World Cup; Confessions of a Convert

In just a few days, the 2014 FIFA World Cup kicks off in Brazil. Along with the Summer Olympic Games, the World Cup has been the event I've most wanted to attend for most of my adult life. With my flight to Brazil in just a few days, its about to become a reality.

My love of the world game wasn't always there though. Far from it. Growing up in small towns outside of Melbourne, Australia, you could easily be led to believe that the only sports that existed in the world were cricket and Australian rules football. Football, (or soccer as its known at home) never even entered the conversation – or if it was, it was considered inferior to our own football only played by “foreigners”.

Looking forward to watching the matches with other Aussies

My first exposure to the most popular game in the world came when I briefly attended a school in inner city Melbourne at the age of 9. My new school mates invited me to play some football at lunch time, but when I got there, I asked where the football was. It was a football, but not as I knew it.

While I soon moved back to the country and never played the “new” football I had been introduced to again, the seeds had been planted. I had learnt that other games do exist. They weren't better or worse, just different. In the end I adopted another “foreign” sport, basketball as my game of choice.

It wasn’t until the 1998 World Cup that I started to finally take notice of the game loved by billions in the world. Like much of Australia, I thought the Socceroos were a great chance of making it to the finals in France, with only Iran standing in our way. Unfortunately, it wasn't yet our time, with the lasting memory of Mark Bosnich being left on the ground as the equaliser went past him to leave Australia short after being so close.

Moving to Melbourne in 1998 to go to university, I met a lot of people passionate about football and looking forward to the World Cup. It rubbed off on me. I watched a lot of matches during that World Cup and from that point on became a big fan of international football.

That passion for the international game didn't translate into me becoming a fan of the local game however. The local league, the NSL, was in shambles with fighting and ethnic violence among the fans. It didn't encourage the new fan to get involved.

The Long Road To Rio is almost over

When it was time for internationals though, I was back on board. Qualifying for the 2002 World Cup was once again seen as our chance to make it to the world stage, however like ’98, our boys fell at the last hurdle. It seemed the most talented generation of Socceroos since the 70’s was destined to never make the big time.

Once the 2002 World Cup rolled around though, many forgot about the disappointments of our team and enjoyed an immensely entertaining tournament – for the first time ever in a time zone which gave us prime time viewing. The big games were even televised on a major commercial television station. It seemed that Australia was finally catching on to the world game. It wouldn't last.

With the NSL still in strife, the major Australian codes quickly regained the ascendancy and football was relegated to a side note once again. This time, however, I continued to become more of a fan of the game itself, watching more European club football, and taking interest in the news that Australian club football was finally starting to talk about a makeover.

A hundred thousand people in Melbourne to watch the round ball game

In 2005 I finally packed up my bags and headed out to see some of the world. When Australia finally qualified – in a gripping penalty shootout – for the 2006 World Cup, I was working in an insurance office in England, getting text message updates from my friends. While my new colleagues thought I was crazy, I was ecstatic – they’d finally made it.

By the time the 2006 World Cup rolled around I was living in Scotland. Being a backpacker, I had many other backpacker friends and as such, every game had some interest to somebody in our circle. So for a month we hit the local sports pubs watching game after game.

I actually managed to get to a warm up game between South Korea and Ghana, and while nothing was on the line, it was great to be able to see the passionate fan bases of both teams come out and support their teams as they got ready for the big event.

I love a big event - the Winter Olympics in Vancouver were one, but the World Cup is a whole other beast

Australia’s first shot at the finals in 32 years was successful, despite the misery at the end. Tim Cahill sparked 3 goals in less than 10 minutes to come from behind against Japan, while a tense and sometimes spiteful 2-all draw against Croatia was enough to see us through the final 16 after a respectful loss to Brazil. While the final 16 match against Italy ended in bitter disappointment, Australia had announced itself on the world stage.

While I loved watching the matches with people from all over the world in Edinburgh, almost as soon as the tournament started I realised something – I should have been there. I was a short flight (or a long bus ride) away, and could have done it quite easily, but I didn't – and to this day I still can't explain why.

Since then the revamped local competition – now called the A-League – has gone from strength to strength. Melbourne now has a purpose built stadium for the world game (and rugby) and the Melbourne Victory has been one of the most successful sides in the new competition, both on and off the field. Finally, the game has started making inroads.

