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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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Hello everybody,

Security at the Geneva airport was nothing compared with American security. I think the authorities here are not afraid that Muslim extremists will harm Geneva, because it has so many Muslims in the city. They may harm their own. The airplane was full of terrorists, or at least people looking like them. However nothing happened. After we arrived in Africa, at Tunis Airport I unfolded my bicycle, orient myself by sun and map and stared to ride toward Tunis city. It is much better to travel on bike compared with these hermetically closed boxes, called buses and railroad cars. You cannot stop them where you want or make them to turn where you want. Bike is a lot better, I really enjoy the freedom of bike riding. I get lost a couple times and asked locals using a technique which I developed long ago. I repeated medina, medina, medina and turn my head in different direction. Eventually they understand what I want and show me way to medina. Medina is a sort of downtown. Every city here has a medina, as every city in Mexico has a zokalo. I expected that people here do not know English, but some of them after few moments of mimic and hands conversation told me in good English: Sir, if you want to go to medina, then please make a right turn....

Unlike America and England where Middle Eastern women wear scarf and garb (chadry i balaxon), women and man here wear European clothes. Their former president Bourguiba prohibit them to wear traditional clothes. He even prohibit them to fast in Ramadan! Like Ataturk prohibited Turks to wear feskas and like much earlier, Peter the Great cut boyar's beards. These guys know how to fight religious extremism.

Actually, the general population of most countries of Middle East wants a more radical version of Islam to be implemented. And government have to apply very tough, un-democratic measures to prevent their population from self screwing (samoistiazania). Most notable examples are ...