 Christopher Vourlias - PostcardJunkie | All Comments |
Comments | |
| 6th December 2009 makambo | Nice piece of work - From: All the president's men. i like the way you described the event cause it was exactly like that. Chongo is a great friend of mine and you really brought out is picture in the story. |
| 14th October 2009 Radha | All the Indian Congress President's Men - From: All the president's men. I loved it from beginning to end. Especially, "During the night heavy winds toppled the dais, Heads craned in the crowd to get a glimpse of the president’s balding pate as it emerged from his vehicle. The president climbed the steps to the dais and took a seat beneath a picture of himself. " This is so reminiscent of the Indian political party heads'(and there are so many in India, that we have lost count)whirl wind trips across India at the tax payers expense, supposedly to bring cheer to the village folk who never know when they will see light at the end of the tunnel. Make shift arrangements to receive the political big wigs , collapse like a pack of cards with every shift of the wind! Whille millions of farmers starve and regularly commit suicide when Government promises fail, the show still unmindfully goes on, with these great 'netas' (as they are called) rumbling into pockets of poverty, in their convoy of Government owned Ambassador cars. The 'netas' are heavily flanked by Commandos as their lives are in imminent threat of being blown up by suicide bombers from across the porous LOC. These 'netas' are feted and fed lavishly in each impoverished village , after the ceremonial garlanding and photograph session is over. Petitions and posies are pressed into their greasy palms, which are immediately transferred to the waiting grasp of their ADC's and forgotten immediately. Christopher you have brought out the meaningless visits of political heads so brilliantly. Only one line brought out a twinge of sadness "The 20 bulls swishing their tails nearby would be bought for immediate slaughter that day, as a gift to the local communities." Thank you for this delightful blog Radha The 20 bulls swishing their tails nearby would be bought for immediate slaughter that day, as a gift to the local communities. |
| 11th October 2009 liliram | I absolutely agree! - From: All the president's men. Ed's absolutely correct. This is one of the best-written blogs I've read so far. Thoroughly enjoyed, and traveled with you! |
| 9th October 2009 EdVallance | Amazing blog - From: All the president's men. Fascinating and beautfully, professionally written, I really felt like I was there and could picture the people, places and atmosphere. I can't believe I've not spotted your blogs up until now! They are without doubt the best-written on Travelblog. Thank you! |
| 27th August 2009 NYAKUNDI | DO WE KNOW - From: Mungiki, matatus, and why Nairobi is nothing at all like Mogadishu. Do we know the image Kenya has towards the world? Kenya could be one of the best countries to live in if only we corrected the simple mistakes that we do everyday life. We know that all this little sectors that we call Mungiki and some others are only destroying the good work of our forefathers. I real don’t see any reason why we should kill each other; if you have a reason then you must be the one, the few that never real know the meaning of human, its origin and what they represent in life. During the elections we lost more people that we can imagine in the name of election. We did not kill this prominent MPs or such. Can you tell me why we kill each other? Can I have an idea why? Still we see a lot of us regard human race as nothing. We real need to be better than this; we were never created out of nothing. The police force need to step up their games and to me to be a police officer you should have some college level skills, a lot of times this police officers make bad choices in a way that it affects the community as a whole. This word Kitu kidogo is affecting the country overall. I found out even the MPs give Kitu kidogo, what a shame. MPs are supposed to help enact laws but a lot of them break them. Recently I travelled to Kenya, my own country and was treated like a dog by the law enforcement, they demanded money from my family member because I had pulled on a wrong side of the curve, instead of them helping me they wanted to pull me out of my car by force, luckily enough I we knew the superintended of one of the post and we were let go. Later we went to the police post and found the police who wanted to arrest us and had a good talk. These cases happen every day life and as Kenyans we are tired. I full blame the president, prime and MPs for not doing their job. |
