My posts are a few days behind but I'm trying to catch up. I've been back in Auckland for two days now, I got tattooed yesterday by Liesje at The Tattooed Heart, it was my second tattoo and a bit of a different experience from my first. It was all good though Liesje was an awesome artist and was really interested in my travels, we talked for most of the session. She was really fast but we didn't get it done in one sitting so I had to come back the next day. Which made it much more uncomfortable. If I ever come back to NZ I'll get work done by her again for sure. I can't post any pictures of it because I'm lacking a laptop or iPhone right now but you'll see it eventually. My left arm has almost no room left now.
I'm going to the All Blacks game tomorrow, and meeting up with Morag and Martyn, a Scottish couple I met in Australia hopefully we can have a few drinks. I'm not sure what I'm doing next or where I'm going. Possibly South America or maybe the US.
Thursday 23 August 2012
Queenstown.
Turns out two weeks of little sleep, constant drinking, and eating nothing but burgers (burgers here in NZ are the best I've ever had), and pub food will make you sick. So far it's just a stuffed nose and sore throat, and luckily I've only got one more night on the bus before heading back to Auckland.
Queenstown is awesome, I only have one night here. I really wish I had more, Queenstown feels like a much cooler Banff. Once again ski town but everyone walks around in t shirts. There seems to be more bars and more restaurants and more to do. It sits on a huge lake surrounded by mountains and with the lack of snow in the town there's so much to do other than ski. Mountain biking, luge, bungy jump, canyon swing, boating, golf all sorts of stuff. Me and the other guys went to Fergburger, which everyone told me i had to go to while in New Zealand, it was really good but a bit over hyped. Its open 22 hours a day and its always at least 30 minute wait. Afterwards Andy I took the gondola to one of the mountains to get a few photos and a few beers. My last night out we went to the base hostel bar, which was like any other base hostel bar. Next we went to The World Bar a pretty cool bar a few friends recommended it. They serve drinks in tea pots and there's cool shit on the walls, but it was pretty much like any other bar. The bars were pretty busy considering it was a Tuesday, Josh our driver says it's like this pretty much year round.
Queenstown is awesome, I only have one night here. I really wish I had more, Queenstown feels like a much cooler Banff. Once again ski town but everyone walks around in t shirts. There seems to be more bars and more restaurants and more to do. It sits on a huge lake surrounded by mountains and with the lack of snow in the town there's so much to do other than ski. Mountain biking, luge, bungy jump, canyon swing, boating, golf all sorts of stuff. Me and the other guys went to Fergburger, which everyone told me i had to go to while in New Zealand, it was really good but a bit over hyped. Its open 22 hours a day and its always at least 30 minute wait. Afterwards Andy I took the gondola to one of the mountains to get a few photos and a few beers. My last night out we went to the base hostel bar, which was like any other base hostel bar. Next we went to The World Bar a pretty cool bar a few friends recommended it. They serve drinks in tea pots and there's cool shit on the walls, but it was pretty much like any other bar. The bars were pretty busy considering it was a Tuesday, Josh our driver says it's like this pretty much year round.
Tuesday 21 August 2012
Kiwi ex again
Had a couple more great days on the bus. We stayed at the Pu Pub, a little redneck pub that kiwi experience has been going to for years. The tradition is to have a costume party with everyone else on the bus. The girls teamed up as the Spice Girls, Andy bought a creepy porcelain doll and wore a Davey Crocket raccoon skin hat, another guy named Andy who hopped on that day dressed up as a classy Mexican I guess? Josh our driver was a lady cop, I myself went as a gay biker. Surprisingly I won for best costume. I received a free canyon swing (a giant bungee jump followed by swinging down the canyon) in Queenstown but sold it to Andy for four beers.
We are now in Franz Josef for two days with lots to do. Just about everyone did the Glacier Explorer. For 250 bucks we were flown to the glacier that sits above Franz Josef in a helicopter then we strapped on our spiky boots and started climbing the glacier, we squeezed through tiny trenches and caves. It was way better than I expected. That evening we watched the All Blacks vs. The Wallabies (Australia) and had a few beers.
Sunday some of us went kayaking, I could hardly squeeze my fat ass in the kayak but it was still awesome. After Franz Josef we headed to Wanaka, a ski town here on the south island. When I think ski town I immediately think of Banff and Jasper, and Wanaka isn't much different. However, there is no snow here. It's peak season for skiers and snow boarders but there isn't any snow on the ground and it couldn't be colder than 12 degrees. I guess they rarely get snow in the towns but lots up on the mountains. There's a movie theatre across from our hostel it's only one screen but instead of seats they have couches and even a convertible you can sit in. Plus they sold freshly baked cookies, beer, wine all sorts of stuff. It was pretty awesome, they had an intermission which was a little annoying seeing as our film was only an hour and a half long. But then you could get more beer. At the hostel bar that night they had battle of the buses, two other touring companies are following a similar route as us so we had some fun games at the bar. Our team although the smallest was by far the loudest, drunkest, and most competitive. The bar staff mentioned that was a common theme with Kiwi Experience buses. We played killer pool coming in second, first in karaoke , and took 4 out of the top 5 spots in horizontal bungy. A relay where you partner up and one person races to the bar to grab a pint while attached to a bungy rope. They stretch out the last few meters and race back with the pint. My partner Alice and I were the team to beat until the rest of our bus surpassed us. We won some free bungy jump passes and pub crawl tickets.
We are now in Franz Josef for two days with lots to do. Just about everyone did the Glacier Explorer. For 250 bucks we were flown to the glacier that sits above Franz Josef in a helicopter then we strapped on our spiky boots and started climbing the glacier, we squeezed through tiny trenches and caves. It was way better than I expected. That evening we watched the All Blacks vs. The Wallabies (Australia) and had a few beers.
Sunday some of us went kayaking, I could hardly squeeze my fat ass in the kayak but it was still awesome. After Franz Josef we headed to Wanaka, a ski town here on the south island. When I think ski town I immediately think of Banff and Jasper, and Wanaka isn't much different. However, there is no snow here. It's peak season for skiers and snow boarders but there isn't any snow on the ground and it couldn't be colder than 12 degrees. I guess they rarely get snow in the towns but lots up on the mountains. There's a movie theatre across from our hostel it's only one screen but instead of seats they have couches and even a convertible you can sit in. Plus they sold freshly baked cookies, beer, wine all sorts of stuff. It was pretty awesome, they had an intermission which was a little annoying seeing as our film was only an hour and a half long. But then you could get more beer. At the hostel bar that night they had battle of the buses, two other touring companies are following a similar route as us so we had some fun games at the bar. Our team although the smallest was by far the loudest, drunkest, and most competitive. The bar staff mentioned that was a common theme with Kiwi Experience buses. We played killer pool coming in second, first in karaoke , and took 4 out of the top 5 spots in horizontal bungy. A relay where you partner up and one person races to the bar to grab a pint while attached to a bungy rope. They stretch out the last few meters and race back with the pint. My partner Alice and I were the team to beat until the rest of our bus surpassed us. We won some free bungy jump passes and pub crawl tickets.
Saturday 18 August 2012
Kiwi Ex
It's been an awesome few days riding around on the Kiwi Experience bus, also known as the big green fuck bus, the vagina liner, ect. I guess it's pretty crazy in the summer time. I've met some pretty cool people so far. Since Hot Water Beach we stopped at Waitomo where some people went black water rafting, basically tubing through caves, I did a walking cave tour with a couple people from the bus. We had our first pub night at the hostel and got everyone out, I was the first one out in the pool tourney. We left and hit up Rotorua a resort town surrounded by natural hot springs. The park even had some but they are almost 100 degrees celsius, most of us went to the Maori village in the evening. It was basically a Hawaiian Luau but with better food and some demonstrations on Maori culture. I particularly liked the tattooing, they used to carve the design in their skin with a rock or bone basically like scarification. Then they used a dye made of mud, dog shit, and bark and rub it into the skin and then cauterize the wound. Pretty painful, especially considering both men and women would get them on their faces. People even died during the process. Next stop was Taupo again surrounded by hot springs but most of these were fine to sit in. The locals would fill up the park with some beers and just sit in the hot pools, I love the liberal drinking policies here. We had two nights in Taupo so with the chance to sleep in everybody went out to the Base Hostel. It was a pretty great night, again having everyone together was good. I promised two girls in my room to take them out for brunch in the morning it seems to be a common theme on my trip. I go out drinking and tell some girl I'll go out to eat with her or accompany her on her first tattoo and we're always too hungover to follow through or I don't recall my alcohol induced plans.
I only get one night in Wellington which really sucks, it looks like such an awesome city. Many people spoke very highly of it, more bars, restaurants, and cafes per person than New York City. Everyone else is staying for three days to keep the group together. I have to continue on though, we went out for my birthday and I dont remember coming home but I do remember being in a Chinese place at 4am. I was up by 6 to catch the ferry to the south island. So feeling like shit and with a new group of people I was pretty homesick. We stopped again for the night and started drinking again, the best hangover cure. Josh the bus driver and I stayed up late drinking whiskey and talking about the Maoris. I explained how poorly Canadians have treated our natives in the past and the differences I've seen between native Americans and the Maoris. Only a week left on the bus then back to Auckland for a tattoo and the All Blacks game.
