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Finally relaxing a bit in my private cabana on Lago 4 in Rio Pico

So I took off again heading south down to meet my new friend from the Internet cafe, not really knowing what to expect. It was much better than the other option of going down there blind. I got to this tiny town of Rio Pico late at night and that is where I attempted to download the pictures of the last blog and almost punched out the computer. I ended up finding a nice street in town to make my campsite where I parked the tattoo for the night. The next day I had to wait until around 11 for the gas station to open before I took off to find Augustin´s cabin. The service down here is terrible and they have no sense of urgency with anything. I think they would rather just lose business than put any effort forth what so ever. I guess since there is very little tourism in this area they have not adapted to the change yet.

It ended up being like a 30 min drive to his house. As I pulled up he walked out with his some fresh bed head and a big smile on his face. I think he was pretty  surprised I actually came. Right away we went over to Miguel's house to get my cabin lined up. It was a pretty nice pad and only 40 bucks a night. You could have up to 5 people in there too. That afternoon, Augustin took me down behind Miguel's house about 30 min to the Rio Pampas. On the way he showed my all of the wild strawberries all over the place. There really tiny, but really tasty.

This was my cabin on Lago 4. It was the only cabin for rent on the lake and very solitary. I loved it. After sleeping in my car the last 5 days it was a pleasant change.

Oktoberfest...Germany at its Best

Oktoberfest is a 16 day annual celebration of Bavarian culture and beer held in Munich, Germany from mid to late September until the first week of October.  The exact dates of the festival change every year based on how certain days fall, but the good times and unforgettable experience do not.  This past fall, two friends and I attended the first day of Oktoberfest, which proved to be one of the defining if not the defining experience of my three month tour of Europe.  What could be better than good times, liter after liter of delicious German beer, and the distinctive Bavarian culture?

Our Oktoberfest experience began at the main Munich train station at 6 am on day one of Oktoberfest.  We had just spent four days in Prague, and took an eight hour night train from Prague because we couldn't miss Oktoberfest when we were so close.  This train could have been easily avoided if we had planned a little earlier.  More than six million people attend the 16 day festival. So accommodations in Munich and the surrounding areas are booked months to years in advance, not to mention prices from hostels to hotels are astronomical during the festival.  So if you are planning on going I strongly suggest planning up to a year in advance in booking your travel and accommodation, because demand for it in the city during the festival. 

Harbour Bridge and the Sydney Opera House- Video of the week

Here is a great video of what it looks like in Sydney Harbour.  The video features the world famous Sydney Opera House and the Harbour Bridge.  Enjoy the video!

Big, Beautiful, and Loud

Most North Americans usually don't see places of worship like this! They are big, beautiful, and loud.  I hear the "Call to Prayer" (Azan) five times a day. The Azan or "Call to Prayer" should be looked at in a similar way to church bells.  They both make a lot of noise, and do the job of keeping one religion, or another, on our minds.   In Istanbul there are thousands of Mosques, you are always in earshot of one of my favorite things about this city... The Azan : )

Turkey....Not The Bird!

What do you know about Turkey? Not the bird, the country!  Oh yeah, that Turkey!  Well my name is Anthony, and I have been living here in Istanbul Turkey for the last eight months.  I am originally from the San Francisco Bay Area, and I lived in Florida after university.  I spent three great years in the "Sunshine State" and decided I wanted to see more of the world.  I signed up for a tefl course (Teaching English as a Foreign Language)  in Prague, and became certified to teach English.  I moved to Spain when my course was completed to find a teaching job, but ended up working at a bar for three and a half months.  At the end of last summer I was tired of the bar lifestyle, and really wanted to try something different.  So I said good by to the friends that I had made and to the wonderful city of Barcelona; and moved to Istanbul!!!  I wanted to use my teaching certificate, so I arranged a job before I left Spain; by the way with a "tefl" certificate it is very easy to do. 

So here I am, what contrast I see everyday.  I love this city!  Turkish people are by far the most hospitable I have come across.  This country fits every stereotype you can think of when you think of a "Muslim  country", but it also breaks all of the same stereotypes!  The other day I was teaching and noticed one of my students wearing a miniskirt.  That wasn't odd, but the fact that she was sitting next to a woman wearing a head scarf, and the only parts of her body you could see were her hands and face.  This scene is not at all strange here in Turkey, but it is a great example of how they strive to be modern yet hold on to traditions. The contrasts vary: from clothing, to old vs new, and the extreme differences between the wealthy and the poor.  Turkey is 99% Muslim, but secular, and they are very serious about their secularism!!!  Whatever you do when you are in Turkey, don't call it a Muslim country, it is a "Democratic Republic whose people just happen to be a part of the Islamic Faith".  Any Turkish citizen will correct you very quickly if you happen to make that mistake. 

