Cairns - Gateway to the Reef

Days 454-456, February 24-26, 2012

Coming to Australia so soon after getting my dive certification, it shouldn’t be any wonder that a trip up to the Great Barrier Reef was high on my list of things to see and do. Even with its immense size, probably the easiest jumping off point to visit the Reef is from the small city of Cairns in northern Australia.

To get to Cairns, I opted to fly. Strangely enough, flying ended up being much cheaper, and obviously faster, than any other mode of transportation available to me. And so, at stupid o’clock in the morning, I left Paula’s home, caught a bus to central Sydney and walked to the Central Train Station to grab a train to the Domestic Terminal.

It’s so empty

Bonding With My Bondi Family

Days 447-454, February 17-24, 2012

After a couple days with Steve at  the extremely posh hotel, I was kicked to the curb. Well, not really. Steve’s boyfriend Matthew was coming to Sydney and they wanted a little privacy. And since I’m not really a voyeur, nor are they exhibitionists, I left to find a new place to stay.

Luckily Australia seems to be the one area of the world where I have no limit to the number of people I know who are willing to offer a place for me to see. This time was no different. Back in December of 2010, I had met the lovely Carnegie family in Cuzco, Peru. I had stayed in contact with them throughout my trip and when it became known that I would be in Sydney, they hooked me up with their friend Paula whom they had met years ago in India.

Lorikeets on Paula’s deck

Getting Over The Theft

It’s really sad to admit, but admit it I will, but the day after the theft of my laptop and passport, I was not in the best of moods. I was downright depressed. For two days I did nothing but wander over to the McDonald’s where the theft happened (on the insane notion that I could change things back) or stay in the hostel watching old movies. I was very close to just quitting the trip, that’s how horrible I felt. Of course, I didn’t, and couldn’t do that. I had no passport after all.
But somehow I snapped out of it. I think it was mainly when my aunt told me to stop whining. She has a way with words at times.

Plus, I almost caught myself watching this

Landing in “Bali”–AKA Sydney

The plan has been in the works for weeks, if not months. When it became obviously clear that I would not be in Melbourne for Christmas or New Years to spend those holidays with my good friend Steve from Stevivor.com, I decided on getting there for his birthday at the end of January. I got a hold of his amazing boyfriend Matt and found out the date for the birthday party: February 4. And so, a plan formed. I would lie through Facebook, Twitter, etc. by giving the impression I was heading to Bali when in actuality I was heading to the Land Down Under. The only people in the know were travelers I had told in person, Matt, and my good friend Mick who I would be staying with for the first few days in Sydney.

NOT the Bali Airport. Guess my flight was diverted?

Completing Asia

Day 427-430, January 28-31, 2012

The trip from KL to Singapore was a pretty quick one considering the distance. It probably helped that the bus up to the border had private TVs, much like an airplane. And it also had Wi-Fi connectability. That certainly helped pass the time fast. Crossing the border was a breeze and suddenly I was in the City-State of Singapore, the final stop on the Asia leg of my trip. I was lucky enough that a friend offered me to stay on his couch during my brief stay in the small island country. Considering I was going to Australia next, I was going to take any and all opportunities to stay for free/cheap.

Singapore Skyline

Singapore is quite a large city, but many of its best sites are located in relatively small area downtown. The Singapore Flyer, the worlds largest Ferris wheel, was one of my first stops. Because my time was short in the city, I did what I’ve started calling “Geocache tours” around the city. Basically, I use the geocaches to take me to the interesting spots. It works out great. And I don’t get lost, which isn’t great when you’re pressed for time.

From the Flyer, I walked up to the Bay area that is covered with iconic Singapore images. The Marina Bay Sands Hotel, the Merlion statue, the Helix Bridge(built to resemble a DNA Double Helix), as well as the Singapore skyline from the Bay were the major highlights. It’s hard to fully remember that you’re still in an Asian country considering that English is one of the main languages, and the city itself is insanely clean.

Helix Bridge with Marina Bays Sands Hotel

Singapore Merlion  

The city seems to come alive at night though. The Marina Bay Sands Hotel seems to have a laser light show. I saw it from a distance so don’t know if there was music attached. Walking along one of the river promenades, you’re surrounded by pub after pub after restaurant after restaurant. And each one is showing the exact same Australian Open tennis game on numerous flat screen TVs.