I only get one night in Wellington which really sucks, it looks like such an awesome city. Many people spoke very highly of it, more bars, restaurants, and cafes per person than New York City. Everyone else is staying for three days to keep the group together. I have to continue on though, we went out for my birthday and I dont remember coming home but I do remember being in a Chinese place at 4am. I was up by 6 to catch the ferry to the south island. So feeling like shit and with a new group of people I was pretty homesick. We stopped again for the night and started drinking again, the best hangover cure. Josh the bus driver and I stayed up late drinking whiskey and talking about the Maoris. I explained how poorly Canadians have treated our natives in the past and the differences I've seen between native Americans and the Maoris. Only a week left on the bus then back to Auckland for a tattoo and the All Blacks game.
Friday 10 August 2012
Kiwi Experience
I started my bus tour yesterday with Kiwi Experience. It's pretty cool so far, but with a new set of people I have to start over again. Plus it's a hop on hop off bus and I'm only doing the minimum of two weeks, so I'll constantly be with different people. Right now I'm one of only two Canadians, the other guy is from Vernon. He's been working at a ski resort for the summer on the South Island. Everyone else is from the UK or Germany. The ratio is really good, theres 30 of us and only 7 guys. It seems like everyone is either at the beginning or end of their journeys as well. It's pretty cool to share stories and travel suggestions, two Scottish guys drove from NYC to LA in 6 weeks. They spent a week in Vegas and only paid 150 for 5 days in a hotel on the strip.
Every stop there's something to do, last night at Hot Water Beach we dug up holes to sit in and the water that seeps up through the beach is incredibly hot. Some were about 70 degrees Celsius, we stood with our feet in and had a few beers discussing the usual backpacker shit. I have to be back in Auckland for a tattoo appointment and to see the All Blacks play, so I only get to spend a day in almost all of the stops.
Every stop there's something to do, last night at Hot Water Beach we dug up holes to sit in and the water that seeps up through the beach is incredibly hot. Some were about 70 degrees Celsius, we stood with our feet in and had a few beers discussing the usual backpacker shit. I have to be back in Auckland for a tattoo appointment and to see the All Blacks play, so I only get to spend a day in almost all of the stops.
Tuesday 7 August 2012
Leaving Auckland
Today was my last day here in Auckland, no one really spoke very highly of it before I came here. However, I met some cool people and decided to hang out for a few extra days. I've been sharing a room with two Americans: Patrick from Florida and Rachel from upstate New York. Patrick is young and looking for a job here, I don't know why he's leaving in two weeks. Rachel is a bit older than me, though she doesn't always act like it. She's a little ignorant when it comes to current events, but she's fun to drink with. Chris is a 27 year old programmer from the UK whose designing his own iPhone apps. He definitely shares his sense of humor with me, and his love of drinking. There's also Mikka and Sabrina, two hilarious Germans who definitely break the German stereo type. We went to Devonport a neighborhood where the houses are storage 125 years old and worth millions despite being so small. Skytower, the tallest building in the southern hemisphere was pretty cool. It had great views of Auckland, the harbor and surrounding islands. You could jump off it for a few hundred bucks, and also walk outside along the top of it. We decided to have a few beers and enjoy the view. Today Chris and I rented a car and went to Hobbiton. Patrick from Florida is in the hospital for something so we asked thus random German gut if he wanted to tag along. It was about a two hour drive south of Auckland but well worth it. They filmed all three of The Lord of The Rings movies and recently The Hobbit films there and its all still standing. We really lucked out and only had the three of us and a Spanish women on the tour and our guide let us go in some areas where most weren't allowed. It was one of the coolest places I've been yet, our guide gave us leaves that had fallen off one of the fake trees, and let us take lots of goofy pictures. Tomorrow I leave for my bus tour, I'm excites but also worried. I have to make all new friends after leaving the awesome ones I've made here in Auckland.
Monday 30 July 2012
Auckland
So far Auckland blows, the hostel is nice but it seems like it's pretty far from anything fun or interesting. Although it is down the street from Mt. Eden, a dormant volcano. The view from the top is supposed to be great but with the shit weather Auckland is having I'm going to wait a few days.
Today I booked a tattoo consultation and appointment for the end of the month, sorry mom and dad. The shop seems friendly, I haven't met the artist yet though. I'll see her on Friday. I think I'm going to book a bus tour with Kiwi Experience, it's described online as a "drunken orgy for under 25s" sounds great to me. It's a hop on hop off tour so if you like a certain stop you can stay and wait for the next bus. The tour can be as short as 13 days or as long as a year. I'm trying to meet up with a Scottish couple and their English friend, they're going to do the tour too.
Today I booked a tattoo consultation and appointment for the end of the month, sorry mom and dad. The shop seems friendly, I haven't met the artist yet though. I'll see her on Friday. I think I'm going to book a bus tour with Kiwi Experience, it's described online as a "drunken orgy for under 25s" sounds great to me. It's a hop on hop off tour so if you like a certain stop you can stay and wait for the next bus. The tour can be as short as 13 days or as long as a year. I'm trying to meet up with a Scottish couple and their English friend, they're going to do the tour too.
Friday 27 July 2012
Solo travel
Well Bryce and Cam are on their way home, they're spending a few days in Honolulu with Bryces dad before flying home. I still have money left and don't want to start working again so I'm going to try solo travel for a bit. Unfortunately I went for a swim with my phone and it's ruined, I hope I can somehow get the photos off the hard drive. I bought a new camera and Bryce accidentally left his iPod touch so I can still get wifi.
I'm in Brisbane for a few days then I'm flying to Auckland, New Zealand. Don't know how much longer I'll travel for, I'm feeling a little more homesick and with my friends gone I'll probably have trouble meeting people. But I did meet a Scottish couple and their English friend who are also headed for NZ next week, maybe I can tag along with them.
I'm in Brisbane for a few days then I'm flying to Auckland, New Zealand. Don't know how much longer I'll travel for, I'm feeling a little more homesick and with my friends gone I'll probably have trouble meeting people. But I did meet a Scottish couple and their English friend who are also headed for NZ next week, maybe I can tag along with them.
Monday 16 July 2012
105 total travel days.
Past few days have been up and down. I'm sitting here at the bar of our hostel in Noosa, it's a resort town in Queensland on the ocean. It's gorgeous and would be perfect, but we've run into van trouble. We picked our parking spot behind the hostel and started setting up camp. But then the sliding door on our van wouldn't close. It's locked in the open position. So far we've only had minor inconveniences (leaking roof for the upper bed, the lawn chairs they gave us are all broken, the DVD player doesn't work. some other small bullshit) but this is a major problem. So roadside assistance couldn't fix it, now we have to get up tomorrow and get the van ready for a tow truck. I don't think it will cost us anything but it's such a pain in the ass. It especially stresses out Bryce. I usually don't care, there are worse places to be stuck and Jucy (the rental company) should he paying for it but it's just a fucking headache and stuff like this ruins his mood.
Enough bullshit though, we spent the last few days in Byron Bay. The hostel is wicked and there's a brewery and bar sharing the parking lot. We hung out with our high school friend Sam and her friends. She's been here since October, traveling, surfing, sheering sheep. Shes really bubbly and has made many friends in her travels. We drank with her boyfriend and her pretty Norwegian friend. I guess after Australia Sam wants to move to Norway. We got really drunk and drove her the next morning to her bosses house so she could start her next sheep gig.
We spent another night in Byron, and met two Scots and an English dude who also had a Jucy van. They had been living for the past year in Melbourne and have been away from home for 16 months, they've hit up South East Asia, India, and Europe and are planning on going to South America next. We passed the whiskey around and traded van stories and bitched about the queen.
Next morning we headed to Nimbin. The drive in was incredible, tight twisty roads with amazing scenery and waterfalls, dotted with fruit farms, it was gorgeous. It made me miss my bike and made me day dream about going home with the money I have, going home buying a Harley and riding across Canada. I had heard about Nimbin before our trip and wanted to check it out. It's a tiny town about 60 kms inland from Byron Bay. Marijuana is illegal in Australia but in Nimbin it's sold openly on the streets and they have huge weed festivals here. The 60's never really died here, it's only a few hundred people living here but everyone is either a burnout in his 60's, a aboriginal living off welfare, or just a sketchy dude. The main drag is filled with hemp stores, craft stores, psychics readings and other bullshit. Our hostel just outside of town was amazing though. We pulled in and about 3 Wallabies were sitting along the fence staring at us. The hostel, like Nimbin, was run by hippies, but the bathrooms were nice, theres a pool, and our van overlooked an amazing valley. At night the stars here are amazing and the animal noises are unreal.
Bryce and Cam are both leaving at the end of the month. I'm going to stay, but I don't know for how long. I don't want to travel alone but I don't have much choice. I've still got a lot of cash left and don't wanna go home. Honestly I don't miss much from home. I really miss my family, friends, motorcycle, and my own bathroom. But that's about it, out here in the van I have steak everyday (it's 5 dollars for a steak in Oz and it's almost 5 dollars for a green pepper here), I also navigate while Bryce drives, and just listen to music and enjoy the scenery. I don't know how I'll fair on my own though, Bryce says I've come out of my shell on this trip but truly solo travel worries me. I'm still an introvert and having a huge beard and tattoos probably doesn't paint the most welcoming image.
Right now I'm thinking of either finding a hostel here in Oz to work in, or I'll fly to New Zealand. It's only 300 for a flight to Auckland. I don't want to admit defeat just yet. I think after my friends leave I'll get a nice hotel in Brisbane and just enjoy some hot showers and TV for a few days and try to think about it.