Moments after picking up my tickets at Rio airport

The Australian team has evolved too, now part of the Asian federation, the team has a chance to play together more often, in more meaningful competitions, and has made it to another World Cup (2010 in South Africa) and been in an Asian Cup final since the switch. Early next year, Australia will host the Asian Cup finals, a move that will undoubtedly help turn casual fans – as I once was – into diehards.

While nobody has any great expectations for this version of the Socceroos with the draw doing us absolutely no favours and our side very much in transition, the mere fact that 15000 Aussies are heading to Brazil for the World Cup is testament to how successful the game has been in finally made its way into Australia's national consciousness.

When I'm in that stadium in Cuiaba watching our side walk out to play Chile, it will be the culmination of a long journey. Not only the last 10 months getting to Brazil, but from kid who didn't even know that the game existed to man who wouldn't be anywhere else.

Travel Sickness

At some point in every trip you're likely to get sick.

You'll eat the wrong thing, party too hard, or sit next to the wrong person on a bus.

I'm going through this at the moment. It's nothing major – it's not malaria or rabies – but for the last couple of days I've been hanging very close to my hostel in case, well you know.

It's an easy thing to happen. You get a bit run-down from trying to push yourself to do much, then you eat something dodgey and then the exacerbate it by not taking care of yourself properly when it happens.

The result? A couple of days of not really being able to do anything, which when you're travelling is torture. I've basically missed out on seeing Lima because I've had no energy and felt like death. In a normal situation I would have just stayed longer, but I've recently beenworking to a timetable for the first time, so I have to move on whether I like it or not.

I shouldn't complain too much as I've been really lucky in the past with travel sickness. I also got all of my shots and have all of the medication so the major problems wont occur. I do however have some friends that are suckers for bad luck when travelling, including things I've never heard of.

It can be really serious too. Every year there are travellers who head to exotic locations and pick up equally exotic bugs. The thing is, its not just the exotic bugs that can do it. Eating the wrong thing has brought many a tourist undone. Things can go from uncomfortable to life threatening if you're in a strange place and don't know how to get help.

While spending much of my days catching up with TV and reading is not the way I'd like to spend my time with less than 70 days left in my trip, I think its good for me to rest before the craziness of the next four weeks kicks in.

Also, with a 21 hour bus ride to Cusco ahead of me, I'm hoping the rest has worked.

(You'll notice there are no photos in this weeks blog - best for everyone)   

I don't want to leave

A few months ago I posted a piece about how I was struggling to leave a lot of the locations I've been visiting on my trip so far. I spent over two months in Mexico, well over a week on an island in Belize (doing nothing) and over a month in Guatemala. My thought was always, if I'm having fun what harm can it do to stay a little longer.

Parque Tayrona

Now though, it is starting to catch up with me. Arriving in Colombia in late April it dawned on me that I had only about 100 days left of my trip and my original plan was to see all of South America.

That plan is now out of the window.

Taking just under five months to get from Mexico to Colombia, it is obvious that I no longer have enough time to see all (or even most) of the continent, so I'm now having to speed up just to be able to pack a few countries in before the FIFA World Cup starts in a few weeks time and everything is all about football.

Bogota

The first casualty of the cutbacks has been Colombia. I'd originally intended to spend close to two months in the country, however with my new timeline, I've just left after less than three weeks and I really didn't want to leave.

Colombia is a place I could see myself spending a lot of time in. Unfortunately, many people can only think of the negative parts of Colombia's history, but it is a country with so much to offer.

With colonial cities, beautiful beaches, ancient ruins and lush jungles, Colombia has endless places to visit to see some amazing scenery.

Arriving in the beautiful colonial port town of Cartagena, I was blown away by the beauty of the old town. While I've been to many colonial cities on my trip so far, the fortified city walls and many beautiful churches in Cartagena are certainly a stand out. The landscapes and beaches of nearby Parque Tayrona were equally beautiful.

Enjoying a Colombian coffee

For all of the scenery and landscapes of Colombia, there are other things that make it stand out as a location to visit. Colombia is known for two things that are on the extremes of my personal spectrum of liking. One being coffee and the other (salsa) dancing. Anyone who knows me at all knows which is which.

Visiting a coffee farm in the picturesque town of Salento I was able to see where the entire process of how the drug I love gets from plant to cup – and more importantly drink copious amounts coffee.

Dancing, on the other hand is something I've never been fond of. While 99.99% of the world enjoy shaking it on the dance floor of a weekend (or at least pretend they do for social reasons) I've never been a fan. Many friends have often told me I don't enjoy it because I've never found the right motivation. it turns out they might be right – the right motivation appears to be Colombian women. The club scene in Colombia – from Medellin to Bogota to the salsa capital of Cali – is all about dancing, but unlike anywhere else in the world, I had fun doing it. The locals love to party and enjoy partying with travellers – which makes for a great combination.

