Better late praise than no praise. For those of u who dont know the bulldogs thumped richmond last friday night by 115 points. Go doggies! Should be top of the ladder, now end the season.
March 19, 2006
Had my first night on the town in London last night. Went out with my cousin and some of his mates to a couple of bars and a brasillian night club. Was freezing and although our indecisiveness meant we walked the streets for over half an hour I saw Trafalgar Square, Oxford Street and Leicester Square (yes I did feel like I was playing a game of monopoly) and two police officers that could have been pulled straight from “The Bill”. Now all I need to do is see these landmarks in the daylight.
March 17, 2006
Its been 7 days, 30 hours of aeroplane travel, 48 hours of no sleep, 4 different countries and a general temperature drop of 34 degrees celcius but I am, finally, in London…
The first thing I noticed as I stepped off the plane and out of Heathrow Airport was my innapropriate attire for the 4 degree temperature outside. Wearing shorts, a t-shirt and a pair of thongs, my bronzed skin quickly shirvelled into goosebumps as I noticed everyone around me wearing long pants and thick jackets. Arriving at my grandmas house with frozen toes, almost icicles, I enetered the heating and immediately shed layers.
I have noticed here that inside is almost too hot and outside is bloody freezing. bit of a catch 22 really, but its everywhere. Maybe its just my internal thermostat going haywire at the constant and abrupt shift in temperatures, not only between countries but also heating systems.
March 17, 2006
I had a theory. Arrive bloody late for check in and they will probably have overbooked the seats, overfilled economy (or as I like to call it ‘Sardine’) class, and you will be bumped up to either business or first class. Yes, that could work…..
OR
All the people that had the sense to check in early would get the good seats and the one who leaves check in till the last moment will sit in the worst seat on the plane, as far from a window as possible and right next to the toilet. Those things are loud!
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. Could have been worse, spent the flight next to two Chech guys. We completely drank economey class out of alcohol single handedly. Very handy being next to the toilet actually. They didnt speak English and I didnt speak Chech, but we did have a very detailed conversation.
March 17, 2006
Its been 5 months in South America and what a time. So many memories…here are a few.
Countries visited: Chile, Argentina, Peru, Bolivia, Uruguay, Brasil
Best country: Argentina (by far) – the food, the women, the wine, the steak, the women
Best City: Buenos Aires (by far, all above reasons and home to many memories) Only city I could live in South America
Cheapest Steak: 450g, AU$3. Argentina, everywhere.
Person missed most: Molly the most gorgeous Border collie on earth!! –> of course I missed you too
Top 5 Memories: in no particular order
- The Inca Trail and Macchu Picchu
- Carnaval
- Buenos Aires, the whole time I was there
- Meeting up with Moz
- The Death Road
screw it 6….
-The Rolling Stones free concert, Copacabana
why not 7…..
Salar de Uyuni The Bolivian Salt Flat
ok, fine then 8…
- Salta
–ok too many. it was all kuta
Best night of my trip: New Years Eve 2006
Best friends I made travelling:
- The Guns (the originals, and then the extendeds) Brian, Tanner, Carmin, Nathan, then Dan and Adam. also Katie (our holster)
- The crazy Danes Mors, Simon and Andes
- The Sharmamas the two and only Sjan and Karin (whose names i always got right!)
- Team hike Sash and Abi (top birds)
Best National Drink: Shit, they’re all good. The pisco sours in Argentina, Chile, Peru and Bolivia. The 25 boliviano, 5ltr petrol tanks of Rons Rum in Bolivia and the Capirinhas in Brasil.
Most Dangerous City: Salvador, Rio or La Paz…but the guns live on danger.
Person I recieved the most emails from: My mum
Person I received the least e-mails from: pretty much the rest of you
Coldest Night: Fitzroy, El Chalten, Patagonia. -5
Hottest Night: anywhere in Brasil, sweaty balls everywhere
Cheapest Night: La Paz, Bolivia (by far), cant believe I actually argued for 10 minutes over a $1 taxi ride. Still i got it for 80c.
