I am Amsterdam
Row row row your boat
Celebrating prostitution and god in the one place ... genious!
Here a bike there a bike...
Yum...
Red lights... Action!
Thursday, November 15, 2007
Thursday, November 1, 2007
Cuba is Cuba
Fascinating, intriguing and a little bit hard work, travel to Cuba was a trip back in time to a country so close, yet ohhh so far from the rest of the modern world.
‘When Cuban’s are happy we drink rum, when we’re sad we drink rum’ explained our guide in a brimming smile as he led Ames and I on horses through tobacco farming planes outside of Vinales. Throw in a cigar or two, a lil’ salsa after dark and you can begin to create a picture of Cubans as fun loving, positive people that make the most of what they have. It’s an impression that took some time, digging, and now distance (between myself and Cuba) to form though.
Cuba feels so isolated and trapped in a time warp. Stunning colonial architecture is slowly crumbling from neglect, big old classic cars rule the road (bellowing thick black smoke after manya’ backyard mechanic patch up) dodging horses and carts that work to make up the transport shortfall in a country with no new cars. The 1950s live on with memories of revolution, Che Guevara and other icons of revolution and the triumph of socialism refreshed daily on billboards, newspapers and in political address. This land and its people have and continue to be shaped by so many unfamiliar influences.
Meanwhile your average Cuban’s day to day focus is on ways to supplement government issued rations and low wages for survival. With tourists come opportunities for entrepreneurs hitting the streets spruiking illegal taxis, paladars (‘restaurants’ in people’s homes), casas (renting a room in their home) and cigars to passing tourists.
Constant pestering from hustlers is tiresome, but just one of a number of obstacles that makes travel in Cuba a little more hard work than other places. Trade embargos mean that shops (food, clothing or anything else) are poorly stocked. Government owned travel agents try to channel travellers to big, all inclusive government owned resorts on beautiful beaches, but some of which Cubans aren’t even allowed to go to. Everywhere from restaurants and bars to exchange bureaus have terrible service and are constantly overcharging or short changing you…Things always just seem more difficult, time consuming and more awkward than they have to be. Add to this that Ames and I both got pretty sick for over a week, and lost a purse while in Cuba and it’s fair to say that all didn’t quite go to plan.
All was not lost though with many’a rum and mojito guzzled to the ever present restaurant or bar bands performing Buena Vista Social Club favourites (over and over!!). And while daily servings of pork or chicken with salty rice and beans was tiresome to say the least, delicious fresh fruit breakfasts were a great start to each day! Havana is great, big and busy. Trinidad charming, Vinales surrounded by beautiful countryside. Throw in some magic weather, diverse and spectacular scenery from lush rugged mountains to beautiful beaches and you’ve got yourself a pretty neat package!
Ames summed I up well at an early low point in Cuba when she said ‘I really want to love Cuba’. Although not the easiest place to visit (unless you go the all inclusive hotel option), Cuba’s amazing because, not inspite of all of the above!
‘When Cuban’s are happy we drink rum, when we’re sad we drink rum’ explained our guide in a brimming smile as he led Ames and I on horses through tobacco farming planes outside of Vinales. Throw in a cigar or two, a lil’ salsa after dark and you can begin to create a picture of Cubans as fun loving, positive people that make the most of what they have. It’s an impression that took some time, digging, and now distance (between myself and Cuba) to form though.
Cuba feels so isolated and trapped in a time warp. Stunning colonial architecture is slowly crumbling from neglect, big old classic cars rule the road (bellowing thick black smoke after manya’ backyard mechanic patch up) dodging horses and carts that work to make up the transport shortfall in a country with no new cars. The 1950s live on with memories of revolution, Che Guevara and other icons of revolution and the triumph of socialism refreshed daily on billboards, newspapers and in political address. This land and its people have and continue to be shaped by so many unfamiliar influences.
Meanwhile your average Cuban’s day to day focus is on ways to supplement government issued rations and low wages for survival. With tourists come opportunities for entrepreneurs hitting the streets spruiking illegal taxis, paladars (‘restaurants’ in people’s homes), casas (renting a room in their home) and cigars to passing tourists.
Constant pestering from hustlers is tiresome, but just one of a number of obstacles that makes travel in Cuba a little more hard work than other places. Trade embargos mean that shops (food, clothing or anything else) are poorly stocked. Government owned travel agents try to channel travellers to big, all inclusive government owned resorts on beautiful beaches, but some of which Cubans aren’t even allowed to go to. Everywhere from restaurants and bars to exchange bureaus have terrible service and are constantly overcharging or short changing you…Things always just seem more difficult, time consuming and more awkward than they have to be. Add to this that Ames and I both got pretty sick for over a week, and lost a purse while in Cuba and it’s fair to say that all didn’t quite go to plan.