Salsa in Cali

Which brings me to the best part about Colombia – the people. I've written previously about how the people in Burma and Mexico are some of the friendliest in the world, but I think its time to add Colombia to that list. The locals there genuinely seem interested in your journey, and are so eager to help out or just have a chat.

This has all made it quite difficult to spend such a short time in Colombia, and my next destination, Peru. 

On the other hand, it may just mean I'll have to come back to South America again soon - and with the Olympic Games in Rio in two years time, it may well be a good chance to take the Long Road to Rio once more. 

10 Things I Learnt in Central America

With my time in Central America now at an end, I thought, like my list of things Ilearnt in Mexico, I might put together a collection of things that stood out while travelling through this part of the world.

You can do anything you want

Central America is a great place for doing almost anything you want to do. From adventure sports to surfing to hiking, or just relaxing or having one (or 6) too many beers on a pool party crawl (really, its a thing). There are very few things you cant do while you're there. Some of this has to do with very little being regulated, so its just a matter of finding a way to do it. 

Sliding down a mountain on your butt is just one of the many things you can do

Getting vaccinated was a great idea

Before leaving Australia I went to a travel medical clinic to get all the vaccinations and inoculations you need before hitting the road. If you're anything like me this is something – along with travel insurance – that you wish you could skip, and you'll give it some serious thought before eventually getting every shot they recommend of you.

I'm certainly glad I did. After being attacked by a pack of dogs in a small town in Guatemala, I was very thankful for the fact that due to my pre exposure vaccines for rabies, I had some time to sort out the last few shots of the course. If not for the vaccines I would have required the urgent, expensive, painful and hard to find urgent shot and could have totally ruined my holiday.

Border crossings are not fun

While I've been travelling heavily for 10 years now, much of that travel has been through the first world and I'll admit that has formed some complacency when crossing borders. 

Not anymore.

An error by a border official when I entered Guatemala meant that I didn't receive the necessary entry stamp, which led to me not being allowed to leave the country when I tried several weeks later. After paying a couple of fines for being "illegally" and wasting a couple of days Guatemala City, I was finally able to leave. Since that point I have learnt my lesson. Every border crossing - check your stamps!

Check your stamps people!

A further lesson came when trying to leave Costa Rica, where a $7 exit fee should have been paid when buying the bus ticket from the capital and the only option for paying it at the border being open for a mere seven hours a day. 15 hours at the border later and I'll make sure I do more research before crossing any more borders.

All travel in the area is...interesting

The modes of travel throughout Central America vary from overly packed taxis, to chicken buses and small boats (launchas) that feel like they could sink at any moment. Even shuttles, popular through Guatemala and aimed directly at tourists, would be considered the least comfortable form of transport where most of us are from.

Chicken buses are one of the most authentic experiences of travelling through Central America. The former US school buses – some of which have been pimped out with big screen TVs, and crazy colour patterns – go from town to town as well as picking up people and random points along the road. The first chicken bus I got on was missing a seat as well as the part of the floor that was supposed to be under that seat.

Chicken Bus

While they can be uncomfortable, chicken buses – named because of that fact they cram so many people into them – are cheap and relatively efficient and you get to see how the locals travel, as well as how they transport everything from fresh produce to electrical goods.

The food is better in Mexico

I've made no secret of the fact that I loved the food in Mexico. My current body shape stands testament to that fact. Central American food doesn't quite measure up. That's not to say it is bad, it has just suffered by comparison. While beans and rice can be good, beans and rice making up a large portion of every meal gets a bit old.

There are a lot of volcanoes

It seems every city and town in Central America has a "famous" volcano and a bar or drink called "lava". While it may seem as though it becomes repetitive, many of the volcanoes offer different things to see and do. 

Most of them offer good hiking and views, while many also offer the chance to camp out on top. One volcano in particular, affords you the chance to go "volcano boarding" and it is every bit as fun as it sounds. 

Ready for Volcano Boarding

A 34 Year Old Aussie learning to surf in El Salvador is a bit sad

Sure, you get the "you're never too old" to learn something new types. However when an Australian - whom everybody in the world expects to know how to surf - is taking his surf lessons with a couple of Canadians, a girls from cold parts of Europe, you start thinking you might have missed the boat. Particularly if a tiny girl from Denmark is instantly better than you. Sure I had fun trying for a few days, but I think I'll stick to volcano boarding.

