Penarol... the second best atmosphere at a football game in my life! :)

So my luck continues... my 5th game in South America and my 5th win, this time 2-1 vs Godoy Curz of Ecuador... the atomosphere was incredible... only topped by Bristol City v Crystal Palace in the Play-off Semi-final second leg at Ashton Gate a few years ago, and thats only because City are in my heart... this was simply an incredible atmosphere... the beauty of football:) ... thats why I had to upload this stuff immediatly to share with you beautiful people:)

Ok, so Penarol is another step up the scale compared to Nacional!

Waiting for people to disperse before I leave... it can feel a bit crowded if you leave with 70,000 other people all at one time!

So this first video is as the opponents walk out onto the pitch... first whistling and then an uncomplimentary song I imangine!

... And then it was time for the mighty Penarol to enter the pitch... the most incredible atmosphere for a team entrance I've ever experienced... and yes, those fireworks are coming directly from the hands of fans in the far end of the stadium... known as the ultras, their part of the stadium is know as Amsterdam... be wary of Amsterdam!

Lovely Montevideo and the eternal sigh of the damned:)

So I'm past my phase of obsessive posting of waterfall pictures... I'm now in a country called Uruguay, population 3 million... in the capital Montevideo, population 1.5 million... I can only say that the place is having a wonderful impression on me... its the most European city I've come across in South America, but is undenyably not Europe (consult a map)... now before I get on to that old subject that'll get all those humans lacking a Y chromosome, and many of those who have one, groaning I'll give you my little tit-bits and impressions of this tiny county slapped between Brazil and Argentina... ... ... Uruaguay is a small country but it has quite a bit of character... so far, Montevideo seems probably the richest city I've come across so far, but dispite this some things remain... the bins are collected by a man and boy on a horse and cart, Steptoe and Son style... its a country of flask huggers (thats not a euphamism like `window licker`... you just constantly see people walking around with a flask and a special cup)... you see, a popular drink, their tea if you will, is Ma`Te... they drink it from a weird cup that looks like a minature beer cask with grass growing in it with a protruding metallic straw for sipping... like a mishapen pipe... its a weird kind of bitter tea that everyone seems to drink... sat down at a bench or walking along they have their arms full with the flask of hot water and the odd drinking cup... I'll try to take a photo once I pluck up the courage to do so! ... The country is dusty and dry but with old, classic looking clonial buildings... its a beautiful place... it has a city and a beach... you can feel the wealth flow through the city a bit like a subtle Monaco... but its lovely here, not obscene and offensive as I found Monaco! ... like a clean and controlled Rio... without the randomness of the landscape and the flavelas they accomidate... I mean, I`m sure this city has its dangerous places... but it has a more friendly glow then many places I've visited in this continent... but my visit didn't start well... the hostel website said a taxi would cost $15 from the airport... but they didn't mention that I needed a specific type of taxi... when I arrived the meter said 178... so if that was pasos then that's reasonable... like $10... but it turns out that was a code which led to a certian tarrif... the taxi cost 900 pesos... like 30 quid... I was furious and let it be known when I arrived in the hostel... I was in such a rage I couldn't speak... I felt their lack of clarity had lost me a lot of money... and after only 3 hours sleep the night before (I needed to wake at 3.30 am for my flight to Montevideo), I was near breaking point! ... I sat alone in my room and collected myself... then I remembered what I'd seen in my periphery as I entered the hostel (and now time for the worlds biggest sign)... people from the hostel were going to a football game that evening!!! Yay:) ... this trip is turning into a football fiesta, but remember, the thing I love most is the whole process and the story behind the game... the history and context of the team, the stadium, the voices shouting adoration at their new heros or whisteling at those who've let them down... teams represent communities, teams have history, and deny it all you want but you will learn about people from their football team:) ... I had planned to watch Penarol (a big Montevideo team) on thursday ( I still do, I have my ticket for a 50,000 sell out sat in my locker as I type:)... I told this to the guy organising the trip to the game last night... he was distraught... I need to watch Nacional (the other big team of Montevideo!), that is the real team... I bought tickets for Penarol after he checked I had all my vital vaccinations such as rabies etc (he thinks their fans are animals... but ask a Penarol fan about those from Nacional and...) ... then we went to get tickets for Nacional... and he got to work winning me over... His passion for the team is clear, its in his blood... His grand father has been told by the doctor to avoid games because the excitment could kill him, and this guy from the hostel (Nacho) literally burst a lung at a Nacional v Penarol game once! ... ... ... now I could get stuck into all the history... but I'll leave some of this football crap out for now... I'm working on a football blog for when I return home... a way to compensate for the loss of this beautiful travel blog I've come to adore so much... in the football blog I'll get stuck into the history... but for now I'll just give you the key things... Nacional are a proud team, and Uruaguay is a country vastly proud of its football heritage...  

... OK, I took a break from blogging but am here now... back in the zone and to fill that blog shaped hole in your head... I've just emailed a football podcast I listen to (The Football Ramble, www.thefootballramble.com) about my experience watching Nacional the other night... rather then write it all again, I'll copy and past the email here for you to digest:) :

"Hello there Ramblers,

I'm emailing because your profile a few months back on the Nacional v Penarol derby in Montevideo (listen to it at http://www.thefootballramble.com/index.php/dwhof/entrant/penarol-v-nacional) piqued my interest in Uruguay's club football. I was in the neighbourhood (South America) so I thought I might aswell catch a game, and even though I didn't manage to catch a derby I can tell you that the rivalry is still there. When I arrived at my hostel and asked about buying tickets to the Penarol Libatadores game later in the week, the guy who owns the hostel was distraught. After bad mouthing their fans and suggesting I should only go if I'd had a rabies jab he promply invited me to a Nacional league game that very night. Within an hour he was driving me to the stadium to get tickets and to show me the museam. Even though there stadium is a bit of a shit hole he told me about how it hosted the first ever world cup game and how the commen fan is working together to get funds to improve the stadium... he compared it to those bastereds at Penarol who don't even have a home and are tennants at the council's, I must add, truly superb, Centanario stadium which was the venue of the first world cup final. He showed me the rediculous trophy cabinate, explained about the club legends such as a lad who played way back without having any hands and another captain who, when he was on the decline and about to lose his place to the youth, snuck into the stadium one night and shot himself leaving a note about how his family are set for life and the team doesn't need him anymore so it was time to go! The lad taking me to the game was from a line of Nacional fans... his grandad has been advised by the doctor not to go to games because he is likley to die of a heart attack if he goes, and the lad himself, while watching some final against Penarol literally [Richard] burst a lung and had to stay in hospital for 3 days and ended up missing the replay. He was really working overtime to win me over to the team. Anyway, the game came and we (it seems his powers of persuasion worked) won 5-2... the opponents were a small team and very crap but it was a good game with classic South American highlights of the captain of Nacional being told by the referee to ask the fans to stop climing the fence around the parimeter of the pitch before he could take a penalty, all the Nacional fans swearing vitriollically and spitting at the away fans who were literally made up of a couple of scared girls and an old man who seemed to be short of a few bob upstairs, and a stocky Brazilian who came on with Nacional 4-1 up, hogged the ball, and was generally a bit shit but who still took a bow from the crowed and took the ovation in a style that would make Romario or John Pansil proud!

