Travel.Tashi

so...

2009-02-22T00:50:00.001-05:00

I havent posted in a while have I?

BsAs

2008-03-20T19:21:00.008-04:00

First off, I gota say: Greyhound, get your game up bro. The Argentinian buses are light years ahead in comfort and service. Meals on overnight buses, comfy seats and cheaper prices for longer distances? Yea it´d be nice if we had such exquisite low cost travel by bus in the states. Its all good.

So my overnight bus from San Martin took quite a while, going straight up from the top of Patagonia thru mountains, hillsides and small towns of Argentina.

Passed by all those fields where the cows roam. Cows that become some of the best steaks on the planet. A hint as to what lies ahead. We rolled into Buenos Aires a week or more ago. First impressions... They say this city is the Paris of the Western Hemisphere. Its also called Capital Federal, being one of the largest cities in Latin America and capital of the Argentine Republic. The citys metro network, or Subte - short for subterraneo, is dirt cheap and quite dirty. Thats all good, because the better option might be taking the metro as opposed to risking your life in one of the Radio Taxis. Well one of the rides I took was kind of like a roller coaster thru town. And to top it all off, traffic laws, signs and stoplights appear to be suggestions to the avvid BsAs driver. I literally have seen quite a few close calls at intersections. And I had only been here two days. Im tending to look in all four directions when crossing now. I see why Argentina has one of the highest motor vehicle accident mortality rates in the world. No one follows any of the traffic lights! Sometime during the week I think I deciphered the paper correctly when it said 28 fatal auto related deaths occured within 48 hours here.

And where is here? The barrio (neighborhood) called San Telmo. A place where one way streets intertwine with cobblestone roads. A place where local supermercados run by the Chinese were my source for whatever. A place where local deli kiosks put up metal barriers at night so you have to buy things through the hole. Hey, at least its not bulletproof. But that does speak volumes for the safety in this barrio.

Now Im hoping that in this week Im here, knock on wood, Im not gonna get scammed or jacked. Since Ive been here - like two days - Ive heard at least five separate stories pertaining to petty theft in the area where my hostel is. That would be San Telmo, which is next to La Boca...where one musn't venture at night. Period. You might get shot. Or robbed. Sweet. But San Telmo is kinda borderline, just gota watch your back and dont talk to random strangers no matter how nice they appear. For instance, one girl sat outside on the street here. Dude asks for a cigarette. As she opens her purse the dude grabs the dough and rolls. Another couple had their Nikon camera stolen out of their bag, as they sat in a coffee shop. Another traveler was distracted as she walked down the block in broad daylight while some dudes jumped in her bag and took the money, passport, credit card fortune. Another guy was standing on the subte (metro) next to the window. As the subte is pulling out of the station someone on the platform reaches thru the window and jacks his silver necklace.

Its just silly peddy theft in this less affluent part of town. Or if youre driving around town they tend to throw bricks through your window, jump thru it, grab your purse and run. In broad daylight. In NY if we get carjacked its usually cause our doors are unlocked at a traffic light. But in BsAs its just bad luck to have the brick thru the window carjacking. I dont suppose anyone would think of that in the States. But then again, I really dont know. Just watch your back when you walk down these streets and dont trust anyone...not even the crippled old lady who falls over in front of you.Even admist all the petty crime, there are reasons to go out. Des Nivel is one of them. A staple local eatery. Everyone goes there for the best cheap steaks. Good environment too.I must have eaten here I dont know how many times. I feel like I put back on during these weeks in Argentina alone at least half of the 20lbs lost while traveling. And I'll show you why. I'm not one to indulge in steaks, but here you have to. And it was damn good. One time I had been next to a half dozen huge local dudes who came in and just ate two of these each. They just kept piling on the meat. Looked like a scene from the Sopranos or something. They had to be mafia.

So is dessert in this country. Panqueques de dulce de leche. Superb.

Theres a lot more you can indulge in. Mate. Which is the tea in Argentina. Put some sugar and leaves in a wooden cup and drink from a barilla, which is the metal stick that filters out the leaves.Alfajores. Havanna has the best little cake things with dulce de leche inside. Have you noticed dulce de leche is something they put in everything?

I owe all these local food tips to my Argentinian friends whom I met while in New Zealand. Always good when you get the local experience from a local.

Buenos Aires is a great city, with excellent food. The best steaks, some damn good pizza and lots of other stuff I cant list. And its not just about eating, although it seems like thats most of what people do here. Yet local residents dont appear too overly obese. Thats because they eat steaks and all this other great food sparingly, like once every other week. Tourists come in and eat a steak a day. They also come to see the citys architecture, which resembles that of a European city. The countrys White House...is a pink house. Most of BsAs is lined with Parisian like elegance. Im sure to show you some more of it...in due time.

San Martin de Los Andes

2008-03-18T18:00:00.003-04:00

I sadly left the vibe in Pucon to head into Argentina. Six hours across the Andes which included two at the border crossings. Chile. And the road to Argentina. With a giant mountain in the background. And small funky looking tree in its shadow. Along the way its all mountains, rolling hills, rivers and one gas station. Bus had to fill up. San Martin de Los Andes is just another small town in Patagonia. Spent just a night here because you know how I do with small towns in the middle of nowhere. Leave. But its not to say this isnt a good place. Its quaint, got some friendly knomes,locals calling Popi and some mad good ice cream here. A little touristy but the buildings still look old style somewhat.And a big difference from Chile is well, youre in Argentina. Walking amongst people who look Italian, cook Italian and almost sound Italian. Espanol in this country is more proper and less slang than in Chile. So I might be able to comprehend a few words better. They got a lake out here too. Nothing spectacular I thought. But this is southern Argentina. Not all the way south, because thats getting to the end of the world down in El Calafate and Ushuaia. I suppose thats another trip in the making for another time. Theres one Navimag Ferry from Punta Arenas in Chile, leaving each Monday for a four day journey to the ass of the continent. Where you can somehow make your way to Ushuaia in Argentina and jump off to Antartica. Now that sounds interesting...Antartica.

Yet after a night chillin with some travelers in the crap hostel here, Im off to Buenos Aires. Looking forward to that indeed.

