deartraveller

Dear Erica, 

I am actually blown away by Rome, as you said it yourself 'Rome is the perfect place to visit, to live and to fall in love!', I can't believe I haven't set foot there yet!! But it's a fault that will soon be corrected!

But this week, while you were falling in love (by the ruins of course), I had some complete routine changer days!

As me and Gabriel arrive to a new country a place to stay is the first concern we have. If every week were like Dubai's we wouldn't have a problem in finding it, but this time there was no contest to provide us with luxuries and a nice (very nice) view. So I don't think you'll believe me when I tell you where did I slept through my 'beauty hours' for the entire week.

In the West African nation of Mali situated 20 km north of the River Niger on the southern edge of the Sahara Desert (the gateway to it actually) within the confines of the fertile zone of the Sudan and in an exceptionally propitious site near to the river - Timbuktu!

We arrived in a Monday morning so I was already accepting the possibility of reaching Timbuktu by foot and of sleeping in the desert, but to my surprise the most adorable ‘grandpa’ I’ve ever seen was expecting us both and with the most adorable donkey to transport us. (Can’t help to think of Shrek right?). His name is Pierre and he speaks French, but an even bigger surprise was that Gabriel speaks French too! So they went along very well and I only understood two or three words during each conversation. French is Mali's official language, but today the large majority of Timbuktu's inhabitants speak Koyra Chiini, a Songhay language that also functions as the lingua franca. But if my French is weak imagine my ‘Koyra Chiini’…

So in order to stop you from holding your breath I slept on the sand. Pierre’s house is mainly sand and since there is sand everywhere, why shouldn’t it be on my mattress to?

Well that's right, once again I ended up in a place where there was no rain, yes in December, who knew!, but Timbuktu has a dry season during winter and as it deals with both droughts and floods, I can’t help wonder if there’s an insufficient drainage system, that fails to transport direct rainwater from the city centre, or just all the rain that I’ve avoided ends up here.

The town is surrounded by sand dunes and the streets are covered in sand (sand everywhere I’m telling you!!), so flip-flops were the most wanted and used mean of transportation. As it’s a plain city we spend the all time on foot and unfortunately we didn’t get in time to witness the most well-known cultural event of Timbuktu - the Festival au Désert. As it was explained to me, mostly by Gabriel that translated Pierre’s constant talking: When the Tuareg rebellion ended in 1996 under the Konaré administration, 3,000 weapons were burned in a ceremony dubbed the Flame of Peace on 29 March 2007. The Festival to celebrate the peace treaty is held near the city in January, so I’ll have to come back next year!

The monument built to commemorate the ceremony.

Sankore Mosque - Built in the 14th century.

Did you know that Timbuktu besides being the name of the country it also means 'any distant or outlandish place' and translates to 'from here to Timbuktu'? Now we have a phrase to characterize all of our trips!

Missing you a lot,

Sara.

P.S.: Timbuktu is one of the cities of Africa whose name is the most heavily charged with history. So, for you to remember it from time to time, you adopted Pierre’s new-born donkey! Of course that you’re more than welcome! See it as a present from me to you, I don't wanna be the only one with gifts! I’ll send you the first picture but then I want you to send me photos of my new nephew!

Dear Sara,

It sounds like you had a great time in Cambodia; however I don't care if they taste like chicken legs, I sure as hell will never ever ever taste it! Well, after that quick break in Lisbon, it was time to get back out there. My starting point: Rome! I would dare to say it is my favorite city in the world! Me and Robert have been here for a week now, and I feel like I never want to leave!

This city is filled with historical landmarks from the Roman civilization and everywhere you turn you see some monument or a ruin (I am not exaggerating! The other day we played this game where anytime we saw some history related thing we had to yell “I love Rome”. We stopped after ten minutes because people were starting to think we were crazy). I just love it here! The history, the people, the language… And don’t even get me started on the fashion!

We have learned so much these few days. Do you know about the foundation of Rome? According to the legend the city was created by the twins, Romulus and Remus, who were suckled by a she-wolf. After an argument, Romulus killed his brother (Oh well, boys will be boys!).

We have visited almost the entire city already, mostly by foot. The streets are so beautiful that my feet don’t even notice pain!

The monument to Vittorio Emanuele II or “Altare della Patria” is simply gorgeous. It’s like this huge thing in the middle of the city, so white it looks like it is polished every day! It is a monument in honor of Victor Emmanuel, the first king of a unified Italy. It is right between the Piazza Venezia and the Capitoline Hill.

The Castel Sant’Angelo, a museum that was once the tallest building in Rome, and the Piazza della Republica, are also landmarks that we couldn’t have skipped.

If I ever get married this would definitely be where I would spend my honeymoon! Taking a picture of a romantic kiss in front of the Trevi fountain is a lifelong dream!

Despite all these wonderful sites, I cannot help saying that the one that truly blew my mind when I first saw it was the Colosseum. Seeing that huge building just make us feel like ants next to it. I was so amazed! Words fall short when it comes to describe such a thing. Inside, well it is mostly ruins, but the view of the exterior just gets you thinking “How can people so small have built something like this?”. You have to see it someday! Promise me!

