Andre Hycenko's World Trip

Boobies on the Galapogas Islands

2008-05-22T01:09:00.016+10:00

What a way to finish my trip. The Galapogas Islands is one of the best places i have visited. I know this sounds cheesy but the Galapogas i would have to say is 'teeming with wildlife'. All the animals are really friendly and let you get quite close to them. We had beautiful 30 degrees weather throughout the 5 full days i was there and i pretty much saw most of the animals and marine life that these volcanic islands had to offer. With 2 friends travelling with me, we decided not to take a 5 day guided tour as we all were trying to make this part of our holiday cheaper as it is quite expensive as well as we would be paying for activities that we would not be interested in. The way we did it was fantastic, we got to see what we wanted to see and with the help of the hostel we were staying in, we got to see as much as possible in the time we had left. We joined day tours as well as do our own thing and explored the islands of Bartolome, Floreana and fully explored the island of Santa Cruz, where we enjoyed bay and land tours. We were lucky enough on our last day where we had a boat to ourselves and our guide and captain took us anywhere we wanted to go.

Frolicking with Sea Lions
This was one of the best experiences i have had ever had. We swam in a small lagoon where around 30 or so sea lions live. They are just as curious as you are and so they all come over to have a look and play. With my snorkel, we twisted and turned, did back flips and played. They swam so close to me that i touched a couple of them feeling their leathery tail. At one stage i was swimming with 6 of them, watching them catch fish, pose in weird positions as if to say "can you do that?" and see them jump in and out of the water like dolphins. I was having so much fun that i didn't want to leave and when we did make our way out, they would all make attempts to show off one last time by following the boat and making noises telling us to come back... or to 'F' off.

Animals, animals and animals
Everyday we went off in search of animals that we hadn't seen yet. I was lucky to see countless sea lions, sea iguanas (i swam with a couple), blue footed boobie birds and many other types of Avery, giant 150 year old tortoises (one tried to eat my shorts as i was taking a photo of another one), i swam with sea turtles, sting rays, witnessed pelicans trying to steal the fish off the local fishermen back at the port, bright red crabs that are everywhere even running across my foot which freaked me out and every type of fish. Sharks too where i saw a white tipped shark and Galapogas shark (both harmless). There is a place called Gordon Rocks on the island of Santa Cruz where if you have a diving certificate you can dive with hundreds of hammerhead sharks! Speaking to the people who had gone had said is was the best experience that they had ever had. That's something I'm going to have to do for next time. As well as seeing a lot of the fauna, we also visited lava caves, huge craters climbing to the top and trekking in thongs (flip-flops) across sharp and jagged lava rocks to get to lagoons. The Galapogas Islands is as good as everyone sais it is and i cannot recommend it more.

Quito... The centre of the world
With my one day to spend in the capital of Ecuador , i decided to visit the Equator. Before GPS systems, Quito was the only place in the world where a French expedition could measure the Latitude 00.00'00". Taking a cheap 2hour bus ride to get there due to me staying on the other side of this huge city, i finally got to the museum where you can complete many experiments to prove that it is the Equator line. We spun water on the north and south sides seeing which way the water spins and then placing the water trough directly on the line and watching the water flow straight down with the help of a leaf. We balanced an egg on a nail head, did physical strength tests where on the line, forces pull you down and learnt and played with many others things which turned out to be a fascinating day. Also while i was there, i joined a short 2 hour tour that went to the summit of another active volcano. I didn't climb this one, yet it wasn't all that high as Quito is already 2800m above sea level. What made this volcano interesting is that there are many inhabitants living inside the crater and they have been doing so for thousands of years. Recently the government installed a road in case of an emergency for them to get out as recent measures of this volcano shows rumblings that it could blow anytime soon.

Well that's the end of what has been an unforgettable trip that I'm always going to remember. I have countless memories and stories that i haven't had time to mention in my blogs. I'm excited to go home and i have 2 days of plane flights and waiting in airports. Thank-you for reading as i have loved sharing my stories and can't wait to catch up with everyone and to hear what's been going on.

Perusing around

2008-05-01T05:30:00.031+10:00

Machu Picchu
This is one of the major things i wanted to do on my world trip and i am so glad i did it. While trekking the popular Inca Trail just over 3 days with the 4th spending it at Machu Picchu. I had baby wipe showers at the end of each day and we witnessed many archilogical ruins such as Winaywayna (pic 2), Runkurakay (pic 3), and other sites such as Sayacmarka, Phuyupatamarka and Patallacta.

Day 1: The weather during this trek was blue skies and patchy clouds. We had a bit of rain as we arrived to our first camp site but that cleared up soon after. Excited and ready to go, we began our ascending trek from kilometre 82 into the valley. This day was the easiest of all 3 but was 7 hours long which was a good introduction. I was in a group of 16 where we all had porters carrying our 5-8kg of extra stuff as well as all the camping equipment (tents, chairs, tables, cutlery, food for 4 days etc). Each porter carries up to 20kg! Whereas before the new regulations they used to carry up to 80kg!

Day 2: Today was going to be tough. With a 3.45am wake up call, we climbed 2 passes today, one being ¨Dead Woman's Pass¨ at an altitude of 4200m and the other just below the 4000m mark. A freezing cold morning turned into a scorcher of a day where dressing in layers was an excellent recommendation from our guide. Feeling light headed was the worst i felt. Others in the group wern't as well off as me. Some felt quite sick with stomoch problems from mild food poisening and a poor girl was hobbling the trek with a recovering knee from a dislocation 3 weeks ago. However we all made it after 12 hours of walking and after a fantastic meal on arrival, we all went straight to bed soon after.

Day 3: Once again, we were woken up early with a hot cup of coca tea and a cooked breakfast. Today was pretty much all downhill for 5 hours, this may seem easy but it´s a lot harder on the knees. I am being very brief writing about this trek as on the way, there are amazing views that a photograph cannot capture. Llamas, cows and locals pass you all the time as well as the super fit porters that march past you as you huff and puff along. Our guide explained the importance and relevance of all the old Inca ruins along the way and explained the history of the Inca´s and the Spanish invasions.

Day 4: Machu Picchu... wooo hooo!!! So excited! We were up before the sun and off through the dark trekking through the jungle. It was a very cloudy morning with rain. Eventually the 500 of us reached Sun Gate and once we got there, what did we see?... NOTHING (pic). Cloud and rain everywhere! However we made offerings (coca leaves, sweets, Snickers) to Pacha Mama (God of Mother Earth) as a sign of respect to Machu Picchu and around 2 hours later the cloud lifted in what turned out to be a perfect day. Wow, i can´t fully describe how impressive Machu Picchu is. It is jaw dropping, eyebrow lifting stuff. We had a city tour as well as time to look around and take a bucket load of photos. I also climbed Wayna Picchu which is the tallest mountain beside the city which is a story in itself. An interesting fact about Machu Picchu is that the shape of the mountains around it look like an Inca face lying down. The small mountain being the chin and Wayna Picchu being the nose then the forhead. (You can have a look in pic 1)

New regulations on Machu Picchu
For anyone wanting to go here please be aware that rumour has it that soon (by 2010) you won't be able to walk onto the site of Machu Picchu due to too many tourists destroying it. 500 people a day are allowed on the Inca Trail and if you wish to climb Wayna Picchu, they now only allow 400 people per day to climb it. By 10am this number is reached. I was unlucky at the start as i turned up at the gate at 11:20am being told to go away, but with persistance pleads, made up stories and just waiting at the gate for 30min, the guard let a few of us in without anyone else seeing. Bribing will get you kicked off the site. Also arguing that this rule is stupid and waving your arms in the air will get you no-where as well as i saw many people flip out and fail to get by the gate. If you are late, be nice and be patient and you may have a chance like i did.

Lake Titicaca
Arriving at the town Puno on the shores of Lake Titicaca on the Peru side, we all got to see and stand on a few of the 40 floating reed islands where around 2000 Uros people live. All these islands are man-made and it was really interesting to see how they live here, how they go to the toilet, and what they do all day to survive on the water. We also got to take a cruise on a reed boat between islands where they have to rebuild the boats once a year and the islands every few weeks due to them rotting in the water.

On the island of Amantani, i had the oppurtunity to stay with a local family at their house for 2 days where i helped to cook and tried to speak the local language of Quechuan with my little translation sheet that our guide gave us before we arrived. For dinner i had potatoes, fried cheese, orca (a poor mans sweet potato), corn and coca tea. My hosts Ruberta and Rupert were lovely and their house was really nice. No electricity though. That night i watched the storm clouds come in (pic) and we quicky made it to the dancehall where i met with the rest of my group who had different families to go to. Rupert chucked a poncho on me and sold me a beanie that Ruberta had made and we danced the night away to a live Peruvian band. (pic). I remember Ruberta grabbing me with her man-hands and leading me around the hall. It was a fun night for everyone where after a good sleep, i was woken up with more coca tea and pancakes for breakfast. I was nervous at the start of my stay, and it ended up being a very worthwhile experience learning about my hosts and how they live.

Volcano Misti
I missed out climbing Volcano Pucon in Chile due to bad weather 2 days in a row (not the one that just erupted) and i was so dissapointed. However i had another opportunity to climb here in Peru! Volcano Misti in Arequipa is famous for a discovery in 1995 where the world´s most preserved mummy (Inca) was found. This was a 2 day trek where i dissapointingly couldnt reach the smokey top. The height is 5875m above sea level and due to altitude sickness i barely made it to the base camp at around 4600m. I was also carrying 10kg of stuff (water weighing the most) where i had chest pains, lack of air, crying for no reason and dizzyness. So i stopped. It took me 7hrs to reach this height where the others in the group travelled a further 6 hours the next day to reach the summit. Misti beat me. I slept in thermols and my awesome sleeping bag where it was -6 degrees outside. It took only 1 hour 30 minutes to get back down as you moon jumped down the volcanic ash and sand. Still ´I CLIMBED A VOLCANO´... but didnt make it to the top.

Nazca Lines
Arriving in the town of Nazca, i had the opportunity of viewing the pre-Inca lines in the desert plains. Having to take a 4 seater put-put plane to see them was bumpy experience that left the poor bloke sitting behind me spewing all over himself. We passed 13 of the main drawings that range between 60m and 200m in length. Some were easy to see and some had to be pointed out by the pilot while he turned the plane 90 degrees on its side (face in the glass door). My favourits are the humming bird and spider (pics). No-one knows exactly why these lines are drawn and we all watched a documentary after on many of the theories. Some making sense, like offerings and reminders to the Gods to give them water as there was a drought at the time and unbelievable ones like aliens etc. But hey, you never know...

Dune buggies and sand boarding
A few hours from Nazca in the town of Huacachino, as a group we went off roaring through the desert, up and down massive dunes like an out of control roller-coaster. This was so much fun. Our guide/driver would speed up on the downhill to get up a dune where once you were approching the peak, you didn´t know how steep the other side would be until you creeped over and then... WHOOSH... down you went. Boarding was fun too. Setting yourself in postion, seeing the downhill slope in front of you and with a big push from the guide, down you went making sure your mouth is closed. Needless to say by the end of the day there was sand everywhere... everywhere!
My final country to visit is Equador. Quito the capital and the Galapogas Islands for the remainder of my trip.

Un-Boliviable

2008-04-13T06:45:00.043+10:00

Bolivia has been an unbelievable place to visit. Travelling over the bumpiest roads, breathing in dust all day long and drinking 4+ litres of water a day to help prevent altitude sickness has all been a part of it. All the towns that i have visited except the jungle have been around 3000m - 4000m above sea level. Breathing is difficult as you have to inhale a lot more often and just walking a flight of stairs makes you puff. The scenery between each town has constantly changed with narrow mountain roads, valleys and out in the middle of no-where towns. Ive experienced many highlights here and some of these include: Riding a mountain bike 4 hours down the World's Most Dangerous Road (pic), playing Hacki-sack on the salt flats, exploring a train graveyard(pic), watching what i would have to say is the best sunset i have ever seen (pic), witnessing the hardships of the miners in the mining town of Potosi, blowing up a pumpkin with dynomite (pic), Anaconda hunting and more piranha fishing in the Pampas (pic), hanging out with the locals in a few discoteque Bolivian clubs, eating Lama, chewing coca leaves and other traditional foods as well as absorbing the Bolivian culture in many of the witches markets and poverty streets in the capital La Paz.

