Just take the red pill damn it!

OFF TO NEVER NEVER LAND!!!!

2006-07-15T16:34:00.000-07:00

So what now?

I dunno, guess I will continue blogging if anyone can be bothered reading. Hopefully I have some interesting things to say here and there. But I guess my enthralling and grammatically incorrect posts in South America are over for the time being.

Will write stories about future adventures I guess, with all the old London crew back im sure I wont be short on any =) You all know what we are like =) Have snowboard trips planned and stuff and hopefully some intersting travel stories in australia to post up soon....

But man, its good to be back eating 3 square meals a day and not having to worry about if your food is growing a fungus....

Coat hangers and fish and chips

2006-07-15T16:15:00.000-07:00

Well didnt tell anyone I was coming back and it was absolute gold seeing Mary's face when I popped up in a Sydney pub.

So now back in sydney. Was good seeing all the old crew again and have been catching up with them here and there for the last week. The last week has been cold but clear blue skies and great sun, (although now it is raining). Sydney harbour is still asolutely wicked, the doggies beat the dragons and are now number 2 on the NRL ladder, fish chips are still the best in the world, Sale of the Century is now called Temptation (WTF!), a SCOONER is no where near as good as a PINT, and my God, there is nothing... nothing like a Sydney kebab.

It is a little less wierd here than the last time I came back. Spent the first night in Sydney getting wasted with my family and an old mate of mine till 4 in the morning and singing karaoke.....funny. Mum and dad have been showering me with clothes and food (hey all good for me and I aint complaining!) and was good to see old faces again. DJ shadow and Pearl Jam have shows in sydney in the next few months, so going to hurry for tickets on those ones. Unreal to see all the old Horny Dereks!! They are all here minus the obvious few. Feels like it was just yesterday I saw them all. Sal, small and tall Paul are coming down, and you know Mary, she is busy organising a debaucherous gathering in bondi next weekend for everyone...cant wait!

So now hopefully get some sort of income going in the next few months. Sort university out (I HATE MY UNIVERSITY) and get back to normal life....what a drag.....maybe I can do something interesting..... like juggle for money or something...

Ja chegou

2006-07-15T16:05:00.000-07:00

Well I am now back in sydney, been here a week now.

But let me start from here, After buenos made my way off to santiago. Sporting my new colorfule wide brimmed hat which I bought off the market in argentina I caught one of my last glimpses of the Andes mountains on my way to Santiago. Manage to catch the french portugal game while waiting for my flight and snack on my last steak in South America and had myself a large pint of Chopp.

Spent the last 6 hours sort of thinking about south america and forcing myself to get reflective. Was nice. Have had an amazing 8 months and will be back to this unreal continent at some point in the future. Thoroughly loved every second of it and the more places Ive been to, the more places I want to go.

Really couldnt believe I was going back to Sydney again. Was pretty exciting...

Dont cry for me.....!

2006-07-04T11:44:00.000-07:00

And just when you thought there could not possibly be any more suprises, then you haul ass to Buenos Aires.

Great steak
Great wine.
Beautiful people drenched in style.
Parties to send your liver to hell.
A city that makes love to your senses.

Have been staying with Ally in her apartment for the last two weeks (man she got a really sweet deal here) have been dining at fine restaraunts, gorging my self on argentinian meat, and drinking red wine, Argentinia's finest. I could get used to this life =)

Amazing amazing city and there is no doubt in my mind i will be coming back to this place again very soon....

I love BA!

Puta tu madre

2006-07-04T11:34:00.000-07:00

Ok, having direct resistance to speaking spansih in bolivia, the argentine hospitality and gregarity is simple infectious. The argentine spanish is beautiful, afar cry from the harsh accent of the spaniards in Barcelona.

I love it, and, even if I do say so myself, have picked up spanish much quicker than I have expected...or maybe im speaking portanhol =).... (shit what am I saying, i am speaking portanhol)...

2 weeks ago.....

2006-07-04T11:27:00.000-07:00

Salta...small city in the north of argetina.

Spent 3 days here recovering from the freezing cold of the bolivian salares. Managed to finally have a hot shower. Nice and chilled place. Travelled with a brazilian dudette and a dude from belgium and we hired a car to explore the region just south of the city, Cafayete....

Was very nice, something straight out of the american badlands, miles of beautiful canyons and rock formations. Spent the day driving around and stoping here and there to climb around stuff. Great day had by all. Sampled my first drops of Argentinian wine and steak....was going to see that I would be liking this country =)

15 pesos for a piece of juicy steak drenched in blood the size of my backpack...yes please =)

What is better than a brazilian bus...

2006-07-04T11:24:00.000-07:00

An argentinian one!

Leather seats, free (great) meals at restaraunts. Drinks served by a waiter. Movies. And a bathroom...

Setimo Cêu baby!

Where is the love...

2006-07-04T11:05:00.000-07:00

So, Brasil out, Argentina out, Australia out....all european cup...

boring italy, clinical germany, frog leg french and the cheating portuguese bastards....

Dont know if I could be bothered watching anymore.....

AUSTRALIA CHEGOU!!

2006-06-23T16:39:00.000-07:00

AUSTRALIA 2 - CROATIA 2!!!!

E bastante para qualificar! QUE MASSA CARA! Austrâlia chegou no Copa do Mundo!! CMON AUSSIES CMON!!!

Funky Funky Valeu legal!

2006-06-21T10:20:00.000-07:00

Israelis seem to be a permemnet fixture of the South American travel landscape. They are everywhere, and like all nationalities, you get the chaff and the wheat. With compulsory years spent in the army at the age of 18, men and women, you will never find a bunch of people who have gone through some of their extrodinary experiences at such a young age. But for mine experiences, I have developed a love for them and a respect. An amazing, warm bunch of people, contemporary, yet proud of their country, history and culture, and always calling Israel their home. Extremely welcoming and social, and always wide eyed travellers with the look of discovery in their eyes. It has been great laughing with them, enlighting listening to them, and a joy travelling with them.

