Cultural learnings for make benifit of Continent America

Vive Che!

free-felix — Tue, 9 Oct 2007 01:43:00 GMT

So I don`t think I will ever say the word VIVE(LIVE) any more times than I did last night at the 40th year comemoration of Che Guevaras death at La Guerra...his final resting place just outside of Valle Grande, Bolivia. A collection of locals, travellers, Police, important speach makers and the flag bearing South American Youth Comunist Party....who made it all complete.

A fine night...nesteled in a corner of the 200strong crowd, sipping chicha with our group of foreign travellers. Quite chilled for a comunist party, but spent with great company...so a fine night was had. Making it there is rather the story.

Che Ernesto Guevara was killed due to an ambush in a large valle just outside the town. To get there it`s a 2-3 hour drive up a rickety dirt road. If one wanted to wait for the buss they ould however to beat the rush Dids and I, along with the fine company of Stephany and Carah(two girls from the states voulenteering in Cochabamba) opted for the taxi ride. Found a driver, bottle of rum for the road and we were set. Just one requested bathroom stop at the drivers house befor the drive. When we arived at his house his heavily pregnant wife was waiting for him outside, sporting a very sour look on her face. He rushed her to hospital and returned to us and said that he forgot about his plans to take her to hospital...as by this time she was giving birth. SHIT!...off all the things to delay a trip the was a first for all of us. Lucky we asked to stop at his house....

Such the gent he then took us to the plaza and found us someone to replace him. Thanked him with a bottle of spirits, congradulations and off...again.

Like always in comemorative presentations the Man rather that the message was highlighted by the people. The final message focused on Uniting the Continent of South America, it`s people, land and their history. A man with a mission wich will last the test of time. VIVE CHE!

The road to Pitchu...

free-felix — Thu, 4 Oct 2007 09:28:00 GMT

By far one of the most Visited places by foreigners and locals in the south american Continent, catering for hundreds of bright eyed tourists each day is the one and only Matchu Pitchu.

Although a place one can`t keep to themself the company of manny others doesn`t detract any of its grandur or astonishing precense. The arcitectur is incredible let alone not to mention the surounding jungle and mountains that is the `navel` of the Inca empire. Words don`t give justice to the place, rather something one must experience for themself.

Just as special was the road to pitchu and who I enjoed it with. As planed I made tracks to Cusco with my brisvegas housemate Didier. A true pleasure to be travelling with a good fiend from home after 7months solo....well neve alone or lonely.

We were getting wrestless, three days in Cusco and we were ready to make it to the big apple. To our good lick we met a bubbly, spunky argintiniana; Julieta.

The way to Matchu Pitchu is highly regulated. If you haven`t booked yourself a treak or guide be prepared to fork out $113 US for the train to the nearest Pueblo Aguas Caliente. Then add $40 us for the entrance ticket only valid for one entrance. The greatest money scam, even more disturbing considering the money doesn`t go to Peru. The systems have been sold off to Chile....what shit!

After a good chat with Julieta we decided to atempt the back door aproach to Pitchu and make our own gringo trail. With a day of plans, ticket bookings and Cusco farwells we had it sorted. An 8hour buss ride to Quillabamba, an amazonian port city nestleled in the foothills of the Andes.

BEAUTIFULL! Warm, Green and a friendly Public to boot. Quite a change from othewr parts in the region. As the weather was nice and being the only gringoes in the whole city we stayed one extra lazy night to laze in the sun & sand of the rio Madre de Dios.

Pleasure aside we continued on to Santa Teresa for one of the more strenuous parts of the trip. A bus to teat all South American resistance. In a van 32 people, a box of ducks and one traumatised pig ridding the roof racks hbuged and swayed for three hours, sliding over sheer cliffs. At one stage Babe was dangling off the side without a cry or squeel. Oh shit! That e`ll do pig, that e`ll do.

One more colectivo to the hydro center and we had made it to the home strait. A 2 hour walk along the train tracks.

This was the highlight for us all as we were treated to views of Waina Pitchu and other ruins along the way. Everything was green, bursting with life and water ways. Mountains hung over head scraping the clouds.