Enough bullshit though, we spent the last few days in Byron Bay. The hostel is wicked and there's a brewery and bar sharing the parking lot. We hung out with our high school friend Sam and her friends. She's been here since October, traveling, surfing, sheering sheep. Shes really bubbly and has made many friends in her travels. We drank with her boyfriend and her pretty Norwegian friend. I guess after Australia Sam wants to move to Norway. We got really drunk and drove her the next morning to her bosses house so she could start her next sheep gig.
We spent another night in Byron, and met two Scots and an English dude who also had a Jucy van. They had been living for the past year in Melbourne and have been away from home for 16 months, they've hit up South East Asia, India, and Europe and are planning on going to South America next. We passed the whiskey around and traded van stories and bitched about the queen.
Next morning we headed to Nimbin. The drive in was incredible, tight twisty roads with amazing scenery and waterfalls, dotted with fruit farms, it was gorgeous. It made me miss my bike and made me day dream about going home with the money I have, going home buying a Harley and riding across Canada. I had heard about Nimbin before our trip and wanted to check it out. It's a tiny town about 60 kms inland from Byron Bay. Marijuana is illegal in Australia but in Nimbin it's sold openly on the streets and they have huge weed festivals here. The 60's never really died here, it's only a few hundred people living here but everyone is either a burnout in his 60's, a aboriginal living off welfare, or just a sketchy dude. The main drag is filled with hemp stores, craft stores, psychics readings and other bullshit. Our hostel just outside of town was amazing though. We pulled in and about 3 Wallabies were sitting along the fence staring at us. The hostel, like Nimbin, was run by hippies, but the bathrooms were nice, theres a pool, and our van overlooked an amazing valley. At night the stars here are amazing and the animal noises are unreal.
Bryce and Cam are both leaving at the end of the month. I'm going to stay, but I don't know for how long. I don't want to travel alone but I don't have much choice. I've still got a lot of cash left and don't wanna go home. Honestly I don't miss much from home. I really miss my family, friends, motorcycle, and my own bathroom. But that's about it, out here in the van I have steak everyday (it's 5 dollars for a steak in Oz and it's almost 5 dollars for a green pepper here), I also navigate while Bryce drives, and just listen to music and enjoy the scenery. I don't know how I'll fair on my own though, Bryce says I've come out of my shell on this trip but truly solo travel worries me. I'm still an introvert and having a huge beard and tattoos probably doesn't paint the most welcoming image.
Right now I'm thinking of either finding a hostel here in Oz to work in, or I'll fly to New Zealand. It's only 300 for a flight to Auckland. I don't want to admit defeat just yet. I think after my friends leave I'll get a nice hotel in Brisbane and just enjoy some hot showers and TV for a few days and try to think about it.
Friday 13 July 2012
Van life
We picked up our van last Sunday. It's only been a few days and we've had some ups and downs. It's winter here so it's dark by 530 to 6, It's around 20 degrees, though so it doesn't get too chilly at night though. We spent the day in Sydney yesterday, it's pretty busy and it took awhile to find a parking spot. Our pass gave us a few hours to check out the harbor and opera house but when we returned to our van it was gone. We were late to get it by a half hour and it was gone. I had purchased a prepaid phone that day for emergencies, the salesman said the ten dollars credit I had would be enough to make several local calls and some back home. We asked people in cafes and on the street what to do but had no luck. We asked the security guard at the Australian Federal Police station and he gave us the number to call. Just as the operator was telling us where our van was it died. No credit left, so walked around looking for a pay phone and luckily found one. Turns out in Australia they'll just tow your van around the corner and leave it there for a while then take it to impound. Our van was towed right across from the police station we were at just minutes ago. We received a $180 fine, it was getting dark and we took off heading north. Despite all this bullshit Sydney was cool, filled with tourists, and it was expensive but the harbor area was really nice. The streets were clean and lots of cool pubs and restaurants line the side streets. I'd like more time to explore, apparently the neighborhood Kings X (cross) is filled with 24 hour pubs and other adult entertainment.
It was pitch black and we had hours to go before any campsites would appear, we were still deep in Sydney suburbs in rush hour traffic. I said fuck this and asked the others how they felt about staying in a motel, we hadn't showered In two days and I really wanted a decent bed. We pulled into a pub with rooms for rent. They only had rooms for two people so Bryce volunteered to sleep in the van. We stayed in the pub drinking Aussie beer, which reminds me of generic beer like Lucky or Canadian back home. We played pool and chatted up the cute bartender who was leaving for Europe at the end of August. I gave her a list of hostels and other stuff to do.
Tonight we're drinking 50% alcohol content vodka with vanilla coke (they still have that and cherry coke here) sitting by a river in New South Wales. Tomorrow we drive 3 hours to Byron Bay to meet our friend Sam. She's been living here since October. It'll be good to see a familiar face, I haven't seen her since 2010. Hopefully I or Bryce will drive, Cam can be a touch sketchy.
It was pitch black and we had hours to go before any campsites would appear, we were still deep in Sydney suburbs in rush hour traffic. I said fuck this and asked the others how they felt about staying in a motel, we hadn't showered In two days and I really wanted a decent bed. We pulled into a pub with rooms for rent. They only had rooms for two people so Bryce volunteered to sleep in the van. We stayed in the pub drinking Aussie beer, which reminds me of generic beer like Lucky or Canadian back home. We played pool and chatted up the cute bartender who was leaving for Europe at the end of August. I gave her a list of hostels and other stuff to do.
Tonight we're drinking 50% alcohol content vodka with vanilla coke (they still have that and cherry coke here) sitting by a river in New South Wales. Tomorrow we drive 3 hours to Byron Bay to meet our friend Sam. She's been living here since October. It'll be good to see a familiar face, I haven't seen her since 2010. Hopefully I or Bryce will drive, Cam can be a touch sketchy.
Wednesday 4 July 2012
Melbourne
Flew into Melbourne yesterday morning, the flight wasn't actually that bad. Good movies on the plane and I took a handful of melatonin so I blacked out for the duration of our flight. I booked our hostel (x base st kilda) because it was listed as one of the best party hostels in the world on a number of websites. It's pretty good, the rooms could use a cleaning but there's good amenities here. We originally planned on buying a van or SUV and driving up the east coast but Bryce is short on funds and will be flying home by the end of July. Luckily we found a rental service that is pretty affordable and the van we ended up renting is way nicer than anything we saw for sale. It's a 2007 Nissan with TV and DVD, gas stove, fridge, sleeps four and all the stuff we need for camping. It'll be our home for the next 22 days.
Melbourne is absolutely amazing, it reminds me of Victoria and Vancouver. It's an incredibly modern city, especially downtown, with huge art and restaurant scenes. St. Kilda where we're staying is like Old Strathcona and Whyte Ave but with palm trees. There are plenty of side streets and alley ways with cool bars and restaurants.
We spent today meeting our friend Brendan, who we met in Iceland, he's from Tasmania but is living in Melbourne currently. We met up at The Crown casino which is fucking huge. I've walked through casinos in Vegas but this place is immense. It's probably three kilometers long along the river and it has an enormous high rise in the center for a hotel. It's filled with fine dining, food courts, a movie theatre everything. We exchanged stories with Brendan about our travels since Iceland, he tried to move to Denmark but had visa trouble, he's now here probably going to work at a ski resort. He showed us around the city center and took us to an awesome hotel bar and bought us beers and pizza. The high rises attached to the hotel houses the police HQ and the head office of the worlds second biggest defense contractor. The whole downtown core is lined with sky scrapers and gorgeous apartment buildings. Brendan mentioned a friend was paying ten grand a month for rent in one building. We said goodbye and headed home. On the way we bought tickets to an Aussie Rules Football match at the MCG Stadium which holds about 90,000 people. Should be awesome.
Melbourne is absolutely amazing, it reminds me of Victoria and Vancouver. It's an incredibly modern city, especially downtown, with huge art and restaurant scenes. St. Kilda where we're staying is like Old Strathcona and Whyte Ave but with palm trees. There are plenty of side streets and alley ways with cool bars and restaurants.
We spent today meeting our friend Brendan, who we met in Iceland, he's from Tasmania but is living in Melbourne currently. We met up at The Crown casino which is fucking huge. I've walked through casinos in Vegas but this place is immense. It's probably three kilometers long along the river and it has an enormous high rise in the center for a hotel. It's filled with fine dining, food courts, a movie theatre everything. We exchanged stories with Brendan about our travels since Iceland, he tried to move to Denmark but had visa trouble, he's now here probably going to work at a ski resort. He showed us around the city center and took us to an awesome hotel bar and bought us beers and pizza. The high rises attached to the hotel houses the police HQ and the head office of the worlds second biggest defense contractor. The whole downtown core is lined with sky scrapers and gorgeous apartment buildings. Brendan mentioned a friend was paying ten grand a month for rent in one building. We said goodbye and headed home. On the way we bought tickets to an Aussie Rules Football match at the MCG Stadium which holds about 90,000 people. Should be awesome.
Saturday 30 June 2012
Leaving Thailand
We left Phi Phi and headed to Kata Beach, I figured like the other beaches on Phuket it would be nice. It was a dump, our hostel didn't have a/c like they said they did, the city was boring, and the food was brutal. We spent hot days reading in our dorm and hot nights sweating in our beds. After only two nights my pillow stunk of sweat, it smelled like hockey equipment. The hostel was basically a scuba schools side business. Everyone staying there was taking a scuba course of some kind. Our last day we hailed a cab and went to the shooting range. We figured we should at least do something in this town. We all shot handguns, Bryce and I also used a shotgun. I've never fired one before I thought it was wicked.
