How Old is Too Old?

Central America is a great place to be for people who are fans on adventure sports. In the last few weeks I've jumped off waterfalls, slid down volcano on a plank of wood attempted to learn to surf – yeah I'm the Australian guy who never surfed.

Ready for Volcano Boarding at Cerro Negro

As is typical, I did all these things with various people I met along the way, all of whom had two things in common. The first is that they were generally more adventurous than I was. They were willing to jump off the higher waterfall or go faster down the volcano, while I've oft used the phrase, I'm too old to die doing something stupid. Which brings me to the second point; that they were all much younger than me.

I've gotten to an age now that whenever I meet new people in a hostel I'm the oldest one in the group 99% of the time. And much of the time it's not even close. In recent months I've hung out with people who didn't know who David Bowie was. Or the Doors. People who only know Ed O'Neil as the family patriarch in Modern Family. These people were born when I was close to finishing high school, and are now taking gap years before they start the rest of their lives. If they're anything like me, that may take a while. These kids are so young, I may have even felt old when I started travelling ten years ago.

Jumping from waterfalls in El Salvador - and no I didn't do this one

The question has to be asked have I gotten too old for backpacking? When should I stop travelling for long periods in hostels and cheap buses and replace them with luxury vacations sitting next to a pool at a resort?

The majority of my friends – both back home and others I've met along the way - have good jobs, houses (or at least mortgages) and are starting families. Some are even onto their second marriages. After two previous long trips away, I kind of expected that I'd be joining them soon too, but for the moment I've been getting home only to realise that I'm not ready for all of that – and may never be.

One thing I do want to avoid though, is becoming one of those crusty old guys you always see in the hostel. You know the one. They’re generally in their 50’s, bald and smelly, banging on about how “you kids these days have it so easy. When I was your age, I walked for 3 days across four borders while being chased by armed militia. And you think you’re travellers?!”

Am I the first Aussie to have their first surfing lesson in another country?

I'm sure there's going to be a time when I feel too old for this, and the negative aspects of backpacking (listening to other people, erm, enjoy each others company in the dorm - which has happened three times on this trip so far being one) outweigh the positives. 

For now though, I'm going  by the adage, you're only as old as you feel. And with very little money, responsibilities or plans for the future beyond the FIFA World Cup in Brazil in 2 months time, I'm feeling pretty young! 

When Travel Goes Bad

I've been known to use the line; “a bad day travelling is still better than a good day working”.

In fact I've been known to use it a great deal, and for the most part it is certainly true. Compared to fighting peak hour traffic, trudging through a job you probably hate only to spend all of the money on bills and your mortgage, most travel problems are pretty minor. I missed my bus, I lost my debit card, this bus taking me to my next awesome location is kind of uncomfortable or I couldn't remember the name of the bar I was supposed to meet that girl I just met.

Sometimes though, travel throws some bigger problems at you. This week it happened to me.

I spent a couple of weeks in the lakeside town of San Pedro La Laguna on Guatemala's Lake Atitlan. It was a fun little town with lots of like minded people and usually the biggest problem being that you're too hungover for your Spanish class.

Street dogs are very common in this part of the world

One night though, after making the silly decision to walk home from a late bar alone, I encountered a pack of dogs. They were not happy to see me. The next few minutes (it could easily have been just 15 seconds) were the scariest of my life. Most of the dogs seemed content to just bark at me, but at least a couple of them were actively trying to take a bit of my leg with them. Luckily I was wearing jeans, so most of the times they connected I was reasonably protected. They did manage to get through a couple of times though and break my skin with a couple of gashes.

After making it back to my hostel and encountering some locals on the street who seemed less concerned with my ordeal and more with whether I had a light, I spoke to the night guard and sought his opinion on what, if anything, I should do. I was in a bit of shock, so all I could do was laugh when he told me I'd be ok, and there was nothing to worry about – and then asked if I had a light for his friends on the street.

