citymike

Montevideo

doherty1957 — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 06:08:00 GMT

I spent a long weekend in Montevideo. It's a lot quieter than Buenos Aires but just as nice, I think. However, the bar culture isn't great for a single person so I was bored at night. It's not that the people are unfriendly, they were very polite and smiled a lot, but the typical bars seem to be set up for groups of friends to sit together and it doesn't encourage mingling. On my last night I found a good restaurant that served a great paella, Euskal Erria.

Gallery: Montevideo

doherty1957 — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 05:59:00 GMT

A long weekend

River Plate vs Boca Juniors

doherty1957 — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 03:39:00 GMT

I wanted to see this match which the Guardian, according to one tour video, described as the most exciting sporting spectacle on the planet. At 300 pesos (£50) for a ticket with a coach to the ground and a guide I couldn’t let the opportunity pass.

The coach was a school bus, pretty basic but it wasn’t a long drive from the centre of BA so that didn’t matter. We arrived two and a half hours before the match started and already there was a large crowd milling around outside and queuing to enter the ground and it took us 30 minutes or so to get through a couple of barriers at which we were frisked (I was just waved through, obviously I look like a respectable tourist).

The ticket we were given by the guide were for the River end behind a corner flag and marked “socio canje – venta prohibido” which I think means “member’s ticket, sale prohibited” so I reckon quite a number of season ticket holders were made an offer they couldn’t refuse. There were no seat numbers and it was first come first served and as the ground filled up I was glad that we had got there so early and I was pleased with the view from my seat. Besides, we were “entertained” by the reserve teams as a warm up for the match as we waited.

The match itself was rather poor. Lots of final balls went astray and a couple of sitters missed. River had a guy in midfield running the show plus a tricky player on the right of midfield but I don’t think these players would make it in the premier league. River were on top for most of the game, a justified penalty after a player was brought down in the area was missed but after 30 minutes they scored from a well taken free kick at the edge of the area curved into the near post. Early in the second half a player from each side was sent off for handbag offences and that seemed to suit Boca more than River and they started to dominate with some lovely tricky runs from a right side midfielder which eventually led to an equaliser.

I wasn’t really there to watch the match but to experience the passion of the crowd. They were loud and fun to watch but I didn’t think that they were passionate. There was no bitterness or rancour towards the opposition that I see at a Manchester derby and when Boca equalised there was just a silence rather than anger at their own team or the opposition. If it were at Maine Road (my last Manchester derby) the crowd would have been screaming abuse at whoever and then making some attempt at spurring the team on and then living every kick hoping for an equaliser . I think the River crowd just accepted that the team isn’t very good and held no hope for a winner.

I’m sure that in years past this game must have been an incredible spectacle but maybe it has just got so dull that the crowd are excited for effect and to show willing rather than anything on the pitch inspiring them. The stadium doesn’t help in that it has a running track around the edge and I think this affects the atmosphere.

I’m glad I went and it might be a different event at the Boca stadium but I would never advise anyone to base their trip around this match. If I were ever to be invited to a Glasgow derby to find that the atmosphere wasn’t better than this match then I’d be disappointed.

Gallery: River Plate vs Boca Juniors

doherty1957 — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 09:25:00 GMT

Buenos Aires derby

Buenos Aires: The story so far

doherty1957 — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 06:56:00 GMT

I arrived on 29th September, 3 weeks ago, and I checked into The Clan House. A nice place with nice people but unfortunately above a Goth disco that blasts out music until the early hours. Still, I will forget the disco before I forget the friendliness of the people.

From there I moved to a homely hotel calle Brisas del Mar in San Telmo. It had internet connection and cable TV and it was cheap, £10 a night, but it was a small room and not one in which I liked to spend the evening so I was out every evening in bars. Although I was assured that I could return to the hotel at any hour, to get back in after midnight meant waking the owner who would open the door in her dressing gown and that made me feel uncomfortable. I stayed two weeks.

I am now in an apartment which allows me to come and go as I please without disturbing anyone. It is spacious and the bedroom is seperate. I have cable tv and internet connection and it seems fine so far. We'll see.

I have found a great bar, some good restaurants and I have met good, friendly people from all over the world including BA itself. I think I made a good decision to come here.

Buenos Aires

doherty1957 — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 07:46:00 GMT

Three weeks now and after spending them in decent but cramped hotels I am about to move into an apartment for 3 months. A luxurious apartment. I'm happy here and I hope to be happier

Gallery: Buenos Aires

doherty1957 — Fri, 9 Oct 2009 07:51:00 GMT

Bye Bye Bangkok

doherty1957 — Tue, 13 Jun 2006 03:06:00 GMT

I wasn´t unhappy to leave, I had done my time. Nothing much to say except that I am now part of an internet cafe advert poster. OK, it´s not the most sophisticated poster but if you are ever near the Ambassador hotel in Bangkok and you come across the internet cafe in the same building and my photo is still there then do let me know. Even better, go in and say hello to the lovely manageress.