I've already told myself that a visit to Israel is definitely on the cards in ther future. It's been a while since I've had a good kebab....

"Funky Funky Valeu Legal..."

Scenes from Mars...

2006-06-20T16:00:00.003-07:00

THE MOST AMAZING PLACE I HAVE BEEN ON MY TRIP.

Salar de Uyuni. A vast salt desert in south west Bolivia. There are no words to describe this place and every moment spent here was in sheer awe. 12000sqm of salt flats as far as the eye could see. Remnants of a vast inland sea apparently which evaporated a couple of thousand years ago or something like that.

We spent 3 days crossing through the salars and the surrounding deserts in a 4WD. This was a photographer's paradise. Mars. A Dali painting. A wierd trip. Call it what you like. You probably haven't seen anything like this in your life.

An island of 1200 year old, 12m cactuses stands strangely in the middle of it all, and the sunset here is incredible. Second day sees the salt turn into sand. The landscape turns red, dotted with windswept stones shapped into the wierdest forms. Later on, the multi-coloured mountains and volcanoes turn snow-capped, and reflect perfectly over completely still lagoons. Pink flamingoes float nonchalantly on their surfaces (pink flamingoes at 4000m?). Then more lagoons, one drenched blood red. The third gives way to incredible spurting geysers and bubbling mud, boiling its way to the surface. Temperatures get to freezing at night and scorching in the day. And at the end of it all, a great thermal bath nearly 4km above sea level.

The most amazing place I have been to.

Alrighty then..............

2006-06-20T16:00:00.002-07:00

about 9 days ago...

3810 m above sea level. Highest navigable lake in the world. Lake Titicaca is a massive body of water smack bang in the middle of the Central Andes. Integral to Inca creation mythology, Isla del Sol, a stunning island floating in the lakes's center, is the site of the creation of the sun. Surrounded by old Inca ruins, beautiful, sparkling, silver-tinted waters, and a smoking sunset, Isla del Sol makes a chilled out retreat from La Paz. We trekked around the island with a 7 am start, crossing paths with quechuan farmers in the cold morning, kicking back with haunting Andean pan pipes while herding their goats and sheep through the maze of dirt trails cutting into the island's elevations. Positiviely Andean.

Eventually we came upon the stone apparently upon which the sun was born. This was my main interest on the island. Cool stone.

Nice and relaxed but with a lot of uphill trekking cause we got lost and took the steep way round. Must remind myself to buy a stairmaster and stop smoking when I get back. But man this was cool. If you need to find some untainted moments of pure chill then get your ass here...

My Bolivian bus story...

2006-06-20T16:00:00.001-07:00

Ok everyone who travels to bolivia has a bolivian bus story. The buses there are horrible. Everybody has at least one story. This is mine.

Next destination was Uyuni, 14 hours away south of La Paz by bus through the freezing Andes. We are all warned before taking this trip, and seems now a tradition, ritual, or rite of passage for all bolivian travellers to go through this horror piece of shit before leaving this country.

Aboard the crappy tin can, this was no doubt the shittest bus ride of my life. Departing La Paz late in the evening and travelling through high andean passes through the night. Not even my balaclava, gloves, 2 pairs of socks, beanie, thermals, and 4 layers of upper body clothing, including my snowboard jacket, could save me from the freezing cold. I've never felt a pain that came from the cold on that bus ride. Bumpy, pot-hole ridden bolivian roads made sure to keep me up all night and by the time the morning came you couldn't even rub the accumulated ICE SHEET that sealed in our bus windows. You had to scratch it off.

14 hours. It's always a strange feeling when you can't feel your toes but your fingers and nose as well?

In a world of pain.............

2006-06-20T16:00:00.000-07:00

about 2 weeks ago...

Started my stay in La Paz and had a good few days acclimatizing, chilling out and getting the first couple of matches of the world cup. La Paz was a buzzing city but unfortunately, events turned for the worse and I wasn't able to do all of things I had wanted to do. Food poisoning decided to pay me a visit once again on this trip (along with two of my other traveller friends) and for 5 days I remained in my hostel bed in La Paz battling some crappy fevers. Damn chinese restaraunt....

Eventually , after a dosing of antibiotics for 5 days, we managed to get our asses out of bed and head out to lake Titicaca. Thank God for Flagyl...

Copa da Mundo, Australia vai ganhar!

2006-06-15T12:17:00.000-07:00

Que massa! Australia 3 Japâo 1.

AUSTRALIA TA CHEGANDO!!

Cuidado Brasil!.....

When I am king, you will be first against the wall

2006-06-07T06:38:00.000-07:00

Ok, have been on the road the last few days. Had myself a horror 24 hour train ride from Brasil to Santa Cruz in Bolivia. Longest story of hell and missed connections. But to sum it up in a few words, Bolivian transport is one of the most disorganised in the modern world.

My 17 hour overnight train trip turned into 24 hours of crappy, crowded hell, as delay after delay and after delay ensued. I have nevery seen a train move off the rails this much in my life, and there were serveral moments when I really thought we would rock to the side just a little too far. At every stop the train would pull into to a very derelict-looking station where our carriages were mobbed by groups of 10-15 children and their parents, yelling at the top of their lungs and selling all sorts of food stuff at ridiculouse prices. This was all fine for the first half of the train ride during the day, but these kids would come on at 11 - 12 at night when the entire carriage was sleeping. If only I had a baseball bat...

So, I arrived in Santa Cruz, tired, cold, and with a mammoth craving for beer. Had an overnight stay here before embarking on a much more comfortable bus ride into La Paz.

I am here now, the highest capital city in the world, nearly 4 kilometers above sea level and ready to see what this country has got to offer.

First impressions: city looks amazing. Very very beautiful. Temperature is fittingly cold, and Ive already unpacked my snowboard thermals and balaclava. There is a fantastic vibe about the place and a strong backpacker community. The streets are teeming with people, markets, contraband and cheap cheap cheap food!! Colourful jeeps (similar to those jeepnes in Asia and the Philippines) cane it through the streets picking up passengers dropping htem off at every possible location. European buildings dot the central squares while the towering snow-capped spires of the Cordilerra Real Andes look on from the far horizon. The city is set in a huge valley, with houses clinging and falling off its rim. Truly an amazing setting.