So far my life here has been comfortable and happy!  If anyone is thinking about visiting or living here in Istanbul, post questions and I would be more than happy to give answers and feedback.   Istanbul has a lot of history, great food, friendly people, and an energetic atmosphere.                  

Fernet and Coke

   

Fernet and coke is a very popular drink in Argentina.  I had never heard of it until I got to Mar del Plata, Argentina.  I was staying in a hostel (Hostel La Playa Grande), and two guys  (Martin and Jorge)there drank this every night.  I tried a drink of it and it is pretty strong stuff.  I would say that the closest thing that I have had to drink like Fernet is jagermeister.  The only other place that I have seen this drink is in Spain where there is a lot of Argentines living there.  They also have a different flavor of Fernet, and it is called Fernet Menta.  It has a very strong mint taste.  Try Fernet and Coke when you travel through Argentina!

Butterflies at Iguazu Falls

   

While I was at Iguazu Falls in Northern Argentina/Southern Brazil there were butterflies all over the national park.  The butterflies were unbelievable.  They all had this 88 number on their wings.  They would land on you your shirt or you could even stick out your finger and they would land on it. 

Tarifa, Spain - Video of the week

I was in the southern most tip of Europe.  I was in Tarifa, Spain.  It has a beautiful beach, and has a lot of Kite surfers up and down the coast because there is so much wind.  In the video you are able to see the Pacific Ocean and then the start of the Mediterranean Sea.  In Tarifa, you are able to catch a ferry to Morocco (Africa) from Tarifa.

Ear plugs

On the first day of my world trip I received one of the things that I used almost as much as my Ipod.  I received a package of ear plugs.  I would highly suggest for you to bring a pair of ear plugs with you on your trip no matter how long you think you are going to be traveling for. 

I stayed in mostly hostels during my trip.   Most hostels only offer group rooms where there could be 4-10 people in a room.  While staying in these rooms there will always be people coming in and out of the room no matter what time of the day it is.  No matter how quiet somebody is trying to be they will still be making noise.  Most of the time they are opening up and closing locker or taking things in and out of their bags.  Nothing could be more annoying while you are trying to take a sietsa (nap).

This is when the ear plugs come into play.  Just put them in your ears and it takes care of most of the noise.  At least if you can fall asleep before people come in and out of the room you won't be woken up by somebody walking in the room.  As a traveler you will learn that a siesta is a part of your lifestyle, and that these ear plugs will be very important to you!

Nha Trang, Vietnam - The beach

Nha Trang is located in the southern half of Vietnam.  I left Hoi An on a bus at 6.30 pm, and didn't arrive in Nha Trang until 7am.  I got onto the bus and saw my friend Paola that I meet on the way from Hanoi to Hue.  It was pretty cool to travel to the next city with somebody that I knew.  It took about 13 hours from Hoi An to Nha Trang, but in reality the trip could be a lot shorter if we didn't stop.  Every bus trip the driver stops at a "restaurant" which is somebody's house that has a restaurant with some tables.  Usually we'll drive about 4 hours before stopping.  We ended up stopping at this restaurant for 45 minutes.  After sleeping on and off the whole night we finally arrived in Nha Trang.

The first place we stopped was at the start of the city and called My Hoa (don't stay there).  The bus driver stopped and somebody from this hotel got on and said that they had rooms available for cheap and that it was a new hotel.  What they didn't tell us is that it is about a 25 minute walk to where the center of town was.  Paola and I ended up getting off the bus and putting a deposit down on the room.  Paola was meeting another girl named Natalie (who it turned out was on the slow boat with me in Laos) in Nha Trang, but they didn't have a meeting place.  So Paola and I walked to the center of town and back and couldn't find her.  We walked for about an hour round trip and were sweating so bad!  We had made a big mistake by not staying in the center of town.   You live and learn! (The next stop the bus makes is in the center of town at the bus stop where all the hotels and restaurants are located.  My advice is to get off at the bus stop and then stay in the center of town!).