Where in the world is Sam?

Rab, Croatia

2009-09-27T14:14:00.037-04:00

For months i have been trying to figure out if i want to stay in Brooklyn or move back to London and i have been completely missing it, i need a simple life. As i swam off the side of Rab,s old town at sunset this evening, i thought, this is really living. People are so lucky to be content to live the simple life, why cant i be one of them. As an old man leaned out of the window and watched us swimmers, i wondered how long he has lived on this island and what he does, what could i do. Run a post office perhaps, or a restaurant.

Rab is lovely, i arrived around 5pm by catamaran from Riejka that took about an hour and a half. I had stazed in Riejka onlz one night, i stazed in a hostel again as it was my only choice but i am quickly learning to plan ahead to avoid them in future. I shared a room with 3 school girls, part of some gymnastic troupe from Hungary and they were so wired at 6am this morning, i had to SSShhh them to stop them doing back flips across the room.

I had the morning in Riejka and although Riejka is an industrial port that reallz serves as a gateway to the islands, it does have its charms just out of the city. Just north of the city is Trsat. There is a church there that supposedly hosted Mary and joseph....snooze. I also went to my first Grad aka Castle all were very nice but what i really liked were all the houses on the walk up,i love just seeing where real people live. Talking of the walk, it helps to know the language around these parts as i could of taken a bus or walked an indirect route instead i approached some stairs, i should of known when there was noone around. When i got to the top, i estimated that i had walked up about 500 stairs and then felt i was exaggerating, i had to walk back down after the castle to count. 536 in total, my ass is going to thank me for it but my legs are unhappy.
Trsat though is very nice, i sense and Italian atmosphere, in fact it feels that waz in Rab too, i am closer to the coast and i guess closer to Italy so it makes sense.

The ride over to Rab was lovely, i spent too much time listening to Sun Kil Moon and feel really wistful, overly romantic and slightly depressed now that i am here as i am here alone and it is quite lovely. Have you ever listened to Carry Me Ohio, i must of listened to it 10 times just today, pay attention to the lyrics, they really resonate.

I am staying on the harbour and the very friendly Hotel Istra, i told them i was depsrate for a swim and they pointed me to a local spot where basically the town drops into the Adriatic sea. No beach, just a concrete lip, the sun going down over the island across with sail boats drifting by. The water was wonderfully fresh and cold and i felt the stress of travel completely leave me.

It's 8.30pm now and there is not much to do for a singleton like me but go to bed. Sometimes awesome is a room to myself, a small bed and Croatia's Got Super Talent on the telly.

Tomorrow i am kayaking to a little island not even in my guide book called Franjki or something like that. Apparently Prince Edward and Wallace Simpson had a love in there, it means love as well apparently...great. After that it's an overnight sail to Split. Im actually looking forward to meeting the others in Dubrovnik, some conversation, dinner and wine would be nice...oh and a wedding!

Listening to: Sun Kil Moon -Carry Me Ohio and Ocean Breathes Salty

Time zone GMT + 1

Rab, Croatia

2009-09-27T14:14:00.036-04:00

Zagreb, Croatia

2009-09-26T03:11:00.002-04:00

The train ride from Ljubljana to Zagreb is very picturesque and a very easy 2 hours or so. Sit on the right side of the train, there is much more of the landscape to see than on the left. We arrived at the border for Croatia and were swarmed by police, i had thought it was a raid but it was just immigration. Here they board the train with bluetooth devices, calling in the names of non EU passport holders into little headsets before stamping and moving onto the next. It was like a military operation and was remaniscent of old war time movies.
The shame of the whole EU merger is the loss of all the weird and wonderful country stamps but the upside is if you are the holder of a EU passport there is no security check, very easy should yoube on the run. At the rate the EU is growing you could pretty much be on the run forever.

I treated myself and booked into a little designer hotel called the Arcotel Allegra near the train station, i have Sigmund Freud bed sheets.

After checking in i strolled into the Dolac region which is pretty much the center of town. Zagreb at night is very safe and very walkable although the tram system is excellent. Watch out as they come by fast and furious, waiting for no man or woman.

Starving, i stumbled upon a place that was packed with locals outside. I ventured in and found it was this sandwich bar that i had read about on some blog. It,s basically Croatian fast food, sandwiches, the Croatians absolutely love bread. It must come from the time of the conflict as bread is so simple to make, much as it was popular in British war times. Bread is with everything. The sandwich though was amazing, so much so that i went back today for lunch before my 4 hour train ride to Riejka. Last night i had the classic breaded pork with cheese in a Pita bread with lettuce, tomatos and some kind of dressing. So fresh and i was completely stuffed for 20 Kuna.
The Kuna as me just plain confused. Already coming from the states to the UK i am constantly converting between US and Sterling. Now i am converting the Kuna back to Euro back to Sterling back to dollar to get an idea of what i am spending. Currently it is around 7 Kuna to the Euro. So last nights sandwich at 4 Euro was good value...i think.

The shame of travelling solo is not sampling all the nice restaurants. I dont feel like sitting down to a 3 course meal alone. Zagreb is very socialable and cosmopolitan, much of its layout and architecture of some buildings reminds me of both Madrid and Mexico City. Id like to come back for a weekend perhaps although after today like Ljublana, i think i have covered it in 24 hours although as with Slovenia, id like the opportunity to go inland and do some hiking.

After my walk last night i ventured back to the hotel to use as many facilities as possible, namely the wellness spa which boasted jacuzzis and saunas. They werent lying and at first like with many hotels i though i was the only one using them. I wandered in and the place was silent, noone around, and then i saw a man laying on chair in a robe. We swapped Dobar Dans (Hello) and i went back to change. At first i believed he had thought i had left because when i returned he was standing butt naked outside the steam room. I quickly apologized for walking in on him and closed the door for a moment, as he put his robe back on. I then went into the steam room, wearing a swimsuit, this is a hotel for gods sake not a nudist colony. As i lay there perspiring away all my youth hostel dirt from the night before, in he walks completely balls naked and sits down on the bench, my eyes in direct line with his dangly bits. I dont know how i didnt burst out laughing. Have i mentioned the guy must of been in his late 50s to 60s, white hair...collar and cuffs! Well i remained cool and stayed for 5 minutes, before leaving, as i left he said ˝i hope i did not scare you ˝ i wanted to tell him ˝ not with that, no˝ but i didn't.
Instead i went to one of the jacuzzis, how awesome that they had personal jacuzzis that you start with your room key, it sprays in detergent and cleans it before filling with water and starts the jets. It was fantastic, lights went on in the tub and calming music played. Definitely what i needed.

Today i walk around town, went to Zagreb Kathedral, my first place of worship on this trip but not my last i am sure. Actually i followed it up by going to St Marks church which has god awful tiling that form flags on the roof and then to a stone gate. I then went up a path that lined the city and gave sweeping views of its rooftops and spires.

I stopped by the market in the Dolac, starting first with the flower market, the smell of lavender was intoxicating, this was then followed by all the fresh fruits and vegetables and the women selling their cheeses, The area was brimming with people at outdoor cafes and what i really like is that these people are older but what is odd to see is rarely are these groups of mixed gender. The older generation certainly seem to socialise with their own. Women outside cafes drinking lattes and wine, the men smoking cigars across the street, cold beer in one hand cards in the other. Everybody watching each other.

Zagreb in fall is lovely. Still warm and sunny in the day, cool at night. The leaves are starting to leave the trees and the streets are full of conkers which streetside vendors roast and sell in the evenings. I have only ever seen that in England before so it made me smile.

Iwent back for a sandwich at Pingvins, this time a seabass in ciabatta with lettuce, tartar sauce and tomatos. I am not a sandwich fan but these were nom nom.

Now, i run for a train to Riejka, the gate way to the coast and where i swap trains for boats.

Listening to: Alexi Murdoch - Time without Consequnces (great trainride soundtrack)

Watching: Charlie,s Angels - The drew barrymore movie. Hadn´t seen it before, somehow i think the subtitled version is better.

Ljubljana, Slovenia

2009-09-25T06:05:00.003-04:00

Slovenia looks like Oregon from above. Very lush & forestry. I really hadn´t thought much about this trip with so much going on in my life at the moment so i arrived in Ljubljana without any expections, not even a place to spend the night.

I found a bus to the city center and found myself sitting next to an aussie guy, Matt & a Portuguese guy, Luis. The latter spoke very little Spanish. I had planned to stay in a hotel but they convinced me to go to a hostel with them, the hostel Celica which is rated as one of the best in the world. Yeah, it was full . So we ended up somewhere that was probably rated the worst. Hotel Park which doubles as both a hotel and a hostel. As i found myself having to share with what was supposed to be 3 strange women, i decided it was not one of my best ideas and as i opened the door to the corridor that lead to my room and was greeted with very loud dance music, very loud shit dance music i wanted to run. I inched my way to my room & edged open the door, dreading what might be inside. It was quiet. Phew! Hang on a minute though, what the F is that? On one of the bunks was some kind of breathing device, a machine with a tube coming off of it and mouth piece. It was huge and very, very creepy. Nothing else, the bunk relatively untouched. As i eyed it, somebody on the bunk next to me said hello. I jumped. Hardly surprising as i am the jumpiest person in the world.

The voice was attached to Lena, a very nice 24 year old teacher from Minnesota. She was equally creeped out by the medical device. It wasnt hers. The owner was a mystery to both of us.

I convinced Lena to come out with me, i was thinking i would set her up with Matt or Luis but i just wanted to get out of the room.

The four of us walked along the river which was buzzing with cafes and bars and people. Its a university town so there are lots of young people around. We ended up finding a bar called The Cutty Sark which sold beer and pizza. I did try to ask locals to find out where we could get some local food from, apparently Ljubljana does not do local food. I was pointed to a Chinese place, an Italian and two Mexicans. Mexican food is Slovenia? Thats just wrong.

I sat and chatted with the younguns for a while, until they caught wind that i was 30 something and looked a little disappointed when i said i would not go in on a bottle of vodka and roam the benches of Ljubljana. They decided it wasnt cool either and we went back together, Lena and i was anxious to find out who the owner of the medical device was. NOt before Lena signed on to You Tube and showed us clips of fainting goats which was quite hilarious and we were all molested by the massage chair in the hotel lobby, at one point it tried to penetrate places where i would think it illegal in Eastern Europe.

Our floor was crazy, a party of German teenagers filling the corridor with guitars and booze and lots of singing. Confused into thinking we were all American they tried to get us to sing Tom Waits songs, Bob Marley and then talk turned to Jim Morrison and how amazing her was? Um...how old are these people? What year is this? As modern as Eastern Europe has become, so much of it is still stuck in 80s and stone wash denim and crazy haircuts rule. I made a swift exit to my room. I heard the slow hum of the medical device immdiately but i was a complete scaredy cat and didnt look, it was dark anyway so i just jumped on my bunk and fell asleep to the soudns of Richard Hawley crooning in my ear.

As uncomfortable in my environment as i was, i managed to sleep. Lena left early for a hike which left me with what i thought was 2 strange females in the opposite bunk bed. Well, imagine my surprise when one of them had a deep voice, a hairy back, a bald head and wore tiny pants. Urgh! they had put a man in our room and he was the owner of the breathing contraption. I feined sleep until they showered and left before doing so myself.

Today i rented a bike and rode all over Ljubljana, its very small and tidy so easily done in a few hours. I love that thez have bike lanes on both the pavement and the roads, easily identifiable in red. Good job too as while i was riding my pedal fell off, almost plowing me into traffic so i had to walk it back all the way from the castle. The castle is a big tourist attraction, its pretty from the outside but too modern and restored on the inside.

Im losing weight fast as i am hardly eating and not drinking. I have had no appetite and im disappointed that Ljubljana seems to be low on fresh local food, i didnt feel like anything until... i went for a stroll around the market which was nice, lots of fruit and vegetables, badly made clothes and souvenirs. I suddenly caught a waft of Sardines, i love Sardines. I followed the smell and came across a food truck selling whitebait, calamari & sardines which all the locals were scrambling for. I ordered myself some Sardines that arrived deliciously crispy with fresh garlic and lemon. I sat and people watched for a good hour. Slovenians are a social bunch, lots of milling aroud outside cafes with wine from as early as 11am, bikes everywhere. I love that nobody locks their bikes up.
I like Ljubljana, its very relaxing, the people are amazingly approachable and friendly, ashamedly they all speak great English which i have had to rely quite heavily on. Slovenian not being latin based i have struggled to understand a single word so have shyed away from trying anything more than a hello or thank you. The river is great and i love how vibrant it is in the evening, many of the bars look fun and some restaurants look interesting enough. The problem is, i am not feeling very inspired. I have hardy taken any photos and haven,t written anything more than my blog. So i am taking my own advice where i say if you aren,t feeling inspired by a place then move on. So, i am going to take an earlier train to Zagreb.

Timezone: GMT +1

Reading: John Updike - Couples

Geneva, Switzerland

2009-09-13T07:01:00.001-04:00

Travelling is so hard on a hangover. As much as i knew my journey today would involve a bus, two trains, a plane and a car ride i still thought it best to stay out until 3am.

Somehow i woke in time and made my way down the mountain and caught the train first from Les Chable to Martigny and then onto Geneva airport. Thank god for sunglasses and Ira Glass. I slept most of the way.

Got home to Nana in time for a sunday roast and An Affair To Remember on the tv. I love Cary Grant, alway have and this film quite possibly started my love affair with NY.

Listening to: This American Life Podcast - Separated at Birth

Watching: An Affair To Remember

2009-09-12T06:06:00.000-04:00

G & C got married yesterday in the beautiful little village of Le Chable. I've searched the internetz and there is very little on Le Chable no matter how you spell it. It was a civil ceremony, in a lovely old private house once lived in by a poet and now used as a registry office for weddings.

Earlier this week G had asked me to translate the ceremony as it was to be in French. I can tell you now that my French is passable should i need to find the swimming pool (piscine) or want a room with 2 beds and a bathroom (Je Voudrais un chambre avec deux lit & un salle de bain). So i was a little surprised. Luckily she has it all translated and all i had to do was recognise enough to know when i had to step in. I thought it an honor, she said it was just because i had a sexy voice and nothing to do with the fact we had known each other for over 20 years (eek!) i had hoped to ask S who is third in our friendship ring but she felt she hadn't yet dropped her mockney accent and was mortified at the thought of having to speak publicly.

What i did not know was that the size of the room was the size of my apartment and i was sitting practically on top of G & C in full view of the congregation. I had hoped that i would be at the back, behind a curtain somewhere. Alas no. The pressure was on me but i think i did a sterling job and unknowingly deceived everyone including G's family that i was fluent in French and did not have the translation in front of me. It would come to bite me on the arse later when JC, the local French speaking Snowboarding hero would try to chat me up.

Did i mention that G looked absolutely beautiful. She is a stunning girl and i think every girl looks especially beautiful on their wedding day, had she wore a white bin bag her smile would of made her radiant. Her dress though was very adult & classic, reminded me of a Ginger Rogers style dress, ivory, sleeveless, with slight jewel placement and long trains that flowed from her shoulders. C looked expecially dashing too.

The ceremony was fun, quick but not hurried and really very personal. After a few photo's, very few formal ones (yippee!) we all headed back up the mountain to Verbier for a much needed drink & dance.

