Covered in smoke

On my visit to Beijing, in mid-2012, I heard one theory by Dr. Li Hing Tu Yu on why Chinese have narrower eyes: there are so many particles in the air that they have to keep their eyes shut most of their time to prevent the chronic itching that I painfully felt during my stay in the "Middle Kingdom". I now refute the theory that Chinese Tai Chi Chuan practitioners are healthier, as they are probably the ones who are most affected by deep breathing techniques that force them to inhale most of the air pollution.

It is no secret that China has grown robustly in the past decades and that the world economy has benefited from this impressive development, specially my beloved, commodities-exporter Brazil. But, when in January 2013, Beijing, with its big reliance on coal-fired power plants, reported pollution levels as high as 900 µg/m3 (36 times higher than what is considered safe by the World Health Organization), we all tought: "when was the last time I ordered Chinese?". As a result of its unbearable pollution, newspapers say, China has struggled to attract brains, not to say other parts of the body as well.

Shanghai has an ample supply of rooftops for those wanting to have a drink while enjoying its Jetson-like skyline: the 100th-floor summit of the Shanghai World Financial Center, the 88-story Jin Mao Tower and, my chosen one, the 32nd floor of the Hyat on the Bund - high enough for me. Altough they still provide a breathtaking view (it's really hard to breathe up there), it is not insane to assume pollution will one day make observatories obsolete.

But how to become cleaner - or should I say less dirty - when the entire global economy depends on China maintaining its ferocious expansion? Well, why not use its innate copying ability - Tommy Welai, Zhongdaeyu, Kabba and Lifan are all undaunted Chinese tributes (copies) to respectable brands Tommy Hilfinger, Lacoste, Kappa and Mini, respectively - to replicate a sucessful model for tackling pollution such as London's: fitting diesel particulate filters on bus routes, establishing limits for highly polluting industries, favoring renewable energy, among other measures that I'll leave for the specialists to address.

A nation that built, among other things, the Great Wall and Xian's Terracota Army is truly gorgeous. However, as the famous Chinese philosopher Confucious (551–479 BC) once said “everything has its beauty but not everyone sees it”. For China, now covered in smoke, this sentence makes more sense than ever.

The Great Pollution of China

Pollution can be seen (and felt) even at night

Beijing is not foggy, is polluty

A remarkable Chinese tribute to Tommy Hilfinger

Which came first, Kabba or Kappa? 

Keep your shirt on

Wadi Rum desert, Jordan: It's hot, very hot. My nipples are hard, as I had to refresh my chest with cold water (I don't know why I'm writing this). I know the deserts, my experience at the Moroccan Sahara (at the Erg Chebbi dunes) made me a tougher man, with a beduin-like strenght. Like the lizards, I can now stand the heat. My foot developed a sort of a protective layer, which allows me to walk bare foot on the burning sand. But what is bothering me is not the extremely high temperature that I'm now facing, it's the fact that I'm wearing a t-shirt and one week from now I'll be in Barcelona. Can you imagine going shirtless to the beach with a white-like-milk chest and taned arms (like a truck driver)? I couldn't jeopardize my tanning in the middle of the summer season, when Barcelona is packed.

But please don't judge me. I was long awaiting for some party time, as my last couple of visits were to Muslim or Hindu countries, with a very conservative approach towards drinking and flirting. The beduin responsible for our tent in the desert played us last night saying "want something to drink? whisky?", we know they don't drink. Me and other 5 people had to share a big plate wtih chicken and rice at dinner, no knifes and forks, just our hands. Some tea was served, as we contemplated the stars. The beduin kept asking me for advise on a couple of conversations that he was having on facebook with some past guests (yes, he was connected, right in the middle of the desert). He wasn't particularly fluent in english, so the conversations made no sense at all, like: "girl: how are you?; beduin: welcome to the desert!"; girl: thank you!; beduin: I'm a beduin!".

