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MESSAGE FORUM & BULLETIN BOARD soul trip california dreamin' knowledge is power aim for the sky love, man to your health seize the day capoeira my bloodline my buds my baby book life in club med SpRinG BrEaK kali kali kali random events ryanroweinrio Read Guestbook! Sign Guestbook! |
Martes, 22 de octubre, 2002, 4:20 de la tarde CDT
Still here. Great place. So much to see and do. I could spend a month
here and not run out of things to do. I've done most of the popular
attractions, but I'd love to come back and visit Mexico City again someday.
My cold has abated a bit, so that makes me feel better.Ciudad de México, Distrito Federal (D.F.), México I've taken over 200 pictures here in the capital city and I haven't even finished working on the ones from Guadalajara and Mazatlan yet. It's going to take some time before I get all of those on-line. Please be patient. My next stops are Guanajuato, San Miguel de Allende, and Dolores Hidalgo. I should hopefully visit these sometime this weekend. Afterwards, it's a long bus trip to Veracruz, on the Gulf Coast. I hope to be in Oaxaca state or on the Oaxaca coast for Día de los Muertos, translation: Day of the Dead. That's November 2nd, and is a huge holiday in Mexico. Especially so in traditional Oaxaca. HAVING A BLAST!!! SEND ME EMAIL! I LOVE GETTING IT!
Jueves, 17 de octubre, 2002, 3:49 de la tarde CDT
VIVA MÉXICO CABRONES!Ciudad de México, Distrito Federal (D.F.), México This update's going out a lot sooner this time. I waited too long on the last one and I would hate for my updates to get monotonous for my audience. Remember the picturesque beach I described last time? Those photos are finally up. If you are using Hotmail or Yahoo, be sure to add me to your address book, or you may miss future messages from me. It's possible that due to the large mailing list, they will get directed to your Junk Mail or Trash folder... Many have indicated they never received previous e-mails. 2 weeks in Los Angeles Exploring Baja California Also, feel free to forward this to people that may be interested or who could provide any suggestions or advice on where to go and what to do on my trip. I´ve still got 2 months left! OKAY. A little contest. The first three people who email me with the correct response to the following trivia question will have a postcard sent to them. Be sure to give me your address so you can receive the postcard. As I hope was evident in my last e-mail, Baja is typically scenic México. Baja is a long, thin peninsula that was attached to the rest of the continent many millions of years ago. Seismic activity, continental drift and other geographical phenomena are responsible for the separation of the North American Plate and the North Pacific Plate. This created the Gulf of California, also known as the "Mar de Cortés", and it divides mainland México from Baja California. To reach the mainland, I boarded a ferry boat from the La Paz region to Mazatlán. That's a resort city about 6-8 hours north of Puerto Vallarta. The trip costs about US$58 (581 pesos) but if you show your ISIC you'll get a discount down to aboutt US$45. The boat ride was 18 hours long, and would you imagine, I met three girls from the Montreal area on the trip!! Tara, Sandra, and Annie were all about my age (early-to-mid-twenties) and were tons of fun. They're travelling essentially the same route through Mexico as I am and are headed to Guatemala afterwards, maybe further? Mazatlan is a resort town, pure and simple. The Pacific Coast of México is known for its beaches but the ones I saw in this city were very dirty. Trash and dead fish are plainly visible along the shores of the ones that lie near the downtown strip. The guidebook says there are cleaner beaches to the north and south, but I didn't make the effort to see them. There will be many beaches waiting for me. One thing I am still waiting to find: a waterfall. If you know of any good ones in México or Central America, let me know. Mazatlán is famous for sportfishing (marlin and sailfish) and one of its biggest industries is commercial shrimp fishing. Mazatlán has loads of seafood for sale, and scores of downtown markets where you can stroll around and find anything you want for sale. One thing they didn't have? Sandals - size 13! I've been looking for a pair since I arrived in this country. The girls and I shared a room at Hotel México, a small bottle of rum, and the Lonely Planet guidebook!! Don't get any dirty ideas! After a fun weekend they headed on to Guadalajara and I made a separate excursion. I decided to skip Puerto Vallarta, a more expensive resort town, and make a stop at Mexcaltitan instead. Ever heard of it? They call it the birthplace of the mexicas (pronounced meh-shee-kas). It's an island in a laguna halfway between Mazatlan and Puerto vallarta. Getting there was a bit of a chore, as I played musical chairs between second-class buses, and then had to board a rickety lancha (motorized wooden boat) that whisks you through a maze of small islands held together only by tree roots and tall grass (no, not the boats, the islands!). Aquatic life is abundant here, and includes crocodiles, iguanas, turtles and a multitude of exotic birds. The water is murky brown and reminds me of riverboat scenes from Vietnam war movies. The island doesn't have a single car on it, and is only 350-400 metres from north-south and east-west. Apparently during the rainy season the streets are flooded and you can only get around