You can't avoid football here and the passion is obvious... even the wifi password at the hostel is "Uruguay1950"... the guy from the hostel, Nacho, put the work in and has won me to the side of Nacional, I've bought the shirt and signed on as a fan of the Bolso... ... ... don't tell Nacho though, but I have tickets to see that Penarol Copa Libatadores game tonight... I feel like such a traitor!

Keep Rambling,

Matt Ovens"

... and then I sent another e-mail adding a couple of extra little details:

"... sorry, forgot to mention that if you do fancy watching a Nacional v Penarol derby you need to keep off the booze, all fans get breathalized before the game!

... oh yeah, and the two teams are having a competition to see who can make the biggest flag (sounds like a boy scout competition)... Penarol will reveal theirs tonight and Nacho, my Nacional friend, said that Nacional will find out the size and make theirs 1 meter bigger... later a Penarol fan who works in the hostel complained that Umbro (Nacional's kit sponsor) sponsored the flag and it has the logo all over it, where as Penarol's is made by the fans... then a Nacional fan told me they had a similar competition before and when Penarol unveiled their flag at a game, two Nacional fans snuck into the ground and set the flag on fire! ... Jesus lads, can't we all just get along!"

... and now, to finish, a few more pictures:)

The Centanario, the venue of the first world cup final... I'll be there tonight for a sold-out game:))

National football museam. A picture of the scene of the 1950 world cup final in Brazil... the Uruguay team silenced all 200,000 of these people!

At the Nacional team football museam, getting a healthy amount of brain washing from Nacho:)

Independence square in the old town... see, this isn't just football!

... And they even have a lovely beach a mere walk from the city... Montevideo is growing on me every day:)

Sorry, having trouble getting into the blogging zone!

Hey kids. I'm trying to blog for you good people some actualy words after the festival of pictures over the past few posts but I'm struggeling to get the words out... I'm half way through your next treat but its hard to focus because everyday I am doing so much and am so tired at the end... so a little post now and a bigger one tomorrow or the next day:) Montevideo is really cool... today I saw the old town, the Centanario (the venue of the first world cup final:)), the ramblas (or embankment) by the beaches of the city, and I've bought my bus tickets for the night bus to Buenos Aires on the 1st April (and I've already reserved my tickets for Boca Jrs v Estudientes on 3rd April:))... its a beautiful city, but you'll hear more about that when the big post gets done... ... last night I saw ANOTHER football game, and my new Uruguayian team, Nacional, won 5-2 ... so that's 4 games in South America, 4 wins, 13 goals for my teams, 6 goals against... I'm a lucky charm:)) ... here are some pictures of game day... more photos and writing to come asap... I'll probably write before I walk all the way around the city tomorrow... save some energy for you good people at home:)

Love you all,

your adorable friend/relative,

Matt:)

Caged animals

Getting exciting

Thats me

A lonely boy and his flare after the game

Iguazu - The view from Argentina:)

As was the fashion yesterday, I will let the pictures describe my visit to the Argentinian side of Iguazu falls today:) ... It was on a tour and if theres one thing I´ve learnt during traveling its that you need to be both patient and sociable to do a tour... its a shame I wasn´t either of those things today... ... At least the falls were bloody beautiful:)

Lovely falls... shame about the man with the lego hair in front of them!

Nice falls

Close to said nice falls

Another day another rainbow:)

A common butterfly round these parts with the indicative ´88´on the wings... I remember when The Juventus goalkeeper Gigi Buffon wanted the number 88 on his jersey... he was accused of being a neo-nazi because people claimed the 88 signified Hail Hitler whereas Buffon swore he chose the number because he felt they were stong looking numbers and something about them being like the infinity symbol... anyway, he ended up taking the number 77 instead... ... but because of this anicdote I refer to these butterflys in my own head as little Nazis...

Ready for my close-up

At the top of the falls... called, ´The Devil´s throat´ ... kind of feels like the middle of a lake is being sucked into a black hole of eternal depth... ... or is that just me?

More little Nazis...

The three frontiers... the land to the left is Paraguay, to the right is Brazil... try to guess where I´m stood?

Iguazu (Brazilian side)... bloody ruddy lovely!

I´m not going to write much... hopefully my pictures of the falls will do the talking:)

Who invited Jarvis Cocker?

Enjoying the wine the hostel gave me and the cake my parents gave me money to buy... the wine provided the dutch courage I needed to call up the BBC (please note my lovely new Colo Colo shirt:)

Somewhere [literally] over the rainbow:)

Pretty nice:)

Too many tourists... but still nice:)

Listen to me live on the BBC (well, I was live but you can listen to the podcast:)

So, I´m a big football fan... got confidence from the bottle of wine provided by the hostel... so I phoned in to the BBC 5-live world football phone in (usually in the middle of the night in England but a reasonable time here in Brazil)... I got on and asked their Brazilian football expert Tim Vickery about the small crowed at the Flumineases game I watched... I know its fairly innane but its the kind of football chatter I find interesting... anyway, my strong Bristolian voice made it on to the podcast of the show:) ... down load the podcast from the show of 26/3/11 at:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/podcasts/series/wf

download it and fast forward to the last 5 minutes... the last question of the night is little old me:))) ... it took me a while to get to sleep after because of the thrill of being on live natonal radio:)))

OK, breakfast and Iguazu falls today... keep well my lovelies:)

New city, a new post:)

Hello folks... I´m back here on this blog and from a new place, Foz do Iguazu, a little town near some famous waterfalls on the boarder between Brazil, Argentina, and Paraguay... tomorrow I´ll view from the Brazil side, Sunday I´ll watch from Argentina, Monday I´ll pop over to Paraguay to see whats going on, and then Tuesday I fly to Montivedeo, the capital of Uruaguay (I hope to watch the mighty Penarol of Uruaguay play in the Copa Libatadores on Thursday:) ...  but to the here and now:)