Bolivian Salt Flats (Colchani)
1200 square kilometres in size. A blanco sheet that went on forever is what we got to explore over a full day in the eye squinting lands where sunglasses are a must. As a group we learnt how the local town processes the salt for commercial use as everything is hand processed. We also took many photos in funky and funny possitions as a must-do activity. We were lucky enough that we could actually drive in 4x4s across the flats to a cactus island as a lot of the time the flats are under water. Here we could see a 360 degree view of the surroundings from the top as everyone struggled to catch their breath. Blue Skies and sunshine made sure the sunscreen was lathered on as we then travelled to a salt hotel completely made of salt except the roof. Chairs, tables, walls, beds and sculptures amongst many other things was an interesting site to see. This is where we all witnessed one of the breathtaking sunsets i have ever seen. Salt flats, water pools, salt trucks and mountains in the distance as well as weirdly shaped clouds with colours changing every second was amazing as we all were blown away at what we were seeing.

The mining town of Potosi
Potosi the town itself is quite big where 15,000 - 20,000 miners go to work everyday of the year. Silver, tin and many other minerals is what´s up for grabs in many of the hundreds of mines in the area. The sad thing is over 8 million people have died mining these mines due to no controls over health and safety and where a miner can dig. Everyone is in competition with each other to find what they have come to look for and accidents happen often as well as the mountains gradually falling due to the rat warren tunnels that arnt planned beforehand. If a miner doesnt find anything, he gets no money where an average days work (if you are succesful) gets you around $10 a day (a minor also has to purchase his own dynomite and all materials.) Children as young as 12 work in these mines and the average life expectancy is 45. Cancer from the smells and dust or getting crushed are the main causes of death. Learning about what these Bolivians have to go through to make such a small amount of cash was a sad day but very informative. Towards the end of our tour after working and crawling our way through the rock we got to fill a pumpkin with dynomite and watched it get blown to smitherines as the BOOM rocked the valley as the orange mist was swept away by the wind. A statue of the devil (pic) is inside the mine and the miners give alcohol and coca leaves so that the devil is happy (and drunk) and will give them good luck and safety within the mine. Throughout this tour, many donations were given to the minors including coca leaves, dynomite and food.

Welcome to the jungle
A tiny plane landing on a grass runway, muddy, bumpy and rocky roads getting bogged and an open boat ride 3 hours in the pouring rain is what it took to get to our cabin dormatory accomodation in a jungle wetland that leads to the Amazon river. It was a horrible start as we stumbled in at night soaking wet with no hot showers and no-where for anything to dry. The toilets are disgusting and i didnt shower for the 2 days we were here as it would have been cleaner not to. Mosquitoes, bats, frogs, monkeys and weird South American bugs were kept out by our Mosquitoe net beds which was an unexpected comfort as i slept pretty soundly as it had been a 12 hour day travelling from La Paz to Rurrenabaque to the Pampas. The weather the next morning was overcast with glimpses of sun evey now and again, so after a great breakfast we went of ANACONDA HUNTING! Through the boggy wetlands we went, fighting our way through the knee high mud marshes looking for anything resembling a snake, however it was not to be. Walking for 2 hours we didnt get to see one, but was a different experience trekking the wetlands nearly developing trench foot. That afternoon we went off in the open boats again to go SWIMMING with the PINK DOLPHINS! This was amazing as one swam under me in the Piranha infested waters as well as a few metres away where they keep bobbing up for air. These dolphins i would have to say are the ugliest dolphins i have ever seen, the adults are light pink in colour with really long snouts and the babies are more pinky grey. Still i had a great time and worked out i need to get fit as tredding water for about half an hour tired me out. That night we went out in the boats with spotlight torches and tried to spot Aligatiors and other animals as their red eyes lit up when the light flashed over them in the bushes on the side of the river. It was a jammed packed day and that didnt stop as the next morning i went PIRANHA FISHING where i finally caught 3!!! The teeth on these things are so sharp and they could easily take off your skin. We threw all the ones we caught back into the river, as they are what the dolphins eat. Just like arriving, it was a long journey back to La Paz, but a very worthwhile trip.

I survived Death Road!

Starting high in a misty cloud of the Bolivian Andes, the steep and bumpy La Paz to Coroico road goes down 3,600 meters on its spectacular 64 km path to the lush, sub-tropical Yungas and to the town of Coroico. The history of The Worlds Most Dangerous Road is unbelevable. An average 100-200 people plunged to their death every year in sections where the road is wide enough for one vehicle... just. Trucks would try and pass each other on these dirty, rocky, wet and unstable tracks. Thanks to a new, paved, safer road, this track no longer is open to the crazy drivers that cheated death every-day as their job. What the road is mainly used for now is adrenalin junky downhill mountain bikers! As a group with a tour company, we raced down the first paved section in a cloud. Depending on how much you weighed and how much you crouched into the bicycle, we got up to speeds of 80km/hr! After this the road begins to get rocky and shear cliff faces appear where we all tried to hug the cliff walls to our right as much as possible. We had double suspension Canadian Rocky-Mountain bikes with full safety gear for the occasion where i felt it was safer to go a little fast on this track, otherwise the slower you go, the more chances of the bike skidding on loose rocks whereas you end up just flying over them having more control the faster you go. It took 4 hours to get to the bottom, brain tired of concentration, wrists hurting from all the braking and releavement from one hairy moment.

Next is Peru for around 3 weeks.

Falling Rapidly

2008-03-26T04:29:00.011+11:00

I have never White Water rafted before and with a bit of peer pressure i was off doing a Grade 3-4 on a river in Bariloche - Argentina after making sure my travel insurance covered this activity. Blue skies, warmish weather and cold glacier waters was what was ahead of us as we travelled to the starting point where we all got kitted up and briefed on what to do. Excitment and adrenalin was pumping as we went through the first couple of grade 3 rapids unscathed and having a lot of fun. There were different names for each of the 10 or so we went through and some of them included, "Devils Stomoch", "Devils Tongue", "Vascelene" and the only Grade 4 rapid... "The Devils Throat" (pics). This is where things got a bit out of control for 3 of us in the raft. The path we took made the raft bump into one of the rocks tilting the raft onto its side immediately flipping me in the air and sliding/falling into the water. After holding my breath and coming up for air, i was then dunked a few more times as it was a lengthy rapid on the way downstream. The rescue canoe was there straight away to resue the 3 of us but as we all desperately lunged for the same handle on the back of his canoe, he ended up tipping upside down and so now there are 4 of us in the water uncontrollably. With more dunkings and movements which felt like a washing machine i was able to once again grab hold of the rescue canoe (when he flipped himself back up) and got back into the raft. The 3 of us looked liked drowned rats by the end of it, but WOW i had a fantastic time. No-one on the trip got badly injured, just a few lost shoes and earings. Everyone at the end of the day had a story to tell as we ate a massive meaty lunch that replaced all the energy used up in the water. (If you would like to see any of my photos larger, just click on them)

More Glaciers and Fitz Roy

2008-03-22T07:50:00.009+11:00

Mount Fitz Roy is absolutely spectacular. I didn't actually climb this mountain in Pategonia - Argentina but to a lookout that ended up being quite strenuous to get to the top. Professional rock climbers are the ones that tackle this challenge as its full of ice, snow and vertical rock. It took me around 3 hours to get to this point (pic) where the first 2 hours were spent walking through a forest in the valley and 1 hour climbing a steep rocky path that was just as hard to get back down as it was quite dusty and slippery. An aqua blue lake, a retreating glacier and icy clouds whisping off the top made a few fantastic photos and a view that i will never forget. We got to this point earlir than expected and so 2 of us decided to continue on around the lake to see if we could make it to the glacier. There is no path and nothing on the map telling us which way to go. Obviously you arn't meant to go there but hey, we went anyway. From the photo we went around to the right as you couldn't from the left and although it doesnt look that far, it took us another hour to get there. Loose boulders and gravel, steep rock sections and icy water waiting for us to fall in as we scrambled slowly making sure every planted foot was secure. And when we did arrive, WOW, there was a huge ice sheet with caves and waterfalls where you could hear it cracking and moving/melting slower than a snails pace down the mountain (pic). We spent a bit of time here admiring this awesome spectical with no other noisy tourists or people around. Getting back had its moments of peril, but we were back at the hostel safe and sound just as it was getting dark getting the most out of the day.

Glacier Perito Moreno is to me the most spectacular glacier out of all the ones that i have seen. Not much effort to get here as we took a bus to a lookout point for this one. But upon arrival it was jaw dropping. A mass of compacted ice as far as you could see right in front of you. The face of it is 60 metres high where usually once every 2 years a huge chunk breaks off and comes crashing into the water making an exploding sound. We certainly saw many small bits and pieces break off and fall but the next predicted huge crash is meant for winter next year. We also got to hop on a boat that takes you pretty close to it to view it from a different angle and all throughout the day you could hear it moving as it scratches and carves its way dow from the mountains. Love it!

It´s Chilly in Chile

2008-03-15T09:39:00.016+11:00

The "W" walk.
I have never completed a trek this difficult and strenuous before but it was one of the best i have ever finished as well. 3 days, 75km (46 miles) of up and down mountains. Its called the "W" walk as this is the shape of the treks from a birds eye view on the map. There are many different ways you can tackle this challenge in which way you go, what camps you stay at and what you want to see. Basically i did an arm of the walk up and down each day back to back. Throughout i saw Glacier Grey which is such an amazing site (pic), as well as iceburg beaches (pic), enormouse mountains with smaller glaciers cracking and screaching all throughout the walk, forests and rivers with "Indiana Jones" style wooden bridges as the only way to cross them. Blisters, aching muscles, falling over twice and a freshly 7 hour cooked spit roast lamb to come back to eating it in front of the Torres del Paine mountains with a half moon popping out from behind it and a starry sky.

Day 1 was a rainy day where climbing to the top overlooking a mountain lake was spectacular but also hard to see as we were in a cloud (pic). To get here was quite dangerous and tough on the knees and ankels as the rock bolders you needed to climb were slippery and some were unstable. However with ankels moving in every direction and knees copping the full impact as all you could do was jump down from rock to rock, i was back safe and sound stretching as much as possible so i could walk tomorrow.

Day 2 we decided to see Glacier Grey while i was still able to walk. This walk was a lot easier but twice as long. 90% of it was through the forest that was nowhere near as strenuous as yesterday. We spent a while scrambling down the rocks to get to the closest front position looking at the Glacier (pic). A 30km day today and we got back during the dark.

Day 3 was a fantastic day with moments of peril. Not a cloud in the sky and another 30km day. Aqua blue lakes, green trees, snow/glacier capped mountains as i walked through the middle valley. Slightly tired from the last couple of days i pushed on once again climbing boulder rocks to get to a lookout that was absolutely breathtaking. I fell twice today hurting myself but was ok. Tired, swearing at myself, hungry, thirsty, in need of suger and the annoying pain of my falls quickly evaporated when i had that spit roast lamb in front of spectacular scenery and a hot shower. My clothes absolutly stink, and there is nowhere to wash them for a few days, he he he.
This is great practice to the climbs that are coming up, epecially Machu Pitchu in 8 weeks or so. More glaciers, mountains and volcanoes to come!

Patagonia in Argentina

2008-03-15T09:10:00.013+11:00

Wow! I would have to say that this place of endless mountains to climb and walk is another of my favourite places that i have seen. Starting off in the Southermost city in the world Ushuaia (Argentina) and criss-crossing our way north on Route 40 exploring Chile. Its cool during the day and freezing at night.

My first climb began in Ushuaia (after getting a novelty stamp in my passport) to a small Glacier overlooking the town. It was a little difficult getting to the end of the trail through mud and little rain however if you wanted to see the glacier you had to make your own way up through loose rocks and very steep inclines following the river. This took a while as i had to stop every 15 metres just to catch my breath. Entering a cloud i eventually hurried my way to the start of the glacier where you could only see 10 metres in front of you as it was getting late and it would be impossible to go back down in the dark. However i made it to the ice (pic) and back down safely in 7 hours absolutely stuffed only to find that i had done a schoolboy error in pitching our tent in what now i could see as a creek bed and yes it was raining. All i wanted was some hot food and a hot shower, where i spent that time frantically moving stuff out of the tent as it was flooding and leaking fast. What a day!