by canoe. When I arrived on the Sunday evening, children had taken over the town square with a trampoline! The Azteca museum contains replicas of ancient pottery, and history about the development ofthis small village. Would you believe I was the only tourist on the island while I was there? Travelling during the off-season is not only less expensive, but less commercial. I reached Guadalajara late at night, and had to take a bus into downtown. I was walking blind without a guidebook (the Montreal girls had helped me out for Mazatlan and Mexcaltitan). I had a short list of places to stay, and one of them turned out to be a whorehouse (excuse my colorful language), but can you imagine if I'd actually slept there?? I found a nice place named Hotel Las Americas, in the center of downtown for US$15 a night. Guadalajara is a lovely city, with beautiful examples of different types of architecture on every corner. There was a music festival in progress when I arrived, the famous Fiesta de Octubre. A show I watched, Kathak Kendra of India, was a Hindu dance and music performance, and kept me spellbound. Someone get them for the Jazz Festival next summer! I met up with my friend Erika, who I know from Canada Day 2001, and she showed me the city by night, and we went for beers. She also helped me obtain the all-important Lonely Planet México. I also went to TEQUILA! Fields and fields and fields of the silver-blue agave plant. I took a tour of the Sauza factory and was thoroughly impressed. This is the only area of the world where tequila is produced and can still be legally called tequila. They have immense vats, dozens of them, that can hold 32,000 litres of this popular alcohol. I saw the entire process of harvesting to bottling. In fact, I witnessed in operation many concepts I learned in school, such as Just-In-Time, Quality Control, workplace safety, assembly line work, to name a few. Unfortunately, you can't take photographs in those areas of the plant. Second-class buses are common in Mexico. Since the poverty gap is so large, different classes of buses allow all people to travel between two points. A second-class bus stops at 20 different places en-route, has no air-conditioning, the seats are usually in a state of disrepair, and it's much cheaper. For a budget traveller wanting to experience culture, take these buses. You will see, smell, and breathe poverty. The gap between the rich and poor in this country is staggering. There really doesn't appear to be a middle-class. Can we chalk this up to the social hierarchy that the Spaniards had in place in the 17th and 18th centuries and which continued for many years after Mexico declared independence? It appears to have had profound effects on Mexico's inhabitants almost until the present day. The class system placed the king of Spain and the Catholic Church at the top, and following that, any European born citizens of New Spain. Next came the mixed children of Spaniards and natives, called Criollos. Indians were at the bottom and the slaves from Africa were below that. Around this time, the population was about 7.5 million. 42% were Indian, and 18% were white. I can't form an educated opinion given my limited knowledge of Latin American history,but Concordia gives courses in it, and I'm definitely going to take one when I get back. I do know that various Mexican governments have sought economic and social reform, but widespread corruption has prevented much of it from being realized. The government of Lazaro Cardenas in 1934 recognized the Mexican people's irritation at the level of foreign control in domestic industry. Cardenas took back the oil industry from foreign corporations and nationalized them. Oil is now one of Mexico's biggest industries, besides tourism. Now, Mexico controls its own oil, and its gas stations, known by the mnemonic PEMEX, are government operated. Prices are extremely high, about US$2.20 for a gallon. Personally, I don't have a problem with this. At this point I'm inclined to think the only way to save our planet is to impose strict tariffs on pollutants like gasoline, CFC's and non-recyclable products. It would appear there aren't enough responsible humans out there to save Earth from going down the tubes. I've now been in 5 different states of Mexico (Baja California, Baja California Sur, Sinaloa, Nayarit, and Jalisco) and enjoying every bit of this beautiful country. I've not had a single bad experience. I also crossed the Tropic of Cancer, which I thought was kind of cool. Don't know yet if I'll get to stand on the equatorial line, like my mother and brother did in Quito, Ecuador, many years ago, but I'm going to try and travel a bit during my sojourn in Colombia (that starts in January). Bueno... Que te vaya bien... (a common way of saying goodbye in Mexico). Tara, Sandra, & Annie - Stay safe, stay away from the dirty old men, and let's play TAG in Mexico, I'm headed to Veracruz next... Erika - it was really awesome to see you again in Guadalajara, and you ROCK for taking me to Sandi's bookstore!! we better see each other in Canada next summer! John - thanks for the info and links on S.A. de C.V. ('Sociedad Anónima de Capital Variable'), translation "Variable Capital Company", similar to Ltd., Inc., or Corp., not a quality standard See ALL Photos See Selected Photos
Miercoles, 16 de octubre, 2002, 1:49 de la tarde CDT
Wow, this city is polluted. So much smog. My throat is sore, I have a
headache, and I run out of breath every time I run up a flight of stairs.