| 22nd August 2009 NateK | - From: I do not fear gardening (I fear machines). brutal |
| 22nd August 2009 http://www.ouarzazate-unlimited.com/ | Weather in Ouarzazate - From: Destined for the desert. Ouarzazate in summer is too hot around 45 C° Ouarzazate in winter is too cold around 7 C° day, it is located in the feet of the high Atlas. |
| 5th July 2009 Allan | great stuff - From: The green hills of Africa. hey Chris..this is great stuff....I am moved by the bit of having a plan as writer...we need to talk about this at length for I am in the same basket. Otherwise good luck with your work. Allan Kigali |
| 3rd June 2009 Chris Packet | Mungiki - From: Mungiki, matatus, and why Nairobi is nothing at all like Mogadishu. how Large is the Mungiki clan |
| 22nd May 2009 Rich | Literary Talent - From: Meet the press. Sir: I am a travel writer and I find your entries worthy of exploration for publishing. I will be reading more, especially about Mozambique. Cheers, Rich. |
| 14th April 2009 Runanira R. | on the move! - From: We are all Rwandans. wow, i was just suprised to see what this was on this site, im mean it's impressive just to see the titles and read the titles, well i don't whose initiative it was but that was a good outlook on Rwanda, which leaves me eager to know what could be happening elsewhere in the world,anyway it's a travelling site i hope something new is also coming. |
| 13th April 2009 Ali | 13th April 2009 - Publish Day - From: A funny thing happened on the way to Tanzania. Great to see you blogging again! - I've got some reading to do now :) |
| 22nd October 2008 Nonplussed | - From: I don’t think in Hollywood they grow potatoes. ...and then the circus left town! Another wonderfully shrewd and funny post. Thanks. |
| 12th September 2008 Don B. | Exemplary piece of writing and reporting - From: We are all Rwandans. This is the kind of article that justifies travel writing and turns it into something more important than a canned travelogue in written form. Articles like this are why I still look to the travel section for literature and enlightenment in the news format. Articles like this are also a strong argument against the syndication of travel writing, which tends to move the discipline towards a too-safe, McTraveler outlook on the world. Travel and travel writing, because its premise is that the traveling author has a different and broadly-informed perspective, offers us a real opportunity to re-view how we live. But to get back to you particular experience. Have your views on the opposing motives -- moving the rwandan nation forward vs. facing and resolving its racial strife -- develop further over the course of your stay? I, for one, would welcome any further writing on this subject. |
| 10th September 2008 PostcardJunkie | Thanks for the kind words! - From: Everyone here, they are very happy. I'm not sure I agree with the "very few words" part, but I appreciate your encouragement all the same. It's good to be back! |
| 9th September 2008 Vinovat Sudarynya | Thanks again. - From: Everyone here, they are very happy. Another great diary, thank you. You have such a gift for describing people so vividly with very few words. |
| 7th June 2008 Todd Simpson | - From: Yes, yes, we have guns. Well written and very insightful. Thanks for the effort. |
| 29th May 2008 moha | - From: Crunk ain't dead. Wat u wrote is not bad but u have some mistaks about matatus .. u should have rode Route south B 11, 23,58,9... cuz they have the best pimped out matatus... but i think u rode the bustdown mataus like route 6,etc....thats alll and thanks for writing about kenya.... if u wanna see cool matatus go to youtube.com and search it .. thats all peace..and thanks again.... |
| 24th April 2008 Peregrine | Another one well done. - From: This is what I know. Kudos, Chris. |
| 22nd April 2008 jtayli | John Nanchang China - From: Sluts. I want to bonk them one by one. Don’t in any way be put off by either title; the article is well worth a read. |
| 18th April 2008 Courtney | - From: These people you see here: most of them have killed. Just wanted to say that your entry was wonderfully written and very moving... I often wish I could explain my experiences and the learning that comes with it in such an honest, eye opening way. Well done, I think I will enjoy reading more of your entries! From one travel blogger to another... |