The reception was back at the Hotel Nevai, 3 course dinner and lots & lots of Champagne. DJ Dave played some fantastic track and i managed to dance until 2am before i took my 5 inch heels off. Great meal, hilarious speeches, old friends and new friends made it a fantastic evening. I eventually got home at 9am after an after party but the less said about that the better. I managed to avoid JC, M & NA, i think mostly due to my high tolerance to champagen. I will say though that the scandal did not involve us singletons.

Today was a post wedding bbq of Ostrich & Chicken. Hangovers cured with Pimms & Bloody Mary's. People were avoided & sunglasses were stuck to most people's faces.

Verbier, Switzerland

2009-09-11T04:23:00.000-04:00

After a morning at the Hotel Nevai Spa i took a short hike up to the Chapel of St Christophe. Only about 45 minutes north of the resort, it gives breath taking views of the valley. A large cross on the edge of a cliff and a small chapel reside at the top. The chapel is tiny inside and i was surprised to see it in use with burning candles and recent photo's of people passed on. My favorite was of a priest swinging a golf club. Nice swing.

Pre wedding drinks at Le Fer a Cheval a place known for it's pizza. In fact there are a lot of pizza places in Verbier which i found strange until i considered it's close proximity to the Italian border. I had been here in the winter season and it's a totally different atmosphere in the summer...no dancing on tables for me this time around.

Families and friends got together, many drinks were drunk and pizza's were eaten, pre wedding drinks are a great way to break the ice. As it was the last night before the wedding we made sure to whisk G away from C before midnight. I think G & I were the only ones to go home so early, G needed her beauty sleep before the wedding and i was terrified of having to drive a wedding party down the mountain on a red wine hangover. Sometimes i do the right thing, sometimes.

Verbier, Switzerland

2009-09-09T18:02:00.002-04:00

Today is very auspicious apparently as it is 09/09/09. It certainly proved to be a good day for me starting at City Airport where i was due to catch a flight to Geneva. In 3 minutes i had checked in, dropped my bag off AND made it through security checks. It really reminded me of traveling years ago when it was so much easier, before the world went crazy with red tape and procedures.

I easily caught the 14:27 to Martigny which left at precisely 14:27, hardly surprising because we are dealing with Swiss Rail.

As tired as i was, i stayed awake as we snaked our way up the French side of the Swiss Alps to Martigny where i was to be picked up by my friends husband to be, C.

The train goes through Montreux and Lausanne and past the beautiful Lake Geneve. At points we were so close, from where i was seated it looked like we were actually gliding atop the lake. The lake on my right and the mountains on my left there was so much to see, i kind of just withdraw from the world and daydream...i do love a train ride.

1hr 45mins later i was in a car heading up to Verbier. I had been here a couple of times in the winter to ski but never in the summer. It was strange to see it bare of snow but it was still as beautiful in lush green. Skiers & snowboarders have been replaced with mountain bikers, hikers and climbers so although much busier, the resort area is not completely dead.

The drive up, although only 20 minutes is quite hairy. I've just found out that i'll be driving people down for the ceremony on Friday as well as back up. Gulp!

My friends chalet is great, the views are magnificent with completely unobstructed views of the valley below and mountains straight ahead. It's stunning and i sit and take stock for half an hour on the deck.

7.00pm and G (the bride to be) and i were whisked off for her Hen Night. I knew it wouldn't be a cheesy, gaudy affair with crappy t-shirts and bunny ears but i was still surprised how lovely it was. Her swiss based friends had secured a friends chalet for the evening which is straight out of MTV Cribs. It was ridiculous. Perched high up in the mountains, decks, huge fireplaces and tv's in the walls at the end of the bath tubs. So, so nice. They hired private chefs to cook for us, with duck breasts, salmon tartare, rasperry and white chocolate cake, bottles of good wine and the Champagne flowing it was a great night. I was on my best behavior and made sure my friend didn't get too wasted, we have spa appointments in the morning! Yip! Yip!

Listening to: Neko Case - Fox Confessor Brings The Flood

Time Zone: EST -6

London, England

2009-09-08T23:29:00.004-04:00

Back on home turf. I'm nervous about it. I'm nervous because today was such a beautiful day, not once but three times i commented on how the weather was fu*king with me. It was especially sunny & warm, something i know it never is, but as i struggle to decide where i want to settle it seemed to show me London in all it's beautiful glory. At times my chest hurt as i thought about moving back permanently.

A working morning, Lunch with JT in Soho and a brief sit in Regents Park. Shoes off in the grass. Sun on my face. Book in my hand. Same pose as i moved East to Spitalfields where i sat on the grass and people watched between pages as i waited for TC.

TC didn't help matters with his walk along the river. The pair of us were both battling sobriety and as we passed pubs that lined the river, full of workers having cheeky pints we almost gave in. I know i wanted to. Even beer looked appealing on such a warm day as they bubbled and flowed in peoples hands, sun shining through highlighting the burnt amber liquid. The plan was that TC was going to teach me how to use the new but old Polaroid 340 camera he bought me. Alas it was not to be as it seems the camera is faulty. Such a shame as it was a fantastic day for polaroids, it seemed all around there were great faces and places to document. I'm optimistic it will be fixed though. Forever the optimist.

This led us to just walk and talk instead, dropping by previously unknown to me passageways. TC is the first person i know to show me parts of London even I didn't know about! I know! I hardly thought it was possible! I have become rusty after my years away but still. Impressive knowledge of the Royal Mint too.

We caved to alcoholic beverages at the local Thai place. No way i could eat without a glass of wine or 3. Met up with R and hung out at The Golden Calf and some colorful locals. A pretty perfect day in London for me. I even managed to catch the last train home. Home is with Nanny Madeleine. She makes the best flat mate.

Listening to: Talking Heads - This Must Be The Place

Reading: The Rough Guide to Croatia

Los Angeles, CA

2009-05-18T12:16:00.002-04:00

I experienced my second Earthquake this evening. A very surreal experience as i was sitting with my friend D in the movie theatre at The Grove watching Star Trek. As The Enterprise was about to go Warp Speed the building started to shake and creak. My first thought was that it was part of the cinematic experience! My heart rate elevated and i started to look around me and people had started to run out of their seats. I now think they were tourists as the majority stayed in their seats. I didn't even think to run, i turned to my friend D with wide eyes, who turned to me equally wide eyed and after a 'whoah' and a grip of his arm we burst out laughing. Perhaps nervous laughter. The movie kept playing the whole time so i quickly went back to watching it and people slowing came back to their seats.

Outside, The Grove was buzzing because it was a beautiful day. People sitting outside eating, couples kissing by the fountain. No way would you believe there had just been a 4.7 richter scale earthquake. These Californians are seriously laid back. I like it.

They are also ridiculously good looking and healthy. Everybody looks like a model. Sure some of the girls are overdone with boob jobs and oversized lips but they have great healthy, fit bodies. The men, well, the men are ridiculously athletic looking. Since being here i have been to the gym every single morning, i've swam and ate more fruit this week than in the last 3 months...maybe it's because i've been in a swimsuit most days. Who the hell can be so bold to eat a hamburger and fries while wearing a swimsuit? Not me.

Oaxaca, Mexico

2009-01-17T14:56:00.000-05:00

Two blocks from we stayed in the Historic District is the Cathedral Santa Domingo . An ornate old monastery and church from the 1570's that combines baroque and gothic beautifully. The old convent now houses the Cultural Center and botanical gardens. A very pretty, peaceful church, the light through the stained glass windows was particularly pretty.

We weaved our way down the streets through the very busy Zocola. Yet another protest or demonstration of some kind was occuring. This one had quite an audience, more organised with chairs and microphones.

We found the local food market 20 Noviembre which was amazing. A burrow of food stalls selling local chocolate and cheeses, some crickets or course. Stalls displaying various meats packed the place, next to each stall was a hot grill where you were able to pick the meat you wanted and they cooked it on the grill with onions, chili's and vegetables. Smoke filled the corridor as did the people packed in trying to get their lunch. Further along were tiny kitchens offering tamales, enchilades and mole's. We picked one and i left it to El Grinch to order a platter consisting of two moles (Mole Negro and another i cannot recall that was red in color!), Oaxacan cheese and grilled meats. That, the warm tortilla's and a couple of cold beers made for an amazing lunch for about 100 peso's for both of us.

For dessert we stopped by an icecream parlor called Popeyes that El Grinch would go to as a child (he has not been back to Oaxaca as an adult). We shared a delicious flat sugary cone filled with a scoop of chocolate and and another scoop of milk chocolate and nuts. Yum. Delicious but definitely best shared.

After a quick siesta back at the hotel and we were back on the streets of Oaxaca City. Neither of us had done too much research into the nightlife, earlier on in the afternoon we were handed a flyer for a bar on the west side of town so we decided to go there. It offered two for one Mexcal's..

En route, we took pictures of the only decent graffiti that i had seen in Oaxaca. Some stenciling of Mexican hero's and characters. The city is full of graffiti but it's mostly terrible reckless tagging done by inexperienced teens, not skilled or artful at all. It was also not usual to see protest rhetoric sprayed across the front of beautifully painted buildings. Very harsh and stark.

We also stumbled on a great little jazz bar La Nueva Babel. As the band played in a tiny space the size of a bread box, we sat upstairs on cushions and drank yet more Paloma's. It was so close and comfy i felt like we were at a private party at a friends home with the stereo playing.

It was strange to see people smoking inside, the global smoking ban has not reached Oaxaca yet, although El Grinch tells me it has reached Mexico City. Much to his lament, he is a smoker. A smoker with morals who could not bare it if i even picked up a cigarette.

A couple of blocks up was Cafe Tamarind. Another tiny space, this time starker add bright with cubes for chairs, local art for sale on the walls. I guess it looked pretty young and hip yet the crowd was very diverse. Many of us sat around on the cubes trying not to look at each other. The music was good, electronica but the place lacked atmosphere and after a beer we moved on.

On to Fandango. A backpackers favorite (although it was also busy with locals) that is also a rock music venue. Last night a band played English/American rock covers, the one that stuck in my mind was 'Another Brick In The Wall'. The drinks were cheap, hence the American backpackers drinking margarita's made with rank tequila. I mock but 10 years ago that was me in Asia, it bought back memories. It wasn't a bad bar at all but after a couple of drinks we decided to see what else Oaxaca had to offer.

We ended up at a bar called La Divinia. No backpackers here, all locals head banging to another cover band, this time it's Nirvana. It had more of an atmosphere, people are really rocking out in the next room where the band is on an elevated stage. It was around 2am and El Grinch decides to get me a litre of Paloma (tequila with grapefruit soda), he a litre of something wicked and coke. It was definitely the straw that broke the camels back. I recall us sneaking the drinks out of the bar and staggering up the street towards the hotel, after spotting a couple of intimidating gardi (police) further up the street we opt for ditching them instead of hiding. Probably a good thing. We both woke with wicked hangover's this morning.

Oaxaca, Mexico

2009-01-16T20:26:00.000-05:00

We wake early. Breakfast is included so we make the most of it. Fresh fruit, chiliquillas and eggs on the menu.

We relent and pick up a map from the hotel with the idea of just walking around Oaxaca City, finding our way. We notice on the map that there is a market on Fridays at a town around 35 Klms away so decide to ditch our plan of exploring the city, get the car and get driving.

It seems that Friday is also the day for demonstrations. El Grinch tells me that Mexico loves a demonstration, on Thursday in Mexico City it was the teachers. Today in Oaxaca it seems to be the farmers and they are blocking every major road out of the city with their protests. Our map is terrible and i will never understand how we managed to circumnavigate all the dusty back roads that have been made pretty much obsolete since the arrivals of the more modern roads. The businesses on these small roads must rub their hands with glee at the possible business that these protests bring in for them.

Th city quickly turns into farmland, donkeys grazing, chickens & kids running loose but the protests continue. Soon we are so far off the path we have no idea how we will get back on it. No signs anywhere, you just have to feel your way and ask the local Ranchito's that line the streets with their dusty stetson style hats. Luckily for me, i don't have to break out the Spanglish. El Grinch is the best chauffeur and translator a girl could ask for.

The landscape of the Oaxaca valleys is drier and browner than i expected especially for winter. I expected the sierra's to be more lush and greener but the mountains that surround Oaxaca & it's 500 plus municipalities (thanks El Grinch) are still very beautiful.

Just when we think we are free of road blockades (if you call 2 crates in a road and a single cop directing traffic from the shade of a tree a blockade) we off roading again following a tractor as it blows dust all over the place. These roads are narrow and very dusty, giant holes litter our path, a biker even bites the dust right in front of us (he was fine). I can't help but feel smug that i opted for the very pricey full insurance option!

The town we are in is called Octolan de Morelos. Known for it's market and being the birthplace of Rodolfo Morales, a Mexican painter whose house now serves as a museum and gallery of Mexican art and artifacts. We go here first and for a small donation to the foundation we wonder around his folklore style paintings.

The market completely overtakes the whole village. There are goats on a rope, turkeys being paraded around ( i had several brushed up against my legs, wearing a skirt. Not pleasant), and just about everything for sale. The market is a mix of modern junk with delicious food and vegetables and local arts & crafts. It is packed with locals, some in modern dress, others in traditional dress, women carrying their wares on their heads. A great place for photo's but many of the locals hate having their photo taken so i take them from the hip and have come up trumps with some fantastic shots.

I had promised El Grinch that i would try the Oaxacan delicacy of Chapulines. Chocolate covered Crickets to you and I. I take one look at the jumbo sized ones and balk. I will but not today.

Due to another blockade it takes us over two hours to get back to Oaxaca. 33 Klms in 2 hours. It's a pain in the ass but it's fun. I have no idea how we got back, certainly it is not the way we came. No road signs to anywhere, i am pretty sure these roads are not even on a map. When there is a sign it is spray painted on the side of a rundown building OAXACA and an arrow.

Just miles and miles of winding dirt roads many of which feel like we are passing through peoples back yards. Passing through the smallest of towns like La Cienega, many of these towns rely on the sale of their black pottery to survive. The funnest part is asking for directions. All look bemused at us even though El Grinch is technically a local, he is still foreign. Directions include 'Take a right at Benito's house', left at the school, go on pass the Jose's house and Jesus's house" Which one is Jesus's??? We have no idea and just keep trying different roads and it's fun. We are not in a rush for anything.

It's still only 3pm so we are going to take a walk around Oaxaca City as planned this morning. I see a siesta in my sights.

Oaxaca, Mexico

2009-01-16T11:12:00.000-05:00

My flight to Mexico City was pretty uneventful. The only highlight was brushing past Anderson Cooper who sat a couple of rows ahead of me. Seeing as the Inauguration is in a few days i am surprised he is not heading to DC.

When i arrived in Mexico City i did a stupid thing. I had Sushi. I know, i know, i know....

I was meeting El Grinch (Remember El Grinch from my trip last November) and had a few hours to kill before he left work and came to meet me. I was also hungry but didn't want anything heavy. I really, really wanted Sushi. Needless to say it was terrible and it serves me right. Never, ever eat Sushi in Mexico. It makes sense really.