Bolivian food is pretty mundane. Just crap meat, potatoes, salad and more potatoes. But for the price you pay, I am not complaining. There are however, decent asian restaraunts and I have been stocking up on my spicy foods and herby meals after six months of pretty much going without. For all its crappiness, I will give this to Bolivian food, their empanadas kick shit all over brazilian pastels.

Altitude sickness became a slight problem for me and I rode into La Paz with a mild head ache which turned into a level 3 earthquake later in the night. Have spent the last two days aclimatizing to the high altitude weather drinking lots of water and staying away from beer and cigarettes.

Bolivian people are nice. Their indigenous lineage can be seen in their faces and their clothing. Babies hang securly from colourful, alpaca-made slings which the women carry on their backs. Hair is drawn into two long plaited pig tails and tied together at their ends.

Well, words can only do so much so will send fotos pretty soon.

Plans for the next few days: am off to throw myself and my mountain bike down the World's most Dangerous Road (and get my free touristy T-shirt =), doing a one day trek through the Colca Canyon tomorrow followed by a little outing to Lake Titicaca for three days and treking amongst its Inca ruins.

Worthy information of note:
Accomodation: 20 bolivianos
Huge huge meal in nice restaraunt with drinks: 15 bolivianos

1 AUSD = 6 Bolivianos
1USD = 8 Bolivianos
1 Euro = 10 Bolivianos
1 Pound = 15 bolivianos

Saudade

2006-06-02T11:36:00.000-07:00

Man I miss Brasil. It´s been like only 3 hours since I crossed the border. I want to go back =)

"A gente tem que passar por ai"

2006-06-02T05:31:00.000-07:00

Well I am sitting in an internet cafe now.

I am in Corumba, on the border town between Bolivia and Brasil. I have just come from a wicked 4 days in the Pantanal, a vast inland swamp in Brasil´s central west. Great place and spent my time hunting anacondas, wild pigs, jabirus, jaguars (well didnt see one but we went looking for it so it counts, heh), toucans, aramadillos, capivaras (big guniea pig-like rodents, biggest in the world, funny when they run), hawks, vultures, and all sorts of bird-life. Lots and lots of jacare (alligators), howler monkeys, piranhas (I caught two by the way and they were ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- this big =). Went galloping on horses (yes really galloping! unbelievable, I am buying a horse when I get back to Sydney =) and stepping waist deep in cow manuer....

Ahh the nature.....

The Pantanal was definitely a highlight of my trip to Brasil. We stayed on a working farm just off the main Estrada Parque ( a crappy dirt road that cuts into the pantanal). 3 square meals a day and the wake up before sunrise was absolute gold. It´s been a long time since I have been able to stretch my arms to the morning-cold air.

Mosquitos were a nightmare.....an absolute fucking nightmare

Today I am off to catch the Trem del Morte into Bolivia into Santa Cruz then skip my way on to La Paz. Will let you kow how that goes. Ive been looking forward to Bolivia for a long time. I hope they have KFC...

Vergonha com maconha

2006-05-27T08:47:00.000-07:00

Ok, I am in Campo Grande at the moment. I am staying with Renee´s family and will be here for the next night before going off on a 4 day outing in the pantanal tomorrow.

Renee´s family is so cool, everyone has been really nice in that brazilian way that all brazilian families are. Spent last night having some beers and dinner with renee´s family. Interesting turn of events when Renee´s mum started talking about people smoking weed in 49b. Nice and funny and she found it quite funny as well... =) ...cool

Campo Grande is cool, nice places to go out. Found it to be a bit like Porto Alegre and some parts look like sydney. Nice an urban. I liked it.

Internet is so cheap here, 2 reais per hour baby...oh the JOY!

Hit em up Hit em up

2006-05-18T17:41:00.000-07:00

Estou ficando pregisoso com meu portuguese. Ficando no meu alebergue com outro estrangeiros ultimamente. Entâo, tenho falado inglês com tudo mundo. Eu vou falar em portuguese sempre daqui (bem, ate bolivia eu acho). Nâo quero perder portuguese. Quero aprender espanhol agora, espero que meu portugues vai ajudar com isso. Seis semanas devia ser bastante...bem, espero =)

Vivo!..."O Plano Vida de Tony"

2006-05-18T15:57:00.000-07:00

Ok sorry for my blogger blackout. Its been 3 weeks I think since my last post. Hasn´t been anything very exciting to write about really...last 3 weeks in Rio have been cold and rainy! Truly. So, no beach,shitty weather, and just going out and partying really. Rio sux when it rains. Pretty monotonous and lately, ive been left craving for more "cultural, travelling, life-shaking experiences". So instead of telling you about my event-less last few weeks, I will give an overiew of "Tony´s Life Plan" for the next 6...

1. Well I am leaving Rio in 4 days on Monday. SO EXCITED. Gonna catch the first screening of the Da Vinci Code on Friday, gorge myself on KFC, and go out of Rio with a bang on a psycotic weekend bender at Casa Da Matriz on thursday (all night Drum n Bass baby!), the perenial Lapa night on Friday, house party on saturday, and Favela Baile funk on Sunday.

2. First stop after Rio, spend a few says chilling on Saquarema, small beach resort east of Rio, hopefully get a surf and just keep my iPod company.

3. Then on my way to Campo Grande and paddle with the alligators in the world´s largest inland swap, the "Pantanal"

4. From the pantanal, make my way into Bolivia via the "Trem del Morte" (death train) into Santa Cruz, into the Salar de Unyi salt flats in Bolivia´s south and on to the world´s highest capital in LaPaz.