| 16th April 2008 ben | skillz - From: These people you see here: most of them have killed. beautiful chris. just beautiful... |
| 16th April 2008 jtayli | John Nanchang China - From: These people you see here: most of them have killed. Outstanding blog entry; very well written indeed. In 1999, VSO (a British government funded development agency) offered me a place in either Rwanda or China to teach English, but as you can see I chose China, although, a volunteer who choose Rwanda, despite being advised to the contrary, travelled along an unsafe route and was killed. I have remained in China since I was a volunteer here. Excellent blog entry. |
| 12th April 2008 PostcardJunkie | "Stop painting a bad picture of Nairobi." - From: Crunk ain't dead. Sorry, but that's a ridiculous assertion to make. I don't know how anyone can read the things I've written and say I'm painting a bad picture of the city. I'm painting an honest picture, good and bad, and most people who have written to me - Kenyans included - have thanked me for doing just that. As far as matatus go, I can't say I've boarded them all, so I don't claim to be an expert on the subject. I described some of the matatus I've been on; I didn't try to do a comprehensive, scientific study of the matatu industry. Lastly, mentioning maize-sellers on the side of the road doesn't imply anything about what they could or couldn't be doing instead. I'm describing a scene for people who have never been to Nairobi. You seem to suggest that I don't understand why someone would choose to sell maize on the road, or that I'm not sympathetic to someone who would have to sell maize to feed their family. That just tells me you haven't read much of what I wrote during my five months in Kenya (or my three months in Uganda, for that matter), and that simply describing what a poor person does to survive is somehow passing judgment on them. Sorry you came to your own conclusions. |
| 12th April 2008 JAIMO | Was Up Man! That's not the matatus I know! - From: Crunk ain't dead. Dude, you don't know what you are talking about, the Matatus I ride in have screens on each seat! Ha! (want proof?). I don't know which matatu you rode on. And stop painting a bad picture of Nairobi. Kenyans are hustlers you hear? If you see one selling roasted maize on the road doesn't have anything better to do. Peace. |
| 11th April 2008 Nonplussed | - From: “Deception,” the farmer-poet, and udders that sweep the floor. You've been missed. Very glad you're still here. |
| 10th April 2008 John | great read - From: “Deception,” the farmer-poet, and udders that sweep the floor. This was on the front page of the travelblog site. I read the first few sentences and was hooked. I can clearly see you are indeed a writer. Thank you for an entertaining read. Cheers |
| 9th April 2008 leah | beautiful - From: “Deception,” the farmer-poet, and udders that sweep the floor. Hi, I just happened to read your blog, and I just wanted to say its one of the most beautiful pieces I've read in a long time. Good luck in your travels and writing. |
| 6th April 2008 dominic | give us latest pictures of matatus - From: Crunk ain't dead. manze tupe picha poa za mat zile malatest sanasana za buru naouter napia southb. |
| 3rd April 2008 John | - From: I do not fear gardening (I fear machines). Great work, your not bullshitting about what your doing over there which is refreshing, and I don't give a fuck what captions you write under your safari pics, your blogs are evocative and I like them. |
| 11th March 2008 Nonplussed | The road to hell is paved... - From: I do not fear gardening (I fear machines). uncomfortable reading. |
| 10th March 2008 PostcardJunkie | Erik, you're such a bastard. - From: I do not fear gardening (I fear machines). I edited the more onerous captions. Happy now? |
| 7th March 2008 Erik | You shouldn't fear machines - From: I do not fear gardening (I fear machines). you should fear the temptation to caption safari pics with Sagat-esque phrases. "shadow language of college apps" and the surrounding graf in general is brilliant. |