Fortunately I was one of those people who got every jab possible before hitting the road, so I'd had the rabies pre exposure vaccinations back in Australia and therefore needed only the booster shots to ensure my antibodies were strong. I first attempted to get these in the local clinic in the tiny town I was in. The language barrier made this virtually impossible. Sure, I'd been taking some Spanish classes, but you sit down with your teacher to learn; “Hi, my name is Steve, I may have rabies” in your class. So I quickly moved to the nearby and much bigger town of Antigua and was able to get the shots sorted and a local private clinic.

Check your stamps people!

Thinking that my bad luck was behind me, I decided that four weeks in Guatemala had been great (you know, aside from the obvious....and by that I mean the food) and it was time to move on to El Salvador.

Arriving at the border I was in for a rude shock. The immigration official at the border had not stamped my passport when I entered the country and therefore I wasn't allowed to leave. I questioned the officer at the border (in perfect Spanish obviously) as to whether they could just get them to stamp me from the other side of the counter. No, it made much more sense for me to have to go back to the immigration office in Guatemala City.

With no luck coming discussing it any further with the official, I was forced to take my stuff off the shuttle bus that was taking me to El Salvador and wait for a chicken bus to take me back to the city. Chicken buses are something I knew I would have to use at some point in Central America, but I wasn't prepared for this to be that day. They're generally old American school buses that have been decorated – sometimes very elaborately – and can cover big distances throughout the region. While they're very cheap, they regularly stop every few minutes picking up and dropping off passengers (and sometimes chickens). The one that I'd gotten on had a person sized hole where the seat behind me should have been. What was a two and a half hour journey to the border ended up being almost 5 hours returning – all the time wondering what I would need to do get a stamp so I could leave the country.

Typical chicken bus

As it turned out despite locals and resident foreigners alike telling me the process could take up to two weeks, my luck started to change at the immigration office. While I had to pay two fines – one for entering the country illegally and one for being the in country illegally – due to an error another person made, the whole matter was sorted in just over an hour and I was free to leave Guatemala. In other circumstances being in a country with no proof you are there legally could get you in far more trouble than just a fine.

While it has been by far the worst week of my trip, I've now had my jabs, got my stamp and tomorrow I leave for El Salvador, again. Compared to the many backpackers that get themselves into trouble (sometimes through their own actions, but often just being in the wrong place at the wrong time) I'm coming away in good shape.

I will say, however, that I will be glad to be crossing that border tomorrow morning. 

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.

Go Slow

From the moment I got off the boat and entered the customs office, I knew this was going to be a laid back location. With the floor covered in sand, and a single question asked by the customs officer, it was no time before I was ushered through the doorway and greeted by the lone security guard.

“Welcome to Belize”

The Island motto - oh and this is the main street

Once on the island of Caye Caulker, things only got more relaxed. There are no cars on the Island – only golf buggies – and the roads consisted of some roughly smoothed out mud where pedestrians were only occasionally having to move out of the way of traffic – which was mostly of the pedal variety.

After being told off by a local for breaking the island's law by walking too fast, I knew this was a place I would come to love.

Tell me how you leave a place like this

They don't like to do anything fast there. Your meal might take 90 minutes to come to you, but its all ok, but what else are you going to be doing? Just have another drink.

When you're on the road for any length of time, you sometimes need a break from the actual travelling. You can't spend 12 months going at 100% checking out attractions and monuments. I'd gotten to that stage of my trip where some time in Caye Caulker was the perfect option.

Chilling at the Split

Initially intending to spend only three days on the island, I couldn't seem to leave. I couldn't even tell you what I was doing during my time there. The Island is known for it's amazing snorkeling and diving and yet I did neither. I spend my days by “The Split”, where the northern and southern parts of the island are divided by a short waterway, with beers and my nights at the reggae bar with rum and before I knew it my three days had turned into a week. If it weren't for an offer of a ride down to Flores in Guatemala, I might still be there. It's just that laid back and chilled.