The combination of pollution and high altitude is almost deadly.Ciudad de México, Distrito Federal (D.F.), México Mexico City is very serious about combatting its pollution problem. They have contingency procedures to deal with traffic circulation, and a website devoted to the monitoring of the air quality. There are many green spaces here too, one of them, named Bosque de Chapultepec, is extremely large. So big, in fact, that they run streets through it. The park is known as Mexico City´s "lungs".
Lunes, 14 de octubre, 2002, 7:54 de la tarde CDT
Hey everybody. I'm in the biggest city in the world, with 33 million
people. Mexico City is enormous. I'm at a higher altitude here, and I think
I'm noticing the effects. The thinner air makes me more drowsy, I sleep
deeper, and I feel the effects of alcohol more quickly.Ciudad de México, Distrito Federal (D.F.), México I found some great computer equipment at my friend Mariana's university, Anáhuac del Sur. They've got Photoshop, and a fast Internet connection so getting the photos online should be done within a day or two!
Martes, 8 de octubre, 2002, 5:00 de la tarde CDT
Ok, to be honest, I´ve been on the mainland for five days, I'll get
my next update out pronto. Been having some computer problems. I have TONS
of pictures. Click here
and then click on SEE
ALL PHOTOS to see the ones I have managed to get online.Guadalajara, Jalisco, México Baja California is big, beautiful, breathtaking, and, well, baja. Guess you could say that Alta California is the American state to the north. Truth be known, California actually used to be Mexican territory until the United States assumed control in the Treaty of Cahuenga in 1847 & the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo in 1848. A bit more about the history of Mexico. I missed a really big party by arriving late on the 23rd. The 16th of September is actually Mexico's Independence Day (a celebration of independence from Spain in 1810). Flags are everywhere in this country. Mexicans are patriotic and proud to be so. For those who have always wondered, Cinco de Mayo is a celebration of a victory over France in the Battle of Puebla in 1862. I arrived in Mexico without much fanfare. The border is very easy to cross. Only a green light/red light system that decides whether you should be searched and verified or not. I had originally wanted to visit Tijuana, but upon the insistence of many that it was not worthwhile to do so, I skipped it and went directly to Rosarito. I arrived late by a taxi de ruta, and was overcharged for the voyage. It was a station-wagon style cab with about 6 other people inside. For my first experience in Mexico, I was a bit frightened by the driver's swarthy look, crafty smile, and beady eyes. Looks are obviously quite deceiving as I was driven straight to the door of the Alamo Hostel with no trouble at all. Rosarito Beach is not much to see. Famous for the filming of James Cameron´s Titanic, it now hosts one of the West Coast's only water-based movie studios, Fox Studios. Rosarito Beach is also a famous Spring Break destination for many US college students. In Mexico, like in Canada, you can drink at the age of 18. Good surfing here, but the beach is dirty. Many stray dogs are allowed to wander freely around town, and there is really no designated organization responsible for the care or cleanliness of these animals. I was busy trying to organize my trip to Ensenada when I met two lively girls from San Diego. Meg and Alexa had just moved to California from Chicago, and were visiting Mexico for their first time. We became fast friends and went for lobster in Puerto Nuevo. Be sure to visit this small coastal town south of Rosarito if you come here. Come during the off-season when you can command better value for your meal, which is sure to be delicious. Go to El Galeón, on Calle Anzuelo, and ask for Raymundo Alvarez (the owner). Alexa and Meg kidnapped me back to San Diego, insisting that I party with them for a couple of days before they returned me to Ensenada. This was fine with me as I hadn´t visited San Diego since 1992. Unfortunately the Zoo (which is world-famous) was out of the question, too expensive. What did I do? Visited La Jolla (very trendy neighborhood), made a whole whack of new friends, got really really drunk on homemade margaritas, and then spent the day recovering on the beach at Windansea. Also swam with a sea lion, got snubbed by three Brasilian women, and