5. From La Paz, will scoot around Lake Titicaca and head to my lifelong, childhood dream destination of the mystical Lost City of the Incas, Machu Piccu, and embark on the infamous 4 day Inca Trail (if no available places an alternate 4 day trek into the Lost City)

6. From there comes my first flight in south america. Take a plane north to Peru´s jungle town of Iquitos, (only city with no in bound roads), and start my week long journey through the Amazon basin. Across South America´s breadth, I will be sitting on a hammock on a boat, stopping at Manaus, Santarema, and finally Belem on Brazil´s north east coast.

7. From Belem, need to get my ass to Porto Alegre somehow, let Joâo set fire to my hair again (don´t ask), and mingle and catch up with old buddies. Due to my well known financial turmoil, a mammoth bus ride, the likes of which has not been seen, may be in order until POA.

8. POA To Buenos Aeries, sample the marvels of my last party city in Argentina, before...

9. Santiago Chile, last stop in South America, where my 2 years and 8 month extended haiatus from Australia will come to an end on a long flight over the Pacific

Well that´s it.

Disclaimer: those who remember what happened to my last life plan will realise that most of this is going to go out the window from day one, but that´s my general mode of thinking at the moment =) Knowing me, I will probably end up in Cuba chugging on a cigar out with Castro =)

Eu vou chorar...

2006-05-02T12:23:00.000-07:00

Fucking no gravy in KFC!!! no gravy!!! whyyy!!!!

O Melhor Baile da Cidade

2006-04-24T15:47:00.000-07:00

Ok how cool was last night.

Went to a favela funk party in one of the favelas here in Rio which is held every sunday throughout the city. A place just on the outskirts of Cidade de Deus (yes there realy is a favela called the City of God for those of you who have seen the film)

Huge huge place, walls pounded by heavy baile funk beats, thousands of favela residents partying the night away. Surrounded by transexuals, black brazilians with afro doos, brazilian women in short short skirts, bouncers up on pedalstools perched over the crowd like obelisks, and sprinkled with the odd gringo here or there. Night of dancing and partying away till 5 in the morning, everyone completely blind drunk by sugar-drenched conconctions of caiparinhas, and yes, they even had fireworks ....

(ok just a sidenote....you have no choice but to raise the level of COOLNESS of a club if they have fireworks streaking horizontally above the crowd, wall to wall, for a quick 20 minute session during the night. Unreal sight. FIREWORKS for heaven´s sake.)

A wicked spectacle and not my last!...rumors say that the place was the same place the benny gets shot in the film City of God. Don´t know how true that is but would like to think it is so....=)

Final-FUCKING-mente

2006-04-20T08:14:00.000-07:00

Ok Photos.

http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=qrajvbp.jl81yr9&x=0&y=-fadqlp

These are only of the few "arty" ones I took a while ago now but I have heaps more and am uploading over the next few days (but you know old lazy me, might take some time =). Will post the second link up soon.

No i´m not going out, I swear....wait give me a minute

2006-04-18T11:20:00.000-07:00

Well small crappy post. Just deciding to give a brief overview of a wicked club I went to. Anyway on a quiet monday night managed to find a place where I spent my time jumping around and dancing and moshpitting like an idiot to "The End" and Barfly music and remixes of Block Party. Casa da Matriz it was called. Cool artwork and people, like one big house party. Place can´t be bad if they played beastie boy tracks for a good half hour....

PU-TA QUE PA-RUI! Bandarâo mais bonito do Brasil!!!

2006-04-10T22:36:00.000-07:00

Full house in Maracanâ largest football stadium in the world to watch the Rio championships. Wicked. Botafogo 3 Madureira 1, flags fireworks and lots and lots of expletives.

Who´s idea was it to give fireworks to a bunch of football crazed and drunk Cariocas? =) Must watch another game.

FOOOOOGOOOOO, FOOOOOGOOOOOO....

Gavea, my new haunt

2006-04-07T10:19:00.000-07:00

I swear this place is just straight out of Santa Catarina and Rio Grande do Sul, but with twice as many people. Gavea is a university neighbourhood in Rio. Crowd is more upmarket, younger and sleek and is a wicked and different party scene from Lapa. I could have sworn I was in POA again (Just swap the blondes for brunettes =). Parties are at tables but people are on the street as well. This guy tried to sell me one cigarette for 50 centavos, bastard.

Has anyone ever had a Kapeta?

Jack johnson jack Johnson

2006-04-07T10:18:00.000-07:00

Ok, what the hell, 100 reais for bloody Jack Johnson tickets in Rio?!?! I think not...

sometimes I miss old london town...

2006-04-07T10:03:00.000-07:00

I love the english humour. I love the english. Sometimes one just misses the great ongoing conversations on who their favourite artists are, the inevitable iPod exchanges, who went to which concert and when, and how they had the greatest time of their lives at the best club/festival/gig in the world (although my DJ marky/Fatboyslim adventure in Carnaval never fails to draw gasps and awes =). I love it and I have missed it.

I do miss merry old England. Is falling asleep with dreams of meat and chips and chilli sauce and vanni´s and that God damn 49b lounge room wrong? =) haha

Mundial

2006-03-25T16:13:00.000-08:00

Ok new thing discovered, brazilian supermarkets!

I mean, I spent only 10 reais for four days worth of food shopping at brazilian supermarkets. Meat is so cheap!! Love it love it...

Anyway was just a random thought =)

"Who? Rules mcJools!!"

2006-03-25T15:30:00.000-08:00

So week 3 in Rio

Staying now in a pretty central area in Rio called Botafogo. Have managed to score myself a pretty cushy job at the moment working in a hostel while I continue looking for english teaching work. Have free accomodation and breakfast and get a wage at the end of the month which I hope will be enough to live on =) Dont do anything stressful really except watch TV for my six hour shift and hang out with other travellers. Maybe answer the door bell and phone once in a while=) Still looking for english teaching work so hopefully the few contacts I´ve made in Rio will come through. Fingers crossed. Still smarting over that missed english job in Sao Paolo...