“Go Slow” has become a bit of a motto for my trip so far. As well as Caye Caulker, I've overstayed my initial expectations on the beaches of Playa Del Carmen and the beautiful Mexican colonial town of San Cristobal De Las Casas. “I'm leaving tomorrow” has become something of a catchphrase for me.

No seriously, how do you leave this?

I sometimes worry that all of this extra time spent at this end of Latin America may mean I'll be limited towards the end of my trip, but the way I look at it, if I', having a great time and hanging out with some great people, why move? I've met more than a few people who seem to be trying to pack too much into too short a time, and for mine, I'd rather err on the side of taking too long in one place than not long enough.

Sure, I'll get to South America eventually – the World Cup will make sure of that – but until then, I'm definitely enjoying going slow.  

10 Things I Learnt in Mexico

After spending over two months in Mexico I feel I've gotten to know the place really well and I've learnt many things about the country and it's people. So, to revert to a blog staple, here is a list of things that I learnt in this great country.

1. The food is incredible. 

You have no idea how good it is – I certainly didn't before I went. I already liked what passed for “Mexican” food in other parts of the world, but nothing prepared me for how good the genuine food was. Tacos, tortas, quesedillas, enchiladas, mole and of course my favourite, pastor. Sure, it will take some work to get back in shape once I get home, but it will be worth it.

Pastor

2. Don't rely on the Mexican Postal system.

Just trust me on this one.

3. The people are among the friendliest in the world. 

I wrote a blog about the people of Burma being the friendliest people in the world, but the Mexicans would certainly give them a run for their money. Just little things, like greeting strangers in a lift or shuttle bus, to the way people sit with strangers at restaurants. The whole place has a community feel, even when you're in Mexico City, which is one of the biggest countries in the world.

4. Mexico has some great beaches. 

Yes places like Cancun and Playa Del Carmen are touristy, but they are that for a reason. The water is beautiful, the sand is nice the drinks are cheap. What more could you want?

Playa Santa Fe near Tulum

5. The Mexican people love to celebrate. 

In the time I was in Mexico I witnessed celebrations for Christmas, New Years, the Three Kings and the Virgin Guadalupe. With so many saints and festivals, there is always a reason to celebrate, which makes it a fun place to be.

Pinata is a must at a Christmas celebration in Mexico

6. Mexicans love their country. 

Being a guest in a Mexican house is probably one of the best thing in the world for a traveller. I was lucky enough to be invited to stay with a Family in Mexico City and instantly had an army of tour guides and people wanting to tell me all of their favourite food, drinks and places to go in their country in the hope I will love their country as much as they do.

My Mexican Family

7. Mexico has great history 

Between Chichen Itza, Palenque, Tulum, Teotihuacan – and all of the smaller ones – Mexico is brimming with history. Whether its Aztec, Zapotec, Mixtec or Mayan, the ruins scattered throughout the country make a lot of archaeological sites in other countries look a little boring. At times there almost seems to be too many ruins, but each and everyone is unique and never ceased to blow me away. And typically for me, it was more than just the pre Colombian history that kept me interested. Being a sports addict, getting to visit the stadium where one of the most infamous moments in football history took place (the Maradona "Hand of God" goal) was a huge highlight. 

Ancient ruins at Palenque

8. Even their archaeological sites have great beaches. 

Just in case you get bored looking at thousands of years of history, you can take a dip.

Tulum ruin overlooking the beach

9. Mexicans love to dance. 

Whether it is a salsa bar, some weird 80's dance battle club, or just with their family in their own home Mexicans love to get up and shake it.

10. If I had to get stuck somewhere I'm glad it was Mexico. 

I think Mexico is a place where things aren't actually supposed to go as planned, but still end up awesome. I couldn't have wished for a better experience, and now I don't want to leave. But the Long Road to Rio continues!   