| 7th March 2008 bethany | Random - From: I do not fear gardening (I fear machines). Hey this is totally random but i was just signing into my account on travel blog and saw your picture. I thought...hmm that looks like somewhere I have been. Murchison Falls! Just today I was trying to remember the name of the park I visited in Uganda a few years ago...and I couldn't remember the park or the falls...then randomly your picture showed up on the home page! I just thought that was funny, thanks for helping me remember! |
| 4th March 2008 Nonplussed | - From: Ain't no party (like a Gulu party). You're no "cynic"... Anything but... |
| 1st March 2008 Psipsina | Thank you - From: Ain't no party (like a Gulu party). Thanks for a beautifully written piece. I have only been to Kampala in Uganda, so it was really nice to read more about the country. |
| 1st March 2008 Sabrina | Thank you - From: Ain't no party (like a Gulu party). Thank you for your post. I have had a heart for Uganda (Gulu in particular) but have not made it there. I felt called to work in Africa and am currently in Tanzania and after this job is complete, I might be making my way up to Uganda! Thank you for the post. Your words are great. |
| 10th February 2008 Agegnehu keleb | I like your writhing & feel better - From: Love in the time of ebola. Sorry to bother u b/c I am poor in english too. But I appreciate your kindness to work in Ugnda even I am from Ethiopia and I am living in kampala but I can't tell u how I was scared of ebola. May be God bless u people b/c of your kindness like working that kind of place. Bless u More. |
| 1st February 2008 PostcardJunkie | Thanks so much for the kind words! - From: Love in the time of ebola. Really, I appreciate all the support and encouragement. I've put a lot of time into this blog over the past year and change, so it does the ol' heart good to know people are enjoying it. I hope I keep giving you reason to visit. -C. |
| 1st February 2008 Vicky | Also impressed - From: Love in the time of ebola. They're right.You're good. |
| 31st January 2008 Nonplussed | - From: Love in the time of ebola. You're an achingly good writer. Your posts are a complete joy to read. More please. |
| 30th January 2008 ML | Nice... - From: Love in the time of ebola. I like your writing style! |
| 12th January 2008 2Brothers3Continents | Sad news... - From: I'm not shouting at you. I'm shouting at Kenya. just to identify myself!! I'm fernando from the comment before! |
| 12th January 2008 Fernando | Sad news... - From: I'm not shouting at you. I'm shouting at Kenya. I'm sad hearing this news. Probably not only me but every backpacker that had great times at the Nairobi Backpackers chatting arround the fire and drinking beers with Ken! Last time I've been there was in feb 2007 and we talked a lot., but I never expected him to go so far... |
| 8th December 2007 ben | my sympathies - From: They're very busy. Like Chinese. I feel for you Chris. I really do. |
| 21st November 2007 robino | absolutely - From: People aren't hungry, so I'm happy. Chris, great to see what you see; how wonderful to read what you write. It was inspiring meeting you, it still is inspiring knowing you, and reading these words will always be inspiring. |
| 31st October 2007 Erik | seatbelts? - From: Crunk ain't dead. in a matatu? I'm calling bullshit. The fact that you got a "seat" at all is suspect, too. |
| 28th October 2007 Chris | Papa Ken - From: Mungiki, matatus, and why Nairobi is nothing at all like Mogadishu. I stayed at Nairobi Backpackers as well and your account of Ken is spot on. We kind of diagnosed him as manic depressive. He's been sending e-mails to his "family" and I think things are financially in the dumps. His staff as left him. I would stay away for the time being. It was a great place, amazing if you took him out of the picture. He took two girls on a personal safari and they ended up getting their money back. He also followed my group to Lamu when we didn't want him at all. At first he seems harmless but then he gets to you. It's a shame really. |
| 16th October 2007 tegunk | nice style - From: Crunk ain't dead. i really enjoy your writing style - makes nairobi seem to come to life with all the great descriptions you give. i'll have to get there one day but right now i'm enjoying northern china! |
| 10th October 2007 hson81 | Ya Salam - From: Big brother. What a nice article .... It seems that Aleppo is a very nice city and worthy to be visited ... Will do my best to go there oneday. Thankd for this amazing article Chris, you did a great job really ... Byee |
