Life is beautiful
Sage Advice
Some seemingly sage, if rather vague and open-ended, advice recently added to a wall here in Dahab. Perhaps also easier said than done....
Weekend vibes…
Watching laundry dry
Today's English lesson: 'Watching paint dry' is an idiom used to describe something incredibly boring. Whereas 'watching laundry dry' is virtually the opposite - ie a surprisingly hypnotic activity to partake in, especially on a windy, sunny Saturday morning in Dahab.
On This Day: Lazy beavers
Nearly a decade later and by all accounts California still seems exceptionally dry. Lazy beavers probably just took the government handouts and then didn't bother fulfilling their end of the deal. Typical....
Globalisation at its best
An Egyptian kitten trying to surf on a Bulgarian flip flop, while getting filmed by a guy from Alaska with a phone from Malaysia that was of course made in China. That's globalisation at its best right there.
Setting speed records
This postcard was sent to a friend in Neukölln, Berlin in September and arrived at the end of January, which more or less seems normal for postcards these days - if they arrive at all.
However, the plot twist here is that this one was also posted from Neukölln, about 600 metres away from where they live. So an average speed of around 5 metres per day. Not great.
In fact, even the much-maligned snail wouldn't be very impressed with Deutsche Post. In case you were wondering too:
"Many snails move at a speed of less than 8 centimeters (3 inches) per minute. This means that if a snail did not stop to rest or eat, it could travel 4.8 meters (16 feet) per hour."
So making the reasonable assumption that a snail would only work 8 hours per day, it could have delivered this postcard in a scant 15 days, compared to the 125 or so days it actually took Deutsche Post. More than 8 times faster!
Just something to keep in mind the next time you're in Berlin and want to send some intracity postcards to friends.
Migrant Mother
This mama cat can intensely stare off into the distance during uncertain times, while being gently pawed by her offspring, with the best of them. Literally.
"Migrant Mother is a photograph taken in 1936 in Nipomo, California, by American photographer Dorothea Lange during her spell at the Resettlement Administration (later the Farm Security Administration). Since then, the photograph has become an icon of the Great Depression and because it is in the public domain, it has been reproduced to serve as advertisements and much more."
-- Wikipedia
Gimme! Gimme! Gimme!
Cat Trivia of the Day: Kittens are huge fans of Sweden. You'll never see a kitten happier than when it's putting together flatpack furniture while eating meatballs and listening to old ABBA records.
But since we've unfortunately got none of those things here, they had to make do with this broom, which is something that kittens also thoroughly enjoy, especially when it's in motion....
The magic of travel is real
When your entire morning is spent on several rather contentious work calls discussing a huge project that no one is happy with nearing completion (inshallah) and the highlight of your evening agenda is taking a very uncooperative street cat to the vet (after five failed attempts at getting her to swallow a deworming pill), but you still manage to make time in the late afternoon for a trip across town for a little bit of emergency dental work after a stone (or uncooked lentil or similar) serendipitously finds its way from a single teaspoon of dry oats to the one tooth in your mouth that had previously had a root canal.
There are bucket list experiences getting ticked off left and right here, folks. The magic of travel is real!
On This Day: Priceless Memories
Ah, Riohacha. The memories, or what remains of them, are bittersweet - and priceless....
Originally posted on 19 April 2022 in Riohacha, Colombia:
6-pack of store-brand beer at the discount supermarket: $8,940
Bottle of bottom shelf* (Peruvian made) rum at the discount supermarket: $29,950
Bottle of bottom shelf (Scottish made!) whiskey at the discount supermarket: $34,950
Finding out the discount supermarket you'd been buying booze at for two months (because it was more dimly lit and the clerks seemed less judgemental than other outlets) is directly across the street from the local Alcoholics Anonymous: Priceless
NB: These prices were in Colombian Pesos, which has an exchange rate of around 4500:1 with the Euro at the time.