International Festivals

Festivals are fun.

Sure, I know I'm not exactly blowing anybody's mind with that statement, but it's a fact. Back in Australia, they've just had the annual “should we be celebrating Australia Day” debate. While the origins of Australia Day may well be far from ideal for celebrating, I think festivals and celebrations in general can sometimes surpass their origins.

And while a festival in your own country can be a great weekend escape from you daily life, there's nothing quite as good as going to a festival in another country.

These days, people often plan their overseas trip to coincide with at least one. Whether it's a full moon party in Thailand, running with the Bulls in Pamplona, drinking far too much at Oktoberfest in Germany or listening to music at Glastonbury, you can bet there will be a load of travellers there that have set their international travel plans around being there on the day.

Downing one of many Steins of beer in Munich in 2005 (haven't changed a bit huh?)

There is an entire industry around devoted only to get tourists to all these festivals. I remember being one of hundreds (thousands?) of Aussies piling on to buses in London and setting off for Munich for a few days of beer and bratwurst at Oktoberfest. None of us could wait to get to one of the world's great cultural festivals – first we just needed to indulge in some Australian culture and get drunk on the way there.

With my travel leading me ever closer to Brazil for the 2014 FIFA World Cup, I've planned my trip around the world's biggest sporting festival, and I'm sure I'm not the only one.

Sometimes, however, the best festivals to be a part of are those that you didn't plan. The past week or so I spent time in the Mexican state of Chiapas, near the Guatemalan border. The town of Chiapa de Corzo was having it's annual Fiesta Grande de Enero or Great January Feast. I came across this festival purely by accident. In fact, had I not lost my debit card in Mexico City, I would have travelled through the region before it even happened. 

Parachicos doing their thing

The festival revolves around parachicos, who are dancers dressed up as colonial Spaniards and who, along with representations of the local patron saints, parade through the city. The story as to why they do this varies but seems to come back to a boy who was brought to the town when he was sick and somehow cured there, while being entertained by the parachicos. The boy's wealthy Spanish mother later thanking the town by assisting the residents with food during a particularly rough drought.

Hangin with the Parachicos

Whatever the specifics, the festival has all of the characteristics required of a good festival; food, music, a joyous atmosphere and plenty of quirks. Oh and of course, fireworks.  

I don't think a festival has to have a clear reason for being, just people who want to celebrate with each other and have a good time. And of course, fireworks. 

Have you ever planned an international trip just to see a festival? What was you favourite festival experience? 

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? 

Surfing Champion?

When I first visited the USA four years ago, I noticed a trend. When meeting any new American woman, within five minutes I would invariably be asked, “Do you surf?”

Growing up in small country towns up to 500 kilometres (~300 Miles) away from the nearest coastline, surfing was not something I often had the chance to do, and by the time I did live somewhere coastal, the closest beach was St Kilda, which has about as many waves as your average coffee cup.

The problem I had was that the look of disappointment on the faces of these American women was hard to take. I was shattering their image of what an Australian man really was. I guess not being six feet tall and having long blonde hair played a part, but the no surfing thing certainly helped.

I've realised recently though, that I'm actually somewhat of a surfing champion. While throwing on a wetsuit and running out to the waves with a board may never happen regularly for me, I've found something else I love to surf: couches.

Poutine; one of the things from Canada I missed the most

Anyone paying attention will note that I haven’t added to this blog in well over a month. What have I been doing in that time? I've been travelling through Canada and the USA meeting up with old friends, going to my favourite bars and eating all of my favourite food all over again. In short, nothing remotely new. Unlike while in India and Burma, I haven't been discovering new cultures, cuisines, cities and people. I've gone back to a bunch of places that I'd already discovered.

While this may not seem like the greatest use of my time (and limited money) while out of the country for a year, it has reminded me of the number one reason I love to travel – meeting and becoming genuine friends with people in other countries.

