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My dear readers,<br /><br />Today, I am going to my trip from Tunisia to Russia. These who read my story from previous trip: Silk Road, may remember that I was motivated on it by a childhood dream about Takla-Makan Desert. On trip before that to Himalayas I was motivated by my mountaineering youth. This coming trip is also not without motivation. I want to go through the most luxurious places in Europe, such as French and Italian Riviera, the backpacker way (bosiatskim sposobom). Why the backpacker way? Because these places are very expensive and also because I do not like to travel the civilized way. I am motivated to this trip by two great Russian Travelers Romanych http://romanycz.travel.ru/ and Yuri Mossokovsky http://mosspower.w-city.net.ua Last one took a bold task to prove that the ordinary Russian citizen can afford to travel to Western Europe on a bike. He proved it, but lost 20 lb. on the way. I am going to prove that the ordinary American Social Seniority recipient can travel through Rivieras too. And I do not mind to lose weight ever.

From Tunisia to Russia (part I)

Alex Mumzhiu
2006-03-22 13:17:21

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Turkey, Egypt and Algeria. If governments don't do this, all these countries would be under Taliban type government by now. This brings an interesting point. Is it always good to do what majority of people want? Think about Russian history. If government do what majority of people wanted in former USSR, than some of my readers would not be alive by now.

I found a hotel with a leaking sink, but centrally located for 6 dollars and drank some local coffee with orange. They put quarter of orange in coffee, it is good, try it. Actually, this is paradise for coffee lovers. Coffee is excellent, better than in Starbucks and very cheap, cappuchino is 20 cents. Another interesting observation. They do not sell toilet paper here. Like everywhere in the East, people use water instead. So these who insists on doing their number two (kakat), a Western way have to postpone with this till returning home. Like it is usual in third world countries people like my bike and wanted to talk with me about it. It is nice. In Switzerland nobody paid attention.

Generally, I like it here. I expected something like Morocco, but it is very different. People are friendly and behave in a civilized way. Nobody grabs you by the hand and pulls you to his carpet or souvenir shop, like in Egypt or Turkey.

That's it for now
Alex Mumzhiu
Tunis
Africa
9 pm Mar 12 2002

PS. My Russian reders now could read my reports in translation to Russian at: http://www.bicycle.spb.ru/lyrics/mumzhiu/

My last Travel Note created so much responses that I have to re-iterate my point. Ayatola Homeni was put in power by popular uprising. Algerian and Egyptian governments use all sorts of un-democratic tricks to suppress the Islamic fundamentalists. If there would be proper and fair elections in these countries, then Islamic fundamentalists would win the majority of votes. Islamic fundamentalism has sort of fatal attraction for the population ...