met a really interesting world traveller named Will who had a story for every city or country you can think of. Oh, and then I snubbed them back. :) San Diego is a beautiful city, attractively landscaped, and the climate is comfortable. The people are so chill and laidback. And... we didn´t have to pay for parking anywhere. :) If you're ever in California, take the time to visit San Diego. If you like motorcycle trips, by the way, check out the endeavour that Alexa is organising: Finally, I made my way back to Mexico with Alexa where we found a campsite at a little coastal village named San Miguel. This was where my trip began for real. Camping on the beach in Mexico, pitching a tent in the blackness of the night, and you can hear the roar of the ocean only a few short metres from your tent. We built a campfire on the top of this hill near the cliffs, and cooked up some food up on the stove... This was Punta Banda, and the view is simply incredible located about a mile before you reach the town of La Bufadora. La Bufadora is a quaint little village which sports one of earth´s geological oddities. It´s a cave in the cliffs which sucks water in from the ocean, and blows it out through a "blowhole" in the roof of the cave. Mom says (she looked it up) the legend is that a baby whale swam into the cave in the evening. By morning he hadgained 50 pounds and was unable to escape. As he grew up in the cave he became quite angry at being trapped. The 80 foot geyser is his spout and the explosion is his anger fulminating. Mulegé. Wow. HOT. TROPICAL. SMALL MEXICAN VILLAGE. They've sold themselves out to the tourists a bit, but there is still much of the culture there that I came to explore and experience in Mexico. I stayed in the Orchard Vacation Village for $5 a night, and I slept outside in a palapa (thatched-roof hut). The weather was easily hovering around 40 degrees Celsius while I was there. An experience I had: I was looking for a laundromat and a woman approached me and said she would do it herself. To top it off, she refused my money. I did end up leaving her a few dollars the next morning when I came to collect my clothes in her absence... Mulege has a prison in its midst that was closed in 1975, to image people living in these conditions is incredible. Be sure to take a look at the photos. I can´t imagine the prison having been in any better shape only 30 short years ago. Walking through the town is a lot of fun. After you´ve overcome your nonsensical fear of being robbedor attacked by locals in small Mexican towns, you can really begin to enjoy them. The people are friendly, full of smiles and ready to answer your questions. My level of ability in Spanish has improved tremendously these past couple of weeks. The food is cheap, a meal of four or five quesadillas and a cold beer will cost about 30 pesos or US$3). In the sierras off to the west of Mulegé, you will find cave paintings from pre-historic times. One of the best is in Cañon de la Trinidad, too expensive for me to visit during the off-season (not enough people for a group). I skedaddled south on a late bus to La Paz, and arrived in that town early the next morning. Sacrificing money for safety, I took a cab to Pensió:n California and arranged a deal for two nights at 220 pesos or US$22). Quite a nice place to stay, safe, and right in the center of downtown. La Paz is an extraordinary city. I never expected what I found. Very very clean, modern, and all the amenities of a first-class town. Some interesting local history too, John Steinbeck based his novel "The Pearl" in 1941 on a local legend about this town. If possible, I might think about doing a second exchange semester in La Paz. It also has some of Baja California's best scuba diving sites. I intend to wait until I get to Honduras before I do that. To orient yourself, look at a map of Baja California. It´s right at the southern tip. La Paz has waters that are layered in three different hues of blue. I can´t explain it. You'll just have to go yourself. I encountered some cyclists in La Paz. Three from the UK, and two from Calgary, in Canada. Very friendly people. Had dinner with them, and drank muchas cervezas. Will and Chris have been cycling from Alaska to Argentina, and are doing it for charity. Their quest is to raise 50,000 pounds. Check out the website that is following them through: I skipped touristy Cabo San Lucas in favour of a camping excursion to Puerto Balandra, one of La