In the two months since I left India (including my time in the UK, Spain and Sweden) I've been fortunate enough to be welcomes into the homes of many different people. These people vary greatly in their backgrounds as well as my level of familiarity with them before coming into their homes.

My second time at the Daily Show

I've been hosted by not only my sister and some great friends who've hosted me numerous times before, but also people whom I've not seen in up to seven years, and others that were probably best described as “friends of friends” that welcomed me as though we'd been close forever.

I have also used the official Couch Surfing website where I've stayed with people who were literally strangers before staying with them, but for the most part I've stayed with people I've met through my network of travelling friends. To put it into perspective, in the 64 days I've spent in Europe and North America since leaving India, I've spent just 10 nights in paid accommodation, and only two nights since arriving in North America six weeks ago.

A group of my friends in Montreal, Canada

To me that says a lot about the welcoming and kind nature of the people I've met in my last eight years of travelling, and one of the reasons its going to be so difficult to let go of this lifestyle I the future.

While I may not be discovering any new cities just now, it has been far from boring. Reconnecting with people I haven't seen in years is as much of a reward as seeing a great monument for the first time. Just as those said monuments have stood the test of time, so too do many of these friendships.

And hey, some things do change. When an American girl asks me if I surf these days, I answer with a firm “Yes, of course”.

What if Paul Kelly is right?

Now I'm in a restaurant in Stockholm
And the waiter here wants me to know his name

And I can order sandwiches in seven different languages

But every fucking city is just the same - Paul Kelly, "Every Fucking City"

Paul Kelly's iconic song about backpacking through Europe is a favourite with many Australian travellers as it has been for me during my last eight years of wandering the globe. But it re entered my mind when I was actually sitting in a restaurant last week in Sweden's capital and making a complete mess of ordering a sandwich in Swedish.

2012 Live version (with some modern twists)

It got me thinking about whether Paul Kelly was actually right. Are all cities just the same? For 10 days I'd been travelling through several cities in Sweden and for the most part they were much the same. Nice old buildings, some so-so castles beautiful little old towns and some really pretty scenery. The more I thought about it, the more it was quite similar to many other cities I'd visited in other European countries.

The people I met were similar too. In my time in Sweden, aside from one Swede (whom I met in Scotland years ago) I spent my time with another Australian, some Mexicans and a couple who were Finish and Russian and many of their friends who were Hungarian. Did I really need to be in Sweden for this? Couldn't I just plant myself in any European city and act as a tourist and wait for all of the same experiences? Or is it possible that I'm just becoming an old Jaded traveller?

Town square in Malmo

In Malmo, at the south of Sweden, I met another traveller who introduced me to the concept of there being an “order” to travel. As a Westerner, you start in Europe or North America – safe, easy countries – and then eventually move into the more developing countries in Asia and South America, before one day you find yourself asking for a sandwich in Baghdad. It's possible that after my recent travels in India and Burma, that any Western country just doesn't feel different enough any more.

I think in all honesty travel through many countries has become a bit the same. People want the same facilities and services in their hotel/hostel. They'll tend to do the same kinds of things when they get to each city – whether that be hop-on hop-off busses, tour museums or just get drunk. And they'll tend to meet the same kinds of people who are all doing the same kinds of things as them.

Town Square in Stockholm

Does that mean that there's no point travellings to many of these places? Hell no. While the differences may be more subtle these days, they're still there. If you're willing to try different food, attempt to meet some locals and in general get out of your comfort zone, you'll find plenty of new things in each new city you visit. The unique and different experiences are still there to find, you might just need to leave Starbucks to find them.  

India By Rail

Anyone who's ever thought about travelling through India has seen the images of the overcrowded trains and heard the horror stories about being jammed in for hours on end in a carriage with no air-con and very little comfort.

My experience so far in just about a month in the country is that, while it has its challenges, getting around India has actually been pretty easy. So far.