Pucon Paradise

2008-03-18T17:16:00.003-04:00

I ventured south to the middle of Chile. Dang, its a long country. Took about 12 hours to get here from Santiago. And here is totally worth it. Pucon is a small town just near the border with Argentina, up in the Lake District. Its all Patagonia from here on down. One of those places where theres one main road and lots of character around it. Theres a good vibe exuded here. One of the best backpacker spots I have been to. Period.
Down this muddy road is the place to be. Donde German Hostel, run by a nice couple who make the place feel like mi casa su casa. Met loads of cool people here. Turned out to be one of the nicest places on this trip so far. I booked two nights and stayed like five. Everyone does. Because its just a chill little spot on Earth not many people know about.

So what can you do here? Why do backpackers come? To mountain bike of course. We went out one day and did an entire 44km ring around the area. Never done mountain biking before but hey im about to cycle through Central Park now. Let me tell ya, its a strenuous workout when you hit those hills. And all to get to some waterfall. Not a bad days work.But the main attraction is Vulcan Villarricca. What did I do one day? I climbed to the top of an active volcano. Last time it erupted was in 1984 if I remember right. When that blew up about 25 hikers were engulfed in molten lava. So I was hoping today luck would be on our side and this thing didnt blow its top. Im sure there would be some fair warning, but while we were on the shortcut ski lift up (the 20 minute lift up shaved an hour off having to climb) you kinda wonder...if it erupted while you were ascending the volcano, would you jump off and run back, or would you stay on to about 1/4 the way up and go around on the lift back down? It was a good 50 foot drop. Id take the ride towards the lava haha. Here is a reminder of what went down 24 years ago. Eerie. But the last real major eruption was like in the 70s when the entire town was swept away. Which means this thing is due any day now. And people just chillin in town; our guides go up the volcano everyday and worry about nada. So neither did I. Back in town theres a warning system. When the light is green, its all good. As sirens go off (and they do everyday for testing) and light goes red, start heading to Argentina cause its going to be a bad day in Pucon.So it doesnt look that daunting from the bottom vantage point but dont be decived by the illusion. It takes 3 hours to get to the top. Two on unstable volcanic rock and one on pure snow and ice. We had to carry mad gear and change into space shoes with crampons to dig into the ice. Check out my hot looking proton pack. Oh, and the view of Pucon below is good too.And I got an ice pick. Nice.

The arduous ascent up among the barren ice. Our legs couldnt even pick themselves up because genuises that we were, we had taxed them mountain biking the day before. We got metal thighs and buns of steel now though.

At times there are a few who dont make it all the way up. Not us. Pure determination and no strength left we got there. You can see as far away as Argentina and as far down into the mouth of the beast your peripheral vision would allow over the edge, but not far enough to check out the lava this day. Too much gaseous smoke was about. Plus ya kinda dont want to fall in there. What you do want to do is visit Pucon if youre ever in Chile. The wild dogs like it here too. At least a dozen follow you around at night and the day. Totally harmless and super friendly. Like everyone else in this small town in the Andes.

getting out of Santiago

2008-03-15T15:05:00.006-04:00

Not all of my time in Santiago was spent in the comforts of the Plaza. And not all of your time should be spent in Santiago...not much there. So we backpackers ventured out some. And I even got a chance to catch INTERPOL live at the Teatro Caupalican! Awesome venue and even better show. Another day we hit up the TurBus for the two hour journey northwest to the coast. Where lies the UNESCO world heritage site and port town of Valparaiso. Reminds you a lot of Cinque Terre, with all its colorful buildings and lively culture. This must be the real Chile. Because petty crime is more rampant here and people honk their horns more. Trust me, I was on guard the whole time like I was walking through Washington Heights or Spanish Harlem at night. Totally worth it during the day though, because this city is a photographers paradise. Shot after shot is full of color and something new. Like the graffiti which is remarkably exquisite here in Chile, like works of art. Its not only the orginal artwork on the streets you see here, its also the architecture and plenty of the originally decorated buildings that stand out. Like this giant blue important looking building in the center of town. And all these other colorful dingy types that people live in. Coming here and not taking one of the acsensores is like going to New York City and not riding the subway. These things are old wooden boxes on rails taking people up and down the hilly streets each day. Mad shaky inside. You can hear the wood cracking as it inches its way up the hundred year old track. But once you get to the top its more of those colorful places. Only in Cinque Terre, Italy have I seen colorful houses on hills. But Valpo stands out in some respects because the locals like to deck out their walls in unique artwork. Im bout to come home and paint our house some odd colors now.

The streets of Valpo itself offer some good scenes of daily life...what I refer to as the real Chile. Have a taste for yourself...

Chillin in Chile

2008-03-15T13:48:00.005-04:00

I should know Espanol. But I dont know Espanol. Everyone in Chile speaks Espanol. I dont speak Espanol. Yet somehow I managed to get on a bus, then metro and find the hostel in Plaza de Armas, Santiago. The capital of Chile. Not a bad place to chill or a few days. Especially after doing nothing the first two here. Just slept my jetlag away. And had to get back into travel mode, as my ¨layover¨ in Los Angeles might have faked everyone, including myself, into thinking I was back home. Far from the case.

So here I am in Santiago. Where it feels a lot like Barcelona - only Barcelona is better. The Plaza de Armas scene is lively everyday, all day. Kids playing with birds, in fountains, whatever.Preachers and church dancers doing their thing whilst huge crowds of Chileans gather round to hear the sermon in public go on for hours. I think the locals have a lot of patience, really. Because they stand in huge crowds watching some of the worst street performers Ive seen ever. Regular guys just yapping away in Espanol with an occasional laugh here or there. I didnt understand it, but still didnt understand how they find it appealing enough to draw a crowd everyday. They even stand around to watch this clown beat up a weird Chinese drummer each afternoon. Not very comical at all. Some of the more fascinating things to see are found along the side plaza streets, where dudes balance soccer balls on their head and entire banjo bands play some good tunes. There´s also the tarot card reading scene and take a picture with a fake horse scene in the Plaza. Do all this while getting your shoes shined. Mad shoe shiners in Santiago. There is an interesting Spanish culture vibrant here though. Each afternoon in front of this artwork oddity in the Plaza these two dueling banjo type locals would run in circles whilst banging on their drums and symbols with their feet. Looks like theyre also training the kids to grow up just like them too.And I was impressed to see some guys donning the original Patrick Ewing and LJ while he was on Charlotte jerseys of the 90s in all their faded glory. Not only that, but the younger kids are seen sometimes decked out in rags and paint all over their body. These younglings I captured while walking around Valparaiso. - the port city two hours west of Santiago.Wasnt sure what the reason for this was...maybe protesting going to school or something.