Paz´s most famed beaches. Pictured on postcards everywhere, I showed up and camped the night. I WAS THE ONLY ONE THERE. Amazing. Simply stunning. I saw the Milky Way from one end of the sky to the other. I saw more stars than I have ever seen before. You can wade out into the waters of the beach for fifteen minutes and not go deeper than your chest. In all directions. The fish collect on the bottom around your feet, wondering who the giant is, a human. Something they´ve never seen before. They're curious, unafraid, until you move a toe, or displace some water. They scatter, and return in seconds. The water is super-salty, you can float without any air in your lungs... Ok. I could go on and on and on, but then those of you who are reading this at work would never finish your spreadsheets, your payroll calculations, your plans for the next board meeting, or the afternoon´s stock transactions. So. Should you visit Baja? If you like jaw-dropping scenery, friendly people, with the ability to render yourself isolated in the wilderness for days at a time, then it's for you. If you enjoy scuba-diving, snorkeling, or surfing, and want to do it in some of the best locales in the world, professionals are available to help you do it. If you want to do these things for a fraction of the cost that it would be in Canada or the U.S., be sure to skip Tijuana and Rosarito, and head farther south past Ensenada. Bus travel in Baja is reliable, Mexico so far has been welcoming and hospitable, and the weather is nothing short of wonderful, all the time (at least while I've been here and this is the beginning of the rainy season). Mexico has 31 states and 1 federal district, and I´ve only visited two of them so far. One interesting little tidbit. I learned something yesterday from this local named David, he told me that S.A. de C.V. (an acronym visible on companies all over Mexico), is a quality standard, something similar to ISO standards in Canada and the United States. If anyone knows what it stands for, I´d love to know... GO! Grab a cheap flight to San Diego. Take a bus through Baja and CAMP on your next vacation. You will NOT regret it. An eye-opening experience. TRAVEL. Do it before you lose your nerve! Alexa, Meg, and Tina: Thanks for introducing me to San Diego for real, for new friends, good times, and enlightening conversation. Raul: Thanks for showing me the way to Cafe Equinoxios in Ensenada... Teron & Shannon: I hope your kayaking trip around Isla Espiritu Santo went as well as you had hoped.. Too bad I couldn't join you this time... Will: If you´re out there and reading this, I'm going to try and find you in 411 online and send you a postcard. Thanks for all the advice! See ALL Photos See Selected Photos
Viernes, 4 de octubre, 2002, 4:45 de la tarde MDT
Hey..Mazatlán, Sinaloa, México Been having some slight connectivity problems... going to try and get an update out by mid-week at latest... This will give you detail on my travels in Baja. For now, I've been hanging out with three girls from Montreal that I met on the ferry from La Paz to Mazatlán. It's been fun. They're headed to Guadalajara tonight and I'll be taking off myself to Mexcaltitlán tomorrow morning. This little town, population numbering just over 1000 is considered by many to be the birthplace of the Aztecs... It´s situated in a lagoon about 4 hours from Mazatlán and is only accessible by boat! Should be fun.
Martes, 1 de octubre, 2002, 12:31 de la tarde MDT
Buenas tardes! Estoy en La Paz. Es la capital de Baja California Sur.
Llegué este mañana en la autobos de Mulegé. Estoy quedando en la casa de
hospuedes Pensión California en la calle Degollado. Es possible que voy a
hacer snorkeling mañana, y el proximo día voy a visitar Puerto Balandra.
Anticipo de llegar en Mazatlan por el fin de semana.La Paz, Baja California Sur, México Also... one more thing, Happy birthday Dad!! :) I will update the site soon... Lots of pics to come...
Martes, 24 de septiembre, 2002, 2:29 de la tarde PDT
Hola todos!
Como estas? Por te informar que me llegué en este país en forma buena y
salud muy contente. Los oficiales en el sentri de San Ysidro y Tijuana no
verificaron mi pasapuerta...Playas de Rosarito, Baja California, México oh well... For those who don't speak Spanish, keep a dictionary handy when you visit this website, as it will become increasingly bilingual in nature. Mom, Dad, been having some trouble getting through on the telephone. I'll call ASAP.