What a pleasure to experience something so sweet and exclusive with such good people. With the next day to kill we braced ourselves for the Inca heart. We woke at 4am, hoofed it up the hill to be the third person at the gate. Took in the sunrise and spent the whole day amongst the rocks of history.

So why read this, go do it yourself!

www.flicker.com/photos/doli

A Life in Huaraz

free-felix — Sun, 12 Aug 2007 00:56:00 GMT

The plan was to suck in some mountain air for a week before the arrival of my Aussie housemate Didier. The didsmister would be rocking up in Lima on the 7/8th of August and from there, with his Pop we would make plans for the great south. However in my first day in Huaraz I ran into two local lads Junior and George...two very obsesed rock climbers. With that said we spent the day swinging from boulder to boulder.

One of my plans for my travels was to work in a bar improving my love for coctails and so when Georges boss ofered me a possition to work and live in her cafe bar I did´t hesitate. Changing my original plan only after one day.

So now my life is taken up by Pisco sours, Rock clibing and the morning spainsh lesson to top it all of. Unexpected but all part of the fun when being in a foreign country.

Like myself Dids has changed his plans and is heading to Quito with his papa...so the new bout of travell is on hold. Words of movment to Bolivia is taking up conversation with my new Peruviano Muchachos.

Off to climb a rock or two...chao

Boarder crossings..Beaches & Funky Double Decker Buses

free-felix — Sat, 4 Aug 2007 03:28:00 GMT

Making ones way to peru solo from Ecuador is an every day ocurance for many people and also a buisnes for the nifty and dodgy. Unlike the Oh so easy change from Colombia to Ecuador? this boarder crossing had a bit more kick to it.

The tale goes....once you get into Peru after all the legal jargon and make it acros the fronter (a small bridge) with all you stuff you would be tempted to take the cab ride that is on offer to the nearest town. However many a persons have been taken to places unsafe to leave the taxi and a price change included from 45 Soles to 45 Dollars...not a nice cambio. However thanks to my luck I avoided it..

I ran into two Chileano lads and a peruviano making the same rout. With four sets of eyes for saftey we made it to the Land of Pisco Sours with all things intacted. Halfway down the road after Imigration we leave the colectivo for an Audi 4x4..Huh? the peruvian muchacho had organised his brother to pick us up and with that done myself and my new chileno mates had a very fast and free ride to MANCORA.

Mancora is a small but very bustling beach along the Pan-Americana best known for its waves and babes. And with perfect timing we arived for the Peruvian Independence Week(the bigest party in the country) whear everyone flocks to for a long boozup on the beach.

So the week folowed quite well with very litle complexities to life (disregarding my sunburn) and new found friends. I linked up with a very interesting group of travellers....a couple from the states, two sisters form colorado, two spanish speakin Italianos and one very wild polish geezer. With that made beach barbeques, birthday parties and long days in the sand were had. A very interesting dynamic of people to say the least.

The week ended...all heading south in funky double decker buses for lima. The inter-mixto had planed their last week together in Iqitos..the amozon and the lairy aussi jumped off the bus half way(in both minds) for the Crodilla Blanca...the gem of the peruvian andes...no not machu pitchu.

I finaly stuck to my plan of travel for the first time. With the company of a local and my bottle of rum I acended in a new bus 3500meters to the city of Huaraz...not knowing what to find?

Markets, Mates & the Basin

free-felix — Mon, 23 Jul 2007 05:13:00 GMT

A grand day of shopping in the OTAVALO market of Ecuador(one of the biiggest in S.America) enticed the three lads...and about a hundred other gringos. We noticed more extranjeros in two days than four months in Colombia. ¨How much money did your parents give you?¨ said a surley yank teen to the other. Not what we expected but a fine time none the less.

We continued on, once again rising closer to the stars with our arival to QUITO. By the next day the brothers had done some extra shopping to the galapagos and so we parted ways...I packed the bag and made it to the hills of LATACUNGA.

