Well, what can I tell about myself that might interest you?

As you probably already guessed, SoefiSinjoor is my "nom de plume". The Soefi stands for "Sufism", which is a mystic believe in the universal humanism, the believe in peace with all. and sinjoor is the nickname for the inhabitants of my hometown Antwerp and is a derivative of "señor". This goes back to the 17th century when the Spanish were a sort of uninvited guests in Antwerp.

Still, I will tell a bit about myself, so here is the abridged story of my life:

My first travel experiences – The young man and the sea

 I guess I caught the travel bug at an early age….I vividly recollect my  “runaway” at the age of five. Actually I just walked out of the door with our dog and got lost. A friendly woman picked me up and called the cops who brought me back home. I did not realize that this was not to be done…the cop said with a stern face that next time I would have be in big trouble…that quickly stopped my wanderlust.

me in the orange sweater....

Dances with wolves brought me to the big plains.

In my imagination anyway....

Joining the boy scouts brought me as far as the Ardennes. Learning to read a map and use a compass proofed to be useful. I also liked the whole outdoors thing.

me reading the map...

My country needed me !!! I still have no idea why. Only my drinking skills improved.

“The army is a great way to travel to foreign countries, learn the language, eat their food and then shout the hell out of them” Redgum – I was only 19

 The enemy was in the East, so they sent me to Germany to defend the free West from kids eating commies, and make a man out of me at the same time! This was not how I envisioned traveling.

Ex oriente lux !

No enlightenment – just plain acute mountain sickness !!

1987 – "Boulot, metro, dodo" I can not imagine doing this for the rest of my life. “I want to break free” from Queen come to my mind a lot, and in march ’87 I set off to explore the east. Discover the “Morgenland”.  Two years later I arrive back in Belgium, with 12 euros in my pocket but a wealth of experience.

Time goes fast, and the travels I have made since then can be seen on : travelphotos

The Year is 1993 and the place is Antwerp. Two passing ships meet on the schelde and decide to continue the voyage in convoy. Since then we have been traveling around the world in search of the holy grail or the next best thing. The quest continues...