We decided to cut out losses and just get a hotel close to the airport. We booked a resort for about 20 bucks a night each. It was on Nai Yang beach, a small beach with a handful of nice resorts. Our room was awesome and a/c equipped, with room service, pools and right on the beach. It was one of the nicest places I've ever stayed in. We spent a few days eating junk food (which I'm now regretting in this Bangkok bathroom) and enjoying the sun and air conditioning. There's a abandoned resort next to ours that was wiped out by the tsunami, it's really creepy. I wanted to explore it, but its blocked off.
We flew an hour back to Bangkok and are now killing two days before flying ten hours to Melbourne. Bryce is running low on funds and might only get to do a month in Australia. Cam says he might be ready to go home by August too. I'd like to stay longer, but I must admit I miss home a bit. I've still got lots of dough left and maybe I'll come home for a few months and go travel again.
We decided to cut out losses and just get a hotel close to the airport. We booked a resort for about 20 bucks a night each. It was on Nai Yang beach, a small beach with a handful of nice resorts. Our room was awesome and a/c equipped, with room service, pools and right on the beach. It was one of the nicest places I've ever stayed in. We spent a few days eating junk food (which I'm now regretting in this Bangkok bathroom) and enjoying the sun and air conditioning. There's a abandoned resort next to ours that was wiped out by the tsunami, it's really creepy. I wanted to explore it, but its blocked off.
We flew an hour back to Bangkok and are now killing two days before flying ten hours to Melbourne. Bryce is running low on funds and might only get to do a month in Australia. Cam says he might be ready to go home by August too. I'd like to stay longer, but I must admit I miss home a bit. I've still got lots of dough left and maybe I'll come home for a few months and go travel again.
Sunday 24 June 2012
Last night on Phi Phi
Our last night on Phi Phi consisted of more drinking. We went to Reggae Bar again to watch the fights and drink a few buckets. There was a group a girls sitting not too far from us, but they had quite a few dudes with them as well so we stayed back. They got up to leave and Bryce asked where they were going next, they said the beach. We asked if we could join them but not before making the mistake of calling them "British" when they were actually Irish. Luckily we defused the situation by asking then where we were from they answered with America, then apologized for the mix up. Turned out that none of the Irish girls or guys were dating and we ducked into a bar before the beach. The Dj stopped playing at about 2, but after asking our Irish friends to sing The Fields of Athenry we filled the bar with Irish folk music. A group of Brits came over to challenge us and a crazy back and forth folk song sing off ensued. We outnumbered the Limeys and they soon took off. We returned to our room around 4 and Bryce began puking as one does after three buckets of liquor. We took the boat back to Phuket it was filled with good looking British girls sun bathing. Bryce says this is the worst hangover he's ever had, we arrived in port and grabbed a taxi to Kata Beach our last destination before going back to Bangkok then Melbourne. The hostel is nice, but they advertised a/c and our room just has fans in it. It's brutally hot here and we have 5 days booked. I guess this is normally rainy season, but we've had nothing but sun and 30 above since we left Bangkok.
Wednesday 20 June 2012
Phi Phi/James Bond Island
This is the Thailand we've been hearing about. We spent about 5 days in didn't do much besides drink and sit on the beach. We did do a day trip to the James Bond Island where they filmed The Man With The Golden Gun. The island itself was little disappointing , but the other three islands were amazing though, we got into kayaks and went into some caves and lagoons, it was amazing. The last island everybody went swimming, Bryce jumped off the top of the boat and the water wasn't deep enough. He came up to the surface along with a cloud of mud. A couple people got stung by jelly fish, so I was happy I didn't go in. We met an English couple, the guy was a total douche, he seemed cool at first but once we told him we were 23 (older than him) and didn't go to college his attitude totally changed. He talked to us like we were idiots, we mentioned going to Australia and he reminded us that it was an island. Total university pussy.
We took the ferry to Phi Phi Island and finally we're at the Thailand we imagined. The island is tiny, two mountains on each end and a tiny town in the middle. There's no cars here and you can walk from one end to the other in about 15 minutes. There's nothing here but bars, guest houses, and restaurants. We hit up the Reggae Bar, which has nothing to do with reggae. There's a boxing ring in the center and you can fight other bar patrons. Win or lose you get a bucket filled with liquor, Bryce wanted to fight me but I refused. A chubby English dude wanted to fight but no one volunteered. Cam and I convinced Bryce to fight, after an offer of 100 baht each and a little coaxing from the Thai promoters. I was his corner man and had him convinced he could beat the English guy. He was fatter than Bryce but he was fast, Bryce landed more punches but his opponent had more style. He could duck and weave pretty good for a big guy. In the end the English dude was given the decision. Him and Bryce talked afterwards they both had some impressive bruises and patted eachother on the back. A couple girls were yelling at eachother in the the bar and decided to head into the ring, one girl was in trouble. She fought like a girl while the other stood in a proper stance and beat the shit outta the other girl. They had to stop the fight.
The next day Cam got a traditional tattoo done with a bamboo needle. It was amazing to see the work being done with just a single needle.
At night we went to the beach which is lined with bars, they had jump rope on fire, and some fire dancers. Other than that it was a typical nightclub.
We took the ferry to Phi Phi Island and finally we're at the Thailand we imagined. The island is tiny, two mountains on each end and a tiny town in the middle. There's no cars here and you can walk from one end to the other in about 15 minutes. There's nothing here but bars, guest houses, and restaurants. We hit up the Reggae Bar, which has nothing to do with reggae. There's a boxing ring in the center and you can fight other bar patrons. Win or lose you get a bucket filled with liquor, Bryce wanted to fight me but I refused. A chubby English dude wanted to fight but no one volunteered. Cam and I convinced Bryce to fight, after an offer of 100 baht each and a little coaxing from the Thai promoters. I was his corner man and had him convinced he could beat the English guy. He was fatter than Bryce but he was fast, Bryce landed more punches but his opponent had more style. He could duck and weave pretty good for a big guy. In the end the English dude was given the decision. Him and Bryce talked afterwards they both had some impressive bruises and patted eachother on the back. A couple girls were yelling at eachother in the the bar and decided to head into the ring, one girl was in trouble. She fought like a girl while the other stood in a proper stance and beat the shit outta the other girl. They had to stop the fight.
The next day Cam got a traditional tattoo done with a bamboo needle. It was amazing to see the work being done with just a single needle.
At night we went to the beach which is lined with bars, they had jump rope on fire, and some fire dancers. Other than that it was a typical nightclub.
Monday 18 June 2012
Patong Beach
Finally we've reached the Thailand we've heard of. Patong Beach is like a poor mans Waikiki. The beach is amazing, the waters great, you can rent motorcycles, scooters, jeeps, jet skis, go tubing, parasailing all sorts of shit. It's cheap too, beer is 2 to 3 bucks, food is great and cheap. There's cute Aussie girls everywhere. The only downfall is there are still guys hounding you to buy a suit, and you'll see some old man walking hand in hand with his mail order bride.
Our hostel is right around the corner from Bangla Road. At night they block it off and it's filled with bars, food stands, and if you venture down the right alley you can find ping pong shows, lady boys, and prostitutes. The strange thing is the girls aren't nearly as grabby as they were in Amsterdam.
We squeezed into a pub with an English dude from our room. I immediately knew he was English by the state of his teeth. The whole bar and all of the other bars were packed with Aussies watching Rugby League, which is the gay version of rugby with lighter rucks and pussy scrums. It was still a great game, really entertaining.
We bar hopped the rest of the night. My favorite spot was basically a mall of bars, it was a labyrinth of square bars all the same size, serving the same drinks, with girls dances at the tables. We sat with a couple from South Africa and New Zealand on their honey moon. We bought each other shots and talked about Africa. The bathroom was also crazy, the attendants put the soap in your hands and gave you some paper towel like they do at shitty night clubs back home but then they crack your neck, back, and a quick head massage.
We went for massages today, Cam and I first put our feet in fish tanks with these tiny fish that ate the dead skin off your feet. It was a strange feeling at first and freaked me out at first. It felt like pins and needles and vibrations all over your feet. Every once in awhile one would get between your toes and it would make me squirm. My feet felt pretty good though, they're still cracked and disgusting though) Afterwards we paid 200 Baht (about 6 bucks) for a full hour Thai Massage, they give you pajama pants to wear during the massage. Mine didn't fit, so I went in my boxers. Unfortunately my balls hung out a few times and my masseuse and her coworkers giggled a few times. It was my first massage and it was awesome. Bryce and I are definitely going again, Cam being the weirdo he is didn't like his.
We'll probably go to a Muay Thai Boxing match tonight or tomorrow, then a tour of the James Bond islands.
Our hostel is right around the corner from Bangla Road. At night they block it off and it's filled with bars, food stands, and if you venture down the right alley you can find ping pong shows, lady boys, and prostitutes. The strange thing is the girls aren't nearly as grabby as they were in Amsterdam.
We squeezed into a pub with an English dude from our room. I immediately knew he was English by the state of his teeth. The whole bar and all of the other bars were packed with Aussies watching Rugby League, which is the gay version of rugby with lighter rucks and pussy scrums. It was still a great game, really entertaining.