Sleeping in the desert can be very relaxing, you don't hear anything, except for the french couple in the tent nearby, who were making strange noises. The girl was kind of suffocating, it must be the dry, desertic weather. Overall, I had a good night's sleep, so I was ready for our early morning desert tour. But as the sun gained power, my tanning dilema began to concern me. Should I take my shirt off? We are in a Muslim country, but does the dress clode apply to the desert? I made a big effort to protect myself from the sun by staying inside our buggy. But sometimes we had to go down and walk around, after all, we were there to visit the desert.

Wadi Rum looks just like Mars (no, I've never been there, but I've seen pictures) with red sand and weird rocks. The place became famous to the West after British officer T. E. Lawrence lived there and played a key role during the Sinai and Palestine Campaign and the Arab Revolt against Ottoman Turkish rule of 1916–18. But you know, deserts can get very boring sometimes, so for that reason, he wrote a detailed account of the period and his life, published in the book "Seven Pillars of Wisdom". If you don't fancy reading books, maybe you have watched the movie based on him, "Lawrence of Arabia".

We are now at the top of a rock that the erosion from rain (it's rare, but it happens) and wind made it look like a bridge. It doesn't look safe here, this "bridge" is prehistoric and lacks a firm base, it can collapse at any time. But I don't care anymore, I'll take my shirt off and enjoy the sun.

The events that followed my decision to take my shirt off made me rethink my attitude. Another guide arrived with a group of girls at the same place I was sun tanning and rebuked my situation. I was surprised by him with my eyes shut, almost falling asleep right there under the sun. He began to say words in Arabic quite intensily, pointing to the girls and later to the sky. At fist, I was pretty sure he was suggesting something like "would you be so kind to put your shirt back on, please respect the mesdames ", until his pupils began to dilate and his moustache got spiky, clear signs of anger. Enough said, it was time to run away.

Some weeks after, I told this story to a Moroccan in Paris and he said, surprised with my boldness, "you are crazy - and lucky!". I felt bad for the desert situation for some time, as a tourist you have to respect the country's culture, no matter where you are (in the desert, for example). Lesson learned, but you know what? At least I was perfectly tanned when I got to Barcelona.

Got hummus?

The Jewish community has been very present in my everyday life. I live in an area in São Paulo with a lot of Jewish families, I used to swim for a community club and most of my friends share this very same religion. But, although I do not follow the Torah, I've developed a special interest in this people and their religion. From them, I've also learned some valuable economic and financial lessons (no wonder they are among the richest people in Brazil), although they still haven't convinced me to get a circumcision. For the reasons above, my visit to Israel was long awaited.

It did not intimidate me that the country has a long history of conflicts (in fact, they were, at that moment, in the middle of one). First, I live in a much more dangerous place, Brazil. Second, every teenager in Israel seems ready to take down any threat in the streets and the Iron Dome, their mobile air defense system, is able to destroy about 80%, they say, of missiles sent by enemies. I do not plan to comment on the merits of the conflicts, but the point is that, in my opinion, no visit should be frustrated unless you have realistically assessed the security situation in the country.

Maybe the major security issue you may encounter in Tel Aviv is in its many clubs. I mean, they are great and, in many ways, ressemble the clubs that we have in Brazil, with good music and a stay-up-until-dawn culture. But bare in mind that, every teenager in Israel is also a trained soldier (men are required to serve in the military for 3 years and women for 2), which means they were also trained in the deadly art of Krav Magá, the most effective martial system ever invented. Therefore, I do not recommend you to use the Brazilian flirting style in Israel, they may find it too agressive.

But the truth is that, apart from having to wait for a while at the airport to be interrogated by security officials (be ready for that. Do you have a Lebanon stamp on your passport? Bring a pillow and a blanket, they will make you wait), my visit to Israel was smooth. Maybe the only issue I had was in Jerusalem, when a guy at the muslim quarter sold me a cold boureka (pastries), when it was apparently smoking hot (he produced smoke below the table with the bourekas, which gave this false impression). I asked for my money back right after noticing the scheme, he denied. But by no means I let this experience affect my inspiring visit to Jerusalem.

