I caught up with Sam for dinner last night. We swung over to Stogo for dessert. Wow, what amazing ice cream. Organic. Dairy free. No sugar. What more could you ask for? I had the Chococolate Coconut flavour, made with coconut milk, no soy. It was absolutely amazing. Here’s a picture for your ocular pleasure.
My first night in New York I saw snow. Then I saw the same snow again today, so I caught a picture in daylight. It may not be much snow, but it’s snow nonetheless!
I took advantage of the kitchen in my hotel room tonight. I fryed the chicken in a little water as I didn’t have any oil. Then I constructed a makeshift steamer from a plate placed on top of a bowl in a large pot!
My meal of lightly steamed organic vegetables, steamed / fried organic chicken and organic side salad was most delicious.
Yesterday I was delighted to discover that the hotel has laundry facilities. I was able to wash my clothes and then hang them up to dry without using the tumble dryer. Without a washing line I had to improvise a little…
I’m pretty impressed with Chase Suites thus far. Breakfast is served on disposable, styrofoam plates with plastic cutlery, which is a real shame. There’s wired internet but no wifi in the rooms. Could be seen as a benefit or not. Personally, I’ve borrowed a wireless router so I’m wirefree. 
The suite itself is huge. I have a separate bedroom and living / dining room, full kitchen, two flat screen TVs, sofa, and a gigantic bed!
Yesterday I finally left San Jose, after 3 days and 3 nights. I saw almost nothing of San Jose in those 3 days. It was a good time to move on.
Five of us caught the bus to Puerto Viejo. We’re staying at Rocking J’s, a hammock hostel. We each have our own tent complete with mattress, under cover of a roof, for $6 a night. Wireless is $2 for 7 days. These are the kind of prices I can work with.
As I write this, I’m sitting in a rocking chair looking out over the garden. The ocean is just 20m to my right while the rain falls orchestrally on the tin roof overhead.
Timing worked well this morning. I woke up startled at 6am. Deciding to make the most of the day, I strolled over to the beach. After a brief explore I settled down to meditate on the sea shore. This morning I decided to meditate untimed, without a clock. Just as I finished my meditation, the rain started falling softly. Once I was back under covers the skies burst into a percussive downpour upon the roof. Splendid.
Here’s the spot where I’m sitting, having turned a rocking chair to face to the left of this picture.
If I look slightly to my right, this is my view:
Meanwhile the sound of early morning backpacker conversation floats up from the tables underneath me. It must be time for breakfast soon…
Sunday afternoon and these people were queued around the block and down the street waiting for the bank!
On my recent flight from Guatemala City to San Jose, Costa Rica I was given seat 3d. When I got onto the plane, there were three rows of business class seats. Surely not I thought to myself. But oh yes, I was sitting in a big, comfy, business class seat. I paid for a regular seat and there were empty seats behind me on the plane. There were also empty seats either side of me in business class.
I’m not quite sure how or why I got upgraded, but I’m grateful all the same. I didn’t sleep well the night before so I was a little less than my usually happy self at the checkin desk. Maybe the girl thought I needed a little present.
The meal on the plane was fantastic. I had to snap a quick photo to show you. A real fabric tablecloth, a real cloth napkin, proper metal cutlery. Wow.
I’ll fly Taca again if they’re competitively priced.
I’ve already spent 3 nights in Guatemala City. This afternoon, for the first time, I ventured into the city itself, leaving the safe confines of my hostel. Nataly very kindly volunteered to be my guide for the afternoon. She picked me up at the airport (5 minutes walk from the hostel) and we set off for the city. Our first stop was the central market for food. A piece of chicken in soup with rice. It was pretty good.
Here’s Nataly.
Then we hit the central square.
Everything can be purchased on the streets of Guatemala City!
Then Nataly took me way up to a great little cafe overlooking the whole city. The view was tremendous, this picture does it little justice.
Not as many as Thailand or Vietnam, but there are lots of motorbikes on the roads of Guatemala.
It seems that bus seats are at something of a premium during peak times in Guatemala City. These poor chaps couldn’t even find standing room on the bus, it was holding on only room!