We bar hopped the rest of the night. My favorite spot was basically a mall of bars, it was a labyrinth of square bars all the same size, serving the same drinks, with girls dances at the tables. We sat with a couple from South Africa and New Zealand on their honey moon. We bought each other shots and talked about Africa. The bathroom was also crazy, the attendants put the soap in your hands and gave you some paper towel like they do at shitty night clubs back home but then they crack your neck, back, and a quick head massage.
We went for massages today, Cam and I first put our feet in fish tanks with these tiny fish that ate the dead skin off your feet. It was a strange feeling at first and freaked me out at first. It felt like pins and needles and vibrations all over your feet. Every once in awhile one would get between your toes and it would make me squirm. My feet felt pretty good though, they're still cracked and disgusting though) Afterwards we paid 200 Baht (about 6 bucks) for a full hour Thai Massage, they give you pajama pants to wear during the massage. Mine didn't fit, so I went in my boxers. Unfortunately my balls hung out a few times and my masseuse and her coworkers giggled a few times. It was my first massage and it was awesome. Bryce and I are definitely going again, Cam being the weirdo he is didn't like his.
We'll probably go to a Muay Thai Boxing match tonight or tomorrow, then a tour of the James Bond islands.
Friday 8 June 2012
I'm sick of Bangkok
It's hot, humid, dirty, and it stinks. We didn't do much in Bangkok, we're staying in the shopping district but nothing interests me here. Plus I don't have much room in my backpack. The mall is 6 stories and filled with knock off everything. From jeans to iPads. We went to khao San road, which is considered the backpackers ghetto. It's filled with bars, cheap shops and hostels. It was cool but being constantly harassed for cab rides and cheap suits drove us mad. We spent the rest of our time in Bangkok drinking, eating, and going to the English movie theatre. The food courts here are different than back home. You get a card and go up to each establishment and they scan your card depending on what you want then you pay at the end. They had everything from Thai to Greek, to American and Indian. The Chinese food was excellent, and pretty cheap.
We took at 14 hour train and a 4 hour bus to Phuket. The scenery is cool and reminds me of Vietnam movies. Phuket isn't as busy as Bangkok, it reminds me of Hawaii and Tijuana. We're spending three days at a resort (its the rainy season so nobodies here). The three of us are in the hostel section, do we get access to the resort facilities (a shit restaurant, expensive bar, and a nice pool).
Tonight we went to a Mexican place a British girl suggested. I had crocodile cakes (like crab cakes) and jamaican jerk chicken. It was delicious and the outdoor seating was awesome. Having two pitchers of sangria and two of margaritas was great as well.
A few more days here then we head to Patong, one of the nicest beaches here. It's also a major party spot. Hopefully we can meet some people.
We took at 14 hour train and a 4 hour bus to Phuket. The scenery is cool and reminds me of Vietnam movies. Phuket isn't as busy as Bangkok, it reminds me of Hawaii and Tijuana. We're spending three days at a resort (its the rainy season so nobodies here). The three of us are in the hostel section, do we get access to the resort facilities (a shit restaurant, expensive bar, and a nice pool).
Tonight we went to a Mexican place a British girl suggested. I had crocodile cakes (like crab cakes) and jamaican jerk chicken. It was delicious and the outdoor seating was awesome. Having two pitchers of sangria and two of margaritas was great as well.
A few more days here then we head to Patong, one of the nicest beaches here. It's also a major party spot. Hopefully we can meet some people.
Tuesday 5 June 2012
Frankfurt to Abu Dhabi to Bangkok
We spent our last two days in Europe in the city of Frankfurt it definitely doesn't feel very German. It's incredibly modern with several astounding glass sky scrapers towering over the city. Apparently it's a huge hub for business and banking in Europe, they have the head quarters of the European bank, and more trade shows than weekends here. Lots of super cars prowl the streets. Cranes and construction dot the city everywhere. Also there's a red light district, but compared to Amsterdam it just feels sleezy.
Our last day it was pouring rain and it being a Sunday in Europe, nothing was open. We lucked out and found a traditional German restaurant. It was a bit pricy, but it was our last day with Dalton and Colin so we didn't care. I ordered the potato soup and Frankfurt plate thinking the soup would just be a small bowl. Nope, it was a large bowl almost as good as my moms. My main course was three kinds of sausage with potato salad. These dishes along with some German beer left me more than full. But my shit head companions convinced me to order desert along with them. I orders the waffle with cherries and vanilla ice cream. I figured it would be one waffle. Wrong again it was four. So here I sat bursting at the seams looking like some tub of shit American. Everything was delicious but my stomach hated me. We tried going to the only English language theatre in Germany, but they didn't have a film in English that day.
We left in the morning to fly to Bangkok, once again we had some trouble at the airport. We had a flight into Bangkok but no flight out. This as it turns out is a fairly recent rule, so we had to vacate our spot in line and book a flight with a discount airline. It ended being twice as expensive than if we had just booked one ourselves but we couldn't get wifi in the airport. Everything worked out ok and we took off to Abu Dhabi. The customs officers in Germany were the friendliest I've ever encountered. We told the man about our travels and he seemed excited for us and wished us well. Our flight to Abu Dhabi was great, the plane was only 1/2 full, the selection of movies was awesome. They even had video games. The food was excellent (even for airline food), and free liquor! I watched two movies but fell asleep during both endings and never found out how they concluded. We landed in Abu Dhabi with just enough sunlight to catch a few glimpses of Dubai in the distance. The terminal was incredible and our airline (Etihad Airline) offered lounges to even economy class customers, with cigar rooms, spas, buffets, and more. We didn't have time to see any of this though. Our second flight to Bangkok wasn't as comfortable. Every seat was full, I didn't sleep at all. Once again the food and movies were good though.
It was different flying on a Arabic airline, everything was bilingual (English and then in Arabic). The plane had many passengers in traditional Middle Eastern garb including women in burqas (something I always hate to see, because there usually accompanied by some douchey looking husband in a polo shirt and designer sunglasses.) I wondered how some redneck American would feel flying on one of these flights.
After 12 hours total in the air we arrived and took a cab to our hostel. Bangkok reminds me of a wilder, more diverse Tokyo or Yokohama. The traffic is crazy, everyone including our driver saw the lanes as mere suggestions and drive on the shoulders, in the middle of the lanes ect. Our hostel is near Sian Square, the best shopping in Bangkok there's a massive mall, tons of booths hocking knock offs, but there's almost no bars here. The street food is unreal though, for about 3 Canadian dollars I got two stick with barbecued meat, fried dumplings, and sausage. Beer is also cheap.
We've got a month here in Thailand total, then we fly to Melbourne, Australia. Might have jobs lined up for us, we'll see.
Our last day it was pouring rain and it being a Sunday in Europe, nothing was open. We lucked out and found a traditional German restaurant. It was a bit pricy, but it was our last day with Dalton and Colin so we didn't care. I ordered the potato soup and Frankfurt plate thinking the soup would just be a small bowl. Nope, it was a large bowl almost as good as my moms. My main course was three kinds of sausage with potato salad. These dishes along with some German beer left me more than full. But my shit head companions convinced me to order desert along with them. I orders the waffle with cherries and vanilla ice cream. I figured it would be one waffle. Wrong again it was four. So here I sat bursting at the seams looking like some tub of shit American. Everything was delicious but my stomach hated me. We tried going to the only English language theatre in Germany, but they didn't have a film in English that day.
We left in the morning to fly to Bangkok, once again we had some trouble at the airport. We had a flight into Bangkok but no flight out. This as it turns out is a fairly recent rule, so we had to vacate our spot in line and book a flight with a discount airline. It ended being twice as expensive than if we had just booked one ourselves but we couldn't get wifi in the airport. Everything worked out ok and we took off to Abu Dhabi. The customs officers in Germany were the friendliest I've ever encountered. We told the man about our travels and he seemed excited for us and wished us well. Our flight to Abu Dhabi was great, the plane was only 1/2 full, the selection of movies was awesome. They even had video games. The food was excellent (even for airline food), and free liquor! I watched two movies but fell asleep during both endings and never found out how they concluded. We landed in Abu Dhabi with just enough sunlight to catch a few glimpses of Dubai in the distance. The terminal was incredible and our airline (Etihad Airline) offered lounges to even economy class customers, with cigar rooms, spas, buffets, and more. We didn't have time to see any of this though. Our second flight to Bangkok wasn't as comfortable. Every seat was full, I didn't sleep at all. Once again the food and movies were good though.
It was different flying on a Arabic airline, everything was bilingual (English and then in Arabic). The plane had many passengers in traditional Middle Eastern garb including women in burqas (something I always hate to see, because there usually accompanied by some douchey looking husband in a polo shirt and designer sunglasses.) I wondered how some redneck American would feel flying on one of these flights.
After 12 hours total in the air we arrived and took a cab to our hostel. Bangkok reminds me of a wilder, more diverse Tokyo or Yokohama. The traffic is crazy, everyone including our driver saw the lanes as mere suggestions and drive on the shoulders, in the middle of the lanes ect. Our hostel is near Sian Square, the best shopping in Bangkok there's a massive mall, tons of booths hocking knock offs, but there's almost no bars here. The street food is unreal though, for about 3 Canadian dollars I got two stick with barbecued meat, fried dumplings, and sausage. Beer is also cheap.
We've got a month here in Thailand total, then we fly to Melbourne, Australia. Might have jobs lined up for us, we'll see.
