--------------- MY WORLD --------------

Back In YYC

2009-11-29T20:21:00.001-08:00

2 weeks since I returned home....itching to take off again...when...who knows...time will tell

2009-11-15T06:20:00.001-08:00

Not sure if I should be excited or bummed out that I'm returning to Calgary tomorrow. A little bit of both actually. Let's hope the cold frosty winter doesn't kill me.

hawaii

2009-11-11T09:58:00.000-08:00

sun, beach, sun, snorkeling, sun, dolphins, sun, sushi, sun, shopping, sun, margaritas, sun, sun...

kinda sums up my trip in hawaii so far.

oh yah, and a little sun

2009-10-30T15:58:00.001-07:00

it's 6$ for one hour using this internet so i'll post more when i can find it for cheaper! it's either internet or food...

From Oct 15, 2009

2009-10-30T15:40:00.000-07:00

So, this post was written down in my journal back on Oct 15.

One month until I return home to Calgary. Am I looking forward to it? In some ways, yes. Am I wanting to continue my world adventures? Of course! However, i think my mind and body are ready to call it a successful life experience. Is t a 'once in a life time experience'? not a chance!

Arriving in New Zealand I first thought "Where can I find a chemist?!?!" I caught a bug back in Australia that had me stuck at Mitch's place for a couple days. All I wanted to do was take drugs and have a hot cup of tea! But...I wanted to make the most of my short time in NZ so i decided to suck it up and wander around Christchurch. It helped that it was blue sky and warm! So, I threw on some shorts since they hadn't been used in quite some time.
Christchurch - a very British city. Union Jacks flying on numerous flagpoles. I made my way around town (including a chemist shop), did a few touristy things and made it back to the hostel for a good night sleep. The next morning I planned to plan for the rest of my trip on the south island, booked a rental car, booked a flight to Wellington for the 30 of Oct, grabbed some more cash (in other words, begged on the corner for a few hours) and bought some warm clothing since my waredrobe (aka. backpack) consisted of shorts and t-shirts. So all in all, it was a very productive day! YAH!
I picked up my car at 8am the next morning in search of Gollum...will I find him...time will tell! My thoughts: If I had not seen the 3rd movie, would Gollum still be alive? I was about to find out!

okay okay

2009-10-29T11:35:00.000-07:00

So, I wasn't aware that people actually read this blog other than my parents. I haven't posted for a while, I know, nothing much as happened. I've only spent another month or so in Australia sliding down the east coast. Met up with Tim and Brin in the Gold Coast and Kempsey, my cousin Alicia in Brisbane and Mitch in Melbourne. Spent a few more days in Sydney before bunking up with Mitchel in Melbourne. I flew to New Zealand in search of Gollum but so far have been unsuccessful. It's been an amazing trip in NZ so far though, the scenery is crazy cool! From glacier walks to hiking through the rainforests - this country has a lot to offer!
I'll write more of my adventures once I get settled in another location. I have a flight in a few hours and still need to pack, eat breakfast, make sure some of my laundry is dry (which I finally decided to wash after a bunch of people were telling me that I should look into doing laundry - a hint maybe) and drop off my car rental. The tasks are never ending!!!

Brissy

2009-09-05T21:29:00.000-07:00

Arrived in Brisbane a week ago. Been chillin out with my cousin, Alicia. She managed to get some extra time off work so we've been causing trouble in and around the city.
Made it out to the Autralian Zoo - the Steve Irwin Zoo in Queensland, Australia. I fed an elephant, watched a croc trainer just about get eaten by his 'pet' and watched a 200 year old tortoise poop...fun!
Alicia and I accomplished a few hikes throughout Mount Tamborine - Cedar Creek Falls and Witches Falls.
We terrorized the city a few days, checking out the touristy sites - Anzac Memorial, South Bank, a few ice cream shops, the best sushi restaurant in Brisbane, sailed down the Brisbane River on the CityCat and enjoyed a beer (and water) overlooking the city.
Nigel, Alicia's fiance, has managed to incorporate drinking a few nights this weekend...and when a weekend consists of only 2 nights, a few nights means every night! We went to the Regatta one evening, where I was told I HAVE to use the toilets. When I walked in, there was a window overlooking the restaurant where the urinals were. Basically, you pee onto a window with people walking on the other side but hey don't see you. I was amused.
The plan is to stay here a few more days before heading south the Gold Coast to meet up with Mitch and couple of his friends from Sydney.

Cairns

2009-09-05T21:07:00.001-07:00

Skydiving - Great Barrier Reef

2009-08-22T04:41:00.000-07:00

93 days to go!

2009-08-14T23:55:00.000-07:00

On my last quarter of my trip! Currently in Cairns soaking up the sun! Once again, I have to say life has been quite difficult over the past week or so. Biggest decision today was "Do I go to the lagoon or stay by the pool?" Freaking hard decisions - I know!!! Let's hope I can manage tomorrow as well since I think I'll have the same dilemma.

2009-08-13T01:42:00.000-07:00

Life is Good!

Return to Canada...

2009-08-09T06:11:00.001-07:00

November 15, 2009

Katherine Gorge and Litchfield - NT

2009-08-09T05:43:00.000-07:00

I arrived in Darwin a few days back after a 4 hour flight from Melbourne. Flight was delayed an hour but I made it safely. That evening, I basically went straight to bed after eating an entire pizza to myself. Gotta love the eating right before sleeping. The next morning I woke up fairly early and wandered the city. Checked out some beautiful spots along the water and caught some rays in the 32 degree weather! Just what I was wanting. That evening, I was chatting with an American guy, Eric, who was staying at the hostel as well. We decided to rent a car, pick up some camping gear and head into the bush for the weekend! The first 2 car rental places we went to didn't have anything available!! I mean, which rental companies don't have cars to rent. We ended up renting one for 2 days! We had the transportation, now all we needed was food, shelter and water. We found food and water at the local grocery store and contacted a dude who rents out camping gear. He initially said he had nothing, I then mentioned we only needed it for one night. He said he had some old tents that needed some repairs...Eric and I figured, great! I asked since they were damaged if we could have a deal on 'em...he mumbled a few things and said he had to go. I called back 15 minutes later to confirm where to pick up the equipment - "we have nothing available now." "What!?! You said you had a tent and 2 sleeping bags ready to go?" His response, "considering you want a deal on a total cost of $27, I'm not gonna do it." My response, hangup! What an ass! Is that a fair question to ask? I mean, I would pay $27 for a perfectly sound equipment, why should I pay the same for damaged?
Anyways, we took off on a road trip through the Australia Outback. Well, not really outback but close enough.
First stop, Litchfield. We thought we were in for a good hike - it ended up only being a mild walk on a concrete path through some trees. We got to some fresh water swimming holes which were pretty cool. Lots of people but we managed to frolic in the water for a little while.
Continuing on our journey south, we took a 'scenic tour' for about 30 km through the bush. We saw wallabies, birds and a lot of burning trees! There was a fire that spread through the bush a few days back. Everything was black except for the massive termite mounds. Oh yah, these termite mounds were at least 4 meters tall! (pictures to come)
Drove all the way to Katherine after stopping for a beer at a hotel/gas station/wedding reception area/local hangout...basically it looks as though the entire town of Adelaide River was chillin out - all 11 people.
By 7pm it was getting dark and we still had to find accommodation since our camping idea didn't work out. We pulled into Pine Creek but EVERYTHING closes at 7pm. It was 7:14 when we pulled in. So we decided to drive to Katherine which was another hour and a half away.
We were driving along not noticing how much gas was left. Well, it started flashing on the last bar. GREAT! We pull into a gas station about 15 minutes after we noticed the blinking light (it might have been on for a while, who knows). We needed a members card to get gas after hours...remember 7pm = closed! The decision was to continue on until we get to Katherine which is the biggest town between Darwin and Alice Springs.
As we pull into the city (town actually), there is a gas station and we fill the tank. We stayed the night at a hostel instead of the car - which was our last resort!

Sunday, we woke up early and drove to Katherine Gorge. After looking at our options for hikes, Eric and I decided on a 24km hike to the 4th gorge. We start hiking and after about 30 minutes, end up at the parking lot where we started. haha Since time was an issue and we had to be back in Darwin before dark, we decided to rent some kayaks and head down the water that way. Things happen for a reason. I say that because we had a blast kayaking! Such a cool experience! We were in the sun all afternoon, went cliff diving, swimming in the fresh water and did a little little hike at the end. On the way back, Eric just finished jumping off a cliff, swimming back to the rocks to get in the kayak when I noticed some other kayaks gathering about 30 meters away. A CROC!!! Let's just say he swam quite quickly to shore. As we paddled over to the group of tourists, a 2 1/2 meter fresh water croc came into sight. Awesome!!! Apparently, there were quite a few spotted that day. We saw two in total.
I guess I can now say I have swam in the same water as crocodiles. The drive back was not too bad. We wanted to make it back for the Mindel Sunday Market on the beach where locals sell foreign cuisine (chinese food in a plastic container) and a lot of handmade crafts.
Now my plan is to book a flight to Cairns within the next week or so. Until then the plan is for more sun!

Aussie Aussie Aussie!

2009-08-01T18:59:00.000-07:00

Well, back on my feet and ready to hit the road again! After my little setback in Thailand - the last two weeks in Australia - Melbourne, Sydney and Tasmania my batteries are recharged and I'm roarin' to go.

Spent most of my time in Melbourne. Took a trip to Tasmania with my buddy Peter. Flew into Hobart - spent the afternoon wandering around in the rain. Spent two nights in Launceston, did some hiking, read by the waterside - was quite relaxing. Flew to Sydney where Mitch met me at the airport. Spent that night partying it up with some of Mitch's buddies that he met in South Africa. Saturday and Sunday we did the touristy thing - Opera House, the Bridge, The Rocks, Darling Harbour, Bondi, Tamarama and Bronti beaches. Flew back to Mebourne on Sunday evening. I've been hanging around here since.

Booked a flight to Darwin for tomorrow (Thursday August 6). Plan to spend a few weeks in and around Darwin, head to Cairns for a few weeks and make my way south along the east coast. Will visit my cousin Alicia and her fiance Nigel in Brisbane, Tim and Brin in Port Maquarie, visit Sydney and back to Melbourne to catch a flight to New Zealand. Don't have dates planned yet but it'll work out.

Melbourne

2009-07-19T21:15:00.000-07:00

Gonna be hanging out in Melbourne for the next few weeks. Even though the weather is shit it's an amazing city!!! Staying with my buddy Peter at the moment. He's been great since I showed up a few weeks early after my stuff was stolen. Might go to Tasmania on Wednesday and then up to Cairns (Great Barrier Reef) and make my way down the coast to Sydney making stops in Brisbane to visit Alicia and Nigel (cousin and her fiance) and then visit Tim and Brin just north of Sydney.

BKK - MEL

2009-07-19T21:14:00.003-07:00

I arrived in Bangkok, Thailand on July 7. Spent 2 days touring around the city and then made my way to Koh Phangan - one of the islands. Beautiful place! White sand beaches, crystal clear blue water - paradise. However, that is what people see. Unfortunately, there is a dark side. Every month there is a 'Full Moon Party - FMP" Thousands of tourists come to party on the beach until the early hours of the morning, after the sun comes up. With the hoards of tourists come quite a few thieves. I have been told they are Thai people, people from neighboring countries as well as tourists themselves. I ended up being a victim of someones greed. Everything was stolen - camera, ipod, laptop, credit cards, cash. Those all can be replaced. It was the pictures, gifts and sentimental items that I wanted back. Originally, my passport was stolen but was then found lying on the driveway to the hotel I was staying at. So in a sense, I met some 'thoughtful theives' (oxymoron) if there is such a thing. They broke into my room without any damage which makes me believe it was an inside job, cut open my backpack which I had locked on the table and eventually stole my safety deposit box right out of the wall. Ripped the entire thing out! I had EVERYTHING locked away because I heard of the theft during the FMPs. But my Mum made a good point - at least i wasn't in the room when it happened. They obviously had a knife since they cut open my backpack and who knows if they would have done anything if someone was there.
Anyways, I stayed a few more days at the hotel in the penthouse suit which I demanded after the incident but still didn't feel comfortable so I took a bus back to Bangkok and jumped on the next flight to Melbourne, Australia.

