I have a friend, his name is Mr. Web. Yesterday Mr. Web chatted me on Facebook and told me we’re going to do an epic roadtrip down the United States to document the hysteria before, during, and after November’s presidential election. For the longest time (or at least sice our last trip in June) he’s been talking about a roadtrip documentary while crossing route 66; We’ll start in Chicago and drive all the way down to Los Angeles and San Francisco. I’ve already got an American girlfriend and a few contacts in Hollywood (I’m looking at you, Leo! and I need more!) so I told Mr. Web I was in.
You see, there’s no reason I would NOT want to work with Mr. Web. He’s one of the most famous radio journalists in Scandinavia, has his own TV program in Norway, wrote and published some books, plus he’s responsible for me “ending up” in Lebanon.
Mr Web using his computer
That story starts 3 years ago when I walked into his apartment in Oslo. Mr Web was on the computer and I asked him;
- Whats up?
Instead of answering my question Mr Web asked me one.
Do you wanna go to Beirut, Lebanon?
After having traveled to 75 countries and hitchhiked to Africa and China on TV, I‘d gotten used to people wanting me to travel with them. People always call me for tips or ask me to join a trip and so on. I always tell them to get back to me when they have tickets. But the plans never materialize, and I used to get annoyed with people just talking about what they wanted to do.
Fortunately Mr. Web is not like that. Back when I worked in Nepal I told him through chat that he should come for a visit. 10 days later I was trying to talk him out of renting a motorcycle in Kathmandu. But it was no use, of course.
At the time I walked into Mr. Web’s apartment, all I knew about Beirut apart from the fact that my very first car was called the “Beirut Taxi” was that it was famous for civil war and hot chicks. So I asked, why Beirut?
-It’s voted number one destination by New York Times and the Lonely Planet.
We didn’t even have to do research on this one, Mr. Web assured me. I liked his style and, to act cool, I told him I would join him to Beirut on two conditions: 1) That we bought the tickets right then and there, and 2) He would have to lend me the money.
That’s the only way I could assure we’d avoid becoming talkers.
Mr Web in his favouritte place in Beirut, Dora.
Right then and there Mr. Web bought my ticket to Lebanon. Then he even hooked me up with a job, so I could pay him back. And three years later I’m still here. Mr Web knows I am always broke and now he is randomly hooking me up with paid jobs where we get to hang out travel and work together! Just this summer we visited 7 Nordic countries to document the party adventures of high school graduates in their last weeks of school.
Last year, when Mr Web came on a surprise visit for my birthday he saw how difficult the life in the Lebanese movie industry can be, and now he is road tripping me to Hollywood!
Right now I’m pretty sure Mr. Web is back on his computer buying our tickets and planning the “details” of our Great American Roadtrip 2012. Hopefully it wont last for years, unless I get stuck in Hollywood with some ridiculously good offers I cant refuse, but for sure its going to be epic.
Thanks Mr Web! The future is so much more interesting with friends like you!