Thursday 31 May 2012
Prague
Been in Prague for a couple days now, it's by far the best city we've visited. The architecture and the woman ate beautiful, the beer is cheap (1 to 3 Canadian dollars for a beer) and delicious. Everyone is friendly and speaks excellent English. There are beautiful statues and churches here, and unlike Italy where they're often made from fine white marble, in Prague it's mostly stones of dark browns and blacks, the figures are usually highlighted with a golden crown or sword, it's really amazing.
We're staying at Fusion Hotel, which is a backpackers hotel and once again a hipsters wet dream, this seems to be a common theme in hostels. It's brand new, incredibly cheap, and everything is within walking distance. We spent the first couple nights enjoying the food and beer and just exploring the city. Last night we joined a pub crawl, and it turned out to be pretty massive, there was probably 80 people. Once again more Aussies and Canadians. I'd like to meet people from other countries, but most of the Australians we've met have been cool. The pub crawl started with unlimited beer, vodka, and absinthe for an hour. We definitely had our fill. Absinthe is worse than palinka, it tastes like hairspray. The bars we went to weren't the coolest we've seen in Europe, but they were alright. One was comic book themed and during the day it has a comic book museum. The other two were in basements, they were ok. The last bar was the third largest nightclub in Europe, it's five stories tall each with its own theme. We only stuck around for 20 minutes before taking off.
Pretty hungover this morning so we went for burgers then took the bus to The Prague Castle, the grounds make it the largest castle in the world. It's more of a cathedral with some surrounding buildings, it was still pretty astounding. Bryce and Cam had absinthe ice cream this afternoon, it tastes better than the drink and still gave you a buzz.
Only two more nights here, then we head to Frankfurt, Colin and Dalton head back home and the three of us fly to Thailand.
We're staying at Fusion Hotel, which is a backpackers hotel and once again a hipsters wet dream, this seems to be a common theme in hostels. It's brand new, incredibly cheap, and everything is within walking distance. We spent the first couple nights enjoying the food and beer and just exploring the city. Last night we joined a pub crawl, and it turned out to be pretty massive, there was probably 80 people. Once again more Aussies and Canadians. I'd like to meet people from other countries, but most of the Australians we've met have been cool. The pub crawl started with unlimited beer, vodka, and absinthe for an hour. We definitely had our fill. Absinthe is worse than palinka, it tastes like hairspray. The bars we went to weren't the coolest we've seen in Europe, but they were alright. One was comic book themed and during the day it has a comic book museum. The other two were in basements, they were ok. The last bar was the third largest nightclub in Europe, it's five stories tall each with its own theme. We only stuck around for 20 minutes before taking off.
Pretty hungover this morning so we went for burgers then took the bus to The Prague Castle, the grounds make it the largest castle in the world. It's more of a cathedral with some surrounding buildings, it was still pretty astounding. Bryce and Cam had absinthe ice cream this afternoon, it tastes better than the drink and still gave you a buzz.
Only two more nights here, then we head to Frankfurt, Colin and Dalton head back home and the three of us fly to Thailand.
Sunday 27 May 2012
Italy and Budapest
I'm finding it more difficult to keep up with the blog, but it's been a few days and a lot has happened.
I left Caen and met up with the guys in Milan. The train ride there was beautiful, the mountains look just like home. Milan is ok, it's not how I pictured Italy, it's very modern, the architecture isn't very old, and the streets are very wide. We went out to eat, the "Italian" restaurant we ate at was staffed by Asians. That wasn't a good sign, my pizza wasn't great. The other guys liked their pasta though. I made up for it by finding an awesome gelato place. We walked around Milan at night, there isn't much to see, some expensive boutique stores and some nice parks. We stopped at a bar located at the entrance to the park. It was just a booth and some tables with bean bag chairs. Dalton was immediately convinced it was a gay bar, I figured it just had mostly gay clientele. It was still cool sitting in the park drinking beers, made me miss patios back home.
We left Milan the next day for Venice, Italian trains so far are the worst. They're not awful, but out of the UK, Netherlands, Belgium, and France they're not the nicest. Venice is more like the Italy I imagined, it's a pretty crazy place, there's a huge bridge for trains and cars to get in, but after that it's just boats and foot traffic. We stayed in a campsite outside of Venice, we booked a cabin for 4. We were all hoping for a nice secluded cabin, with some lawn chairs, a lake or river nearby and a cooler filled with beers. Campsites in Europe suck. I now see why RVing (or caravanning as its called here) has such a negative stigma. Campsites are pretty much a place to park your rv and just sit. Our cabin was nice enough, but there was nothing to do at the site and Venice was a 25 minute bus ride away. There was a custom bike shop down the rode with some amazing Harleys though. We sat in the sun roasting, drinking, and playing games on Bryce's iPad. We spent the next day exploring Venice. The canals and pedestrian only streets are amazing, I was on a mission to find good pizza and more gelato. This can be difficult as I had one of the worst pizzas ever in Venice and one of the best. I'm also slightly disappointed that Famoso back home is still the best pizza I've had. We left Venice and headed to Vienna, Austria on a night train.
Austrian trains are really nice, but we were on a night train with no beds and the temperature in the car had to be close to 30 degrees Celsius. There's a joke somewhere in their about comparing a train ride in Austria to an oven, but I'm not sure how well Austrians dig Nazi jokes.
We only stayed in Vienna for a couple hours before heading to Budapest, everyone has recommended it so I'm excited. It'll be cheaper than everywhere else we've been. The train ride was alright, some of the Hungarian countryside is pretty behind the times. The farming communities are filled with old crumbling buildings, and small shacks. There's alot of horse drawn buggies too. Budapest is pretty cool though, it definitely feels like eastern Europe. The women are either gorgeous or hideous, and there are remnants of the communist regime, and there are some pretty old shitty looking cars, buses, and buildings. Our hostel is nice, we're in a 12 person dorm but each group of beds has its own kinda private room. Beer is incredibly cheap, and the food is great. I had some stellar goulash.
Once again we've fallen victim to a pub crawl, it was a bit of a walk from our hostel to meet everybody. So we stopped at a bunch of bars on the way. Every bar here seems pretty awesome. Many occupy the courtyard of an office or apartment building and have plenty of benches and trees, it's awesome to drink outside when the weather is so great. But this also allows everyone to smoke, my jeans still reek. Budapest seems to be the first city where the music isn't entirely western. We met more Aussies again and many more Canadians, but this pub crawl had the most variety of nationalities. Once again our obnoxious party behavior was likes by most and hated by a few. Two girls, one from Australia and one American immediately blew us off after finding out we were only 23, and not up to the level of maturity they had at 28. One German guy was also pissed when Dalton began to talk to his girlfriend. Everyone else was great though. One bar we visited had student artists come in every month and totally redecorate the whole bar, it had stuffed rabbits arcing across the ceiling. Our guide recommended we try Palinka, she compared it to schnapps and said it was a Hungarian specialty the bar had 150 different flavors, we tried grape. It was horrible, it tasted like rubbing alcohol. I immediately felt drunker and held off on any more beer.
I doubt we'll do much today, some of us are pretty hungover and after 15 hours of traveling yesterday we're still tired.
Oh, Bryce and I also bought our plane tickets to Thailand. We leave on the 4th of June. 6 and a half hours to Abu Dhabi then another 6 and a half to Bangkok, we might have a job hook up in Australia too.
Tuesday 22 May 2012
May 20/21 Caen
After a 12 hour overnight train and another two hour one into Caen I finally made it. Caen is pretty modern, I found out later this is a byproduct of being 80% destroyed when Canadians and Brits liberated it. I arrived Sunday afternoon without pre booking a place to stay, there isn't a hostel here but many hotels. I ended up paying a little extra to stay at a Best Western. The budget hotels were half the price, but the good ones were full and some of the others seemed a little sketchy. It ended up being probably one of the nicest hotels I ever stayed in, the room was pretty small but had brand new and very modern furniture. The bathroom was the best yet. The people working there were incredibly helpful, I received a discount to the D Day Museum in Caen and they booked my full day tour for me.
Everything in the city seemed closed but I was assured the museum would be open. It was a pretty cool exhibit but most of it was about WWII in general and only at the very end did it focus on the invasion of Normandy. I bought the book that Band of Brothers was based on (I've already finished three books since we left Edmonton). I headed back to the hotel incredibly hungry, but it was Sunday everything was closed except Quick Burger (which made Bryce sick in Nice) so I avoided it, I ended up having just a can of Pringles for dinner.
Next morning I had to catch a train to Bayeux, about ten minutes away in order for me to be picked up for the tour. I nearly missed the train and got on just as the doors closed. If I had missed it the next one wasn't for another half hour. I didn't even have time to buy a ticket, not knowing the punishment for being a stow away I hid in the bathroom.
Bayeux is much nicer than Caen, I guess it was untouched during the war and it still has its narrow one way streets. The tour was 20 minutes late picking me up, I was getting incredibly nervous. Just as a woman offered to call the company for me a grey van pulled up and I hopped in. I was with an older couple from Colorado, a family of three from Detroit and two younger Aussie girls. Everyone was really friendly and got along great. Our tour guide was incredibly knowledgable and knew more than even I did. She teased me for being the only Canadian in the van, and that she could tell I was a Canuck because of my beard and plaid shirt. Apparently she has regular customers, mostly Vets and their families, who come to Normandy every year on the anniversary. She says they drink more than the college students in town do.
