the month and that's where we would go---at least in our minds. We grab some books about the country from the library and put them in our bathroom to look at. We also check out some videos about the country if any. We check it out on googleearth, listen to the music, try the food, maybe even attempt to learn a dance or celebrate a festival.

After the first two years we discovered that even virtual traveling can be tiring, so we travel now whenever I happen to be in the mood.

It's great fun. I especially love it when people I meet have been to the place I'm "visiting" in real life, or get excited and have some virtual adventures of their own. I hope that anyone who comes across this blog will feel welcome to come with us on the trip!

You have a standing reservation to see it all!

Jun 8, 2012

Don't come

Sigh...it really IS all about the war. Stupid tragic waste. Somalia was a wonderful place for giraffes and camels and little gazelles called dikdiks. People are/have eaten the dikdiks. I don't know what's happened to the rest of the wildlife--poached or driven off I expect. I was excited to find a link on "things to do and see in Somalia" but here is what the website had to offer for tourists: "Somalia suffers from drought and famine. Surely the only reason you'll travel to Somalia is for humanitarian purposes. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs strongly advises against any trip to this country. A multitude of organisations have been unable to curb problems and end all of the suffering." Oddly, this advice makes we want to go there--I wouldn't of course, not having a death wish, but this country's got a HUGE coastline--what about seafood? It has vast plains--that used to be filled with animals and could no doubt be farmed. I think I just want to go and see for myself that at least this poor country is not just a natural cesspool.

Jun 6, 2012

Food

Ok! YES!! Somalian food does indeed sound delicious. I think I'll do this months food in two shifts--with the doughnut like thing and dates for breakfast one day and then a dinner of stew and flatbread with coconut squares for dessert. No doubt people do go hungry in Somalia, but the book I got from the library with the cheerful title of Surrender or Starve covers several countries around the area and says that one of Somalia's problems is that while it is indeed wretched, it's not quite wretched enough to get media attention and therefore as much help as it could use.

Jun 5, 2012

Mogadishu Riveria

A Somali businessman (Ahmed Jama) who lived in London for some years has come back to Somalia's capitol city of Mogadishu and opened to hotels and restaurants on the beach front. It sounds as though it's going well even though Mogadishu is still a dangerous place and people have to pass through two security checkpoints to get to the beach. Also, most Somali's can't afford to eat there even though the prices are reasonable by American standards--lobstor for $20, steak for $7. On the beach one can order ice-cream and a hookah pipe, but not alcohol which is illegal. I like what Mr. Jama said about the food at his hotels, "We don't serve foreign dishes. It's only Somali food. Our country has the best recipes."

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