No. of chicks I was with: A gentleman never tells…… alright fine Im not a gentleman but my mum reads this thing. Email me for numbers, detailed boasting and probably photos 
March 17, 2006
Last night in South America was in Santiago. Although I checked into Hostel Plaza da Armas (formerly the famous Hostel Navetierra) after my torutrous 3am (cheap) flight from Salvador to Rio, then my flight from Rio to Santiago, I found Simon on the internet who is living in Santiago and he invited me to stay with him and Andes (two of my three good Danish friends) in thier apartment. And so my last night was characterised by good food, good wine, good beer, good weed and of course good company.
The best way I possibly could have finished my time there. The next morning it was train bus and the most uncomfortable plane ride ever.
March 9, 2006
The concept of a holiday from a holiday is a foreign concept to all those probably reading this and of course for myself over the next year (and unfortunately for more time than that). However there is a neccessity for one to take a break from the fast paced partying lifestyle that accompanies the life of a backpacker. Such was the case for 8 of us after our time in Salvador for Carnaval that we packed our things and headed to an isla called ´Morro do Sao Paulo´ where the white sand, beating sun and crystal clear blue waters eased our bodies, soothed our heads and built our tans.
There is not much to tell really about the time we spent there. Everyday was a sort of de ja vu as we wealked from our apartment to the beach, went from the beach to the mirador (lookout) for sunset and then either back to the beach for some amazing fresh fruit cocktails or to our apartment to chill out.
the actual island itslef was amazing. The closest I have seen to a real tropical island the whole time I have been here. The water was the temperature of taking a bath, and just like everywhere else in Brasil, there are people walking all over the beaches selling Açai, beers, fruit salads, sandwiches and sunglasses. It is a good day when the sunglass salesman comes to you. It almost makes you feel rich and famous. Then you remember exactly what your budget will allow you for dinner. Its the simple things in life which are always the best; im sticking with sand and sun.
March 9, 2006
I never knew 10 days of solid liver abuse could result in such an elongated sense of being hungover, but obviously I have received an education as well as a good time in Salvador.
March 3, 2006
For those who do not know about it, shame on you, Carnaval is the biggest party in the world. Every year the whole of Brasil, and now catching on to other countries, celebrates the end of something and the beginning of another; Ok so im not great with my local knowledge at the mo mo. Basically, the entire country decorates thier streets, paints thier faces, dresses in traditional dress and fills the entire city with colour, music, laughter and dancing.
Naturally, there are different types of Carnaval. The biggest being Rio de Janiero and Salvador, the entire country celebrates tho not to the same tune as these two cities. Choosing Salvador as my Carnaval location, I was able to participate in street parades and dance to the drumming rythyms of the Brasillian Africans. Everyday was a party bigger than the last and the partying continued throughout all hours of the day.
The daily routine was loose during the day and mostly we spent time walking the streets and shopping at the various street stalls, but the nights were a musci filled all-night-fiesta. We had so many options and the city was divided into three main sections. Firstly, Pelorhino the Histoical Section, (which is where our apartment is) where the majority of the British Slave trading occurred in Brasil, where the houses were colourful and colonial and the people of mostly Afro-Brasillian origin. Big smiles, loud rythym and lots of colourful dress. The other area was Camp Grande, where the locals partyed with the tradition float scene, where giant trucks drive the road blasting music that a crowd inside the ropes dance to and the less safe, outside the rope area, dance to aswell. It is very common in this part to be grabbed by a random girl and passionately kissed for as long as u´d like. And lastly, Porto da Barra which sadly is the most expensive Gringo area where the party exists again with mostly white faces, louder more commercial music and bigger brighter lights. In this area it is a certainty you will be grabbed by random girls to make out.
This was thew area we spent most of our nights, where we saw U2 perform thier free 3-song hotel balcony concert and where we walked in the rain following Fatboy Slim for another free concert of a different type. The biggest bands and the biggest parties was this area and the main area for Gringo because of its size and the level of safety.