Koh Chang

doherty1957 — Tue, 13 Jun 2006 03:01:00 GMT

Back in Bangkok I realised that two weeks there would be too long so I went to Koh Chang for 3 days. It´s a very nice but very boring island although I did meet a very interesting English woman and we had a lovely chat. Thai women are gorgeous in a skinny supermol way but give me a curvy English woman with a mind (and a couple of million in the bank) anyday.

Gallery: Phonm Pehn

doherty1957 — Wed, 31 May 2006 23:14:00 GMT

Angkor Wat

doherty1957 — Sun, 30 Apr 2006 16:03:00 GMT

It was alright

Phnom Penh

doherty1957 — Wed, 26 Apr 2006 19:59:00 GMT

I stayed at the Foreign Correspondents Club (FCC). As one would expect the rooms were of a high quality and the beds even had a duvet, but they weren't half noisy. My room is not in the main building and after settling in I had to walk back to the main building, past beggars, to the stairs to the rooftop restaurant. Fear not, the beggars didn't disturb me too much, after 6 months in South East Asia I know that the threat of a horse whipping soon makes that lot go quiet. Phnom Penh is dirty, it reminds me of India, but with a lot more and a lot stranger flying insects.

Today I went to the Royal Palace. It's quite an impressive place but it's a pity I went so shortly after visiting the Grand Palace in Bangkok which I think is more impressive. The Budhás in Phnom Penh were more impressive and the guide was better value. The guide told me that the Khmer Rouge didn't ransack the place but they didn't look after it either so parts are still shabby. Did you know that they are still expecting another, final, Budha.

Back to Bangkok

doherty1957 — Fri, 21 Apr 2006 17:22:00 GMT

It's nice to be back. I wa sat in the bar across the road from my hotel with another boozy faced fat bellied English guy about 6 feet away when inbetween us sat herself a young Thai babe. She spoke to me but I didn't have much enthusiasm to speak to her and the music was loud and so she spoke to the other guy instead. A minute later they were a couple and went to another, quieter part of the bar. One of waitresses witnessed this and gave me a comforting stroke on my arm! LOL!!

I saw the grand palace yesterday. Very nice but a bit cultural.

Gallery: Vung Tau

doherty1957 — Fri, 21 Apr 2006 17:07:00 GMT

Beach resort, I went native

Gallery: Cu Chi tunnels

doherty1957 — Fri, 21 Apr 2006 17:00:00 GMT

Where the commies used to fight the yanks

Gallery: Mu Nie

doherty1957 — Fri, 21 Apr 2006 16:40:00 GMT

A beachside resort, very quiet

Gallery: Saigon

doherty1957 — Fri, 21 Apr 2006 16:12:00 GMT

Ho Chi Minh City if you prefer

My big belly

doherty1957 — Wed, 12 Apr 2006 20:42:00 GMT

The Vietnamese people are very forward when it comes to discussing my beer belly. For the past 4 days I have been at a resort on the coast where there are few westerners. On a number of occassions people, especially women, have stroked my stomach and told me that it is big, like the stomach of a pregnant woman. They aren't expressing disapproval, just stating a fact and I seem to attract far more attention from the young ladies than any western, young, slim, attractive man.

Vung Tau

doherty1957 — Sun, 9 Apr 2006 18:09:00 GMT

This is a coastal resort. I have spotted a few westerners but we are very rare here. Some of the locals and other holiday makers will smile and say hello and little children stare at me. I was on the back of a motor bike taxi yesterday when a couple on a motorbike drew up alongside up and they said hello, but they were trying to sell me the woman rather than just being friendly. I found that rather strange.

Yesterday evening I went to a small restaurant in which the menu was written only in Vietnamese. The waiter told me he could translate and I ordered a pork stew, I received fried frog's legs. It was very nice actually.

The English excell themselves

doherty1957 — Fri, 7 Apr 2006 20:37:00 GMT

I met an English guy in a bar yesterday. Think of the pretentious English who think they are sophisticates because they have managed to settle in Spain and then multiply it by 20. He avoided my gaze like I was carrying bird flu and then spoke to the bar girls in the bar we were in in Vietnamese. I asked the bar girls if he spoke good Vietnamese, they told me he could count to 5, say hello and goodbye and other very simple phrases but that was it.

Apparently the Anericans can be just as bad, they think there should be special tourist bars and their own bars should be off limits. Sounds good to me. However, I should try and work out why this attitude annoys me.....it's certainly a form of insecurity on their part but why does it bug me? Surely I can just let them be pretentious, it doesn't really affect me unless I have some form of insecurity. I think I just hate snobs because intellectually it's a very stupid thing to be, fancy looking down your nose at someone because they aren't clever or sophisticated or blessed with some other aspect that you consider to be important. Even worse is to be arrogant bcause you consider yourself to be above average as most of the most obnoxious snobs seem to consider themselves.

Was that a rant?