As quickly as I said good-by in Quito I had gained two new local friends Juan and Alex. After a few beers and some local insight into the country´s history....From 1995-98 Ecuador and Peru fought in a small war over Amozon forests and the Galapagos islands which were quite rightly Ecuadors. The conflict ended to Ecuadors victory but due to bribery and corruption Peru obtained a large part of Ecuador´s Amozon basin, taking a 1/4 of teir land and changing the political map once again. To say the least, the relationship between the two makes for a great football match......I was invited to stay with Alex and his family in Tababela, a neighbouring town next to Quito. So we returned for a weekend of fun and amazing hospitality provided by his family.

BANOS: which means bathroom, a touristy city amongst live vocanoes and rolling hills provided my entry point to the Amozon basin. I booked a three day Amozon tour complet with rafting, biking, landslides and a funky stomach bug...

I returned to Banos with the mixture of Amazon exploring European travellers and found a bus going north..once again returning to Latacunga to hang with my mates. To follow was another bout of amazing acomodation and laughs in Tababela and then a blast of a 21st B-day bash for Alex.

And now I have parted ways with my sarogate Ecuadorian family for the Colonial style streets of Cuenca. Back on my own I have two weeks until my Brisbane housmate Didier arives in Lima. So The plan is to put my hamok to use and swing my way down the Peruvian coast...anyone for a pisco sour?

Off south

free-felix — Sat, 30 Jun 2007 10:33:00 GMT

Entonces....two kids burn past us on a dodgy dirt bike wielding pistols and M16´s serving us a surley stair. Who were they...the cops of corse.

I have released my grip from my odd mixture of life in bogota for my orignal plan...the move south. Paked the bag for the fith time and sent myself to SAN AGUSTINE...the center of Colombia´s indigenous hitory. Life did what it does best in South America and gave us (Jess, Josh & I; my new american travel mates) the unexpected, a land slide. Plus a little extra for me; a broken camera scren...shit I just got that fixed!

To follow were two full days of cultural enlightenment...plus a bit of social enlightent involving some serious drinking with the locals at a new swanky bar. It just happend to be the weekend celebrating the history of the region...lots of drunk cowboys swaying from their horse´s..to say the least.

We ventured off the next day to POPAYAN, a white washed colonial city boasting indigenous roots and a historical mercado. Taking the well know bus from S.Agustin amongst the panoramic mountain views(also better known for the attention the Gurillas have given the road in the past) we safely rocked up an hour late thanks to a boged cargo truck.

Popayan proved it´s cultural heritage and architecture, highlited even more by our lovely local guides Viviana & chiche...Just as impressive was the local market in the neighboring pueblo SILVIA. I finaly aquired myself a genuine Colombian mochila(hippy bag)& a pair of wellington boots for all my muddy treaks. With a long farwell to our guides the next day would guide us to PASTO. A quite litte city serving to the tourist a tranquil day trip to one of S.Americas largest(& highest)lakes. A sureal pueblo floats by its side...our restaraunt had a bit of a (((sway))) to it!

When we awoke we had to deal with the fact that it would be our last day in the beloved land of Colombia....cry me a river! IPIALES: We spent our last moments soaking up the gothic style catedral nesteled in a river canyon.

And so the three extranjeros with a love and a life for colombia (4-5 months) said goodby to a chapter in their lives for a new adventure south..

Gallery: Manizales & the wookies

free-felix — Fri, 18 May 2007 08:06:00 GMT

city & bush

Vamos para los Montan

free-felix — Fri, 18 May 2007 01:06:00 GMT

Bogota was doing my head in...needed some clean air, So I shot off to the coffe region for a good brew.

I had my pomy aliance, Nick, living in Salento shoting the breaz as the night shift worker at Plantation House, the local Hostal. He had a week left in Colombia before his return to England and so I kept him company with the help of mate kev plus many cups of coffee and games of pool.

Salento on a shoestring is a neat and colourfull colonial town (1000 ppl, no more) in the foothills of the Colombian Andes. If you stand at an outlook point you have a 360degree view of sweeping hills laced with coffe trees, fruit plantations and snaking rivers, like you´re in Harry potter or something.