From here we zig-zagged our way north through Argentina and Chile spending a lot of time at border crossings, getting our passports stamped, truck checked for fruit and vegitables and filling out forms as well as more countless hours travelling between abandoned, creepy sheep station bush camps and civilized towns with amazing sun sets and sunrises and weather that changes so quickly.

BA and heading south

2008-03-09T03:12:00.016+11:00

In a cramped bumpy bus/truck, we all travelled from Montevideo down to the port 3 hours away and took a 4 hour ferry to Buenos Aires in Argentina where we were staying for 4 days. There is so much to do here and once again so little time. Tango shows in the middle of streets, dogs and dog poop everywhere, the hustle and bustle like all other cities, querky suburbs like La Boca with colourful painted houses (pic), cheap healthy food in all the restaurants, helpful friendly people and areas you do not enter after dark. Tango and football are the two most popular things in north Argentina. I did a lot of walking around the main areas to see as well as having a tango lesson, dancing with professional tango dancers (pic) and seeing a tango show, eating the local cuisines as well as resting after hours of overland travel and getting ready for more as we head south to Patagonia.

"Get your kicks on Route..." 3

Route 3 is the long highway that goes from Buenos Aires all the way south to Ushuaia (the southernest city in the world). Travelling on our full Kumuka bus/truck we travelled countless hours over a week to get to the end of the world, stopping off at some filthy campsites and bush camps (and a few good ones as well). This trip is a story in itself where travelling 12 hour days puts me to sleep as well as wakes me up with all the bumps and crazy Argentinian drivers overtaking on blind corners. Chess, listening to music and eating icecreams at every trucker stop was my usual daily routine and probably will continue to be until the end of the trip. We stopped for 2 nights in Puerto Madryn where we did a day trip on a bus and boat and saw sea lions, different bird species, penguins and awesome views of the bay area which was fantasic. As we are camping for the next few weeks, we have cooking and cleaning duties as there are 24 of us. Cooking food for 24 people can turn out to be an absolute disater and the rice i tried to make one night did turn out that way... oops. The views out the window are very picturesque heading into Pategonia however they havn´t changed much in the week heading south. Flat, grass, shrubs, sky and clouds, thats it. No trees, no mountains, no water... yet.

I cant wait to hit Pategonia and start doing some fun activities. Glaciers, volcanos, mountains, wildlife, multiple day treks and differnt towns to explore. (i can finally work off the icecreams!)

Uruguay

2008-02-27T01:33:00.013+11:00

After witnessing the awesome sight of the Iguazu Falls (pic) on the Argentinian side (better than the Brazilian side), we travelled to Uruguay for a total of 4 days. Stayed 1 night in Salto (not much here other than hot springs swimming pools) spent the last days in the capital Montevideo and had a few hours to explore in the town Colonia. Montevideo is huge, the city itself is just like any other major city but with a mixture of old and new architecture all over the place. Ate the local food and got to see a lot of the countryside. We ended going out on a Saturday night to one of the major clubs ´WV´(pic). Tired from a long 8 hour bus ride after camping on hard ground and getting up before the sun, i pushed myself to stay awake to go out. Clubs dont get lively until around 2am. We arrived at midnight and it was pretty much dead, however a few beers and chit chat with the group made the time go fast and before we knew it the club was packed. The next few hours were spent dancing to Latin American and Samba music with the locals which was a lot of fun. Clubbing in Uruguay, i never thought i would do that!

Next is back into Argentina for around 3 weeks travelling all the way south to Patagonia. Heaps of things to do but for the first few days after Buenos Aires, we have hours and hours of travelling days with free bush camping in-between and maybe the odd campsite. Mmmm... have to make sure the iPod is charged for this and stock up for Baby Wipe showers!

At the Copa...Copacabana

2008-02-17T03:13:00.031+11:00

Back south of the equator and into Brazil once again wearing shorts and T-shirts. Arrived on a hot and rainy Copacabana beach where the weather in Rio de Janeiro was pelting with rain one minute, blue skies and sunburn the next. I witnessed the everyday festivities of ´Carnival` and saw all the picturesque views of Rio from up on a hill called the Suger Loaf and also from the big feet of the world wonder - Christ the Redeemer (pic). I was lucky enough to go to a Brazillian football game where flares, huge banners and a roaring crowd made it a worth while experience where 7 goals were scored. Not feeling confident travelling around South America by myself, i have joined a Kumuka tour where they will take me to all the best and out of the way places whithout having to worry about transport or accomodation and the hassle and time consuming efforts to know where to go. This started after Carnival and I have been travelling south through Brazil on a truck/bus all the way from Rio to the Iguazu Falls bordering Argentina. During this leg of the trip i have camped in the mud and poring rain. Swam and snorkled in Piranha, Anaconda and Caiman (croc) infested waters (pic), had countless mosquito bites even though i have been using insect repellent more often than shampoo in the Pantanal. Fished for Piranha but caught 3 small sardine type fish (pic) and one 20cm Catfish which i got to eat, hiked/waded through knee high water for a few hours and went horse riding in the Pantanal wetlands, travelled in our bus across the Brazillian landscapes where our longest day was 14 hours, ate Caiman, White-Lipped Peccary and the worlds largest rodant (it´s the size of a medium sized dog) the Capybara (pic) and visited the worlds largest water falls being the Iguazu Falls. Geez ive done quite a bit already and its only the start. So many stories to tell but like always I will only select a few.

Carnival
Loved it! From going out the first night and joining a mass crowd down the street singing and chanting to the beats of the drums to dancing with the locals on the beach sipping on many many Caperinha´s. I didn´t end up going to the Samba Drome where they have the main parades as i was having so much fun going to all the street parties around that i didnt want to pay the ridiculous entry fee amount to sit up the back and not really get involved. On Copacabana beach, young kids came up to us trying to teach us how to dance where we were automatically invited to come and join their huge family dancing on the beach trying to communicate with my hands as my Portugese is... well... non existent. It was so much fun and we even were able to eat their plethora of fruit and food that they had just for them. On another night we went to the main town square in Lapa (pic) and danced to the traditional Quica music (whoop whoop de whoop whoop!) and once again were taught how to dance where you pretty much use every single leg muscle. I went and had 2 henna tattoos drawn on my back and chest for the occasion and had a great time partying it up across all the main nights the Carnival was on.

An area larger than France
The Pantanal wetlands. Full of wildlife and over 650 species of birds, and i even saw a few Tucan´s! At the moment it´s the end of the rainy season and moving into the wet season which makes this time of year the worst place in the world for mosquitos. With Dengue and Yellow Fever outbreaks around, i stocked up on the Deet and sprayed it on until the skin burnt, but they still got me! Ive recieved countless bites but im not sick, just making the most of my Stop Itch cream. Apart from this and a few other annoyances, this part of the world is really beautiful and would put up with it all agian if i were to come back. We trekked through the swamps and on the solid grounds learning about the flora and fauna only found here. Slapping exposed skin for mossys, ants, wasps and random unknown bugs, we hiked for 2-3 hours in flip flops as we had to wade through swamp water, seeing birds, monkeys, Caiman, otters and other species of animals that i have never seen before. The group i am with is a lot of fun and are great company as we get to share these stories over a cold `Skol´ beer after a long day.

"America...F%#K Yeah!"

2008-01-13T08:28:00.000+11:00

For those who don't understand the title, it comes from a song in the movie 'Team America - World Police.' America has been fun and i have enjoyed each place that i have been to, there is heaps more to see and do here, so i will have to come back.

The 'Icy' Windy City
Unlike New York where it was what i expected, Chicago wasn't at all. New parks and artistic gardens (pic) with old and new skyscrapers, but a city that you can easily walk around in and not get lost. The central hub of the town is smaller than what i expected but Chicago as an area in general with all the suburbs is huge. At first i unknowingly booked a hostel that was 50 minutes away by train! It was one of the worst hostels i had stayed in and found a great place in the centre of town after. I did a couple of walking tours where i learnt a lot about the city, went to another blues bar (i had to, it's Chicago! -pic) and went and watched the Chicago Blackhawks get thumped by Minnesota Wild (2-5) in my first Ice Hockey game. I loved it. But they lost. A very physical game where one of the Blackhawks players sandwiched a Minnesota Wild player in-between him and the perspex wall, snapping it in two where they spent 5 minutes replacing it. The sell-out crowd of 21,000 fans ranted and raved with joy as the poor bloke got back up quite slowly. Saw a few fights too and the girls in mini skirts who's job it is to scoop up the shredded ice during the breaks. The oversize guy next to me getting drunk on Bud Light? seemed to like it too.

Sin City
Trailer park trash, single mums, Elvis wannabees and drugged up violent couples with black eyes was my first introduction to Las Vegas on my 1 hour local bus ride from the airport to my hostel. It actually felt like i was part of a 'COPS' episode. I was here for a week and a half and it took me a while to find the fun side of this city of sin. The only gambling i did was lose $35 in a poker tournament and win $35 on a Roulette table. Other than that, i watched many people throw away the same amount i am spending on my entire trip within 10 minutes on various games. I became a member at every single casino (pic), went on the scariest rides i have ever been on on top of the Stratosphere casino, i gatecrashed an Elvis themed wedding (pic) and as i was their only guest, they made me part of their wedding photos! I saw most of the outdoor shows the casinos put on and went to many bars and clubs in the main strip and the outside local areas as well. Went to 8 free gaming lessons and learnt how to play most of the popular table games. In the end i did enjoy Las Vegas. It's been blue skies and around 16 degrees everyday.

It's a Grand Canyon
Wanting to spend more time here, i could only go on a day trip for various reasons. It was a long but good day. Up at 5am and arrived back at 9pm. The canyon was amazing however i was shoved in with 60 other whinging and whining tourists where all they did was complain that the bus TV was too quiet and it's too early, too cold etc... With the 5 hours there and 5 hours back, all i did was try to tune out listening to my music and look at the stunning views out the window off in my own little world. We visited Hoover Dam and the southern part of the Grand Canyon (the deepest/widest etc). I watched an IMAX movie about the Canyon before witnessing one of the natural wonders. It was a great day and i was lucky enough to be able to trek down and up a bit only for an hour though on the snow covered path as we were 2.5km above sea level.

Los Angeles
With non stop patchy rain the whole time i was here was a bit of a shame yet i got to do a lot of things that i would not have expected to do in this huge spread out city. Shaved my head again into what my mother has called 'a silly hair strip' and went to a few clubs, being called 'The Girl Bar' a goth club 'Das Bunker' and a roller skating (not blading) club called 'World on Wheels' where hundreds of people dressed in 80's gear and hot pants skate around the ring to 80's music with the bar up the top. They all were very cool clubs like i have never experienced before. On top of that i climbed up in the hills near the Hollywood sign, and got chauffeured around Los Angeles thanks to Mariah who lives here whom i had met earlier in my travels, walked and spent an afternoon at Venice beach and Muscle Park where there is an outdoor gym to show off and release some testostorone when the weather was surprisingly really nice, and went cruising around Bell Air, Beverly Hills, Downtown, Hollywood and all the other areas that need to be seen.

Next stop is 'Carnival!' in Rio, for nearly 2 weeks!!! For the next 3 months i will be travelling and camping throughout Brazil, Paraguay, Argentina, Chile, Bolivia and Peru. I don't know how often i will be able to access and/or have time to check emails and write my blog but i will when i can.

It's a Big Apple

2008-01-08T11:31:00.000+11:00

I loved New York so much that i stayed here for 2 weeks doing the tourist thing and looking for different things to do. I went and watched 'Chicago' on Broadway (pic), went to the Statue of Liberty (pic) and learnt about the immigrant process on Ellis Island, bought a harmonica and went for a lesson in uptown Harlem (pic) trying to learn the 'Hoochie Coochie Man', spent New Years in Time Square, played King Kong on top of the Empire State building, ate from all the fast food chains and the healthy food places serving big meals as well as having lunch in the newly renovated 'Seinfeld' cafe. "Hallelujah" and "Praise Jesus...ah!" were being shouted out loud and proud at a Baptist 'gospel' Church also in Harlem on the 1st Holy day of the new year (pic) and preparing myself and doing a bit of organising for South America in a couple of weeks time. I am now addicted to 'Starbucks Grande Mocha Frappacinno's' with whipped cream and a hint of caramel sauce and 'Butterfinger' candy bars.