I'm in Melbourne at the moment, plan to be here for a few weeks. Want to head north to Brisbane to visit Alicia and Nigel and then make my way south to Sydney to see some more friends. It's nice to have friends around again....starting to miss home. Dont' tell my mother! haha

BKK - MEL

2009-07-19T21:14:00.001-07:00

Bye Bye Thailand

2009-07-15T09:45:00.000-07:00

After an unfortunate encounter with some thieves on the island of Koh Phangan in Thailand - I decided to head to Australia a few weeks early. I booked a flight from Bangkok to Melbourne for Thursday evening.

But before I go, I plan to enjoy at least one thai massage and try my bartaring skills at the local markets.

No Pil-i-pino

2009-07-03T08:49:00.000-07:00

After checking out the weather conditions in the Philippines - I've decided to skip the country and head to Australia a little earlier than anticipated. However, I'm hoping to visit Laos and Cambodia as substitutions :)

Porcelain God!

2009-07-03T08:06:00.000-07:00

I guess you can say I have been 'praying' to the 'Porcelain god' When you eat anything and everything in India - it's just a matter of time before you know where every toilet in a 1 km radius is located. It sort of becomes a second sense.

13 days in South India has been quite the experience.

I started off flying to Chennai from Dubai (stopover in Mumbai).

Spent a few days in Chennai. Met Aziz and Hafiz who showed me around the city and made sure I was all organized for my travels to Kerala.

On the eve of the 26th - I had dinner at the hotel, checked some email - organized some stuff for my trip and went up to the room. About 15 minutes later I had a knock at the door. When I opened it - there was Aziz, smiling, singing Happy Birthday with a cake and candle in his hands. (The candle wasn't in his hands it was in the cake) We enjoyed the chocolate cake with some good conversation. He returned home to his wife and I went to bed - another year older :)

For my Birthday - I met Hafiz, who took me to a crocodile park. I held a croc, python and turtle. In the evening, we went up with some of his friends and watched a Tamil Movie. No English - no English subtitles. So, I had to use non-verbal interpretation skills to try to understand what was going on. NO LUCK! My skills suck! haha

I had an overnight train to Alleppey where I booked a boathouse to myself for one night. I had a cook and two crew who were great! We travelled down the backwaters of Kerala, also known as the "Venice of the East" Absolutely beautiful! So peaceful! Even with the torrential rain!

I made my way to Kochin. Kochin is famous for the old Chinese Fishing Nets displayed on the waterfront. I also endulged with a Ayurvedic massage. Kerala is known for this type of treatment.

I then made my way back into the state of Tamil-Nadu to "The Temple City" of Madurai. I'll post pictures and they will explain everything. I stayed one night in Madurai and caught an early train to Thanjavur where I am now. (just killing some time before I catch a 6 hour bus back to Chennai...ugh!)

The food that I ate for dinner is still sitting nicely - howerver, I have been sitting for the past hour. I anticipate a mad rush to the toilet once I leave the internet cafe. Wish me luck!

Brotha from another Motha

2009-06-29T00:22:00.001-07:00

Dubai

2009-06-29T00:01:00.000-07:00

Dubai

2009-06-28T23:57:00.000-07:00

Dubai

Who would have thought my trip to Dubai would have turned out the way it did. When planning my year away back in August 2008, I figured I wanted to go to Dubai but only spend a few nights since it was supposedly very expensive. It was. However, one could travel to Dubai and spend less money depending on the restaurants and accommodation chosen. I would say it’s no more expensive than Beirut.
What did I expect? Ahmed asked this question a few times and I really had to think about it. Buildings – tall buildings, desert, camels and large palaces for all the sheiks. Was I far off? Not really. Everything minus the camels – a desert safari trip is needed to see or ride the camels. There were more expensive cars in Dubai than I think I have seen in one city. It even beats out London. Beirut had a lot of nice cars but they were basically limited to Mercedes and BMWs. Dubai went above and beyond BMWs. Aston Martin and Bentley were both brands you would see daily.

I arrived late Saturday evening after almost missing my flight in Beirut. I owe Hamsa a lot for waking me up at noon. The Dubai airport is very nice! Probably one of the nicest airports I have been in. Free WIFI too! I caught a taxi from the airport to my hotel – The Dar Al Sondos Hotel Apartments by Le Méridien. It worked out to about 90CAD per night so I figured I could afford that for my 4 nights in Dubai. The hotel was recommended to me by Ahmed – someone I spoke with on couchsurfing.com. I asked him what areas are good, hotel recommendations. I chose this one since I get Starwood points. I ended up meeting Ahmed the following day. He picked me up in his Cadillac CTS and we went out for some food. We got along really well and decided to spend the following day together since he had the week off work.

We ate out what seemed like every 2 hours…either food, tea or both. I was taken to some amazing restaurants – probably some of the best in Dubai. For example, tea at the Intercontinental, overlooking the city would be enjoyed by everyone. We smoked some shee-shah – which definitely gave me a buzz. Ahmed and I had some really good conversations – I learnt a lot about Islam. Not the Islam you hear about on CNN – you know – how everyone in the Middle East is a terrorist and ready to destroy the West! I was informed of how similar Islam is to Christianity and Judaism for example, which I ignorantly did not know. Once again, we decided to hang out the following day.

I got to see the ‘Largest Mall in the World’ – the Mall of Dubai. It definitely lives up to the name. You honestly could spend the entire day there and still need to go back the next day to finish seeing the entire complex. From an indoor skating rink, to waterfalls, to a ‘movie theatre for kids – the mall has it all. For shops you have high end (LV, Channel, Armani, etc) as well as shops like Aldo, Pull and Bear, Adidas – which I ended up supporting by purchasing 2 pairs of runners. Having one backpack does not allow room to buy shoes and clothing but oh well, first time in Dubai so why not eh!?

It was suggested I sign up for a desert safari which ended up being so much fun. 4x4 through sand dunes, sandboarding (yes...SANDboarding y'all), watching belly dancing, camels, sheesha, food and drink - made for an awesome afternoon.

The departure time for my flight to India was at 21:40 on Wednesday. Ahmed graciously offered (more like insisted) he drive me to the airport. He met me at the hotel in the morning with a Khandora for me to wear all day. If you are not familiar with the word – google it or check out pictures on my blog and facebook. We ate again, met up with Mohammed for some dessert and tea, visited the Palm Island and said our goodbyes.

I’ve really come to realize that the best part of my trip has been the people I have met along the way.

Lebanon

2009-06-26T07:31:00.000-07:00

more of Egypt

2009-06-21T03:46:00.000-07:00

Egypt 2

2009-06-21T03:43:00.000-07:00

Egypt

2009-06-21T03:37:00.000-07:00

Close call

2009-06-20T09:20:00.000-07:00

I'm at the airport in Bahrain, waiting for my connecting flight to Dubai to take off. However, I just about never made the flight this morning. Dubai - according to The New York Times is the number one place to visit in 2009. And there are a ton of reasons why I would agree with this. One of the reasons which plays a role in why I just about missed my flight - the nightlife. Getting in at 07:00 and having to wake up at 10:30 to pack, pick up laundry and catch a flight a few hours later is asking for trouble. I made my flight and that's the important part...if I forogt anything - time will tell.
If you have some bucks to spend and a couple people to hangout with, it's almost impossible not to have a good time in Beirut. Whether you fancy to enjoy the Mediterranean sun while hanging out on the beach, people watch while sipping an espresso in Place De E'toile or partying it up at some of the best nightclubs in the world, Beirut has it all!

Lebanon

2009-06-13T10:54:00.001-07:00

In Beirut and lovin' it! Update to come

Beirut

2009-06-11T07:09:00.000-07:00

I arrived on a flight from Cairo with what seemed like five hundred screaming kids onboard. The ratio between parent and child was easily 1:4. After getting my head rubbed and drooled on for two minutes by a two year old, I ran off the plane to safety. Customs was a lot less stressful than I expected. I was asked if it was my first time in Lebanon – “Yes, it is,” I answered, expecting to be interrogated. “Welcome, my friend, enjoy your visit!” Boo yah!!

Immediately after passing through the security doors I was approached by taxi drivers. Didn’t think I stood out in the crowd considering my tan keeps improving. Spending over a week in the HOT Egyptian desert sun would make anyone a few shades darker. Anyways, I added a few bucks to what I coined the, ‘welcoming take advantage of the tourist’ fund. (You always pay more from the airport than what you should)

The morning before my flight, I had some laundry washed at the hostel. They said it would be dry by 2pm (I was leaving at 3:30pm). I think everyone knows where this is going. When I threw my backpack on the bed in my hotel room I immediately unpacked all the damp clothing and sprawled it all over the room – on any hanger or corner I could find. I was in bed by 10pm, hoping to get an early fresh start to the morning.

The following day I ate the breakfast buffet that was included in my room at the Mayflower Hotel. Packed up all my, now, dry clothing and ventured out to find my next night’s accommodation. I moved my backpack to my new place and set off to find some food to cure my hunger pains. That’s where I am at now, sitting at a café down the street from Place de l'Etoile.

Egypt and the Pyramids

2009-06-09T13:23:00.000-07:00

I can finally say that I have seen the Pyramids of Giza! Egypt has always been a place I have wanted to visit. When my trip was changed from Egypt to Greece and Italy in grade 12 - I knew that I would visit the Land of the Pharohs at some point in my life.

Arriving in Cairo for the first time is an experience in itself. The parking lot at the airport was a mess. Cars parked 3 deep, people pushing cars out of the way with their cars. It took about 15 minutes to back out of the parking stall.
My first 2 nights were spent in Cairo. I stayed at Brother's Hostel - decent place, located about 15 minutes walk from the Egyptian Museum (which is a must!)

I booked a private guide and driver for my visit to the Pyramids, Sphinx and Sacarra. Definitely pleased with that experience! My guide - Gab - has his degree in Egyptian Historical studies. He knew EVERYTHING! And his English was probably better than mine.

Opinion on Pyramids and Sphinx: a must see! The Sphinx is a lot smaller than expected. The pyramids live up to the stories and pictures. Although, there isn't much besides the structure itself. But to think how the people built such magnificent structures without any of the modern day technology - is quite astonishing!

Quick Fact: The Pyramids were not built by slaves like people think - they were built by the best workers of their trade - free men who worked for the Kings. It was a very respectful job building the tombs of a King.

The next day I spent just about 3 hours in the Egyptian Museum. What a place! The people do know how to jam pack statues, mummies, pottery and other artifacts into a museum. it's almost like when a sarcophagus is found, for example, they transport it to the museum and plop it down where ever tehre is room - and trust me - there are a TON of sarcophagus'!
I left for Aswan that evening. Decided to endulge in a sleeper cabin on the train ride. Was fed dinner and breakfast and had my own cabin with a bed. 15 hours - it was totally worth it!!!

Arrived to the heat in Aswan. Took a felucca ride (small sail boat) down the Nile River, stopping at Philae Temple and a really shitty Nubian museum. Met 2 cool guys from Montreal, Quebec. Had to hit the sack quite early since my tour of Abu Simbel started left at 3am. Abu Simbel was amazing! Quite the site. Met this British couple - Pal and Jaz. Very nice people - turns out that Pal comes to Calgary every once and a while to visit friends. Sounds like we'll go for a drink next time he's in town.
We all went our for dinner that evening (the ppl in the tour group). The first restaurant we stopped at I asked to see both the Arabic menu and the English menu. I asked Jaz to read the prices on the Arabic menu (since she can read some Arabic) and sure enough the prices were DRASTICALLY different! More than double for the same dish. We left there right away. Down the road we ended up eating at this little restaurant for 13 Egyptian Pounds for a 4 course meal. that works out to about $1.50

The following day I embarked on a 2 day Nile boat cruise. Instead of a cruise boat that we are use to, it was a felucca that I spent the next 2 days on. A sail boat with a bunch of pillows. I ate, slept, relaxed on this boat. There were 4 people on the boat with 3 crew members (and the captains girlfriend who slept the entire time).
We sang Nubian music, danced by the fire on the sand, played drums and relaxed for 2 days. Not to mention, I bathed and sawm in the Nile!!