My hostel had the hot overlook from the 6th floor of one of the buildings right in Plaza de Armas. You know im all about the balcony scene. Getting up and down everyday was a slow process though. But the elevator guy made things move. 24-7 they had an old style elevator guy, continually pushing buttons and opening the ancient doors all day everyday. Talk about a redundant lifestyle. And what a healthy lifestyle people live here. The only foods that appear to be available are Italiano hot dogs, burgers and empanadas de pino or queso. Loads of greesy foods inundate this city. Bottom floor of my building alone had about 10 of these joints, all selling the same greasy stuff. I tried the Italiano hot dog. Its like one of those Czech euro dogs with guacamole, tomatoes and what I thought was cheese on top. Turned out to be mayonaise. I dont feel the mayo in anything but a tuna melt yo. Gross stuff. But I see mayo is like mustard in most countries from Turkey to Australia and now Chile. So that left me with empanadas, which are really good. Especially when I asked for an empanada de pino, thinking its filled with pineapple. To my surprise it was like a beef patty with onions, some sort of egg or white mushroom and olives inside. And thats all I ate. For a dollar each too. This has to be one of the only countries where a McChicken Sandwich and McFries is the healthiest option around. And ice cream is everywhere. Good stuff. One night me and some fellow hostel travelers decided to splurge at the cafe in the plaza. They served semi normal food...chicken in oil and crap. But as we sat outside no less than a half dozen beggars, handicapped and random strangers came up to us inquiring about peso donations to their sad lives. To top that all off, a peaceful protest in support of Commander Raul Reyes - I think from Equador, Peru or Columbia - came thru the Plaza right by us. One side were hundreds of protesters as police in riot gear flanked our other side. I covered my head cause I think some signs were anti-American or Yanki haha. Sweet. Just another day sitting out in the Plaza de Armas scene. Exit to New York? Nah...not just yet =)

How are things on the West Coast?

2008-03-05T14:31:00.011-05:00

Ever hear that INTERPOL song the Heinrich Maneuver? It goes something like this:

How are things on the West Coast?
I hear you´re moving real fine
You wear those shoes like a dove
Strut those shoes and we´ll go roaming in the night

How are things on the West Coast?
You keep it moving to your soul´s delight
Now I´ve tried the breaks
I´ve tried but you know its a lonely ride
How are things on the West Coast?

So I showed up to chill with some high school buddies and fake everyone into thinking I was back in the States. No...just a short layover. And I had to fiddle with the retards at Air New Zealand to finally deliver my backpack to me. After two weeks the debacle ended but another began as the backpack arrived minus some stuff that I think someone in baggage somewhere in some airport jacked. Its all good cause stuff is replaceable. Its just a hassle. I dawned some new kicks and all we did for the most part was run some basketball in the O.C. We did venture out some.

Like to Los Angeles. I guess this is where it´s at. Where the traffic is notoriously always backed up on any highway...the I-5, 110, whatever. Expect a 2 hour journey back to your hood...if you were staying in Brea and Fullerton like I was. They even have stop lights at highway on-ramps to maintain some semblance of orderly traffic flow. And all that traffic creates this smog effect we all hear about...and it looks like Arnold is doing something about it. Ya cant go to LA and not see Hollywood. One time at a Mets game I punched Mr. Met´s hollow head. So punching Snoopy was even better cause the guy inside was like $20 for one sucker punch.I just so happened to show up the week of the Oscars, good enough to check out the preparation and going away limo scene after it was all over. Santa Monica, its lovely Baywatch beach and the commercial pier associated with it.Skid Row. Sadly enough I saw more homeless in the street in this one neighborhood than in any other city so far.Compton. Chilll...we cant take pictures in this hood yo. Might get capped.

The food. Which includes just about any ethnic eatery you can dream of - Thai, Vietnamese, Chinese, Persian, etc. But I still think all of it tastes better in their respective countries...or nyc. But drive down any major road and you´ll be inundated with burgers, tacos and donuts. Sometimes all in the same joint. An LA staple: the IN-N-OUT burger joint.Fullerton. Where it´s really at yo. Close to the home of the Angels in Anaheim.It was like a Staten Island Tech Reunion up in here. And whatever else...well you´ll just have to roll there yourself. But just watch out for the 5-0, cause they´re always in your rear view mirror. Mad enforcement of the rules by the Governator.

Tahiti for less: Moorea

2008-03-05T14:15:00.008-05:00

Did you know they speak French out here? It might make sense, I mean the country is called French Polynesia. It´s capital, Papeete, is whack. Spent a day there killing time and it was quite boring.Did you know its stupid expensive out here? That might make sense too, as all the tourists flock here and prices are inflated being a remote bunch of islands. And they really flock here in droves. And in style...like on the Queen Elizabeth II. Just so happened to see it docked at the Papeete ferry port while it was on its last voyage around the planet. Ok, enough of the rich cruise type stories. This is how a backpacker can enjoy Tahiti without splurging over $200 a night in some luxury bungaloo on the beach. Go to Moorea. Theres a place called Moorea Camping with hostel like dorms. As long as you dont mind taking a dump with cockroaches then youre an ideal candidate to come here. And its right on the beach...so sunsets like this are commonplace everyday. All that for $12 a night. Not bad at all. Still gota drop $15 for a hamburger but if you indulge in $7 baguettes all the time youre golden. Though at times there are some weird characters here. This guy reminded me of Dhahsim from Street Fighter. He´s been sitting here for 4 months meditating.

Transport though, is an issue out here. The le truck only runs in the morning when the ferry from Tahiti arrives. I will explain about le truck. Its really some local person who has a flatbed truck with a box and seats on back to make it look like a bus. Like this:And for $3 a ride it sure beats any $30 taxi. Met other backpackers from Jersey and Canada so we decided to tour the island of Moorea. Checked out Cooks Bay...think some famous explorer found this place. John Cook or something.