Spirit Fingers
Going and witnessing what a gospel church is like was one of my goals in America. I set the alarm on Sunday morning and off i went. (I don't think I've ever been excited to go to church before). The service went for 4 hours, where the heavenly sounds of praises to Jesus, clapping and swaying to the melodic tunes got the most committed members shouting out "Amen" and "Praise the Lord..ah" at any random moment. You could definitely not fall asleep here. The Reverend to emphasis his points in the stories he would tell would SHOUT into the microphone with all his MIGHT to the point where you would be sitting back straight and hands on knees! It was a bit hard for me to understand the Reverends speaking and building up their stories into a full blown shouting session as their deep accents were so strong. This was a completely opposite experience to the church service i went to on Christmas Eve at Notre Dame in Paris, but was a lot of fun seeing how the African American worships and spends their Sunday mornings. You certainly walk out of there awake and ready for the day.

"Da na na na na..."
No, I'm not smoking, that's me playing the harmonica! I purchased one in France a while back thinking i could teach myself some blues after listening to an awesome player in a blues bar where he had around 15 harmonicas in his little bag. Well as it turned out, i had no idea how to play the thing. So i decided i needed a lesson and what better place to get a lesson than being in an English speaking country. It took a while to find someone who could teach me, but i found him. Arthur Moskuitz was his name and we 'jammed' (is that the right word) after teaching me the basic notes to "The Hoochie Coochie Man" (that's the song where you can make up your own rhymes in between playing the notes), he showed me how to 'bend' notes and how to hold the thing while playing. It was so much fun. As well as learning, we also chatted for ages about his life growing up and the hardships that he has experienced and living in a predominately black community. I got to see what a typical flat looks like in uptown Harlem and its not much, just 1 tiny room with everything shoved in their. My hair is a tad short due to me shaving off my mohawk as I'm sure the Gospel church wouldn't have let a white guy in with a strange haircut but it's growing back pretty fast.

NY for NY

2008-01-05T14:15:00.000+11:00

Happy New Year everyone! I planned this one year ago. A hostel half a block away from Times Square in New York, plane flights booked and an event that i have been looking forward too for just as long. After waking up late on the 31 December, i knew that it was going to be a big day. One of the guys working at the hostel recommended that to see The Ball drop, you have to be there by 5pm. Not knowing if there would be toilets or food available, we went outside the police barriers at 3pm that were already set up. Once we got our stuff, it was a big hassle trying to get back in. The police were already not letting people enter. We managed to squish through the crowd around the barrier only because we had hostel keys within Times Square, no-one else was allowed in. Once getting metal detected at this checkpoint, it was again a problem walking to the main area to view the ball. Power driven cops blocking the way and not letting anybody in. At this point i actually thought i was going to miss out, but by asking different officers and pleading with them, we eventually got in. It was 4pm and we had 8 hours to go! It was a huge crowd already and we managed to find a great spot in one of the 'sheep like pens' that they had set up. (pic) We were positioned in-between the ball and the 2 stages that they had set up above the crowd where we could see both. The red ball is in the top right corner where most of the screens under it and behind where we were displayed the countdown. Now what do we do? Well, we listened and danced to bands playing including Lenny Kravitz and a whole heap of other bands the crowd definitely knew but i had never heard of. Every hour was a countdown to New Years somewhere in the world, and there was a restaurant open right next to us where you could get quick food and use the restroom after lining up. With free red hats and balloons being handed out to the crowd of 300,000 within Times Square, everyone and myself went nuts after the final 10 second countdown. Fireworks, confetti and a roar that sounded like the crowd when Essendon won the AFL Grand Final over Carlton back in 1993. With New York, New York playing on the loud speakers, everyone wished each other a happy new year. By 12.30am, most of the crowd had disappeared as everyone had been standing there all day. With adrenalin pumping, it was time to go clubbing, however as we found out, all clubs were charging US$60-80 entry fee! So we ended up having a few drinks at a bar which put us to sleep as it had been a long day standing in the cold and squishy crowd. I loved it, but like everyone around us was saying... never again.
(pic) Mariah and I and our hairstyles... don't freak out mum, it's only hair :)

I'm off to explore New York, Chicago, Las Vegas, Grand Canyon and LA until the end of January. Unfortunately due to 'Carnival' in Brazil changing its dates to the start of February, i have had to miss out on exploring Canada and Mexico.

France 'Encore Une Fois'

2008-01-05T10:01:00.001+11:00

France once again! I had to alter my plans these last few weeks due to trying to find cheap and available accommodation, French transport strikes and the weather. After Spain i went to Bordeaux, Limoges and then i spent Christmas in Paris. I had a pretty relaxing time in the towns beforehand before reaching the City of Love. Top temperature was 2 degrees and it hit -5 during the night. I could only go out and explore between 12pm and 4pm as that is when the weather was at least bearable. So cold. I know everyone sais it but i would have to agree that Paris is one of the best cities in the world. I ate frogs legs and snails (pic), visited a French dentist, went to the Christmas Eve church service at Notre Dame, spent an hour walking down through the Paris sewers, went up the Eiffel Tower (pics - of it and under it at night), went to the Moulon Rouge (pic), waded my way through the crowd to see Michelangelo's Mona Lisa and walked and saw all the main tourist sites that had to be seen. Big thank-you to Florence whom i met up with from Spain and her group of friends for taking me out to their local bars and being my personal guide to the must see places and trying to teach me French. All up i spent 1 month in France in 6 towns where i have found the people to be one of the nicest in all the places that i have been.

The breast show ever!
Moulon Rouge, well what can i say. Pretty expensive but well worth it. After having dinner with 8 French friends i had made, i was off back to where i was staying which is a 2 minute walk from the most famous dance shows in the world. While waiting in line i witnessed a bloke getting belted out on the sidewalk by the security guards where the biggest, baldest guard kicked him with his US14 size boot just under the ribs! OOO that had to hurt. With my pre-purchased ticket, my seat was right in the middle and on the 1st level back, perfect viewing spot. The 2hour show started soon after. With my free half bottle of champagne i watched ventriloquists, gymnasts and random other impressive performances, a topless chic swimming with 3 huge snake serpents and 40 topless women with the best bodies dancing around with different costumes and backgrounds. I think there where a few guys dancing too, but i didn't really take much notice.

France was a lot of fun and i would love to come back one day (when the weather is warmer) and bike ride one of the stages in the Tour de France as well as explore and mountain walk the Pyrenees.

Next is New York for New Years and about 1 month in America.

Madrid Street Performer (click to view)

2007-12-13T03:15:00.001+11:00

It was a dark and stormy evening...
... and I just came in from a 7 hour train ride from Madrid through the pelting rain. Once exiting San Sebastian station, I could feel the cool night air and smell the ocean salt encrusted on the outer seal and door handle of the station exit. My overloaded bags made me move at a slower rate as i walked and ducked under shelter every 100 or so metres to escape the rain. My watch read 5:00pm. It was already dark as the wind howled. The sound is defining as she slammed into the next swell and white spray flew over my head, driven by the wind. As the rain kept pelting down, i took a chance and ran in the direction my hostel had given me. I was cold but at the same time the spray was refreshing. The water, the pain and the adrenaline are intoxicating. The cooling water mixing with the hot sweat inside my clothes. I was about 300 metres from my destination as i had to walk along the promenade. The sea walls and beach were being pounded by the storm. Cold, wet and hungry and in desperate need of a hot shower, i finally reached Olga´s Hostel. Speech was difficult. I went into my room and removed my shoes. There is no joy in being slapped in the face by wind and rain. The shower... very satisfying.

The next 2 days had really sunny but cool weather. The ocean was calmer and i had a good look around this surf/beach town. Got drenched walking on the 10 metre high sea wall as a freak wave came over the top. Got it on video footage! However my camera is now stuffed. I got to view the footage a couple of times before it now turns on and off when it wants to.

I didnt think much of Madrid. I went to a smokey blues bar which was cool and saw many street performers. (video) Not much else interested me here as it is the wrong time of year for any of the major events. But was good to check out.

Back into France until the 28th December. Bordeaux, Toulous, Paris and the surrounding towns in these areas. Merry Christmas and i hope you have a fantastic New Years Eve!

Jazzing it up in Spain

2007-12-06T23:23:00.001+11:00

After feeling the blues in France, it was time to jazz it up in Spain going to one of the many performances at the Barcelona International Jazz Festival. "Dianne Reeves With Strings Attached" nearly put me to sleep (in a good way) at times and had me hopping and bopping through the rest of her 2 hour performance. After Avignon in France i trained it to Barcelona, then Valencia and i then went back to Barcelona. Ive spent a total of 2 weeks in Barcelona, 5 days in Valencia and 2 days at Monistrol de Montserrat climbing the mountain twice!

"Dont worry, he's from Barcelona"
Wow, i have done so many things here and i am so glad i stayed especially after wanting to leave after the first night here. So what have i done... Ive been to the 1992 Olympic Games village, visited Park Guell (Goudy's Park) (pic), went to the Dali Museum (pic) 2 hours outside Barcelona, went to an inside the human body exhibition, went clubbing at Barcelona's best club "Razzamatazz" (5 clubs in 1), went to a cop shop, went for a run along the beach and another run to the castle Montjuic, watched countless street performers down La Rambla, saw a heap of the new architecturally designed buildings as well as Goudy's, tried to grow a Spanish moustache for charity, ate expensive Tapas that was really nice, ate the best Paella and also peanut butter and coffee icecream as well as drinking heaps of Sangria, Mojito's, Cora's and Caipirinhas... and im still not fat!

Meeting two guys in my Hostel who knew and had friends in Barcelona, i was very lucky to be able to hang out with them for two nights. We went to a cafe/bar/butcher place called "Champagne". This place was down a back street in a tiny shop, it had dried meat hanging from the ceiling and it was packed full of people. Its more of a bar than anything else where you drink Cora (red champagne) and eat Loba's (bread with pork meat) but they also add their own special spices to it which makes it really tasty especially when you're hungry, thirsty and in a real lively atmosphere. Real cheap too which is why it is so popular. As this place is in a residential area, it is known that the residents throw eggs on the drunks below on the street if you are too noisy outside, so we moved on pretty quickly when the place closed. With the same group the other night, i was invited to go to a Brazilian house/flat party down the road where that turned out to be a lot of fun. I was the star of the show being the only Australian where everyone else was Brazilian and giving me their uncles, brothers friends contact details to go and stay with them when i reach Brazil. It was a really good night and really friendly bunch.

Monistrol de Montserrat
Yup, another monistary way up in the clouds, and still loving them! I climbed this mountain twice, where i climbed different routes each time. The first day i went i planned a day trip from Barcelona. Climbing with Florence whom i met on the train on the way there was great company walking around on two of the main five walks that you can do. The first time i didnt actually climb from the bottom, i took the cable car train to the Monistary and then went on the walks from there. A week later i came back and actually stayed in the small, quiet and really friendly town for two nights. Meeting Mariah in Barcelona, we climbed from the very bottom to the very top of this rocky yet foresty mountain (pic). Getting lost on the way up, we bush bashed a bit trying to figure out which way to go as the signs arnt really clear, or we just missed them. Took us most of the day to get to the top witnessing an amazing sunset. Climbing back down in the dark for 1 hour (to the cable car/train) was a bit difficult, but we made it unscathed as well as seeing the odd mountain goat. Back at the Monistary was a sculpture/monument (pic), dont think you are allowed to climb it, but hey... when in Rome. Was one of the best days i have ever had.

Valencia
Valencia was a nice town where what makes this town different is the dried up river bed that runs through it. They have converted it into a really long park with sports areas, bike riding paths and your general park layout. The old town is quite nice as well but being a smaller town to Barcelona and Madrid, there was not much going on mid week. So what did i do here... I watched Flamenco dancing at a bar drinking Sangria, saw the new funky designed buildings (pic), got a ride in a cop car, chilled out relaxing down the beach, ate a really tasteless Paella (that's why it was so cheap), walked along the river bed and went to the best kids playground IN THE WORLD! This place was amazing. It was basically a huge fibreglass giant from the story of Gulliver's Travels (pic). The 50 metre or so giant was lying on his back. You could slide down either side his jacket, his hair were also slides and you could climb all over him. It was hard fighting kids away as i wanted to go down the slides without collecting 10 of them on the way down!

Im in Madrid at the moment and then i will be off to San Sebastian very soon. The weather has been good, coolish to warm days and cold nights. The sun goes down at 5:00pm.