Central America is Beautiful

While you hear a lot about certain landmarks and attractions in Mexico or South America, you don't tend to hear a lot about the beauty that Central America has. Starting in Tikal, Guatemala one of the most stunning of the Mayan ruins, all the way down to the San Blas Islands in Panama, the region is bursting with amazing things to see. 

Semuc Champey

One of the most amazing is one that I'd never heard of - Semuc Champey in Guatemala. I first heard of the place - a series of beautiful clear pools in a natural limestone bridge which lies over the top of a river - from people coming in the other direction while I was in Mexico and so glad I did.

You will see the same people again and again

There is a very established "gringo trail" in Central America. I'm sure there are people who will find a way to stay off the beaten path, but in reality they're beaten for a reason. Most of the places on the gringo trail are genuinely worth visiting. Running into people you have met in a past town can be problematic, sure, but most of the time it turns out to be a lot of fun, and that person you hung out with once for a day or two turns into someone you travel with for a week purely by chance.

It's easy to spend longer than you planned

Anyone who has been keeping up with this blog knows I have a difficult time moving on from any place I love, and Central America proved that. What I thought might take me 4-6 weeks took me around twice that. While this has left me with far less time to cover South America on my way to the cup, I wouldn't change any of it (OK, the dog bites and dodgy border crossings I would) as I had such a great time everywhere I went, and it's not like I cant ever come back.

Travel & Politics

An Australian an Israeli and two Americans – one from New York and one from the South – walk into a bar in Guatemala. After a few drinks, the conversation turns political. This cannot end well can it?

It's a common saying that the two things you should avoid talking about when drinking are religion and politics. I'm a big believer in this generally. They're two topics that people generally have very strong views about there's almost no chance a drunken conversation is going to change them. All that tends to happen is people getting frustrated at each others lack of logic and all too often it degenerates into a heated argument about how stupid the other person is.

Having said that, when you're travelling you're meeting new people every day – whether it be fellow travellers or locals – and many of these will be unlike anyone you would normally meet at home. They'll have been brought up very different and as such have very different beliefs and attitudes than you, and it can be incredibly interesting to find out your differences.

I've been fortunate enough over the last ten years to make some great friends from all over the world spanning the full spectrum of political and religious beliefs. Before my travelling I liked to think I was very open to other ideas and concepts out there, but I probably wasn't. I'd largely just been talking to people who had the same (or very similar) views to myself. Like with anything, you're unlikely to think about other points of view if you've got nobody to present them to you.

I remember meeting an American many years ago in Europe who had vastly different views on a wide range of topics from myself. We had some good conversations and I learnt a lot about her views and how she to them – even if I wasn't going to be agreeing with her any time soon.

On one occasion, an Icelandic man who noticed my friend's accent started to shout abuse at her for the political wrongs of her country – both real and imagined – without knowing a thing about her as a person. It's this kind of pre judgement and intolerance to other ideas that make many political conversations turn ugly. Since that meeting, Iceland suffered a catastrophic financial meltdown with it's share of political corruption, while I now consider the American a very good friend.

Decisions made in this building are often the subject of conversations among travellers

In some countries, it's talking with locals about politics that can be dangerous. While the people of Burma are among the friendliest in the world, their government has far from a friendly reputation. While they're starting to open up a lot more these days – and start to embrace a measure of democracy – many of the local groups there still fear the government and do not want to discuss anything to do with politics. I think as a general rule when travelling, if the locals don't bring it up, neither should you.

As for my group sitting around a table in a bar in San Pedro, Guatemala, I was quite proud of the way we listened to each other's views – and boy did they differ – and things never got out of hand. Nobody changed anyone else’s opinion on anything, but that wasn't the point. We were just four people from four different backgrounds trying to understand where each other was coming from.

Travelling has given me a lot; I've met some of my closest friends and seen some of the greatest sights in the world, but I think the ability listen to and appreciate other points of view has been one of the biggest things I've gotten out of it.

It may still be a work in progress, but hey, it's not like I'm going to stop travelling any time soon.

10 Years a Traveller

I received a text message ten years ago (almost to the day) that changed my life forever.

At the time my life was pretty normal. I was 23 years old, working a steady bank job while finishing off my business degree at nights, while hanging out with friends and going to football and basketball games on the weekends.

