Americans don't like to walk

// November 2nd, 2008 // 5 Comments » // travel, work

Why is it that people in the US look so surprised when I tell them I rather walk 20 minutes than taking a cab or bus? This was one of my surprises while in Boston. We all know that the average US-American is less healthy than the average European, but still – it is as if they don’t care at all!

If not for the heartbeat-collective and Matrixpoint I would not have enjoyed Boston that much. I was over for a week to the States, enjoying great views of the city from a 17th floor many stars hotel, for my j-o-b. I was thankfully pointed into the right direction by Anu and Sky, making it possible for me to actually make my trip something useful and slightly less boring.

While John gave me lots of insights on the birth and death of CS 2.0, the Heartbeat Collective gave me a lot of inspiration for projects and ideas, adding more roots to them. I was especially happy when I learned about the rhizome collective, and the urban farming projects they do. Somehow I also discovered that -though the US has a lot of toxic soil- apparently there are some really beautiful flowers growing there.

Some other things that come to mind when thinking about Boston: carving pumpkins; pirates; Obama equals hope; the radio-stations played great music but were full with bullshit in the mornings; food is cheap and there are vegetarian meals everywhere; people don’t walk, don’t cycle, but they do talk a lot; I am not born for bowling (nor my j-o-b).

Check out more stuff I wrote while in Boston here

Here And Back Again

// October 12th, 2008 // 2 Comments » // Friends, travel

Yala! Now those were some fine exciting days in Barcelona! I was back for a week and managed to see almost everyone that I wanted to meet. I had some good time relaxing in a yakuzi in some 5 star hotel near the beach but, really, even 10 stars isn’t as good as staying over with friends.

Luckily I was able to catch Yaniv just before he starts his trip through the Americas. I managed to see back old Barcelona friends Raoul, Birgit, Linda (x3), Chris, Celine and PP, as well as Dani, Margaret and Jan during crazy  lunches, nice dinners, and late-night bar hopping. I made some new friends (it’s an addiction…), took some great photos (more to come!) and bought myself a nice new plastic camera (fish-eye!).

Overall, it was a great time, with reflections from the past, intense moments, walking through roads I used to see everyday, being on squares where I ‘grew up’ and being surprised again and again with the vibrancy of Barcelona street life. Thanks (and I will be back again)!

Focus of the house

// September 21st, 2008 // 3 Comments » // life, work

While my house is still a coming and going of friendly and creative people from all over the world, since some months there has clearly been a shift. The people that have been staying here in the past months are now rather focused on projects, creating new concepts and starting initiatives, while still supporting the ones we have already been involved in. Some examples:

• Hitchhiking Hitchwiki, that recently reached its 1000th article.
• Random Roads, a new magazine for independent travelers.
• Trashwiki.org, a new initiative for Dumpster Diving, recycling trash.
• Sustainable Hospitality Exchange, with a meeting soon in Antwerpen.

And there is yet more to come. Bewelcome if you feel like participating, or stay over for a while to help working on whatever social project that you are involved in or that you want to create. We have a nice and creative working environment here.

Magic flute

// September 7th, 2008 // 1 Comment » // life, photography

Magic in your life, hitch, play and fly. A flute maker finds you on your way – after a long night of  sleeping cold along the highway – and he brings you further. You allow it, you surrender to the magic of the moment and you meet … your love.

She was dancing in the moonlight – in front of the bonfire on the tones of the flute you received, the flute that ‘has a life on its own‘ and that ‘will take you on an adventure’. Together you started a story that appeals and inspires, a story that truly can be called the magic flute trail…

Thanks – and I will never forget the beautiful Kira smile.

Happy Hitching!

// August 16th, 2008 // 5 Comments » // photography, travel

Camping on one of the most touristic hot-spots in Europe, waking up, looking up and seeing the Eiffel Tower enlightened by the beams of the early morning sun. The first European Hitchhiking Day was an amazing success.

I am generally not so easily thrilled by gatherings as they ordinarily tend to be much of the same, but this event was very remarkable. As a hitcher, to be among more than a hundred fellow-hitching-creatures is simply beyond imagining.

