[Rick2]

I lived in Japan for several years and that country can be pretty dirty too. Someone (man or woman) taking a wiz on the sidewalk was nothing unusual there either. My tiny apartment was in an ally above a bar and every morning the smell of vomit prevailed, that is until they could wash off the ally sidewalk. The owner of the bar would always leave out a water hose for me because several times my motorcycle was the target of his customer’s puke.

My wife’s country, Bulgaria, is kept very clean. She says it was even better when it was under Russian – Communist rule 12 years ago. Giant pressure washing trucks would come down the streets late at night and clean the streets and sidewalks. Those days are gone but at least you don’t have to stand in line 5 hours for a loaf of bread or wait 6 months for a pair of shoes that don’t fit.

I actually wish I was going with her next month to Bulgaria but I can’t take the time off work right now. I’ve been there 6 or 7 times but just can’t get enough of that country; it’s a lot of fun. In fact that’s how I met her – traveling around Eastern Europe 9 years ago.