Patrick Swayze

My home town Linz goes crazy because Mr. Dirty Dancing, Patrick Swayze is in Linz shooting his new movie "Jump". I couldn't believe that even my friends went to the place where they are shooting (actually they live right there) to see Patrick Swayze. So I also went there to hunt the superstar?!?! Unfortunately no Patrick but I got some pictures of the set.
Btw. the movie is about a jewish fotographer Philip Halsman with Austrian roots, who had to emigrate to the US and became famouse with his pictures (100 cover pictures of the Time magazine).

police in Africa and news about Mwenge

Maybe some of you still remember the story about the multi-million dollar robbery at Johannesburg airport... Now there is an update on the story. The police was able to arrest several people and to get 9 million USD back. The money was stored at a police station in Johannesburg but not for long. The money was stolen out of the police station.
What's wrong with the police in Africa? Or is that Molotov Molstad's handwriting?

I also got a new message from DSM:
"Hey, did someone tell you that they trashed Mwenge? That's what they did. they smashed all the stands, so that they can build a better buss station, it really lookes like war zone there now. Kinda sad but they really had to do something about it to I guess."

Couch Surfing

This might be an interesting link for everybody who likes travelling and doesn't have the money to stay at Mövenpick or Hilton hotels. The system works like this:
You can use the network to meet people and then go and surf other members' couches! When you surf a couch, you are a guest at someone's house. They will provide you with some sort of accommodation, a penthouse apartment or maybe a back yard to pitch your tent in. Stays can be as short as a cup of coffee, a night or two, or even a few months or more.
http://www.couchsurfing.org/
looking for a couch in linz. check out floflo's profile...

Norway, Land of the Generous Sea

Brass bands and a great parade had heralded my own arrival in Oslo, Norway's unpretentious seat of government, cultural capital, and largest industrial center and port. It was Constitution Day, May 17, the anniversary of Norway's proclaimed independence in 1814 after nearly four centuries of Danish rule.
Every last one of the capital's nearly half million inhabitants seemed to be lining Karl Johansgate, Oslo's abbreviated version of Fifth Avenue or the Champs Elysées. A blizard of red-white-and-blue flags fluttered as school children by the thousands marched toward Slottsparken - the Palace Park - for benevolent royal review. Many teen-agers wore scarlet caps and joked and pranced in ragged ranks like half-broken colts; they were the russ, students anticipating a traditional month of merriment and hijinks now that their secondary schooling was almost over.
"It is like a happy children's crusade, ikke sant-is it not so?" An elderly spectator beside me at the curb had taken me, correctly for an Austrian. "Look at them," he said with almost peternal pride. "No soldiers, no guns. No old war veterans with faces. Just children!"
National Geographic, July 1971

Olé, olé olé olé!!!

The championsleague final 2006 is over and we have a new champion and the best part of it is, that it's not Liverpool!
Congratulations Barcelona!

The Scandinavia bible

On friday I got the Scandinavia bible in my postbox from amazon - The Rough Guide to Scandinavia. I'm so excited! It sounds so nice only the prices are crazy but that's nothing new. I'll sleep in my tent and save a lot of money (and probably get a bad back)...
As you might know, the Rough Guids always have a top 25 of things you have to do or see in a country - or in scandinavia in my case.
1) Svalbard, Norway
2) Vigelandsparken, Norway
3) Aurora borealis, in the north
4) Louisiana Museum of modern art, Denmark
5) Jotunheimen National Park, Norway
6) Copenhagen's Nyhavn district, Denmark
7) Inlandsbanan Railway, Sweden
Did you recognize that Sweden comes at 7th place after 3 times Norway? Pole sana Sweden! But to comfort you, Finland is mentioned at 11th place with a Husky Safari...

There is a reason why I paid so many compliments to Norway. Can one of you Norwegian guys check if there is a ferry from the main land to Svalbard? I didn't find any, only flights and that's out of the question for me and my motorbike. Tüsen tak guys.

Molotov Molstad

Be aware people of Tanzania. The shooting at Ubungo is solved! The robbery has been commited by a Norwegian gangster called Molotov Molstad. Today a responsibility claim reached me by the criminal himself. That's what it sais:

"The robbery in Ubungo was actually planned and executed by me, "Molotov Molstad". The idea was to use the 1 billion on suvirneers but now I have to cope with only 150 million. To bad."

To help the great Tanzanian policemen to catch the criminal Muzungu as fast as possible I publish two pictures of the thug. On the first you see Molotov Molstad building one of his formidable molotov cocktails.
The second one shows him attacking defenceless Tanzanians using his redoubtable one handed finger in the nose throw.

I did it

Today I had an appointment with a professor at university to present the work I did in Tanzania for my planned diploma theses so he could decide whether he'd accept it or not. He was late and I was quite nervouse because this presentation was really important for me. When he finally arrived he was very friendly and I started with my presentation. After some seconds he stoped me and said that I would have a big bonus with him! All the other students they would only want to build a house and settle down in Gramastetten (small village in the countryside) but I went all the way to Africa to do research. That was the shortest presentation I ever had and it was a complete success! Hip Hip Hurra.

Whats wrong in this world

Why do I have to go to Austria to buy good coffee from Tanzania and even cheaper than there?
When I went to a coffee shop to buy some coffee I saw this offer - fresh Tanzanian coffee just for a short time. The price for half a kilo was 3,9 Euros which is about 6000 Tanzanian Shillings. In Tanzania all you can get is terrible Africafe for 2500 Shilling per 250g, thats 5000 Shillingi for half a kilo and this is something I don't get.
Why is Tanzanian coffee so much cheaper in Europe than in Tanzania? Is it because the market in Tanzania is too small to make money with their coffee? Is it because Tanzanians like Africafe so much and would not buy good real coffee? Does the transport from Africa to Europe make Coffee cheaper?
Please you economists teach me some.

Germany, Sweden, Finland, Norway

Things are getting more and more concrete. My floor is covered with roadmaps from Germany, Sweden and Norway. I also know the date I'm gonna start the trip - June 22nd and reach Berlin at the same day. The rest of the trip can't be predicted because I can't say how many days I'll stay at the towns on the way.
Looking forward too see you guys again!