After being on the water - it was nice to see land and drive to Luxor where I visited Luxor Temple and Karnak. Karnak was amazing! Luxor temple - I wasn't that impressed with. The Valley of the Kings and Valley of the Queens was next. The Valley consisted of tombs built into the ground for kings a well as the family of the kings.

An 18 hour bus ride (overnight) brought me to Dahab where I spent 2 more days. Dahab is on the Red Sea - more of a quiet beach town. Lots of kite surfers and divers. I snorkled in the "Blue Hole", saw some amazing fish and coral. The 2nd say I went out to the White and Colored Canyons. Hiking all day in the heat was quite - enjoyable (as strange as that sounds). Pictures don't do the place justice but it was quite a good experience. I had lunch cooked by Bedouins at an Oasis in the desert. That evening I smoked some Sheesha overlooking the moon on the water.

Today, there was a 9 hour bus ride back to Cairo. I met Mike, an American who has done quite a bit of traveling in the past. He had been to Lebanon and Syria last year. Got some very useful tips from him as well as some comfort about the politial situation in Lebanon. He is writing his thesis about the Lebanese political system.

I'm not lying in my room, listening to the wonderful sound of car horns. It's honestly, non-stop!! There literally isn't 5 seconds that goes by, actually 3 seconds without hearing a horn or numberous horns.

Tomorrow, I will meet George's mum for a walk around the Copitc area in Cairo and some lunch. I'm really lookng forward to that. My flight to Lebanon is at 18:30 Wednesday evening.

2009-06-07T09:15:00.000-07:00

Currently, in Dahab, Egypt. Will be in this country for another few days and then have a flight to Beirut on June 10. Depending on how their federal elections turnout, I might have to re-route myt trip.

Egypt has been amazing! Some mixed feelings about the country but have had amazing experiences here so far.

Will write more later!

Turkey

2009-05-30T12:58:00.000-07:00

I wish I had more time in Turkey but in the 4 days I was there, I think I got a good perspective of what Istanbul is really like. From the Grand Bazaar to Hagia Sofia to the Blue Mosque - Istanbul had some of the most amazing history I have experienced.

The metro seemed like a nice cheap option from the airport to the hostel. With one change of lines, I managed to make it to my hostel in one piece. It was after I found the hostel, unpacked and went venturing around the city, that I got lost. Good thing there are a billion hotels in Istanbul and that the people in the hotels all speak English.
Walked through the Grand Bazaar - saw all the tourists bartering with the sellers. The Spice Marekt is where all the locals go because not to many tourists need a handful of pepper.
I stopped in a pub for a beer and watched the Barcelona vs. ManU final game. There were a lot more BCN fans than ManU in Istanbul. Everyone loved Messi!

The next morning I had breakfast on the terrace with 2 blokes from England - John and Ian. Both are primary school teachers in London. I ended up spending the next 2 days hanging out with these guys. It makes your trip so much more enjoyable when you meet top notch people.

We all took a boat ride up the Bosphorus, ate some amazing fish and calamari (talk about fresh fish) and spend a some time in the sun at a fortress - Rumeli Hisari (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rumeli_Hisari) - overlooking the 'gateway' to the Black Sea. Beautiful views! On the way back we stopped to grab a giant baked potato for dinner. This wasn't no ordinary potato...it was the king of all potatoes. It was the size of a baby's head, filled with everything you can think of. It included pickled cabbage, cheese, 2 different types of olives, 3 or 4 sauces - the flavors kept changing with every bite.

The following day the three of us hung out at the University of Istanbul. Relaxed in the shade on the grass, watched students play volleyball and had some really nice conversation. Oh yah, before we found the uni, we stubbled across the best kabab shop in Istanbul. A little hole in the wall restaurant managed to create the best lamb kababs any of us had tasted. It was great! Got to see the Valens Aqueduct (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valens_Aqueduct), the Galata Tower (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galata_Tower) along with a lot of Mosques and shops.
We stumbled across a Turkish musical/traditional performance.

I visited the Blue Mosque (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Sultan_Ahmed_Mosque,_Istambul.jpg) and got some really good pictures of the Hagia Sofia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hagia_Sofia)

Tony, a guy from Virgina joined us for dinner and drinks for our last night in Turkey. We stayed up drinking beers and googling over this little kitten that was on the bar.

The next morning had breakfast, said my goodbyes to the boys and took off to the airport. Oh yah, before leaving the Sultanahmet (area where I stayed in downtown Istanbul) I had some Turkish ice cream. It's a lot more rubbery than ice cream we are use to and there is a boy dressed in traditional Turkish clothing that makes it for you. But he just doesn't make it for you, he throws it up in the air, pretends to hand it to you but pulls it back, pretends to drop it but it sicks to the stick. Anyways...I made my way to the airport and flew to Cairo where I am now. It's been a story and a half already and I've only been here for less than 8 hours! Seeing the Pyramids and Sphinx tomorrow!! I am stoked!!!!!!

Greece Photos

2009-05-27T06:50:00.000-07:00

On the road again...or is it - still?

2009-05-27T06:24:00.000-07:00

Well, I have to say I had a really good last few weeks. I spent time with friends and family in England. Met up with Stefan for an afternoon of coffee and shopping. We managed to purchase the same shirt in the same store - let's hope we don't wear it on the same night. Elvira was kind enough to let me leave a bunch of clothes at her place while I made my way up north to Scotland and Ireland. Those cheap airlines only allow 15 or 20kg of weight for baggage. And when you are travelling for a year - it's a little more than that. We went out for a nice dinner and said our goodbyes - for now. Elvira, you need to make your way to Canada!! My Aunt Carole made me feel right at home for a week of relaxation and doing nothing but waking up late and watching TV.
I flew to Athens to meet Nicole on the 16th. Like I said on the last entry (not a pretty sight). We toured around the city for 3 days laughing at the dumbest stuff. Went out one night until 6am - "...your brother is so beautiful!" hahaha
We met Mum and Kristina at the airport. Do I need to say what my mum's reaction was when she saw me. The four of us waited around for 5 hours (the girls, including mum, slept for 1/2 that time while I watched LOTR on my computer) before catching a flight to Santorini. I must say, Mum and Kristina were troopers! There were in transit for more than 30 hours before hitting the pillow in Imerovigli.

Santorini:

Our first hotel was on the cliffs overlooking the ocean. If you have been, you know what I'm talking about when I say 'WOW!' If you have only seen pictures, you probably get a good idea. If you have no idea what I'm talking about, either look at pictures or go, or climb back into the bubble where you have been living.

A rental car was in order so we could tour around the island. We went to Thira (main city), did some shopping (mostly the women), went to a beach and tasted some wine on an underground wine tour.

Our next hotel was amazing! Not a 5 star but a great experience! The hotel is called, 'Strogili' which is located in Kamari. The family that owned the hotel made us feel like family. Delicious breakfasts every morning (I need to make this feta/jalapeno dip) that the Grandma was telling me about. On Sunday before we left, the four of us embarked on a Sunset Boat Cruise. We swam in the 'hotsprings' by the volcano (which weren't really hotsprings, just warm pockets here and there). Just before we were about to jump in - I don't know if it was on purpose but the boat unloaded what looked to be their sewage. Not a pretty sight. After waiting for 10 minutes, Kristina and I jumped in. LOL! Nicole and Mum stayed onboard. The sunset was stunning that night from the boat. I'll post a picture.

We made our way back to Athens for 2 days. I flew to Istanbul (where I am now), and Nicole flew to Barcelona for her 6 week holiday around western Europe. Mum and Kristina are staying in Athens for anotehr 3 nights before heading back to Springfield to pick up her stuff and then drive back to Calgary.

A best of 5 series of Kanasta was played by the 4 of us. Nicole and Mum on one team, Kristina and I on the other. It was close but Mum and Nicole came out on top. HOWEVER, that night I found of the the cards under the bed, which I am sure Nicole hid to have an advantage over us. The judge is still deciding on the outcome.

My early morning flight brought me into Istanbul. I walked around all morning and afternoon getting lost more than once. In the process of figuring out what I am doing tomorrow and Friday. I have a flight to Cairo, Egypt on Saturday May 30.

Santorini

2009-05-26T11:03:00.000-07:00

"...and Zeus said no..."

2009-05-16T06:17:00.001-07:00

Once again I have been lacking in the 'updating the blog' department. This one will be a quick update because I need to put some food in my stomach. It's been almost 39 minutes since I last ate something. Just joking, it's been almost 12 hours and it feels like my stomach is going to start eating my liver.

I'm in Athens with Nicole! I arrived at the airport from London Gatwick at 11:40 this morning. Up at 03:00...in the EasyJet check-in line by 04:15 and in the air by 06:30. Needless to say - a little nap will be had very soon as well. Nicole arrived about an hour and a half later and we took a cab to our hotel - the Classical BabyGrand in Athens. It was really nice to see her, it had been about 6 months - she looked like she was run over by a truck though, and not a little 1/2 ton either...(she probably won't read this for a while since she is here with me, actually, she is passed out next to me trying to get caught up on her sleep deprivation). I'll get a bruised arm for that comment.

Anyways, we are going to be touring around Athens for the next couple days before we are joined by Mum and lil sis. Then it's off to Santorini for a week!!!

5 months complete - 7 to go

2009-05-02T11:06:00.000-07:00

It's hard to imagine that I have been traveling for 5 months already. But when I sit down and think about everything I have done and all the cool places I have visited - 5 months seems right.

In London, England at the moment. Hanging out with Elvira - a friend that I made in South Africa. She invited me to stay with her while I'm visiting the city. Today we walked around the city...saw Big Ben, The Globe Theatre and the River Thames. We had a really good lunch overlooking the river. Walked to Covent Gardens Market and watched some street performers for a little while. Made our way back to the house and now we are just gonna get ready to head out for the evening. Plan is to hit up a pub for a couple drinks and dinner.

I did the touristy thing the other day on my own as well. Threw on the iPod, visitied Buckingham Palace, Piccadilly...just wandered really. Felt like Frodo Baggins - but with an iPod, Starbucks coffee and umbrealla. Don't think any of those appeared in the movie. Would have been a little odd if you saw Sam Wise wearing the white earphones listening to Britney on his way to Mordor!

Yesterday I did a bunch of nothing. Well, booked my flights to Scotland and Ireland. I'm flying to Edinburgh on Tuesday. Spending a few days there and then making my way to Ireland for a couple days. I got a flight back to London for May 11. Hopefully I will be able to stay with my Uncle and Aunt who live in Kent (south of London). If it doesn't work out, I'll catch a flight to somewhere in Eastern Europe. Might do rock paper scissors with myself to figure out where I want to go - Austria, Poland, Croatia...not sure yet. I just have to be in Athens, Greece for May 16 to meet my sister. My mum and Kristina join us on the 19th in Athens.

I'll say hi to the Queen

2009-04-29T15:51:00.001-07:00

On my way to London. The plan is to stay there a few days, make my way to Scotland and Ireland (for a week or so) and head back down to England to visit the relatives in a county called Kent - known as the 'Garden of England'

Spain to Portugal - Another Perspective

2009-04-17T12:22:00.001-07:00

Hello ... Shawn has let me write on his travel blog (its mitch)

Where to start...