All in all out of our 13 people:
Everybody kissed many random girls
9 People were punched in the head, a few multiple times, one on multiple occasions
6 People were pickpocketed, loosing not necessarily too much at all
700 beers were consumed (not including street beers)
16 hours of sleep was averaged
72 Hotdogs were consumed
7 nights indulged
I told you….. Its the biggest party in the world.
March 3, 2006
All around Brasil and spreading throughout more of South America, a celebration known as Carnaval sweeps the nations engulfing entire cities in music, culture, dancing and of course colour. Probably most famous for this almost week long party are Rio de Janiero, where patrons buy overpriced seats (around US$250 a day) to sit and watch a parade, or Salvador, where the streets fill with life and the party and parades consume all those in its wake. For this reason, to be a part of the actual celebration, I decided on Salvador for the Carnaval.
What an experience. The actual festival is amazing. There are floats that run through the street full of up to 3000 people, outside the barriers of the floats are thousands more people all dancing and singing to the same music. Buildings are errected, just for carnaval, all along the footpaths of the main street which are three storied buildings called ´Camarotes´ where people pay (again too much) to watch the parade from a safe standing spot. The streets, tho full of fights, pickpockets and occassionally gangs, are alive with thier own pulse. Everyone dances, often together line dancing style only cooler, there are Capoeira huddas in the middle of everything, men dressed in drag, women dressed in very little and all to the beat from the enormous trucks.
It has been 4 of the total 6 nights and what an experience they have been. The first night we spent time in Pelorhino, the local african-brasillian, drum banging, bead wearing, entire family dancing carnaval renound as the most dangerous area, but which is nothing more than the most traditional area; really the family area. Drinking and dancing our way through the colourful, highly decorated streets stopping at bars and dirnking beer with the locals.
The second night we went to Porto de Barra, which is the gringo carnaval, where giant trucks drive down the middle of the street playing music, and people buy overpriced t-shirts to dance within a rope barrier held by over a hundred men and women all walking along with the truck. We however, did not buy these t-shirts, and did what all the locals and other poor backpackers do, dancing through the streets just outside the expensive rope barriers. The party here, tho not as safe, is just as good and the atmosphere spreads contagiously throughout the entire crowd. Sure almost all of us have been robbed, punched in the head, or have made out with random brasillians, alot of us all three, but the party is continous and with your wits about you trouble is avoidable. That night we walked and danced around the floats soaking the atmosphere and drinking from the mobile beer vendors that walk the streets and are extremely cheap. We also saw U2 perform on thier hotel balcony. That was a highlight, watching Bono sing Bob Marley and the crowd below errupt.
The third night we went back to the same area and walked the streets again, inbetween the floats with a promise of U2 playing. Again enjoying the festivites we drank, danced, made out with randoms (carnaval is the ´kissing festival´) and partied long into the next days light. Probably my most fun night yet we all managed to stay together for the most part.
Night four, the third night of actual carnaval, the partying caught up with me and I could not hold down anything in my stomach at all, let alone go out. For that reason I spent a night, reluctantly, in bed recouperating and drinking lots of water.
And finally, last night was another experience. We headed into the other area ´Campo Grande,´ where the brasillians go to party like the gringos do in Porto de Barra. Walking through the streets we were constantly pickpocketed and on 2 occassions I actually caught hold of a guys arm trying to open my pocket. The funny thing was that 10 minutes before he was hugging me and warning me against other people. We were the only white faces walking through the streets of ´Campo Grande´ and I felt the least safe from all the nights I have been here. I was pushed out of the way by a massive black guy, only for him to rush past me and punch another guy in the head before his friend kicked him in the head and 2 people were punched in the head and 2 properly pickpocketed. All part of the fun right? Also it was more crowded, but a distinct part of carnaval and hence most definately worth checking out.
Anyways, thats me up to speed. Have another 2 nights of official carnaval partying which will be amazing and then a week or so recouperation before leaving South America for Europe. But before then we are going to Porto de Barra for the last night of Carnaval to be a part of Fat Boy Slims Bloco.