Being a small town it has a very chilled lifestyle, you can´t go to your local shop and but something without having a 30minute discussion...even if you don´t spek fluent spanish. For the person who is there to soak up the town then the best thing to do is to get yourself one of the many pool tables and order youself a cup of coffee. It was a strenuous week in the hills but someone had to do it. Our life of lazyness was broken up with bouts of hikes around the town to the local coffe growers, waterfalls and our local mates house.

Although a sleepy little town, Salento comes alive for the weekend. The plaza is filled with tents housing eateries, bars and dancefloors. All this and flocks of Colombian tourists from Caligive the place a beating pulce. By Saturday everything had kicked off, along with the birthday of a local friend of ours...all this made for one long and loud night in the hills.

By Monday it was time for us to leave, Nick to Bogota and myself, I made my way to manizales...a place everyone seems to talk about..so I had to see it for myself. No pictures of Salento...my camera has been bust since I got to Bogota.

Gallery: The motherfied US road trip

free-felix — Thu, 19 Apr 2007 13:21:00 GMT

California and beyond

With the help of a friend...

free-felix — Thu, 8 Feb 2007 09:58:00 GMT

So it hit me, waiting in the LA airport..reflecting on my last month..and what lay ahead. I was on my own..with 17 months to live in any place that enticed me. I had freed the felix!

Arriving in San Jose I noticed why people don´t rave about it..a complicated city used by the tourist for transport & study...well I aint doin one of them.

Made it to the hostal and had an urge to make it to the beach likedy split! With no plans up my sleve I looked at the country map and decided on the pacific coast..Tamarindo a touristy surfing town. Grabbed my bag, exchanged e-mails with an aussi girl named Tahnee making her way to Bogota(one more alliance) and crused it to the bus station.

One more thing hit me on the head...the language. My spanish was weak and yery limited. One should never have trouble buying their lunch but I did...bad jelly. To my great luck I ran into my aussi amiga who with geat ease booked my bus to the coast and armed me with some spanish and traveller web sites.

So with the help of a friend I was on my way to the coast...my first bout of solo travell had kicked off. I was to expect a week of intense parties.

Vegas Baby! & a little bit of Frisco

free-felix — Wed, 31 Jan 2007 03:18:00 GMT

The mother and I had devoured a fine chunk of the desert, mountains towering forests and eiry historical wetern towns. Another two weeks or so lay ahead. I can´t recal a great deal as i´m writing this months later but it would have been a blur if I wrote in the then so I chose the now...what does that mean patrick?

LAS VEGAS proved to be just what one expected...a comple experience in itself laden with bright lights, long nights and sureal sights. We arived on friday night...a glow could be seen miles away. We treated ourselfs to some fine acomidation....¨why so how bout staying in a pyramid tonight?¨ said sal, why the hell not...we checked into the Luxor.

One moment one could be floating in Venice then speeding through New York in a coaster and then jugling some dice in Circus Circus. (don´t forget the Eiffel tower) Being on the strip we felt amazed but caugt...every casino is linked to the nex by bridges which one thinks is the way out.

The last night we escaped the rush for the original strip of casinos which founded the life we had learnt to dig. Complete with wooden interiors, shrimp coctales and clasic tunes from the in house grand piano. Life is a blast in Vegas funny thing is..the casino doors don´t have locks...their open 24hrs every day of the year.

To come down of our superficial high we took in the natural beauty of Seqoia national park, Zion, the wine valles and nureous others. Next SAN FRAN SISCO.

This town proved to be one of my most beloved. If I could have settled anywhear it would have been here. The City is so modern, yet hitorical and as its forte the funky ways and woes of the downtown groovers. Frisco is home to the sumer of love 1969...the birth place of love, flowers and perpetual groove. Height & Ashbury street provides a ¨day trip¨ in itself, laden with old and new age hippies, punks, rockers..if it´s cool it´s here. Not to mention the victorian style architecture sliding down its manny hills frsco has it all.

The trip was closing in on us as we crused down the Califronian coast via Highway One. As we watched the superbowl final on our last night it dawned upon us both that the Mother & Son duo woul have to wait until I choose to return to OZ...some 17months left on my ticket. We said goodby on the LA airport but..shed a tear and that was it. I was alone!

