How did it all start

We met in a village called Sa-Pa, the travelers absolute must in northwest VietNam. Just an overnight train from HaNoi, Sa-Pa is the most 'tourist suitable' village in the mountainous, jungle covered region close to the borders of VietNam, China and Laos.

I went there because I wanted to climb FanSiPan, the highest peak in IndoChina and I met Karin at an Internet cafe/tourist office. We toured the village together and had dinner and despite my overgrown beard (and other idiosyncrasies) Karin gave me her Email and I promised to write and try to meet along the way. The next day Karin left and headed back to HaNoi and further south along the Vietnamese coast and I went for the 3 days hike to the mountain's top and back.

Having an inner conflict about answering an Email from a guy whom she vaguely remembered was a weird looking and rather talkative Israeli, Karin decided to give it a shot and we met again. This time it was in a small town called Hoi An in the middle of the eastern coastline of VietNam.

Hoi An is a charming place. It used to be an important harbour town for centuries so there are many noticeable gastronomic, cultural and architectural influences for tourists to enjoy. Plus, there's a very big and popular clothing market, in which one can order specially made tailored outfits of good quality for ridiculously low prices. For the latter reason Karin lingered there long enough for me to be able to catch up.

We stayed together for the rest of my trip. We continued to southern VietNam and through Cambodia to Thailand. In the beginning of my vacation in southeast Asia I made a rule for myself to be as straightforward and open as possible (those who know me are probably laughing now ..). After almost a month and a half of being pretty much together all the time I realized not only that Karin tolerates my geekiness and Monty Python/Austin Powers sense of humor, we also enjoy each other's company and appreciate each other's opinions.

Gradually, I began to understand that this girl was a rare find. The emotional changes, however, were more elusive and took their own pace. Only when we parted in Bangkok I finally grasped that Karin is indeed a very special girl and that she's special for ME.

I stumbled into a cab to the airport and had a very long and pensive flight to Israel. Karin, on the other hand, continued her journey to New Zealand and Australia for another month. We stayed in touch through Emails (mine all sappy, Karin's somewhat sarcastic) and when Karin returned to Sweden we started video chatting almost daily.

Nurturing a relationship via the Internet alone is obviously not enough so we decided to visit each other and learn more about our lives. First, I flew to Sweden for a very cold new year's eve. For a middle-eastern guy as myself, Stockholm in mid winter was quite a shock. Needless to say, we spent most of our time indoors (after only seeing each other through a web cam we had no other plans anyway). A month later, Karin came to visit me in Israel. I tried to show her the amazing diversity of landscapes and people that Israel can offer (in a rather small area) and took her to see the European-like mountains of the north and the magnificent desert landscapes of the south (both are just 2 hours from the center).

After Karin left Israel I missed her so much that not even a month later I returned to Sweden with my mind set on taking our relationship to a new level. And indeed, at the end of that visit we decided to move in together and live in Tel Aviv, Israel.

In May 2006 we embarked on that new phase of our lives together.