El Grinch met me and our adventure began. We picked up a trusty little purple Chevvy and we drove, i say we but i mean he, drove for over 6 hours with only minimal bathroom breaks to Oaxaca. I love that neither one of us had a map and neither one of us cared. It was pretty much one straight road via Puebla anyway. He drove the whole way, no complaints. Through the rain in blackness. I was the GPS and DJ, no complaints about that either. Bonus points awarded. We drove on the paid road. In Mexico you have a choice, the local 'free' roads or the 'paid/toll' roads. The tolls are pretty high and plentiful but it is worth it. The difference between the two is vast and the toll roads are fantastically clean and well kept. More so than most roads i see in the US. I understand from El Grinch the free ones are pretty dangerous and slow.

I would like to write about the stunning scenery but it was pretty much pitch black the entire way after it took over an hour just to get out of Mexico City traffic. I know there were mountains involved though, lots of them, it was strange not seeing them but feeling ourselves getting higher and higher, our ears occasionally popping. It was euphoric for us at one point when we realised that we were almost out of gas and somewhere in the middle of nowhere. Just as we started to talk about camping in the rain, no tent surrounded by wild coyotes a gas station appeared from nowhere. At this point we also realised both our phone batteries were dead.

Arrived in Oaxaca in one piece. Even in the dark i could sense how different it was to Mexico City. I could see the outline of the mountains surrounding the city and it definitely lacked the heavy concentration of cars. It felt less tense and We are staying in the Centro Historico and getting to the hotel took some navigating because neither of us had a clue of where the hotel was. No pdf print outs for us. That's how we roll. We found the hotel, dumped our bags and straight for the Paloma's. That's how we roll.

After some late night Taco's we headed out on the town. The town was quiet though, it appears the bars and restaurants close early midweek. Eventually we ended up at a Karaoke/latin dancing bar the name of which i can't recall. Needless to say i did not partake in either but El Grinch did have that Cervecita and i had my Paloma.

Kilometers Travelled: 477 to Oaxaca

Listening To: My Oaxaca road trip play list - Damian Marley - Welcome to Jamrock, Santogold - L.E.S.Artistes, Portishead - Dummy, Hot Chip - Made In The Dark

Time Zone: -1 EST

Denver, CO

2009-01-10T00:30:00.002-05:00

I have been staying The Curtis hotel the last few nights. I love this hotel and highly recommend it but don't stay on the 10th floor. My room (1019) as with all the rooms on this floor, are adjoined to other rooms. And the doors between them are thin.

1st night

Woken up around 1.30am by 'Steve's' cellphone next door (1020) I know his name was Steve because he was talking to his wife/girlfriend called Amanda. "Hi Amanda, it's Steve. I know it's early but i miss you. I can't wait to see you again...Mmmmm yeah, yeah, i have been thinking about you too...Mmm..i miss you too baby.." Let's leave it at that. I tuned out with help of CSI Miami.

1st Morning

Steve is a burper..and proud of it. "BUUUURRRRPPP! BUUUURRRP! Oh yeah!" BURRRRP! BURP! YEAH!" He's really in his own private idaho. Except it's not as private as he thinks.

2nd Evening

Steve can't get to sleep. I hear him sighing so loudly i move my hand across to the other side of my king size bed to make sure he's not actually lying in it.

2nd Morning

Steve doesn't like his boss. He spent a good hour on the phone ranting about what a "motherf*cker " Joe is. As i understand it, Joe is head of sales and Steve's sales are down this qtr. Joe's not buying the global economic crisis.

3rd evening

Steve has left. He has been replaced by a couple. I have no idea of their names but they are having animalistic sex. I have turned my TV up loud hoping that they might hear it and work out that if they can hear me then i can here them having monkey sex.

London, UK

2008-12-22T08:38:00.003-05:00

I love London at Christmas. Everyone thinks that NYC is the city to be in but i've come to realise that London is a much better place to be at this time of the year.

London really comes alive at Christmas, normally dull and grey the city seems to glow under the heavily fairy lighted trees, like the buildings have had a little spit and polish put to them.
People are more forgiving, kind and cheery, everyone has a little bit of Ho, Ho, Ho jovility in them. The air really does smell of roasting chestnuts instead of car fumes mixed with vomit and Thames water. (Although on my way home last night i had to manouver myself around at least 6 piles of puke) There are still many cobbled streets in London which seem so very Oliver Twist, the pubs are quaint with big firey hearths and the churches are filled with Carol services.

I spent this morning at The City of London Cemetery, not for fun although it is pretty impressive and in the past i spent many an hour bunking off of school lessons trying to find the oldest headstone. It's a 200 acre site near Epping Forest, it's been open since 1856 and my grandpa has his ashes stashed under a rose bush in the Garden Of Remembrance. So i took my nan for a visit, it seemed everybody was out to visit the dead before Christmas celebrations kicked in. What normally takes an hour there, back and a visit with my grandpa took 2.5 hours.

I needed a drink after that so jumped on the tube to meet my friends at The Ealing Park Tavern , a gastropub in Ealing where they were having dinner. As i was so behind, i only made it for dessert. I was exotic and chose the Basil Ice cream over the Death by Chocolate. Bad choice. I prefer my basil with olive oil and pasta. I was hoping that it would taste like lemon basil but no, it had a very distinctive basil flavor. I should of known by the amount of greenery sticking out of it.

After a visit to my friends new baby (Riley Isobel), a friend and I headed to Camden to meet friends at The Lock Tavern. I used to really love this pub, definitely a North London institution but now it seems to be overrun with underage hipsters and the great unwashed. I swore i saw Ronnie Wood walk past with his 20 year old Russian waitress girlfriend holding hands with Amy Winehouse holding hands with Daisy Lowe. Everybody is a Pete Doherty clone except those trying to emulate Bob Dylan and his groupies. It was pretty comical but The lock Tavern is still a great pub and the Fish & Chips were delicious. No question there.

I ran out of the pub for the last tube, something i love the thrill of, the ultimate adrenalin rush as missing the last tube means a £30 cab ride or the dreaded stranger-danger filled night bus. I caught it even though i tried to swipe through with my Metrocard.

Berkhamsted, Hertfordshire UK

2008-12-19T23:45:00.002-05:00

I flew into Heathrow a short while ago and i am going to use this as a public apology to the man in 9D.

Dear Man in 9D,

I am sincerely sorry for the spillage. It was due to my boredom on the flight that i took to stacking all my slightly poked at food items on top of one another like a gastronomic Kerplunk!

I was not to know that the flight attendant would choose to remove the fork on which the uneaten salad and opened ranch dressing was balancing on, thus causing it to land on your very white t-shirt, clean crisp blue jeans and more importantly nicely shaved head. Who knew that so much ranch dressing could be held in such a small container?

I am also sorry that i laughed. That was mean. I really was sorry but i realise it might of lacked sincerity as i tried to suppress my giggles. There you are at least 6ft 6in, 250 pounds plus, squashed into a tiny space already miserable, it's not like you needed to be covered in lettuce, tomatoes and dressing. I realise in my attempt to remove the dressing from your head i might of made matters worse, possibly more embarrasing for the both of us.

Let's just pretend it never happened.

Yours Regrettably,

Sam (9C)

Currently Listening to: 69 Love Songs - The Magnetic Fields, Empire of the Sun - Walking on a Dream

Currently Watching: 30 Rock, Oceans 11 (Original)

Denver, CO

2008-12-08T22:50:00.003-05:00

I am back in Denver. This time it's snowing. It's - 3 degrees C/27 degrees F. NY was at least 15 degrees C when i left this morning. I hadn't looked at the forecast so was not expecting snow. Should be fun tomorrow when the only shoes i bought are heels. That in itself is strange.

It's pretty when it snows and that's my first thought when i see it. My second thought is how tough it must be for the homeless and those who can't afford heat. I was thinking about it as passed a guy bundled up in what looked like a dozen blankets inside a Subway doorway. He actually looked quite toasty but i reckon i could stand it for a couple of hours tops. Working occasionally at the mission has made it more personal, i've chatted to guys like him, served food, poured drinks and laughed with guys like him. Most of them have just lost their way, they're not villains and i truly don't believe they choose a life on the streets. Something bought them there. Apparently most people without a good network of friends and family are only two paychecks away from the streets.

My third thought was damn i wish it would snow just that little bit more so i could build a decent snowman.

Ok, i am bleeding all over my keyboard. After checking my nose, face and limbs it seems i have a mystery cut on my finger tip. Shit. It's all over the white crisp sheets.

Listening To: The Magnetic Fields - Born on a train, Mos Def - Black on Both Sides

Currently watching - Flirting at 40. It's dire. Heather Locklear looks like a puppet.

Miles Travelled: 1,777

Denver, CO

2008-11-21T19:38:00.004-05:00

Bored witless at Denver Airport. Nothing to report. Debating on eating a Ben & Jerry's Chocolate Sunday just to pass the time.

I wish i was in Mexico City.

Listening to: The hustle and bustle of Denver Aiport

Reading: The Guardian - Music Monthly

Denver, CO

2008-11-19T23:23:00.002-05:00

12 hours ago i was in Mexico City. I'll be in Denver for the next 2 days. No fun this time, all work.

The good news is that I am staying at the awesome Curtis Hotel. A super modern fun house of a hotel in downtown Denver. I am staying on the 'Fun & Games' level, the elevator told me to 'Come on down!" as i reached my floor. My colleague is on the 'One Hit Wonder' floor and was greeted to Vanilla Ice's - Ice, Ice Baby as she stepped out of the elevator. I wish that was me. Floor 2 is the 'Peek-A-Boo' floor. I wonder what that's all about.

The room has all the mod cons with a little more flair that most hotel rooms. Nice touches like Jelly Belly's at Turndown and 'Salvation water'. A VW beetle serves as my alarm clock and there's Operation and Guess Who in my bedside table drawer.

Pretty shattered so i didn't venture too far...downstairs to the ultra modern hotel restaurant called The Corner Office.

I had the teryaki salmon. damn tasty. Walking back through the hotel lobby i couldn't help but admire the little reading room with design and photography books that can be thumbed through at your leisure. I love the video panels on the walls of marbles, spinning tops and robots. I'd like those for my room. All in all i find it very cheery and am happy to be here. I'll be spending a fair bit of time here this winter so it's nice to find somewhere to hibernate.

Listening to: Old This American Life Podcasts - "Heretics" and "Settling The Score"

Miles Travelled: 1,777

Time Zone: Mountain (-2 hours from NY my english friends who like to call me at random hours)

Mexico City, Mexico

2008-11-18T13:17:00.002-05:00

I am sad. In a few minutes i will be swapping the magical Mexico City for Denver, CO.
Don't get me wrong, i like Denver but its no Mexico City.
Yesterday i spent the day with a great guide, someone who shall remain nameless as he understands that im a "private person". I am really glad that he did not quit after so many restaurants including the Cafe De Tacuba was closed but i thought where we ended up was better.
It was a holiday in Mexico City yesterday so unfortunately many of the great galleries that my guide wanted to take me to were also closed but i was glad because i had a such a great time walking and talking. We wandered around the many, many neighborhoods, drank beers, took the subway, listened to Saint Etienne and drank tequila.

Thank you.

Shadia and Fernandos wedding was amazing. Nobody has been to a wedding until they have been to Mexican wedding. I dont have time right now to give it any justice. So ill update from Denver.

Cuernavaca, Mexico

2008-11-16T11:12:00.000-05:00

What a wedding. What a day.

It started well with one of the most amazing breakfasts i have ever had. Notice how much i talk about food? Included in the rate of the hotel was the best breakfast i have possibly ever had. Freshly squeezed Orange, grapefruit, mango and pineapple juice. Cereals and fruit and then the largest spread of Mexican delights i have ever seen. Two women making personal quesadilla's on a grill with dozens of filling options, there was Chile Rellenos, Eggs al horno, taco's, soup, carnitas..it was endless.

Straight after breakfast i had a beauty appointment at the spa. I had decided to get my make-up done as i had seen how glamorous these Mexican weddings can be. My appointment was with Carlos, a very handsome, well groomed and fashionable gay guy. After looking at photo's and discussing in Spanglish what i would like he went to work. The result was me looking like a drag queen. I kid thee not. A drag queen who had been punched in both eyes. I don't think he was used to working on my fair english skin. He thought i looked 'Guapa, muy bonita', i was embarrassed walking out the door. So after tipping him and thanking him profusely i sprinted back to the hotel room and started again. I had 30 minutes before Fernando's brother was coming to pick us up for the wedding so i jumped in the shower scrubbed myself and started again and after a quick scram around for heels, cameras and perfume i made it out the door in time.

As we arrived at the wedding and checked in the ladies were given cute little flip flops, it was going to be 12 hours of dancing and they wanted us to be comfy. So considerate.

The wedding was set in the most beautiful of surroundings. Sorry to my wonderful friends who had wonderful weddings this year but this place took the prize. A little outdoor chapel nestled in pristine gardens, pink rose petals littered the mosaic 'aisle' towards where the service would be held. Canopy's hung above our heads and fans blew as we sat on old wooden bench like pews.

The bride of course was stunning, she in off white and her bridesmaids in pink, the colors went perfectly with the beautifully sunny day and surroundings. Fernando smart in a suit and pink tie. What i loved was that all the male guests wore traditional white Mexican shirts called the Guayabera and khaki pants and looked handsome. One man who we shall call The Grinch particularly stood out to me. The women were all gorgeous.

After a 1 hour Catholic service and Communion for guests we mingled on the lawn as a collective of Mexican musicians played nearby. Of course there were there best drinks served, fresh lime, tamarind and mango margarita's, smooth tequila's and local beers.

Shortly after mingling and drinking with the other 450 wedding guests we moved to a 5 course sit down meal consisting of Mexican fusion food that was amazing. I particularly remember the queso soup of Roquefort and the Cilantro soup. The fish with asparagus sauce was tasty too as were the deserts. I have also never sat at a table with so many glasses. Glasses for champagne, wine, tequila's brandy alexanders that were made at the table by our amazing waiters.

I could wax lyrical all night about the wedding but my favorite part was the dancing. Oh how we danced. They had props and everything, as we danced sombrero's made an appearance, balloons, glow in the dark microphones, maraca's, red berets....lots and lots of props that seemed to be associated with the different songs. Song wise, i loved the classic 80's and 90's songs that i grew up with sung in Spanish.

At one point the whole of the wedding party Bride and Groom included were on the stage in jumpsuits, some kind of homage to a 80's Mexican pop band.

As a diversion from the packed dance floor they had a Churo stand, a corn stand and a shot stand. I had Paloma's, astronauts and go knows what other shots. I had the time of my life. So much fun. I played air guitar with The Grinch, Julio and Fernando until my fingers bled.

The best bit? I drunk myself sober. No hangover today. In fact, i am just off for another mazing breakfast, a massage and a facial.

Listening to: Oh Mickey! in Spanish..it's still ringing in my ears.

Cuernavaca, Mexico

2008-11-14T20:54:00.003-05:00

1 hour after landing in Mexico City yesterday i was had a plate full of seafood Tostadas and a Hornitas Tequila cooling on ice. The trip, so far, was going well. Very well considering that when i landed i had no clue if my friend Fernando would be meeting me from the airport. I had no address for him and no telephone number, let's just say i was not exactly prepared for this trip and i rely on email and the www way too much.

My theory was that it would all work out, worse case scenario i would of gotten a hotel in Mexico City and periodically checked my email. Fernando is getting married tomorrow, he has more to worry about, he'd remember i was flying eventually. As it was, as soon as i got past customs there was Fernando with Kimberly, a friend of ours who i have not seen for the last 4 years even though she lives in New Jersey.