I´m here after a 24 hour bus journey from Rio... it was actually quite pleasant... kind of like how I imagine buisness class to be just without the free booze... It was nice to be on the road again... although I took the bus in New Zealand that was too much like National Express... this bus was more like the classics from South East Asia... there is something analogus in a bus trip to traveling itself... you travel and cross paths with people... you continue on your journey but others come and go at will... I kind of like it... they don´t get a chance to hear me speak... the girls are just left with an impression of a handsome man, maybe Italian, maybe Estonian... they are taken aback by my looks... and I never open my mouth and ruin the enivatable image in their head;) ... ... it is over recent weeks and months I´ve realised how odd my accent is... I overheard one person say my accent was, "Just plain weird" (I like that:) ... I´ve been mistaken for Irish and Australian on my travels as well as occasionally being correctly identified as a Bristolian... a cleaner at uni, also a Bristolian, asked if I was Canadian!! She said my accent was exotic! ... blimey! ... and once a Norwegian girl said I had a classy accent! ... take that nay-sayers:))) ... I do think I´ve mangeled my accent by watching too much Alan Partridge, Father Ted, and spending too many nights as a youth at Bristol City games or talking crap with my mates from that way after having drunk half a can of white lightening... oh well, I´ll say it gives me character;)

... I´ve just been taken by a bit of shock... because I didn´t get that chance to have cake on my birthday (23rd March) I bought one today to share with people at this new hostel... I told the receptionist and they congratulated me and I told them they could have some cake later... and then, literally as I was typing they just presented me with a wrapped bottle of red wine as a gift... I didn´t expect that! wow, how generous, I just arrived! so Wine and cake for us here tonight:))) ... My birthday was pretty cool in Rio... I had lovely message from home and actually an overwhelming amount of facebook birthday wishes... I know its easy as piss to send a little message on facebook but it is really appreciated:) ... unfortuanatly it rained much of the day so I didn´t get to enjoy the "nature" at Copacaba and Ipanema beaches (see pictures below)... but I booked to watch Fluminases (the second team of Rio) play America of Mexico in the Copa Libatadores... it was a cool match with a good atmosphere... we were sat next to the band so were accompanied by a samba beat throughout the game... I was dissapointed by the size of the crowed though... only 13,000 people for a continental competition... We get more then that at Bristol City when Barnsley come to town... but Fluminases were in good voice and after trailing 1-0 and 2-1 they won 3-2 with a late goal from superstar Deco... the crowed went wild and my undefeated record of watching teams in South America continued:)) ... it was a decent birthday night but I think two days walking around in the Rio heat in my sexy vest had sapped my energy as I was struggeling to keep my eyes open for the second half of this 10pm kick off... it was great though... ... ... next game Penarol of Uruaguay:) 

... Now I´ve left Rio and I´ve not seen the big Jesus, but I´m saving that for when I return to Rio to fly to England (maybe I already mentioned that)... to end the trip on a touristic-, religious-, and altitude-high:) ... anyway, it was cloudy all my time in Rio... as sods-law dictates, the sun only came out when the bus pulled away!

... but that feeling of being on the road and watching the unusual landscapes wash past you is great... ... While traveling I had a sudden memory from on the bus in Laos which I don´t know if I mentioned... Our bus broke down outside a village house in the middle of nowhere... a little girl was playing, saw me and waved... I waved back... this continued for literally 5 minutes, then her friends started joining her... after about 20 minutes, when the bus was ready to go, I was waving non-stop to most of the village children and their pets... it was tiring but wonderful:)

... Anyway, time to go... I´m 26 now, so I need to sit down and rest my legs with a nice glass of red wine:) ... maybe after seeing the waterfall and visiting Paraguay and Argentina in the next couple of days I´ll be able to bore you while waxing lyrical about a whole load of new crap... can´t wait:)) ... It seems like now the end of this trip is in sight I´ve got my lust for travel back... which is awesome... I want to end this trip wanting more... to inspire me toward my next foray into this crazy world:)

Anyway, enjoy some pictures from my birthday in Rio:)

Love you all, 

Matt

P.S. It seems like the rollercoaster from my time in Santiago continues... I had ups and downs there but met some wonderful people... I was really a lazy hostel sloth during my time there but had a decent time there... I mentioned how the hostel was a party zone and then froze up for a bit and then was friendly once again when I left... well in a major change of events, since I left the managment claimed one of the staff was stealing money and so sacked the whole lot of them! ... Jesus! ... I´d like to think that if that happened at home the owner would be forced to prove the accusations and pay out of his ass to those falsly accused... it seems sad and weird that that has happened... frankly its the hostel´s loss as they were generally great staff... I´ve spoken to a couple of them and they´ve taken it well which is good:) ... but man alive, I didn´t see that coming... kind of glad I wasn´t around to see that crap go down!

Shiney face

Copacabana... where are all the ladies?

Ipanema... menacing!

Jesus is hiding at the top of the left lump... see you in April J-man:)

Deco scores, the crowed goes wild!

First Rio photos

Me at the Maracana... its being ripped apart and redone but it´s soul is still there:)

Flavalas... look but don´t touch

Just some shopping street... I liked it... the murmour of sales people and the reminants of carnivale make it feel vibrant:)

... better and more beautiful photos to come soon, once I´ve visited the famous beaches during sunny days and visited the big Jesus (Christ the Redeemer) ... so patience please my pretties:)

Rio de Janeiro... a girl you fall in love with:)

... So I´m in Rio... I guess first I should explain why I´m here and not somewhere like Peru or northern Chile... well, I guess I´m starting to show the fatigue of travel and I  came very close to returning home... I booked a flight from Santiago to Rio with the intention of moving my Rio to London flight forward... then I reassesed and decided just to shave 5 weeks off my trip and to explore the east cost of South America while I´m here... Peru and Bolivia can go on my ´to do´ list with Japan and India... for another day... :)


So yes, I´m in Rio... Brazil has always been a country that has intrigued me... my love of football has lead me to learn about this vast country ... learn about its society and it´s histroy through the contex of football... and I have to say, after having been here just about 24 hours, it is the first country which makes me feel genuinly excited to just be there since Cambodia... It´s fascinating and very different... like the future after it has had time to get old and dated... the urbanisation is splashed amongst the greenery and hills of the coast like treakle sticking to the sides of a jar... it sprawls and almost seems to dilate and contract with the landscape... ... the language is new and, well, foreign... at least to me... but I love the sound of it... it has a novel feeling with sounds like ´haaaaoooo´ and ´oowwwuch´ which compensate for their lack of hard ´Rs´ and ´Ws´ ... as you walk around the language seems to float around you in the thick humidity of the city... it has the feeling of a voice on a cassette walkman with failing batteries... the speed of speech slowing and speeding up at random to make it strange but melodic... unlike in Chile, I´m starting to enjoy not understanding what people are saying (well except when I´m trying to order something and can´t get my point across!)...