Way back in Europe, while doing some random research about Asia, I stumbled across the small little fact of Singapore having a Universal Studios. Anyone that knows me knows that I’m a junky for rollercoasters. Hell, I went to a theme park in Santiago and the one in Madrid I went to twice! So, on the Monday before I left, I headed out to Sentosa Island to try and get in. I say “try” because I had heard whispers around that tickets to the park can sell out. Which sounded really odd to me, but oh well. I was taking my chances I guess.

Getting in wasn’t an issue at all though. Yes, it was expensive, but it was totally going to be worth it. And it was. A few weeks earlier, the Transformers Ride had opened up so that was the first one I went on. Suddenly, being a single person at a theme park worked to my advantage as many rides had separate lines of “Single Riders.” I felt a little guilty as I strolled past the other people lined up in the regular line, but that guilt disappeared when I sat in my seat. If anyone has been on the “Amazing Spider Man” ride at Universal Studios Orlando, that’s basically what the Transformers ride is. Just with better graphics. And more explosions. And with Transformers. But no Shia Lebouf(Plus? Minus?).

The day at Universal was one of my favourites. I checked out the duelling coaster of Battlestar Galataca(sorry, but the Cylon side was the better of the two. Sorry Humans); the indoor, pitch black rollercoaster of The Mummy; the Shrek 4D film(Bug’s Life at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, and Honey I Shrunk the Audience at Epcot); Madagascar(boring, sorry); Lights, Camera, Action! Special effects show; and my all time favourite: Jurassic Park. Just walking into the line up for that ride, with the theme song of the movie playing brings goosebumps to my flesh.

And add to the fact that, up until I walked up to the ride I was under the impression that it was closed for renovations. Yup, that’s right, I jumped and squealed when I saw it was open.

I split that day up with a little hike around the island, which has been built up in recent years to be a major island attraction, with a few other theme parks, plenty of beaches, and hotels. For me though, the highlight outside of Universal was walking to the end of the island where a sign proclaims that to be the Southernmost Point of Mainland Asia. That was cool.

My final day in Singapore ended up being a wash out. Literally. I tried to head to Chinatown to check it out but got caught in a downpour that lasted for a good two hours. With no umbrella, I was stuck under an awning of a small business. A random stranger walking by actually ripped the cardboard box he was carrying in half for me to use as a makeshift umbrella. It was enough to get me to the nearest metro relatively dry so I could grab my stuff and head to the airport.

There’s a reason why Singapore’s Changi International Airport is constantly named the best Airport in the world. I found that out first hand the moment I walked in. Checking in to the flight was the smoothest I’ve had. There are so many service desks that the lines seem to just constantly move. Past security you have so many things to occupy your time. I saw signs for “nap rooms” and even a sign for a movie theater showing free movies. There’s even a two story tall, indoor butterfly park in the departures lounge. If I had known about half the stuff in the airport I would’ve gone there sooner to spend more time!

Asia is officially done for my trip. I’m sad and not ready to move on. But I’m excited at the same time as I will be meeting friends in Australia that I had met along the way. And best of all, I’ll be surprising my good friend Steve for his birthday. As far as he was aware, I was flying to Borneo.

The surprise is going to be epic!

Chiang Mai Tweet-Ups

Day 399-403, December 31,2011 – January 4, 2012

At the start of my trip, oh so long ago, Chiang Mai was really just another Thai city on my list of ones I wanted to see. There was no real particular reason behind it, I didn’t know what there was to see or do in the city. That all changed probably around the beginning of October when I learned that Warren and Betsy of Married With Luggage were going to be settling down for a few months in Chiang Mai. Suddenly, I had a major incentive to go to Chiang Mai. A reason 1 year and 3 continents in the making.

Hiking the Carpathians around Magura

Days 278-282, September 1-5, 2011

It had never really occurred to me to go hiking in the mountains of Romania for some reason. I think I just assumed that it would be difficult to reach the solitude that I was so craving. My assumption was so wrong! I did some quick checking up on Hostel World for hostels near the town of Brasov where it’s just a short bus ride to Bran and Dracula’s Castle. The first hostel that popped up was a farm villa near Bran, in the tiny village of Magura. It didn’t take me too long to make a decision on that.

For five days, I was going to be staying in the Carpathian mountains. No cities. No internet. No crowds.