Fernando took me to a favorite place of his called Los Arcos in Zona Rosa. A great Mexican seafood restaurant filled with locals. Along with the fresh fish tostada;s we shared a shrimp stew and Corbins a las brasas which was delicious. A smoky sweet fish grilled with chipotle, soy sauce and mustard. So, so good.

Onto the mall! Fernando still had to buy a shirt and shoes for the wedding. Apparently he has several outfits that he will be wearing on the day, including traditional dress but he still needed a shirt for his suit. I bought a pair of shoes. When in Mexico!

We crawl our way through the very heavy traffic back to Fernando's office and then it was a whirlwind of meeting his brother's flatmate Antonio, (their apartment is amazing), friends from Mexico city and other wedding guests who had flown in from San Francisco. I was dying for a shower but alas it was not to be, the plan was to leave for his parents house in Cuernavaca but not before stopping off for Taco;s. Real taco's. Delicious Al Pastor (pork with pineapple) and grilled beef rib with cheese, onion and cilantro topped with some serious chilli sauce. My favorite thing of the evening though was a can of grapefruit drink called SQUIRT!. for some reason i found it hilarious.

Fernando, like me, loves music but he has been a little behind these days and was expecting me to update him. So update him i did, playing him the likes of CSS, Bonde Role, Andrew Bird, Camera Obscura (he loved those), Noah & The Whale, Mountain Goats, MGMT (loved those too), Ghostland Observatory, Fleet Foxes, Black Kids, Jens Lekman, Cut Copy...ok i can go on. How Kimberly slept in the back for most of the way i will never know. Fernando though was salivating and ever since has laid claim to my ipod and i have promised to send him a ton of music down.

So last night we slept at Fernando's parents amazing house. Today we woke and spent the day running around, spending a short time around the families pool before an amazing lunch cooked by housekeepers. Taco's, lentil soup, meatballs rice and then to finish Lime icecream with chili sauce. Bring on the chili's. Weird but so tasty.

Now we are at the hotel where we will be staying for the next couple of nights, the Vista Hermosa. a lovely hotel near central Cuernavaca and close to the chapel where Fernando and Shadia get married tomorrow.

Tonight we are meeting up with many other wedding guests. I say many because i understand there to be 450 guests at this wedding. Holy cow. I also hear there is going to be a shot bar. Holy cow. I hear it is going to be 12 hours of drinking and eating. So tonight i will take it easy, i promise.

Ogunquit, ME

2008-09-26T23:09:00.004-04:00

It's 11.15pm, time to go to bed as it's a big day tomorrow. Tonight we are sharing a room at The Neptune Inn, a little motel on the beach with views from our room right along the Oqunquit spit. I am sure that on most days the view would be a beautiful one, but today it has been marred by fog, wind and lashings and lashings of rain.

I'm all for it being a little overcast and drizzly, i was bought up with that kind of weather but today it pissed down for the whole 140 miles from Northampton and you can't see shit. Glad i wasn't driving. Go Lenny Go!

Aside from Lenny's superb driving skills i have also never been more grateful for my new friend David the Island Man, leaving his anorak behind. Actually, this bright yellow wonder jacket was his Dad's who passed it to David who left it on purpose at my Bleecker St apt and i just happened to be needing one. Little did i know just how much i would need it. I love it. It's very Finnish or Swedish, just like David's Island, Orland, it has an identity crisis.

How we found the chapel Marita & Daks are getting married in tomorrow i will never know. Something to do with two exit 7 turnoffs and crossing states but we finally figured it out.

We had rehearsals at 4.00pm so after a little souvenir shopping in Northampton we made our way up to Maine. In fairness, even in dismal weather Oqunquit looks very quaint and cute. I haven't had much time for a look around though as we had to check in to the hotel, change clothes and turn around to drive back towards Portland, NH where the chapel sits nestled in a little wood off the back roads of Portland.

Let's just say that for once the rehearsal was needed. Dak's mother is Russian Orthodox something i don't think i knew about but for certain none of us knew that the wedding service was going to be Russian Orthodox. I don't think Marita & Daks knew what it was going to entail. All of a sudden i am holding a crown above Marita's head with a hanky and following her around a table 3 times. Already nerve wracking but add high heels, dress trains and bouquets tomorrow and i have a feeling things are going to get a little hairy. Another reason to be in bed early, one does not to need to add a hangover to the mix.

The rehearsal dinner followed the Maine tradition of Seafood Chowder, Steamed Clams and Lobster at The Lobster Shack which Daks's parents hired out for the evening. I have to say it was delicious and by far the best lobster and clams i have ever had. No wonder Daks is a seafood snob.

So now i have a belly full of lobster and after watching the very embarrassing debate between McCain & Obama it's going to be lights out for me.

Miles Travelled: 160

Currently Watching: Hotel TV movies - Blow Out with Jeff Bridges.

Currently listening to: Krista typing beside me. Very close beside me.

Currently reading: Google travel directions.

Northampton, MA

2008-09-26T01:41:00.002-04:00

I am in Northampton, MA stopping over for the night enroute to Marita & Daks wedding in Maine this weekend, but this post won't be so much about what appears to be a cute little town. Instead it will be almost completely dedicated to Great Lake Swimmers.

I've just got back from seeing this awesome Canadian band at a great little venue called The Iron Horse with Krista and Lenny my road trip companions.

I'll set the scene, it's the start of fall, the trees are starting to turn from green to brown and pumpkins line the window sills of all the quaint antique stores. Big houses with wrap around porches line the wide quiet streets, it was almost impossible to get a drink or even pizza past 9pm .

The Iron Horse is a small venue with a cabin in the mountains type feel. For me, if the mountains could sing they would sound just like Great Lake Swimmers. Tony Dekker's voice is like rough velvet and when i close my eyes i smell the damp ferns surrounding a cool lake with waterboatmen and dragonflys buzzing off it. The chilly air warded of by the warmth of a log fire and the taste of a rustic red wine and a hearty stew dancing together in my mouth. The lyrics are pure poetry that just envelopes my whole heart and transports me to the mountains of Oregon or WA.

I love Great Lake Swimmers. Various Stages, a song about manic depression brings to mind a troubled ex, "i have seen you at various stages of undress, i have seen you at various stages of madness, i have seen you be wreckless in matters of love, i have seen the boiling point come and go" Rocky Spine gives me hope of how i'd like to feel about a future love.

Now, time to bed. We are staying at the very colonial Autumn Inn. Lenny in his bed and Krista and i sharing a rather small double. It's fall, time to get cosy.

Listening to: Back Stage with the modern dancers - Great Lake Swimmers

Portland, OR

2008-07-29T13:55:00.003-04:00

Well i'm down to my last couple of hours in Portland and i am spending it in the hotel, Lenny on his bed, me on mine, watching the TV, facebooking and blogging. Like a modern day Bert and Ernie. He's Bert.

We drove back from Union on Sunday after a post wedding brunch. I was feeling more than a little tired due hosting a post wedding party in our hot tub until 3.00am so we just drove the 5 back to Portland rather than taking the 6 hour coastal rode. Another reason to come back to the Pacific Northwest.

The wedding was lovely, went without a hitch and everybody enjoyed themselves. Lots of dancing, no one can resist a Michael Jackson medley or a slow dance to U2's 'All I Want Is You' but when they bought out the conga, i made a swift exit to the ladies room. What is it about wedding gear that makes you dance so ridiculously? Maybe it's the high heels but no matter what i did i couldn't stop myself from dancing just like my mum when she dances to Tina Turner.

It will be sad to leave Portland, i like it a lot. It's exactly how i expected it to be after reading about the Pacific Northwest. It's very Pacific Northwestern.

Something that was definitely Pacific Northwestern was the Oregon Brewers Festival

They all came walking out of the woods for this one and many of them didn't bother to wash and shave. Lenny and I are pretty weak beer drinkers, I mostly drink spirits and wine and the closest i get to a beer is a shandy. However, when in rome and all that. We got ourselves a mug and some taster coupons and went for it. We did not have a clue which of the 75 different beers to try so we stuck to West Coast brews and tried 2 organic and 2 non organic. A couple of IPA's and a couple of ales. They all tasted the same to me...blurgh. So that's 4 tastings. We sat next to a guy who had obviously made his way through half and was hoping to hit 70 just that day. He had been everyday out of 5 days.

Aside from the fact that i can't stand the taste of beer i still really enjoyed myself. I especially liked the Whoo Hooing. All it took was a single person in a giant beer tent to "Woo Hoo" and then the whole tent whooped and hollered for about a minute after. Pretty impressive.

One of the highlights was the 10 mile bike ride we went on yesterday along the Willamitte Waterfront and the Springwater Corridor. The path was lined with the most colorful wild flowers i had ever seen, fox gloves, tall dandelions, poppies, baby's breathe, Forget-Me-Not's etc and the scent of them as you rode along was intoxicating. The dandelion fluff created a layer on the path and between the flowers that looked like fog from a distance and piles of cotton wool up close. We rode through wetland, past Ross Island into the small neighbourhood of Sellwood and back. The Springwater loop runs for 40 miles and had i known beforehand i would of scheduled the time to do it. It would be worth coming back for.

We made another trip to Powell's because Lenny hadn't been. I told him i would stay in the front of the store by the magazines and wait for him. The next thing i know i am lost in the Orange section thumbing through the literature shelves. It's just the smell of all those books that just draws you in.

We spent the evening having dinner with Jason's parents and sister at The Chart House

A little uptown and swanky for my taste but the food was delicious (I had the dynamite Mahi-Mahi) and the view was magnificent. It overlooks the whole of Portland with views of both Mount Hood and Mount St.Helene.

So now, i've the flight back to NY to look forward to. I was just notified that i have been upgraded to First Class again...shame.

Union, MA

2008-07-26T03:51:00.002-04:00

It's 12.45am and i'm writing this from a cabin in Union WA. It;s a small blink and you will miss it town on the Hood Canal which is about 2.5 hours north of Portland. It's the location of Jason & Elicia's wedding and today is the rehearsal.

I had a relatively easy drive up this afternoon on the 5 interstate, i say relatively because i did have to stop to inflate the tires in my rental car. Actually, i didn't inflate anything but the garage assistant i cosied up to did a sterling job. A flashing symbol on the dashboard have me pull over and check the car instructions. Apparently my tires were low on air. I have never, ever put air in the tires of any car i owned and i was utterly clueless on how to approach it. You shoudl see me putting air in my bike, i am a jumpy person and have a fear of having the tires just pop on me. The air container thing at the garage gave no clues, it just gave me air for 75c. How much air for 75c i don't know and how am i supposed to know how much to put in? I was perplexed. I played around a bit as i like to figure things out for myself and have a bash but then i had flashbacks to my burnt dresses and did not want to be responsible for blowing up the tires on my rental car so went into the garage and actually asked for help. It was so much easier that way, i think i could get used to it. They were low so the TPMS (Tire Pressure Monitoring System) was on the ball.

The scenery along the 5 was quite beautiful especially when you are used to the NJ Turnpike, but Lenny and i plan on taking the longer coastal route on our way back on Monday.

The wedding is at the Alderbrook Resort& Spa which is very lovely. It kind of reminds me of the resort in Dirty Dancing. Plush cabins, sweeping lawns, it even has it's own seaplane landing strip. Alas the resort was booked out by the time Lenny and i got around to booking so we are staying in what resembles the staff quarters across the street (we are not alone as so are half the bridal party) and unfortunately there's no Patrick Swayze waiting for me with a watermelon. Instead i get Dave, the owner of the Union Bay Cabins. Dave looks like he has spent far too much time living out here in the woods and has forgotten how to eat because half his dinner is down the front of his shirt and pants, yet he still gets some in his mouth because he can barely walk due to his expansive gut. He hates democrats. Something he made sure to tell us about when we mentioned being from NY.
Our cabin is fine although Lenny is concerned about the number of spiders it accommodates. I have heard several girly cries and 'oh cripes; from him as he scans the walls and cielings for the unwelcome guests. He refuses point blank to poop in the bathroom for fear of being attacked on the rear. He also has a fawcet right above his bed which is slightly random. I am tempted to get up in the middle of the night and turn it on.
We do have a hot tub though so the leaky toilet, very well worn sheets and dank musty smell about place is forgiven.

The rehearsal went well considering none of us know what's going on. It was great to see Jason. After the rehearsal and great bbq feast we had for dinner, i joined him and the groomsmen for some xbox action and porn talk. I haven't seen him for over a year and seeing as it's his fault i am having to don a dress and carry a parasol i felt it only right to give him a chinese burn as pay back.

The wedding is at 5pm tomorrow but it's hard work being a bridesmaid. I have a gym session at 8am and then i am booked in for an outdoor stone massage and facial before heading over to get dressed with the bride around noon...i guess that's when she'll see the dress. Did i mention she was a designer? She's going to notice.

Portland, OR

2008-07-25T00:06:00.002-04:00

I flew into Portland, Oregon this morning and it was love at first sight for me. I don't know Portland's feeling on the matter. Oregon from above is breathtaking, straight from Outdoor magazine. Mount Hood seemed as though it was in touching distance and i could almost smell the damp wood and fern of the forests that surrounded it. It appeals to the romantic side of me that would give up the city in a NY minute to go live in the woods with some big hairy woodsman and chop logs, cook on an old Aga and drink copious amounts of wine after spending the day Kayaking. Alas, i have to be back in NY for meetings by Wednesday so it's unlikely.

I am stopping in Portland en route to a friends wedding in Union, WA which is about 2.5 hours drive north from here. It's actually closer to Seattle but i've been there and have always wanted to visit Portland. So i flew a day in advance of the wedding to relax and will take an easy drive up there tomorrow morning.

I certainly need to relax, yesterday i avoided a catastrophe of epic proportions and my heart is still trying to get back to it's resting rate. In short, i nearly set fire to my bridesmaid dress. (Gosh Elicia oh lovely bride-to-be, i hope you are not reading this!!) It was like something out of a bad movie similar to 27 dresses or something equally pitiful and crap . I was tired/ hungover sightly and was packing. I put one of my bedside lamps on the floor to look for a rogue shoe under the bed. When i found it, i took the dresses i was bringing to the wedding, the rehearsal dress, the post wedding brunch dress and of course The bridesmaid Dress that was in a black plastic suit cover and threw them onto my bed. Then i went out. I had planned to be out all day but before heading into the city for a work meeting i popped home for something. Shortly thereafter i smell what i thought was burning hair. I explored the apartment and my life flashed before my eyes when i saw the light of my lamp muffled by dresses. I pulled the dresses off and found one of the them completely stuck to the lamp. I now have a scorched $300 dress that i have only worn once and had planned to wear for the rehearsal dinner with a hole i could put my fist through. The cream vintage underslip has a matching hole and i have a pink skirt with slight scorch mark. What about the Bridesmaid dress though...well, at first i thought it made it out unscathed but unfortunately not. To my horror, utter horror, the lamp had burned the plastic cover and it was stuck to the dress. I pulled it off and it left me with about a 2 inch patch of burnt plastic attached to the dress. It took several hours of painstakingly picking at it with tweezers to remove it. The dress is cornflower blue so it was very noticeable. Now i am left with what looks like a 2 inch fluffy bleach stain on the front of the dress where the top layer of the fabric was pulled off and i am going to just hope that the bride doesn't notice. It will be funny after. Hilarious in fact. Right now...i am shitting myself she'll see it. I could of burned my apartment down...i hadn't even thought about that. Idiot.