We went to a Taco restaurant for dinner. They have solved the problem of trying to catch the waiter’s eye. The table top menu display includes three buttons. I believe one summons the waiter, one requests the bill, and the third cancels the last request. I’ve thought this would be a great idea, but never seen it before today. Absolutely fantastic!
The toilet in the restaurant had me a little confused. I went to wash my hands but I couldn’t find the sink. Then I realised, this was not a table or a display, it’s a sink! [I turned the tap on for the photo, it was off when I was looking for the sink!]
Then we hit a rather trendy electronic music bar called The Box. Two girls, two jackets, two giant bags and two beers were take into the toilet. Why these two girls were visiting the toilet so frequently, and together, I will leave up to your imagination. The shorter of the two, Gabby, asked me if Chrissy was my girlfriend. After clearing that up, she asked me to dance. I was quite flattered. Here’s Chrissy and Gabby bonding!
From Guatemala’s well dressed beautiful people (aka pretentious) we relocated to the bohemian side of town. Cien Puertas (100 doors I think) is a wonderful pedestrian space flanked by 6 different bars. There were quite a few quirkily interesting characters. The black and white witches summed up the group most easiliy in a single photograph I decided.
While waiting for the toilet to become vacant I spotted this notice. Israel / Palestine politics are an issue even in Guatemala.
When I made it into the toilet I snapped a shot of this graffitii for the sole reason that it was signed Sam, which made me think of Sam! [Anyone know what it says?]
Talking of Sam, it has been decided, I’m going to New York. While the exact timing of my arrival is still being somewhat debated, I am going. Next week I’ll be in Costa Rica, the following week in California with a client, and then onwards to New York.
Thanks to Nataly and Chrissy for an awesome afternoon and evening in Guatemala City. I feel like I saw more of Guatemala in these 12 hours than in my previous 11 days in the country. Guatemala City seems like both a dangerous yet colourfully vibrant city. The upscale side no longer holds much appeal to me, but the bohemian atmosphere, if a little hedonistic, does seem like fun.
Catching up on a few unposted photos. I’ll start vaguely in chronological order…
Caught a Chivas football game in Guadalajara. They are the only team in Mexico to have a team of only Mexican players. The game was interesting, 3-3 the final score. The crowd went absolutely nutso!
Sam and I stayed on Lake Atitlan in San Marcos for a couple of nights. This was the view from our bungalow on the first night.
This morning we rose at 5:25am to catch the sunrise over the mangroves. Hard work this travelling lark!
Here’s a couple of shots of other tourists on another boat.
Our captain, tour guide and local connection, Sender, seen here standing majestically at the helm of his vessel.
The volcanoes around Lake Atitlan were visible in the distance.
We stopped for a look inside the mangroves.
Then back into our merry craft.
There were lots of local fishermen out at sunrise.
We got back to the hotel and ran into our friend Felix, wearing only a towel and carrying a one-eyed parrot!
Then over breakfast I heard a strange sounding “Hola” from behind the next table. Turned out there was a chatty little parrot in town!
That concludes this edition of MacNews. Check back soon for more exciting action!
We had a little leaving do tonight. Iris baked an awesome carrot cake.
There was a little dancing!
Adios Guadalajara. I’ve called you home for the last couple of months. My first step into Latin America. You felt so familiar and comforting upon my return from Belize. Now, I shall bid you adieu. I shall roll onwards to pastures new.
Tomorrow I’m booked on Mexicana flight MX565 from Guadalajara to Mexico City, then MX385 from Mexico City to Guatemala City. I’ll stop in Guatemala for probably just over a week. I’ll book a flight from Guatemala City to San Jose, Costa Rica for the middle of next week.
My house and flatmates here in Guadalajara are awesome. One of the best houses I’ve lived in. I’ll have fond memories of this place.
If you’re considering getting almost married in Belize, here’s my how-to guide having done this myself.
Firstly, you need a companion for this journey. It’s a little harder to get almost married alone. Here’s my co conspirator:
Step 2, rent a car. A little internet research will tell you that you can’t easily get almost married in San Ignacio, so you need to travel to Belmopan. I recommend car rental as the most expedient method of transport in Belize. That is, of course, assuming you’re in a hurry to get almost married!