3AC Sleeper 

As I write this I'm getting ready to take my longest – and final – train journey, from Udaipur to Mumbai. I'll be getting on at 9:30pm tonight and arriving around around 2pm tomorrow afternoon. While it sounds like a long haul, its far from the longest journey possible, and many of the other tourists I've met have done trips which have surpassed 24 hours.

Once you figure out the Indian train system it is actually fairly straight forward. Having said that, trying to organise my first trip, from Calcutta to Varanasi, was anything but easy and took a good half a day going from counter to counter before eventually finding the people who could help me.

With many trains booking up months in advance, the one saving grace for foreign tourists is the tourist quota. Most routes keep a certain number of tickets available for foreigners meaning we can generally get away with buying tickets the day before. But it doesn't always work out so easily. I've had to take advantage of the “Tatkal” booking system – where you attempt to book tickets at 10am the day before a trip with some last minute release tickets, along with thousands of other people – as well as the Wait list, where you pay for your ticket, despite no seats actually being available in anticipation of people cancelling. As crazy as this system seems, so far its worked for me.

The trains are also surprisingly comfortable. With several different classes (including three classes of air conditioned sleeper, and one without AC) all at good prices, you can find something that will suit your budget/comfort line. Being a bit of a “flashpacker” these days as I'm a bit older, I've stuck to the AC classes for most trips.

A relatively empty 2nd class carriage 

I was, however, left taking an “unreserved” journey on one occasion. These are the carriages that are overcrowded, hot, dirty and overall, not really that pleasant. It definitely is an experience though. Having caught the wrong train and gotten off at a stop in the middle of nowhere, I was directed by a good samaritan to jump on a train going to my destination. The only thing was it was already leaving. With my full pack on my back and thongs on my feet I had to take a running start and literally jump up into the carriage, being dragged in by the people hanging out of the door. Once inside I had many eyes on me clearly wondering why I was in that carriage. I was kind of thinking the same thing.

After a couple of stops I was able to get a seat and from there the rest of the trip wasn't so bad. My fellow passengers were really kind, offering me all kinds of food – although the 4 year old using the floor next to me as a toilet kind of ruined my appetite.

In the end I made it to my destination, and for about $1.25 for a 4 hour journey, who can complain?

Far from being a nightmare, I've actually started wishing my own country had a train system as efficient.

So who has had some bad experiences on Indian trains? And I'm I pushing my luck posting this article before my final, and longest, journey? Let me know in the comments! 

How to Vote: From Delhi

I've been on the road to Rio for just on a month now and I've had an incredible trip already. I've seen one of the Seven Wonders of the World, I've met some of the friendliest people in the world, and I've also found the spiritual homeland of my feet.

Sometimes though, you need to take a break from being a traveller, and get some stuff done. Last week in New Delhi was just such an occasion.

Anyone outside of Australia is probably blissfully unaware that we have a federal election coming up this Saturday, while I'm sure those back home are drowning in it. While in New Delhi I discovered that early postal voting was available to expats and travellers in India at the Australian High Commission. Having missed every national (and state) election since I started travelling in 2005, I decided it was finally time to start having my say again, so I took a few hours out to head down to the High Commission and place my vote.

The thing was, on the walk down I was still unsure as to who I was going to vote for. The two major parties have some pretty deep flaws, while the myriad of small special interest parties didn't excite me in the least.

Indira Gandhi with former Australian PM Gough Whitlam

On the way to the High Commission I came across the memorial and museum dedicated to Indira Gandhi, one of India's most influential political figures of the 20^th century. She was Prime Minsiter on several occasions and helped shape India to being the country it is now. She was also somewhat divisive on many issues and was ultimately assassinated before finishing her final term in office in 1984. Her son, Rajiv, followed her as Prime Minister, and unfortunately, suffered the same fate as his mother in 1991.