Monday, September 23rd, 2002, 3:56am PDT
LA LA LA.Hollywood (Los Angeles), California, USA Interesting city. I took a bus here from San Francisco, and since I've arrived, the weather has been HOT and HAZY. This is wildfire weather. In fact, during the bus ride from SF, there was a portion of grassland north of LA that was charred black for miles and miles as far as the eye could see. But only on the western side of the highway (the road serves as a fireline). Sorry I couldn't take a picture of it, but the quality's not the greatest from inside a bus with snotty windows. I've been staying with my brother Max, his cool boyfriend Greg, and his housemates. Yeah, you read that right. :) That's been an interesting arrangement, but cool nonetheless. They live in the center of Hollywood. That translates to being 3 minutes from Mann's Chinese Theatre and a whole whack of nightclubs and bars geared towards every possible personality. There's a liquor store on every corner, and a television studio or gym on every other one. Or is it the other way around? There's a lot to do here, IF you have a car. I finally managed to get in touch with my friend Melissa. She followed her dreams too and moved out to California on the fly. In fact, she was supposed to come with a friend of hers. That person bailed. I guess the dreampath on which a person walks sometimes has only one lane, huh? She still came, to find something different, something better. Kudos to her. So I arrive here, and I talk to Mel, and lo and behold, she hooks me and her friend Heather up with a temp-job as an audience member on The Rob Nelson Show. It premiered on Fox on September 16th at 2pm. You can see it every day on that network at the same time. I was on camera, cowboy boots and all. You can see our episode in about two weeks or so. Ok. Yeah, I sensed the double-take. Ryan in cowboy boots?? I only did it 'cause I had to dress up for the show and well, you tend to pack light when you backpack, so a shirt and tie weren't at the top of my list. Just to give you an idea, the host has a certain knack for making tacky comments. I have other criticisms about the show, but I guess we should let the viewers decide, right? Oh, and I made US$47, so I should keep my mouth shut... hmmm? :) I mentioned to Heather that this town, Tinseltown, is "star-struck". You can see it in a person's eyes. Hopeful actors and actresses, lining up to be an extra, a stand-in, or an audience member. Just to break into the business. The land of dreams. Take off the sunglasses though, don't dream behind the shaded lens, it might cloud your vision for what it really is. Dream large, dream far, dream rich, and aim high, but above all else, dream SMART. That's what will make you achieve. No? Would love to hear your comments on that. Feel free to e-mail me. Be forewarned, comments WILL be posted (editorial style - e-mail address witheld). LA's sprawling transit system is horrible. In fact, it discourages you from going anywhere because it takes so long. I visited Manhattan Beach, and it took me 3.5 hours to get there and it's only 20 miles away. I suppose I should be getting used to travelling on a bus by now, shouldn't I? The weather wasn't that great there. Upon arrival, I discovered that the beach is situated near the airport and several oil refineries. Who knew? The smog blocked most of the sun, but I still managed to get shots of the sunset. Also found a great little bar on the boardwalk named Beaches. They have a really economical happy hour, US$5.25 for a pitcher of Coors Light and great deals on food. I stuck around there before heading back to LA. I did have the misfortune to meet a gun-happy warmonger. Not terribly typical of most Americans, he believes the U.S. should attack Iraq and who cares what any other nation says. Don't get me started. Santa Monica Beach is nice though. This one was hot and sunny. Went for a jog all the way down from the Santa Monica Pier to the edge of Roy Rogers Beach and back. They even have gay beaches in L.A. (like many other large oceanside cities). I lay down on the sand and was out like a light in 5 minutes. Lots of bikini chicks. Some hot, some not. Didn't get any photos. Sorry boys, but them's the breaks. :) I found myself a nice little penthouse bar on the top floor of the high-rise Huntley Hotel. Happy hour with a view of the ocean. That beats 737 anytime. By the way, Sal, how's that been? Had another mishap too. I went canyon hiking one day and dropped my passport on the trails (don't ask why I brought it with me). It was found, and fortunately, the kind soul who discovered it went the extra mile to get it back in my hands. He was happy to do so too. This guy, David, says that last year on September 11th, his plane was grounded out in Newfoundland and he was stranded for a few days. For him, it was simply a small way to repay the favor done unto him by the Canadians who took care of him when he was stuck. One thing's for sure, I'm glad I'm learning my lessons now about keeping track of my stuff, instead of in a month or so when I'm travelling through these third-world countries. I also managed to get invited to a rave in the desert. It was a full moon party, held by a group called Moontribe. Man, that was wild. All the sand looks like snow in the soft glow of the moonlight. We drove through the hills on a dirt road for about 10-15 minutes before arriving at a spot surrounded by the Sierra Nevada mountains. It was completely isolated, and