So I get a email from shawn telling me he has some items for me to take over to him, so I agree. Laptop, Herbal Essence Shampoo, Hand Cream (WTF) and a few other miscelaneous toiletries. Meet up with his sister and she sends me on my way with a laptop bag, toiletries and some easter presents from shawns mom (Easter eggs and a stuffed bunny). MOMMAS BOY!!! ( I wish my mom was that stellar)

Met up with Shawn in Barcelona which was stellar, roll out of the hostel to the champions leauge game between FC Barcelona and FC Bayern Munchin, and it was insane, but a dry event, so Although I like soccer so much more than hockey, soccer = less beer, so hockey games just edged up a notch higher on the beer list, but still not as energetic or amazing as a soccer game. Like usual had to explain the rules to shawn because he plays "real" sports like basketball and baseball!

From barcelona we headed out to Valencia, which was a beautiful drive for me, but for shawn it consisted of sleep. I so could have used some sleep too, but since im not a man-princess (hereafter known as mancess) The dude who shared our hostel room is laughing still about the idocracy of our shenanigans.

Valencia we headed south to Malaga Area, shawn was awake for most of the trip, and we managed to get some great photos and made an epic road trip playlist that we couldnt play opn the car stero system (no cd) so we drained the laptop battery and rocked out to low base high treble laptop speaker music.

Malaga area was great, probably had too much beer again because we had a later morning.

Ended up heading to cordoba, no cd again, so we rocked the laptop while we crawled along in rediculous traffic for about an hour or so. Cordoba was nice, very nice, and sunny, which rocked.

Sevilla was a good time, we picked up stevie on the side of the road, something about being in morrocco and needing to have a drink?!?!? Not too sure what she meant, but we ended up having a few beer, she returned to normal from then on.

The algarve and portugal, lets just say it was a 5 wine night (kind of like foders restraunt rating, 5 is good) and we ended up on the beach. Stevie, see abouve, was all about the nudity (something about morocco and conservative, eff that?!?), so I reservingly obliged, hahahahah, thats a total lie.

Moved up to lisbon. Where we are now, and probably repeating shawns blog, but hey, its another perspective.

Mitch

Spain and Portugal

2009-04-17T11:23:00.001-07:00

I must say, the Canary Islands are spectacular! Highly recommended for a vacation. The pictures I posted don't give it justice and there are so many more I wanted to post but figured that would be good for now. Google Oscar Manrique and you will get a glimpse of the creative genius behind the architectural playground called Lanzarote.

Made it to Barcelona and experienced more artistic creativity. This time by a more well known individula named - Gaudi. Barcelona is a great city, very touristic though! One of the highlights was watching a Champions League Futbol match. Barcelona destroyed Muchen with a score of 4-0! A stadium that holds 97,000 (92,500 in attendance) created, let's just say...a loud atmosphere!

A buddy, Mitch, arrived on Wednesday just to see the Champions game! Spent a few days in Barcelona and rented a vehicle to drive to Portugal. We spent the next night in Valencia. Very beautiful city! Made our way down the coast to Terromolinas for a night on the beach. Cordoba was our next stop followed by Seville. We rolled into the town without the name of our hotel or phone number. Stevie, a friend of Mitch's was meeting us in Seville. She said she was by a casino and a park - no street names. We figured...we would find her! We went down a few wrong streets (one ways) and ran a few red lights. 5 minutes later I looked out my windown and "CASINO" in bright lights! And look, a park on the other side of the street! Sweet luck! We park, walk around to the front and find Stevie sitting on the front steps. AWESOME! Now, to find our hotel. We stop by a random hotel and ask if we had reservations there. No luck...using their wireless, we find out the name of our hotel and head in that general direction. After 20 minutes, we found it!

We met up with Ryan for an afternoon and took in all the Moorish and Roman architecture.

We had to return our rental car so we decided to take the bus across to Portugal. Rented another car once across the border and head along the Algarve coast. Lagos was our first night. Our hotel that we booked was way out of the city but right on the beach. We had a kitchen so decided to make dinner (Stevie did actually) and drink a few bottles of wine. 5 bottles later we were on the beach jumping in the ocean...naked.

The next morning we drove up the west coast to Lisbon. And that's where we are at now...pictures of Porgual and our roadtrip to come!

Canary Islands

2009-04-17T11:15:00.000-07:00

Spain - Part 1

2009-04-17T11:04:00.000-07:00

Canary Islands

2009-03-31T14:20:00.000-07:00

In the Canary Islands....still alive

Will write more later

Volunteer

2009-03-22T05:48:00.000-07:00

Maryam left a little while ago. She has a crazy flight schedule: Cape Town - Jo'burg - Paris - Amsterdam (4 days here) - Minneapolis - Calgary. And I'm back to travelling on my own.

My time in Cape Town is down to 2 days. My flight is on Tuesday at 17:10 (or so) I fly to Istanbul, have a few hours there and then a flight to Madrid. Crazy stop over!

But before I go, I will be volunteering tomorrow - Monday - with an organization that is supported by the hostel where I am staying. I will be going to a school to play soccer with the kids, help with homework and maybe some other tasks. Should be a really good experience. It's only for the day but I really wanted to do it before I left.

Cape Point pics

2009-03-20T14:07:00.000-07:00

Road Trip!!!

2009-03-20T13:52:00.000-07:00

The day after the safari, Maryam and I rented a car and drove down to Cape Point. I was quite nervous since they drive on the opposite side of the road in South Africa. Didn't need any coffee to stay awake for this trip.

We stayed one night at the Boulders Beach Lodge - right on the ocean! Boulders Beach is known for the penguins! Thousands and thousands of penguins! You can swim with them, walk beside them...but don't try to pet them as they have very strong and sharp beaks! Just about learnt the hard way.

Continued down the beautiful coastline to Cape Point where we were literally, attacked by baboons...crazy buggers!!

Drove back on the Atlantic coast to Hout Bay where we had a delicious seafood lunch. It consisted of queen sized prawns, fish, mussels and calamari!! All fresh!
Dropped the car off and came back to the hostel.

Taking it easy tonight as we plan to hike Table Mountain (again) tomorrow morning. Mind you, it won't be bad as for the rest of the day we plan to do nothing but hang out on Camps beach. And then Maryam leaves on Sunday :(

Safari Pics

2009-03-20T13:49:00.000-07:00

Safari

2009-03-20T13:38:00.000-07:00

So after the shark dive I decided that I needed to see more animals. This time on land. I booked a safari for 2 days which gave me one night at the Garden Route Game Lodge which included dinner, breakfast, accomodation for the night and 2 game drives (I got them to give me 3 though).

Saw 4 of the Big 5...missed out on the Leopard. Got pretty close to some of the animals. An elephant started charging at the jeep...and when a 4 ton elephant is coming your way - you move - fast!! The guide jumped back in the driver's seat and took off. Everyone else was like "COOL!!!" And I took photos...

I went walking with cheetahs...way cool! We weren't really suppose to but the guide said he would take us in quickly if we didn't say anything to anyone. Now that I wrote this on the web...everyone knows haha

Saw buffalo, lions, rhinos (and a baby), cheetahs, antalope, giraffe, springbock and a lot of birds. And some I can't remember...

Bite This!

2009-03-16T13:06:00.000-07:00

And to think...I was in the cage! CRAZY!

SHARKS!

2009-03-13T04:30:00.001-07:00

Shark Dive in South Africa!

2009-03-13T04:23:00.001-07:00

Well....I am still alive to tell the story of me diving with Great White Sharks....and I have pictures and a video to prove it!

We were picked up at 5:40 in the morning to embark on our 2 hour drive to the boat, where we were debriefed and started out on the ocean. It took about 40 minutes to get to 'the spot' The crew started throwing in blood, intestines a LARGE slab of tuna to hopefully bring in the sharks. We waited, and waited...nothing. We decided to head to the front on the boat to get some sun. SHARK! someone yelled, so everyone (40 passengers) jumped up and ran to the back of the boat to catch a glimpse of a Great White shark. It never went for the tuna...it circled the boat a couple of times and swam off. Back to the waiting...SHARK! We ended up seeing 5 Great White Sharks! It was unreal! And I jumped into the cage and came literally face to face with the shark...all that was between us was a few metal bars (thankfully!) The video is great and I will try to post some photos in a few minutes.

Maryam and I did a wine tour yesterday, tasted some really good South African wine. One of the wineries we went to has one distributor in Canada...and it is in Chestermere of all places...crazy!

We visited Robben Island where Nelson Mandela was held prisoner for most of his time in prison. Very interesting!

I am going to be doing a safari next week - Maryam is going to skip it since she has done them before. And then I am off to Spain on March 24!

Cape Town - Week 1

2009-03-06T22:22:00.001-08:00

The flight was long and tiresome! 9 hours from Sao Paulo to Joburg, 2 hours in the airport and then anther 2 hours to Cape Town (CPT). I arrived around noon on Monday, arranged for a shuttle service to the hostel. The first offer was 220 Rands (26$) and another was 140 Rands. It helps to shop around.
Checked into my room and passed out for the next 5 hours. Woke up, had a bite to eat at the hostel and went straight back to bed for the night. Suprisingly, I slept all night - even after my 5 hour power nap.

Tuesday I explored the city by foot. 32 degrees and sun! Gotta love it. Walked around the city Centre, down Long Street - the main street in downtown CPT with shops, cafes and bars. Got back to the hostel and enjoyed the BBQ put on by the staff. Chicken, salads, sausage, ice cream and fruit...a good dinner! Went out to Zula with a couple guys from the hostel - John and Brendan. John is orriginally from Vancouver Island and Brendan is from South Africa and running food and beverage at the hostel. Zula was cool - had live music going on upstairs, kind of like an open mike.

Wednesday I slept in until 10 or so, spent the day walking around the Waterfront. Sauntered through the mall, checked out some shops and bought a book. Guns, Germs and Steel by Jared Diamond. Had Thai food for lunch and took a taxi back to the hostel. Had a very chill night which was nice!

Woke up at 06:40 on Thursday to start hiking Table Mountain at 08:00. I am not sure if today was the best day to pick since it was suppose to be the hottest day of the year so far - 38 degrees! In some parts of the country, the mercury passed 46 degrees! The hike was enjoyable and suprisingly not extremely hot. However, the girl I was hiking with was very sick and dizzy for the majority of the way up. Normally it should have taken an hour or so but we took 3 hours to get up. And every minute that passed, it got hotter and hotter!
Went out that night to see 'The Curious Case of Benjamin Button' I saw it in Argentina but missed the beginning so this time it clarified a few things.

Friday I woke and went for breakfast at 'Slice on Bree' (on Bree Street) just down from the hostel. Went down to Long Street, grabbed an ice coffee on St Georges Market - wrote in my diary and watched people for an hour or so. Went to the aquarium in the afternoon to escape the heat! Saw turtles and manta rays being fed which was very cool. Got some good pictures of Nemo (or his distant relatives) and had a brilliant dinner on the waterfront. I was joined by an Austrian girl whos name I can't remember at this point.

Today I plan to head to the beach - ALL DAY! Find a spot and stay there. Actually, I will probably play some beach volleyball if possible. Apparently, the water is freezing! Even with this heat!

South America - Complete

2009-03-04T03:15:00.002-08:00

My time in South America has come to an end. My first 3 months of traveling have been an unforgettable experience. People ask what the most memorable experience has been so far. I have to say - the people I met. It seemed that in every country I visited, there were people welcoming me - a complete stranger in most cases - with open arms.

It was my first stop, not in South America but El Salvador was quite the eye opener. A country still rebuilding after a devastating civil war, has come a long way, but still has a long hard journey ahead. Beaches, volcanoes, 'pupusarias' and coffee plantations all dominate the beautiful landscape of this tiny country. The people are extremely welcoming and take great pride in being El Salvadorian. Poetry and art museums are helping to shape the slowly growing but fairly popular art scene. Anita and Ivannia were amazing hosts and I felt so welcome with Marcella and her family in Santa Ana.