And right there, after a 2 hour walk in extreme heat, we found the Moorea Fruits de Jus factory a.k.a the pineapple juice factory. We rolled up in sweat and to our surprise...no more factory tours because of health safety reasons. Prolly didnt want a bunch of dirty backpackers in there or something. But they had a gift shop with free drink samples. Great. One of those rich old people tour groups came in while we were there. And I must say they were the rudest people on Earth. Not sure what shitty country they originated from but they were simply stuck up and rude. This old lady was yelling at the counter because she didnt like pineapples. Then why come you old fart? This other old guy literally decided he could shove me out of the way so he can walk in a straight line to buy a bar of pineapple soap. The whole lot of them had this Im better than you younger peons attitude. So you know what I did about it? As we walked down the narrow street from the factory their stupid rich tour bus was coming down the hill. I decided to walk in the middle of the street and not move an inch, wanting them to wait until I made it to the bottom of the hill. Unfortunately their driver was in this rush to get them back to their luxury cruise ship so all he could do was tap his breaks real hard until at the last moment after the bus slowed down I jumped out of its way. But I took solace in the fact that I gave 40 old pricks the seat belt check. Boy I wish I could have seen their limpy little necks stretch forward into the seat pocket in front of them. IF I ever end up like that someone please kick me. Old grumpy people who splurge retirement on luxury liners shouldnt act like pricks. And luxuiry liners shouldnt be landing on Moorea. Ever hear about sustainable tourism? Bring 3000 people on a boat and all they do is take a dump and occasionally buy something from the locals. Well do you think the local sewage system can handle all those craps? All that attitude? Id like to see them contribute more to the local economy other than docking ashore for 2 days and leaving crap behind. This problem is here and its in other places too, like Belize. Oh well. Now that we were at the end of the hill, there was no le truck running in the afternoon heat. I asked a lady how we can make it back to our hostel. Her response...walk to the end of the road and stick out your thumb. And she was serious. After walking a half hour, realizing it would be 3 more, we all put our thumbs out. Two cars later a friendly local dude pulled up and offered a ride to the other end of Moorea. We found out its the norm to hitchhike on Moorea because unless you have a car or moped youre not going anywhere. Nice dude too, and he offered a stay at his beach house his wife rents for 20,000CLP a week. Too bad I lost the number.

But its all worth it to come out here, budget or no budget. Cause you got beach views like this everyday:

One of these days out here happened to be Valentines Day. Spent it with my fellow backpackers at a creperie joint...interesting storyman Mike in the middle here and on the left the accountant kid from Jersey who quit his job too. We all enjoyed hot sunny Moorea together for a few days. Not bad.

The odd couple

2008-03-05T02:17:00.007-05:00

I sparked a conversation with a Canadian named Mike at the Easter Island hostel. The two of us were going to the same place next, even the same flight, so he tagged along. One of the more interesting fellows on this journey. Apparently he has been traveling 8 years straight. And before that, he would travel 6 months and work 6. And did this for a decade.

I asked him how does he fund it? By spending his retirement savings. And at 39 he supposedly had a lot...from being a marijuana grower in the forests of British Columbia. I spent countless hours listening to his stories on growing, hiding, selling and avoiding the police in traffiking drugs across the border and hiding the money in either Indonesia or the forest. Like if you look at police flight patterns you can find a blind spot in the woods to grow your dope. And carry a machine gun while you sleep under plastic bags for 6 months camoflaged in dirt. It sounded like the Olympic bomber in Atlanta. I remember back in NC on a job one time we met he sherrif who caught him in the woods...details sound familiar. Though Mike looked pretty harmless I wasnt too sure all of these stories panned out. Especially when he went on about going to Basra in the middle of a war zone, doing cocaine in Tehran to piss off the ayatolla, spending weird days in Cambodia and trekking into Nepals Himalayas without a sherpa. I will spare you the details but ya kinda wonder if people can be a good storyteller or plain serious about these things.

I doubt the latter because he had a hard time navigating along with me from Papeete to Moorea from airplane, to le truck, to ferry and to truck again. And in between we slept in the Tahiti airport. Since we came in at midnight from Easter Island of course there would be no le trucks running to Papeete that late. Walking 5 miles was not an option. Didnt feel like splurging $30 on a taxi. So sleeping in the airport it was. On this bench right here. Ive been know to fall asleep on concrete before so this narrow piece of hard wood was nothing.By doing so we saved $60. And for a backpacker thats no small change. Read the next post on Moorea and you´ll see how to really spend a few days in Tahiti for less than $200.

What is the most remote island on Earth?

2008-03-05T01:58:00.005-05:00

That would be Easter Island. Even though I was living it up as a backpackless bum, I still enjoyed my time on Easter Island. the only hostel in town was thru these banana bushes. The road leading up to it was frequented by wild horses all the time.The biggest town, Kona Tao, has one major block runnin through it. Pineapples and fruits are sold out of the local peoples trucks. And theyre mad good.Without any backpack, it was kinda easier getting around the place without having to carry anything at all. Easter Island is part of Chile and THE most remote island on the planet. No land within a 3000 mile radius. Literally surrounded by the Pacific. Yet on this little island there is a culture living life like no other here. The Rapa Nui culture sports some unique history as thousands of years ago some ancestors decided to carve giant stone faces called Moai. Some Austrian lady and I rented a 4WD thing and rode all over, checking out these fascinating stones.

And along the way all you can see is clear ocean, green fields and wild horses.Of course I had seen one in the British Museum so I was kinda like whatever. But changed my mind when up close to the real things. Ya wonder what they were thinking putting hundreds of these 30 foot monsters on this remote island.

Not only was that interesting, but I stumbled upon the Rapa Nui Festival. A yearly event that happened to be goin down the weekend I was there. We got to see a lot of the local customs, dance and songs with pretty much the entire islands population attending. If you havent been, go. Because this really is another world out here. Oh, and its the center of the world too. I touched the rock that some say is THE center of the planet. And for some reason, this particular rocks stupid hot temperature was extreme compared to all the others around it at normal levels. Odd or is it a real telepathic connection to the Earths core?

So if you happen to be in the area...well in Tahiti about 5 hours due west..then make a trip to Easter Island. Cool culture, friendly people who speak nothing but Espanol and interesting historical artifacts for all you Indiana Jones type. This was someones birthday celebration on the beach.