... Of course we´ve all heard that Rio isn´t such a safe city and these thoughts tempered my first night here... I arrived by taxi at night and was full of reticence to explore... the streets were still full with people... some shopping, some tramps, some just hanging about... the country is much more culturally diverse then Chile... in Chile you have white people and dark/olive skinned, traditionally latin people (a traditional, gritty, working class Chilean is known as a Wuchaka... its cool for young people to be wuchakas... I guess like its cooler to be working class then upper class in England)... here in Brazil I see more black and asian faces in any street then I did in my whole time in Chile... I didn´t expect such a striking social change... but my nervousness about the country vanished in the morning with the rising sun... it feels wonderful to wonder about... sure there are risks and because of that I keep my wondering with valuables to a minimum... but I´ve not felt in danger... I just make sure I keep away from the flavalas (the shanty towns on the hills of Rio which are notoriously dangerous... I think its hard to stumble into one of them by accident though)... ... ... I´ve had a busy first day... I booked tickets to Iguazu falls (a bloody girt waterfall shared with Argentina), I visited the Maracana (the massive football stadium) and I visited Ipanema (the famous Rio beach... only dwarfed by Copacabana in fame... thats for tomorrow:)... The Maracana struck me with its sheer size... its being renovated for the 2014 world cup so is kind of gutless at the moment but you can still sense the stadiums soul... it was the venue for the 1950 world cup final... probably the most famous in Brazil´s history... this was before the dawn of the super successful Brazil but not before the country was obsessed with the game... the final was a bit different in that world cup... a group of 3 in a round robin, and the final game was Brazil v Uruaguay... Brazil only needed a draw to win the cup... the news paper printed the headline ´WORLD CHAMPIONS´ before the game... the stadium was full with 200,000 Brazilians, ready for a party... no pressure lads! ... they went 1-0 up but then Uruaguay equalised and the nerves set in as Brazil needed to defend the draw to win the cup... late in the game the Brazil goal keeper Barbosa made a mistake and conceded... 2-1 Uruaguay... Uruaguay lose the world cup... 200,000 silent Brazilians... and they never forgave the team... the team used to play in white and after that the FA had a competition to decide a new strip... someone designed the yellow with green trim and blue shorts, like the flag, and a new Brazil was born... even 40 years later, as an old man, Barbosa was never forgiven... the old goalkeeper was in a shop and a women with her child walked in... she pointed at Barbosa and said, "look dear, theres the man who made the whole of Brazil cry"... there have been many times more books written about that defeat then the 4-1 world cup victory v Italy in 1970 which was arguably the best team ever... looking at the massive old stadium getting its face lift, I could feel the history and could imagine the scenes from so many years ago which I´ve read about and heard about before in my ´studies´ of world football...

... So after that bit of imagination-history I decided to check out the beach... I´d been told that Ipanema is famous for its beautiful women who bask in the sun... I only wanted to go to verify the facts I´d been told... but alas, the moment I stepped out of the metro at Ipanema, it pissed it down...  dam it! ... oh well, Copacabana and Ipanema tomorrow... a little treat for my birthday:) ... and then I have tickets to watch Fluminaese v America of Mexico in the Copa Libatadores for my birthday evening... its with a tour so don´t worry folks, I´ll be safe... I decided Fluminaese would be my Brazilian team because of a bit of history I can remember... back in the day Black and White people used to have seperate leagues (I think, or black people weren´t allowed to play or something... you know these stupid things that used to exist in the past)... but Fluminaese has a black player who they got to play by whitening up with rice powder before the game... In celebration of this, I´ve heard that the team´s fans throw rice powder up in the air as the team walks out for the game... Although the facts of this story I´ve heard might be questionable (does the whitening powder survive the sweat of a football game?) it sounds like a nice tradition... also they have Deco (ex-Porto, Barcelona and Chelsea) and Fred (ex-Lyon) playing for them so they should be a creative yet primitive and primal team to watch (if you ´Art´ before Deco and ´Flinstone´ after Fred then you will see the delicious word play I have instigated... chortle!)...

... anyway, this has been way to football heavy a post... but I hope you can see the glimpses of social history which make their way through the cracks of the football history... such things have made me fascinated about Brazil... and walking the packed streets and listening to the language has only enhanced the attraction I have for this country... its so nice, after 6-7 weeks in Australia, NZ and Chile, to finally be excited and fascinated by a place... who knows, maybe I´ve got my love for travelling back?:) ... don´t get me wrong, Chile seems a wonderful country, but it just didn´t grab me... like a girl who is beautiful can be nice, but then another girl will come along with just ´something else´ which fascinates you and drives you crazy... Chile is a nice girl but I sense Brazil is a girl you fall in love with (don´t worry Mum and Dad, that is just a metafore... I haven´t met any Brazilian girls I want to introduce you to quite yet;)

... and on that note I´ll bid you adue... keep well and remember that its my birthday tomorrow... a very important day in the calander which I´ll be celebrating by visiting two of the most famous beaches in the world and watching a lovely little football game... not bad, eh?

... love you all people... see you soon:) 

mini blog about drink based things and a load of pictures:)

So... for the pictures... Oh but first, when I said in my last post that I was going for coffee, I mean I drank a coffee in a normal coffee shop... see, here they have these places called 'coffee with legs' where, to improve buisness, coffee shops have drinks served by women in bikinis... very innovative... but I'm a good boy, I was just getting a coffee... sorry, just to set the record straight...

On more drink related issues, on tuesday we went to a gritty local bar where very traditional Chilean people go to drink, these people are called wochakas (excuse the poor spelling), and students also go there... they serve this drink called an earthquake which is a kind of coqtail of wine and spirit with a lump of ice cream... a weird combination... also weird to see old men drinking any thing with ice cream in... needless to say, pints of this kind of thing caused many of our group to get rather worse for wear... not me though... honestly... ;)

On a third drink related subject, yesterday we went for a meal in the local fish market... it very popular and all the food was good except mine... made a monumental mistake and ordered an atrocious squid dish... its just not like Asia... ... then after they gave us a complementary shot of liqure which looked and tasted like Listerine (a mouth wash)... rather comically, when I was having mine a waiter dropped a fork, I jusmped and managed to spill my spirit in my eye... seriously, it was bloody rediculous... the spirit was green and I chucked it in my eye... ... ... only me and Mr Bean are such clutzes... I just wish I had it on video... that 250 pounds from You've Been Framed (a british comedy home video show) would have come in useful...

so here are some pictures:)

 

... oh yeah people... don't forget... my birthday on the 23rd, on Wednesday... get you messages of congratulation ready:)

Love from Matt:)

This is the humble grave of Victor Jara... a good lad and a hero... that's the impression I get

One of the "streets" in the cemetary... these are graves! ... reminds me of a goast town!