So i've spent the day unwinding. I took the Max Light Rail to Downtown Portland and took myself on an outdoor public art walk. I sat and had a 'Honkin' Huge Burrito' in Pioneer Sq and watched an outdoor concert while i got my bearings. I got hit on, which was flattering. What is it with me and the jobless and homeless?

Talking of which, Portland has that in common with Seattle. As with Seattle i've notice a large youth homeless population here. More meth and heroin addicts than you see in NY where the homeless seem to be of the older boozed up variety. I think it's unexpected and perhaps more noticeable because it's in stark contrast to the wholesome, green, healthy Portland that the city promotes. Does everyone own a mountain bike? I've spent the whole day sneezing just because the air is so fresh and my nose is completely freaked out.

It seems more shocking to see a group of strung out crack addicts huddled around a coke can with the glorious Mount Hood as the backdrop rather than compared to some back alley on the L.E.S where it's almost expected. I have seen more open drug taking here in one day than i have seen in a whole year in NY. At the same time, every panhandler i've met today (i've met a few!) have been incredibly polite when i've declined to give them any money. (I bought one guy a burrito instead )I get called a bitch at least once a day in NY.

I stopped by the much recommended Powell's Book Store which is the largest second hand book store in the country, possibly the world and spent far too much time getting lost in the travel section. I also stopped by Voodoo Donuts, a donut hole-in-the wall place i heard about from a guy in the camera store where i bought the ridiculously attractive Leica Lux-2. Ma, bad. I only went in for a battery. Voodoo's slogan is "The Magic Is In The Hole". You can buy panties. I'll be sending the donut photo and little blurb into Bret at The Blog Nut

I walked through Chinatown, Old Town, Pearl District which i liked a lot and reminded me a lot of Austin, TX. I finished up by walking along the river and over the very cool Steel Bridge.

Now, after a work out in the hotel gym i'm all about cable TV.

Miles travelled: 2,896

Currently Reading: Sellevision - Augusten Burroughs

Currently Listening to: 'Portland, Oregon' - Loretta Lynn, 'Mount Washington' - Beth Orton

Movies Watched: Drillbit Taylor - Owen Wilson/Apatow number.

Baltimore, MD

2008-06-03T15:50:00.002-04:00

I've been in Baltimore, MD since yesterday and thankfully i leave tomorrow. That's unfair as i have never been outside of the Inner Harbor area but i just never feel inspired by Baltimore enough to get off my arse and get around. Next time i shall book myself an extra day to make it to the other side of the harbor at least.

I rode the train down from NY which was fine but i need to remind myself to get the quiet car on the way home. The train had been invaded by a dozen female divorcee's aka The First Wives Club who whinged the whole way about their badly behaved ex husbands but waxed lyrical about how wonderful their scrap book seminar was although not as wonderful as NY cheese cake. I could go on...

I'm at a conference in a nondescript Hyatt Hotel bored out of my wits and there are so many Maryland Crab Cakes one can eat in one day to relieve it.

Instead i am looking over a portrait of Robert Downey Jnr that my friend Elspeth drew. I heart RDJ.

Listening to: Hyatt Lobby Music

Currently Reading: About Time Dilation on www.howstuffworks.com . Told you i was bored.

Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland

2008-05-16T10:37:00.003-04:00

The sun is shining and i am sitting on the playing fields around Trinity College.Unfortunately i am solo because Krista is sleeping off a killer hangover. Bless.

Krista arrived yesterday around noon and prior to her arrival i made the most of my hotel room and just lounged around, ate the orange chocolate cookies it provided and watched bad TV.

In attempt to soak up some of Dublin's culture, a group of us went to the Hugh Lane Gallery. I was unimpressed by the modern art on show but found the Francis Bacon Studio pretty interesting. My favorite part was a video showing an interview with Francis Bacon and Melvyn Bragg from the 70's. FB just doesn't want to play ball and makes the interview quite painful for Melvyn Bragg with yes and no answers.

We had a great lunch there too, the food at the cafe was delicious with me opting for the Smoked Salmon quiche that came with a great bean salad.

The food did not rival our evening meal though where a couple of us pushed the boat out. Mark, Tara, Krista and I went to The Mermaid Cafe in Temple Bar. It's apparently one of Dublin's best and i have to say the food would be hard pressed to beat. The menu and surroundings reminded me a lot of Grocery in Brooklyn and possibly Chestnut. The menu is French meets East Coast American and it has a very specialised menu that changes seasonally.

We started with a plate of Antipasti for the table that the chef put together for the evening, there was duck and walnuts, smoked salmon and slaw, crab cakes, roasted tomatoes and the most delicious buffalo mozarella soaked in creme freche and herbs.

My main was amazing, Pork belly on red cabbage topped with a baked apple. The pork was perfect and the cabbage, although very rich was really tasty. I don't know what the reduction was because i couldn't place it but it was delicious.

Another National gig followed. This time i was on the floor right at the front of the stage. I haven't been to the front of the stage since i was about 17 but there wasn't a mosh pit in sight so i made the most of the polite audience. There were some bad dancers though who kept putting me off my head nodding. A girl in front of me in the boob tube dress who looked like she was from the movie Footloose, danced like one of the chicks from the Addicted to Love video no matter what the tempo of the song played and without any rhythm. Not as bad as the girl next to my new friend Zena who busted out some Axel Rose moves as she sang along to every single song the band played.

On to Whelans again which is where Krista got the hangover. I just don't like the place, it's too busy and a complete cattle market. You dare make eye contact with any fella there as the next thing you know they've got they're arms around you and beer breath in your face. Very boisterous and loud...i'm getting old.

So bright and early, i left Katie's and Juan's (Friends of Krista that we are staying with) place in Ranalagh and jumped on the tram to Trinity College. I was interested in seeing Old Library, especially the Long Room which was amazing. What an amazing place, i love the smell of old books and found it to be very relaxing regardless of the hordes of tourists. I also went to see the Book of Kells. Written in 800 by monks it contains 4 gospels of the old testament in latin...blah, blah, blah, blah.

So i've done a spot of shopping, specifically for a special whiskey that can only be bought in one store in Dublin. So what to do next before i catch up with the gang for tonights festivities...hmmm...

Dublin, Ireland

2008-05-14T22:17:00.002-04:00

It's 3am and i'm writing this post several glasses of wine so watch out.

I arrived around 5pm, a couple of hours later than scheduled but that's Ryan Air for you. A shame too because for the first time in years i was way early for a flight. I have so many trips planned that i couldn't remember the time of my flight and seeing as i was up i just made my way to the airport and got there 3 hours before check in. Someone else got there slightly early and made the most of it in the bar.

I was in Boots around 11ish when a woman came crashing through the aisle and landed on a lump on the floor. She was murmering and seemed pretty listless so thinking she may be diabetic i made my way over to see if she was ok, i smelt the booze 20 paces away. Several of us helped her to a chair where she happily declared that she was 'drunk and proud'. She was also on my flight to Dublin but i have a feeling that they didn't let her on.

There is nothing at Gatwick, so after a couple of failed attempts at trying on some swim suits i plonked myself down with my book. At some point i got hungry, unfortunately there was only MacDonalds, pizza and fish and chips on offer so i picked something up at Boots. I went the healthy route and plumped for the 74 calorie crayfish and rocket salad. It looked ok but i was really caught up with the 'an ocean shimmy across your tastebuds'...yummy, an ocean shimmy sounded lovely. I was severly disappointed, it tasted like dust. Something so healthy you couldn't taste it.

Once in Dublin i jumped on the 748 to Woods Quay which is a hop, skip and a jump from the hotel i am in The Paramount. A very nice hotel in the Temple Bar area of Dublin. I lucked out with a very big room for very little moneys. A big bed with plush linens and leather head board, large bathroom and flat screen tv. Looks onto the very bus Temple Bar area but is still quiet.

One of the reasons i am here in Dublin is to see a friends band, The National play at the nearby Olympia Theatre (the main reasons are my friend Marc whose pals with the band and my friend Krista who arrives in the morning) The hotel is just around the corner and it seems most of the band is staying here too which is convenient. The gig was great and the venue was too. Intimate but large at the same time with a 1600 capacity crowd. We had boxes overlooking the stage and as much as i have seen them like 10 times, it was the first time seeing them outside of NY.

After the gig we headed to Whelans which is another live venue & bar 10 minutes away. We ended the night on a chip butty hybrid. It should of been expected coming from the kebab shop yet i was still shocked to see it made up of fries in a pita bread with yoghurt sauce. Highly controversial .

Miles travelled: 396

Listening to: Birdhouse in you soul - They Might Be Giants. Blast from the past!

Heathrow Airport, London

2008-05-10T04:34:00.002-04:00

I screwed up my rental car booking so i have two hours to kill which is the only reason i am writing anything on this blog. I've checked my email, read the BBC website, The Onion and floated about Facebook for 5 minutes. Now i am bored. In my booking i said i was arriving at midday and i arrived here at 8am. They are out of cars until 10am. Oh the joy.

The flight was uneventful. I didn't sleep as usual. I sat next to a couple from Arizona celebrating 50 years together by going to London and Tuscany. I spent most of the time wondering how anybody could spend 50 years with someone else. Quite the feat and one that i would be hard pressed to beat seeing as i can't imagining wanting to spend more than a week with anyone else at the moment.

The inflight entertainment was dire. I watched CSI reruns and then had to plump for The Bucket List with Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman. It wasn't as bad as i was expecting but it wasn't good either. It was no About Schmidt that's for sure. Spoiler Alert! Morgan Freeman dies which was quite touching. The rest of the time i played my ipod and read.

Well, I'm on my second can of Red Bull or Liquid Meth as my friend Lenny calls it and have about 20 minutes to kill. I bought The Guardian this morning and it has a 'Learn the Guitar' pull out. A 68 page guide from the likes of Slash, Johnny Marr and err...Francis Rossi of Status Quo fame. If only i had a guitar on me....

Miles Travelled: 3483

Listening to: Portishead - Third

Watching: CSI reruns as previously mentioned and The Bucket List.

Reading: The Guardian Weekend Edition

Little Rock, AR

2008-05-05T23:40:00.003-04:00

I'm back in Little Rock, Arkansas. My trip here was pretty seamless, flying Delta via Atlanta. I did sit in front and behind the biggest yahoo's on the planet and it seemed like it was a conspiracy with the number of crying babies around me but nothing a good playlist on the ipod couldn't block out.

The plane landed on time despite changing in Atlana which is practically unheard of these days. It was the first time i had flown into Little Rock in the daylight and the view was beautiful. Very pastoral, the fields were a lovely deep green and spanned for miles and miles like a lush patchwork quilt. I couldn't help but think i'd be quite happy jumping out of that plane (with shute obviously) and spending a couple of weeks just wandering through fields, sleeping in barns and washing in the streams...then reality hit and i remembered all the cow shit in dem fields and barns.

I'm staying at The Holiday Inn Presidential downtown..not that there is an uptown Little Rock or anything. It's funny this Presidental hotel. The restaurant is called Camp David and you can get a Bush Burger (mushrooms and bbq sauce) or the Clinton Club. I wonder what they will add next, could it be the Obama Omlette? the Hilary Hash Browns or worryingly the Mcain Melt. My colleague really wanted it but wouldn't order the Bush Burger out of principal. I had the Grilled tuna salad but secretly wanted the ribs.

Currently Listening to: Beth Orton - Trailer Park, Taken By Trees - Open Field

Currently Reading: The Last of Her Kind - Sigrid Nunez

Los Angeles, CA

2008-04-17T23:08:00.004-04:00

I landed in LA at around 4.30pm PST today. It's a beautiful day in LA at 73 degrees.

I wasn't sure if the plane was going to be able to take off with the vast amount of fake boobs on board but we got to our 30,000 ft eventually.

It's funny how sometimes it's so easy to determine where that flight might be heading to just by the people in the departure lounge. The seats outside gate 74 at Newark were full of fake tanned, Juicy tracksuit and Ugg Boot wearing bottle blondes in need of a good meal and a good hairdresser. I'm not being bitchy, well maybe i am but it's true regardless. I'm not saying that everyone in LA looks like a washed up Barbie doll but there were plenty on my flight.

Along with the usual abundance of uber hot gay male models. Those i'm not complaining about. My only complaint is that i didn't have any sitting next to me so i couldn't perve over their perfectly honed bodies and pretend to fall asleep and rest my shoulder on their perfectly pressed Abercrombie t-shirts that smell like baby powder and model sweat. I had a lovely Asian couple instead who fed me sweeties.

I had planned on hanging with friends tonight but i'm tired. So i'm making the most of my hotel room by raiding the mini bar and drinking $8 bottles of Evian. I'm so rock n roll.

I went around the corner to my favorite LA Sushi place on Beverly Blvd called Hirozen but i was too early and it wasn't open. So instead of waiting, my impatience got the better of me and i tried somewhere else. A decision i know by tomorrow morning i will come to regret more than i do now. I won't even put a link to this Sushi Cafe place as it was that dire. $30 for grey looking sushi. Grey salmon, grey yellowtail, grey tune...Brrrr. Stupidly I had a couple of pieces because i was so hungry but i am already regretting my decision.

I'm at a couple of clients tomorrow, clients i like so hopefully it will be a good day. Flying to San Jose in the evening.

Miles Travelled: 2454

Currently Listening to: Cat Power - The Greatest

Currently Watching: Law & Order Re-runs.

Cleveland Airport, Cleveland, OH

2008-04-04T16:58:00.002-04:00

Small layover in Cleveland from Milwaukee. I'm en route to my flight back to NY. Man walking towards me in my sight range.

Over middle-aged, over weight, over smiley man in pilot uniform, aviator shades and leather bomber jacket.

As we pass each other, man quickly leans in and breaths

"What's happening sugar"?

I'm bemused. Obviously. I look around me. Nobody else in ear shot. I look back at him. He's walking backwards and with a finger pointed right at me he says

"Yes you little darlin'"

Yes he said that and he winked. I couldn't see his eyes behind the shades but there was the squishing of the left cheek and the furrow of the brow. Definitely a wink.

I keep walking. Away.

Currently Reading: Lolita by Nabakov. I'm still reading this. Still struggling with subject matter but won't give up and shall continue to struggle because it's so beautifully written. Damn that Nabakov.

Currently Listening to: Andrew Bird - Armchair Apocrypha

Miles Travelled: 456

Milwaukee, WI

2008-04-03T23:55:00.003-04:00

A quick business trip to Milwaukee this time. I got in at 10pm (via Cleveland) and i'll hopefully be gone by lunchtime tomorrow. Not that i don't like Milwaukee, i love it and not just because it's the home of my good friend BB but because i think it's a great welcoming city in general and i've had some fun times here...mainly due to BB.
Unfortunately because i am only here for a short while i won't get in any BB time but i'm hoping the meeting goes well tomorrow and i'll have to come back soon.

On a previous visit to Milwaukee BB and i propped up the bar of The Ambassador Hotel and remembering that i enjoyed both the decor and the drinks i booked myself a room.
I am SO glad i did. It's a lovely at deco hotel, very professional staff, great sized comfy rooms with Aveda bathroom products and free Wifi.
I am a woman of small pleasures and for me just that fact that room service was still open past 10pm put a huge smile on my face. Flying early evening is always a pain because it's difficult to eat something at a reasonable hour. I stopped in Cleveland and i expected to go to bed hungry because the food in the airport is terrible. It's either Pizza hut express or hard over baked bagels, i prefer hunger pains to bad food cramps.