| 20th September 2007 Traveller | Papa Ken - From: Mungiki, matatus, and why Nairobi is nothing at all like Mogadishu. Stayed at Nairobi backpackers in September. Ken's still dillusional, drunk, shouting abuse at the staff. He belives his empire now stretches over 200 countries and is a millionaire. The girls who stay there are still cringing and shying away from him. One girl was so scared of him she fled in the middle of the night to the sanctuary, that is somewhere where ken isn't. He make NBP the fawlty towers of Nairobi. That said its a cheap place to stay all staff were great, very friendly and helpful; have a lot of appreciation for them and what they have t put up with. |
| 26th July 2007 Patrick | No es un problema mi amigo - From: Doing grievous harm to myself in Salamanca. There s no problem bout your outfit mi amigo. You are welcome in Paris at any time and you dont need anything. Ciao |
| 25th July 2007 Erik | Saying you've ridden a Matatu - From: Mungiki, matatus, and why Nairobi is nothing at all like Mogadishu. ...only counts if you were on the outside. Does the new govt stil require pics of the Prez to be prominently displayed in every store. Old Moi was peering down- literally, all the frames were hanged from high on the walls and angled down towards the floor- inside every business I walked in. Creepy. |
| 25th July 2007 MotoBaridi | Awesome Writing! - From: Mungiki, matatus, and why Nairobi is nothing at all like Mogadishu. As always, PostCardJunkie has yet another great piece. Makes my day - especially since I live in Nairobi. If only he could write every week...... |
| 20th July 2007 PostcardJunkie | Cheers to you, too! - From: There's nothing wrong with being fabulous. Thanks so much for the kind words, Alastair. Since it so often feels like I'm writing in a bubble, it's always encouraging to get some friendly feedback. If nothing else, I hope the things I write not only do justice to these amazing travels, but to all the people and places I encounter along the way - the good, the bad, and the downright onerous. Hopefully anyone who comes to visit my blog will get a good - and entertaining - picture of the places I'm seeing. And hopefully they'll come back for more. Again, thanks for the kind words. |
| 20th July 2007 PostcardJunkie | Beirut's bad rap. - From: Beirut bound. Hmmm...I hope that's not the only impression of the Lebanese that I give. For all their celebrated superficiality - Lebanon is undoubtedly the plastic-surgery capital of the Middle East - the Lebanese are also incredibly warm and generous. I met with great kindness throughout the country, and its reputation for hospitality is well-deserved. Of course, the pretty, plastic boys and girls still like to have their fun on a Friday night in Jounieh, but I hope you come to see a better side of the country while you're there. |
| 18th July 2007 Peggy | cool - From: And now, a word from Qatar Airways. This adventure sounds cool already! |
| 9th July 2007 mary | Nice blog - From: Beirut bound. Hello Christopher, From a foreign resident of Lebanon I had to write and say thanks for a nice blog. You have grasped the superficial aspect of Lebanon in a very short period of time. |
| 2nd July 2007 Alastair | Cheers! - From: There's nothing wrong with being fabulous. Hi Christopher, This is just a quick comment to say how much I have enjoyed reading your travel blogs over the last few months. I am unfortuanate enough to have a mind-bendingly boring job, and often spend time browsing the web looking for things to entertain me. I was googling 'Morocco blog' or something like that a while back, keen to hear other people's experiences of Morocco, and stumbled accross your scrawlings here. I quickly went back to the beginning to read all your journals from the start, and have found your writing engaging, personable and humorous throughout. Not many writers achieve any of these well, let alone all of them. So thanks for saving me from boredom for 20 minutes every three days or so, and I'm really looking forward to the next entry! I hope you put this stuff in a book one day, I'll be the first in the queue (on Amazon) to buy it. |
| 1st July 2007 Kay Abano | LOVE THE PHOTOS! - From: It's not a Holy City till someone takes their tits out. And the blogs, of course!!! Hope you are well, Chris. Looking forward to more wonderful articles and photos. Just wanted to drop you a quick line before going off to camp. Will write you another looong email soon! =D |