It is amazing everything that happened in such a small place and how important it is for the biggest religions in the world. From a walking distance, there's the Western Wall (the most sacred site for the Jewish faith), on the other side of it there's the Dome of the Rock (sacred for the Muslims) and from there you can start the "Via Dolorosa" ("Way of Sorrows"), ending at the Church of the Holy Sepulcre (the holiest place for Catholic and Orthodox Christians, the site of Jesus’ crucifixion, burial and Resurrection). The Mount of Olives, where you can visit Mary's tomb, is also from a walking distance, unless you are obese, of course (in that case, you can find plenty of taxis around the area).
 
My visit to Jerusalem was also magical in the sense that I was enamored of hummus. Like someone in love, I became obsessed for this mashed chickpeas based dip. I had it for every meal, as well as after the club or at any time of the day, as I always took some of it with me in case I had any immediate need. Like Zohan, I considered brushing my teeth with it. Actually, everything in Israel tastes unbelievable. How come a desertic place can produce some better tasting fruits than a tropical country like Brazil? Yes, I know they are pretty good at irrigation, but still.

If you are religious, spiritual or at least have any feelings, you will feel an unique energy in Israel, specially in Jerusalem, which is by itself worth the visit. It is a dream for most people to visit those sacred places, so what you will see and feel is very strong, sometimes frighteningly strong. It is very hard to describe it, so go and experience it for yourself. But if I were you I would also spare some time to visit Tel Aviv or do other special things, like tasting its amazing hummus.

Oh, its hummus S2

Too cool for school

Travelling, I found out, can teach you much more than any of the traditional schools ever could. Learn history while visiting war sites, math by splitting complex bills with your friends, new languages while trying to survive all alone and culinary by eating the real food in the streets. But far more interesting, is finding out that what was tough to be the absolute truth back at home was, in fact, a misconception. Like an Aristoteles with a backpack, I began to question everything, from the origins of my favorite dishes to the meaning of commonly used signals. Below, a few examples:

(i) Strogonoff is neither French, nor Brazilian, it's Russian: every Brazilian knows and loves this dish, but the majority thinks it was probably invented by the French, which would explain its fancy name (some people go even further and pronounce it with a very Parisian accent, like when you say the letter "u" in English, using a very particular mouth formation). Others, prefer to call the dish in a tropical fashion, adding an "i" at the end of the word, as "Strogonoffi". Actually, if you are a foreigner, a key to communicate with us Brazilians without sounding arrogant, is to add an "i" at the end of nonnative words (pronounced like "e"). You would say "Facebooki", "Laptopi", "Reeboki" and so forth. Anyway, what I found out about this popular dish, which is served on Thursdays in most restaurants in Brazil, is that it was invented in the 19th-century by the Russians. And they make a hell of a good one.

(ii) Head signals are not always interpreted the same way: in Brazil and in most countries, when you nod your head you are signaling approval and shaking, the opposite. Surprisingly, Bulgarians use the contrary. Even more surprisingly, Indians prefer to use a cool intermediary signal which could mean "yes", "no", "hell yes", "hell no", "I understand" and "maybe", which is called "head bobble". The motion usually consists of a side-to-side tilting of the head, so it is very hard to come up with a conclusion on what the person is really trying to say, which makes them very mysterious (It was very challenging figuring out whether a taxi driver in India knew the place he was taking me to, because he kept giving me the head bobble).

(iii) An island is not only a piece of land surrounded by water: we have gorgeous islands in Brazil, but one particular type of island caught my attention in India. Mukeshi Ambami, a prominent Indian businessman, built a US$2 billion, 27-floor, 4,532 square metres home in what is one of the poorest countries in the world. His piece of art in Mumbai was placed in a city with huge slums. It was named Antilia, a mythical island in the Atlantic. A proper name indeed.

"Why do Asians have narrow eyes?", "why Malaysians, Mexicans and Indians have such a high tolerance for extremely spicy food?" and "why I'm so sexy?" are profound philosofical questions I still can't answer.