Been partying a fair bit here and its getting rare now that I come home before the sun rises. Lapa, pretty much the nightlife capital of Rio, seems to be drawing me in everyweek. Lapa is basically just a big street party with all sorts of brasilian tunes blaring out in the streets and dotted with clubs and bars playing samba, forro and rock. Drinks are cheap and strong and the party is pretty crazy - would expect nothing else really...I love brasilians =)

Anyways proud achievements of mine: My portuguese is getting a lot better now. I am speaking a lot more and had my entire interview in portuguese which was cool. Maybe doing more website work for this hostel here as well. They want a complete site revamp so hopefully I´ll have something new to add to my portfolio. And last but not least, I am managing to be semi-decent in forro now - even if I do say so myself =) heh

Girl from Ipanema is calling....

2006-03-15T00:13:00.000-08:00

From all the cities visited in Brasil no other place sucks me in the way Rio does. A land of contradictions, where the poor live next to the rich, the city against the mountains. A land where the beach and surf rains supreme, and where music pulses at its heart. From the classy upper class bairos of Ipanema, the nightlife and Samba capital that is Lapa, to the colonial neighbourhood of Santa Theresa, where bossa nova is spilling out into the streets. Churches and museums, great stretches of beach into the south from Barra, the young and affluent university students in Gavea, (ACAI =), the ominous presence of the favelas on the hills, to the rainforests in the interior, all set on a spectaluar mountain setting overlooked by the towering presence of Cristo Redentor on Corcovado´s summit. When I think of Brasil I think of Rio. And there is no doubt in my mind that to me...

Rio has it all.

Well here´s the plan. Need to stop living out of my backpack for a while, stay in one place, live, learn about the people, and enjoy. So now on my 12th day or so in here, Im on the hunt for work and an apartment (So strange doing everything in portuguese now, but also exciting). Anything that pays money at the moment is up for play. Looking for english teaching work (got offered an english teaching Job to work in Sao Paolo...unfortunately wrong city...bugger) but now I might even start working in a hostel...survival at the moment is priority =)

So, third time back here, and I´m off to a good start (please note the sarcasm). Fucked around and partied my first 8 days here (not that I regret it, its what I seem to always do in Rio for the first week =) but last few days have been productive...

Still looking for new shoes though...still looing for those damn shoes

PS on a side note: man meat is cheap here, you can get whole chickens for $2.65!!!

A moment of reflection....

2006-03-11T06:46:00.000-08:00

A moment of reflection if I may.... WARNING mushy embelished rhetoric ahead....

It has now been 3 months of great travelling through this amazingly wonderful country. 3 months since I left the streets of London and got thrown into this south american behemoth. Ive walked, surfed, buse-d, boated, train-d, and biked my way through urban cities, into pristine stretches of utter paradise, and some of the most musically gifted places on earth. Ive been pushed into the trail of some great people, great stories, and those amazing little situations that only travelling can throw you in. It safe to say that this country has been full of surprises from day one and has been an extremely insightful glimpse into this culturally rich and diverse south american melting pot - the music, the politics, the food, the beaches, and most of all, the people.

From the distinctly European states in the south, to the energy of the Cariocas and Paulistas of the South east - and again to the decidedly africanized states in the North. In a land which can easily be split into 4 or 5 different countries, it seems that the only thing holding it all together is a common tongue.

So now in this moment of reflection I am faced with some realities. After a 28 hour bus ride from Salvador (yea that´s right 28 freakin hours) I find myself back in the land of beach, party, samba and bossanova - Rio de Janeiro =)

make it stop make it stop!!!

2006-03-04T09:28:00.001-08:00

"Fevereiro...."alegria"...."something something"...."todo dia"....
lalalalalalalala la la la laaaaaaa

Let me tell you where to put that shoe of yours...

2006-03-04T09:28:00.000-08:00

Prices tags in normal countries for shoes:

$100
$150
$200

Price tags for shoes in brazil:

5 x $20
6 x $30
5 x $50

Imagine my reaction when I see Addidas shoes with huge 50 reais price tags only to discover the "5x" in small print next to it (ie 50 x 5 = $250). I mean who in their right mind does that sort of shit ....porra

"Fat boy slim is f..king in heaven"

2006-03-01T11:40:00.000-08:00

Last day of carnaval.

Fat boy Slim head lining with Dj Marky as backup. No abada. A group of us 9 joined the pipoca for a few hours of insane mosh pitting. But not for much longer...;)

Gaps in the rope start to appear .... =)

Absoultely no match for years of festival fence-jumping experience. Wasn´t long before I was under the ropes and in the heart of the bloco.

Mission accomplished.

Fat Boy Slim is fucking in heaven...who needs an abada?? =)

Tony´s uber carnaval guide

2006-03-01T00:46:00.000-08:00

Carnaval Brasil.

A crazy street parade of 5 days (in Salvador this year was 6 days) of hedonistic pleasure to rack up sins before the period of Lent beigns in the catholic calendar. The entire country turns on its head and just lets loose in all out party mode for the week.

Carnaval in Salvador...

Characterised by bands on top of slow moving trucks called trios eletricos (or blocos) blasting out music. Area around the truck is roped off and is reserved for exclusive entry for people who have a special T-shirt called an Abada. the trucks are moving for 6-7 hours until the end of the carnaval circuit is reached. The circuit is also lined with camarotes - small clubs on the side where you can watch the carnaval go by, with free alcohol and food all night. Again a camarote shirt is required for entry. On the street, outside of the ropes, is the pipoca (popcorn)

Some myths of Carnaval in Salvador. Things I will and won´t be doing next time around:

"You need to Reserve places and book beds ASAP"
BOLLOKS
Get here 2-3 days before. Make some friends and get a cheap apartment here in Salvador. There are plenty of people offering beds and apartments. It will not get booked out.

"Dont go into the pipoca, its too dangerous. You NEED an abada"
BOLLOCKS
Being in the pipoca is one the BEST ways to spend carnaval. Its a crazy crazy experience, and you can watch the different blocos go by and choose when and which one you want to follow. Some of my best nights were spent in the pipoca. And the mosh pit in there is crazy!! It´s just simply something that HAS to be experienced.