Peru was my second destination and probably one of the most memorable. Not all of Peru but Machu Picchu was unforgettable. An place everyone should visit. My 2 weeks in Lima allowed me to take a Spanish course, have Christmas dinner with complete strangers and have a really good New Years party at the hostel. Cuzco, the Salkantay Trail hike to Machu Picchu - amazing! The 11 people on the tour made the trip what it was. Mateus, Daniel, Marcos and Agustina are great people. I hope to stay in touch with them all.

Next, I traveled south to Chile. Before I even entered the country, I was taken in by some of the most generous people in the world. A mom and 3 boys invited me, a total stranger, into their home and took care of me like a brother.

Argentina I definitely want to visit again. I stayed in Buenos Aires the majority of my time in this country. My dad and uncle arrived two days after I did and made my stay a great one. I was lifted up from the backpacker lifestyle into the luxury of great restaurants, swimming pools and king-size beds. Thanks Dad!! The trip to Iguazu Falls was absolutely unforgettable as well. Another highlight for sure! It was so nice to experience the boat tour with my dad and uncle. I think I can speak for them both but it the boat trip was definitely the best part!

A quick few days in Uruguay followed. I took a boat trip from BA to Punta Del Este where I enjoyed the sun and beach! One night in Montevideo followed with a flight to Sao Paulo the next day.

If I could only come back to one country in South America, I think it would have to be Brazil. The country has it all - beautiful people, great food, remarkable landscapes, the best beaches and perfect weather. Although the crime in Brazil is very high, I never experienced any. There were, however, two hostels robbed while I was staying in Rio de Janeiro. Sao Paulo was my first stop in Brazil. Once again, the people made my time here what it was. Laura, Rinaldo and Gabriel treated me life family, opening their home to me. Rio de Janeiro was next. I stayed with Marcia for a few nights and then was invited to stay with Mateus and Anne. They showed me around Rio and explained what it was like to be a real 'Carioca'
Buzios - a small beach town still holds it's small town roots. No huge developments, apartment buildings, etc. I stayed there for a few nights and definitely want to return. Some of the most beautiful beaches around!

Arrived in South Africa

2009-03-02T23:17:00.000-08:00

I stepped off the plane in Joburg to catch a connecting flight to Cape Town yesterday. This was after a 9 hour journey from Sao Paulo, Brazil. The flight was long but the time passed fairly quickly since I was playing games and watching movies. Sleep - did not get much of that on the flight. So, after checking into my hostel around noon, I crashed for 5 hours.
Wish I could explain what South Africa is like, but I have only seen out the window of the shuttle from the airport to the hostel.
Updates to come on my time in South America and my first day in South Africa.

Day 1 of Carnaval

2009-02-21T15:32:00.000-08:00

Rio De Janeiro is a beautiful city. The beaches are amazing and mountains allow for some of the most spectacular views. (pictures to come)

If you thought the Red Mile was crazy...wait until you experience Carnaval. I have only seen one Bloco - a street party where thousands of people dressed up like it is Halloween, follow a bus driving down the street, covered in speakers, blasting Brazilian Samba music!
It was 35 degrees today...if it wasn~t for the people spraying water from their balconies, the heat would have killed me.

Have to run but will write more later...

Uruguay and São Paulo

2009-02-14T16:17:00.000-08:00

So, I figured since I was so close to Uruguay that I should stop by for a few days. I took a boat from Buenos Aires to Colonia where I jumped on a bus to Punta Del Este. It was about an 8 hour trip in total, including a 30 minute stop in Colonia. It wasn't all that bad, except for the fact it started at 23:00!!!! I figured the overnight travel would be okay, but since there was a stop over 1/2 way through the night, it completely broke up my sleep and I was sooo tired when I arrived in Punta. I stayed at this hostel - Roger's House. Was about a 3 minute walk to the beach. I toured around the town, enjoyed the beach for a little while and then had to head to Montevideo to catch my flight to São Paulo, Brazil.
I arrived in São Paulo on Thursday morning, took a taxi to Laura, Rinaldo and Gabriel's home. They greeted me with open arms. I guess I should say who they are. Elizabeth Cardoso Pereira, a co-worker from back in Calgary, arranged our meeting before I even left for my trip. It has been wonderful. They have shown me around São Paulo and treated me like family. Tomorrow, we are heading to a museum, shopping and tour the city by car.
The plan is to head to Rio and the state of Bahia on Monday...

Bye bye luxury

2009-02-08T09:42:00.000-08:00

No more 5 star luxury living for me for a while! Although, I did enjoy another night on my own at the Sheraton, curtesy of my dad. Thanks!!! Paps and Uncle Garry left the hot climate of Argentina to return to the cold Canadian winter. I took a taxi to see them off at the airport. We figured there would be enough time to sit down, have a beer for an hour or so before they would have to head through security and customs. However, the one hour cue at the Air Canada ticket counter, waiting in line to pay departure tax, waiting in line to find out that they will get not tax back on goods purchased in Argentina...AND the one hour cue to get through security made for a quick goodbye after confirming seats on the flight.

Highlights during their visit (for me):

1. Speeding up the Devil´s Throat on the water at the Igauzú Falls, getting absolutely drenched!
2. Argentinian Tango show and dinner at the Piazzolla Theatre
3. Endulgining in steak every single day, for 10 days straight! mmmm....beef
4. Playing numerous games of cards with the 2 old farts, and only winning one game!
5. Having family visit for 10 days after being on my own for 2 months.

I just booked a boat/bus trip using Buquebus to Punta Del Este, Uruguay. I have a quick stopover in Montevideo (the capital city) and then heading to the beach!! I booked a few nights at Rogers House Hostel. The plan is to hang out in Uruguay until February 12 when I will catch a flight to Sao Paulo, Brazil.

Iguazú Falls

2009-02-06T05:25:00.000-08:00

Argentina - Buenos Aires

2009-02-06T05:22:00.000-08:00

Chile (other photos)

2009-02-06T05:21:00.000-08:00

Argentina

2009-02-05T06:08:00.000-08:00

My Dad and Uncle Garry arrived in Buenos Aires (BA) last Wednesday. I jumped in a taxi 8 minutes before they were suppose to land and the drive to the airport normally takes 35 minutes. I was hoping they wouldn´t take a taxi back to the city before I got there. Luckily, the taxi driver surpassed the fastest land speed record with a taxi, driving 150km/h the entire way there...18 minutes later, we were at the airport.
I ran inside to find the two looking for a shuttle to the hotel. It was really nice seeing family after 2 months of being on my own.
That evening, we all had a fantastic steak dinner. Quite the treat considering I have been living the backpacker life for the past 2 months. Every dinner for the past week has consisted of at least a 400g piece of steak! Argentinian beef is awesome!! It definitely gives Alberta beef a run for it´s money.
The next few days, we enjoyed the roof-top pool at the hotel, did some sightseeing around the city and engaged in a little bit of shopping. Not to mention all the food we ate! It´s crazy, lunch is no earlier than 1pm and dinner doesn´t start until at least 8pm. The restaurants start getting full around 10pm!
The three of us took a city tour of Buenos Aires since my dad´s knee was bothering him. An easy and efficient way to see the main attrations.
Saturday night I met up with Agustina, a friend that I met on my Machu Picchu hike. She lives in BA and asked if I wanted to join her and her friends at a disco. I received a text from her stating I can meet them at 1:30 in the morning to start the night! I was back at the hotel at 6am! That evening, Dad, Garry and myself had a nice dinner at an outdoor patio in the district of Palermo.
Sunday we had to check out of the hotel sicne there were no more rooms available. Actually, there were a few rooms available but were uber expensive! We decided to find one of the thousands around that hotel.
The next hotel we stayed at was an experience to itself. The airconditioning units didn´t work, and there were a few issues with bugs. We spent as little time as possible at the hotel. Woke up early on Monday and caught a 2 1/2 hour flight to Iguazú Falls.
We booked a tour at the airport using Iguazu Jungle Explorers and made our way to the hotel. Swimming pool, tennis courts, volleyball courts, spa, pingpong, weighroom...it had everything! Even a minigolf course! We enjoyed the pool that afternoon and had another wonderful steak meal! The next morning we woke up early to be picked up by our Iguazu tour. We experienced the Argentinian side of the falls, taking breathtaking photos of waterfalls, wildlife and jungle. The photos don´t do it justice. At 11am, the three of us embarked on a boat tour into the falls. We were giving big bags to put all of our clothes and cameras in because apprarently, they woudl get wet. Let´s just say, when we stepped off the boat, every thing was soaking wet! We went right into a few differnt waterfalls! Amazing experience!
Since I have my Brazilian visa, I had the option of heading to Brazil to see the falls from the other side. Figuring I won´t be here again (or for a long time), I took the tour. It only lasted a few hours but it was completely worth it. Some of the most spectacular views I have seen. For me, Iguazú is definitely up there with Machu Picchu.
Thinking we had a very hard day of walking in the sun, I booked us each a massage at the hotel. A very good decision on my part!! haha (considering Dad is paying too!) I might try to get another one in before he leaves.
We lounged by the pool yesterday, in the 35 degree heat! The two Albino men mimiced the great RED Atlantic lobster! We caught our flight back to BA in the evening. Checked into the Sheraton again for the remainder of their stay.

One last thing in BA before they leave is a Tango Show. We will book one for Friday night.

Quick update

2009-02-04T03:54:00.000-08:00

I have now been to Brazil, even though it was for a few hours to take pictures of Argentina.
The three of us (Dad, Uncle and myself) caught our flight from Buenos Aires to Puerto Iguazú on Monday to experience Iguazú Falls. Absolutely, unbelievable!! Pictures will come in a few days as the computers here won´t allow me to download photos. I will explain in more detail tomorrow about our experience.
We catch a flight back to Buenos Aires tonight at 17:25. Planning on heading to downtown to do some shopping and enjoy a few hours of the jungle.

Buenos Aires

2009-01-30T08:51:00.000-08:00

My dad and uncle arrived Wednesday afternoon. I managed to find them at the airport and shuttle them back to the hotel. Last night we all enjoyed a fantastic 500g steak! Beef from Argentina is suppose to be some of the best in the world...and it definitely lived up to the name!
Took a city tour this morning, visted some of the main sights. We are going to be booking our trip to Iguazú today, hopefully leaving on Sunday.

Argentina

2009-01-28T07:00:00.000-08:00

I must add, that Chileans are some of the nicest people I have met so far on this trip, and possibly throughout all of my travels. Even with the language barrier, they all seem to put an effort forward to help, even when not asked.
My first experience with Chileños, began even before stepping foot into the country. The family from Iquique welcomed me with open arms, made me feel more than welcome. Next was a stranger in Santiago. I was getting off the bus to catch a subway downtown when an old lady tapped me on the shoulder and motioned for me to follow her. She brought me to a map of the metro and explained where I had to go. On top of this she bought my ticket!
I won´t lie, I did have one one so friendly experience. Only one though! In the subway, I just finished buying a ticket when i was backing away from the counter and stepped on an old mans toe behind me. He started yelling (and cursing even though I couldn´t understand it), making a huge scene. I apologized numerous times. When he wouldn´t stop I just walked away. LOL Grumpy old man! Oh yah, and he was as tall as my Granny! I could have taken him!

My travels in Chile brought me from Iquique to Santiago, the capital city which is home to approximately 7 million people. My short 3 day visit to Santiago was enough time for me to see a few attractions. I visited the Palacio de la Real Audiencia/Museo Hisórico National, which walked me through the Conquest to paitings depicting modern political turmoil. Nothing was in English so I had to use my own interpreation a few times. After the museum I made my way to the central market. Basically, a huge farmers market. I loaded up on fresh fruit (no border crossings any time soon) and endulged with a few empanadas de pina.

