Enter Pretentious Title Here

2006-11-02T04:22:00.000Z

And then it was over.

I have finally returned after 180 days of (mostly) sun and (occasional) sand, wearing shorts and thongs, carrying heavy bags, navigating the metro systems and streets of the biggest cities in the world, 74 hours on ferries (in San Francisco, Niagara Falls, New York. English Channel, Adratic Sea, Agaean Sea, Strait of Gilbraltar, Miyajima), 10 languages, 18 countries (one every 10 days), and 4 continents (5 if you include Australia)!

Kyoto was incredible and had far too many temples and shrines, and yet for some reason I attempted to visit most of them in 2 days. This involved rather a lot of hiking and photos. However, they were invariably beautiful, as were the surrounding gardens and bush.

A day trip to Nara consisted of more temples and hiking but was great, and the day in Osaka, a massive metropolis similar to Tokyo, was a welcome change with bizarre modern Japan on show.

Osaka's America-Mura is a huge sprawling shopping/commercial district consisting of American obsessed and inspired clothing/entertainment/food shops more confronting than any such area I saw in America or anywhere else for that matter.
The huge strip of electronics shops in Den-Den Town stretching a kilometre down the main road rivalled Akihabara (the equivalent and no less incredible Electronics district in Tokyo).

After 5 nights in Kyoto, I headed down to Hiroshima on the Shinkansen and swiftly made my way on the steetcar to the Peace Memorial Park in the centre of town, which unsurprisingly was a powerful experience.

To disembark a tram in a modern looking city and suddenly be confronted with the A-Bomb Dome, the standing symbol of what had happened 60 years ago, is hard to explain.

The other memorials and museums at the site were equally moving, and particularly relevant just a week or so after the North Korean Nuclear Test.

There was an exhibit in the museum with a wall of letters from the mayor of Hiroshima sent to countries each time they conduct a nuclear test.

Surrounded by such sadness and devastation, the names of the recipients of the last two letters were perhaps the saddest part: Kim Jong-Il on the 10 October and George W. Bush on the 30 August.

From probably the saddest place in Japan to perhaps the most beautiful: Miyajima, the island just off the coast of Hiroshima,
with its famously stunning red, half submerged Torii Shrine entrance gate.

I spent the afternoon there hiking the mountains and spending 2 hours as the sun set looking at one of the most
beautiful scenes of my entire trip (and I've seen a few).

From Hiroshima, I returned to Tokyo on my last day, via a half day in Himeji, the site of the most famous castle in Japan.
Maybe it was because I was castled out (as I mentioned previously), but I wasn't that impressed with Himeji Castle,
but by this stage I was probably sub-concsiously on the way home.

And so, the next day I boarded the Qantas flight to the sounds of some appropriately patriotic music (Tenterfield Saddler)
and a welcome quality entertainment system (Shame on you Lufthansa and United).

And then it was over.

Some Top 5ish Lists I thought might be interesting:

Countries (by time spent in....)

1. USA
2. England
3. Spain
4. Italy
5. Morocco
6. Japan
7. Greece
8. France
=9. Germany, Canada
=11. Netherlands, Austria, Czech Republic
=14. Portugal, Belgium
16. Monaco
17. Vatican
18. Mexico

Countries (by Excitement about....)

1. Japan
2. Morocco
3. Spain
4. Greece
5. Italy

Big Cities

1. New York
2. Tokyo
3. Paris
4. Rome
5. Prague
6. Barcelona
7. Kyoto
8. Amsterdam
9. Chicago
10. Munich

Islands

1. Miyajima, Japan
2. Capri, Italy
3. Ios, Greece
4. Paros, Greece
5. Alcatraz, San Francisco

Hikes

1. Cinque Terre, Italy
2. Nevada Falls. Yosemite National Park, California, USA
3. Glacier National Park, Montana, USA
4. Wachau Valley, Austria
5. Todra Gorge, Morocco

Beaches

1. Mediterranean Sea between Barcelona and Valencia, Spain
2. El Saler, Valencia, Spain
3. San Sebastian (would have been higher if it wasn't cold and wet), Spain
4. Essaouira, Morocco
5. Paradise Beach, Mykonos, Greece

Interesting Meals

1. Escargot, Paris
2. Pigeon, Morocco
3. Fatburger, USA (Where else? A nice contrast with 'Freshness' Burger in Japan)

Best Meals

1. Moussaka, Athens
2. Swordfish, Paros
3. Roast Lamb, Madrid
4. Okonomi-Yaki, Japan
5. Paella, Valencia

Beers/Beer Halls

1. Augustiner Keller Beer Garden/Hall, Munich
2. Hofbrauhaus, Munich
3. Most in Prague
4. Bush, Brugges, Belgium
5. Everywhere else in Munich!

Bizarre Places

1. Tokyo
2. Marrakech
3. Las Vegas
4. Monaco/Cannes
5. Location shoot of Bourne Ultimatum, Tanger, Morocco

Natural Scenes

1. Sahara Desert, Morocco
2. Grand Canyon, USA
3. Rocky Mountains, Canada/USA
4. Amalfi Coast, Italy
5. Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, USA
6. Austrian Alps

Ancient Structures/Cities

1. Acropolis, Athens
2. Colosseum, Rome
3. Pompeii, Italy
4. Alhambra, Granada, Spain
5. Kinkakuji Temple, Kyoto

Modern Structures (since 1800)

1. Eiffel Tower, Paris
2. Statue of Liberty, New York
3. Big Ben, London
4. Empire State Building, New York
5. Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco
6. Mt. Rushmore, South Dakota
7. Berlin Wall, Berlin

Memorials

1. Memorial to the Murdered Jews, Berlin
2. Dachau Concentration Camp, Munich
3. Peace Park, Hiroshima
4. World Trade Center Site, New York

Palaces

1. Versailles
2. Madrid
3. Buckingham

Museums

1. British Museum, London
2. Musee D'Louvre, Paris
3. National Archaelogical Museum, Athens
4. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
5. Uffizi Gallery, Florence
6. Vatican Museums, Vatican City
7. Museo del Prado, Madrid
8. National Gallery, London
9. Tate Modern, London
10. Musee D'Orsay, Paris
11. Getty Center, Los Angeles

Churches / Temples

1. St. Peter's Basilica, Vatican
2. La Sagrada Familia, Barcelona
3. Kinkakuji Temple, Kyoto
4. Kiomizudera, Kyoto
5. Notre Dame, Paris
6. Daibutsu-den, Nara, Japan
7. Duomo. Florence

Activities

1. Camel Trek, Sahara Desert, Morocco
2. Grape Grazing Tour (Wineries, Hike, Bike Tour, Swim in Danube), Wachau Valley, Austria
3. Night Bike Tour, Paris
4. Dinner at Sunset, Cinque Terre
5. Kingston Mines Blues Club, Chicago
6. Rodeo, Cody, Wyoming (and Bar afterwards)
7. Karaoke, Tokyo
8. Gondola Ride, Venice
9. Berlin Pub Crawl10. Wine and Cheese at Sacre Couer by night, Paris
11. Bullfight, Seville, Spain
12. Munich Beer Crawl

