Amsterdam and Brussels

I had a good time hanging out with Jason and his friends in Amsterdam. I also got to wander around Brussels a bit where I saw the weird human body exhibition in a centuries old brick arches basement that used to be a butchery.

I have navigated myself nicely into Belgium and was received well in the city of Leuven , a small but important city in the Dutch region, buy an ambitious group of engineering students. Thank you Group T VDS team for being so helpful and inviting. Hundreds of years and plenty of half decent planning have turned this place into a problem free family town full of history and culture. Bricks, cobble stones, and gothic architecture texturize everything.

Leuven has about the same population as Davis and only takes 20 minutes to walk across but feels like San Francisco with 150 bars and three story buildings lining every street. The massive and dramatic architecture of the Catholic churches and town hall add to the effect. On the weekends markets pop up selling piles of cheeses and other such goodies. Bakeries of the spungiest bread hang out on most street corners. Leuven is nice, a little too nice. There is no crime here, not that anyone can remember. It is the sort of place you would love to raise a family in but would be itching to leave if you grew up in. Most of the students, and they are about half the town's population, go home on the weeked leaving the city relaxed and uncroweded for the locals to enjoy. Bicycles rule the streets but follow the system or you will be fined on the spot by the police.

Belgium is really about one thing, beer. Quite a long time ago, Trapist monks from France settled here in monestaries called Abbeys and perfected the art of brewing, austensibly to preserve grain. So a Trappist or Abbey beer is usually bery nice. Their beers can be quite hearty indeed. Drinking an Abbey or Trapist beer here in Belgium is unlike any experience I have ever had. I never knew I liked beer so much. It is one of the most magnificent beer cultures in the world where local beers are celebrated and consumed dutifully by the locals. The famous beer, Stella Artois actually has its brewery here in Leuven. I am planning a visit soon. A 250 ml pour of Stella a the bars costs $2, no tip please.

Well I have a lot of work to do with the electric car project. Does anyone have a 10 kWh battery pack they can lend? And I have lots to see here in Europe before Christmas. I would like to get a good taste of Belgium and Holland. Any suggestions?

Leaving Africa

It is my last day in Africa for at least a couple of years, until the World Cup maybe, and I am more proud than a soccer mom to report that other than a couple mild head colds and occasions of soft stool I have remained illness free for my three months here. I want to give a big thanks to my stomach who endured so much but kept its cool all the while.

So of course there is much to be taken from my visit. But, all I am prepared to say at the moment is I have had some deliciously memorable encounters, none to them too painful. People, in general, are perspiring with beauty, almost against their wills, and in the last three months I have been privy to a lot of that beauty, unpracticed as it may be.

My final days here in Kampala have been relaxed and enjoyable, spending some time with the friends I made and hanging out at bars. I finally came around to this city a little bit. There is a lot here to be discovered and if you are into Mad Max it makes it quite a bit easier to settle down. On an unfortunate note I never made it to the expat bars.

With regards to my the international car of the future efforts the student I was working with gave me one of the most detailed and thorough reports ever that applies directly to the work I will be doing in Belgium helping a student team at the University of Leuven build an electric car. Unfortunately I was not able to assist the team here much.

Big day for us all anyways. Election time. I will be in a plane or at an airport when the world learns if America (dont they mean the USA?) will elect a liberal black man to redeem itself for the recent years of being a global does whatever it wants. Thats a pulpy breakdown at least. My views on the subject are too wierd to put into writing so Ill leave it to your imagination. I wish I were here in East Africa when Obama wins (it looks like he is going to win doesnt it). I can imagine the party lasting for weeks. Of course, if Obama doesnt win it might be a good thing for me to be gone.

I wont be voting. It was just too complicated for me to anticipate. As a Californian, it doesnt mean much for the presidency anyways, but I will be sorely missing the opportunity to vote on referendums and measures to give free hybrid SUVs to all the yuppies in silicon valley and employ me when I return, to specifically define marriage as ungay, and for some animal rights.

When I pop my head up next Ill be enjoying the culture shock of paved roads, and the imaculate combination of chewey bread, creamy stinky cheese, and good wine or maybe beer. Western world here I come.