Our old gal Gremlin Cat
If you've been enjoying the kitten content, but had kind of secretly been wishing that the kittens were smaller and more spawn of Satan like, it seems like our old gal Gremlin Cat here is about to make your wishes a reality.
Although to be honest, there's no telling what's going to come out of her. Could be a handful of adorable kittens, could be that little dude from Fantasy Island, could be 1000 wasps all wearing red berets and playing ‘Ride of the Valkyries’ on nano JBL speakers. Nowadays nothing should surprise any of us. Nothing.
Also, since reincarnation might be a thing and today is a fairly infamous birthday, despite her name, hopefully she at least waits till after midnight to do her business. Good luck and godspeed!
NB: These shots were taken a few days ago during a pregnancy glamour shoot at sunrise, so she's even larger now.
Blissfully Delirious
When you have to spend most of the week in bed thanks to a certain (in)famous, reach-reducing virus that shall not be named, but aside from being miserable most of the time you kind of enjoy the fever delirium that comes along with it - blissfully watching the clouds float by while bundled up in a hooded sweatshirt despite it being a balmy 34°C. Always a silver lining....
On This Day: My Name is Earl
Originally posted on 27 April 2023 on Tioman Island, Malaysia:
Don't judge a book by its cover. This guy was WAY more friendly than he looks, even though we were clearly disturbing his quiet, sunrise, reflection time on the near empty beach this morning....
UPDATE: We've been informed that his name is Earl, or Earlie Boy, which obviously adds a few more points to his already quite high Q-Rating....
On This Day: Real or not, birds are the best
Originally posted on 28 April 2020 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia:
Lots of pandemic memes being slung around the internets willy nilly these days, but this one will surely go down as a classic. Birds are the best, they always tell it like it is....
On This Day: The novelty of an umlaut on an ï
Five years later and it's still strangely satisfying to type an umlaut on an ï, although the need rarely arises. Probably time for another trip to Morocco....
Originally posted on 30 April 2019 in Aït Ben Haddou, Morocco:
We'd never heard of Aït Ben Haddou until a week ago, but it firmly gets the curmudgeon seal of approval, as does the windy mountain road there from Marrakech, which was about 70% under construction and a literal death trap at every corner, and needless to say much fun to drive. And they say a good craftsman never blames his tools, but our phone camera sucks and it was a cloudy sunrise, so if you want to see better photos we suggest googling Aït Ben Haddou - if nothing else it's strangely satisfying to type that umlaut on the i.....
On This Day: Aït Ben Haddou, Tizi'n-Tinififft & Ouarzazate, oh my!
Still one of the most fun drives, on one of the best road trips, ever. And, even more surprisingly, Tizi'n-Tinififft is still not a typo....
Originally posted on 1 May 2019 in Aït Ben Haddou, Morocco:
Aït Ben Haddou was so charming that we decided to stay a couple days and take some day trips around the area. First up, the Tizi'n-Tinififft pass (not a typo) to the Draa Valley and onwards almost all the way to Zagora. Quite possibly the most fun road we've ever driven on. The only disappointing thing about the day was not being able to get any good photos of the Ouarzazate Solar Power Station, whose reflecting tower looks like a giant death ray and can be seen from like 70km away shining through the haze.....
The neutering of Mr Wing
That look on your face when you kind of suspect something is up, but are still blissfully unaware that you're just about to experience some minor deprivation of liberty and be sent off on an all expenses paid overnight staycation at the vet’s - for your own good, albeit very much against your will.
Godspeed Mr Wing! See you tomorrow! Inshallah!
Not pictured: That look on your face when the lady who runs the cat shelter and has been helping you with all your cat business asks what Mr Wing's name is, and you have to awkwardly explain that her name is Mr Wing, because not only does she obviously bear an uncanny resemblance to an old Chinese man who's been trapped inside a catsuit (presumably after running afoul of some kind of petty wizard or sorcerer), but was also named in tandem with Stripe aka the Gremlin Cat - Mr Wing of course being the shopkeeper of questionable judgement, who sells the mogwai to Billy's dad in the film Gremlins.