Having said that, there WILL be hands in your pockets throughout the night. Take no jewlery or watches, or even hats. Empty out your pockets and stash money in your underwear or sock. And girls: Absolutely NO skirts.

"You bought your abada too late, you will probably have to pay 1000-2000 reais for one."
This one is the biggest BOLLOCKS.
Bought my abada for 40 reais on the street ON the day. And this was one of, if not THE, craziest bloco out there, and on the Saturday of the carnaval, one of the bigger nights. For the more famous blocos (like Fat Boy Slim hehe) you are probably looking at around 200-300 reais (about 50 quid).

Having said that there is one bloco that you will have to pay a lot for. Chiclete com banana (don´t ask me who they are because I haven´t a clue) That bloco was pretty crazy, and so was the pipoca around it, but again, it wasn´t that much more crazy than the bloco I paid 40 reais for. Not worth forking out an extra 300 reais on top of the regular abada price. And for a foreigner who doesn´t know their Ivete Sangali from their Carlinhos Brown, the music will all sound the same anyway.

i have no shoes....

2006-03-01T00:32:00.000-08:00

Theres nothing else in the world like it.

Its utter madness.

Unbelievable.

A 7 hour moving MOSH PIT of sweaty brazilian bodies through the streets of Salvador for 6 consecutive nights. TWO MILLION people, shoulder to shoulder, following huge trucks with blasting music, and blaring out the same 5 Axe carnaval anthems over and over.

And to cap it all off...on the last day...

1. FAT BOY SLIM
2. DJ MARKY

Both on top of trucks churning out evil evil dirty tunes and quality.... and I mean QUALITY ....London drum n bass for 7 hours.

There are absolutely no words to describe it... I have had the most incredible week of party and debauchery in my life.

This was my carnaval in Brazil 2006. The first in Salvador and God forbid, not the last....

need to find someone to clean my shoes now ....

5...4...3...2...1...

2006-02-23T07:58:00.000-08:00

Well just a quick post, 5 minutes before the official start of Carnaval, heading over to the main drag soon. Salvador is topsy-turvy. Helicopters streaking across the old city. City is buzzing like crazy. An unbelievable amount of people. Atmosphere is off the wall.

Thankyou for all your birthday greetings! I had an absolute blinder! Turning 24 isnt so bad =)

Note:
* Just a thought. I am never EVER booking a place again. Travellers all over the place are finding apartments TODAY for 200 reais less than what I paid for my dorm bed, and minutes walk to the main carnaval parade. Ive had so many offers ín the last 2 days to stay in apartments with other travellers for less than what I paid. Never EVER booking a place again. *

But anyways... =)

Money in my underwear. Cigarette in hand. Obligatory morning Acai consumed. Full report in a week. Off to get my caiparinha now.

Pipoca here I come....

countdown

2006-02-17T01:30:00.000-08:00

Well, only 6 days till Carnaval in Salvador.

I am here now in Itacare, 8 hours north of Porto Seguro. So far have been the most amazing beaches ive been to in Brazil. Something straight out of a book. Secluded spots of paradise where 30 minute walks through Northeastern jungles are mandatory to gain access.

Such a change from Arraial. Arraial was a very toursity place, and Porto Seguro, apparently once the vacationing hub of Brasil was just utter shit (my faith in the Lonely Planet is shaken often). But I had stayed here in Arraial for longer than usual (seem to be building up a habit of doing this) in a great Pousada (Alto Mar, Arraial DAjuda) owned by a fantastic couple, Andy the welshman and his brazilian wife Syl. Thanks for a great time and you guys will definitely be having my recomendations for fellow travellers I meet =)

Had an opportunity to check out the best caipoeira school in all of Brazil though (Sul da Bahia), amazing amazing stuff. Music here was also great, playing lots of brazilian samba and bossa nova with the occasional cover thrown in.

Here in Itacare, I am enjoying a relaxed life with a healthy dose of beach partying at night. Eating again like a maniac. But I think pretty soon, my itchy feet are going to get sick of just sitting around on a beach all day. The wonders of a big city will be beckoning soon.

Although...I have been surfing a bit as well over here and I am finding that I am getting waves all too myself on these uncrowded beaches. Wicked! Hopefully will get better as I move north. I hope Salvador has some surf...and if it does, might just buy myself a board.

Anyways, my future two weeks looks like this.

Birthday on the 20th
Carnaval on the 23rd
Fat Boy Slim plays in Salvador during carnaval.

The largest street party on earth is only one week away...!

welcome to Jerusalem

2006-02-17T01:10:00.000-08:00

Israelis outnumber any other traveller here in South America. Seems like a national tradition for Iraelis to go travelling after being released from service.

From the age of 18, boys and girls are required to give service to the Israeli army. 2 years mandatory service for girls and 3 years for guys. Such a different world. Roles are distributed at random, everything from sniper school, intelligence, police officers, front line troops, air force personnel, and even to the infamous 'Cherries'. Israeli adolescent life is a build up to this point of military service. Makes you kinda embarrassed that at one point we were all feeling anxious about life after high school when we were 18.

Note:

"The Cherry" is a specialized elite force in the Israeli army that recieves assignments to go into the most dangerous and turbulent military situations and can often be found as front runners accompanying tanks on the front line. A fellow israeli traveller of mine was trying to find a word to describe this group in english and I had forwarded the suggestion of "cannon fodder". She nodded in aggreement. Apparently:

50% of the Cherry dies in the service.
20% come out mentally unstable.

18 year old boys, barely just out of high school, are chosen for this role at random.

Harsh realities of living in Israel, a small country, but surrounded by the ocean and its military enemies and in a constant state of alert.