I would go to this little yellow hut and hit up a sandwich de atun. Which is a giant Atun fish sandwich famous out here. Plus its some of the more cheaper, better local eats in town being that everything is mad expensive. The port area where all the surfers go out and do their thing.

Yup, and it looks like religion spread thousands of miles to here as well.

Where is here? Its literally in the middle of nowhere. An island in the sun - Weezer.

where stuff falls apart

2008-03-05T01:57:00.002-05:00

Now this is the part where things get interesting for me. A bunch of Mondays ago I had a flight from Auckland to Papeete at 3pm. I knew something would go wrong so I booked a 7am Air New Zealand flight from Christchurch to Auckland thinking this is early enough to avoid problems.

My first problem: missing my flight...again. Genius that I am, I wrote 8am on my notepad thingy. So I roll up to the airport and kinda wondered why no one was in line. They were already on my plane haha. But the lady behind the desk said it was my lucky day! Because the 10am flight, that is usually booked, wasnt on this particular Monday. So thinking how awesome of a plan it was to get and miss the earlier flight, I happily take the 10am and get to Auckland by 11:30am.

Unfortunately, my backpack didnt come with me. Geniuses that run baggage at ANZ decided to leave an entire container back in Christchurch. That meant my backpack and 20 other travelers luggage was no where to be found in Auckland. And believe me, after filing lost baggage reports they didnt even know where it was. I spent like two hours at Auckland international trying to track down a human who might know where things were but to no avail. I said screw it, I had to get the Air Tahiti flight. No backpack, no problem.

Only it was a problem. Because my next destination was Easter Island. A place where flights only roll in three times a week. And with me staying only two nights there and two nights in Tahiti, there was no way anyone competent enough at Air New Zealand would be able to find my backpack and deliver it in time. Now I know what real traveling is about. Try going a week on remote islands with pretty much nothing but the shirt on your back. Its excellent. Try it sometime.

the denouement

2008-03-05T01:27:00.006-05:00

So the rest of New Zealand seems like a blur. But there were some good highlights. Like Lake Matheson...where you can get the picture perfect Bob Ross shot. And Queenstown...the adventure town where you can do anything. Go high speed boating on this lake. Or jump off the karawaki Bridge...where commerical bungee jumping was first sparked.My birthday was spent in Dunedin. I went on a tour of the Cadbury Chocolate Factory. We went into one of those giant silos to see a ton of old chocolate being dumped from a giant bucket above into giant vats below. They give you tons of free chocolate. Im allergic to chocolate. The lady was like why are you even here? My reply: to see the factory processes I dont know its my birthday what else was there to do in Dunedin? See the architectural marvel that is the main railway station?Walk around this old port town?Ah I remember, climb the worlds steepest street. Its even recognized in the Guiness Book of World Records as such. With a crazy 45 degree incline I believe it. We made our way back towards Christchurch and I figured Id stop along the route to do some insane Class V rapid whitewaterafting in the land of Rohan. We were pretty close to Ederas and the scenery surrounding the Rangitata River did feel a like like Rohan. Typical rafting adventure with the occasional life threatening Class V drop here and there. Totally worth it yo. Yet I still think the Upper Gaulley River in West Virginia is more challenging. And that was all for New Zealand. Definitely must go back, and if you havent been there, well youre just missing out on one of Earths most beautiful countries. I suppose you can just watch Lord of the Rings in the meantime, but trust me its way better up close and in person.

Franz Josef yo

2008-03-05T01:18:00.006-05:00

The small town of Greymouth was like most towns on the west coast - small and homely type feel to it. Our Magic Bus rolled down thru more of these joints, including Hokitika where they have a March food festival specializing in wild animal roadkill and possum pies. As you wander on thru the countryside there are some unique things in the road - not just the roadkill. Combination rail and road bridges. Only three in all of New Zealand and we went over a majority of them. Kinda weird going over the bridge you have to check the rear view mirror for any trains steaming down the rail, or road.

We made it to Ross, the original gold city of the 1860s. Just like we had a gold rush out west and manifest destiny took control of Americas politics, New Zealand did too. The town is stupid small, only a block long. This is their church dating back to the 1800s still in use today.Only I doubt Id rush to the middle of nowhere towns to find gold but thats what the descendents of Ross did back in the day. Here´s our awesome bus driver Ryan panning for some nuggets. Along the way to Franz Josef we rolled thru Whateroa - Ryan the drivers hometown. The hilarity that ensued was great. Whateroa is one block long. Imagine this giant bus rolling thru, honking its horn and everyone on board waving to random strangers. Well mostly Ryans friends who grew up and never left town. And we said hello to the inhabitants of the most important house in Whateroa, Ryans grandparents hood. Funny stuff. And we finally come to here...Franz Josef. Not much to do other than climb one of the three inland glaciers on Earth. The other one is a few miles away and the third is in Argentina somewhere. Did the hike up the Franz Josef Glacier. Not something I wanted to miss so yea check that off the adventure list. This is what an inland glacier might look like in your neighborhood. Its that white strip of ice stuck between these two mountains. It actually moves about 5 meters a year or something. Or was it 5 meters a month? I forget..but the point is from where I took this picture, thats where the glacier used to be. Good thing we got global warming! And dont be fooled by the illusion...the glacier is a good 2km and a 1 hour hike away from this point (cause up close it looks like it was a 100 meters away).Can you feel the anticipation as we get closer....

and closer...

Until we´re halfway up the thing and thats as far as we could go on a half day hike. Still freezing all the way up there too. Pure blue ice yo.

After that I checked out the hostel lounge and they were playing Flight of the Conchords - about two New Zealand dudes who are trying to make it in NYC. Pure hilarity. And even funnier when you watch it in Franz Josef, New Zealand.

TranzTrains and whatnot

2008-03-05T00:46:00.005-05:00

I like trains. So when I found out one of the most scenic rides on Earth was here I had to take it. From Wellington I jumped on the Interstar Ferry from Wellington to Picton. As we crossed the ocean from one island to the other it felt a lot like passing thru the Greek islands. Even the giant ferry was similar to a Greek Ferry. Picton...the small town on the north point of South Island.

Thats where you jump on the TransCoastal rail journey to Christchurch. It was an overcast cloudy day but still a good scene of the Pacific out there. Like a dog sticking its head out of a car window, I stuck my head out of the open viewing car. When I got to Christchuch I was put in jail. Well not really...I put myself there. A nights stay a jail converted into a hostel was a rare experience. Christchurch itelf is a good little town nestled on the northeast corner of the south island. And you guessed it...theres a church in the city center. A city center which many say resembles the most to old English architecture styles. Well, sort of.