Thinking that I am in decent shape, I decided to take to the challenge of climbing Cerro San Cristobal, a 730 hectare park. The goal was the 22m high statue of the Virgen de la Immaculadad Concepción, on the top. This was accomplished in the 32 degree scortching heat (and 3 stops for ice cream).
I made my way to Providencia, one of the ´to be´ areas in Santiago and had another ice cream serving. Participated in the BBQ at the hostel that night and got a decent night sleep.
Travelled by bus to Quintero and Playa Ritoque, where I spent the next 2 nights. I ventured to Valparaiso and Viña del Mar by bus one of the dayas. Valparaiso was the main port for ships sailing around the Cape Horn until the construction of the Panamal Canal. Viña del Mar is one of Chile´s most famous beach resorts.
Bused it back to Santiago´s airport where I luckily booked a flight 4 hours later to Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Arrived quite late to BA, straight to the hostel and to bed.

Checked into the Sheraton last night and tonight, to enjoy the comforts of a comfortable bed, my own room and Air Conditioning!!!!!! Cuz it´s crazy hot in BA right now!

My dad arrives in Buenos Aires in one hour!!!

My family from Chile and Santiago

2009-01-28T06:59:00.001-08:00

Last of Peru

2009-01-28T06:56:00.000-08:00

Lake Titicaca,

2009-01-24T04:56:00.001-08:00

Valparaiso

2009-01-24T04:45:00.000-08:00

Headng out the the coast to get a day or 2 of the beach before heading to Buenos Aires. Staying in a town called Viña del Mar, which is right next to Valparaiso. I heard Calgary received another cold spell...I think it´s deserved after the 17 degree weather from a few days ago!

Santiago weather:

Sat: 31
Sun: 32
Mon: 31
Tues: 31

:o)

more photos

2009-01-23T13:37:00.001-08:00

Photos I should have added a long time ago

2009-01-23T13:28:00.000-08:00

Machu Picchu Pics

2009-01-23T13:22:00.000-08:00

5 days!

2009-01-23T04:57:00.000-08:00

5 days until I see my dad in Buenos Aires!!

Chile...part 2

2009-01-22T12:03:00.000-08:00

We rush to the bus terminal to make sure there is a seat available for me on their bus...3 seats left! (horseshoe)
I travel 5 hours by bus through the Atacama desert, the driest desert in the world, 1674 km north of Santiago. The Atacama desert is home to giant sand dunes, salt pillars, boiling geysers and a volcano. None of which I saw besides the sand dunes.

Iquique is where I stayed for the past 3 nights. A fairly small coastal/beach city.

Anyways, the family brings me back to their place, shows me to my own room and explains that their house is my house. Their apartment - super nice! Overlooking the ocean!
I had a wonderful sleep after a late night ´´once´´ (a small dinner). Woke up to a traditional Chilean breakfast of bread with cheese and ham, toast, tea, coffee and juice. Walked downtown, checked out some of the sites, had lunch with Lily and then spent the evening at the beach.
Tuesday, slept in and sat by the pool all afternoon. 30plus degree weather is fine with me! The boys and I stayed up late playing cards and having a blast trying to teach eachother spanish and english. Wednesday morning, Lily´s husband, Carlos, came home and took us to the local museum. This is wehre the oldest mummy in the world is on display. Very interesting! That night, the son of Carlos arrived, adding one more person to the mix. We stayed up late eating cake, drinking wine and once again, trying to converse in broken ´´Spanglish´´
My new friends in Chile made my stay extremely enjoyable! Muchas gracias por todos!

I caught an early morning flight at 08:00 to Santiago. Instead of taking a taxi to my hostel, I decided to go with public transportation....lol
Let´s just say it worked out. I took a bus to the metro where this lady asked if I needed assistance (I msut have had the ´deer in the headlights´ look while wandering around the metro station). Nah, I think she overheard me ask someone for directions. Anyways, she basically took me by the hand, paid for my ticket and explained exactly where to get off!

I plan to spend another day in Santiago and then head to the coast for a fwe days before flying to Argentina.

See my dad in 6 days!!!!!

First glance at life in Chile

2009-01-22T11:39:00.000-08:00

Wow, I don´t know if I have a horseshoe up my @ss or what but things so far in Chile have worked out great!
I caught a bus at 07:30 on January 18 from Arequipa to Tacn (both cities in Peru). Tacna is about 15 minutes from the Chilean border. The 5 hour bus ride went by fairly quickly. There was an unexpected stop where everyone had to get off the bus and put their bags through a scanner. This wasn´t at the border though, it was at a what looked to be a random spot on the highway. I asked the attendent why we stopped. The response....¨frutas¨ FRUIT?? My Spanish couln´t be right, a fruit checkstop. (I know the last few sentences are probably setting myself up for some comments but I couldn´t think of a different way to say it). My tranlation was right, they were inspecting the bags and disposing of any fruits being brought into the next region. Apparently, some species of larva are a huge problem.
As my bag goes through the scanner, I realized I have bananas and plums in my bag. Great...I am going to jail! For what??? smuggling fruit...I could have at least made it worth while. They said nothing and handed me my bag back. Once I got back on the bus I had figured I should get rid of the evidence some how...so I ate it all...6 bananas and 2 plums.

Once the bus pulled into Tacna, I grabbed my luggage and hurried across the street to the other station to book a taxi - a 1983 Crown Vic - to cross the border (the buses do not cross). I was told I had to wait until 4 other people bought tickets to fill the taxi before it would leave. Luckily, it took only 5 minutes for this to occur.

My 4 border crossing mates were Lily, Jonathan, Christor and Sebastian, a mom and 3 boys. We communicate through ther broken English that they had to learn in school but received just enough credit to pass, and my broken Spanish that I haven´t been using as much as I should.

The officer stamped my passport at the border and I was in Chile! As we were waiting for our taxi driver to finish his smoke to continue our drive, Lily asked if I wanted to be a guest at their house on my way to Santiago? They live in Iquique, a 4 hour bus ride in the direction of Santiago. I figured what they heck!? I have known these people long enough...33 minutes. What is the worst that could happen...they steal all my stuff, hide me in a basement and hold me for randsom.

Goodbye to Peru

2009-01-17T15:19:00.000-08:00

It´s been a long three and a half weeks in Peru, but I had one of the top experiences of my life - Machu Picchu.

Just got back from a day tour to the Colca Canyon. You know how I was bitching about starting to hike at 5am, well, today I got picked up at 2:10am for a day tour. I managed to get about 5 hours sleep which definitely helped since I wasn´t really able to sleep on the bus. The tour consisited of driving 3 hours from Arequipa until Chivoy. This town consisted of nothing. We ate the typical Peruvian breakfast offerred at hostels - butter, jam, a hollow bun and coca tea. Luckily I was prepared this time and had my backpack stashed with fruit and trail mix! ¨My Trailmix........¨
Drove to Cruz del Condor where the bus stopped and we all jumped out in hopes to see the giant condors take flight. We waited, and waited...about 30 minutes looking out into fog...excited I know. All of a sudden you hear someone yell ¨there´s one!¨ A mad rush of turning on cameras to catch a glimpse of this giant bird...the wingspan is over 3 meter long!!!! I think I heard it´s the largest bird in the world. Correct me if I am wrong. I could google it right now but dont´feel like it. Took a few cool pictures which I will post on Facebook for now. I´m trying to get an account set up with flickr...it´s supposedly much easier to download photos while keeping the quality.
Back in Arequipa for tonight, meeting up with a few people from the tour for drinks a little later on. Wont´be a crazy night since I have a 5 hour bus ride at 7:30am tomorrow to Tacna, Peru. So I could go hard tonight and sleep on the bus...we´ll see how it pans out. From Tacna, I have to take another bus across to Chile, and then another bus to my next destination, which at this point I´m thinking will be Santiago. The one downside is I heard the drive is over 25 hours!

Lake Titicaca

2009-01-15T18:44:00.000-08:00

Who knew that people were living on floating islands made of reeds?! Well, there are on Lake Titicaca. I took a tour of the world´s highest navigatable lake at over 3000meters. On this lake, there are the Uros islands which are home to numerous families. A bus brought me out to one island where the group was greeted by 5 women wearing bright bright neon colored dresses. I guess they are in style since neon is back! haha We watched a ´performance´ explaining how they build the islands, how they trade food and do not use money - they trade goods for goods (however, when it was over, we were expected to buy their handcrafts with money....strange huh?!) I had a 3 course meal with Alpaca salad, alpaca steak and ice cream...mmmmm...alpaca. Tastes just like beef. The boat took us to another floating island of reeds where there was a convenient store. Got back to Puno, the port town, to catch my 5 hour bus ride to Arequipa.
Ventured around Arequipa (Peru´s 2nd largest city with approximately 700 000 people) and had a nap in the afternoon. Met up with 2 czech guys, Mira and George, at the front desk when inquiring about a tour to Colca Canyon. We grabbed a bite to eat...I had 3 filets of meat...Alpaca, Ostrich and Beef with a decent glass of wine! Good combo!!! Think I might go for that again tomorrow night.
Early night tonight and hopefully a full day of nothing tomorrow.

Machu Picchu

2009-01-13T17:54:00.000-08:00

After 4 days of hiking I didn´t want to move. But walking all that way to miss the purpose of the trip would not be smart. Woke up at 4:00am to start walking up, up and up to Machu Picchu. It was about 1 hour 20 minutes of stairs. My calves were the size of tree trunks.

Machu Picchu - what an experience! Pictures don´t do it justice. And there is a reason why it was named one of the Wonders of the World.

I´ll let the pictures speak for themself.

Salkantay Trail

2009-01-13T17:19:00.001-08:00

People advise to stay a few days in Cuzco before attempting to hike to Machu Picchu. So I figured 3 days would be enought to get myself use to the altitude. Was I wrong!!!

On my 3rd day in Cuzco, I met Mariana (from Brazil) at breakfast. We started chatting and she mentioned she was going to visit Pisac and some ruins. I had similar plans so we paired up and took the local bus 32km weaving along the mountain roads. Explored some ruins and the Sacred Valley of the Incas. Had lunch, bartered with the local market people. I stuck my ground for a bunch of items. The lady wouldn´t budge either so I walked away. 2 minutes later she comes running up to me saying ´ok ok´! Boo yah!! I won!! Then again, I probably still got ripped off. There are always 2 prices when purchasing goods - Gringo and local. If you don´t know what gringo is, I´m sure you can find it on wikipedia.
After changing hostels, picking up my laundry, and running across the city to drop off my bag in storage, I managed to get 1.5 hrs of sleep before my tour bus picked me up at 4:20am.

Salkantay Day 1:

Picked up at 4:20am, drive around Cuzco to pick up the rest of the group. Drive 2 hours to Mollepata - a little town where we have a quick breakfast and embark on our 5 day hike to Machu Picchu. We hiked for 18km the first day, pretty much all up the mountain. Arrive at camp around 5pm. I try to eat dinner but felt sick so only squeezed down a few mouthfuls of soup. Bed by 8:30pm. WOke up at 11:45 to pouring rain and a huge puddle of water in the tent. My backpack was soaking wet! Great!! I woke up the guide and all he did was give me a cheap poncho to put under my sleeping bag. Did it work....no!!! It was a poncho! Rearranged everything in the tent and tried to get some more sleep.

Salkantay Day 2:

Wake up 5:30am. I couldn´t eat anything once again. Not good for the energy level. Going on nearly 6 hours of sleep in 2 days with no food...not good for physical activity. Today was horrible! I couldn´t walk more than 10 meters without having to stop to catch my breath. I was so close to using the oxygen tank. I asked for it once but was told to try to catch my breath first, and if I couldn´t than the O2 would be there for me to use. 4850 meters above sea level - there is not much oxygen!! Finally made it to the top of Salkantay mountain. I wanted to take pictures but decided to start the decent right away. Stopped for lunch, once again, could not eat much. The hike in the afternoon started getting better. It was all downhill!!! 20km hiking this day. Arrived in camp, beautiful spot. In a valley where you have the rainforest on one side and the highlands on the other. The downside, we were expected to dry our own sleeping bags and clothes that got wet the night before.