Hostels

1. Gojo Guesthouse, Kyoto
2. Oasis, Granada
3. Sir Toby's, Prague
4. Wombat's, Vienna
5. Citystay, Berlin

Worst Hostel

1. Hans Brinker, Amsterdam... That is all.

Festivals I went to

1. La Tomatina, Bunol, Spain

Festivals I just missed

1. Il Palio, Siena, Italy
2. Love Parade, Berlin

Beautiful Scenes

1. Eiffel Tower by Night
2. Louvre by Sunset
3. Sahara Sunrise
4. Sunset in Greek Islands
5. Itsukushima Shrine, Miyajima at Sunset/night
6. Colloseum at Sunset
7. Acropolis at Night
8. Grand Canal, Venice

Best Places to Ride Naked in an Elevator

1. Shomen Onsen, Kyoto

Adrenalin Rushes

1. Dragster, Cedar Point, Ohio, USA
2. Rock Climbing, Todra Gorge, Morocco
3. Driving on Mykonos

Traffic Jams

1. Arc D'Triomphe, Paris
2. 4am in Madrid
3. Amalfi Coast

Tram Systems

1. Amsterdam
2. San Francisco
3. Vienna
4. Berlin
5. Hiroshima

Most Expensive Cities

1. London
2. New York
3. Paris
4. Vienna
5. Florence

Least Expensive

1. Marrakech
2. Prague

Places I want to go to now

1. Inca Trail, South America
2. Eastern Europe
3. Asia
4. Africa

2006-10-24T11:29:00.000+01:00

Made it to Japan and survived the first week!

spent the first day in tokyo, having forced my various belongings (now including my Morroccan tam-tams wrapped in plastic and packed in a dodgy Walkers Chip box found in the loading bay of Heathrow Terminal 1) into a few coin lockers.

Was rather tired by the time I met up with my friend Fumi at 8.30pm having been up since 11.30am the previous day. nevertheless i soldiered on and had a nice dinner in Shibuya.

Fumi's house is south of Central Tokyo which is in a quieter area, although no less built up.

Ive managed to get the full range of experiences in a short period of time - 6 million vending machines, incredible shopping and entertainment districts like Shinjuku and Shibuya (the department stores are unbelievably large and overstaffed with over-friendly.. ahem.. staff). i was even very excited to be squashed onto a train and i mean squashed more than La Tomatina (although with considerably less water, Roma tomatoes, amd nudity).

It brought to mind one of many contradictions about Japan.

Everyone is so damned polite and friendly all the time (a nice change from service in Italy, Spain etc.) but have apparently have no issue with pushing into people with all their weight like a rugby scrum to get onto a train.
This was one of the last trains on that particular line at 12.45am!

Fumi has also taken me to some nice restaurants soive had a few local specialties such as okonomi-yaki, the DIY pancake-like dish from Osaka, and Awamori, the grain liquor from Okinawa.

And weve been to a rather large Karaoke bar with his friend Yukari.

I now find myself in Kyoto, after the 2.5 hr Shinkansen (another japanese experience of course) ride down from Tokyo. The Japan rail pass i bought in London gives me free unlimited travel for 2 weeks on JR trains and buses and most of the Shinkansen.

So ill be getting the shinkansen down to Osaka in a few days (15 mins) and then a few days later down further to Hirosima and Miyajima and back via Himeji.

By the end (which is steadily approaching both depressingly and thankfully),
I shall never wish to see another Church, castle, palace, shrine, temple, gallery, or museum ever again! ever.

Mind you, i dont think theres many more important ones that i havent seen anywhere in the world!

2006-10-13T13:01:00.000+01:00

Finally back in London after 3 incredible months of fun and excitement.

Had one final day in Paris on the way back, during which I headed out to Versailles, and then back to Musee D'Orsay, before finishing Europe beneath the sparkling Eiffel Tower once more, having returned to the Sacre Coeur the previous night.

Now, apart from catching up with various people, I've also managed to put alot of Europe photos up on the web. See the link on the left: 'New Updated Travel Photos'.

Only 4 days until I head to Tokyo, and then another 2 weeks before I return to the real world.

I think I might enjoy it while it lasts!

2006-10-03T16:38:00.000+01:00

Finally returned from Morocco after 2 and a bit weeks of incredibleness (sic):

or How I went to Morocco and ended up in a Hollywood Movie.

After the impressive Alhambra, I left for Algeciras on the early train before catching the ferry over to Tangier and continent number 3.

The first night was spent in the rather luxurious Tarik Hotel before starting the tour the next morning. I was rather interested to discover the Production offices of the Bourne Ultimatum housed on the first 2 levels of the hotel, but thought no more about it as our group of 25 left in a big truck for Chefchaouen, our first stop in the hills inland.

It was a cool little town, literally, because of the white and blue painted buildings.

It was our first taste of Moroccan culture (aside from the predictably dodgy characters at the port in Tangier) and we saw some handmade blanket and rug shops, whence the rest of Morocco and the world imports.

After a night camping there, we swiftly moved on to historic Fes (via Volubilis, the ruins of the farthest outpost of the Roman empire)

Passing the very well located McDonalds, we moved into the Medina, where we were guided through the maze of 9600 alleyways by a local guide, experiencing the sights and perhaps more significantly the smells of narrow covered alleys filled with donkeys.

We were taken to the dye pits where the leather is produced (and sat around in the leather store while 20 girls looked at and bought various leather goods).

That night we dressed up and went into town for a night of meals and 'traditional Morccan entertainment' (clearly designed for tourists as everyone there was clearly a tourist). Still a lot of fun nevertheless.

After 2 nights in Fes, we moved on through the Moyan Atlas to the Meski Oasis, where we camped the night surrounded by beautiful scenery deserts, oases and old ruined medinas. Oh and I bought some Moroccan drums (Berber Tam-Tams made of ceramic)

From there, we drove further out to the edge of the Sahara, where we all rode in a caravan (of Camels of course) out to our desert camp as the sun set, and then we slept under the stars, chilling out with shisha and drums.

Getting up for sunrise, we then returned on our camels, and continued our way over to Todra Gorge, where we once again chose to sleep under the stars, pulling the mattresses out from our rooms in the hotel to sleep on the terrace.
Just stunning scenery.

The next morn, we did some real rock climbing up the gorge (there's a first time for everything), and surviving relatively unscathed (just a few cuts and bruises), a few of us started hiking up the gorge in the afternoon, for more stunning views and a bit of a workout (my thongs by this stage were nearing their demise, particularly after a 4 hour hike down the dry river beds through the gorge)

Moving on from Todra, we drove through the High Atlas, climbing the Tizi-n-Tichka pass, en-route to Marrakech.