St.Patrick's day celebration... note the rockstar looking violin player with the dreds

Plaza de Armas... like a square type thing

Bit of a view of Santiago from a castle on a hill where it seemed all the couples go to kiss

(left to right) Ricardo (hostel staff... good lad:), Paul, and yuri in the gritty bar drinking earthquakes

The extreme fans of Colo Colo during the Santos game with a massive flag which reads something like, "it's hard to be humbel when you're the best":)

Me and James at my first Colo Colo game... look how happy we are... bless!

 

 

 

 

 

I'm back baby:)

... So deary me, here I am... I toyed with the idea of dissolving this blog like an aspirin in water after so many heady nights, but its survived by the skin of its preverbial teeth... and I'm sure you're relieved to hear that;)

... So it's been a while and I'm still in Santiago... don't worry, I'll be moving soon, probably monday or tuesday (depending on if I need to recover from the weekend:)... In all honesty I've been a bit of a lazy bum recently... not being very touristy... but today I'm out and about again, the fresh air and the sights allied with music in my ears have lifted me to a station so high that I feel compelled to blog... the hiatus from blogging means I'll inevatably miss and forget things but Ce la vi...

... I went to another football match... this time Colo Colo v Santos in the Copa Libatadores (the South American Champions league)... and well, last time was good but this time it was something else... the atmosphere was electric... the crowed was intense and the mighty Colo Colo won 3-2... it was the first time they had beated a Brazilian team in Chile... So I guess I'm a lucky charm... (On the subject of lucky charms, happy St.Patrick's day everyone:)... now I know that football has alot of things to answer for, many horrible things have been done in the name of football but on that wednesday night in Santiago, I saw the good side of football... a crowed mentality can obviously lead to horrible results as everyone loses their individual thought and becomes part of a collective which somehow lets the people shed personal guilt and therefore allows them to say and do horrible things... but on an electric night where the crowed is united with passion and joy there is really nothing to compare to football at those moments:)

... As I mentioned before, the hostel atmosphere has reverted again with the mood lifted and good times had... I got invited to drinks and a mini BBQ at Antonio's (a manager at the hostel) cousins apartment... it was really cool it was just me with 5 Chileans (Antonio, Pablo his cousin and Pablo's wife, Allan (or you can call him Gallan which is Spanish for 'player':) and Carolina)... it was really cool and they were really friendly... for me such moments are what travelling is about... even those moments when everyone is speaking in Spanish and I can only understand what is non-verbal, I really love it... I feel like I've been welcomed in and I'm a friend, I feel I'm getting a view of their real life and it is a privallage for me... I've experienced similar things during my trips to Russia and Ukraine and, although it can be difficult to be on the edge of things linguistically, I really love it... I guess moments like that are why I've stayed around here for so long, because I feel welcome and I feel honoured by this... So to all my Chilean friends, THANK YOU:)))

Now I'm off to look at Colo Colo shirts... might need to get one for my adopted Chilean team:) ... Then coffee, food and probably drinking tonight... I was going to take a night off the booze after a few green beers at a St.Patrick's day party last night but oh well... it was a cool party for St.Patricks day, really enjoyed it... losts of locals in good mood... I spoke with quite a few who were really quite cool... the green beer infected my veins a little bit though and I got in the spirit and started to dance about... I was a bit confused when they had a bagpipe band at the pub... Isn't that Scottish? Oh well I guess it's close enough... also all these bag pipe players in Santiago are probably desperate for any oppertunity they can have to shoe in a bit of bagpipes... I got mistaken as Irish by the only realy Irish guy I met in the bar... Damn my weirdly confusing accent... Once one of the cleaners in the laboritory I worked in, who is also from Bristol, asked if I was from Canada... hummmm... I know I come from the other side of Bristol but come on!

... OK I will go now... I'm sure there is more to write but I'll save that for another time... I popped into the internet cafe because I was inspired to write (although, when you read this you probably won't think, 'Inspired`!) but it's sunny out and there is something so nice about walking out in the sun with a good mood and music in your ears... when I get back to the hostel I'll try and upload some photos so you can have more oppertunities to laugh at my Mr Bean haircut;)

Love you all,

Matt

P.S. Two more films I've watched recently... Clockwork Orange (very 1960... cliched infact but it may have been made before the cliche... it was good, but the book was more beautifully graphic and enticing and the special language was more immersing in the book) and The Great Dictator (A Charlie Chaplin film... never properly watched him before... it was good but really quite a different experience from modern films... it jumped about sometimes in a way akin to a sketch show, but it was good... the man was a talent (is that quite an obvious statement? ;) he directed it, wrote it, produced it, starred as two different characters in it, did the musical score... you name it, he did it... oh yeah, and he's English:))

The magical nights of Colo Colo:)

 ... As always I ride the swings and round-a-abouts of life... Floating between moods and places like Mercuery (one could say mercurial... but one shouldn´t call oneself mercurial... so I won´t (but you can if you want;)) ... anyway, all that means, is that after a breif sojourne my optimistic face is back (albeit with a dodgy hair cut;) ... Lots has happened in the last few days... I´ve done lots and been floating around this nice, expansive, searching city which spreads it´s tendrils through the landscape up to the limits of mountains...As you can see above, I finally went to a football game... we (Colo Colo) won 2 - 0... The picture is of a goal celebration... ut let´s step back... this hostel has been a bit of an up and down journey but it´s always eventful... I´ve made many more friends as people come and go from the hostel... a new crowed of people has been assembeled and I managed to drag then off to watch the game with me... The new characters are Chris a Manchester lad who supports Liverpool and whom I managed to convince to shave his beard down to a Hitler-tash, Eza a crazy girl from Switzerland who is addicted to talking to people she even stopped to chat to the person who checked her ticket for the game and the person who frisked her, James a Cheltenham boy who is like a game of testosterone pinball as he pings from one girl to the next (but a good lad), and a pair of Dutch girls Suzanne and Reyella... (and in the interim between the last post and this there was also Ruddeger (can´t pronounce or write his name in English the Dutch tearaway), Erika from Origon, Dutch girls Anouk and I forget the other ones name, and a couple of Bubbly Ozzie girls Liz and Rebecca... oh yes and an American called Alyssia... and... well, you get the gist!)... So we went to football and had a resonable amount of fun... I resumed my age old tradition from Bristol City games and constantly eat or drank during the game, Providing an endless and mostly nonsense commentary on the game, and oh yes, there is my old ´dictator hand´ which comes out during games (where I hand signal tactical imperitive to a largley unnoticing football team with gestures resemble a dictator gesturing at a ralley)... it was nice to be back in the swing of it:) ... we were in the family stand and away from the great atmosphere of the intence fans, but I´d been told by Felipe (a Chilean I met in Hanoi) not to go in that area... but we were to taste the extreme atmosphere and jumping of the fans on the Metro home... all the fans piled on to the Metro at the nearest station and started singing and jumping up and down... we met an Ozzie fellow who has followed Colo Colo for 5 years and stands in the extreme end of the stadium... The locals looked at him strangly in all his Colo Colo parafinalia but once he started up chants among the fans all on his own they soon looked at him all doughy eyed as one of their own, and by association that badge was pierced onto my metaphorical lapel... We all started clapping along with the fans on the train and jumping up and down... it was like being in a rock concert... but with us the train itself stated bobing like a car with that stupid hydrolic suspendion they have in America... the train got stopped at a station for everyone to ´Calm down´ and we eventually got home... but it was a bloody good atmosphere... I´m just glad the jumping up and down didn´t reach fever pitch while the train went round a corner... that would have been a bit dodgy!