Feeling the blues in France

2007-12-06T21:38:00.000+11:00

Half way! 6 months gone and 6 more to go. After Switzerland i have travelled West into France visiting the towns of Dijon and Avignon. I didnt have any real reason to go to these places, but thought i would visit them and discover what was there. Dijon is a nice smallish town which got pretty cold at night. I had heaps of the mustard as i thought i should and went to a fun fair (pic) on most of the nights as that was the main attraction during this time. Listening to the Carnival folk yelling and screaming on the loud speakers in French to get people to come on their rides was a different experience. I ate heaps of "Shocolate Cwasonts" just because i like saying that and saw the beginnings of all the Christmas decorations that were being put up all around the town.

Travelling South from Dijon to Avignon, i arrived in the late afternoon and got lost. I didnt know there were two train stations and i thought i was at the other one. Lugged my bags around for quite a while before finding a place to stay as i was out in the factory and industiral area. Avignon is another nice town, where the old town is surrounded by a city wall. I saw and drew the Pont de Avignon (from the French nursery rhyme where everyone dances on it) (pic). Walked around the Popes Palace, saw my fort (St. Andre's Fort) and went to a blues festival.

Avignon Blues Festival
I have never really listed to blues music before and thought this would be something different to do apart from the normal sightseeing. Finding out about it off a poster in town (all in French) i took a photo of it and asked the receptionist at my hostel where it was. She explained to me that it was a 30 minute bus ride outside of town and that i had to leave pretty soon to catch the last bus. So off i went in search of the bus stop at 7pm where the Blues Festival starts at 7pm. Just caught the bus in time and got to the last stop around 7.30pm. When i hopped off, i had no idea where i was. It was dark, quiet and nothing around. As i was looking around, the bus pulled away and went back in the direction we came from. I got a bit worried as that was the last bus and there were no taxis or cars around. So off i went in a direction i just picked and 5 min later i came across a car park full of cars and a big building with a sign saying "Avignon Blues Festival". Phew, dont know how that happened! Got my ticket and sat down in the 800 people concert hall and listed to 3 performances. The Coulour Gospel (French), Eugene "Hideaway" Bridges (pic) (American) and Michael Burks (American). Eugene "Hideaway" Bridges was my favourite, bought his CD and was tapping and swaying all through his 2 hour performance. Best voice according to "Soul" magazine. Michael Burks was also really impressive on his guitar, that had everyone tapping and cheering. Wow, after all 3 performances, it was 1am and time to go home. I was presuming that there would be taxis out the front as there were so many people. I waited outside for maybe 30min and there was nothing. Everyone who went to the festival drove. Looking back, i should have made friends with someone so that they could take me back to Avignon, but in the end i walked. Thinking a taxi may pass me eventually i walked in the direction the bus came from but really didnt know the way back. After a good 10 minutes of not knowing where the hell i was at around 2am, i found a main highway and a sign saying "Avignon". I had my jacket, beanie and gloves and i arrived back at the hostel at 4am... really...really tired!
I slept all the next day.

Next is Spain for about a month. I am actually already half way through, just a bit behind in my blogs. Barcelona, Valencia, Madrid and San Sebastian are on my places to go before heading back into France mid December.

CHeese & CHocolate in Confederation Helvetica

2007-11-06T22:18:00.000+11:00

Spent 12 days in Switzerland basing myself in Lauterbrunnen, Lucerne, Bern and Lausanne. Thinking the Cinque Terre in Italy was amazing, i must admit i have gone from spectacular scenery to mind blowing scenery! The Swiss Alps in Autumn, touching on Winter, with red, orange, yellow, brown and green trees with so many shades of colour all over the base of the enormous mountains with snow on top and clouds swirling around the peaks. This is what it has been like with pretty much every day being sunny weather but so cold as soon as the sun goes down. Besides just staring in a daze at the gigantic chunks of rock, i met up with a high school friend Katie where we went ice skating, strolled around towns on Lake Geneva, stumbled on an annual running race around the town of Vevey with kids and adults dressed in their Halloween costumes and saw the 'Fork of Vevey' which was so weird (pic). I've also been paragliding (pic), had snow fights (pic), I watched 'The Alps' at IMAX on a rainy day, somehow got into a club with 4 Swiss Military friends where i had no ID on Halloween night, played mega chess in the park and watched numerous base jumpers throw themselves off cliffs. I ate as many traditional Swiss dishes as i could where pretty much all of them include a bucket load of cheese (cheese fondo, Raclette, Roesti etc.) and ate a heap of Toblarone and Lindt chocolate.

On Her Majesty’s Secret Service
I haven't actually seen this 007 movie, but i plan to when i get back and say "I was there". The Shilthorn, the world's highest revolving restaurant (built for the movie) at an icy 3000m above sea level. Meeting up with Lauren and Bronwyn, we travelled to the top catching numerous trains and cable cars while eyeing each other off on who would receive the first snowball. With all of us not having seen snow since we were little kids, we knew it was going to be an exciting day. With my new jacket, beanie, gloves and scarf, i was set as we stepped out into the freezing -5C to -10C cold and getting our 007 photos captured (pic). The view from the top was awesome and something a camera could never capture. We all had a satisfying pork schnitzel through 1.5 clockwise rotations in the restaurant before heading outside again, throwing snowballs, all copping it in the face (pic) and down the back. Cold, wet, tired and after writing my initials in the snow, we headed back down after taking in the view reminiscing on what a fun day it had been.

Paragliding in the Alps
I was looking forward to this day for over a month now and the day had finally arrived. Paragliding around the mountains and town of Interlaken. The shuttle bus took me 1km up a mountain and that's where my pilot James explained what the procedure was. It was a great view already and we hadn't even taken off. Sunny weather, green grass, above the clouds and mountains in the background (pic). It was time to take off. Down the hill we ran with James strapped behind me. As we were running so fast, i slipped over. I remembered this bit as it was in slow motion. I was thinking "Oh my god, we're going to go crashing and rolling down the hill" but as i fell forward, the chute lifted us both off the ground and we were away. What an adrenalin rush. James had 21 years experience paragliding and he knew exactly what to do as we glided for 25 minutes up and down and through the clouds (pic) before a really smooth landing at the end.

From here i will be spending 2 weeks in France, 3 weeks in Spain and then a further 2 weeks in France. I would also like to say a special thank-you to my high school friend Katie who gave up her weekend to show me around and the many random activities we did and stumbled upon. I had a really memorable time experiencing Switzerland from someone who knew the best places to visit and best foods to eat.

A day with the filthy rich and my 20 Euro

2007-11-06T22:06:00.000+11:00

Before hitting Switzerland, i travelled to Nice & spent a day in Monaco. I have never seen so many Ferrari's, BMW's, Lamborghini's, Corvette's etc. casually driving around and parked outside the Monaco Casino. I found out to live in Monaco, your annual income must be around 1-2 million bucks and you have to be invited to live there. Had dinner at the docks with friends Bronwyn and Lauren overlooking the million dollar boats and awesome Palace views before spending the evening at the Casino. We drank dry Martini's while i gambled my petty 20 Euro at Roulette with other tuxedo gentlemen gambling their 2,000 Euro pocket change. The Casino was pretty cool. It had velvet wallpaper, artistic painted high ceilings and a real posh atmosphere. I broke even by the end of the night.

When in Rome

2007-10-22T23:58:00.000+10:00

Spending the last 3 weeks in Italy has been very interesting. Travelling from Ancona, Rome, Naples and Pompei, Siena, Florence, Pisa and finishing in the Cinque Terre alternating between pizza and pasta pretty much every meal. I am so sick of bread but the pasta is still ok. So what have i been up to? Well I've basically been sightseeing through most of the towns seeing everything that has to be seen. Lining up for the Sistine Chapel, the statue of 'Dave' and the Colosseum are the only times where i could be bothered waiting whereas i wasn't interested in most of the other museums as i am museumed and churched out. Admittedly i am getting over sightseeing when arriving at new towns so i am also trying to look for different things to do which is quite hard in Europe, but other than wondering around Ive been relaxing a lot, reading, drawing (pic), eating gilati, going to the Nudy beach in the Cinque terre (pic), jogging around the hills of Florence and running the whole Cinque Terre from the 5th town to the 1st (9km of running up and down hills and across loose rocks, giving my ankles and knees a workout) but i was fine in the end and drinking home-made lemonade along the way from an Italian who just decided to set up a shop in his backyard which overlooks the path.

Lazio VS AC Milan
Finding out from a few friends i had made at a camping ground in Rome, there was a soccer game on in a few days time. Rome's 2nd team Lazio VS AC Milan. Milan being the favourites, but it was going to be a Lazio crowd all cheering for their team so like a typical Aussie, i had to go for the underdog and that i might have been killed wearing an AC Milan scarf. Before the game i was very excited as this would be my first ever soccer game and it was a change from the normal sightseeing days of wondering around cities. Between 4 of us, we purchased a 30 Euro BBQ from the local supermarket, got a few steaks and veg and ate a feast before we left. It was a fantastic meal as i haven't had a steak in months! I was separated from my mates as they splashed out on expensive tickets where i went and sat in the cheap seats, but right in the middle of the Lazio crowd (pic). It felt like Bay 13 at the MCG and i am so glad i was there as the atmosphere was amazing. I listened to all the different chants and songs and made friends with the Italian family sitting next to me who didn't speak a word of English. In the end AC Milan won 5-1. An absolute thrashing. The crowd was very quiet and the stadium was nearly empty with 10 minutes to go. However i got to witness a 6 goal game and Lazio scoring that 1 goal with everyone erupting in a frenzy, jumping up and down and high fiving their mates. The kebab down the road after the game was a great way to finish off the night.

A million dollar view for 38 Euro!
I would have to say that the Cinque Terre (5 towns) was my favourite place in Italy. I spent 3.5 days there. Walked it 1.5 times and ran it once. For 3 nights i stayed in a town called La Spezia which is a 10 minute train ride away from the Cinque Terre but i was lucky to get 1 night in the 4th town Vernazza. Being close to a weekend, it all books up very quickly and somehow i managed to stay there on a Friday night after spending nearly a whole day going from town to town looking for accommodation. Not knowing what to expect, i lugged my bags up 3 stories in a tiny stairwell, opened my single room door and WOW! I had a balcony view of the Mediterranean and a top storey view of the town below (pic) on a day where the weather was perfect. I couldn't believe it as the room was really nice and i was only being charged ($60AUS). I would have really liked to stay longer but it was all booked up for the following days.

Its starting to get really cold now. The days are quite warm and sunny but the temperature is beginning to drop below 5 degrees at night, so i think it's time to chuck the summer clothes and purchase winter ones. My next stop is Nice for 3 days then Switzerland for around 2 weeks or more. Paragliding in the Swiss Alps here i come!!!

Walking like an Egyption

2007-09-30T21:50:00.000+10:00

Egypt... what an amazing country and so different from the recent places that i have visited. My first impressions of Egypt was arriving into Cairo and getting a taxi to my hotel, as i had just come from Greece i had shorts on and the taxi driver in his broken English pointed at my knees, made a gun symbol with his hands and went "bang bang". From this point on my knees and shoulders were covered for the rest of the trip in populated areas. Joining my Intrepid group of only 5, we travelled all around Egypt from Cairo to Asawan to Luxor to St. Katherines and then back to Cairo. We visited the Pyramids, Sphinx, Valley of the Kings, Mt Sinai, Coloured Canyon, St. Katherines Monastery (site of the biblical 'Burning Bush') The Cairo Garbage City and A.P.E and many other places in-between. We rode through the Sahara on camel back, ate at a local house in a Nubian village, sailed for 2 days down the Nile River on a Felucca boat, visited the town of Darow (the real Egypt), watched Sufi Dancing (pic) where a dancer just span for around 30 minutes non-stop, and went to countless markets and mind blowing temples. The last 2 weeks have been hectic with moments of relaxation and long train and bus journeys in-between towns. I have so much to talk about that i could write a book but i have picked a few stories from a tour i will always remember.