Marrakech was at times exciting, colourful, stinky, dodgy, and friendly.

the Djemaa El-Fna (main square) was pulsating at night with hundreds of open air food stalls, performers, snake charmers, and mazes of souks off the square.

By day, it was no less busy, with 40 or so fresh orange juice stalls all next to each other. Most our free day was spent shopping, or rather haggling, which I found great enjoyment doing, often for other people, as I wasnt buying that much myself, and when surrounded by 15-20 girls, somehow you end up going shopping a fair bit...

The second week of our trip happened to coincide with the start of Ramadan, which created a few issues, and some people got shouted at for eating or drinking before sunset. And the people in the shops were less willing to haggle as they tired later in the day.

I did go to a Hammam (arabic bath) where i was scrubbed down and stepped on by a skinny little Moroccan man who looked a lot like Gandhi. So that was nice...

From Marrakech, we headed towards the coast via the Film Studios where we looked around the Castle set built for Kingdom of Heaven.

From there, we made it to Essaouira the fishing town on the atlantic coast, with another incredible medina with so many souks, and great surf beaches.

There was also the Castle made of Sand where Jimi Hendrix lived for a while further up the coast a bit.

We hugged the coast from here, up to Asilah and then Cap Spartal where we had our final night party and bonfire (grilled pigeon anyone?)

And then it was all over....

We were returned to the hotel to pick up our stuff, and as fortune would have it, i had decided to stay another night in luxury at the Tarik Hotel rather than getting the ferry over to Algeciras.

Because on my return to the Hotel from the port, Bianca who had stayed there,
informed me that the Casting director for the Bourne Ultimatum wanted 5 backpackers to feature in the movie!

So with 2 other girls from the 7 day tour and a random english guy who had just rocked up, we suddenly were signing contracts and hanging round in Tangier for another 2 days.

And so we left the hotel at 5am and were taken down to the port where we had an amazing breakfast, and then jumped on a ferry for 7 hours, most of which was shooting this one scene from the movie which required me and bianca to walk directly in front of the camera past Matt Damon and Julia Stiles, and join the others in the background of this scene. All of this while wearing very very warm winter clothes with very very warm summer weather.

After about 15 takes from various angles we returned for an amazing lunch, and waited around while they shot another scene in immigration, before we swiftly were paid and we rushed back to the hotel to get our stuff and return to port where 2 of us just made a ferry back to Spain and then only just made the night train to Madrid and then the day train to San Sebastian where i am sitting typing this increasingly lengthy blog entry right now....

2006-09-14T18:38:00.000+01:00

Somehow managed to miss a flamenco show and the cathedral in Seville!

Nevertheless, got to the alcazar and the other main sights in very very hot temperatures. It was 43 when i got off the bus from madrid and was 34 at midnight walking around the city!

From Seville, I headed to country number 17, Portugal where i headed to the southern coast on the Atlantic and the coastal town of Lagos, seemingly occupied by middle aged english tourists and young aussies. Stayed at the aptly named 'Cameltoe' Hostel not to be confused with the equally aptly named ´Rising Cock´. Pretty much just the beach and partying, and a very welcome if not particularly tasty meat pie and sauce.

On an hours or so sleep, I caught the early 6.30am bus back to Seville, and then another bus over to Granada, where today it was actually very cold - only 21!!
Went out of town to Guijar and the Sierra Nevada which was nice.

Tomorrow ill be rising early to line up for the Alhambra, the must see sight in Granada, before heading down to Morocco for my 2 week camping tour!!

2006-09-09T17:08:00.000+01:00

Forgot to mention that i´ve finally managed to get a few photos up on the web so click the ´More Travel Photos link´ on the left to have a look

2006-09-06T17:09:00.000+01:00

Now in Seville after a few nights in barcelona and valencia (again) and 4 in madrid.

barcelona was a very busy, exciting city, and i probably needed more than 2 days but nevertheless, i managed to go to a tapas night and flamenco show, and see a lot of the gaudi architecture all around the city.

Returning to Valencia, i deliberately relaxed a little more, chilling out on the hostel terrace, watching a rather amusing and interesting paella cooking demonstration, followed of course by the consumption of said paella, and some sangria.

I haven´t really liked the sangria that much for some reason (too sweet i think), but everyone else seems to be enjoying it.

But Valencia is the home of paella, so it was nice to have some while i was there.

From there, it was inland to Madrid, with hotter weather and friendly local prostitutes standing outside the door to the hostel.

Madrid had some beautiful parks, palaces and museums. Despite telling myself not to go to anymore museums (ever again...ever), i ended up going to the Prado and Reina Sofia museums for a bit of spanish and modern art, and they were relatively cheap and probably worth it (my valid (but not really) student card doing the trick once again).

On one day, Meredith (who I´ve been travelling on and off with since Greece) and I did a day trip to Toledo.

And today I ventured out on my own for the first time in a while, leaving the tender loving care of Busabout and making my own way to the south of Spain for a week before I head to Morrocco.

Looking forward to a bit more Flamenco here in Seville where it originated.

2006-08-27T23:24:00.000+01:00

After a most relaxing week in Cinque Terre and the French Riviera, I have made it to Barcelona.

I ended up spending 4 nights in Cinque Terre, staying in Riomaggiore, reading newspapers and books, a bit of sun and a bit of mediterranean sea, drinking wine, cooking up pasta in our kitchens in our apartment/dorms, watching sunsets etc.

Quite relaxing really.

And then Nice which was ironically not particularly nice.

It was like any other city in many ways, except with a beach of rocks.
The surrounding towns on the Cote D'Azur however were rather nice, such as Monaco/Monte Carlo and Cannes. Never seen so many Ferraris, Lambourghinis, and Porsches in my life.

From Nice, we headed through Avignon in Southern France to Espana and Barcelona!

However, it was to be for one night only as the La Tomatina Festival was just days away!

The following morning I jumped on an old, dodgy bus driven by a young english guy (appropiately named Mr Dodge) who I met in an internet cafe in Florence.

We drove down to Valencia along the coast, stopping at the beach for a swim along the way.

We stayed the night in a beach car park just south of the city and used the facilities of the campground nearby: Cheap!

From there we headed off the next day out to Bunol, a typical small town west of Valencia, where, in a small dead end street at the end of town, about 30 people had set up camp in théir various cars and vans.

The next 36 hours were so ridiculous that i can barely describe it.
That night, Ash (Mr Dodge) went to pick up his mum from the airport in the bus, accompanied by 26 drunken revellers. His mum, who was amazingly cool about the whole situation, received a rock star´s welcome at Valencia Airport, cheered by 27 people and then escorted back in to Bunol in the packed bus.

That night, this small peaceful town was pumping with carnivals and temporary outdoor clubs all night until the festival started in the morning.

At 10am, after hundreds of buses brought in 40000 people to fill the streets completely shoulder to shoulder, the festival began with the Ham on a high pole, which was the precursor to the main event.