So within 30 minutes of checking in, here i sit in a bright airy room, propped up by fluffy pillows on a very comfortable not overly large bed with a scrumptious flat bread pizza of roast chicken, artichokes, caramelized onions and cheese about to be washed down with a cold San Pellegrino and fresh lemon. Just switched on the TV and guess what's just about to start...Lethal Weapon 3!! Woo hoo!! I'm a simple gal indeed.

Little Rock, Arkansas

2008-03-28T14:36:00.002-04:00

I'm now sitting in Little Rock airport bored senseless due to a 3 hour delay. I was supposed to be back in NYC around 5pm this afternoon but now i'll be lucky to be home before 10pm. Ouch.

I am slightly sad to be leaving Little Rock, it has felt more like a vacation than a business trip. Not too sad as i have scheduled to come back in a month when i here it will be at it's most prettiest with wild flowers and trees fully flush with blossom.
The clients have been wonderful and so grateful for my help, i only wish all my clients could be the same. They've done a great job of showing me Little Rock and in helping me pile on the not needed pounds.

Last night i was treated to a meal at The Flying Fish in Little Rock which was amazing. I had a whole pound of hot boiled succulent shrimp with corn and a new potato paired with a gigantic frozen margarita that a true mexican wouldn't touch with a barge pole.
I should of had the catfish but i am truly done with fried food for a while and the shrimp looked so good. The atmosphere of the place was great although ordering was slightly daunting as they had a huge wall of different fish and combinations. I am not the most decisiive when it comes to picking food as i want it all so it was slightly painful. Otherwise it was just picnic tables and fishing paraphenalia. My personal favorite was a wall full of framed fishing pictures of customers, i wanted that wall for my apt.
It all ended sour though as the paprika that covered the shrimp got into my left eye and then because of my fluffing, the right eye. So i staggered out of there completely blind due to my eyes streaming and nearly got hit by oncoming traffic.

Well, my flight is apparently about to board so goodbye Little Rock. Until next time.

Little Rock, Arkansas

2008-03-26T19:48:00.002-04:00

I arrived yesterday after a 9 hour trek from NYC via Cincinnatti. We were stuck at the gate at JFK for an hour while they towed an Air China airbus that was blocking our path out of the way. The winds then changed direction so after taking 20 minutes to reach the runway in one direction, we had to turn around and go back in the other. All in all we were about 2 hours delayed and even the pilot could not hide the embarrassment in his voice.
It was worth it when i embarked at Cincinatti airport though because the first thing i spotted was someone carrying a Chick-Fil-A cup. Chick-Fil-A is the king of all junk foods in my book and the idea of getting a healthy salad and a glass of wine was soon replaced with a Classic Chicken Sandwich, Waffle Fries, 8 nuggets with that delicious Polynesian sauce and a full.fat.coke. Why oh why do we not have this mecca to chicken in NYC?

I'm actually going to put on about 10 pounds in this trip with all the eating i'm doing. After a huge breakfast (Something i rarely have) the clients took me to an award winning, "world champion' bbq house called The Whole Hog Cafe.
I had meat sweats lasting the rest of the day and thought i might die from a meat enduced heart attack.

Tonight is deep fried Catfish. It's a Little Rock specialty and i don't want to disappoint my clients who take great pride in their state and the catfish it deep fries. When will i learn?

I Heart Little Rock. I don't know why but i like all these southern/mid western cities that line the Mississippi. So much space, huge industrial office spaces and wide open streets lined with vacant lots and houses with wrap around porches. They are almost desolate when you comapre them to cities like New York yet you can always find something of interest. For me it's the William J. Clinton Presidential Library (which was very cool) and the food. I'd really like to spend some time here around the national parks, Arkansas has a serious amount of national parks and hiking trails. I have to come back next month so am thinking of scheduling a little R&R on the back of it.

I'm going for a quick run now so i can fit in some biscuits and gravy with my catfish. I am a glutton for punishment i know.

Bangkok, Thailand

2008-03-10T10:15:00.002-04:00

It's 9.15pm and i should be getting some sleep before my 3.30am wake up call. I am back at Reflections hotel and have a lovely Shitake Mushroom soup and duck with rice waiting for me back in my room..my last meal in Thailand.

It was sad to leave Laos but i was glad i made it in one piece. I had spent the whole time scaring people who were flying Laos airlines because they have a terrible safety record only to find that i had to fly them as Thai Airways back to Bangkok were sold out. The landing was sketchy but all in all it was a good flight.

Ventiane was great. I wish i could of spent more time there. It was very like some European cities but then it has been heavily influenced by French culture. It is a long weekend here so finding a hotel was horrendous, everywhere was booked out but i was saved by an Aussie knight on a motorcycle who carried me off to some plush place for $20 a night. We had dinner but then i was in bed asleep by 10pm being so tired from my kayak trip.

Today i got a tattoo. Not the best timing because i have to sit on my arse for 20 plus hours and that is where it is. I had a tattoo 12 years ago in Indonesia so decided to get it touched up and expanded while back in Asia...it hurts.

So, a quick shopping spree, stuffing my bag with fishermans pants (Lisa i have you covered!) and another Thai massage and now i'm off to bed.

It has been a fantastic trip, much of it i could not write up in here as both you and i will of been at the computer for hours. I shall miss the people i have met both Thais, Laotians and westerners. I will miss the food of both places along with the landscape much of which has been breathtaking. I won't miss the ridiculous money, the Kip especially which is 17,000 to a single pound (the dollar is doing terrible here). I won't misss the language because i find it frustrating and cannot speak a word. Thank you and Hello are even painful for me. I will both miss and be glad to see the back of the tuk-tuk and i won't be eating rice for a good few weeks. I also can't wait to get rid of this Eau De Mekong that has been lingering on my skin the last few days. Goodbye to organic pineapple shakes in the mornings, i will miss thee.
Saying all that i wish i was staying and could easily keep going for months as i'm quite good for this kind of life but reality beckons.

Currently Reading: Out of Africa

Vientiane, Laos

2008-03-09T07:19:00.002-04:00

Today started off quite badly with the only hangover of the trip. Unfortunately it was a HUGE one and i had to Kayak 20 kilometers, jump off a cliff and climb over rocks (many of which i had to puke behind) all in 90 degree heat. It was painful. With no ginger ale or macdonalds in sight, i had to recover cold turkey with just a bottle of water and sticky rice.
Lesson learned: Do not take on the Laos in a drinking contest, they will always win. The owners of our guest house were celebrating National Womens Day with a picnic and crates and crates of Beer Lao. I had baby sat their kid while they ate yesterday so now they have adopted me and invited us to celebrate with them. They did not seem to care or understand that i don't drink beer and not wanting to be rude i didn't want to refuse it...or the Lao Whiskey shots..Brrrrr i feel sick even writing this. It was chaos. I have no idea how the evening went but i woke at 7am with all my clothes on, still drunk. Not funny or clever.

I am now in Vientiane partially recovered and just made the guiness book of records for people on a tuk-tuk. 27 people consisting of 23 Laos, 1 English, 2 Canadians and 1 German. We had someone playing the Melodia, a cat and the german guy carried a massive hearing device for capturing bird sounds (nerd alert!)...it almost sounds like a joke.

Vang Vieng, Laos

2008-03-07T20:17:00.003-05:00

I loved Luang Prabang and could of stayed at least a week. I spent my last day walking the rivers, going into more temples and eating eating Laos BBQ. Which is not quite Texas BBQ but tasty all the same. Basically it is a big pot on a wood fire and in the pot you throw chicken stock, veggies, chillis, eggs and garlic and above that is a level for you to grill the meat or fish. Delicious and very healthy, i shall try and get one in my backpack to replace my stolen BBQ in Brooklyn.

I jumped the 7pm bus out of LP and i must say that night buses here are dodgy.

Now he was either a bodyguard to protect us from bandits or he is still on the run from events in Vietnam and no idea the war was over, but the dude in the front seat had a full on semi-automatic machine gun. My fear was that it was the latter and he would have a flash back at any minute and shoot the lot of us. So i stayed awake the whole 7 hours.

So now i am in Vang Vieng 7 hours south. Why was i sad about leaving Luang Prabang for Vang Vieng? If LP is the arts and culture capital, VV is the capital of fun.
I had read about this place on the travel snob blogs and had turned my snobby nose up to it as i read about it being a back packer mecca. That it is, but when the whole area is built for adventure sports and exhessive drinking then you could hardly blame them for coming.

Danger = Tubing + $3 Vodka Buckets + zip lines and river swings.

Surrounded by stunning scenery, nestled between the hills on the banks of several rivers, VV is full of adventure sports like cycling, hiking, rock climbing, kayaking and the most popular, tubing. Yesterday we rented tubes and floated down the river and stopped at various bars on the banks along the way which sold alcoholic drinks like the delicious Mulberry Mojito. I then threw myself down a zip line, somersaulted and landed on my back from a great height, only to tube down to the next place and do the same again. and again. and again. How i did not puke, drown or break something i do not know. I am just glad i drew the line at eating the happy omelettes and magic shakes, especially when i lost my crowd and ended up tube in the pitch black with a bunch of drunken and amorous Swedes.
The parties went on until very late, with DJ's and bonfires. Lots of people very unafraid of touting the no marijuans laws along with the governments 11.00pm curfew. I abided both seeing no future in 6 years in the Lao version of the Bangkok Hilton.

So up early again this morning. I am going to cycle the area and meet up with the gang later. I have some photography to do.

Tomorrow i kayak to the countries capital Vientiene for my last night in Laos. I had planned on leaving Laos early for a 3 day spa in Krabi but Laos is really, really interesting as well as beautiful. Much of what i have learned i haven't written here as it is not a geography lesson but i can't wait to bore you to death when i get back.

Until then, more drunken tubing...YAY!

Currently listening to: Damian Marley - Welcome to Jamrock, M.I.A. - Arular, Manu Chao (All good choices when on a bus at night in the jungle with a machine gun holding dude)

Currently Reading: The Book of Illusions - Paul Auster

Luang Prabang, Laos

2008-03-05T20:30:00.002-05:00

Everybody, every single body should experience a Laos night club once in their life. It was sort of a cabaret place, like The Love Boat but with the Venga Boys and Line Dancing. Being the only westerners there they took much pleasure in our painful dance moves as they flowed between routines and we threw shapes never quite seen before. Unfortunately they have a curfew here so all the lights came on at 11pm and it was all over. I could of line danced my way to the break of dawn.
Another great source of entertainment here in Laos is bowling. 2km out of town and a whole new world opened itself up. We made friends we the group next door to us and bowled ladyboy style for several hours. I came last. I think the lanes were wonky.
Yesterday i was quite productive and went to the The Grand Palace which is now a museum and saw a photography exhibition of the Floating Buddha which was pretty amazing. Luang Prabang really is a great cultural center and there are many great art and dance studios amongst the stunning temples. My plan was to visit most of these but en route to the next temple i was jumped upon by a couple of friends in a Tuk Tuk heading to some waterfalls an hour or so away. Everybody loves a waterfall so off i went and i'm glad i did.They were lovely and unlike all the others i have seen here, you could swim in them. There were jumping ropes and you could dive under the falls to caves at the back...the only con was that i was freezing.
We got back just in time to climb Phu Hu hill to the temple and watch the sunset because everybody loves a sunset. Then dinner which was a Laos fish curry...let's just say that Delhi belly is not only reserved for Delhi.
So, today i will get back to looking around LP and i also have a couple of spa treatments lined up. Yesterday i had a pedicure for $3, today a $10 body scrub so any tan i might have is about to be rubbed off. Tonight i get the bus to Vang Vieng...boo hoo!

Luang Prabang, Laos

2008-03-04T08:52:00.002-05:00

I arrived in Luang Prabang early this evening. On first look it appears to be very lovely, quite sophisticated in a way i was not expecting. The night bizarre's are much more colourful and organised than in Thailand with beautiful handicrafts, and the people seem very friendly. This i am grateful for because so far in terms of people friendliness the Laotians were letting the South East Asia team down.
The slow boat was amazing in terms of scenery, unmatched probably than anywhere else i have ever been in the world. Absolutely gorgeous and untouched by the western world. The first day we punted along for about 7 hours and i did not read one word of my book or listen to a single song on my ipod as i couldn't stop looking at the scenery. Fishermen, women washing, children swimming, rock formations, waterfalls... Occasionally my daydream was rudely interrupted by a loud speed boat loaded with the fools that took the fast boat. Wearing crashing helmets and racing along at dangerous speed it looked stupid and a complete waste of being in Laos, very few people do it and i see why. I was still with Tasha and Frankie the Spanish hairdresser (Peter the dutch cyclist went a different route) and on the boat met a variety of people from Argentina, Australia, Canada and Germany, all really pleasant and laid back. The benches were not the most comfortable and i admit i wish i was one of the people that bought a cushion.
We stopped half way down the river after 7 hours for the night and this is where things got slightly stressful. We were charged by a bunch of kids who jumped on and took our bags, demanding money to get them back./ As you can imagine, this did not wash with me. It was then a break for it to find a bed for the night where many Laotian guest house owners lied about the facilities and tried to bump the price, along with being rude. All quite stressful and the place was a dump, a lot like a border town in Mexico. So bad i have forgotten the name of the town already. A complete disappointment. Still we soon calmed down with a beer and some Laotian curries.
This morning we started over again and this time a stressful start , they tried to put too many people on the boats. They should only hold 80 people and more than 100 were on board and they still tried to fit more people on so we had a mexican stand off and demanded another boat. People fell in the river, bags were thrown....quite the scene.
Eventually, we were on the move and it was much of the same as the day before but different people. Really, really amazing and i would do the trip 10 times over again. This time i sat with a couple of great girls from Brighton, Jenna and Stephanie and a bunch of easy on the eye lads from Argentina.
Now i am in Luang Prabang and after a delicious Lao streetside buffet and a glass of wine (WINE !!), Laos is starting to redeem itself. I look forward to seeing tomorrow why LP was recently named a World Heritage site.
That's after we check out the line dancing at the local disco..i kid you not!

Huay Xai, Laos

2008-03-02T09:59:00.002-05:00

I made it to Laos! Quite exciting but the whole border crossing was a little too easy and quite the non event.
My day started badly by me falling on my face in the bus station at 7am. I tripped on the stair and landed front first on the tiles in a station packed with Thai's who just stared blankly at me as i flayed about on the floor before picking myself up. Hugely embarrasing. Huge.

An easy journey by air conditioned bus for 3 plus hours took me to Chiang Rai and i was going to hang around but there was a bus leaving for Chiang Keong 10 minutes after i arrived so i jumped on it. No air con and the bus had definitely seen a few miles but it had character and on both buses i was the only 'farang' (white person) which was nice. The second bus was actually very worse for wear but i was encouraged by the sight of a monk sitting in the first row.
The scenery here is spectacular and so i find that i am not sleeping much as i want to soak up everything so i just sit and watch Thailand pass by out of the window.