I hitched together with Julian, while we were followed by a camera-team from the Dutch news (video) for the first two rides.

We were dropped at the Eiffel Tower meeting point just 6 hours later. Yet another 6 hours further we were with a hundred people who all had hitched from different parts of Europe. We played games, exchanged stories, made music and danced into the night, while camping just in front of the Eiffel Tower. Aah, life. (more photos)

On Top of the World

// July 24th, 2008 // No Comments » // photography, travel

Silence, dunes on our right, fields of green left, birds flutter, rabbits and hares jump of our trail as we reached the end of Terschelling. A man appears, grey bearded, with a walking stick, asking us, how do you do?

He is a bird-watcher and a forester. His barrack used to be where we are now, but 10 foot higher. A storm equalized the dune-landscape last year. No need to moan. The island moves all the time. New land is formed just ahead of us, and who knows where the next dune will stand?

(more photos)

The Art of Hitchhiking

// July 16th, 2008 // No Comments » // hitchhiking, travel

Hitchhiking is a way of life, a gateway to randomness, trust and sharing. My first experience as a hitchhiker was 12 years ago and I still remember the four rides I received from Nijmegen to Amsterdam.

Hitchhiking will never stop amazing or surprising. Every ride is different, every road is new and every driver has something else to share. And hitchhiking will always remain. Some weeks ago, at the SHE-conference on hospitality exchange,  I was lucky enough to host around 10 hitchhikers in my flat… 10 (!). Imagine the crazyness of that.

But now something really amazing is to take place as around 100 hitchhikers are gearing up to join the first European Hitchhiking Day ever; on the 8th of August hitchhikers will be coming from different parts of Europe and beyond with one common destination: Paris. Don’t miss it, if you have the chance!

Bewelcome, new kid on the block!

// June 10th, 2008 // No Comments » // travel, work

For two years now I have been using hospitality exchange networks while traveling and also to host travelers in Barcelona and now Amsterdam. This added a new and really nice dimension to my life. Thanks to the people I met through hospitality exchange, I extended my vision, scope and aspiration.

I never felt like volunteering for these networks though (couchsurfing.com and hospitalityclub.org). How they are organised simply does not inspire me: they are top-down structured and volunteers hardly have impact on how it is run.

But since a year there is a network that does want to be member-driven: BeWelcome.org. I joined its volunteers last weekend in their yearly assembly when they select the yearly board, do some brainstorming and make plans for the coming year.

I hitchhiked to Essen (Germany) with four cars and had an excellent and very inspiring time. Obviously, since it is a new network there is lots of work that still needs to be accomplished but I am looking forward doing my share for this first hospitality network that wants to be truely democratic (ie. member-driven or grassroots), transparant and opensource – one that is not only able to facilitate hospitality exchange but also able to share the access to the buttons and empower volunteers.

Clowns Everywhere

// June 2nd, 2008 // No Comments » // blog, life, photography

There is so much to write, so many things have been hapening lately. Been away to Denmark, there is a new collective photo-website, I am helping to organise an (un)conference on hospitality exchange, have been on an adventurous trip to Enkhuizen (fun!), friends are visiting from all-over, work is steady and the house in full progress. And then there is also a new movement for Apathy… More to come soon!

Travelling souls

// April 10th, 2008 // No Comments » // photography, travel

Today a year ago I celebrated my birthday in Bern, Switzerland. Now that I have paused traveling I am excited to hear from friends who are themselves still on the road, or who just started traveling.

For example, whereas friend rouge is chasing German girls in South-East Asia, Ammasaisha is meeting guru-ground all around India. At the same time Leimac is having tons of fun with going his long way down by sand-boarding volcanoes in Latin America while Lasersurge sails the ocean, having been traveling for three years now. Or what about Chris, who is in Africa for over a year already?

Traveling inspires. Meet or be a traveler and you know what we mean by that: people that are out there, ‘away from home’ and creating their life by consciously dreaming – whatever that may be to us.

Special mention I would give Dani. He quit his job, took his bags and moved East. He is now in Tokyo creating great photography.