Home alone
When mom's away for the night and cool stepdad is in charge....
6.52pm: Mom departs
6.54pm: Kitten kibble with chicken broth
7.04pm: Nap time
On This Day: Sunrises are pretty
tl;dr Sunrises are pretty and sports are meaningless....
Originally posted on 1 May 2022 on Tioman Island, Malaysia:
When you get up at 3am to watch basketball and the team you wanted to win loses and is finished for the season, but then you turn your head slightly to the left just as the sky is beginning to get illuminated with all manner of pretty colours and remember that your view looks like a screensaver and that sports are just more meaningless entertainment to distract us from all the ills of a society that's been set up to extract labour from the vast majority of people while the ruling class perpetuates its inherently unjust accumulation of wealth and power....
Great Pyramids of Dahab for the win
Why even bother going to Cairo now that they've built an exact replica of the Great Pyramids and Sphinx (and those obelisks from London!) right here in Dahab?
A 10-minute walk instead of a 12-hour bus ride? Plus no entry fee or lines? Or tourist police with machine guns talking you into crossing into a roped off area to get a better photo, then very politely demanding a bribe* after you've done so? No thanks Giza.
The Great Pyramids of Dahab for the win!
*This happened back in 2002, so not sure if it's still a common practice or not.
On This Day: Eid Mubarak
Ah, the $10/night top floor corner room that not only had panoramic sea views all around, but also two hammocks from which you could enjoy them. Good times....
Originally posted on 2 May 2022 in Santa Marta, Colombia:
This shot from earlier this evening pretty much sums up our four days spent in Santa Marta thus far, as aside from working we've either been enjoying the view from the balcony or enjoying pretty much the same view from the hammock just inside the door....
Also, Eid Mubarak to anyone who is celebrating the end of Ramadan. Let's just say that Santa Marta isn't exactly the place to abstain from anything (let alone food and water), so we'd kind of forgot about it this year until seeing that crescent moon up there....
On This Day: The Vampire Hobbit!
Originally posted on 4 May 2016 in Beirut, Lebanon:
All cats are lazy assholes at heart, but if there's one that gives less fucks than this guy, we have yet to see it. Also this old dude shamelessly overcharges foreigners, so we've got no qualms pointing out that he looks like a vampire hobbit.....
Not so fast
When you think you've got your first glimpse of freedom in your (9 weeks of) life, but the warden was actually watching you the entire time....
[Video: cat nibbling on fingers]
On This Day: Hope, humanity and inspiration?
Spoiler alert: It turned out that that sound was sadly not the sweet melodies of hope, humanity and inspiration coming from the roofs of Tehran. It was not that at all. Still nice photos though!
Originally posted on 5 May 2020, in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia:
What's that sound? Could it possibly be the sweet melodies of hope, humanity and inspiration coming from the roofs of Tehran? Seems anything really is possible in 2020!
Read more about all of these wonderful people and the superbly talented photographer who took their photos here.
Glitch in the Matrix Alert: Nic Cage Edition
Glitch in the Matrix Alert: When you randomly send a Nicolas Cage meme to a friend and then walk by this cafe a few hours later.
Birdwatching
On This Day: Toilet Nostalgia
Not a whole lot of hits when you search for the phrase "toilet nostalgia". Very strange. But we'll never forget you, men's room at Aeropuerto Internacional Simón Bolívar in Santa Marta, Colombia!
NB: Also seems like another travel adjacent topic that's ripe for a coffee table book. Hmmmm.....
Originally posted on 6 May 2022, in Santa Marta, Colombia:
Thanks to our flight getting delayed, we had plenty of time to discover quite a few interesting things about Santa Marta's Simón Bolívar Airport earlier today. And thanks to the €1 beers from the airport shop, we had plenty of opportunities to enjoy this most memorable of views before finally departing for Medellín.....