The Pyramids at Giza and
Valley of the Kings
What a way to start, on day 2 after meeting everyone the night before we were gazing up at one of the ancient wonders of the world. After learning a bit about them from our tour guide we had some spare time to go and explore. With Egyptians wanting to take your money every 10 steps, i couldn't resist hopping on a camel and have my photo taken. Also making friends with one of the "security guards" with his weathered laminated pass, preventing people from entering a particular area, he allowed me to have a quick look around and have more photos taken of me in-front of the strategically placed pile of stones. 1 Egyptian pound ($0.20 AUS) goes a long way.
Going through the 3 most interesting tombs of Ramsis 3, Ramsis 4 and Merenptah in the Valley of the Kings was just as spectacular as the Pyramids. The detail that has gone into the hieroglyphics and effort it must have taken to dig 60m down into a hillside is unbelievable, especially with the 30 odd tombs in the area and more are to be discovered. As you couldn't take photos inside the tombs i was disappointed however with the numerous other temples we visited throughout Egypt, i was able to take photos and even touch the hieroglyphics at those.

Mt. Sinai (Mt. Moses)
With my walking shoes on and having a good stretch i was ready and pumped to tackle the 3750 steps up to the top of Mt. Sinai where Moses received the 10 Commandments from the Big Guy. Starting at the Monastery of St. Kathereines where the biblical Burning Bush is located (it's not burning at the moment which is disappointing but you get over these things) we climbed the rocky path and 2.2km above sea level mountain to watch the sunset (pic- me being Moses). The view from up the top is spectacular and it was the reddest sunset i have ever seen. Climbing back down was another challenge in itself as it was now dusk/night. The temperature dropped 20 degrees in about 5 minutes, so with runny noses, we all carefully baby stepped our way back down the mountain on the safer camel track, stepping in camel sh*t as the only light we had was a flashlight and a full moon. We all got back down safely with a few slips and slides.

Ramadhan
I count myself so lucky to have booked my Egypt trip through Ramadhan as i have been able to experience so many different and once a year opportunities. I had no idea it was on until i arrived. Ramadhan is a fasting celebration where it is a time for Muslims to get back in touch with Allah and this includes fasting for the lunar month to show you can control and devote yourself. As a Muslim you can only eat, drink and smoke in the hours between 6pm and 3am (even water!), you cannot have sex unless you are married, alcohol/drugs is forbidden all year round and praying 5 times a day - every day, are just some of the main tasks that must be adhered to. Our poor tour guide Muhammad climbing a mountain and camel riding through the Sahara looked a bit parched as no water was allowed. On the other hand it is also a time for celebration. After the 1500 Mosques around Egypt stop their megaphone prayer call at 6pm, everyone devours their food out in the street where everyone comes to socialise. Kofta's, shish-kebabs and a whole range of beef and chicken and bread is served to the thousands. I got to try pretty much all the dishes, drinks and desserts that come out only during Ramadhan and eat with the locals that are all extremely friendly and accepting of Westerners. As a tourist i could eat at any part of the day, it was very easy to find food, but you felt guilty eating and drinking in front of them, especially our guide that was always excited at 5.45pm. Muhammad always made sure we had an awesome and safe experience in Egypt.

Back into Italy for around 3 weeks exploring Rome, Siena, Florence and the towns in-between.

Facebook: I must apologise as i have taken down my Facebook page as i can't keep up with all the messages and invitations that i have been recieving. I will start it up again when i get home next year as i don't have time to work out how to use it properly. Please still send me a messages as i can organise myself better through email.

I've had a Greak time on the islands

2007-09-13T21:35:00.001+10:00

Partying every night and sleeping on the beaches most days with the occasional sightseeing is what sums up the Contiki Greek Island Hopping tour. Starting off in Athens, we ferried between the islands of Mykonos, Santorini, Ios and then finished back in Athens. There are so many drunken stories to tell where we had a Toga Party, numerous pub/club crawls, Greek dancing, shots of pretty much every available liqueur including Ouzo, cocktails being shouted by our awesome tour guide every night, the Paradise Beach parties (old man pic) and days spent cruising on a pirate boat, watching the sunset in Santorini (pic), traditional Greek dinners and spending time with a group of people with positive attitudes. The last photo is of myself and Nick, having a Greek coffee with a smoke playing with our Cobaloi beads which is what most of the old Greek men do in Greece. The last 2 weeks have gone so quickly and it was very sad to say goodbye to everyone towards the end.

Ministry of Sound
This was a day that i will be laughing about for a long time. Started the day on a good meal of bacon and eggs as tonight was a pub crawl where everyone was very keen to go out and have fun around Mykonos. During the day i wandered around the winding white streets eating chocolate banana crepes and meeting Pedro the Pelican (pic), Mykonos' mascot who loves a photo with tourists and the occasional feed, (i had to line up in front of 6 people to get this photo) and then had a nap during the hottest part of the day in the sun/shade on the beach as tonight was going to be quite long. As the main clubs don't really start until midnight, there are a few bars we went to beforehand for pre drinks which turned out to be a lot of fun. Travelling in a group of 27, wherever we went was the party. Dancing on anything we could climb on we danced and drank up a storm until it was time to go clubbing. More dancing, more shots, great music and a great party atmosphere. Our transfer bus was to pick us up at 3am to take us back to our Contiki resort but i was having such a good time i didn't want to go home, so with Beth and Lex we decided to keep the night alive and so we caught a cab to Paradise beach where the club Ministry of Sound was. The club had a swimming pool in the centre, awesome DJ's and was 20 metres away from the beach where we partied until the music stopped at around 6am. Stumbling out wanting a cab to go home to the other side of the island as we were all pooped, we couldn't find one. No taxis, no buses, no transport whatsoever. Most people leaving the club were jumping on their motorbikes and scooters driving home drunk and we just looked at each other and thought how the hell are we going to get back home (30min taxi ride away). We asked one of the security guards wandering around for help and when we told him where we wanted to go, his face said it all...we were stranded. Our options were, wait 3 hours for the next bus, walk a good 5 hours back home or swim! Sitting down too tired to think of any other option a car was pulling out of a nearby driveway. Lex spontaneously jumped up and ran to the drivers window asking if he could drive us home. The driver wasn't drunk as he was on his way to work but he turned out to be deaf. With the security guard knowing him and then explaining to him where we wanted to go, he ended up taking us home an hour out of his way... so lucky! We paid him a very generous tip for his kindness and couldn't stop giggling to ourselves that we were getting a lift from a deaf Greek bloke in Mykonos at 6:30am! Took us 40minutes to get home as we got lost and tried to sign language/lip read Greek to him where we wanted to go, but arrived safe and sound in the end in time for breakfast back at the resort.

I am off to Egypt for the next 2 weeks on another tour where i can't wait. I have been wanting to see the Pyramids as well as Egypt as a whole for a long long time.

Athena lot in Athens

2007-09-03T01:10:00.000+10:00

From Ancona in Italy, i booked a 21hour ferry to the port of Patras in Greece. After realising that my recliner seat only reclined 10cm, i ended up sleeping on the floor (pic), reminding myself of the night spent on the airport floor in Hong Kong...oh well, Athens was only another 3 hour bus ride away!
Upon arrival at Parliament house in the centre of Athens, i found myself wandering through thousands of people dressed in black t-shirts protesting to the Government about how they haven't dealt with the massive fires properly where they are still ablaze.
Quickly dumping my bags at my hostel close by, i went back out, hoping something interesting might happen as there were riot police everywhere. In the end nothing much did happen, just the police firing a few warning explosions in the air which seemed to make at least a third of the crowd disappear. After speaking to the receptionist about it on his thoughts, he put it simply by saying, "if all those (at least 10,000) protesters got a bucket of water each and dumped it on the fires instead of complaining, they wouldn't have anything to complain about."
It's the end of summer and it's hot.
37 degrees which is actually ok whereas a month ago it averaged 45 degrees. I spent the next day visiting as many of the historical sites as i could in the dry heat. The Acropolis is amazing and with the Parthenon (pic) under construction to keep it standing, i was able to look past all the scaffolding and cranes and imagine it as it were thousands of years ago. The 360 degree view of Athens from the top of the Acropolis was also breath taking. Athens is huge and would take forever to explore.
Got up at the crack of sparrows the next day to visit the monasteries in the skies at Meteora! Ideally i should have spent 2 days here, but with my limited time i took a 5 hour bus ride then a further 45 minute bus to get there and another 6 hour bus ride back home. Well worth it in the end. Monasteries built on top of vertical rock hills and mountains with views of the valleys below. They are still being used today where you can visit them by walking or busing it to each one. It was a good day but a long one, especially the bus home, full of sweaty and hairy old Greek men and women. The women with their arms waving and shouting something at their husbands and the looks on the men's faces wishing their wives would just shut up. Ha ha ha.

I am off to the Greek Islands of Mykonos, Santorini and Ios for the next 2 weeks.

Thatsa nica pizza

2007-08-27T04:54:00.000+10:00

Busing it through the Dolomites and endless vineyards from Munich to Venice was the most picturesque drives that i have seen so far. Massive mountains (Alps), a sunny day and different views around every turn, we passed the Italian border and into Venice after a 10 hour bus ride through heavy Italian traffic.

Venice being a very expensive city, my BusAbout accommodation was on the outskirts, 50m from the airport runway on a camp site where every morning you have to catch a 20min bus into the city that runs hourly. I had a great time here. Eating pizza and pasta and not feeling guilty about it felt and tasted really good (because in past countries i had the odd meal where i should be eating their national foods). Had countless Gilatos as the weather was hot, real hot. It reached 30 degrees today, no cloud and there isn't much else to do but walk around in it, so by the end of the day i was very tired. Gondoling through the canals and waterways of Venice was the number 1 thing i had planned to do here and that is what we did. Lauren, Nicole, Tori and I kicked back and took in as much as we could as our driver showed us around the main sections and back canals where you cant access by foot. Going under a few of the 400 or so bridges, seeing countless other gondolas and boats cruise past us on this Sunday afternoon made it a very relaxing ride. Took a bit out of the pocket costing 80 Euro but it was well worth it. Gondoling in Venice...tick!

Walked and walked and walked, got lost as a map is useless here, but it was fun seeing the city with no cars or bikes, just gondolas, boats and people walking around.

Athens coming up, i will write all about it when i get the chance.

Munchen on pork knuckles

2007-08-25T07:21:00.000+10:00

All of the BusAbout buses that i have caught from city to city averages out to be between 8-10 hours each where they play movies, sitcoms, music and it's a very comfortable ride. So it was from Vienna, passing through Salzburg home of the Sound of Music (and thank god i didn't stay there as the hostel plays the movie every night! Just joking, i will have to visit one day) and onto Munich. That night a pub crawl was on the engender and with a lot of heavy drinkers (Aussies) we were off to reward our taste buds on the best beers in the world. Drinking litre steins, multiple Jagameister shots and more beer, beer and beer and drinking them in the largest beer gardens in the world holding 9,000 people... i was gone and so was the rest of the group!

Back on it the next night after touring around Munich the next day, we had Pork Knuckles at the famous Hofbrauhaus where Hitler started his regime. Packed on a Thursday night we somehow found a table for our party of 10, ate our delicious meat injection and drank our steins with a small group of Germans where one was celebrating his 18th Bithday (he looked 28). With a traditional band playing and drinking more than us in-between songs wearing traditional clothing we sang, drank and swayed, clinking every 10 seconds. I learnt a German song! Don't know the exact words but if you mumble 'Prost, Prost, Prost...In the mood lick hard' you can sing along until your throat is sore (then you keep drinking). Stayed till closing time where we continued to sing and dance outside attempting the can-can (pic-you can pick out the 4 Germans). If i didn't have a tour booked in Egypt (coming up) i would be at Oktoberfest in the next few weeks. One day i will return!

Every shop in Munich can sell beer without a liquor license, McDonalds has McBeer! Beer here is not seen as an alcoholic beverage. So Germans in Munich don't have alcoholic problems, they technically have food disorders where the average German drinks 1.5 litres a day.

Oh yeah, i also did see Munich, beautiful city. Went to the nude park, watched surfers on a river and saw the odd church. I must admit, I'm a little churched out. I also visited another concentration camp called Dachau, this was the first ever concentration camp and the hundreds of others that were built afterwards was based on this one.

Off to Venice next for 3 days, Athens for a few more days and then i join a group touring the Greek Islands and then another tour travelling through Egypt for the next month and a bit.

There are NO kangaroos in Austria

2007-08-25T07:19:00.001+10:00

Riding a push bike through the vineyards in the Austrian countryside is another day that is one of the best i have had. Joining a grape grazing tour with most of the people i met on BusAbout we tried 10 different wines (decent tasting sizes) from the region which is also one of the best in the world, we had Schnapps tastings and homemade jam/mustard tastings as well. Biking it through perfect 24 degrees weather, full sunshine and a cool breeze. We stopped off here and there picking and eating grapes, played a bit of beach volleyball, climbed to the top of a hill where an old ruin castle once held Richard the Lionheart, swam in the freezing cold Danube river, ate a huge meaty BBQ lunch, visited many wineries and finished off the tour with unlimited wine on the hour party bus ride home. What a day, the scenery was absolutely amazing and with only 1 person falling off their bike (he was fine) we were all smashed by the end of the day.

