The last days in the UAE

My adventure started.

I was so overwhelmed and busy the last few days that i did not have any time to update anything.
I took the decision to leave in June, after coming back from the Camino. Since then, I procrastinated too much and left everything pending for August. The last few weeks of August were a complete rush. I had to settle all the issues concerning my travels. I wasn’t going on a holiday, I was leaving the country for good.

The main issue was packing up my room. I had to put away all the stuff I had (and boy do I have a lot of junk), the books, the photography equipments, magazines and everything accumulated throughout the years. Eventually, I ended packing up on my last night. Close call!

The whole process of “leaving” was quite easy, without any obstacles that made my decision difficult to handle. I am a firm believer of signs all around that guide the way (I have experienced very strong ones) and this time, nothing was blocking my path. I guess it meant that I WAS on the right path for once.

I also felt a kind of Peace inside for a long while, not regretting my decision ever. Yes I still had some doubts from time to time, and I did get nervous as the days grew closer, but I remained confident, excited and happy.

The last week was also quite intense thanks to all my friends and the people I love around me. I had to meet everyone, last drinks, last dinners. Since my birthday I have been so spoiled by my friends that I am eternally grateful to all. It is sad to leave everyone behind and go alone. I spent an amazing 2 years with all of them, camping, partying, traveling, or simply chatting around a cup of tea.
But, I guess the world is so small nowadays, meeting up or staying in contact is quite easy. It’s just a “farewell, see you soon”.

And now, sitting in a café in Aachen - Germany. I have started a new life. I am a bit clueless, I have no plans and the ones I had made for the first few weeks have already changed. I just have to let go with the flow, I know I am being guided towards something beautiful.

Friends, Family, everyone.. I miss you and love you all!

31 years later... Better than ever!

31 years ago, I took my first breath in this World.

The first act of love I was given was a slap on the ass (So i could breath? yeah right! Torture!).. Fortunately, it got better and better over the years!

Yesterday, my friends all gathered to celebrate my first breath.
Setting? A small private room in a Japanese restaurant in Abu Dhabi (UAE) packed with 13 fun people all around a small table covered with sushis, sashimis and bottles of sake.
I had a truly wonderful birthday night thanks to them.

I left France 5 years ago to come back to the UAE for work. I was a "wreck".. I had gone through a depression, I had gained so much weight, I had lost my self-confidence.
Over those 5 years, I came to meet all those amazing people I am surrounded by today. They all gave me some of their love, they all gave me some of their time and they all helped me become the person I am today.
The best gift I have received was not the Tri-Jellyfisting Gorillapod (don't try to understand), not the NatGeo camera bag, not the small Icon from Ainteb.. Not even the 50D DSLR (you guys are insane! Thank you!)... The best gift was their presence, their smiles, their kind words and all the love they gave to me because today, I wouldn't be what I am without them.

I will miss you all, very much. And I will keep a part of each one of you with me in all my travels.

To all my friends in the UAE, to all my friends outside in the world or on internet: I love you all :)

And last but surely not least.. Thank you to my family, their support, their understanding and thank you parents for bringing me to this wonderful world!
You just could've beaten the crap out of that doctor who slapped me! ;)

How I learned to smell water...

Iceland is known to be an island with plenty of rivers and fresh pure water. One can never die of thirst in Iceland.

Unfortunately, luck wasn’t really on our side when 2 of my friends (Shaf and Nad) and I went trekking in August 2008. Not that we were dying of thirst mind you, it WAS raining all the time.. But the rivers on our path were far from being crystal clear sources of Life.. It was more like chocolate milky, muddy rivers!

We did have the equipment to filter the mud out but it was a long and painful process for just a few drops of clean water.

On the 5th day of our trek, hopping from shelter to shelter, we were running out of clean water to drink and cook with. We HAD to find a river and there was supposed to be one not far from the shelter. I secretly crossed my fingers hoping it wouldn’t be a magical source of Cappuccino again.

After hours of walking with our stinking wet clothes on, we reached the big, cold, lonely shelter and… Hallelujah! There was a plastic can full of clear water next to the entrance! I was already dreaming of a glass of fresh water with a gourmet dish of instant noodles mixed with mushroom cream powder soup (yum!).