Holling shtones

2006-02-17T01:03:00.000-08:00

Sounds like an amazing event. Rolling Stones for FREE on copocabana beach in Rio 18th of February. Expecting nearly TWO MILLION people, on a floating stage on the water. Everyone from around Brazil and the world is flying down to see them.....along with all the people from the favelas. TWO MILLION PEOPLE. If there is ever a case study for 'logistical nightmare' then this would be it. Will be a day of utter mayhem. Not too sure if this concert is going to be the safest thing on earth.

Still, would be worth it if everyone gets free ACAI´s....=)

just shoot the bastards

2006-02-17T00:50:00.000-08:00

I hate reggae...

I really really hate reggae...

take my head and shake it...

2006-02-11T08:26:00.000-08:00

Talk about flashbacks

Was just browsing through and found a really old site of mine with pics I took YEARS ago. Completely spun because I thought I lost this whole website.

Has fotos from my trip to Rio Carnaval 2003, San Francisco, and the Philippines 3 years ago and old uni fotos in Sydney. heaps and heaps of fotos.

For a quick comic relief at my old haircut (and sebs and lukasz` hehe) go to

http://web.archive.org/web/20040621170052/http://www.4uraiz.cjb.net/

PS Sydney people, prepare for a trip back in time =)

What do you want to do in life?...."I wanna ROCK"

2006-02-09T19:24:00.000-08:00

What amazing things happened to me this week.

Spent 3 days at a village with no electricity in the middle of nowhere in Bahia state. Surrounded by seculded stretches of pristine beaches, where the roads turn to sand and the only vehicles are sunburnt donkeys and makeshift canoes sewn together with planks of wood. Where night is illuminated by candle fire and the only noise is that of your thoughts and the occasional mosquito buzzing away in your ear (the diabolical enemies of which I am at constant war =).

The place is Caraiva

3 hours south of Porto Seguro is something out of the Lost World. Although accompanied by 5 travellers from Israel, Argentina and Italy, nowhere else had I felt more isolated from civilisation than I had at this place. So far my most memorable in brazil. This place was CHILLED.

(haha sorry on another tangent, in the internet cafe im sitting in they just played a walkabout classic "Guns n Roses" warrants a mention I think. Ahh the memories...)

The town has had no electricty for as long as people can remember. The bus ride takes you through some dodgy dirt highways and the only way into town is via canoe. Electricty is provided by generators which turn off at 10pm so candles are lit and the only thing lighting your sandy way home is the moon and the stars.

Walking for 3 hours north of the town takes you past some spectacular scenery, paradiscal lagoons, and a small hut with an old man selling coconuts on the head of a tiny peninsula.

My 'vacation' away from the tourist hub that is Arraial was brilliant and a much needed recharge as I prepare myself for the chaos of Carnaval. 2 more weeks away =)

Amyways, some interesting things:

Managed to learn AND write half of the hebrew alphabet, write the word 'God' in hebrew, and I met the person who patented the "orgasmatron" (the wiry, spidery contraption that you can use for those great head massages). Yes, he is an American, and he lives in an isolated beach called Praia de Espelho. Random indeed.

The idiosyncratics of Brasil

2006-02-03T09:37:00.000-08:00

Ok am now staying in Arraial Dajuda, been here a week and it kicks ass over Porto Seguro. Some points of note:

One...

"Por Kilo" places are the GREATEST INVENTION known to mankind....especially in Brasil:

Posso explicar: Pay for every gram of food you have. Food is laid out in buffet style arrangements. Everything from meat (ahh glorious meat...beef picanha, coracao de galinha ie chicken heart....mmmm tasty tasty) fresh fresh fruit, rice, beans potato....Fill your plate to the brim and wiegh it at the counter...

Personal technique at Por kilos: dont get chicken pieces with bone. The bone adds to the weight of your plate so for a truly value-added meal, get whole chicken breasts.

My Personal Best Record
Location: Arrial Dajuda, Bahia State
Restaraunt: Portinha, best por kilo I´ve had in Brazil
Food types and vaireties: Everything
Food quality: Astounding
Price per Kilo: 19.90 per kilogram (kinda expensive but worth it)

Personal best record: $21.50 (i.e 1.08 kg of food)

Two...

Does any one else get electrocuted by the showers in the pousadas? I dont think brazilian engineers ever got the concept of "exposed wires and water"

Three..

Hammocks are cool.

Four...

Pearl Jam is a god over here.

Five...

What the hell kinda dance is Ax´e??

Six...

Speaking in spanish, portugues and english all in the one conversation with multiple people is POSSIBLE and cool.

Seven...

Lambada is the sexiest dance on earth. (yes that´s right, birth place of the forbidden dance is right here in Arraial DAjuda)

Eight...

ACAI ACAI!!!!!! (haha love that Acai man...still memories of Rio =)

Acai Acai ACAI!

2006-01-28T06:53:00.000-08:00

Love that Acai man!

Those who have been to Rio will know who he is. He roams the beaches, wearing a stupid sombrero, space-sunglasses, and scaring the shit out of people by sneaking up from behind and yelling ACAI!

Funny as hell and great Acai. The other day we saw him with a speaker fone. Funny stuff.

Anyways, from a planned three day stay in rio, I can now tell you it is my 8th day, cant seem to leave this place. Bleeding my bank account dry but partying like a maniac. Samba is really much harder than you think =)

A Festa Para Ti

2006-01-28T06:15:00.000-08:00

Ok Foz done, another mammoth bus ride to the coast to Paraty

Stayed two days in a nice pousada.

Great little old colonial town. Not much more to tell here. Chilling out on beaches and stuff. Beautiful architecture but sometimes architecture just doesnt cut it with me anymore after 2 years in Europe.

So ended up getting a bit adventurous and getting a mountain bike for the day with some other people. Took it up to some water falls and spent the day slapping insects away and injecting myself with Orange juice and guaranna.

Paraty was a definitley party town though, and there was no doubt that the cachaca was put to good use =)

Foz he was a jolly good fellow

2006-01-22T02:51:00.000-08:00

Two days.