Later that night we hit the student part of the town in true South American style, not leaving home till gone 2am and some people returning around 7am... it was a good night and it warmed my cockels to see Chris get so well aquainted with the local girls... hats off for the ingration tactics;)

... After that night and 3 odd hours of sleep I woke up with the enivatable downer... the mix of hangover and a empty void after plans had been fulfilled and little else remained except you and that weird fuzzy scratching behind the eyes... but then, after showering and stumbling down the stairs Antionio, A manager of the hostel but also a bit of a legend... his buisness card for the hostel actually gives him the title "Latin Lover Host", asking if I wanted to go for a cycle around the city... after initially batting him off as I worried about getting done for drunk cycling I decided to go and had a totally cracking day cycling around the city... it seems the thaw of the hostel had begun... (in fact the owners had gone to the beach for the weekend, so the staff felt free to be the lovley people they are and socialise with me again:)... We visited many prominent areas of the city including the cemetary and the house Pinochet used to torture and kill people (I know that sounds depressing but the cemetary was incredible... like a little town with graves which are better then most homes... really massive... and the Pinochet house (number 38, which never appeared on the map during his regime) was striking for what a beautiful part of town it was in and little memorial stones on the floor marking those who died there and which showed them to all be in their early 20s)... In the cemetary we visited the grave of a hero and a symbol of rebellion for the youth of Chile, Victor Jara, a musician became a political activist during the Pinochet regime and was killed by the regimem (they cut off his fingers and told him ´Now play your blessed guitar and we´ll leave you alone)... I felt great after... I had an empanada on the way, saw the true local areas of the city and then returned to a hostel which was warm and beautiful just like when I first arrived, with warm and friendly staff:)

... ... OK, I´m gonna go now... I could write more but this is enough for now... thanks for all being lovely emough to humour me and read this... keep well and keep sunny my people... and always remember... ... ... ... VIVA COLO COLO!!!! :)

... love you all:)

My new haircut

I got a haircut that literally takes 10 years off... I look like a teenager again... It wasn't meant to be like this but Spanish is not my strong point... Oh well, it'll probably look OK in a month or two:)

P.S. Connoisseurs will notice I'm trying to pull off the Ancelotti hooked eyebrow... Mine are clearly not as acrobatic as his:(


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My Chilean Zootime friends:)

Part two of todays one part post:)

... It´s me again... after investigation it seems like the party at the hostel is over... the staff are all nervous about consequences of partying with us further... so my home from home seems to have crumbeled... the only person acting like before is the 8 year old girl who is a little ball of energy... she´s the daughter of the owner and runs around like a nutter saying stuff I don´t understand (probably better that way!)... so I was feeling really quite glum... I felt welcome and warm in this hostel and that emotion was whisked away from me... so I took a trip up the zoo and sat by the gibbons and lions listening to the Ricky Gervais guide to Red Nose Day and the latest Football Ramble podcast... it perked me up and had me chuckeling like a fool as I sat on a bench in front of the gibbons... the locals must have thought I was adorably simple and possibly autistic as I sat with earphones in my ears laughing at monkeys... they are lovley little things but not laugh out loud funny... on that subject my simplicity yesterday I locked the key to my Wilkingson brand padlock inside the lock... so I had to take a walk of shame and ask for a saw to break open my locker... so yes, I am reasonably simple!

... as I walked home from the zoo I put music in my ears and let my mind flow away... in this mood my thoughts are so susceptable to manipulation by music... first there was Regina Spektor (my mp3 player was on random) singing Chemo Limo (a song about perfering to spend money on a limo then chemo because it´s far more fun... bloody depressing) ... it almost bought tears to my easily influenced eyes... It´s not the specifics of being denyed the cool thing that had grown at this hostel, it´s just having it taken when it had porovided something warm that I had missed... a kind of community spirit... but oh well... then next The Orient Expresse by a band called Blanche Neige... they are a band I saw outside the Pompidu Modern Art center in Paris... they played this awesome music full of pace and passion... it really drove through me and made me feel awesome... I remember when watching the band a little boy started dancing without abandon, without fear, without shyness... I´m jealous of that feeling... I could feel it surging up within me as I was walking and listening to the music... this feeling of abandon... of wanting to just do what the fuck I want and lose myself in some beat and rythm... just lose myself from any feelings that have been frustrating me... it was beautiful to have this feeling flowing through my veins... it´ll be time to move on soon I think...

... my message has lost its steam, it´s spent... it´s done and dusted... I´m eeking out this final words like the least residue of toothpaste... sorry to bore you people... later, when my motivation returns I´ll put up some pictures from the zoo... but until then, keep well...

Matt:)

Cheers, the reprise!