When 11am came around, the shots went off and the high powered hoses started soaking everyone, as the first trucks moved through the streets dumping and throwing thousands of Roma tomatoes.

And the fun began......

What followed was at times exhilirating, violent, hilarious, and always messy.

Nevertheless, everybody ended up covered head to toe in tomato residue, parts of which were to inevitably remain for days to come.

And then it was over.

As the thousands of tourists headed back to Valencia, the town had a well earned siesta.

However, yet another random event was to occur that night.
Not publicised at all, and hence more for the locals, at 3am another shot rang out as the same streets that had been covered in tomatoes earlier that day were now covered in fireworks.

15 mins of fireworks at ground level shooting out through the streets: alot of fun and of course quite dangerous.

Following this bizarre display, hundreds of people appeared from nowhere setting up fires all along the street, for a big cook-up.
So we helped one old guy collect his firewood and then watched him prepare a massive dish of mojete, a thick meaty soup which we ate with no hesitation.

So apart from random bus rides to airports with 30 drunk people cheering on someones mum, all night parties, 40000 people throwing tomatoes at each other, random 3am street level fireworks, and 5am family and friends cook ups, it was a pretty boring 3 days.

2006-08-20T14:22:00.000+01:00

Just arrived in Riomaggiore, the first village of Cinque Terre.

Fortunately, the' Italian Explorer' generally lived up to expectations, the main problem being that it was a little rushed.

Pompeii was fantastic. To finally see the deep lines along the ancient roman roads worn away by chariots 2000 years ago, and some remarkably 'unruined' ruins was amazing.

From there we headed to Sorrento, the resort town and our base for 2 nights.
The next day was Capri, a stunning island off the coast, where we went on a lengthy boat tour around the island (lengthy because we went into the Blue Grotto (look it up) which required waiting for 90 mins as it hadn't been open in 2 weeks).

And the guy rowing our little boat into the grotto decided to dump water on my camera just before we went in, so I had no photos of the inside.

Following this, we headed up to various towns (Capri, Anacapri) making our way to the top of the island, where a chairlift took us right up to the top.

The views were incredible, the sheer cliffs, perfect blue water, little houses coming out of the cliffs, yachts of the rich and famous dotted around..

The next day was even nore spectacular as we headed down the Amalfi Coast, with more little villages shooting straight up from the sea.

We eventually returned to Rome, whence we left the next morn for the rolling Tuscan Hills and Florence.

Florence was very very expensive, but we did the obligatory visit to Davo and the Uffizzi Gallery which was initially disappointing but came good at the end with some famous Botticelli and Da Vinci works, and a large Da Vinci exhibition explaining his drawings, inventions etc.

Now in a quiet and rather steep village in Cinque Terre, I'll be leaving Italy soon, hopefully to return when I have money.

The french riviera awaits before what will be a crazy 2 weeks in Spain, hopefully involving me being pelted with hundreds of tomatoes.

2006-08-13T16:41:00.000+01:00

I may have spoken too early about (and misspelled) precipitation. I was rudely awoken from my deep sleep on the deck of the ferry Hellenic Spirit from Patra to Ancona at 9am by the beginning of a storm that had made its way across northern Italy into the Adriatic Sea. The rain and cooler breeze that followed intermittently over the next few days was a nice change from the stifling heat with no relief in Athens.

After a midnight swim at the beach our rooms overlooked in Paros, we headed on to Ios, where we stayed at Far Out Camping, adjacent to the far nicer and inevitably more expensive Far Out Village. Unfortunately, for the first night i was condemned to what could only be described as a dog kennel, which although fine at 4am, became more furnace like once the sun rose at 8am. I made the mistake of not staying out til sunrise as many others did (particularly the large Italian contingent), staggering back along the beach as others were setting up for another day.

This was Ios, the party island, although i did manage to fit in some sea kayaking out into a cove where we jumped of cliffs into rocky water, and ate some minging sausages (look it up if your not from the UK). And somehow caught up with Mark Finn,
a mate from school and blues jam sessions, who i thought had gone to Santorini but had returned to Ios.

The lasting impression of the Greek Islands was a good one despite lingering memories of 'Love Generation' and Shakira's 'Hips Don't Lie', and large groups of irritating Italians 'singing' the riff from the White Stripes' Seven Nation Army ad nauseum.

And so, I was stuck on yet another ferry back to Italy.

Finally we arrived in Ancona (described in Lonely Planet as a 'Grimly Industrial Port City'), and instead of catching the train into rome, Carrie (a Canadian girl i'd met on the way over)and I stayed the night there, which was relaxing but not very exciting, although that suited me fine after Greece.

And finally we headed into Rome, watching Gladiator (again!) on the bus.

Rome has been my favourite city so far.

This is my third day here and I have done some hardcore sightseeing but it has been worth it.

The first day involved a Vatican tour, the spanish steps and the Diocletian Baths.
The Sistine Chapel is amazing and St Peters Basilica enormous!

The next day, the Palatine Hill and the Colloseum, the Capitoline Hill, the Roman Forum, the Pantheon, the Trevi Fountain, the Piazza Navona, et alia.

Today, the Piazza de Popolo, Villa Borghese, Circus Maximus, Travestere and Giancolo

I may or may not have eaten Gelati 3 times yesterday, but it is so good.

I managed to consume scoops of Vanilla Bourbon, Honey, Blackberry, Bacio (pretty much like the soft fillimg from the Baci Chocolates), Blood Orange, Strawberry, and Profiterole gelato!

Tomorrow, I'm off down the coast to Pompeii and Naples, which was one of the main things i wanted to see in the entire trip.

Hopefully, Italy will continue to live up to expectations...

2006-08-03T12:51:00.000+01:00

Now sunning myself in the Greek Islands, having left Italy by 21 hour ferry for Patra and then a 3 hour bus into Athens.

After drinking so much in the previous 3 weeks, it was nice to have a few days off in Athens where I had 4 nights. It was very hot (obviously), so it paid to follow the lead of the locals and have a siesta in the afternoon after sightseeing in the morning.

The Acropolis was amazing, and i just sat up there overlooking the city for a quite a while taking it all in. Once again using my (still valid but shouldnt be) student card to get a substantial discount, i got a pass to all the main archaeological sites and the acropolis museum.

The next day i went to the National Archaeological Museum, which was very interesting, if a little tiring.

By this stage i had moved into the nice Achilleas Hotel where i met alot of Busabout people, most of whom had just been in the greek islands and had alot of stories to tell, whetting my appetite for the adventure to come.

The remaining day or so before i left, I had a couple of good wanders by myself around Athens. Putting the map away is very liberating. I ended up in various narrow dingy streets, and didnt see any tourists for 3 hours! Which when youve just been at the acropolis is very refreshing.

Although it was very hot, unlike most of central Europe, The greeks actually know how to deal with the heat. EG. Such inventions as refrigeration, air conditioning, cheap bottled water in large bottles (1.5L for 0.55c in the supermarket), and alot of juice that is actually 100% juice!