We settled in the shelter, drank and drank, cleaned the tables (Why were there so many dead flies everywhere?) and started cooking. It was delicious…

Tired and happy, we went for a 2h nap before deciding to continue.


… Or not.


After waking up, my friend Nad went to drink some more water. One cup down, second in process… Wait a minute..
“Guys, did you notice this water smells funny?”.

As my nose hesitantly reached the bottle, it all made sense.. The dead flies…

It smelled pesticide. We had been drinking an unknown amount of pesticide diluted in water!

Ok. How do you react? Images of us lying dead in this cold shelter, in the middle of nowhere, came rushing through my mind. This can’t be! I just turned 30 a week ago! I was too young to die! Not to mention in a stupid unheroic way!

We kept our calm.

“Do you feel fine?” “Does your stomach hurt?”
It had been more than 2 hours since we last ate and drank so we should have already been poisoned by now. I guess the amount of pesticide was quite low.

However, Nad (who drank much much more than us) felt some slight burning in his throat. It was time to act, move and find fresh water. FAST! Our last chance was the river on the map not far from the shelter.

As I was completely in pain, I stayed in the shelter while Shaf and Nad went to look for the river.
It was hard waiting in the dark, alone, wondering what happened to my friends and how Nad was feeling.

They eventually came back an hour or two later, with a little amount of water. The river was still muddy but they had to filter it again and Nad, feeling worse had to throw up to empty his stomach of the poison.

In the end, after making sure we were REALLY feeling better, we laughed about it. I guess we really got scared but it served us as a lesson: Smell before drinking! (Even if it’s water and it’s not supposed to have a smell!).

We made sure to put a warning sign on the can for any other thirsty trekkers. You never know.
We woke up the next morning early to finish our trek in Þingvellir and fill our stomach with hotdogs and 3 cups of hot chocolate EACH!

And it smelled good!

You know you've been in the U.A.E. for too long when...

1- You don't even go buy groceries; you are only a phone call / honk away from delivery.
2- You only occupation during weekend nights is clubbing in the hypest nightclub.
3- You judge a person by his job.
4- You need a maid to clean your house / do the dishes / cook for you.
5- You find it normal to spend an hour looking for a parking spot (and end up parking on a sidewalk).
6- You have developed a huge ego and need everything to be the biggest/tallest/highest/prettiest/most expensive..
7- You find wearing a dress stylish (for men) and being covered in black from head to toe attractive (for women).
8- Eating in an small restaurant or Cafeteria is out of the question! (It's dirty, you need 5 star).
9- You know the meaning of the word "wasta" (and you have many).
10- Your social status is measured by your car model.
11- You automatically speak broken english/arabic when you face a south-asian looking person.
12- You smoke too much "medwakh" (local "tobacco" ... more like drug).
13- The best place to hang out on weekend afternoons is the mall.
14- You think flashing your lights while speeding will automatically clear the way in front of you.
15- You use your warning signals in your car when it's a little foggy.
16- You have no plans for the future. Daily routine is great!
17- You can't survive an hour without your phone.
18- When you spot a speed limit, your brain automatically adds 19km/h to it.
19- You drive with one foot up resting next to the steering wheel and play with your toes. (YUK!)
20- You accept any credit card / loan offer from any bank whether you need or need (or you can repay or not).

I guess it's time for me to run away before I end up spending tooooo much time in here! (Does anyone think that a total of 23 years in the UAE is enough already? ;) ).

Baalbeck - Lebanon

On Friday 24th of July, after so many years of traveling to Lebanon, I finally decided to visit the famous Roman temple of Baalbeck.

Along with my family, we set off in the morning for a 3h drive through various landscapes. That’s one of the advantages of Lebanon, a small country but with many different rich landscapes.
The first part of the road up to the central mountains was quite amazing: From the city of Bikfaya up to the “Bois de Boulogne” (also called Bologna). Although quite a hype place to live for the lebanese, this area still keeps its original feel with the same old style villas made of stone and red roofs. The area is also covered with forests of pine trees.
Bologna is nowadays known for peaceful retreats. It is a relatively quiet and relaxing place, with the smell of pine trees helping relieve asthma or respiratory problems.
During the Syrian occupation, this area was under their control, thus few Lebanese used to wander around. But now that the Syrians have left, the price of land sky rocketed. Many people cannot afford a home in this area. It is sad to see so many abandoned, crumbling old villas along the way.