I’m Going to be Famous! [In Romania]

Day 276-278,283-285, August 30-31/September 6-8, 2011

I’m not sure what it was that caused my change of mood between Belgrade and Bucharest. All I know is that when I woke up on the train as it pulled into the Bucharest train station, I was suddenly excited about traveling again. I still had no plans beyond seeing the Romanian capital city, and yet I felt a renewed sense of joy in what I was doing.

In my time in Romania, Bucharest became one of the few cities on my trip that I’ve visited more than once. First when I came from Belgrade, and again when I came back from the Carpathian Mountains. And both times can be connected with a single connection: being interviewed by a Romanian news magazine. In fact, the biggest and most popular news magazine(both on and off line) in the entire country.

Pretty Bridges and Creepy Churches

Days 263-266, August 17-20, 2011

With my flight to Istanbul coming up in September, I have started to plan my route down there. I can’t put keep pushing back that flight to Asia, and looking at my bank account just solidifies the reality that this trip can’t be completely open ended. So, with that in mind, I left Berlin by train to Prague, the capital of the Czech Republic and the first stop on my Balkan Capital City Tour.

[No] Sex, [Some] Drugs, & Country Music

Day 249-254, August 3-8, 2011

There were a couple reasons I was excited to go to Amsterdam. First, it was Pride. You always hear about the craziness of European gay prides and Amsterdam was surely to exceed those expectations(for what Pride was really like, check this post out). But I think I was actually even more excited because this would be the first time I meet another fellow travel blogger on the road, Jaime from Breakaway Backpacker.

We had been planning this for months now and it was finally here! With our apartment booked and our train arrival times happening within a half hour of each other, it was time to head off. For me, it was a 20 hour train ride from Zagreb, through Munich and onto a night train to Amsterdam. For Jaime, it was a two hour train from Antwerp, Belgium.

A Hiker’s Dream City

Days 242-248, July 27-August 2, 2011

Banja Luka, my destination upon leaving Sarajevo, is a nice, quiet city but because of extreme laziness while there, there is not much I can say about it. I won’t take all the blame either, as the few places that are big tourist draws in the city, namely the castle, were closed to the public unless you had a ticket for the large independent band festival happening that week. So, unfortunately for the city, it really only gets this little introductory paragraph on my journey. I was on my way to Zagreb after only two nights in Banja Luka so didn’t get the chance to do some of the things that are available outside the city(like river rafting and rock climbing).

My loss, that’s for sure.

The One Where Kelly Falls off a Wall

The following takes place on Days 201-203, June 16-18, 2011

With the riots officially finished(for now) in Athens, Kelly and I left the hostel early in the morning to catch the metro to the port to grab our first ferry ride of the trip. The closest metro station was in Syntagma Square, where all the problems from the day before were concentrated. As we were walking through the deserted, early morning streets I began to feel a strange tickling in my throat. And then my eyes began to burn. When I looked over at Kelly her eyes were a bright red. The tear gas that had been shot off the day before was still lingering in the air.

Broken glass littered sections of the sidewalk and there was garbage strewn everywhere. At one point I noticed pieces of a wall had been broken off of a building in the square. And considering how much I was being affected by the tear gas this long after it had been released I was quite glad I wasn’t right in the midst of the action. Though, imagine the pictures I would have had!

From Hippy to Revolutionary

The following takes place between days 184-186, May 30 – June 1, 2011

Even though I still felt queasy and tired from the food poisoning, I still managed to get up and leave the hostel in Essouira in time to catch my bus that would begin probably not so much the longest travel day of the trip, but certainly the one with the most connections and distance. 

It started off with a bus from Essaouira to Marrakech where I would switch to a train for Casablanca. As the Casablanca airport is so far out of the city, I would then need to take a separate train from Casablanca back out of the city to the airport. Considering I had at least 7 hours to wait for my flight, I initially thought I could store my luggage at the Casablanca train station or something and run off to see the 3rd largest Mosque in the world, and also one of only two in the country that allows non-Muslims to visit.

Sometimes, though, things don’t necessarily turn out the way one plans.

Lisbon 2–The treasured city

The following takes place between Days 161-162, May 7-8, 2011

After the quick breeze through of Porto, it was back on the bus for me towards Lisbon. And good timing too as just as the bus was pulling out of the city did the rain start pouring down. I wouldn’t have gotten much done in Porto that day it seems.