Once in Chiang Keong i met an Irish girl outside of a store who asked me where i was staying. What is it about me that attracts the naive and innocent ones? She hadn't a clue where she was going and approached me so i said she could tag along but informed her that i didn't have a clue either but i must be good at pretending as she thought i had an air of confidence about me and knew what i was doing. She also thought i was about 26 or 27 so what does she know! I kid, she's grand as she would say. Her name is Tasha and she's from Dublin, 2 months into a year long trip. She is travelling with friends who flew to Laos and she wanted to go the long way round. Good on her!

Immigration was a booth by the Mekong river, where i simply got a departure stamp and was told to go. nice. We then took a long boat across the river for about $1, it took 5 minutes and we were in Laos! Not officially, they had another booth on the other side which took more paperwork and a whole lot of ink was used in the stamping of the passports which was a ridiculous comedic procedure and then we were official.

We got a cheap room and spent a few hours walking around Huay Xai, finally getting some sun. What with the travel and having to dress so modestly for the temples and the villages i looked like i'd spent the week in my cupboard.

So now i'm in Laos and have picked up a roommate in the process...along with a crazy Spanish hairdresser and dutch cyclist and we are all booked on the slow boat to Luang Prabang tomorrow. Slow because it takes about 8 hours the first day, we stop over night and then another 8 hours the next day, getting there on Tuesday.

We all hung out and drank too many beers as we watched the sunset over Thailand just across the river. It's a good day to be me.

Chiang Mai, Thailand

2008-03-01T09:17:00.003-05:00

So i am back in Chiang Mai. Half a day of flying solo and things start to go a little pear shaped.
I was supposed to be on a bus to Chiang Rai leaving at 5pm and had flown from Mae Hon Song this afternoon to get to the bus on time but the bus was full and so was every bus leaving tonight.
No great shame as i am getting to hang out in Chiang Mai again. I got to see the amazing Lek on guitar but the downside is that it's election night again so no booze. I was absolutely busting for a G&T and heard on the grapevine that there was a possibility of getting one at the night bizarre so i headed back there and low and behold within 5 minutes i had one in hand.
I love travelling solo but the hazard as a woman is unwanted attention and my unwanted attention came in the form of an American wrestler without the muscles but with the head scarf.
There i was innocently sitting at the bar quietly reading and listening to The Eagles (from the bar not on my ipod!) when he came and sat next to me and tried to film me! from about 10 inches away. Asking politely and ignoring him didn't work as he didn't seem to understand (he was German i think)but i found that 'Fuck off!' did.

I spent this morning in Mae Hon Song (you'll notice my spelling has been bad anyway due to odd keyboards but village and town names are spelled differently everywhere so i have no clue on what is the correct version). MHS was very clean and appeared quite wealthy. A complete contrast to Kuhn Yuam and the nearby Karen villages. Stopped off at another Wat, Wat Phra That Doi Kong Mu. Slightly different to others we have seen, they are two burmese style Chedis. As with many of the temples there are still parts that women are not allowed to enter. I just don't get this fear of women in religion, even something as 'gentle' as Buddhism, where does it come from and why is it still happening today...

Yesterday we got to go to another Karen village, specifically so that Vicky could look at it's school. Through the trust she has donated a significant sum of money towards the building of some dormitories at the school. The dorms will allow for children of neighbouring villages without schools to attend school as currently many are unable to due difficult roads and long distances.
The village itself was about 45 minutes up a mostly unbuilt road off the main road in the most stunning setting. It's nestled deep into those hills i mentioned before and the school is out of a story book, sparse but utterly delightful, i would skip to school if i went there.
Lucy and i wandered around the village and were the subject of much curiousity. Many villagers hid and looked at us through the windows or behind doors, children ran and giggled as we walked by and they called out Sawadekai (Thai for Hello) or Omouchipah (Karen for Hello both spelled completely incorrectly) We could see no one in front of us but when we looked around there was quite the crowd gathering in the street, it was quite sweet.

The ride back down the hills was quite the adventure. A complete thrill ride as we stood on the back of the flat bed truck as it zoomed down the hills at 80 plus kilometers an hour, turning corners like it was on rails. I know what a windscreen feels like now as so many flies and insects smaked against my face. I wanted to laugh several times as it was so exhilarating but there were many of those insects bouncing of my lips and didn't want to risk it.It felt like i was handgliding with a jet pack attached to me but the views were absolutely magnificent so it was worth it.

In the evening there was a bit of a party for the gap students and teachers as the students go on to work on the water project. Loads of yummy food but poor Lucy missed out on most of it due to projectile vomiting. Not sure if it was heat stroke or dehydration but whatever it was laid her out and after what we ate i didn't envy her having to see that twice.

So now i have a buzz on from my G&T's, a couple of shandys and a steamed grouper with garlic and chilli, i am heading back to my little guest house on the Ping river to the BBC world service.
Tomorrow i have a 7.15am bus to Chiang Rai and then straight on the Chiang Keong and Laos.
Talking of which i had visa pictures taken today and as usual i am pulling a strange face. It's either me or it's pictures taken at certain angle but again i look a little 'simple' and have a lazy eye, no wonder i am attracting guys with bandanas.

Currently Listening to: The Eagles - Lying Eyes
Temperature: A steamy 87 degrees.

Kuhn Yuam, Eastern Province, Thailand

2008-02-29T00:22:00.002-05:00

It's been a slightly surreal and grounding couple of days, as we left the well worn track for the much more less travelled one.
I am currently in a very small town North East of Chiang Mai, on the Mae Hon Son loop called Kuhn Yuam. This is where Lucy's mum is based while she works with the nearby Karen people. We drove here Thursday via the Inthanon National Park. Stopping off at waterfalls along the way because everyone loves a waterfall. The roads were extremely windy as we climbed through the hills, quite close to the countries peak Doi Inthanon at over 8,000 feet. The views were breathtaking, with lush, green hills that just seem to fold into each other, lined with the occasional village or rice field.
When we got here we dropped off our bags and headed straight over to a nearby Karen Hilltribe village of Ban Cam Suk to meet some of the children that Vicki has been working with and befriended over the last couple of years. I will leave you to look at the links i have given about the Karen people but Vicky has been working with a specific trust that supplies local schools with teachers, school buses, builds clean water projects and funds the childrens education in schools and universities.
The children we met were wonderful, healthy and happy with huge beaming smiles that completely lit up thier faces. We were extremely lucky to be invited to stay with one of the families overnight and it truly felt like a priviledge as they allowed us to stay in thier home and cooked for us. Last night they made us two types of rice and marrow with a spicy chilli dish..they love thier chilli here and i've definitely upped my tolerance factor. The huts are all wooden built on stilts with cows, chickens, pigs that live below and pens around the house. In our house they even had a monkey hanging out below. We spent the evening playing with the children and a couple of girls who are here with the trust volunteering for thier gap year. The family consisted of a mum and dad both of whom are in their 40's, a 12 year old girl, Dim and 15 month old little Pla who was the cutest kid you have ever seen. It was so interesting how we bonded playing games like Snakes & Ladders as with very little common language between us it was at times difficult to interact. Especially when it came to bedtime, as with such a small living space we were struggling to see how we could change into PJ's and prepare for bed and where we would all sleep. In the end we just slept in our clothes under bundles of blankets they loaded onto us.
I slept extremely well but woke at around 5am this morning to chorus of cockerals, women pounding rice, cows mooing, dogs growling and snoring coming from little Dim. They had cooked us breakfast and i struggle to eat cornflakes at 10am in the morning let alone rice with pumpkin and eggs stewed with tomatos at 6.30am. It was sad to say good bye and i can't imagine how some of these gap year students feel after living with a family in such close proximity for 6 months at a time and then having to leave.
The villages are sparce, littered with cow shit, hay and whatever else but their houses are extremely clean inside and they seem to have everything they need because their needs are very little. It's definitely grounding and spending just one night with them makes one reflect on what one has and very lucky we are.

Currently Reading: Neverwhere - Neil Gaiman
Currently Watching: Thai Soaps
Temperature: Hot!

Chiang Mai, Thailand

2008-02-27T20:03:00.002-05:00

I'll be leaving shortly on a 4 hour drive north to Mae Hon Son and then to a small town close to the Burma/Thailand border where Lucy's mother is living.

It will be sad to leave Chiang Mai as i really like it. It's the countries second captital and so much more chilled out and cleaner than Bangkok. Last night we roamed the night bizarres and ate whole fish with Kaffir leaves and chili's before heading to La Brasserie for a drink. La Brasserie was an excellent recommendation from Bernie who had told me all about the resident guitarist there. Unfortunately i didn't get to see Lek the guitarist, i think it was his night off but no worries as it was located right on the river and as i sipped a gin and tonic with a fantastic serene view, the house band played Coldplay and Red Hot Chilli Pepper covers. To be fair, it wasn't bad, actually they were pretty good if you like covers. They were tight and the singer had a nice voice and his english was good. They sounded better than half the bands you see down The Mercury Lounge on a Wednesday night anyway.

Chiang Mai, Thailand

2008-02-27T04:39:00.002-05:00

A diverse couple of days and it's only going to get more so.

After our swanky evening at The Moon Cafe, Lucy and I took a Tuk Tuk to the Red light district of Patpong. We played Ping Pong Show bingo. In 10 minutes we were asked 17 times if we'd like to see a show, if ping pongs didn't interest us, never fear because they had a menu that included, but was not limited to blowing candles, cutting bananas and darts.
I am just glad Lucy isn't a man, she struggled to spot the lady boys from the real thing. My theory was if they look that good in a thong and sparkly high heels then they are more likely a 15 year old boy than any lady i know.

We flew up to Chiang Mai yesterday and was met by Lucy's mum Vicki who has been out here volunteering for the past few months. She's actually based a few hours outside of here but came in to pick us up. As soon as we got into Chiang Mai, we left it for some silk factories where Lucy and i indulged ourselves with decadent silk undies. I'm sure they will look great underneath my sweats. It was at the silk factory that Lucy hit on the joke of the day. Picking out ties for gifts she asked my opinion, i stated often and loudly how i was an expert on ties, i could pick a great tie, ties were boring...blah,blah blah not realising the lovely Thai assistants were looking at me with quizical (is that a word?) looks. This was nothing to a conversation we had yesterday outside a temple as we debated what act constituted being unfaithful. I said it would be a struggle but i could forgive a kiss but that 'i would be most unhappy if i found out my husband got a blow job. ..'
i said this as a group of teenage tourists walked by and erupted into laughter.

We then headed on to Lamphun about 20k outside of Chiang Mai to stay with a Thai family who are friends with Vicki. Extremely sweet. I particularly like the name of the son that we met, Dear. Named so because he was born on Valentines Day. Love it. Literally across the street from their house is an extremely picturesque temple called Wat Phra That Haripunchai. Another Wat off the list. There seems to be an abundance of monks in this area of Thailand, makes sense as i read that every Thai boy has to be a monk for at least some part of thier lives. It can be for a few days but is usually for a few months. It's quite funny seeing Buddhist monks going about thier business, it seems they go to the 7/11 and rent DVD's too.

All this is well and good but time for the main event. The ELEPHANTS, more specifically the ones that paint. Today we went to see them and i will be bitterly disappointed if i don't get a baby elephant that paints for my birthday this year.
It was great, the place is called the Mae Sae Elephant Training Camp and compared to other elephant establishments and zoos out there, this is pretty cool. The place is exceptionally clean and peaceful and the elephants genuinely seem to be having a good time. Why wouldn't they, they get to throw darts, play football, dance, play the harmonica...all of which i am crap at. The best is the painting though, the trainers seem to use tugs on the elephants ears to guide them as they paint flowers and abstract paintings. I will struggle to make rent this month after splashing out on a couple, the most expensive is the self portrait. An elephant has painted a picture of an elephant. It will be hanging in my apt within the next month for those that want to check it out. It's the best thing ever!

Moon Bar, Bangkok

2008-02-25T21:32:00.002-05:00

This place deserves it's own spot in the blog. I think it is fair to say i have stepped into many a bar in my lifetime and it's quite difficult to impress me. This bar blew my cotton socks off.
59 floors above the grime and pollution of downtown Bangkok, The Moon Bar is a completely open air restaurant and cocktail bar with unobstructed 360 views of the city below. It is breathtaking. Quite possibly the most romantic bar i have ever been to, i spent the whole time waiting for Lucy to pull out an engagement ring. It was that smoking that i would of said yes, i'd of screamed it, i would of said yes to any proposal from just about anyone up there in fact.
To top it off i had the most amazing cocktail ' Romance on the Moon' which arrived in a glass bowl on a silver tray with dry ice steaming out from it, orchids, orange and a rose finished it off. Poor Lucy's 'Sex on the Moon' was a non event next to it. Much like real life i guess.

A complete contrast to the rest of Bangkok which we slowly floated back down to.

Bangkok, Thailand

2008-02-25T06:34:00.003-05:00

No beer on the Koh San Road last night. It was election day here in Bangkok so no alcohol was allowed to be served from 6pm, which is probably a good idea. We did get the Pad Thai though which was very tasty for $60 cents. We passed on the deep fried crickets and The Ping Pong Show...i hope i don't have to explain what that is.

So with no beers on offer we were at a loss on how to spend the rest of the evening. How sad is that? So we headed home for an early night which was probably for the best as it was an early start this morning. A really early start for me as i woke up at 3am and spent an hour reading in the bathroom so as not to wake Lucy. The four hour nap earlier had screwed me and i was wide awake. Not Lucy though, i am so envious of her ability to sleep any time, any place. Lucy is the queen of naps.

Our 6am start was for the Damnoen Saduak floating market a couple of hours outside of Bangkok. We were well aware that it was going to be a bit of a tourist trap but it was actually quite nice and not as bad as i had imagined, probably because we had got there early and left before it got really busy. As the guide books say, the floating markets are few and far between now and they really only stil exist for the tourists . I enjoyed it though and still felt it was an experience i wouldn't of wanted to miss. Lucy and I sat and watched all the commotion from a river side chair and shared some spring rolls and fresh unrecognisable fruit, delicious but we have no idea what it was.

The day went downhill from there though, we were basically kidnapped and dragged around a bunch of tourists traps that included elephant rides, snakes, mongoose fighting and wood carvings. All of which Lucy and i opted out of.

So after another nap and another movie we are heading off for a much needed beer. This time we are heading downtown to Silom for some food and some roof top bar cocktails.

Tomorrow - Chiang Mai!

Movies Watched: Falling In Love
Currently Listening to: Lauryn Hill - The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill

Bangkok, Thailand

2008-02-24T07:22:00.002-05:00

Lucy arrived around 7am this morning which was exciting. I had struggled to sleep all night due to the jet lag, which is fair with Bangkok being 12 hours ahead of NY.
I'd treated myself to a hour long Thai Massage in the afternoon, there was something quite colonial about having some young thai boy climbing all over me, stretching me out but he did a great job and i can't remember feeling so bendy.
I spent the evening with a couple of movies from the hotel and sat down with a pepsi from the fridge which was actually more expensive than my delicious shrimp noodles i ordered from the street vendor outside. A steaming dish of shrimp Pad See Ewe for 60 cents.
I passed out at 9.30pm, woke refreshed at midnight and then was in and out of sleep for the next 7 hours until Lucy got in.