It was on a regular Friday night out with friends that I got the text. It was from my sister, who had been on a working holiday in the UK for the previous couple of years.

It simply read; Getting married April 2. Call Mum.

Now, aside from my initial reaction (I'd read it that she wanted me to be the one to tell our parents, when in fact it was just that mum had more details) I was starting to think that it was time to get my passport.

My first international trip 10 years ago

It wasn't that I'd never thought about travel before, but I was very much the kind of person who needed a bit of a kick along to get pretty much anything done. It took a knee operation and some horrible blood pressure figures in my early 20s before I finally started looking after my health, and now I finally had the kick I needed to get me out of the country.

The next month was pretty hectic, trying to organise my passport for the first time, which I received only days before we flew out for London.

I remember being on the plane wondering why people always talked about how hard it is to fly long haul. You get to sit on your butt, eat & drink, while watching TV. Those are some of my favourite things in the world to do. Even arriving in London 24 hours after leaving Melbourne and getting to a basic airport hotel, the joy of travelling was still only beginning.

Over the next couple of weeks, myself and my parents met my sister's new husband as well as all of this family, and also travelled through some of England’s castles and many of it's pubs. And there was a wedding in there somewhere too.

While travelling around England with your parents is hardly the definition of adventure, it started something for me that since then has basically taken over who I am and dictates so many of the decisions I make. People talk about the travel bug – for me it is a full blown infection.

Playing international tourist for the first time at Warrick Castle in 2004

On returning home from England I dedicated myself to finishing my degree, saving as much money as possible and getting out of the country as soon as possible. A little over a year later I was ready to go, and since then I've had a tough time answering the question, “So what do you do?”

Since that first trip I've done a lot of things. I've spent the best part of six years outside of Australia, visiting 37 different countries in all kinds of styles ranging from solo backpacking, to organised tour groups and short trips with friends. I've done travel cliches like work in an English pub, and also travelled to Las Vegas for my 30th birthday. I went to the 2010 Winter Olympics and Vancouver and soon I'll be going to the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.

I've worked in five different countries in around 25 jobs as varied as finance, bartending, security, storeman, call centre agent and warehouse worker. Oh yeah, I was also a box salesman. My dating history looks just as transient.

I've made life long friends and had experiences I could never have had at home. What do I do? I do this.

View from the chairlift on my way to work at the Winter Olympics in Vancouver

While sometimes I look at my friends who have good jobs, great relationships and plenty of normality in their lives and wish I could have that, it doesn't last long. For, while it would be great to have, I wouldn't trade what I've done in the last ten years away to get it.

I know this has been possibly the most narcissistic blog I've ever posted (and for a travel blog, that is certainly saying something) but I think it's good to look back at important moments and realise everything you've done. Some people get to do that with wedding anniversaries or work milestones. I get to do it with my travelversary.

These days my passport is my favourite possession and it all started ten years ago with one little text message.

Tourist Fatigue?

This week I finally left Mexico City after finally receiving my new debit card, and hit the road once again. While I had an amazing time in Mexico's capital – largely due to the greatest hosts of all time – if I stayed any longer I may never have left, so I moved on to Oaxaca, home to several great historical site of the Zapotec and Mixtec cultures.

On a day tour to Monte Alban a fellow passenger on my day tour told me he wasn't interested in taking many photos because there wasn't much difference between this and other archaeological sites he'd been to in the rest of Mexico and Central America. It wasn't all that “special” according to him.

The Ancient City of Monte Alban

I found this odd for a few reasons. My first thought was why he had bothered to come check out the ruins if he wasn't at all interested in them. Perhaps just “ticking off” the site from his “things to do in Mexico” list. My second thought was how he could not be impressed by something that was built 2500 years ago with such amazingly accurate work (not to mention large stones) without any of the tools available to builders today. Add to that the fact that up to 30,000 people lived there at any given time for a period of almost 1500 years and I think the importance of a city like this cannot be oversold.

The Ancient City of Mitla

Sure there are going to be some similarities between this city and others from pre Colombian times – its only natural for nearby cultures to share ideas and techniques with others around them. Cities in Europe share a lot of similarities to each other, but I don''t think you'll hear anyone argue that you don't need to see Barcelona because you've already seen Paris.

