Hiking Machu Picchu (For Dummies)

When you're on a long trip you'll tend to meet a lot of different types of travellers. There are the foodies, party animals, hippies, culture seekers and thrill seekers.

In this part of the world though, there is one group that stands out among the rest – the hikers and trekkers.

Machu Picchu

They're everywhere, decked out in their khaki trekking pants, hiking boots and fleece jackets. Many even bring their own walking poles.

There's a good reason they're so prevalent, of course, there's a great deal of good hiking to be done in Latin America. There seems to be as many volcanoes as towns, there's lost cities, large mountains and lush valleys.

The biggest prize of all for hikers around here though – and possibly anywhere – is Machu Picchu. The Incan city high in the mountains of Peru has been the ultimate destination for hikers almost since European eyes first laid eyes on it over 100 years ago. The four to five day trek through the Inca Trail has been described by most that have done it as being among the greatest experiences of their life.

But, its so much walking.

While I've been wanting to visit the ruins of Machu Piicchu for many years, the idea of walking for 12 hours a day to get there has never been the most exciting prospect. I always kind of assumed I would do it anyway as I suffer from a severe case of FOMO (feat of missing out). If something is supposed to be amazing I want in.

I just really didn't want to hike.

As it turned out though, I took advantage of my own laziness and managed to have a great experience at the same time.

While I didn't do the Inca Trail - I did go zip lining!

To be able to walk the Inca Trail, you have to book a tour weeks or even months in advance as it is genuinely that popular and limited to just 500 people per day. With my lack of ability to plan, I didn't know when I would be making it to Cusco to start the trail, therefore I couldn't book anything. Shame huh?

As I got closer to Peru I learned about other hikes and treks one could do on the way to Machu Picchu. I settled on the “Jungle Trail” offered by dozens of agencies in the former Incan capital of Cusco. With mountain biking, rafting and zip lining – and more importantly just one day walking more than 3 hours - the khaki crowd doing the “proper” trail would certainly not approve, but that didn't bother me at all. We stayed in hostels, ate in restaurants and got driven around in vans. This was the trek for me.

One of the many great views walking through the Andes

That isn't to say we did no walking at all, it just wasn't all we did unlike those doing the Inca Trail. The time they spent walking we spent having fun, getting to know our tour mates and having a beer. Every step we took uphill in the Andes while we were walking reminded me that I had made the right decision.

Machu Picchu

While I respect that for some people the history and difficulty of the Inca Trail is what makes it the most satisfying, for myself (and a surprising amount of people we encountered along the way) Machu Picchu was a big enough prize as it was, and getting there was just half the fun.

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. 

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. 

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.

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!  

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! 

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.