Off West: Arizona, New Mexico & Southern Colorado

free-felix — Sat, 20 Jan 2007 10:12:00 GMT

Armed with a 4x4 and a deep hunger for the west, the Mother and I hit the road for the first time making tracks to Mexicali.

With little knowledge of what we were doing we crossed the border to Mexico, acidently putting ourselves in a different country. Quite a realization, by crossing a border we moved from the first world to the third world....not all roses and Big Macs anymore. The plan was to look around by foot, however by car wasn´t the plan so back to California. A good taste for what one should expect in South & Central America.

Spent the rest of a long day aquanting ouselves with Hether, the well educated, by lingual, talking GPS system with an accent to boot. Ingrid, our Ford 4x4 guided us to Prescot, Arizona for a fine first sleep and gun loving slogans.

We woke early to a clear sky and an open road to Jerome. A quiet little, cobble street town superglued to a steep mountain side, the port to the western desert of red, swinging doors and shoot em ups..think tumbleweeds.

We decended the hills of Jerome to race across a desert plain laced with layered, corregated hills. The landscape was created by the last Ice age when it all melted, rushed down the hills making a very large plain of silt and colorfull slopes. We pased the dry for Sedona, a place one would asociate with the great western movies, deep red messas and bad tourist shops. Stoped for a quick tyre repair and a handfull of desert snaps...too touristy for a long stay, dream catchers in every shop scared me. The road east out of Sedona produced winding roads through pine forest, holding the recently fallen first snow. Many snaps of red messas and white forests...hit the hay in Flagstaff, staying on Route 66 no less.

As I spent my first day in Flagstaff, on the computer finishing my TESOL assesment, the radio anounced a snow storm in the south-west states. I pulled my eyes from the computer to see the whole city coverd in ice and snow....happy days! Finished my work; celebrated with the creation of my first and only snowman, many beers in a rock bar and some fine advice from the locals.

Higlights:
Mesa Verde National Park: Huge canyons sporting ancient pueblos, home to the native Indians...they disapeared without a trace in the 1600´s.

Santa Fe: Beautifull old pueblo style town, Home of the Georga O´Kief museum and western history.

Albuquerque, New Mexico: Say it with a deep southern accent, it made my trip.

Petrified Wood National Park: Many snow balls + I got to drive!

Durango, Southern Colorado: Spent the day in the hot springs, surounded by snowy mountains.

We visited so many places this is just an idea of what we did and saw in the first week or so on the road. Red Desert, white forests, stunning national parks and historical western towns. We had travelled east through the great west, time to start our loop back with two weeks left.

San Diego

free-felix — Sat, 13 Jan 2007 06:17:00 GMT

So we rolled out out LA leaving behind us the chaos that makes it known so well. As the train rolled out the moutains farwelled us with their first gathering of snow for the season...a fine crisp view.

As the train crused down the coast I couldn´t help but notice the industrial areas and flodways that resembled the great car race in Greace...Yeah Baby! The coast was excelent...no wonder all rock bands sing about this place.

We had a simple plan, stay with our friends Geofory & Leisly, get our rental car and get On the Road. However life was not so easy.......

After our first day taking in the sights & planing the trip over a map in a black out..ha! we made our way to hertz for the car.

"I´m sory mam but the person who drives the car has to be the holder of the card, you son is too young to hold an account with us"

"But it´s my card, my account just his name. Please can´t there be an aception"

"All I can sugest is that you call your card company and get a replacment card, then we can sort things out. But come back tomorow because I can reserve you a better car for cheap" she had sympathy for our situation.

So we whent home to sort out sals card....more bad comunication! The card compnay only filed a replacment for one card but had to delete my original because it´s the same account. So in the end we had no car, no cards and had to wait until the new one arrived....ARGHHH!

We returned the next day with Leislys company and the lady said

"Oh you have a friend that lives here, she can put her name down as a card holder but when you return the car you can pay with your card...or you son´s"

An avoidable drama...however it did mean that day the boss wasn´t around so we scored a 4x4 with GPS for the price of a crappy coke can car...score baby..score!