Finally I met up with Tracy, our guide for the greek islands, and 10 or so of the group for dinner the day before we left.

The next morn, at an hour that could only be described as unearthly, we rose bleary eyed to catch the ferry to the first stop, Mykonos, the busiest and most expensive of the Cyclades.

we were staying in the contiki resort of all places which was very expensive but very nice. Not surprisingly, Ive found that you get what you pay for everywhere you go.

After some laying in the sun, we headed into town and did a bit of a tour and had a nice and not too expensive greek dinner. Then, it was off to some bars and clubs, where, a long island ice tea or 8 later, fun was to be had.

The next day, we once again laid in the sun at the pool and beach, where we also did a spot of sea kayaking.

In the early arvo, it was off to town and then to Paradise Beach.
The roads on the greek islands and the people travelling on them have got to be the most crazy in the world. There are a lot of people on mopeds with no safety gear at all speeding around through incredibly narrow gaps between buses and walls and pedestrians going in various directions.

So having survived the bus ride across the very arid and sparsely populated island, we entered through a door into a massive beach with clear blue water, almost entirely covered with sunbeds and several bars at the back pumping out music.

Unlike the rather disturbing sight at the Englischer Garten in Munich (Old german men laying out with all to see and nothing that anybody wants to), there were hundreds and hundreds and hundreds and hundreds (you get the idea) of stunning girls.

But it all started about 5pm when the music started really pumping, and everyone started dancing on the tables. After an hour or so, it was basically just a massive massive massive beach party!

And we supposedly havent got to the 'party' island (ios) yet!

Today we moved over to the rather more serene, inexpensive, and greek island of Paros, where my room looks over yet another picture perfect beach.

I'm now at about the half way point of the trip and it has gone so fast, but telling people where ive been and where i'm going (as you do all the time when you are meeting hundreds of people), and looking over this blog, i cant believe how much ive done and seen and spent and experienced.

Oh, i forgot to mention the weather, but you don't really notice it when you havent seen a cloud or any form of precipitaion for months....

2006-07-26T14:00:00.000+01:00

See Below for the start of this post..

After Dachau, i made the smart move of joining the beer crawl, but i had to stay true to the motto of my trip so far: when in Paris...drink wine and eat cheese at the Sacre coeur, When in Belgium...waffles, beer, chocolate and Tintin, when in Amsterdam...well you know, When in Munich.....BEER HALLS and BEER GARDENS!

Went to the Hofbrauhaus which is more touristy but a necessary visit. Also the Augustiner Keller, the largest inner city beer garden in the world and the Lowenbrau Brewery. Steins only of course. The beer all throughout central europe is so clean and pure and preservative free that it tastes fantastic and you never get a hangover.
So I fixed my sore throat by drinking litres and litres of beer! Huzzah!

And now Ive moved on to Venice where the temperature rose considerably, and will most likely stay above 35 until i get back to paris in early october.

Venice is obviously a beautiful city. With the heat we decided to go in early (staying out of the city in a camp ground next to the airport... How's the serenity?)

6 of us had the obligatory gondola ride in the morning before it became too hot or expensive. There was no need or point using a map in Venice because its inevitable youll get lost. There are signs to the few major piazzas everywhere which guide you through the stalls selling Venetian glass and Venetian Masks.

The Main Piazza is justly famous and the view from the Bell tower opposite the basilica is incredible. Some (well a lot really, i dont want to lie too much) photos
will eventually be put up.

However it is really just too hot to stay around for more than 5 or 6 hours in the city, so after some incredibly delicious gelati, we returned to the air conditioned rooms and pool at the campground.

2006-07-26T13:35:00.000+01:00

5 minutes ago i was sweating profusely by the pool in a campground 20 mins out of venice.

I have finally made it to Italy, country number 7 in Europe and number 10 overall.

Prague was a beautiful city. The history and architecture were very interesting, and like Berlin, it had only been 10-15 years since Czech Republic had been independent.

We walked up along the northern side of the river along a beautiful park towards Prague Castle looking over the whole city. It was definitely the most beautiful city since Paris.

From Prague, we moved swiftly along to Vienna, a rather more expensive city, especially if you indulge in the Viennese Cafes, which fortunately i didnt because i dont drink coffee. Not that you'd want to when it was the hottest day ever around europe. I think itwas about 35 in london and probably the same in Vienna.
The first day, i actually got out of the city on a Wine tour about 1.5 hours out o f Vienna. Some wine tasting, a long bike ride, a great bbq with sausages filled with cheese and covered in bacon! Best.Sausage.Ever.

And a swim in the Danube. Also had some tastings of schnapps and some fantastic jam.

The second day involved minimal sightseeing due to the heat, but i went to the Haus der Music, which was air conditioned and very interesting.

Then we were off to Munich , by which time I had got a bit of a cold, possibly something to do with drinking every night since i left london.

So the best way to sober up was to go to the Dachau Concentration camp which was an unsettling but necessary experience. It was the first one ever built in 1933.

2006-07-16T10:05:00.000+01:00

Finally had more time to write a quick update.

I'm now in Prague, Czech Republic, having left Brugge, Amsterdam, and Berlin.

Brugge was a quaint small town with cobbled streets, and a Tintin Shop (which occupied me for far too long). I ensured i experienced the true Belgian cuisine of waffles, beer, chocolate, and more beer. It was good preparation linguistically for Amsterdam as I had very little idea about dutch and still really have no idea.

Amsterdam... Well there were sex shops, coffee shops, smart shops (look em up), dykes, alot of canals and bridges thereover (if that is a real word), and even more bikes. Oh yes, and some trams. Went on a bike tour around the city and also out to the countryside to a cheese and clog factory. And made the obligatory visit to the sex museum which is alternately hilarious (1870's porn with innappropriately sized moustaches) and incredibly disturbing (i won't go there).

ALso went to the Anne Frank Huis which was a little more educational.

We knew we were in Amsterdam when, waiting to check in to our hostel, a guy walked in with an industrial sized bong, and seemed to have used it.

However, the liberal attitude to such things seemed to create a more relaxed atmospshere and we saw no real problems. The red light district itself is one of the most highly policed areas in the world with cctv everywhere.

Saying our goodbyes to Amsterdam, we set our sights on Berlin.

Not the most aesthetically pleasing city in the world, but the incredible history
and quite modern history made it very interesting. We did a walking tour which was very in depth about the 20th century history which changed the city. The new (2 years old) memorial for the murdered Jews is striking.

Despite the fact that most young people can supposedly speak english very well,
I was forced to practice my german on 80 percent of the people in shops etc. to find a laundromat.

It was also very warm. Amsterdam had been mid 20's but it was about 30 in berlin, which created some stifling heat for our pub crawl on the second night, ending in a massive club called the Matrix. We left as the World Cup decorations were being taken down and the Love Parade was being set up (look it up).