Now that you have transport, you need to find the Ministry of the Attorney General in Belmopan. This is not as easy as it sounds. I recommend parking in the central market and walking. You’ll eventually find a library with a sign on the door that says “Marriage Licence”. The vaguely unfriendly lady should give you the application form and explain the process.
You need to find a justice of the peace and complete the form in front of them.
Here’s the victory pose, we’ve completed and signed the application for a licence to almost marry.
Finally, the most important step in getting almost married is to destroy the paperwork. If you don’t follow this step then you might actually end up married!
So there you have it, how to get almost married in Belize in 5 easy steps!
We spent last night in Belize City at the wonderful D’nest Inn. D’nest is a great little place. It’s run by an older Belizean couple, it feels just like staying with “grandma”. They have wifi and ethernet ports in all the rooms, so that’s what won me over!
We met Luis and Meredith, a couple from New York, when they arrived around 4pm. The four of us headed downtown to check out this bustling metropolis (population ~70’000). Several people have told me recently that the city is dangerous. Our first taxi driver said it’s no more dangerous than wherever we come from. Given that he didn’t know where I was from at that point, I took his advice with a little salt.
We caught the bus into town, wandered around for a bit. The place was deserted. There really was nothing going on in the downtown area. We ate some excellent pub food for next to nothing (around $5 USD each) then caught a cab to a recommended bar. It was empty at 7:30pm on a Friday night, we were the only customers.
From there we picked up some drinks and caught a cab back home for a night cap. Our new found friends had the most insanely awesome party bag I’ve ever seen. It’s called the LifePod and not only is it a flourescent pink cool bag, it has an iPod / radio speaker system built into the front pocket. Music and cold drinks in one bright pink package. I gotta get me some of that!
D’nest was a great place to stay for the night. I’d happily recommend it and definitely stay here again. It’s not cheap for Belize at $60 USD (plus 9% tax), but it’s very comfortable, has internet and feels very laid back. Ideal before / after a flight.
From here, we’re heading to San Ignacio today. Following Mike, Tara, Kelly and Noel’s footsteps. They’re moving at a slightly faster pace, I’m all about taking it easy!
It’s been a blast. Wow, what a couple of weeks. My first experience in police handcuffs, a few rounds of chemical mischief, a whole load of buses, motorbikes and boats. I’ll post something in more depth about the handcuffing, it was a pretty far out night, not one I’ll forget in a hurry.
Otherwise, I’m on Caye Caulker, a Belizean island, for New Year. This is my first time in the Caribbean, it’s damned close to Paradise by my reckoning. Here’s a couple of photo as I’m short on internet time.
Here’s the boat we hired from San Pedro to Caye Caulker:
Here’s me on the front of the boat smoking a cigarette:
Tara and Kelly are joining us here on Isla Mujeres so we prepared a detailed set of instructions, complete with photos, on how to get from the airport to the island. Let the fun begin…
1) Be sure to fasten your seatbelt while on the plane. Your seatbelt is fastened like this:
Your seatbelt is not fastened like this:
Your seatbelt is not unfastened like this, teeth are not required:
2) Toilet use while on the plane.
Using the toilet in an aeroplane can be a challenging activity. Follow these simple steps and you’ll have trouble free toileting in the sky.
Be sure to wipe down the baSSin after use:
Then after making a deposit in the toilet bank, be sure to commit it to interment with this handy button:
Then in order to exit from the toilet cubicle there is no need to headbut or otherwise attempt to destroy the door. This sliding handle will require much less force:
3) When returning to your seat from the toilet, this is not how you sit in your seat:
4) Disembarking from the aeroplane, it is best to approach this task with the maximum possible enthusiasm, as Mike here demonstrates:
5) Luggage retrieval
When awaiting the arrival of your luggage, the conveyor belt is not for standing upon:
Your bags can be safely collected from the conveyor like thus:
6) When leaving the airport, be mindful of the timeshare vultures attempting to lure you into their lair of deviance:
7) Outside the airport
Be careful, this man has a baton, and this is not a taxi:
Avoid the taxis, the taxi desks, the taxi dispatchers or anyone else who approaches you offering transportation services. You have been warned. Instead, look out for white vans, and enquire around them for transportation to Puerto Juarez. You should be able to pay 250 pesos for a van trip directly to the port.