... So if you were wondering, yes I´m still in Santiago... the hostel here has still proved to be a bit of a haven, a bit a get away from the nomadic nature of this traveling lark... but as anything there is always a hitch... we´ve had a nice little crowed here that made me feel all welcome and at home... this was really necessary because, as I´ve said, everything was a little overwhelming here to start with... unfortunatly I can´t use age honoured cliches about neon lights and busteling croweds... but there was just something that made me feel small and like a tiny little boy at first... but I got my confidence, much like a pilot who loses his bottle and subsequently turns to said bottle only for the people around him to give him his confidence back... much in the way when Ringo Starr was doubting his place in The Beatles and the others filled his room with flowers and sent him postcards saying 'you are still the best drummer in the world´ (I am one of that school of thought that he was a cracking drummer with beautiful subtly and a well controlled ego in the drum fill stakes... if any of you have ever compared him to Meg White, please hang your head in shame)... We had a lovely little crowed here of me and two American girls who are taking a break from studying Spanish in Argentin (Courtney and Julie) and three locals, two staff of the hostel (Carolina and Antonio) and one of their friends (Alan... not the most Spanish of names in my mind but still a bloody lovley chap... guess what Carlos Valderamma´s (famous big haired Colombian footballer) cousin is called... Alan Valderamma... exotic (Thanks Football Ramble for that tit-bit)) ... we had a cracking three nights of drinking and gentle partying going to cool little bars and the like... but as always there seems to be a spanner in the works (although I´m not sure what effect said spanner is going to have in the long run)... basically a bit of work place politics has got in the way... they have one lad who work who they all complained about for being lazy... there was a staff meeting and they complained about him... he grassed on their partying ways and now they arn´t allowed to party in the hostel... time will tell if this draws an end to the Cheers like familuarity of my Santiago hostel (where everyone knows your name:)... maybe we can meet outside the hostel but maybe it will be time to move on... which makes me feel a bit sad... it´s a real shame...

... the city of Santiago has proved a nice and refreshing place to be though... I don´t know if it is typical of South America, but the people are nice and friendly... it´s not a bad place to be even if a wonderful party is to be denyed...

... and so for more solomn news... I´d like you all to take a moment of  silence for the passing of a reliable friend into retirement... a pair of purple Calvin Klein pants I´ve had for over 10 years have finally bitten the dust... it´s a sad day for me to say goodbye to these loyal fellows... they have held steady and joined me on adventures all over the world, from Ukraine to Thailand, Nicaragua to Mongolia... but in the end, despite all their endevours (or maybe because of them) the saddle just couldn´t hold on any longer... so this is my salute to you my dear old friends... the bin is the place for you now... but you have served me well... God speed...

... And I´ll end it on that point... keep well people, my dear friends...

Lots of love,

Matt

¿Do you want a game of Battleships?

... Well look who it is, little old me in little old Chile... a new day a new continent... my head is a bit soft and fluffy today after a BBQ and beers, and wine, and vodka... so maybe this post will also be a bit soft and squidgy but bare with me, this slight hangover is testament to a nice little hostel... When I first arrived I felt truly overwhelmed and a bit lost... South America already seems like one of the toughest tests of travelling thus far... Russia would have been difficult but for my knowledge of the language and the fact that that was part of a tour so we had guides in each city... here, I slaped myself down in a new continent, hugging my Spanish phrase book like a comfort blanket as I suck my metaphorical thumb... I´d not slept for a day and a half when I arrived, I got to the hostel OK but the city and the country was really overwhelming to my dozy head... people milling about and the English language nothing but a passing notion in the back of heads... the streets were familure but different, with the feel of a photo that´s been left out in the sun, everything was a bit more beige... I couldn´t even find comfort in KFC, even that felt unusual and foreign... I had to go back to the saftey of the hostel from the overwhelming world... don´t get me wrong, it isn´t really bad its just if you´re short of sleep or are hungry you can become easily overwhelmed, and that was the case with me... but in this lovely little hostel I found an escape and a friendly place... the staff in the hostel are great at getting everyonbe together drinking and socialising, I made friends, I got travelling tips for this continent and had a nice little drink with nice people... and suddenly the world didn´t seem so scary... then after a good 12 hour sleep the staff organised a BBQ for us this sunday, they took us to the local market to get out meat and veg we had slap up steak, pork, chicken and salsa and salad... beautifully tastey as we all sat around with beers and conversation... so with all this I have calmed and settled into this country... no longer overwhelmed... no longer scared... it seems like when ever you are scared or alone when travelling, there is always someone round the corner ready to calm you and befriend you... now I know its nice to be back on the travelling trail, in a new culture which binds us travellers together and gives the unique feel that gives rise to transient friends as well as a fast forwarding of the befriending process which can comically lead to some startling cases of ´travellers tong´...  ;)


... in the market I was struck by the thought of how similar all the places in this world are... but for a few details the market could just have easily been in Ukraine, Cambodia, Mongolia... but for a flag, and the fact that the cafes have a man playing Spanish guitar in... stray dogs were looking well fed, sitting around waiting for the stray pieces of meat from the butchers... ... I remember when I was in Battenbang in Cambodia with Khadija and she was really struck by how similar the market in Battenbang was to those back in Morocco... and I felt that here in Santiago... the world is small and similar... nowhere is ever as scary or as different as your imagination will lead to believe if you walk around alienated by language and with a fluffy head from lack of sleep... ... ... but a hostel and good people helped me realise this... ... ... so I´m sorry if this post is a bit discordent but booze will do that to you the next day!

... so now I´ve waxed lyrical about the hostel I´ll tell you one of the not so good things, the showers... the showers are in the toilet opposite the sinks and the mirrors... they don´t have frosted glass, they just have transparent green plastic screens... so if you walk into the bathroom while people are showering it is like walking into a kinky green gay peep show... you´re washing your hands and behind you are a couple of nude guys in your peripheral vision having a wash... and all green and flourescent... it makes me uncomfortable... it definatly stops me washing my hands so much here!

... the other thing I´ll mention (it´ll probably stimulate epic yawns, but I want to be able to read this nonsense back myself) was the plane journey here... I didn´t watch the in flight entertainment but looked at the screens in the back of other people´s seats... watching many different films all at once, all silent... it felt a bit scitzophrenic looking into all these different films at once... and then there was the couple in front of me... a British or Irish lad just randomly next to a Brazilian girl... he went with the chat up line of ´do you want to play a game of battleships?... (a classic line)... she played and then they flirted and then I whiled away the hours mentally willing the boy on to kiss her... like a guy watching a horse race I was thinking ´go on my son´... you´ll be happy to hear he did kiss her... it was so romantic (ahem!) ... and it was a bit weird and akward watching them swap facebook details when the flight landed and he went to Chile and she connected onto Brazil... they kept giving each other thumbs up as they swaped details... so next time I meet a girl I like I´m definatly gonna whip out my Battleships (not a euphamism) and hopefully I´ll earn some thumbs up... ... I guess I can but dream...

... anyway, this post seems a bit fluffy and cloudy like my head... so I´m gonna sit in the sun with a glass of OJ and my Russell Brand book... then later a girl who works in the hostel is gonna show me a cool area of the city... ... ... ... Do you want a game of Battleships? ... ;)

Keep well, keep happy.

Lots of love,

Matt 

P.S. I can´t spell check this post sorry... I pressed the spell check button to highlight all the spelling mistakes and the whole post turned yellow... My spellings not that bad... turns out the computer´s set to Spanish... ... sorry to all you grammar fetishists!