Now in a great Hostel in Prague, about to do a walking tour of the beautiful old city.

This is also the first cheap place ive been to since home. Indeed, it cost about
AUD 10 for a hearty dinner and 2 half litres of beer. I have to make the most of this because everywhere else i'm going will be very expensive.

2006-07-07T17:16:00.000+01:00

Finally had a minute to get onto the interweb, after several crazy days/nights in Paris.

Now in Brugge, Belgium, off to taste a few of the 300 types of beer here.

the 3 nights and 2 days in Paris were not nearly enough so ill have to spend a bit more time when i return in 3 months.

Spent the first night in an aussie pub (!) opposite the moulin rouge, having dined on baguettes with an amazing view of the justly famous Sexodrome' and less excitingly named 'Porno Shop'.

That's right we were staying not far from the Red Light District in Montmatre.
However, this meant we were able to climb the steps to Sacre Cour 2 nights at midnight/1am to indulge in some french vino et fromage, although one of the bottles seemed to be Chateau de Schiser (if thats how its spelt and yes i know that's combining french and german but hey, its all part of the EU now - We still havent got our passports checked since entering the UK)

Travelled round paris with about 10 or so others, all aussies of course.
Up the Eiffel Tower, and the Arc d'Triomphe, along the Champs Elysses and Notre Dame.

And of course, we visited Mona and Venus (Lisa and De Milo) in the Louvre.

Natrurally all of this is fantastic but being in Paris for the 2 world cup Semi-finals made this another kind of experience.

Although we didnt go to the Champs Elysses for the France-Italy Match, we forced ourselves into the most packed pub in the history of packed pubs, chanting Avec le Bleu with hundreds of crazy french people, as we delighted equally in Italy's downfall caused by a penalty.

And yet last night was equally memorable, as we stopped traffic and pissed off alot of french drivers on a bike tour that involved ice cream, crepes, beer, and free wine, cruising the Seine taking 100 pictures of the Eiffel tower at night.

You could say i had a good time.

2006-06-30T18:54:00.000+01:00

Only 4 days to go until I head off on the lengthy european adventure.

Been in London for 2 weeks now and after a spell of average weather, it has now improved and is going to be in the high 20's until I go.

Ive been to the British Museum, Tate Modern, National Gallery, National Portrait Gallery, Buck Palace, Kensington Palace, Westminster Abbey, Houses of Parliament, and alot of parks.

I caught up with some of the other friends and relatives in the second week.
The Cotswalds for 2 days (look it up), visiting Michael (my grandmother's cousin) and Barbara in Malmesbury.

Michael took me to Bristol for a day, which normally isn't very exciting or advisable, but they have the SS Great Britain (look it up again - you've already got google open from the other thing you were looking up)in dry dock there, which was why we braved the incredibly innavigable 'system' of roads and roadworks, supported by the absence of directions to important landmarks.

Then I saw Becky (Michael and Barbara's daughter) and Neil and their little baby Elliot, who live in Walton-on-Thames in Surrey, not too far from Balham.

Also spent an afternoon with family friend and expat aussie Richard in Kensington.

I've now managed to see most of the main sights in London, and hopefully i'll get those photos up before i leave for paris (see link on side).

I was thinking about going to Wimbledon today, but although its quite close, there was nobody that exciting playing today and I still would have had to queue for 4 hours before the first match just to get a ground pass.

Instead I went to Borough, Camden, and Portobello Markets, only buying fruit
because even some of the 'cheap' clothes etc. are a bit pricey (for a cheap backpacker) and I want to pack as light as possible for the continent.

Unfortunately, I wasn't able to make it up to Scotland which i was hoping to.
I may still brave it when i get back if i have time before flying to Tokyo.

I've also now discovered how to change the comment system. You now don't have to sign up to Blogger to comment, just choose the option of 'other' and write your name.

How exciting...

2006-06-22T19:18:00.000+01:00

I have now officially been in London a week, longer than I've spent in any city so far.

It is definitely the most expensive city also, but I've managed to avoid spending too much thanks to free meals and accomodation with the rellies in South London: Huzzah!

I have also fixed up the blog so now you can look at lovely pictures, and not so lovely but interesting links (well actually they may not be interesting to you personally, in fact they probably are of no interest to anybody except me, but they are there anyway and it took me bloody ages to figure out how to put them there, so don't be so ungrateful....)

ok, well then, you should notice the more travel photos link which surprisingly actually links to more travel photos which i'm in the process of uploading and explaining.

I'm thinking about going to Scotland soon, and then i'm off to europe on the 4th of July for quite a long time.

I'll be starting in Paris, then heading to Brussels, Amsterdam, where i'll be for the World Cup final, and then Berlin. After that, Vienna, Salzburg, Prague, Munich, Venice, Athens.

I've booked a greek island trip for a week starting on august 1st and i'm planning a one week moroccan trip in early-mid september. In between these dates, i'm going to move through Italy, Switzerland, Spain.

Should be hectic, expensive, and linguistically confusing, but does anybody really not want to swap places with me?

Avg Maximum Temperature for July August September

Paris 24 24 21
Rome 29 29 26
Athens 32 31 28
Madrid 32 32 28

I thought not.

2006-06-15T18:43:00.000+01:00

After a brief interlude in NYC, and a briefer one in Frankfurt International Airport, I have made it to London and my relatives' house in Balham.

This means I'll hopefully be able to post some pictures now, so check back on the old posts to see the nice shiny new posts rejuvenated by some masterful photography.

The direction I crossed North America meant each city was generally better than the last and this inevitably culminated in NYC, the city that never sleeps, particularly on the corner of 103rd St and Amsterdam Ave, where I was attempting to.

NB. This was the location of Hostelling International NY, the largest hostel in the world - I wasn't actually trying to sleep on a street corner.

I had 3.5 days in NYC, which was simultaneously enough and not enough time.
The weather was perfect, 25-28 degrees each day, and I managed to see most of the touristy stuff, but to have seen Harlem, Brooklyn etc. in more detail and spent more time in museums, and gone through every neighbourhood more closely, rather than on the back of a double decker sightseeing bus (which is what I was forced to do with only 3 days), would have required a few weeks. This in turn would have required a few thousand dollars thanks to accomodation, food, transport and bloody tips!

I spent alot of time in Central Park relaxing in the sun or walking through it to Museum Mile. When you see the massive metropolis that is just Manhattan, the importance of a place like Central Park becomes very obvious.

Various group members were leaving at different times over those few days, but we spent a couple of nights together in the Lower East Side, and Chinatown and Little Italy.

I went up the Empire State building, on the Staten Island ferry, to the World Trade Center site, Wall St, the UN, as well as a night tour of Downtown Manhattan and Brooklyn.

My favourite part was probably at the annual Times Square food festival thingy, where you could sample food from all the surrounding restaurants with tickets you could buy for $5 or $10. They had a special audience participation performance from the show 'Drumstruck' with 60-70 people playing djembes together(They are similar to bongos or congas).