At this point we should tell you, outside the airport you can have one of two things, money or beer, but not both. You have been warned!
The boat from Puerto Juarez is yellow. If you’re taken to another port, the boat may be another colour.
Our penultimate tip, here Mike models how not to sit on the boat:
9) Finally, should you spot santa on the island, he should be mounted as such:
That concludes our guide on how to reach Isla Mujeres from Cancun airport. Should you have any difficulty during the trip, Michael can be reached at +52 33 1007 6070 (dialled 045 33 1007 6070 from a local phone). Rumour has it that Callum may be available on +52 33 1356 9553, but this can neither be confirmed nor denied by the author.
A few snaps that have been building up on my cameras over the last few weeks, in no particular order.
The Mexico City subway costs only 2 pesos (15c USD / 10p GBP). It’s subsidised by the government I’m told. So at peak times, it gets just a little crowded!
Here’s a couple of videos to fully convey the madness…
The classic beetle taxi…
Mexico has something similar to WWE in the form of Lucha Libre. It’s equally as ridiculous and apparently ferociously popular. I was (un)lucky enough to see some up close in Mexico City.
It turned out to be a publicity stunt to raise awareness for…
Yep, condoms!
I think it may have inspired my travelling companion as a few hours later a small fortune was spent upon the acquisition of his very own El Santo silver mask!
My flatmates made sushi, how awesome!
We ate sushi.
Then Lluis was cooking an octopus, although I didn’t actually see it being eaten!
Tacos are hard to beat on your way home at 4am!
Finally, I couldn’t resist breakfast in a cup of these proportions.
I was struck by two scenes in Mexican toilets. The first was in a mall toilet.
This second shot was on my phone so the quality is pretty poor. The green circles are slices of lime placed at the bottom of the urinal. Very eye catching I thought!
One last picture to conclude this session. This was taken in a nightclub at about 4am after a Mexican wedding.
I’ll try to publish photos a little more frequently in smaller batches.
Our apartment here in Guadalajara doesn’t get a great deal of sunshine during the winter months. I’m told the outdoor spaces are drenched in sunshine in summer, but not at the moment. So I’ve taken to working on the roof!
I went to my first ever Mexican salsa club last night, this is a rather poor quality photo of my first ever Mexican salsa partner!
After a short 3 hour flight from LAX, I arrived in Guadalajara. I timed it well, Mexico were playing Honduras for a place in the World Cup. At least, I think it was related to the World Cup! We collected a Venezuelian friend of Pepe’s, dropped my bags, and straight to La Diablita Cantina.
Alas, Mexico lost 0-1 to Honduras. The defeat was taken in remarkably good spirits by the Mexicans. Apparently the local team lost just a few days ago, so perhaps they were emotionally prepared.
I left my camera at home, but I grabbed this (rather poor quality) snap from my phone. It was a great welcome to Mexico, a perfect first night.
Now I’m searching for an apartment in Guadalajara. Any tips / suggestions / pointers / etc would be greatly appreciated.
I bought more Cannabis sativa last week that one could smoke in a lifetime! Don’t worry mum, not in dried leaf form, in the form of braintree hemp clothing. I’ve now replaced 67% of my trouser portfolio with purchases from the hemp store.
The final tally came to less than $130 AUD. I got a pair of smart(ish) pants, two great t-shirts, a red/black striped polo shirt, three pairs of socks and a free hemp oil facewash. Yay. As promised, here’s the long awaited picture of me wearing almost entirely hemp. Even my shoes are hemp!
I wouldn’t recomend it!
I caught a bus downtown to catch up with a couple of locals for dinner last night. Wow, what an experience. Now I understand why most Los Angelians drive! There is no advertised bus schedule, only a frequency. At peak times it’s every 6-10 minutes. Off-peak, every 20-60 minutes. You just gotta turn up and wait.