we were about 300 people listening to deep-house and trance music. Completely non-commercial, no charge to get in. Like the old school underground warehouse parties you hear so much about. The moon was so bright that I had a shadow. Totally surreal. In the morning once the sun had risen, we were still dancing in the sand as the mercury approached 115 degrees Fahrenheit. Now that's hot. I've decided my drink of choice for this trip is the margarita. Damn, they're good... be sure to salt the rim all the way around, and sip it from the glass to get the full effect. My friend Denise took me out to an eclectic and well-known Mexican restaurant named El Coyote where we drank margaritas au volonté. A bunch of her friends showed up and she decided on the fly to throw a party at her place the following weekend. It was a great bash! Met a whole lot of new people, and had the good fortune to have an entertaining conversation with a sweet-as-honey Argentinian woman named Vera (pronounced Vay-rah). Denise, can you please forward on to Kim and Ursula so they can see the photos? hey Jon! Thanks for giving me a ride to the party in your Porsche. that was sweet! All told, I spent almost two weeks in this city, and my next stop is Baja California, Mexico. Will try to bring you pictures of some of the exotic wildlife I am sure to see without getting too close to them (scorpions, spiders, etc)... By the way, have you signed my guestbook yet? Would love to know if you've been visiting my site... also - if you have friends or family in some of the places where I'll be visiting, it would be great to have a bit of inside advice before I arrive... don't be shy to offer any tips on places you think I should visit or info I should be aware of... Mucho amounts of thanks go out to Max & Greg et al. for letting me stay with them in L.A. Denise - it was great to see you again... you throw great parties, and thanks for the ritas at El Coyote :) Matt - thanks for letting me use your PC, you're the bomb! Mark - you're right - it was an awesome milkshake. keep collecting PS2 games! Melissa, thanks for getting me on TV, you're a true wonder! Claire - that was a trippy party... keep it real dude Jon - think I look better in your Porsche than you do. hahaha just fooling bro Vera - thank you ;) See ALL Photos See Selected Photos
 A reliable source offered me this information. She worked on a cruise ship for half a year or more. I'm not giving out her name, so don't e-mail me for that information. I also cannot attest to the accuracy of these coordinates, but if they are out-of-date or out-of-service, please let me know. Thanks! It is suggested to try first with the agency (which handles multiple cruiselines): Susan Andrews Cruise Services International 601 Dundas St. West Box 24070 Whitby, ON L1X 8X8 Tel # : 905.626.7601 and then a cruiseline itself: Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines 1050 Caribbean Way Miami, FL 33132 ATTENTION: Shipboard Human Resources Fax # after 5pm EST : 305.539.3938
Wednesday, September 11th, 2002, 6:15pm PDT
Hey.Hollywood (Los Angeles), California, USA Helicopters flying all over L.A. today. Cars are out in droves with flags flying high, and balconies everywhere are draped in the "Stars and Stripes". Other than that, everybody is acting fairly normal. Stores are open, and business appears to be as usual. Need some more terrorist hype? Concordia University activists protested against a speech by Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday. Check out an article written by Jake Morrissey and photos taken by same on Jake's Wordiness site. The following day, the Concordia administration imposed a temporary state of silence on public debate concerning the situation in the Middle East. This drew even more criticism, including this piece from Josh Bernatchez, writer and concerned Concordia University student. I had a couple of hours today and I managed to get the rest of the photos from last week on to the site. Check them out! In other news, I'm in it. Check out a local newspaper from the West Island of Montreal. Pretty wild. :) I made the paper on September 11th. Ok boys and girls, take it easy...
Tuesday, September 9th, 2002, 3:12am PDT
GREYHOUND SUCKS!
3 day bus trips = You become a stinking bum no matter HOW MUCH deodorant
you're wearing. In the course of 79 hours, they left my bag on the sidewalk,
they tried to leave me behind at some gas station in Wyoming, and they
helped me in losing US$200 AMEX traveller's cheques. Everything worked out
though. No worries. I did forget to hit a Canadian bank before I left
Toronto, so now I'm stuck with $20 Canadian in COINS in my backpack. Guess I
could really confuse some poor beggar in Guatemala by giving it to him,