All was not lost though with many’a rum and mojito guzzled to the ever present restaurant or bar bands performing Buena Vista Social Club favourites (over and over!!). And while daily servings of pork or chicken with salty rice and beans was tiresome to say the least, delicious fresh fruit breakfasts were a great start to each day! Havana is great, big and busy. Trinidad charming, Vinales surrounded by beautiful countryside. Throw in some magic weather, diverse and spectacular scenery from lush rugged mountains to beautiful beaches and you’ve got yourself a pretty neat package!
Ames summed I up well at an early low point in Cuba when she said ‘I really want to love Cuba’. Although not the easiest place to visit (unless you go the all inclusive hotel option), Cuba’s amazing because, not inspite of all of the above!
Sunday, October 21, 2007
More is more...
Antigua, Guatamala is a small, quiet town filled with brightly painted colonial spanish architecture and cobblestone streets. It oozes charm, gastronomical delights and bought a feeling like the pace car had just been introduced to the race around the world. It also marked a sudden return for me, and introduction for Ames to speaking Spanish as well as a new found (and not really needed) intimacy with one`s own bowl movements... who would have thought that the introduction of something as inoffencive as a small bin next to the toilet could have such an impact :)
Arrival in Central America was exciting with its undoubtable differences to everywhere travelled previously. While Europe did have its `little differences`(Vincent Vega, Pulp Fiction) the ante had been upped! After a couple of nights taking in the vibe of Antigua we grabbed a shuttle bus then boat bound for the naturally stunning Lake Atitlan area. At our San Pedro base we woke each morning to a jaw dropping view of the lake surrounded by lushiously forested volcanoes. A more than suitable start to days exploring nearby towns dotted in valleys around the lake and the highly reputable Chichicastenango (I think that`s how you spell it) markets.
It was then back to Antigua to join a 9 day tour blitz through Rio Dulce, Livingston, Flores, across the border into Belize, though San Ignatio and onto the Caribbean waters at Caye Culker. A lil frollick in the water and bitta rum later it was on to Mexico for Playa del Carmen and Cancun. In between much travel, hotel check ins/outs we did a heap of shit (both before and during the tour) that was nothing short of fucking brilliant!!! The highest of the highs..
Arrival in Central America was exciting with its undoubtable differences to everywhere travelled previously. While Europe did have its `little differences`(Vincent Vega, Pulp Fiction) the ante had been upped! After a couple of nights taking in the vibe of Antigua we grabbed a shuttle bus then boat bound for the naturally stunning Lake Atitlan area. At our San Pedro base we woke each morning to a jaw dropping view of the lake surrounded by lushiously forested volcanoes. A more than suitable start to days exploring nearby towns dotted in valleys around the lake and the highly reputable Chichicastenango (I think that`s how you spell it) markets.
It was then back to Antigua to join a 9 day tour blitz through Rio Dulce, Livingston, Flores, across the border into Belize, though San Ignatio and onto the Caribbean waters at Caye Culker. A lil frollick in the water and bitta rum later it was on to Mexico for Playa del Carmen and Cancun. In between much travel, hotel check ins/outs we did a heap of shit (both before and during the tour) that was nothing short of fucking brilliant!!! The highest of the highs..
- Hiking through jungle to enormous Mayan ruins (real movie set kinda gear) at Tikal!
- A boat ride through dense jungle to sleepy Caribbean town Livingston!
- Caving through underground rivers to see Mayan remains and artifacts as they still lay from ye olde days of human sacrifice!
- Sailing the Caribbean to some sweet snorkeling spots to swim with sharks and rays and Manatee!
- Climbed an active volcanoe where we stood metres (as few as you could bare the heat) from red flowing lava!
I know I know... photos photos... is my IOU credit still good here??
More is more. Yah Mon!
Saturday, October 6, 2007
On the Road
Ok so the blog´s a bit behind... Ames and I have been moving at a cracking pace since New York. We´ve covered a lot of ground through Guatemala, Belize and are in Playa Del Carmen in Mexico as I type. Tomorrow we hit Cancun, Havana and Cuba next!
You couldn´t find two greater contrasts than travelling from the bright lights and masses of Time Square in New York to the charming colonial town of Antigua in Guatemala within 24 hours!!
Hope all´s cool!
You couldn´t find two greater contrasts than travelling from the bright lights and masses of Time Square in New York to the charming colonial town of Antigua in Guatemala within 24 hours!!
Hope all´s cool!
The Big Apple
Leaving good friends in Toronto would have been a whole lot tougher if I wasn´t on my way to finally see Amy in New York after 7 weeks on the road. Yayyyy!
Thanks to the UN we did New York in style. No we weren´t flown in from some war torn provence, but there was a big UN convention in town and accommodation was scarce. So reluctantly I traded bunkbeds, mouldy showers, and a hostel on top of nightclub for 24 hour courtsey chilled cranberry juice machines, and daily room service that included mouthwash and shower gel. With this new found taste for a life of style it was appropriate that evenings were spent taking in broadway productions (Chicago and Les Miz), listening to live jazz and feasting on a diverse menu of fine food offered by such a mulitcultural City.