After dinner, I went back to where I’d gotten off the bus to find it was a one-way street, going the wrong way. So I wandered around downtown LA, alone, at midnight, looking for a bus stop. I did not feel safe. Eventually I ended up outside a dodgy looking “hostess dancing” establishment. I called my cotel asking for directions, they were little use. So I called a taxi, caught it around the block and managed to find a bus stop.
After a short 20 minutes, the bus arrived. There was a mildly dodgy looking character moving in my direction across the street, so the bus’s arrival was perfectly timed! Then just an hour long bus ride back to Venice Beach and home by at about 1am. Happy days.
Here’s a random photo of Bondi BBQ across the street from my cotel to remind me of Aus.
I’m back in Bangkok. Several people have said “You just can’t get enough of that place” or “You need your Bangkok fix every now and then hey”.
Bangkok is my home away from home. My base in Asia. I have friends here. Places I can stay. I know the city reasonably well. I can order food, get around, get online, etc. If I transit through Asia, I typically stop in Bangkok.
To keep the pics flowing, here’s the view from the 17th floor where I’m staying.
Ross and I set off in the eco camper van…
We left Sydney heading north. Our first night we pulled off the road onto a track through a forest and camped for the night.
Second day we made it to Nambucca Heads and awoke to this view.
As my two travelling companions are both non-drivers, it was agreed that I would drive and they would cook. So, inspired by this view, Ross whipped up a storm on the stove on our second morning.
We offered Fio a cup of tea, and in return she gave us the low down on the local area, and took this snap of us enjoying our first cooked meal on the trip.
On Tuesday (third day) we made it to Pottsville to visit Sharyn and Dennis. Sharyn is a long-standing friend of my mum’s. It was great to finally meet her after having met her kids and heard so much about her. When we arrived there was a freshly baked chicken pie in the kitchen of which we made short work! Here’s Sharyn on the phone in her kitchen.
After staying overnight at Sharyn’s (thanks again Sharyn) we drove to Brisbane to pick up our third hombre. On the way we met some tree girls. Good times.
Then we collected Ahmed from the airport.
After picking up Ahmed we were heading north to meet Fergus and Trijntje in Maleny. We got pretty close and pulled off the road to find somewhere to camp for the night. Eventually we pulled off the road and stopped. We were awoken to the sound of something banging against the van…
Once our bedmates were chased away, we realised we’d chosen a splendid spot to camp.
After a very late night and an equally late start, we made it to Maleny to stay with Fergus and Trijntje for a night. They live in a truly amazing house built from rammed earth. Here’s a shot from the gardens showing just how lush and tropical this part of the world is.
After two fantastic days with Fergus and Trijntje, we set off for a night out in Brisbane. We ran into one of our tree climbing friends again, and they invited us to stay at their place. In the morning we bore witness to the Australian man and his barbecue in action! Quite a feast it was. Thanks again Chris and Jasmine.
Then we cruised a little further down to the travellers mecca of Byron Bay. We proceeded to get outrageously stoned on our first night. Here’s some small token of our adventures.
Naturally, severe munchies ensued, and the chocolate cake was rapidly devoured.
After a couple of days of Byron Bay, we cruised on southwards in the direction of home. On the way we spotted a couple of signs for Fredo’s Pies. 50 varities of pies. We just couldn’t resist. Ahmed devoured the crocodile meat pie. He was fairly impressed. We had to snap a shot with Marilyn.
An assortment of photos from Sydney follows.
It’s quite common to see surfers strolling through the streets of Sydney. In fairness, this was just across the road from the beach though!
The first picture was just across the road from this, Bondi Beach.
Ross, master of the ocean.
The white ladies. This was taken at the Primo Italiano Italian Festival.
While leaving Agata’s place I couldn’t help but laugh at this sign. Otis, the lift company, are located at 5-9 Ricketty Street. Oh dear, that was an unfortunate choice!
I spotted Tunnocks Caramel Wafers in a speciality sweet shop in Pitt St Mall. I just couldn’t resist.
I’m starting to get a tiny bit ill. It’s the same sort of sore throat / slight cough that I’ve had a few times recently. So in a bid to beat it down once and for all, I’m going to overdose on raw food for the next few days! I whipped up to the shops this morning and bought a couple of bagfulls of goodness. Here’s my first raw breakfast:
toil