The one thing that really was annoying about Porto, which I alluded to previously, is that there is no central bus station. Each bus company runs out of its own office so it’s not exactly user friendly. You don’t get the opportunity to shop around for the best times and/or prices. You basically choose the bus company and take what’s available. Luckily for myself and the two girls I was with, the next bus to Lisbon was leaving in ten minutes so it wasn’t that much of a wait.

Rushing Through Porto

The following takes place between Days 158-160, May 4-6, 2011

With a plan in mind to head to the Algarve region in a few days, I decided to split my time in Lisbon in two and head to Porto for a couple nights to check out the home of Port wine, a type of wine made by using brandy during the fermentation process. It’s amazing to drink. Highly recommend it.  And drinking it where it’s made is all the more better

Lisbon–A City of Contrasts

The following takes place between Days 155-157, May 1-3, 2011

I admit that not only have I been completely neglecting updating the blog, but I’ve also been half dreading writing this post, and the others about Portugal as I have a good friend back home from Portugal. I really want to do his home country justice.

And wow. What a country. We’ll start with the capital as that’s where we are currently situated. I just fell in love with this city. Sure, my Portuguese leaves much to be desired but at least it’s close enough to Spanish that I can get by. “No fala Portuguese. Solo ingles o Español" was a phrase I said many times. I tried though! I caught onto the way they said numbers which is a pretty important skill to have.

Ah! Back to the city though! And what a city. What a city indeed.

Chance Encounters

The following takes place on Days 150-151, April 26-28, 2011.

I had met Jordi, admittedly, online. I’ve become increasingly aware of how easy it is to meet locals who are eager to meet travelers and show them around, through the use of websites. At first I was a bit hesitant to admit that I had met him online, but I couldn’t quite come up with any plausible other reason on how I met him.

Regardless as to where I met him, that doesn’t negate the fact that we clicked immediately. I had actually met him on the day after Sant Jordi’s Day, where we went for coffee, lunch, and he took me around the city including where he used to grow up. Coincidentally, as I found out later, where his baby brother went to kindergarten is the same tiny square that The Amazing Race visited at the end of one of the Detour options in Season 10 < /geek >.

At the end of that day, as he drove me back to Badalona, he surprised me by saying that his partner of 11 years and he had already discussed offering me a place to stay for a few nights, provided I turned out to be a normal person(ie// not a serial killer). I was dumbfounded. And I said yes. As a backpacker, I’m not going to pass up a free place to stay.

And that’s how I ended up being in Sabadell, Spain.

Days 99-100, First Steps in Tango Central

The following takes place on Sunday, March 6 and Monday, March 7, 2011

My bus from Mendoza pulled into the Retiro station in central Buenos Aires around one in the afternoon. After getting my bag and tipping the man who pulled the bags out from under the bus(this is a requirement in Argentina) I made my way onto the street and quickly found my way onto Buenos Aires’ aging metro system.

Compared to the subway system in Santiago, Buenos Aires certainly leaves a lot to be desired. Garbage littered the stairs leading down to the metro station and the floor was riddled with ripped up flooring. The cars also seemed like they had seen better days. But considering Buenos Aires had the first underground metro in all of South America, I guess we can let this slide. A little.

Day 89, The Santiago Gang Forms

The following takes place on Thursday, February 24, 2011

The plan that formed today involved doing some geocaching along the route of the metro station that stops by my hostel. I packed a little bag with some extra batteries, my GPS, my iTouch, pens, and my camera and took off.

I’ve probably said this many times before, and will probably write an actual article regarding this, but geocaching is one of the best ways to see parts of a city you would normally never see. These are places that locals thought should be highlighted. Out of the way parks, important monuments, isolated view points of the city. Hell, sometimes even locals don’t know about these places themselves.

Day 44, Lake Titicaca Bolivia Style

The following takes place on  Monday, January 10

There seems to be a consensus among traveler’s I’ve talked to, as well as among those online, the Lake Titicaca is much nicer on the Bolivian side. Not that this motivated me to check it out from Bolivia, but it was certainly an interesting observation from people.

Now, whether this pre-conception would eventually taint my final thoughts, I’m not sure. I like to think that I’m very open minded and can make up my own mind even with such previous visitors thoughts swimming around in my head.

I guess we’ll see.