Good enough for the next day on the TranzAlpine rail journey. Even better than the TranzCoastal in my opinion..because the views are way better. And rolling thru the town of Cass was interesting. Population equals one. Russ. He waves hello everyday at 3pm. After that, you stop at Arthurs Pass. Population..some small number. Until finally you reach the final destination on the TranzAlpine journey and one of the larger cities on the western coast - Greymouth. And by the looks of it, its not so large at all.

But dont be discouraged...the town might be unappealing but hey:

At least the animal themed Noah´s Ark Hostel was a good spot to chill for a night. They really go all out in NZ with the themed hostels yo. A piece of trivia for you geographically inclined types. What country does this flag and fellow traveler belong to? For sure, I had no clue this place existed until I met one of their fellow residents. The winner gets mad props and online accolades.

to Wellington

2008-03-05T00:37:00.004-05:00

The sunny day was spent riding to the southernmost point on the North island...the cool city of Wellington. Along the way are cool views and small rural towns reminiscent of the southern part of the States. You look out one side of the bus and you see beautiful plains and countryside. On the other side youre facing the wall of a mountain that begins some crazy vally right thru the earthquake fault line. This was the quote Korean view as summarized by Jaisun a.k.a Jason, another traveler I befriended on the Magic bus. He hailed from Seoul and apparently the mountains in Korea arent as amazing. I discovered from talking to all the Koreans who frequent Australia and NZ that they all love Celine Dion, her voice is like an opera, steak, its rare to find out there, and jumping out of planes. Jason was gung ho about skydiving. And hes never had tic tacs or tasted water with gas...a.k.a seltzer water. Imagine what the people of North Korea see and dont see.

Im sure they might not get to see Wellington, thats for sure. But if theres someone out there from North Korea reading this...this is what the city looks like:

And the city center is this way --------------->

There one shall find the beehive. That also doubles as city hall.

And a trip to Wellington would be naught if you didnt take the famous tram to the top of the city, next to the Botanical Gardens.Fellow Magic Bus travelers and me overlooking this neat little city. Korean, Argentinians and Americans all meshing together. What a wonderful world. And yea, speaking of this wonderful world...whaling should be outlawed. It is a big issue in New Zealand. I think while I was there the issue with Japanese whalers surfaced in the news.

Here´s some more interesting news. My skinny ass actually cooking something in the hostel kitchen. The YHA Wellington was actually one of the nicest hostels I had been to and with two kitchens it was obvious the party was in the pantry.

Mordor

2008-03-05T00:19:00.006-05:00

One of the big draws to New Zealand is the hiking. Mad hiking trails abound the country. One of the best one day hikes..the Tongariro Crossing. Much of the hype should be given credit to JRR Tolkien. Or whoever on Peter Jacksons location team decided to film some of Part III here. Mount Doom - here it is in all its glory -and what looks like Mordor is just south of Taupo. And being a true hobbit fan I wasnt going to miss a chance to see it.

Not only is the scenery just utterly stunning, the hike itself is pretty challenging. I mean youre climbing up steep volcanic rocks on one ledge and coming down lush green forests on the other end. And in between you see volcanic craters, emerald lakes and lots of Mordor like features.

This is up there in my Top 5 hikes of all time.

I mentioned the Tongariro Crossing was challenging...for the first time hiker. Didnt you see how tiring it was for Frodo and Sam? For me, it wasnt that bad. But I went along with a friend from Norway, a French girl who didnt speak anything but French like English and an older couple from London.

So that made me the appointed guide. Which meant I actually took my time going thru this eight hour course, showing our first time hikers the ropes. We all made it out alive. Theres a reason why they are renaming this awesome hike the Alpine Crossing. Because people underestimate the changing weather conditions up here and the fact that its dangerous in some spots.On the van we took out there, the driver said we had until 4pm to be back at the other end. There were some German ladies we saw later that afternoon who were running to catch it. We tried to warn them that running wasnt ideal and they were going to wait for us anyway...the funny older couple were really taking their time on the hike. Ironically, we made it to the car park at 430pm and thats when the van showed up...he was a half hour late. So we had to take the German lady to the hospital. Because she literally tripped and fell on her bloddy face running to get a van that came late anyway. And joining us were some Dutch guys from our Magic tour, one of whom took a face first tumble down Mt Dooms steep 45 degree rocky incline. I lost count how many bandages he was sporting. Moral of the story...sit back and enjoy the view. Youll make it back in one piece.
Another funny tidbit...my friend Ali gave me a shirt while I was in Japan. I thought I would sport it on this hike figuring there wont be anyone who could decipher what it said. Until we got to a rest point and I was approached by two Japanese girls laughing hysterically at my shirt. The secret was out. Can you figure out what it is the shirt says...if you can read it from this far?

on the way to Taupo

2008-03-05T00:14:00.006-05:00

The bus rolled south thru the North Island. And we stopped at the Lady Knox Geyser. I hadnt made my way to Yellowstone yet, so this was the first geyser I had seen. Some of my traveling friends from Germany and Norway didnt know what it was...so I had to explain. Some park ranger adds soap. And it blows up. Everyday at 10.15am.A lot of volcanic volatility can be found in NZ. Its not hard, the masses of mud bubbles boiling under the Earth smell putrid. So when our noses passed upon the Wai O Tapu Thermal Wonderland it was basic instinct to follow the smell into this natural wonder. Its just a bunch of boiling holes in the ground with weird chemical reactions that cause the water to heat up, cool down and look spectacular. Guess it was worth the twenty bucks to get in. The German kid didnt go...kinda was on a poor budget. He had just come from living in a car for four months in Australia, not knowing that New Zealand has a lot to see, but nothing is ever free or cheap. I cracked up when he said in his Arnold Schwartzenegger accent dime swuprizzed ztey dwo not chargt mve vone dollat twoot breathet da air!! And I tell ya, the air smelled like boiling shit in the thermal wonderland. So I paid 20 bucks to breathe it. The secret of the ooze right here folks...

as for Taupo itself...theres a big lake in town and thats about it.