Chile:)

I'm in santiago Chile!!! ... But I'm quite jet lagged so I'll post more as soon as I've recovered:)


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Last day in NZ....fizzing sherbet:)

... So tomorrow I fly to Santiago... I must admit I'm a bit scared... but it's good fear, the fear of a new adventure, fear of the unknown, a fear to be conquered:) ... I felt the same fear as I branched out in China on my own, when I arrived in Thailand, when I ventured off alone into the unknown (to me) depths of Laos... It fizzes in my belly like I'm a pile of sherbet slowly dissolving from the inside out... fizzing away beautifully, pungently and sweetly... I really can't wait for that moment of clarified, condensed nervousness as I step out of the airport on to the Chilean street (because no adventure starts in an airport)... I'll feel the temperature, see the faces, gauge the mood, try and find my fucking bus... I can't wait:))) ... that's the reason I travelled, for the moments of excitement, wonder, fear and discovery... I didn't travel to 'find myself'... I just traveled to have a fucking good time which might, as a side effect, broaden my horizons (I'll return you to my first taste of Tuna in a previous post;)...

... I leave tomorrow, flying at 4pm(ish) on Saturday, I'll take an 11 hour flight and arrive in Chile 4 hours before I left (noon)... to combat the jet lag I've decided to not sleep much tonight... I'll go to the local Internet cafe and play Pro Evolution Soccer (a rare treat... need to practice so I can beat Dave et al when I return for a cheap booze and football night in:) 'till about 3 am and then sleep for only a few hours... then I hope I'll be able to sleep when I get on the plane as the 4pm flight will be midnight Chile time... let's see if it works or I just wreck myself sleep wise... maybe I should save this blogging session for late night tonight, but then you'd only get a dozy Matt... maybe one punctuated by sleep terrors... I've been sorting out some boring admin from home yesterday and it induced a nightmare... the nightmare was I was still in the lab doing work for my PhD... still killing toads and filling things with radioactivity... always remind me never to go back to that shit! ... for those of my friends who like that stuff, fair play to you, it really is valuable for our world's progression... but I really can't hack it... almost destroyed my fragile soul... but here I am, in one piece, writing to you beautiful people:)) ... ... ... ... I'm in here writing during the day because Auckland really isn't that special compared to the gorgeous nature of the rest of NZ... it's just a city with a big tower and the main street in a kind of valley-ish thing... nothing to get carried away with unless you're a real country bumpkin who's escaped a destiny of marrying you cousin to chase a dream to be a movie star in the big city... and even then you should really go somewhere else!

... I had another trip to the doctor... this time to shake off a bit of a chesty cough which I've had for quite a while... had these things before and not been able to shake them, so thought I'd better see a doctor here where I can converse with properly... indeed, as the receptionist said, see a doctor before I leave the 1st world... but then, it wasn't a very spectacular doctors... she even had a dog in the room, it tiredly ambled out of the medicine room and sauntered to curl up behind the biological waste bin under the doctors desk... 'Apoligies for the dog' she said, as if apologising on the dog's behalf... it ain't the little sod's fault, you're the one who introduced him to this "Sterile" environment... (don't know why I put italics there... and also, I know Dr's office is not sterile... but ignore that for now) ... but maybe she is just warming me up for South America where dog's will run free again, scabby packs of furry bastards trying to bark at or copulate with everything and anything... don't worry, I've had my rabies jab! ... also, I learnt something fairly obvious... for small treatments at doctors travel insurance is fairly academic... with a 100 quid excess for each claim I basically can't claim for any of my three medical misdemeanours thus far... but I guess it serves, God (or Allah or Richard Dawkins or whoever you worship) forbid, any thing major should happen... ... also, the doctors I went to in Auckland was fairly quiet... she gave me a prescription of antibiotics and an inhaler to dilate the old bronchioles... at first I though, what a good idea, maybe my lung capacity has always been an issue and I now have my cure... playing sport I've always struggled with breathing and often I think that's led me to becoming a bit pukie... I remember once I was captain of my houses team for school sports day... with the balanced ego I have and my very clear and accurate perception I have of my self (ahem!) I put myself in for basically every event... then during the 1,500 I rather embarrassingly puked on the main straight in front of the whole school from pure exhaustion (and the fact that I was a crap runner)... ... so I started thinking yesterday, 'maybe my lung capacity has always held me back, a bit of inhaler action and I'll run longer and harder and be able to play football in the Maldini-esque fashion I always picture it in my head... after all, Paul Scholescrapness) and a cure for my chesty cough... the truth is she was probably trying to make an extra few bob for her practice with something which was just about justifiable... but I guess who knows... I'm shit at football and sport, but it's probably a bit much to question her medical integrity! ... in terms of using the bloody inhaler, I can now sympathise with my cousin Julia's little girl Frejya... at less then 2 I've seen her struggle against the use of a baby inhaler to sort out her own little cough... I get it now Frejya... it feels bloody weird doesn't it?! (I'll wait a few years until you're sufficiently proficient to reply to that question...although, by then I'll probably be back in Blighty!) ...

... Now I've a little apology to make... over the months this blog has got more neurotic and less travel orientated... I guess it's a way to vent and stuff but this is a travel blog and when I get to South America I'll have a lot more travelly things to write about... culturally everything is just a bit vanilla here... well the Maori culture is pretty interesting (they are big buggers as well... Johna Lomu (maybe he wasn't a Maori but from some similar culture) was certainly not an anomaly in the stature sense... there are women here who scare the be-Jesus out of me!)... but the real point-and-click culture I hope will come in South America... looking at things that just surprise me and intrigue me... where I have to take a literal or metaphorical photo to keep with me forever:) ... I've just started reading Russell Brand's second autobiography (thanks Laura for passing it on to me:) and I see how, although neurotic derivations can be interesting... they can also be annoying and take away from the meat of the story... and I don't want to ruin this meat I'm lovingly preparing for you people... I want you to enjoy my meat...

... on that note it is time to go... It's time to temper that fizz inside until tomorrow... to try and stop the fizzing melting me into a gloopy mess before I even get the chance to step on Chilean soil... so guess who I'm meeting today... my Irish friend David... we just happen to be in the same place once again... but he's here to work now, so today will be the fourth and last time we say goodbye... a nice way to end my Australasian adventure... to close the page of this journey where I've spent much of my time meeting friends I made in Asia and previous travels (David (Australian from St.Petersburg, Nikki from Bangkok, Matt from Vietnam, and David of the Irish variety)... and then move onto the next world... where I'll meet new people and go to a who subcontinent I've never been to before... bring it on! ... I'll write again from over that way... keep well beautiful people:)))