13 January 2002 
Alex Mumzhiu: The plan for my next trip finally has crystallized.
From Tunisia I will sail to Italy then to Greece, then to Turkey and eventually to Russia.
I will fly from St Petersburg back to Washington DC in the beginning of June to celebrate my
XXX-ty fifth birthday... full message |
18 January 2002
Alex Mumzhiu: Every time I come back from my trips I am asked, have
you been robbed, mugged, harassed? No, never.
I am not an overly cautious person and don't mind to
visit places which are considered to be unsafe or even
dangerous for pure curiosity or a shot of adrenaline.
Since I cannot climb mountains anymore, because of my
multiple arthritis I consider these little excursion
as an emotional equivalent to mountain climbing. I
rode my bike through Harlem and South Bronx, Rio De
Janeiro favelas, Cairo city of dead, Tangier medina in
Morocco, Golden Triangle in Thailand and Bombay slum...
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1 March 2002
Alex Mumzhiu: Today, I am going
to my trip from Tunisia to Russia. These who read my story
from previous trip may remember that I was motivated on it
by a childhood dream about Takla-Makan Desert. full
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12 March 2001
Alex Mumzhiu: Hello everybody!
Security at the Geneva airport was nothing compared with American
security. I think the authorities here are not afraid that
Muslim extremists will harm Geneva, because it has so many
Muslims in the city. They may harm their own. The airplane
was full of terrorists, or at least people looking like them.
However nothing happened. full
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18 March 2002
Alex Mumzhiu: I came to the entrance
to the Sahara at the oasis of Douz yesterday. It takes 9 hours
and 20 dollars to cross entire country from North to South
on bus. Berbers, the native people of this land resisted Arab
occupation but eventually gave up and accepted Islam... full
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21 March 2002
Alex Mumzhiu: Sahara camel trekking:
I went trekking with 2 guys from the same backpacker hotel
where I stayed. One from New Zealand, another from Holland.
When they tell about me to our Arab servants (in French) they
always emphasize that I am from America but originally from
Russia probably in order to persuade them not to spit in my
couscous. I did not feel anything, but people who understand
French said that anti-American feelings exist here... full
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26 March 2002
Alex Mumzhiu: I cannot resist
the temptation to ride a motorized glider above the desert,
two seat open glider with a small motor and propeller on the
back. Pictures should be great, you will see them later. So
by now I tried all possible kinds of flying: hang glider (delta
plan) in Rio De Janeiro, sky diving (zatiajnoi prijok) in
Mexico, bungi jump(tarzanka) and paragliding (ypravliaemii
parashut) in Nepal... full message |
29 March 2002
Alex Mumzhiu: From Douz (described in my last Travel Note) I went
to the place where the troglodytes live - Matmata.
Troglodytes live underground, probably in order to
save on air conditioning bills.It is hot
here. I stayed in hotel La Troglodytes in pretty
comfortable underground room. In this hotel some
scenes for the movie Star Wars was filmed... full
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2 April 2002
Alex Mumzhiu: In three weeks in
Tunis I gained a better understanding of Arab/Muslim mentality
and even the mechanism of Israeli/Palestinian conflict. I
had several conversations with young Tunisian people, which
usually started in attacking style. As soon as they realized
that I am from America they start to ask me anguerly: "Do
you Americans think that all Arabic people are terrorists?",
"Why do you Americans hate all Arabic people?"...
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4, 7, 8 April 2002
Alex Mumzhiu: Mamma mia, mamma Luchia, how happy I am in belle Italy
It is not only beautiful scenery. I enjoy being around people
of my race. I do not feel comfortable saying this, but I
felt kind of nervous watching Tunisian TV. I do not know
what they will do if Israelis would kill Yasir Arafat, for
example, maybe kill foreigners in retaliation. Griboedov
(famous Russian writer) was killed this way... full
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11 April 2002
Alex Mumzhiu: For Lonely Planet
writers names like Palermo and Messina don't mean much. One
is a rundown city with a crime problem, the other is just
a crossing point between Italy and Sicily. For me these names
are full of poetry and romanticism. I saw them for the first
time under the paintings in the Leningrad Hermitage, where
I went on a field trip with my elementary class (mladshie
classi)of the 30th men's school of Leningrad. They were dramatic
old oil paintings - Messina bay with battle ships, and Palermo
bay... full message |
12 April 2002
Alex Mumzhiu: Going to a restaurant
in Italy always was a problem for me. As a language idiot,
I am unable to remember any foreign words except for a few
hundred English words, which I managed to remembered in 22
years in the USA. And I am using them in my Travel Notes...