Perhaps my tour acquaintance had been to more of these sites than me – so far I've only been to Monte Alban (Zapotec), Mitla (Mixtec) and Teotihuacan (Aztec) – and had started suffering from archaeological site fatigue. I remember when travelling through Europe a few years ago having a similar feeling towards Castles and Churches. There's even a term for it among backpackers through the continent, ABC – Another Bloody Castle/Church. While at times it did feel like things started to get a bit too similar, I think you can always find a point of difference in each of these buildings. Except for Bratislava Castle. It has nothing.

The Ancient City of Teotihuacan 

So with six full months still to go on my trip through Latin America, perhaps I will start to be fatigued by all of these archaeological sites. There are a couple of very famous ones I'll be seeing soon, Chichen Itza in Mexico's Yucatan, and Machu Pichu in Peru.

I certainly hope I don't become as jaded or fatigued about these ruins as some people clearly do. I've been wanting to come to Latin America to see these ancient cities since I was a kid watching the Mysterious Cities of Gold cartoon and I would hate to think they start to lose their appeal – though I'm certainly not expecting any golden flying condors.

Has anyone else experienced tourist fatigue of any kind? Castles in Europe? Buddhist temples in Thailand? Burger joints in the US?  

Travel Limbo

Edward Snowden knows all about Travel Limbo. The NSA whistle-blower spent 39 days in the transit area of of a Russian airport before being given temporary asylum. I'm sure those 39 days were spent worrying about just what will happen and wondering when will it happen. And eating a lot of overpriced food.

Edward Snowden, Travel Limbo King!

While not many people are running from the US government like Snowden, most travellers can relate to being stuck in travel limbo – a state of being stuck in a foreign place while they wait for something outside of their control to happen.

I'm in just such a state at the moment. A few weeks ago I stupidly lost my ATM card. This has led to me having to wait around until a new card can be delivered to my friend's house in Mexico City.

As I have mentioned in some recent blogs, my stay in Mexico City has been anything but a waste of time. From great food to great friends and a family who've adopted me, my stay in the city has been one of the highlights of my trip. If it weren't for my card disappearing I likely would have moved on before Christmas and New Year, rather than spending them with some great people and witnessing some real Mexican culture.

Eating Grapes on New Years - a Mexican Tradition

But it does have to end sometime, and it cant until my new card arrives. With the Mexican postal system – even with an “express service” I'm told it could still be another couple of weeks.

Along with very real fears about overstaying my welcome, as a traveller I get very anxious about being in one place too long. What if this means I cant spend as long in a place I love further down the track? What if the card never actually turns up? The longer things go on unresolved, the more questions keep piling up.

In a sense, a similar thing is happening to people planning on going to the World Cup. Many of us a waiting to see if we get tickets in the second round of ticket allocations. While I'll be heading to Brazil regardless, many people will be hesitant to book their travel and accommodation until they know for sure they have tickets. Its about a month or so before we'll know for sure, and until that is resolved many of us will be getting quite nervous.

I'm "stuck" eating tacos in Mexico City - tough life!

Whatever your travel limbo situation, I would think that most of us would still gladly be “stuck” in some foreign location than being back home trudging through the daily grind.

And hey, at least none of us have the US government after us!  

Adopt a Backpacker

A couple of weeks ago I wrote a blog about how much I've enjoyed meeting up with old friends and how lucky I've been to have been offered a place to stay for a lot of my trip so far. For me, getting to stay with locals – especially ones I'm already friends with – makes travelling that much better.

Sometimes though, it goes even further than that. Sometimes you get to stay in a situation where, not only do you stay with your friend and have them show you around, sometimes the whole family adopts you.

I've been in a situation like this for the last few weeks in Mexico City. Since catching up with my room mate from Melbourne I've been welcomed by her family and friends as one of their own. Not only have I had a place to stay, I've had the best tour guides ever, been given some great information and taken to the best food places.

Waiting for our "Tacos Al Pastor" 

Its not the first time I've been fortunate enough to be adopted while on the road. My first backpacker adoption came courtesy of my sisters new in-laws – the House Family - in England. While they are in fact also real relations, at the time they adopted me they barely knew me, and yet they helped to create my first “home away from home” when I first started travelling.

Since then I've been fortunate enough to have home cooked meals and a place to stay with families in countries all over the world, and its something that I truly appreciate every time. You sometimes wonder what the adopting family gets out of the situation. Are they just being polite? Or do they really want to share their culture and thoughts with someone from another country?