couldn't I? Any better ideas?San Jose, California, USA Crappy thing about taking Greyhound from Montreal to California is that you stop EVERYWHERE. I saw Patriot America, aka Iowa City. Small, tree-lined drives, and an abundance of American flags. Iowa, by the way, does have tons of corn, and one REALLY CUTE International Student from Yugoslavia. This ultra-hottie economics student got on the bus, and I was floored. Wasn't able to get a snapshot of her. Sorry boys. Omaha? What a dirty city, dirty people, dirty bus station. The main street is lined with bars, but on a Saturday night at 11pm they were all empty!!! They should take a lesson from Montrealers. Among the crowd, I met some cool people. A musician from England, a Master of Biology graduate from Germany, and an aspiring Navy SEAL from Portland, Oregon. Some good conversation to be found between the three of them! It's all about culture, ladies and gentlemen. Bring it on... the only way to get ahead of the rest of the rats (or geckos)...  So - final score? Ticket cost me C$163.50 and I spent 79 hours on 6 different buses. Yeah, it was worth it. Saved 250 clams on the price of an airplane ticket. That's a lot of beer in Costa Rica dudes. And there it was. The land before me. California. I arrived on the Monday afternoon (Sept 2) and my aunt picked me up in a sweet-looking SAAB convertible and we headed down the freeway for a dip in the pool and a cold beer on the patio. I chilled out a couple of days in San Jose with my aunt and her grand-daughter Adriena (a miniature Britney Spears) and my uncle gave me a crash course in SAP (if you don't know, don't ask). Later that week I hit Vallejo, California to spend a few days with my buddy Colin. He's a guru in the art of backpacking, first aid, and just about every outdoor sport you can think of. He makes the best bean, tuna and rice concoction I have ever had! Learned some great new knots that I'm sure I'll never be able to reproduce... Also went surfing at Fort Cronkhite, in Marin County. Man, that water was cold! what was it Colin? 50 Fahrenheit before the wind chill factor? Apparently the other surf dudes were taking bets on how long I'd last in the frigid water. We also met a couple of cute girls passing through Sausalito (one of the richest neighborhoods in America). We hit a party that night for a bunch of CMA students. there was easily over 100 people there... a huge bonfire, a skateboarding halfpipe in the backyard, and oh yeah, of course, 3 kegs full of Coastal Fog which ran out in about 60 minutes. Did you see the pic of the beer bong? See my spring break pics for more of the same. anyways, the cops broke up that party and we found ourselves heading back to Colin's for a night of hot tub and Jenga playing. Saturday afternoon found me meeting up with my bud Bernie for a late-afternoon lunch in San Francisco on Columbus Street. We strolled around Frisco, and visited The Crookedest Street In The World - Lombard Street. I had been invited to swing by my friend Charles' place for drinks and hors d'oeuvres that night so I brought along Mihai and Bernie to meet him. After a few beers, we headed to Larry Flynt's HUSTLER HONEYS. Wow. Talk about H-O-T women. Unfortunately, no photographic equipment permitted inside the club. :( After a long night of friends, drinks, and watching beautiful women on stage, we got bored and split. Mihai and I decided on the fly the next day to take a cruise down Highway 1 between Half Moon Bay and Santa Cruz. Well, it just so happens that I have a buddy who is a police officer in Santa Cruz so he gave us the lowdown on what's doing on a Sunday night. In fact, turns out Mihai was sporting conflicting gang colours and was a prime target for a bullet. tell ya one thing... it's good to have a friend who knows the inside scoop! many thanks go out to my family for being supportive my Aunt Trish and Uncle Steve for letting me stay there in San Jose my bud Colin for all his advice, good times and a comfortable couch in Vallejo. congrats again on passing the third mate's exam! Bernie and Charles - that was a pretty cool Saturday wasn't it? thanks for the food, the women (know what I mean?) and the good company Mihai - stay away from the gang colours. enough said! Brent - cheers to seeing you again after 4 years, keep Santa Cruz safe! Also, thanks to all who e-mailed or called to wish me best of luck. I was so busy in those last few days before I left that I didn't get to sleep, eat, or breathe so we may not have gotten a chance to speak or see each other. See ALL Photos See Selected PhotosGet your dose of motivation here...
Miercoles, Septiembre 4 del 2002, 3:15am PDT
Algunas de las
chicas de Miss Mundo Colombia. Por ver las otras, visita su página de
Internet de MMC.San Jose, California, USA 
Wednesday, August 28th, 2002, 5:13pm EDT
Montréal, Québec, Canada A couple of nights ago I was lying on a park bench staring up at the stars. There was a large tree with large, leafy branches swaying in the wind. I thought to myself, "Wow. This is what I'm going to be doing for the next 5 months. Lying down on my back, staring up at the stars, and just having soooo much time to think, collect my thoughts, and do some soul-searching." While I may be so excited about this trip, it's also mixed with a whole lot of other emotions. Nervous and scared... Travelling like I am, alone, with no real goal but experiencing culture and seeing the world. It can be a bit unnerving. My buddy Mick told me that I'll probably be irritated at my situation 90% of the time and will probably wonder what the hell I'm doing in some remote jungle in Central America, wiping sweat off my brow, and slapping at malaria-carrying mosquitoes. Having had no shower in days, hungry for a real meal, and dreaming of a good-night's sleep on a Sealy Posturepedic. The other 10%, well, it'll rock my world.. 's all about opening your eyes, seeing the world, and accumulating wisdom right? Knowledge is power. Live life to the fullest. Do what makes YOU happy. Follow your dreams, but don't step on anybody else in the process. Maintain your integrity and better your character. Now go DO IT. |
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