trinidad

la cueva de los peces

 

One of my favorite stops in Cuba, in the south of the island at Playa Larga just before Playa Giron where the infamous Bay of Pigs invasion started. I was determined to continue my scuba diving adventure, making up for lost time, 12 years to be precise. After my ear forced me to cease diving except for snorkelling, I needed a place like Cuba to convince me to give it one more try. Nothing happened, so I kept going deeper. Like having coffee with a friend after years of not seeing each other, I felt at ease and enjoyed it more and more. It was as if I hadn't stopped at all. I dissappeared below the surface and the sound of the bubbles coming out of the regulator were so familiar.

My best dive happened in a cave. Where most people could feel claustrophobic, I felt euphoric. It was as if I was swimming in the Grand Canyon, only both walls were much closer, I was 30m underwater and the the formations were amazing.

la muralla

 

The enormous rock painting titled prehistoria in the Vinales region.

maria la gorda

 

After 12 years, I start scuba diving again at this spot. Luckily, my ear cooperated and I kept on diving for the rest of the trip.

las terrazes

 

And the road trip begins.

casa particular

 

One of the best things about visiting Cuba was staying at Casa Particulares wherever I went. I was able to practice my Spanish all the time, ate home made food, got good tips on where to visit, and took photos of the families I stayed with.

back to the main island

the beach

iguana

pelicans

ahhhh....

plaza de la catedral

bienvenido en cuba!

madrid

For some reason this reminds me of das schloss and der prozess by kafka...

cold nights

yo man, back to brussels..

sangria on the nile

Farewell dinner on the Nile.

rice chimneys of egypt

Here I am back to Cairo again and what hits me it's been one year is the smell of rice clouds. Here in this country the fellaheen (farmers) burn the rice shells to get rid of them. What a great way to add variety to the same old traffic smog.

Yes it's been exactly one year from the time I first came to this country and I can't help but feel nostalgic. I miss that feeling of coming to a new country, the weather is beautiful, the language is so foreign and familiar at the same time, and I'm excited. I'm sitting on the balcony of my newly rented apartment drinking tea and writing. The next day I'm supposed to go sandboarding in the desert and did I say the weather was beautiful?

It's that time of the year when the farmers are burning the shells of the rice harvest.

dreamy Cairo nights

 

This was a fascinating night in Cairo. Something tells me I'll come back even though I didnt' drink any water from the Nile.

windsurfing in ras sudr

 

What a nice day! You tend to enjoy these days more when you know they're numbered and you'll soon move back to miserable North European weather..

sisha in sequioa

 

an interesting night in Brussels

 

where I helped a guy park his car by the king's residence. He was informed that he couldn't leave his car there because this is where the king lived.

motorcycle

 

This frame captures both my car and my motorcycle :)

another barbecue day

 

Brussels welcomes me with mixed feelings. I like change, but this city has too many memories for me. As I'm driving to friends' house, even the music is too familiar.

Pardon, bakar mısınız ?
Tanış mıydık ?

I'm having the third barbecue in a week and it's good to be in the company of friends. But somehow, the song keeps playing in my head.

Gözünüz öyle uzak bakmasa
Sizi tanıdıgıma yemin ederim

We continue into the night at a restaurant. After the barbecue, there's no way I can eat anything else here, but the conversation is great and lion's milk is abundunt. I finish the night with the now very familiar Moroccan mint tea. I remember the box of tea which is a present from friends I made in Fes and I even have the whole tea set somewhere in a box. As I'm going to sleep, the song finally starts to quiet down.

Peki bu şarkıyı hatırlar mısınız ?

And I realize that I'm beginning to forget this song. I've found my new apartment in a new neighborhood, already started meeting new people in the few days I've spent here and I can't find any reason to look back or play old songs anymore...

letters

 

I wasn't able to finish looking at all the letters that were waiting for me at my 'official' residence. Half way through, I dozed off...