Top 5
1. Seeing Amy come out of the arrival gate at JFK!!!!!!!!!!
2. Walking across Brooklyn Bridge at dusk and taking in the captivating views of a stunning city.
3. Listening to New Yorkers talk as they go about their daily lives (probably had to be there???)
4. Times Square, bright lights and big crowds
5. The view over the city, we did it from the Empire State Building
6. Broadway, not normally my kinda thing but plenty of colour and movement, and a lil bit of skin thanks to the Chicago girls.
New York was sensational. So much to see and do, and so much we didn´t get to ... in the week we didn´t even get out of Manhattan to visit the other boroughs which I´m a bit bummer about. We did spend our final night in Queens as it was near La Guardia airport, but it was a late arrival and early depature... not before Amy had a run in with an enormous rat under our hotel bed though, but that´s her story for another time!
Thanks to the UN we did New York in style. No we weren´t flown in from some war torn provence, but there was a big UN convention in town and accommodation was scarce. So reluctantly I traded bunkbeds, mouldy showers, and a hostel on top of nightclub for 24 hour courtsey chilled cranberry juice machines, and daily room service that included mouthwash and shower gel. With this new found taste for a life of style it was appropriate that evenings were spent taking in broadway productions (Chicago and Les Miz), listening to live jazz and feasting on a diverse menu of fine food offered by such a mulitcultural City.
Top 5
1. Seeing Amy come out of the arrival gate at JFK!!!!!!!!!!
2. Walking across Brooklyn Bridge at dusk and taking in the captivating views of a stunning city.
3. Listening to New Yorkers talk as they go about their daily lives (probably had to be there???)
4. Times Square, bright lights and big crowds
5. The view over the city, we did it from the Empire State Building
6. Broadway, not normally my kinda thing but plenty of colour and movement, and a lil bit of skin thanks to the Chicago girls.
New York was sensational. So much to see and do, and so much we didn´t get to ... in the week we didn´t even get out of Manhattan to visit the other boroughs which I´m a bit bummer about. We did spend our final night in Queens as it was near La Guardia airport, but it was a late arrival and early depature... not before Amy had a run in with an enormous rat under our hotel bed though, but that´s her story for another time!
Blame Canada!
Major League Baseball, NBA Basketball, gridiron, hot dogs on downtown street corners... even those metal box vending machines that turn pocket change into newspapers. That´s right folks it´s Toronto, USA... I mean Canada! If it wasn´t for Tim Hortons... more than a coffee shop, it´s an national institution!
After being on the road on my own for so long it was a breath of fresh air to finally see some familiar smiling faces in Andy and Krista (Sarah from the 05/06 Canadian invastion of Adelaide, and Leah on her own hols from Adelaide). A week in the one place was a great and much needed chance to slow things down a little, take in a city full of genuinely nice people (that speak the same language as me), chase a few squirrels and fruitlessly pursue moose and brown bears (not a single one to be found in downtown Toronto´s financial district, who would have thunk it!!). Toronto was the coldest destination of the trip to date, but thankfully the extremely helpful gay guy at one of the radder Queens Street West clothes shops was able to hook me up with a new hoodie!
Hit
After being on the road on my own for so long it was a breath of fresh air to finally see some familiar smiling faces in Andy and Krista (Sarah from the 05/06 Canadian invastion of Adelaide, and Leah on her own hols from Adelaide). A week in the one place was a great and much needed chance to slow things down a little, take in a city full of genuinely nice people (that speak the same language as me), chase a few squirrels and fruitlessly pursue moose and brown bears (not a single one to be found in downtown Toronto´s financial district, who would have thunk it!!). Toronto was the coldest destination of the trip to date, but thankfully the extremely helpful gay guy at one of the radder Queens Street West clothes shops was able to hook me up with a new hoodie!
Hit
- Quality time with quality crew... A massive thanks again to Andy and Kritsa for their fine hospitality and company!
- Tim Hortons.. got the double double
- Toronto Island, complete with nude beach
- Queens Street for bohemian good times
- Begger creativity... including signs that read ´Why lie I need money for pot´and Íf you´re afraid of change give it to me´
- Niagra Falls
- Major League Baseball action
Shit
- Cold nights ... and it´s only just going into autumn, or should I say fall
- Starbucks, it´s everywhere it´s everywhere!
- A confrontation with drunk Canadians in the toilet at the Canada vs Costa Rica Soccer match... there´s always gotta be one!
New York, New York!!!
Saturday, September 15, 2007
no hablo español
In the down time between chapters of my book and the occasional cooling dip on
A couple of days in Barcelona was enough to discover the vibrant Las Ramblas, some pretty cool beaches, stunning Gaudi architecture (straight out of a Dr Seus book), and take advantage of balmy night beer drinking weather. My fondest memory of
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