Foz do Iguaca, largest in the world, with over 270 seperate waterfalls roaring down some 70m or 90m (so bad with facts, please consult a relevant google search query) and truly lives up to people´s reports and travel guide book´s descriptions. This place truly is a mouth-opening experience.

Arrived on I think a 16 hour overnight bus from Santa Catarina, inland to Triple Frontier territory, straddling the borders between Paraguay, Argentina and Uruguay. Things started to definitely turn different.

The portuguese just didnt sound right.
The peoples faces looked differnt
Was hearing spanish spoken on the buses a lot more now.

Love those culture shocks.

Gallons upon gallons of water roaring down the cliff marking the tranquil end of Rio Iguaca, being there was truly a trip. Really is true about the falls though, they need to be seen and heard cause nothing of what I can write would do it justice.

Hang on maybe this will...

Gurgle gurgle gurgle gush gush gush....prsshshshshsh

and back again!

2006-01-11T15:24:00.000-08:00

Well, dunno what it was,

maybe the beach
maybe the people
maybe the cool chillout manu chau bar overlooking a gorgeous beach
maybe the surf

Either way I got my ass back to florianopolis to enjoy more of Santa Catarina`s finest.

Arrived in florianopolis on my own with a backpack and high hopes. Fortunately for me, so did A few other people.

Its great when people all agree on one thing. We all agreed that florianopolis sucked and that we needed to headto the beach ASAP, so in true traveller spirit, we celebrated our consensus over a few potent servings of caiparinha!

The next morning, those who survived, came with and sorted our selves a magnificent pousada 1 minute away from the beach and spent the next week being lazy, surfing, sandboarding, and all in all, just getting as black as possible. Life is grand in this place....

Close the doors so the dog won´t pee

2005-12-19T12:10:00.000-08:00

So Ive finally arrived in Porto Alegre´!

Made my way to Sisco´s house (sorry Bia and Henrique for missing that house party, will be seeing you soon anyways!) and saw Emily and Sisco there (well obviously) but hey we are now in Brazil!!! muhahaha

Showed up in my Havaiannas and backpack, and Sisco, in his regal self, answered the door in his crimson (yet to my personal entertainment, slightly comical) bathrobe.

So finally, after an endless parade of Porto Alegrans through the 49b Door, ive come round and returned the favour!

that night I kick started my stay at a FERMATURA, Claudia´s (a previous visitor to the 49b casa and a good friend), graduation dinner after finishing her degree in medicine. Que Massa =) I spent the night donned in my suit, sipping on some quality champagne and eating some fine food. Was a great! and...to sisco´s and my entertainment...were treated with a drunken display of Jewish (her family is jewish) revelry and dancing by Claudia´s parent´s and Co.

....damn that hotel was nice....

PS all in London, we were all featured in Claudias slideshow that night on the bigscreen, she had a foto of us all at market place (I think it was my birthday) haha was cool to see ...

Is that sand in your eye?

2005-12-19T11:55:00.000-08:00

Ilha da Santa Catarina.

An UNBELIEVABLY beautiful place. Water as crystal and as blue as you are likely to see it. Green tropical palm trees hemming in a cul-de-sac of the softest white sand on earth, with the occasional bronzed brazilian body soaking up the 35 degree rays. Aaahhh priceless =)

Man Im so black now. This is heaven on earth, and I find myself perched upon the baclony of this great backpackers hostel overlooking the beach in its entirety. There´s a Pirate with his telescope scoping out the beach ...and yes...wait for it....someones has promptly decided to prop the Aussie flag up next the the brazilian one! hehe (mary you wouldhave loved it!)

Met some awesome americans from san fransisco and santa barbara who I chilled out with and wiled the night away with a healthy dose of Cyprus Hill (backed by appropriate activities of course ;) and beer.....

Well so far thats what Ive been doing on the island and it has been wicked! The food here is unbelievable and for every meal I have been moved close to tears at the site of endless endless and endless slabs of meat steak, vegetables, fruit, juice, beans (fejiao), beer, meat, pork chicken, rice, juice and more meat....all for a fiver (haha well thats an exageration but damn....things are so cheap here....see ya later Tescos!)

Bling Bling ... no more cash to ch ching

2005-12-19T11:48:00.000-08:00

How I overspent my budget I do not know but I tried to solve this mystery the other day

Monday 12 December 2006
(all prices in reals)
Hostel 25
bus 2.30
Pen 1.40
Breakfast 6.50
Orange Juice 1.80
Internet 2.00
Bus 1.10
Dinner 6.50
Internet 3.00
Bus 1.10

How the f$%# does this all add up!

Heaven is the life of a traveller (hell is in they´re wallet)

2005-12-12T08:33:00.000-08:00

Well first post

Been travelling now for 3 days and a couple of nights in brazil. Left London a few days ago and I am staying in a pousada in Santa Catarina in Brazil´s south right now, chilling out and lazing the day away with the rest of this town. What a change of pace this is to the speed demon that is London.

Its Barra da Lagoa, Praia da Mocambique on the Eastern Side of Ilha da Santa Catarina. Que Bonita =) The atlantic swell gently pushes itself onto the shore in cool waves. the sun beats down and it has taken only a day before my skin starts getting dark again. To say PARADISE is an understatement and its been a long while since ive enjoyed the luxuries of a true tropical beach.

3 nights ago I stepped off the plane and was taken aback by Sao Paolo´s size. A sprawling massive city, this is by far the biggest place I have ever been in - and I´ve just arrived from London. Needless to say that two days were not enough and rather, I spent my time there chilling out and thinking about the past two years.

Things that made me smile:

A bought a massive burger - covered in cheese, salad and MEAT for only 3.50reais
Orange juice is 1.50 reais
Speaking a little portuguese is definitely an advantage!

Well will start recording daily expenses now, maybe that will keep me in check for the rest of the holiday. Give you guys an idea about what you are looking at when coming here.

Anyways got myself an Orkut account, apparently a necessity here amongst the locals (although sisco insists its a waste of time, on which I might be in agreement).

Meant to go to a snake farm but I had missed my bus looking for more food. Damn.