Tubing in Vang Vieng: farewell

Vang Vieng is a tiny riverside city in the poor country of Laos, with dirty roads and no tourist infrastructure whatsoever: no decent hospitals, fancy hotels, good restaurants or postcard landmarks (except for some nice caves). It sounds boring. It was, until in 2006 some backpackers had the idea of adventuring down the wild Nam Song river with a tube (tractor tyre inner tubes) and bars started to open along the riverside, as party pit-stops to those wanting to add a different kind of adventure. And then someone invented the famoues blue "tubing in Vang Vieng" t-shirt, an important object to be owned by any serious backpacker in Asia, and the whole thing skyrocked to become the party Mecca for backpackers in Southeast Asia, something very hard to achieve by any means.

Vang Vieng was poised to conquer the world as the best place of all to party. Except for one little problem, the lack of infrastructure. Imagine hundreds of backpackers going down a wild river (full of rocks), many of them drunk or mentally affected by different kinds of psicotropics, with no supervision or assistance whatsoever. Well, something has to go wrong, right? And it did, but the issue is that Vang Vieng, as probably any other city in Laos, has no decent medical facilities, which means that if you get seriously injured you have to drive (on bumpy one-lane roads) to the north of Thailand to find an acceptable hospital, a long and torturing trip.

The mentally ill, excessively drunk / drugged or just depressed, could die or get seriously injured by crashing into a rock, by playing on the "Death Slide" (a ceramic slide) or the rope swing, also nicknamed the "Death Swing". With so many death-somethings in Vang Vieng, it was no surprise to me when I recently read that the party was banned at the mythical city and it has now returned to its pre-2006 status. That change was certainly motivated by the more than 20 deaths in 2011 and 7 in 2012.

Too bad, what I saw in Vang Vieng, only 2 months before it was banned, was something unique and magical. There was a lot of freedom over there and I guess this is where the true problem lies. Some people just don't have enough responsibility to enjoy full play. Me and my friends had a blast, but we enjoyed within the safety limits that allowed us to leave the place in one piece, a minimum requirement for me to do anything. But the fact that they had to change a sign from "Don't jump" to "Don't jump or you will die", just proves that, unfortunately, some people were just not ready for Vang Vieng.

Picture: arriving at one of the many riverside
bars

Picture: the "Death Slide"

Romania's thugz mansion

Bucharest, the capital of Romania, became known to me after Steven Segall's "Born to Raise Hell" movie. Before that, I very often confused the name with Budapest, the capital of Hungary. My sincerest apologies to all Romanians. Anyway, I decided to visit the city during my tour around Europe, not only to see how the place was recovering after Segall's mission, but to see what they told me was the world's second largest government building, right after the Pentagon in Washington, DC.

Ok, it seems right to me that the world's number one superpower built also the number one building in the world. But, with all due respect, why Romania built the second one? According to the IMF, the country's 2012 GDP of c.US$170 billion was ranked 56 in the world (GDP per capita of c.US$8,000), so it is fair to say that the country is not really there yet. So why did they want to build a €3 billion massive building while many Romanians struggle to make a living? Here is where the crazy leader comes in.

The Palace of the Parliament in Bucharest is a 1,100 rooms and 340,000 m2 building designed and nearly completed by Nicolae Ceaușescu, a Romanian Communist politician, the leader of one of the most repressive and brutal regimes of the Soviet bloc (in office from 1969 to 1989). He loved himself so much, that during his leadership, the most important day in Romania was his birthday. The construction of the building started in 1984 (finished in the late 90's) and was intended to house political and administrative institutions, as well as to be Nicolae's personal humble home. Paradoxically, it was named the "People's House" by the very same man whose politics screwed the life of many of "his people".

Before visiting Bucharest and not knowing the above facts, I tought the building was something Romanian's were proud of, it looked like a hell of a postcard. I started to suspect there was something really wrong with that huge thing after I had to ask 10 different people to take a picture of me in front of it. Everybody seemed angry about it. After some research, I understood all that indignation. It didn't surprise me that Nicolae Ceaușescu starred the only violent overthrow of a communist government to occur during the revolutions of 1989.

The crazy leader is out, but still today that absurd construction is right in the center of Bucharest, remembering everyone of the country's painfull past and representing what many Romanians are still lacking, a house to call their own.