After Bologna, we reached the top of the mountains with an amazing view on both sides. Looking west you can admire the Mediterranean Sea and looking East, you have the rich fields of the Bekaa, a flat valley between two mountain chains, an important agricultural area.


Driving back down and getting close to the city of Baalbeck, you can feel the striking difference between the areas. The Central part of Lebanon, where we started from , is under the control of Maronites Christian Lebanese, while the Baalbeck area is under the hands of the muslim Shiite Milicia, the Hezbollah. It is funny to notice the change of shop and commerce names. From French / English names in the Maronites area to Arabic or Islamic names in the Baalbeck area.
One thing that does not change in any area (sadly) is the cult of personality. Everywhere you have huge portraits of political leaders spoiling the landscape and flags hung on balconies representing the colors of the political parties. Nowhere almost can you see a proud Lebanese flag...

After a long drive, we finally reach the temple of Baalbeck.
Known as Heliopolis in ancient times, It’s among the largest temples of the Roman empire dedicated to Jupiter, Venus, Mercury and Bacchus. It’s maybe the biggest treasure of Lebanon.
I was upset to see that the city of Baalbeck was actually build around the ruins. Such a valuable treasure in the middle of busy streets, pollution and noise!

The other thing I found outrageous was the entrance: A Hezbollah yellow tent celebrating “victory” with loud patriotic music spilling from huge speakers. For God’s sake, this is a TOURISTIC place, a treasure of the Roman Empire! Please leave your politics and hatred to places where they belong, and certainly NOT in a roman temple.

We nevertheless entered to visit the place after paying the fees. On a side note, the entrance fees are written in Arabic only and are cheaper (7000 leb pounds ~ 4.6$) for arabs and lebanese than for foreign tourists that cannot read (12000 pounds ~ 8$). Completely unfair...

Although well preserved and quite big, I was expecting something much more impressive. Beautiful old temples, huge columns and amazing carvings in the stone lay around in a somewhat big mess, completely unprotected as I was noticed people climbing and jumping over them like big boulders.

It was nevertheless a majestic place, especially the well preserved temple of Bacchus.

One part of the temple was closed for the public as they were preparing for the yearly "Baalbeck Festival", with a big stage that was going to host a Deep Purple concert a few days later.


Fortunately, there were not many tourists around, mostly arab locals much more interested in taking souvenir photos with the Milicia’s yellow flags and Victory signs than the huge columns.
There is near the end of the exit a very nice small museum with many helpful information and timeline concerning the evolution of the temple.

Overall, I felt a bit disappointed. I was expecting much more: a huge temple, in an isolated place. The surroundings and politics kind of spoiled it for me. This is a cultural heritage, a treasure from the past, it should be treated that way. I personally prefer the smaller ruins of “Faqra” in central Lebanon. Much smaller, but isolated, in the mountains, away from big cities. You can just walk around, close your eyes and imagine living in ancient times, amongst the Romans.

Ah well, at least now I can say that I have visited Baalbeck.

Cheers!

Back from Lebanon

Finally back from Lebanon and getting prepared for the last stretch before I leave the UAE!

My trip was not as relaxing as I wished. I spend almost half of it sick at home because of some food poisoning or whatever it was. I still have an upset stomach, better be careful with what I eat!

While I still have family over there, and although it’s a beautiful country, traveling to Lebanon has become less exciting for me.
Sure there is still much to see over there, but unfortunately many places have been “plagued” and corrupted by politics. Old buildings, Landscapes or touristic places are “decorated” with political party flags or portraits of “leaders”. In Lebanon, it is unacceptable not to have political ideas or not to belong to any movement. That’s all they have and all they are interested in… Politics.

Over the years, I personally find that Lebanon hasn’t changed much. It is still as chaotic as it was before. It must also be one of the last people on Earth that still clap when the plane lands safely in Beirut (I mean.. do I have to clap to my taxi driver when he gets me somewhere?).

Still, politics aside, it remains a beautiful country with amazing landscapes. A concentrate of mountains, valleys, beaches and forests in such a tiny space. You can go from baking under the sun on the beach to skiing on the snowy slopes of the mountains in less than 30 minutes! (if no traffic jam that is..).
I just hope it remains that way and some areas would stay protected as buildings tend to pop up here and there very fast, spoiling the whole landscape and wilderness.