Our first stop was a German cemetery, it is one of the largest in France with over 20,000 men buried there. It doesn't look that big because the graves are so close together and each marker is for two soldiers. I spotted many 18 year olds, the guide informed me there were some younger than that. In the center was a hill with a statute on top. Under the hill is a mass grave. The bodies there were unable to be identified. Next stop was St. Mere Eglise, an objective of American paratroopers. The church in the main square has a paratrooper dummy dangling from the steeple, tangled in his chute. This actually happened to a soldier and was made famous in the film "The Longest Day". Across the street was the Airborne Museum, they had a full C-47 plane and glider inside, along with equipment used by the paratroopers. Pointe du Hoc was third. It's a cliff face in between the two American landing zones, and I thought was the coolest spot we visited. Unlike the other beaches which have been reconstructed or turned into museums restricting access to certain sections, Pointe du Hoc is almost entirely like it was during the war. The top of the cliff is still dotted with bomb craters, some do big I could fit my house in them, the bunkers that are still intact can be explored and climbed upon.
Between each of these sights there are thousands of smaller memorials and tributes. Markers where planes had crashed, plaques dedicated to those who died taking a certain town, and many others. We even drove along the coast in a section where no fighting took place and they still have bunkers lining the beach and many farms had block houses in the middle of their land.
Utah Beach was interesting, but with most of the defenses gone it wasn't as cool as Pointe du Hoc. Last was Omaha, where 2,000 men died on the first day of the invasion. More than any of the other beaches. It's easy to see why, after 200 yards of beach, the soldiers then had to climb up incredibly steep hills. Omaha is dotted with more modern beach houses, but many of the bunkers are still there. After we visited the American cemetery, it's the largest one in France in terms of size, but there's about 9000 men buried there. I found a Horne on the wall of soldiers whose bodies were never recovered and the lone Canadian buried there. The near endless rows of crosses was pretty stunning and the beauty of the cemetery was incredible. Our very last stop were some massive guns in bunkers in the British sector, the bunkers were taken without any casualties as the Germans immediately surrendered to the Brits. So they're in great condition. The tour lasted about 9 hours and was awesome, I wish I could've seen Juno, where the Canadians landed but it was still awesome.
I should be in Milan to link up with Bryce and the PG guys by the time I finish writing this. The scenery as we went through the alps is amazing, reminds me of Jasper and Banff. In trying to figure out how to make collect calls so I can phone home, email just isn't the same.
Everything in the city seemed closed but I was assured the museum would be open. It was a pretty cool exhibit but most of it was about WWII in general and only at the very end did it focus on the invasion of Normandy. I bought the book that Band of Brothers was based on (I've already finished three books since we left Edmonton). I headed back to the hotel incredibly hungry, but it was Sunday everything was closed except Quick Burger (which made Bryce sick in Nice) so I avoided it, I ended up having just a can of Pringles for dinner.
Next morning I had to catch a train to Bayeux, about ten minutes away in order for me to be picked up for the tour. I nearly missed the train and got on just as the doors closed. If I had missed it the next one wasn't for another half hour. I didn't even have time to buy a ticket, not knowing the punishment for being a stow away I hid in the bathroom.
Bayeux is much nicer than Caen, I guess it was untouched during the war and it still has its narrow one way streets. The tour was 20 minutes late picking me up, I was getting incredibly nervous. Just as a woman offered to call the company for me a grey van pulled up and I hopped in. I was with an older couple from Colorado, a family of three from Detroit and two younger Aussie girls. Everyone was really friendly and got along great. Our tour guide was incredibly knowledgable and knew more than even I did. She teased me for being the only Canadian in the van, and that she could tell I was a Canuck because of my beard and plaid shirt. Apparently she has regular customers, mostly Vets and their families, who come to Normandy every year on the anniversary. She says they drink more than the college students in town do.
Our first stop was a German cemetery, it is one of the largest in France with over 20,000 men buried there. It doesn't look that big because the graves are so close together and each marker is for two soldiers. I spotted many 18 year olds, the guide informed me there were some younger than that. In the center was a hill with a statute on top. Under the hill is a mass grave. The bodies there were unable to be identified. Next stop was St. Mere Eglise, an objective of American paratroopers. The church in the main square has a paratrooper dummy dangling from the steeple, tangled in his chute. This actually happened to a soldier and was made famous in the film "The Longest Day". Across the street was the Airborne Museum, they had a full C-47 plane and glider inside, along with equipment used by the paratroopers. Pointe du Hoc was third. It's a cliff face in between the two American landing zones, and I thought was the coolest spot we visited. Unlike the other beaches which have been reconstructed or turned into museums restricting access to certain sections, Pointe du Hoc is almost entirely like it was during the war. The top of the cliff is still dotted with bomb craters, some do big I could fit my house in them, the bunkers that are still intact can be explored and climbed upon.
Between each of these sights there are thousands of smaller memorials and tributes. Markers where planes had crashed, plaques dedicated to those who died taking a certain town, and many others. We even drove along the coast in a section where no fighting took place and they still have bunkers lining the beach and many farms had block houses in the middle of their land.
Utah Beach was interesting, but with most of the defenses gone it wasn't as cool as Pointe du Hoc. Last was Omaha, where 2,000 men died on the first day of the invasion. More than any of the other beaches. It's easy to see why, after 200 yards of beach, the soldiers then had to climb up incredibly steep hills. Omaha is dotted with more modern beach houses, but many of the bunkers are still there. After we visited the American cemetery, it's the largest one in France in terms of size, but there's about 9000 men buried there. I found a Horne on the wall of soldiers whose bodies were never recovered and the lone Canadian buried there. The near endless rows of crosses was pretty stunning and the beauty of the cemetery was incredible. Our very last stop were some massive guns in bunkers in the British sector, the bunkers were taken without any casualties as the Germans immediately surrendered to the Brits. So they're in great condition. The tour lasted about 9 hours and was awesome, I wish I could've seen Juno, where the Canadians landed but it was still awesome.
I should be in Milan to link up with Bryce and the PG guys by the time I finish writing this. The scenery as we went through the alps is amazing, reminds me of Jasper and Banff. In trying to figure out how to make collect calls so I can phone home, email just isn't the same.
Sunday 20 May 2012
May 18/19 Nice
We spent the day on the beach here in Nice. The beaches are all made of of small round rocks, their pretty uncomfortable. However, after finding a place to lay down we quickly realized that it was a topless beach. People had warned us that nude and topless beaches in Europe were filled with old people. This is not the case in Nice. Most people on the beach were people in our demographic, and most of the girls who went topless were very pretty. We quickly put our boob gazers on and lied down. We spent the afternoon at the beach and were back at the hostel in time for happy hour. We took it a little slower this time. The hostel offers an all day yacht tour for 64 Euros, it sounded expensive but after hearing about billionaires bay, the super yachts, topless girls, tubing, and snorkeling we were convinced. Unfortunately the four of us were the only ones to sign up and we needed at least six to go. We spent the rest of the night trying to find some girls to join us, we met some from Ontario and two from Sherwood Park but they were all leaving the next day. The Aussie organizing it told us two other guys had signed up, this was good and bad. Good that we could go, bad because spending all day on a yacht with 6 guys was pretty gay. By the end of the night our guide told us it was canceled due to weather, but we could go Saturday.
Saturday ended up being one of the best days of the trip. We convinced a group from Calgary to come, a couple from Niagara Falls, another couple from Australia and a few stragglers. The P to V ratio still wasn't great, and the most of girls who were coming had boyfriends but we had a lot of fun drinking together so it'll be a good group. There was about 15 of us. The weather was pretty shit to begin with, it was raining a bit and the sun had pissed off to warmer places. The yacht was a 60 foot sailboat with a fairly spacious cabin and several bebrooms. It was freezing cold sitting on the boat, and having sea water sprayed at you was not putting us in a good mood. Soon though the clouds started to peel off and we were getting brief moments of sun. Even with some sub par weather it was a blast, riding the sailboat in some rough waters was as thrilling as any roller coaster. Plus having nothing strapping you in adds to the excitement. Most of the time the boat is sideways at an almost 45 degree angle, and waves crashing into you only increase it. There were a few times I was lying on top of the cabin but we were at such a great angle it felt like I was standing up. One girl slide across the roof only to be saved by me and an our Aussie guide grabbing her. We pulled into "Millionaires Bay" where there are houses owned by Mercedes-Benz and Warner Brothers, the houses themselves were not that large but being on a cliff overlooking the mediterranean adds to the value. There was a hotel where the cheapest room (which was just a tiny cabana) cost 600 Euros a night. A small motorboat sat nearby with some shady looking dudes in it, the captain informed us they were paparazzi spying into the hotel. The water was pretty calm in the bay so the captain said we could take a dip. The sun was now out, but the wind still kept things cool. Bryce was the only to dive in, it is now referred to as "Peasants Bay". We then headed towards Cannes where the film festival is in full swing, some of the yachts are absolutely insane. Massive ships with there own crews, one even had a helicopter pad. We were dropped off at Cannes amongst the mega yachts. We walked past a lot of blocked of area guarded by men with clipboards. Everyone was dressed to the nines, we looked like bums in our trunks and flip flops. The festival seems cool and I wish I could stay longer, apparently they show movies for free on the beach every night. I have to rush back to the hostel pack up my shit and catch a train to Caen in Normandy. I'm leaving Bryce, Colin, and Dalton to see the D-Day beaches for a few days. I'll link up with them in Italy.