 Picture: someone finally agreed to take a picture of me
 in front of the Palace of the Parliament

                                     

Picture: the Palace of the Parliament's modest size

                                        

Poor in dollars, rich in spirit: the costs of a round the world trip

Many people pull out on a round the world trip because they think they don't have the necessary "dinero". Unless you are homeless or are planning to stay at 5-star resorts and eat at michelin recommended restaurants, you can do it. In fact, there are countries in Asia, for example, where you can live with US$20 a day (accommodation plus food), or even less. Of course, in that case you would have to eat street food and sleep at hostels, but that doesn't mean it won't be fun. Quite the opposite.

My average cost per day was US$150, all in (transportation, accommodation, food and entertainment). I would consider myself a mid-range spender (not a hippie, nor a fancy traveller). My strategy was to minimize spendings on human basic needs (food and sleep), so I could engage myself in unique, and very often expensive, experiences. This aggressive approach to travelling plus the fact that I stayed 3 to 4 days on average at each city (incurring in high transportation costs), explains why my daily spending may look substantial. 

Below, a few considerations on the nature of my cash outflows, which may help you establish a budget for your own round the world trip:

Transport: two months prior to departure, I bought a US$5,000 Star Alliance Round the World Ticket, which, in my case, included twelve flights (São Paulo - New York - Honolulu - Auckland - Sydney - Bangkok - Tokyo - Beijing - New Dehli - Istanbul - Amman - Cairo - Frankfurt - São Paulo). I used those cities as hubs to explore nearby countries, which I could reach by land, air or sea. For Asia, the preferred mean of transport was the plane, as everything is too far and land transportation can get you killed (unfinished roads, reckless drivers). I preffered trains to move around Europe, as it gave me lots of flexibility (tickets can be bought at the station on the day of departure) and I could sleep while I travelled (in the case of night trains, which I used for long-distance travels). I opted for maritime transportation to go from Spain to Morocco, which is about 20 km far (Algeciras - Tangier) and from Estonia to Finland, as it was cheaper than flying.

Food: you can have a decent meal at a restaurant for US$5-10 in most of Asia (ex. Laos, Cambodia, Myanmar, Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam, India, Nepal and China) and Eastern Europe (ex. Poland, Romania, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania). You will struggle to find nourishment for US$15-20 in Japan, New Zealand, Australia, Singapore, Russia and Nordic Countries. As a whole, I would place the rest of Western Europe and the Middle-East in the middle of the range.

Sleep: again, you can shut your eyes cheaper in most of Asia and Eastern Europe, paying around US$7-15 for a hostel. You won't find shelter for much less than US$25-35 in Western Europe, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore and Russia. In some very poor countries or where hostels are limited or inexistent (ex. Lebanon, Dubai, Egypt and India), you will have to pay a bit more for a hotel (except for India, where you can find a five-stars hotel for US$30 per person).

Entertainment & culture: as I said, I took this type of spending very seriously, facing each day as a once in a life time opportunity. Examples of this type of expenses were: bungy jump in New Zealand, US$260; a concert at Sydney's Opera House, US$150; New York Knicks game at the Madison Square Garden, US$130; bobsleigh in Latvia, US$100; shooting with an AK-47 in Vietnam, US$1 per bullet; not to mention the several excursions to deserts, temples, islands, war sites and visits to museums. Finally, nightclubs "sightseeing" was also an important part of my activities (and spendings), as it provided a profound understanding of the cultural characteristics, as well as anatomical, of the inhabitants of each visited location.

As you can conclude from the aforementioned data, you can plan your round the world trip and adjust the level of daily spending by choosing countries that are in line with your targeted budget. I met all kinds of travellers during my trip, from daddy-financed playboys who would only stay at hotels from hippie-like backpackers that would ask for rides on the road and couch-surf (sleep at a volunteer's house for free, check https://www.couchsurfing.org/). Both seemed happy. Therefore, I believe money is no excuse for not fulfilling your dream of discovering the world. It's just a matter of planning and understanding your needs.

                             
                             Picture: You will have less dollars in your account after
                             a round the world trip, but it will definitely be worth it