Christmas in Mexico has to include a piñata

Christmas is a time of year that many backpackers miss their families. Often travellers will organise “orphan Christmas” with fellow foreigners and celebrate as they would back home. I was fortunate enough to have the House family – my sister included – during the Christmases I spent in the UK, however my first Christmas in Canada saw me sitting in a cafe by myself, and I'll admit to feeling quite alone. While Christmas, for me, is not a religious thing, it is a family thing and the following year I was lucky enough to be adopted by my Ottawa room mate's family for Christmas. And while he forgot to mention it to his family beforehand (awkward!), they still welcomed me into their home.

This year I was able to be part of a Mexican Christmas, witnessing the traditions, eating all of the amazing food and even getting a couple of gifts. It was great to be a part of a family environment, even if it wasn't my own family, because to me that is what Christmas is all about.

My Mexican Family for Christmas

Being adopted while on the road doesn't just have to be at the Holidays though – it is appreciated at any time. While it has always been an amazing unexpected surprise for me, I'm hoping to encourage some people in Brazil to get into the spirit in June and July. Yes, I know this is a cheap plug, but there will be a huge amount of travellers hittingBrazil in June, and many would love to see not only the World Cup, but plenty of the Brazilian culture and lifestyle.

So come on Brazil, open up your doors and adopt a backpacker!

I hope everyone enjoyed their holidays, however and whatever they celebrated and I wish everyone a happy new year! 

Extra Baggage

They call it the Heathrow injection. The extra few kilograms that Australians tend to come back with around their mid sections after a working holiday in the UK and Europe.

Whether its the stodgy food, the copious amounts of ale or the cold weather comfort eating, its rare that an Antipodean returns home from his or her time abroad without a little more to love.

Fish & Chips in England

I'm far from immune. After over two years in the UK & Europe I returned home with around 15kgs (33lbs) extra baggage – and I'm not talking about souvenirs. Just to prove that Heathrow is not the culprit, I returned with a similar result after two years in North America.

One of my favourite things in Canada, Poutine

This has become an inevitable part of travel for me, and one that I'm willing to accept. Why? Because I love food. For me, trying all of the local food in each country is a huge part of the reason I travel. Sure I lovemeeting people, and obviously have an addiction to live sport, but on a day to day basis, its almost always the food that is most memorable.

The last two weeks in Mexico have been foodie heaven. There's been tacos, enchiladas, tostadas, chalupas, mole, quesadillas and many other types of food that I cant remember the names of. Everything seems to come with salsa, cheese, cream and chili – even at breakfast - and its becoming evident that my travel gut is well and truly back.

Tostadas

It didn't just start in Mexico though. After leaving Australia in pretty good shape, things were actually looking pretty good for the first month or so, travelling through Burma and India, where I ate a mostly vegetarian diet to avoid falling victim to any sketchy meat handling practices.

Vegetarian tali

And then I got to the UK. While I think British food is sometimes unfairly maligned for being boring and drab, there is really no doubting that the traditional fish and chips, pie and chips and increasingly these days, kebab and chips are anything but healthy. Throw in the aforementioned copious amounts of ale and the need for a “full fry up” to ease the inevitable hangover, and the beginnings of travel gut 3.0 were well established.

One of many fine ales consumed in England

The next leg of my trip saw me return to the US and Canada where I caught up with a lot of good friends, but also got reacquainted with some of the food I'd been missing. Poutine, chicken wings and visits to my favourite burger places were almost daily occurrences. By the time I'd finished in the US, I could start to feel my travelling diet catching up with me. I certainly wasn't the same person who completed the Tough Mudder event in February.

A Krusty Burger

All of that, though, was just a warm up. It's been Mexico that has given me some of the most delicious food I've ever had, but also the biggest contributor to the gut. It appears to be virtually impossible to eat out in this country in a healthy way. To be honest though, I'm loving it.

Enchiladas with mole (chocolate & chili)

Arriving in Mexico City after a long day of delayed and cancelled flights, to be greeted with enchiladas swimming in a delicious salsa verde, its hard to be too conscious about your body shape. You just have to enjoy.

Some of the best street food in the world

And if nothing else, when I arrive home and people ask if I bought back any souvenirs, I'll know I brought with me the best reminder of just how good a time I had.

As I move ever closer to Brazil for the World Cup starting in June, I'm looking forward to trying all the food that Central and South America can throw at me. And hey, its almost Christmas...

Who else loves eating as much as me when they travel? What are your favourite travel foods and what are you most looking forward to trying on your next trip? 

Preparing to Invade Brazil

The moment much of the world had been waiting for came and went last week, with the FIFA World Cup 2014 Final Draw taking place on Friday.

World Cup Draw

Well, that went well.