Salkantay Day 3:

Another 5am wake up. Got ready for the 13km hike today. I was feeling better! Had more energy and could stomach the food that was provided for us. So happy there was more oxygen in the air! Started hiking through the rainforest, such a difference from the day before. 6 hours hiking downhill, through streams, across rivers and passing waterfalls. We went from snow at the top of the mountain to the gorgeous tropical heat in the jungle.
Had lunch in a little village. There was a clinic across the street that was made of scrap metal and bamboo. 2064 meters at this point and loving the oxygen! Chickens, cows, dogs running around are all a regular sight by at this point. Bus ride down the twisting roads to Santa Teresa, where we set up camp. We stepped out of the bus and not within a minute, there were 2 monkeys climbing in and out of the bus. Across the street there was quite the site. On a concrete pad with a roof made of straw and 4 large bamboo posts, a group of Peruvians were preparing for a daily activity. A lady, who I coined ´´the lady of death´´ came strolling up the road with a bucket full of weapons. A cow was tied to the middle of the concrete pad and before you knew it, the lady of death came swooping in, putting an end to the cow´s life. 30minutes later there were fresh carvings of meat hanging all around. Unfortunately, they didn´t offer us any.

Salkantay Day 4:

5:30am wake up, really good breakfast (fresh papaya, bananas, quinoi (spelling) yogurt, pancakes and coca tea). Hiked about 8 km before lunch. We had to collect our luggage that the horses were carrying and say goodbye to our horseman. Hiked for another 2 hours or so along the railway tracks to Aguas Calientes, the town below Machu Picchu. Got a hostel for this night!!!! You don´t know how much you appreciate a hot shower until you haven´t had one for 4 days. Let´s just say I could smell my own stench.

....tomorrow - Machu Picchu!

Days 1 and 2 - Cuzco

2009-01-05T17:05:00.000-08:00

Day 1 - Cuzco

Arrive at hostel: nice place, have my own private room for $12.
Within 10 minutes, had a knock on my door with an offering of Coca tea (a traditional Peruvian tea made with Coca leaves that is suppose to help with altitude sickness and an upset stomach).
Meet up with Ben and Petros at the Point hostel bar across town. Have a few drinks, play some pool and then head out to a couple of night clubs. Pretty much 2 for 1 beers all night long. 5 soles ($2CAD) for a large beer. Made it back to the hostel around 3:30am.

Day 2 - Cuzco

Slept until 11:30am (missed the breakfast they provide at the hostel)
Met up with Ben and toured around Cuzco all afternoon. It rained a little bit but you are jumping in and out of stores and shops so it doesn´t make it all that bad. Purchased some snacks for my hike starting on Wednesday. It is called the Salkantay Trail. 5 days and 4 nights of hiking and camping. Will definitely explain more when after I complete it.

Tomorrow will be visiting a few museums around town and drinking lots of water to prepare me for the hiking.
I´ve been light headed and lost my breath quite a bit since arriving in Cuzco. A little self reminder to breathe once and while definitely helps! Guess I should practice what I preach to the COPD patients at work.

Plan to get an early start tomorrow, a good breakfast and then explore the city some more.

Lima to Cuzco, Peru

2009-01-04T11:14:00.000-08:00

Made it to Cuzco safely! Although, there were a few delays at the airport. Weather was crap so all flights were pushed back about 5 hours. It was lucky for me I arrived early enough to the airport before my flight that Star PERU put me on the earlier flight which ended up taking off about an hour after my original one. So not much of a delay for me.
There was a guy on my flight that was staying at my hostel in Lima. We hung out at the airport listening to an American tour group complain about how they will be missing out on Machu Pichu. They were flying with a different airline that cancelled all flights today. About 15 minutes after they left, it was announced that my flight was going to be boarding in 10 minutes.
Shared a cab from the airport to downtown Cuzco with a few Brits: Ben, an English guy who has a very similar route planned for South America and another guy whose name I can´t remember at the moment. We are all staying at different hostels but plan on meeting up this afternoon at the main square for some lunch and a couple drinks.

So my Spanish classes finished on Friday. Learnt a lot of grammer and conjugation but not a lot of useful vocabulary at this point. I think it will benefit me more once I expand my vocab. There were two of us in the class, myself and Terry. I was invited over to his place on Friday for dinner. His wife made a fantastic meal and we enjoyed some pretty amazing views from their penthouse suit over downtown Lima. Thanks Terry and Norma!

Cuzco bound

2009-01-03T18:22:00.000-08:00

Off to Cuzco tomorrow morning. The weather there is quite different than what I have experienced so far. I would go as far as to say it is COLD...but after hearing what the weather is like back in Calgary, it doesn´t sound that bad. Tomorrow is suppose to be around plus 19 celcius with rain. Hopefully, I can get some good dry weather when exploring Manch Pichu. From the sounds of it though, that probably won´t be the case.

Feliz Año Nuevo

2009-01-01T12:15:00.000-08:00

January 1, 2009

First post of the year. Like Christmas, I spent New Year,s Eve in Lima, Peru. The hostel I have been staying at for the past week or so put on a little party. There was champagne at midnight and a lot of rum to drink. There was a huge turkey, ham and salad dinner to go along. Considering I have spent every New Year in the snow with below freezing temperatures, it was a very nice change to be in jeans and a T-shirt outside at 2am.

The Spanish classes I have been taking this week are going well. My last day is tomorrow. Im finishing it off with a bus tour of Lima. When I am not stuck in the classroom, I have been taking it easy. Walking around the city, eating the delicious cerviche offerred at almost all restaurants. Cerviche is a Peruvian dish consisiting of raw seafood with lime juice and spices. Really good! However, I have learnt not to agree with everything the waiter is saying in Spanish. One dish I ended up eating was extremely spicy and I think it was because I agreed to adding more hot peppers.

I visited Plaza de San Martin and Convento San Francisco. I took a tour down into the catacombes - seeing the bones of clergy who died a few hundred years ago. It brought me back to my anatomy class in undergrad. The Spanish architectural influence here is amazing.

I am flying to Cuzco on Sunday morning. Cuzco is approximately 1200 meters in elevation and it is the city where you take a train or begin your hike to Manch Pichu. I plan to organize a 5 day hiking trip starting next Wednesday or so.
I will then head to Puno and Lake Titicaca - the worlds highest navigatable lake in the world. Might take a quick trip to Bolivia and then down to Arequipa, Peru. I want to do some rafting before heading to Chile.

Hope everyone had an enjoyable New Years!!!

Christmas in Perú

2008-12-25T08:22:00.000-08:00

It´s been a while since I´ve posted and update...hopefully I will remember everything that has happened.

Since I´m writing this info, I obviously made it to Perú safely. My flight from San Salvador to Lima was relatively painless. It was a normal 5 hour flight in coach. Sat beside two sisters from California who are visiting family in Perú for the holidays. They kindly gave me suggestions on some do´s and don´ts as well as things I should try to see. Had another guy holding a sign with my name on it, waiting at the airport for me. Pre-arranged that with the hostel I´m currently staying at. Toured around Lima yesterday, visited Plaza San Martin, San Fransisco Cathedral and took a tour into the catacumbas under the church - quite interesting - brought me back to anatomy class in first year undergrad.
Had a nice Christmas dinner with the 8 people staying at the hostel. Turkey, veges, rice and champagne at mid-night. Was quite nice but doesn´t compare to spending the holidays with family at home. How I miss all the turkey, cranberry sauce, potatoes, salads that Mum makes. mmmmmmm

A quick recap of my last days in El Salvador:

- Hung out in San Salvador for the last week. I was taken out Friday night for dinner and drinks with Anita, Ivania and a few of their friends. We started the night off with a belly dancing performance. Had dinner and wine followed by a night of dancing - or in my case, trying to dance. Made it home at 4am - slept until 3pm.
- Sunday I met up with Jennifer and Dennis who took me to the soccer finals. It was great...the game went into overtime and then a shootout. Jennifer´s dad is a sports announcer and we had access to the announcer´s box. On the national radio, he welcomed me to his country and explained how El Salvador was the first country on my world tour. The game was followed by devouring the best Pupusas in San Salvador. The restaurant we went to was voted the best pupusas! They lived up to it too!
- Monday I checked into my flight, made sure everything was set for Tuesday morning. That evening I went for dinner with the girls who took me out on Friday. They were wonderful hosts!! Made my time in San Salvador really enjoyable!

Arrived on Tuesday to Perú.

The weather has been fantastic! Lima this week, doesn´t drop below 25 during the day. Doesn´t seem like Christmas when there is no snow.

I´m figuring out today my plans for the next two weeks.

Merry Christmas to everyone! Best wishes for the holidays!

Next stop...Peru

2008-12-23T05:23:00.000-08:00

My time in El Salvador is over. I'm currently sitting at the airport, awaiting the departure of my flight to Lima, Peru. I'll write more once I get settled at the hotel. Tomorrow is Christmas Eve. It will be interesting which strangers I'll be spending the holidays with.

Staying in El Salvador

2008-12-17T13:26:00.000-08:00

So there isn't going to be a trip to Costa Rica. The bus trip takes 2 days to get there and 2 days to return, leaving only 2 days to explore. Not enough time. So my plans are to hang out in San Salvador until Tuesday when I fly to Lima. I will visit Universidad Centroamericaca Jose Simeon Canas where a landmark commemorates the assassinated archbishop Monsenor Romero. Apparently, there are some intense paintings of the assassination. Will post pictures.
Looks like I will be attending the National Futbol finals on Sunday in the capital city at Estadio Magico Gonzalez.

Unfortunately, I have to say the weather here has been awesome! It hasn't dropped below 30 degrees during the day.

Volcano - Soccer

2008-12-16T16:17:00.000-08:00

Soccer - Coffee - Volcano

2008-12-16T15:44:00.000-08:00

This past weekend I think was my most eventful since I started my trip. As I wrote on my last posting, Karaoke is the same in every country. That was Friday night. Saturday I took another bus trip out to Santa to meet up with Marcella and her family. I had Wendy´s for lunch. I must have been in and out of the bathroom 10 times in a matter of 5 hours. It did not sit well at all! Marcella´s dad gave me a pill to take. 30 minutes later I was cured!! (Note to self: no more Wendy´s) Later that evening, we pulled up to the Soccer stadium. I want to say it was an organized chaos to get in but that would be pushing it. EVERY MAN/WOMAN FOR HIM/HERSELF!!! Once inside, the chaos wasnt over. No assigned seating. You find a spot, you sit. We were cheering for the home team, Santa Ana. Unfortunately, they lost 3-1. No crazy parties after the game.

Sunday morning I joined Marcella´s family for a day out at the coffee plantation. We toured through the fields. I found out I knew nothing about coffee! Before lunch we hiked a volcano! I can check that off the list now. I´ll post a pic from that hike in a little bit.

Monday, I played some tennis at the country club. Tennis is rough in 35 degree weather. But when I think of what it´s like in Calgary at the moment, it doesn´t seem so bad. Every time someone mentions what the weather is like back home, I seem to enjoy the time here that much more.

I was planning my hike for Machu Pichu in Perú after Christmas. Everything was working out until the company I was working with said they had no departure dates during that time. I was advised to check in Cuzco when I arrive. Hopefully I can hook up with a group once I get there.

One more week in El Salvador...

Latin Karaoke

2008-12-13T08:29:00.000-08:00

Went out for a good ol´American dinner at TGI Fridays last night. Enjoyed a decent chicken burger with fries, which was washed down with a couple beers and rum (ron en español).
To emmerse myself in some El Salvadorian culture, Anita and her friends took me to a Latin Karaoke bar. It was - interesting. The music was really good - the singing, however, not so much. I guess it doesn´t matter where you go, a karaoke bar is the same. The one down side was that almost every single person in that bar was smoking. I couldn´t manage it all night, so we took off around 1:30am.
Stayed at a hostel/residence last night - Casa de Huespedes Australia. A lot nicer than the place I stayed at in Santa Ana.