| 28th June 2007 your biggest fans | hi chris - From: Goy-child in the Promised Land. hi chris, im using your blog as an example of the medium. so step up... -erik |
| 11th June 2007 Erik | When it comes to Baha'i... - From: A curious crisis of faith. Haifa ain't got nothin' on Wilmette, IL Just down the road from Alison's hometown... http://farm1.static.flickr.com/87/225633907_9207e634bb.jpg?v=0 |
| 8th June 2007 PostcardJunkie | Re: hatred. - From: Saharan sweepstakes. What a foolish thing to say! The "hatred and contempt [I, myself] feel for the Tunisian people" would be offensive if it weren't so ridiculous. I met many wonderful people who received me very warmly into their country (and homes); in fact, anyone who's spoken to me about my travels in North Africa and the Middle East will know that my time in Tunisia was among the most pleasant - specifically because the people were so kind and generous. The touts around Tozeur are notorious, and they are an exception to the sorts of wonderful people I'd encountered elsewhere in Tunisia. Had you continued reading - or read some of my other entries - you might have realized that. Nothing in that blog said: "I will now explain to you all the socio-economic circumstances that might drive a Tunisian man to become a tout." I'm aware of poverty, I'm aware of the unemployment rate in Tunisia (far higher, I'm sure, than Ben Ali would have us believe), and I'm aware of the underlying circumstances that make it difficult for people to satisfy very basic needs. But I'm not going to provide a little disclaimer any time I describe an unpleasant encounter with someone in a developing country, apologizing for their actions because of whatever misfortunes lay behind them. More importantly, it's a slap in the face to the Tunisian people - most of whom were, as I've said, so kind to me - to explain away the behavior of an aggressive, unpleasant tout. Many people I met were living in equally difficult circumstances, but chose to handle it in a very different way. You besmear their kindness when you justify the actions of a guy who was, admittedly, a real dick. I'm sorry you didn't finish reading the entry, but I suspect that anyone who can be so quick to judge - and judge so harshly - wouldn't get much out of it anyway. But 'massalamu' to you all the same. |
| 7th June 2007 Marwan Asmar | Customized tourism - From: American Idle. The story is very nice, showing that with a little dare international tourists can explore the basic human side of Jordan at no extra cost and get an insight into the everyday culture. Unfortunately not many tourists are prepared to do that and wounder into the unknown so to speak and make friends with families and people whom they have never met before. The concept of volunturism might be a way into this as it opens the mind. Many local travel companies in Jordan like Petra Tours in Amman do create customized trips and allow the visitor to go on a visit of a life time but people have to be interested and willing to have especially customized tours and trips were quite often the other side of Jordanian life is seen. |
| 30th May 2007 Mina Forson | Nice place - From: Bridging the cultural divide. Your info has helped me alot |
| 29th May 2007 PostcardJunkie | Re: Aleppo. - From: Big brother. Not only did I buy the soap, but I'm still using it to lather away. Can't say I enjoy the mild olive scent, but I DO enjoy the way it feels on my skin. |
| 29th May 2007 Khedija Arfaoui | hatred - From: Saharan sweepstakes. The hatred you report seeing in the Tunisian's face is but the hatred and contempt you, yourself, feel for the Tunisian people. It's a pity that you should interpret this way the people's attempts to communicate with you. Of course, these people want to get money from you. They chose, or they were forced to choose, this job, that's how they make their living. But, it does not mean that they are so mean. I was reading your article with pleasure but stopped reading after finding that terrible line. |
| 29th May 2007 Not Your Mom | Literary Restraint well-exercised... - From: Big brother. ...in not heading your entry, "In Aleppo Once." Did you buy the soap? |
| 26th May 2007 Not Quite Mary Poppins | Found You! - From: Queer Eye for the Arab Guy. The title bit says it all. I shall link to you, and use my infintessimal yet oddly influential powers to move my readers here. No more free press for the Douchebags! |