Rotorua

2008-03-05T00:04:00.006-05:00

How do you go from point A to B in New Zealand? Theres a bunch of backpacker type tour buses...Kiwi Experience, Stray Bus, etc. But I chose the Magic Bus. It just sounded cooler and I could fit in an itinerary in my limited time here. Still kicking myself, by the way, for locking in pre booked flights that werent so flexible to change. Anyhow, I got on the bus with heaps of other fellow backpackers and we were off to Rotorua.

...Rotorua itself is boring. But spend a night with the local Maoris and you wont regret going. I went with the Tamaki Tribe. Seems like a bunch of tribes jumped on the tourist bonanza to show off their culture. Which spans back thousands of years...they first came from northeast Asia, headed down to Taiwan, and then ventured off into islands like French Polynesia, Hawaii, Easter Island and finally called New Zealand home. If you look at all the indigenous people of these places they all appear similar. And they all run around half naked in the woods, live in the forest, and use spears and stuff to kill for food. Of course today the Maori enjoy the benefits of modern civilization...so all the Hawaians I thought I saw in Auckland...theyre really like our American Indians from pre colonial times.

Ok, enough babbling...let me show ya how crazy they still are. Even though they showcase their ancient tribal history, they still go home on the bus with you and jump into their fashinable cars. Yet they love to do their tounge wag thing no matter where they are.

The blog reincarnated

2008-03-04T23:55:00.009-05:00

What is up with the posting hiatus? Well I suppose I can explain because I know a lot of you might have been wondering where in the world was Tashi for the past month? I´ve heard that people from all walks of life look to this for some inspiration, jealously or just plain old informative pictures. Well I´m glad you all enjoy it. Unfortunately I doubt my storytelling will lead to any publications, books or television shows. And I dont want it to, really. Oh and on a technical note...the archive links have been fixed. Thanks for the heads up Keith who I hadnt seen in a decade haha. Man word spreads when you leave the country doesnt it? So without further adue, let me continue!

What happened to me in the last month is not a simple answer, but more like a long story to tell. But first, we´ll go back in time and check out one of the most beautiful countries on the planet - New Zealand. Two weeks, two months, maybe two years is not enough to see all of its glory.

We start with Auckland, the captial of NZ. I think I rolled in there on January 30th. Seems like yesterday to me, but for all you patient reading friends of mine...its been a month. I´m sure youre salivating for this content. I´ll make it worth your time as you read this during your productive days at work.

As I was saying, I got into Auckland and the first thing I see when getting off the airport bus? Someone jumping off the Sky Tower. Literally, yes.

You might have seen this already, those lucky contestants on the Amazing Race did this one season. Simply put, you pay one hundred fifty something dollars to jump off a space needle. Tied down to a rope of course. And theres no other way to picture what you can do in New Zealand. Wanna jump out of a plane? Off a bridge? This is where you can do it.

Other than that, Auckland is a friendly cosmopolitan city spread out along beaches and valleys. It feels like central or southern New Jersey. For all you out there who want to retire I think Auckland is one of the better places on Earth to do it. Its also here where you can get atop Mount Eden and see views of the city and One Tree Hill. No, the TV show isnt named after this. But U2s song is. There used to be a tree atop this hill until the bored underprivileged kids kept vandalizing it. Its now removed...so theres no tree on the one hill. The name still stands though.

I spent most of my Auckland time with a friend whom I met back in Egypt. Went up with her French roomates to the top of Mt. Eden at night for a good view. Thanks for the tour Selvi!

Sydney

2008-03-02T09:50:00.005-05:00

So this is the short and sweet rundown on Sydney. All there is to see is the Bayonne Bridge...uh I mean the Sydney Harbour Bridge and wild Australian animals at their awesome zoo across the harbor.They offer you a chance to drop $250 to climb over the arch of the bridge. I am sure next time I will take that opportunity. For now though, I just walked across it.The koalas whom I thought were fake. The zookeeper lady was like no they´re just sleeping. Apparently because they eat the eucalyptus tree it stagnates them to the point where they sleep 22 hours a day. And ya cant go to Australia and not see a kangaroo.

Exciting right? Almost forgot the up close view of the architecturally sound Opera House.

Why we need to arrive at the airport 2 hours ahead

2008-02-07T04:47:00.000-05:00

Because sometimes we go through insanity such as what I did about a week ago:
6:20am - Sydney Shuttle Bus to airport arrives for pickup from Wood Duck Inn hostel
6:21am - Shuttle probably left because Tashi was still sleeping
7:01am - wake up and shit my pants because flight is at 9:40am
7:05am - run up to roof and make phone call to Sydney Shuttle Bus for next pickup at 7:20
7:15am - on corner for next shuttle pickup to Intl Airport
8:05am - in the New Zealand Airlines queue with heaps of other travelers
8:32am - discover that I need exit flight information from New Zealand. Cant find Air Tahiti Nui proof or passenger receipt
8:40am - begin searching through Sydney International for Air Tahiti Nui offices8:48am - Air Tahiti offices found but no ones home that early. Inquire with Air Canada next door. Nice lady from Air Canada gives valuable tip that Air Tahiti's cargo carrier Menzi's might have access to their system and points me in their direction8:53am - in Menzi's office explaining the situation. Jill the receptionist at Menzi's appears to be having a bad day and explains how I shouldnt travel without forwarding flight information, especially to New Zealand, where they're super strict about it. Well duh Jill, I know this but unfortunately this morning Im not as organized as I should be aye? Eventually another lady hacks into Air Tahiti's system, throws in my information (hey, I knew what flight I was on at least!) and prints for me the proof I need8:58am - With newfound proof of NZ exit, was able to cut the Air New Zealand queue and get boarding ticket printed9:02am - Race through customs and security lines
9:06am - Get to Gate 56 somehow early and spend my last $10 Australian on some muffins at Gloria Jeans Coffee stand
9:29am - board flight
9:30am - Gate 56 closes
9:40am - we off to Auckland yo

....and so I've been rummaging around New Zealand for the past few weeks...climbing volcanic rocks, passing by Mt Doom and delving into glaciers among other things. Hence not much time to post mad pictures...plus Internet is scarce out in the middle of nowhere small towns we've been rolling thru. So expect something in a week or so when this adventure takes a break in LA =)

Timing

2008-01-29T07:13:00.000-05:00

I must have been lucky so far. Since Australia is so connected with the rest of the world the news here isnt hard to see or hear. So when I'm sitting at the local food court in Sydney watching the flatscreen news TV I find out Beijing is buried under a blizzard? And especially when most travel is during the Chinese New Years - believe me I know its gonna get busy. But Im just glad Im not stranded there. Well I suppose the point is, I didnt plan on avoiding Beijing during this time. Just so happened to work out that way. And just so happened to work out that I landed in Melbourne on Australia Day weekend, and Barcelona on Merce Festival weekend, and Istanbul during PKK protest days, etc. Well its a nice change to see news everywhere.