2006-06-09T19:59:00.000+01:00

Back in Canada again (It's amazing how easy it is to move back and forward between the two countries...)

This time in Niagara Falls where we just went on the Maid of the Mist boat ride.

We now have our sights set firmly on NYC!

Even after just 5 weeks, i've managed to go to 14 states in the USA and 3 provinces in Canada!

Last night after a longish drive from Chicago, we went to Cedar Point, Sandusky, Ohio
the 'best amusement park in the world'. We got there at 6.15, it rained for 2.5 hours (with the rides stopped) and so a few of us led by our adrenaline junkie tour leader george, who looks more like robert redford now than chris martin, went and did a silly thing.

In the 75 mins before it closed, we went on eight rides, sprinting between every one.
The first one was the highest and fastest in the world: 0-195kmh in 4 seconds and then straight up 90 degrees 130m into the sky and straight back down.

Needless to say, it was rather exciting, given the biggest ride i'd been on previously was probably the ancient rollar coaster at Luna Park in St Kilda!

The previous 2 nights i went to a few different blues clubs in Chicago which was fantastic!! We almost timed it perfectly because the annual blues festival started the day we left Chicago, but we still saw a young guy who was going to be playing with B.B. King the following night.

Only a few days to go until I leave for Europe!!
I'd be excited if I was more organised!

I have done a rough itinerary for the first month and i could end up in or near Germany by early july for the last week of the World Cup!!

Whether that actually eventuates is another issue, yet to be resolved.

2006-06-06T23:14:00.000+01:00

The Harold Washington Library Center, Chicago has over 100 computers devoted to free internet access.

A welcome change from the $1 for 5 min slow access in hotel lobbies.

Having avoided a beating for wearing a terribly inappropriate cowboy hat (purchased for $9.88 (plus tax) at WalMart) to the Cody Nite Rodeo and then for the entire duration of a night out at the bar across the road from our campground (where other blokes were actually wearing them seriously like characters from Brokeback Mountain), i have somehow made it to Chicago.

We also spent a night at Devil's Tower in East Wyoming (see Close Encounters of the Third Kind for those playing along at home - The campground shows it every night)

Then we progressed past Mount Rushmore (where for some bizarre reason, i didn't have patriotic tears flowing down my cheeks, as some postcards suggested i should) to Badlands National Park, and then into Iowa before heading today through Wisconsin and into Illinois and Chicago.

Almost finished the American leg of the trip.
Incredibly, despite warnings to the contrary, i've managed to eat just as if not more healthily than at home since i got here.

Still, there's 7 days to go...

2006-06-02T21:35:00.000+01:00

Back in the USA after the short Canadian sojourn.
Also back to the imperial system (how many inches in a fluid ounce?)

Banff was nice although the overcast weather somewhat lessened some of the
spectacular landscapes.

In fact a few of us went to The Da Vinci Code to escape the cold.

We only just got over the border for our next two nights in Glacier National Park, Montana. Hence my cunning plan to avoid the cold was thwarted once again, although the name of the park should have given it away.

Glacier was amazing, and four of us hiked up to one of the glaciers, across several snow covered paths, but were halted 2 miles before the end by even heavier snow. Plenty of good photo ops though.

The nights were just as cold as Canada but at least i've been making use of my warm gloves,jackets and sleeping bag.

Next up was a trip south into Wyoming via Idaho (just to say we went there)
and Yellowstone National Park.

The days were finally warmer as we left the Rockies to head inland, but the nights were still a little chilly.

We stayed inside the national park here and we had a fantastic day cruising around the park seeing the geysers and masses of burnt out forest from fires 15 years ago.

However, the best part was crossing the various animals off the list as we saw them in the wild.

There were bison everywhere as we quickly discovered and equally quickly lost interest in them. Several times herds of them slowly crossed the road in front of our van.

Also, after being constantly warned about bear danger and having to store all our toiletries and food in special bear proof boxes, we finally actually saw one.

In fact we were lucky enough to see a black bear with its two cubs fighting each other, as well as a grizzly and its two very cute cubs, and also a moose and most fortunately, a wolf, which ran across the road in front of our van. 5 seconds earlier or later and we would have missed it.

We finished the day off by watching 'Old Faithful' geyser erupt, spurting 30 metres into the air.

I'm now in Cody, Wyoming, the real Western town, home of the World Famous Cody Rodeo
which we'll be going to tonight. Thank god I bought my cowboy hat just
in time. I wouldn't want to look stupid....

There's only 11 days to go before i head over to London.
I can't believe these six weeks have gone so fast!

2006-05-27T23:04:00.000+01:00

Sitting in the warmth of an internet cafe in Banff. Its bloody cold but the scenery is amazing. The last few days we've been surrounded by the stunning backdrop of the snow capped Canadian Rockies.

Having seen snow for the 2nd time in Yosemite, we were now treated to a third viewing when we actually saw a semi-frozen lake and it was actually snowing.

Angie (the other aussie, from Brisbane) and I played around in the snow like little school children and had a snow ball fight.

Yesterday we went whitewater rafting on the Kicking Horse River near Golden. We had to wear wetsuits and 2 wool jumpers and rain jackets and it was still freeeeeezing!

They had only opened the rafting season there 5 days ago, and recent warm weather had melted the glaciers so the water level had risen considerably.

It was great fun although not as long as the rafting in Costa Rica. However, our hands were numb from about (or aboot) the 2 minute mark until 5 hours later when we drove an hour to the Radium Hot Springs to thaw out.

Before heading to the Rockies, we spent two days in Vancouver, which was a wonderful city, in many ways similar to Melbourne.

We had a rather large night out on the first night there and on the second night, we caught a sea ferry across to North Vancouver and dined looking back at the city and the bay as the sun set (which was rather late, nearing 10 o'clock).

Before that we spent a night in Seattle (in the last hotel until Chicago 12 days later), which justly deserves its reputation as rainy one day, rainy the next.

We'll be back into the USA in Montana in 2 days and it better be warmer.. (he types as he prepares to leave the warm internet cafe)

2006-05-22T02:46:00.000+01:00

Sitting in a Campground in Oregon, just south of Portland after spending a couple of nights in Redwoods National Park in Northern California.

The two weeks in California were great - now our attention turns to the subsidised medical care and chilly weather of Canada.

The two other guys in the group have got sick and had to go to a doctor at great expense.

It's been pretty cold since we left Yosemite, San Francisco was about 16 degrees and it probably won't get any warmer until we're back in the USA in 10 days.

Onto Seattle tomorrow, before we head to Vancouver.

2006-05-18T00:49:00.000+01:00

Haven't posted for a few days due to camping on the pacific coast and Yosemite National Park, which was spectacular.

And let's face it, i couldn't really be bothered.

I have now joined the Trek America 4 week tour up the west coast, into Canada and over to New York.