Spent the day before walking around exploring Vienna. Cobble stones and grand buildings everywhere. Only got to explore half a day as it started to rain pretty hard so what a better time to have a Nana nap during a Vienna thunderstorm.

Czechin' out Prague

2007-08-25T07:17:00.001+10:00

On the bus ride to Praha we stopped off at a concentration camp called Terezin where harsh fates were given out for the Jewish prisoners. Most of them were arrested for different signs of resistance to the Nazi regime where 5,500 of them perished. 2,600 died due to harsh living conditions, diseases and torture, and at the end of the war, a typhoid epidemic broke out in the overcrowded working (not extermination) prison. This was a very informative and sad day.

By far Praha is the most beautiful city that i have seen in my travels so far. Went on another walking tour which took us around the old town, the largest castle in the world and many other odd spots. Shot some really cool photos at Kutna Hora church and learnt that during the Hussite wars there were many victims and with the plague that killed thousands of people, the church wasn't able to completely take in all the victims at that time. So an idea that one of the powerful families had at the time was to use the bones of the 40,000 people and decorate the church including a large chandelier (pic). Also went clubbing in the largest club in the Czech Republic, Karlovy Lazne. 5 floors playing different types of music. If you didn't like a song or DJ, you just had to walk up or down to the next level. With shots of full strength Absinthe it was a memorable night...just.

Hoff to Berlin

2007-08-25T06:31:00.000+10:00

Started off with a walking tour of Berlin, walking through Brandenburg Gate, Checkpoint Charlie, Book Burning Square, East Side Gallery (pic) (Berlin Wall), the spot where Hitler committed suicide (it is basically just a car park where there nothing to say this is where his bunker was. There is a patch of grass in the car park that supposedly has the most amount of dog shits on it in all of Berlin when people walk their dogs past), the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe (pic), singing with the Hoff on the bus as we entered Germany and visited heaps of other places where i learnt about all the recent history about this rebuilding city that i paid no attention to back at school. It was hard to take all the information in especially only having 2 full days here. Walked a lot, drank a lot of good German beer and had a blood and liver sausage...yuk! Made sure i went clubbing in a town known for its nightlife which was fantastic as we danced to German techno, hip hop and AC/DC with a very lively German crowd.

Off to Nether Netherland

2007-08-25T06:21:00.000+10:00

Amsterdam, wow... this small, smokey, ultra relaxed town has certainly opened my eyes to a world that i only had heard about. I was greeted by the hostel receptionist at Hotel StayOkay after a 10 hour bus ride from Paris to the Netherlands, stoned, pupils wider than a 5 cent coin, he sent me accidentally to the wrong room 3 times in a row and spent 10 minutes trying to replace the roll of paper in the credit card machine... he he he. With a group i met on the bus, we had an awesome time exploring the Red Light District during the day and at night as it is a completely different atmosphere, the sex museums, coffee shops, Heineken brewery and all the many other places and nooks and cranny's that make Amsterdam... well Amsterdam.

Collect $200 when you pass go

2007-08-25T05:58:00.000+10:00

London, Amsterdam, Berlin, Prague, Vienna, Munich, Venice and Athens. This was my target in the month of August. Regretfully this is my most rushed part of my entire trip spending 3-4 days in each city, but it was still enough time to understand what each city and culture was all about. Travelling by bus between each city, BusAbout is fantastic, meeting new people, hopping on and off wherever i choose to stay and booking accommodation through them has made it very easy to plan this month, giving more time to enjoy myself. Haven't had a dry day in Europe yet, there are party's and people to meet everyday in the hostels. How long can my liver keep it up?... I don't know.

London is one cool city, with so much to see and do and a transport system that's very easy to follow, the only real downside is that it is bloody expensive. Spent a lot of time wandering around seeing all the major stuff as well as joining a free walking tour where our guide explained all about the history of the city as well as telling us quirky stories which made it a great afternoon. I learnt that London Bridge is NOT the one with the two towers on it, that's Tower Bridge (pic) and that Big Ben is referring to the bell inside the tower above the clock (pic). Yes i felt like the stupid uneducated tourist. With perfect weather and visiting most of the spaces on a traditional Monopoly board, i left London travelling by the Eurail train (under the water) to Paris which only took about 3 hours.

Spent 15 hours in Paris (where i would return again in December) and was off again to Amsterdam on BusAbout.

From Russia with love

2007-08-05T08:00:00.000+10:00

Borsch, Salyanka, Pelmeni, Perishki, Kakleti, Porridge etc. All the foods that i grew up on at both of my grandparents place back in Australia i ate, and it all tasted and smelt exactly the same with bucket loads of the herb 'dill' on everything, even French Fries.
I loved Russia, it is so different to any of the other places i have been to so far and there is so much to see. I pretty much saw all the major sites but needed to spend a lot more time at each one. Going to the Red Square, the Kremlin, clubbing and many other places in Moscow, seeing and swimming in the largest, freshest and cleanest lake in the world - Lake Baikal, trying to take in as much as i could at the Hermitage in St. Petersberg, growing a Russian moustache and having a traditional Russian sauna.

Being spanked by a Russian.
Traditional Russian sauna's are like no other. The sauna's that i have experienced in the past have just been a hot room where you sit and sweat in a temperature that is around 80-90 degrees. Well a Russian sauna is similar but a completely different experience. First of all it is 120 degrees and you are lying naked breathing through your mouth as your nose burns if any air goes in. Once you are sizzling in your own juices, 'Eugene' our Honcho (tour guide) slaps and spanks your body with your choice of a Birch or a Pine tree branch that has been soaking in hot water. The first few hits you tense up not knowing where or how hard the next slap will be, but you then relax and it is actually quite soothing until it is time to turn over where all my concentration was making sure my hands were covering every inch downstairs as the beating continued. Dehydrated, soothed and smelling like a Christmas tree, you then stumble out meeting a huge bucket of cold water that is tipped all over you. (In winter you jump in the snow outside).

Clubbing in Moscow.
With everyone ready and pumped to go out, our Honcho in Moscow 'Andrew' took us to a club called 'Prison'. After showing your ID to 2 huge Russian bouncers, you then go through a metal detector, patted down then have your wallet checked in every compartment for drugs and knives before entering. With a mixture of Russian and western trance and techno, i was in heaven as i Melbourne shuffled it up on the dancefloor half drunk and in my own little world. Along the top of the bar were topless female strippers showing their goods to paying patrons and with drinks flowing and a male toilet where you look out onto the crowd thanks to a two-way mirror, it was one of the best clubbing experiences i've had. Sightseeing the next day was hard as we got back at 5 or 6am.

A few people would like to know if i liked Moscow or St. Petersberg better. And i would have to say i liked Moscow better as i spent more time there and saw a lot more than St. Petersberg. Although The Hermitage in the 'Berg was the most impressive site i have ever seen.

I am now in London for 4-5 days then off to Belgium, Netherlands and Germany until the end of the month. I hope everyone is well back home.

VodkaTrain

2007-08-05T06:57:00.000+10:00

From one side of the Great Wall i have now continued on the Mongolian side training it from Beijing to Ulaanbaatar. For the next 3 weeks i joined a tour through Mongolia and Russia called the VodkaTrain and boy did it live up to its name. We all drank litres of the stuff as well as beer that you could buy on most train platforms that is considered a soft-drink and is cheaper than water. Over 200 hours were spent on the 4 trains throughout the 3 weeks. The longest being 4 days and 3 nights with a 12 hour border crossing where you can't go to the toilet. Many finished water bottles and empty vodka bottles were used! I started to get used to Wet Wipe showers and with limited aircon and sealed windows during the longest part, we stank, especially our room which seemed to always be the party room. However with a really positive and fun group, we had an awesome time with drinks flowing and the days and scenery just whizzing by.

"Walking through the desert on a horse with no name".
I had no idea what to expect in Mongolia and it ended up being one of my favorite places. Waking up one morning on the train, i looked out the window and saw nothing but sand and the flattest landscape i have ever seen in every direction. I asked Charles "Where do you think we are?" and his response pretty much summed it up by replying "In the middle of f**king nowhere."
Once reaching Ulaanbaatar we travelled a further 2 hours by bus to our Ger camp where we would be spending the next 2 nights in a valley of rolling green hills. It was like a painting that a simple photograph could never capture. This is where we hopped on our horses with no names and trekked for 2-3 hours across the country side...wow! As well as a rocky and foresty climb to a lookout half way through the day, this was one of my favorite days in Mongolia.
Dressing up as a Mongolian wrestler (without the tight underpants) and wrestling a Mongolian was also a highlight. Him being a professional wrestler knowing 200-300 techniques, he won pretty convincingly but hey i lasted a good 10 seconds. All the boys got to wrestle each other as well where my first bout with Tim ended up being a draw (pic) but he got me on the second bout with his sneaky Kiwi rugby tactics. With just a candle, drinking games and a sky full of stars, both nights spent here were really memorable. The Ger camps were comfortable and our Honcho 'Sunna' was a top bloke making sure we got the most out of Mongolia where i have many other stories to tell.
From Ulaanbaatar we now travelled North to Russia.

Xi'an a lot in China

2007-07-16T14:15:00.000+10:00

With 19 days in China, there was a lot to see and do and so little time. I slept on The Great Wall of China and hiked 4-5 hours along an un-restored section, climbed Mt Huashan, saw the Terracotta Warriors, caught up with my pen-pal of 8 years Wenting in Shanghai, cycled for 2 hours around the Xi'an city wall, watched the first session of the movie 'Transformers', got myself involved in a scam where i ended up paying a ridiculous amount of money for tea! Cathay Pacific airlines lost my bag for 30 hours, I spent over 34 hours in two trains travelling throughout China, spent a day in a water city called Suzhuo, had my first bout of food poisoning and visited many more temples and gardens.
Everyday has been so busy and so exciting (except for the food poisoning part). I am so glad i learnt Chinese at school as i have been using it everywhere, talking to the locals, ordering food and bartering in the markets.

Sleeping on the Greatest Wonder on Earth
Yes i did it. A night that i will never forget and a hike the next day along the Jinshaling/Simatai section of the Wall. I joined a group of seven other people where during the first day we went to a few interesting sites around Beijing, but this was just a big teaser as we were itching to go to The Great Wall that afternoon. We arrived a couple of hours before sunset and during that time, a couple of us hiked along a small section of the Wall that we found out later was actually a military zone, well we actually just ignored the sign. When it got dark, we made our way back to the village of just 130 people. A farmers wife cooked us all an enormous dinner consisting of many dishes with countless dumplings and rice wine. Later we walked back up onto the Wall to one of the lookout towers, drank beer, urinated into a bucket and tossing it over the Wall, squished 10cm scorpions and tried to brush away the many insects that descended onto our torch lights. It was a warm night and due to the fact that there were scorpions crawling around under our feet, we decided to pitch our tents in the dark to have a least some protection from them and the fleas. With 4-5 hours sleep, flea bites as well as an excitement to trek along the Wall, we left at 7am after not seeing the sunrise due to cloud and pollution, but still it was very peaceful. Most of the Jinshaling section has not been restored giving it more character as well having no other foreign tourists walking along it. During the 3 hour hike we were the only group on the wall along with the odd local. We went through 32 lookout towers where at least half were really steep and quite hard to get to. We finished the tour with a 1 minute flying fox (zip-line) ride to the ground, crossing a huge river. Got back 3 hours later, then had a much needed shower.

Warriors will fall, heroes will rise
After coming to China 8 years ago with my school, i never got to see the Terracotta Warriors in Xi'an. However this time i made sure i was going there. I joined a tour that turned out to be just 3 of us which was excellent as it was pretty much a private tour. After visiting the burial ground of the 1st Emperor, we made our way to the tourist packed entrance gate. There are 3 main pits (discovered so far) where the Warriors are held. All the pits were destroyed by peasant uprising after the 1st Emperor had died and there is so much restoration to be done (and more digging), however they are also waiting on new technology to keep the coloured paint permanent on the Warriors that haven't been dug out yet. The 3rd pit is the big one where 2000 Warriors are visible and a further 6000 are yet to be uncovered. The place was packed with people and it took a while to work my way to the main viewing area to have a look. I was actually very lucky as this is the time to see them. During the holidays and especially the Olympics next year, you have to wait in line 1-2 hours to get a 30 second look from the front of the 3rd pit. It is absolutely amazing how much work it took to make these slightly larger than life size Warriors and i am so glad i came to have a look and learn about them.