Spain, Chile and the Netherlands. You could hardly have feared a worse group for the Socceroos to face on the worlds biggest stage. Sure, Australia were always going to be a bit of a long shot to win the prize – or even make it out of the group stage – however the draw they've been given means that even getting a single point out of the tournament may be beyond their grasp.

Not only are Australia facing the defending champions in Spain, they're also facing the runner up from 2010. Add to that one of South America's local powers, and Ange Postecoglou and his men are really up against it.

While one could dwell on the negatives of the draw and wallow in our own self pity, I'm choosing to look forward. This will likely be the one and only FIFA World Cup I ever attend, unless Australia ever wins the rights to host, so therefore I'm going to make the most of it. Sure, Australia will likely end up putting in results similar to their effort against Germany in 2010, but at least there's no real way they can underachieve. Anything north of slaughter will be positive. And as I've just submitted my request for tickets for the group games, I'll (hopefully) be able to see some of the best players and teams in the world.

World Cup 2010: Germany 4 - Australia 0

The other positive, is that I get to go and discover some new cities, with Australia's matches being outside of the major centres of Rio and Sao Paulo. I know nothing about the three cities Australia is due to play in – Cuiaba, Porto Alegre and Curitaba – but I'm going to make it a point over the next few months to learn what I can about these cities where Australia will go into battle, and hopefully help out any fellow Aussies travelling to support our boys.

All of the info below is just what I've been able to find online so if you have any more details on any of these cities, please feel free to let me know in the comments and I'll post an updated blog closer to the tournament. Accommodation is going to be a major stumbling block for many of us, so if anyone has any tips on this, please let us all know!

Match 4: Australia V Chile – June 13 @ 18:00

Cuiaba, Mato Grosso

Australia will kick off their campaign against one of South America's big hopes, Chile, who will likely bring with them thousands of dedicated fans, so it is going to be important for as many Australians as possible to be there to support our boys.

Cuiaba, a city of around a million, is the capital of Mato Grosso state, and is located ideally between the southern tip of the Amazon and the Pantanal which is known for being a great place to see some local wildlife.

To get there by bus from Rio is around 32 hours, so a flight would be preferable, however its looking like flights will be difficult to come by and very expensive – so perhaps settle in for a couple of long bus rides.

FIFA TV Documentary on Cuiaba

Match 20: Australia V The Netherlands – June 18 @ 13:00

Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul

This city of 1.5 Million and the capital of the southern state of Rio Grande do Sul sees the Socceroos go up against 2010 runners up Holland. The Dutch are perenial contenders and will be tough to get any points out of, however Australia has a couple of players who ply their trade in the Dutch system, and will be looking forward to having a crack at players they regularly compete with and against.

The city is another long haul, 24 hours from Rio, however it is only 12 hours on a bus from Uruguay's capital of Montivideo, so it may be worth crossing into the country of the Socceroos' traditional South American nemesis for a few days if you're lucky enough to get tickets to this game.

FIFATV Doco on Porto Alegre

Match 35; Australia V Spain – June 23 @ 13:00

Curitiba, Parana

Spain has taken all before them for the last several years and will once again go into this tournament as one of the hot favourites. The city of Curitiba will provide an extra dimension to this one, being over 3000 feet above sea level – something neither side will be at all used to. This host city, of a little under two million residents – is also the closest to Rio, with just a 13 hour bus ride.

It may be after this match that many Australians start their exodus from Brazil, so it is worth noting that Buenos Aires (Argentina) is 34 hours away on a bus, while Santiago, with its daily QANTAS flights to Sydney is 54 hours away.

FIFATV Story on Curitiba

While the chances of us making it further in the tournament do look bleak, remember how happy we are just to be there. Sure, we want to put in a good showing, but as long our boys gives us some effort and something to cheer for (and we all find somewhere to sleep) this could be the trip of a lifetime.

The Josh Kennedy goal that had us all celebrating

There are plenty of tour companies, such as the Green & Gold Army and the Fanatics who do a great job and are running packages for Australians to go to all of our group games, however I'm hoping to find some more info for people like myself who hope to do it independently and on a budget. For those Aussies still looking to register for tickets, you've got plenty of time, and should log onto Football Australia or go to the official home of FIFA.

Once again, please feel free to contribute any information you have about Australia's three host cities, or any other details you think the travelling fans might appreciate. Or just let me know if you're going too and we can help each other out. I'll submit an updated info blog closer to the date. 

See you in Brazil!