Today we took a public boat to Wat Pho - The Temple of the Reclining Buddha. and then to The Grand Palace. I wasn't appropriately dressed for the latter (wearing cropped pants and a vest) so had to borrow from the dressing room on site. Let's just say i looked very fetching in a rented blouse and skirt. I called the outfit 'Compliant Sam'

Then we napped. For four hours. So we are heading to Khao San Road and the red light district for a couple beers and some Pad Thai.

The question of the day is -

Lucy: I think those Buddhist monks in thier robes look quite sexy. Is that wrong?

Sam: Probably. But then we are not Buddhists so maybe not?

Movies watched: The Secret Lives Of Dentists, Japaneses Story

Bangkok, Thailand

2008-02-23T01:13:00.007-05:00

I made it into Bangkok around midnight last night. The 7 hour flight from Tokyo was a struggle but i caught a second wind when i jumped into a cab to the hotel. The cab driver was lovely and indulged me by letting me use my Thai phrase book. The poor man just laughed and nodded as i massacred his language.

The hotel is amazing. Owned and run by Thai's and away from backpacker central in Northern Bangkok. It's called Reflections , and doubles as an artist complex.
Each room has been decorated differently by a local 'artist' with different themes. Something went wrong with my booking so i am having to swap rooms every night. Fine by me as i get to stay in 3 different rooms. Last night 204, tonight 202 and then 210 with Lucy. Wait for the pictures on Flickr coming soon.

Lucy arrives tomorrow and i'm really looking forward to seeing her. I love to travel solo but there is nothing like sharing your experiences with someone. Reflections is definitely a place i want to share and can't wait for us to check it out together.

Now i am in an internet cafe after spending the morning at Chatuchak weekend market. It is huge, the largest in the world i think. A mass maze of narrow connecting alleys where you can buy everything from silk wraps to pork belly on a stick. It's around 84 degrees here but in the alleys it feels like 104 with all the food vendors and thousands of people. I was expecting it to be quite touristy but i have only seen a handful of westerners and no sex pests in sight. Well, nobody that looked like one anyway.

Loving to shop as i do it was difficult to walk past so many amazing things but the most difficult part were the animals for sale. I would not call myself an 'Animal Lover' but i like them a lot, enough to not even like pet shops in manhattan. So seeing baby bunny wabbits stacked in mini flourescent cages 10 high had me running for the exit. I know it was much worse further on but i couldn't bare to go see it.

I've been quite overwhelmed all morning by how i feel about Thailand and all the other parts of Asia that i have visited. I absolutely love the place. I love the customs, the people, the food, the culture and the adrenalin rush of being here, travelling on my own again. I was going to say that i am completely out of my comfort zone but i don't think i am. It feels like i've found a piece of me i lost somewhere along the way to being a grown up. This is just what i needed after a shitty few months.

Moves watched: Dan in Real Life
Listening to: The National - All Albums. 3 x over.

Narita Airport, Tokyo

2008-02-22T02:45:00.002-05:00

To be honest i was not excited about the 14 hour flight to Tokyo. I know i do a lot of travelling but it has been 10 years since i've been on a plane for more than 8 hours in one sitting and i was dreading it. How could i possibly sit still for that long and who might i have sitting next to me?
In actual fact the flight was great. Nobody on board. A whole row to myself and Continental have finally gotten around to updating the inflight entertainment center.
I had bought me with some homeopathic sleeping pills but they went out the window as soon as i saw that i had over 300 movies to choose from, 250 albums and about hundred tv shows.

Thanks to the abundance of entertainment at my fingertips (remember i don't have tv) i am now wandering around Tokyo airport with bags under my eyes bigger than what i am carrying. I don't think i slept for 5 minutes.

The food en route to Japan was also great. I decided before i left that i won't be eating any red meat on this trip. I spent a long time in Asia over 10 years ago and ate my fair share of dog and other mystery meats. It was all about the experience back then but now it's all about my health and the fact that eating dog is not cool but actually really gross.
So, i chose the fish and white rice on the plane instead of the steak and got into the spirit by eating with the chop sticks they gave us while the Japanese around me ate with knives and forks. I guess they have nothing to prove.

Narita airport is very cool. Very feng shui. I'd quite like to move in actually. If only for the 'buttock cleansing' that the aiports toilets kindly give you. Unsolicited. Too much information perhaps.

Boarding for Bangkok in 30 minutes. Heading for another trip to the loo. Those 'buttock cleanses' really are that good.

Movies Watched: Taxi Driver, Chocolat, Pillow Talk, Finding Neverland
TV Watched: Law & Order SVU, 30 Days, Entourage
Miles Traveled: 6,732
Currently listening to: Astrud Gilberto - Astrud For Lovers

Brooklyn, NY - The Night Before...

2008-02-20T23:28:00.003-05:00

So it's 11.29pm. I am all packed and ready to go. This is remarkable as i have done very little in the way of planning and organisation for this trip. Just 3 minutes ago i confirmed my hotel in Bangkok which was about 5 minutes after i looked at my flight details and found that i arrive in Bangkok 6 hours earlier than i first thought.

A slight relief to get the hotel booked because i arrive around 1am Sat Morning and Lucy arrives on Sunday morning. After 20 plus hours of flying i wanted a decent bed to climb into, also because until 3 minutes ago we had no idea where we would be meeting up.

Our hotel in Bangkok is the only fixed part of this trip. The rest of the itinerary is loose but that's the way i roll and luckily for both us Lucy rolls the same way.

So talking of itinerary, this is the general plan.

21st Feb - Leave Brooklyn for Bangkok via 3 hours in Tokyo

22nd Feb/23rd Feb - Arrive Bangkok. Have a looksy around.

25th Feb - Leave Bangkok. Arrive Chiang Mai. Spend next few days several hours north of Chiang Mai living with the Karen people ( A Thai hill tribe on Thai/Burmese border, more details on the Karen people and how we are getting to stay with them nearer the time).

1 March - I'm on my own. Lucy and I part ways. She heads back to Bangkok and home on Sunday. I travel across Northern Thailand into Northern Laos.

1 March to 10th March - Traveling down through Laos and enter into Thailand at some point to catch flight from Bangkok.

10th March -11th March - 24 Hours in Tokyo!

11th March - Flight home.

Fort Wayne, IN

2006-01-15T22:52:00.000-05:00

45 minutes from Cleveland and i arrive in Ft Wayne in an airplane the size of a mini van.
Carrying 20 people it is the smallest commercial aircraft i have ever been on. Quite exciting really.

The hotel shuttle hadn't turned up so i took the only taxi outside a completely empty arrival lounge. I had to bang on the window to wake the driver who still had put back his seat and still had a half eaten Arby's lying across his expansive belly.

I'm staying at a Marriott that is the size of a small town and i regretted not bringing my swimsuit as i wandered past the hot tub. I've a nice room with all the trimmings on the concierge level but i didn't care, i was starving and could only think about room service as i hadn't eaten since brunch and it was 10.30pm.

I still haven't eaten since brunch.

As soon as i got in i opened the room service menu, i had 30 minutes before it closed so i acted fast and ordered a grilled chicken pasta, side salad, a glass of wine and a diet coke. She said it would be straight up.
11.30pm and i call down asking her how much longer it would be. Guest services said she'd check and call me back.
She calls back apologetic, all kitchen staff had gone home and she has no idea where my grilled chicken pasta was.

I'm now nibbling on the pillow mints counting down until breakfast.

Currently Reading: Wicked - Gregory Macguire. Love it.

Milwaukee, WI

2006-01-13T00:08:00.000-05:00

For one night only i am in Milwaukee. I arrived pretty late, tired and hungry but i was amused by a billboard i passed on the expressway.

" If you are going to swear
use your own name"
- God

It was almost as amusing as the mullet the bartender was sporting...i wasn't too tired i couldn't throw back a bedtime glass of wine.

Miles Travelled: 756

Currently Listening To: Richard Ashcroft - Album previews for 'Keys to the World' due for release on the 23rd January. Break The Night With Colour and Music is Power are stupendously good.

Backtracking...

2005-12-29T12:56:00.000-05:00

Ok. Technically i am back in Brooklyn now and will be for a couple of weeks with not more work trips booked until Fort Wayne, Indiana (Woo Hoo!!) but i have been really crap at this blog malarchy so i'm going to back track.

20th - 21st Dec - Paris, France. A two day trip from London courtesy of the Eurostar, quite a different experience to the last time i visited some 16 years ago. I now know that the French do bath occasionally, don't all wear berets and are quite nice people. Well some of them are anyway

Paris is lovely, even when it's foggy. My favourite building would have to be the La Basilique du Sacre Couer at Montmarte, though not a happy clapper, i still found the building to be quite beautiful and the view from the park over Paris is something else. We were staying in Montmartre so spent most of our time in that neighbourhood the first day and evening. We found we were quite close to the red light district which was handy. We thought long and hard about spending 97 Euros each to see a troupe of topless women perform the Can Can at the legendary Moulin Rouge but then found we could shell out 5 euros each and see couples doing it at the SexOdrome. Unfortunately we were shattered from all that deep thinking and opted on a plate of cheeses, cheap french wine and an early night.

The second day started off quite nicely at the Eiffel Tower. I was especially pleased as i dusted off my high school french and managed to secure tickets for the two of us to the summit without anybody getting offended. I could tell Kelly was impressed.

Then it all went pearshaped. We were walking down some steps when one of those irritating fellows who want to draw your picture so bad they mock your accent because they are sure you find it charming ,called out to me. I turned, stepped back on to uneven ground and my ankle gave way. I screamed like a little girl. I didn't find it helpful when hopping around close to tears the irritating guy decided to tell me how unstable the pavement stones were. Several times. I wanted to punch him. Hard. In the ballbag.

The champ i am (or possibly the martyr/idiot i am), i muscled through it. I decided against a hospital as i didn't want to spoil the trip and bought an ankle support instead . We stopped for lunch and more cheap wine and the pain seemed to be a little duller. I managed to limp around Cathedral Notre Dame, did some shopping and had more cheese.
Back on the Eurostar the pain started to come back, i took off my sock and as i burst into tears, Kelly burst into laughter. I had a comedy foot. It had blown up so much my toes protruded out of the bandage like bloated pork sausages and my ankle was missing. I called an expert, my sister the vet. Apparently walking around and wearing a support sock were big no no's. I needed to soak it in ice water ( a little difficult for the Eurostar) and to elevate it. I also needed to go to the hospital to check for a hair line fracture.
Anyone who knows britain knows the emergency room at any hospital is pretty appalling. The time of year and time of night mean't it would be full of pissheads who had fallen over and cut their heads open before passing out in thier own vomit. I could of waited for hours so i didn't. I got home, iced it, elevated it and cried some more as i desperately tried to sleep. It helped when i thought how things could be worse. I thought of that man who had to gnaw off his own arm after it was trapped under a rock while out climbing and how the pain wasn't nearly as bad as that.

Berkhamsted, Hertfordshire

2005-12-18T19:48:00.000-05:00

It's been a while. I'm not posting while i'm back in NY, this blog is specifically for my travels and most of the time i have nothing interesting to say anyway.
I'm in the U.K for the holidays and after a wedding in rural Somerset, i zoomed up the M4 to Berkhamsted hang out with my bestest friends Lisa and Jamie.

Milwaukee,WI

2005-12-07T19:41:00.000-05:00

I like Milwaukee, It has a nice vibe to it, it also has great beer, cheese a very impressive art museum and most importantly Milwaukee has Bridget . I met Bridget through Tina aka swissmiss, like me she likes the wine which makes her fab in my book. I spent some quality time with her this year when we went to Tina's wedding in Switzerland . Great fun. Shame i didn't have a blog then.
Unfortunately due to a 100 outstanding emails for me and family in town for her, we won't be causing any mischief. Milwaukee is safe for tonight.

I'm staying in the Holiday Inn Downtown. I prefer boutique hotels but i'm also a priorty card member and the temptation of going from Gold Level to Platinum is too great, i only have 6 qualifying nights to go.I don't even know that i'll use the points for free hotel stays i only know that loyalty cards are like crack. I can't get enough.
A Gold member gives you a certain amount of priviledges. After i checked in, I stepped into a packed elevator and saw a sign "please enter room key for access to 10th floor". I look at my key and my rooms located on the 10th floor. All eyes turned to me as i swiped my key and the 10th floor button lit up. I know that just like me everyone in that packed elevator was wondering what joys the 10th floor held. A penthouse suite with floor to ceiling windows and a personal butler, perhaps a hot tub and a masseur on hand? A happening VIP party with free drinks and a celebrity chef about to whisk me up a 5 course meal? The anticipation was building as i 7, 8 and 9.
Alas, i fear the only thing different from my room to the 9th floor rooms is that i get a complimentary pack of Chex Mix and i don't have to pay for the bottled water.

A relatively easy travel day. After my meeting i drove the same route back to Madison that i took last night and then out the otherside about an hour to Downtown Milwaukee.

Miles Travelled:175

Temperature: 11 f

Time Zone: Central

Listening to: I forgot my ipod so had to rely on radio which was tough but sometimes you can find some jewels. I found a great indie station that played some Super Furry Animals and Pavement before it faded out to be replaced by a Kenny Chesney soundalike. NPR is always good but it was Magic 98 that gave me the belters. I sang my heart out to Eric Claptons - Layla, air punched my way through Def Leppards - Pour some sugar on me but i turned 15 again as i car-seat-swayed to George Michaels - Careless Whisper.

Dubuque, IA

2005-12-07T00:07:00.000-05:00

Some may see it as a shame that i embark on this bloggercize at this point in my travel history. Just this year alone i've been to Belize, Spain, London, Munich and Switzerland any of which would of made fantastic first postings. Instead i start with Dubuque, IA. It's a work trip, as nice as Dubuque may be (neatly settled on the Mississippi River) i don't think i'd of taken the trip unless i was being paid to take it.
To be fair, at this point i have only seen Dubuque, IA under the cover of darkness and several layers of snow so it may be the stuff of dreams out there.
Dubuque has an airport but only American Eagle flies into it via Chicago only 4 times a day. None of these times fit into my schedule so I flew from La Guardia to Madison, WI via a connect in Detroit. (My reason for this will make sense eventually) I flew Northwestern, a first for me. According to the President & Ceo in his welcome statement, NWA have had a challenging year but aim to 'go global' in 2006. I only hope they upgrade the planes first. A 70's throwback if ever i have seen one, the overhead storage bin above me had to be taped down with duct tape as it kept opening.

I land in Detroit. i've never fancied the Motor city but i have to say the airport is 'da bomb. Very modern, slick and bright with talking travelators. Along with a Sushi restaurant, it sports it's own hotel. Right there in Terminal A around gate 34 is a Westin. Handy for layovers and anonymous airport rendevous i'm sure.

They have a flash tram that flies down the gates overhead but i was so taken with this airport that i decided to walk the 50 or so gates to my connecting flight. It dawned on me that i only have one weekend free to finish my xmas shopping and how i might have to resort to airport gift shops for some pressies. So far i have spied a Detroit Snow globe, Michiganopoly and the latest Nicholas Sparks novel....

A short 50 minute flight to Madison, WI and then a two hour drive to Dubuqe that had me gripping the steering wheel as i drove down US 151 South still icy from the previous days snowfall and no street lights.
The stars were out though which was nice, don;t see many of them in NYC.

Miles Travelled:972

Temperature: - 3

Time Zone: Central

Listening to: The National - Alligator, Supergrass - Road to Rouen, Van Morrison - The Best Of