Another aspect I love about the city is that every corner there is a restaurant with a nice esplanade, all decorated with flowers. Rome is the perfect place to visit, to live and to fall in love!

I bought you a gift! I’m sure you will love it!

Love,

Érica

Dear Érica,

I'm missing Portugal so badly. Little did I knew I would cry reading your letter, if I did, I wouldn't had read it in front of Gabriel!

Nonetheless I'm glad you had such a great time in our home. But I must tell you, you caught me by surprise when mentioning that new Lisbon of yours. 'by surprise' not only because I was having lunch (drum roll please) ... at McDonald's, but also because I didn't saw Cambodia in the same way since then.

Officially known as the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. Bordered by Thailand to the northwest, Laos to the northeast, Vietnam to the east and the Gulf of Thailand  to the southwest, the country's minority groups include Vietnamese, Chinese, Chams (an ethnic group in Southeast Asia) and 30 hill tribes (highland tribes), talking about globalization right?

What I'm trying to say is: strong textiles, agriculture, construction, garments, and tourism sectors led to foreign investments and international trade. So, the two sides of this 'coin', wich is the globalization you mentioned, are actually very interesting.

First, as I don't like it either, two girls with the same t-shirt is the most common situation to happen here. Any idea why? Checking the labels of my clothes I realized that a big part of them were 'made in Cambodia', so it's like I've arrived to a country of twins. Oddly enough the cambodians are world-twins as everyone in the world as access to the same pieces of clothe or shoes. As manufacturing costs are much smaller here this is not only a country of twins but also of factories. It's like walking through Baixa or the Fifth Avenue!

Even this young men tried to sell 'Prada' sandals to Gabriel! It was hilarious!!

But giving some positive outcomes to my letter I couldn´t be happier when I realized I could mantain a conversation with most individuals that I talked with. The man of the sandals had the most remarkable accent and if it wasn't for the cigarette always pending from his lips it would sound almost like our English teacher from the 12th grade. (I think you remember her for her good relationship with time ).

Now this was a serious matter. See the first picture? Let me give you an idea of my face when I saw Gabriel eating: .

Now see my face when I tasted that tidbit on the second picture: .

And it's not a joke. The rumor of frog legs tasting like chicken is more than true! (In case you're wondering what reactions did Gabriel had just switch the faces).

But now amase yourself with the beauty of Cambodia.

Buddhist temple.

Theravada buddhism is the main religion practiced by approximately 95% of the Cambodian population and once again Gabriel got in touch with his ancestors' work. It was amazing, breath-taking and I'm running out of adjectives!

Well my dear friend, my next letter may be a little different from what you're used toread but for now I hope you enjoyed the glimpse of Cambodia that I provided to you, farewell!

Love,

Sara.

Dear Sara,

This week I decided to take a break from all the craziness of the unknown world and headed back home, to familiar sites. No, I’m not giving up! But since Robert had to come to Portugal to a conference in Faro, I seized the opportunity to visit my folks in Lisbon. Since I hadn’t been home for quite some time, my parents decided we would spend the day walking around downtown and Chiado. The strangest thing happened though… I have walked around the city tons of times, but yesterday… I don’t know… If felt different, it looked different… Everywhere I looked, every person, every shop, every road sign, they all reminded me, in some way, of some country I had been during my journey. My eyes were opened wieldier than ever…

I understand now that we truly live in a globalised world. If we didn’t neither one of us would have been able to go around the world, jumping from one country to another so easily. Now that I think about this, I understand that this doesn’t happen only here in Lisbon, but in almost every place I have been so far… And the perks are so many: the reduction of barriers between countries allows an easier exchange of goods and services, this way no matter if we are in Portugal, in Canada or in China we can find the same things anywhere. I have eaten McDonald’s in at least 10 different countries! Plus travelling is so much easier now, especially inside the European Union. Information is another relevant aspect: since communication is quicker we can know in an instant what is happening in any other country in world, through TV or the Internet, as easy as snapping your fingers! However, globalization is like a two-edged sword. With it come also negative consequences. Losing your cultural heritage because of the influence of another country’s way of life is one of them. Besides, since we find the same things everywhere, people tend to look alike. I hate it when I see another girl with the same piece of clothing as me!

Well, cultural reflections and fashion dramas aside, it was a wonderful afternoon! First we went to Belém, and saw the Tower of Belém and the Mosteiro dos Jerónimos. One word to describe them? Beautiful.

Then we had lunch in the Expo park and ride our bikes by the river. Another word? Peacefull.

Later, we headed across the river to visit the Cristo Rei, it’s like a replica of the one in Brasil. A word? Stunning.

We finished the day having dinner near Terreiro do Paço after shopping in the Augusta street. For desert I made them take me to Santinis! I never get tired of those ice creams. A word to describe these? Delicious!

I'm looking forward to read your next letter, tell me your latest adventures!

Miss you,

Érica.