New Blog Layout

2008-12-12T15:19:00.000-08:00

Do I keep this blog layout or change it back? What do you think?

Public Transportation

2008-12-11T15:40:00.000-08:00

I´m not sure if I mentioned what public transportation is like in EL Salvador. Now that I have experienced it first hand, I can give an accurate description.
We get picked up on the side of the highway, not at a bus stop but by waving down the bus driver. (We include - Charlie Brown and his wife, Sara). Before we all get on the bus starts pulling away. All the windows were cracked because it´s crazy hot and there is no AC. Brian Adams is blasting on the radio. We grab a seat and I take a deep breath.
At the next stop, the back door flies open and 2 guys carrying car tires jump on. The tires are tossed onboard. People carrying baskets of vegetables, kids running up and down the aisle. The only thing that was missing was someone carrying a chicken.
We get to our stop and jump out the back, once again the bus starts to pull away before all three of us are off. I guess that´s what you get when it´s 30 centavos (cents).
Charlie gets some fresh fish, shrimp and veges. Fresh as in caught this morning in the ocean.
We make our way to a dirt road that leads to his girlfriends mom´s house. I am welcomed with a seafood lunch, coca cola and a hammock! Food was fantastic! The fish was fried whole - skin, head, liver, heart - the works. Everyone ate everything except for the bones and head...my plate had 1/2 the fish still remaining.

Plans are to get a good night sleep and wake up fairly early tomorrow to surf. Peace out!

2008-12-10T13:28:00.000-08:00

back to the beach

2008-12-10T12:45:00.000-08:00

It´s been 6 days since my last update. I´ll try to be more efficient at updated my blog from now on. I was using my ipod touch (wireless) for most of my internet work but the other day it crapped out on me. Too many programs were running and it shut off and went to the ´connect to itunes´ screen and wouldn´t allow me to log back in. I connected to a few different computers but no go. Called Apple and they said since I put a password on my ipod there is nothing they could do over the phone. I have to bring it in to an Apple store or mail it to them and they will give me a new one. The closest ipod store is in Mexico city. And with my future travel plans, I would have to wait until April when I am in England for an Apple store.
Solution...My Parents!!! They got me another one and are sending it with a friend, Jennifer, who is heading to El Salvador this Friday. I will pick it up from her. Crazy how that worked out! Thanks mom and dad, it´s greatly appreciated!!!

Anita took me out to an opening of her friend´s restaurant-lounge. Gotta love free drinks!
Spent some time in Santa Ana with Marcella and her family. She took me to Juayua where we enjoyed the weekend feria gastronomica (food festival), when local restaurants set up stands and sell you their specialties.
We went to see some Mayan ruins on Monday but it was closed. Managed to take some pictures from the road!

I´m now back at the beach until Friday! Hitched a ride back to El Sunzal yesterday to catch some waves and more of a tan. I wanted to go surfing today but it´s quite windy and the waves are crazy big. I think there were 2 people out there earlier (normally there are at least 15). So I plopped myself on the beach for an hour or so.

Added another bunch of pictures to facebook, hopefully uploading completes this time.

Traveling back to San Salvador on Friday, chillin out there for the day and then taking the bus back to Santa Ana for Saturday to watch a semi final futbol game. Definitely let you know how that goes. Sunday we are driving out to a coffee plantation...should be interesting.

That´s it for now!

Quick update

2008-12-09T09:12:00.000-08:00

I took my first mode of public transportation the other day...and what an experience. The bus went from San Salvador to Santa Ana, about 40 minutes away. A taxi was about $60 USD and this bus cost $1.50. It was similar to a greyhound but a little...well...rougher. Although, there was a movie playing in English!! I don´t know the name but it is about 10 or so people who are picked to travel to New Mexico from Las Vegas to win $2 million.
This past weekend, went out to a few restaurants, nightclubs. Clubs are the same as back home, although the music is in Spanish...some of it anyways.

Now that I have 2 weeks left in El Salvador, I´m thinking it´s a little too much time. So I might take a bus to San Jose, Costa Rica for a few days next week - leaving Monday or Tuesday.
I´m heading back out to Playas El Sunzal (the beach) today until Friday. Driving back to San Salvador Friday night to go to a theatre, heading to Santa Ana on Saturday to attend a semi finals soccer game and then out to a friend´s coffee plantation on Sunday. That leaves me next week to visit Costa Rica or even Honduras. Going to do some research...

I´ll try to put up some more pictures this afternoon or tomorrow.

Beach Life

2008-12-05T08:14:00.000-08:00

You know you have it tough when your biggest decisions in a day are as follows:

1. There is too much sun glistening off of the ocean, should I roll over so I don´t face the window (sun) or get up and shut the curtain
2. Do I go for breakfast, surf, sleep on the beach or go back to bed
3. Should I eat another papusa knowing I´ll be using the toilet within a few hours
3. Putting on more sunscreen is a must...problem: it is in my room and I am on the beach. Do I really want to march up that flight of stairs

These are some of the toughest decisions I have had to make...believe me, I had to think long and hard about some of them but for the most part, they worked out.

---

I finally managed to surf for the first time since arriving in El Salvador. Didn´t stand up yet, nonetheless, it was fun. The guy who takes care of the guesthouse I´m staying at, Charlie Brown, gives surf lessons. We were jammin´ to some music, teaching eachother Spanish and English, eating some local fruits (I can´t remember the names of) when he pipes up...you want to surf? ahora (now)? Sure, why not!
We had a very very quick 1 minute lesson on the sand on how to stand up and where to look when you surfing. That was it. We jumped in the water and paddled out further and further...and further. The waves got bigger and bigger. We didn´t start at the ´biginners waves´, no, we go to the biggest ones. I won´t lie, I was a little nervous. All of a sudden, ¨Shawn...catch this wave!!¨ I quickly turn around and paddle like a madman. I catch it!!! Swallow some ocean water (figure it can´t hurt me now), put one foot up on the board and fall. That generally was the same occurance over and over. Next week I´ll master this sport. ;o)

Today is Friday, December 5 (I think). Planning on heading back to San Salvador for the weekend. Plan to meet up with a few people for dinner tonight, and maybe head out tomorrow to a Disco! For everyone over the age of 40, this does not mean I will relive your youth - singing and dancing along to ´Stayin´Alive´ at the center of the dance floor with a discoball hanging overhead. It´s another word for ´club´.

Need to grab breakfast and then head to the beach. Or should I go to the beach and then eat breakfast...see what I mean, I always have these dilemmas!!!

Pictures

2008-12-03T15:24:00.000-08:00

El Tunco

2008-12-03T14:51:00.000-08:00

Why did I mention I felt fine?! Came back to bite me in the ass. Felt sick around dinner time yesterday. My guess is it was the 1/2 raw turtle egg I ate with a little tobasco, lime juice and salt. Might be an idea to stick with the cooked food for a while.
Sleep yesterday was kind of rough as well. I thought the restful sound of the ocean would put me to sleep but I guess not.
Going to attach a few pictures, hopefully they work. I´ll write a little about them when I figure out which ones I want to post. If you´re on my facebook, I added an album with pictures I have taken up until now. It´s a lot easier to load onto there.

Volcano!

2008-12-01T20:21:00.000-08:00

Day 3 and everything I have eaten has not come back up or caused other issues down south. I say that knocking on wood because most of what I ate so far has been boiled, fried or baked. Minus a few foods digested this evening that might cause some discomfort tomorrow. Actually, now that I think about it my stomach is a little off. Meh!
Yesterday, I worked on my tan, had some delicious seafood for dinner and visited the El Salvador museum of modern art. Some very impressive pieces.
I hadn't accomplished a lot today (unless you call lying in the sun for hours, productive) until this afternoon when I met up with Marcella - a friend from high school. I received a msg on facebook stating she was currently in El Salvador as well. She picked me up with a couple of her cousins. We drove to the top of a volcano, that is now a lake. We had a bite to eat, a drink and played some pool on a dock out on the lake. I'll try to post pictures soon, I need a reliable computer first. They toured me around Santa Ana. We went for papusas!!! If you don't know what they are, google it. All I'll say is they are the staple dish of El Salvador and are bloody delicioso!
I leave the comfort of the Sheraton tomorrow and head to the coast to become a beach bum. Plan to do some surfing, surfing and more surfing. I'll keep updates on how that's working out.
It's 11pm - bed time!

Buenas noches

The journey begins

2008-11-29T14:42:00.000-08:00

Well, I can say I officially started my trip. Landed in El Salvador this afternoon - 31 degrees and sunny! Awesome!! Leaving the cold winter of Canada behind somehow makes it feel that much better.

The flight was alright. I sat beside this lady from Nicaragua. She is visiting her father who just had a stroke. Next to her was another lady from El Salvador. She spoke no English and was quite funny when talking to me in Spanish. It was always followed by a blank look of confusion at the blank look of confusion on my face (why don`t you understand....gringo!) The middle lady was translating for us which was quite nice. I was invited to dinner with her family if I was traveling to her home town near Ciudad Segundo Montes - unfortnately, I`m not heading that way.

Anyways, the lady next to me was telling me about this Rum from Nicaragua - stating it is some of the best in the world (obviously, right!?). One guess at to what they were serving on the phone - yup, that Rum. When she figured this out - one more guess at who was drinking this rum from Nicaragua! A little bit of rum later I was speaking Spanish! Who knew!?

I decided to book myself into the Sheraton Presidente in San Salvador for a few nights - spoil myself a little before heading into the dark world of `budget travelling`. I got a shuttle to the hotel which is about a 30 minute drive AND a man holding a sign with my name on it at the airport...it is all about the man with the sign. Last time this happened was when I was in Prague, Cody and Kari met me at the airport with a sign that read TRON...memories.

There is a wedding going on this evening which I might try to join...you know, engage in a little wedding crashing, should be fun. I have to make sure there is rum so my Spanish comes back.

Plan is to do some sightseeing on my own for the next couple of days - visit a few museums, see parts fo the city that I don`t have to worry about getting mugged in. A buddy gave me some contacts here which I will try to get in touch with. One of which is in El Tunco, on the coast. Hopefully head there for a week or two, learn how to surf, again - try to get some of that tan back that I lost from Calgary`s uber long summer.

This blog will be read by people who are wasting time at work, putting off shoveling the driveway with all that snow that falls - I hope it`s a lot by the way :o), or my parents who will read it multiple times a day. If you want a personal email, I am using shawn.hoffart@gmail.com Email me and I´ll get back to you when I have some extra time.

Adios para ahora.

Itinerary

2008-11-12T16:53:00.000-08:00

Itinerary

November 26, 2008
• Depart Vancouver, Canada to San Salvador, El Salvador
• Possibly travel to Honduras for up to a week
December 18, 2008
• Depart San Salvador, El Salvador to Lima, Peru
January/February 2009
• Chile
• Argentina
• Brazil
• Possibly Uruguay and Bolivia (time permitting)
March 1, 2009
• Depart Sao Paulo, Brazil to Capetown, South Africa
March 24, 2009
• Depart Capetown, South Africa to Madrid, Spain
May 30, 2009
• Depart Istanbul, Turkey to Cairo, Egypt
June 10, 2009
• Depart Cairo, Egypt to Beirut, Lebanon
June 20, 2009
• Depart Beirut, Lebanon to Dubai, UAE
June 24, 2009
• Depart Dubai, UAE to Chennai, India
July 5, 2009
• Depart Chennai, India to Bangkok, Thailand

Not confirmed yet:
Aug 5: Bangkok - Manila
Aug 24: Manila - Sydney
Nov 15: Auckland - Fiji
Nov 22: Fiji - Calgary