I've actually joined with 5 poms and two scots who have already been on a 5 week tour from New York. Another aussie from Brisbane and I are the only new ones.
But we've fitted in pretty quickly as there are only 9 of us plus the lead singer of Coldplay who is our leader.

There are also 2 other groups basically doing the same trip in different vans so we've seen them intermittently over the last few days.

I'm now in San Francisco, where we have two nights before moving up to Redwoods national park in Northern California.

Unfortunately there was a lot of low fog so the nice views of the city and the Golden Gate bridge were turned into eerily
artistic photo ops.

I've taken about 430 photos in 13 days so with 165 days to go, be prepared for some
large emails/posts when i eventually find a bloody computer that can upload photos.

2006-05-13T02:34:00.000+01:00

Almost completed the LA leg of the trip.
I'm just about getting used to the layout of the suburbs/streets etc.
and the public transport system...

Once you get on a bus, its not any worse than a bus in Australia, its very similar in fact. However they don't even bother posting a timetable anywhere, so you could be waiting a while.

Yesterday, I followed up Universal Studios with a longer, more personalized and in depth tour of Warner Bros. Studios in Burbank (for those of you playing along at home, presumably with some sort of Los Angeles County Map and very little to do)

Today, I managed to locate some higher culture in LA, the Getty Center.
I actually spent just as long looking at the architecture and gardens as the art galleries inside.

It's a massive structure on top of a big hill with an amazing 360 degree view of LA.

As I was leaving, a mother taking her young child into the gallery said: "Now we're going to get some culture", to which the child replied "do they have food?"

As some people may know, I have a limited knowledge of art, and would probably have been that kid about 10 years ago.

Nevertheless, I went on a couple of tours including one on Impressionism, and saw the special exhibits on Degas and Courbet.

I have have now had my culture fix until I get to New York.

2006-05-11T04:15:00.000+01:00

Forgot to mention yesterday that i went to the Grand Canyon whilst staying in Vegas.
A truly amazing experience. Photos will follow when i can upload them. (see i told you i would eventually get round to it)

I've managed to use up 70% of my 1 GB memory card in the first 7 days here so i might start having to get picky and delete a few photos/movies.

Spent today at Universal Studios which was great although geared more towards rides and attractions than the actual workings of a studio.
Ironically, Waterworld was one of the best shows there.

I'm thinking about going on another studio tour, perhaps Warner Bros. or Paramount.

Walked past the Poseidon premiere on the way home tonight, and managed to get a quick paparazzi shot.

The MI3 one was last thursday - It's weird having actual film premieres all the time
near your home. By actual, I mean not involving Mr Schneider or Ms Bynes doing bored visits to suburban Australian multiplexes.

2006-05-10T00:38:00.000+01:00

Just returned from 2 exciting nights in Las Vegas!
well sort of..

Travelled with LA city tours rather than making my own way via greyhound to the hostel there. I think it was worth it because the hostel was in a particularly dodgy area, and we stayed in a nice enough motel closer to the strip.

Stayed with a swedish guy who was also travelling alone and saved $50 (Huzzah!)
There were also 3 french girls who were with us most of the time, and we went to the Grand canyon with them yesterday. A long day - up at 6am, 4-5 hours there, 4-5 hours back, then stayed out in Vegas until pretty late.

I think we may have broken the record for the least amount of money spent in a trip to vegas! Paid about $5 for a meal and did all the free stuff!

There were so many sleazy mexican guys thrusting 'business cards' of hot babes who'll come to your room in 20 mins. Even on the main strip full of middle aged american couples.

I think they were genuinely surprised when i started collecting them all from every single guy!

2006-05-07T08:06:00.000+01:00

Yesterday, i walked up to Runyon Canyon with a Novocastrian called Jim (that's an english northerner for those who can't speak Latin), and another aussie guy.
It wasn't part of the tour which the hostel runs, so we made it harder than it needed to be with a bit of bush bashing!

Ultimately got some great views of the whole city, and its a bloody massive city.
Also some good shots of the Hollywood sign.

Went to Santa Monica today, which involved a free shuttle 'bus/massive van with 17 people' going down the freeway at 180km/h.

The beach and promenade were mildly interesting but shopping wasn't the highest priority with about 175 days to carry around unnecessary purchases.

Caught the Metro bus back to Hollywood, which is LA's public transport - very cheap but not very efficient. But you get to see different parts of LA, which although not very glamorous, gives a better picture of the city as a whole.

Unfortunately, MI:3 isn't showing at the Chinese Theater on Hollywood Blvd., even though they had the premiere there on Thursday, the day I arrived with Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes, and a surpisingly C-list of celebrities from 10 years ago: Patrick Swayze, Kirstie Alley etc.

However, there is an impressive multiplex called Arclight on Sunset Blvd which is showing it. So a few of us, including 2 aussies, a another pom, and a columbian
went there to see a different film - United 93.

On reflection, probably not the best film to see for those catching a plane home tomorrow as some were. Or for those who had just flown in on an United Airlines flight (such as me). Fortunately, I won't be flying again for 5-6 weeks and it won't be on United.

Having said that, it was a VERY good film, although I don't think its coming out in Australia until August.

Heading off to Las Vegas tomorrow, perhaps the only city more outwardly glamorous, inwardly hollow than LA.

Should be fun!

2006-05-05T23:54:00.000+01:00

Went on 'Paparazzi' Tour of Bel Air and Beverly Hills today, and
saw an old guy driving into the Playboy mansion and it wasn't Hugh Hefner..

Got some nice photos of the nice part of LA, though i won't be able to upload any of them for a while because the computers at the hostel won't allow it.

Having said that, the Hostel is great. The actual rooms are spacious enough, and there's a Lounge upstairs which is pretty much just a cheap bar. You can't go wrong with $1 beers! Even if it is American beer.

Tonight there are free tequila shots and margaritas to celebrate Cinco de Mayo which is a big event this weekend in LA, given half the population is hispanic.

I'd explain what it is but hell, you're already on the internet, how hard is it to google it, and that's as if you even cared. Do I look like a fountain of knowledge?!

......Ahem

2006-05-04T20:43:00.000+01:00

Fresh Air, Small energy efficient cars, and smooth running, efficient public transport.

What do these things have in common?

None of them are present in Los Angeles.

Despite this, I have managed to make it to the hostel in Hollywood without dying of carbon monoxide poisoning.

And I've got a week to fill with the vast range of cultural experiences LA is justly famous for...
Universal Studios, Sony Studios, Paramount Studios, Warner Bros. Studios etc.

I managed to (finally) read The Da Vinci Code in full in one sitting in about 6 hours en route to LA, just in time to understand the massive cryptic banners adorning the streets:
'So Dark The Con Of Man' etc.

Visualisations of Tom Hanks' mullet did not enhance the reading experience

2006-04-19T16:58:00.000+01:00

Welcome to this inaugural post, which will inevitably consist of
little more than space-filling garbage to see if this whole blogging
thing works.