And for some reason Australians are very keen on US politics. Like Bush's State of the Union was being televised live during lunch in Sydney. Its funny because I doubt anyone back home cares much for Aussie politics. I didnt watch; was more entralled with the fact that I knew the group sitting next to me were Thai. You can tell when you hear "mnak mnak wack nyak" or something nasaly like that really loud. At least for me its kinda neat to be able to pinpoint languages somewhat better now.

What else can I pinpoint? Landmarks. Like you know what these are:...the Bayonne Bridge!

...AND MORE TO COME WHEN I GET BACK ONLINE! Somewhere in New Zealand =)

Me!bourne

2008-01-29T06:30:00.000-05:00

I dont know what I can say about Melbourne other than it is one of the coolest cities in Oz! I feel the artsy culture here. There's a good vibe in the city with all these small neighborhoods that are reminiscent of St Marks Place in nyc and NoDa in Charlotte. I feel the character that beckons you to stay longer. So i'll show ya why Melbourne is cool. I stayed on Chapel Road. Its colorful to say the least. A 10 minute metro ride gets you into Flinders Street and Federation Square. Where this week the Aussies were going nuts over the Australian Open in town...watching the matches live on the big screen here.Just around the corner is Melborune CBD (what we call downtown every city in Oz likes to refer as Central Business District).

Like I mentioned, there's a lot of arty character in Melbern (in Aussie dialect it sounds more like melb-burne or something like that). Maybe there were more people out because this past weekend it was Australia Day (like our 4th of July) and more odd characters decided to come out of the woodworks. Like the Aussie version of the Aquabats!

This kid had to have been the best of anything I had seen performed on the street yet. Like he was jamming out some good rock tunes - playing the guitar and drums with the same hand, singing and playin a harmonica with the same mouth, and using the same two feet for the symbol thing and base (which was integrated into his suitcase/speaker amp = ingenious). And with the voice changer thing nicely mounted to the drum coming out of the blowhorn it made for some sounds worthy of YouTube or at least some TV reality talent show, whatevers the thing to see these days I have no clue haha. And with a huge crowd he was making mad loot. Not a bad gig. Neither is street art or selling random souvenirs, food and jewelry at Victoria Market seen here.

Down in St Kilda near the beach has one of those cool amusement parks we see in movies. At least it looked cool at night. So thats Melbourne, I spent a few days here and must go back! And go back to experience the true Aussie culture. Which is pretty similar to ours back in the states with a few exceptions...like the language. Yes its English, but its Australish or something. Sunnies? Nappies? I think they take words and just shorten them. At least their plastic feeling money is some of the most colorful Ive seen around the planet.

Aussie-land (updated with pics!)

2008-01-24T00:55:00.001-05:00

Its waaay too hot out here in Australia. Perth is quite a nice town too. Everyone is super friendly and you get smiles from random strangers on the street and even as you sit in shops on the street watching everyone go by. It feels almost like Charlotte, NC out here with the way the city is setup and all. Only difference is people get out and walk all over this small city in the state of Western Australia. I had planned to take a train from here all the way over to Melbourne. A three day journey across the outback. But too bad for me it sold out - guess everyones going east to see the Australian Open and whatnot. Besides it was a bunch of old people waiting to roll outta here and I wasnt gonna drop $1300 for the last gold sleeper seats left. Thats a little harsh, so of course this will have to wait for another time in the way future - when im like old or something haha.
So that left me here in Perth a few more days to do whatever. And getting around the city is easy - free bus transport everywhere! Cant beat that yo. One of these days in Perth I took a metro down to the port city of Freemantle. Good fish and chips - maybe some that can rival what you get in London. So after catching the lovely sunset upon the Indian Ocean it was time to head to the Fremantle Prison. Heard the torchlight tours were the thing to do so thus I did. Back in the day there were "heaps" of convicts who built most of Fremantle, including this prison for themselves.

A neat thing about the place was some of the artwork left on walls by prisoners. They were kinda bored I suppose. At times if they got in trouble, they'd get the whip or cataraks? The thing with like 9 ends that scars you for life. Its actually where the term "dont let the cat out of the bag" and "cat got your toungue?" came from...because the prisoner feared that catarak coming out of the bag or if the whipped ends hit his toungue as he screamed in pain. They showed us this thing but I didnt take a picture in the dark. What I did take a photo of was the gallows. A fair number of death row inmates never made it out of this room.

I made it out and came upon a sign at the ancient train station saying the metro was cancelled for the rest of the night. So they provide free buses for the 45 minute journey back to Perth - cant beat that. I got on and asked the driver so how much? He was like "fthree". so im rumbling for Australian coins when he's like no "fre--eeee". Oh I get it, you were speaking Australian haha. Its a different english dialect out here - some say even another language. Mad confusing sometimes. Today in East Perth in this little deli I order a chicken salad sandwich and the lady was like you want bhuttah on that? Im like what? Butthah! as she made the butter spread hand gesture. Im like oh you put butter on sandwiches here and no mayo? Weird. But thats australia for ya. They even eat chicken flavored potato chips.

Tastes like really bad sour cream and onion haha. And Hungry Jacks tastes and looks awfully close to Burger King!

Off to get my flight to Melbourne...

Its been a while since the last post aye?

2008-01-21T11:17:00.000-05:00

Someone recently posed me the question when I told them I was from NYC and on a prolonged "holiday" as they like to call travelling: "why would you leave new york city?" Well its simple - to see the rest of the world and what else is out there. Cant live under the shadows of the Big Apple all your life. So as I continue this adventure I occasionally end up in places (like China the last few weeks) where posting isnt as easy or feasible. But here it is...so read down...like 7 posts ago and start there =) Enjoy.