I had the chance to visit 2 areas while I stayed there. The North of Lebanon and Baalbeck, the biggest temple dedicated to Jupiter in the Middle East. I’ll write about it in 2 different posts with photos.
North of Lebanon is still one of those rare untouched areas with amazing mountains, valleys and old villages.

Overall, it was an “ok” trip, if I hadn’t been so sick. Time to get seriously to work now and prepare my departure for the 5th of September.

How to overcome Doubt and Fear?

Sitting in a popular Café, in clean new clothes, enjoying my mug of hot chocolate, I start typing my new blog entry. I think of what I might do this evening: Meet up with some friends and have a drink in a bar? Watch a movie? Go shopping for new gadgets? Or maybe just chill at home in my comfortable couch, browsing on my laptop or playing some new games…

My phone rings, I got a message! My friends? No it’s the bank.. My salary just got transferred to my account.. Sweet! Maybe I should go shopping then!

And this is when that little voice in the head starts kicking in. “Enjoy it, because in 2 months, you’ll be left alone, no money, no comfort, no pleasure”.

This is when I start suddenly to doubt. Am I really making a wise decision? Leaving all this behind to start a new life from scratch, travelling around, taking photos and trying to make a living with it, is it REALLY a good idea?

Doubt, Fear.. They keep on paralyzing us from time to time and try to murder the motivation we need to carry on with our plans. We’ve all experienced that. Many people just drop their plans or dreams from fear of the unknown, because they are listening to that little voice in their head. We resist change!
So what should we do to make these little voices shut up? Easy! Prove them wrong!

Very often, our doubts and fears are based on preconceived ideas and beliefs. Since childhood, we are conditioned to believe in “facts” that slow us down and prevent us from straying out of the path society or families impose us. The World is dangerous out there! Take recent examples: “Crisis”, the “Swine Flu”, Terrorist attacks… Scary! It’s a bad idea to leave your job, even though you hate it because you’ll probably stay unemployed and starve to death. It’s also a bad idea to travel in some countries because of the diseases and attacks!

There is always a risk in everything you do. As there is a risk when you cross the street in your hometown or have a heart attack while working in your cubicle.
We often use these beliefs and project ourselves in the future. Negative thoughts end up creating doubt and fear settles in.

So what is the solution? Analyze your doubts!

It is easy to just dismiss them trying to convince yourself that they are false reasons. It could work for a while, but that little pesky voice will keep on coming back again and again. It’s just like a “snooze” button. You might be able to get away with it for a while, but dismissing the thoughts without really analyzing them will keep them at the back of your head, and become an emotional baggage that would end up slowing you down. Just like pushing the dust under the carpet! You might know they are wrong but you have to prove it to yourself!

For every doubt you have, listen to it and try to come up with a solution that would prove it wrong, or a plan that would make it seem pointless.

I often am afraid I would be left alone with no income. But if I really think about it, why should I be left alone? I am traveling!! I WILL be meeting amazing people everyday probably. So many opportunities to make new friends! Plus, communicating is easy today with so many options to keep contact with my loved ones. I just can’t be alone! Why be afraid?
And in case I run out of money, I have so many opportunities to find a job. Sure I might not be able to have a great job with a great income (who knows) but enough to be able to continue traveling and develop my photography is all I need. And in the worst case? I just put all my traveling on hold and come back to find a better job and come up with better plans. In all cases, I will have learned a lot from traveling and my mistakes would have made me stronger, wiser and more confident.

It’s just logic thinking. Take the doubt, analyze it, come up with solutions and there you go! Those little voices won’t have any arguments against you anymore! They might come up with new ones, but you’ll just repeat the same process.

Finally, the best solution is to avoid projecting yourself in the future with negative thoughts. Live NOW, think NOW. Nobody knows for sure what tomorrow is made of. You might fail, or you might succeed even better than you thought! Keep your thoughts positive and don’t always be on a defensive mode. The world is not a dangerous place. If you advance hidden behind your huge shield, you won’t see the opportunities that present themselves before you.

Have Faith, keep positive and carry on with your dreams! :)