Listening to some of the rhetoric and campaigning going on back home, you'd think that Australian politics was as heavily divided as it can be in here in India. Depending on who you listen to if 'wrong' party gets up on September 7^th, the country is doomed. I don’t buy that.

Australian High Commission in Delhi

The major parties in Australia, like the overwhelming majority of the population are very close to the centre of the political chart. Both parties will act the same way on the majority of issues and neither side will see the country turn into a basket case. Yes, both parties have their faults – not least of which the leader of each – but show me a political party that doesn't.

One thing that is sure to spice up the election is one Mr Julian Assange and his new “Wikileaks” party appearing on the Senate ballot. If he manages to get himself elected it will surely make Australian politics a little more interesting at least.

Indian Parliament

So I turned up to the High Commission and place my vote. I even voted below the line in the Senate, filling out all 97 preferences to make sure the likes of Family First, the Christian Party and One Nation get nothing from my vote.

So to my Australian friends: Go vote Saturday. Vote whatever way you feel but just keep in mind, whomever our government is when we all wake up on Sunday, Australia will continue to be a great place to live. I'm not saying our vote is not important, just that we're lucky enough to live in a country where people aren't killing each other over disagreements in policy.

We are very lucky in Australia and not even Krudd or the Budgie Smuggler can change that. 

I promise I'll get back to some more travel related content next week! This isn't a political blog, I just thought I'd share my thoughts.

The 7 Wonders: Taj Mahal

I was sitting on a 14 hour train ride from Varanasi to Agra, on my way to see the Taj Mahal – one of the Seven Wonders of the World. And then it occurred to me: for someone who had spent the best part of the last eight years travelling, I haven't seen many of these so called wonders.

The Taj Mahal

The lists seem to vary greatly, but according to this list, the only one I've “ticked off” is the Roman Colosseum, which I did back in 2005 when I was just getting started.

Who knew it would take so long to see another one of man's greatest creations?

I've seen some great sights in that time: La Alhambra in Spain, The Eiffel Tower in France, Stonehenge in England and the Statue of Liberty in the US, among others.

All were great in their own way, but what makes one of the “Wonders” that much better?

I guess I was about to find out.

Arriving in Agra early in the morning, the first thing to do was to check into the hotel and dump my stuff. Now everyone who has travelled through India will tell you that the best time to see the Taj Mahal is the first thing in morning, which means finding something else to do with your first day in Agra.

Agra Fort

Luckily, Agra has another World Heritage listed monument in town, just a short walk from the Taj, Agra Fort. The Fort is massive and contains 16 separate palaces built over the centuries by successive rulers. And do you know what the most interesting thing about Agra Fort is? Its that every person has the same reaction while they're walking around it and get a glimpse of the Taj Mahal a short distance away. Its clear what everyone is really here to see.

View of the Taj Mahal from Agra Fort

I finish off my first day in Agra doing what dozens of other people do – heading to the park across the river to try and get that perfect photo of the Taj Mahal's reflection and amazing colours during sunset. I settle for a so-so photo and an early night in preparation for an early morning start to see the Taj.

Cheesy landmark photo

After establishing that the “high value” ticket queue was code for “foreigners”, I arrived at dawn to see this wonder of the world and it was.....pretty cool.

My attempt at the artistic shot

Ok, I might have undersold that a bit. It is incredibly beautiful. To see something like this in person, after seeing it so many times on film or pictures, was kind of surreal. It almost didn’t seem real. You had to keep looking at it, and telling yourself that you are seeing this with your own eyes.

More restrained pose inside

Having said all of that, was it any better than any of the monuments I'd seen that didn't make the list? Probably not.

Taj Mahal in all its glory 

I'm looking forward to seeing a few others from the list during this trip – Christ the Redeemer, Machu Picchu and Chichen Itza are all probabilities – but I don't believe these lists are the be all and end all of what is to see.

Like Beauty, it's in the eye of the beholder.