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16 April 2002
Alex Mumzhiu: Yesterday I run
my bike from the rim of Etna (3000m) to Catania, city South
of Etna on Sea shore. I get up there: By bus and 4 wheel drive
vehicle. Everything is well organized. Cost 40 dollars I paid
half because I did not purchased return ticket. I prefer 4
wheel drive because Ski lift is out of order... full
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23 April 2002
Alex Mumzhiu: I took a steam,
slow boat to Stromboli Island. It was a huge oceanic ship,
slightly rusted. I love to travel on these ships, belonging
to Siremar Co. There were almost no other passengers on the
boat. Most of the people prefer fast and flimsy hydrofoils
(na podvodnix kriliax). But I probably read too much Jules
Vern books in my childhood... full
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28 April 2002
Alex Mumzhiu: When I left Sicily and came to Reggio di Calabaria, the city on the other
shore of the Messina strait. I decide to ride my bike along the Tirrenian sea coast, on the top of the Italian boot.
Soon I ride between Scylla and Charybdis (Scilla i Haribda)....
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4 May 2002
Alex Mumzhiu: Dear participants of my mailing list. I am traveling from Tunisia to Russia.
I am in Greece now. I am sending Travel Notes; about two every week. Some of you receive them, some may be not.
Three Internet sites published my Travel Notes now....
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10 May 2002
Alex Mumzhiu: I took a boat from Brindisi, Italy to Iegumenitsa,
Greece. Trip takes 15 hours and cost 38 dollars I travel as a desk (palybnii) passenger
With sleeping bag and dose of 95% Italian alcohol it was great...
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16 May 2002
Alex Mumzhiu: If I had to choose one place in Greece to visit, it
would be Santorini. Before the eruption, it was a round conical shaped island like most volcanic
islands. In 1654 BC a gigantic explosion/eruption destroyed the middle part of the island...
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17 May 2002
Alex Mumzhiu: After I returned from the Greek Islands I went to
Delphi. It is a very atmospheric place and aroma in the air is very special. In attachment is the most
famous site of Delphi, the Athena Pronaia temple. Most bus tourists are not taken there, because there
is no bus stop nearby. Poor bus tourists. The Delphi oracle is not the name of a person, it is
the name of the institution...
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20 May 2002
Alex Mumzhiu: How did I get to the top of Meteora towers on a bike?
After Meteora became such a popular tourist destination, an access road was built to nearby rocks
with bridges and staircases to monastires. And the hordes of package tourists invaded the hermit monk's
domain...
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22 May 2002
Alex Mumzhiu: My dear readers, I am very pleased with your response. Today I received
19 letters. You know, I really need your response because sending E Mails with the pictures is not easy. Not many Internet cafes have scanners, many are
turkey-ized, itallized, sinized, many have stupid user friendly shells. So if I do not receive responses for a while,
I start to think, why should I go through all this trouble if nobody needs my TN...
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25 May 2002
Alex Mumzhiu: Welcome to Georgia.
What I read about Georgia was not very encouraging. Several Georgians who live abroad also warned me on visiting Georgia.
At border control I was the only none local. Unfriendly boarder guard took my passport with suspicion and asked several
unrelated questions, then he gave my passport to his commander and I waited and waited and waited while other people
were passing by...
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30 May 2002
Alex Mumzhiu: I stayed in hotel Iberia in Tbilisi for 15 dollars. It
used to be a flagship of Soviet Georgia, sitting in
the central plaza of the city. Now it fell on hard
times, and all floors except for the 3d floor
are occupied by refugees...
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2 June 2002
Alex Mumzhiu: I told you that I was scared when I entered Georgia.
I was even more concerned when I went to Armenia. Most
if not of all the huge industrial plants of the Soviet
era are shut down after the collapse of the Soviet
Union. I saw their rusty skeletons on my way to
Yerevan...
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13 June 2002
Alex Mumzhiu: My Dear readers,
I appologize for not ansvering many letters which I received resently.
Also I am re-sending this letter for second time
because I was able to sent it only to few people
before Internet is offul here....
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18 June 2002
Alex Mumzhiu: Some people advised me to travel to Central Asian
destinations by airplane to avoid long and sweaty bus rides. You can fly almost anywhere these days, but it
takes away all the sense of travel through the countries, the continents, the land. Overland travel
is a special kind of travel and should not be mixed with airplanes...
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22 June 2002
Alex Mumzhiu: One reader wrote to me that he is amazed by
self-imposed situations I put myself in, like being in an area with natural black plague. Why do I go in
such places? Mostly because of curiosity. I do not like the way of travel, when people go to see only
tourist objects on comfortable buses...
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30 June 2002
Alex Mumzhiu: This Travel Note contains some technical issues
interesting only for bicyclists, if you are not a bicyclist you may skip them...
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2 July 2002
Alex Mumzhiu: While my trip is finished and I am just waiting here,
in St Petersburg, for my return flight to Washington, I have some observations which may have some common
interest. Theatrical life in St. Petersburg is flourishing...
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