Next stop is Mongolia for 5 days and then Russia for a further 16 on the 'Vodka Train'. I met my group in Beijing and we all can't wait to go. Toot toot!

Mt. Huashan

2007-07-07T16:19:00.008+10:00

Drizzle, an early start and a 3 hour overcrowded mini-bus ride is what started a day that i will never forget. Mt. Huashan (or different spelling, Huangshan mountain), nearly 2km's high with 5 main peaks is an image most common in traditional Chinese paintings. Most paintings of mountains are most likely those of Mt. Huashan.
Starting at the bottom, i joined a group of 5 Chinese university students. One spoke very basic English and i can basically try and speak basic Chinese. Later these students fizzled down to 2 as Mt. Huashan is very physically demanding.
Up we went, up and up and up. So many steps, some really steep and others were wet and slippery as we were climbing inside a cloud most of the morning. There are many temples, massive boulders and countless waterfalls along the 4 hour trek that eventually took us to the lowest peak. This is where you can pay $15AUS and get here by cable car in under 5 minutes. That's cheating and the hike ended up being well worth it.
From having hardly no-one during the first few hours to having hundreds of people, fit and full of energy in-front of us felt a little touristy, but we kept going. Legs fatigued but starting to get into a rhythm, we scrambled past the bulk to try and reach every peak this mountain has to offer in the 4 hours of daylight we had left. The cable-car peak, North, South, East and West peaks, all having their own dramatic cliffs and flora where they were all breathtaking and unique. Climbing "The Dragon Ridge", 1 metre wide and about 300 metres long with steps, handrails and 2-way traffic in-between two peaks is one of the best views i have ever seen.
Climbing to the North Peak, the furthest and highest one out of the 5 was a momentous effort. Once again there were so many steps. I have never been this high before and seeing clouds below you moving around and the sun beating down on you made me feel on top of the world, and hey, i was!
In-between the West and North Peak, is a path called 'Changkongzhandao' (The cliff side plank path). This path is pretty much the whole reason for me coming to Mt. Huashan. Originally seeing photos of this awesome sight in an email when i was working, i decided i had to come and take a look for myself. The path leads to a small lookout where it is about 70 metres in length. Once you reach the end, you just come back and continue on your way. It is a cliff face. 90 degrees. To get across, they have whacked large nails into the side of the cliff and placed planks of wood over the top for you to cross. The path is about 40cm wide! There is also a chain nailed to the rock for you to hold onto as you make your way across. For $5AUS you can choose to hire a safety harness (you would be absolutely stupid, i mean insane not to have one). Half of the path are planks of wood and the other half are foot holes carved into the rock. As the people i was with were too scared to go, i went alone taking the photos myself trying not to drop the camera with my hands shaking as if i had just drunk 20 cups of coffee.
I took my time and on the way back another brave bloke was coming towards me to do the same walk. I asked him to take a photo of me and he explained to me that the ultimate photo to take on this path is a pose where you lean back facing the cliff wall (because of your harness), your body 45 degrees, relying 100% on your harness with both arms waving in the air! The ground by the way is 1km down.
The best i could do was lean 45 degrees over the edge but my hands were stuck firmly to the strap connecting my body to the wall. I couldn't let go, my brain was telling me "Go on, do it", but my hands wouldn't budge. Now i see myself as an adventurous person willing to try anything, but this was the first time in my short years where my brain and body disagreed with one another and it felt really strange.
I hit my limit where i had no idea what my limit was up until now. And I'm actually quite glad knowing it's hanging off a cliff relying on a piece of metal and strap, 1km up on a plank of wood, now that can't happen too often, can it? There is a saying 'Feel the fear and do it anyway'. That was actually shuffling across those wooden planks.
The adrenalin rush i got from that and hiking Mt. Huashan lasted all the way back down to the cable car where it was 7:00pm and the perfect time to leave for a 3 hour bus ride back to Xi'an.
Mt Huashan, 5 peaks and 5 blisters on my feet, coincidence? I think not.

I think im turning Japanese I really think so

2007-06-29T00:12:00.003+10:00

What can I say about Japan... absolutely amazing! Travelling from west to east I went through, Fukuoka, Hiroshima, Kyoto and Tokyo where I stayed in my first hostel with 7 other people, visited and learnt all about the A-Bomb in Hiroshima, stayed in a Ryokan (a room 2.5m X 1.5m), went to Fuji-san, saw a Geisha, got my first haircut away where he shaved my ears!, witnessed a bamboo cutting ceremony, visited countless temples and gardens, went to the baseball, ate Fugu (the poisonous puffer fish), had a look at all the techy stuff in Tokyo, met the goth kids at Harajuku Station, met up with Erica and Nathan (work mates who live in Tokyo) at a weird but really fun bar and pretty much got lost everyday in Tokyo and Kyoto where the subway maps look like a multi-coloured bowl of spaghetti. I have so many stories to tell but here are just a select few.

Fugu
After asking many people who I had met in my travels, I finally found two people who would come and try Fugu with me, Jonathan and Sayaka. An information tourist lady recommended a place for us to eat Fugu even though the season for eating it is during Dec-Feb. I can remember walking into the restaurant quite nervous about what I was going to be putting in my mouth. However we were there for Fugu and Fugu is what we ate, we had it raw, deep fried and boiled along with many other side dishes to compliment the expensive but cheaper than I thought set menu. What did it taste like? Well I liked raw Fugu best as it had its own taste where as the deep fried and boiled just tasted like normal fish to me but still very tasty. There are rumours of tingling of the lips and in extreme cases going into comas, but we were all fine and full by the end of the meal.

Fuji-san
Staying in Tokyo, there was one morning where I woke up and said to myself "I think i'll go to Mt Fuji today." Lucky I did because that was the only half cloudy day I had whereas the rest of my stay was rain and full cloud. I took a cable car up to another hill where there is a popular lookout for this awesome spectacle and when I got there you couldn't see the mountain at all. Cloud everywhere. I was so dissapointed but I decided just to sit there and see if the cloud would go away. And in bits it did. I never got to see the entire mountain at once, but throughout the 3 hours staring at the mountain listening to my iPod, I pretty much saw it all taking some great photos. I had planned to climb it, but climbing season starts in 2 weeks time and it is closed up until then.

Walking and walking and walking
Everywhere I went in Japan I walked, I reckon I walked about 8hrs a day and there was at least 2 of those hours spent working out where the hell I am. I saw many of the popular touristy areas, and a lot of the side streets and back alleys. My accomadation one night closed its doors at 1am and I missed the curfew and the last train, so I did an all-nighter roaming Tokyo in the wee hours. The Japanese people are very friendly and helpful and they usually pointed me in the right direction including the train ticket lady who ran a good 50m after me to tell me I was going the wrong way, she was so puffed... he he he.

China is next, Shanghai, Xian and Beijing for around 3 weeks.

Good morning Vietnam

2007-06-14T21:03:00.002+10:00

Hanoi up north was our next stop after Thailand and while we were there Scott and I bussed 3hrs to Halong Bay (Decending Dragon) for 3 days on a junk boat. Activities included: Swimming (pic), kyaking, cycling, trekking, cruising, drinking and a lot of laughs as we were lucky enough to have a great group on our boat. The weather has been hot and muggy all through Vietnam. 33 degrees and 90% humidity. Halong Bay has definately been a highlight so far in my trip and i would come back one day.

Nha Trang was our next stop in Vietnam, about 3/4 of the way down south of Hanoi. Usually a peaceful beach town but when Scott and i arrived we had no idea that the Bien Festival (Sea Festival) was on the very next day. Accomadation was hard to find and with 20,000 Vietnamese tourists flooding the town we somehow manged to find a place to stay tucked away down an alley way. During the festival there were a lot of performances from local idols and celebrities that the crowd loved but i had no idea who they were. The next day we went on a boat cruise to the islands around Nha Trang. We snorkeled and drank wine swimming in the water with floating rings in the sun which was a lot of fun. During lunch, the boat band were entertaing around 100 of us as 4 boats all moured together to watch the performance. This is when Scott and i gave a fantastic vocal performance (pic) singing the kangaroo song (Waltzing Matilda as Australians know it).

Ho Chi Minh City down south was our last stop in Vietnam. We visited the Cu Chi tunnels (230km all up). We clambered down just a 90m section where we both just could fit. By the end my legs were fatigued and sore and because it was so hot down there was once again perspiring all of my body fluids. As well as crawling around, i fired 5 rounds using an AK-47. I feel that i was quite accurate being my first time ever shooting a gun and by the end of the first shot i was completely deaf as the bang was so loud. I then visited the war museum after that which was both very graphic and very sad.

Next stop is Hong Kong for 2 days then Japan for 10.
Thank-you for all your messages and emails, i love hearing from you all.

Off with a Bang...kok

2007-06-04T18:53:00.001+10:00

Only spent around 6hrs in Bangkok before heading off to Koh Samui (an island in Southern Thailand) for 3 days. Its hot...very hot here and I’ve been sweating like a pig everyday, however Scott (a good friend of mine who i will be travelling with for 2.5 weeks) and i have been making the most of the hotel pools and beaches. My first good meal away from home was an 800g Snapper eating it on the beach drinking plenty of Singa beer watching a thunderstorm in the distance, not a bad way to start a holiday!

My birthday was spent off to a Safari park where we rode elephants and watched a very scary crocodile show. We also ended up getting ring side seats for some Thai Boxing that night.

The crocodile show was quite amazing as the crocs weren't happy as you could hear them snarling and giving the occasional snap towards the handlers, so when the handlers stuck their heads in the crocs mouth and hand down their throat, the small crowd and us that were watching were dead silent as we all were expecting the worst.

After a very entertaining day, i would have to say Thai Boxing that night was the highlight. Firstly watching 2 thirteen year olds belt each other up then after around 7 more duals was the Bangkok champion VS some other guy who were around 23 years old. This fight was intense where it was non stop punching, kicking and kneeing each other in the balls. The champion ended up losing but by only just. In one of the rounds we watched beforehand, we saw a boxer getting KO'd from a knee to the head. I am spewing i didn't capture that on camera.

The next day we went on an all day tour of Ang Thong National Park, 2hr boat ride outside Koh Samui. Scott and i climbed a steep hill to see the view from the top which took nearly 2hrs to get up and back down in the extreme heat. This was the picturesque scenery that is all over every postcard here and was well worth it. After travelling to a few other islands and lagoons, swimming, snorkling and playing beach vollyball we were home by early evening having a few cocktails by the pool.

The next day we took a 40min boat ride to Koh Pha-Ngan where 8000 people gather for the monthly Full Moon Party (low season 8000ppl - High season up to 30,000ppl). The photos i have taken were around 7pm on the night, i didn't take the camera with me when we headed down later where it would have been stolen. There are around 15 or so clubs along the 700m beach each playing their own style of music, mainly techno and dance which suited me just fine. Different feeling dancing in thongs on sand, my legs were killing me the next day. Saw a guy pick up a chick with him wearing the 'Borat swimming costume', and witnessed a guy getting a UV fluoro paint tattoo of the Lord of the Rings character 'Gandalf' painted on his leg.

Danced all night until the sun came up in the morning then i crashed back at our bungalow. The party pretty much starts at around 11pm, peaks around 3am and it goes through to about 6pm the next night.

Next stop, Vietnam for 12 days travelling from Hanoi down to Nha Trang then to Ho Chi Min City. More beaches, more trecking, and bia hoi!

3 weeks to go

2007-05-04T10:04:00.000+10:00

Hi everyone,
This is my first blog i'm sending out before i go to make sure i know what i'm doing.
I will try and keep everything short and sweet and only include the best bits and photos of my trip for you to have a look at.

I depart Melbourne on Sunday 27th May.
So until i have something interesting and exciting to write about, that is when you will hear from me again.

---andre

PS: If you don't wish to get emails linking you to this site, or you change your email address, just let me know, or email me on my travel email, ahycenko@gmail.com