Saturday ended up being one of the best days of the trip. We convinced a group from Calgary to come, a couple from Niagara Falls, another couple from Australia and a few stragglers. The P to V ratio still wasn't great, and the most of girls who were coming had boyfriends but we had a lot of fun drinking together so it'll be a good group. There was about 15 of us. The weather was pretty shit to begin with, it was raining a bit and the sun had pissed off to warmer places. The yacht was a 60 foot sailboat with a fairly spacious cabin and several bebrooms. It was freezing cold sitting on the boat, and having sea water sprayed at you was not putting us in a good mood. Soon though the clouds started to peel off and we were getting brief moments of sun. Even with some sub par weather it was a blast, riding the sailboat in some rough waters was as thrilling as any roller coaster. Plus having nothing strapping you in adds to the excitement. Most of the time the boat is sideways at an almost 45 degree angle, and waves crashing into you only increase it. There were a few times I was lying on top of the cabin but we were at such a great angle it felt like I was standing up. One girl slide across the roof only to be saved by me and an our Aussie guide grabbing her. We pulled into "Millionaires Bay" where there are houses owned by Mercedes-Benz and Warner Brothers, the houses themselves were not that large but being on a cliff overlooking the mediterranean adds to the value. There was a hotel where the cheapest room (which was just a tiny cabana) cost 600 Euros a night. A small motorboat sat nearby with some shady looking dudes in it, the captain informed us they were paparazzi spying into the hotel. The water was pretty calm in the bay so the captain said we could take a dip. The sun was now out, but the wind still kept things cool. Bryce was the only to dive in, it is now referred to as "Peasants Bay". We then headed towards Cannes where the film festival is in full swing, some of the yachts are absolutely insane. Massive ships with there own crews, one even had a helicopter pad. We were dropped off at Cannes amongst the mega yachts. We walked past a lot of blocked of area guarded by men with clipboards. Everyone was dressed to the nines, we looked like bums in our trunks and flip flops. The festival seems cool and I wish I could stay longer, apparently they show movies for free on the beach every night. I have to rush back to the hostel pack up my shit and catch a train to Caen in Normandy. I'm leaving Bryce, Colin, and Dalton to see the D-Day beaches for a few days. I'll link up with them in Italy.
Wednesday 16 May 2012
May 15/16 Paris,Marseilles,Nice
We spent our last day in Paris with our new friends from Prince George, Colin and Dalton. We've decided to join forces and travel together. We sat in the hostel trying to decide where to go next, Colin and Dalton wanted to head south. I wanted to go north and see the Normandy beaches, but after much discussion we decided to go to Nice, in southern France. I'm a little disappointed I probably won't go to Normandy but I'm having fun with these guys so it's cool. We spent hours trying to find a train, bus, plane anything to Nice but couldn't find shit. We decided to just head to the train station hoping for some help. We told the lady behind the glass of our situation and after about 30 minutes she found us a way to Nice. The 4 of us will have to take separate trains to Marseilles then stay the night, the next day we will take a train to Nice. Being spontaneous has its advantages, however being cheap isn't one of them.
We headed back to the hostel a little bummed at what we had to pay, and that our only option was to leave that night, but Colin kept saying "It's only money dudes." I have to agree. We're in France with new friends, chasing girls, drinking, seeing the sights, the last thing I want to do is worry about how much a train ticket costs.
Our hostel hosts in Paris suggested we just find a park to sleep in when we got to Marseilles. The homeless/rape jokes began to flow. We had no idea what we were going to do once we got there. Bryce and I took one train while Dalton and Colin took another, they arrived an hour after us. We stood in the station looking like shit. Not sure if we should just sleep in the station or find a hotel. We said fuck it and walked across to the French version of a holiday inn. It was about 50 Euros each for the night, we didn't care. The rooms were the nicest we've had yet, the bathrooms and air conditioning were worth the extra dough.
Next morning we boarded our train to Nice, the weather in Southern France is awesome. It's warm, but there's a light breeze. After only a few hours my face is already pretty red. As long as I don't burn my tattoo I don't care. Our train to Nice was supposed to be two hours, but after some electrical problems it took 4. We were pretty upset but after rolling through Cannes (where they have the Film Festival right now) and seeing the Mediterranean Sea our spirits were high. After a short walk we found the hostel. It's awesome, they have sail boat tours, scuba diving, cliff jumping, its only five minutes from the beach, and an in house chef. Bryce keeps calling it "French Hawaii". Plus at happy hour only 1 euro for a tall can of beer. We quickly found our room and started drinking, by 730 we were shit faced, five cans of beer on an empty stomach will do that. All the other tables around us were enjoying their supper and sipping on wine. Bryce, Colin, Dalton and I were making a pyramid out of empty beer cans. We walked through the streets looking stylish in flip flops, swim trunks, and wife beaters. But after some food we're hitting the sack. Tomorrow we're going to the beach, hopefully some of the cute girls here will join us.
We headed back to the hostel a little bummed at what we had to pay, and that our only option was to leave that night, but Colin kept saying "It's only money dudes." I have to agree. We're in France with new friends, chasing girls, drinking, seeing the sights, the last thing I want to do is worry about how much a train ticket costs.
Our hostel hosts in Paris suggested we just find a park to sleep in when we got to Marseilles. The homeless/rape jokes began to flow. We had no idea what we were going to do once we got there. Bryce and I took one train while Dalton and Colin took another, they arrived an hour after us. We stood in the station looking like shit. Not sure if we should just sleep in the station or find a hotel. We said fuck it and walked across to the French version of a holiday inn. It was about 50 Euros each for the night, we didn't care. The rooms were the nicest we've had yet, the bathrooms and air conditioning were worth the extra dough.
Next morning we boarded our train to Nice, the weather in Southern France is awesome. It's warm, but there's a light breeze. After only a few hours my face is already pretty red. As long as I don't burn my tattoo I don't care. Our train to Nice was supposed to be two hours, but after some electrical problems it took 4. We were pretty upset but after rolling through Cannes (where they have the Film Festival right now) and seeing the Mediterranean Sea our spirits were high. After a short walk we found the hostel. It's awesome, they have sail boat tours, scuba diving, cliff jumping, its only five minutes from the beach, and an in house chef. Bryce keeps calling it "French Hawaii". Plus at happy hour only 1 euro for a tall can of beer. We quickly found our room and started drinking, by 730 we were shit faced, five cans of beer on an empty stomach will do that. All the other tables around us were enjoying their supper and sipping on wine. Bryce, Colin, Dalton and I were making a pyramid out of empty beer cans. We walked through the streets looking stylish in flip flops, swim trunks, and wife beaters. But after some food we're hitting the sack. Tomorrow we're going to the beach, hopefully some of the cute girls here will join us.
Tuesday 15 May 2012
May 15th Paris
Been in Paris a few days now, our hostel is tiny but it's along a canal and the neighborhood nearby is pretty nice. Paris is a little like I expected, it's loud, expensive, and really busy but it's much nicer than London. The architecture is much nicer and it's way greener. We took the metro down to the Louvre but didn't go in, we walked down the Champs Elyees all the way to the Arc Du Triomphe, the detail is incredible all of the figures and names carved into it is amazing.
Our friends from Prince George are staying at the same hostel so we joined them the next day for the open top bus tour, you get to see all the major sights and can hop on and off whenever you want. We stopped at the Eiffel Tower, which is also incredible. The line up to take the elevator up was over 90 minute wait so we took the stairs. It was pretty brutal doing all the steps to the second level, but we rested with a beer and enjoyed the view. Daulton, Colin, and Bryce were a little sketched out over the height I was fine with it, until we took the elevator which is the only way to the very top. The view is incredible though, totally worth the stairs. We hopped back on the bus and headed for our metro station. I was starting to fall asleep.
Colin's dad is here with his girlfriend so they went out for dinner, I tried to have a nap Bryce stayed at the bar. We all agreed we wouldn't drink tonight. That didn't happen. While Bryce and a girl from Ontario made dinner together I couldn't just sit and watch so naturally I ordered a pint. Soon we were joined by more people in the hostel and after a few free shots from the bartender we were drinking again. After watching Colin puke, then eat McDonald's I decided it was time to pass out.
We're going to Nice tomorrow, the hostel seems nice but it's looking like another expensive train ride.
Our friends from Prince George are staying at the same hostel so we joined them the next day for the open top bus tour, you get to see all the major sights and can hop on and off whenever you want. We stopped at the Eiffel Tower, which is also incredible. The line up to take the elevator up was over 90 minute wait so we took the stairs. It was pretty brutal doing all the steps to the second level, but we rested with a beer and enjoyed the view. Daulton, Colin, and Bryce were a little sketched out over the height I was fine with it, until we took the elevator which is the only way to the very top. The view is incredible though, totally worth the stairs. We hopped back on the bus and headed for our metro station. I was starting to fall asleep.
Colin's dad is here with his girlfriend so they went out for dinner, I tried to have a nap Bryce stayed at the bar. We all agreed we wouldn't drink tonight. That didn't happen. While Bryce and a girl from Ontario made dinner together I couldn't just sit and watch so naturally I ordered a pint. Soon we were joined by more people in the hostel and after a few free shots from the bartender we were drinking again. After watching Colin puke, then eat McDonald's I decided it was time to pass out.
We're going to Nice tomorrow, the hostel seems nice but it's looking like another expensive train ride.
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