With a few days to kill mum and I shot off to Joshua Tree National Park...an excelent way to get things on the road...U2 I mean US2 had a ball.

We got back to our sarogate house in San D and shouted our friends a home cooked dinner.

To my excitment the ilustrial skunk we had been trying to catch had finaly landed himself in one of the garden traps. Problem being was that Pepe le Pew was in the way of the herb box. Sal and Leisly decided to put a blanket over the cage for the saftey of all parties concerned. Ha! the little dude did what he does best and layed a stinker on sally. My best description of the smell would be rotten eggs mixed with a toxic smelling glue.

The smell filled the whole garden (half a tenis court) for over an hour. The remainder of its loe juice resided on sals jacket, a smell which can´t be washed out, no matter what...so we ditched it. An event which made for one funny dinner.....go on, ask sal about it..Ha!

We woke the next day to blue skys, new cards and a hunger for making miles....it was done, We were On the Road!

Los Angeles you complicated girl you

free-felix — Thu, 11 Jan 2007 12:00:00 GMT

Arived into La with january the 8th to live all over again in a californiated way....and with energy to burn. Caught the bus to the main train station..first thing first, book the tickets to San Diego in advance.

``Excuse me mam this crdit card is expired``...what!? It can`t be It`s new.. Oh shit..my mother has realised that her new card (completly identicle) is back in Australia sadly mistaken for the old one...Doh!

I knew that all was fine beacause I had my own card linked to her account...but the look on her face was a fine kodak moment.

The topic of forgetfullnes capitalized the conversation until we got to our hotel...on the way, streets laden with big dodge utes and yellow shcool buses ...yea like in the simpsons! cool I`m realy in America I thought.

The hotel was smack bang in the middle of the buisness district...good for comuting, bad for the lungs.

Took in the vistas and shot thru with our walikng shoes. Off to china town and little Mexico, bit tacky.

Now for some real culture...the museum of modern art, La brea tar pits and the museum of historicl artifacts and all that jazz.

My head was about to explode so we bought a token USA burger of the same size and a beer can the length of my foot, got back at night and soaked up the LA lights....

Our first day of travel done well.

DAY 2: Token LA Bus tour.

´´And on your right folks is the bar whear the doors used to be the resident band, but back then they wern´t called the doors´´. Oh and that´s Steven Spielbergs office...OOOHHHHH! AAAHHHHH!

Yep, we couldn´t have left LA without being driven around with a bunch of tourist and not be given the 101 about LA and all it´s secrets. Hollywood bowl, Rodeo Drive and all that shines and glitters. It was all well and good...we ralized that it was a must due to the fact that LA is one big giant Blob of concrete. If you want to get around then you need a car...as it is laden with 4-6lane high ways...the public transpot sucks. Mum n I ended our day with an enormous Mexican feast...manyana, hanging out with a local friend of ours.

DAY 3: An oh so personal tour

As planed we met up with our friend Philipa, an energetic New Zealander who has settled in Venice Beach...think Bay Watch. As she and my mother are both fanatic artist the day was revolved around all the little art galleries hidden around the city...good to have a local with a car to make life easy.

Brunched it in style, more galleries (left the picture taking to the ladies) and we were off to Philipa´s place to soak up Venice beach. As I said...think Bay Watch but add some dodgy hawkers, crappy souvernier shops and a complete aray of every kind of person(roller skaters n babes)...now you have venice beach.

Coffe with the setting sun...was a fine day...back to the hotel.

DAY 4: Ghetti Museum

The Ghetti family is one I know very little about, however you don´t have to be Einstein to know that the have heaps of dosh and a love for all that is artistic and historical. For example...the multi milion dollar complex was built on a prime mountain top overlooking the whole of LA...and with it´s private cable car for access...nice.

In a nut shell...a complete range of all the different genres of art and historical artifacts. As I´m writing this four months later I can´t go into detail...but if you are ever in LA..Go the Ghetti!

Packed our bags for the train to San Diego